#learning to draw spider has been very fun but also super challenging

[linovadraws]

Greg is a registered service animal!

#incryptid #calculated risks #seanan mcguire #this has been sitting in my drafts for apparently three years but with the power of aftermarket afterlife it was born #spider #huge spider #learning to draw spider has been very fun but also super challenging #weirdly i now have two series with delightful jumping spider companions to draw for? #fanart #memes

[mst3kproject]

The Flame Barrier

I’ve got an awful lot of movies from 1958 on my resume, don’t I?  Why is that? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Apparently it was just a bumper year for cheap, crappy black-and-white films.  This one stars Kathleen Crowley from The Rebel Set and Rodd Redwing from The Mole People, in a movie written by George Worthing Yates, who also penned Earth vs the Spider.  Also featuring a blob from outer space, with motives even less clear than the one in The Space Children.

Over yet another stock-footage rocket launch, one of those deep-voiced 50’s narrators informs us that there’s a layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the Flame Barrier which destroys everything it touches. This particular rocket was no exception, and its crash-landing in the Mexican jungle may be related to the disappearance of explorer Howard Dalman, whose wife Carol has now come looking for him. She seeks out a pair of prospectors, Dave and Matt Hollister, to guide her to his last known location.  As they go deeper into the bush, they find they’re wandering into something unknown… something that can make men burst into flames!

This movie isn’t terrible.  It’s not great, but it’s not irredeemably awful.  It reminds me a lot of The Giant Gila Monster, in that there’s a story going on and it’s not a bad story per se, but it’s one that’s got nothing whatsoever to do with the title and premise that drew us to the film in the first place.  When the supposed main plot pops up again at the end, it makes for a sudden and jarring shift.

The Flame Barrier starts off all right.  We have the inevitable narrator to give us the backstory, and then it gets right on with meeting the characters.  They’re introduced one by one, telling us their personalities and goals: Carol is naïve and spoiled but she’s trying her best, Matt is a drunk fool but he’s got a good heart, and Dave is a gruff, cynical realist who loves his brother but is tired of his bullshit.  None of them are exactly nice people but you can see where they’re coming from, and they each get an arc.  Carol struggles with whether she really loved Howard, whom she barely knew, and the movie allows her to toughen up and learn how to survive in the wilderness. Dave spends much of the movie being a jerk to Carol but eventually realizes he judged her too harshly and apologizes.  Matt gets a chance to be a hero and takes it, believing that he owes it to Dave for never giving up on him.  The writing is frequently unsubtle but the actors are competent, and these little stories work just fine.

The movie that surrounds them, however, is often very sloppy.  The narrator tells us that the space probe from the opening crashed because ‘it unexpectedly lost its gravitational force’.  What?  What is that supposed to even mean?  The narrator also tells us it’s been six months since Howard disappeared, then mere minutes later Carol says it’s been four. There’s a bit where Carol is menaced by an iguana… the creature is never actually in the shot with her, so they couldn’t find anything scarier?  The stock wildlife footage on their trek through the soundstage sets of Central America includes hyenas.  I can hear Crow saying, “boy, are we in Afri… wait a minute…”  And, pet peeve, they describe a snake as poisonous instead of venomous.

This being a jungle movie, obviously there are ‘natives’.  I think most of these are actual Mexicans, although Wikipedia says Rodd Redwing may have been from India (if so, I like to think his entire career in Westerns was based on just walking into casting directors’ offices and announcing he was ‘an Indian’, and letting them draw their own conclusions).  Being as this is a movie from the fifties, the natives are there largely to provide a body count – white people aren’t allowed to die until the climax.  To its credit, The Flame Barrier mostly (though not entirely) avoids the trope where the natives have interpreted the mysterious happenings as supernatural, leading the white characters to scoff at the whole thing.  There is some of this, but Dave clearly knows these people well and respects their culture and their warnings.

Then there’s the love story.  Obviously this is a movie, so Carol’s gotta fall for one or other of these idiots, but neither of the Hollister brothers is a good choice. Matt is sweet to her but he’s also a useless drunk who only has a job because his brother puts up with him.  Dave spends eighty percent of the movie being an asshole and I have no idea what Carol sees in him.  At least the two men never fight over her.  I guess the love affair is important to the plot, because it spurs the party on to finish their search for the missing Howard Dalman despite the odds being stacked against them… but that basically boils down to Carol and Dave needing to be sure she’s a widow before they can bone.

After all this messing around in the jungle, with the run time half over we get to the plot, and the movie changes gears with an almost audible ka-chunk.  Now we’ve got this space blob sitting in a cave (how did it get in there when it’s still attached to the rocket?) doubling in size every two hours, which must be destroyed before it can consume the entire earth!  Suddenly we have a laboratory, because all the scientific equipment Howard brought with him is still in perfect condition despite having been sitting in the jungle for either four or six months.  Suddenly Dave the rugged survivalist is a scientist and mathematician.  It’s like they took the same actors and sets and started trying to make a totally different movie.

Honestly, I think this is more or less what happened. I think the multiplying space blob was the movie somebody originally wanted to make – it starts out as a tiny thing in a test tube, growing bigger and bigger until it consumes the whole building and will destroy the entire city if it isn’t stopped!  That sounds like a pretty fun 50’s sci-fi movie in itself. It also, however, sounds like an expensive 50’s sci-fi movie, needing miniatures destroyed and screaming extras and other stuff The Flame Barrier just didn’t have the money for. Hence the need to spend so much time wandering around in the jungle swapping tragic backstories before the characters are allowed to get to that point.

The unfortunate thing about this is that the movie doesn’t really have time to get into the nature of its alien.  In Spacemaster X-7, the Blood Rust was offscreen much of the time but we still had a good idea of what it was and of its capabilities, and the explanations we were given made a reasonable amount of sense.  In The Flame Barrier, we’ve got this blob that apparently lives in the rarified and super-hot outer atmosphere (the writers seem to have confused Earth’s atmosphere with the Sun’s corona), but can also survive on the ground… and its effects are all over the place. Sometimes when things get too close to it, they’re just electrocuted and disintegrated, as happens to the rocket’s original passenger, a very young chimpanzee.  Sometimes people get horribly burned and then burst into flames and are reduced to skeletons hours or days later, as keeps happening to the natives. And then there’s Howard, who somehow managed to get close enough to be swallowed up by the thing and his corpse is still completely intact inside it.

None of this makes any sense.  If the blob has that protective electrocution barrier that the humans must be so careful to avoid, how did Howard get close enough to be trapped in it?  How did the chimp get out to end up wandering around in the jungle?  What the heck is happening to the natives who get burned and then skeletonized and why doesn’t that ever happen to the chimp or any of the main characters?  And how do they manage to kill by electrocution a creature that uses lethal amounts of electricity without any harm to itself?  ‘It’s an alien – we don’t understand it’ can cover a multitude of sins in movie writing, but the blob’s random effects don’t even feel like they could potentially make sense.

The Flame Barrier reminds me of other MST3K movies, too. Prominent among them are It Conquered the World and The Crawling Hand, both of which ended on the same unintentionally depressing note: they suggest that the dangers of going into space are so great that humans will never be able to overcome them.  It Conquered the World tells us that there are eight more Venusians just waiting for their own turn to invade.  The Crawling Hand says that exposure to outer space causes mutations that will turn astronauts into mindless murderers.  The Flame Barrier posits that not only is space itself deadly, but is also full of deadly creatures, and the only way to avoid them is to stay on the ground.

This has always interested me because movies like this stand alongside things like the tales of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger!, in which humans have an exciting future among the stars. Stories set in space can be about either the exhilaration of discovery or the terror of the unknown, and this dichotomy seems to be as old as science fiction – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered the first work of proper sci-fi, and it encompasses both.  Frankenstein tells us that if we let our fear over-rule our curiosity, we’ll miss out on something potentially wonderful.  Movies like The Flame Barrier, and even modern space monster flicks like Alien, seem to say the opposite, that we shouldn’t meddle with the unknown at all.

This movie was kind of a compromise on my part.  I’ve had a lot on my plate lately and I picked The Flame Barrier as a movie that was kinda stupid but wouldn’t be either a test of my endurance or particularly challenging to write about.  I’m hoping to have something a little juicier for you next time.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the flame barrier #boy are we in africa! #50s #we're running out of plots

[dotsonabrahamsen63-blog]

Remembering Stan Lee: The Amazing Origin Story Of The Marvel Comics Scribe

Remembering Stan Lee: The Amazing Origin Story Of The Marvel Comics Scribe

Strangely enough, Lee said he would cast himself as the opposite of all that in his own imagination, drawing a comparison to the cynical, Stan Lee Thank You For The Memories Shirt uncompromising newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson. “I’m very frustrated that by the time they made the movie I was too old to play the role,” Lee said. “I modeled him after me. He was dumb and loudmouthed and opinionated. Of all the characters he helped create, Peter Parker remained his favorite. “In a way Spider-Man is more special than the others,” he said. What made him Lee’s favorite? “Nothing ever goes right for Peter. I think for most people in the world, nothing ever goes right. He hates people he’s never seen — people he’s never known — with equal intensity — with equal venom. “Now, we’re not trying to say it’s unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another individual, it’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race — to despise an entire nation — to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God ― a God who calls us ALL ― His children. 2.99. Available in North America and Europe. Oscorp Search & Destroy Pack - In The Amazing Spider-Manvideo game, Spider-Man has his own smartphone to help navigate around Manhattan, locate missions and challenges and fight crime. With this pack, Spider-Man's smartphone will feature two mini-games inspired by classic arcade fun. 2.99. Available in North America and Europe. Lizard Rampage Pack - The notorious Lizard is on the loose again in Manhattan! Take on the role of Dr. Connors' terrifying alter ego in a race against time. Go berserk through the streets using his devastating stomp attack and tail swipe to defeat Oscorp guards and earn mega points.

Lee knew his work was different, proudly noting that stories were drawn out over several issues not to make money but to better develop characters, situations and themes. He didn’t neglect his villains, either. One, the Moleman, went bad when he was ostracized because of his appearance, Lee wrote, adding it was “almost unheard of in a comic book” to explain why a character was what he was. Lee’s direct influence faded in the 1970s as he gave up some of his editorial duties at Marvel. But with his trademark white mustache and tinted sunglasses, he was the industry’s most recognizable figure. The Amazing Spider-Man is getting a whole bunch of DLC today, including a few different packs that will have you playing as people other than the titular wall-crawler. The Lizard Rampage pack will open up a level where you play as the Lizard, along with a new Spidey suit to wear. 49.99 on Steam, including complete integration with Steam achievements. A Nintendo 3DS demo is also now available in the Nintendo eShop. Rhino Challenge Pack - Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain Rhino and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive gameplay challenge of pure destruction! As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything in his path in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break! The Associated Press in a 2006 interview. Lee considered the comic-book medium an art form and he was prolific: By some accounts, he came up with a new comic book every day for 10 years. He hit his stride in the 1960s when he brought the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man and numerous others to life. His heroes, meanwhile, were a far cry from virtuous do-gooders such as rival DC Comics' Superman. The Fantastic Four fought with each other. Spider-Man was goaded into superhero work by his alter ego, Peter Parker, who suffered from unrequited crushes, money problems and dandruff.

XXX in the world of comic books were awesome. I happen to think they’re not exactly what a lot of people think but I don’t doubt their size and endurance. I knew him since 1970, worked for him a few times, talked with him at length and fielded an awful lot of phone calls from him asking me questions about comic books he worked on. He really did have a bad memory, if not when he first started telling people he had a bad memory, then certainly later on as he turned more and more into the Stan Lee character he’d created for himself. That’s all I’m going to write now. That’s where it begins and ends with me. To those of us who have been so deeply affected by the humanity of his imagination, the understanding of reaching beyond our potential and the necessity of tapping into our immeasurable imaginations, we thank you and are forever indebted. Rest In Peace Dear Stan. You made our time here a better one. What a man. What a life. When I first broke into Hollywood, he welcomed me with open arms and some very sage advice I’ll forever take to heart. A true icon who impacted generations around the world. Rest in love, my friend. I have to say I am deeply touched by the passing of Stan Lee… I always looked forward to seeing his cameo parts in all his great movies. 1 - Maybe you haven’t noticed, but there is a spiritual quality in all the Stan Lee movies… always the good guys win. Eventually, not always right away, but eventually. And his movies most of the time ended on an upbeat thought… that allowed us to ponder our existence. 2 - Stan Lee was also a man who could have been a musician but he was not good at music at all.

Legendary Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee — famous for giving the world beloved superheroes including Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk — died Monday. According to TMZ, Lee suffered a number of illnesses over the last year, including pneumonia. His daughter J.C. told the site, “My father loved all of his fans. Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber to Romanian-born Jewish immigrants in New York City, spending much of his early life in Washington Heights. He returned to Timely Comics in 1945 and married wife Joan two years later. In 1950, Timely Comics publisher Martin Goodman tasked Lee with creating a new superhero team to rival DC Comics’ Justice League. “Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are. The bigot is an unreasoning hater — one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately. If his hang-up is black men, he hates ALL black men. If a redhead once offended him, he hates ALL redheads. If some foreigner beat him to a job, he’s down on ALL foreigners. Stan Lee, the comic book mastermind who changed the landscape of the superhero genre, has died at age 95. Lee revolutionized the comic world by creating Marvel Comics superheroes such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk. An attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee, said the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic world by introducing human frailties in superheroes such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, was declared dead Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In a statement to Fox News Shane Duffy, CEO of Stan Lee’s POW! I think everybody loves things that are bigger than life. I think of them as fairy tales for grown-ups," he told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview. "We all grew up with giants and ogres and witches. Well, you get a little bit older and you're too old to read fairy tales.

How long would this superhero movie thing last? He didn’t know. He was glad to be along for the ride. Happy to see the old characters he helped create being brought to life onscreen. We began talking about the origin of Spider-Man, born in 1962 after a string of other successes had made Stan Lee a powerhouse scribe at Marvel Comics. He had started working there when he was 17. Back then, Marvel Comics was known as Timely Comics, and he was known as Stanley Lieber, son of Jewish Romanian immigrants from the Bronx. His dream was to become a writer. But before any of that could happen, he earned cash by working a series of small jobs. As a theater usher, his first claim to fame was tripping and falling while showing Eleanor Roosevelt to her seat. “Are you all right, young man? Remember, this was six years before Iron Man and the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The films were not yet interconnected, not that there were many to string together. Stan Lee cameos were not yet a phenomenon. He had played a beachside hotdog vendor in the X-Men film. That was it. (“You missed me?” he teased. “I was like the lead of the movie! ] idea was, I was selling sunglasses in Times Square and I was talking to this little girl, showing her a pair of glasses as Peter Parker walks by,” Lee recounted in his gruff, nasally voice. Think about the incredible characters that derived from the mind of this man. Iron Man, the X-Men, Thor, Daredevil and Dr. Strange. These are characters everyone knows and loves. Look at this list of Stan Lee's creations and think about which ones have gone onto success in other media as well as had very successful runs in comics. Every single one of them almost. Granted, a lot of that success is due to the efforts and contributions of those writers and artists who developed the characters through the years. But Stan Lee's fingerprint is on each and every one of them and will always be seen and felt. Can you name one single creator in comics that has contributed as much in terms of longevity, creativity and uniqueness? You can't because there are none. There are plenty of creators that have made great contributions and have written or drawn amazing characters and stories. But none can say they changed the face of the industry quite like Stan Lee can. No matter what happens from this day forward; no matter what superstar creators land at the Big Two. Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' own living legend, stands head and shoulders above the rest. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stan Lee, the creative dynamo who revolutionized the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in Marvel superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk, died Monday. Lee was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee’s daughter, J.C. As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, Lee was widely considered the architect of the contemporary comic book. He revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.

[inhumansforever]

Lockjaw #3 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

Lockjaw and D-Man’s adventures continue and we learn the source of the mysterious signal that has set this all in motion in this third in a four issue series from the creative team of Daniel Kibbelsmith, Carlos Villa, Roberto Poggi and Chris O’Halloran.  Quick recap and review following the jump.  

The story so far has seen Lockjaw stirred by a mysterious signal that alerted him to the fact that his siblings may be in trouble.  He teleported into action, checking in on his brothers and sisters to make sure they were okay.  First he traveled to Brooklyn to see Bixby, a long-lived bulldog cared for by a kooky old woman.  And it just so turned out that this woman is the neighbor of the retired super hero and one-time Avenger known as D-Man.  

D-Man had lost his super powers some time ago and it has left him adrift, feeling depressed and purposeless… trying to find some new sense of meaning in life.  Yet being a hero is in his nature and, powers or not, D-Man jumped into action and assisted Lockjaw when a swarm of hamster-piloted flying saucers attacked.  

Together, Lockjaw and D-Man were able to fend off these hamsters and, once Lockjaw was sure Bixby was safe, he teleported off to his next sibling.  D-Man accidentally tagged along and the two had another adventure in the prehistoric Savage Land.  There they encountered Ka-Zar and Zabu and battled a pack of giant wolves.  The fight was cut short, however, when it was revealed the pack was lead by ‘The Great Beast’ whom it just so turned out is Lockjaw’s sister.   The Beast herself had been also attacked by hamster in flying saucers yet she and her pack where able to defeat them without aid.  Seeing his sister was doing fine and needed to protection, Lockjaw teleported off taking a very confused D-Man with him.  

This most recent teleportation was a much more significant jump… Lockjaw transported to an entirely new dimension.  This is Earth 8311, the anthropomorphic universe populated be cartoon animal versions of the various heroes and villains of the Marvel 616 Universe.  

D-Man had no idea such a dimension existed and is quite confused by it.  He has little time to bend his mind around the matter before he and Lockjaw are attacked by The Wisker and his Wrecking Zoo (an anthropomorphic version of The Wrecker and the Wrecking Crew).  Fortunately, the Spectacular Spider-Ham swings in to lend a hand and the villains are defeated.  

