Sequential Art - December 29th, 2011

Currently house-sitting for a friend, and having a nice relaxing time. Jump is doing only one issue over a three-week span, so the scans were late last week (no Big 3) and we probably won't have our next chapters until mid-January. Ah well, it's not like I'm totally without reading material.

Gaming Goals of 2012

2011 was a strong year in gaming. Lots of AAA titles released, and a lot of playing, writing, and buying (eesh) from yours truly. Of the 50 games I (somehow) managed to conquer in 2011, 23 were games formerly entrenched in my backlog, 21 were games bought in 2011, and the rest were replays and cop-outs. Overall, probably exceeding my expectations. For one, I actually fucking did it, and for two I exposed myself to a lot of new games and series that I wouldn't have bothered with if I hadn't motivated myself in this way. Hell, I finally finished Shadow of the Colossus and Ocarina of Time the past few weeks.

Fifty - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Yup. 50 videogames beaten in one year. I won't dwell on it in this space, though, because this is supposed to be a review. Number 50 is probably the one game that I was most embarrassed not to have played over the years: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Most Anticipated Games of 2012

My gift to the internet this Christmas Eve is another collection of lists. Hey, it's December, and everyone knows that the end of every calender year is the time to pollute the web with lists of anything and everything. This time it's about games coming out in 2012. In fact, it's a list of the five 2012 games I'm most excited for. Maybe it's because I'm no longer rushed to finish games or trying to follow a deadline, but four of these five games are RPGs, which is usually a recipe for a long-ass game. Anyhow, I reckon that a few of these games will be day-one purchases for me, and others are one or two positive reviews away from being the same.

Sequential Art - December 22nd, 2011

This is what a normal Sequential Art post should be sized, but the content is a little different due to the lack of early Shounen Jump this week and the surprise extra comic. I want to keep most of these posts to about a dozen reviews, but I need to do some paring down before I can get down to that number. Anyhow, read on. Not only is Week 3 is my favorite DC Comics week, but my one Marvel series got bumped down thanks to the DC off-week awhile back.

Forty Nine - Ico

Wow. Four Nine. My goal is as close to being finished as is possible. Was that a sentence? Sure, I'll say it is. Oh, look, an Ico review.

Sequential Art - December 15th, 2011

This week I'll be a lot more brief? How brief? No trade paperbacks and fewer comics issues.

Forty Eight - Shadow of the Colossus

This was one of my most satisfying new gaming experiences of the year, without a doubt. I'm kicking myself for not having played it sooner, but at least now I'm no longer embarrassed to have missed out. Shadow of the Colossus is my third-to-last game of 2011.

Forty Seven - BioShock

I'm closing in on that goal of mine, and if I can finish roughly one game a week until the end of the year, then I'm golden. Finished my most recent project late last night, and it was one of 2007's best games in a strong year. Say hello to BioShock, Mr. B.

Sequential Art - December 8th, 2011

I apologize in advance for this post. Five comic issues, nine manga chapters, and six trade paperbacks.

2011 Gaming Awards

This kind of entry makes sense for a guy like me, right? This little fake awards bit is a mix of best-of staples and some more unusual criteria, and they're 100% my own twisted opinion about (mostly) the best of 2011 videogames. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Forty Six - Portal 2

Well, with today's new entry, I have thirty days to beat four games. My last four are going to be doozies - games I really, really ought to have beaten years ago. Four super-critically-acclaimed gems. This one's also a gem, and it's named Portal 2.

Sequential Art - December 1st, 2011

We have an uncommon fifth Wednesday of the month, so no monthlies from the major publishers. There are also a few trades I picked up, and a lot more manga than usual; one of my monthly series is in business, and one on hiatus is finally back.

Forty Five - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Well, 45 happened extremely soon after 44, because it was kind of a cop-out. I was stuck at this game's final boss about four years ago, after which I shelved my GameCube and basically forgot about it. But now, with no more exams standing in my way and looking for games to cross off my list, I fired it up again and beat that wit of a bitch after four or five tries. Totally worth it. It's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, by the way.

Forty Four - Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One

Oh, Steam, your sales are just irresistible. I bought a game that was $60 a few short months ago for $10 via Steam (more on this next month), then turned around and bought both Penny Arcade Adventures games in a $3 double pack. Now I'm reviewing the first one, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1.

Sequential Art - November 24th, 2011

SPECIAL THANKSGIVING EDITION! This week concludes the third month of my DC experiment and the second month of my Marvel experiment. I'm going to follow all of my borderlines that I've kept up until their fourth issue, so I'll keep buying 16 issues a month for one more month. I want to get that number down to about an even dozen by year's end. Welp, here are a bunch of reviews after the jump.

Forty Three - Bastion

If it seems like a short time between now and last time, it's because I played a short game between now and last time. Am I deliberately seeking out shorter games to help me complete this quest of mine? ...Maybe. Anyhow, the new game is Bastion and it was quite good.

