Archive for September, 2009
19 items.
Video Game Review: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (2009)
September 15th, 2009 |Posted In: Uncategorized
Game Review: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (2009)
Platforms: PS3, Xbox360
Developer: Konami
Plot: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are on a quest to stop the evil Shredder after his latest heist, which sees Lord Krang stealing the Statue of Liberty. However, when they go to confront the Shredder, he sends them back in time to literally make them history. Fighting your way through the various times (stoneage, wild west, and even the far future), you take control of your favorite Turtle (Leonard, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), each with their own strengths and limitations.
This remake is of the classic arcade game, and not the much more played (for me, anyway) SNES game of the same name, which contains more levels and a lot more time playing. My brother and I would spend hours on this title, trying to beat our best times and scores (18 minutes with Leo and Raph). My brother prefers Raph because of his speed, but Leo’s always been my favorite character. The new game certainly has some new and awesome graphics (see the screen shot of the original arcade game, below), but it also has a smaller screen which means that Raph’s speed is no longer an advantage (much to my brother’s disappointment). The big disappointment for me was that it wasn’t based on the SNES version, and therefore was lacking a lot of the very fun levels (like the Technodrome). My hope is that they will add in some additional downloadable levels in the future, perhaps as a free add-on, where you can chose between the arcade and SNES versions. Wishful thinking, I know, but one can always hope.
As it stands, the game is a fun beat-’em-up, but it’s hardly worth the $10 price tag. Sure the graphics are nice, but you’ll beat the game in about 10 minutes and you’ll often wonder why it went by so quickly. And, if you’re like me and have played the SNES version of the game more often or more recently, you’ll wonder where a bunch of your favorite levels went. And why it’s so damn difficult to throw Footsoldiers at the screen (which is how you defeat Shredder the first time in the SNES version).
The 3-D graphics are a nice touch, and it’s nice to be able to attack in 360 degrees, instead of being stuck on a 2-D playing field. The advantage here in the new Re-Shelled game is that the bad guys ARE limited by a 2-D playing field, especially the bosses. This makes the game easier once you figure out the bosses patterns and when to best take advantage of the fact that they can’t touch you if you’re above or below them. Especially if you’re Leo or Don, who have the longest reaching weapons.
Don’t get me wrong here, the game’s tons of fun – but extremely brief. By the time it’s over, you’ll feel like you just hit your groove. Sure you can replay it and try to get some trophies or achievements (most of which involve player 1 getting squished or frozen…or not frozen…but any other player doesn’t count towards these awards), but after years of playing the SNES version it just feels so…short.
I recommend the game if they drop the price down to $5, or if they add in the functionality to play both versions of the game, but until that time there’s just not enough content there to justify the $10 price tag. Maybe I value the almighty dollar differently than others, but my money’s better spent somewhere else. I am holding out for that SNES remake version, however….
”Comment
Hikari 44
September 14th, 2009 |Posted In: comics, drunk duck, samurai, sci-fi, temple, the temple of a thousand tears, web comics, writing
Holy crap, my life has been rather busy lately (and not in a bad way). I’ll just give you a run-down of the last few weeks and a preview of the upcoming month, and then you’ll hopefully get the idea.
So I had a bunch of work projects to get out a few weeks back in anticipation of planning season starting. For those of you unfamiliar with the advertising world, planning season is for the clients that budget based on a fiscal year, and begin allocating next year’s budgets in fourth quarter (Q4). This means that my job goes into overtime and overdrive, trying to plan for several clients at the same time. Meetings, sending out requests for proposals (RFPs), putting together a strategy and a plan, presenting the recommendation to the client, revising the plan based on feedback, and then negotiating and executing the plan are all involved. It can take as little as a month per client – or as much time as several months. Then you spend the rest of the year updating and changing things in the plan, among other common media activities.
On top of this, I’ve been producing a book! The first self-published book for @$$hole! is coming out at the end of September, premiering at Reactor (September 18-20) in Rosemont, Il. It collects the 41 page black and white story of Laura’s 21st Birthday. The book is going to be 52 pages and has an original cover, some new artwork, guest strips, an afterword by the creator (that’s me), and a forward by Josh Elder (Josh from TokyoPOP).