Teleporting to a whole new dimension has taken a lot out of Lockjaw and Spider-Ham leads them to a safe location and it is here that they meet Lockjaw’s other sister, Doc Jaw.  This sibling had been brought tot he 8311 Universe when she was just a puppy and the anthropomorphic filed surrounding he world impacted her development, changing her into an anthropomorphized version of herself.  She was discovered by Mooseter Fantastic, who took her in.  Under Mooseter Fantastic’s tutelage, Doc Jaw would gone on to become a great scientist.  

It is here that D-Man is finally offered some answers as Doc Jaw explains to him (and to us the readers) what exactly has been going on.  It is a bit of  jarring information dump, but the exposition is appreciated in that it was nice to discover what exactly has been going on.  

Here’s the deal…  Some thirty years back Lockaw’s mother was a regular dog who was experimented on by an unscrupulous Inhuman scientist (has there ever been an Inhuman scientist who wasn’t unscrupulous?).  Lockjaw’s mom was exposed to a version of the mutagenic Terrigen Mist whist she was pregnant and she gave birth to a litter of puppies, each of whom had been altered by the mists.  The most powerful of the puppies was Lockjaw, who was imbued with enhanced size and strength, cosmic awareness and the ability to teleport himself and others through dimensional portals.  Lockjaw was gifted to the infant prince, Black Bolt, and would go on to be an important member of the Inhuman Royal Family.  

Some time thereafter, Lockjaw used his newfound powers for teleportation to transport each of his siblings to new homes.  Bixby was transported to Brooklyn, The Beast to The Savage Land; Doc Jaw was teleported to Earth 8311… and so on.  

Although Lockjaw’s intentions were good, he was just a puppy and, well, a dog.  And in his efforts to transport his siblings to safe places, he accidentally happened upon The Negative Zone.  This is a violent realm lorded over by the powerful Annihilus.  

Annihilus is a terrible being whose only aim is to destroy everything possible and he has been bent over trying to find access to the multiverse so to spread his nihilistic right of terror and destruction.  This being sensed Lockjaw stumbling into the Negative Zone. He sought out the sibling Lockjaw had left there (a brother) and captured him.  

Again, Annihilus is intent on accessing the multiverse so to spread his terror.  Yet he can only create small, temporary portal to access it.   His plan, it would seem, is to seek out Lockjaw and use his genetic material to obtain the ability to teleport between dimensions.  To this end, Annihilus has sent out hi minions to capture Lockjaw’s sibling, hoping to lure out Lockjaw and capture him.   With her enhanced intellect, Doc Jaw was able to discern Annihilus’ scheme and she sent out a beacon to him hoping that she could get to Lockjaw first and warn him of Annihilus’s plan.  

If ll of this wasn’t complicated enough, there is the additional wrinkle that Lockjaw no longer remembers how to teleport to the Negative Zone.  He had made the trip once before, but it was by accident when he was just a puppy.  He needs to somehow remember how to make the jump to The Negative Zone so that he can rescue his brother and put an end to Annihilus’s scheme.  In order to access this memory, Doc Jaw has created a machine that will allow D-Man to enter into his unconscious dream-scape where hopefully the hidden memory might be found.  Or something like that.  It’s a bit confusing.

In any case, D-Man is rather reluctant to travel into Lockjaw’s dreams.  Doc Jaw convinces him it is a challenge he must step up to.  Fate has put him and Lockjaw together.  She can sense D-Man’s heroic nature and appeals to his sense of needing to do the right thing.  D-Man ultimately concedes and agrees to put on the apparatus that links his and Lockjaw’s minds.  

Sleep is induced and D-Man and Lockjaw find themselves wondering through the dreamscape.   There the two are attacked by nightmare entities drawn from each of their unconsciouses.  These nightmare creatures are destroyed by the timely arrival of a new ally, the mysterious being known as Sleepwalker.  And it is here that the issue confused with the promise of continuation in the next issue.  

Oh kay…  A rather wacky issue with a complicated plot, but still a lot of fun.  The Marvel Anthropomorphic Universe is a pretty silly place, with cartoon animal analogs of familiar characters each offered their own pun-based animal names (some better than others. Thunderb -owl?).  

It was kind of tough bending my head around Doc Jaw’s exposition of the plot points.  I’m still not sure I have everything figured out… are the hamsters in flying saucers Annihilus’s agents?  Still, I suppose some degree of confusion is to be expected when you get an information dump from a talking dog.   And I can certainly relate to D-Man’s feelings of befuddlement.  

In that the two previous issues were a good deal lighter on plot, it offered up more room for exploration of D-Man’s character.  Conversely, this issue was much heavier on plot and, as such, D-Man didn’t receive as much character development.   

Sleepwalker showing up at the end was surprising.  He’s a character I know very little about… although he certainly fits right in alongside D-Man, Ka-Zar and Spider-Ham.  I’m loving how Mr. Kibblesmith is drawing from such random corners of the extended Marvel Universe.

I’ve know idea how this nutty story is going to wrap up nor how it is all going to conclude in just one last issue.  But I sure am looking forward to finding out.   The art by Villa, Poggi and O’Halloran is once again terrific.  It fits perfectly with the tenor of the tale and I especially liked the way the over arching style has shifted from one bizarre location to another.  

Definitely recommended.  Four out of five Lockjaws.  

#Lockjaw #Inhumans #Daniel Kibbelsmith #Carlos Villa #Roberto Poggi #Chris O’Halloran #review #spoilers

[aion-rsa]

WandaVision: Behind the Scenes Of Marvel’s First Sitcom With Kathryn Hahn

https://ift.tt/3oSsfkE

After a year away due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios is finally kicking off Phase 4 of its ongoing, expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe with…a sitcom.

WandaVision, which premieres Friday (Jan. 15) on Disney+, stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as the supernaturally powerful Wanda Maximoff and the equally enhanced synthezoid Vision, with the newly married couple navigating life in suburban Westview, a black and white setting right out of classic half-hour comedies like The Dick van Dyke Show or Bewitched, complete with live audience.

But since Vision was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Wanda was not just traumatized by his death but dusted herself by Thanos (only to return, thirsting for vengeance, at the climax of Avengers: Endgame), we have to wonder: how is Vision alive, why are they here, and what is behind this clearly unreal scenario?

While WandaVision will feature returning Marvel characters like Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) from Ant-Man and the Wasp and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) from the first two Thor films, in addition to its two super-powered stars, the nine-episode show will also feature new personnel, such as archetypal nosy neighbor Agnes, played by Kathryn Hahn with a perpetually cheerful smile and air of smug contentment — with something else lurking under the surface.

While we have no doubt that more will come to light about Agnes — and the rest of the strange goings-on in the town of Westview — in the weeks ahead, Den of Geek had a chance to speak via Zoom with Hahn (also known for voicing Doc Ock in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) about recreating the sitcom vibe, filming the premiere in front of a live audience, what the future holds for the show and more.

Den of Geek: What was the pitch to you about what the show would be and what Agnes would be?

Kathryn Hahn: They brought me into a conference room with Matt Shakman, the amazing director, and Jac Schaeffer, the writer, and Mary Livanos, our amazing producer, and then they walked me through the arc of the series. Being a little bit of an MCU newbie, they had to go through it a couple of times. But I was just so excited by the ambition baked into it. I couldn’t believe that it could be pulled off at that level.

They told me that I would be playing, basically, the sitcom nosy neighbor trope, that would also be following alongside this couple as they hurdle through these different decades of sitcom history. So I knew that I’d be able to play with different kinds of comedy, just culturally, how we would look at comedy, all of it. So I was very, very excited.

Did you have favorite sitcoms when you were growing up?

There’s so many when I was growing up. They’re just baked in there. Golden Girls was a huge one for me, Family Ties was a really big one for me, just that family. What else? Three’s Company. Loved it, for sure. So many. And then before that, Laverne and Shirley. I loved that show.

Did it sink into everybody how pervasive these things were to all of us? Plus profesionally, Matt actually starred in one as a child (Just the Ten of Us), Elizabeth’s sisters starred in Full House…sitcoms are part of everyone’s lives in some ways.

I think they’ve touched all of us, the sitcoms, in some way or another. It’s just something that’s baked into our collective consciousness. Just our first viewing experiences have been through the lens of those sitcoms and hearing that laugh track and the comfort of knowing that it’s going to be resolved in the end. I think that there is something, and all of us had some sort of connection to it, in some way or another. I certainly have had failed multi-camera pilots in my past that I could draw from. But at least I had the experience. It’s baked into all of our consciousnesses, I think.

The first episode was done in front of a live audience. What was it like getting into that headspace?

Well, not only was it shot in front of a live studio audience, but I think the cameras were actual period cameras, the lights were period lights. I think (everyone) had period clothing on. So the whole thing felt very much — we just were able to play pretend for a couple days that we were actually in that era. We rehearsed it like a play. That kind of comedy, to look as relaxed as it appears, takes a great deal of rehearsal ahead of time for a lot of those bits and the timing of the doors and yada yada.

I think comedy wise, we’re a little bit more cynical now. We want to have a wink on everything. I love a little bit of anarchic comedy myself. I love to improvise. And there was something about the earnestness of just having to really step inside a world that wasn’t cynical. It was a very hard tone to find, because it’s so antithetical to how we are comedy wise. That was a real challenge and so fun.

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Movies

Upcoming Marvel Movies Release Dates: MCU Phase 4 Schedule, Cast, and Story Details

By Mike Cecchini and 1 other

TV

When Does Marvel’s WandaVision Take Place?

By Mike Cecchini

As comedy has become a bit darker and more cynical over the decades, does that also happen as you go through the eras of the sitcoms in the show? Does it also get reflected in the costuming?

Yeah, for sure. It all evolves.

At the same time, how does the character of Agnes evolve? We’re obviously going to learn some more about her. Is it possible that she may have a counterpart in the Marvel Comics canon that may be revealed to us at some point?

I think that there is definitely more to be revealed for everybody that’s involved, and everything that you’ve seen so far in these first couple of episodes. I can only say that it’s going to be constantly evolving and constantly shifting what you think is around the corner. And it will hopefully continue to surprise you. I know I was surprised when I read it for the first time. But yeah, it constantly shifts whatever you’re thinking is around the corner.

You said you were relatively an MCU newbie. Have you gotten more into it since joining the show?

My kids had to be like, “It’s an Infinity Stone.” So I was pretty new. I’ve been able to be introduced to it through them. But I will say, through even watching the movies, the little domestic heartbeat between Vision and Wanda was always so interesting to me because for a world that is so loud and big and expansive, and the stakes are so high, to have this little domesticity in the middle of it was really, really interesting to me. And then to know that this show is going to be able to burrow down into the two of them and be able to really have the luxury of time to get to know them better was very exciting.

Also, to answer your question, I did do a little bit of Scarlet Witch and Wanda Maximoff comic book reading, and boy, is that a dark story. Holy moly, there’s some darkness there.

Do you think that there could be a future for Agnes in the larger MCU?

Who knows? But I would say that clearly in this world anything is possible. What I’m learning is that the rules are that there really are no rules. So who knows?

How was it working day to day in this universe that Marvel has created?

As a newbie again, I think what I was so surprised by and so excited by was how intimate it really felt for something that was so big. I’m telling you, putting on that show in front of the live studio audience, it felt like it was just this little band of actors with this little group — knowing, of course, that there were hundreds of incredible artisans working so hard on it.

But Matt Shakman, Kevin (Feige, Marvel Studios president) and Mary really created this bubble to make it seem very, very intimate. My hat’s off to Matt for doing that. It’s a real trick that he pulled off, that within this enormous world, he was going to make it feel so personal and so human and so between the people. So for me, it felt very similar to other work that I had done, which I was surprised by. I thought it was going to feel really different.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

WandaVision premieres Friday, Jan. 15, on Disney+.

The post WandaVision: Behind the Scenes Of Marvel’s First Sitcom With Kathryn Hahn appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[enterinit]

