Writer's Blog!

Wow, have I had an interesting month. It's been such an epic spectacle that I thought I would put my feelings into words and really show my appreciation for the massive impact this month has had on me. So without further ado, thank you November. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons in such concepts as humility, but even more so, in torture. Thank you for showing me all the unique ways to crush a man’s soul, shatter his self-worth, and bring him to the brink of insanity. Thank you for showing me my new threshold for pain and especially thank you for showing me all the new and creative ways to use swear words. Thank you for showing me that sprinkling in a few good things here and there only serves to make the next act of viciousness that much more impactful. Thank you for showing me all the new smells, the new sensations and the new feeling in my stomach. You know, the one that won’t be going away anytime soon. And most of all, thanks for the feelings of dread on what ...

Batman Arkham Asylum was a huge surprise when it was released in 2009. It looked great, and it seemed like a Batman game that actually might not suck, which was pretty rare back then. In fact, Batman Vengeance is the only game that was any good. DC had a notably poor record for developing games based on their characters, so it’s easy to see why nobody would believe, but when the truth dawns, it dawns in fire. Sorry, I had to. Anyway, Arkham Asylum was probably the first excellent Batman game ever made. And when I say excellent, I mean setting a new bar for game developers. I would never have expected to see that come from a licensed game, much less a license that has struggled as hard as Batman has to create even a decent game. If Batman Arkham Asylum set a new standard for many action adventure games to come, the question is, can they outdo themselves? I can’t say that Batman Arkham City is better than Arkham Asylum. It’s not because it’s bad, far from it. I just can’t say...

Yesterday, Xbox 360 users who signed up for early access to Mass Effect 3 got a special treat. A Beta Demo of the highly anticipated threequel was leaked over Xbox Live and fully downloadable. The version was rough around the edges (very rough) but fans were still delighted to get early-early access to the final act in the prolific trilogy. I myself was unable to play the demo, but I have seen footage of it in its entirety. Since I have been incredibly vocal about my negative opinions of Mass Effect 2 and the way the series has been marketed since joining with EA, I thought it may be a good idea to offer some first impressions. All of the videos start off on the menu screen. One of the most memorable moments of ME1 was its unique menu. I remember listening to a haunting atmospheric melody as I stared at the horizon of a distant planet. Upon hitting the start button, I was transported to a screen that slowly cycled through the story’s cast of characters. ME2’s menu wasn’t so ...

Bioware’s worst kept secret has finally been revealed. Mass Effect 3 now officially has multiplayer. After all of the double talk and reassurance from the developers of the contrary, it’s easy to see that the fan base (most especially the hardcore fans) have had negative reaction to the news. The Bioware Social Network is ablaze with anger and frustration, YouTube and Facebook have piles upon piles of negative comments, and even website’s like IGN have been verbalizing their disdain for the concept. Only hours after the word was spilled form Casey Hudson, Project Director of the Mass Effect franchise, the Bioware development team has already done truckloads of damage control. In some cases, developers almost seemed to be begging fans not to cancel their preorders. Why on Earth would Bioware put something this controversial in their game? This isn’t even polarizing; in fact, it seems to have united fans more than ever. Multiplayer for Mass Effect 3 is a bad, BAD idea. ...

This is it. The trilogy ends. The last ride of Delta Squad begins. Okay, so Gears of War 3 has been out for like a week or so. This isn't the most new review in the world. Still, there was a lot to go through in my attempt to review the game. Now I love Gears of War. I love the gameplay, the weapons, the art, the levels, the world and the fantastic characters. Epic Games built a large franchise and a compelling story line. The question is, can Epic live up to their namesake and end the franchise in the fashion it deserves? The first thing I noticed about Gears 3 was the refined gameplay. The cover system has been smoothed out to perfection, the weapons finally seem properly balanced, the trench run is faster and every portion of the gameplay just feels more fluid than ever. Cliff Bleszinski promised the most polished Gears of War game ever with Gears 3, and in that regard, Epic delivered. The gameplay is utterly perfect and many of the new additions make the perfect set...

