On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Gaming!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Semtex Skittle

Unfortunately, this particular editorial can’t pass without some background information being passed around first. The story is a sad one at times, but I think you’ll find the resolution as satisfying as I have! Do let me know!

Some of you may have heard of the popular webcomic Penny Arcade. A much smaller chunk of you are probably familiar with the two games that Penny Arcade released in the year 2008, parts one and two of On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness… a story which blended Penny Arcade’s unique style of humour and its unique visual style with a modern RPG engine to create a new gaming experience. Most of you who bought the first two games are further familiar with the catastrophic announcement in 2010 that Hothead Games was going to proceed with the Deathspank franchise over producing the third title in the Penny Arcade series… and that… the Penny Arcade series was cancelled.

Ouch.

Double ouch to people who really enjoyed the first two titles, and were looking forward to the conclusion of the story of Tycho Brahe and Jonathan Gabriel.

But then in 2011, a ray of hope emerged. Zeboyd Games, producers of such titles as Breath of Death VII: The Beginning and Cthulu Saves the World, had signed on to the project. In development? Rain-Slick 3. Only now, instead of using Penny Arcade’s comic book visual style and a more modern RPG engine, we were going to experience a fully pixelated 16-bit treatment of the story and the world, and it was to be released in a more Indie fashion.

Fine by me!

Now, in mid-2012… the new game is here. I have played it. And I would like to tell you all about it.

Rain-Slick 3 continues the story immediately after it left off at the end of Rain-Slick 2. Our heroes Tycho Brahe and Jonathan Gabriel, of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, have slain two Gods, and by a prophecy spoken by Tycho’s own father, this has brought the world to the brink of oblivion. Unfortunately, it seems, we must balance that against the fact that the ongoing presence of these ancient Gods has infused a great amount of evil into the world, from wicked hobos and rampaging mimes to the occurrence of ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural critters. Railing against this destiny, Tycho and Gabe enlist the help of a head in a jar and a mysterious woman detective who shares a past connection with Tycho, in an effort to halt the ongoing conflict before it spirals out of control.

The gameplay is pure 16-bit RPG. Characters use a job system which is not unlike a pared-down version of that used in any Final Fantasy game, with jobs having certain special abilities gained as they level up. However, Rain-Slick wants to be fun for the player, and actually doesn’t allow you to grind (enemy groups disappear when defeated, and do not return!), so un-used jobs level up concurrently with those currently equipped, albeit at a slower rate, and your characters can equip multiple jobs with no penalty. Combining a useful suite of skills can create truly devastating fighters, so there is definitely a strategic aspect to how you equip your jobs, and how you choose equipment which can either cover weaknesses or heavily accent strengths. It gives a decent feel of customisation to the player, which is otherwise somewhat lacking as the player’s own avatar is absent from the game’s cast of characters (although referenced several times as having participated in previous events) and the game plays like a traditional RPG – there are no Mass Effect style conversation wheels to be found here.

The game’s charm is in its simplicity, and its storytelling. Although the story is predictably broken up by long chunks of combat-heavy dungeon, it remains infused with the humour and ability of the guys from Penny Arcade – not insubstantial! – and hints of that artwork style, used for character portraits and enemy models. Of particular amusement value are the names of enemies, always accompanied by a short description, which really rekindle the feel of the first two games. Zeboyd has done a marvelous job in continuing the saga, even though the game plays absolutely differently from the original two titles.

If you still have any interest in this series, I highly encourage a purchase! Rain-Slick 3 is available on Xbox Live Marketplace or Steam, or through the Penny Arcade store. The official site also notes that it should become available for iOS and Android in the future, and Penny Arcade notes the possibility of free updates to expand upon the core game. For a pittance of $5, this game is likely to do nothing but impress you from start to finish.

A Quickie With Lisa Marie: Savages (dir. by Oliver Stone)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Lisa Marie Bowman

For the past 5 months, every time I’ve gone to the movies, I’ve seen the trailer for Oliver Stone’s new film, Savages. It’s a pretty exciting trailer, featuring sex, violence, and Taylor Kitsch’s abs. Despite Oliver Stone’s recent track record of making preachy, boring films, that trailer got a lot of people excited about the prospect of seeing Savages.

Well, the film has been released, I’ve seen it, and you know what? Sometimes, trailers lie.

Savages is the story of Chon, Ben, and O. Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Johnson) sell the greatest weed in the world and O (Blake Lively) is the woman who loves both of them at the same time. O, by the way, is short for Ophelia and she narrates the film in such a monotonous style that I have to admit that I was shocked to discover that she actually knew she was named after Hamlet’s doomed girlfriend. Chon is a violent former Navy SEAL while Ben is a laid-back buddhist who wants to get out of the drug business so he can devote his time to environmental activism. (Zzzzzzzzzz….)