Madden NFL 20 and other games coming to Xbox One this week

Madden NFL 20 and other games coming to Xbox One this week. Madden NFL 20: Ultimate Superstar Edition (July 30, 2019) WAYS TO PLAY Face of the Franchise: QB1 - Be the Face of an NFL franchise where the decisions you make matter in your journey to become an NFL Superstar. Create your own College Quarterback to play through the College Football National Championship playoffs and the NFL Combine for your shot at the NFL Draft and to be the face of a franchise in a new and personalized career campaign centered around you. Once selected to a team, engage with Madden’s new Scenario Engine which generates personalized playable scenarios, events, and dynamic challenges that build the story of your unique NFL career. Franchise - Simulate a full NFL career and leave your legacy as a player, coach or owner with single-player and multiplayer online-connected leagues. Compete with up to 32 teams in your quest for a Super Bowl Dynasty. Complete with an annual Pro Bowl and Seasonal Awards. Ultimate Team - Compete in the ultimate NFL fantasy team-building mode featuring your favorite NFL players from the past and present. Play games, collect rewards, and upgrade your team with daily, fun and engaging challenges with live NFL content all year-long. Exhibition - Compete in head-to-head online and offline games (single and multi-player) or single player offline against the CPU. Customize your game settings including time of quarters, rules, stadiums, and uniforms. GAMEPLAY Superstar X-Factor – Feel the emotion, personality, and power of NFL Superstars with Superstar X-Factor, an all-new abilities progression system that reveals special abilities for today’s most exciting NFL Superstars when certain objectives are met in games. Combined with authentic personality & real player motion, the stars of the NFL truly come to life in Madden NFL 20. Take full control of player development with new ways to customize player abilities. Unique Playbooks – Playbooks are calibrated to be more unique from team to team providing more variety for strategic game-planning and in-game adjustments. Run/Pass Options – Run/pass option plays are now available to call, bringing even more NFL authenticity to today’s play-calling. On-Field Trainer – Learn how to improve as a Madden player with this cohesive, modernized teaching system that introduces new in-game mechanics over time as you progress through your gameplay experience. New Pump Fake mechanic – Pump-fake to a specific receiver and fake out defenders with a new double-tap ‘throw cancelling’ mechanic. NFL Pro Bowl – Play the annual Pro Bowl within Franchise mode and ‘Face of the Franchise: QB1’ featuring all-stars from the AFC and NFC. Superstar-Driven Play-Calling – Play-calling tailored to the Superstars on your team to quickly get your stars involved when you need them the most. New celebrations – Over 20 new TD and First Down celebrations added to bring more swag to the biggest plays on the gridiron. Mutant Year Zero: Seed of Evil (July 30, 2019) Seed of Evil is an expansion to the award-winning tactical adventure game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden picking up where the original game ended and offering hours of more gameplay, new locations to visit, and a new leading character! Continue the main story and explore many hours of all new content. Expand your team with the veteran stalker Big Khan the moose and get ready to defeat a new threat to Dux, Bormin, Selma and all the others. In Seed of Evil you must solve the mystery of the powerful and ominous roots which have taken over the Ark. Discover huge new maps, battle new enemies, improve your mutations, get your hands on all new gear, defeat foes trying to take back lost ground and face off against a vicious new adversary. To play Seed of Evil it is highly recommended to have finished the main story in Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, because of story spoilers and the level range of the new content. Continue the main story See what happens after the ending of Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. Continue into a new future for Bormin, Dux, Pripp and all the others at the Ark. How will they deal with what they have learned?New mutant: Big Khan You can now add Big Kahn the moose to your squad of mutants. He is a veteran stalker who has been exploring the Zone alone. He is not only skilled at doing critical hits but also has the unique mutations Ground Pound and Flame Puke, which make him excellent at dealing with groups of enemies.Face a new threat The Ark has suddenly become enveloped in mysterious roots and many of its inhabitants do not seem to be their normal selves. Even the Zone Ghouls appear to have been taken over by this new menace and it is up to your team of stalkers to set things right!Hours of new content Take on new enemies in places like the Hall of Electric Coffins and Mausoleum of Suburbia. The new story in Seed of Evil offers a host of new challenges and brutal fights. Get ready to rethink your tactics as you face off against brand new enemies.Improve your mutations Upgrade Bormin’s Hog Rush to Bear Smash for increased power and Corpse Eater to Corpse Feaster so that regaining lost HP no longer costs an action. Upgrade Dux’s Moth Wings to Wings of the Sniper which removes all range penalties.Retake lost territory Revisit places like the Spear of Heavens or Sea Titans as Zone Ghouls and police bots once again encroach upon places you have already cleared. This time they are stronger than ever! The Blackout Club (July 30, 2019) The Blackout Club is a first-person co-op horror game centered around a group of teenage friends investigating a monstrous secret beneath the skin of their small town. 1-4 players explore procedurally-generated missions against a fearsome enemy you can only see with your eyes closed. Features: A Modern Horror Setting To Explore: A beautiful and modern neighborhood full of houses, woods, and a very mysterious subterranean network of tunnels.Cooperative Gameplay: Drop-in/Drop-out multiplayer sessions for 1-4 players.Each Night A New Adventure: Missions are procedurally-generated and vary according to player level and progress.Richly-Simulated World Supporting Many Play Styles: Players have the freedom to go through the game at their own pace and choose the paths they take through the world.Character Growth & Customization: Players get to create their own character and customize them by unlocking new clothing, gestures, and hairstyles.An Unseen Threat: If players are not careful and draw too much attention to themselves, "The Shape" will come for them. Super Wiloo Demake (July 31, 2019) Wiloo and Agatha need to rescue their dog from the clutches of Dr.ETvaldo! Roll, fly, jump, and shoot your way across a variety of different platforming levels using unique power ups to reach the end of the level. Can you defeat all 5 bosses and rescue your buddy? With 3 different difficulties, experience the quest that you desire with easier or devilish challenges. Features: Traverse 50 levels across 5 different worlds with unique themes.Vibrant 8-bit visualsConquer 5 malicious bossesPick from 3 difficulties to suit your playstyleUse fun power ups to defeat enemies The Tower of Beatrice (July 31, 2019) The life of a thief isn’t easy: always hiding in shadows, clients cheat, traps bite… Working on a contract for a mysterious client, you'll need to infiltrate the tower of the powerful sorcerer Beatrice, steal her Book of Recipes, and get out alive. Along the way you will enter a demon's dreams to discover his most intimate desires, accept a gift from a Granny-spider, start the Clock Tower, feed a snail, make a tea for a demon, piece together a skeleton, and finally fix your own fatal failing. Features: Six floors – each with its own atmosphere and moodSurprising and charming residents – demons of Fire, Frost and Dream, Iron Maiden, Hungry Chest, and many othersAlchemy! Discover many interesting recipes!Unique puzzles ranging from simple to brain bendingAtmospheric and immersive soundtrackMany allusions to famous games, movies and books – spot them all! Pilot Sports (July 31, 2019) PILOT SPORTS, brilliant gaming fun for the whole family! Split screen mode for up to 4 players, over 50 different courses, the widest variety of aircraft and thrilling challenges provide for all sorts of gaming enjoyment! Features: 7 TYPES OF CHALLENGES! Beat the best times in the different game modes!OVER 50 COURSES! The key emphasis is on variety. Complete over 50 courses and set your sights on new records.8 CHARACTERS! Choose your favourite pilot and explore the tropical island paradise together with your favourite figure!FLYING FUN USING DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT! Soar through sensational and tricky courses with the double-decker, a jetpack, parachute or hang glider!BONUS: Beat records and unlock new courses for explorers! Solo: Islands of the Heart (July 31, 2019) Solo: Islands of the Heart is a game about love. About love as fuel, the force that drives us. Love is a universal feeling, but each of us experiences it in a different way. Solo – Islands of the Heart explores the theme of love in an introspective way, allowing players to identify and reflect on their own experiences. The world is divided into archipelagos, with each island representing a unique puzzle. Solving puzzles will award the player with a Sleeping Totem, awakening them to answer a question about love and relationships. As with love, most puzzles have no unique solution. Using boxes, each with different properties and behaviors, players can build their own paths to the Sleeping Totems on each island. Nature and contemplation are also a huge part of Solo: pull out your camera and capture the moment, play the guitar, feed the animals or just sit on a bench and think. The Church in the Darkness (August 02, 2019) No one is forced to join a cult. It welcomes you. It understands you. It envelops you until the words become more than truth—they make you whole. In the late 1970s, the charismatic Isaac and Rebecca Walker lead the Collective Justice Mission. Labeled radicals and feeling persecuted by the US government, they relocate their followers to the one place they believe they can create a socialist utopia: the jungles of South America. There they build Freedom Town. But relatives left behind in the US become worried: what exactly is going on at this compound in the jungle? You play as Vic, an ex-law enforcement officer who has snuck into Freedom Town to check on their nephew, Alex. Whether you choose stealth or violence, you must infiltrate the commune, find out what’s going on within, and locate your nephew, before it’s too late. How dangerous are the Walkers? How far will you go to uncover the truth and save Alex? Could it all have turned out differently? Features: What ending will you get? Will you get Alex out, whether he wants to go with you or not? Will you confront the cult leaders? Will you join the cult?Unlock every ending for each scenario by trying different play styles or making different choices.Multiple ways to play: Avoid detection completely, taking out guards and civilians non-lethally, or kill anyone who gets in your way. Interview characters from Freedom Town and search for clues. Documents and letters scattered around camp will clue you into the true nature of the commune.Fully voiced game, starring Ellen McLain (best known as GLaDOS in Portal) and John Patrick Lowrie (the Sniper from Team Fortress 2) as the cult leaders, Rebecca and Isaac Walker. Varenje (August 02, 2019) "All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it." ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Get yourself a little summer's day with a raspberry jam adventure! Varenje is a cute colorful adventure with a number of puzzles and mini-games made by artists for anyone that considers games to be an art. Eight unique & gorgeously hand crafted chapters await you. Hours and hours of game play will take you to a far away enchanting place. Our hero was spending summer happily at the cosy cottage until curiosity forced him to sample an unknown berry at the stream. Before he knew it, everything had become incredibly large, and he was reduced to the size of a bug! Trying to understand what happened and how to return things back to normal, we set off into the invisible to the human eye tiny world, where worms, beetles and spiders live their life, and build bizarre vehicles, in disguise so that humans do not realize. Our new friends will surely help us by discovering the secret healing potion, which will return us to our previous dimensions. All we need is to collect enough raspberries to cook grandmother's jam. And as we all know - this is a remedy for all ills! Asdivine Menance (August 02, 2019) A century after the events of Asdivine Dios, peace has finally settled in. That is, until a visitor from another world suddenly shows up proclaiming the entire universe is about to be destroyed. Hearing this, Izayoi sets off in an attempt to reverse this seemingly pronounced fate with a trio of very idiosyncratic spirits as they criss-cross four worlds in search of an answer. But what is the answer they find...? Experience immersive turn-based battles with cooperative attacks and new limit break skills! With all quests, collecting and crafting, the battle arena, and even post-game content, Asdivine Menace comes packed with enough elements to satisfy JRPG-hungry gamers. As Izayoi deepens his bonds of trust with his spirit companions, their fates together move in new and meaningful directions! Features: Travel the galaxy to bring the truth full circle in an epic fantasy RPG!Experience immersive turn-based battles with cooperative attacks and new limit break skills! Meow Motors (August 02, 2019) Meet the kitties, the main heroes of the new go-kart racing game! You will take to the track and play as one of a dozen colorful cats memorable for their different characteristics and unique personalities. Overcome various difficulties of the tracks drifting through mines and bombs, stop and slow down your competitors by blasting them with bubble gum and other astonishing weapons. And don't forget to gather power-ups along the way if you want to be the fastest driver on the track! The game will amaze you with: Dynamic gameplay that has three different modes: circle races, drifts, and 'strike' mode20 different tracks where kitties will compete10 kitties with unique abilities that will help you gain an advantage10 power-ups with unique effects to defeat your competitorsCharge your power-ups and get a more powerful effect!Overtake opponents, drift and get bonuses for it. Go grab your kitty and start your first crazy ride! Super Star Blast (August 02, 2019) Super Star Blast is a space shooter with challenging levels of increasing difficulty. All enemies must be shot down to finish a level and go to the next one. A scanner around the player tells roughly where the enemies are located. The player ship can fly forwards to attack and backwards to fight during the retreat against the opponents. After clearing a level you can purchase equipment to boost the ship, as well as extra shields and firepower or more ships. In local multiplayer mode, up to 4 players can fight together trough the levels (campaign mode) or can get each other in a battle (competition mode). Features: Massive challenging levels of increasing difficultyEnemies with unique flying and fire characteristicsUpgrade center (agility, fire power, shield, ships)Single player campaign2 – 4 player local multiplayer coop mode (split screen)Simple and clean 3D space graphics Read the full article

#Games #XBOX

[theparaminds]

If you asked Claud a year ago where their life would lead, their uncertainty would be as strong as the talent they were just beginning to tap into. Yet now, they stand in a position of newfound confidence and self-certainty. It wasn’t an easy task, requiring the output of a thoughtful EP, constant personal reflection and the difficulty of acclimating to newfound environments and individuals. But as hard as it all was, the results have been, simply, magical. 

Claud revealed to themseelf, bit by bit, the unique individuality that was waiting for its moment to shine. They no longer felt compelled to travel in any artistic direction, instead, traveling in one completely their own. By bringing together both bright musicianship and hopeful lyricism, as they’ve always envisioned, they have truly articulated themself musically.

Ultimately, Claud has solved much of their past confusions. Little can take them off course, little can extinguish the creative fire burning brighter than ever. Certain doors are open for the first time, ideas seem endlessly inspiring and passion seems undying with every sunset. The puzzle to their life and art has finally come together, now all that’s left to do is share it with the anxiously excited world. 

Our first question as always is just how’s your day going and how have you been?

My day is good, I had a late start because of a show last night, but honestly, other than that it's good.

A great place to start is the last whirlwind of a year you’ve had which set up and built the foundation for a lot of what’s going on for you now. You’ve talked about a big part of that being moving to New York and going to college for the first time, how did you find the change to influence your artistry and you as an individual?

I went to college as a freshman at Syracuse, and in moving there I was coming from an art school, and before was in Chicago. It felt like a big change and it really did end up being a massive city for me. I got lucky with meeting great friends right away on the first day, ones who I stayed close with me all year. As a place, It was good for the time being.

But also you were recently in LA for a bit, taking in the area and all it encompasses. Within that trip, what was that time like for you and what was the impression it left upon you?

After Syracuse I lived in NY for a bit, then once my friends left for the summer I moved to LA. It was meant to be only temporary and I just wanted to check it out as I have family there, a lot of great friends too. Ultimately, I found a great community here in NY so I decided to move back, I like moving around a lot and didn’t want to settle in one place, yet.

Another large moment that year was dropping your EP, which was the biggest thing in getting the ball rolling. How do you reflect on the project and the experience as a whole? Do you remember the reception you expected and the feeling when it kept growing in audience and acclaim?

That EP is just so special to me. I made it made with my best friend as a friendship project. We started with the song Onetwothree, just about a year ago, it was just a first single and watching people enjoy it was an amazing feeling because we loved it even more so. I put out music before, but nothing I loved as much as the EP’s songs. I guess I believe that if you put a lot of love into something, you’ll get love out of it.

Going from putting those songs you didn't like on SoundCloud at first, then turning to this project which you found peace within, what changed for you and what did you have to find within yourself?

It took a lot of personal changes. Just coming to terms with myself and going by Claud again. My sound as an artist was coming together at the same time, it was a very natural growth. I feel like I’m still growing a lot, but the EP marks a really specific moment in my life.

Looking forward, what are in your mind, the largest and most important milestones you hope to hit and achieve?

I really want to tour a lot and meet a lot of people. And, my biggest goal is to make sure I have people want to hear me play as much as I want to play for them.

If money were no object, where would be your dream location to play a live show?

I really want to go to Asia and Japan specifically. They fell so far away and going for a reason, not just for fun, would be amazing.

As well, what developments do you hope to make artistically and what skills are you looking to hone in your craft?

I want to focus more on my songwriting. I've been with a lot of producers and I want to experiment and play with new concepts. If I want a pop song, I need a pop song with my own voice. It's fun to try more and more ideas and subgenres.

Through this time of personal growth and creation, what artists have you found yourself most inspired by and pulling from?

A lot of the Terrible Records artists I work with. I also love Blood orange and every song on his new album. Super into Super Organisms, gosh so much. I actually just made a Spotify playlist that was only supposed to have 30 songs, but I couldn’t stop adding more and more.

Taking it back to your first time getting into music, how do you compare your current influences to early ones and do you believe it shows part of the growth you’ve been through and are experiencing?

I definitely think the music I listen to has been a big part of my own development, I was weirdly into singer-songwriter music more than anything. Part of it probably came from when I went to an arts boarding school in Northern Michigan in the middle of nowhere. When you’re in a space like that you end up following that style. Because I listened to a lot of singer-songwriter music, I was shaped as a person, but not as an artist. But in college I started listening with a different ear, really expanding what I heard.

Through that beginning time, what were the biggest challenges you had to overcome to get those first songs out and to keep going?

I grew up in a very mainstream area that was difficult to be an individual within. Hive mind type environment in terms of entertainment and creativity. It made sense as to why I didn’t branch out with my early music. I'm just grateful for the friends I met who showed me what I could be.

Beyond music, which is obviously a place of inspiration for artists such as yourself, do you find yourself enjoying or drawing from other artistic mediums?

Honestly, I’m very into movements. It's an art form I love beyond others. It keeps me motivated. I don't love going to the gym, but I’m learning to skateboard and I did gymnastics when younger. I love seeing the body become an art form. I always loved dancing even though I’m shit at it.

Are there motions you find your music to be tailored to or ones you are trying to speak towards?

I really like the way people say that they enjoy my music on long walks and drives. Those everyday movements that I can choreograph with my sound is really beautiful. The production style I like is very rhythmic in a subtle everyday kind of way. It won't catch you off guard but will just fit your movement.

Would you say that’s part of your overall larger goal? To create a soundtrack to people’s ups and downs? Or is there something beyond that?

It changes a lot. Right now, just being present is the most important thing to me, standing my ground. There’s a lot of musicians, but I truly see the value and necessity in myself. And I guess there's not one specific message other than that I'm ‘here’.

Going forward in time to the present day, another thing you did through this last year was touring, as you said. And even currently you’re doing so. In your eyes, how do you compare the live experience to recording and a file, what do you feel towards it?

I love playing live shows. If I can't see my songs translate live then there’s not always worth in putting it out. I don't really get excited about a song until I can see myself perform it live.

Why is that though? Why do you see an importance in creating music that exists in both spaces?

It’s the best way to communicate with people… [Pause]... Oh my God… There’s such a big spider on my wall…

Oh my, are you okay?

Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine. But it���s just about connecting with people and sharing the new form of expression that does not exist in the record.

Through your life and time touring and just as a music fan, what’s been the best shows you’ve been able to see and be a part of?

At my first tour, with Triathalon and The Marias, I only saw 6 shows but every single time they both performed very different, yet inspiring. They just have ‘it’, they know exactly who they are and what they want to express. The confidence motivated me to be the same and to up my game.

You talked early of being inspired by songwriters, which makes sense considering your strong ability with complex lyrics and themes. Where from your life and art, in general, do you draw for your lyrics and ideas?

I just keep a running note in my phone of phrases I hear or think of, so when I sit to write I will begin or find inspiration within them. I recently started looking at my notes from when I was 15, finding out what was 15 year old Claud thinking on February 3rd, or seeing times I was in a relationship and reliving my feelings and thoughts from back then. All those past experiences shape what I say today.

You’re very brave for looking at stuff you did at 15, I could never do that, It’s honestly so terrifying.

[Laughs] I found one recently that said: “Write a song about feeling bubbly and pitch it to the Soda Company”. Like, what soda company was I even thinking about? It just said The Soda Company. Was I planning to call Mr. Coca Cola himself?

Did you find you've changed a lot and always shifted since you were young back then, or do you feel you kept your essence as an individual?

I feel like it depends on who you ask. If you ask my family they'll say I'm the same as always, the same eccentric human who somehow ended up in our family. They often say they bought me in a grocery store [laughs. I think my essence is still there, but I feel but it will keep developing.

What's, ultimately, the biggest mark and legacy with the music you're making that you desire to build and be satisfied in creating?

I don't know, I'm only just at the beginning. But to me, I would say I want to teach people to value their individuality, It was something I felt I wasn't always doing, but now that I am, I want to share the feeling with others, as it’s really amazing. I'm still learning, it's a process, but it's great just to be finally working towards it.

Follow Claud on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Spotify and Soundcloud

[entergamingxp]

World of Warcraft and Apex Legends • Eurogamer.net

Hello and welcome to the second of our Clash of Fans write-ups. This week we’ll be getting together in pairs (virtually) and forcing each other to play a beloved game. Then we’ll chat about what we made of it all. Next up is World of Warcraft and Apex Legends!

World of Warcraft

Emma: The idea with Clash of Fans is for everyone to play a game they haven’t tried before, but I must admit I have somewhat bent the rules on this one. I was actually introduced to World of Warcraft in a university games history seminar, of all things, as an example of an MMO with a declining player population – something which I’m sure horrified Oli when I told him.

Anyway, it’s been good to revisit the game on my own terms, and with more time. I used to be a big Star Wars: The Old Republic player a few years ago, so I’ve enjoyed having a look at where all those MMO mechanics came from.

I suppose we’d better start with character creation so you can judge my choices: I’m really sorry Oli, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick Horde. They seem like they’re trying very hard to be edgy. I also wanted to try out the Worgen race, who seem like they’re troubled but come out fighting for the “good” side, and therefore achieve a more balanced level of moodiness. I’m sure there’ll be something in the lore to disprove that point.

Even though the character creation is pretty limited compared to current-day titles, I do love how you end up getting so invested in your player-character, and almost put a part of yourself into them. I got inspired by the Worgen race to imagine my character as a sword-wielding, brooding she-wolf warrior – which is unusual for me, as I usually go for sneaky types. Now all I need is a proper cloak.

Fun fact: when I was about 14 and the Cataclysm expansion released, I used to draw fan art of those moody Worgen… even though I wasn’t allowed anywhere near World of Warcraft at the time. Maybe it was meant to be.

And here’s what inspired that fan art.

Oli: So, yes, I do feel very old right now, thanks. Even “games history” being a thing makes me feel old. But while WOW’s player population may have been declining then, and certainly still is, the game is still massive and has seen off every challenger in the interim, including The Old Republic. In your face, student Emma and her stupid stuffy games history professor.

Sorry. Nothing, maybe not even Nintendo, makes me come over more fanboy than this game. Is that a self-justification mechanism to defend the literal years of playtime I have sunk into this MMO? Probably, but that’s not just it. It’s telling, I think, that you felt so invested in your character and the Worgen race so early on – it must be something about the game’s art and simple but effective storytelling style that really hooks you in and encourages role-playing. In my head, my first character, a troll warrior, was a sort of clumsy eccentric who didn’t really want to be a warrior (because I didn’t – I was asked to roll one by my friends). You’re probably right about the Horde being the embarrassingly emo choice, but it is the choice I made 15 years ago and I live by it now. These people – orcs? zombies? cow-folk? – are my people. They’re my brothers and sisters. The sense of belonging is just so strong. Humans disgust me. Don’t even get me started on gnomes.

Every time Wes and I have a fun, nostalgic chat about WOW, there comes a point where I remember he played Alliance and I just feel very disappointed in him. It’s sad.

