The last light of the sun was being chased by ominous shadow when Dennis Ward felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and had the acute sensation that there was someone standing directly behind him.  Dennis pivoted himself slowly, turning as if underwater.  He scarcely had the strength to lift the little weapon he still desperately clutched, but somehow he managed to cock his elbow bracing it against his hip, and pointing the weapon straight ahead of him at waist level he faced what he knew stood only feet from his back.

Up close the man was even more hideous to behold.  The setting sun and the looming shadow did his ruined countenance no favors.   His posture was impossible, he stood bent over and an obvious cripple, but his bearing was at once pathetic and somehow frighteningly arrogant.  The skin was a thick and leathery brown the color of old wood, and either he was from some strange islander stock or he had suffered terrible burns over the entirety of his body.  The melanomas were the worst, they were literally painful to look at, and massive gaping holes crusted over with malignant cells dominated the right side of the face.  One such tumor grew from the inside of the nose to the bottom of the jaw and had to measure six inches across, it had eaten away the man’s cheek, in some places down to the bone, so that when the thing spoke Dennis could see the glint of the creature’s molars.

Despite the external maladies he had obvious been born with some natural deformity; aside from the aforementioned twisting of the spin and crooking of the back, his head was oddly pointed, sloping up in a flat funny way on either side.  His ears and hands were large and swollen, and his arms were much longer then they should have been.  One eye, murky and the same color as the sea, bulged from the left socket while the other was hidden under black, weeping, disease.  His nose was all but gone, either having fell victim to the encroaching sickness or again attributed to a horrid burning.

His garb was rot and filth, bits of rags and garbage obviously scavenged from the floating heap, belts and bandoliers crisscrossed his conclave chest and bony waist, a tattered vest hung over gaunt uneven shoulders and all were lined with sloppily sewn pockets and straps holding various bits of things best left un-speculated upon.  He now leaned upon the collapsed umbrella and leered menacingly at Dennis. Eternal moments passed in uncomfortable silence and as Dr. Ward opened his mouth to speak the crippled man beat him to it.

“Ia, ia!” he cawed at Dennis, his voice a high pitched and raspy whisper, the strange word bursting from the near non-existent lips was spoke in such a way that Ward visibly stiffened and took a shuttering half step back-wards away from the other man.  Before the now terrified Doctor could retort the creature continued, rapidly expelling nonsense. ”You have…tak… not yet witnesses the…tik…Yellow Sign…you…tak… are unclean!” seeing the obvious confusion on the Doctors face the countenance of the strange scavenger darkened, his one good eye narrowing, his face taking on a decidedly malevolent cast.

The Doctor scared speechless could not even begin to respond to the creature, the words it had spoken made no sense to the educated Ward who could recall no reference, either in philosophy or history, to the afore mentioned Yellow Sign.  The exclamation sounded like a combination of the speech of an infant and the ravings of a psychotic.  “So then…tak… you are upon R’lyeh for the…tik… first time?”  “You are…tik tik… as yet unclean?””Uninitiated…tak…?”

Dennis ignored the strange question and the even stranger manner of speech “Y…you speak English?” he managed to stutter.  Fragments of things spilled from the creature’s mouth started to make sense to the Doctor.  The cancerous man used odd inflections, his shrill, grating whisper carried unusually well in the strange plane, and he spoke with a heavy speech impediment.  A tick or stutter permeated his language and seemed to manifest primarily as an unsettling chattering of the things front teeth as he spoke, almost as if he was chewing on the air as he conversed.

“No…tak…you speak English…I speak the language of the old ones…tak…the language of those who…tik…dwell below!”  The statement turned to exclamation only toward the end of the man’s sentence and he sounded to Dennis like a sermonizing evangelist.   The man leaned closer to the Doctor forcing the disorientated Dr. Ward to again retreat a step.

Dr. Dennis Ward was now on the precipice of lunacy.  The utter surrealness of the entire situation, the unnaturalness of the setting, this mad and threatening denizen that presently menaced him, it was all rapidly becoming too much.  Steeling himself he raised the revolver putting it between himself and the leprous thing before him.  “We are lost, crashed into the damn ocean, me my wife and two others…” their story began to pour out of him now.  He articulated wildly with the heavy pistol, and summed their sad tale rather well, the Doctor felt himself in a situation in which time was of the utmost importance, and chose to omit the parts of the story where he may (by a lesser minded or uncomprehending individual) be painted the villain.  The other man listened to the Doctor and, although Denis knew the man understood him, the listener would nod or sneer at inappropriate times during the telling. So it was that when Dennis came to the part where he had made the painful discovery of his wife’s woeful fate he swore the other was grinning, and in shocking fact gurgling a disgusting chuckle low in the throat.

“Ia! ia!”  The man screamed, furious at one point, for no discernible reason.

Dennis in his current, truly diminished, state qualified the reactions and entire interaction as his inability to relate rationally to the other, thinking that it was he who was at fault for any miscommunication.  Perhaps the other man’s deformities made him express himself in a non-typical way.  Maybe what Dennis was saying in his head and saying with his lips were two different things.  The Doctor just hoped that by explaining the situation as best he could this other being would, because of their common link of humanity, help him.

Abhorred darkness had come towards the conclusion of the Doctors explanation.  He finished as swiftly as possible because, adding to the anxiety of the situation; the crooked man had begun to bite at the air again, making that sharp tik tak sound.  Tik tik tik, tak tak tak, faster and faster until it was no longer a tick but a constant motion.  It reminded Dennis of a child exaggerating the cold, making an obvious pretense of chattering teeth by opening up their mouths far too wide.  “Wh-what the fuck are you doing?”  Dennis stammered himself, as the creature edged closer still.

The other stopped, he cocked his head, and spoke “Your mate…tik…and the fat women…tak… will now be ours…tik… yes?””They will become …tik…thralls of the…tak… Yellow Sign!“Tak…your own…tik… life be…tak tak…be your recompense!” he growled this last loudly at Dennis, his voice dropping dramatically in timbre and gaining in volume as if issuing un-questionable command.  Dr. Ward could say nothing; he had been paralyzed, seized completely by what he could barely comprehend.

A fierce duality warred within the Doctor now.  Half of him knew desperately that the sane and right thing was to squeeze the trigger of the pilot’s Smith and Wesson, and if the weapon mis-fired or failed to work at all then he would have to bludgeon the man to death with the butt of the revolver.  To split this foul things skull open and leave his brains to rot upon this un-holy ground seemed the only logical way to proceed.  But he also wanted to live and the other half of him held stubbornly to the idea of life.

“I don’t think I understand you…” But he did, the Doctor trembled, his lips shook uncontrollably.  This thing, for Ward would call it man no longer, implied an arrangement truly diabolical.  Could it really want the women?  The Doctor would not even allow his mind to explore the dark possibilities and sinister designs that the monster before him suggested.  But Dennis was a man who was grounded in reality.  He knew the score.  So it was that when the tumor ravaged devil drew forth a glistening bottle of sparkling, clear water Dennis whimpered like a starved animal.  “…Please…” he begged.  He would give anything, he would give everything, and somehow this creature knew.

The hideous man extended one brown, cracked claw, clutched within, the bottle of life giving water.  Almost instinctually, as if a reflex, Dennis snatched the offering from the foul thing.  His mind recoiled against all rational thought, and screamed in opposition to the action, but his body, grounded in baser needs, betrayed him.  In the end there was no choice at all.

“Ia!  You are…tik uninitiated…not fit…tak…unclean for they who dwell below!”  The thing turned as if their meeting was concluded and, with that strange gait that was part lope and part scuttle, began to swiftly depart, he left the thoroughly bewildered Doctor with the parting “Homage to…tik…the…witnesses of …tak…The Yellow Sign…tak… and the ones who dwell …tik…below!”  It took Dennis a moment to shake the strange stupor that had possessed him and he cried out squeezing the trigger of the 44 caliber as quickly as he could.  The first three chambers clicked with no effect, but the fourth fifth and sixth rounds rang out loudly across the black landscape.  In the dark Dennis was blinded by the muzzle flash and by the time he cleared the spots from his vision the mad man was gone.

Dennis wept as he drank the contents of the bottle.  At no point did he even question whether the liquid was what he had hoped it was.  He knew that, although he had not entirely understood the interaction he had just experienced, he had made a deal.  He drank too fast and vomited painfully.  On hands and knees in the black slime on the strange island the doctor purged his wrecked body.  Something primal within him forced him to crawl, driving him to move instinctively away from the unusual rock formations and the gelatinous sludge he now knelt within.  For hours he scurried as quickly as the dark, hazardous landscape allowed.  Eventually he found himself crashing into a large mound of refuse.  There amidst the chemical sludge and the foul quahogs he finally collapsed.

When he awoke he felt as if he had aged twenty years in one terribly unforgettable night.  Caked in rot and filth he extracted himself from his gruesome nest.  In his grip the pistol had been replaced by the now three quarter empty plastic bottle, the gun having been lost during his frantic flight.  The beleaguered Doctor meandered aimlessly for a time before deciding on a direction or course of action.  Somehow, eventually, he found himself back at the now deserted raft.

He saw no sign of the two women or of Herb, and the craft remained stuck fast within the plastic sea.  Numb, the aged Doctor climbed into the rubber boat, unconsciousness seeking to claim him once again.  The last thing the Doctor saw before the world drifted away was the amassing of dark clouds on the horizon, and then it began to rain.

This is Part 5 of The Plastic Sea, the last of the five-part series. In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here, read Part 3 here, and read Part 4 here.

Magic the Gathering just finished it latest block, “Return to Ravnica” with its third and last installment release, “Dragon’s Maze” two week ago. The entire three-set block features multicolored cards that each have unique abilities with filled appeal. Each of the guilds of a distinct name represents one of the 10 color combinations available. Each guild has a new gate card: a land that produces either color mana of that specific guild. Though the Izzet and Simic guilds are personal favorites each one has the potential to do massive damage quickly especially in a sealed tournament. Needless to say many spells do pull their weight in other formats. Here is a review and some observations about MTG’s latest successful block.

Return to Ravnica 

The first set features the Selensya, Izzet, Azorious, Rakdos, and Golgari guilds. An emphasis on these guilds alone also gave way to five new keyword abilities. The “shock” lands have also returned as reprints from the original 2005 Ravnica block. These rare lands count as two basic land types and, if needed, the player can pay two life to use it right away, unlike the gates that must enter the battlefield tapped. The five available shock lands in this set correspond with the featured guilds color combinations.

The Return to Ravnica set jump-started the block with a lot of great commons and uncommon like: Soul Tithe, Guttersnipe, Oak Street Innkeeper, Steal of Secrets, and Stab Wound, which pack a serious punch even if they are mono-colored. The multicolored spells in MTG usually offer versatile and appealing abilities at a cheaper mana cost, provided the player uses two or more colors to pay. Cards like Dreg Mauler, a 3/3 haste for three in green and black with scavenge is a prime example of this raw potential. Another is the Armada Wurm, that gives the player two 5/5 trample creatures for two white, two green, and two colorless. You can expect a lot of cards of this magnanimity in this set whether they are single or mono-colored cards, the power level is now  increased to help players do more, for less.

The five keyword abilities, at a glance:

Populate: Creates a copy of chosen creature token in play you control. Once the Armada Wurm hits the table its scoop city. (Selensya)

Overload: Paying a separate overload cost allows one to change the text “target” to “each” for that spell, which causes more dramatic effects. (Izzet)

Unleash: Unleashed creatures enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it but cannot block. An excellent trade of when you know you can finish the game quickly. Or put a more assertive impression of your undead armies (Rakdos)

Detain: A very useful one. Azorious clan members can halt any permanent from using activated abilities until the detainer’s next turn. If that permanent is a creature, it cannot attack or block as well.(Azorious)

Scavenge: Paying the separate cost allows creatures in the graveyard to be “scavenged” for a number +1/+1 counters equal to that creatures power. Those counters are directly put on creature in play you control. Each creature’s  scavenge cost is different, if it has any at all.(Golgari)

This set released two new Plainswalkers: Jace Architect of Thoughts, and Vrask the Unseen. Jace is a solo blue card that gives the player a mini ”Fact or Fiction” of three cards. He can lower the power of attacking creatures to gain loyalty counters. His last ability, allows the caster to search his/her opponents libraries and cherry-pick their favorite spells and use them as their own.

With the first five guilds started the set had a very positive start. Return to Ravnica was well received and player where quickly prompted to lookout for Gatecrash in the upcoming months.

GateCrash:

This set finishes with the other 5 remaining guilds unseen in Return to Ravnica: Simic, Boros, Gruul, Dimir, and Orzhov. Again gate cards, and shock lands are available in this set featuring the unique combinations of the chosen guilds. After seeing what the new block was all about with Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash keeps up the pace with many more powerful spell and another two Plainswalkers.

This set offer just as much promise with new, color combo-ed themes and flexible spells that will extend the life of the block after this release takes effect. The intensity is just as strong as Wizards reveals the remaining 5 guilds to the mix.

Personal favorites of this set include Urban Evolution and the Spark Trooper. Clan defiance can also turn the tides of a battle quickly. The Simic guild admittedly seems bit too locked in on +1/+1 counters that makes their spells less versatile outside of standard. Unlike the Boros Charm, which is absolutely indispensable in casual play. I also noticed the Cinder Elemental reprint from Mercadian Masques. And a rare “Primordial” Avatar creature in the 5 mono-colors respectively.

Dormi Rade the new multicolored Plainswalker can help get creature cards into your hand or fight opponents creatures before a combat phase. His last ability grants gamers an emblem that gives their creatures many sweet perks. Gideon, Champion of Justice is the white, mono-colored Plainswalker whose accelerated production of loyalty counters is only matched with a second ability that is played for free. Gideon’s last move keeps him as the sole player on the field if it’s pulled off. It exiles all other permanents.

Here is a sum up of the remaining five keywords;

Extort: Whenever you play a spell you may pay the extort cost for each creature that has the ability. If you do you gain 1 life and each opponent loses 1 life.(Orzhov)

Battalion: Activated when three or more creatures attack, these special creatures will gain you life, enhance combative skills and overall beef up your units sent to attack each turn.(Boros)

Evolve: Creatures with evolve will gain +1/+1 counters on them when new creatures enter the battlefield with a higher power or toughness. The Simic guild has many way of moving these counters to the proper monster for greatest effect. (Simic)

Cipher: Mostly found on Sorcery spells, just before a spell with Cipher resolves, it may be encoded on a creature you control. When that creature deals damage to a player, copy that encoded spell.(Dimir)

Bloodrush: Discard a card with bloodrush and pay the mana cost, to give target attacking creature +X/+Y where X is the discarded creature’s power and Y its toughness. (Gruul)

With all the guild formally introduced its time to see them all in action for one last showdown.

Dragon’s Maze:

The last set features cards from all ten guilds and hands down some very forgettable mono-colored cards. All 10 shock lands and gates are printed in this set and each guild has a unique “clue stone” artifact that helps produce two colors of mana. All of the 10 keyword abilities are included on cards of their respected guilds. Each guild also receives a legendary another guild leader that helps develop that particular strategy. This set ultimately expands on the last two sets without adding much new content.

One very exciting feature about this set however is the return of two spell split-cards. This time around all the cards have the “Fuse” ability to cast both halves of the card in whatever order he or she prefers. Far/Away is my favorite because it is the only instant besides Turn/Burn, and gets rid of up to two creatures instead of one.

The fifth Plainswalker in this block, Ral Zerek, is a red and blue Plainswalker with a lot of utility. He can tap and un-tap permanents as one ability, or deal 3 damage to a target by sacrificing three counters. His final ability allows players to take up to five extra turns, if they are so lucky.

Dennis could not carry the man far, but he needed to carry him far enough so that if he did not expire immediately there was no chance he could crawl back to their raft and alarm the women.  Dennis had no idea what the man’s idiot wife would do if she saw her husband in his current, and obviously, terminal state.  “C’mon buddy, there you go, a little more, yea your doing great.”  Ward coaxed his burden along.  Herb, not surprisingly, responded much better to positive reinforcement as opposed to the ruthless whip-cracking the Doctor had previously employed.  The fat man’s condition only continued to deteriorate; his breathing had become a shrill and labored whistle, signifying that his throat had all but closed.  Each step Herb took was painfully laborious, and the man could barely manage to continue forward progress.  The final nail, and greatest indicator, of Herbs impending demise, was the frothy pink fluid that now caked his chin and mouth and had begun to crust on his neck and shirt collar.  There could be only two things this could be, lung tissue or esophageal lining, either way Herb was dead, it was only a matter of slow or slower.

An un-measureable amount of time elapsed and Dennis felt that they had gone far enough.  He thought of trying the revolver and decided against it on account of the noise and the wasting of his limited ammunition.  In his mind an act of kindness, once they had gotten far enough, Dennis leaned to the side and just shrugged the tremendous man off his back and into one of the bubbling pools that riddled the unearthly landscape.  Herbert Milton hit the slime pool with a loud splat; he hardly had time to issue a throaty sound of surprise before the thick, black, churning sludge devoured him.

Dennis took a moment to stretch out his back and revise his course of action.  The hot, merciless sun beat relentlessly upon his blistered brow.  The ground, if it could be called such, sucked at his tired feet, and gave forth the most wretched of stenches.  Even the very air was noxious, the fumes having tainted the surrounding sky for miles around.  All around him was waste and death, a true testament to the follies of man.

Dennis Ward, dehydrated, exhausted and near delirium was wrestling with the idea of collecting more of the poison bottles and either trying them himself or bringing them back to the raft for Sadie to try when he saw it.  He thought it at first a hallucination, a mirage brought on by the heat and the other adverse conditions, but despite these things Dr. Dennis Ward knew that his eyes did not deceive him.  It could have been the way the thing moved, or the stark quality of the silhouette he witnessed with horror on the horizon.  But what was undeniably real was the feeling of utter terror he felt in the deep pit in his stomach, this feeling of wrongness and impossibility could be brought on by no imagined thing.

What he saw, far in the hazy distance, was the silhouette of what appeared to be a man.  The figure was too far away for details to be discerned, but Dennis was sure that this was a man, something despite his crab-like gait or his fidgety, jerky movements spoke inarguably of humanity.  The feeling deep in the Doctors stomach spread quickly down his legs and up his arms sapping the strength from him.  His knees felt weak and so as to avoid collapse he sunk down upon them leaving a deep impression in the stinking muck.  His breathing quickened and he feared he might faint.  What was that?  How is this possible? Am I mad?  Could there have been another wreck?  A myriad of questions ricocheted around Dennis’s dizzy head, and Dennis, not for the first time since they had been lost, questioned his sanity.

The chance still existed for rational explanation he told himself.  There could be a million reasons that someone else was here.  In all likely hood it was some type of scientist perhaps come to measure the level of pollution, or a fisherman looking to dumb the refuse from his ship.  All these rationalities Dennis repeated to himself over and over as he watched the strange creature, but no matter how he attempted to make sense of it there was something undeniably wrong with the image.  Perhaps it was the same things that identified the thing as a man that disturbed Dennis, the odd movements or the crouched digging motions, but what bothered Dennis the most was that whatever it was it seemed to be holding a large battered umbrella over it’s head.

Still unable to take his eyes off the man, if man it was, Dennis vomited in between his already fouled knees.  He rocked back and spasmed forward retching again, he was relieved when his belly could bring forth no more.  He pulled John Hobb’s revolver out of his waist band and held the gun tightly.  He seemed to draw courage from the warm metal and somehow found the strength to stand.  When he blinked the tears away he saw that the object of his terror had disappeared.

He did not doubt for a moment the existence of that awful phantom, for the feeling of wrongness that it had brought with it still lingered thickly in the air.  The unbelievable reality of the situation now began to settle on the Doctor.  He slowly surveyed the landscape before him, taking in all of its unnaturalness.  It all felt so surreal, like he was traversing some mad dreamscape.  No matter how hard he attempted to accept his current position and situation he could not shake a sense of disconnectedness.

