Through the Eyes of a Journalist

Migration Alert

2008-11-26T17:43:00.001Z

Through the Eyes of a Journalist has now moved to its new home so click here and don't forget to update you're bookmarks.

Typepad v Wordpress v Blogger: Choices, Choices

2008-11-18T21:38:00.002Z

I'm antsy and have been looking for a new blog provider over the last couple of days. I like Blogger; it's adequate and the code is easy to tinker with but feels so generic. Yes, I know you can get new skins and I've managed to tinker with it over the past couple of years (including the addition of a third column) yet it doesn't feel like me.

Increasingly, the internet is becoming the place for journalism and I already have a sizeable web presence (just Google my name and the word 'journalist') but this blog, however much I love it just doesn't feel like me. I want a clean, original template that's easy to customise and add widgets too so I've been looking at Blogger's two main competitors: Wordpress and Typepad.

My thing is, while I have my own site, I'm really not to keen on self-hosting. I'd love to get my own blog domain and have someone else host it, saves time and hopefully money. That way I can just put a 'blog has moved' note up and start afresh.

Last night, I put a shout out to the Twitterverse and the response has been massive and mixed; nearly everyone recommended self-hosting but the choice between Movable Type (Typepad's self-host option) and Wordpress has been nearly evenly split. Not exactly helping .... but still.

This evening Anne started a new thread on Journobiz about Typepad's Journalist Bailout Program which is designed to help all the (mainly American) journos screwed by the credit crunch and the massive layoffs from numerous media companies across the pond. I've emailed to find out if it's dependent on being a US-based journo but I think it's a fantastic idea, especially as most journos are expected to maintain a blog both inside and outside of work, often as a place to highlight work or comment on big issues.

With the new year coming up (along with my fifth year as a freelance journalist), I'm eager for a change and the chance to make my corner of the internet a more interesting place. I want a blog that not only looks impressive but also feels like an extension of me, I still have no idea where it's going but I'd look for migration to another provider in the very near future if I were you.

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Wrath of the Lich King Launch' Edition

2008-11-15T16:46:00.003Z

Currently listening to: Arthas, My Son by Russell Brower and whatever else it says on my Last.fm plugin.

Wrath is finally here and I've finally caught up on my sleep, which is the problem when you go to midnight launches in a major city several hours away. I actually stayed in London after finding a very cheap hotel via fellow journo and so headed down on the last off-peak afternoon train in order to get checked in before hitting Regent's Street.

The picture above is of Bill from WorldofWar.net, myself in the middle (finally a good photo of me; ultraviolet must become me) and Natalie from Upper Deck enjoying the Absolut Icebar where Blizzard hosted their pre-launch press drinks get-together on Wednesday night. We only got forty minutes in the bar itself but it was a cool experience - pun intended - and damn was it cold, even with the thermal ponchos.

Yes this week has all been about World of Warcraft. At the drinks event I managed to catch up with Ben, Jonnie, Alex and some other folks as well as meeting Blizzard's COO Paul Sams and enjoying lovely little canapes and cocktails. Alex and I wandered over to the HMV on Oxford Street about 10pm and snuck in via the back entrance while he explained there was not one but THREE queues of people trying to get into the store. Being a journo on the VIP list has its perks as we flashed our press IDs and within minutes were in the nearly empty store.

The store had been taken over by the Lich King, there was a massive countdown clock, an ice sculpture and more Collector's Editions than I've ever seen in my life. Apparently around three thousand people showed up at the store to get their copies and soak up the atmosphere and there were folks queuing from 6am that morning. You've gotta love the commitment.

So I had a wander around, took loads of photos, caught up with Max, Rhianna, Dia and all the other Gigaknights I haven't seen in too long, as well as collaring young Tom (poor sod had been working the event on top of his normal day at UD). Unfortunately a minor accident involving me and a trolley kind of marred the evening - at least I get to cross off 'knocked self out in flagship HMV store on launch night' from my to-do list - and I'm still sore from the bruises.

The actual launch itself felt a little anti-climatic although it was fun seeing all the people dressed up. I didn't get to take home a Collector's Edition (although I fondled quite a few) as my copy was waiting for me the following day, which meant I missed the postman and didn't get it until Friday morning.

Even having played the beta, I was amazed at how fresh the game suddenly feels. I never really did any questing so while the zones aren't new, the experience of levelling Serisa is refreshing. She even dinged this afternoon while Uta and I were pugging Utgarde Keep, so all is well in the world. I'm reviewing the game next week so this weekend will see me playing hard I think, but I'm going to try and let the experience take its time, none of this rushing to 80 for me.

Although plenty of people have started hitting 80, complete with realm achievements (and envious taunts from those who didn't make it); Uta gets his own piece of the pie as he was Daggerspine's first person to max out .... fishing!

Did I mention how much I love Frosty the baby frostwrym, he's so cute?

Anyway the servers, which have been dodgy all day, seem to be settling down so I'm going back to Northrend for a bit.

Guardian Goodness: Another Achievement Ticked Off

2008-11-13T22:35:00.000Z

Every journo has a wishlist of publications or websites they want to write for and today saw the publication of my first piece in a national: a review for the Technophile section of The Guardian no less!

It's only a small review but it means a hell of a lot to my family, it's something they can relate to and is a newspaper they're aware of, the last time I got this kind of reaction, I'd just done a six page feature on Ashes to Ashes.

At the same time cracking The Guardian feels like an obscure rite of passage, most journos I know have written for the paper and many have penned bits for Technophile and now I'm among them it feels like - despite having written for four years - that I've finally made it as a journalist.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Launch

2008-11-13T04:00:00.000Z

By the time this is posted, I should be asleep with the Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition snug in my arms in a small London Hotel. I hope the event was good but I'll be posting images on my Flickr page - the set for the event can be found here - as well as doing a write up as soon as I get home later today.

Oh and installed Wrath of course :D

The Ginger One: LOLZ

2008-11-11T15:13:00.003Z

LOL, just LOL.

The Ginger One was not particularly amused by his LOLcat debut.

Blogging Woes: When Comments Get Nasty

2008-11-10T21:56:00.005Z

This morning I woke up to my iPhone displaying email. I have it set to push email every fifteen minutes and - as I work for a lot of Americans - I keep it close to hand. Plus I kind of like using it to watch iPlayer over wifi. Anyway, between the random spam, the Google Alerts and press releases from Mel at Top Cow, somebody had finally left a comment on my blog.

Calling themselves Barry Shitpeas should have given it away. Reading through the comment my heart sank; this is the sixth time someone has left an unpleasant comment in the last couple of months, usually it's anonymous. Fortunately I was able to track the poster - the IP address was registered from the University of Strathclyde and the visitor has definitely been here before.

I get to approve comments before they go live and there was no way I was going to publish this one, nor the previous one in which 'Anonymous' called me 'an ugly, fat c**t'. However it got me thinking so I asked my colleagues on Journobiz if they had ever encountered such trolls and yes, it seems I'm not alone.

So I'm going to say this once for the record.

1) This is MY blog, it is my corner of the internet and so I will say what I like, whilst trying not to libel anyone, of course. Don't like it? Go start your own!

2) If you wish to leave malicious comments, do bear in mind they will not be posted.

3) If you decide, through envy, to start questioning my ability as a journalist, let me direct your gaze right to my long and extensive list detailing all the magazines and websites I've written for over the last few years. I ask you, O ignorant trolls, who have you written for lately?

4) Yes, actually I do have an A level (okay, an AS level) in English, I also have several GCSEs in it (and eight other subjects), a 2:1 BA (Hons) in a completely unrelated subject and a post-graduate journalism qualification recognised by the NCTJ.

5) This blog is my opinion, I will post on subjects that interest me and sometimes this will descend into random rambling. I'm entitled to do so.

6) If you feel the need to stay up at all hours of the night just to post comments, at least read my blog and then try and post a comment on an entry related to your rant.

7) I welcome discourse and discussion but if you just want to be rude, sod off!

End of rant and hopefully end of trolls.

Sparrow's Choice: Decisions and Consequences in Videogames

2008-11-08T21:30:00.002Z

Warning, this post contains major spoilers. Read at your own risk.

At the beginning of October I got my hands on Fable II code in order to do a review for 360 Gamer. I literally bit off my editor's hand - the stump is still bleeding, so I'm told - to get it and have been playing avidly ever since. Why? Well it's not just a gorgeous game and you don't just get to play fetch with a devoted canine companion, you get to choose how to play.

When Lucien was finally defeated and the dust has settled, the wise seer Theresa offered me, in the form of the Hero Sparrow - a choice. To be selfless and restore all the souls who had died building Lucien's tower to life or I could restore my family - my beloved sister Rose and devoted companion, Anubis - to life or, finally, to be totally selfish and get unlimited gold. Hmmm .... which to choose?

Wealth was out, in-game money can always be earned. The remaining two options left me genuinely torn: I love my dog but when playing Sparrow I had tried so hard to be a good person (despite inhabiting that grey area), so I picked the first choice: to return all Albion's dead to life and gained a letter of thanks and the praise of the people around me (whoopee!). Yet it felt empty; I was lost without Anubis. I had all of Albion worshipping the ground I walked on, even a hubby and a little girl called Kate (who quickly died) failed to lift my spirits. Not even casual sex with a Hard Gay-lookalike gigolo in Bloodstone got me out of my rut. I just wanted to go back and remake my choice and choose the semi-selfish option.

And the annoying thing? Fable II uses a single save slot and auto-saves the moment you make your decision.

D'oh!

Next time round I am so saving my dog!

Choice is becoming the new buzzword in games: Fable II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 2, BioShock, Silent Hill: Homecoming ... all of these focus on how you, the player, decide to tackle the game. albeit to different extents. Angel or devil, saint or sinner; it's your choice but that doesn't mean there won't be consequences. Different endings, special Achievements or just the nagging of your conscience, just like in real life. Every action has its reaction and you can't escape the consequences of your virtual choices.

Choice is also a method of bringing the gamer into the game they're playing; it's not just an experience any more, it's immersion and this is becoming an accepted aspect of game play, indeed it's a revolution. Like Fable II, part of BioShock's charm was the journey, particularly in the final hour of the game when you - Jack - has to literally become a Big Daddy. Similarly both Fallout 3 and Fable II follow a rags to riches tale of a nobody who quickly becomes somebody, indeed a somebody on whom the fate of a world rests.

Put it this way: if you were Sparrow, what would you do? Which choice would you choose?

Tomb Raider: Underworld (Preview)

2008-11-03T21:31:00.000Z

Last night my little jaw dropped as I played through the demo of Lara Croft's latest adventure, just released on Xbox Live. G works on the Eidos account at BHPR and has been enthusing about the game for months. As he's now a PR rather than a journo it's sometimes hard to distinguish when he's got this PR hat on or when he's just being enthusiastic. In this case it's definitely the latter.

So the demo was released yesterday and I was quick to download it while finishing up some work. I loaded it up and just stared; I'd be expecting to have to save Lara from the burning inferno of Croft Manor but instead found myself on a small boat drifting on a tropical sea - well okay, it was off the coast of Thailand. Delicate music drifted on the breeze, an amazing score that enhanced the gameplay without being too distracting and it was time for Lady Croft to get her feet wet.

Within seconds Lara was exploring a glorious underwater world and watching sharks but wait, what's that bright piece of stone that stands out from all the other pieces of rock in the vicinity. Yes, it's not all about swimming with the fishes and it's time for Lara to do what she does best.

And yet you find your eye being caught by the subtle movement of the tide, of those two beautifully realistic parrots perching on a rock, so much is happening that the world almost feels organic. And yet your path is kind of obvious, bright rocks and handhelds beckon Lara towards an ancient temple with a massive statue of Shiva and Kali.

Lara's moves are even more graceful than they were in Anniversary, she can shimmy up rock faces, jump across poles and does it all so beautifully. She also has a couple of new moves and can now kick and stomp on ants but the real focus is on the puzzle elements and shooting rare animals, like a pair of slightly stupid tigers.

Unfortunately the demo doesn't contain any proper cutscenes so, aside from the opening paragraph, you really have no clue why Lara is in Thailand. However by the end of the demo you really don't care so much, the game looks so amazingly beautiful that you're soon pulled in, jaw brushing the floor as Lara swims, vaults and shoots her way through the unknown jungles of Thailand. I really can't wait to see if the rest of the game is this polished when it's released later this month.

Visual Twittering: When Do You Tweet?

2008-11-02T22:03:00.000Z

Journo and avid techno blogger Dave Lee put me onto Xefer's Twitter chart. It's insanely simple to use: just pop in your Twitter ID and it will read all your public tweets and then generate an image like the one above; you get to see when you tweeted and how many people replied to you. It's a fascinating to see when exactly I tweet (usually around lunch time, apparently).

Livescribe Pulse (Review)

2008-10-31T00:16:00.000Z

Official site: http://www.livescribe.com
Price: $149 (1gb) or $199 (2gb)

I'll be honest, I get a kick out of two things: technological gadgets and stationery so when the two are combined, it makes me a very happy bunny. I love nothing more than buying pens and beautiful journals which take my fancy and when I came across the Livescribe Pulse advert on Wired.com, I was instantly interested and it seems half of the UK's journalists are hot on my heels.

And here's the problem: the Pulse hasn't been officially launched in the UK yet, although the PRs promise an international launch is on the way. Consequently, it's only available if you happen to go to Target while in the US (which I did but didn't discover the Pulse until a week after returning to the UK), via eBay (where I bought a second pen for work) or from Amazon.

As a journalist, I spend way too much of my time transcribing interviews using a standard Dictaphone (an Olympus USB model) and my iPod Touch (which actually works damn well, once the file is converted from .wma). Like many of my brethren, transcription is a pesky chore and while it is something we can get others to do, if you specialise in specific fields like I do, it's quicker for me just to bite the bullet and do it. Sometimes you'll have a question or a juicy quote and not have a clue where in the interview you need to look. This is where the Livescribe Pulse comes in.

You see, it's not just about the pen, which contains two microphones and as well as a small camera by the nib, it's also about the paper. The Pulse works best with special paper printed with minuscule dots - the Dot Positioning System. The camera registers the precise location of the pen as you write and syncs it with audio so all you have to do is tap the area that you scrawled a note reminding you of that important quote and it will instantly play back. Awesome.

When my review unit arrived, I opened up the college notebook to find a note scribbled above a spiral with a giant arrow: 'Tap here to start!'

Subtle but also very much in keeping with the pen's unique abilities. Tapping, I discovered that Jody, my contact at A&R Edelman in the US, had helpfully left me a welcoming note which was a nice personal touch.

The pen itself is frightfully easy to use, just start writing. Unfortunately the excellent audio reception also means you get the odd scratching noise as you write but audio is still very clear regardless and the ability to synchronise your writing with audio is what makes this an invaluable purchase. Setting up the pen took about a minute and just involves tapping the time and date in using the buttons on the inside of the notebook and deciding which hand you write with. While you do this, it's just a matter of visiting the official site to download the Livescribe Desktop software, register your pen in order to claim an extended warranty and 250mb of online storage and off you go.

I started writing, following the instruction videos then uploaded my first page. 250mb doesn't feel like much space but it's more than enough for a couple of notebooks. The pen is slightly heavier and thicker - not unexpected given the technology it contains - than regular rollerballs but not uncomfortable. Every review I've read compares it to a Mont Blanc but I've never owned one and probably never will so I can't really comment. However the Pulse is quite comfortable to use and not too heavy. Similarly the notebooks are sturdy and well constructed, you can just see the dots if you squint close enough and is very much the other half of the Livescribe Pulse. The pen allows you to do basic translation of specific words and create a piano on paper.

The Pulse comes packaged in an eyecatching box with numerous accessories, basic case and even a notebook thrown in. The cradle, which serves as a charger as well as the method of synchronising between pen and PC, has a magnet which holds the Pulse securely and is small enough to tuck in a bag. The Pulse also comes with a headset that allows for 3-D recording and certainly makes things interesting; you could say it attempts to approximates the way our ears work.

