Alternate Title: Stuff in September
Good evening once again as I once again speak to the empty auditorium that represents the people that actually read my blog on a regular basis. Oh, where to begin as the month of September rolls to a close?
MY BOOKS
Sadly, the first place that I sent Xenoearth to didn't want it, but at the same time, it didn't sound like a stock rejection letter either, so there's a least a small silver lining to it. So be it, that just means that it is now at its next destination at Gryphonwood Press. I still haven't heard anything one way or the other from them just yet, but I'll be sure to put up the results once I do.
The Argent Fangs, the second book in the Xenoearth series is coming along fairly strong still, though I have slowed down the pace at which I have been writing it so I can focus on other side projects, such as a story of indeterminite length at this time that I am currently working on called "The Second Life." This story looks at another aspect of Glenn Allister's past: the time he spent in Fuutoni Village before it was burned to the ground by the Yakuza. It's sitting at around 3k words right now and I've only really scratched the surface with this piece, so it'll probably end up being novelette or novella length. I don't see this particular story becoming full-blown novel length.
READING
Not a whole lot to talk about here, merely because I've been pre-occupied with my own writing and networking with other people about my work, but I'll just say that I'm looking forward to the next Wheel of Time book when it comes out.
FRIENDS
Speaking of friends, I've lately re-discovered a small community of people that have a focus on astrology and the occult called The Constellation Chamber. Their link is right here: http://constellationchamber.heavenforum.com It's not a very big community, but it is very tight-knit and the people are definitely worth getting to know. Another website I have found myself on a lot lately is a little place called Deviant-Art, which I am using to meet other authors while promoting my work. I'm going to warn you right now: there's a lot of garbage on this site since - much like the rest of the internet at large - anyone can put anything up about anything and try to pass it off as good. That being said, I still like the place, and I've found a few diamonds in the rough if you will. Here's the link in case you care: http://www.deviantart.com
OTHER STUFF
My mother and her boyfriend came down from Maine to pay my sister's family and myself a visit, and she brought down a good chunk of the rest of my possessions in the process, including my RPG books and my two cats: Mithril and Umbral. I don't know what she was feeding them over the past year, but both of them have easily doubled (tripled in Umbral's case) in weight.
I guess that's all I can think of for this entry, so have a good night, and question everything.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
August in Review
Guess it's time to talk about what's been happening in my life right now, since I know all of you out there on the internet want to hear my two cents.
As many of you know, "The Blue Lupine" will be released in the bi-monthly magazine "This Mutant Life" in September, which is only a week away. I can't wait to get my contributor's copy and frame it up on my wall to remind me that no matter what troubles may come my way, there's always someone out there that will love the things that I do.
I have submitted another short story, this time a fantasy-themed story called "Redemption's Rite," a story about an orphaned orc youth trying to carve a place for himself within an order of knights. I hope to be hearing some good news about that story soon.
Xenoearth, the book that I won't shut up about no matter how much you beg me to has been sent away to PYR Books, its first and hopefully last stop toward getting published and being shared with the world. It came out to a healthy 97,500 words, which might be a bit large for a starting novel, but I just couldn't cram everything I wanted to do with the story within a paltry 80k words.
Even though I'm still awaiting notification on Xenoearth, that hasn't stopped me from working on its sequel, "The Argent Fangs." Yes, the name of my blog is the same as the name of the organization that will form in the world of Xenoearth. Its current progress sits at about 28,000 words right now, so it still has a long way to go. I'm naturally excited about this one too.
Not much on this front. I read a Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher, a series I recommend to anyone who likes supernatural mystery stories. I'm currently plugging away at Terry Brooks' "The Wishsong of Shannara," a standard good vs evil sword and sorcery tale that doesn't disappoint. My only complaint with the series thus far is how the books feel kind of samey; every tale begins and ends in a very similar fashion. That being said, I do still urge fans of S&S to read them if you haven't before.
I might as well chime in on some movies I've seen lately.
Clash of the Titans
The remake of that classic movie succeeded in improving the special effects of the monsters and the fight scenes, but sadly, that's all this movie did. The story was more or less the same, but the execution felt very lacking in my mind, mostly because the actors just didn't do that good of a job. Overall, it was a good movie, but not good enough for me to want to have it in my movie collection.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Another Greek mythology-themed movie, this time geared toward a younger audience. That being said, I enjoyed this one more than I did Clash of the Titans because it was a new story, not just a rehash of old work. I did feel like the movie went too fast however and they could have spaced the supernatural stuff in the beginning better, but they still did a pretty good job with this one. I probably will add this to my collection at some point, because it's worth watching again. Oh, and I want a pen sword!
Kick-Ass
What can be said about this movie other than it, well, kicks ass? This is the kind of movie that proves that looks are deceiving; when I first heard about this movie, I was thinking that it was going to be a superhero parody movie, especially considering the very cheesy looking costumes the characters have. When I actually watched it however, it proved that it was anything but that. This movie had excellent action, well-developed characters that you actually gave a shit about for a change, and a solid story that definitely deserves a sequel. If you love superhero action, get it and love it.
Not much to talk about here other than a little game called Starcraft 2 by Blizzard. If you don't know what this is, Starcraft is a build and destroy real-time strategy game where you are the commander of an army. You get to play as either the Terrans (Humans), the Zerg (which look vaugely like giant insects), or the Protoss (weird, but cool, psychic aliens). Each army plays distinctly different from the others, giving you three unique play styles with just the factions alone. Factor in the various types of ground and aerial units and you have a game that's about as deep as it gets.
I just wish that Blizzard had done more with the actual engine of the game and given the player more tactical options, such as troop formations and squad based units like in Dawn of War, a RTS based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. In the end, Starcraft 2 is more like Starcraft 1.5; the same game with new units and updated graphics. That being said, I still love this game. The story campaign is something that was phenomenally executed and made me want to keep playing to see what happened next; Chris Metzen is one of the best storytellers in gaming today.
Finally met some new people through a woman I met at one of my jobs. You guys know who you are. They are sufficiently geeky and intelligent for my tastes and were actually the ones that convinced me to give Starcraft 2 a try, so props to them for that. My next goal is to get a copy of the Pathfinder Beastiary and introduce them to Tabletop gaming. I might ease them into the idea with Magic: The Gathering, but I'll have to wait until later when I hang out with them again.
Um...I haven't had any sort of significant emotional event to give me a personality change of any kind lately, but I do want to take this opportunity to share my regrets for not being able to show up to the Richmond High School Class of 2000 ten year reunion. Judging from all the photos and discussions that many of you that I have friended on there, it sounded like a lot of fun. Hopefully none of you missed me that badly.