He stood, for minutes, utterly dumbstruck.  His mouth hung wide open, his shoulders sagged down into his chest, desperately he clutched the Smith and Wesson.  At some point his rational mind asserted control and he accepted the fact that he was probably starting to go into shock.  The understanding of what was befalling him helped him to clear his cloudy mind.  He had to do something.  Dennis assessed the situation and began to run thru the possible courses of action.  There was no point to try and reason it all thru, it was, and had been, all about survival.  He knew only one thing with complete certainty, if he did not get water very soon he was going to die.

His figuring led him to one conclusion, the thing, the man he had seen was his best chance at finding a source of the life giving liquid.  He had to find the man.  With effort driven by renewed purpose, Dennis forged ahead.  His mind made up he was determined.  He stalked across the fields and up the massive hills of garbage.  Treading upon fish carcasses like carpet, he weaved his way around the misshapen pools of frothy muck.  Twice he almost fell thru into the bog but managed to grasp desperately to some unidentifiable protrusion.  Then he saw him again and his heart leapt into his throat.

He was much closer this time and still appeared not to notice the Doctor.  It was most definitely a man, that much Dennis could be sure of, bent and malformed, crooked where he should have been straight, but a man.  He was less than fifty yards away from Dr. Ward and had his back facing the frozen Doctor, how Dennis had not noticed the creature before now he could not understand, and could only contribute it to the idea that this individual knew more of the nooks and crannies of the island than he.  Dennis opened his mouth to call to the man but could produce no sound.  The man started off in the same direction, heading away from the Doctor.

The way he moved, that jerking, rigid scuttle, was so unnerving to the Doctor he almost screamed but instead composed himself enough to call out weakly to the frightful beast.  Dr Dennis Ward could not stifle the gasp as the creature turned toward him.  He did not turn completely around, nor did he twist at the waist but simply cocked his head and turned his neck exposing his profile.  Even from fifty yards away the Doctor shuddered at the range of deformity the thing showed, its skin for one looked baked, burnt brown tough and leathery, something akin to one who had been very severely burned.  His posture and movement were horribly wrong and painful to watch, he loped about crossing his legs at the knees and galloping facing sideways, as he moved forward his upper body jerked backwards as if the man suffered from some spinal malformation, and the whole process was made effective by the severe hunch in the man’s crippled back.  He moved with his good side facing the sun and had looked at Dennis with his bad side, this distinction being made by the obvious ravage of nearly the entire right side of the face.  Starting from the ear and extending down to the chin and up as high as his non-existent hairline the man’s face was riddled with massive ,black tumors.

The twisted man stared at Dennis for a moment and the speechless Doctor swore the thing smiled.  It then raised an elongated brown arm and pointed at something that Dennis could not see.  As he followed the line of sight that the man’s long bony finger indicated Dennis made the mistake of taking his eyes off the creature for a mere moment and the elusive being disappeared.

The world spun around the Doctor and looking up he noticed the sun beginning to make its descent.  The hateful star looked a brilliant gold thru the acrid, fog-like haze that hung low, and seemed to gather thickest around the boiling slime pools.  It would be dark soon and once the sun went down Dennis would be hopelessly lost.  He began a slow jog in the direction the man had pointed.  As rapidly as he dared he began to speed up, he did not want to exert too much energy, but he certainly did not want to be stranded in this stinking swamp after dark.  The landscape blurred around him, he blocked everything from his mind, and focused on the only thing that could save him.

He found a strange but somehow empty comfort in the knowledge that his quarry was a man.  A man broken and lost himself but a man, and a man could be reasoned with, and if a man could not be reasoned with he could be threatened.  If a man did not take seriously those threats, then a man could hurt, a man could bleed, and a man could die.  Dennis held the small revolver tighter still, like a lifeline to an outside world, a realer world, where, if Dennis played his cards right, he just might find himself again one day.

He stopped running when he began to feel light headed.  An alien twilight had crept up upon him and the ghastly and foreign colors that the setting sun cast on the land around him sent shivers up the good Doctors spine.  He realized then that he had stumbled onto a ground entirely different than the one previously traversed.  He now stood upon a firmer surface, still black as pitch and covered with a thick slime, it did not now seem to be comprised of the marine debris.  Still littered with dead sea animals and the bones of fish and crustaceans but the plastic was all but gone.  Odd rock formations stood in place of the heaps of trash and the earth beneath him felt as such unlike the feel of the unnatural floating island.

Dennis thought he stood upon land that, until very recently, had rested for millennia, miles beneath the Atlantic.  Instead of relief at the change he felt a deeper, more profound fear.  He felt in the presence of ancient and unknown things, things that, although of this earth, were alien to man.   The physically impossible leaning rock formations, thin where they should have been thick and leaning at peculiar angles were perhaps the most disturbing.

He should not have ran, the strain had been too much.  He tried to suck air through dry cracked lips and choked.  The atmosphere was thick and poisonous, tainted by the foul ooze that baked in the now waning sun.  He did not have long now; the effects of being too long without water could no longer be ignored.  His muscles were tight and cramping, he felt nauseous and lightheaded and it was only the intense fear he felt of being lost in this strange place that kept him from fainting.  He forced himself to press on, his strength was gone it was through will alone that he did proceed.

This is Part 4 of The Plastic Sea, a five-part series. Part 5 will be published next Friday. In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here, and read Part 3 here.

After the train wreck which was Gearbox’s Aliens: Colonial Marines took everyone by surprise, it seems that someone has decided to take the developer to court over it. As a result of what he calls false advertising, the law firm Edelson LLC on behalf of a Mr. Damion Perrine have cited a number of civil and business codes they believe the creators of the game breached. A major issue targeted was Gearbox’s infamous high tech “demos” were playable segments which were claimed to directly reflect the overall quality. Featuring graphics far beyond what the game was capable of, scenes and details which were never actually in the game and ultimately a product far beyond what we actually got.

With such a strict embargo being placed upon the game to prevent negative reviews prior to release, and very few actual examples being given of the game’s actual quality, it’s not hard to see why this is being done. The sheer difference between what was promised and what we actually got is something a lot of people have gotten tired of over the years, and who can blame them. The problem here however, is which might come as a result of this lawsuit should it succeed.

Many of these promotional videos and the advertisements which the lawsuit is targeting were those created while the game was still being developed. While the title was in flux and open to considerable changes prior to release. As a result the obvious question here is how do you define actual false advertising and what is something which is work in progress, liable to change.

If this goes through and is successful it will set a precedent for similar “demos” and advertisements to be sued over differences. That if a new game is brought to E3 or similar conventions, then it will be used to gauge the overall quality of the game and if it seems exaggerated in some way it will leave developers open to being sued as a result.

On the one hand the accusations of false advertisement hit Colonial Marines especially hard due to the limited information which was actually given to audiences. With so much being based purely upon the aforementioned fabricated demos. On the other, unless specific dates or definitions are introduced to deal with such problems, then it could very easily become an easily abused method of targeting certain developers.

If you don’t believe that this is possible consider other popular series for a moment. The Bioshock series for example. For as much praise as it’s been given, just about all of which is very much deserved, but it has a habit for presenting either significant or minor differences in demos and trailers. Bioshock Infinite featured sequences which were exaggerated versions of levels within the actual game, frequently being either far more impressive or with significant differences to what we actually got. Elizabeth being harmed by her powers, more frequent involvement by the Songbird, more direct interaction with the locals, and a much smoother and dynamic experience overall.

The obvious difference between the two is that we got almost nothing of what Colonial Marines’ promotional material promised; while Infinite’s overall gameplay experience was more or less the same barring a few alterations. One was barely recognisable while the other we could at least see shades of what we were promised. For those looking to make cash, or are extremely unsatisfied with the title however, they could potentially stand as much of a chance of having a successful lawsuit as against a game with actual false advertising.

Again I want to stress that actually seeing someone confront Sega and Gearbox, trying to show that their actions will not be tolerated, is a good thing. It’s just we might have repercussions we might end up regretting.

Those are just my two cents however, if you disagree or have your own opinion on this matter feel free to outline it in the comments section below.

“No.” he patiently replied.  “Well, there are these massive islands that have formed in certain oceans that are comprised of refuse, bottles, tarps, used medical supplies and all manner of filth, the currents pull all these pollutants and bits of crap into a common area, I don’t remember why that happens but it does, it all accumulates in one part of the water and begins to break down…” her speech grew in tone and pace, and begin to take on an unnerving tone of hilarity.  Dennis though of reminding her that they were not in the Pacific but stifled his insulting remark and began to think.  “…the plastics and stuff break down see, and it creates this industrial type sludge that pulls and attracts more garbage and the island grows…”  Dr. Ward had almost completely tuned her out, she was right he knew, it all sounded like some left wing liberal bullshit but the proof was right there before him.  A chemical dump polluting the ocean and damaging the eco system more than any oil accident could ever hope too.

Despite the smell and the near acidic atmosphere Dennis was trying to think of a way to use the situation to their advantage.   He was still thinking of his wife when he struck upon such an obvious idea he nearly smiled.  “We can find water here.”  He said assuredly.  “How, where?”  Mrs. Milton fluttered.  Her husband too distracted or dumbfounded to reply or participate in the conversation.  Mrs. Milton did not repeat herself when Dennis did not respond, the Milton’s had been acting strangely since their gluttonous fit; Docile, listless, abnormally acquiescent.  The doctor at first contributed it too the verbal lashing he had given them that night and his surly demeanor thereafter, but he had of late become convinced that there might be something more.

The pair, although clingy to begin with, had not left each other’s side since the feast.  They had eaten an unbelievably minuscule amount of the remaining rations ever since, having almost no interest in the dry food what so ever.  Herb and his wife had been rather talkative during their flight across the treacherous triangle, and even during their first day lost Dennis had wanted to tape the man’s fat blathering mouth shut, but for the last few days the air had been filled with a tense awkward silence.   Of course they were stranded in the middle of the ocean, burning under a hot rainless sky, hungry, scared and now becoming dangerously dehydrated; any of these reasons could be the cause of their unusual behavior.  Not to mention the admonishment they had suffered that night at the hands of the Doctor, or the fact that they had consumed over 40 lbs of raw, unclean cephalopod.

“Herbert, you and I are going to see if we can traverse that nightmare, and Sadie you stay here and watch Rose.”  “…but Doc…”  Herb began a weak protest that was cut instantly short by the Doctors icy glare.  Dennis looked at the man in such a way as only a man in the grips of great loss can look, and Herbert Milton, a dumb man but not unkind, could find no course nor reason to dissuade the man.

Herbert, above all else, was a coward, and he was more afraid of what was right before him then of what he could not see.  Dennis knew this, in fact had cultivated the fear the man had of him, in an effort to curtail any more accidental sabotage.  They methodically went through their pathetic stash of supplies and began to equip themselves for the strange odyssey.  It did not take long, they had depressingly little with which to prepare themselves, in the end they took only two canteens, the remainder of the rope and of course Mr. Hobb’s Smith and Weston pistol that Dennis hoped had remained dry enough to still be of use.

Dennis gazed out upon the forbidding gyre of marine debris (*flotsam), a look of loathing and reluctance set firmly upon his face, he ordered Herb out of the raft and onto the strange unnatural island.  Milton balked at first, but again Dennis fixed him with that chilling look, and gesturing with the pistol, motioned for Herb to move.  The gesture with the gun was casual and not directly threatening but the meaning was clear, Herbert Milton, accepting the absence of choice, stepped clumsily out of the raft and promptly fell directly through the semi solid surface into the bubbling (*seething) sea.

Sadie Milton screamed as she watched her husband drop like a rock through the deceiving plane of refuse, and poor Herbert had barely enough time to belch forth a strangled cry as he disappeared beneath the island.  Dennis cursed and reaching swiftly into the malign ooze with his free hand, began casting about for the lost man.  The liquid felt strange against his skin, and as soon as he plunged his arm beneath the surface he was wrestling powerful urges to remove it from the caustic substance.  He had about given up on the fat man when he felt a titan grip from below.  The hold was so strong and frantic that he was almost pulled overboard.  It took every ounce of strength to free the three hundred pound shivering mass from the dark thick sludge; he came up into the raft shivering and shaking retching and covered in a thick black slime.

Dr. Ward had to slap the large man twice, and hard, to bring him to his senses.  Herbert was shaking and coughing but his skin was warm to the touch and where it had previously been scorched pink by the sun it now glowed a bright, painful red.  He was crying and his wife was again making those pathetic mewling noises.  “C’mon Herb time to get your shit together, lets go.”  Dennis unsympathetically demanded.  Herbert Milton looked up at him with liquidy eyes, his chins quivering, and as he opened his mouth to protest Dennis punched him in the face.

It was the last thing Herbert was expecting and Dr. Ward was a well muscled man.  The blow caught Milton in the middle of his fat face somewhat off center to the left, so that when his nose broke it hooked sharply to the right side of his swollen, reddened and slime covered countenance.   Ward leaned down over the much bigger man and pinched his nose closed to stop the bleeding, his lips inches from his victims ear he whispered.  “Now you listen here you fat fuck, if you don’t get the fuck out of this raft right now and at least attempt to exercise some competence I’m going to first shoot your pig of a wife in the face and then I’m going to drown you in this cesspool, do I make myself fucking clear!”  It was not a question and although delivered in a whisper the hushed tones only served to emphasize the Doctor’s deadly seriousness.

Still quivering Herbert attempted to again step gingerly out of their stuck craft.  He tested the ground with one pudgy foot, and after a few moments seemed to have found a satisfactory purchase.  Herbert lifted his amble girth out of the raft and cautiously tested his footing on the treacherous garbage heap.  The combination of industrial plastics decomposing into chemical sludge and mixing with all manner of natural and unnatural materials had baked in the sun and hardened in areas to a thick spongy solid.  Herb first took one step then two, and had seemed to have found a path of sorts that would accommodate their traverse of the hideous island.

Herb walked out in front a few feet ahead of Dennis who walked slowly behind him keeping his eyes on the fat mans back when he wasn’t scanning the desolate wasteland.  The first thing Dennis noticed was the absence of scavengers, no flies buzzed above the thousands of rotting fish carcasses, no gulls called from the skies above and no crabs scuttled about searching for choice bits of rancid flesh.  There was no life here, just like there was no life in the waters surrounding this ecological travesty.   The wind here was also strangely and maddeningly still, a yellow green haze hung constantly in the thick air and nearly choked them as they navigated the awful landscape.

Dennis checked back over their shoulder and saw they had only traveled a few hundred feet from their stranded craft, it felt like they had been walking for hours.  The sun and lack of water were really beginning to toll on them.  Dennis figured he was far enough now “Ok Herb stop.”  Herb complied without turning or questioning, the only sound he had made since Dennis had struck him was a pathetic sniveling.  “Ok, here drink this.”  The majority of identifiable debris were bottles and containers, mostly plastic but also glass and metal, some of these were still in the very early stages of decomposition and their contents had not yet entirely evaporated nor had they sunk too far into the sludge so as to be irretrievable.

Dennis had collected a few of these fresher looking receptacles, ones that still held a clearish liquid that, God willing, could be life saving water.  “Dr. Ward, please…” Dennis leveled the gun at Herb who cowered at the sight of the revolver.  “I’m not fucking stupid Herb.”  Dr. Ward emphasized Milton’s first name turning into an insult.

“I’m a Doctor, remember, I don’t give a shit if this piss makes you sick, I don’t care if it fucking kills you…”  The crazed Doctor took a step toward the quaking giant.  The obese man looked so forlorn and distraught Dennis almost felt pity for the creature, but the beginnings of madness and the prospect of dying from exposure or dehydration hardened his resolve.  “Drink it Herb, don’t make me do something I may regret later…” the Doctor said almost soothingly.

He handed Herb three bottles one by one, and the other man dutifully tested each in turn.  On the first he gagged and looked as if he would vomit but dint, on the second he made a choking noise and claimed the substance was burning his throat, the third he drank swiftly after in an attempt to assuage his now raw esophagus.  Coughing and sputtering Herb could choke out little more than “…it burns…Dennis it burns…”

Commanding him to open his mouth so the Doctor could see the extent of the damage, Dennis was silently horrified at the level of devastation these liquids had wrought on his large and unwilling companion’s throat.  Large (*massive) blisters were already forming on the interior of the man’s mouth, and the entire region looked irritated and swollen.  “Your fine…C’mon get up…”  Dennis lied poorly.  Herb coughed blood and fell to his hands and knees rolling in the thick black sludge moaning pathetically.  He attempted to speak but managed only to gurgle out more thick blood mixed with a darker substance that the Doctor knew could be nothing other than internal tissue.

Gently now Dr. Ward’s tones softened “C’mon Herb, you can do it, get up now.” He realized he could not bull this man into moving, as much as it sickened him the only way Herbert Milton was going any further is if he chose too.  “Herb your wife, remember, she’s counting on us, on you.”  The Doctor, taking one of his thick arms in both his hands, half pulled half dragged Herb to his feet.  “There ya go now big guy, just a little further.”  Herbert Milton swayed back and forth on his feet; he looked to Dennis like a bloated skyscraper about to topple over.  Dennis pushed his back into the large mans grotesque gut and let him lean forward on him.  Dr. Ward, familiar with transporting and moving incapacitated patients, knew how to properly brace himself and bear his generous burden without being crushed.  The two men, looking like one odd conglomerate, staggered forward deeper across the abysmal plane.

This is Part 3 of The Plastic Sea, a five-part series. Part 4 will be published next Friday. In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here, and read Part 2 here.

Monaco, the tale of talented fugitives presented by Pocket Watch Games delivers a potation of originality. An original recipe of stealth and style. The intricacy is found not only by the distinct shadow effects, but the immense amount of symbols and cues that will touch a player’s senses quickly. To anyone who finds stealth action a fair challenge, this game also has a solid cooperative gameplay that can support four players on a single screen. Take it the next step further with an appealing cast of characters tied together in a well woven narrative becoming of the effort and execution of this indie title.

The controls of Monaco are easy to learn but the unique use of shadows can be a notable hurdle. The allowed amount of vision, and in contrast-the allowed amount of shadow moves constantly as the player explores the rooms and offices. Much like kaleidoscope distorts slowly and consistently as one would look around with it. The lobby and character select screens are presented with menus of black contrasted by a bright color depending on who is talking. The characters are depicted with pixellated portraits and a unique side animations. In-game visuals are of higher resolution, and make use of smooth and well detailed textures and colors. If a room is well-lit it’s pleasing to look at, and in the dark one can see all the detailed symbols that communicate scope of the level.

Audio cues plays an important role as phones will ring, and cats will whine when approached even cautiously. If a guard is patrolling, when hiding in cover close by, the silhouette footsteps appear accompanied by the sound of their wandering. It’s an impressive implementation for the top-down stealth experience, and a good example of how Monaco can hit the senses quickly.

The music is a noticeably upbeat and playful piano that has an, ”old timely” feel to it. The intensity of the track is dependent on how well players an remain hidden. When the guards are alerted, the music picks up dramatically and helps make light of the scurrying thieves running across a large map like mice caught in a maze.

A beginning player will notice that one can approach a very close distance to the enemy before he or she is recognized by the guards or employees. This may initially come off as lite stealth, or too easy. But as the laser traps begin to gleam their ugly faces through the infested hallways, computers will be more effective to halt trip wires and to turn off nearby lights. Searching for alternate routes will be necessary depending on the chosen character(s).

Monaco’s playable characters are all represented by classes one would expect necessary in an Ocean’s-Eleven style multi-man heist: The Hacker, that quick crack any computer with ease, and can create viruses through outlets as well; the Lookout has the ability to see enemies at from a great range and their equipped weapons; And the Gentleman, who will already come with a disguise, that will replenish automatically when he remains hidden.

Engaging the enemy is never to wise idea, unless you’re the Cleaner character. While most of the guards do not start with firearms, but the mêlée beatings will be enough to thwart any gun-ho players. The maps by default have enough health packs that, if you’re playing by yourself you may need not worry about dying lest you make too many mistakes. Players can expect being caught by guards and still fashion a decent heist without many setbacks.

Keep in mind, each map has enough health packs scattered around to keep four players comfortably able. In multiplayer games, teammates can be revived by the same way as any other action. All teammates are needed to advance to other areas of the same level, so more serious attempts will need tighter formations, and overall more collaboration between participants. Players who play solo will enjoy a slower, more precise experience that helps learn the flow of the game. In multiplayer games it is often that players will fend for themselves and soon enough cross paths in the madness and alarm.