Forty Two - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Next on my list is a game I picked up at a spring sale earlier this year, because it was cheap and I heard it wasn't bad. ...What? Don't judge me. It's Enslaved: Odyssey to the West on my PS3.

Sequential Art - November 17th, 2011

My two favorite Week Three titles were actually a little bit lacking this week (a pair of setup issues that hopefully give way to awesomeness down the road), but a triumphant return of my favorite currently-running manga offsets those minor disappointments.

Munchkin Axe Cop review!

Time to go back to where it all started: Munchkin. Heavy Jon, the Dianimal, and myself tried out some Munchkin Axe Cop this weekend, and here I'll run the experience back.

Forty One - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

This time I'll be reviewing one of 2011's serious blockbuster games. Sure, it's easy to say that it's just Tomb Raider starring a dude or Indiana Jones with no whip, but it's turned into a mega-franchise all its own. Welcome to my take on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

Sequential Art - November 10th, 2011

Fewer comics than usual, but I balance that out by by geeking out about a few trades I picked up.

Sequential Art - November 3rd, 2011

I know that very, very few people read these posts, and that's fine. I'm writing because I want to write and geek out, and allowing Blogger's servers to suffer for it instead of my uninterested real-life friends. Well, all things considered, I'm going to continue this series of reviews and have fun doing it.

Top 5 Characters Missing in The New 52

I've been enthusiastically buying and analyzing DC Comics' New 52 series, as someone that had never before purchased individual issues but has been a major fan of the DC Animated Universe since my childhood. As such, I have a pretty strong knowledge of DC's heroes and villains, and was looking forward to seeing both new and familiar characters in the New 52.

I love the relaunch's versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Vandal Savage (to name a few), and consider myself a brand-new fan of Kate Kane, Buddy Baker, and David Zavimbe. I'm a little less excited about the new portrayals of Selina Kyle, Tim Drake, and others, but that's okay, I guess. I'll take the bad with the good. One thing that's concerned me, however, is the total absences of a few of my favorite characters, both major and minor. So of course I had to make a list of them.

my comic book subscriptions and borderlines

Two months of DC Comics New 52. If you haven't noticed, I'm getting into this reboot in a big way. At this rate, other than trade paperbacks and manga volumes (which I've binged on recently, but am slowing down with), I'll be spending just under $40 a month on comic books. That's okay right now, but I'll probably have to defer some of these subscriptions or do some overtime if I want to afford it down the road after I've moved out. Eesh. Anyhow, that's a lot, and now that I'll be doing very, very few impulse buys if any in the upcoming weeks, and you (my hypothetical readers) might as well know what comics I'll be reading and reviewing every week.

Forty - inFamous: Festival of Blood

Honestly, going in I wasn't sure how long this one would take me, but it definitely seemed short. Here are my thoughts on the ~2.5 hours of inFamous: Festival of Blood:

Sequential Art - October 27th, 2011

This week is a couple of graphic novels on top of comics and manga; fewer comics than last week, thank goodness. Sometime in the next few days I'm going to decide on a concrete list of subscriptions so I'll know exactly how many comics I'll be reviewing each week.

Thirty Nine - Professor Layton and the Last Specter

My October has been more about comics than gaming, but hopefully I'll still reach my goal of 50 games completed before the calendar year ends. I puzzled my way one step closer yesterday evening by crossing off Professor Layton and the Last Specter.

Sequential Art - October 20th, 2011

Third week of New 52s, and I'm first-impressioning two of my subscriptions, a bunch of impulse buys (whoops!), and a whole lotta manga. I'm also going to try and update this on Thursdays instead of Fridays. I want Friday nights for things other than blogging. What, like you care? Let's see how my week of cartoon reading material went....

Thirty Eight - Final Fantasy IV: Anniversary Edition

This time I borrowed a game from a friend by accident (really, I swears it), and knocked it out late yesterday evening. This might be a cop-out, since I think I've beaten this game seven or eight times but it was 100% a playthrough from this year, and the first time I've played this new version. The new PSP Complete Collection edition of my very first RPG: Final Fantasy IV.

Sequential Art - October 14th, 2011

Here's week 2 of my new blog experiment where I talk about comics and manga a lot. DC put out its "second week" comics on Wednesday, so I have some of those plus some first week comics I didn't review in the first Sequential Art post. I also have even MORE manga to talk about this week, as no series I follow took a week off. I'll probably forget or neglect one or two that I read, just like how I forgot Kuroko last week.