I did get a haircut. One that left me with much shorter hair on top than I'm used to. It still looks pretty good in my book, even though at first, when my sister had put a liberal dose of hair gel in it, I thought I looked too much like a metrosexual. I don't know if I'll want it to be this short again on top when the time comes in a few months or so, but it could have turned out a lot worse. I might get some pictures taken and thrown up online. Emphasis on might, because even though I don't mind having my picture taken, I don't own a camera and I'm rarely around people that take lots of photos.
I guess that's it for now. Keep an eye out for updates on my work and wish me the best of luck. And as always, question everything.
WRITING
As many of you know, "The Blue Lupine" will be released in the bi-monthly magazine "This Mutant Life" in September, which is only a week away. I can't wait to get my contributor's copy and frame it up on my wall to remind me that no matter what troubles may come my way, there's always someone out there that will love the things that I do.
I have submitted another short story, this time a fantasy-themed story called "Redemption's Rite," a story about an orphaned orc youth trying to carve a place for himself within an order of knights. I hope to be hearing some good news about that story soon.
Xenoearth, the book that I won't shut up about no matter how much you beg me to has been sent away to PYR Books, its first and hopefully last stop toward getting published and being shared with the world. It came out to a healthy 97,500 words, which might be a bit large for a starting novel, but I just couldn't cram everything I wanted to do with the story within a paltry 80k words.
Even though I'm still awaiting notification on Xenoearth, that hasn't stopped me from working on its sequel, "The Argent Fangs." Yes, the name of my blog is the same as the name of the organization that will form in the world of Xenoearth. Its current progress sits at about 28,000 words right now, so it still has a long way to go. I'm naturally excited about this one too.
READING
Not much on this front. I read a Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher, a series I recommend to anyone who likes supernatural mystery stories. I'm currently plugging away at Terry Brooks' "The Wishsong of Shannara," a standard good vs evil sword and sorcery tale that doesn't disappoint. My only complaint with the series thus far is how the books feel kind of samey; every tale begins and ends in a very similar fashion. That being said, I do still urge fans of S&S to read them if you haven't before.
MOVIES
I might as well chime in on some movies I've seen lately.
Clash of the Titans
The remake of that classic movie succeeded in improving the special effects of the monsters and the fight scenes, but sadly, that's all this movie did. The story was more or less the same, but the execution felt very lacking in my mind, mostly because the actors just didn't do that good of a job. Overall, it was a good movie, but not good enough for me to want to have it in my movie collection.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Another Greek mythology-themed movie, this time geared toward a younger audience. That being said, I enjoyed this one more than I did Clash of the Titans because it was a new story, not just a rehash of old work. I did feel like the movie went too fast however and they could have spaced the supernatural stuff in the beginning better, but they still did a pretty good job with this one. I probably will add this to my collection at some point, because it's worth watching again. Oh, and I want a pen sword!
Kick-Ass
What can be said about this movie other than it, well, kicks ass? This is the kind of movie that proves that looks are deceiving; when I first heard about this movie, I was thinking that it was going to be a superhero parody movie, especially considering the very cheesy looking costumes the characters have. When I actually watched it however, it proved that it was anything but that. This movie had excellent action, well-developed characters that you actually gave a shit about for a change, and a solid story that definitely deserves a sequel. If you love superhero action, get it and love it.
GAMING
Not much to talk about here other than a little game called Starcraft 2 by Blizzard. If you don't know what this is, Starcraft is a build and destroy real-time strategy game where you are the commander of an army. You get to play as either the Terrans (Humans), the Zerg (which look vaugely like giant insects), or the Protoss (weird, but cool, psychic aliens). Each army plays distinctly different from the others, giving you three unique play styles with just the factions alone. Factor in the various types of ground and aerial units and you have a game that's about as deep as it gets.
I just wish that Blizzard had done more with the actual engine of the game and given the player more tactical options, such as troop formations and squad based units like in Dawn of War, a RTS based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. In the end, Starcraft 2 is more like Starcraft 1.5; the same game with new units and updated graphics. That being said, I still love this game. The story campaign is something that was phenomenally executed and made me want to keep playing to see what happened next; Chris Metzen is one of the best storytellers in gaming today.
FRIENDS
Finally met some new people through a woman I met at one of my jobs. You guys know who you are. They are sufficiently geeky and intelligent for my tastes and were actually the ones that convinced me to give Starcraft 2 a try, so props to them for that. My next goal is to get a copy of the Pathfinder Beastiary and introduce them to Tabletop gaming. I might ease them into the idea with Magic: The Gathering, but I'll have to wait until later when I hang out with them again.
OTHER STUFF
Um...I haven't had any sort of significant emotional event to give me a personality change of any kind lately, but I do want to take this opportunity to share my regrets for not being able to show up to the Richmond High School Class of 2000 ten year reunion. Judging from all the photos and discussions that many of you that I have friended on there, it sounded like a lot of fun. Hopefully none of you missed me that badly.
I did get a haircut. One that left me with much shorter hair on top than I'm used to. It still looks pretty good in my book, even though at first, when my sister had put a liberal dose of hair gel in it, I thought I looked too much like a metrosexual. I don't know if I'll want it to be this short again on top when the time comes in a few months or so, but it could have turned out a lot worse. I might get some pictures taken and thrown up online. Emphasis on might, because even though I don't mind having my picture taken, I don't own a camera and I'm rarely around people that take lots of photos.
I guess that's it for now. Keep an eye out for updates on my work and wish me the best of luck. And as always, question everything.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Some random stuff that's been on my mind.
So the month of July is almost at an end. I suppose its time to review the stuff that has happened in my meager existence up to this point.
Apartment is very small, but perfectly fine with me as it gives me just the right amount of space for me to rest my body after a long day at work and to conjure up ideas for my novels. Those of you on Facebook know that Xenoearth is getting very close to being completed and I have to say, I'm excited to start sending it away to publishers. Sure, I'll probably get a ton of rejection letters, that's part of the game, but I know that someone out there will think that my book is worth sharing with the world.
My reading is still going pretty steady. This week I checked out Stephen King's IT from the local library; a classic piece of horror literature that I just hadn't gotten around to reading before. I'll be the first to admit that horror is far from my favorite genre, but it's still way better than cheesy romance novels or plain and boring murder mysteries.