In this world of tablets and Lilliputian laptops, this is the perfect half way house for someone - like me - who still likes to write longhand. You get a pen, which is remarkably comfortable to use but intelligent technology which really does improve recall (hence the reason why so many students and journos are champing at the bit to get their hands on one).

Yes there are still elements which need addressing, like the ability to transcribe audio or written notes into text, more translation options and according to the site there are plenty of apps currently in development. Either way it's a fantastic little gadget which promises to revolutionise the way we write and work forever.

The Upside-down World of Fallout 3

2008-10-30T19:38:00.000Z

My Collector's Edition of Fallout 3 turned up unexpectedly this afternoon. I usually order stuff so far in advance that I forget and then get a nice surprise on the day before/release day. I played it for an hour or so before fully investigating the rest of the CE.

Pip-boy bobblehead - check. Making of disc - check. Artbook -che, hang on. What's up with my art book? On the outside it's fine but the entire inside of the book has been flipped upside down so you have to read it right to left and flip the book. Randomness.

I mentioned it to Pete over at Bethesda and then felt mortified for doing it. I doubt I'm the only one as it's most likely a printing error. *Can of worms* Still, as I said to him, it should make the edition that much more collectable!

Anyone else in the UK/Europe/US come across this?

The History of Warcraft: GameTrailers Goes Retrospective

2008-10-22T20:22:00.009+01:00

Fahey over at Kotaku is, like me, a huge fan of WoW. He was pissed because I went to the WWI and got [Tyrael's Hilt], I was pissed cause he went to BlizzCon. We're equal. Anyway he's just posted about this amazing restrospective that GameTrailers has created to mark the release of The Wrath of the Lich King.

Part one is above and, oh boy, is it cool! We've got the humble beginnings, the lore, the history, the RTS' and even Warcraft Adventures. I can't wait for part two!

EDIT: Added part two.

Through the Eyes of a Journalist: You See 3-D, I See 2-D

2008-10-22T14:00:00.001+01:00

The interweb is great. I found this and I'm kind of curious - watch this video, it's an interesting mod using a Wii and it's motion control capabilities.

Tell me, do you folks out on the net with 3-D vision actually see like that? Seriously? Don't you get motion sick? I'm eager to know, is this Wii mod an accurate depiction of how everyone else views the world?

Answers on a postcard please, alternatively on my blog's comment section.

Me? Well I see light a very blurry video camera, everything is flat. I know it's not and so have, over many years, learned to compensate. My brain ... well hasn't. Sans glasses/lenses it's more like this, but with a touch more detail:

Advertorial: James Bond in HD

2008-10-19T18:52:00.002+01:00

I'll admit to being sceptical when Daniel Craig first took over the mantle of James Bond from Pierce Brosnan but Casino Royale really surprised me; it was gritty, it had edge and it was serious.

Quantum of Solace opens next week and I'm dying to see it, it seems to be getting good reviews too. I love the fact SFX went to the press screening last week; Bond's not exactly sci fi. Their excuse? Moonraker. Go figure.

Anyhow, Sony have commissioned the amazing advert above which distils the essence of Bond in order to sell their range of HD TVs. I'm not buying the TV, or the smart phone or anything else delicately placed in the movie but it's rare to see such an awesome advert.

World of Warcraft: The Best Things in Life are Free

2008-10-18T11:07:00.000+01:00

It's been a busy week in Azeroth for Serisa, my boomkin druid. At the start of the week she left The Demi Gods to set up The Keepers of Lore. I love raiding but the time and effort was killing my love for the game, especially the mindless wiping and the attitudes of some of the raiders who buggered off an hour in. That aside, I was poor, the bank was nerfed for officers after too many had quite the guild meaning I was frequently substituting the meagre 25g allowance with my own money.

Now this might sound a generous allowance but when when you're raiding six or seven nights a week with no time to farm or do dailies, other than the required primals/ore for the guild bank or to buy stacks of potions, farm buff food it gets eaten away very quickly. As I boomkin, I have a list of specific potions which each cost around 25g for five and I was going through forty or so of each a week.

So I left, with my GM's blessing (even if it was revoked two days later when she found me in another guild and trying to raid Onyxia). Koardah and I set up our own guild, a place where friendship comes first and real life is a welcome distraction. I've been on a bit this week, mainly because setting up a guild, sorting out the bank and all the other stuff takes time and dedication.

But I'm happy.

Then Echoes of Doom hit and suddenly Daggerspine was alive and the game itself took on a whole new perspective. One which assured me I'd done the right thing. I'm a BOOMkin again with the ability to crowd control indoors, rez the fallen both in an out of combat (even if the latter is still on cool down) and get some amazing new talents.

For me, it's Achievements; I love them. That little ding and the announcement to all and sundry that you've gained this title or that Achievement lifts your spirits. Additionally it's invigorated Classic WoW in a way I'd thought nearly impossible. Last night I ended up in the Rookery for the 'Jenkins' title and then we slaughtered Onyxia. Now Hallow's End has started, the Achievements come thick and fast and I'm honestly starting to love the game again.

I just wish the points you earn from the Achievements could be redeemed for something.

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Autumn Cleaning' Edition

2008-10-11T21:25:00.001+01:00

Currently Blogging To: Various BlizzCon Panels, courtesy of WoWRadio.

Autumn is thick in the air, I can feel it. This is my favourite time of year; the sun shines brightly, golden leaves are falling and my next door neighbour's daughter gave me a conker this afternoon. Mist creeps in a night and I've finally lugged my winter quilt from under the bed (yet the heating is off and the window open a crack at night). Samhain is a-coming and it's my favourite festive, especially as my estate has lots of kids who will be prowling around after sweets. Me? Time to crack out the cakes and cider along with my cauldron and broomstick.

So this week has been hectic. This time of year is the countdown to Christmas period, usually editors don't want to work between Christmas and New Year so there's a mad rush to get several issues out (normally on of them is released on Boxing Day because by then folks need something to read). This means yours truly gets IMs/emails from editors asking for last minute reviews/previews to plug holes, this makes me very happy, even if it does involves vast amounts of game playing in an insanely short period of time.

Basically this translates to me working weekends, which I don't mind as long as I can recoup days later in the week because, of course, deadlines are ALWAYS first thing Monday, or possibly second thing Tuesday (which actually means last thing Saturday/Sunday and the wee small hours of Monday morning).

Anyway, one of these games (which I don't want to talk about due to an embargo - technically I can as long as I don't go into specifics about said game but what-the-hey) was one I was dying to play. I pestered, badgered, begged and finally bit my editor's hand off when he offered me the review. Said game came with a letter an a request that I duly took to heart by spending Sunday afternoon playing it while my mother - who doesn't get games and doesn't play them unless I break out my Wii - came over to cook dinner. While she drank her umpteenth cup of tea she started looking at the screen and eventually said: 'Wow, that's really pretty'.

I think everything's going to be okay, you know.

When I have a bundle of deadlines, I basically get so focused on work that I don't to things. By things I mean basic householdy stuff: the cat gets fed, I subsist on toast, interweb TV and loud music but I don't cook, I kind of forget to do his litter tray and the washing mounts up, ditto the dishwasher. The one thing I do want to do however is spring/summer/autumn/winter clean. Procrastination FTW!

So after my deadline were done and The Feature From Hell for ImagineFX was lingering, returned from the grave once again, I decided I wanted to sort out my books/consoles/DVDs. I get loads of DVDs, books and games from numerous publishers and once I'm done, they generally go on my shelves (if I like them) or get dumped in my spare room if I done until I get time to give them out to friends/family/the library. Anyway there are now so many that my spare room is starting to look more like a library which isn't good, it needs to be fixed uh soon or I won't be able to get in there.

So when my mother turned up and had spent an hour doing all the cleaning that I can't. It sounds really bad, I know, especially as she's like sixty uh something - but I would like to remind you that I CAN'T SEE .... uh well enough to do that stuff. She also brought some cable ties with her and we elected to start the seasonal cleaning with my TV unit. So she hops behind my TV and starts unplugging, I gingerly move my numerous consoles and we try to figure out new places for them to live while removing dust three inches thick. Ew.

I'm very pleased with the result - even if I spent an additional two hours trying to figure out why my Sky+ box wasn't working property (message to self: check the position of SCART leads next time!). I now have everything in an accessible place. I don't have to unplug component leads from the back of my TV to switch between Xbox 360s and the disc drive of my debug PS2 no longer hits the support pole, plus I have a place to stash the many MANY controllers and my debug code spindle (which I can never find when I need the stupid thing). Score!

Next is my other bookcase and my desk. EEEEK.

That aside it's BlizzCon time and I'm not there. Jonnie is, as is Trina and some other folks I know from WoWInsider and Kotaku (Fahey, I hope your having fun!). Fortunately I can follow all the stuff as it happens and listen in to many of the panels which makes it a lot easier than the WWI where I didn't get to do a single talk :( Next up is the closing ceremony, yay!

I have no idea what I'm doing this week work-wise, which is part of the fun. I'm pretty sure doing my accounts figures somewhere though ... joy but at least my website's been updated. It takes AGES! However the next couple of weeks are hectic, I've got my brother's birthday, then the MCM Expo where I'll be helping out on the NEO stand as well as catching up with Matt, Tom and loads of other folk I've not seen in ages, then it's Samhain and my birthday, and we're into November and the release of Wrath ... whoa!

Right I'm going to catch the next BlizzCon panel - cinematics I think.

EDIT: BTW, see this post - Lifehacker FTW -if you want to do some seasonal tidying!

LittleBigPlanet: Where's Kratos?

2008-10-10T14:09:00.002+01:00

LittleBigPlanet is huge right now. HUGE. I recently downloaded the beta and instantly fell in love with the game so when I spied that OPM were giving away a Kratos skin I actually bought the issue (the full game is being ordered as we speak). So I flicked through it and found this postcard with the download instructions.

But there's a problem - do you see any numbers in that box? I know I'm visually impaired but I'm pretty sure there's nothing there.

Anyone else had this problem?

Article Extend: Troy Lewter (Interview)

2008-10-08T19:32:00.006+01:00

Tomorrow the latest issue of NEO - issue 51 - hits newsagents across the country. Within its shiny pages is a feature by me entitled Azeroth's Appeal: Exploring the World of Warcraft looking at the World of Warcraft manga. Now as with any feature, you never get to cram in every quote so I wanted to take a leaf out of Matt Kamen's book - or blog - and post one of the interviews in full here.

You can see the feature here.

* * * *

Troy Lewter is the editor of TOKYOPOP's popular Warcraft and StarCraft manga, based on the franchises by Blizzard Entertainment. I sat in on the Blizzard/TOKYOPOP panel while at Comic Con International earlier this year.

After the panel I collared Troy and explained my interest not only in WoW but that I was a freelance journalist specialising in all things Japanese and gaming. I was also keen to ask if it would be possible to interview him for a feature I was planning looking at the popularity of the manga to tie in with the UK release of the first volume of the Warcraft: Legends anthology. Troy, who also wrote two of the stories in the volume, graciously agreed and the full transcript appears below. The smilies are his own.

Lesley Smith: How did you get involved with the Warcraft manga and were you surprised by its popularity?

Troy Lewter: I had been an editor at TOKYOPOP for many years, working on various other licensed and OEL (Original English Language) titles when I was tasked with taking the reins as editor for Warcraft: Legends, Warcraft: Dragons of Outland, Starcraft: Frontline, StarCraft: Ghost Academy and all of the other 22 collective volumes of Blizzard and StarCraft manga TOKYOPOP’s producing over the next three years. That’s quite a tall order for any man, even when wearing platform shoes (which I do quite often). But I never run from a challenge, so I took the Sword of Destiny from my Editor-in-Chief and raised it to the heavens, bellowing my editorial battle cry.

As for the popularity of the manga, you always hope for the best, but you never really know how any product will be received by the public, whether it’s film, games, manga, etc. While in production I realized we had good stories and great art, but realized that could be chalked up to tunnel vision because I’m so close to the project. Besides, I’m not that egomaniacal to assume people would flock in droves to pick up the book (though I did write that wish in my pink bedside diary several times).

That said, Blizzard has been involved with the production of the manga every step of the way. Every element that appears in the manga has gone through a rigorous approval process with them, whether it’s story, art, cover, etc. They obviously know what the fans would want to see in a Warcraft manga, so on that front I never had any doubt that fans that did pick up the manga would approve.

But while I knew fans of the game would love it, the more surprising thing for me is that people that never played the game but have read the manga tell me how much they enjoyed it. Creating these stories is a delicate tight wire act, in which you want to make the stories and characters specific to the Warcraft and StarCraft universe, but at the same time the themes we cover in the manga need to strike a universal chord with all readers, whether they play the games or not. (I liken it to being doorman at Studio 54, where everyone is allowed into the Blizzard party.) So I was very happy that the manga has something for everyone!

LS: Why do you think Azeroth translates into manga (and comic books) so well?

TL: The world is so incredibly rich with history, the characters are so diverse, the land is so vast … I think these are the reasons that Azeroth is brimming with not only manga and comic stories, but for novels and (hopefully, one day) film as well. I grew up on a steady diet of reading Conan and other fantasy comics, so for me personally I’ve always enjoyed a rousing tale of adventure set in a fantasy world (like Azeroth).

And let’s not forget that at its heart, Warcraft (and StarCraft) are visual media properties, in that half of the experience of playing the games is seeing the characters in action in the vibrant world of Azeroth (as opposed to say, a property that originated as a novel). Because it was first a game, the visual look and feel has already been defined and established, and not left up to the player’s imagination. So the bridge between the game world and the manga world is pretty seamless in that respect.

LS: Has editing the manga and writing 'The Journey' and 'An Honest Trade' for Legends made you more interested in Azeroth and the Warcraft franchise?

TL: A big yes to that! Before editing and writing the manga I was aware of the franchise, but had never played it. While I am a huge gamer (in enthusiasm, not girth), my interests have mainly been with console based games. The MMORPG boat kinda sailed by me …

Once I became editor for the project I researched the game and fell in love with the world and the characters, and immediately saw the potential for the manga. I played the game as much as I could …though the irony of all this is that I’m so busy working on the books, I don’t really have time to play the game. But as soon as the last manga hits shelves in 2010, I can really start to explore Azeroth properly.

As for writing the manga … it’s kinda weird how that happened. I didn’t set out to write any of the stories for any of the books (believe me, editing them is enough work as is), but as I was helping other writers develop their pitches, I started coming up with my own story ideas.

Because I’m a writer myself, I couldn’t resist writing a pitch of my own ('An Honest Trade'). But while I had written it, I decided I wasn’t going to pitch my story…but some of my fellow editors read it and felt it was good, and urged me to send it to Blizzard, so I sent it along with about 15 other pitches. I honestly didn’t think they’d like it, and had already placed it in that 'oh well, it didn’t hurt to try' category. So then when they actually approved it and wanted it in the book … I was shocked to say the least. That meant my duties just doubled, because then I had to actually write the darn thing…but I didn’t mind at all. I love to write, so escapism like that was a great way to have some fun.

The second story I wrote ('The Journey') was purely a fluke scenario. I had worked with the original writer on the initial pitch, helping him develop the basic concept. He had actually started writing the script, but circumstances came up in which he was unable to continue his duties as the writer. So I was stuck in the deadline thicket with merely a weekend to get the entire story written and approved. So as a way to purely save time, I asked Blizzard if they’d be okay with me writing the story, since I had been so heavily involved with the basic concept from the beginning and at that point had already written 'An Honest Trade' to their satisfaction.

They agreed, so I chained myself to my computer that weekend and wrote what you see in the book now. I’m not an athletic guy, by any means (An unathletic manga editor? Big surprise there, right?) but that was as close to a full-court, buzzer beater game winning basket that I’ll ever get J

LS: Did you play WoW before working on the manga?

TL:As I mentioned earlier, while I knew the property, I didn’t actually play it until I started researching WoW as editor of the manga. But I had friends that played it who always urged me to 'get with it' and join in the fun. On those occasions I would angrily rise from my porch rocking chair, shaking my cane and yelling at them to 'Git offa my property!'

LS: When did you realise how huge the Warcraft franchise is, particularly when translated into manga?