Upon completion of each level a ten-second penalty will be taxed for each coin that is not collected on the stage. This encourages the multiplayer dynamic to have the fastest times possible. For those playing solo, considering each class member helps give a unique life to every mission, and their specialties come in handy at different times. In a single player game If one character should fall during the job, they cannot be used again and one of thier four starting lives. As mentioned before, in multiplayer games, players can revive each other and if everyone is killed, it is Game Over.

Awards are also received for not dying once, and/or for finding all the level’s coins before completing the mission. Cleaning out stages by collecting coins is vital for the second campaign but be unlocked this way piece by piece.

The mission structure is very consistent: break into the facility, disguise yourself and sneak around while working through the many floors, and grab the trophies. Hiding in closets and avoiding employee’s and guards will still be necessary at this point too for the escape is part of the mission. Most of the time this causes players to backtrack several screens to where they started. The traps and level structure gain sophistication as one progresses through the game. But the same get-in-get-out formula applies to nearly all levels of the game. Save the PvP round unlocked for completing the first campaign.

Monaco is a game frankly a tad short, but has a co-op that cannot be denied original and fun. Anyone looking for a new indie title should look no further for this game was acclaimed winner of the 2010 Independent Game’s Festival’s, “Excellence ind Design ” award and received the, “Seams McNally Grand Prize” that same year. The game is available onsteam for $15. And believe it or not is a solo project, Andy Schatz latest claim to fame will earn him many a bread roll for this one.

Evoland is a game heavily steeped in nostalgia, very heavily in fact, and that’s the games hook. Evoland comes at you fully cocked with a very interesting and unique idea, to take the gamer on a journey through about two decades of gaming. From the graphics of your grandpappys era, to the high definition 3D that dominates these modern times.

So essentially it’s a gaming time machine, you’ll begin close to the Jurassic era of gaming with extremely 2D black and white graphics and no music.  As you progress through each level you’ll constantly unlock new graphical options, such as color, funky music, enemies and everything else that makes games pretty. It’s a very enjoyable premise, it’ll give your nostalgia sack a delightful tickle, and it’s inspiring to see how far games have progressed in such a short time.

But there’s more to this game than just graphical progression. With the increase in graphics comes an increasing nod to fan-favorite RPGs. There’s dungeon crawling, turn-based combat, puzzles, and even items that will make you, the gamer, reminisce of Diablo, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and numerous others. There’s witty dialogue throughout that winks at the flaws, or strengths depending on your opinion, of past generation games, NPCs that are directly referenced and a sword you’ll definitely recognize. All of which are smile inducing, at least on the inside.

So as I guess you’ve guessed, this game is a big nostalgia kick, and unfortunately that’s about it.  The games hook, it’s graphical progression, dries up about half way into the game, and like other things in life that’s when the fun ends. Once you’ve hit the best graphics you’ll find Evoland doesn’t offer much, it’s just a mediocre game, with a typical and lackluster RPG story; find two halves of an amulet, save a town, beat a boss and be a hero.

True, it’s a very interesting and unique concept, and developer SHIRO should be applauded for their ingenuity, but nostalgia alone cannot fuel a successful game. Once that resource runs out all that’s left is a Diablo, Zelda, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy mash up that has none of the spark of either. Dungeon Crawling is uninspired, and the turn based combat is very basic, lacking options for both attacks and enemies.

However, it is an experience, a love letter to the games of yesteryear, so if you’re a fan of nostalgia, and you’ve played the games I’ve listed in this article then give this game a go, I guarantee you’ll find at least the first half of this game enjoyable.  It takes 4-6 hours to complete and is currently cheapish, clocking in at £6.99.

http://evoland.shirogames.com

And for more information on other unique games follow us here on Techzwn.com.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers for the Nintendo 3DS is a game trapped in nostalgia, with glimpses of futuristic game mechanics. Well, it was futuristic in 1997 at least. Other than having way too long of a name, Soul Hackers is actually a revamped port of the 1997 Sega Saturn game. This isn’t an entirely redone game (more on this in a bit), but it is a port with some fairly decent additions. The biggest changes from the original are the added voiceovers (Japanese is included), enhanced soundtrack, new endgame dungeon, and a little currency called D-Souls. Now D-Souls is something every 3DS owner will be interested in. Know all those dusty old coins you collect by walking around with your 3DS in your pocket? Now you actually have something to do with them!

Basically, the premise of Soul Hackers’ combat system is something very similar to other MegaTen games. You go through first person dungeons with random encounters with demons. The signature conversation system where you can talk with your enemies and perhaps convince them to join you or run away is all here, along with the max 6 person party. For those that are such an outgoing person, you can simply go to the menu and access Nemachi. Nemachi is a demon that helps you purchase new demons with these D-Souls I mentioned. You can also use them to evolve Nemachi once per day to allow access to more powerful demons. Your 3DS Play Coins come into play in that you can actually trade them for the highly useful D-Souls.

Back to the combat, you have a wide array of weapons at your disposal. You can equip a gun and sword, use magic and powers and items, much like you would expect from a RPG. The random encounters are actually at a fairly decent rate, definitely not having a battle almost every step you take. The battles themselves can be hard at times, having enemies randomly using a super-powered attack that will wipe out an entire party member and leave you asking what just happened? It isn’t entirely bad as those instances are few and far between and the boss battles at the end of the dungeons are always a fast-paced, strategic, and exciting encounter.

The story itself is that you play as a member of a (wannabe) Hacker group in a futuristic Amami City. A large corporation has created a virtual city called Paradigm X that anyone in the city can gain access to by simply logging on to a PC. These two connected cities allow for a rather large area to play with in the game. Paradigm X itself allows for some really nice (and even relaxing) exploration and a few minigame-like activities. Unfortunately, all is not what it seems. The creators of Paradigm X are actually using the city to harvest the souls of the citizens of the city for their demonic world domination plans, hence the name Soul Hackers. You are guided by a spirit that wishes to stop them. The best part of the story is when you get to actually take over another person’s body and play through the last couple hours of their life to learn more information on how to stop the villains. These Vision Quests, as they are called, were my favorite parts of the story, giving a nice twist to the typical MegaTen set up.

As much as I enjoy this game, there a few gripes I have. First of all, this isn’t for everyone. It is a hardcore RPG, but definitely more accessible than other MegaTen games. Not necessarily Persona 3 or 4, but still much easier than say the first couple Persona’s. While there have been additions to the game, it still looks very much like a 32-bit game. The portraits for the characters are nice, but other than that, it’s almost no change whatsoever. The English voiceovers are average and the dialogue has been translated well.

If you can get past the out-dated graphics, you have a fun, lengthy, and unique cyberpunk adventure that us Western folks missed out on the first time it came out. Soul Hackers isn’t the best MegaTen game, but it is definitely a good entry point for those that have never experienced a truly old-school first person dungeon RPG.

“I am incredibly guilty of having a Princess mentality,” says cosplayer SailorBee.

SailorBee might possibly be one the most devoted anime and cosplay fans in the world, and she made anime a huge part of her life last February when she started working for anime service provider Crunchyroll. “It’s a running-joke and borderline reality that I am the Princess of the Crunchy Kingdom,” she says. “The users have gotten used to this, so I just ran with it and made it my gimmick.”

While she might be a princess now, SailorBee didn’t come from a royal line. Yet, SailorBee can claim she’s descended from pure otaku blood. She grew up immersed in anime and video games, but that life was not always easy for her. She’s battled the loneliness and isolation that comes from walking a different path from others, and when she started to find success, she faced the criticism and scorn of jealous rivals.

photo by Lemon-ikon photography

SailorBee has endured many hardships to be where she is now. She has accomplished some big dreams, and she has found new dreams to pursue. To SailorBee, anime and cosplay are bigger than just mere hobbies; they are the kingdom of which she worked so hard to become the princess.

“My entire life I was lonely”

Early Origins

“I wonder what it would be like to have an origin story, or to have a ‘gateway’ anime,” SailorBee says as she looks back on her early childhood. “There never was a gate for me, I was born inside of it.”

SailorBee was born in Santa Rosa, California as Victoria Holden, and she describes herself as a 2^nd generation otaku. “My Father is a die-hard otaku, and my Mother is an insane RPG enthusiast,” she says. “I never wanted any anime, gaming console, video game or comic book—my parents bought these things for themselves, and I was able to watch / play them.”

SailorBee remembers anime as a happy part of her childhood, and she’s grateful that her parents were able to expose her to something that would help her grow up to be who is now. “They didn’t force me to watch anime, but I knew they were happier with me watching something that made me grow emotionally than watching something mindless.”

Anime has more to offer a young mind than standard American cartoons, or at least that is what SailorBee will argue. “Anime forces you to relate to the main character and live through all of the circumstances they are forced to, so I think it’s very enriching for a child to watch. It forces you to think of answers to questions you alternatively maybe wouldn’t have to face for another ten, twenty years.”

Video games were also a staple past time for SailorBee and her family. “[My mother] is an INSANE Zelda fan, and usually makes fun of me for not having beat / played a Zelda game before she has.” When SailorBee was just four years old, her mother had made her a Link costume, but she insists, “I didn’t know I was cosplaying.”

Dealing with Loneliness

Growing up in an otaku household was something that made SailorBee different from other children, and her interests often left her distanced from others. “Anime was a part of my everyday life as a child, and it’s really all I wanted to watch, read about, draw, and eventually do as my life’s work,” she says. “Growing up, I have never seen an episode of Arthur, Ninja Turtles, and Carebears or other common shows of my youth’s generation… People constantly are surprised by movies I haven’t seen, shows I didn’t watch growing up.”

Most of the cartoons her peers watched seemed too childish to someone who had been raised on anime, which is targeted at an older audience. “I would look at the cartoons on TV and try to like them, but they were so… uninteresting to me,” she says. “I was watching Battle of the Planets and StarBlazers and Sailor Moon… So not only did I have no one to talk to about my own favorite shows, I wasn’t able to talk to them about theirs either.”

photo by Elliot Trinidad

In her early childhood the difference in interests from the kids around her didn’t bother her too much. “As for the younger years, it wasn’t much more than a disconnect,” she says. “My entire life I was lonely because there was no one around me that shared these things.”

“Eventually her love faded and mine continued.”

While SailorBee had to deal with the loneliness as a child, once she became a teenager she experienced more outright hostility. “In high school, I was known as the ‘anime freak’—I was weird because I preferred Naruto to Laguna Beach, and a lot of people were really mean to me about it.”

That meanness took a few forms, and Sailorbee has quite a few unpleasant memories from high school. “I remember being on the float as I was one of the girls nominated for Homecoming Queen, and people were yelling at me and calling me Sailor Moon,” she says. Another time, “a football player even threatened me after I stood up to him when he complained that I won the Halloween Costume Contest dressed as a Pikachu.”

Throughout all of the name-calling and loneliness, SailorBee turned to anime to keep her company. “When I needed love I lived vicariously through couples in anime, when I needed friendship maybe I did the same thing? And the honest truth is I still do, many otaku do—and that is why this is an obsession that we don’t seek to escape.”

Naruto and Sasuke

When SailorBee talks about her high school years, the anime Naruto comes up for reasons beyond being one of her favorite shows at that time. “I think one of my most loved anime characters is Naruto Uzumaki,” she says. “I related so much to him, in a lot of ways… But just like him, I have a beloved friend that I will do anything to bring back to our village.”

That beloved friend had once been a bright spot in the loneliness that enveloped SailorBee. “It wasn’t until Junior year in High School that I met someone, who quickly became my best friend, who loved anime as much as I did,” she says.

The two would enjoy some good times together watching anime and experimenting with cosplay, but not all good things can last forever. “Eventually her love faded and mine continued. So once again I was alone.”

SailorBee hasn’t given up on her friend, but it has been a struggle for her. “My best friend is just so stubborn,” she says. “We fight on and off, and always have. But ultimately, we both understand and respect each other.”

Still, SailorBee finds parallels between her own relationship and that of Naruto and Sasuke. “Whenever I watch Naruto and their bond is touched on, I can’t help but think of her. I send her cakes and flowers, I’m not kidding, and she still won’t forgive me.”

At least SailorBee had a friend when it came time for her first cosplay, and that is an experience that changed her life.

Talking Cats and the Start of Cosplay

photo by OneWei Cafe

“The first thing I call ‘Cosplay’ that I have ever done would be when my friend and I went to work as Cait Sith and Red XIII,” SailorBee remembers. The costumes were made for Halloween, but there wasn’t a lot of time to do something elaborate. “We were flipping through Animerica Magazine when we saw Jan Kurotaki dressed as Rufus Shinra… She looked soooo cool, her make up—everything. I didn’t even know people cosplayed as animals. I was like, ‘I could do that.’”

“it was like all your dreams have come true”

The costumes were made, but there was some confusion about who they were dressed as. “We went to work and people just thought she was a Cat and I was an Indian. Since when is ‘Indian’ even a costume,” she says. “Either way, we knew who we were, and it was fun.”

SailorBee then attended Fanime 2006, but she wasn’t in costume as she was just involved with the Artist’s Alley. “I don’t count this as my first convention because I feel like I wasn’t a part of it,” she recalls. “I was on the side-lines looking at all the fantastical heroines and heroes walk the halls.”

Among those heroines were plenty of cosplayers, and SailorBee credits Fanime for exposing her to what cosplay could really be like. “I think this first visit to Fanime was all I needed—just seeing the cosplayers made me realize, ‘I have to do this.’”

Those thoughts became a compulsion for the young SailorBee, and she overcame some incredible hurdles to earn her first cosplay experience. “I didn’t have a sewing machine, but I wanted so badly to cosplay,” she says. “I tallied the hours it took to make my first two costumes. I had never made anything in my life, and so it took me 89 hours of hand-stitching, trial and error, blood, sweat and tears to make a Sailor Venus costume for me, and a Sailor Mars one for my best friend.”

the hand-stitched Sailor Venus costume

When she and her friend did make it to that first convention in costume, SailorBee knew all of her hard work had been worth it. She struggles to define her exact feelings, but she emphasizes that something special happened that weekend. “It was a feeling that can closely be described as ‘realization,’” she says. “It sounds silly and childish but it was like all your dreams have come true. You spent your entire childhood hoping that one day a stray cat will start talking and tell you that you are a chosen Sailor Warrior—but it never happens, and then for 3 days at a convention, it does happen. That was the addicting bliss that keeps me coming back for more.”

 What’s a Top Stitch?

photo by Elliot Trinidad

While many of her most recent costumes have looked nearly flawless, SailorBee is still humble about her sewing skills. “I make all my costumes,” she says, “but do I know how to make them properly? No.”

Because she taught herself how to sew, SailorBee thinks she lacks some skills necessary for making fancy costumes. “I don’t know how to use / read a pattern, how to top-stitch—or any other fancy thing real seamstresses do.” She adds, “is that even a fancy thing? See, probably not, it’s probably a common skill seamstresses have, but I don’t know how to do it, so it’s ‘fancy.’”

“to truly be a princess, one must remember the responsibility of serving and protecting your kingdom and its people”

Learning how to sew was a long process, and like many other cosplayers, SailorBee is always learning how to bring her craftsmanship to an even higher level. “Trial and error, over and over again,” she says when asked how she did learn. “I usually buy twice the amount of supplies I need for any given cosplay just because, I know I’ll have some experimenting to do.”

Many cosplayers are proud that they do indeed make their own costumes, and SailorBee is no different in this regard, even if she downplays her own skills. “I am just stressing that all my costumes are made with self-taught skills that I came up with,” she says. “A lot times they don’t even work, or fall apart after one or two wearings. But I take a lot of pride in my work even if it’s not that great, so I’ll continue to adapt my ways of doing things and evolve my skills.”

A Dream Come True

For most of her life, SailorBee would have said her dream job would involve anime. “To make Anime my job,” she says, “to work in the anime industry—that’s all I had ever wanted.”

Almost a year-and-a-half ago, SailorBee started to realize her lifelong dream. “I was asked to be a cosplay guest on Crunchyroll’s The Live Show,” she remembers. “I happened to have really impressed one of the executives of the company, as well as the immediate staff, and they soon moved to asking me to become a Host of the show. I stuck around Crunchyroll as a host and intern for three months until they hired me as Social Media Manager, and I am now part of the Marketing team at Crunchyroll.com.”

As part of her job at Crunchyroll, SailorBee is constantly cosplaying at conventions, and she sometimes attends four in a single month. “I have my own personal rule of not wearing things twice,” she says. “That means I’m constantly sewing… I am grateful, but it’s a lot of work.”

photo by Elliot Trinidad

SailorBee also spends many long days at the Crunchyroll office. She’s responsible for updating the social media platforms, promotions, contests, and interfacing with the fans. “I’m the person here that caters to and serves the community, and Crunchyroll as a Brand has begun to adopt this mantra, striving to become a ‘by fans, for fans’ anime industry powerhouse.”

“I want to help people achieve their dreams”

While SailorBee is thrilled to have accomplished her dream of working in the anime industry, she’s also happy to be working with a company she loves. “The office is extremely comfortable, and the entire company is really close, so it doesn’t really feel like work,” she says. “Occasionally we throw things at each other, we eat together, we take hour long breaks where we play Persona 4 Arena and I lose awfully and chase the engineers around the office telling them I am going to kill them, you know – regular office stuff, right?”

On Being a Princess

While SailorBee jokes about having a princess mentality while working at Crunchyroll, there is a more serious side she takes to being the princess of her own little kingdom.

photo by Masamume photography

At times, Sailorbee acts as the face of her company, and, like a princess, she tries to improve relationships between her kingdom and others. One of her goals has been to break down barriers in the anime industry, and she talks about her role in turning enemies into allies. “At Otakon, I made friends with some of the Brand Managers at other Anime Companies here in the US. I made sure to keep in contact and foster good relations with my new friends… I want people to know that we are all fighting the same battle, and that we are all doing what we do for the sake of Anime.”

SailorBee really becomes serious about being a princess when she starts talking about fans in the anime world. “But to truly be a princess, one must remember the responsibility of serving and protecting your kingdom and its people,” she says. “I try and give people all the opportunity in the world. The opportunities I have been given are worth nothing if I don’t share, or pay them forward.”

While SailorBee has worked very hard to earn every success in her career so far, there are still some people who resent her for being successful. “People that don’t even know me hate me,” she says, “and thus—they hate my Kingdom as well. People that have never been to my Kingdom hate me for being its Princess.”

As a princess, SailorBee takes great care of the fans, and they love her for it. For those that don’t love her, SailorBee endures the insults, and even threats, from the people who send hate her way. “I’ll turn it into positive energy used to heal their anger,” she says. “Because that is what being a Princess means.”

 The New Dream

Now that SailorBee has achieved her biggest dream of working in the anime industry, it’s time for a new dream. “I want to help people achieve their dreams if I can,” she says. She wants everyone to experience anime the way she does, and she wants to serve the fans in her kingdom as best she can.

“I want to sneak fans into press conferences,” she says. “I want to make sure you attend as many anime conventions as possible, I want to introduce you to Kishimoto-sensei, I want to help your YouTube channel get a million views. I want people to read your reviews, and see your costumes.”

“We’re not alone anymore.”

SailorBee won’t forget the struggles she’s had, and she wants to help others with those same struggles. “My entire life I was alone—I wasn’t lonely though because I had anime,” she says. “I want you to not only have the blessed connection to, and unique perception to enjoy and understand anime that only a small percentage of us have—but I want you to experience it with other people.”

SailorBee dreams of changing the anime industry, breaking down barriers, and serving the customer properly. “Most of all—I want to be friends.” she says.

Then, remembering the times of loneliness brought on by her passion for anime, yet being hopeful for the friendships and bonds that can be made when all otaku and cosplayers join together, Princess SailorBee makes her proclamation: “We’re not alone anymore.”

While the idea of being a princess may have been a joke at first, SailorBee has stepped into her role with the charm, strength, and dedication necessary to be a princess among cosplayers and anime fans, alike. She’s one of the most prolific cosplayers around, and few match her passion for watching anime. Moreover, she loves what she does, and she loves the people who share her interests. She always looks out for the fans, as she has always been a fan herself.

“I want people to know that I am just a fan. That I am just like them,” she says.