“Why premiere your book at Reactor, and not something larger like Windy-City?” you ask. Well, through my many con appearances I’ve met several of the people who put Reactor together, and they have offered me the opportunity to speak at their convention. In fact, they’ve given me several panels to speak during throughout the weekend. Here’s my panel schedule, for all those interested:
FRIDAY:
8 pm – MAIL ORDER NINJA (A reading with Russell Lissau and Josh Elder)
SATURDAY:
1 pm – A special all-guest artist panel
4 pm – Writing for comics (Collaboration with Steve Horton)
5 pm – Sci-fi fantasy: the art of crafting your world
SUNDAY:
11:00 am – @$$hole! webcomic panel
On top of that and all the tasks associated with printing the book, I’ve also gotten a table at Mid-Ohio Comic Con (October 3-4 in Columbus, OH) with Rival Angels creator Alan Evans. We’ll be hanging out with The Dreamer creator Lora Innes, and several other comic creators. Not sure on any speaking schedule while there, but I’m working on it. More to follow.
In between those two conventions, my family typically takes a trip with other families to a state park in Angola, IN, called Pokagon. It’s like camping, but with showers and cable TV. We barbecue and sing goofy songs during a bon fire, take nature hikes and play cards (or Scrabble). It’s a fun and relaxing weekend. But of course, it means that I need to get a buffer up to make up for the fact that I won’t have three weekends in a row to work on comics.
Then there’s the 2010 con schedule that I’m starting to put together, to get speaking engagements and table space for the new merch that I need to produce. Depending on the reaction to the @$$hole! book, I plan to make some t-shirts and a poster for 2010, and start pre-production on the official @$$hole! collection.
So as you can imagine, I’ve been EXTREMELY busy lately. This should hopefully help explain why I haven’t been posting every week day, like I normally do (I have a lot of reviews in the pipeline, including a bunch of movies [Up, District 9], comics [Rival Angels, Mice Templar], and video games [Dead Space] and more!).
So thanks for your patience and understanding, and I’m very excited about these projects coming out – as well as a few others that it’s a little too early to mention just yet. Stay tuned for more news, reviews, and comics!
@$$hole!: Blind Date 16
September 11th, 2009 |Posted In: blind date, blind dating, comics, dating, drunk duck, online dating, photography, web comics, writing
Here’s where a slightly buzzing Trevor starts to give life advice, only because his life is somewhat less strange than this crazy cat loving lady.
###
The first self-published book for @$$hole! is coming out at the end of September, premiering at Reactor (September 18-20) in Rosemont, Il. It collects the 41 page black and white story of Laura’s 21st Birthday. The book is going to be 52 pages and has an original cover, some new artwork, guest strips, an afterword by the creator (that’s me), and a forward by Josh Elder (Josh from TokyoPOP).
“Why premiere your book at Reactor, and not something larger like Windy-City?” you ask. Well, through my many con appearances I’ve met several of the people who put Reactor together, and they have offered me the opportunity to speak at their convention. In fact, they’ve given me several panels to speak during throughout the weekend. Here’s my panel schedule, for all those interested:
FRIDAY:
8 pm – MAIL ORDER NINJA (A reading with Russell Lissau and Josh Elder)
SATURDAY:
1 pm – A special all-guest artist panel
4 pm – Writing for comics (Collaboration with Steve Horton)
5 pm – Sci-fi fantasy: the art of crafting your world
SUNDAY:
11:00 am – @$$hole! webcomic panel
On top of that and all the tasks associated with printing the book, I’ve also gotten a table at Mid-Ohio Comic Con (October 3-4 in Columbus, OH) with Rival Angels creator Alan Evans. We’ll be hanging out with The Dreamer creator Lora Innes, and several other comic creators. Not sure on any speaking schedule while there, but I’m working on it. More to follow.