TL: One anecdote I’d like to share is the moment I realized how truly global the Warcraft phenomenon really is …

The artist for 'The Journey' is Mi-Young No, a fantastic Korean artist, and as I soon realized, die-hard Warcraft fan. Mi-Young isn’t an English speaker, so all of my notes/directions to/from her had to be translated via my wonderful contributing editor, Hyun Joo Kim. Well, it just so happened a detail slipped by me for 'The Journey' that she corrected me on. In the script the dwarf character was riding a horse, but she informed me that the dwarf should be riding a ram. It was a surreal moment, as for once the artist was editing the editor! J The fact that I was involved with a project that touches the lives of people (like Mi-Young) living in another part of the globe really sunk home at that moment.

Lastly, I’d like to speak a bit about the wonderful creators I have worked with on the Warcraft manga to date. From writers like Richard Knaak, Dan Jolley, Grace Randolph, Christie Golden and Aaron Sparrow, to artists such as Jae-Hwan Kim, Mi-Young No, Carlos Olivares, Nam Kim, Erie, In-Bae Kim and Elisa Kwon…none of these books would be possible without them.

Every story presented its own challenge, whether it’s the language barrier for the non-English speaking talent, or the tight deadlines for the stories, but the creators all rose to the occasion and delivered awesome content for the manga. Seeing the stories and art come together before your eyes is as beautiful a process as watching a flower bloom on your windowsill…but none of that would be possible without the creators toiling away into the wee hours to meet deadlines with incredible scripts and art.

I really enjoyed speaking with you about TOKYOPOP’s Warcraft manga, and look forward to delivering great manga to the fans of both Warcraft and StarCraft over the next three years!

Apples, Aunties and the Stork

2008-10-04T21:10:00.000+01:00

I'm going to be an auntie! And not just any auntie either but a groovy one. Yes my brother and his wife are expecting their first little one in May next year.

"I've got good news," my Parental Unit says. My subconscious gut reaction from the grin on her face: Cheryl's expecting. "I'm becoming an apple,"

"I'm sorry, what the?"

"I'm becoming an apple," she repeated.

"What sour and bitter?" I paused. "Gods you really walked into that one!

After she stopped laughing, my conscious brain was yet to get the joke so Mum tried again. "What's you're favourite apple?"

"Granny Smith. OOOH."

Yes, in May my mother will have her first grandchild to dote on. She adores kids - so do I providing they're actual kids (preferably 7 upwards) and I'm allowed to spoil them rotten. Babies crap, spew and scream too much for my liking but they seem to like Mum. Which is good as I know she's going to be doing a lot of babysitting. I kind of hope it's a girl but aunt's are groovy regardless, right?

Not that I've ever felt any pressure but the knowledge that the family line is secure pleases me. I'm not the mothering type and as I'm destined to be a cat lady, the knowledge that my brother is expecting a sprog couldn't come at a better time.

I'm going to be auntie!

Living the Freelance Dream: The '500th Post' Edition

2008-09-29T10:10:00.003+01:00

Currently Blogging To: Samson and Delilah by Shirley Manson, As the Rush Comes by Motorcycles and Before the Worst by The Script.

Wow, I just realised when I sat down to blog that this is my five hundredth post and it comes four years and one month after original post on September 1st 2005! Doesn't time fly?

This was just as I was starting my freelance career properly, I didn't have an iPod or any clients and three years later I've got my own home, have worked for some of the UK and US' most well known games magazines, I have an iPhone, consoles, computers and a cat.

I was talking with Lil Ben last night and he seemed impressed by my long client list but to me it's just a by-product of calling, networking and pitching. Everyone else does it and I'm no exception, half of freelancing is about making nice with editors and writing copy they like quickly. I have a very low opinion of my own copy but then I don't have a month or a band of monks armed with gold leaf and quills, all I can do is make the best of the time I have.

So yes, to the iPhone. I bought it on Saturday after my N95 finally gave up the ghost. It's never worked properly, indeed I must have replaced it at least twice. The phone worked okay, aside from being slow and crashing. However if I turned it off and back on I'd get 'SIM registration failed' whenever I tried to use it. Last weekend it finally had enough and after thirty attempts, I have up and called T-Mobile to check my contract end date and how much it would cost me to cancel it now (around £55 if I broke it prior to January 10th).

Then I lost my wallet, cancelled my cards, found my wallet and well things got a little sidetracked. I've been attracted to the iPhone for ages (I love my iPod) because of the HUGE touch screen and so it was a serious contender. I also had a peek at the Samsung Omnia and the HTC Touch HD. The former is nice but feels cut and shut as well as having a smaller screen and tiny icons and the latter won't be out for a while. Which reminds me, this is a damn fine piece of viral marketing for the Omnia (although I first heard about the phone after seeing adverts on the Tube):

But I digress.

After doing internet and hands on research, I knew the iPhone was for me. It's all very well having folks in the phone stores - who are all motivated by commission or insurance sales - going: 'This phone makes phone calls, surfs the net, lets you watch video and it also boils the kettle, shines your shoes and warns you of a zombie invasion. What's stopping you from buying this phone RIGHT NOW?'

Nice pitch but all that cool stuff, while cool, is no real use to me, I just can't see well enough to have a Blackberry or an Omnia, not unless it was A4 sized. With my visual issues, I need simple things: a big screen, large icons, huge text and something which is very easy to use. The iPhone isn't just shiny (and by extension fulfils my desire for shiny gadgetry), it is also ideal for me personally. Plus my familiarity with the iPod Touch and my love of the cool apps meant there's no learning curve. I just have to make my own ring tones and off I go.

Except leaving T-Mobile was not as simple as I had planned. When I'd previously rung up, the chap I'd spoken too had said I would just have to call and get a PAC code with any extra monies taken from my account. No problem. So, the iPhone in front of me, I dialled up Customer Services and the following conversation ensued.

"I'd like a PAC code please,"

"Okay, Ms Smith, you want to leave T-Mobile?"

"Yes, that's right. My phone's defective and I can even use it so I've decided it's better to cut my loses and get a different one."

"Okay, you're contract's not up until January 10th. That means to leave us it will cost you £159."

Silence. Then: "WHAT? I'm sorry, how much did you say?"

"£159,"

"That can't be right, I rang last week to double check and your colleague told me it would be close to £55, going down every day. How did it go up?"

"Ah yes, my colleague made a mistake ...."

"Well that's not acceptable. Your colleague assured me it was the correct amount. Can you not waive the excess given that I've essentially been misled."

"No,"

"Then I want to speak to your supervisor please."

She didn't like this one bit, indeed her tone during the whole conversation was gruff and argumentative but she agreed to have a supervisor contact me within two hours. Cue wandering around Norwich (I went up to the Castle and the museum). I was just about to give up the game and get the bus home when the supervisor, a nice Welsh chap rang me back.

I must admit I was expecting to have to put up a fight. I explained that my phone never worked and he quickly changed his tune from: 'So you like to change contracts every two years, is that it?' (The N95 was my first contract, previously I'd been with Vodafone and, prior to that, BT on PAYG) to 'I can see why your opinion of T Mobile's been sullied' and waived most of the fee, leaving me with a not unreasonable £55 to pay. I resent paying money but it's certainly better than the amount his argumentative colleague had originally quoted.

So I quickly pottered back to O2 and purchased my new phone. I prefer to get contract phones directly from the companies rather than their agents like Phones4U or the Carphone Warehouse as they seem overly eager to sell extras and don't know as much about the ins and outs of the phone. Plus I hate being pressurised to buy handsets without thinking about it or being told I need expensive insurance when I know my contents insurance will cover my mobile - I checked last year when I took out the policy.

Long story short, I couldn't be happier with my new phone. I love it. Okay it's not perfect (Apple could add expandable memory, cut and paste, MMS and the ability to use any ring tone easily rather than making you purchase them or make your own as long as they're under 40 seconds long). I can see the iPhone, I know how to use it and all my apps from the store work like a dream.

Nice one, Apple, just don't release another one or a 32gb model until my contact is up - or else!

Starship Troopers 3: Marauders (Blu Ray Review)

2008-09-28T23:19:00.002+01:00

Starship Troopers was not only a classic science fiction novel but also a damn fine movie. Set in a dystopian future, it followed Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) as he enlisted in the Mobile Infantry in the war against the Arachnids - or Bugs - of Klendathu. A hero, Johnny Rico kind of vanished into the mythos, leaving the inevitable sequel to bomb; can the second sequel - which marks the character's return - redeem the franchise?

Time has passed but the Bug War continues, now a Colonel stationed on the former farming and Japanese sounding planet of Roku San, Rico has to deal with a Bug onslaught and the arrival of Sky Marshal Omar Anoke (Stephen Hogan) and a couple of his old friends. After a bar brawl gone bad, Rico finds himself on Death Row for assaulting friend and senior officer Dix (Boris Kodjoe) while Dix's girlfriend Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock) finds herself and a small gang of survivors, including the Sky Marshal, on a backward planet filled with Bugs. Saved from the hangman's noose and with the military disavowing all knowledge, Dix has Rico take a team to rescue his better half and Anoke.

Interspersed in all this is the battle between religion - specifically Christianity - and the military's control over a society that's had enough. Dissenters are hung and religion is banned. While should make for an interesting twist, it actually ways Marauders down. Characters get annoying by their constant reference to God, uttering prayers and the final scenes where God becomes a 'citizen' and the highest echelons of the military start wearing crosses is down right off-putting.

At the heart of the religious element of the film is Anoke, a devout believer in 'God' (just not the same one as some of the other cast). Psychic and a pop idol (complete with a memorable and catchy single) Anoke is the unsung hero of the film - literally. His popularity is used as for recruitment and he is the epitome of patriotism - he becomes a walking propaganda tool with a capitalist edge. The 'Would you Like to Know More?' segments seen in the original film return, drip feeding more information about this future world but the effect is then ruined by flooding the viewer with detail instead of leaving it there and letting them draw conclusions.

The Blu Ray release seems surplus to requirement as the special effects aren't stellar or particularly worth of high definition. The extras are mediocre, making use of BD Live and picture-in-picture, the featurettes are interesting but nothing particularly memorable except for the music video of Anoke's recruitment pop song 'It's a Good Day to Die'.

The acting on the whole is passable and a semi star-studded cast will help enhance the film's popularity, it's just that the intention to replicate the original film's success and expand the universe is too much leaving Marauders to come across as kitsch. Still it's not a terrible film, just one you might want to rent.

The Sleeping One

2008-09-08T23:25:00.002+01:00

Doesn't he look peaceful?

I bought a new camera today - a Lumix TZ-5 - and couldn't resist snapping Jerry. Of all the shots I took, this was the ideal photo.

New Blog Launch: The Real Japan

2008-09-03T12:53:00.000+01:00

The title to this post really does say it all.

In the run up to my trip to Japan next year, I've created a new blog to record my thoughts and observations about my quest to discover The Real Japan.

I'll be updating the blog regularly as I attend events and organise my trip as I find blogs are a handy place to keep all the information together, plus I'll be exploring related topics too.

Vampire Knight: Guilty PV Released

2008-09-02T21:16:00.001+01:00

Every year so much anime comes out of Japan that I'm forced to pick a couple of series I really enjoy and follow those religiously. Vampire Knight is one such series. Based on a popular shoujo manga by Matsuri Hino (published in English by VIZ), the thirteen episode series began in April and introduced a dark world where vampires prey on humans, who, for the most part are oblivious. Only at Cross Academy do they exist under the same roof, as the Day and Night Classes.

Yuki Cross is one of two people who know what the Night Class are and together with her friend Zero, she must keep both classes in line and make sure the vampires aren't tempted to snack on the Day Class. A love triangle soon develops between Zero (who was raised as a vampire hunter but through a cruel twist has been turned into a vampire himself), Yuki and pureblood vampire and Night Class president Kaname Kuran.

Unfortunately the first series was only thirteen episodes, just enough to get hopelessly hooked and wanting so much more. Well the series continues as Vampire Knight: Guilty, this October and the PV (promotional video) has just been released featuring the new opening and ending themes, once again by On/Off and Wakeshima Kanon.

All I can say is, I can't wait!

Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog OST (Review)

2008-09-02T20:33:00.002+01:00

Joss Whedon's insanely popular musical extravaganza, Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog, has taken over the world and the internet. Fans clamouring for the OST on both sides of the Atlantic have finally had their wish granted with today's release of the fourteen track album via iTunes.

Taken from the three act internet musical released earlier this year, the story follows the attempts of the painfully human, wannabe supervillain Dr. Horrible as he tries to join the Evil League of Evil and figure out how to ask his crush Penny out on a date, only for her to hook up with his superhero nemesis Captain Hammer when Horrible's latest heist goes anything but according to plan.

The $9.99/£7.99 download was released earlier this morning and includes all the much-loved songs performed by Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillon and Felicia Day. While short, the songs - including 'My Eyes', 'My Freeze Ray' and the sorrowful 'Everything You Ever' are just as toe-tappable, hummable and heart-wrenching as they were in the three act feature.

However having the soundtrack available without the distraction of the episodes really does allow for the amazing music and lyrics to shine through. If you've not seen Dr Horrible, shame on you, watch it on the official site, then go buy the OST. If you have, what are you waiting for? Boot up iTunes now!

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Sky+, Reading Glasses and Summer's End' Edition

2008-08-30T22:54:00.006+01:00

Currently Blogging to: Issei no Koe by Shuuhei Kita, World War Z by Max Brooks and the Siren: New Translation OST by Shimizu Hitomi.

8oz self raising flour, 8oz margarine, 8oz caster sugar, 6 large free range eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 2 tablespoons of high quality Green and Black cocoa powder makes a damn fine cake (well half a cake and nine muffins). Add icing made of 4oz margarine, 7oz icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa and you've got something special. Stick them in the oven at 180C and twenty minutes later, out comes perfection.

Yep, I've been cooking. Part of this I blame on a trip to my mother's; she'd been making my little brother muffins to bulk him up again and had made me one. The rest I blame on the UKTV Food; yes I finally caved and ordered it after fellow journalist Holly sent me a discount coupon for a free box and cheap installation. The box arrived yesterday morning and while I do love freeview, this is so much better. I have the variety, culture and knowledge mixes meaning I get channels like Sky One, UKTV Food and the History Channel for £20 a month.

Work hasn't been to bad; the shots pages rolleth in and I got round to updating my website and doing my accounts (two chores I REALLY hate). I also had to go to the opticians to get my eyes checked out. It's something I do every August when my year's supply of contact lenses runs dry. I like to make sure they're okay before paying out another £70. My twilight vision has also been getting worse (like nonexistent) so I was eager to make sure my retina was okay. I suffer for weird black spots in the centre of my vision - a bit like the residue you get if you look at a bright light - but only at night. However, while my contacts don't need changing, I do need, at the tender age of 27, reading glasses.

On one front, it doesn't bother me. After all, if it makes me able to read without splitting headaches or blurred vision then I can't complain. On another front, I wasn't planning on needing a third pair of glasses till I hit 40. No such luck, even if I will have to wear them round my neck and invest in a fourth pair for when I'm using my contact lenses. Phew.

This week I'm not sure what I'm doing but sometimes its nice to play it by ear. I like watching the sun set, feel the air cool and watching the moon rise. Everyone needs a connection to the natural world and mine is in the Sabbats, the eight festivals which mark out the year. Summer's end is coming and the grim reality of dentist's checkups, Christmas, Samhain and my birthday is settling in. I can feel autumn in the air and I think I like it. Mabon is round the corner, the calm before the cold.

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Plotting and Planning' Edition

2008-08-23T21:31:00.005+01:00

Currently Blogging to: White Flame by Modulation, Before the Worst by The Script, Close to the Edge by Solex and the Doctor Horrible OST - American iTunes vouchers FTW and, yes, the episodes are still on repeat :)

Anyone who knows me will have heard me speak of my 'Masterplan', it's the process by which I want to conquer the world (or at least see it - solo) and goes something like this:

Year One: Europe
Year Two: America
Year Three: Japan

As it happened, years one and two were completed this year (last year's group visit to Paris for UbiDays doesn't count) with my trips to Paris and San Diego. It's taken me a fortnight to recover from my flight and AmeCon (my feet have finally stopped aching) but I survived. Now I've started planning my next trip: yes, Japan.