Ben’s marijuana becomes so legendary that soon, a Mexican drug cartel led by Salma Hayek decides that both Ben and Chon are going to work exclusively for them. Ben and Chon refuse so Hayek sends Benicio Del Toro to kidnap O and hold her hostage until Ben and Chon come around. Ben and Chon, however, have plans of their own…

On the positive side, Hayek, Del Toro, and John Travolta (playing a corrupt DEA agent) all give excellent performances that would seem to indicate that they — as opposed to everyone else involved with Savages — understand that they’re appearing in an expensive B-movie. They openly devour every piece of scenery in the film and have a fun time wringing every ounce of melodrama out of their pulpy dialogue. These three actors are fun to watch and it’s a shame that the same can’t be said for the other half of the film’s main cast.

Jennifer Lawrence was originally cast in the role of O but she dropped out of Savages so that she could star in The Hunger Games. The role was recast with Blake Lively, who looks like she could be Jennifer Lawrence’s older sister but who, as an actress, has never exhibited the type of wounded determination that has become Lawrence’s trademark. As played by Lively, O is such a passive character that it’s difficult to really care that much about whether she survives or doesn’t. Instead of being a strong, independent woman who is unashamed of her lifestyle, O just comes across as a spoiled and vapid pawn, a possession who is traded between the film’s various players. It doesn’t help that Lively delivers her heavy-handed narration in a flat monotone that makes her come across less like a hard-boiled survivor and more like a spoiled rich girl trying to sound jaded. Every time I heard her refer to Chon and Ben as being “my guys,” I just wanted to scream at the screen, “No, you stupid bitch, you belong to them! They don’t belong to you!”

As for “her guys,” Taylor Kitsch is believable as a killer but not as a stoner. (Kitsch’s character comes across as if he’s been snorting cocaine as opposed to smoking weed.) Aaron Johnson, meanwhile, is a very believable stoner but he’s a lot less believable once his character becomes a killer. Unfortunately, neither Kitch nor Johnson show much in the way of charisma in this film and that’s a shame because both of them have shown in the past that they are capable of giving good performances. (Seriously, just check out Aaron Johnson’s performance in the criminally underrated John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy.) With neither Chon nor Ben being all that interesting, the film ultimately becomes a rather empty display of style.

And there’s no denying it — Savages has got style to burn. Oliver Stone shows here that — despite such anemic recent films as Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps — he still knows how to film an explosion. Unfortunately, there’s not much going on beneath all of that style and the end result is a film that mostly succeeds in making both sex and violence boring.

Song of the Day: An End, Once and For All from Mass Effect 3 (by Clint Mansell & Sam Hulick)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Arleigh

Earlier this year we saw the release of the final entry in BioWare’s epic space opera video game series with Mass Effect 3. The initial response to this game was a near-unanimous critical praise and acclaim. Yet, as people finished the game a very vocal group of gamers and fans of the series were more than just a tad disappointed with how their favorite series came to an end. The venom and hate that poured from an ending that didn’t seem to cater to how these gamers thought the series would end became so loud that BioWare did something unexpected. The company, especially it’s founders and head honchos, decided to amend the ending to the game with a downloadable content that just came out in the last week or so. It was content that expanded on the ending to the game. It wasn’t enough to placate and satisfy those who felt betrayed by BioWare, but for some who did complain the ending was a good enough expansion to the game’s original ending that, while not all was forgiven, BioWare helped themselves in repairing the rift which grew between company and fan-base.

Let’s just say that I wasn’t one of those who complained about the ending. I thought it was sublime and the ending I chose fit in well with how I saw the game ultimately should’ve ended with how I had chosen my character to act, talk and behave throughout the three games in the series.

It’s from the recent Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC that I pick the latest “Song of the Day”. It’s the song the piece of orchestral score which plays through all the three original endings but extended beyond the original version of the score that ended abruptly. “An End, Once and For All” extends in this new version for a much more dramatic and satisfying end to a series that I consider one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had in over three decades.

I give much thanks to the game’s two orchestral composer in Clint Mansell whose contribution could be heard in the beginning of this chosen score. Sam Hulick adds his own voice to the score as the music moves toward an epic crescendo which finishes the song.

SPOILER

If you want to witness why I thought the Synthesis Choice was the ending that made sense then watch the video below.