In the world of gaming, I haven't really been doing much of anything, but I did purchase the core rulebook of Pathfinder off of Amazon, something that I had been meaning to do for some time. For those of you who don't know, Pathfinder is a tabletop role-playing game system that is based off of Dungeons and Dragon's 3.5 edition of rules, taking the best from that system and sprucing it up with their own things. It really is what 4th edition (which is a heaping pile of shit in my opinion) should have been like. I could go on for a while about the failings of 4th, but I'm going to stop myself now.
Friendships/Relationships are about as dry and barren as the Gobi Desert right now. I know that I really should try and get out there and socialize, but let's face it, the bar/club scene is not exactly my cup of tea. I have been tempted to throw something up on craigslist searching for a group of gamers that play during either Saturday or Sunday. I know they're out there, I just have to take the time to look.
Philosophically speaking nothing has changed really. I still try to maintain an existential view on life, though I am still plagues by nihilistic thoughts from time to time. Since moving into my apartment however, those self-nullifying thoughts have become less and less. Religion is, and in my mind always will be, a steaming pile of garbage that has no place in the civilized world. This isn't the Dark Ages anymore people, put the silly superstitions aside and try to learn and appreciate the world as it is. It really is quite wondrous and awe-inspiring on its own. Politics can go screw for all I care; both sides are full of shit and they constantly bicker over trivial matters while the people that they're supposed to be serving are neglected as they just do what they can to survive. Now I'm not speaking of welfare trash, those people that leech off of government cheese because its easier than finding an actual job and doing some real work, those assholes need to be kicked in the keister. I'm speaking of Joe Schmo, the guy that scrimps and struggles every day of his life to provide for his family.
Really it boils down to this: I hate seeing good people that deserve to win lose. It angers me to see the underhanded guy get away with cheating or stealing while people applaud him for it. No one likes good guys anymore it seems; all they want to see are villains. It could just be that the average American can't relate to a larger-than-life hero that seems to have no believable flaws and therefore turn to the bad guy that has obvious flaws, and is therefore, a much more real character than the hero they fight.
That being said, the antihero is something that is extremely popular these days. Someone that is doing the right thing for the right reasons, but doesn't feel the need to play by the rules all the time. The Blue Lupine is an antihero of sorts, not afraid to take the life of someone who is an obvious threat, at least he is that way in the short story. I still think traditional heroes will always have a place in society, considering that Superman and Spiderman are still the most popular superheroes in the world right now, with Batman not too far behind, so perhaps my worry that no one likes heroes anymore is unfounded.
Alright, I guess that's all for now. Time for me to hop in the shower and get ready to leave for work. Everyone have a pleasant day and remember, question everything.
Apartment is very small, but perfectly fine with me as it gives me just the right amount of space for me to rest my body after a long day at work and to conjure up ideas for my novels. Those of you on Facebook know that Xenoearth is getting very close to being completed and I have to say, I'm excited to start sending it away to publishers. Sure, I'll probably get a ton of rejection letters, that's part of the game, but I know that someone out there will think that my book is worth sharing with the world.
My reading is still going pretty steady. This week I checked out Stephen King's IT from the local library; a classic piece of horror literature that I just hadn't gotten around to reading before. I'll be the first to admit that horror is far from my favorite genre, but it's still way better than cheesy romance novels or plain and boring murder mysteries.
In the world of gaming, I haven't really been doing much of anything, but I did purchase the core rulebook of Pathfinder off of Amazon, something that I had been meaning to do for some time. For those of you who don't know, Pathfinder is a tabletop role-playing game system that is based off of Dungeons and Dragon's 3.5 edition of rules, taking the best from that system and sprucing it up with their own things. It really is what 4th edition (which is a heaping pile of shit in my opinion) should have been like. I could go on for a while about the failings of 4th, but I'm going to stop myself now.
Friendships/Relationships are about as dry and barren as the Gobi Desert right now. I know that I really should try and get out there and socialize, but let's face it, the bar/club scene is not exactly my cup of tea. I have been tempted to throw something up on craigslist searching for a group of gamers that play during either Saturday or Sunday. I know they're out there, I just have to take the time to look.
Philosophically speaking nothing has changed really. I still try to maintain an existential view on life, though I am still plagues by nihilistic thoughts from time to time. Since moving into my apartment however, those self-nullifying thoughts have become less and less. Religion is, and in my mind always will be, a steaming pile of garbage that has no place in the civilized world. This isn't the Dark Ages anymore people, put the silly superstitions aside and try to learn and appreciate the world as it is. It really is quite wondrous and awe-inspiring on its own. Politics can go screw for all I care; both sides are full of shit and they constantly bicker over trivial matters while the people that they're supposed to be serving are neglected as they just do what they can to survive. Now I'm not speaking of welfare trash, those people that leech off of government cheese because its easier than finding an actual job and doing some real work, those assholes need to be kicked in the keister. I'm speaking of Joe Schmo, the guy that scrimps and struggles every day of his life to provide for his family.
Really it boils down to this: I hate seeing good people that deserve to win lose. It angers me to see the underhanded guy get away with cheating or stealing while people applaud him for it. No one likes good guys anymore it seems; all they want to see are villains. It could just be that the average American can't relate to a larger-than-life hero that seems to have no believable flaws and therefore turn to the bad guy that has obvious flaws, and is therefore, a much more real character than the hero they fight.
That being said, the antihero is something that is extremely popular these days. Someone that is doing the right thing for the right reasons, but doesn't feel the need to play by the rules all the time. The Blue Lupine is an antihero of sorts, not afraid to take the life of someone who is an obvious threat, at least he is that way in the short story. I still think traditional heroes will always have a place in society, considering that Superman and Spiderman are still the most popular superheroes in the world right now, with Batman not too far behind, so perhaps my worry that no one likes heroes anymore is unfounded.
Alright, I guess that's all for now. Time for me to hop in the shower and get ready to leave for work. Everyone have a pleasant day and remember, question everything.
Friday, July 2, 2010
The World of Aaron as of Now
Well, those of you who are friends of me on facebook know that I am now moved into my new studio apartment in Intown Gaffney. It's not much of a space, but it is mine and it will give me all the creative space I'll need to focus on my stories when I'm not out working long hours at one of my two jobs. My first short story, titled, "The Blue Lupine" which is also the main character of my modern day novel called "Xenoearth."
I guess I might as well give a little background on the setting.
Xenoearth
The Blue Lupine short story is set about a half a year before the shift. Magic is still a reality, but it is like a leaking faucet; unnoticeable to most, and not enough comes out except for those with enough natural ability of their own to make use of it. Blue is one of those people as is seen with his ability to tap into his body's natural energy, or ki, and use it to perform superhuman feats of speed and strength. I won't spoil how the story goes, I'll let you read it yourself in the September issue of the Australian magazine "This Mutant Life."