Anyway, how did you get on once you started playing? I remember the Worgen starting area being pretty action-packed and fun – a far cry from the pre-Cataclysm dustbowls where you had to kill boar for a million hours to get to level 10. (I should have made you play WOW Classic, shouldn’t I…)

Emma: I’m with you on the humans – the other choices are so much more imaginative, why on Earth would you pick something so bland?

My feelings on Gilneas are decidedly more mixed. The rainy setting and Victorian London vibes are fantastic, even if the whole lockdown situation is a little close to home right now. I love how deliciously chunky the art style is, the scale means you feel quite small next to everything, and I spent some time just wandering through houses to admire the interior design. There’s also something rather magical about how the areas transform once you’ve handed in a quest. That square you were once strolling through? Poof! It’s now a battlefield, and everything’s on fire.

On the flip side: good lord that’s a lot of fetch quests. I know this is like complaining a beach has too much sand, as MMOs are built on grind, but it’s made me realise SWTOR did a better job of disguising the fetch quests behind story beats – or at least providing big narrative pay-offs at the end. There weren’t really any characters I cared about in the starting area for WOW, so when the area flooded and it was supposed to be this big narrative moment, my reaction was “meh”. Although I did burst out laughing at the wild camera movement to convey the drama of the invading armada, it was just so charmingly clunky.

Images that precede unfortunate events.

Oli: Yeah, I can imagine that stuff is quite a lot more gauche than I remember it. At the time it was a big leap forward for storytelling in the game. A strange part of this game being such a big part of my life – and just so big – is that I really struggle to see it in the context of other games. I just see it in the context of itself. Recent expansions will make Gilneas look as old-fashioned as Gilneas made the game at launch look, but that doesn’t mean they actually feel modern.

And if you’re looking for characters to care about, you might be looking in the wrong place. The game has some lovely quest lines and the grand sweep of the story is quite exciting in places, but it doesn’t have a lot of room for characters.

As for fetch quests… I’ve played so much WOW I find the repetition soothing. I love the grind, I don’t need it to be disguised. It annoys me when I’m just walking backwards and forwards, but give me 10 monsters to kill in a metronomic fashion on the way and I’m happy. I am Pavlov’s gamer.

One thing I will say is that the starter area isn’t all that representative of what’s beyond it. Not that there’s less grind – there’s more, so much more. But the slightly awkward way the storytelling and quest mechanics sit next to each other gets smoothed away, and the delivery feels much more natural. The game becomes much more about exploring its vast maps, too, which is one of the things it’s best at.

Emma: I think the fetch quests would also be much more bearable if I was playing with someone else – soloing WOW isn’t exactly a natural way to play it, so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for that! It’s a shame I couldn’t get to the stage where I could try a raid party, as I always wanted to have my own Leeroy Jenkins moment.

We haven’t talked about the actual combat mechanics yet, although I think I only really tried the most basic moves of all, which were varieties of bonking people on the head with a mace. It does get to the point where you figure out an order for your moves, and it feels great when that clicks: charge in, lay down a few smacks, and then bring out the more powerful moves and a finisher. I can understand how this makes the grind feel far more satisfying, particularly as one of my moves worked from jumping quickly from one battle to the next, and I had to figure out that time window. It turns out MMOs are part rhythm game: this is my take for the day.

Oli: That is a good and correct take. And yes, although it’s very basic at the start of the game, you’ve started to get a sense of what makes the game so hypnotic, and so good. Above all WOW has brilliant RPG classes, with expertly designed skills that are really satisfying to use. So once you get into the groove with your rotation, and start to learn how to optimise it – and learn to use situational skills as well when things get a bit more complex – it’s super rewarding.

WOW’s dirty secret is that most people, most of the time, are playing it solo. The dungeons and raids are definitely the game at its best; large-scale raiding is seen as the pinnacle of the game, but I think it’s the five-player dungeons that are better dynamically. If you can hang on to level 15, you’ll get to try one. I think they’re some of the best co-op gaming ever, even if players tend to rush through them a bit these days. But yes, questing is mostly done solo and is tuned as such.

That said, the best times I’ve ever had in the game have been questing with one friend. There’s just so much to discover, such a varied and exciting world, and it’s great doing it in company. If I could persuade you to keep playing, I’d say this: try a dungeon, and get to a point where you can really start to explore the landmasses. The environment art is incredible in its simple, colourful way, there’s no loading, and the world just goes on for ever.

I’d love to know how dated it feels to you. I think Blizzard has done a great job keeping a 15-year-old game feeling slick and playable, but that’s got to have its limitations.

Bleiddast means she-wolf in Welsh, according to the Welsh-English Online Dictionary. (‘Character names are serious business’ – Emma.)

Emma: Alas, I must have stopped just before reaching the first dungeon – I think the quest which involved killing a bunch of spiders finally finished me off. I’d always thought of myself as being a bit of a weird loner when playing MMOs by myself, so it’s reassuring to hear most people aren’t playing as part of huge organised clans.

As for WOW feeling dated, it’s probably the cutscenes where the game suffers most, as the older graphics and animation are more noticeable there. At one point you get bitten mid-quest and your character just flies across the room, which was both confusing and hilarious. The voice acting also gave me a chuckle, as it sounds so theatrical: particularly when the human version of a Worgen politely tells you you’re out of range, and the werewolf version sounds like a chain smoker. I also heard that particular line way too much.

Despite all this, the art style is strong enough to stand the test of time, and the core gameplay loop still feels solid – so that’s the most important thing for me. One of my university friends has offered to take me under her wing and teach me the ways of WOW, so I may be returning to it sooner than I thought. Time to try out one of those dungeons.

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Apex Legends

Oli: I’m scared. What’s happening? It says ‘Season 5’ everywhere. It boots up with a trailer of a lady fighting some robots while having apparently Significant Flashbacks, but the game itself shows no evidence of having any kind of story. The UI is a confusing mess and keeps shouting at me about Twitch Prime. My character’s lobby idle animation is all jerky. My PS4 Pro sounds like it’s going to die in the next five minutes.

I don’t do battle royale – I played Fortnite, like, once. In fact, I don’t really do multiplayer shooters in any form. I have bad aim and I get performance anxiety. I don’t find them relaxing or fun, I find them stressful. Apex Legends isn’t really helping me get over this.

I get why the game has been set up like this – it’s all about reducing the number of button presses between the player and a match. But it makes for a bewildering first impression. The tutorial covers the controls but otherwise isn’t very helpful, and I have to root around to get basic information such as what each character’s abilities are. It doesn’t feel welcoming at all. Also, while the characters look cool, I find the game’s art style in general very hard to read. I’m squinting at pickups to figure out what they are, and one part of the map looks much like all the others to me.

I’m sure it’ll click soon, but as someone who usually plays very different kinds of games, it’s remarkable to me how unwelcoming this is to a first-time player.

Following your advice, Emma, I picked Gibraltar, the tanky one, for my first match. I was matchmade with a Bloodhound but for some reason the third member of our trio never joined. I just followed Bloodhound around like a total liability, getting shot, staring blankly at pickups for ages and not knowing what my abilities were for. I felt bad for my partner. We managed 6th, though!

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Emma: I can’t imagine how confusing it must be to drop into Apex Legends’ lore right now. Because it’s a battle royale and nothing is permanent, Respawn mainly develops the story through trailers and tidbits on the website, all of which means it’s harder for new players to catch up. I’d recommend a trip to a wiki if you want to read up on the latest Loba/Revenant drama (it’s pretty good), but you can absolutely survive without. Although you should absolutely watch the video where Forge gets… introduced.

Apex has definitely caught a lot of flak for not being particularly beginner-friendly, in part because it’s just so fast and the encounters are super intense – although I believe Respawn introduced skill-based matchmaking to try to help new players. I’m hoping the in-match UI will click soon, too, as I think it takes a few games for your brain to figure out, and then things suddenly seem rather simple. Although it may take you far longer to figure out how to use the abilities tactically. I think I’m still figuring it out for some characters.

Saying that, please do keep trying new legends, as there’s a playstyle for everyone. My personal favourite is Pathfinder, as flinging yourself through the air and bursting into battles via zip-line is just so much fun. I love that chaotic energy.

Although you’ve been having issues with the UI, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the ping system: it’s adaptive and means you can communicate without the need for voice chat, which is such a life saver (particularly for women – no more toxic conversations, hurray). How have you found it?

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Oli: Ping is absolutely brilliant. It’s a masterstroke. I’m not using it with confidence myself yet, but having teammates use it to point out pickups and enemies, or just set waypoints, is awesome. I don’t love voice chat at the best of times, but I often can’t use it at home, so I love that Respawn has found a way to make that level of teamplay available without voice. That’s a big plus for accessibility.

I’m feeling much better after my second match, mostly because WE WON. This is now the best game ever.

I still wasn’t any good, especially at the shooting – we were totally carried, by a Bloodhound again – but I used my abilities at sensible times, got a couple of kills and a revive, and it felt good, man. Partly we were just lucky and didn’t really encounter anyone for a long midsection of the match. I haven’t got used to the pacing of battle royales, yet – often, you’re not really doing much, and yet this is helping you win as the other teams wipe each other out. It feels weird.

The game handles beautifully – no surprise from Respawn. I love the mantling and the slides and the guns feel great to fire. And yes, encounters are fast, but you’ve got the bleeding out mechanic to give you a bit of a chance to rally as a team, which is a nice touch.

I have mixed feelings about it being teams only. To begin with this stressed me out, as I prefer to learn a game without the pressure of strangers depending on me. But actually, it makes it much easier and more accessible if you can spread the load a bit, doesn’t it? And it adds a nice sense of camaraderie to what would be a pretty alienating experience otherwise.

Emma: The sliding is so good! I love it so much, in fact, that I’ve inadvertently started sliding around in other shooters – my squad mates noticed me doing this around corners in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare a couple of times. Apex seems to be one of the few battle royales where there’s no fall damage, which may seem like a small thing, but it means you don’t have pointless (and annoying) deaths from accidentally falling off things. It’s much more exciting to be shot by someone, right?

Funnily enough, Respawn actually tried a solo mode for Apex as a limited-time event a while back, and for me (and Respawn) it really didn’t work. Without teammates you lose the communication of the ping system, which as you mention, somehow wordlessly forms bonds between you and your squad before the fighting has even begun. You also end up dying quickly in situations where you can’t even react, which is particularly annoying in a battle royale where you have to re-queue rather than just respawn. No second chances.

Having a team means you have the added drama of revives, and also respawns – a system which Apex was first to introduce among the big battle royale games, with Fortnite and Warzone later doing their own versions. I don’t know if this has happened to you yet, but on occasion you can find yourself collecting the respawn banners of your two dead squadmates and sprinting to the nearest respawn beacon. It becomes a tense game of parkour and stealth at that point, and adds another layer to the storytelling in each match. It just makes it so much more memorable.

And congratulations on your win – now you’ll always be chasing the next one. Particularly as Apex puts your name in flashing lights around the arena.

Do you come here often? Yes, unfortunately.

Oli: I noticed about fall damage and breathed a sigh of relief, yeah! I haven’t clicked with the map for this game – it doesn’t feel like a place I’m excited to be – but they have made getting around it feel liberating and fun with the ziplines and stuff, and I appreciate that.

I have been respawned but I haven’t done it for anyone else yet. I don’t think I could take the responsibility.

After feeling like I had got somewhere with Gibraltar, I tried Wraith. Having an alarm when you’re targeted is a really clever idea for a passive skill – I am digging the skill design in this game. If anything is going to get me to come back, it will be experimenting with all the different legends. I didn’t get on so well with Wraith though, and had a couple of strange matches where nothing happened for ages and then our squad got wiped out in a flash. It feels really frustrating. It also feels like it’s going to take me an age to get any good at combat, because it actually forms only a tiny proportion of the time you spend playing a match.

This probably appeals to me the most of the battle royale games – it’s got that slick Respawn feel and the kind of refined design I like, with strong characters with interesting abilities. I also feel like I understand the appeal of battle royale much better after my win! But I don’t know if I could dedicate serious time to these games. They’re too much of an emotional rollercoaster for me. Too much stress. Now I need to go and soothe my cares away with a spot of repetitive grind in World of Warcraft…

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/05/world-of-warcraft-and-apex-legends-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=world-of-warcraft-and-apex-legends-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[effect-of-games]

Impact of Video Games on Communication (Results from Google Form poll)

Questions posed within poll: 1. What video games do you think have some sort of impact? Why/how (if you know)? 2. What are some of your favorite video games? 3. Why do you play video games? 4. Is there anything else you think is important when talking about video games?

Name/Gamer Tag: Poizened 1. If I under stand what you are pitching then I’d say any game with co-op/ multiplayer features make a great impact and a perfect example would be Rainbow Six Siege. Rainbow Six Siege is a multiplayer game that requires communication unlike any other game. You talk and get to meet cool people (even the toxic ones) and just off that game alone I’ve met some cool people in real life and personally games have helped me to communicate to people on my home area since I don’t talk or get out much cause I have social anxiety. Playing video games every now and then help me on my people skills. 2. Call of duty, rainbow six siege, and resident evil 3. I play video games to escape from reality, to play with friends, and to practice my people skills (verbally). 4. I also believe video games help with functional skills in a sense. What I mean by this is that I have seen my reaction time improve days on end as well as I remember the smallest types of situations that I wouldn’t have before. Also I feel as if I’m more aware of my surroundings. Name/ Gamer Tag: Mathew Jelicks/Le Pooch 1. Hardcore survival or competitive games. I feel these emphasize a strong reliance on communication skills, and because of this players become better at communicating things they want/need to say 2. Halo, Escape from Tarkov, League of Legends, Starcraft 2, CSGO 3. I play video games to relax from everyday life, take over as a specific character to see how their life feels, and as a way to better myself at a hobby. 4. Video games don't always produce violence in people, let alone turn innocent kids into delinquents. It's a matter of control and having people to still remind you of the difference between games and reality. If you let someone young sit there for days on end just playing a game, of course they're gonna see negative effects, it's up to everyone to make sure that regulations are set to make sure that negative effects don't occur. As with anything in life, not having a form of regulation or checking up on the activity could lead to serious negative effects. Name/Gamer Tag: BigLettuce 1. Different games have different effects. Team based games require more cohesion where as individual games are more dependent on self sufficiency. The team based game forces you to cooperate with others to achieve some kind of common objective and in theory the objective takes president over the individual. This can be true and false to varying degree's. Individual games or team based games you play independently tend to lead the player to act in their own interest. 2. Minecraft, Hearts of Iron 3. Mainly to pass the time, play with friends. I've grown further away from them as I've grown older but I still play on occasion. 4. I believe video games can and are a good outlet for expression. On the other side of the same coin I believe they can lead people to believe they are spending some kind of time with others when no actual social interaction is being accomplished. Isolation and inability to socialize irl can be possible side effects but I believe that is for the individual to decide how much they want to play. Name/Gamer Tag: Hoss 1. Most if not all, excluding mobile games 2. Planetside 2, runescape 3, Dead Space, Metro 3. To escape the dull, boring, unforgiving thing that is reality. 4. Shitty lootbox mechanics aka "surprise mechanics" Name/Gamer Tag: Bree / chainbreeaction 1. I think competitive video games have the most impact. They aren’t my favorite but I know a lot of people like to compete and interact with other players in that kind of setting. I’m out of touch with competitive games but I’m pretty sure Fortnite is still big. It definitely made an impact. 2. (Any) Pokemon, legend of Zelda, animal crossing, assassins creed, Spider-Man (ps4), uncharted 4, Batman Arkham city, (any) silent hill. Those are just a few! 3. I play a lot of video games for the story. I’m invested deeply into quite a few franchises. But also sometimes, escapism. 4. When it comes to competitive play online, there’s a HUGE sexism problem. Women of all ages sometimes don’t even bother turning their mics on while playing because they don’t want to be insulted by male players. It doesn’t even make sense because the percentage of men and women who play video games are very close to 50%/50%. Name/Gamer Tag: TheH0lySpirit 1. There are some games like "Life is Strange," and "Little Nightmares" bring a different perspective on life as well as connect deeply with certain people who have been through traumatic incidents, moments or feelings that largely have impacted their lives. These games almost become therapeutic and a way to cope with those emotion. However, other games that require teamwork and large amounts of effort like Dead by Daylight, Rainbow Six Siege or Overwatch bring people together and forge bonds with people you meet on the internet. 2. Rainbow Six Siege, Far Cry Series, Dead By Daylight, Endless Space, Stellaris 3. Its almost therapy to me. Working in a volatile environment like the FX Market can be stressful, leading classes all the time and being stuck watching numbers can be stressing. However, at the end of a long day, a session with friends or just brainless play helps me get tired. Due to my insomnia, it helps me fall asleep and get a nights rest eventually. Its also a great way to blow out steam in games like Killing Floor 2 4. Many people think it's not a valid career or that kids shouldn't be encouraged to play. Honestly, it can be the reason why kids are so environmentally aware or even crafty. Most games have aspects of fantasy but they aren't completely unrealistic. Its obvious kids learn these games and pick them up very quickly. If games could be incorporated in things like education, further study, therapy, and other subjects, these normally hard to grasp subjects would become much easier to understand Name/Gamer Tag: CreedBlade 1. Story driven games, I feel, have the greatest impact on us. Humans are storytellers by nature. We thrive on a good story. We hold our breath for the next moment in a good tale. Games that bring forward a good story, like the later Assassin's Creed games, Fire Emblem, or Shadow of Mordor, can evoke powerful story elements and bring the player in. They go beyond mechanics and graphics to entice the player to explore and find out what happens next. Stories have the power to change lives. Its why tabletop games like d&d work too. Because good stories draw us in. 2. Hollow Knight, Assassin's Creed Black flag and Origins, Fire Emblem 3 houses. 3. For fun, for adventure, for challenge, for entertainment 4. Video games are a medium that give a player control over what happens. Agency is a powerful thing. We constantly clamor for it in our everyday lives; but the agency we find in games can allow us to do more. People like video games that allow for agency and choice, even if those choices are limited. Name/Gamer Tag: Logan Kreger / Trumpet | Thrax 1. Every sort of game has an impact on communication, being a popular form of entertainment, but more specifically, multiplayer games have had a massive impact on communication, connecting people around the world and giving them a common interest and goal. There are both positive and negative aspects to this, allowing some people to make new friends, while others are hostile towards other players. Overall, they allow new interactions between people that otherwise would never meet. 2. Warframe, the Civilization series, Rainbow 6: Siege, Factorio, Portal (2), Stellaris, Command & Conquer Generals 3. entertainment, story, interaction with friends 4. In regards to communication, I believe its important to note that video games have their own language in regards to the way that they convey ideas, especially surrounding level design and controls. Name/Gamer Tag: Bear 1. Biggest impact games are game that encourage you to communicate and devise strategies with others. If you take it seriously and you exercise proper communication skills, you will more often than not be successful at what you do.  2. Some of my favorite video games are shooters and RPGs/MMORPGs such as Escape From Tarkov and World of Warcraft. 3. I play video games because I use it as means to keep up with friends. It exercises my brain and I am able to interact with different people daily. 4. Just have fun, and enjoy responsibly. Name/Gamer Tag: DreamSong 1. Assuming this is impact for an individual, I'd say all games. I believe any game can have an impact on any individual, because every person, views each game differently from another person. Two people may both enjoy a single game, but the way it impacts each person in their lives is different. One never knows what someone is going through, and therefore may not know what helps them in their daily lives. I've played plenty of games that I'll admit weren't great games, either through quality or other. But some of these games were able to help me through tough times where other games, or people couldn't. Long story short, any game can have an impact on any person if it's presented to them at the right time. If you meant impact on a larger grouping of people, then I say games that are wildly popular, or wildly unique/controversial, are the games that tend to impact communities, and groups of people. 2. I really like games that are mechanical skill based, and competitive. Games like super smash brothers where it's a one on one, all mechanics, all skill. I like games where I know I beat my opponent because I'm better than them, or they beat me because I need to improve. I like games that tend to be more black and white, and have obvious ways of showing you where you need to improve.Inversely, I also really like sandbox games. Games like Minecraft, or Animal Crossing really appeal to me, because I really like organizing. In sandbox games I feel like I have all the freedom I want to organize, and personalize my stuff. It's nice. 3. Primarily for fun, and as an escape. I was introduced to games very young, and became attached to them. When younger, I don't think I was really using games to hide from the world, but as I grew older it changed a bit. Video games were still something I sought after to play and have fun, but the older I got and the lonelier I got, video games became an escape. Having 5 siblings meant I was never really alone, but due to the age gaps, and personality differences, there were many times where I couldn't relate easily. My only sibling sharing the same gender is 8 years older than I am, so I tried to feel close to him, but being an 8 year old, trying to get the attention of a 16 year old with their friends was hard. So overtime, I turned my love for games from something that I was able to enjoy with my siblings, to something I would enjoy when my siblings weren't willing/able to hang out. Long story short, games are fun, I enjoy playing them. It's nice to feel challenged sometimes. 4. I would just say be wary that there are different games, and different people playing them. Everyone who gets into games, got into them for their own personal reason, even if it ends up boiling down to the same general idea. Each person is different, and each case, is by case. Name/Gamer Tag: Sapientis 1. Call Of Duty, Siege, Arma 3, etc. They are stress relievers and Arma is a military simulator that can allow some people to see how certain tactics for infiltration of a enemy strong hold works. 2. Rainbow Six Siege, Anthem, Valorant 3. Been playing them since I was a kid, always have fun while playing and they help me relieve stress. 4. Having fun is the key part to playing video games, if your not having fun, than you are playing right.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1189