Now I earn more than enough to live comfortably. I can keep The Ginger One in litter and kitty food and myself in Parental Unit-made bread and other lovely things so I see no need to work my arse off just to give Mr Taxman the money, especially when I can spend the money on work trips. However, even after earning, I find I have quite a bit of time spare so I want to do something practical.

Literally.

I've decided to try and do an MA in Japanese Studies at SAOS, I've missed the deadline for 2008 but there's plenty of time for 2009. The best part is I can do it part time over a couple of years, giving me more than enough opportunity to keep working as well as studying a subject I love (and possibly sideline in Chinese Studies too). I've already booked a place on an open evening in October but I'm getting good vibes from this idea.

Which leads me to the next part of my Masterplan, heading to the Land of the Rising Sun itself.

While I was at AmeCon, I had the pleasure of interviewing Solloway Akemi and attending one of her lectures on kimono and the tea ceremony. During the interview, Akemi-sensei also told me about her cultural trips; each year she takes a number of British people to Japan and through host families gives them a chance to glimpse the real country and its customs, from wearing kimono to witnessing martial arts and watching sakura falling. Long story short I've signed up for the Spring expedition in March/April 2009 and I can't wait.

I think perhaps this trip will not only give me a better clue about whether I want to do a part time M.A., write a book, get some commissions and write features or something completely different. Plus I can buy a kimono, visit a shrine, learn more about Shinto and improve my Japanese.

Score!

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Talk

2008-08-22T13:43:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately it seems my ISP have decided rather than going from A to B when it comes to WoW, they're currently going all the way through the alphabet before hitting the European servers.

Long story short: for the moment I can't play WoW. I can login and maybe get a line of text in but that's it, worse, the connection isn't stable and I get disconnected after a few minutes. The weirdest thing is that my internet is fine.

Great, just great. Especially as I, the Demi Gods lore and general WoW person, am supposed to be doing a talk in our little Moot House tonight. Great. But fret not, the talk will continue, thanks to the wonders of the interweb.

Yep, come 7pm tonight server time, please all cluster around the beacon which is the viewing window below and we can do the talk - you just need to imagine my ghostly NE figure in Stormwind :D

World of Warcraft: Cinematic of the Lich King

2008-08-21T13:50:00.006+01:00

"The truest victory, my son, is stirring the hearts of your people. I tell you this for when my days come to an end, you shall be king!"

- King Terenas Menethil II

I'm not in Germany (damn) but that doesn't mean I can't sit hunched over my PC for the sole presentation I've been waiting for: Blizzard's unveiling of new trailer for the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.

Released less than an hour ago, the trailer already has fans cheering across the interweb. Narrated by Terenas, the last king of Lordaeron, the trailer has the late monarch offering his son Arthas words of advice on how to be a good ruler over a beautifully horrible scene (and amazing chaoral music) of the Lich King raising a dead dragon from the snow and ice of the Dragonblight. Marking the first time the cinematic has been a continual scene rather than a montage of characters and monsters, it evokes the harsh conditions of Northrend and the darkest aspects of the new expansion.

As Terenas counsels his son, the Lich King draws Frostmourne, infusing it with unholy power, and stabs the ice. Moments later the frozen lake begins to crack and the great beast's skeleton drags itself from the depths, filled with that eerie cold-blue aura which marks all servants of the Lich King. The creature roars and then swoops over thousands of Death Knights, inspiring them to battle for their master. Beautiful but also terifying and a truly fitting opening to the latest expansion.

While there's still no word on the release, Mike Morhaime stated the game would be coming Q4 of this year. With this in mind, I'm guessing the release date will be announced at BlizzCon in October and will hit shortly after in late October or November, just in time for Christmas.

Head to the official Wrath site to see it or download the trailer in full HD glory, it really has to be seen to be believed.

EDIT: Added the cinematic :D

Quote Check: Tsubasa Chronicle

2008-08-18T15:35:00.001+01:00

So I'm randomly checking ANN, as I do every few days, for news and announcements when I noticed their new banner. Yes, Tsubasa Chronicle volume seven is due out (and sitting on my shelf thanks to FUNimation) any day now so it's ripe for plugging on the world's best known anime site.

Yes, you guessed it, that quote (click on the image to see a larger version) is one of mine (actually relating to volume one of the first series that I reviewed last year but just as applicable). Cool, ne? There's actually a second one attributed to me personally (yay!) from ImagineFX.

It seems that in the last year I've had dozens of quotes and that's not entirely unintentional. When I update my website with PDFs I routinely link all the PRs both here and in the US to the scans so they can see what I thought of their latest products. However these days I'm a lot more conscious of soundbytes than I once was. The idea is, each review should include a short sentence extoling the best aspects of a review and if said soundbyte appears on the box or on advertising material then it hypes the release but also the magazine where the review appears. Just flick through the pages of NEO and you'll see what I mean!

Still, very cool.

World of Warcraft: Dreaming of Azeroth

2008-08-17T21:59:00.000+01:00

I've gotten quite a taste for WoW-related machanima lately and especially enjoy those which put a new slant on Azeroth.

Case in point is Snoman's Dreamscape series. The fourth - and most - recent installment White Dreamscape is my favourite and my first exposure to his work. Basically, it showcases the best and most beautiful parts of Northrend as well as putting a spin on the old world areas - so snowy Winterspring becomes Summerspring, Elwynn Forest gets blossom or becomes Westfall-like and Ironforge is filled with grass and palm trees.

This is basically why I like it; altering the locals according to season wouldn't be hard (especially as there's a calendar already in place) and it would also make the zones that much interesting. The video really does accentuate the best of Blizzard, offering a chance to drool over the new zones (they do actually look like that in-game, too).

Anyway, check you this video above, then take a peek at my other favourite: Wandering Dreamscape. I like this one mainly due to the fantastic soundtrack, the references to Haruhi, Half Life 2 and Death Note and GM island!

Through the Eyes of an Author: World Building or Bust

2008-08-17T17:21:00.008+01:00

My numerous trips are still catching up with me. I'm tired, exhausted and bored and so, decided it was time to write for fun again. I lost a load of my earliest novels a couple of years back to the Click of Death and I have two candidates to work on right now in my Union and Ashterai Chronicles, two crossover series set in the same universe.

The first Taken was one I restarted for NaNoWriMo two years ago and the second, Misplaced Soul, is very much Taken's spiritual prequel from the point of view of a refugee turned diplomat. Anyway, while the universe has been in my head for close to two decades, I've never written it all down and so have been working on a series bible for the past few days, I find it therapeutic as it helps me work out how the different worlds work. Plus I have this hankering to get the end product published via Lulu so it can sit on my bookshelf, reference book style.

Anyway, I was wandering the net after dinner and I took a peek on wired.com to discover August is apparently World Building Month! How fortuitous is that? I've been writing down all my thoughts and observations in a Word document but it's hard going. Right now I'm trying to concentrate on the cultures, customs and histories of three major worlds of Taken: Coronis, Mihari Prime and Mnemosyne (yes, I will have to draw maps).

I'm really enjoying the process though, while I'd love to do a Wiki, I'd rather keep the info on my hard drive in one place. While I enjoy the freedom of just writing, I'm enjoying getting all the rules of my universe down, especially when it comes to the cultural traits and taboos.

Oddly enough, because the whole thing is set in the near future, perhaps the best way to understand how my alien cultures work is via the humans in the story who are still coming to terms with all the strange new worlds revealed to them. How do they cope with the idea of a sadistic race determined to bend a universe to their will? How do Terran religions hold up in the wake for First Contact? How does Earth deal with Coronis, a world that not only revels in physical pleasure but also practises euthanasia? What do the member worlds of the Union think of this little backwater world and its quaint customs and technology?

We shall see.

AmeCon 2008: Cosplayers, Cows and Chair-san

2008-08-11T21:44:00.004+01:00

This past weekend, I attended AmeCon at the University of Leicester and lost my anime convention virginity. Yep, it was my first time at a dedicated con and it was great: cosplay, chair-san, games, Ame-chan, new announcements and, of course, porn (yaoi, not hentai).

I headed up there on Thursday and picked up my keys; I was staying on the campus at Opal Court (basic, self-catering, ensuite, cheapish) as I was eager to experience the complete con vibe and so decided to join the great exodus to Terasana. The nice thing about AmeCon is everyone's there for the same reason so it was really easy to talk to everyone. Standing, there I made no less than six new friends and a dozen more at the restaurant.

On Friday morning, I hit Morrison's early to get supplies and cooking impliments as we had a kitchen and together with the other two founding members of Team Breakfast (catchy, I know) we cooked up a storm and then headed over the main campus at around 10am to join the queue.

The weird thing is, given the size of the event (around 1500 people) I kept running into people I knew or met. In two hours standing in the queue we met loads of people, including a Scottish Hard Gay (which is ever so creepy, but in a sexy way).

It was fantastic though, I spent too much money and drank a bit too much. Solloway Akemi-sensei's lectures were unmissable and the masquerade was fantastic (I love the Ame-chan flash animation) as was the Omake and the late night yaoi panel (one hundred girls screaming 'rape' is quite scary).

Oh and there will be dozens of people cosplaying as Final Fantasy characters but it's Hard Gay you want to look out for. This was no more obvious that during the Omake on Sunday afternoon where Chair-san made an unofficial reappearence, along with Chair-tachi and Table-kun.

I attended all the panels, my personal favourite was a tie between the Beez and ADV panels. Beez because of Andrew's Bee cosplay attempt, the technical glitches ('Bandai Saved By Sega (and Microsoft)') and Hugh and me heckling from the sidelines. ADV because Hugh read out Clemo's Bovine philosophy (including mimicking Jerome of Manga) as related to the anime industry (and informed me Mr Clements is releasing a new book, all about Schoolgirl Milky-chan Crisis! Well, okay, it's his collected musings on the industry).

So, here's what I learned from AmeCon:

It's called AmeCon for a reason (ame means 'rain' in Japanese, you do the math). Take an umbrella and use it. Ditto a pillow, especially if you're in Opal.
You can never have too many toilet rolls (Ditto bread/alcohol/cash).
You will be IDed for alcohol, maybe not in the bar but you will be.
Pay for the pizza by asking your mates for cash upfront rather than paying by card.
You can never start queuing for the Omake too early. Ditto registration and the Dealer's Room.
As a journalist you can jump the line! Do so.
Drinking cider makes karaoke much more fun and not as nerve-racking either. Stop at three. Go no further.
There is no shame in bringing/buying/reading yaoi in public. Ditto being a fan.
Bring a DS but avoid Pictochat if you don't like images of male genitalia.
Nothing EVER runs on time - it runs on CMT (Convention Mean Time which is appoximately -2 GMT).
Wear comfy shoes.
Hit the VR rooms and catch some anime.
That suitcase might look big enough. It isn't. Bring a spare.
Check out the cosplay café.
Befriend/adopt a Gopher as a pet.
Hit the games room early as possible, before your feet start to hurt.
Bring last year's lanyard (to hang your keys on) and the badges (as a mark of die-hard Ame-fandom).
Take pictures and movies.

World of Warcraft: In the Service of the Lich King

2008-08-02T12:51:00.010+01:00

This is Eshte, recent addition to the Lich King's Scourge and bane of the Scarlet Crusade. Yes, I've got beta access and I'm loving it. Blizzard Europe's in house PR folk sent me the code on Wednesday (just as I got in from my flight) and so I fired up my desky and left the nearly 3gb file to download overnight.

Upon getting into the beta, I took Serisa (now known as Serisia - cheers Luci :D) to Stormwind for a haircut, then wandered around Northrend for a bit. On a whim, I decided to roll a Death Knight as their own starting area (Acherus: The Ebon Hold) had just been implemented and I quite liked what I saw of them at the WWI.

So I rolled Eshte, a young Blood Elf maiden slaughtered by the Scourge and brought back into the devoted service of the Lich King. Within minutes of being raised by a necromancer, Eshte was forced to kill a Draenei prisoner and then forge her own cursed Runeblade before being sent down to New Avalon to strike fear into the hearts of the Scarlet Crusade settlers.

Unlike the other starting areas, the Death Knight experience is one long quest chain designed to take you from level 55 to 58, not only showing you how to play the class but also obtain your own Deathcharger (I just love the glowing blue hooves), use magical attacks, gain talent points and turn against the Lich King.

Now this was the bit which interested me. After all how does a devoted servant turn against such an all-powerful master? Well it's not just you and it's not just a suddenly change of heart. Along the way, you're asked to kill a member of your original race - so Eshte had to kill a noblewoman of the Blood Elves who obviously knew my girl in her past life. Before she asked Eshte to kill her, the seeds of dissension were sewn in preparation for the grand finale: the final quest sees an almighty battle take place at Light's Hope Chapel in Eastern Plaguelands. Despite overwhelming Scourge numbers, Tirion, leader of the Argent Dawn, makes the Death Knights see sense and turn against their creator, becoming much like Warlocks, just with cooler looking eyes.

The thing I like about the Death Knight experience, as Blizzard are calling the starting chain, isn't just the evilness and the look, it's also the environment. Take New Avalon, for example, it starts out looking like a typical human town with uncharacteristically nice weather but as you take the area over, killing the citizens (and their mayor, a man named Quimby), everything changes. Fires break out, the sky darkens, minions and mindless monsters wander round slaughtering and you even get to kill a hundred elites thanks to a bawked cannon and a broken user interface.

My favourite quest is the one where you have to steal a horse - entitled Grand Theft Palamino - and then go into the World of Shadows to kill someone in order to take your undead charger. As you enter the World, the Lich King's voice whispers, reverberating in a ghostly world but, better than that, as you kill people he really does /whisper you! Yes, you too can have your own dialogue with the Lord of Northrend. But the Lich King is also a big part of the starting experience, he offers encouragement, threats and also quests, seemingly able to project not only his thoughts but a physical image all the way to EPL.

The chain culminates in - if done right - your Death Knight hitting 58, completing a whole new set of gear and also claiming their freedom. The necropolis also changes, becoming a haven for the released Death Knights and you can then explore Azeroth and Outland. While welcomed as a member of the Alliance or Horde, your character is still glared at now and again in capital cities with some of the locals yelling for you to get out of town.

Yep, you're so misunderstood.

I'm not quite sure where Eshte is going next but it's certainly a refreshing change to rolling a level 1. This way I get a cool character, powerful spells, a minion of my very own and cool gear that accentuates the evil blue eyes.

Awesome!

The Road To Comic Con: Days One and Two

2008-07-26T13:49:00.003+01:00

Ahh San Diego, what a gorgeous city. I got in just after midnight on Wednesday morning so really didn't see much and Wednesday was spent running round the city to various events including the DC Universe Online presser and, of course, preview night which just seemed to be a heard of people heading for cool but useless swag.

The event was crowded but I did get a chance to pick up some stuff after all lugging it around for an hour is better than all day, right? Picking up my badge was surprisingly easy. I'm still amazed by the size of the Convention Center, it's about the length of five football pitches end to end and boy do your feet hurt!

Yesterday I also went to my first panel - on Afro Samurai: Resurrection - and got to experience the delights of the panel system. Now the idea of the panel is you queue and get a seat but people have a habit of panel camping all day for a specific event and Comic Con don't do clear outs pre event. So anyway I mosied on down to the Afro panel, explained to the chap that I was press and he starts saying I need some kind of sticker and it was only through running into Jackie from FUNimation that I got in, these gatekeepers have a tiny bit of power and really use it which is really annoying.

But the worst one was the WoW panel. I had already spoken to the PR from Upper Deck - apparently someone had called ahead to let them know I was coming and would they save me a seat - so she had assured me for this panel there was press seating and all I had to do was explain that to the guy on the door and they'd let me in.

Right .....

That's not what happened. At all. I got into the event but the folks were like, there is no press seating. Of course, they're just minions - even the ones with headsets - and don't expect them to know what's going on. I got stuck with a chap who was condescending and patronising, he must be right and I must be mistaken. The only reserved seating was for the folks with the panelists (which is essentially the press section in such panels) but it was a last minute chat with a guy in red at the front which led to me jumping rows to the front.

