Monthly Archives: February 2011

Phoenix Jones, Superhero

Spider-Man Isn’t Alone as a Hero Willing to Risk Life and Limb – WSJ.com

SEATTLE – Life isn’t easy for the self-proclaimed superhero who calls himself “Phoenix Jones, Guardian of Seattle.” A 22-year-old day-care worker by day, he dons a black-and-gold costume by night to harass drug dealers and break up street fights.

Oh man. Fuck. Yes. Alex found this in the WSJ this morning. This is pretty much the most awesome news ever. Phoenix Jones, you are my hero.

Patch 4.1

Patch 4.1 Public Test Realms Coming Soon – World of Warcraft via WoW Insider

That’s right, folks. Development on the first major content patch for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is well underway! We’re currently making preparations to bring some of the initial content and updates we’ve been working on for this patch to the Public Test Realms. So you ask, “what will we find in the first 4.1 test client?” (You did ask that, right?) Well, let me tell you!

4.1 will come with lots of minor tweaks that I don’t feel like talking about. But the fact that we have notes on it means it’s coming soon. If it’s coming to the PTR soon, it’ll be live not too long after. I really don’t think finishing heroic mode and the achievements of the current tier is going to be an option. However, as we’re 8/12, I think finishing normal mode is achievable.
The patch also mentions new heroic dungeons! Zul’Gurub and Zul’Aman will be back as heroic 5-man dungeons in a new tier of heroics above the current Cataclysm heroics! The rare mounts will all be back with updated models to distinguish them from the originals! Yay, rare mounts!

Gemini Rue Review

Gemini Rue | PC, Reviews, Adventure

Gemini Rue, formerly known as Boryokudan Rue, is a new PC game developed by Josh Nuernberger. Published and provided to me by Wadjet Eye Games and Dave Gilbert, Gemini Rue was a 2010 Independent Games Festival Student Showcase Winner. Nuernberger has created a wonderful point-and-click adventure game featuring a dark, sci-fi future.
The game’s neo-noir narrative takes players through a grim future in which trust should be withheld and the Boryokudan crime syndicate controls the Gemini system. The story kept me at the edge of my seat through the entire game. In fact, not being able to talk about the game while playing my review copy was almost painful! Gemini Rue explores the themes of individuality, identity, ethics, loyalty, and what it means to truly be who you are.

Finally the embargo on this game is over! Gemini Rue is an amazingly great adventure game I had the pleasure of playing recently. The setting and atmosphere intrigued me, the narrative kept me interested and playing, and the ending was awesome. I end up having to review a lot of mediocre stuff, but I never expected to get to review something so awesome.

The Death of Hudson

The Downfall of Hudson – A Behind the Scenes Look via Joystiq.

It’s now official: Konami has completely taken over Hudson. As a result, all of Hudson’s operations will be folded into Konami, and most unfortunate of all, the US branch of Hudson closed its office doors for good, with a number of Hudson’s outstanding titles now in limbo.

John Lee, formerly of Hudson, gives an account of how Hudson’s downfall came to pass. Included in that, however, are a lot of high points as well. It’s a fascinating read for people who really care about and are interested in the industry.

Old Man’s War Movie Confirmed

Paramount Buys ‘Old Man’s War’ For Wolfgang Petersen And Scott Stuber – Deadline.com via The Whatever

Paramount Pictures has acquired screen rights to the John Scalzi novel series Old Man’s War, with Wolfgang Petersen attached to direct and David Self adapting the tale into a large-scale science fiction project.

OMG! Yes! This news is way too amazing. John Scalzi is easily my favorite still-writing science fiction author, and Old Man’s War is an amazing book. Maybe our BN will finally carry it if they make it into a movie. Why we carry the sequels, The Ghost Brigade, The Last Colony, and Zoe’s Tale, without carrying the first book in the series boggles me.
Old Man’s War is about mankind’s battle for territory far from its original homeworld, Earth. Unlike most science fiction settings in which Earth is humanity’s capital, the Colonial Union uses planet Phoenix as its capital, getting new people from Earth while keeping the nations of Earth largely in the dark about how technologically advanced it really is. The Colonial Defense Force uses senior citizens for its soldiers, transferring their minds into genetically-engineered super-soldiers.
It’s going to be a sweet movie.

Valentine’s Day, Gnomeo & Juliet

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day! We had a tasty lunch at Del Taco before going to work. I received a homemade dinosaur card, and I bought a children’s book and a paint-your-own-dragons toy set thing.
After work we saw Gnomeo & Juliet with Jessica across the street from Barnes & Noble! gem had already seen it, but she talked to Jessica about seeing it again. It was really good! I wasn’t expecting to like it so much, but it was very cute. If you’ve seen it, my favorite scene was when the rabbits were being totally awesome. Also, the music was great; I didn’t realize until it was over that Elton John was the Executive Producer and did the music. Interestingly, I was wishing that it starred Ewan McGregor instead of James McAvoy, and apparently he was at one time slated to be in it. Perhaps it’s just the awesome music and dance scene that reminded me of Moulin Rouge.
You know what’s odd about Valentine’s Day though? More than anyone talking about sappy things, I noticed people complaining a lot about the day. When I was single, I never moped around being lonely and wishing to be in a relationship. I may have felt lonely from time to time, but finding a girlfriend was never something I cared about, and Valentine’s Day was a day I largely ignored. Ignored, not hated. Look, I don’t hate Hanukkah just because I’m not Jewish. So if you’re single, don’t whine about Valentine’s Day.