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.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
More book reviews!
So after a weekend of semi-relaxation, I've finished reading a couple of nice stories: The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, and Escape to Malmillard by K. G. McAbee.
The Sea of Trolls
This young adult fantasy/period piece is heavily influenced by Norse Mythology in a time where multiple religions were commonplace in Europe. The story focuses upon Jack, a young farm boy that has dreams of a better life for himself that slowly come true when he comes to become the apprentice of an old man known simply as "The Bard." The Bard shows him the world of nature and magic through song and contemplation as Jack slowly grows in power and confidence. His life gets turned on its ear however, when the village is set upon by berserkers from the north, led by a giant of a man named Olaf One-Brow. Along with his little sister Lucy, and a crow named Bold Heart, Jack faces many grand perils and fantastic monsters in this coming of age story. Nancy does an excellent job portraying the people of that time period, which is set around the 800s AD. The mythology references are used tastefully without being too over the top and there's just enough magic to make things interesting. My only real complaint, though it's not much of one, is that the ending seemed a tad unsatisfying. I don't know, it just seemed that it could have been executed a little better and felt a bit more dramatic, even though it is written for a younger audience. If you like mythology, especially Norse mythology, give it a read, I don't think it will disappoint.
Escape to Malmillard
The first in this series of books, this high fantasy tale tells the story of a young boy named Erek, a mage in training. His parents long dead, Erek is in the care of his aunt Ivera, who only looks upon him as a tool, hoping the boy will learn just enough magic to be useful to her. It's soon discovered by his new tutor, Andru, that he has the potential to become a master adept, which is the highest rank a mage can ascend to. Such knowledge if it got out would surely mean the end of his studies, and soon Erek finds himself whisked away to Malmillard with Commander DiaVandryn and her captains Vlad and Ursyn. As is the way of such novels, they face plenty of twists and turns along the way, so that Erek can realize his true potential, though there are doubts brewing in his mind of whether he really wants such a life. The characters are well-developed and the setting is well-crafted, though sadly, the book was far too short for me to really care about what happened to them. Not that quantity is important for such a book, but I would've liked a bit more to flesh out the story, since it seemed like things progressed a little too fast. All in all, it did leave with me a desire to read more of her works, I can only hope the second book makes things far more interesting.
Now that I've finished up these books, I'll be continuing catching up on The Wheel of Time series with Crossroads of Twilight, the tenth book in the series. I'll be reviewing that next when I am finished. Thank you and good night.
The Sea of Trolls
This young adult fantasy/period piece is heavily influenced by Norse Mythology in a time where multiple religions were commonplace in Europe. The story focuses upon Jack, a young farm boy that has dreams of a better life for himself that slowly come true when he comes to become the apprentice of an old man known simply as "The Bard." The Bard shows him the world of nature and magic through song and contemplation as Jack slowly grows in power and confidence. His life gets turned on its ear however, when the village is set upon by berserkers from the north, led by a giant of a man named Olaf One-Brow. Along with his little sister Lucy, and a crow named Bold Heart, Jack faces many grand perils and fantastic monsters in this coming of age story. Nancy does an excellent job portraying the people of that time period, which is set around the 800s AD. The mythology references are used tastefully without being too over the top and there's just enough magic to make things interesting. My only real complaint, though it's not much of one, is that the ending seemed a tad unsatisfying. I don't know, it just seemed that it could have been executed a little better and felt a bit more dramatic, even though it is written for a younger audience. If you like mythology, especially Norse mythology, give it a read, I don't think it will disappoint.
Escape to Malmillard
The first in this series of books, this high fantasy tale tells the story of a young boy named Erek, a mage in training. His parents long dead, Erek is in the care of his aunt Ivera, who only looks upon him as a tool, hoping the boy will learn just enough magic to be useful to her. It's soon discovered by his new tutor, Andru, that he has the potential to become a master adept, which is the highest rank a mage can ascend to. Such knowledge if it got out would surely mean the end of his studies, and soon Erek finds himself whisked away to Malmillard with Commander DiaVandryn and her captains Vlad and Ursyn. As is the way of such novels, they face plenty of twists and turns along the way, so that Erek can realize his true potential, though there are doubts brewing in his mind of whether he really wants such a life. The characters are well-developed and the setting is well-crafted, though sadly, the book was far too short for me to really care about what happened to them. Not that quantity is important for such a book, but I would've liked a bit more to flesh out the story, since it seemed like things progressed a little too fast. All in all, it did leave with me a desire to read more of her works, I can only hope the second book makes things far more interesting.