My next short story which is still in the works is called Project Blue. It is a documentation of a lead biochemist that had worked with the strange substance called "mana" or magic in its pure liquid form. It explains the first encoutner with the substance, what it can do, and the various experiments that are performed with it.
The full length novel, which is simply called Xenoearth, is in many respects, the origin stories of most of the major players in the books to come. The fateful day had come, and hordes of zombies had been risen from their graves to strike at the living. They were beaten back for the time being, but the damage had been done, leaving all but the biggest of cities intact. A massive blizzard which didn't follow any sort of natural laws of weather swept through the world from Russia and many people took it as a bad omen. People began to change, animals began to change, creatues that were thought to be the stuff of myth and legend prove to be all too real as they move in to stake a claim on this new earth. It's hard to say, who exactly the main character of Xenoearth is, but overall, Glenn Allister a.k.a., The Blue Lupine, and Malcolm Wesler, who will also be known as Bloodpyre later on are the characters that will get the most screen time.
That's all for now, so have a good day, keep and open mind, and question everything.
I guess I might as well give a little background on the setting.
Xenoearth
The Blue Lupine short story is set about a half a year before the shift. Magic is still a reality, but it is like a leaking faucet; unnoticeable to most, and not enough comes out except for those with enough natural ability of their own to make use of it. Blue is one of those people as is seen with his ability to tap into his body's natural energy, or ki, and use it to perform superhuman feats of speed and strength. I won't spoil how the story goes, I'll let you read it yourself in the September issue of the Australian magazine "This Mutant Life."
My next short story which is still in the works is called Project Blue. It is a documentation of a lead biochemist that had worked with the strange substance called "mana" or magic in its pure liquid form. It explains the first encoutner with the substance, what it can do, and the various experiments that are performed with it.
The full length novel, which is simply called Xenoearth, is in many respects, the origin stories of most of the major players in the books to come. The fateful day had come, and hordes of zombies had been risen from their graves to strike at the living. They were beaten back for the time being, but the damage had been done, leaving all but the biggest of cities intact. A massive blizzard which didn't follow any sort of natural laws of weather swept through the world from Russia and many people took it as a bad omen. People began to change, animals began to change, creatues that were thought to be the stuff of myth and legend prove to be all too real as they move in to stake a claim on this new earth. It's hard to say, who exactly the main character of Xenoearth is, but overall, Glenn Allister a.k.a., The Blue Lupine, and Malcolm Wesler, who will also be known as Bloodpyre later on are the characters that will get the most screen time.
That's all for now, so have a good day, keep and open mind, and question everything.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Where I've been
I had a feeling that this blog might fall into disuse every now and again, so here I am making sure it gets used to some degree.
Lately, I've been working my two jobs to save up money so I can get my own place in the area, working on my books when I have time to. So why do you ask am I bothering writing this? Because I'd like to think that someone, somewhere actually gives a small shit about what I write about. Now granted, I'm sure that people actually like the stuff in here, but it's hard for me to be sure about that when virtually no one bothers to acknowledge it without prodding. Maybe I shouldn't be so focused on recognition and just focus on my work and it will speak for itself, but how anyone know about what I'm doing unless I blow my own horn?
So without further ado, I present the Prologue to Xenoearth. Please read it and comment either on the blog itself or my facebook page where I'll be linking this blog.
Prologue
Gothic Shadows
How long has it been since he had known what it felt like to be alive? Sure, he had seen things that people only read about now, but now he merely wished for death. A death that would not come so long as this “thing” was engraved on the back of his left hand; something that he had known for ages. This rune was little more than a prison for his soul now, ready to add him to the collection already residing in it.
It’d have to wait until he met something that could kill him, or find a successor to his power. Now that was a thought. Who’d be fool enough to accept such a fate? Running the hand through his now white hair, he surveyed the overlying city from the darkness. Well, what parts he could make out from the Shadow Plane, the place where the vile vestiges of souls end up. Its influence is twisting, malignant, ready to warp you into a being of its will at a moment’s notice.
Thankfully, the rune gave him influence over all things of darkness, including this plane of existence; he could come and go as he pleased untainted by its desiccating touch. His companion was not so protected, however. A beautiful, scantily clad woman that didn’t look a day past twenty. Long auburn hair with eyes of a rich hazel, Lilith visibly shivered as they watched for something, anything.
“Why are we here?” she asked. You’d think she’d choose an outfit that was more comfortable. She wore a red and gold bra and panties with matching wrist and ankle braces and not a stitch more. “Can’t you feel it in the air?” he asked her, arching an eyebrow. “The ley lines are beginning to pulse again for the first time in about 500 years.”
December 21st, 2012. That was today’s date, a day that was prophesized by the Mayans to be a date of major change. Other religions claim it to be the end of all things, an apocalyptic event. He could sense the mana seeping through the soil as it worked its way up from the core of the world. Such a surge of mana could have many untold effects. There was something else with the mana. He studied the flows a bit longer and his heart skipped a beat. He was startled that it still beat at all after all these years. “There’s…shadow stuff weaved in with the mana!” he shouted. That was a mistake. He could feel the darkness starting to shift toward him, directing some sort of malevolent beast toward him. He could more than handle himself, but Lilith is a bit of a liability. He couldn’t put her at risk like that, so he grabbed her arm and shifted back into the Material Plane.
They shifted into an alleyway in some part of the place called New York City. It was a tad difficult to keep track of all the names of new cities that sprung up and seemed to die off just as quickly. Living, no, existing for eight hundred years will do that to a person. Yet even though they were back in the land of the living, that cold, dead feeling of the Shadow Plane lingered beneath his feet, it’s dark eldritch tendrils creeping from the earth trying to find suitable hosts for their power. He knew exactly what they sought out.
The crashing of windows and the screams of people were enough to alert him to the presence of something coming out of a city morgue. There were zombies of the recently departed ambling out of the morgue. A lot of them. He wondered how long it would take the police to respond to this, though he doubted their ability to deal with them. With a sigh, he reached underneath his long black coat and revealed a long staff. He spun it around in a circle in a practiced motion, and a long black blade of umbral energy sprang to life from one end. He would be the reaper of the undead this night.
“What are you doing, Goth?!” Lilith shrieked, “They’ll see us!” Goth, the name that Lilith gave to him because she saw some show on television of a man that dressed in a similar fashion. He had forgotten his real name a long time ago, so Goth would have to do. “Just doing a little street cleaning,” he replied off-handedly. It felt like eons since he had to use his scythe, but the time away from its grip had done nothing to mitigate his abilities.