A Kicked Cur is an original short story written by Wrychard Wrycthen. Read part 1, here.

An intrigue (if that was what you would call it) had begun to manifest itself about five wekes earlier. It had been a rainy day, the highly saturated air seeming to hang over the walled city of Deskordin, Khlarion with some sort of odd expectancy. Dath Wayloch Urser and his middy, a Daralya Tialu by name, sat huddled together under an overhanging tarp, which was part of a shop cubicle in the farmer’s bazaar there at the center of town square. The denizens laughingly called it that, but it was a city, not a mere town; it easily had a population of over 50,000.

Matter of factly, what must have been at least half of them was swarming all over the immediate area at that very moment. These rough, haggard people were currently in the process of haggling with a large contingent of shady merchants over all manner of goods, minerals, animal pelts, you name it.

“Huh. I guess it’s not gonna let up. Why don’t we go back.” Daralya loved rain, but like most people, she only loved it while seen and heard from the indoors; she adored the beautiful, sweet sound of it pattering against the window of her room. But actually getting… wet… would cramp her style mightily.

“We’re gonna have to run. I didn’t bring a carryshelter.” Wayloch had his arm around her shoulders; Daralya was your typical, svelte, dark-haired girl of about eight-and-ten years of age. The way in which they nervously looked over at each other and then away again in shyness intermittently could have told any observer that not only were they young and inexperienced in the ways of love, but also that they hadn’t been seeing each other for very long.

Wayloch disengaged himself with a great deal of effort, releasing the poor love-struck girl; this allowed her to stretch, placing her palms first on her insteps and then lacing them together over her head with a super wide-mouthed yawn. She really was a cute little thing, albeit a bit scrawny, kind of a contrast to Wayloch’s hardy and robust (though short; he was 5’6”) frame. She had come to live in the city with her family not four moneths past, bringing a host of teenager-based personal problems, real and imagined, with her. However, Wayloch was one of the few people at their school who really took the trouble to get to know her despite her intense shyness; eventually, one thing led to another, and thus two of the most ostracized class outcasts kind of… merged. This probably occurred because for one, he genuinely cared for her, and also, because he really knew how to listen. So many humaynes don’t.

All geekiness aside, they really were a cute couple, and they continued clutching at each other as they ran through the pouring raindrops, splashing each other by jumping into puddles, then pretending to get furiously angry each with the other. This mock play would be followed by a quick reconciliation, and before you knew it they’d be throwing their arms around one another yet again. Truthfully, it was an outright miracle that the young lovers even made it back to her family’s house, but they finally did. Bursting through the two-story house’s back door, they were immediately stared down by two very adult eyes shining from another teenage girl’s face. This was Daralya’s annoying half-sister, Renita Blane; they shared a father, but he was still at work at that time of the evening.

Renita was only five-and-ten years of age, yet she was very straight-backed and upright in demeanor. Her dark brown hair, still somewhat lighter than Daralya’s raven tresses, was worn perpetually in a single long braid that ran almost straight down her spine. This evening, she was wearing a brown and orange, knee-length tunic that featured an almost hypnotic striped pattern; her eyes were a frosted shade of sky blue. But perhaps the most striking of her features was the perpetual cynic’s crease in the center of her forehead, right between the eyebrows. That, more than anything else, was what made Renita seem oddly adult, almost… middle-aged. It was there on her face right then, oddly enough, as she glared at our heroic young couple.

“I thought you were in your room”, Renita intoned gravely. Her mother, Clare, a kindly, plump and middle-aged woman, just sat further back at the sturdy oaken table, nodding her assent. To Daralya, it seemed like she did that a lot when Renita was home from her studies… agree all the time. But she supposed it could just be the long-term effect of having a very strong willed child. Possibly.

“I went to see Wally. Seriously, I don’t know which one of you is my step-mother sometimes.” Daralya stalked upstairs, towing her beau of two moneths by the hand. Wayloch gave the two ladies a quick, wide-eyed look that seemed almost to say: “Gee shucks, ma’ams, so sorry…!” as he was roughly and unceremoniously dragged upstairs like an old, worn, childhood dolly.

Once in her room, Daralya slammed the door shut behind them and dropped like a sack of bricks onto the bed, bouncing once and then rolling on one side with an arm over her face. Wayloch, having never been there in her bedroom, totally alone with her, didn’t know what to do; so he just kind of stood in front of the closet, his body stiff and frozen in place. Several stoundes later, she realized he wasn’t speaking and rolled back in the other direction to regard him.

“Come here, you numbskull. Seriously. How old are you? Five annum? Or two-and-twenty?” She opened her arms wide, beckoning the also-shy young man. Wayloch hesitated for a very short moment, then found himself approaching her and finally melting into the warmth of her soft embrace.

About five-and-forty minuets later, Daralya roused, lifting her mattress-flattened mop of hair to find that they had fallen asleep. It was a rather comfortable bed, mostly stuffed with feathers from a severely over-sized bird, so it was understandable that worn-out young persons such as themselves might pass out after a long day of schooling (in the realm of Khlarion, humaynes went to school until an average age of four-and-twenty, then pretty much never again).

Glancing out the window, she saw that dusk had fallen, and she gently placed her hand on Wayloch’s well-muscled shoulder, shaking him. He stirred, his eyes opening and then falling as well on the large aperture in the northern wall that she had just remarked.

“Oh, it’s dark. Darry…” He rolled over, finding her fair face only inches from his. Falling silent, he brought his hand up to her brow, gingerly brushing her bangs away from her large, dark, studious eyes. “I should get back…”, he said when he had finally recommenced speaking.

“No.” Daralya spoke firmly as she pushed herself away from the bed, balancing on two arms behind her back. From that position, she threw both legs over its side, finding the smooth plank floor and standing more or less upright. She put her hands on the pane’s edge, sticking her little head out the window as the ceaseless wind from off the ocean’s briny surface blew her dark brown mane first to the right and then to the left a few secunds later. Her narrow bottom was almost all to be seen of the thin girl, and Wayloch felt a sudden malicious urge (he was but an overgrown boy, after all) to push her out the window. Thankfully, he was deeply and madly in love with her and did not do so. What would their world be if everyone acted on their impulses? He shuddered to think.

“No. Let’s go for a walk. You’re a grown man, Wayloch Urser. Escort a lady out for a bit of night air.” She turned, and her face was lit up with her enigmatic, feminine smile again, the one that Wayloch was coming to know well. It was impossible to resist, truly.

Sighing, he too took his leave of the bed’s native comfort and strode across the room to embrace her. As they met, he gently gripped each side of her small, tapered, oval-shaped head and kissed her on the mouth, slightly forcefully. Daralya smiled during this, then returned it five-fold in passion and intensity. After several minuets of this, they parted, the result of their emotion now merely an icky single strand of saliva that popped in half and dried almost immediately in the humidity of the night air. Daralya giggled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and the sleeve of her off-white tunic. “Ah, gross!”, she tittered in sudden effervescense.

“Oh, am I?”, Wayloch exclaimed loudly. He drew his rounded, almost canine face into a frowning mockery of true anger.

“No, no, silly!”, she laughed, drawing him close and burying her small face into his left shoulder. A few more stoundes later, she found her way out of his small but rugged mass again and suddenly caught him with a quick peck to the immediate left of his thick lips.

“Come on, let’s go, you big meanie.”

As they left the quaint, homey structure’s front door, spouting empty promises to be home soon before it got “too too late”, they saw that even the sky had migrated from a shade of azure to a shade of cerulean blue. They began walking, arm-in-arm, down the wide, cobbled main thoroughfare of Waylay Street, pausing to look back at her current home. It was a two-story homestead fashioned from roughly-hewn stone and mortaring, with a thatched roof of orange ceramic tiling to keep out the most driving of nature’s elements. A lazy tendril of greyish black smoke escaped from its short chimney, assaulted again and again by the slight drizzle that had continued unabated the entire while the young couple had been at rest. They would have to stay close to the house, they reckoned, as they gazed upward at the deepening sky.

So anyway, you’re probably wondering about the previously mentioned “intrigue” and not about our protagonists’ rediculously clichée love life. They continued down the street, past other homes and businesses, a motley assortment of building styles, arrangements, and materials. The area really didn’t have what one would call “architecture”, the ancient city of Deskordin being a relatively archaic and primitive place with an almost medieval level of worksmanship. As they were walking past a notoriously filthy wooden horse stables, some emaciated, grey nag tried to take a bite out of Daralya’s forearm, but Wayloch yanked his beloved back just in time. Gasping, she promptly slapped the beast on its offending snout and they both ran off, laughing in tandem.

Strolling on, Daralya detoured, taking a side alley on their right; rather than continue on their usual southerly course to the beaches between the city itself and the massive murkiness that was the Harsh Sea, this led westward. Full darkness was upon them now, the torches being lit beside every front doorframe and lanterns being lit inside most of the houses’ oversized windows. This was one of those peculiarities about Khlarionites; a peccadillo, if you will. They liked very large windows, almost as if you were outside, but not floor-to-ceiling. Normal paned windows. Who knows why?

The rough-stoned walls of the alleyway almost swallowed the couple up as they walked into its darkness from the relative brightness of Waylay Street. Wayloch was marching cheerfully along, eyes adjusting to the lack of light, totally unawares, when Daralya stopped short with the precision of a cat. Slamming him up against a wall to their right, she suddenly began kissing him wetly all over his face. Momentarily stunned, he soon began responding in kind, totally oblivious of the low window up and to his right hand side.

After several mushy, panting, sweating minuets of this, a sudden eruption of sound, a cataclysm really, made the young lovers freeze suddenly. Turning, each one’s spine tingling with sudden fear, their eyes crept over the cracked wooden pane of that previously mentioned, unnoticed window of such massively ominous portent.

The roaring they had heard, the huge and booming voice, came from a figure to their right as they peered nervously into the room; it appeared to be the barely-used back storage room of a tavern. This individual was near the place’s eastmost wall, which was cracked, pitted, and a horrible dull grey colour. He was partially hunched over, apparently breathless, yet still somehow ranting profusely while waving about a flagon of amber fluid that was foaming out and spilling upon the brownish, grainy earthen floor. Foam also flew from his blackish-purple lips as he spoke, emitting a cacophony so loud that it was a miracle that the city’s sheriffs didn’t hear it from their station back across the town square, far to the northeast. They were the only real organized law enforcement in Deskordin, aside from the Twin Queens’ true military force, which was a cabal of various groups each one more vicious and highly skilled than the last. Wayloch had dearly wanted to join one of the lesser ones, but he unfortunately hadn’t been approached by any recruiters at school.

The dark figure gesticulated and pointed, drank and belched, while a secondary figure was stirring a black iron cauldron upon the hearth. The fireplace itself was huge, with a grandiose stone mantle, ornately carven with all-over magickal glyphs or some other form of strange markings. The secondary figure was a woman, curiously beautiful, wearing a tunic and breeches of black leather tied with animal sinews. Also, the subdued light of a lit lantern glinted off of what appeared to be two bracelets around her thin, pale wrists. These were matching ornaments; they were apparently made of an indefinable bluish-silver metal. Also, like the mantle, they were variously striated and heavily lined with markings of a somewhat dubious nature.

Her facial expression, as they could make it out, was one of feigned interest; the full, dark robe that enveloped her lithe frame was burgundy in colour, almost blood-like. She stirred and sighed, sighed and stirred as she sat upon a short, rickety wooden bench. The dark, brooding figure was at least twice her size, absolutely dwarfing her. It was difficult to make out his features, other than a lot of strong, defined musculature, because the room was so dark. The single lantern was on another nearby bench, draped with a curious thin fabric that muted most of its illuminating light, giving everything the young spies saw the overall impression of a ghastly charcoal sketch. Meanwhile, the wall they beheld behind this angry beast was dancing from top to bottom in the dim pantomime show of his undulating shadows.

Wayloch started suddenly, his whole body stiffening. Daralya had placed her hand lightly on his head, pressing him down further beneath the sill. Apparently, in his feverishly intensive interest, he had forgotten all about himself and would have been totally visible if the room’s occupants had chanced to look up at any of the previous few stoundes. He thanked her, whispering intently, and they both looked back in as the ubyr began to speak in response to the upyr.

This is the end of part 2 of A Kicked Cur. Part 3 will be published on TechZwn within the next couple of weeks. You can read part 1, here.

To this writer, the Final Fantasy series holds many old exhibits that are always waiting for a due jaunt. Personally, it has been nearly once a year, for the past ten years. But the honesty of that statement came as a shock while playing TheaterRythmn. I began to think about how- and when I played each game. Some I have yet to play still, and others I’m likely to never play. None of which have ever been repeated either. These games were all once benchmarks in the narrative, musical, and graphical prowess in games. Diving head first into titles like these begets a fulfillment mixed with the thrills as strolling through a museum. And has served me as a proper vehicle of gaming triumph with quiet understanding.

Final Fantasy VIII

The first Final Fantasy I played when I was still in middle school, well into the PS2 era. I got this game from the same friend whom a week before showed me GTA Vice City shortly after its release. Cameron, while he did enjoy a lot of games, Final Fantasy VIII didn’t strike a chord, so he let me and my twin brother have it for free.

This game had the especially long Guardian Force cut-scenes in battle that was entertaining and strangely practical with the boost feature. Other notables include having a salary based on your early game performance and consistency, one of the hardest boss fights in the series: The Omega Weapon. Lastly, a huge cast of Guardian Summons that span many cultural ideologies and the Final Fantasy lore entirely.

This entry is also the only game I know of that my older sister Melissa has ever beaten before me or Mike when we were younger. I congratulate her a lot. But it’s because I enjoyed watching and cooperating with her that I never finished it myself. See has a lot of merchandise from this game including the full soundtrack, a pillow of Squall’s face, and his necklace accompanied with Rinoa’s ring.

Somewhere on disk three, a healthy 60 hours into the game, my party fell, and I realized I forgot to save some two or three hours back. I looked at the file select screen and though about how much of the game was left. And how none of it was new. That was the last time I played.

Final Fantasy VII

The second title I picked up in the series at the GameStop almost a year later. The stark, polygon bodies and the large box screen in battle mode took time getting used to. But I found the Materia system faster to learn than the Draw and GF systems of FF8. The Chocobo hunts and non-human party members also gave me a kick. I was already familiar with Sephiroth from playing Kingdom Hearts, which was my first meet with this incredibly popular villain.

The entire cast is a more varied. And all around truer to the old-school games in style and uniqueness than FF8. All together I thought the game was surprisingly short compared to the latter. After I beat the game I did play the final boss fight over, and over again when I wasn’t doing the Chocobo races. I never tried the extra bosses.

Final Fantasy I

My third title. I played this game on the, “Final Fantasy I & II Dawn of Souls” remake for the Game Boy Advance. I remember reading the 8 Bit-Theater comics around the time and my interest grew with the remake. I beat the game in about three weeks like I did with any other GBA game I had then. This game is also way shorter than the two PS2 titles I knew before. But I had so much fun, and I was so happy to finally say I played the first one!

Besides that, this adventure was ultimately washed away by the excitement of Fire Emblem,FF Tactics,Golden Sun,and Advanced Wars. My RPG appetite was already full with more complex experiences. Nonetheless I think I paid my respect to the series.

Final Fantasy II

I started soon after playing Final Fantasy I with pie eyed dreams of another adventure after the original investment on the Dawn of Souls cartridge. Needless to say I found this game hard to play at every turn. The weapon/ hands skill system was too difficult. Also, the use of ridiculously stronger enemies to prevent world exploration made the beginning of the game a serious chore. My frustration kept me disengaged from the music and the level designs. I what I kept was the death of party members to help strengthen the narrative force of this title.

Still eager to finish strong, my party trekked through death after death, and save after save to the last dungeon in the game. I had the choice to either level up my characters all day or go into the next room with even tougher characters and try my luck there. It all seemed hokey and unreliable. I never finished this one either.

Final Fantasy III

Those said random encounters I hoped for earlier were unfortunately rare, and in my spare time I still kept away from the anchoring console games, and my PC at the time was less than satisfactory for any honest effort to a PC title. So I picked up this title for the DS maybe a full year after FF2.

The music completely swept me away when I first played. The dramatic melodies of the boss battle music has become one of my favorites in the series. The job change system was nifty, and allowing more jobs as the player progressed was fair. Although the events that unlocked more jobs seems arbitrary in my memory, it was still way easier to learn the unique systems of FFII, VII, or VIII. I logged a ritualistic 60-70 hours before I stopped playing. I originally bought this game as a distraction for the long plane flight to London our family was taking to vacation, but I beat it before the flight, so my brother got the joy of doing so while I listened to music.

Final Fantasy IV

At this point in In my life I was ready to leave high school and continue with the college life I will hopefully soon be retiring too. I completed three out of the five major Final Fantasy games I started since eighth grade. So five games in six years.

The cut scenes and the semi-familiar graphics I liked, a useful implementation of the game map on the touch screen, and even an insight on the characters thoughts as anytime are all nice extras. I noticed this is the first game to use the formally known, “Active Time Battle” system, which took no time getting used to, and the abilities you can give to any character made for some serious customization. Still, at the Battle of the Four Fiends on the Moon is where I met I demise.

I specifically remember being unable to defeat Rubicante night after night. I just wouldn’t survive long enough to kill him. I traded in this game along with FFIII and my DS Lite for credit, and put those funds towards a 3DS months in advance.Still, if I haven’t bought that 3DS, I would not have played TheareRythm and would not be writing today.

Final Fantasy V

I have yet to play Final Fantasy V. But its waiting for me. Like all the other Final Fantasy I’m sure to fork over the dough and play it, probably of the PSN download. It will be a nice look at the series on last time before I run out of the 2D, top-down genius retro gamers cannot get enough of. I’ve played enough of them to figure out some game mechanics will , but it will still be fairly new.

Final Fantasy IX

When I heard a local game store on my way to home from college was going out of business, I stopped in one day to see the bottom-of-the-barrel choices of old sports games and an unsaleable giant Master Chief statue with a $1000 price tag. In the glass case there was Final Fantasy IX, and the Final Fantasy Anthologies Collection. It was between these two titles, and I’m happy with my decision. A GameStop stands there now.

In this game unlike any before I took the liberty in finally naming my characters whatever I wanted to call them. Sometimes it took a while to come up with something that would stick, but that was part of the fun of it. Again, non-human party members and the use of romance in games where the two factors that kept me interested.

I ultimately stopped playing this game when I met my girlfriend Emily, and my excitement to show her the world of gaming made me lose track of this one. My dedication fell between the cracks as if it was never really that important. I even went back to it maybe two months ago and remembered where I was supposed to go. But picking up into the story on disc 3 sounded like too much, I might as well start over.

There is one very clever thing in this game I like a lot. The player must complete a story of four segments, but are given passages five to work with.The story’s ending, the last passage describing how a hero is judged, can end in two different ways. I’m sure one has a “better” outcome than the other, but the way the designers slowly bait the player into one decision seemed very subtle, and worth the effort.

Final Fantasy VI

The title that I am currently playing,and I expect beating hopefully before the summer. Between the save files on my PS3 and PSP the game hasn’t left my bedside. I was greatly appreciative that there was no tutorial, but actually started using Espers a little later in the game than possible. I probably will not beat all the dragons but rest assured I’m loving every aspect of this game. In-battle cut scenes. The best cast of party members accompanied by another excellent score. For 1995 I am great impressed. From Sabin’s Blitz command to the story branches just after the fight in the raft with Ultros.

Final Fantasy X

When I stared to play my first Final Fantasy, this one was the current one to beat. One reason I think my connection to the series is so strong is because I never worried about playing them all, or stressed playing the newest one. Similar to my experience with FFVIII, I watched my brother play this one. Same is said about FFXII. And none of the Lezama children have received the sword Brotherhood on at least six different occasions, yet never went too far past that introductory island. I wasn’t crazy about the return of the turn based system, I never quite picked it up. The Sphere Grid did however entice me play. I remember my brother having the guidebook with a huge poster of this grid. It’s very complex and wonderfully colorful once filled. Seeing someone else do that really defeats the purpose of doing it yourself.