Monday, November 20, 2017

 Ottawa ComicCon put on a special edition Holiday con this past weekend so I went to check it out because it was FREE admission. Still had to pay $8 to park at the EY Centre though. The main reason I went was to pick up the book D&D&D (D)ungeons & (D)ragons & (D)oodles The Tabletop Fantasy Art of Tom Fowler since Tom was there. Much to my surprise Craig Taillefer was sitting next to him on one side and Ronn Sutton was on the other. I spent a happy half hour geeking out and swapping stories with them. After Tom signed my copy and generously drew a sketch inside I walked around the venue checking out the booths. It's been years since I've attended a con and I was impressed by some of the set-ups. Still, the comic vendors looked like the ones that sold stuff 30 years ago. Same tables of long boxes and makeshift walls for the wall books. I saw a lot of old Snail customers that I haven't seen in years. Some I recognized and some that I didn't. They all knew me though. The reaction of some folks was "what is he doing here?" looks that made me grin. I ended my sojourn hanging out with my Jee-Riz partner Chris as he helped at a friends booth. I can't say that I'll go to another con but I'm glad I went to this one.

 Action Comics #991 - Dan Jurgens (writer & breakdown art) Viktor Bogdanovic (pencils) Viktor Bogdanovic, Trevor Scott & Scott Hanna (inks) Mike Spicer (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "The Oz Effect" concludes with the question of whether Mr. Oz was Jor-El or not left unanswered. Throw in a mysterious super powerful villain and it's more than enough to keep me reading. I liked Viktor's slimmer Superman. He looks more natural than the muscle bound version that Nick Bradshaw & Brad Anderson drew for the cover.

 Runaways #3 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). It's time to catch up with Karolina Dean as Gert tries to get the team back together again. Karolina used to be one hot mess but she's a lot better now thanks to therapy.  I am really looking forward to next issue when the gang goes to find Molly, my favourite Runaway.

 Wildstorm: Michael Cray #2 - Bryan Hill (writer) N. Steven Harris (pencils) Dexter Vines (inks) Dearbhla Kelly (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Michael's first assignment is to kill Oliver Queen. Yep, that Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow guy. His next assignment is to target another well known name. These characters are bad guys in the Wildstorm universe and I think that's cool.

 Spider-Man Deadpool #23 - Robbie Thompson (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) Tim Townsend, Al Vey & Richard Friend (inks) Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Spider-Man tries to arrest Deadpool and mindless mayhem ensues. So a typical issue of Spider-Man Deadpool. But wait, what's with this lovely art that looks like the old Doctor Strange comic book? Why yes, it's Chris Bachalo. I am so happy and will be ogling the rest of "Arms Race" with glee.

 Star Wars #38 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). "The Ashes of Jedha" starts here. We've got Luke, Leia and Han trying to contact fighters against the Empire on the planet Jedha. That's where the Empire wants to strip mine the planet's Kyber crystals. The partisans appear to not want to play nice though. We'll see how the gang gets out of this fine mess.

 Not Brand Echh #14 - It was difficult finding every issue of the 13 issue run of the original series on the spinner racks back in the late sixties but I bought and read every one that I could. This title made fun of my favourite Marvel comic books back then and this latest issue doesn't spare the House of (sometimes bad) Ideas. It got a couple of genuine chuckles out of me so that's about $2.50 Canadian per chuckle. Here are the comedy sketches and their creative teams. Secret Empire Abridged: Nick Spencer (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours). Better Than Canon: Katie Cook (writer& art). Gwenpool Absorbs the Marvel Universe: Christopher Hastings (writer) Gurihiru (art). Marvel Behind the Scenes: Nick Kocher (writer) Brian Churilla (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours). Love Can Be Nuts: Ryan North (writer) Erica Henderson (art). The Not Next Issue Page: Chip Zdarsky (writer & art). Forbush Man Returns parts 1 to 4: Jay Fosgitt (writer & art). The whole issue was lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles (letters).

 Batman #35 - Tom King (writer) Joelle Jones (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). "Rules of Engagement" concludes with a terrific sword fight between Catwoman/Selina and Talia, Batman's ex. The verbal repartee was great and just as great was the one between Damian and Dick. My question is "where the heck did Holly come from?". I hope that this family adventure theme continues because I really like having Selina, Damian, Dick and Alfred around.

 Maestros #2 - Steve Skroce (writer & art) Dave Stewart (colours) Fonografiks (letters). This is a beautifully illustrated Game of Thrones and Wands with wizard warriors plotting against each other. There's a rekindled romance and a shocking twist that makes reading the next issue a must.

 Champions #14 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Worlds Collide part 4. He's no Blue Fairy but the High Evolutionary pulls a Pinocchio on Viv Vision and all seems lost. The heroes fight through but there's still a ways to go to prevent total destruction. We'll find out what happens when Avengers #674 hits the racks on December 6.

 Aquaman #30 - Dan Abnett (writer) Stjepan Sejic (art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). Atlantis Uprising. The revolution starts here. Orin joins the rebel forces and King Rath becomes more unhinged. Meanwhile, Mera is in deep water. I am enjoying this book again. You should give it a try.

 Mech Cadet Yu #4 - Greg Pak (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Triona Farrell (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). It's all-out action as the four cadets and their robos fight against giant alien crabs and orders from their superiors. The General is not pleased. Let's see what happens to keep them in their mechs and not get kicked out of the program.

 Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan #2 - Declan Shalvey (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue tells us why the two heroes are teaming up. Makes sense. I like these straightforward good guys versus bad guy stories with witty repartee that don't tax the brain pan too much.

 Superman #35 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Travis Moore, Stephen Segovia & Art Thibert (art) Danei Ribeiro (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Hey, I thought Lex's armour was mostly green. The battle for the throne of Apokalips continues with Lois and Jon's lives still hanging in the balance. I still think that Lex will save the day in the end.

 American Gods #9 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art & colours) Rick Parker (letters). This is like reading the novel again but better. The art enhances the story so much.

 Defenders #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor & Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is the funniest comic book on the racks for the week. Yes even funnier than Not Brand Echh #14. Brian has a great sense of humour. I'm wondering now if all the great artists that he works with are also going to work for DC. That would be ideal for me because he really clicks with David Marquez and Sara Pichelli. The five page fight scene between Elektra and Iron Fist is the best I've ever seen. Just as good as watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.

 Wonder Woman Conan #3 - Gail Simone (writer) Aaron Lopresti (pencils) Matt Ryan (inks) Wendy Broome (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). Some sorcery is added to the swords this issue.

 Mighty Thor #701 - Jason Aaron (writer) James Harren (art) Dave Stewart (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I must have missed Mangog's origin story back when Jack Kirby first drew him but Jason recaps it very well here. Mangog isn't the only long unseen character to pop up. The Odinson's best buddy reappears too. This issue is one awesome battle. The visuals are so striking I could feel each punch. What a great fill-in by James Harren.

 Super Sons #10 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jose Luis (art) Scott Hanna (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I like the contrast between Jon's youthful enthusiasm and Damian's grim cynicism. The three year age gap feels like decades but each one is subtly influencing the other. This issue sets it up so that the two lads will be spending even more time together learning how to be heroes. This is one of my favourite comic books on the racks right now.

 Amazing Spider-Man #791 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I am enjoying this point in Peter Parker's life where things are going well for him. His relationship with Mockingbird is sweet and chaste. His new job is challenging. The super heroics aren't too over the top and he comes out a winner this issue. I know the good times won't last but I will feel good while it does. My fanboy crush on Bobbi Morse is even bigger now because of the way Stuart and Wade draw her. Sigh.

 Incredible Hulk #710 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Return to Planet Hulk part 2. Hulk has to survive a gauntlet to save lives and he smashes admirably. It looks like next issue swipes scenes from the Thor Ragnarok movie. I am looking forward to that guest appearance.

 Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #297 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Adam Kubert with Juan Frigeri (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Totally different Peter Parker. Totally different life from Amazing. The two titles aren't even trying for continuity and that's okay. I just want to read a good story and this one where Peter and Spider-Man are being pursued by the authorities is a good one. Throw in recent revelations involving Jonah Jameson and this fan is anxious to see what happens next. According to the next issue tease T'Challa will come calling.

 Star Wars: Darth Vader #8 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Daniele Orlandini (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We are witness to some Jedi rage this issue along with finding out what the stakes are for the good guys. Wondering what Vader is going to do keeps me coming back.

 Weapon X #11- Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers) Marc Borstel & Ibraim Roberson (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The Hunt for Weapon H concludes. Will Hulkverine be a good guy or a bad guy? The jury is still out on that. I like this team and am enjoying their adventures so far.

 Spider-Men II #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Elisabetta D'Amico (inking assistant) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles's search for his evil twin takes a terrible turn but he's got the Amazing Spider-Man helping out now. The two webslingers should be able to figure things out but you never know.

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[houstonlocalus-blog]

A World of Her Own: An Interview with JooYoung Choi

JooYoung Choi, “Watson and the Cos Present – Begin Transmission to the Earth” (2015)

  JooYoung Choi is one of the most interesting people you may ever meet. A talented artist living and working in Houston, she has fast-tracked her career in the past several years with mounting shows across the US, all while gaining the attention of national papers and websites. It’s a bit of a challenge to explain her highly imaginative and fantastical work due to the fact that it seems to exist on a plane all to itself. Working within video, sculpture, paintings and puppets, Choi creates all that she desires in this world. But she doesn’t just conjure these worlds on the small scale, she creates them as large, engulfing environments. Choi’s paintings are rich with color and complexity and give deeper insight into her sweet madness. While her alter egos can be seen throughout all of her pieces, they are just a small percentage of her ongoing characters and settings. And with performance as a foundation throughout her work, Choi will never allow you to make a dividing line between what is here and what lies within there. Currently, Choi has her solo exhibition, A Better Yesterday, at the Contemporary Art Museum Houston. This new, highly vivid show is a powerful step for Choi, and it poses her as one of the top artist working both within the region and nationally. Free Press Houston was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to talk with Choi about her practice, the exhibition, and her upcoming workshop.

JooYoung Choi, “Three Black Stars: Resilient, Brilliant & Creative” (2016)

  Free Press Houston: You have been exhibiting all over the country and even had some wonderful coverage from the Huffington Post.  Can you tell me a little bit about this experience for you and how these key components of your practice fell into place?

Choi: The last few years have been extraordinary. When I review all the projects I have worked on from the Parliament of the Owls show at Diverse works to now, it takes a moment for me to believe it all has happened since the Summer of 2015.

In the past few years, I have realized that I am a lover of learning, and that art and narrative have been a vehicle to do just that. My piece at the Diverse Works show of 2015, Earth Based Satellite Investigation and Innovative Production of Educational Materials for the Sight and Sound Research Foundation of the Cosmic Womb, also known as E.B.S.C.I.I.P.E.M.S.S.R.F.C.W., pushed me to learn more about video editing, chroma key, puppet making, and taught me that my studio process could be of interest to viewers. It was here that it introduced me to the idea of including an interactive component to my work. As an artist that has in the past often worked alone, moving my studio into the Diverse works artist space and creating a video art project with the public was a growing experience.

In February of 2016, I had a solo show called “Paracosmic Alchemy” at Anya Tish Gallery. For this show, I learned more about carpentry and built my first video art sculptures. I introduced new characters into my narrative and created my first battle painting. This show explores a method of exploring experiences from the past we cannot change, how people can use their imaginations to take a challenging experience and transform it through storytelling and imagery into something meaningful.

July 2016 I worked on the Snow People Space Travel to Texas Initiative, with a generous grant from the Ideafund. For the project, I created a team of intergalactic “snow people” puppets (snow people who had evaporated into outer space and had returned to earth). The project showed me what it looked like to develop a narrative and then let go of some control and let the art develop further through playful interaction with viewers. With the help of submittable.com and a team of judges (myself, two artists and one curator), we reviewed a collection of applicants who wanted to host a snow person puppet for one week, with the condition that they share a photo of them and their puppet each day. After the snow people were delivered to the host families, I watched like everyone else, and saw what kind of joy and magic a play friend can bring to the lives of adults and children.

During the fall and winter of 2016, I produced my first two large-scale sculptures and created my first large-scale immersive installation. “Freedom from Madness” was the first large-scale sculpture I have ever produced and was a wild process of trial and error. I began these pieces in the summer and worked until the fall to present them. Learning what a sculpture made by me would even look like, was a challenge. I ended up watching puppet tutorials and pulling apart dolls to make patterns. I accidentally went to a furry workshop for costume creation, thinking it was a workshop on how to make fursuits of all kinds. Instead, I learned a lot about Furry culture, but that was neat too. I took a week-long trip to NYC to look at art and gather ideas as well as a shorter trip to Disney World to understand my first memorable experiences in immersive installation. I went on the “It’s a small world after all” at least three times, furiously taking notes and drawing pictures. The Peter Pan ride at disney world inspired how I used lighting and figures in the Project Row House exhibit. These projects let me play with ideas about color and race in ways I hadn’t explored prior.

Growing up, and still today, there are not enough leading black women leaders in superhero comics. We can only mention that X-Men’s Storm is black so much until it gets creepy. I wanted to create a character who was black, a woman, strong, powerful, intelligent and beautiful. Spacia Tanno, in both pieces, challenges how blackness is generally perceived in English language metaphor and western storytelling. I read once that black was at one point perceived as “heaven’s color” in Chinese culture, and I thought that was quite beautiful and logical; it is the color of the nighttime sky. Furthermore, the piece at Project Row Houses let me explore my feelings about the violence against black boys in America. The things I have heard from my friends of color that have experienced racism — instances where people have tried to make them feel bad or dangerous and worthless just because of their race — is what I call the myth of the black zero. During the exhibition, the Orionid meteor shower was taking place, so I created a story about a very powerful star being born who was rejected from his constellation because he was born as a black star and was different than his siblings. As he fell backwards from the sky, he transformed from an Orion star to a Noiro star, first perceiving himself as the Black Zero (Noir-O). But the exhibit’s narrative explores the idea that noir, or black, can be comprised of all the other colors on a painter’s palette, and that zero is the number that allows us to comprehend the idea of infinity. The emotional response from people who participated in the interactive component of this installation taught me a lot about the power of art and how it can help heal or soothe the pain of it’s viewers in ways I didn’t know my work could do.