One by one, Goth hewed his way through the group of undead, using the scythe like a farmer cutting wheat. The ichor coming from the wounds of the creatures was absolutely putrid, but acceptable in the face of sending the creatures back to where they belonged. The dead had no business walking around. Thinking about that, he laughed out loud, looking very much like a madman to the onlookers.
“Return from whence you came, stuff of the shadows!” Goth called out dramatically as he weaved a blanket of darkness to envelop each of the now still corpses, corpses brought back with magic and the victims of the zombies. The bodies were swallowed by the darkness and pulled into the Shadow Plane, where they couldn’t be used again. Sending them there would fully corrupt their empty vessels however, eventually turning them into something far more foul. He could only hope that no other being knew of how to weave shadows, and yet he did, for that one person would be his successor to this accursed rune.
Though this group of zombies was defeated, more screams and explosions could be heard in the distance. More living dead were rising from their graves and morgues to gorge upon the living. This was going to be a long night. “Come Lilith,” he called with a smile splitting his face. “Let us bring peace to the living dead.” Lilith sparked flames in her hands, preparing to incinerate anything in her path. Her skills with the arcane were very strong, the strongest he had seen in well over five hundred years. The girl was a complete mystery. An orphan residing in Massachusetts during the nineteenth century, she was going to be strung up during the Salem Witch Trials for accidentally setting fire to a church when a priest tried to molest her. Her connection to the Æther must‘ve extended her lifespan somehow, though Goth was no expert on magic.
A conflagration engulfed a group of zombies as they stumbled around in a daze, the acrid smell of burning flesh in the air. Her powers were much stronger now. She’d only be able to conjure up half of that before with strain, now she did it without a bead of sweat forming on her body. With this much mana free-flowing around them, it made Goth wonder what else could happen. He could only hope this spike in the ley lines was merely temporary, the world was not ready for magic to make its triumphant return just yet. Still, the increased amount of the stuff would let them move from spot to spot in the city to destroy any undead they could find.
The air grew cold fast and a light snow started to fall. It was the first snow of the season, and it could very well be the last this world ever knew at this rate. Lilith made a quick gesture and was garbed in fuzzy red winter clothes with gold trim. She never did like the snow, though he’d seen her walk around stark naked in colder temperatures than this. Zombies along with skeletons ambled toward the two of them, thankfully now ignoring the masses of people fleeing for their lives.
A smirk crept upon Goth’s face as he swiped with his scythe to destroy a few more of the abominations. The rest of the night continued in this fashion, though the snow only seemed to get worse and worse, the ley lines still raging with power. There was nothing Goth could do about undead in other parts of the world if there were more of them. All he could do now was creep back in the shadows to rest his body. Being immortal didn’t protect him from exhaustion.
Lately, I've been working my two jobs to save up money so I can get my own place in the area, working on my books when I have time to. So why do you ask am I bothering writing this? Because I'd like to think that someone, somewhere actually gives a small shit about what I write about. Now granted, I'm sure that people actually like the stuff in here, but it's hard for me to be sure about that when virtually no one bothers to acknowledge it without prodding. Maybe I shouldn't be so focused on recognition and just focus on my work and it will speak for itself, but how anyone know about what I'm doing unless I blow my own horn?
So without further ado, I present the Prologue to Xenoearth. Please read it and comment either on the blog itself or my facebook page where I'll be linking this blog.
Prologue
Gothic Shadows
How long has it been since he had known what it felt like to be alive? Sure, he had seen things that people only read about now, but now he merely wished for death. A death that would not come so long as this “thing” was engraved on the back of his left hand; something that he had known for ages. This rune was little more than a prison for his soul now, ready to add him to the collection already residing in it.
It’d have to wait until he met something that could kill him, or find a successor to his power. Now that was a thought. Who’d be fool enough to accept such a fate? Running the hand through his now white hair, he surveyed the overlying city from the darkness. Well, what parts he could make out from the Shadow Plane, the place where the vile vestiges of souls end up. Its influence is twisting, malignant, ready to warp you into a being of its will at a moment’s notice.
Thankfully, the rune gave him influence over all things of darkness, including this plane of existence; he could come and go as he pleased untainted by its desiccating touch. His companion was not so protected, however. A beautiful, scantily clad woman that didn’t look a day past twenty. Long auburn hair with eyes of a rich hazel, Lilith visibly shivered as they watched for something, anything.
“Why are we here?” she asked. You’d think she’d choose an outfit that was more comfortable. She wore a red and gold bra and panties with matching wrist and ankle braces and not a stitch more. “Can’t you feel it in the air?” he asked her, arching an eyebrow. “The ley lines are beginning to pulse again for the first time in about 500 years.”
December 21st, 2012. That was today’s date, a day that was prophesized by the Mayans to be a date of major change. Other religions claim it to be the end of all things, an apocalyptic event. He could sense the mana seeping through the soil as it worked its way up from the core of the world. Such a surge of mana could have many untold effects. There was something else with the mana. He studied the flows a bit longer and his heart skipped a beat. He was startled that it still beat at all after all these years. “There’s…shadow stuff weaved in with the mana!” he shouted. That was a mistake. He could feel the darkness starting to shift toward him, directing some sort of malevolent beast toward him. He could more than handle himself, but Lilith is a bit of a liability. He couldn’t put her at risk like that, so he grabbed her arm and shifted back into the Material Plane.
They shifted into an alleyway in some part of the place called New York City. It was a tad difficult to keep track of all the names of new cities that sprung up and seemed to die off just as quickly. Living, no, existing for eight hundred years will do that to a person. Yet even though they were back in the land of the living, that cold, dead feeling of the Shadow Plane lingered beneath his feet, it’s dark eldritch tendrils creeping from the earth trying to find suitable hosts for their power. He knew exactly what they sought out.
The crashing of windows and the screams of people were enough to alert him to the presence of something coming out of a city morgue. There were zombies of the recently departed ambling out of the morgue. A lot of them. He wondered how long it would take the police to respond to this, though he doubted their ability to deal with them. With a sigh, he reached underneath his long black coat and revealed a long staff. He spun it around in a circle in a practiced motion, and a long black blade of umbral energy sprang to life from one end. He would be the reaper of the undead this night.
“What are you doing, Goth?!” Lilith shrieked, “They’ll see us!” Goth, the name that Lilith gave to him because she saw some show on television of a man that dressed in a similar fashion. He had forgotten his real name a long time ago, so Goth would have to do. “Just doing a little street cleaning,” he replied off-handedly. It felt like eons since he had to use his scythe, but the time away from its grip had done nothing to mitigate his abilities.