I still find it odd. I never feel the hype of a new game when I approach these.And I also don’t feel bad I wont finish these great games either. A Jack of all trades. Every time a long tutorial, random battles and that wonderful fanfare are always expected.All sandwiched between many menu screens. And yet, I have continuously learned to appreciate the work involved to making these seemingly static games. Whose long life as earned much devotion from many gamers for its ingenuity.

Due to simple luck did Dennis live and the creature die.  The beast, apparently ravenous in its hunger, launched itself toward the hapless survivors.  It was unable to pull Dennis below due to his grip and the weight of the Milton’s holding on to him, and so it jettisoned rapidly upward, ramming the makeshift spear through one of those daunting mirrors, impaling itself completely. The creature, dying in fits and throes, succeeded in wrenching the weapon from the Dr.’s firm grip.  First the Dr. pulled himself aboard the craft and collapsed, and then they hauled up what they could of the massive squid.

It was mostly the fact that Dennis had come up with two of the creatures arms still wrapped partially around him that they managed to salvage any of the meat at all.  Fishing is no easy business and hauling up a huge catch such as this was no mean feat even in the most ideal of conditions.  It was near miraculous they managed to fell the creature in the first place.  The shear impossibility of the task was what they contributed too primarily when rationalizing what happened next.  As the Miltons and an exhausted and witless Ward began to pull the tremendous thing up via the rope and the two surfaced appendages, the very flesh of the beast seemed to break apart under the strain.  So the end result was the acquiring of roughly twenty feet of pale bluish, sucker covered and spongy cephalopod flesh.  The Rope came up with half a cracked oar and the tentacles broke off shortly after the Dr. had climbed back on board.

Adding to the queerness of the situation the unusual rubbery and puckered flesh was discolored and veined with strange ailments.  The actual color of the things were again difficult to classify and not dissimilar to the hue of the sea around them, being of both blue and green but possessing startling shades of purple and yellow as well.  There were discolorations and anomalies within the already un-quieting palette, odd sores or lesions that stood out starkly against the normal suckers and surrounding flesh.  The other consideration was the slime covered quality of the whole affair.  Both Ward and the appendages were coated in thick darkish ooze, almost as if the ichor of the creature’s eye and the ink of its defenses had mixed to form some awful substance.  And although the meat did not look fit to eat it did not take long for one of the Milton’s (each having claimed it was the other) to take an experimental bite out of one of the forbidding stalks.

The flavor was exactly like well cooked Calamari.  They simply left it exposed to the blazing sun for a short period of time and the strips of torn tentacle flesh turned a crisp uniform brown.  To have such an abominable looking meat taste so delicious was a wonderful surprise after the proposition of exposure and starvation, and to have so much of it as to be well fortified against those travails was a relief for all.  It was those facts that made the Milton’s pathetic betrayal that much worse.

It had been in the middle of the night, so the flesh they had consumed had been raw.  There had been so much of it.  Dennis could not fathom how the two of them had devoured it all, and in such a short period of time.  He would never forget the look on their faces as he awoke to discover them in the midst of their gluttony, like frightened children caught in the act of doing something they knew was wrong.  As he arose to approach, Herbert hastily stuffed the last bit of suckered tentacle into his large mouth quickly chewing and squishing the soft meat as lines of the foul ooze dribbled from the corners of his ample orifice.  Dennis had grimaced at the revolting sight and he had been so disgusted and so angry that he nearly struck the fat man.  They had left not a scrap of the meat, almost as if to consume it in its entirety had been the aim, and the consumption had little if nothing to do with real hunger at all.  The corpulent couple had grown sullen and listless directly following their ghastly meal.  Whether this was due to some mild form of food poisoning or from the harsh admonishment delivered by the doctor Dennis cared not.

Movement brought Dennis back to the present.  His wife was stirring; he shuffled swiftly to her side taking her wrist in his hand to measure her pulse.  He loomed over her, watching carefully for any change or sign that she was returning to them.  Apart from a slight and barely perceived fluttering of her eyelids Rose remained unconscious.  Dr. Ward had cause for concern on the onset but now his worry was palpable, it etched itself markedly on his features and was manifest in his bearing and manner.  If his wife did not wake soon she would die.  Days with no food and little water, no escape from the blistering sun, even if rescue came swiftly the possibility for permanent damage grew greater by the day.

If not for the mental and physical exhaustion Dr. Dennis Ward would have found sleep impossible.  They had organized a watch early on but Dennis had given up the idea when he woke one night to find his companions fast asleep neglecting the vigil.  It sickened him, to Dennis it was not a matter of having to help the others get rescued, it was a matter of them hindering the survival process.  Not only did they not help or contribute but they were sabotaging their chances.  His mind and heart filled with ire Dennis drifted into a fitful sleep.

As he dozed the Doctor’s nocturnal reveries were inundated with visions of horror and the macabre.  Upon waking he could remember nothing definite, yet he could not shake visions of great cyclopean cites and strange other worldly denizens from his mind’s eye.  It was then that he saw Rose. Mrs. Ward had woken from her comatose state and sat dumbly propped against the side of their rubber raft.  “Honey?”  Dr. Ward cautioned as he scuttled toward her.  The blazing sun had crested the horizon no more than an hour ago and it already had to be 90 degrees out.  One look at his wife’s dull and listless face and tears filled his eyes; it did not take a skilled neurosurgeon to tell that Mrs. Ward had suffered severe brain damage.  The exact extent of the damage could not be estimated by the ill equipped and psychologically exhausted Doctor, but he still administered every simple test he could in an attempt to measure what remained of her mental faculties.

Dr. Dennis Ward wept quietly in the corner of their small raft, with his head ducked down between his knees and his arms crossed tightly across them he looked like a small, frightened boy.  His worst fears realized it had only taken the initial set of tests to confirm the awful truth of a severe lower brain stem injury.  His wife, no matter what the outcome of their current conundrum, would never be the same again.

It was nearly a full hour after Dr. Ward had made this terrible discovery that Herbert Milton, snorting and choking, struggled into consciousness.  With a gaped mouth look on his puffy face he exclaimed”Dennis your wife, she’s awake!”  the feral snarl that was his answer startled him and forced him to avert his stare.  Despite his fear of the other man and the obvious tension in the little boat, Herbert could not help but exclaim again, this time with undisguised terror saturating his nasally tones “W-Where are we?”

Dr. Ward raised his bloodshot eyes and sun blistered face and looked for the first time that morning out at the dreaded sea. It was not the sea however, that looked back upon Dr. Ward, but a mire of pocketed and undulating blackish sludge.  They had become stranded in what appeared to be a massive oil slick, but unlike what Dr. Ward imagined a gigantic oil spill to look like this awful fen seemed caked high upon the thick ocean, not merely resting just atop the surface of the water, the black slime crept nearly to the upper edge of the outer raft.  This marsh was also not without further inconsistency; it was pocketed and in fact riddled with detritus, flotsam consisting primarily of, oddly enough, plastic.

Other garbage filed the endless black plane but mostly it was comprised of floating plastics in various states of decomposition.  The breaking down of these synthetic and unnatural materials had spawned a powerful caustic reaction, and the sporadic pools that dotted the strange landscape bubbled and hissed giving off noxious fumes.  The smell was nearly unbearable and Dennis wondered if they would even be able to breathe the air for any extended period of time.  The slow and strangely thick liquid around them popped in protest as their little ship rocked in its slimy prison.  Dennis scanned the unsettling landscape attempting to somehow assuage his swiftly mounting fear, and was unfortunately awarded with the opposite effect as he took in the full gravity of what had befallen them.

The entire region was terrifyingly alien.  The air and even the sky above them seemed to be tinted a sickly green, again the color that hung in the air was not one easily identified for it seemed to shift and defy the normal rules of pigments.  Containers, bags, bottles, medical waste, nets, buoys, industrial plastics, all manner of non biodegradable marine debris as well as uncountable dead fish in various states of decomposition, were shadowed by the bones and carcasses of larger and less recognizable sea creatures.  These layers of refuse were heaped into veritable mountains in certain places creating a surreal topography that seemed at once both a liquid and a solid.  All of this sat atop a soup of chemical sludge that boiled like a witch’s cauldron.

Mrs. Milton, Herbs equally fat and slothful counterpart, whimpered like a beaten animal and Dennis, disgusted, scowled at her.  “I-I think I know where we are…”  Sadie whispered through teeth chattering with fright.  It had taken a few moments for her to gather the strength to speak; Dennis’s reply was delivered dripping with sarcasm “O really?”  He turned his watery gaze upon her.  “Yes.” She replied confidently but with a note of surprise.

Minutes passed as Dennis waited for her response and he had about accepted the idea that the women was either more a dullard then he had initially realized or was in some sort of shock.  She looked back at the Doctors expectant face and indulgently, as a mother talks to a child, she continued. “Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage patch, or the Pacific Trash Vortex?”

This is Part 2 of The Plastic Sea, a five-part series. Part 3 will be published next Friday. In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here.

Never has a game left me truly breathless. I have never been in true awe to the point of dead silence and clear mindedness due to the stunning or horrid actions on screen. I had been immersed by games like Pokemon and Oblivion, and sure I had been lost for hours in the Kanto Region and Cyrodil, but never was I impacted by a game—that is, until Shadow of the Colossus.  When I stepped into that world, I knew that I was about to experience something entirely different. The atmosphere was of calm, yet with a chilling sense of what lay beyond.

For those unfamiliar with the game, you start as a young lad only known as Wander, who is searching for a forbidden land in order to resurrect his dead girlfriend. The intro cut scene shows that he finds an enormous temple within this deserted land. When reaching the temple a voice calls to Wander and gives him the task of defeating 16 beasts called ‘Colossi’ to bring his loved one back from the grave. After that you set off into the world on your own.

The first thing you’ll notice about the world is the creepy eeriness that emits from its core. There’s not a soul in the starting temple. Using your horse, Agro, you’re able to traverse across what are seemingly empty fields, valleys, and lakes.

You’re equipped is a simple sword and bow combo, but also the ability to climb walls and other various objects—probably my favorite aspect of the game. Game designers can’t seem to grasp that simplicity can be such a useful tool in game design. Slash, shoot, climb, and ride are the only tools available to you and it makes for some of the most fun I have had in quite some time. There aren’t any RPG elements to deal with, and there are no annoying NPC characters. There is, however, that mysterious voice from the temple who speaks to you, but he only shows up in between fights with the Colossi.

Speaking of the Colossi, they aren’t called that just to have an awesome name. These giants are the size of skyscrapers (Mostly)—as well as being the only enemies in the game. Each one is an intricately designed boss fight containing a different approach to their demise. They usually just involve the usual jump and grab onto their fur strategy, but it isn’t long before you’ll require a more thoughtful strategy. As you hold onto them there’s a grip gauge that slowly decreases so you will have to worry about falling off as well as stabbing the oversized hawk’s tail you happen to be clinging. The first time playing this game makes your heart nearly drop at the sight of the enormous entity that emerges from the earth. They sometimes appear to be statues, or crumpled buildings until it all starts to move or conjoin into another stony giant.

It’s probably because Wander is just an ant compared to the Colossi that the game feels so gleefully intense. Every step and movement made by the Colossi feels like an earthquake which is what makes them feel gigantic. There aren’t many games that can compare to the experience of clinging for dear life to a 200-foot-tall gorilla, as it thrashes about in an attempt to kill you. When you do finally decipher the strategy that beats them and reach the top of their head to land the final crushing blow, you will never feel more triumphant.

Flashback: The Quest for Identity is one of my favorite games of all time. It was challenging, it had cutting edge graphics for it’s time, and it was incredibly difficult.

Well, after 20 years, today’s gamers may finally get a go at this classic title from the 90s. Ubisoft just announced they’re doing a new Flashback game. It’s not a reboot, and it’s not a sequel, either. Ubisoft is calling it “Flashback re-imagined.”

They’re bringing back the original core-team to revamp the game, “leveraging the best of today’s technology while remaining true to the classic side-scroller that set the standard for the genre in the 90′s.”

Ubisoft very accurately calls this “the triumphant return of one of the most acclaimed franchises in gaming history,” so here’s to hoping it comes out well.

I remember having Dragon Ball action figures when I was a kid, and although imagination can take you a long way, none of my battles could match this. Not only is this an epic video with some great special effects that capture DBZ pretty accurately, but it’s also a great video to get some ideas for. It looks like it’s filmed in someone’s house, but that doesn’t matter when you have a battle this cool going on.

We haven’t heard much from the Magrunner devs for a while now, but they’ve just launched the game’s website and gave a few new screenshots showing off the game’s world of sleek labs, crumbling labs, and the netherworld.

Magrunner will be an interesting title. It’s similar to Portal… if you eventually got pulled into another dimension that happens to belong to the dark lord Cthulhu. It’s a game where technology meets the H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

The game takes place in 2050 at the Gruckezber Magtech space exploration training facility. Here you’ll find your Magtech glove, which can load objects with green or red charges and make them attract or repel one-another. You won’t just be jumping around obstacle courses, however, as going by some of the screenshots, Magrunner will have some enemies and bosses (really freaky ones).

3AM Games describes Magrunner as “an original Action/Reflex game,” and it will be available on PSN, Xbox LIVE, and PC.

Nearly every single game released now eventually has some form of downloadable content released, promising that something extra will improve the experience. Some of this comes in the form of pre-order content, often “exclusive” to certain retailers, new multiplayer maps or comprehensive story-based expansions. It is becoming a near excessive trend, even satirised in indie title DLC Quest.

There is a growing grumble of gamers that are beginning to become a little fed up with how publishers are treating them in the way DLC is released, questioning if it is a quick cash grab. After all the promise of extra content for a title you’ve enjoyed may persuade you to prevent trading in your copy and thus it becomes a clever tactic in denting the pre-owned business. Or is it a simply honest move? Is it a way to continue an experience crafted by the developers?

In a recent interview for Official Xbox Magazine, Marketing vice president for Bethesda, Pete Hines said that gamers do not understand the development process and so the criticism of DLC, particularly ‘Day One DLC’ is unfair. He explained that it is a balancing act between meeting the release date and finishing all of the content. His words seem to raise more questions than put DLC detesters in their place though. Are developers doing their jobs properly if not all the game’s content is ready for release day? Are they being able to do their jobs properly?

It can’t be denied that DLC is certainly a financial positive for games companies. It’s a great way to make more money but consumers feel that it needs to be worthy of their cash. It is suggested that this ‘extra’ content is already included on the disc bought at retail and purchasing a code merely ‘unlocks’ it rather than downloading it. If the content is already there and intended to be there by the developers than why should we pay extra for it? DLC is always released with intention that it will keep players playing. A paper by students in Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts into a statistical analysis of gamer behaviour included the effect of DLC in their study with interesting results.

Using data provided by Gamer DNA they looked at popular titles and if there was any change in the number of people playing when new content was released.  Using Halo 3 as their first example they found that the first new map pack released after release (Heroic Map Pack) had ‘no visible effect on the player base’ and the Legendary Map Pack also had ‘very little impact’. Both of these were paid for content but when Bungie released the free Cold Storage map there was a large spike in player activity. Even for an extremely popular title like Halo 3, it struggled to create popularity in extra paid for content. Looking at Fallout 3 however the data collected showed that there was a visible spike in player activity immediately after the first DLC Operation Anchorage was released and maintained a steady level whereas the Halo 3 saw a drop just a day after. From this it is easy to conclude that when DLC content extends the game beyond the original product more people are prepared to buy it. However with the Call of Duty franchise among others we have seen many more multiplayer packs been released so has this changed? Is better multiplayer content being released now?  Do enough people pay for it to convince the publisher to carry on providing? There are still those that refuse to buy multiplayer DLC but will consider single player DLC.

Then there’s the issue with the Season Pass. No doubt if you’ve picked up the latest release in store on day one the friendly (depending on the day) member of staff will have questioned if you are interested in purchasing the Season Pass. I always respond by asking “What does it actually give me?” I never receive a definite answer as usually what the pass will actually include is not completely announced. Using Gears of War: Judgment as an example the Season Pass apparently would give me a day early access to map packs at a discount rate. Is it totally worth it? Not at all, in my opinion. Why should I pay extra to then still pay more? Why isn’t it fully disclosed what the season pass actually includes?

Of course there has been wonderful DLC released that has welcomed the opportunity to expand the gaming experience. Dragonborn for Skyrim, Undead Nightmare for Red Dead Redemption, the numerous add-ons for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas as well as The Ballad of Gay Tony and Lost and the Damned for GTA IV are some of the stand out examples of how DLC content can be worth its value and continue an enjoyable playing experience. It is noteworthy that all these add-ons are single player content.

We simply need to see more care and attention when it comes to DLC. If we’re offered a season or VIP pass we need to know exactly what it will give us and for it to actually be of value. Downloadable content needs to add to the gaming experience. There is too many ‘extra skins’ offered which add nothing worthwhile to the game.  We need to know that developers are taking as much care with the extra content as they did with the original game and it’s not being thrown together by demand of the publishers. If there’s obvious tender loving care put into the downloadable content will wait for it and we will pay for it (within reason).

If you’ve ever wondered what Bioshock Infinite’s floating city of Columbia would look like if the game were an isometric RPG, Chris Bischoff, the developer of STASIS took time off his development schedule to render his own vision of what it would look like would look like in an isometric 2D game.

He states, “Although I haven’t played the game (seriously, I’m HORRIBLE at finishing games! I haven’t even arrived on the planet yet in Dead Space 3), I delved into the story by watching Lets Plays and reading up on all of the theories. Although, the thing that interested me most was the city of Collumbia! And naturally, it needed some ‘isometricing’, because all games would look better in 2D Isometric. So I decided to do a mockup of what I think BIOSCHOCK would look like as an isometric 2D game “

Chris (read our interview with Chris) has been known to go on brief tangents to develop awesome isometric art and game concepts, then drop back into the development of STASIS, an upcoming isometric horror game similar to the original Fallout games.

He states, “I sometimes take a break from vivisections, rotting corpses and the cold hard floors of The Groomlake to indulge either, my artistic or game designer side. Here are a few examples of previous side projects I’ve done. These side projects are honestly some of my favorite things to do and things that I think many people really appreciate. In a strange way, it actually focuses me MORE on STASIS by letting me step back for a few nights and let my imagination run wild.”

Just last weekend, the European release date to the latest Battlefield game was seemingly leaked to gamers via Facebook. In a post on their page, the individuals monitoring Electronic Arts’ German Facebook account listed that the title will be coming to PC, Xbox and PS3 on October the 31st. While this could be regarded as being an official announcement, the fact this has been only done on a single account and without much fanfare suggests that this was unintentionally leaked. As a result it would be best to regard this with scepticism rather than as a confirmed date. However, it does coincide with other information from EA from not too long ago.

This is the second time this has happened in recent months with the same title. At the end of march the retailer Zavvi leaked the supposed release date for Battlefield 4 on xbox.com, announcing that it would becoming to the xbox 360 on October the 29th. While the message was quickly omitted and EA refused to comment upon this, this new leaked information is at a similar time of the year. Suggesting that we will likely be seeing the game’s sometime during late October.

With EA typically being tight lipped about their release dates and refusing to comment, a few have questioned if this is an intentional publicity stunt. Battlefield is their largest franchise after all and a fair number of articles have been written about both apparent leaks, spreading knowledge about it and raising the level of hype surrounding the title. It’s purely speculation of course, but the fact the publisher’s only response has been “no comment” thus far and has caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised. Only time will really tell how accurate these dates really are.

It had been 9 days since the plane went down, 4 days since any of them had eaten, and almost 48 hours without fresh water. The sea was damnably lifeless, and had offered up no sustenance to the weary survivors since they had drifted into these blacker depths.

Dennis had been the first to note the distinct changing of the oceans pallor. The previously bluish waters had grown dark and murky, and this blackness had heralded not only the deadening of the winds and the rise of an inexplicable chill, but the stubborn refusal of the waters to yield any of its abundant life to the beleaguered group. The undulating ocean took on a strange greenish cast that, steeped in shadow, was like no known color in our spectrum. It had at once suggestions of green and bluish hues but at the same time was possessed of an undeniable blackness that seemed to almost absorb the other vying colors as well as any and all light that struck its opaque surface.