For my exhibition at the CAMH, I learned more about composition, design and color harmony. I put together a stack of books and went back to school. I took notes and researched what worked in past pieces and what aspects of my process were less helpful. The CAMH project brings a narrative that began in 2015 to a finale work called “Time For you and Joy to get Acquainted.” This work celebrates the main character’s journey of making peace with her past before riding off into the future with her beau, a rabbit, and an octopus with eczema. I have been wanting to make a dinosaur for years, and here was my chance. I couldn’t have done it without the help of volunteers who travelled out to my studio to make flowers, sew dino parts, and help with wood working. It has been such a journey!

  JooYoung Choi, “Time for You and Joy to Get Acquainted” (2016-17)

  FPH:  Your work is ever evolving, and I have gone back several times to see your show currently up at the CAMH? How did this come about? As one of your first major solo exhibitions, how did you envision approaching this on its new platform? What was your goal for this particular show?

Choi: Well, I was at Fiesta buying guacamole when I got a message asking if I’d be interested in participating. I almost dropped my guacamole! I was so happy! Bill came to learn more about my work at Lawndale and again when I did a show at Front Gallery. We talked more at Diverseworks, and so forth. He’s really fun to talk to about imaginary worlds, children’s television, and video art. He just knows so much, and it’s fun to get his perspective on things. Working with him and the team at CAMH on this has been super fun. My goal for this show was to get the whole narrative of  Spacia Tanno in one place, with the finale in the middle. It was an amazing and challenging process with lots of hard work and lots of help from volunteers. Some of my goals were more simple like: I want to see what a garden made out of fabric will look like; I want to make a giant dinosaur who can grow flowers and sit on it’s back; I want make a painting that expresses the moment of breaking out of imprisonment — enlightenment; I want to make a super big painting that has the whole gang together; and I want to make a giant spider lady. It’s a mix of these TIWTS (things I want to see) and narrative ideas.

  JooYoung Choi, “Watson and the Cos Present – Begin Transmission to the Earth” (2015)

  FPH: Your work is so adventitious and fantasy bound but calculated at the same time. I’ve enjoyed spending time within many of your large-scale installations, and your attention to the smallest components is impressive. Can you talk about your process when creating one of your environments?

Choi: Hmmm, I am very much interested in meta realities. My favorite movie since I was a child was Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Things like knowing where Eddie Valiant’s office is located (1130 South Hope Street in LA), or where the tunnel to Toon Town is, Griffith Tunnel, were important to me. This is where my husband and I technically got married — in Toon Town!

So I try to ensure that whatever I am doing is connected to reality here on earth. So if a show is happening on a certain date, I research what else is going on that day. Is a meteor shower happening? Is it the anniversary to something? Does the location of the place connect to something within the narrative I am working on? Why would these characters want to be on Earth, and why at this location?

Currently I am working on a show that will open on Friday the 13th of April, so I have been researching April 13th’s throughout history, and a particular April 13th in 2029, when an asteroid will come very close to the Earth. I am also exploring an aspect of the narrative that plays with a deck of cards since there are 4 suits (4 for April) and 13 cards per suit. Hopefully the narrative and paintings will play with the idea of my imaginary friends saving the Earth from a golden snake creature named “Apophis 44492.”

It has to feel real enough and compelling enough for me to care, to believe, and then to make. If I don’t believe in the power of my narratives or get excited by the mythology it is weaving, it’s incredibly hard for me to sustain my interest in a long term project. This is especially true when it comes to a body of work that will require months of work. It’s gotta feel genuine and include a narrative, characters, and imagery that I care about.

  JooYoung Choi, “Have Faith for You Have Always Been Loved [The Noiro & Spacia Tanno Constellation Plasma Experience]” (2016)

  FPH: How does your inner layer of characters and imaginary realms interact with your day-to-day, and how much of it just remains as contemporary art?

Choi: Hmmm, well, it’s all kind of one in the same. My character Plan-Genda is the force energy being who represents thoughtful planning and time in my imaginary world. The gridded pattern that decorates her skin resembles the gridded time management system I use to plan my work schedule. A new character named “Sputnik” is also the name of a new task brainstorming template I use to plan out more complicated projects. So the characters are part of my everyday life. I know that they aren’t real, but as with any good paracosm, I feel responsible for them, and I feel it is my job to maintain and continue to develop the world that they live in.

JooYoung Choi, “There’s Nowhere Else I’d Rather Be All Through This Lovely Night” (2017)

  FPH: Your creature creation workshop is coming up this weekend. Can you tell us about your projected outcome for this event? What is it you are trying to help the participants tap into?

Choi: So much of the world building workshops or video talks I have heard focus on writing: Take a sheet of paper and draw little picture in the box and then write out stuff like eye color, race, place of birth, age, blah blah blah. For writers, this seems to work well. I know for myself, a lot of my ideas about my characters and worlds come from making and play. Instead of knowing everything about a character through a worksheet, puppets have been incredibly helpful.

When I made Putt Putt, my pink octopus, he had only been in two paintings. He hasn’t a very popular character, and I didn’t really know anything about him. But after I made him, I brought him out with me and people played with him and he began to have an identity. My husband does his voice, and we’ve done videos where Putt Putt sings with me, and he really has developed a personality.

I like the idea of building a workshop about world building upon play. Let’s play and each make a creature! Who are the friends of this character? What do they eat? Where does this creature live? What does it do?  What does it fear, and what makes it happy? Through playing with the creatures, the mind can be invited to build a bigger and more immersive world. We will be making creatures, interviewing each others puppets, getting feedback, making small backdrops that can be chroma keyed into videos, and filming presentations with people’s creatures. Hopefully, this will give people a look into a method of world building and character creation and what it is like to generate ideas using making, playing and feedback from fellow creators.

This workshop has been limited to 14 participants per class, and it appears the classes may soon fill up.

Right now we are trying to coordinate one more artist walk through of the work, so anyone who couldn’t get into the class could bring their questions about world building to this upcoming artist talk, and I’d be happy to share what I know during that event.

  Join “A Better Yesterday” artist JooYoung Choi in a hands-on workshop to explore making your own creatures, building a world for your character, and then creating a narrative. Be inspired by Choi and the worlds she creates as you explore and delve deep into your own creative process. This workshop is ideal for people ages 13 and up.

Workshop Fee: $20, space is limited. They are offering two separate workshops on August 12, 2017:

Sign up for the 11AM–1PM workshop here: http://bit.ly/2u3yMN0

Sign up for the 2–4PM workshop here: http://bit.ly/2tu3Bxz

A World of Her Own: An Interview with JooYoung Choi this is a repost

[entergamingxp]

Eurogamer readers’ top 50 games of 2019 • Eurogamer.net

2019 is nearly done, and to put a ribbon on it all we present to you the Eurogamer reader’s top 50 games of the year. Thank you all for your contributions, and for proving once again you’ve all got better taste in gaming than us. Although I’m not quite sure about your take on Fallen Order… Enjoy!

50. Wreckfest

What we said: “A simple no-frills game that’s more Destruction Derby than Flatout, evoking a different era for the racing genre with its no-nonsense approach. Unassuming it may be, but it’s also absolutely wonderful, a knockabout racer that sticks to what Bugbear does best; this is all about cars lunching one another in a variety of events that are tuned towards maximum carnage, and as ever there’s a cathartic joy to be found in seeing fields of pre-loved machinery crumble at your fingertips.”

“Best racing game in years,” writes merf. “More fun than Forza and Gran Turismo and makes every everything Codemasters turn out look pish. Looks amazing, handles like a dream, excellent AI opponents, great post release support, a tuning system that makes sense and a physics system that feels like it needed next generation power to make possible.” Which is all well and good, but they go on to diss Fast & Furious and I’M NOT HAVING THAT.

“One of the best racers of the generation,” says kalel-ofkrypton, “and reminiscent of the favoured racers of previous gens.”

49. Greedfall

What we said: “GreedFall has more than its fair share of faults, and its curious mix of the sweet and the sour is far from a roleplaying revelation. But the elements that matter have been imbued with such love and care – so much so that I quickly forgave this ambitious RPG its shortcomings.”

“Spiders best yet,” says jbumi in what may be damnation with faint praise. “I was thrilled that I was able to get the ending I was aiming for.” “

nicfaz keeps it nice and simple, meanwhile. “Need more like this pls.”

48. Rage 2

What we said: “In its desperation to be edgy and in-your-face, this sequel sometimes falls just as flat as its predecessor, the copious neon pink daubings incapable of concealing its bland, repetitive wasteland and elevate this open-world shooter above its siblings of a similar ilk. But in its quieter moments – usually away from the Goon Squad scrum – you might find glimmers of surprisingly sophisticated storytelling, perhaps hidden in the lines of a datapad, or conveyed by a nameless NPC.”

“The guns are amazing,” says robozot, which says all that needs to be said really.

formulaic had more to say, though: “For the gunplay and the vibrant neon painted world this might be my game of the year, but it got tiring driving round a desert world that largely didn’t live up to the set pieces and enclosed areas within it.”

“A wholly enjoyable slice of post apocalyptic shooty mayhem in a Day-Glo world,” says FortySixerUK. “Hyper violent and fun.” And what more could you really ask for?

47. Sayonara Wild Hearts

What we said: “Sayonara Wild Hearts is such a simple thing but also such a complex thing, such a heartfelt thing. And so dense! Its exuberance is precision, its chaos is sheer choreography. It can reference Panzer Dragoon, Jet Set Radio, Dyad and Thumper while remaining entirely coherent, entirely itself.”

“Sayonara Wild Hearts is 2019’s best pop album game,” writes Dogatella_Verpoochie, and I entirely agree. “It’s a blast to play and listen to.”

46. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC)

A belated PC release, topped off with the addition of Reach late in the year which Digital Foundry got stuck into: “it really needs to be better – the legacy of Halo, the quality of Reach itself and the potential from a remaster practically demands it. Preserving games for the future – especially on PC – means replicating them as they were in all the places where it matters, while improving them at the same time based on the scalability of today’s hardware and beyond. Perhaps this may sound overly harsh in some respects, but this is the Halo remaster that will persist for years or even decades to come – and while the foundation is solid overall, there are clearly issues here that need attention.”

“A return to the glory days of gaming when you and your mates actually had time to waste,” says GuiltySpark.

“I hadn’t played a Halo since Reach way back when, so I was curious to see if I would still love them as much as I did,” says Spiderland. “And I did! Particularly Reach, which for one reason or another, I had forgotten everthing about. I feel Reach was the product of a team who had really honed their craft, which makes me ponder all the more as to what Bungie’s Halo 4 would have been like.”

45. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer

What we said: “Cadence is better than great. It’s an authentic banger, frankly – a Zelda game to be savoured. It’s surprising and strange and funny and sad and thrilling. And when it’s over, the game that lives on in your memory really feels like Zelda.”

“Remaking Link’s Awakening was a great success for Nintendo but in the same year Zelda got its greatest spinoff yet,” says wez_316. The original Necrodancer was fun but tough. Cadence was fun but easy. For me that suits rhythm gameplay a lot more as it can be hard to stay in that zone. Now make me an easier Metroid themed adaption of Enter The Gungeon and take my money.”

44. Life is Strange 2

What we said: ” I was left feeling the loss of these two characters as people I had spent the past year checking in on and helping to guide. Like Sean, I felt, I had done all I could to help Daniel – and the brothers’ story finished in a place which felt truthful to them and the story path I took. It was beautiful while it lasted.”

A popular follow-up, though most of you kept to yourself precisely why it got your vote. Dalek5000 had this, though – “The most compelling new game I’ve played this year.”

43. Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)

What we said: “Divinity Original Sin 2 on Switch is another ‘impossible port’ made real, thanks to a lot of careful design choices. Flawed as it is, I’m glad this exists, and it’s uncontested as a handheld take on the game. Add in the online save sharing and it’s a very big deal for fans of the desktop experience..”

“I have not played the Switch version…” says vaskis. You cheat! “I played it on my Mac, but it is such an extensive and well polished gem of a CRPG, that it really deserves to be awarded some more awards.”

“I have this on Xbox also but I found it easier to get into on the Switch,” says nee5on, who at least played on the right format. “Second time playing has been so much fun as I now have a feeling for what I’m supposed to be doing. Starting to find the complexity thrilling and liberating. It is a genre of game I’ve always thought I would enjoy if I could get past the learning curve and having been playing games since the early 80s – I feel like I’m finally there.”

42. Yoshi’s Crafted World

What we said: “Yoshi’s Crafted World is a fine achievement. It’s a scrolling platformer with an abundance of style and imagination, and a pleasingly laid-back adventure with an ocean of depth to explore. It is, first and foremost, a work born of mastery and a keen attention to detail. This is a game of impeccable, readily appreciable craft.”

“Is Yoshi about to become the new Kirby in the best way possible?” asks simplymod. “Fair enough, Yoshi’s appearances as the main character are quite a few games shy of what Kirby can offer, but Crafted World is true to the Yoshi Feeling (twentysomething years after Super Mario World 2), brings a new art style to the table, relies on what works but is brave enough to try something new.”

41. Return of the Obra Dinn (Console)

The second appearance in as many years on our list as Obra Dinn came to console, but this is surely a treasure worth returning to: “It is a joy to poke around as the game slowly opens up new spaces. It is a pleasure – and a very harmonious pleasure – to come to an understanding of how different parts of the ship slot together, where people sleep, where they work, where they gather for a game of cards. That powdery white line that draws this bleak world is surprisingly adept at giving a sense of the material reality of the ship – razor sharp on the rarely-used stairs you use to climb aboard, breaking into radar-like speckles when ghosting an outline of waves into life. As your clues mount up and the images in the book become less and less fuzzy, so the world comes into focus. You are not just exploring a place, you are slowly getting a sense for it. What an astonishing game. What an incredible piece of work.”

“The lack of hand holding made this a challenge,” writes Lucidmatt, lucidly, “but the pay off was exceptional.”

“Never got to play it on PC, but it was worth the wait,” says disintegration7. “Totally unique gameplay and artistic style, plus a giant squid!!!” Er, spoilers mate..

40. Blood and Truth

What we said: “It all adds up to a game that is surprisingly charming. Certainly more charming than anything the actual High Ritchieverse has ever mustered. There is a sense of silliness to Blood & Truth that loves the idiotic family drama at the center of the story, that understands that VR is at times a very clumsy business so you’re going to accidentally shoot the person you’re meant to be talking to or shoot yourself in the groin while you’re trying to put your gun away.”

“Runner up for best VR of the year,” says dbvapor. “Sorry, but Ace Combat 7’s VR mode is just that good. Excellent game though, and I look forward to the next one! Reload!”

“This is the sort of polished ‘big game’ I had been waiting for from PSVR,” adds Stepharneo.

39. Kingdom Hearts 3

What we said: “Here’s the thing. Kingdom Hearts should be right up my street: I love Disney, I have a reasonable tolerance for the idiosyncrasies of your typical JRPG, and I enjoyed the second game and Birth By Sleep. I fell hard for the weaponised nostalgia of The Force Awakens and Mary Poppins Returns. So this should really be an open goal. And yet, Yoko Shimomura’s impeccable score notwithstanding (those yearning oboes of the Twilight Town theme always set me off), I remained dry-eyed throughout.”

“A game stuck in development hell that actually turned out quite well,” writes XanderXAJ. “Amazing animation that somehow often matches that of extremely-high budget CG animation — and in real time, too! It also has an amazing soundtrack – and one I had the pleasure of experiencing live at a World of Tres concert earlier this year.”

“It’s one of two games from this year I’ve really bothered to give a go,” says Solegor. “Not because there are terrible games this year, but because I’m still clearing my backlog. While KH3 is far from perfect, it’s still gorgeous to look at and at least it tries to tie up the convoluted storylines from the previous games.”

“Honestly,” says agrippA1, “the wait was worth it just for the Big Hero 6 world.”

38. The Witcher 3 (Switch)

What we said: “Overall, Saber and CDPR hit an impressive bar of quality here. Clearly, performance can vary, but on balance it holds 30ps more often than I expected. The Witcher 3 Complete Edition pruned back everything it can to be playable, while still somehow retaining a lot of its best visual features. Graphical points like reflections, light shafts, water physics, and even a high NPC count are incredible to see on a handheld. This is close to perfection.”

“Unfortunately, despite big releases such as Gears 5, Pokemon Sword, Jedi Fallen Order and many more, nothing truly gripped me this year,” says Dalek5000. “I’ve found myself yet again immersed into the world of The Witcher 3, despite the graphical downgrade. Commuting has never been so fun!”

“I don’t even own a Switch but this is the game of the year every year it is released,” says Rodimus Prime. Heretic! And honestly, treat yourself to one. They’re rather good.

37. The Division 2

What we said: “From start to finish, The Division 2 pulls in these bits of American history with unwavering earnesty and yet manages to say absolutely nothing. Worse, it goes out of its way to say nothing. The result is that the only real message The Division 2 manages to impart is that guns will keep you safe. Despite the advertising campaign this is not a game about saving the soul of America, it’s a game about the good guys with guns taking what they want from the bad guys with guns. A shame, because if you can look past the vacuity and the slapdash politicisation of The Division 2, there’s a great game to be enjoyed here – even if you’ll never quite escape the sense that it’s a thunderingly dumb one.”

“If I didn’t have a friend, probably not,” admits groovychainsaw. “But with a buddy this is some of the best coop shooting you can get. A superb engine, great graphics and great moment to moment shooting. Expanded well to give you plenty to do after the end, unlike many of its rivals.”

“Awesome experience with an end game that kept giving,” adds Big-Swiss.

“It’s not only one of the best Ubisoft games of the past few years but successfully built on the foundations of the first game,” says gabortoth. “Bigger, better in every way, it’s an excellent looter-shooter-RPG that seemingly never ends. Outstanding gunplay, cover system and RPG elements make this one of the best experiences for me in 2019.”