One by one, Goth hewed his way through the group of undead, using the scythe like a farmer cutting wheat. The ichor coming from the wounds of the creatures was absolutely putrid, but acceptable in the face of sending the creatures back to where they belonged. The dead had no business walking around. Thinking about that, he laughed out loud, looking very much like a madman to the onlookers.
“Return from whence you came, stuff of the shadows!” Goth called out dramatically as he weaved a blanket of darkness to envelop each of the now still corpses, corpses brought back with magic and the victims of the zombies. The bodies were swallowed by the darkness and pulled into the Shadow Plane, where they couldn’t be used again. Sending them there would fully corrupt their empty vessels however, eventually turning them into something far more foul. He could only hope that no other being knew of how to weave shadows, and yet he did, for that one person would be his successor to this accursed rune.
Though this group of zombies was defeated, more screams and explosions could be heard in the distance. More living dead were rising from their graves and morgues to gorge upon the living. This was going to be a long night. “Come Lilith,” he called with a smile splitting his face. “Let us bring peace to the living dead.” Lilith sparked flames in her hands, preparing to incinerate anything in her path. Her skills with the arcane were very strong, the strongest he had seen in well over five hundred years. The girl was a complete mystery. An orphan residing in Massachusetts during the nineteenth century, she was going to be strung up during the Salem Witch Trials for accidentally setting fire to a church when a priest tried to molest her. Her connection to the Æther must‘ve extended her lifespan somehow, though Goth was no expert on magic.
A conflagration engulfed a group of zombies as they stumbled around in a daze, the acrid smell of burning flesh in the air. Her powers were much stronger now. She’d only be able to conjure up half of that before with strain, now she did it without a bead of sweat forming on her body. With this much mana free-flowing around them, it made Goth wonder what else could happen. He could only hope this spike in the ley lines was merely temporary, the world was not ready for magic to make its triumphant return just yet. Still, the increased amount of the stuff would let them move from spot to spot in the city to destroy any undead they could find.
The air grew cold fast and a light snow started to fall. It was the first snow of the season, and it could very well be the last this world ever knew at this rate. Lilith made a quick gesture and was garbed in fuzzy red winter clothes with gold trim. She never did like the snow, though he’d seen her walk around stark naked in colder temperatures than this. Zombies along with skeletons ambled toward the two of them, thankfully now ignoring the masses of people fleeing for their lives.
A smirk crept upon Goth’s face as he swiped with his scythe to destroy a few more of the abominations. The rest of the night continued in this fashion, though the snow only seemed to get worse and worse, the ley lines still raging with power. There was nothing Goth could do about undead in other parts of the world if there were more of them. All he could do now was creep back in the shadows to rest his body. Being immortal didn’t protect him from exhaustion.
Monday, April 12, 2010
New Prologue
So as many of you already know, the first draft of The Wintermoon Legacies is done. I am currently working on the second draft correcting grammar and spelling along the way as well as adding content to the beginning of the story since I feel many of the early parts are rushed. One comment I received was that my original prologue was too short, and I tend to agree. With that in mind, I present to you a new prologue with a different take. Comment on here or on Facebook if you feel like it. That's all for now, so take care and have a good night.
The world of Greiverden was a world like most others in the multiverse that could support life. The climate was mostly hospitable, the inhabitants were as varied as the colors of the cosmos, and the land was rich in natural resources. One natural resource in particular was highly abundant in this world: Mana. The very essence of magic itself. Coursing through all living things unbeknownst to them, giving them strength, intelligence and life.
This vast amount of mana draws many otherworldly travelers to go to Greiverden to partake of it. One particular race of aliens called the Penumbrans came to Greiverden back in the ancient days on a massive metal machine designed to traverse the cosmos. Historians suspect that they were after the mana for fueling their advanced technology. Others suspect something much darker.
There are those that believe that they came to Greiverden because they were fleeing the ruins of their old home world whose name had been lost in time to the vile forces of Mephistopholes, a crater-filled blasted world filled with demons and devils. They crash landed thousands of years ago to a Greiverden that was very much primitive by modern reckoning. Legend has it they taught the primitive races how to build tools and weave magic before they withdrew to a land of their own creation, conjuring up a massive storm that to this day, no mortal has managed to penetrate and return to tell the tale.
Their crash landing had another adverse effect upon the world as well. Once a massive continent, the landing of the Penumbrans metal craft caused such an impact that the worlds land masses spilt apart and slowly started to drift toward the edge of the world. The center continent became known as Penumbra, named after the aliens naturally. The other five continents: Lumenager, Jaziranar, Ishamna, Kazetairiku, and Daalmti slowly started to take on their own qualities as ages passed.
The continent of Lumenager for example is a land that possesses a mild, temperate climate with warm summers, and cool winters. The people are of a pale to mildly tanned complexion with eye and hair color that can be almost anything that occurs in nature. One day, the people started to fight over the land, causing two massive empires to spring up almost overnight. The Meloran Empire –which rules the west- is traditionally ruled by an Empress that possesses absolute power in her edicts. No man dares question her or else they end up strung up. The eastern empire of Otaria is a bit more on the civil side. Ruled by traditionally an Emperor that’s more of a figurehead than anything else; the High Council of thirteen makes most of the decisions for him.
Jaziranar is a desert continent that relies heavily upon fishing and trading their wares of crystal, pottery and dyes with other continents that have better land for growing crops; there is next to no agriculture here. Its people have a deep tan complexion and dark hair and eyes. Sometimes wild eye colors can occur such as orange or purple, but those people are typically looked upon with apprehension, since typically, having orange or purple eyes meant that you had the blood of a genie, a life form that is comprised almost entirely of mana that can breed true, inside of you. Their government is comprised of a multitude of trading guilds, of which almost all citizens of Jaziranar belong to. Every ten years, they have an election to pick representatives from each guild to rule on the Council of Traders.
Ishamna is a nearly frozen wasteland that is also heavily reliant upon fishing, hunting and trade –primarily in well-crafted weapons and armor- for they have next to no land for agriculture. The people have very pale complexions with usually blonde or reddish hair, sometimes light brown occurs, with eye colors ranging from blue, green and grey. Their lands used to be ruled by seven mighty War Nations blessed by Fenris, the spirit of winter. That was the case until about one hundred and fifty years ago when a great nameless ancient evil sprung forth from the Martberg Mountains. The remnants of those War Nations that were not vanquished fled across the sea to other nations, seeking assistance to combat this evil. Nowadays, the indigenous people are mostly barbaric nomads living off the land. The civilized people now live upon the southern shoreline trading with other nations.