Comic Review: Rival Angels vol. 1
Writer / Artist: Alan Evans
Website: www.rivalangels.com
Plot: Sabrina “Ultragirl” Mancini is a professional female wrestler who gets bumped up from the developmental league to the professional division and is forced to live with three other female wrestlers, nick-named the “Upstarts.” Her roommates are “The Definition of Technician” Krysten Moline, Aussie babe Brooke Lennox, and Sun “Lil Dragon” Wong. Sabrina finds that playing in the major league is a new game for her, and that her opponent in the ring isn’t the only hurdle she has to overcome. Filled with nail-biting edge of your seat action, intense drama and some hilarious moments, this comic has everything you’d want from a story and more!
Even though it’s a webcomic, the first graphic novel collection is available here. Whatever he’s charging for it, it’s worth the price of admission.
Ignore the fact that Alan and I are now friends and are both attending Mid-Ohio Comic Con in October – I was a big fan of this comic long before I even knew who Alan was, and I don’t like wrestling. What I like is the kind of action and pacing that his stories provide, and the interesting and dynamic character relationships that he provides. It’s interesting to see these girls interaction outside the ring one way, but when they’re all thrown into a free-for-all ring match to see who will participate in a TV tournament, there’s no holding back.
Each of the girls has a very distinct personality. Sabrina is overconfident and a little bit of a showboat to the fans. Krystin is a powerhouse with a fan following due to her technical moves. Sun is a firecracker that is quick and likes to get the drop on her opponents (or as she likes to call it, “ninja’d!”). And Brooke is a little talent bombshell that has seduced her way to the top, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants…no matter who stands in her way!
It’s no secret to people who follow the comic on Drunk Duck that I’m a huge fan of Brooke’s, and in fact I have stated many times over that her and I will date her! Alan, being the cheerful sport that he is, was kind enough to give me a cameo appearance in the comic poking fun at my fictional online relationship with another web comic artist, BetaJess (see the 2008 and 2009 Drunk Duck Awards presentation for Best Romance Comic). He tells me that another cameo may be in the works down the road….
If you love action, strong women kicking ass, and some fun plot twists and turns, be sure to check out Rival Angels on the web and purchase the graphic novel for your bookshelf! And I’m not just saying that as a fellow creator, but as a huge fan!
@$$hole!: Blind Date 15
September 9th, 2009 |Posted In: blind date, blind dating, comics, dating, drunk duck, online dating, photography, web comics, writing
At least we know that they have normal food….
###
Holy crap, my life has been rather busy lately (and not in a bad way). I’ll just give you a run-down of the last few weeks and a preview of the upcoming month, and then you’ll hopefully get the idea.
So I had a bunch of work projects to get out a few weeks back in anticipation of planning season starting. For those of you unfamiliar with the advertising world, planning season is for the clients that budget based on a fiscal year, and begin allocating next year’s budgets in fourth quarter (Q4). This means that my job goes into overtime and overdrive, trying to plan for several clients at the same time. Meetings, sending out requests for proposals (RFPs), putting together a strategy and a plan, presenting the recommendation to the client, revising the plan based on feedback, and then negotiating and executing the plan are all involved. It can take as little as a month per client – or as much time as several months. Then you spend the rest of the year updating and changing things in the plan, among other common media activities.
On top of this, I’ve been producing a book! The first self-published book for @$$hole! is coming out at the end of September, premiering at Reactor (September 18-20) in Rosemont, Il. It collects the 41 page black and white story of Laura’s 21st Birthday. The book is going to be 52 pages and has an original cover, some new artwork, guest strips, an afterword by the creator (that’s me), and a forward by Josh Elder (Josh from TokyoPOP).
“Why premiere your book at Reactor, and not something larger like Windy-City?” you ask. Well, through my many con appearances I’ve met several of the people who put Reactor together, and they have offered me the opportunity to speak at their convention. In fact, they’ve given me several panels to speak during throughout the weekend. Here’s my panel schedule, for all those interested:
FRIDAY:
8 pm – MAIL ORDER NINJA (A reading with Russell Lissau and Josh Elder)
SATURDAY:
1 pm – A special all-guest artist panel
4 pm – Writing for comics (Collaboration with Steve Horton)
5 pm – Sci-fi fantasy: the art of crafting your world
SUNDAY:
11:00 am – @$$hole! webcomic panel
On top of that and all the tasks associated with printing the book, I’ve also gotten a table at Mid-Ohio Comic Con (October 3-4 in Columbus, OH) with Rival Angels creator Alan Evans. We’ll be hanging out with The Dreamer creator Lora Innes, and several other comic creators. Not sure on any speaking schedule while there, but I’m working on it. More to follow.
