June 2009 Archives

I try really hard to avoid fanboyism, or whatever you want to call it. So hard, that apparently I can write the most biased opinion piece ever.

However, there are a few places where it's become unavoidable for me. One of those is Max Payne. I adore the Max Payne games. I've played both of them almost as many times as I have fingers and toes. I love the gameplay, of course, but especially the story and characters.

When Game Informer's article came out this week, I just about started weeping. But not for the reasons I'd thought I would.

What the heck happened, Max?

Check out the full article.

In so many ways, E3 this year was a return to form. The glitz, noise, and hype all came back, and so did the games.
There were a few surprises this year-—Project Natal and Metal Gear come to mind-—but that theme of a strong comeback filtered even into the games. There were a lot of titles this year that had been previously announced (and then stagnated) or even franchises that had fallen out with fans that gave the feeling that they were finding their legs again.

Check out the full article.

A bit late in posting, but check it out.

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So many words in my head right now. Weird, boring, awkward, and long, to name a few. Having just liveblogged my way through Ubisoft's media briefing, I just need to talk about it. It was amazing. All 20 minutes of it. But what was with the other 100 minutes?

I was excited when I heard Joel McHale would be hosting. He's a funny comedian. I just didn't think he'd end up being one of the top 5 things at the show, even with his overuse of Ryan Seacrest jokes. The shortlist is really, really short: Assassin's Creed II, Red Steel 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Pele of course.

It seems, though, that Ubisoft forgot that E3 was supposed to be exciting again. The show was filled with suits and boasts about sales, and lots of games for the mainstream audience.

Check out the full article.

TAKEHIKO INOUE YOU MADE ME CRY AGAIN. Keep up the good work.

When I started reading Real, I had some reservations. The main character, Kiyoharu Togawa, reminded me of Slam Dunk’s Rukawa – the cool-as-ice basketball ace—more than he did that book’s main character, the off-the-rails Hanamichi. I wasn’t sure how a book based around someone so detached could work.

That concern has waned with each volume. The shot at the end of volume 3—Kiyoharu the track star, under the blue sky—was a strikingly saddening image. Volume 4 continues to focus on his history, but now we’re seeing the boy grow up as he deals with the pain of his new condition.

Kiyoharu—seen here in his younger years—meets two people that change his life: Tora Yatsuta and Hitoshi Yamauchi. Hitoshi we’d already met; he’s the bedridden friend Kiyoharu visted in the last volume, and he bonds with the still shell-shocked teen over a plate of okonomiyaki. Learning about Hitoshi’s condition gives Kiyoharu a bit of perspective. Hitoshi’s condition isn’t curable with a simple amputation. As healthy as he may look now, he’s not likely to make it to 25 years old. Instead of staying miserable in bed, however, Hitoshi’s decided to live as fully as he can.

Check out the full review.

Musashi’s battle against the Yoshioka warriors in the last volume of Vagabond was one of the most epic, artful battles I’ve seen in a manga. His current battle isn’t quite as epic, but it’s just as important. Crippled and imprisoned, Musashi’s struggling inside himself once more. Is it time to put down the sword, or is there more left to do?

Officially imprisoned for, you know, killing seventy men, Musashi contemplates this question in a prison cell under a castle. His confinement there is mostly for his own protection. His reputation now precedes him more than ever, and every warrior knows that if they can best the man who killed seventy men, then they’ll be the man who killed the man who killed seventy men. Aside from potential challengers, the lords of the land are out in throngs to recruit that same man as an instructor, warrior, or even just to stand around if he’d be willing.

Check out the full review.