Kazetairiku is a beautiful land that has mild temperatures much like Lumenager does; rich land for plenty of agriculture. The exception to that rich land is the blasted caldera that lies to the far east of the continent. Its people are of pale to yellowed complexions with dark hair and eyes that are shaped like almonds. They are ruled by five kingdoms which is overseen by a Koshu, the chosen of Aurok, the spirit of spring. The Koshu commands the armies of Kazetairiku so that the five kingdoms lack the ability to rise up and fight each other for more than is their share.
Daalmti is a land of great plains and lush jungles teeming with exotic and deadly life. They have dark skin, sometimes as black as night, along with dark eyes and hair. They are relatively primitive compared to the other nations of Greiverden, but they make up for that with a rich shamanistic heritage and a focus on farming family tribes. They are also the only known source of mithril, a very powerful and highly prized metal that has the beautiful sheen of silver, the weight of a feather, and the strength of steel. One would think that being the only source of such a highly sought after metal that they would be prosperous -and it is indeed true that there are wealthy tribes that live near a mithril mine- but they export little else, preferring to live a peaceful life with the land.
Unbeknownst to the denizens of Greiverden, an evil from the depths of Ishamna is slowly creeping out from the shadows, the very same evil that shattered the War Nations of Lunar…
The world of Greiverden was a world like most others in the multiverse that could support life. The climate was mostly hospitable, the inhabitants were as varied as the colors of the cosmos, and the land was rich in natural resources. One natural resource in particular was highly abundant in this world: Mana. The very essence of magic itself. Coursing through all living things unbeknownst to them, giving them strength, intelligence and life.
This vast amount of mana draws many otherworldly travelers to go to Greiverden to partake of it. One particular race of aliens called the Penumbrans came to Greiverden back in the ancient days on a massive metal machine designed to traverse the cosmos. Historians suspect that they were after the mana for fueling their advanced technology. Others suspect something much darker.
There are those that believe that they came to Greiverden because they were fleeing the ruins of their old home world whose name had been lost in time to the vile forces of Mephistopholes, a crater-filled blasted world filled with demons and devils. They crash landed thousands of years ago to a Greiverden that was very much primitive by modern reckoning. Legend has it they taught the primitive races how to build tools and weave magic before they withdrew to a land of their own creation, conjuring up a massive storm that to this day, no mortal has managed to penetrate and return to tell the tale.
Their crash landing had another adverse effect upon the world as well. Once a massive continent, the landing of the Penumbrans metal craft caused such an impact that the worlds land masses spilt apart and slowly started to drift toward the edge of the world. The center continent became known as Penumbra, named after the aliens naturally. The other five continents: Lumenager, Jaziranar, Ishamna, Kazetairiku, and Daalmti slowly started to take on their own qualities as ages passed.
The continent of Lumenager for example is a land that possesses a mild, temperate climate with warm summers, and cool winters. The people are of a pale to mildly tanned complexion with eye and hair color that can be almost anything that occurs in nature. One day, the people started to fight over the land, causing two massive empires to spring up almost overnight. The Meloran Empire –which rules the west- is traditionally ruled by an Empress that possesses absolute power in her edicts. No man dares question her or else they end up strung up. The eastern empire of Otaria is a bit more on the civil side. Ruled by traditionally an Emperor that’s more of a figurehead than anything else; the High Council of thirteen makes most of the decisions for him.
Jaziranar is a desert continent that relies heavily upon fishing and trading their wares of crystal, pottery and dyes with other continents that have better land for growing crops; there is next to no agriculture here. Its people have a deep tan complexion and dark hair and eyes. Sometimes wild eye colors can occur such as orange or purple, but those people are typically looked upon with apprehension, since typically, having orange or purple eyes meant that you had the blood of a genie, a life form that is comprised almost entirely of mana that can breed true, inside of you. Their government is comprised of a multitude of trading guilds, of which almost all citizens of Jaziranar belong to. Every ten years, they have an election to pick representatives from each guild to rule on the Council of Traders.
Ishamna is a nearly frozen wasteland that is also heavily reliant upon fishing, hunting and trade –primarily in well-crafted weapons and armor- for they have next to no land for agriculture. The people have very pale complexions with usually blonde or reddish hair, sometimes light brown occurs, with eye colors ranging from blue, green and grey. Their lands used to be ruled by seven mighty War Nations blessed by Fenris, the spirit of winter. That was the case until about one hundred and fifty years ago when a great nameless ancient evil sprung forth from the Martberg Mountains. The remnants of those War Nations that were not vanquished fled across the sea to other nations, seeking assistance to combat this evil. Nowadays, the indigenous people are mostly barbaric nomads living off the land. The civilized people now live upon the southern shoreline trading with other nations.
Kazetairiku is a beautiful land that has mild temperatures much like Lumenager does; rich land for plenty of agriculture. The exception to that rich land is the blasted caldera that lies to the far east of the continent. Its people are of pale to yellowed complexions with dark hair and eyes that are shaped like almonds. They are ruled by five kingdoms which is overseen by a Koshu, the chosen of Aurok, the spirit of spring. The Koshu commands the armies of Kazetairiku so that the five kingdoms lack the ability to rise up and fight each other for more than is their share.
Daalmti is a land of great plains and lush jungles teeming with exotic and deadly life. They have dark skin, sometimes as black as night, along with dark eyes and hair. They are relatively primitive compared to the other nations of Greiverden, but they make up for that with a rich shamanistic heritage and a focus on farming family tribes. They are also the only known source of mithril, a very powerful and highly prized metal that has the beautiful sheen of silver, the weight of a feather, and the strength of steel. One would think that being the only source of such a highly sought after metal that they would be prosperous -and it is indeed true that there are wealthy tribes that live near a mithril mine- but they export little else, preferring to live a peaceful life with the land.
Unbeknownst to the denizens of Greiverden, an evil from the depths of Ishamna is slowly creeping out from the shadows, the very same evil that shattered the War Nations of Lunar…
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
It's Drunkard's Day!!!
Yes yes, the time to drink beer with green food coloring in it and act like a general jackass. But that's not what this is about, I just felt like getting that out of the way.
Cutting Teeth is reaching a point to where I can almost confidently say that I've written enough for a rough draft. I still have a few more scenes to write out at the end and I want to expand on my beginning a fair amount, but all in all, I think I'm ready to start porting it to a typed format.
New review type: Video Game Reviews!