“Flawed, unfinished, and absolutely fantastic,” says atropos as they strike a more cautious note. “It’s a shame The Division 2 didn’t just build on what the original The Division had become after many, many updates (thoroughly excellent), but this was still the most time I spent in an MMO this year.”

36. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

To our eternal shame, we weren’t able to play enough of Iceborne to provide a review, though we did enjoy what we saw: “Iceborne, with its stubborn challenges, can feel like it’s pitched more towards those expert players, but the joy of Monster Hunter – now, as ever – is how it embraces all playstyles, whether you’re thrashing about with dual blades or keeping a watching brief with a bowgun. Or, whether you’re veteran who wants to solo some of the biggest, baddest monsters, or a scrub like myself who’s happy to wade in the shallows and simply enjoy the spectacle. Iceborne does a decent job of catering to both, and there’s enough there to satisfy all corners of Monster Hunter World’s 13 million strong audience. So, don’t be put off by Iceborne – in truth, there’s never been a better time to get into Monster Hunter.”

“Every time I think that the series has peaked and can’t get any better, Ryuji Tsujimoto and his merry crew manage to tweak and improve the formula,” says XanderXAJ. “350 more hours in this expansion pack so far are testament to how well-honed the mechanics are — and how hooked I am. Capcom have had one hell of a year.”

“Monster Hunter has evolved into a free flowing beast of a game,” says Mechakabukizero. “I still love the older games in the series but l find it tough to go back after the greatness which is Monster Hunter World.”

“Improves upon the base game in so many ways,” says Aporca. “It adds a wealth of new content which is both a challenge and a joy to play. The one game I keep coming back to.”

35. Dragon Quest Builders 2

What we said: “The series’ sense of adventure, of pushing forward into new lands to make new discoveries and to unearth the warmth and character that’s always been at the series’ heart, is re-emphasised. It’s a wonderful thing, really, and the most fun I’ve had with a Dragon Quest game in years..”

“Being a jaded old fart whose gaming pedigree dates back to the early Vic20 days, I was delighted to find this recaptured some of the wonder and magic I felt with new worlds as a kid,” says Matnee. “That’s something to be cherished these days.” Ain’t that the truth.

“Everything I love about Minecraft, with none of the crippling, overwhelming, anxiety,” adds logicub. “This game is what defined my other choices, I spent so much time building up my Isle of Awakening that I haven’t played half as many games this year as I normally would.”

34. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers

What we said: Well, not enough really as Final Fantasy 14’s a title we’ve struggled to cover properly. Sorry!

Thankfully you lot know your stuff. Like Gamblix here: “I have played Final Fantasy XIV since the late days of A Realm Reborn and seeing this game from strength to strength is so heartwarming, considering the games awful 1.0 launch. Shadowbringers is without a doubt, one of the best MMO expansions EVER and one of the best JRPG stories in modern video games. Anyone who has a remote interest in Final Fantasy should play this. It is near perfection in storytelling.” God, we really should play it, shouldn’t we?

33. Dirt Rally 2.0

What we said: “Dirt Rally 2.0 is part of the new Codemasters – the one that brought us the equally brilliant F1 2018 – that indulges its passion for motorsport. It’s deep, involving and crafted with love, and you can’t help but love it back in turn. The original Dirt Rally made a convincing claim at being the best off-road sim to date. I think its sequel can lay claim to being one of the best driving experiences available right now.”

“Well… it’s an improved Dirt Rally,” says DrStrangelove, keeping things to the point. “How much more praise do you need?”

“The best, better,” says hypobla5t. “Compulsive genius.”

32. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

What we said: “Ace Combat 7 is the real deal with a perfect blend of new and classic ideas packed into a cohesive, highly replayable package. There aren’t many games quite like this being released today so whether you’re a returning fan that has missed the classic series or a newcomer looking for something a little different, it’s an absolute must-play.”

“Ace Combat 7 is such a pure game,” says mickjohnson. “It’s action, it’s mayhem, it’s a crazy storyline, with fantastic music, and it’s beautifully delivered in a way that seems elusive to other developers. Add in some brief (but excellent) PSVR support and you’ve got my #1 game of this year.”

“Tragically underrated,” says AgrippA1. “It’s exactly what you would expect from an Ace Combat game and the VR bit was excellent.”

31. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

What we said: Nothing. Look, we got the hint – we might have written enough already over the past few years about Destiny.

“The amount of time I’ve put into Destiny 2 since picking it back up in August doesn’t let me choose anything else, honestly,” says SnikrepJ. “It’s spectacular if you enjoy the whole shared world looter shooter MMORPG – not without its flaws, but what is these days?”

30. Super Mario Maker 2

What we said: “Years ago I read the only writing advice that I suspect anybody really needs. Type something, it ran, because then you have something to change. William Goldman said that, I think, and he would have been very at home with Mario Maker. Everyone would be at home here, I suspect. Like the first game, this is a warm bubble bath to settle into, or an afternoon on the sofa with the Sunday papers and nothing else in the diary. Has it changed? Not too much. But it is wonderfully soothing to have it back.”

“It is Mario Bros on the Nintendo Switch and you can design and share your own levels!” says Beatleben. “What else can you say?”

“The game I’ve played more than any other this year,” says EvilAspirin. “Endless Mario levels. What’s not to love?” Exactly!

29. Dragon Quest 11 S

What we said: “Is this the best Dragon Quest? Some people believe so, and I can understand why – it’s where the character, charm and colour that make this series so beloved are at their most vivid. Personally I’m not so sure, and even after the improvements made for this edition I wish Dragon Quest 11 could find a little more space for its players, though there’s no denying the eloquence of its craft, or the vastness of its scope. In terms of scale and spectacle, this is as grand an adventure you’ll find on the Nintendo Switch this side of Breath of the Wild.”

“I almost stuck it out until the final boss (before I got distracted by other games; I will return), and that is more than I can say for 99% of JRPGs…” That’s the Romeric verdict.

“Unbelievably conventional but undeniably beautifully polished. Video game comfort food – like eating a buttery hot cross bun on a gloomy, wet, winter’s evening.” Captain_T_Dawg paints a nice picture there.

28. Pokmon Sword and Shield

What we said: “Sword and Shield’s Wild Area is desperately flat. There will undoubtedly be a moment of shivers, if you’re a long-term fan, when you first see Pokmon roaming the world and you finally get to gaze around that space yourself. But that moment will wear off when you realise you’ve already seen it all. And it’ll fade from memory entirely when you inevitably hop back on the rails from which you have just at last broken free. What is intended as a great, Breath of the Wild step forward quickly turns to two giant leaps back, and with these games that sad irony is everywhere. Pokmon Sword and Shield project a sense of scale and ambition far beyond any previous ones in the series, but to take it back to those gargantuan new Dynamax forms, the size is merely a shadow. A shallow projection, in place of the real thing.”

Logicub – is that a Pokmon? – says: “Pokemon games are not made purely for the long-term fans. They’re made for everybody. If you can just remember that, then this is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through a Britain that’s better than the real one right now.”

Lukazor – is that a Pokmon? – says: “I hadn’t played a main line Pokemon game in years so I was extremely excited to play Sword/Shield and they didn’t disappoint! Extremely addictive, the new Pokemon are great and the wild area is a great addition. Loved every minute of the main story and now on the hunt to complete the Pokedex.”

27. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

What we said: “It took more time to get here than we’d originally expected, granted, but Igarashi sure did deliver in the end.

“I backed this and, despite choosing the Switch version, had a good time with it,” says HKT3030.

“A joy to play,” agrees Navi. “Unapologetically a modern update to Castlevania, full of all the lovely little touches you’d expect from a well crafted 2D game.”

26. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC)

Developer: Rockstar

Mods!

What we said: I bet we said something about horses and hats and I bet we ended by saying, “Saddle up, pardner!” That would be just like us.

“Eeeeeee ha.,” says Karmazyn. I hear you. Pardner.

“A magnificently lush, varied and gritty open world,” says Subquest. “A compelling story and highly enjoyable gameplay. Graphically an astonishing technical achievement. Rockstar’s finest hour.” Steady on (pardner). You do know these guys also made a Table Tennis game right?

25. Shenmue 3

What we said: “And all these years later, it makes for an entry that, as unlikely as it is, is more finessed and fully-featured than the first two games. A more astute critic might point out that the performances are uneven, the character models sometimes look wayward, you��re kind of limited as to what you can do and nothing of note really happens. That’s not me, I’m afraid. Yes, Shenmue 3 can look and play like a Dreamcast game. But it looks and plays like a Dreamcast game that’s as off-kilter, maddening, magical and majestic as the Shenmue and its sequel, both all-time classics. I think there’s good reason to rejoice in that.”

“18 years of waiting came to an end. Shenmue 3 is everything the fans could have ever expected, and probably very close to Yu Suzuki’s original vision for the game.” Ta, Hansliengnell1!

24. A Plague Tale: Innocence

What we said: “The great shock of Plague Tale is that on some level, it’s a Gears of War game. The more obvious comparison is The Last of Us, another poignant, apocalyptic escapade in which an older character guides a more innocent soul whose blood is touched by destiny, but in practice, and for all the absence of chainsaws, it’s often Epic’s game that comes to mind. It’s there in the tanky handling, with characters swivelling ponderously as though secretly many times their own size. It’s there in the sense of a historical backdrop (the Sera of Gears is a pastiche of familiar architectural traditions) being softly consumed by the supernatural: the darkness alive with eyeshine, the twisted, bony black rot the rats leave behind them, the alchemical motifs that gradually become the plot’s crucible. But above all, it’s a question of framing. As in Gears, you spend most chapters wending your way towards some distant landmark, a brooding structure such as a windmill that is teed up for you with a context-sensitive look command, then tugged into and out of view by the intervening geography. It lends each stage of Amicia and Hugo’s journey a powerful inexorability, for all the trail-and-error process of bamboozling soldiers – as though you were being drawn through its world by gravity towards a procession of massive objects. It’s worth giving into the pull. Just don’t forget to look for the flowers.”

“Very underrated title this year,” says Europsnfan70. “Absolutely beautiful and features one of the best stories this year. More people need to be playing this one.”

“Atmospheric, dark wonders,” says King_Of_Shovels.

23. Baba is You

What we said: “Baba is You is a game about how sentences work that is also, inevitably, a game about how thinking works too. How could it not be, really?”

Pjotroos here: “Can’t remember the last time any game made me feel this stupid. The core concept is spectacular. Some early puzzles made me laugh out loud in joy, once the solution clicked. But the amount of creative thinking it requires to deal with the later levels is genuinely intimidating. I’ve lost the count of times when I was sure I was thinking outside the box, only to realise I merely got myself stuck in a slightly larger box for another half hour, once the solution finally, finally clicked in. I haven’t finished it. I doubt I ever will. But I still have to respect the raw creativity on display.”

22. Metro Exodus

What we said: “We need more experiences like Metro Exodus that know how to resist empty bloodshed and kindle such closeness, finding the warmth in the wasteland.”

“Incredibly immersive and beautiful,” said Ivanbasov, one of only a few comments on Metro Exodus. Instead, I’ll tell you that lots of people who liked this also liked Slay the Spire.

21. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

What we said: “There’s a tinge of disappointment here with Modern Warfare at launch. I’m playing it in the hope that what is soon to come will pull all the right levers in all the right directions, turning this good Call of Duty into a great one. And there’s plenty waiting in the wings: Modern Warfare’s battle pass, which Activision has said will come in free and premium forms, will hopefully fuel progression in a post-prestige world. More, better-fitting multiplayer maps are essential (Infinity Ward pulled the night vision MP maps shortly after the game launched and at the time of publication, they have yet to return). And then there’s the inevitable battle royale. Undoubtedly, there’s an exciting potential to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Until that potential is realised, though, Modern Warfare remains a shooter that is at odds with itself. When it’s good, it’s great. When it’s bad it’s frustrating. Everything in between is, well, Call of Duty.”

Lots of people voted for COD, but almost nobody wrote anything about it. Here’s Phinor, who is always reliable! “A good soundtrack can lift a four star movie up to five stars and the same principle applies to games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare did that by adding much needed oomph to gun sounds. Add the best new multiplayer game mode since forever with 2vs2 Gunfight and you have the tightest Call of Duty package since, well, Modern Warfare (the original).”

20. Days Gone

What we said: “I wasn’t expecting Days Gone to add anything new to the genre, but both in terms of its systems and its story it’s uninspired, which is driven home by the fact that it’s endlessly, needlessly long. I’m begging you, haven’t we done this enough?”

“Better than expected,” says HungaryGrowler.

“Beautiful open world game with a compelling story and characters you actually care for. Genuine heart-racing moments when freakers pour down upon your position,” says Mustabuster.

19. Borderlands 3

What we said: “You’ll likely have seen – or even experienced for yourself by now – that Borderlands 3 is everything Vault Hunters loved about its predecessors. It’s hard to imagine how, technical issues aside, existing fans could not find more to love about this latest iteration, but that could also be said for fans who didn’t like its predecessors. But whether you believe it’s giving the fans what they want or a dazzling lack of ambition – evolution or revolution, in other words – Borderlands may be polarising, but it’s back nonetheless: bigger, better, and more unapologetic than ever.”

“Whilst the new protagonists couldn’t hold a torch to Handsome Jack (very few can in any game), it was a joy to play and felt continually rewarding,” says Bigworv.

“Loot and shoot. Humour.” That’s the Clockworkzombie verdict.

18. Devil May Cry 5

What we said: “Is it the measure of the action titles that come out of that other studio in Osaka? At times it feels a little too retrograde to be the best in class, but I’m certain it’s the best Devil May Cry there’s been yet – which is still quite the claim to be able to make. This is a more vintage type of action, though that ends up serving Devil May Cry 5 incredibly well. Style like this never really goes out of fashion, after all.”

Navi has nailed this: “Dante has a silly beard, Nero’s arm now explodes and V reads poetry while demons fight each other. What’s not to love!” When I read that I can’t help but imagine it as the starting crawl for a Star Wars movie.

17. Slay the Spire

What we said: “In the end, I’m an optimist, so I went with the donut.”

OllyJ is taking us on a journey: “So, in 2019 I’ve discovered board games. From Splendor to Cosmic Encounter, I’ve been blown away by the feel of playing a board game. I’d never have played a game like this otherwise, and I’m so glad I did because my Switch has basically turned into a Slay the Spire machine. That’s now its only function, a 250 console that plays what is essentially a card game. I’m cool with that.”

Jaz666: “Meant that I enjoyed my 19hr holiday flight. Almost as much as my holiday…”

16. Astral Chain

What we said: “There’s more – there is so, so much more – to the point where Astral Chain can be dizzying in its depths. Combat boasts so many moving parts that it’s easy to become flustered, so it’s almost a relief to find it supports an easy ‘Unchained’ mode whereby much is automated. Is it sacrilege to play a Platinum game that way? Maybe, but I welcome the option to unlock Astral Chain’s spectacle to all, and it helps remove some of the frictions that might have scared some players off the studio’s previous work.”

Break it down Quizmos: “PlatinumGames at its finest once again proving they are hard to beat when it comes to fast paced action with a unique twist!” Testify!

“All hail Lappy!” says FanBoysSuck.

15. Gears 5

What we said: “Will Gears 5 rekindle Gears of War’s glory days on Xbox 360? I doubt it. But The Coalition has finally stamped its personality on the series, even if it’s taken a few missteps along the way. Gears 5’s campaign reminded me just how much I love a good Gears of War campaign. I’m not trying too hard. Gears isn’t trying too hard. We’re holding hands, safe in the collective knowledge we’re in this together, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”

“Again, didn’t play it (still need to get through Gears 4), but I’ve played through two of the originals in the franchise, and this game is optimized well enough I very much look forward to hitting it on PC.” BudTheCyborg, I’m not sure you really get the whole concept here.

14. Tetris 99

What we said: “It’s a phenomenal thing, pretty much justifying the cost of a Nintendo Online subscription in one fell swoop, and I dare think of the number of hours I’m going to end up putting in over the course of the year.”

“Counting the DLC as part of the overall, this is the perfect update to Tetris. The increasing tension throughout the multiplayer and the euphoria of a win (or top 10 finish for less good players like me) just add to the game’s just one more go draw.” That was Reverandglass and they’re right, aren’t they?

13. Untitled Goose Game

What we said: “Untitled Goose Game started as a joke in House House’s Slack channel, and it’s astounding how much mileage they’ve found in the gag. This is slapstick – the ultimate form of humour – and it’s slapstick of the highest order. There’s something quite classical about how its slapstick expresses itself, and how beautifully engineered it is, that makes Untitled Goose Game really stand out – if Goat Simulator is an old Farrelly Bros. film, then Untitled Goose Game is as refined and stylish as a Jacques Tati standard. It’s a perfectly formed little troublemaker.”

“Quirky, fun, endlessly meme-able. I pick UGG more for the impact it had on this year than for the game itself. We need more games like this and less loot box, microtransaction, bleed you dry games please.” Reverandglass there with a bit of a sermon.

“Fun concept,” says Watershed.

12. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

What we said: “I first played Link’s Awakening in black and white, more than 20 years ago, but it coloured my hopes for every Zelda since. Some frame-rate issues on the overworld at launch aside – more an annoyance than anything else – this version surpasses the hopes I had for another visit to its world. Koholint Island deserves nothing less, and while Link must journey to leave its shores, this remake will always be a place which preserves the island for others to follow.”

“Perfectly remade, this time I finally finished it unlike when I was a kid, and the music is sublime” says Foxxlet.

“Just wonderful in every possible way,” says The_jinks.