In between those two conventions, my family typically takes a trip with other families to a state park in Angola, IN, called Pokagon. It’s like camping, but with showers and cable TV. We barbecue and sing goofy songs during a bon fire, take nature hikes and play cards (or Scrabble). It’s a fun and relaxing weekend. But of course, it means that I need to get a buffer up to make up for the fact that I won’t have three weekends in a row to work on comics.
Then there’s the 2010 con schedule that I’m starting to put together, to get speaking engagements and table space for the new merch that I need to produce. Depending on the reaction to the @$$hole! book, I plan to make some t-shirts and a poster for 2010, and start pre-production on the official @$$hole! collection.
So as you can imagine, I’ve been EXTREMELY busy lately. This should hopefully help explain why I haven’t been posting every week day, like I normally do (I have a lot of reviews in the pipeline, including a bunch of movies [Up, District 9], comics [Rival Angels, Mice Templar], and video games [Dead Space] and more!).
So thanks for your patience and understanding, and I’m very excited about these projects coming out – as well as a few others that it’s a little too early to mention just yet. Stay tuned for more news, reviews, and comics!
Hikari 43
September 8th, 2009 |Posted In: comics, drunk duck, samurai, sci-fi, temple, the temple of a thousand tears, web comics, writing
Holy crap, my life has been rather busy lately (and not in a bad way). I’ll just give you a run-down of the last few weeks and a preview of the upcoming month, and then you’ll hopefully get the idea.
So I had a bunch of work projects to get out a few weeks back in anticipation of planning season starting. For those of you unfamiliar with the advertising world, planning season is for the clients that budget based on a fiscal year, and begin allocating next year’s budgets in fourth quarter (Q4). This means that my job goes into overtime and overdrive, trying to plan for several clients at the same time. Meetings, sending out requests for proposals (RFPs), putting together a strategy and a plan, presenting the recommendation to the client, revising the plan based on feedback, and then negotiating and executing the plan are all involved. It can take as little as a month per client – or as much time as several months. Then you spend the rest of the year updating and changing things in the plan, among other common media activities.
On top of this, I’ve been producing a book! The first self-published book for @$$hole! is coming out at the end of September, premiering at Reactor (September 18-20) in Rosemont, Il. It collects the 41 page black and white story of Laura’s 21st Birthday. The book is going to be 52 pages and has an original cover, some new artwork, guest strips, an afterword by the creator (that’s me), and a forward by Josh Elder (Josh from TokyoPOP).
“Why premiere your book at Reactor, and not something larger like Windy-City?” you ask. Well, through my many con appearances I’ve met several of the people who put Reactor together, and they have offered me the opportunity to speak at their convention. In fact, they’ve given me several panels to speak during throughout the weekend. Here’s my panel schedule, for all those interested:
FRIDAY:
8 pm – MAIL ORDER NINJA (A reading with Russell Lissau and Josh Elder)
SATURDAY:
1 pm – A special all-guest artist panel
4 pm – Writing for comics (Collaboration with Steve Horton)
5 pm – Sci-fi fantasy: the art of crafting your world
SUNDAY:
11:00 am – @$$hole! webcomic panel
On top of that and all the tasks associated with printing the book, I’ve also gotten a table at Mid-Ohio Comic Con (October 3-4 in Columbus, OH) with Rival Angels creator Alan Evans. We’ll be hanging out with The Dreamer creator Lora Innes, and several other comic creators. Not sure on any speaking schedule while there, but I’m working on it. More to follow.
In between those two conventions, my family typically takes a trip with other families to a state park in Angola, IN, called Pokagon. It’s like camping, but with showers and cable TV. We barbecue and sing goofy songs during a bon fire, take nature hikes and play cards (or Scrabble). It’s a fun and relaxing weekend. But of course, it means that I need to get a buffer up to make up for the fact that I won’t have three weekends in a row to work on comics.