DC Comics recently reset their entire lineup of comic book characters and rebooted the universe. With the reboot comes new creative teams, new comics and in some cases, entirely new origins. Recently, a controversy has sparked at the core of not one, but two releases. Catwoman , written by Judd Winick and featuring art by Guillem March, and Red Hood and the Outsiders by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort. Both of these titles feature writing and art that is sexist at its best and misogynistic and its worst. Let’s begin with Catwoman . Right off the bat there is something odd. The first few pages are nothing but ass and cleavage shots of Catwoman as she is dressing up in her outfit. I can’t even accurately pinpoint when we finally get a good shot of her face. She wears red lingerie that screams “look at my massive tits.” This is supposed to be a new beginning. Essentially, this is the pilot episode. Now, I know for a fact that no self-respecting director would make...

Tonight at midnight, I will be on my way to pick up my copy of Gears of War 3. The Gears of War series is probably my second favorite franchise in video games today. I love its larger than life characters, its desperate atmosphere, its gothic art style, etc. It was most definitely one of the more unique shooters out there, and has proven to be one of the most innovative games of its generation. The first Gears of War game was one of, if not the first games to feature a cooperative campaign that actually made player 2 relevant not just to the gameplay, but to the story. As a younger brother, I can instantly appreciate any co-op game that actually allows me to play alongside my brother. Gears of War happened to be, by chance, an awesome frigging game as well. I loved Gears of War when it came out. Its multiplayer was loads of fun, if a bit competitive (I’m kind of a wuss) but the campaign is what sold me. The story was pretty straightforward, but not without interes...

A few months ago, I ripped into Mass Effect 3 about how I believe the game will suck. What you did not know was that I have been plotting a counter argument this whole time!!!! Yes I am a sly evil genius. Now, even though it took me five articles to point all the adversity that stands in front of Bioware for Mass Effect 3, I am not going to do that again. I got sick of myself after article three, so this time I will keep it short and succinct. What you are about to see is me, attacking myself. This should be interesting. In my first article you may remember that I tore apart Mass Effect 2’s story. Not because it was bad, but because it was not quite the sequel it should have been. Bioware said that Mass Effect 2 was supposed to be a dark second act, and I personally felt that the game did not feel dark nor did it feel like a second act. There was very little of an emotional journey to be had and what it did have was not that great. Will this affect Mass Effect...

Well it has basically been a year since Star Crossed Galaxy #1 was released, and I'm sure all of the fans are eager for an update. Well, I got some bad news. SCG #2 has hit a bit of a snag. The artist, the amazingly talented Matt Martin had to drop out as the artist for the series. He's got a few gigs his working on right now, and I for one wish him the best of luck. He was an incredible artist and a stand up guy, but the best part about working with Matt was his passion and zeal for the series. He really loved working on the book and with the characters. I feel bad that he is leaving the SCG, but I'm happy he's making his mark in the world of comics. Good luck, Matt! Don't be too sad as Matt has pretty much finished his penciling duties on SCG #2. So he's still our man, at least until #3. Right now, I'm busy trying to find an artist to fix up the final pages, give us an exciting cover and then we're ready to roll. So I begin my search fo...

A few months ago, I was desperate for some really good sci-fi. I scoured the internet looking for a trace of some new space age adventure to lose my imagination in. I found a few good ones like Dark City and Gattaca. At the time, neither was streaming on Netflix and my local video store didn’t have them in stock, so I never got to see them. I became dismayed, but then, a friend of mine recommended Farscape, a sci-fi TV series that initially aired in 1999. I saw an episode or two when it was still on the air a long time ago and thought the show was goofy and weird. My friend insisted it was worth a gander, especially when starting from the beginning. I began watching the show on Netflix, and although the show was indeed goofy and weird, it was still impressive. As the show went on, the goofiness faded and the show became, potentially the best science fiction television series of my generation. The writing was smart and sophisticated, but not without an irreverent sense...

Everyone knows by now that the DC Reboot is right around the corner. DC Comics will, for the first time in history, reset their entire comic book line up back to #1. There are more changes to be made in the DC Universe then a simple numerical reset. New titles will be introduced, and old favorites will be retrofitted with a new continuity. New creative teams will be combined for each book and the general business practices of DC as a company are being reconstructed. This isn’t just a DC Universe reboot; this is a DC Comics reboot. I can admit that I am curious about DC’s direction. They have been chasing Marvel’s success for years now, both in sales and creative pursuits. Marvel has been massively successful in the animation and film departments, DC on the other hand had to deal with the commercial disappointment that was Green Lantern. All in all, DC can’t catch a break. They had to do something to remain competitive with Marvel Comics, and in their eyes, an ent...