Now that I've finished up these books, I'll be continuing catching up on The Wheel of Time series with Crossroads of Twilight, the tenth book in the series. I'll be reviewing that next when I am finished. Thank you and good night.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Stuff
Just your regular blog update just so all five viewers of my blog know that I am still alive. I guess I'll kick things off with a novel update...
Cutting Teeth is coming out better and better with every scene I write if I do say so myself. Our adventurers find themselves in Felshor, mystical city of the elves, where a lot of plot is revealed amongst other things. This part sets the tone for the rest of the book as things both good and bad start to happen. The two empires (Otaria and Melora) feel great tensions as a mobilization of soldiers from Argentum, the free city that has kept the peace between the two, head to Kjeldor, the Land of Ice. Conspiracies involving the Council of Felshor start to trickle out of their ivory tower, and Glenn's group heads to the Hammerfall mountain range to ask the assistance of the dwarven king to keep Argentum safe.
Book Review
Yes! I am reviewing books now! Basically it's going to cover anything that I just finished reading and find worthwhile to talk about, whether it be good or bad. Today's book is a collection of short stories by K. G. McAbee, a woman I had the honor to meet at the local author showcase a couple weeks back, called Bewitched by Darkness.
This collection is primarily of a fantasy bent, with some pulp stories, and a nice homage to Lovecraftian horror. As a whole, I enjoyed every story; at no point did I want to put the book down unless I really had to. My biggest problem with it, though it isn't much of one, is the fact that most of the stories are told in the first person. I don't know, it works fine with short fiction, but I find it very limiting when it comes to developing a story, especially when you have a lot of characters. Any fan of fantasy should give it a look. It's not very expensive and it's a fairly short book, so you can go through it in a couple of lazy afternoons.
Gaming Club Update
Not much to talk about on this front, though I AM in love with the Pathfinder rules system. It's everything 4th edition should have been as a friend of mine so eloquently put it. The group page on Facebook isn't very big yet, but it is there for people to talk about club activities and for planning the eventual jump into a non-profit organization. The website has taken a slight back seat for now as I've been focusing more on my writing, but I haven't forgotten it. I am going to have a talk with the library people about setting up some sort of local gaming events there on either a Friday or a Saturday. I'll probably start with Magic: The Gathering since I don't have any of my role-playing books down here yet.
That's all for this one, so have a good night everyone!
Cutting Teeth is coming out better and better with every scene I write if I do say so myself. Our adventurers find themselves in Felshor, mystical city of the elves, where a lot of plot is revealed amongst other things. This part sets the tone for the rest of the book as things both good and bad start to happen. The two empires (Otaria and Melora) feel great tensions as a mobilization of soldiers from Argentum, the free city that has kept the peace between the two, head to Kjeldor, the Land of Ice. Conspiracies involving the Council of Felshor start to trickle out of their ivory tower, and Glenn's group heads to the Hammerfall mountain range to ask the assistance of the dwarven king to keep Argentum safe.
Book Review
Yes! I am reviewing books now! Basically it's going to cover anything that I just finished reading and find worthwhile to talk about, whether it be good or bad. Today's book is a collection of short stories by K. G. McAbee, a woman I had the honor to meet at the local author showcase a couple weeks back, called Bewitched by Darkness.
This collection is primarily of a fantasy bent, with some pulp stories, and a nice homage to Lovecraftian horror. As a whole, I enjoyed every story; at no point did I want to put the book down unless I really had to. My biggest problem with it, though it isn't much of one, is the fact that most of the stories are told in the first person. I don't know, it works fine with short fiction, but I find it very limiting when it comes to developing a story, especially when you have a lot of characters. Any fan of fantasy should give it a look. It's not very expensive and it's a fairly short book, so you can go through it in a couple of lazy afternoons.
Gaming Club Update
Not much to talk about on this front, though I AM in love with the Pathfinder rules system. It's everything 4th edition should have been as a friend of mine so eloquently put it. The group page on Facebook isn't very big yet, but it is there for people to talk about club activities and for planning the eventual jump into a non-profit organization. The website has taken a slight back seat for now as I've been focusing more on my writing, but I haven't forgotten it. I am going to have a talk with the library people about setting up some sort of local gaming events there on either a Friday or a Saturday. I'll probably start with Magic: The Gathering since I don't have any of my role-playing books down here yet.
That's all for this one, so have a good night everyone!
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