As the hours ticked by his gaze was drawn to the strange swirling waters. Dennis Ward at first justified it to himself and the others as the need to scan for potential meals, he citing his powerful abilities of observation and his famously steady hand as the reasons he should be the sole member in charge of fishing duties, and as such be in possession of their one and only means of defense and acquisition of living sustenance, the pilot’s smith and Wesson 44 caliber revolver and their now lost make shift harpoon.

Simon Hobbs, their hired pilot and guide, had died on impact. His helmeted head, inadequate protection as experience has shown, shattered the front window of the tiny Cessna sky master they had chartered. Their route was to take them thru the forbidden stretch of water between the Florida Keys and the Bermudian islands, known notoriously as the Devil’s Triangle. Dennis’s quick yet professional observation had shown that Hobbs had severed his spinal column between the first and second vertebrae and had expired instantly. Hobbs had been the only one of their five person crew that had been fortunate enough to be spared the then unrealized horrors that were unavoidably ahead for the remainder of the sky master’s passengers.

The immediate concern was water. If they did not hydrate soon they would never make it long enough to see rescue. They had taken all they could from the downed airplane and loaded everything they dared into the small rubber life raft that inflated automatically as their plane sunk swiftly beneath the waves. Several canteens and a dozen plastic bottles now lay empty, strewn about the raft, any remaining contents having evaporated hours ago thanks to the oppressive sun.

Dennis could not remember if he had ever hated a blue sky so much. He wished, begged, prayed for even a hint of cloud, a portent of shade or maybe blessed water. There was a certain irony about dying of dehydration in the middle of the ocean. He dismissed those morbid and strangely hilarious thoughts and looked upon the second reason for his concern. His wife, Rose, lay unconscious in a corner of their floating rubber refuge, unreachable to the waking world. The land of Morpheus, however, had its tendrils wound tightly about her judging by the rapid fluttering easily detected beneath her heavy eye lids. He could only guess with a visible shutter at the denizens of her perceived reality at the moment.

Her restless countenance did not hold his interest for long because he soon found himself again distracted by the unusual swirling motions he thought he could detect deep beneath the oddly colored ocean. He imagined that at times the murkiness of the water cleared just enough that he could glimpse movement or shadow at depths he could not accurately estimate. His studious observation was interrupted by a moaning from behind him. Prying himself with great difficulty from his vigil he focused his attention now on the other male that occupied a far corner of their raft.

Herbert Milton was what one terms morbidly obese. His orca-ish wife Sadie was not far behind. Although being stranded at sea for over a weak had taken its toll on their swollen waistlines, the effect had not nearly been great enough. The combined pair of them had to weigh easily over a quarter ton; testament to this was the obvious depression they made in their rubber raft. The corner occupied by the two of them sat a full foot lower in the water then the corner in which Dennis crouched. “You see anything down there Doc?” The fat man quailed hopefully, reverting to that abhorred professional familiarity that Dennis hated so much. He felt that people who called him Doc either had no respect for the medical profession or could not be bothered with saying the whole word, and in Dennis’s albeit haughty opinion, anyone too lazy to enunciate an entire word, especially one that denotes professional respect, was too lazy to be given much consideration.

Dennis knew exactly what the fat man meant to say, and he answered with silence. He admittedly was furious with the Milton’s for not adhering to the strict rationing they had established the very first day they found themselves in the hopeless grips of the Atlantic. He had discovered their shameful secretive snaking late in their fifth night, by then the damage had already been done. Coupled with the fact that the man had proved utterly useless in nearly every imaginable capacity Dr. Dennis Ward had cultivated a deep, festering hate for the other man.

He turned from the couple and resumed his silent study of the depths. His sharp mind began to recall any information regarding the consumption of human liquids and their sustainable effects. He knew that once urine or sweat was boiled down and purified to a degree it could be consumed, but with no way to start a fire in their rubber raft the human waste products presented the same problem as the sea water. “But what about the blood?” He mused. He could not recollect what, if any, nutritional properties human blood or plasma possessed. Due to the morbidity of the topic he was certain that his faculties were unable to summon forth the correct information because of a lack of published studies or readable information of the subject.

Shaking his head he banished the ghoulish thought from his addled mind. Day’s with-out food and water and suffering from exposure had begun to wear upon him. His rationality, and indeed his humanity, were beginning to weaken under the strain. He instead concentrated on trying to find any indication of food below them. Watching for phantom tentacles he reflected on their luck their second day in the raft. Seeing that their stores may not last them as long as needed, and not relying on the notoriously unreliable navigational equipment on-board the plane for chances of a swift rescue, Dr. Ward decided to fish in the clearer waters in hopes of supplementing their supplies.

The revolver was not an instrument that could be turned into a means of extracting fish from the sea, but in addition to the fire arm their prepared pilot Mr. Hobbs had a large folding knife on his belt that the survivors had liberated before taking to the raft. It was with the blade that Dennis attempted to fashion a spear of sorts with the help of a 46’ leather belt and a spare oar. His endeavors successful he began to prepare to descend into the water, his plan was to keep mostly to the surface but with the help of a diving mask and snorkel that the survival kit in the inflatable raft had provided, he would descend to depths no more then 25-30 feet and skewer anything in sight. It was obvious that he was the only one with any hopes of successfully diving, exercising the proper athletics and reflexes and coming back victorious. So without discussion Dr. Ward leapt unceremoniously over the side of the small craft.

His action had been prompted by something he thought he had seen whilst gazing into the waters. He had been convinced since they had first been set afloat that the ocean beneath them was teaming with life. Schools of fish he said he could glimpse deep down below, and the shadows of great cephalopods he witnessed propelling themselves about using that form of locomotion so alien to bi-pedals. Ward was the only one able to see these things with his superior surgeons eyes, and as hungry as the Milton’s were they scarcely cast a second glance at the sea and were satisfied with the Dr’s expert opinion.

Even on the second day the opaqueness of the sea only a few feet below them increased dramatically and the esteemed Dr. Ward found himself in a labyrinth of large reed type plants and almost solid clouds of some unnamable murk. As far as he knew they had crashed somewhere in the middle of the ocean far from any land mass, but the aquatic flora that existed here would indicate otherwise. He was no expert on these things and with no air tank or respirator he could only stay beneath the surface for short periods before having to return for air. There were other problems as well. The current was strong and the sea seemed to writhe against his intrusion casting him about and causing him to surface frightfully far from the tiny raft.

Becoming exhausted and not wanting to worsen their situation Dr. Ward resolved himself to hanging on to the side of the raft and just staying still while looking into the water. This method proved ultimately to work far better than the former and with Herb’s sole contribution, the idea to affix some of the rope they had to the end of the oar, they were able to engineer the capture of the mighty squid. It was only after hours of waiting patiently along the side of the raft and scanning with the utmost diligence the waters beneath them that Dr. Dennis Ward spotted the beast.

It, in truth, must have spotted them because the creature came straight up from beneath them and materialized suddenly out of the cloudy depths. The animal was no gargantuan but it was big enough to be terrifying, certainly so large as to be an extreme anomaly in waters such as these. Dennis, being in the water and first laying eyes on the monster, was overwhelmed with fright and nearly dropped the oar. Its mantel had to be four to five feet in length with tentacles extending well over 35 feet. It had great yellow eyes the size of saucers, and perhaps most frightening of all, these orbs had an unimaginably intelligent cast about them. The nightmare greeted the Dr. by wrapping two of its ten iron like tentacles about Dennis’s mid section, if he had not been holding tightly to the little raft he would have been yanked under to suffer unspeakable horrors.

This is Part 1 of The Plastic Sea, a five-part series. Part 2 can be read here.

When first faced with a game described as a mix between an adventure game and an RPG, I found myself thinking that the description might be almost unnecessary. Doesn’t the roleplaying genre actually include a lot of the big elements of adventure games already? With that attitude, I was quite surprised when Driftmoon quickly became something more than an RPG, or at least your average modern one. With interesting mouse controls, tons of text, and some real puzzles, the game really sets itself apart, while still sticking to some classic tropes that work.

You start out by being summoned back to your home-town by your father, but before you can find him, your mother pushes you into a well. Then the entire village gets turned to stone and dad gets kidnapped. Crazier things happen as the game goes on. The world expands, as does the story, with a grand villain being revealed. Allies also come along, as you form a party to try to save the world.

That whole narrative is done in a really good, balanced way. That balance lies between being serious and cracking jokes, as there is a ton of humor packed in the game. Good stuff too. The dialog is well written, as are all the other things to read as you play through the game. Ancient tomes, letters, and wall markings add additional context to the world and actually provide information, often vital to important quests. There is simply a lot of words packed into Driftmoon, whether they be in history books or in the what must be the hundreds of one-liners coming from you and your party members.

So, what about the gameplay? Any good? Well, for those who are more combat-focused, those who want a real tactical experience, this may not be the thing for you. Combat is more “Hit enemy with stick/bow. Queue up special moves to hit for bigger damage/with bigger range/with a stun on top”. There is some challenge to combat in higher difficulty, but it comes more from preparation than any in-combat decision-making. The game has you build a character, with stats, skill-points and with items. Nothing too uncommon. The crafting system is pretty simple: buy or find recipes, click ‘em to turn ingredients into things. The number of items you can craft and find leads to a few distinct ways to build your character.

Companions will automatically assist you in your fights, although you can equip them with new items as well. It may, however, not be the smartest idea in the world to give your best loot to others, as your helpers change at the whims of the story. They are generally interesting though: an energetic firefly, a self-absorbed cat, a potential love interest?

The other half of gameplay, puzzle solving, is something that impressed me throughout Driftmoon. There are a good deal of real puzzles in the game, well built into the world. If I’m to be honest though, the reason I enjoyed them so much was their ability to be solved. When it’s not immediately obvious as to how to progress, you can often get assistance from a nearby NPC, or find the answer in one of the aforementioned pieces of writing scattered around the world. People who enjoy extremely frustrating puzzles may not find what they are looking for, but personally, I was taken aback at the solving of puzzles being one of my favorite parts of a game.

So, I’ve alienated two separate hardcore audiences so far, haven’t I? Thing is, the last thing I’d describe Driftmoon as is hardcore. It is, in the best possible sense of the word, light. It has a very friendly atmosphere to it, and while I still think a lot of “true gamers” will love the game, it would also make an excellent first ever RPG for someone. The mechanics, while allowing for a lot of fun, are all simple. The crafting, the character building, the combat—all done in an easy to understand point-and-click style.

The game is easy to get into, and it’s easier still to get absorbed by its world, not for its so-so visuals but for its extremely well-done writing. It could have been a little longer, being maybe 15 hours long with all its side-content. There is also some modding support, a few having been made so far. But the base game, costing  you $15, has good value in my book, and still would, even if time spent were a good way to look at the value of games in the first place. If you don’t mind a level of simplicity, or some great walls of text, and want a light, fun adventure, Driftmoon is an excellent game you may come to love as I now do.

Before we really get going on this subject let’s make a few things clear:

LucasArts being closed by Disney is something tragic. As is the potential loss of Star Wars 1313 (even if it was going to be about Boba Fett after all), First Assault and other titles. It has put a lot of talented people out of their jobs who deserve to be working on games. Because of this licences like Grim Fandango are even less likely to see any future instalments. This article is not questioning any of these things or trying to argue this is a good thing, what it’s asking is this: Was the LucasArts which was shut down the same one beloved by fans?

Think about it for a second. What are the best games from them you personally enjoyed and best remember? Then think about when they came out and who actually made them. Think about what LucasArts personally made over the last few years and if the level of quality is even in the same ball-park. Now I don’t mean those which were created through LucasArts, I mean the ones specifically made by them. Not made in combination with someone else, not as the publisher, or another studio doing the bulk of the work.

A vast number of recent titles were made in combination with others. Look at this working back from what they created most recently: Kinect Star Wars was created with Terminal Reality with LucasArts as the publisher. Lego Star Wars III was by Traveller’s Tales, again with LucasArts effectively only as the publisher. Star Wars: The Old Republic was developed by Bioware. What was the last one LucasArts had considerable involvement in the development process? Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, a title from three years ago. Before that? The first Force Unleashed in 2008, with 2006’s Republic Commando preceding that.

Find a list of the titles they’ve been involved with, an extensive one detailing what they were doing. Then look down it and genuinely take a look at just how many had them as developer. The closer you get from the early 2000s to today, the less and less they have had any real involvement in programming and crafting the end product.

Many acclaimed titles, and some not so acclaimed ones, from recent years were done by others.

Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel were by Bioware and Obsidian. The Star Wars: Battlefront series was handled by everyone from Pandemic Studios to THQ Wireless and Rebellion Developments. Star Wars: Empire at War was handled by Petroglyph, the Lego Star Wars and Lego Indianna Jones games were done by Traveller’s Tales. Hell, if you really look into titles LucasArts Singapore did more work on titles than the actual LucasArts studio itself did in its final years.

When people seem to be talking about LucasArts being closed and how bad it is, they’re referencing titles from years ago. Things like Day of the Tentacle, the Rogue Squadron series, Monkey Island and Star Wars: Dark Forces. Referring to people like Tim Schafer and they games they created, people who moved on from them years ago. The sad truth of the matter is that the LucasArts they are talking about, the one they loved, the one which made games, died a long time ago.

The studio changed, people moved on and it turned less into a developer and more into a publisher with a very different approach to titles. This was something we’ve actually seen talked about before by those who worked with LucasArts. One specific example was on Kotaku with Steve Ellis in which he talked about how the drastic change in leadership resulted in huge problems. Even blaming the cancellation of Battlefront III upon it.

Just consider this for a moment: How many developers have made Star Wars titles, or even handled their own licences better than LucasArts in its final years? The answer is a huge number. Would it really be surprising to see another one handling Star Wars 1313 and, going from the developer’s track record, that they could do a better job than LucasArts would have?

If there was any part of you which still felt that The War Z might be worth a look here’s another reason why not.

Visitors to the game and its official forums were greeted today with a rather ominous message detailing yet another hacker problem for the game. While The War Z has become infamous for its on-going issues with hackers and questionable methods of dealing with them, this one appeared to be far more serious than usual. The message in question, which can be found here, began with the following:

“We are sorry to report that we have discovered that hackers gained access to our forum and game databases and the player data in those databases. We have launched a thorough investigation covering our entire system to determine the scope of the intrusion. This investigation is ongoing and is our top priority. As part of the remediation and security enhancement process we will be taking the game and forums down temporarily.“

Further details followed this such as informing players that the game’s development team were working with external advisors and attempting to enhance security. Implementing further measures to try and avoid a repeat of this issue in the future while encouraging those who were a part of the game to take their own precautionary measures to deal with the security breach.

The message specified that the hackers had accessed a multitude of personal data such as personal e-mails used for the forums, those used to log into the game, game passwords, character data and computer IP addresses. More concerning is that even more information than just this might have been taken. The only good news is that, according to the letter, no payment information was exposed and it is apparently not at risk.

The letter encourages any players to change their passwords to any relevant information such as e-mails they might have used immediately. The message announced that the passwords used for the forums and game had been encrypted, which to quote an article in Arstechnica likely means that “they were passed through a one-way cryptographic hash algorithm that converts plaintext such as “password” into a theoretically unique string of characters such as “5baa61e4c9b93f3f0682250b6cf8331b7ee68fd8.”“ As the article also pointed out however, assurance about these encryptions is largely meaningless as the advisory did not specify which algorithm was used nor if “cryptographic “salt” was added”.

To give them credit Hammerpoint Interactive’s methods of dealing with this threat are far more professional than has been suggested in previous years. Rather than banning members at random, a long alledged means by the development team to “scare off” hackers, they are focusing upon  improving security:

“We have engaged outside experts and investigators to assist in our investigation of this incident and committed substantial resources to that effort. We have identified number of ways access was obtained and have enhanced our security to improve game and forum safety. We are undertaking a full review and update of our servers and the services we use and adding additional security mechanisms. In addition to this post, we are emailing all of our players just to make certain that everyone is informed and has been advised to change their passwords.”

It concludes finally with the following statement: “This has been a humbling experience for us. While we all know that there is no guaranty of security on the internet, our goal is to try our very best to protect your data. We sincerely apologize.”

Given The War Z’s very tumultuous history, this should be a wakeup call for Hammerpoint Interactive. Along with the PR nightmare they have caused for themselves, the masses of problems which have plagued the game such as attempted blackmail of certain parts of its playerbase and with the game having been released in a clearly unfinished state, The War Z is now in a very precarious position. This could very easily be the final nail in the game’s coffin to drive customers away and for any devoted playerbase it might have to abandon ship. Back in the 17^th of December a PCGamer article quoted Hammerpoint claiming that The War Z still held more than 600,000 registered accounts and had a daily player count of around 150,000. Whether or not the game will maintain that level of activity once it is brought back online remains to be seen.

The key names involved with Tomb Raider development claim that their plans for DLC content is focused purely on multiplayer, even though the game mode is, for lack of a better word, rubbish.

Director Noah and Global Brand Director also added that is likely no single player expansions will ever be released but can the core fan base be able to change their minds?

They emphasized that all future content will unfortunately for consumers, be focused on the multiplayer experience with the first DLC recently released offering of new multiplayer maps.

A forum post has been created on Eidos Games website inviting those that have played the largely impressive reboot of Lara Croft, to submit suggestions for extra content, patches and minor gameplay changes.

Moderators are keeping tabs on comments left and listing features requested alongside a tally and have said that developers will also be keeping their eyes on the demand.

So far and overwhelmingly so, the most popular request is single player DLC which involves expanding the story or unlocking a completely new island to explore.

The only feature demanded that at time of writing has more votes is the possible appearance of Lara Croft in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Square Enix have reported that sales have been disappointing – at least to their arguably over ambitious targets and what more to boost the title’s appeal by expanding the experience? Perhaps a boycott of buying map packs will show the error of their ways?

You can find the forum and voice what you want for extra Tomb Raider content here: http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=134056

“So the handle is basically an amalgam of ‘Coby Ran,’ spelled Cob-He-Ran, and pronounced ‘Ko-ber-ann,’” explains Kevin Walker, also known as Cobheran to some in the cosplay world. “It really makes no sense now and I don’t really use it in person because nobody can pronounce it because of that stupid h I put in there.”

Walker came up the Cobheran handle for playing Starcraft when he was still in middle school. Video games have been a big part of Walker’s life, and many of his cosplays have been inspired by video game characters. He’s made some great costumes from favorites such as Final Fantasy VI, Soul Caliber 3, Suikoden 2, Chrono Cross, Odin Sphere, and even Mega Man.

photo by William Sullivan, River of Lakes Photography

Walker’s cosplays aren’t limited to just video games, though, and he runs the full gamut of geek culture favorites. He’s done cosplays for anime, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and Game of Thrones.

“I thought PVC pipe and hot glue were the end-all be all”

While all of his cosplays have been awesome, Walker has recently amazed the cosplay world with his epic Gantz cosplays. In addition to his great costume, Walker has also done some incredible prop work, to include his own personally made X-Gun model GX-001.

Walker is a bit humble when it comes to discussing his progress as a prop artist. “Personally I feel that my prop craftsmanship overall hasn’t improved that much over the years,” he says, “but my workshop tools, how to use them, and experience with paints has all grown significantly since the time I was making things with a pearing knife and a dremel.”

photo by Judith Stephens

Those early days of prop work were good experience for Walker. “When I started making props I thought PVC pipe and hot glue were the end-all be all,” he remembers. “I was half right, and it’s definitely not a natural talent. It took lots of hard work, practice, research, and (ooph) money. I focused on props early on in lieu of sewing because I felt that so many people had already mastered sewing but few people had done props well.”

Sewing was still a skill Walker had to learn once he had discovered cosplay. “When I started sewing in 2004 I didn’t know a thing about sewing, but because I was hell bent on making a Roy Mustang costume and that kind of outfit would not be possible without being sewn, I set out to teach myself how to make it happen.”

While the Roy Mustang costume was the first Walker made himself, his first cosplay experience was three years earlier. “After I discovered that conventions were a regular thing in 2001 and saw people dressing up I thought it looked like a ton of fun,” he says. “So I went to an anime Halloween event that was being thrown and cobbled together an Iichan costume from Angelic Layer. It was complete Goodwill and closet cosplay goodness, also it was quite terrible. I had a lot of fun in the costume, but I didn’t really give it another honest attempt until 2004.”

with Kapalaka. photo by MindFallMedia

Since 2004, Walker has been making a name for himself in the cosplay world, even if he has been a bit oblivious to his own success. “It’s really odd but no matter what convention I’ve gone to people I have never met know who I am. I don’t really understand it or why I’m well known, but I think it may be one of those great mysteries that aren’t meant to be solved!”