I won't be doing these very often, but I feel like it's pertinent enough to talk about. The game that I've been playing lately is a crossover fighting game called Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Perhaps you've heard of it? Well, if you haven't, let me give you the skinny.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
This latest addition to the Capcom crossover fighting game series is a Wii-exclusive title that pits characters from Capcom's various games against characters from the anime company Tatsunoko. Look them up if you want to know more about them, but they are probably most well-known in the United States for series like Speed Racer and G-Force/Battle of the Planets.
In spite of the line up where I didn't recognize half of the characters, I still found the game to be most enjoyable. The fast-paced, over the top action that you would expect from a superhero fight is all there in its seizure-inducing glory. Favorites like Ryu, Chun-Li, Alex and Megaman are in the line up, along with lesser known characters like Saki from a Japanese only game called Quiz Nanairo Dreams, and Batsu from Rival Schools.
Gameplay is like any other game in the series, you pick two characters to be on your team which can be a mix of characters from both licenses, with the exception of Gold Lightan and PTX-40A, which are solo selections. You can swap out characters by pressing away from your opponent and the tag button, as well as call upon them to perform a predertermined attack for you. The button scheme has gone away from the six button array that is common for most Capcom fighting games, now you have three attack buttons covering weak to fierce attacks. This does make is a lot more user friendly to the novice player, but to a fighting game veteran like myself, it took a little getting used to. All the special techniques are here in full form, from advance guarding, to super jumps, air combos, and rolling, which no longer forces you to enter a special command; you simply decide what direction you're going to roll in after falling by pressing the directional pad much like you would in a 3d fighter. Some of the new additions to the line up are the Mega Crash, which is a blatant ripoff of Guilty Gear X2's Burst move. The way it works is that you enter a command which eats up either one or two levels of your super meter and it knocks your enemy away from whatever they were doing. A nice addition that I enjoy is the Baroque combo. What that lets you do is by pressing any attack and the tag button in succession while performing a combo, you will stop your combo mid-move, even if it's a move you cannot normally cancel out of. This allows you to continue your combo from the beginning for some nice damage, since you get a boost to your output based upon the red bar your character had saved up before using the move. The move consumes the red bar that you would normally heal from tagging out, but when you're in a pinch, or you're confident enough in your ability, there's no reason not to make use of it.
The graphics are a little on the blocky side, but fit the anime feel of the game. The attack animations and particle effects on the attacks are top-notch as always, so no real complaints here. The music runs the gamut, though I have to admit, I find the tunes a lot more endearing than I did the jazzy tunes from Marvel VS Capcom 2, which always felt weird to fight to. The controls are fluid enough, but I've only ever used the Classic Controller with the game. I don't know how effectively the game plays with a Wiimote/Nunchuck combination or a Gamecube Controller, but to me, the Classic Controller seems like the obvious choice.
Mind you, I haven't used EVERY character yet at the point of writing this, but I have to say, the character I HAVE used, I've enjoyed using. Zero from Megaman X is my personal favorite for the game, though Casshan is definitely a close second.
All in all, if you love 2D fighting games and you own a Wii, there's no reason not to give this title a look. Just don't expect the sort of gameplay you'd get from a classic Street Fighter game.
Cutting Teeth is reaching a point to where I can almost confidently say that I've written enough for a rough draft. I still have a few more scenes to write out at the end and I want to expand on my beginning a fair amount, but all in all, I think I'm ready to start porting it to a typed format.
New review type: Video Game Reviews!
I won't be doing these very often, but I feel like it's pertinent enough to talk about. The game that I've been playing lately is a crossover fighting game called Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Perhaps you've heard of it? Well, if you haven't, let me give you the skinny.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
This latest addition to the Capcom crossover fighting game series is a Wii-exclusive title that pits characters from Capcom's various games against characters from the anime company Tatsunoko. Look them up if you want to know more about them, but they are probably most well-known in the United States for series like Speed Racer and G-Force/Battle of the Planets.
In spite of the line up where I didn't recognize half of the characters, I still found the game to be most enjoyable. The fast-paced, over the top action that you would expect from a superhero fight is all there in its seizure-inducing glory. Favorites like Ryu, Chun-Li, Alex and Megaman are in the line up, along with lesser known characters like Saki from a Japanese only game called Quiz Nanairo Dreams, and Batsu from Rival Schools.
Gameplay is like any other game in the series, you pick two characters to be on your team which can be a mix of characters from both licenses, with the exception of Gold Lightan and PTX-40A, which are solo selections. You can swap out characters by pressing away from your opponent and the tag button, as well as call upon them to perform a predertermined attack for you. The button scheme has gone away from the six button array that is common for most Capcom fighting games, now you have three attack buttons covering weak to fierce attacks. This does make is a lot more user friendly to the novice player, but to a fighting game veteran like myself, it took a little getting used to. All the special techniques are here in full form, from advance guarding, to super jumps, air combos, and rolling, which no longer forces you to enter a special command; you simply decide what direction you're going to roll in after falling by pressing the directional pad much like you would in a 3d fighter. Some of the new additions to the line up are the Mega Crash, which is a blatant ripoff of Guilty Gear X2's Burst move. The way it works is that you enter a command which eats up either one or two levels of your super meter and it knocks your enemy away from whatever they were doing. A nice addition that I enjoy is the Baroque combo. What that lets you do is by pressing any attack and the tag button in succession while performing a combo, you will stop your combo mid-move, even if it's a move you cannot normally cancel out of. This allows you to continue your combo from the beginning for some nice damage, since you get a boost to your output based upon the red bar your character had saved up before using the move. The move consumes the red bar that you would normally heal from tagging out, but when you're in a pinch, or you're confident enough in your ability, there's no reason not to make use of it.
The graphics are a little on the blocky side, but fit the anime feel of the game. The attack animations and particle effects on the attacks are top-notch as always, so no real complaints here. The music runs the gamut, though I have to admit, I find the tunes a lot more endearing than I did the jazzy tunes from Marvel VS Capcom 2, which always felt weird to fight to. The controls are fluid enough, but I've only ever used the Classic Controller with the game. I don't know how effectively the game plays with a Wiimote/Nunchuck combination or a Gamecube Controller, but to me, the Classic Controller seems like the obvious choice.
Mind you, I haven't used EVERY character yet at the point of writing this, but I have to say, the character I HAVE used, I've enjoyed using. Zero from Megaman X is my personal favorite for the game, though Casshan is definitely a close second.
All in all, if you love 2D fighting games and you own a Wii, there's no reason not to give this title a look. Just don't expect the sort of gameplay you'd get from a classic Street Fighter game.
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