11. Apex Legends

What Martin said: “There’s opportunism here too, of course, but Apex Legends feels like something else; laser-sighted, deeply considered and incredibly smart, it’s the kind of thing you’d imagine Nintendo might come up with if ever they set their minds to a battle royale. The real test will come in where Respawn can take Apex Legends, and how it evolves as a live service – something that publisher EA has struggled with in the past with its first-person shooters. But after a few hours with this impeccably crafted battle royale, the one overriding feeling I’m left with is keen anticipation to see where Apex Legends heads next.”

“300+ hours in and I’m still utterly addicted,” says Jonny5Alive7. “The game lengths are perfect to hook you in and the regular content updates keep it varied.”

10. Luigi’s Mansion 3

What we said: “Part of me still yearns for those dusty carpets of the first Luigi’s Mansion – the near pitch black corridors, the fumbling around in the dark. This third entry, by contrast, feels more like Luigi has left the haunted house and gained free reign around the neighbouring theme park. But what a theme park. It’s left me excited to see where the series goes next.”

“This year’s best Third Person Sucker!” says EpcotMan, minting a genre that I’m not sure we’ll be allowing. “An intricately detailed fun house that reminds you of how many playful ideas Nintendo can cram into a game. Inventive, surprising and surprisingly funny. “

“Suck it,” says Clockworkzombie.

9. Disco Elysium

What we said: “One character and one story may contain multitudes, but Disco Elysium has pushed that idea to extremes, making me a flippant macho and above all a weirdo who stands for nothing. Once the novelty wears off, I feel like I’m playing a game that insistently wants to prove to me how smart it is, and that, above anything, is just really tiring.”

KDR_11k says: “The term CRPG doesn’t really describe what Disco Elysium is. It’s a game about talking and investigating. And it does talking really, really well. ” What else? “I’ve saved the world countless times in many different games over the years, but very few of these will I remember as fondly as singing karaoke in the Whirling in Rags bar in Disco Elysium.” says Nafter.

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

What we said: “The annoying thing is, for the first ten hours or so, I absolutely adored Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”

“EA should’ve made this game five years ago. It’s definitely one of the top ten best Star Wars games ever made,” says Mickjohnson. EA should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers! “Rough around the edges, but the mix of Sekiro and Uncharted with a Star Wars hat on was right up my street. The Sonic the Hedgehog bits can fuck right off though.” That’s HONKHONK. He’s swearing now because he doesn’t see the point in keeping you away from this stuff anymore.

“Was surprised by how good it was,” says UltimateKGB.

7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

What we said: “This isn’t the game to bring together fans of the old-spec Fire Emblem and those drawn in by the appeal of the new. There’s a clear divide right through the centre of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and its masterstroke is in bridging the two, the bonds you build away from the battlefield giving each blow taken on it that much more impact. It’s a deeply emotional tactical game, one in which you end up invested in each unit. In that way, it’s true to what’s always made Fire Emblem so special – it’s just that Three Houses expresses itself on a different scale, and a different style. Fire Emblem: Three Houses really is a game of two halves, but they come together to make one incredible whole.”

“Never has a game that disrespected my free time so much, been allowed to take up so much of my time in a bid to get all the endings.” says Gintoki.

“Dating sim and tactical RPG with three distinct factions to choose from. Love it,” says Humey26.

JackdawBlack agrees. “The best TRPG dating sim, not that we have many.”

6. Outer Wilds

What we said: “There’s a twofold joy to Outer Wilds – the thrill of discovery itself, as you slowly decipher the variables that swirl around each not-so-distant world, and of seeing that thrill reflected in a phrase scribbled centuries ago by some castaway alien boffin. It gives the game that feeling of displaced community, of mutual striving across the extinction barrier, you might otherwise associate with the Vigil scene in Mass Effect or feats of translation in the recent, excellent Heaven’s Vault. Moreover, the game’s pint-sized solar system is full of models of itself, from the star lifecycle models you’ll find in your home planet’s observatory, to the holographic sandtray projections and swivelling, Stone Henge-scale orreries left behind by the Nomai. It’s a setting mesmerised by its own intricacies, and it wants you to share in that delight. Whatever their differences on the subject of the apocalypse, I like to think that both Eisinga and Alta would have enjoyed it.”

Revfosco nails it: “I just loved the sense of freedom coupled with a slight sense of panic. Incredibly clever game too – one of those ones that makes you in awe of the writers/developers.”

There is nothing more to say about this one. A classic!

5. The Outer Worlds

What we said: “I don’t hate The Outer Worlds. Rather, what I hate about it is that it’s sufficiently unhateful that you can spend 30 hours playing it without noticing. It’s solidly-made enough that you keep hanging around in the hope of something more, like a layer of catchy percussion that never quite escalates into a song. I guess to sum things up, I would like two features to be added to the game. One is a powerful suction cannon with infinite extra-dimensional storage, so I can just gather all the loot in one fell swoop. The other is the option to hand off dialogue decisions to one of my companions, because I have no strong feelings either way, comrades. Let me do clean-up in the background, hosing down the level’s crevices with one earbud in, following the conversation absent-mindedly. According to my own character’s backstory as a janitor, that’s exactly the part I was born to play.”

Deadman316 is savage: @What a Bethesda game should be like. The choice directions are limitless, the worlds are varied in colour and activity, and the characters and quests are fun, funny and multidimensional. It’s a mini full-fat RPG we’ve been waiting for.”

“Decent shooting, decent RPG, decent story. Ticks the boxes.” That’s Lonebadger. I saw a lone badger one evening this summer coming home late. I thought it was a fox with a back problem at first, but no: a badger.

4. Control

What we said: “In other words, while it invokes the dark things that lie beneath, Control’s actually a peerless argument for the beauty of the surface. It revels in the peculiarly warm gloss of polished concrete, the simple and undeniable thrill of combat backed up with enthusiastic physics and animation, and the visual buzz of UI that has a stark, minimalist beauty to it. Without any shade of a slight, I would call Control a sort of coffee-table book in terms of its sheer visual flair – but for how dazzling it looks in motion as you wrench individual blocks from a stacked trolley, sending them thudding through the air, as you fling rockets back at the people who fired them at you, amber sparks glinting as they pass in and out of focus and then die away for good.”

Fore-warning: RaphaelR is right! “This game has everything: great style, mood, story, characters, and gameplay. And also the best sequence in a video game this year.” It says a lot that I know what bit they’re talking about.

“One of the most interesting games I’ve played in a long time,” says Switch024. @A fantastic setting that’s brilliantly realised and combat that’s always great fun.” Man, Control was GOOD.

3. Death Stranding

What we said: “As the credits roll on Death Stranding, heavy with unearned pathos, the impression you’re left with is of a self-congratulatory monument to the ego of a creator who is high on his own supply. Has Kojima always been this full of it? Maybe. But then you return to the game proper, select a humble delivery order, lace up your boots and plan another reckoning with those unforgettable, haunted moors. And you realise that this game has got under your skin in a way few do.”

Eugen-fet: “I’ve been waiting for a good Spider-Man game for years. This one delivers.” Ha ha ha! That was from last year’s list. I left it in because it included the word “delivers”. I’m great, me.

“A bonkers masterpiece,” says Monkman76. “Not for everyone but certainly my cup of tea,” says Emeritus. A lot of you said this sort of thing.

2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

What we said: “I have no real insight to offer on the symbolism of wolves in Japanese culture and myth, but I think Sekiro may be a different beast. He’s more of a cockroach, getting in everywhere and all but impossible to expunge – the kind of wondrous, abhorrent creature that will be first to the top of the rubble pile as and when civilisation comes crashing down.”

“Great game. Great pacing. Great fighting system” says Ed-exley, who’s not bad at pacing either.

xRiska, we feel your pain: “Finished the whole game before finally learning how to play it on the last boss. 10/10 would bash my head against a wall again.”

EvilAspirin can take this one home: “A game that starts off feeling tough as nails, but becomes actually pretty easy once the parry system clicks. Playing the Samurai and perfectly deflecting multiple blows in epic fights is incredibly satisfying.”

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake

What we said: “It toes the line between schlocky and scary that the older Resident Evil games managed so well, and does so in perhaps one of the most atmospheric settings ever to grace a survival horror game. It’s good to be back in the RPD.”

“New ‘n’ shiny meets nostalgia to create one of the finest, most atmospheric games to date,” says TheDarkSide. “As soon as I played this all those months ago, it screamed GOTY from every pixel. THIS is how remakes should be done… Hell, this is how games should be done, full stop! Absolutely superb.”

Shotformeat agrees: “It’s a proper game and plays like the era its from in a way that holds up amazingly, but all dressed up in a chunky and satisfying fashion and looks and feels amazing to play. They really don’t make them like this anymore, except when they remake them with this level of care and attention to detail. My favourite game of the year. “

Let’s leave it with El Lawsonoso: “I had zero interest in horror or the Resident Evil franchise until I saw RE2 Remake. The design, the atmosphere, the escape room-style puzzles and the sense of panic when Lickers or Mr X are about are all top notch. Admittedly, the Police Station is a far more interesting environment than the later game, but for this non-horror fan (who probably won’t touch RE3 Remake, because it seems like it’s one big chase sequence that’ll give me anxiety) this is a true GOTY. I think that speaks volumes.”

Wonderful stuff! All done! Happy new year everyone! May it bring you all the very best!

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/eurogamer-readers-top-50-games-of-2019-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eurogamer-readers-top-50-games-of-2019-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

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Inhumans’ Black Bolt Is Sent to Cosmic Prison – with the Absorbing Man

Not only is Blackagar Boltagon part of the Inhumans’ Royal Family, he has a voice that can level mountains, so he’s used to being one of the most influential figures in the Marvel Universe. That all changes this May with the launch of “Black Bolt,” a new ongoing series by sci-fi and fantasy novelist Saladin Ahmed and artist Christian Ward which finds the titular character locked down in a mysterious cosmic prison.

PREVIEW: Inhumans Prime #1

What turn of events led him there? Who is serving time alongside him? And how will he communicate with his captors and inmates? For the answers to these questions and more, CBR spoke with first time comic writer Ahmed about penning a series that’s both new reader friendly and offers some payout to longtime fans of the title character. And then there’s perhaps the biggest question of all: how did the Absorbing Man come to have a large supporting role in the series?

CBR: You’re picking up Black Bolt after what’s been a pretty eventful couple of years for the character. So what’s your sense of your protagonist? Which aspects of his personality are you especially interested in exploring?

Saladin Ahmed: Despite the fact that he’s been around 50 years we’ve really almost always seen Black Bolt reflected in others. He’s sort of this blank slate to a degree because he doesn’t talk and because he has this kind of imperious distance as a king. So part of the challenge is getting in his head at all and starting to think about how with this being a solo title he’s always been defined by his place in the Inhuman Royal Family.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Black Bolt” #1 by Christian Ward

This book is a chance to think about his personality and ask what is Black Bolt like on his own? Just even beginning to ask that question has been both fun and a challenge.

As far as the past few years go, I’ve been walking a tight rope with this book. Marvel came to me as a science fiction/fantasy writer. This is my first comics project. I’m interested in bringing in some new readers; ones who don’t necessarily know who Black Bolt is or know a ton about the amazing past few years of the Inhumans comics. I’ve really loved reading those issues, but the mythology is thick. There’s a lot of material there with the history and the crossover events.

On the one hand, I wanted to take Black Bolt away from all of that and just strip him down to some essential questions about his character and this unique thing of his power being something that’s always in check. It’s kind of this curse and blessing, but mostly a curse. So there’s these thematic threads that I’d be weaving through a novel and now I’m doing the same thing with a comic. We’re dealing with this question of being silenced, not being able to talk, and silencing yourself.

There’s all these kind of abstract things that this character brings out and I’m trying to make those accessible and interesting to both to long time readers and readers who are new to Marvel Comics. I want to take a look at this almost god like figure who’s been humbled and examine what that means.

I also wanted to say that those who have had questions about or outrage over Black Bolt’s machinations from the past few years should find this to be a satisfying series. Lingering questions about his unleashing the Terrigen Cloud and [his relationship with] his son definitely do get answered. So I think there’s going to be some satisfying examination of some of the decisions that Black Bolt has had to make, especially for people who have been reading Inhumans comics over the past few years. Ultimately though I want this to be a book that’s open to new readers.

What’s it like writing a character like Black Bolt, where you can’t really have him communicate with dialogue? Will you use other techniques for the character, like an internal monologue?

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Black Bolt” #1 by Christian Ward

I don’t want to say too much about the exact technique because both myself as a writer and Christian Ward as an artist are going to employ some neat tricks to get in there. Giving readers a chance to discover those things on their own will be part of the fun of the book, but there will be a cerebral edge to the series. So we will occasionally get into Black Bolt’s head via captions the same way that Stan Lee did some 50 years ago.

Part of what I’m trying to do, stylistically, is to do an updated version of that. The Inhumans are these epic sets of characters like the Asgardians. They’re one of the places where Lee and Kirby came closest to almost doing illustrated books. There’s this real kind of mythical sense to them. I haven’t looked at things like word count, but if you looked at an issue of the “Fantastic Four” where the Inhumans appeared versus say an issue of “Spider-Man,” I’d guess that the word counts would be higher.

So there’s this prose quality about the Inhumans as opposed to some of the other characters. I’m trying to take that into the 21st century with “Black Bolt.”

In “Black Bolt” you’re taking your character to a location that I don’t believe he’s spent much time in: prison. And what’s it like for a former monarch to suddenly find himself behind bars?

That’s the thematic core of the first arc of the book. Black Bolt is kind of a mysterious guy, but he’s also kind of arrogant. We’ll see him humbled — but it’s not a story about humiliation so much as becoming less sure of the pecking order of things as he interacts with his fellow prisoners.

The comic book takes place in a space jail with aliens and super villains, but I think the story of what happens when we lock people up, having had family locked up myself, is an important set of questions. So this is very much a cosmic sci-fi comic, but the chance to occasionally examine some of those questions is why we started here.

Will readers immediately know why Black Bolt is behind bars?

You’ll get an immediate answer, but there is a much deeper answer that will be revealed over the course of the arc.

What can you tell us about the prison that Black Bolt is incarcerated in? Is this an established Marvel facility? Or something you created for this story?

It’s something new, and that’s all I can say about it right now.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Black Bolt” #1 by Christian Ward

Fair Enough. Let’s talk a little bit about some of the other inmates then. We know this is a cosmic story which suggests the jail would be populated with alien inmates. I was surprised and intrigued, then, to learn that Carl “Crusher” Creel, aka the Absorbing Man, would be one of the convicts incarcerated there.

Yes! He is going to be the only other Earthling in the prison, so he and Black Bolt immediately have a kind of weird connection. Crusher is very much the co-star of at least this first arc of the book. There’s almost a buddy picture feel to it. It’s been a lot of fun playing this king off of a lifelong con.

The Absorbing Man and Black Bolt are a very unlikely pairing. What made you want to bring Creel into the book?

The fun part of this book was that I originally had developed some of the pitch as a mini-series around Crusher. Just around the time I was getting ready to pitch it to Marvel, editor Wil Moss came to me and said that since I have a background in science fiction and fantasy he was thinking about me for “Black Bolt.” I said, “It’s funny, because I have this back pocket pitch that I was going to send you.”

Then when we bounced these things off of each other they just immediately meshed. That’s where this story came from. So Crusher predates Black Bolt as far as Marvel characters I’ve wanted to write about. He’s a hero to me, even if he’s a villain. [Laughs]

Who are some of the new supporting characters you’re introducing in “Black Bolt?”

One inmate is a teenage kid named Blinky. She is an alien psychic and an ex-pickpocket. She ended up in this story because the aspect of the incarceration question where we lock up kids kept coming up in my mind. She then became this really important character.

Another cellmate is a woman named Raava. She’s a Skrull, but not like the Skrulls we’ve seen. She’s a kind of anarchist pirate.

There are some more supporting characters that will be revealed. Some are ones I’ve created and there are also a number of obscure Marvel characters in the book. I’ll leave those cameos for readers to discover.

What else can you tell us about the action and tone of “Black Bolt?”

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Black Bolt” #1 by Christian Ward

I like good fight scenes, and Christian is amazing at drawing fight scenes. That may not have been one of my strengths in scripting, but that’s one of the wonders of collaboration. People can strengthen your weaknesses. So Christian’s fights have an almost French style manga edge to them. Characters are flying off the page.

“Black Bolt” is not a slugfest book, but there are absolutely some big action scenes. There’s a meditative tone to the book as well though. It is about incarceration in a social sense and in an existential almost Kafka sense. Some times the art will reflect that.

So Christian can do these amazing fights, but there will also be this dark, bleak tone from time to time that people won’t be used to seeing from him. He mostly does really psychedelic, colorful, cosmic stuff and he’s perfect for the book because of that. He’s quite good though too when things get grungy.

Besides the action and social commentary I always try and put jokes in my books. Readers have to laugh sometimes. So we’ll try and include a laugh at least once per issue. [Laughs] Plus, Crusher is a great source for that kind of stuff. He’s really good at deflating Black Bolt’s serious balloon with some Bronx-style snark.

I understand you want your books to stand on their own, but “Black Bolt” launches one month after Al Ewing’s “The Royals,” where your title character heads into space on a mission with his family. Will there be some connective tissue between your two books for people who read both?

I believe that over the next year or so there will be some light connective tissue between all of the Inhumans books. It may look like there’s a paradox happening in the first issue of “Royals” and “Black Bolt.” We will provide an explanation, though, of how he can be in both books.

Finally, your work on “Black Bolt” is bound to make some readers curious about your work as a novelist. What would you like curious readers to know about your prose work?

The best thing they can do is check out first my novel “Throne of the Crescent Moon,” which is an epic fantasy with a sort of Middle Eastern flair. People like George R.R. Martin have said nice things about it. [Laughs] So if they enjoy the epic scope and weirdness of the Inhumans. I think they’ll enjoy the book.

Christian Ward’s character sketches for Black Bolt

The post Inhumans’ Black Bolt Is Sent to Cosmic Prison – with the Absorbing Man appeared first on CBR.

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