 ”MY kids will have the best treehouse and costumes on the block”

Walker has also seen the Cobheran Cosplay Facebook fan page almost double in followers recently. “I’m humbled and flattered,” he says. “I’ve never really done much to put myself ‘out there’ as it were because I mostly cosplay for myself and don’t really have any intention of turning it into a money making business at all.”

Walker is looking for a more standard plan for making money, and he’s hoping for “an actual career style job in the marketing (not sales) industry.” He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration for marketing, in addition to an AS in nursing. “Up until this week I worked in the corporate offices at a network of hospitals, but cutbacks and all that jazz landed me back home for the week. In the meantime I’m keeping myself busy working clinical shifts on weekends while starting doing retail store resets,” he says. “In addition to that I’m still a landlord and manage tenants.”

photo by Ian Campbell

Getting a steady job in his field of interest is a step along Walker’s grand plans for a happy life. When asked what his dream is, he paints a pretty picture of the American dream. “Married, couple of kids, stable career,” he lists off. “Standards suburban life I suppose. But MY kids will have the best treehouse and costumes on the block, and [the other kids] down the street can suck it.”

Until the time comes to build the treehouse and raise little ones, Walker plans on doing as many of his favorite costumes as possible. “This year I’ve started taking on my dream costumes and it’s been an incredible experience finally making costumes that I’ve been wanting to make for years but never thought I had the skill to do,” he says.

Improving and showcasing his skills in one of the things Walker enjoys most about cosplay. “Above all else I want to take something two dimensional and bring it to life as though it had been here all along,” he says. “When I make a costume, before anything else I ask myself “How would this look in real life?” My goal is to try to make that happen.”

Making things happen and getting results is something Walker excels at, whether it is finishing a costume, putting his skill set and education to work finding a job in a rough market, or just finding time in a day to accomplish everything he needs to get done. Being able to push through and overcome adversity are qualities he also really admires in other people, as well as the heroes he loves from his video games, manga, and sci-fi shows. “I’m more attracted to archetypes…such as the everyperson who is forced to go through extraordinary circumstances and become extraordinary themselves,” he says. “It’s something relatable that gives people hope and shows us that no matter how bad things can be, you always have the power to change it.”

With his awesome props and unique costumes, there isn’t a whole lot that Kevin Walker needs to change about his cosplay. However, would he consider changing the Cobheran handle to something that people might actually pronounce properly? “I tend to use my real name for any personal interaction,” he admits. “I’m terrible at naming things.”

photo by Ollie Oberg

lead photo by Kapalaka

It’s one of those franchises that, being a set of exclusive titles helped build support for the actual system and with its main story conclusion attempted, rather poorly, to fool us into thinking that it was all over. Any molecules of mild worry that you wouldn’t get to saw any more Locusts into a gory mess are completely gone with the release of Gears of War: Judgment.

In this prequel, newly promoted Lieutenant Baird leads Kilo squad, members of which include the also familiar Augustus (Cole Train) Cole with new additions Sofia Hendrik and Garron Paduk. Kilo squad are on trial, having been arrested and the game acts out each soldier’s testament, allowing you to take control of each of them in a selection of rather short chapters. The mission is largely the same, kill locust, kill more locust, and activate a bigger weapon that will create a bigger bang to kill even more locust. A new antagonist, Karn is introduced but then you don’t see him again for a very long time so he may as well not be there at all. The story is largely thin on the ground for the entire experience and not a lot of thought has gone into much plot except to thrust from fight to fight in the Gears universe.

Thankfully though, the gameplay is still very much enjoyable as it was in the numbered titles. Levels are cut up into sections, usually involving a stand-off with Locust before moving on to the next area. Where there is improvements however is the addition of earning stars and the declassify missions. Setting out at the beginning of each mission you will see a familiar Gears symbol, approach it and activate it and you will be able to start an extra optional mission. This adds a little extra challenge and has the potential to make things a little bit more interesting. It could either add a time limit on the mission or only allow you to use certain weapons and in some cases it makes the enemies tougher by way of better tactics, or using bigger weapons than yours. It is a good distraction from how poor and uninteresting the story is by welcoming you into an added challenge. As a result, choosing the declassify missions also cause ‘stars’ to accumulate faster. The stars in question are a mediocre attempt at ranking your ability in missions but they offer a reasonable sense of achievement. They accumulate simply by killing enemies. Headshots and executions allow you to earn them quicker and gaining a certain amount unlocks the games epilogue. It’s actually a nice touch and all adds towards a more arcade like experience.

Of course, multiplayer has been a stand out feature in Gears of War for years now and Judgment is no different. In fact it is very much self-aware of multiplayer characteristics that have been praised in the past so much so that it has incorporated some of them into the single player campaign. Aside from the desire to be played as a four player co-op game, it also allows experience points and levelling up to be done in single player, of which I am very pleased about but there is also gameplay elements that creep in. Remember organising your fortifications with your friends when trying to best the number of waves you could be victorious over in Hourde mode? Well prepare to do a lot of that in Judgement’s single player for not nearly as much enjoyment. I enjoyed that way of playing at first but now it feels a bit cheap and lacklustre compared to some action packed sections from past Gears. A timer appears on screen indicating that you need to prepare before a wave is about to descend.

Multiplayer mode itself is pretty solid and reliable enough. It’s questionable why this is a full retail title rather than a large expansion for Gears of War 3 but there’s sufficient on offer. Overun is a great addition to the multiplayer mode rota, welcoming co-op play as choosing different classes lets you approach rounds in specific ways. You could choose the ability to be able to maintain the fortifications, be the sniper or perhaps you would rather be the loose cannon of your team, running into thick of the action at any given opportunity. Prepare for a bombardment of extra content being released. Customisation pages are overwhelmingly littered with items ‘available to buy in the Xbox Marketplace’ which makes it feel like a harassing street vendor but don’t worry, your gun shoots just fine no matter what colour it is.

The scale and impressiveness of how Judgment looks is not obvious. It feels like it should be but it takes a while to actually approach a point that makes you stop doing that weird run they do to observe around you. It’s a real shame they haven’t tried to really blow everyone away with this prequel. Nothing here really expands on the world’s timeline or universe as a whole. While obviously fun to play because it’s still Gears and I like Gears but no advantage has been taken to try and impress.

For a third person action shooter, Gears of War: Judgement is reliably fun to play, is home to another great multiplayer experience and a good enough excuse to play in this universe again. Another title can and almost certainly will be made and I hope that one is when they actually try to impress us again and include a worthy storyline to boot although I fear it will eventually become a multiplayer only title.

Responding to a article yesterday detailing how it weighted its scores in terms of importance, Metacritic has come forwards claiming that the research is “wholly inaccurate”. Having come under fire and a great level of criticism in the past as a result of how it scores its games, many websites were more than willing to accept the research by Adams Greenwood-Erickson, a course director of Full Sail University.

As detailed on Gamasutra, in a talk titled “A Scientific Assessment of the Validity and Value of Metacritic” at the Game Developer’s conference in San Fransisco, Greenwoord-Erickson claimed to have discovered that the website applies a number of weighted values to reviews from major websites. Having based his research upon information pulled from Metacritic itself and months of work, comparing modelled scores to the actual scores found on the website, Greenwoord-Erickson and his students found that there were supposedly six sets of values to publications contributing to a game’s overall metascore.

Metacritic has in turn responded to this by claiming that it does not reflect their actual methods.

In a post on their Facebook page the website claimed that:

They used far fewer tiers than Greenwoord-Erickson suggested,

The disparity between tiers in the is far less extreme than what is actually stated in the research,

And that the article “overvalues some publications and undervalues others” while even ignoring some altogether.

The post used remarks stating that “this isn’t anywhere close to reality” and that areas of the research were off to the point of being “comically so”. It did not go into details but did have a number of backers similarly remarking upon the supposed inaccuracy of the analysis. Amongst them was Neils Keurentjes, former owner of the now defunct Xboxic who stated that “I laughed my ass off at the claim that ‘our’ reviews would be in the highest ranked tier with a 1.5 multiplier” citing that their last serious review on the site had been published over four years ago. He went so far as to describe the article as a “steaming pile of bollocks”.

While many of these points lead towards suggesting that Greenwoord-Erickson’s research was wrong, the problem is that there is no real way to confirm if it really is this inaccurate. Due to Metacritic’s refusal to actually reveal how it weights its scores or even how it comes up with an overall metascore, all of this is being based purely upon their word. The inability to disprove the research completely with counterpoints based upon fact and proof means it is extremely difficult to fully disprove the article.

Having been alleged to have continually changing algorithm for how each website’s review is reflected upon a game, along with suspicions how accurately the site combines a number of vastly different methods of rating games, few people are willing to simply accept the response. Many replies to the Facebook demanded that Metacritic back their claims with actual proof of their sincerity and reveal how their scores are created. Others such as co-workers have similarly come to defend Greenwoord-Erickson’s article citing previous reliability when responding to Metacritic’s post. Further answers cited how the website’s scores are adversely affecting elements of the industry, with payment for development teams on occasion being based upon metascores. One such example being Fallout: New Vegas which had the team failing to be given a desperately needed bonus due to being one mark off of the agreed score of 85 as a result of a questionable review giving it a negative score.

It is currently unknown how, if at all, Metacritic will respond to these comments or try to back its claims; only that for the time being it is stating the research into its methods is false.

Remember that point-and-click adventure game that Double Fine raised money for on Kickstarter, and set off the whole “fund your indie game on Kickstarter” craze? Well, that game just got a trailer, and it looks charming.

Broken Age tells the story of a young boy and girl who lead parallel lives in different worlds. “The girl has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a terrible monster–but she decides to fight back. Meanwhile, a boy on a spaceship is living a solitary life under the care of a motherly computer, but he wants to break free to lead adventures and do good in the world. Adventures ensue,” states the website.

When X-Men Origins: Wolverine debuted in 2009, I was actually under the impression that Marvel would be doing origin stories on all the main characters in X-Men (hence the “X-Men Origins title). But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Turns out Wolverine is cool enough for more films—not complaining—so he’s heading to Japan to go fight samurai and ninjas.

The movie is based on the comic that also sends Wolverine to Japan, and is set sometime after the events in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). The movie is set to premier on July 24.

Telltale Games, of Walking Dead acclaim, announced it’s new episodic adventure, The Wolf Among Us. The series will be based on Bill Willingham’s Vertigo Comic series Fables. For fans familiar with the Fables graphic novels, these games have been a long time in the making. Telltale announced in 2011 that they had begun work on this fantastic series and now plan to release some time this summer. The series will be available on  Xbox 360, PC, Mac and PlayStation 3.

The story looks to follow Bigby Wolf in New York City on a quest to keep safe the identity of fairy tale characters from the prying mundy world.

For more info and updates on the series sign up here.

There’s something extremely tragic when it comes to looking at licenced games. Just about all of them are bad, there’s little to deny that, but they’re usually that way because the developers have been given a minute budget and ordered to squirt it out in six months. Sometimes the end result will be relatively good, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters for example, and manage to escape the curse. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct? It almost manages to be one of those good titles. There are so many sparks of brilliance which could have so easily made the game brilliant but were never developed far enough.

The plot to Survival Instinct is one of, well, survival what else do you expect in something with zombies (or walkers as the series calls them). Playing as Daryl Dixon from the TV series, you travel from one town to the next seeking out fuel, resources and general supplies to stay alive directly following the outbreak. With everything from fuel to water in short supply you’re encouraged to sneak past the undead as much as fight them and forced to choose just who is vital to keep with you. That’s about it and in fairness that’s all you need. Everything else is downhill from there.

The problems with the game all originate from developer Terminal Reality’s execution and the sheer lack of polish on the title. Frequently you’re going to encounter visual glitches and bugs such as floating objects but also extremely immersion breaking problems. An already infamous one is the sound effects used for hitting the windows on cars, the sound of striking metal, which don’t so much as dent even when you are striking them with a sledgehammer. There is also the apparent lack of awareness with the walkers, or how inconsistent it can truly be. Half the time the brain hungry walking corpses can spot you from the other side of the map, while others will not notice you even as you are standing next to them. Often paying you no attention even as you take out a swarm in close combat, slamming a hammer against their skulls every time one turns your way like some sort of macabre game of whack-a-mole.

Even when it comes to the actual survival aspect the game’s design has a huge number of problems. The whole idea of choice of locations based upon the amount of fuel you have and how much you spend while travelling, a good concept to be sure, is hamstrung by the routes not reflecting how much petrol following it will consume. As and when you stop is scripted into the game, based upon how long the voice overs on the map screen keep talking for as you run from one locale to the next. As soon as you try one route, you instantly know exactly when and where you’ll stop for another replay. Assuming you’d be insane enough to try going through this again. You might select taking back roads and byways for a greater number of stops for supplies in your journey, but often your choice will barely reflect that.

Another really big issue is that for a survival title the whole thing is extremely linear. While invisible walls are largely kept to a minimum, you’ll constantly find yourself blocked off by vast numbers of parked cars, debris and fallen masonry which is all built towards artificially lengthening gameplay. Forcing you to run around them when there’s no clear reason why you can’t just jump over or bypass them easily. While this might be forgivable at least the first time, many locations are repeated for side missions. Constantly. Often with barely any changes to their layout or even their overall look, which removes any illusions to the freedom you might have or the fact you’re stuck inside an isolated box. At best you’ll find maps flipped and often not even that.

The truly unique and good ideas that the game had are similarly hamstrung by a lack of proper time and development put into them. Every level you have the option to select a number of people travelling with you to depart and hunt for supplies you might need, giving them orders to hunt down specific items. A good idea which freed up many choices in gameplay and left you with the ability to have them handle hunting down one much needed resource while you searched for the other. Or at least it might have been if this were implemented properly.

The choice becomes a source of frustration with characters you send out coming back with minimal resources and, despite what their stats, skills and armaments might be, are nearly always mauled to near death. You can send out a sheriff you find early on armed with a pistol to search for bullets knowing he should be able to avoid walkers but will stagger back blooded to the point of collapse with only two rounds for a gun you don’t have. Also having used all the ammo for the weapon you gave him.

Even some of the resources you might send survivors out for tend to be pointless with guns bringing down hordes of walkers upon you the second you fired them and petrol tanks being plentiful. With “out of gas” missions happening automatically, the moment you run out, and you’ll often get up to half a tank out of them. Plus any food you might tell them to get you’ll frequently be spending upon them to heal them once they return.

Another is the way in which you deal with walkers grappling you. While it would have been easy to just have a button mashing quick-time event present to have the player kick the walker off of them, Terminal Reality tried to go for something far more innovative. As a walker grapples you, going in to take a chunk out of your neck, you enter a mini-game in which you have to target their head and stab them. Focusing your crosshairs upon a single, limited point as your screen is thrown around by the walker attacking you. The only problem is that this was, again, something badly implemented where you can easily abuse it to defeat swarms of a good twenty or so walkers by letting them grab you. Facing them one at a time, insta-killing each one in turn, and as a result not having to face the swarm as a whole.

Believe it or not this is the short-list of problems the game has with others ranging from limited graphical flexibility and options to extremely poor voice acting. Oh and if you’re holding out for a good story despite all this you find better written stuff in the single player campaigns of Modern Warfare games.

The real shame of it is that, as mentioned in the introduction, there was a genuine effort put into Survival Instinct. At least one or two people in Terminal Reality working on it did seem to be trying to make something genuinely good. Introducing decent ideas rather than a run of the mill dishwasher licenced game, but there’s no denying the result is bad. It might be a better zombie survival game than The War Z but you definitely shouldn’t be wasting cash on this one.

There is a new age of wonder—not the kind that involves us contemplating the mysteries of childhood—but the kind that involves us blasting giant spiders with bolts of lighting. The first trailer for Age of Wonders III looks promising, and is a fine, and long overdue, addition to a fine game series.

Age of Wonders III is a 4x strategy game that pulls in RPG-inspired classes and specializations. It will add quite a bit to the series. According to the developers, these will include unique styles of play, with RPG leader classes from the warlord to the rogue, a brand-new tactical battle system that brings you closer to the combat, and an epic story campaign with two playable factions.

There’s nothing like a good dungeon crawler, especially when it includes procedurally-generated maps, Metroidvania-style platforming, and a graphics style reminiscent of the golden age of the SNES and SEGA Genesis. This is what Chasm will bring, and it’s already looking awesome.

Chasm is a 2D action-RPG platformer inspired by hack ‘n slash dungeon crawlers and Metroidvania-style platformers. The devs state, “the game aims to immerse you in its 2D fantasy world full of exciting treasure, deadly enemies, and abundant secrets.”

You’ll be playing as a soldier returning home from a long war, and pass through a mining town on the way back. Miners have been disappearing after they opened up a forgotten temple beneath the town, and woke something up. You’re trapped in the town by some dark magic, and you’ll need to venture down to defeat enemies and bosses, and eventually free yourself and the town from evil.

There will be a main boss and mini-bosses. There will be plenty of loot, including unique and legendary drops. And for those feeling hardcore, you can even enable permadeath.

Chasm is currently on Steam Greenlight, and will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you think you’ve seen all there is to the modern war first-person shooter genre, think again. EA just unveiled 17 minutes of gameplay from Battlefield 4, which will come out this fall on PS3, PS4, PC and Xbox 360.

There is more emphasis on squad combat this time, with the ability to have players working together in campaign and multiplayer, and issue squad orders.

Now, I’ve only seen a few mainstream FPS games that had players working together as teams, but this is changing quickly. Planetside 2 has helped build this, and if all goes well, we’ll hopefully start seeing players working as teams, instead of just playing next to each other while on the same teams (and on that note, if you’re looking for a great FPS with solid squad combat, check out Project Reality).

The developers of Legend of Grimrock are still tossing around ideas on the upcoming sequel, but despite the discussion they’ve released the first screenshot of a nice, outdoor fantasy world that is a great shift from the gloomy dungeons of the first game.

This is an interesting switch for the series. It sailed quite a bit on the idea of reviving the old school dungeon crawl, and so moving above ground with much more open environments is also changing the “reviving a classic genre” style.

The developers are still a bit vague on the concept, but they note in a blog post that they had three main storylines they were looking at, and they went ahead and detailed the two they tossed out.

One was a roguelike approach with procedurally generated levels and turn-based content. They said they had an early concept of this called “Grimrogue,” with turn-based combat and a minimap in the corner of the screen. The problem? The player looks at the minimap too often. Graphics are too good for a roguelike (basically). And turn-based combat is weird in a first-person game, as it pulls away from the strategy.

“In the end, we felt that with this design we would lose lots of the appeal of Grimrock, the puzzles and the chaotic nature of realtime combat, so the design was scrapped,” the devs state. “It would certainly be possible to make this sort of game but it wouldn’t have been Grimrock.”

The other concept was one that focused heavily on traveling around the Northern Realms. They had a prototype with a world map, towns, villages, and “adventuring locations.” They say the game would have had a storyline that “ties the main locations together much like the main quest in many RPGs.”

They liked the idea, including the encounters, resource management, dungeons, and puzzles. Yet, this also didn’t work.

They state, “One of the themes in Grimrock 2 will be travelling. We would like to explore the outside world that we hinted in the first game. Travelling vast distances in the world would of course not work tile by tile (btw. tile-based movement is definitely a keeper feature), so Grimrock 2 will have multiple locations and a greater variety of environments. Multiple locations will hopefully improve the pacing of the game (a breather after completing an area), give immediate subgoals for the player (complete the current locale), and more choices (where to travel next).”

“However, one thing that Grimrock 2 will not be is a massive modern RPG. There won’t be zillions of NPCs doing their business and endless wastes of wilderness to travel in. Grimrock 2 will be a different kind of experience with an oldschool heart. We want to keep the core gameplay still tightly centered around the party, tricky puzzles, scary monsters and exploration. Our goal is to make sure that anybody who played the first Grimrock, should be instantly at home with the new game.”