Still doing this is so frustrating and not good for my blood pressure, especially as the Battlestar and Heroes panels are today, I also have to go to the Tito Kube panel for which, again, I've been assured a seat. /Sigh. Then I'm so going shopping.

The event is amazing but the lack of press support is annoying. I've managed to get some amazing interviewees but feel a little let down, no event however big will ever live up to expectations. I haven;t seen much of the city and, to be honest, as I have no firm commissions relating to the panels today and tomorrow I'm inclined to skip them and see a bit more of the world. It's not about the work (and it's not like any of my editors contributed even a penny to my expenses - some didn't even give me formal commissions) and to be honest, I'm finding myself getting increasingly irked by the attitudes of many in the industry, the whole everything for nothing mindset really gets me down.

Still .... I'm determined to enjoy myself for my last three days here. For now, breakfast.

The Road to Comic Con: #391, Come On Down

2008-07-21T07:44:00.003+01:00

"Hey," Adam says. "You know you're number #391 of over a thousand media going to Comic Con?"

I didn't but it's kind of cool. I was one of the first to sign up and I'm glad I did. Checking the official site, all of the four day passes and now the single days have gone. Yes, scarily, Comic Con has sold out!

That's A LOT of people descending on San Diego.

So I've done my schedule - and have double booked myself a lot. I've bought my champagne ticket for Video Games Live, have some juicy commissions and a stellar interview with one of the special guests. I'm especially eager for some of the panels: Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Tokyopop (okay, it's Warcraft too) and various film showings.

I've been getting tips from Adam, my editors and Trina about the best things to see and when to go swag hunting. I do have a list - see below - of the booths I want to check out and the odd one or two items to exchange coin for.

I must not buy crap - or bring it home.

I'm screwed.

So what do I want to see at Comic Con? Yes this is a list - with booths - so I can refer to it as I wander (free wi fi, go figure). Live with it.

Penny Arcade (1237, 1334, 1336) - To get the pair's official Con poster and see what Tycho and Gabe actually look like.
Yen Press (1116) - Yeah, I want that Suzumiya Haruhi manga sampler.
Upper Deck (2829) - Hmm that Vindicator statue calls to me .... nice ....
Udon Publishing (5368, 5369) - I need to pick up the Okami Complete Works.
FUNimation (4135) - To meet the FUNi PRs I've been chatting too for the last two years.
Seven Seas and Tor (2649, 2748) - Meet Adam and give him DVDs :D
Radical Publishing/Dark Horse (2806, 2808/2615) - Gotta pick up Mateki: The Magic Flute (it's a gorgeous book) by Amano Yoshitaka from Radical, say hi Gianluca and also Jacq on Dark Horse.
Sci Fi (3829) - Say hi to Michelle.
VIZ (4113) - Gotta say 'hi' to Evelyn and Erik.
PCB Production (4039) - To get a copy of the Ascend comic book.

I'm sure there will be more, I'm intending to go to the preview night and get the lay of the land as past as possible. I have plenty more people to meet and loads of networking to do. There's a gaggle of old and new friends to meet in person as quite a few journos I know are attending, along with some of the British PRs.

Trailer Corner: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-20T18:21:00.007+01:00

So Comic Con is in like four days and in anticipation, I remembered Felicia Day of The Guild is gonna be there (Note to self: go buy the DVD). Now Felicia's been twittering about Doctor Horrible recently so I figured it was high time to hit the official site and take a peek.

Doctor Horrible, as the title suggests, is the musical blog of a wannabe villain (played by Neil Patrick Harris - *drool* - Starship Troopers) who is so adorable, you can't imagine him becoming the next Doctor Doom despite his Ph.D in 'Horribleness'. He means well ... in an evil mad scientist sense but is distracted by his love of Penny (Felicia Day, The Guild) whilst trying to battle arch-nemesis Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion - *drool* - Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

The three acts - which can be seen until midnight tonight American time - follow Horrible (aka Billy's) attempts to get into the Evil League of Evil - by following his vide0 blog - and gain enough courage to talk to Penny. Unfortunately their first conversation leads to Penny being shoved into a pile of rubbish by Captain Hammer during Horrible's heist to steal a vital component for his freeze ray. The pair get caught in the moment and end up dating, much to Horrible's ire.

Created and produced by Joss Whedon, think The Guild but with music, superheroes and a really heartbreaking ending, Doctor Horrible came about during the writer's strike to prove that fun series could be created cheaply and independently. I think it's a stunning success with amazingly catchy songs (yep, a soundtrack is on the way) and Americans can even buy it on iTunes (oi, Apple UK, hurry up!). If you liked 'Once More With Feeling', then Doctor Horrible's Sing-Alone Blog is its spiritual successor!

Machinima Corner: MMOvie

2008-07-19T22:52:00.007+01:00

Ahselvik has been on at me all week to watch the mystriously titled MMOvie and I finally checked it tonight. Imagine, if you will, a movie that pokes fun of every other film on the planet - but is created using WoW. Trying to explain it really doesn't to the production justice as it's completely gorgeous and side-splittingly funny.

Even better the first ten minutes of the film have been released and it's fantastic and well worth repeated viewing. Let's see .... Indiana Jones parody .... check! Raining murlocs .... check! Pink Elekks .... check! 'Blonde' Night Elf who makes us all look bad .... check!

More please!

World of Warcraft: D.I.S.C.O. Dancing On Daggerspine

2008-07-17T23:34:00.006+01:00

With Patch 2.4.3 finally live, it was the perfect opportunity to distribute the loot cards that have been sitting on my desk for the last month. I gave Ahselvik the [D.I.S.C.O] loot card, Biglilmini (our video guru) the [Path of Illidan] and my alt Auryn got the [Ethereal Soul Beacon] which summons the Soul Trader.

So Ahs toddles off to Booty Bay to redeem his code and we meet up in Stormwind with a bunch of guildies to try it out. I get my beloved Mini Tyrael out using [Tyrael's Hilt] and we start dancing. Then Big suggests we hit Orgrimmar with a very unlikely raid; that we dance our way inside. So we head to Booty Bay, get the boat to Ratchet and then ride.

Setting up shop just outside the city, it took a few minutes for the Horde to notice us and they were obviously curious as many came to dance with us, some to slaughter and a couple to stare, laughing. Then we took the bull by the horns and went inside, finding a secluded spot to get our groove on. Yes we died eventually but it was a hell of a lot of fun. I have the feeling it won't be long before the Dancing Demi Gods of Daggerspine-EU become the stuff of legend, they'll even sing songs of us in Undercity and Silvermoon.

To see more pictures, click here!

The Cult of Apple: Why I'm Not Subscribing To MobileMe

2008-07-17T19:32:00.003+01:00

'With Microsoft, you know you're being shafted.

With Apple, you know you're being shafted - but in a nicely designed way.'

- Tom 'Cro' Gordon

Cro is a geek in the truest sense, a tech guru who can normally be found waist deep in the latest technology, from computers and operating systems to mobile phones and social networking. We tend to discuss technology daily over MSN and our current topic of conversation has been Apple, the iPhone and MobileMe.

Now I'm trusting, when Apple say something I'm likely to believe them. Cro, well he doesn't just read the small print, he dissects it. For example, he pulled up the terms and conditions and showed me the paragraph where Apple have the rights to claim ownership of anything they find useful in my MobileMe account.

I'm sorry, what the hell?

Now I was watching the MobileMe/iPhone launch with interest and, to put it mildly, it was a total disaster. I was able to sign up and snag my prefered user name (as in my name) as I hate having to add meaningless numerals. Then the site went down for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and .... you get the picture.

So it's Saturday lunchtime before I can update my iPod Touch and, while I was impressed by the new firmware MobileMe wasn't up until that evening, a whole day after Apple's planned announcement. Getting it to sync with my calendar wasn't fun and that whole 'pushing' lark just didn't materialise, especially when I looked into both the settings on my iPod and on my PC to discover it only pushed every fifteen minutes.

Hang on now, my iPod syncs with Outlook quicker than that! What's going on here.

Yeah it seems that Apple's take on 'Exchange for the rest of us' doesn't push, it syncs. They've consequentially changed the information on the website and there must be some very red faces at One Infinite Loop. I'm not cancelling my trial just yet but I will be when I get back from the US, discovering that Apple had decided to earmark the subscription (and then some) from my bank account was the final straw.

Congrats on losing a customer. It was a lofty goal and sadly Steve Jobs and co. really have fallen short and certainly haven't delivered what they promised.

World of Warcraft: 2.4.3 Goes Live, Tyrael Is SO Cute!

2008-07-17T18:15:00.002+01:00

Here's a nice little snapshot of me and Uta with our Tyrael's. Notice the difference? Yep, Uta made good use of the pet biscuits I gave him to make his Mini Tyrael not so mini. Cool, huh?

The NeverEnding Story (DVD Review)

2008-07-17T14:50:00.000+01:00

I was four or five when I first saw The NeverEnding Story and it was one of a collection of fantasy films like Willow, Legend, The Last Unicorn. Labyrinth and The Princess Bride which coloured my childhood as well as the eighties in general and instilled in me a love of film and fantasy.

Now of all the films mentioned above, The NeverEnding Story was the first I watched - and was terrified by - and the last to hit DVD. Yes it's been a long time coming but the DVD is finally inbound. Based on the book of the same name (Die Unendliche Geschichte) by German author Michael Ende, the film catapults viewers into the magical world of Fantasia.

But Fantasia is not a happy place, something - the Nothing - is destroying the world leaving just a void in it's wake. Representatives of all the races have headed to the Ivory Tower to beseech the Childlike Empress for aid. Unfortunately the Empress is desperately ill so it falls to the young warrior Atreyu, gifted with the mystical Auryn, to journey across the land in search of a cure in the hope that the Nothing will also be destroyed.

But this is not just Atreyu's story, it is also Bastian's. A human child living in New York, Bastian loves fantasy; he draws unicorns in his math book and dreams of flying. Unfortunately the real world has not been kind to him and he must deal with the death of his mother as well as daily abuse from a gang of bullies. It's during one such attack that Bastian stumbles into a bookstore and comes across a mysterious book - The NeverEnding Story. Sneaking into his school's loft, Bastian is soon sucked into Fantasia and becomes as much a part of the story as Atreyu, Falkor and the Empress.

The film is a masterpiece; achingly beautiful and terrifying it epitomises how good fantasy can be. Indeed the film has enchanted an entire generation and now has the chance to do so once again via DVD. While the transfer is fantastic and the film uncut (yes, that scene involving Artax and the swamp of Sorrows is there in its entirety), the DVD is rather basic with just a trailer and cast and crew information.

While Warner Home Video are releasing it for £9.99, we can only hope they will eventually see sense and release a collector's edition. Until then, this film belongs are the heart of every film fan's DVD collection and is certainly more than worth numerous repeat viewings when the DVD is released on 18th August.

E3: Meh

2008-07-16T22:38:00.009+01:00

As usual Gabe and Tycho have hit the nail bang on the head with their latest comic about - surprise surprise - E3. Yes it's that time of year again and I'm once again one of the minority in terms of journalists who didn't go, most places it seems were taken up by fanbois and bedroom editors with the odd proffessional journo thrown in for good measure.

Thank the Gods for the interwebs though. Gamespot hosted the three major press conferences from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo and they've been my evening viewing of choice. Either way, the comic above really does sum up the week's events.

Microsoft

Microsoft have finally stopped treating their consoles like a sideline, instead making them their full focuses and giving the Xbox 360 the treatment and respect it deserves as a huge player in the video games market. The press conference didn't throw up any surprises but when you're a journo, I usually hear everything in advance with the rumour mill filling in the rest, like Lips (WTF, seriously, what kind of a name is that for a game?) and avatars for example.

Nintendo

Ahh Reggie with your huge shoulders, it wouldn't be a Nintendo presser if you weren't there, the conference didn't start late and some kind of Pokémon game wasn't announced. Gratz on all three! This time round Reggie had a lot of import from Cammie Dunaway who actually gives the impression she loves games but in a really HUGE American kind of way. Watching her play against Reggie using Wii MotionPlus (what a con!) and Wii Resort was amusing though and typifies Nintendo's attitude of converting the masses into gamers, either casual or hardcore; it doesn't matter as long as people buy their games and consoles.

Sony

Gods, the Sony Presser was boring. Seriously. Using BigLittlePlanet might make those figures look prettier (and by extension a distraction from the whole point) but it's still like watching paint dry. I love the way they always talk about ten year plans - especially when the PS2 is the only thriving example of such a plan, the PS3 will be lucky to last four. I'm sorry, Sony, but the PS3 cannot beat the Xbox 360. Live with it and have fun trying to crack the media market with those downloadable movies, which Microsoft have been doing for like two years. Cheers on the single user name for all your products though, I might finally be able to make my PSP talk to my PS3 now. Great! Aside from that *Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

Trailer Corner: Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen (Wii)

2008-07-16T20:06:00.005+01:00

E3 is in full swing but perhaps one of the most exciting offerings (and a very late on at that given the game is released in a fortnight) is this spooky trailer for the new horror game in the Project Zero franchise: Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen (Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse). All that's left now is waiting for my copy to arrive while I scour the net for more trailers and the theme song.

Enjoy!

The Road to Comic Con: I Am Miss Popular

2008-07-11T14:18:00.003+01:00

It's coming .... how do I know? I've checked me email! Yes it seems all the main companies attending Comic Con are given access to my email address as I'm a member of the press (I don't mind, although I probably should) and then spend three days bombarding me with party and booth invites. Well it certainly saves me time having to chase up Americans I don't know!

The only problem with this is of course all the parties are 0n Wednesday night. Now I, if I ever get through, want to go to Video Games Live (it's all Tommy's fault for getting me hooked at the WWI) which starts at seven on the Thursday night and should be a lot of fun. Unfortunately all the parties start between 7:30pm and finish late, scattered across San Diego.

As this is a 'working holiday' - as in I'm on holiday but while I will also be visiting panels, doing interviews and sniffing out work that will see nice editors giving me money for the next six months at least, I don't feel to pressurised to attend. I'd rather sit through stuff I do enjoy than attend parties for a bunch of games that, on the most part, I haven't heard of. Although the Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe and Darksiders parties are certainly tempting.

I picked up my second set of tickets this week - the ones for my connecting flight with AA from LAX to SAN, along with my Clubhouse voucher so I can enjoy all the delights of T3 and chill out with some champagne. My disabled assistance is sorted and I even ordered $3000 of Amex travellers cheques (and some random cash) which makes me feel incredibly rich.

I will not buy a Mac. I will not buy a Mac. I will not buy a Mac.

Seriously though, if Apple ever decide to release firmware 2.0 for my Touch and I get my head round MobileMe, I'm going to spend the weekend working out my calendar properly. I need to sort out which parties, panels and booths I'm going to visit as well reinstalling software onto my laptop and maybe even doing a little bit of work. I've declared that I'm on holiday from next Friday which will give me the weekend to pack, panic and get my hair cut before heading for T3 on Tuesday morning.

Ebay: Caveat Venditor?

2008-07-10T19:21:00.007+01:00

Now when I was much younger (and doing my A Levels), I took Latin for three weeks. Knee deep in the Roman empire, reading the Aeneid and studying the cult of Mother Isis, it seemed like a good idea but that that age (17) a lot of things seemed that way, like credit cards and working weekends at Budgens. Now languages and I don't really get on; Latin especially, it's just too complex (and here I am ten years later doing Japanese .... right).

Anyway, from those three weeks of Latin I learnt bits and pieces thanks to the Cambridge Latin Course and Caecilius (recently immortalised in the Doctor Who episode The Fires of Pompeii) such as 'beware of the dog' and of course, the classic 'buyer beware'.

Everyone knows the term 'buyer beware' (caveat emptor) but what about the opposite? This week I discovered that caveat venditor is just as valid, all thanks to eBay.

Now I'm no eBay virgin. I was introduced to it in 2001 by a friend of mine at Uni, that period when wild expenditure knows no bounds. I bought plenty of crap, mainly anime or Japanese magazines and the odd bit of jewelry but I never sold .... until now.