Anime You Should Be Watching: Sailor Moon

Posted on July 9, 2012 by pantsukudasai56

With the recent announcement, it’s fitting that the anime being recommended today is of the best known magical girl series in the US, and possibly the world, Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon is one of those rare anime that can be considered legendary. Years from now, people will likely have forgotten the latest fanservice filled fluff show (not that there’s anything wrong with them) but consider that it’s been nearly 10 years since Sailor Moon has had any exposure on television, and it’s still one of the most beloved franchises ever. Sailor Moon, along with Dragon Ball Z, and Gundam Wing, can be credited with really kick starting the anime boom of the late 90’s, early 00’s here in the US. This was all thanks to Cartoon Network putting them on what was then a prime cartoon block, Toonami. Unlike the current version of Toonami, which airs in the wee hours and only on Saturday, this block was shown Monday – Friday and during the after school afternoon hours. Millions would rush home to tune in and watch these crazy “new” cartoons from Japan. But Sailor Moon had already gotten a foothold in the US. It wasn’t nearly as successful, but a full 3 years prior to its appearance on Toonami, it had arrived on syndicated broadcast. Sadly, due in large part to poor time slots, the show didn’t have the success that was hoped. But that all changed when Turner broadcasting picked up the rights and eventually put it on the Toonami block. The rest is history.

The show itself wasn’t particularly unique. The magical girl genre had existed before Sailor Moon, and unfortunately, it didn’t see a major boost after Sailor Moon. One might think that Sailor Moon was just the right show at the right time, but such a thought would be a great disservice to the story that was crafted by Naoko Takeuchi. Her story of a young girl growing up from a crybaby to a strong young lady is one that is still enjoyable to this day. It emphasizes the importance of friendship and teamwork, and the cast of characters is largely so likeable that you can’t help but root for them. Even some of the villains turn out to be sympathetic characters from certain viewpoints. The fact that the show got 5 seasons, 200 episodes plus 3 movies a handful of specials and OAVs, a live action show, and 25 musicals, is a testament to its popularity.

Why you should watch:

This is overall just a thrilling series to watch. Deep down you know that good is going to triumph, that Sailor Moon will come out on top, but when you’re in the moment, sometimes you just don’t know! A prime example is in the first season. Normally I try to avoid spoilers in my posts, but this is a 20 year old franchise. Still, spoilers ahead. Ready? I warned you. Ok, in the climactic battle in the first season, all the Sailor Soldiers except for Sailor Moon herself die. Don’t worry! They get better. Even though the butchered English dub version goes to great lengths to edit their deaths out, somehow you just know that they died. In the original version, you clearly see their heroic deaths, and it leaves such an impact that it’s a shame it was edited out. While character deaths aren’t uncommon in anime being broadcast in Japan, it was almost unheard of for a children’s show to have that kind of content here in the US. That kind of uncertainty leaves you on the edge of your seat. The battles between the Sailor Soldiers and the villains are just that compelling, and neither side comes across as being much more overpowered than the other. The cast of characters is large enough to where you can find someone that you want to root for, and someone you can’t help but hate (I’m looking at you, Chibi Usa!). It runs the whole gamut of emotions, from happiness to sadness and everything in between. When a show can make you feel something for the characters, especially an animated show, then you know it’s been done right.

Why you shouldn’t watch:

Playing Devils Advocate is difficult for me, because if I say you should watch it, then frankly I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to. However, this is first and foremost an anime for girls. And it’s made for younger girls than I’d wager a good amount of our readership is. The show, especially in the early episodes, spends a decent amount of time with some of our heroines having stars in their eyes, dreaming about boys. It’s very pink, and it’s very sparkly, and I certainly wouldn’t judge any guys who just can’t stand that much girly stuff. (wimps) Also, it is 200 episodes long, so this isn’t nearly as tightly written as the manga. There are a lot of episodes featuring a “monster of the week”, basically a one shot monster that is an underling to the main villians which is there just to be dispatched by our heroines. The show could easily have been condensed down to 1/3 or so of the episodes and still told the same story. So the original should only be tackled by those that have a lot of spare time. 200 episodes isn’t something you can tackle in just one sitting.

With the announcement of a new Sailor Moon project, while there’s only speculation at this point, the prevailing thought is a more accurate to the source material version with much of the filler cut out will be in the works. Much like what Dragon Ball Z did with Dragon Ball Z Kai. Along with Kodansha releasing the Sailor Moon manga here, this is looking to be a new golden age for Sailor Moon. Whether or not the new anime will be able to recapture the magic from the first is unknown, but you owe it to yourself to familiarize yourself with the original, and find out just why it was so responsible for a generation of girls and boys becoming anime fans. And I’ll end this now with a word from our main heroine:

Artist Profile: Bill Edwards (1918 — 1999)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Dazzling Erin

Bill Edwards was born in New Jersey and grew up on a farm in Wyoming. He started out his career as a championship rodeo rider but, after several broken bones, he moved to New York and pursued a career as a model. He appeared as an actor in several Westerns during the 1940s before pursuing a second career as a painter and commercial illustrator. Along with painting scenes inspired by the Old West, Edwards illustrated over 100 paperback covers. In the 1960s, he started another career as a certified SCUBA diver and instructor. He died of pneumonia at the age of 81 in Newport Beach, California.