Sequential Art - October 7th, 2011

OK, OK, maybe I'm obsessed with comics and manga. Or maybe just moreso in recent days. Even maybe-er I'm being extremely pretentious in dating the first post with this title, because I might not ever write one again. But I'll try it out anyway. This is the first in what hopefully becomes a regular thing - a weekly review / hype meter for comics and manga. I've read a SHITTON of manga over the years, and a few graphic novels. As I mentioned earlier, I'm starting to get into DC Comics monthly issues in a big way. Bottom line, I read a few comics and manga every week, and I'd like write about it. I'll call these posts "Sequential Art," ganked from Scott McCloud's definition of a comic as outlined in his fantastic book Understanding Comics.

DC Comics' New 52: Best and Worst

I'm a huge nerd, especially when it comes to videogames, movies, and cartoons, but I've never collected comic books. Some of my friends are/were shocked when I tell/told them this. Sure, I own a few graphic novels bound in trade volumes, but I didn't even do that until I read Understanding Comics and Watchmen in my second year of college, and those were reading assignments for a Media Studies class.

Thirty Seven - Prince of Persia (2008)

In a rare case of timing, I conquer game #37 almost exactly twelve hours after #36. Sure, my day off and PS3 binging has a lot to do with that, but let me have this one, okay? Prince of Persia. The 2008 one, that is.

Thirty Six - Trine

This time it's a game I downloaded as part of Steam's summer camp sales week in July, and it was totally worth the $5 I paid. Take a gander at the physics-based platforming of Trine.

Thirty Five - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

This next game has me wrapping up Activision's four Marvel RPGs. It's... probably my least favorite of the four, but that doesn't prevent it from being pretty good. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (the first) up in this.

Thirty Four - Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten

The newest entry to my games beaten list is one I picked up almost exactly one week ago, at midnight on September 6th. It's been roughly 90% of all my free time alone since then. THIS IS DISGAEA 4!

Thirty Three - DeathSpank: Orphans of Justice

Newest on my list of gaming conquests is DeathSpank, which thank goodness both lives up to its title and is better than it sounds.

Thirty Two - Cthulhu's Angels

Here's a cop-out of a post. I apologize in advance. This is going to be half a review of one of the bonus modes in Cthulhu Saves the World (sorry!) and half a meditation on bonus modes such as this one.

Thirty One - Jade Empire

BioWare RPGs dropping like flies in the Sollosi househould. Less than 48 hours after I knock out Dragon Age II, Jade Empire wraps up. Verdict: pretty good.

Thirty - Dragon Age II

With the year about 2/3 over, I've finished exactly 30 games, putting me on a pace for 45. That's better than 2010, but still short of my goal of 50. Either way, Game 30 is a doozy: Dragon Age II.

Twenty Nine - Jeanne d'Arc

"Next is Jeanne d'Arc, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I only have a few stages left to go; I might even finish it later tonight." What do you know. That's exactly what happened.

Twenty Eight - X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse

It's that time again. The game I managed to finish this week surprised even me: X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse.

Twenty Seven - Disgaea Infinite

New entry is for Disgaea Infinite, a PSP visual novel that is great for fans of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, but absolutely worthless for anyone else. You know I'm a fan, because for crying out loud my avatar's Laharl.

Twenty Six - Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

With the year past seven-twelfths over, I'm at game number twenty six. My goal of fifty for 2011 seems trickier and trickier. This time it's Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, the expansion to my favorite western RPG of all time.

Twenty Five - Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword

Number 25 is Ninja Gaiden DS, which is (perhaps surprisingly) the only Ninja Gaiden game, old or new, that I've ever beaten without resorting to shenanigans like savestates. The reasons I could beat it, of course, were that it was fast, short, cheap, and easy. Pretty sure I could make a sex joke there somehow.

Twenty Four - Cthulhu Saves the World

Game #24 is quite similar to Game #23, and they were worth every penny of the $3 I spent on them. The full title is Cthulu Saves the World: Super Hyper Enhanced Championship Edition Alpha Diamond DX Plus Alpha FES HD - Premium Enhanced Game of the Year Collector's Edition (without Avatars!), but I'll just refer to it by those first four words.

Twenty Three - Breath of Death VII: The Beginning

Breath of Death VII: The Beginning might be the best $3 I've ever spent. On a game, at least. It's brief, but makes up for that by being a funny, nostalgic, solid overall RPG experience.

Twenty Two - Final Fight: Double Impact

Well, Jon came over after work, and we made short work of the 22nd game on my 2011 list. Related: the same afternoon, Mayor Mike Haggar doled out some street justice.

Twenty One - Big Bang Mini

Just finished Big Bang Mini on the DS. Stunner of a little game.

One Through Twenty

Woo, second post! And (SURPRISE) it's about video games. Beating them, in fact. Now I love video games, but my internet-forged short attention span means that I rarely conquer them. Typically I'll play a game for awhile, and then get distracted by real life, a different game, other pursuits, or what have you. Bottom line: I've probably finished barely half of the games I own, which is downright embarrassing.

First Post! And it's a Munchkin Zombies review!

Skip to the the fourth paragraph after this one if you just want to read about the Munchkin Zombies action.