As a journalist i'm a natural horder, I can't bear to throw things away so I normally keep stuff until my spare room gets too full and then pass it on to friends or family members (like my little brother who then, it transpires, eBays it!)

Coming back from the WWI, I realised I didn't actually want a lot of the stuff that came in my goodie bag. I wanted the beta key/pet card, the mousemat and the bag itself but not the Diablo notebook, the Miniatures Game preview figure or my second beta key so it seemed the ideal opportunity to try out eBay. So I popped them on and also decided it was high time I got rid of my 'Countdown to Wii' watch.

Now there were only two hundred of these things made and they were given out to journos two years ago at the pre-launch event at ExCeL. A lot of journos instantly eBayed theirs much to the irritation of Nintendo and their PR company Cake. I was going to give my away but have never found anyone I wanted to pass this rare piece of Nintendo memorabilia onto. After two years and a change in their PR company, I figured the Big N wouldn't give a damn if I sold the watch or it remained gathering dust on my shelf. I'd wear it, beautiful as it is, but the watch is too big for my wrist and I cannot stand analogue watches (or see the hands).

So I put it on for £150 with a Buy It Now of £350 (my thinking being people would bid rather than buy). Two hours later and my email pings: someone bought it.

Wow.

Except something's not right; I can't see the buyer's feedback as they're 'private', they're Paypal registered in the US under the name of sandra edison (sic) and then I get an email saying (sic):

'Hello Seller,

Thank you for notifying me about the item i won. I just want to inform you that i have paid suficient money for the shipment to my son address in West Africa immediately i won your item and it has been deducted on my account. So i want you to ship the item fast to his place because the item is meant to be a Birthday gift for Him. So i will apreciate it if you can send a Birthday card with it and write (FRON THE MOTHER). I would have sent it myself but i am out of town for An AIDS/ HIV CAMPAIGN RESEARCH. And i want you to send the item to very fast so that it can get there on time because i want him to receive it ASAP for his Birthday present that is why i have paid for fast shipment to his place through Royalmail International Sighned For.'

Right .... so this 'American' person with truly atrocious none-native-English wants it sent to Africa? A birthday present for their son and they can't send it because of an AIDS convention? They've tossed me extra cash to send it quickly? Oh but what's this in their email:

'This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the shipment tracking number is sent to our customers service for shipment verification so as to secure both the seller and the buyer sendtracking4funds.clearance@emailaccount.com

That doesn't sound like PayPal now does it? Even I know, from years of using the service eBay purchases go like this: Sell, money hits PayPal, item is sent out, not the other way around. My suspicions were further aroused by the email which had a space between the services and @paypal.com; a telltail sign of fake emails. Even worse was the following that, unless I sent my tracking number to the email address specified my account would be suspended. I'm the seller, I have rights, what's wrong with this picture.

Yep, it's not the best start to my selling career and shortly thereafter the real eBay sent me a message saying said buyer had been kicked out; but 'sandra' persisted. 'She' emailed me saying it was a mistake and ten minutes later 'eBay' send me a message saying the suspension of 'sandra's' account was a mistake and if I wished I could continue with the transaction.

Like hell I was! Still that didn't stop both 'eBay' and 'PayPal' from harassing me saying that if I did not send the tracking number, I could not receive my £380 and my account would be suspended. Long story short, I'll be relisting at some point this week but in this age of ours, it's no longer buyer beware, the sellers of this world have to watch out too.

Death Note: And Now For Something Totally Different

2008-07-07T15:39:00.009+01:00

So it's been a fornight of WoW-related posts, now for something on the Japanese front. Yes, the other reason I was in Paris was to interview mangaka extraordinaire Obata Takeshi who was in town for a special signing at the Virgin Megastore on Champs Elysee and the yearly Japan Expo.

As anyone who reads NEO will know, I'm a massive Death Note fan so I was really lucky to be offered the chance to interview Obata-sensei last week at Viz Europe's French offices near the famous Paris Opera House. Unfortunately, much to my mortification, I was running late thanks to the pouring rain and a taxi strike and spent a good five minutes apologising in my best Japanese. Nahoko from Viz was kind enough to act as translator and we met in a large room filled with Death Note merchandise.

However, after my fifteen minutes were up, I was keen to take photographs for NEO. Viz had asked I take only shots like the one above that obscured Obata-sensei's face, to keep up the mystery, I suppose so as an excuse I whipped out my copy of How To Read and asked if he would mind signing it in order for me to get a couple of photos.

Well Obata-sensei did one better - as you can see on the right (click on the image to see a larger version) - he not only signed my book but also spent a couple of minutes drawing Light! He was lovely and despite his quiet demeanor, very talkative which is great in an interviewee!

I then headed to the Champs Elysee to do some snooping around - and had to produce my press card as my credentials to boot. There was already a queue of Death Note fans, some of whom let me take photos. I was amazed by the popularity of manga in France with nearly half a floor devoted to manga and comics on the second floor of the flagship store. People where reading Death Note but there was lots of other manga on display and it was a refreshing sight to see so many 'normal', non-geeky teenagers reading and waiting to meet Obata-sensei. Despite the weather, it was an eye-opening day and will certainly spawn somekind of interesting feature soon.

You can see more of my photos from the event by clicking here.

World of Warcraft Trading Card Game: Loot Cards In Da House!

2008-07-06T19:16:00.003+01:00

Lovely eh? No they're not headed for eBay (I don't believe in doing such a thing) or Serisa, this time, all the cards are heading to my beloved guildies so if you see folks on Daggerspine-EU from with cool loot and minions, this is where they came from.

Cheers Tom!

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Au Revoir, Paris' Edition

2008-07-03T10:53:00.002+01:00

Currently Blogging To: You Are The One by Shiny Toy Guns, Tristram from the Diablo II OST and an MP3 of the WWI Video Games Live Concert.

I’m on the train home to Dereham, full of a head cold and feeling awful after a week in gay Paris. Falling squarely into the realm of a working holiday, I was covering the WWI for Kotaku and interviewing Obata Takeshi-san, the artist behind Death Note, for NEO.

I caught a cold on Monday, thanks in part to overworking the weekend and it’s been held off solely because my body understands that when I work, I need to look and project healthy, eager journalist. So around ten minutes after I finished my interview and was standing on the Avenue de l’Opera, I started sneezing and the cold finally hit my head properly.

So, first to the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: it was fantastic, albeit a slight letdown in terms of announcements. Yes, Diablo III, woo hoo, huzzah, but where was the rest? Where was the Wrath release date? Where was the StarCraft II release date? Where was the announcement re that undisclosed MMO? BlizzCon, that’s where. Yes, once again, it’s all about the Americans. We should be lucky we got Diablo, which is paraphrasing what one Blizzard PR actually said to me! All the good stuff is being saved for October …. /sigh

That aside I have to sing Blizzard’s praises for a second, while information was a little scare and often conflicting, overall they did a fantastic job. Despite being a British journo working for some British magazines, the major – from their point of view – coverage I’d be providing was for the gaming blog Kotaku so it was in their interest to be as helpful as possible. So they sorted out a room on the twenty fourth floor of the Corcorde La Fayette hotel (nice hotel, shit wi fi), arranged for me to bring an assistant with me and provided her with a press pass and – this is their crowning achievement – reserved seats for me right at the front of the press section of the main stage, less than two metres from the main stage (and that evil broken speaker). As press I also got shuttled to and from the event, I was able to queue jump for the gaming areas and enjoy the dimly lit press room and on-site wi fi.

Score.

Over forty eight hours, I did around ten features looking at everything from Diablo III to the Blizzard Museum, I also live-blogged the opening ceremony which was fun as I actually had an audience! Shocking I know! It was a great event though, well worth attending, but I can't help feeling a little jaded.

Looking over the forums, it seems a lot of attendees were a bit disappointed: there were two places to buy food and drink (both of which sold out of food way to quickly), the Blizzard shop had little by way of truely limited edition merchandise (although it was still limited edition just not in a good way; the shop had sold out of the good stuff by noon on Saturday), the Wrath demo area was down for much of the first morning but it's the prime complaint that I cannot agree with: the press (and Blizzard employees) got the best seating in the house. Sorry, attendees, but it's a perk of being the Fourth Estate, live with it. If it makes you feel better, Blizzard staff took over the first like fifteen rows of the middle aisle - the best seats in the house - and you lot did get to come into the press section for the closing ceremony.

I'd definitely go again, if only for the goodie bag and the chance to meet up with friends though. I just wish I was going to BlizzCon ....

World of Warcraft: The Trading Card Game Spotlight - Ethereal Plunderer

2008-07-01T10:00:00.010+01:00

Upper Deck are releasing the next TCG expansion: The Hunt for Illidan today and in honour of this momentous occasion, I'm take a sneak-peek at the latest set of loot cards to be released which can be activated in game after able to be used in-game after the 2.4.3 patch, which should hit tomorrow.

This week it's the turn of the final Loot Card, the epic item known as [Ethereal Plunderer]. No it's not a mount and it's not a pet either, well not in the traditional sense. This card bestows on your a pet, a shop and a minion of your very own. Once the card has been redeemed by chatting to Landro down in Booty Bay, it's time to make friend with your new Ethereal companion. If you have The Burning Crusade expansion then you'll recognise these chaps as the mysterious faction with a shady reputation littered through Outland. From Nagrand to the Stormspire, these folks are even in Karazhan!

Like other pets it doesn't matter about your race or faction, anyone can have an Ethereal Soul-Taker of their very own. Once active he follows you around just like any other none-combat pet, watching as you down those pesky wryms or clobber Clefthooves but once they're dead, he will suck out their soul!

Yes, you read that correctly. He sucks out the souls of the dead, we're not sure what he does with then but perhaps, given the natural of Azeroth and Outland, we're better off not knowing. So he suck out a couple of souls, what then? Well this is where this Loot Card becomes something really special. The Soul-Taker, in an uncharacteristic moment of generosity, offers you access to his stash of potions and other nick knacks. Fashion fans (yes, you lot with a bank full of outfits). for example, can emulate their pet with a full set of Ethereal gear from a headpiece to that oh-so-fetching bandage ensemble, definitely one for the Haris Pilton crowd!

Wandering around Karazhan and need to check for ghosts, why not purchase some [Diluted Ethereum Essence]? It will detect lesser invisibility so you'll never need to worry about Leeroying into an apparently empty room or looking for hidden Hordies while waiting at the gate. Ethereals also love to party just like we do, they even have the booze - [Ethereal Liqueur] - to prove it but drink too much and you might loose control all together.

Most gamers have a ball or a rock stashed in their backpacks or in a dusty bank vault. Perfect diversions for that BG queue but a little bit bland and boring right? Well not anymore, your Soul-Taker sells the Ethereal version: the [Ethereal Essence Sphere] which will really liven up that game of catch!

Finally, the piece de resistance: the [Ethereal Mutagen]. This is one for players who collect pets (yes, you know who you are!) Essentially the opposite of [Papa Hummel's Old Fashioned Pet Biscuits] with an Ethereal twist, these pet delectable turn your beloved non-combat pet into something very different. Yes, sick of that bunny or munchable Mr. Wiggles? Tired of Peanuts? Click on these and your pet becomes a Flesh Beast, not something you want to mess with but the opposite might look twice before messing with you.

So that's it, you've seen the Loot now go and get those cards so you can have even more fun in World of Warcraft. Good luck finding them!

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: Opening Ceremony Live Blog

2008-06-28T09:44:00.002+01:00

Worldwide Invitational: I'm Going To Paris, Baby!

2008-06-26T22:53:00.005+01:00

Just a quick post: I'm off to Paris tomorrow for the WWI so please tune into Kotaku where I'll be posting all the news from the weekend as it happens!

Normal service will resume next Friday morning!

Splash Screen Secrets: WoW, SoC, DIIl or All of the Above

2008-06-25T09:20:00.007+01:00

Something's coming ....

Today Blizzard unveiled a new splash screen, the third in as many days, on their company website and this has led to a flurry of debate about the announcements coming out of this weekend’s Worldwide Invitational event in Paris. The image, which I like so much its adorning my PC desktop, shows a collection of ice crystals with the odd rune carved into them.

Fans of forums have dissected the image, polarised it and proclaimed that it’s either a hint at World of StarCraft, Diablo 3 or – and this is the one I’m agreeing with – that it heralds the announcement of a release date for Wrath of the Lich King. But this new addition to the website has made me think about what I’d like to see come out of the event. Despite having friends in the industry who work for Blizzard or Vivendi, I’m no more enlightened than anyone (Blizzard do like to keep these things quiet) but I can smell these announcements a mile away, in the same way everyone knew Apple were going to announce the iPhone 3G; it’s what happens when you follow a trend you enjoy.

As a member of the media, I’m often privy to the latest announcements (and because of that will be sitting in not one but two press conferences this weekend) but because I’m also an avid WoW player, this event crosses the business/pleasure boundary, making me very happy. So what do I think is going to come out of the event?

Look, I'm a WoW fan okay so while the journalist in me will be there to report news on all the announcements, the WoW fangirl will be having quiet orgasms over being able to play Wrath and buy limited edition swag. So yes, a Wrath release date is so definite, I'd put a bet on. I personally think it will come out in August or early September in time for new patch content or the next expansion (The Emerald Dream with Archdruids as the next hero class - what?) That one announcement will make me happy, anything else is a bonus.

All will be revealed on Saturday morning ....

EDIT: To see how the splash screen has changed, check out MMO Champion here.

EDIT: For more on the theories about what is hidding behind the ice, click here for WoW Insider's gallery.

World of Warcraft: The Trading Card Game Spotlight - The Path of Illidan

2008-06-24T10:00:00.003+01:00

Upper Deck are releasing the next TCG expansion: The Hunt for Illidan on July 1st and in honour of this momentous occassion, I'm take a sneak-peek at the latest set of loot cards to be released which can be activated in game after able to be used in-game after the 2.4.3 patch.

This week it's the turn of the super-common item known as [The Path of Illidan]. As the name says, the card essentially bestows on you a rather cool demonic ability involving green flames springing up in your footsteps. Because it's a really common item (and you can get more than one), the card gives you fifty consumables which activate the ability. Then it's just up to you to look cool, use them in Shattrath to strutt your stuff or in a faction city like Stormwind or Undercity to purplex the locals. You could even try them in a starting area on a level one alt to spook the newbies, which would be mean but so much fun.

If you die the effect will wear off but other than that you can run around or travel from continents or even hearth home and it will still be active for a grand total of five minutes. Just check out the screenshot below, now doesn't this noble Draenei just look so evil?

Check back on July 1st (before picking up your copy of The Hunt for Illidan, of course) where we'll be taking a look at the final card. Yes I'm saving the best for last, it's the [Ethereal Soul-Taker]!

Doctor Who: Davros Returns

2008-06-23T09:10:00.005+01:00

I know, it's the worst kept secret in sci fi but yes the Daleks creator, Davros, is back! Yes, the Sun was right again.

Unfortunately I'm in France this weekend so won't get to see the episode until end of next week (just in time for the conclusion). Perhaps the most exciting thing is the number of companions; Rose isn't the only one whose back. Jack is returning along with Sarah Jane and their respective companions.

We're left with so many questions: who are the Children of Time - could they be the Doctor's Companions - ? What's the Medusa Cascade? Who is Donna Noble and why is she so special? How did Davros survive? What is Bad Wolf? What's Harriet Jones doing? Why are the Judoon back? What is the Shadow Proclamation?

RTD, I take back what I said last year. This series of Doctor Who is the best yet!

Worldwide Invitational: Paris Checklist

2008-06-20T22:53:00.001+01:00

Not long now until I once again cross the Channel and get to spend time in Paris. Yes, the Invitational is just around the corner; just over a week from now in fact and I will be in gay Paris. I was originally planning to be there for four days, returning on the Monday but through a weird quirk of fate (or hitsuzen as Yuko would say) I'm now staying for over a week to interview the author behind a huge manga series who happens to be the Paris Expo. Which reminds me, I must do those questions ...

But that's a fortnight away. My first priority is the Worldwide Invitational. News is filtering down from Blizzard about what's happening with the event and I've got my hands on the European itinerary. I'm just awaiting the American one - I'm on their list as I'm covering the event for Kotaku despite also covering the event for some UK magazines. So what do I need to take with me for the event?