Then there’s the 2010 con schedule that I’m starting to put together, to get speaking engagements and table space for the new merch that I need to produce. Depending on the reaction to the @$$hole! book, I plan to make some t-shirts and a poster for 2010, and start pre-production on the official @$$hole! collection.
So as you can imagine, I’ve been EXTREMELY busy lately. This should hopefully help explain why I haven’t been posting every week day, like I normally do (I have a lot of reviews in the pipeline, including a bunch of movies [Up, District 9], comics [Rival Angels, Mice Templar], and video games [Dead Space] and more!).
So thanks for your patience and understanding, and I’m very excited about these projects coming out – as well as a few others that it’s a little too early to mention just yet. Stay tuned for more news, reviews, and comics!
@$$hole!: Blind Date 14
September 4th, 2009 |Posted In: blind date, blind dating, comics, dating, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, online dating, photography, web comics, writing
The DD Awards are coming out this week (started Tuesday, in fact), and this comic was graciously nominated for Best Photo Comic, and Best Socio-Political Comic. Looking forward to the results, as there’s some stiff competition.
Also, be on the lookout for my contribution to the awards presentations: an epic 3 pager (combined into a single page) that falls into the current storyline, and also teases about possible things to come! It’s for the Best Romance Comic category, and should be a hoot!
Also, if you live in the Chicago area, I’ll be attending Reactor Con the weekend of September 18. I have 5 panels at the convention, and I’ll be talking about various topics including writing comics, the artistic approach, crafting a fantasy world, and even a panel about this very comic here: @$$hole! I’ll be premiering the first book there, which collects the Laura’s 21st Birthday storyline – with new original artwork, an afterword by the creator, a brand-spanking new cover, and a forward by Josh from TokyoPOP, Josh Elder! 50+ pages for just $6.
Alan Evans and I will also be attending Mid-Ohio Comic Con in October, and will be hanging out with the very talented Lora Innes (The Dreamer), as well as several other awesome people both from DD and abroad!
More cool announcements next week, and as always there are reviews and comics on the main website.
Alright gang, sorry it took so long, but here are a few variations based on feedback you’ve given me. Let me know which is headed in the right direction, what works and what doesn’t.
For all of them I increased the white around the letters, and I’m using the same tail (smaller and thinner than the first, but with the same stroke as the balloon). In some cases, because of the balloon orientation, more or less of the tail may be showing.
Thanks!
Option 1: The same logo, but with a stretched balloon
Option 2: Stretched balloon, balloon is larger and there’s less of the text sticking out
Option 3: Smaller balloon, slightly stretched, slightly offset to the right
Option 4: Smaller balloon, slightly stretched, and offset to the left
EDIT: ADDED NEW OPTIONS
Option 5: No balloon
Option 6: Very small balloon, offset to the right
Option 7: Very small balloon, offset to the left
@$$hole!: Blind Date 13
September 2nd, 2009 |Posted In: blind date, blind dating, comics, dating, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, online dating, photography, web comics, writing
The DD Awards are coming out this week (started yesterday, in fact), and this comic was graciously nominated for Best Photo Comic, and Best Socio-Political Comic. Unfortunately, the comic did not bring home the bacon, but just being nominated is reward enough. Especially for 2 years in a row for Best Photo Comic!
Also, be on the lookout for my contribution to the awards presentations: an epic 3 pager (combined into a single page) that falls into the current storyline, and also teases about possible things to come! It’s for the Best Romance Comic category, and should be a hoot!
Also, if you live in the Chicago area, I’ll be attending Reactor Con the weekend of September 18. I have 5 panels at the convention, and I’ll be talking about various topics including writing comics, the artistic approach, crafting a fantasy world, and even a panel about this very comic here: @$$hole! I’ll be premiering the first book there, which collects the Laura’s 21st Birthday storyline – with new original artwork, an afterword by the creator, a brand-spanking new cover, and a forward by Josh from TokyoPOP, Josh Elder! 50+ pages for just $6.
Alan Evans and I will also be attending Mid-Ohio Comic Con in October, and will be hanging out with the very talented Lora Innes (The Dreamer), as well as several other awesome people both from DD and abroad!
More cool announcements as the week progresses, and as always there are reviews and comics on the main website.