“We really wanted this idea to work. The final paragraph of the unreleased post gives some hints about the problem with this design: “tightly centered around the party”, “focus on exploration”, “instantly familiar with the new game”… The problem with this design is the lack of focus. We believe that the charm of Grimrock is compactness, tight focus and emphasis on fun core gameplay. In Grimrock 1, the environment, the dungeon itself has personality and the quest was personal to the characters. Having multiple locations with different atmospheres and multiple linked goals would take some of that charm away.”

In short: they’re still figuring out what type of game Legend of Grimrock 2 will be. But it will likely have a large world, and it will likely be cool.

Via Rock Paper Shotgun

There isn’t too much information on Daedalic Entertainment’s next point-and-click adventure game, but the first screenshots look great. Memoria will be continue the adventures of Geron, the bird-catching protagonist of The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav, in the world of Aventuria. You’ll also be playing as a second character this time, the adventurous princess Sadja.

The art style looks similar to The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav, with hand-drawn settings. Hopefully the character animations will be better than the last game, but even so, if it is anything like the previous title, we have a lot to look forward to.

Memoria tells the tale of princess Sadja of the faraway-land of Fasar, who once ventured into war to fight demons in the Gorian Desert. Her goal – to become the greatest hero of all time – was foiled under mysterious circumstances. Something had occurred, the girl disappeared and her tale was eventually forgotten.

Here’s the story so far:

Five centuries pass, until one day Geron, a young bird catcher, meets a traveling merchant named Fahi in his native forest. This merchant promises to turn Gerons girlfriend Nuri, who has been transformed into a Raven, back into human form.

But this favor comes at a price: Geron has to finally solve the mystery of Sadja’s fate.

He agrees without hesitation – unknowing that this will trigger a chain of events that will soon cast a shadow on his homeland and turn his present into a dark image of its long forgotten past…

Memoria is set for a Q3 2013 release, and we’ll keep you updated as more details are announced.

The pilot episode of The Broken Continent, a new web series by award-winning filmmaker Francis Abbey, packs quite a lot of adventure into its twenty-two minute debut. There is a continent splintered by an angry god, an ambitious and ruthless king, warrior women living in the woods, a beautiful queen kidnapped, armies on the move, swordfights, hired assassins, and magic.

The Broken Continent pilot starts the tale of Elyrion, a continent split into five shards. King Eadwyn Redway, played by Danny Gavigan, seeks to re-unite the land under his rule, using whatever means necessary to accomplish his goals. His actions drive a group of refugees to seek protection under the Daughters of Tairol, a band of women warriors living in Ironleaf Forest. As King Eadwyn continues his conquest, the Daughters seek to thwart his plans.

The show features many strong female characters, to include Brenn, played by Bette Cassatt, but the focus of the pilot is on King Eadwyn. This complicated character has been created well by Abbey, and Danny Gavigan truly brings this villain to life in a performance that is pure entertainment to watch.

Kelley Slagle (left), Danny Gavigan (center), and Bette Cassatt (right)

The story behind the making of The Broken Continent is noteworthy as well. Lacking the budget of a giant mainstream network, Abbey, along with co-producers Kelley Slagle and Bjorn Munson, went to Kickstarter to crowdfund this project. After two successful campaigns they were able to raise around $54,000 to finish the pilot.

The sheer amount Abbey, Slagle, and the rest of the team have accomplished with such a small budget is amazing. The Broken Continent is not a group of LARPers throwing a fan video on the internet; this is a professionally made web series. From the special effects and fight choreography to Noah Potter’s original music, everything for this show has been done so well.

“We were happy that we were able to pay almost the entire cast and crew, but many people took lower pay than they would have normally,” says Slagle, who, in addition to being one of the producers, also stars as Arabel in the show. “We are very fortunate to have so many talented people passionately involved in this project – actors, crew, designers and artists – and that has allowed us to really flesh out the world of Elyrion despite our limited budget. “

Unfortunately, the audience doesn’t see too much of Arabel or Slagle’s own stage combat skills during the pilot, but Slagle assures us the story of her character will be told in future episodes. “Arabel is definitely a fixture in the extended story,” she says. “In addition to showcasing her fighting skill and witnessing harsh examples of her ruthlessness, her initial split from The Women of the Wood and sister is explored.”

The team will now take the completed pilot to conventions across the country, promoting the series and attempting to gain the financial support to continuing filming and production. “Our goal now is to secure additional funding for future episodes of The Broken Continent,” Slagle says. “To do this we are concentrating on marketing the pilot and building a solid following. We are taking it to TV festivals that get it in front of distributors and sci-fi/fantasy and other conventions that expose it to our target fan base. We also have other original Broken Continent content to supplement the web series in the works – including novelization of the current story, games, etc.”

The pilot has been aired in three parts, with all three now available for viewing at getbroken.tv.

The Broken Continent is definitely worth checking out. The pilot is fun and entertaining, and it is amazing what this group has been able to accomplish. The only complaint at this point is there is only one full episode to watch, and viewers will have to wait awhile to find out what happens next in the story. “The pilot is only the beginning,” Slagle tells us. “There is a rich world to unfold should we get the resources we need.”

http://vimeo.com/cavegirl/tbctrailer2

“In my debut as Fran, I won Best in class, Novice, and there was no going back from there,” says MeltingMirror as she remembers her very first competitive cosplay masquerade.

That first masquerade was at Anime North in 2008, but MeltingMirror has been cosplaying since 2004 when a group of her friends heard about Ottawa’s first anime convention. “So they decided and said, ‘let’s all get dressed up,’” she says. “I got all dressed up and I went there and I had a good time and from then on it was just going to another convention.”

photo by Jack Liu

MeltingMirror dressed up as Oruha from Clover for her first cosplay, choosing that character more for practical reasons than for being a fan of the manga. She remembers thinking, “oh, I’ll do this character because we have the same hairstyle even though I haven’t even read Clover.”

While she has her friends to thank for bringing her to that first convention, she also credits them for helping to push her into competitive masquerades. MeltingMirror remembers one of those friends once telling her, “we’re making these really great costumes, and you’re not picking anything challenging.”

The comment made an impression on MeltingMirror.

“From that point on I just kept trying to get more challenging costumes and try to up my game,” she says. In response, she made the Fran costume, and she’s only pushed forward from there.

Fran- Best in Class, Novice. photo by Kudrel

As Melting Mirror has moved up from the Novice class to more competitive masquerades, she’s worked hard to develop her sewing and craftsmanship. She’s refined her skills over the last few years, but she remembers one experience in particular that gave her the confidence to keep challenging herself to new heights. “I made a Scout costume from Grando Espada,” she says. “That was the first costume that I felt that it looks exactly how I wanted to look and it looks like the reference photo.”

 “…The second I got offstage I started taking pieces off it was so uncomfortable.”

The Grando Espada Scout experience was a turning point for her. After completing it, she remembers thinking, “now when I pick a costume that I want to make, I know I can actually deliver. I know there is a level of quality I can hit, and if I’m not pushing myself to hit that level of quality, I know I can do better and I have to push myself to get there.”

Years worth of hard work and pushing herself has led MeltingMirror to produce some stunning cosplays, and at Fan Expo Canada 2011 she won awards for Best in class, Master for both Craftsmanship and Performance. “I think it was the highest level award I’ve ever got, so it felt like quite the compliment since I pretty much took care of the costume myself and came up with the skit idea,” she says. “Everything came together perfectly.”

photo by Jack Liu

The awards at Fan Expo Canada have again boosted this talented cosplayer’s confidence, and she says, “I’m at the top of my game, and I’m glad I’m being recognized for that, and that’s very very nice.”

Of course, MeltingMirror has never been one to rest on her laurels, and again she’s pushing herself towards another challenge. “The only award I haven’t won is the Best in Show. Now that is what I’m gunning for…If I’m competing in a masquerade, that is what I’m going for.”

Cosplay is ultimately about having fun, and MeltingMirror isn’t just about the competitive masquerades. When she shows up for a convention, she’ll bring several different costumes, each with a purpose in mind. “I tend to classify my costumes into different categories,” she explains. “There’s the casual costume that you can wear easily and get out of easily, and then I put masquerade costumes in a different category.”

Tia Dalma Calypso- Best in Class, Master Craftsmanship. Photo by Jack Liu.

Those masquerade costumes aren’t always the most comfortable, but MeltingMirror now makes sure her competitive masterpieces are at least bearable. “I made a Styria cosplay a few years back, and that was the most absolutely uncomfortable thing ever,” she says. “I think I was only in it for maybe a half hour to do photos…The second I got offstage I started taking pieces off it was so uncomfortable.”

“there is such a different feel and dynamic when you’re cosplaying with someone else”

While MeltingMirror puts a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into her coplays, she also has to find a way to pay for those highly-detailed costumes. To help offset the cost of both costume making and traveling to conventions, MeltingMirror has been trying to find creative ways to finance her hobby. “When I go to a convention, I’m also participating in the artist alley or crafters corner, and I’m making my own little trinkets and I’m selling them,” she says. “I’m also doing commissions, and I find that’s a good way to meet people and connect with those that like my work.”

Making costumes and trinkets goes beyond just a mere hobby or a way to make a little money for MeltingMirror. “I’m a very artistic person just in general,” she says, emphasizing how important it is to her that she can express herself through what she does. “It’s great to be able to use my artistic skills, which I didn’t really get a chance to use after graduating high school.”

photo by Ackson Ree

After she did graduate from high school, MeltingMirror moved on to Carleton University to pursue a degree in journalism. Recently, she’s finished up her masters degree, also in journalism, but she would love to find a way to make cosplay a bigger part of her daily life. “[Cosplay] is becoming an industry,” she points out. “People are able to actually make a living….I am exploring options and seeing what works, and I would love to have it as a job, if possible, or at least a part time or side job.”

MeltingMirror does admit that being a part of the cosplay industry as a full time job would be “a matter of finding that perfect balance.” She also concedes that if cosplay became more like work, she might have to find an additional hobby to keep that balance.

For now, MeltingMirror already has a wide range of hobbies she enjoys. “I have a PS3. I’m slowly going through my reserve of games,” she says. “I like movies. I like cycling. I like going into a pool and swimming. A little variety is good.”

Shiva Sisters with Kudrel (right). photo by Sai-Kit Chu

As one might guess from looking at MeltingMirror’s cosplay choices, anime is also one of her hobbies. “I’m totally into anime and manga,” she says. “I’m on top of the basic one: Bleach and Naruto.”

Bleach is one of MeltingMirror’s all time favorites. “I’m a sucker for Bleach,” she admits. “It’s one of my favorites. It was one of the first series I cosplayed from. I think it was my third or fourth costumes were both Bleach related. I think I’ve made four at this point. I’m making five.”

In addition to making her fifth Bleach costume this year, MeltingMirror is also looking to be a more social cosplayer. “The plan is to take part in more group cosplay,” she says. “I’ve been kind of a solo cosplayer for the last two years.”

While MeltingMirror has mostly gone alone, she has done some spectacular cosplays with fellow Canadian Kudrel. “We’ve been going to conventions for years and years and years,” MeltingMirror says.

photo by James Park

Perhaps the most impressive cosplay of MeltingMirror and Kudrel is their Shiva Sisters. MeltingMirror gives a lot of credit to her cosplay partner for this particular endeavor. “It was her crazy idea to make the Shiva Sisters, and I’ve got to thank her for challenging me on that one.”

The enjoyment from cosplaying with friends is something that is sometimes lost when cosplaying solo, which is why MeltingMirror is looking to change things up. “I just can’t wait to get back into group cosplay, because there is such a different feel and dynamic when you’re cosplaying with someone else,” she says. “I just find it so much fun, and I haven’t been doing as much of it. I want to get back into it, so I’m going to try to do some more group cosplay.”

There is one more thing MeltingMirror will be looking to do this year. “I want to…participate in a few more masquerades as well and get that elusive Best in Show,” she says. She has to keep pushing forward to accomplish that dream, as there’s no going back for MeltingMirror.

photo by diamoncrevasse

Lead photo by Artisto Virtuoso

Ever wonder, “What if Game Freak made a game other than Pokemon?” Well, wonder no more! Game Freak’s only second game that isn’t Pokemon-related is now about to be released. Entitled HarmoKnight, you play as well, a knight who likes harmonizing. Oh you think I’m kidding? Nope! HarmoKnight is what I like to describe as Mario meets Rock Band with Pokemon-style music. Trust me, it as cool as that sounds.

HarmoKnight features 50 levels of musical platforming. For a digital-exclusive title, you are getting the value of a full retail game for the price of a digital game. The 50 levels are divided up into several worlds, something you know and expect from a Mario game. The difference and uniqueness that is HarmoKnight comes into play when you, well, play it. There are a few short tutorial levels at the beginning that not only introduce you to the game mechanics, but the story as well. The story goes that you play as Tempo, a young boy that lives on the planet Melodia. The planet is attacked by evil Noizoids and it is Tempo’s quest to defeat alongside a few friends, including a quirky little rabbit. You actually play as several characters and not just Tempo, each having unique abilities from ranged attacks to controlling a monkey with cymbals and a muscular man at the same time. This game is weird, but it works. The cutscenes play out as comic strip-like sequences that work rather well with the 3D feature (yeah I pretty much forgot about that thing too).

Is that…Pikachu?

The actual gameplay itself plays out as an on-rails side-scrolling platformer with 3D backgrounds, characters, and levels. While the whole on-rails thing may be unappealing, you actually forget totally about it because of the control you do have. Each level is totally revolving around the notion of music. Similar to the coins from a Mario game, you jump and hit enemies to collect musical notes. Don’t kill an enemy or hit a particular random instrument in harmonization (get it) with the music and you won’t receive the note. Everything has to be in perfect harmony, because each level requires you to collect a specific number of notes to receive a special Royal Note, which in turn is necessary to progress to the next world and so on.

Boss battles play out in a QTE (Quick Time Event) fashion. Facing anywhere from a huge noisy dog to an evil ship that toots its horn way too loud, a narrator will warn you whether to jump or hit and in what order to successfully complete each section of the boss battle. It is not nearly as gamey as it sounds, it actually fits really well into the context of the battle. The action becomes very intense and trust me you will mess up. But that’s the point. I replayed the first boss battle probably 20 times before I beat him and that’s not a bad thing at all. You will get it wrong at first, but you won’t want to quit right away.

Mario-style level traversal.

You’ll desire to keep trying and eventually, you’ll learn every beat and rhythm of the battle and you’ll beat it easily. It isn’t for everyone though. Only those willing to learn the minute details of the system and each song. Trial and error is what makes this game so fun. In fact, I still play my favorite level over and over because each time I get a little bit better than the last. It helps that the music is great too. A lot of times you’ll have the same theme rehashed from tropical to spooky to heavy metal, but it works. The music is uplifting (except weird creepy parts that are still cool) and will get your foot tapping, which is useful so you can get your timing perfect.

Overall, HarmoKnight is a strange and quirky musical game that you would expect from the makers of the Pokemon series. Since this is a digital eShop game, I can’t wait to see what Game Freak could come up in a full retail game that isn’t Pokemon. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pokemon and I can’t wait for X and Y this fall, but it’s nice to see Game Freak’s unique talent and creativity being fully used and it makes me excited for whatever is next from the studio.

When it was reported Ken Levine personally killed off the Bioshock movie project, he explained that there was hesitation if the right creative minds where at the helm to pull off a film version of what he has created. A diminished budget and losing a director with the next hired being one he didn’t have faith in, all caused him to bring an end to an adaptation. It would be like remaking Back to the Future as a French art house film. Fascinating idea but could very well slam flat on its face. With the release of Bioshock Infinite, Levine and his team are proving that they are capable of creating a remarkable and enthralling experience without Hollywood’s help.

The storyline of Infinite certainly rivals any cult cinema classic constantly loading its pistol with mind-blowing ammunition. Successive plot points hits targets around you, turning your head wondering what is happening before a straight head-shot of plot revelations potentially results in one of the most triumphant videogame storylines in a very long time if ever.

You take control of Booker DeWitt. A change from previous Bioshock titles, Booker is definitely not a silent protagonist. From the outset, we know he is a gambler, drinker, a generic out of luck character being sent to the city of Columbia, the city in the skies. His mission seems simple; to bring back a girl, Elizabeth, in turn paying back his debt. Of course though, nothing is at all as it first appears. The history of the city, Elizabeth’s mysterious powers and the role Booker plays in each part keep the player guessing at all times. Themes of cultism, religion, race, society, redemption and destiny thrust you along at a tremendous pace but are not heavy handed.

The location, like many Irrational games, is a character itself and a truly wondrous place to explore. It demands attention in detail. The need to be a tourist amongst this place is overwhelming; I was frustrated when it was clear I missed the smallest of areas as I wanted to experience every last part of an environment so imaginative and ever changing as it goes through civil war and dimension shifts. Collectabiles to hunt down are true tourist attractions, telescopes and kinetoscopes give increased insight into this amazing world. Different viewing points and short quirky silent films along with voxophones left behind by many characters revealing background information adding to the rich story of Colombia.

Other elements are very familiar from the previous two Bioshock titles. Plasmids are now called Vigors and are powered by salts, for some reason. Weapons are rather standard but you can only carry two at a time. Fighting is often frantic. Enemies ranked rather sensibly in toughness from basic melee foes to armoured heavy gunners and RPGs. The biggest baddies come in the forms of Patriots, automated robot heavy gunner along with the Handyman, essentially a giant cyborg categorised as a heavy-hitter. Amongst all these enemies fights can get very cluttered very quickly leading to at times getting stuck amongst bombardment. However using innovative gameplay tactics like aerial battles on skylines and vigor combinations, mastering the combat can be accomplished to overcome these minor issues.

Once Elizabeth is in your company she quickly becomes one of the most valuable companions in a game. If you observe her movements closely they seem obscure at first but they are carefully choreographed so she does not get in your way. You do not need to worry about her in battle, she will find cover and you will never shout frustration that she is in the crossfire. Instead you may be thanking her several times. Elizabeth helps you by doing scavenging on her own. While looting containers she may hand you a little extra cash and in battle she will hand you ammo, health or salts at just the right times which can very well make a crucial difference. She also adds as the games peculiar method of respawning. Once out of life you will see her revive you and somehow this costs money. I’m not sure why Elizabeth charges for this service but I need to keep playing somehow so let’s not question it too much.

The need to play through again is inevitable, whether it be purely for the story working out the fine intricacies or to tackle the unique 1999 mode. Upon initial completion this mode unlocks and offers a challenge to satisfy the true hardcore gamers. Less ammo, less health items, few of any resources really increase the difficulty for a true challenge. DLC seems to be planned to expand the game and it definitely needs to be solid enough to avoid ruining the already brilliant storyline. For now make sure you stick around while the credits role as there is moving and intriguing behind the scenes video of cast members recording one of the games songs under Levine’s direction.

Bioshock Infinite is a monument to its creators and predecessors. There’s certainly life left in this universe yet and Infinite cements that possibilities are truly endless. This game simply must be played. I stress, it must. You will gather to discuss the plot and I will not be surprised that anyone who isn’t a fan of the story probably doesn’t like Donnie Darko either. Rest assured that Elizabeth will make her way onto ‘best companion’ lists alongside memorable sidekicks like Luigi and Lydia from Skyrim. Ken Levine has shunned Hollywood but not his audience giving them a game truly remarkable. The gameplay may not be revolutionary but the story is the shining example of how it can be done. After Infinite, Bioshock may just be able to go on forever.

With the recent release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, we’ve been given our first taste of the next film in the trilogy: The Desolation of Smog. It begins with Peter Jackson explaining the clip, then at about 1:10 jumps to the clip.

It follows Gandalf (later joined by Radagast) as he investigates the origins of the Morgul-blade by searching through the tombs of the witch king. Afterwards, the video jumps to some clips from the set. We see our dwarves carrying along an unconscious Bombur, getting wrapped in spiderweb, hopping in barrels, and announcing to the humans that they’ve come to reclaim their home.

So, it looks like this film will end right before the dwarves (and Bilbo) go to retake their mountain, and before the Battle of the Five Armies. And on that note, I’m personally really glad that Peter Jackson is tying in Tolkien’s other books to give this series more depth and more footage. I can’t wait.