Let's see:

Passport (a given really) - CHECK
Train and Eurostar tickets - CHECK
Press card - CHECK
Press pass - CHECK
Regular ticket - CHECK
Itinerary (EU, still waiting on US) - CHECK
Business cards - CHECK
Hotel booking email (for the following Monday to Thursday) - CHECK
€500 (that's about €83 over six days - that's enough right?) - CHECK
Credit cards (for the Blizzard shop - what?) - CHECK
Paris Moleskine - CHECK
iPod Touch (for music, maps, calendar and emails) - CHECK
Dictaphone and lapel microphone - CHECK
Laptop - CHECK
New Moleskine (for notetaking) and pens - CHECK
Camera (needs charging and a spare SD card but CHECK)
Power socket converter - CHECK
Assistant (to be picked up in Paris, she won't fit in my suitcase) - CHECK
French phrase book - CHECK
Loot Card and miscellaneous promos (for a couple of friends of mine :D) - CHECK
Charger leads for phone/iPod/camera/laptop - MUST PACK OR UP THE CREEK

As you can see I am traveling light . . . . yeah, right. As a member of the press I get to take my lappy with me for all that press room typing, ditto my Dictaphone, so I get to walk round with a backpack. I have a laptop messenger bag but it's hell to use with the Sightsaber so I have to use this in order to keep my balance and save my shoulder. It's not too heavy though and I'm aiming to take it at least on the Saturday. I'll be spending the weekend installing WoW on my lappy (just in case) but I'm still missing a couple of bits though.

AAA batteries - NEED TO BUY
Metro Tickets Carnet (just in case, I'm aiming not to use the Metro) - NEED TO BUY
Paris guidebook - NEED TO BUY
CV (what? There's no harm in submitting!) - NEEDS UPDATING AGAIN
Marmite (eugh - for Luci) and Romeo and Juliet on DVD - MUST PACK
Kirby grips - NEED TO BUY
Turn voicemail OFF - NEED TO DO!

I'm sure there will be more added to the list, like a nice packed lunch from Waitrose. I do need to Google for images of the important Blizzard folks and possibly put them on playing cards (I'm kidding) so I have an idea of who to talk to. On a home front, the Ginger One is being looked after by my neighbours so he's in for some fun.

Back to installing WoW and The Burning Crusade then . . . .

Exeter Cathedral + Sunset = Exhibition

2008-06-19T22:05:00.001+01:00

Exeter Cathedral (Sunset)
Originally uploaded by Lesley Smith (Freelance Journalist)

How strange. A freelance picture person from London emailed me this morning wanting permission to use this image in an exhibition about Exeter being held in a museum there. I'm quite chuffed. Needless today, his politeness and willingness to seek my permission got him an instant yes. I do love this image, seems only fair to share it with other people.

World of Warcraft: The Trading Card Game Spotlight - D.I.S.C.O!

2008-06-19T14:28:00.016+01:00

Ahh loot glorious loot! Word has just come from On High (aka known as Tom) at Upper Deck about the latest set of loot cards for the next TCG expansion: The Hunt for Illidan!

There are three cards this time round: [D.I.S.C.O], [The Path of Illidan] and the [Ethereal Plunderer]. The new expansion deck will be hitting shops on July 1st and will be able to be used in-game after Blizzard’s 2.4.3 patch.

In the run up to the expansion's release, I'm going to take a peek at each card in return and first up is the uncommon Loot Card: [D.I.S.C.O]. I know, I should have done the super-common one first but check out that card - yes, it's a Night Elf dancing. I didn't see that one coming, did you? Hang on, wait just a second, what's Serisa doing on there?

This card basically gives you a disco ball which you can whip out for those impromptu guild or post-raid parties, complete with lights and musical effects. After all, every World of Warcraft player loves to dance right? Well this card works anywhere, indoors or out, which means you don't have to pose by Gruul's dead body any more, you can dance on it too and the best part is, [D.I.S.C.O] isn't party or faction specific so anyone can join in!

Check back on June 24th when we take a peek at the super-common card: [The Path of Illidan]. Until then, enjoy this in-game screenshot showing some Hordies getting their groove on!

World of Warcraft: Demi Gods 1 - High King Maulgar 0

2008-06-17T22:54:00.007+01:00

Raiding is hard but oddly satisfying and we've been trying High King Maulgar for about a month, It's a twenty five man raid and also much shorter when compared to Karazhan; no trash mobs but the complexity is five fold - yes there are five bosses, including Maulgar himself who need to be defeated more or less simultaneously!

Yikes ....

Needless to say once assembled The Demi Gods are a force to be reckoned with and after five attempts we finally defeated Maulgar and his ogre minions. I ended up tanking (shock, horror) Kiggler the Crazed with my own personal healer, the excellent Saint, and surprisingly I was able to bring him down almost entirely on my own, quite an achievement given my dislike of the up close and personal one-on-one with an Elite approach. Although DPS tanking is a lot more fun as a Boomkin than it is as a bear using brute force.

Our victory was entirely due to our new raid officer, Bucks, who seems to be a walking encyclopedia for tactics and strategy! The drops weren't half bad either: [Maulgar's Warhelm], [Helm of the Fallen Hero] and not one but two [Helm of the Fallen Defender] (aka the Druid T4) - oh and don't forget the all-important [Badges of Justice]! Gratz to Samran, Lincka, Greycious and Buck on the loot!

Gruul, consider this your notice!

Living the Freelance Dream: The iPod Touch Edition

2008-06-14T23:32:00.001+01:00

Currently Blogging To: Ocean Realm by Airbase, Our Time Now by Plain White T's and Rogues Do It From Behind by Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain.

I got myself an iPod Touch this week, in the aftermath of the WWDC keynote. Sadly it wasn't cheaper but at least I got a discount by ordering via the NUJ. I would have picked up an iPhone 3G but I still have six months left on my contact and I wanted something with a decent hard drive; 32 gigs is adequate and I figure I can wait in the hope Apple release another model with the bigger hard drive, 16gb is just too small.

Anyway, I ordered it on Tuesday afternoon (with my name and phone number engraved on the back), it shipped in under three hours and the following morning I held my gorgeous new iPod in my hands. Long story short, it was love at first sight; while not completely perfect (that would be the iPhone 3G with a 60gb hard drive, a five megapixel camera and the ability to speed-dial and use your own ringtones), it's pretty close.

I bought my first iPod - a fifth gen 30gb video model - back in 2005 and it's still going strong today (I sold it to Si, who's been drooling over it forever). Normally I wouldn't upgrade unless the previous model had died but I had my reasons for wanted a Touch; principally the large touch screen, inbuilt Google maps, email and, of course, the internet. Because I'm traveling around this year, I wanted to get something bigger than my phone which does almost everything and also allows me to navigate - eg Google maps. Done, done and done!

While I still like Vista, the Cult of Mac beckons. If it weren't for my eyes and the amount of PC software I use, I'd be sorely tempted to try it out. Installing the iPod was a dream, upon plugging it in, the serial number was recognised automatically and ten minutes later my entire library had transfered over. Everything was just so simple and, while I prefer IE and the look/feel of Vista, it's hard not to be seduced. I configured the settings and emails started pinging and I CAN READ THEM! Oh joy of joys, oh happy day.

So then I started looking into MobileMe; Apple's new name for the .Mac email service. So why am I interested in a subscription email? Normally paying for things like this, services which you can otherwise get for free, like bank accounts, get stuck in the Abomination folder but I'm sorely tempted for two reasons: the push email and the ability to automatically sync between PC/Mac and iPod/iPhone. Yes I know it's a lazy reason, after all how hard is it to save a new contacts file on a pen drive and port it over or push the send/receive button?

Oh but I want it so much .... and there are other features, like QuickReply, the ability to access the service from any PC anywhere.

Anyway the service doesn't launch until next month and before I commit, I'm going to try out the trial, check if my ISP will redirect my work email to a MobileMe account (I like my email address and don't want to buy new business cards) before I do anything. See, I'm being sensible and not rushing in but I just know I'll subscribe.

*Loads up the Apple website*

There really is no hope for me, is there?

Anime: The Second Fall?

2008-06-14T07:38:00.007+01:00

In the eighties, when I was growing up, anime was everywhere. VHS tapes from Manga Entertainment lined the shelves and these adult cartoons from far-away Japan were a strange oddity which mixed gore, sex and romance into a strange new genre that infuriated the Daily Mail. Then they all but vanished.

Fast forward to the nineties and anime began to reappear thanks to the popularity of the new DVD format which had enough room to both the original dub as well as the original Japanese audio track on one shiny disc. Manga Entertainment thrived here in the UK, soon joined by MVM, ADV and more recently Revelation Films.

As the millennium turned, things seemed to be going well .... sales were doing well and a new generation came to love anime and - by extension - manga. Then things started to go wrong. Fan subs have always been an integral part of the industry; anime's boon and bane. Fansubs on VHS fueled the desire for certain series making them underground hits which later led to legitimate licensing and this continues to today, except that the internet now reigns supreme.

Want to watch Vampire Knight or can't wait for that final episode of Death Note? Welcome to the Internet, my friend. Bittorrent allows for downloads of the latest episodes in under an hour; I should know - as part of my job I have to keep up with the latest series. Websites like Crunchyroll have been in the news for the last few months but around for very much longer; indeed I was first introduced to it by one of my editors in order to do a feature on a series which they had no received a screener for. While the audio quality is just bearable, if it's free then it will be watched.

Free.

This one word is the crux of the matter. Fansubs started as a way to introduce fans to series they might not see otherwise. Usually accompanied by the slogan 'Not for sale or profit', they soon found their way onto eBay. Indeed a general rule of thumb is that if you see a DVD set on there for less than £20 then it's likely a bad Chinese fansub. Yes, fansubs aren't just about giving the fans a translation of that must-see show (which is why all these groups work so hard translating each week), for the consumer it's become a way of saving money on those £20 discs. After all, why pay when you can download for free?

I'm just as bad. I'm addicted to Vampire Knight and my occupation is no excuse but I do make a point of purchasing the discs (normally from America, which is just as bad for the UK industry) or getting them from my contacts here in the UK for review purposes. I never seem to go into HMV anymore and physically buy an anime DVD unless it's something like Totoro, which was in the sale section for £7, and happens to be a favourite.

This is ultimately one of the biggest contributing factors for Geneon shutting down and ADV closing their offices here in the UK: it impacts sales. My circle of friends includes PRs like Hugh David, now of LACE, Andrew at Beez, Jerome at manga and of course Jonathan Clements so we're all affected by the fall of an anime company, the collapse of a magazine or the outsourcing of a UK office and it's painful for me because the people involved are my friends. Seeing them suffering the effects of a slight decline is awful and yet very few of the fans here in the UK can put a human face on eventa.

That said although I did read various forums after the closure of ADV's offices in London were announced and fans were expressing worry for Hugh and the other staff, later expressing their joy that he had joined Lace to continue to work on the ADV catalogue. This is partly due to Hugh's infamous appearences at various Cons around the country with his megaphone and that's the good thing; all the UK PRs attend and that makes them well known and well thought of by the anime community. We're all neck deep in the UK anime industry - think quicksand - and sometimes it's hard for me personally to get an objective view. I love anime; I love my job and I'm obviously good at it: just look at those adverts in magazines with quotes, like the one for Manga's release of Death Note, yes, it's one of mine.

I don't think the industry will collapse like it did in the late eighties but as DVDs slowly become the VHS of the 21st century, replaced by digital downloads and Video on Demand, the industry has to change and adapt or it will die. The message here is simple: if you care about anime and by extension the industry, you have some clear cut options (and this includes me as well). If you watch fansubs, don't forget to continue to support your favourite series by buying the legitimate releases when they come out, don't forget to spread word of the hottest series you want to see because the UK PRs do listen, they might not always be able to release series as what comes here depends entirely on how well they do in the UK but they do try. Attend cons, chatter on message boards, love anime and the industry will continue on.

PiQ: Will You Be Missed?

2008-06-14T07:16:00.004+01:00

Saturday morning is an odd time for email and it's never good. Kevin Gifford over at PiQ just emailed me to let me know that:

"It's with great regret that I have to announce that PiQ magazine has closed its doors. The July issue on newsstands right now is going to be the final one; we have already vacated the office. As a freelancer, you will be paid for any outstanding work I requested and you submitted, including that for the unpublished August issue. Thank you very much for all the hard work you've done for us. Hopefully we'll be able to work together again in the future."

Wow, call me naive but I didn't see that coming. Well I kind of knew, as did we all given the backlash at Newtype USA's closure that PiQ might be a mere stopgap, a way of stemming the inevitable for a few months but what does it say about ADV and their precarious state within the industry?

The thing is, I enjoyed working on the magazine: I got to write about Code Geass, Doctor Who, Torchwood and various other series. Indeed I seemed to be doing, thanks to my living in the UK, more on British sci fi than I've ever done here, mainly due to how helpful the American PRs were, particularly Devin at BBC America and Michelle at the Sci Fi Channel -they bent over backward to help me.

I'm sad there gone but I wonder, despite the lack of info, how long this has been on the cards? Things have been too quiet and yet it could equally have been an event that came out of the blue. At the end of the day, sadly, we freelancers are the last to know, which kind of reminds where we are in the pecking order. I honestly wish the editorial staff, particularly Kevin G and Scott all the best in whatever they do next and I hope to work with them again soon.

World of Warcraft: In Memorium

2008-06-10T22:04:00.007+01:00

Today the news broke that the Demi Gods had lost a beloved sister. Anouska, also known as the human warlock Joanbegood, lost her battle with leukemia late last night. Despite being aware of her condition, the news came as a shock to all of us and Blizzard were kind enough to contact her mother to pass on our condolences.

While still new to the guild, I didn't get to know her as well as I would of liked but she was an integral, if quiet, member of our Kara raids. Always cheerful, she summoned minions, gave us healthstones and loved the game. She will be sorely missed, even if Joan lives on thanks to Anouska's cousin and a stack of notes on how to play the game.

Sleep in peace, little sister, and reroll soon. We'll all miss you!

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

across Northrend's bright and shining snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

on Westfall's fields of golden grain.

I am in the morning hush,

of Stranglethorn's jungle, green and lush.

I am in the drums loud and grand,

the thunderous hooves across Nagrand.

I am the stars warmly gleaming,

over Darnassus softly dreaming.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.

- Alicia's Poem

World of Warcraft: The Onion and World of World of Warcraft

2008-06-10T10:04:00.002+01:00

Oh, very good! It's funny because it's true!

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Where's My Power?' Edition

2008-06-03T22:00:00.006+01:00

Currently Blogging to: Walk the Edge by Alex M.O.R.P.H., Viva La Vida by Coldplay, Futatsu No Kodo To Akai Tsumi by On/Off and Still Doll by Kanon Wakeshima.

Busy week. Everyone seems to be on deadline, including me. I finally beat mine (involving five features over three days) on Monday and so was looking forward to taking Tuesday off. Then the power went out thanks to a cable that was ten seconds from exploding, yes around thirty houses with no power and no information about what's going on or when we can expect the lights/PC/radio to come back on. I made lunch thanks to a lighter, a stick of spaghetti (yes, you read that right) and my gas hob and the power didn't return till 5pm.

Not exactly a productive day.

Still, I got to sit on the couch with a good book, albeit in the cold, and give the Ginger One so much needed attention. I also went through my DVDs (of which I have many) and started sorting stuff for Paris and San Diego. Both my trips are getting closer and it's now a frantic rush of organising interviews, screenings and train tickets. I am really looking forward to meeting up with Luci, Tom and Uta at the WWI, as well as catching up with Jonnie and Obrist (I haven't seen either of them for some time). Should be fun!

Grand Theft Auto IV: Signature Series Guide (Book Review)

2008-06-01T14:01:00.001+01:00

Everyone knows GTA IV is a huge beast of a game, a truly epic title that creates an entire world in which to slaughter, maim and have sex with prostitutes. In keeping with Rockstar's must-own, must-buy, must-play candidate for Game of the Year BradyGames have released a companion strategy guide designed to make your life in Liberty City that much easier.

At with their other guides, this one is well bound and will certainly stand up to frequent use. Indeed GTA is one of those games which really needs a guide if only so those completists out where can cross every 't' and dot each 'i', gain each Achievement and finish every side quest. Split into sections introducing the game play, the missions, the main storyline and finishing with detailed maps of every section of Liberty City.

But if driving fast cars and dating is all you care about, then fear not. Niko can be a ladies man if you put in the right amount of effort, or read the book. BradyGames even detail the likes and dislikes of all the potential girlfriend material from the clothes Niko should and shouldn't wear to the girl's horoscopes.

Of course there's more to life than dating, apparently. When it comes to the missions, the instructions are concise and detailed and, as well as looking at the objectives Niko needs to complete, the guide also details the conditions the missions needs to fail; handy if you're trying to figure out what went wrong.

Filled with colour screenshots and artwork the guide breaks down the mission into objectives, includes small details focusing on a specific area of the map, including important locations or weapons that can be picked up. There are plenty of fascinating box outs looking at aspects of the game as well hints on how to survive.

It's the perfect companion to GTA VI, indeed all Liberty City residents should head to their nearest bookstore immediately as it tells you more than the travel guide ever could and we don't mean the cyber cafés and the Cluckin' Bells.

World of Warcraft: Endings and Beginnings

2008-05-29T16:37:00.011+01:00

First off, look at the video and I mean all of it, it doesn't end at Kil'Jaeden's defeat ... See you in fifteen minutes. Oh and get the tissues.

Let be be honest, it's rare for Warcraft to choke me with emotion, it is after all a game, albeit one where I spend way to many hours of my life. At the same time, it is an extention; many of my friends online are my friends offline too (Pinkie, Obrist, Luci, Uta, Felain and Pet, I'm looking at all of you). This encounter with the Deceiver is the most moving partly because love is at it's heart. Kalec and Anveena - soulmates if ever they existed - were first introduced in the Sunwell Trilogy manga. A Blue Dragon and the human guise of the energies of the Sunwell, they weren't the likeliest of matches but as the volumes progressed something sparked and this pair have become one of the most enduring couples in the World of Warcraft.

Except, until Patch 2.4 (aka Fury of the Sunwell) they were never in World of Warcraft. Yes both Kalec and Anveena were original characters but they play a pivitol role in both WoW and it's future lore. The storyline of 2.4 is thus: Kael'thas has returned home, bringing with him the captive Naaru M'uru and has taken control of Quel'Danas, the island of the Sunwell, to summon his master Kil'Jaeden the Deceiver. He's also taken Kalec's beloved hostage and is using her unimaginable powers to turn the decimated Sunwell into a portal to places unknown.

To get to the Sunwell itself is no easy task: M'uru and the Eredar Twins must be defeated, along with Brutallas and the fallen Blue Madrigosa, now rechristened Felmyst. Yet this encounter actually made me shed a tear; periodically during the fight Kalec calls out to his bespelled beloved until finally, when Kil'Jaeden is significantly weakened, does she answer and return embracing her fate and unleashing the epic powers of the Sunwell - hence the Fury of the patch title. And then? Sadly SK Gaming didn't look up when this happened so we can only presume Anveena is gone and her energies have returned to where they belong.

The true miracle here, is what happens next. Spurned by her sacrifice, the heroes of the raid defeat the Deciever and stand in celebration. I hope they might have also taken a moment to mourn for the lost and the sacrificed. Yet it is the epilogue of this fight which has the most importance for WoW lore; the purification and rebirth of the Sunwell.

A mysterious fellow - who by the looks of him may well be Velen of the Draenei, given his prophecy that started all this in the first place - appears with Lady Liadren at his side and brings with him the spark of Light that fell from Entropius (the Void God formally known as M'uru). He tosses the Naaru's heart into the Sunwell and it explodes with light, promising rebirth to the Blood Elves. Perhaps we haven't seen the last of Anveena, after all, true love conquers all. But what does this mean for WoW lore?

That's the question isn't it. Will the Blood Elves return to the side of good or relapse into their magical addiction? Will Anveena's sacrifice change them for the better? Will she be remembered or will she return? The red Dragonflight figure heavily in the upcoming expansion and as it was a Red Dragon who put the Sunwell into human form, I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of both Kalec and Anveena very soon.

Either way, it's an epic encounter and should be savoured by every lore fanatic. That aside, in terms of raiding, that's certainly something to aim for!

UbiDays: Press Conference 2008

2008-05-28T19:00:00.000+01:00

Torchwood: Don't Make Him Angry

2008-05-28T17:23:00.001+01:00

This is very wrong but oh so funny. My sides were actually splitting.

Worldwide Invitational: L70ETC and Video Games Live Team Up

2008-05-28T17:00:00.009+01:00

It's been a while since I last blogged about this but it's coming, oh yes, it's looming ever closer. As the days pass more screenshots, rumours from the Friends and Family alpha and even the odd nugget of news about Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational, including the release of more tickets tomorrow.

Today's Big News is all about a big event: the announcement that Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftan (L70ETC) will be playing and that Video Games Live will also be in attendance.

Cue Blizz's latest press release:

2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational to Feature Video Games Live and Blizzard’s Own Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain

PARIS, France. – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Video Games Live and Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain will both perform at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational, taking place at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center in Paris, France over the 28th and 29th of June.

Following thunderous shows at previous Blizzard Entertainment events and in-game within World of Warcraft®, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain, an all-Blizzard rock band, will bring their customary madness, mayhem and metal to the Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational’s closing ceremony — their first live European appearance. The band’s pounding rock anthems will be followed by a Video Games Live symphonic performance, featuring favourite themes from Blizzard Entertainment games, played by a full orchestra and choir, with an epic multimedia backdrop.

“We’re looking forward to spending a great weekend with Blizzard gamers from around the world and then closing the event out with some incredible live entertainment,” said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “The music and performances of Video Games Live and our in-house group, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain, will help us make the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational an unforgettable experience for our attendees.”

The 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational celebrates the communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft®, Diablo® and StarCraft® series, as well as showcasing the skills of top eSports gamers from around the world. For the latest updates, check the official website at http://eu.blizzard.com/wwi08.

Ah good news! I've been wanting to see VGL for ages and as it happens will be doing so not once but twice this year (they're also doing a special concert at Comic Con). I'm assuming this event will be free as CEO Tommy Tallarico hasn't said otherwise but he did tell me they're just performing Blizzard scores - obviously - so expect lots of stuff from WoW and StarCraft although he did tell me they'll be performing some 'very special' things at the live event.

Ooooh exciting.

I know there's still a month to go but just to get you in the mood, here's an in-game screenie of L70ETC (soon to become L80ETC?) from the special BlizzCon concert held outside Shattrath City. Rock on!

Liveblogging Take One

2008-05-28T10:35:00.000+01:00

Yes it's UbiDays time once again and I've decided to use the opportunity to try out liveblogging an event prior to actually doing it FOR REAL at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Now I was lucky enough to attend the event last year so I kind of know the set up however I do want to make it clear I'm not actually in Paris. I'm going to be liveblogging using the live feed which is being steamed over the internet. I have no intention of fooling people by making out that I'm there, this is just a test run to try out the system.

Doctor Who: Mid Series Trailer

2008-05-24T23:38:00.004+01:00

Ah, it's Eurovision time again. The one Saturday night when all sensible people flee far from the BBC, seeking refuge in that DVD you've been meaning to watch for six months, washing the cat or escaping to an online world. Guess which I picked?

While Doctor Who was, once again, moved in favour of that heinous faux contest in which we normally get 'nil point', there was a glimmer of hope in the form of a new trailer to give a hint of what to expect in the climatic second half of the series.

Enjoy. It's good.

My bet, for the record, is on Davros as the Big Bad.

Living the Freelance Dream: The Indiana Jones Edition

2008-05-23T16:41:00.008+01:00

Currently Blogging To: The Wrath of the Lich King - Main Theme by Russell Brower, Still Doll by Kanon Wakeshima and Futatsu No Kodo To Akai Tsumi by On/Off

This week has been so manic I can't actually remember what I've filed, I know I've been watching Vampire Knight incessantly, playing Civ Rev and something about NEO lingers in my memory but, either way, everything was done in time to go with/take my parental unit to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

We go to the Odeon in Norwich every so often, my mother is the kind of woman who is quite content to wait for the film to hit DVD (except she doesn't have a DVD player) and so she has to be quite motivated to go and pay to see a film, with that in mind she only goes to the Odeon thanks to it's comfy seats. Now because I'm registered partially sighted, I'm entitled to use a special card issued by the Cinema Exhibitor's Association which allows my 'carer' (eg the person who drives me about) a free seat. It makes sense, if I were to employ someone full time in the future to help me clean or get around then why should they have to pay for a seat at a film I want to see?

But I digress.

When my mother and I go the the cinema we split the price of admission, making it a very cheap night out (around £3 each) but we'd been hankering to try the Galley, an upmarket experience involving free food, free soft drinks, the comfiest seats and the ability to buy alcohol and drink it during the film. Mid-week it's £12 a seat (making it £6 each by our reckoning) which makes it a bargain.

Because I was in blind girl mode (cane, dark glasses etc), the staff were extra nice. Mum wasn't sure if it was that or the fact we hadn't used the service before, I can tell the signs though and it still makes me feel fraudulent. After all if you see someone in the street with a long cane what would you think? Anyway, we went up in the lift, got drinks and a couple of bags of salted popcorn and a Magners for me and one of the staff ushered us in. The trailers had started and we were led to the disabled seating at the back right by the door. Not bad seats and there was even little tables between the arms of the seats on which to put food and drink, nice one.

I confess to being a little skeptical about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I grew up with the original films and they're classics which I'll watch again and again. While I was looking forward to the film, I couldn't help but wonder if they should have left it be at the original trilogy. I'm so glad I was wrong!

The switch to communists, while kitsch, was better than reusing the Nazis, Indy surviving a nuclear blast in a fridge was a stroke of brilliance and event the aliens were amazingly convincing. The film does keep to the things which make Indy's adventures so much fun: fast-paced action sequences, romance, ancient treasure, the odd gory death scene (there's something about giant ants ....) and comedy too.

Harrison Ford was fantastic but the star of the show had to be John Hurt as the bonkers Oxley (who didn't get nearly enough screen time, in my opinion). There were also plenty of references to the original films (including mentions of Marcus and Henry Jones Sr., both deceased) as well as the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (now canon) and hints at the future of the franchise.

Anyway, if you get the chance to try the Gallery and really want to make a night of it, it's definately the way to go. I'm already planning return visits for The X-Files: I Want to Believe and The Dark Knight.

World of Warcraft: Death is the End ... Not

2008-05-22T14:49:00.006+01:00

This husk, this misshapen figure was once the mighty Kael'thas, Lord of the Blood Elves (aka He of the Endless Monologuing). Hard to tell, isn't it? Either way, he's dead and finished which means I can finally go in and kill him again on Heroic .... uh, yay.

World of Warcraft: Bring On Da Pain!

2008-05-20T10:26:00.013+01:00

Right, Zul'Aman is hard, Ilo mean really really hard, even with the 'Uber group' as our beloved Goddess Luci has nicknamed us. Last night was Serisa's second visit and it's a beautiful,

if not terrifying place, a bit like Zul Gurub but with more bears (I WANT one of those!) We assembled in good time with Mcfadden and me on summoning duties (I also got to be raid assistant not that I actually did anything). Chatting to the amusingly named Harrison Jones is always a good start to the evening and especially apt with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opening this week.

Our attention focused on slaughtering Nalorakk, we cut swathes through the trash mobs in true Demi God fashion and even taking down the two mounted bears and their troll guardians wasn't too much of a challenge. We did wipe a couple of times on the final boss himself.

Mental note: Do NOT rez the MT right in front of the ugly half-bear boss! It will only end badly!

As a Boomkin, Serisa isn't really much good as long fights (exhibit one: Curator) as she tends to lose mana quite quickly so I figured it would be better to focus on Wrath and Starfire with the odd Moonfire peppered in, chuck my Treants into the mix for added tankage and refuel using mana pots and Innervate. Strangely enough it worked and she still managed to be #3 for damage dealing. Not bad at all.

So we came, we saw, we slaughtered and Nalorrak dropped [Fury] and a [Badge of Justice], not bad for a couple an hour or so's work!

EDIT: In honour of our victory, I wanted to post the original Zul'Aman trailer. Zul'jin we're coming for you!

Dexter: The Complete First Series (DVD Review)

2008-05-19T11:45:00.003+01:00

It's impossible to review Dexter without mentioning Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho and the film adaptation starring Christian Bale. Indeed Dexter is, essentially, basically American Psycho crossed with Nip/Tuck with a moral twist thrown in for good measure.

Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is an expert in blood spatter analysis working for the Miami Metro Police Department. As a child something awful happened to him which no only caused massive memory loss but also sociopathic tendencies, it also left him an orphan. Luckily for the dead-inside Dex he was raised by police officer Harry Morgan who instilled in him the need to kill bad people as well as teaching him how commit perfect murders.

Unlike Patrick Bateman however, Dexter is actually a likable fellow. He's determined to promote that aura of normality and so dates a traumatised single mother with two kids and a husband in jail, he parties and drinks and does all the things normal people do, except he periodically goes out and kills criminals with an electric saw .... nice.

The series is based on novels by Jeff Lindsay, which I've not read but certainly intend too, and series one covers the events of the first book: Darkly Dreaming Dexter although there are some differences between the two. However it retains Dexter's monologues as well as the devious murderer they have renamed the Ice Truck Killer. The series is a dance between killers; one with a moral code and the other a sadistic murderer who has formed a connection with Dexter and wants to play.

Dexter's occupation within the local police department is both bane and boon, he is able to investigate people who need to be brought to justice but death is not always the way. It really is Dexter's humanity, lack of it or otherwise, which forms the basis of the series and makes it darkly addictive. Spread across four discs, it's a fascinating series which deserves more than one viewing and the promise of the second (which is released in the US this summer) and a third still to come makes me want to spend a lot more time with Miami's unlikeliest killer.

Dexter is released today by Paramount priced £39.99.

Living the Freelance Dream: The Lost and Found Edition

2008-05-16T08:55:00.009+01:00

This was taken a couple of days ago, doesn't he look all witch's familiar? I'm loving the glowing eyes!

Anyway ....

This week has been semi-manic. G came down to visit on Sunday which was great fun, at least until he had to leave mine at 5am on Monday to get to work in Hitchin. The Ginger One adores him, even if he went out every two minutes to smoke a fag, and it was nice to have a bit of company, plus the annual swap meet of games and other random stuff is always good.

I've spent this week planning a new project (when not getting my crown fitted) with a former editor which should be fun as well as finishing up NEO, which culminated in four deadlines yesterday, never good. I've been playing with the idea of attending the London Expo next weekend and, while I'd love to, my finances just can stretch it, not with Paris and San Diego coming up.

Still at least my website hosting is paid for the next year, the domain for the next two and I bought myself The One (aka my new laptop) which should arrive sometime today. Upon reflection all I really need it for is writing, watching movies and listening to music, (live-)blogging and maybe WoW so this one is perfect. I saw an identical model running XP while visiting Si and would have bough it on the spot if I hadn't known I could get it cheaper and with the right OS. It's light and a nice screen so all the boxes are ticked.

Anyway, after buying The One yesterday I went back to work, captioning images and trying to make my email work while my mother did some chores for me as she does every week. Suddenly I realised I hadn't seen Jerry in a while and checked his usual haunts (under my bed, behind the armchair, the corner of my desk and the window sill in my room) only to come up blanks. Mum last saw him on the stairs as she was vacuuming and it transpired she just gone to dump stuff in the bin - and had left the door open.

Yes, the Ginger One had made a bid for freedom.

Cue two hours of knocking on doors, searching the house and yelling: 'Jerry! Ginger, sweetie!' at the top of my lungs. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned (Jerry did after all used to be an outdoor kitty so he has some common sense - more than me anyway) but I took his collar off as he's been scratching his neck leaving a scabby mess so he was IDless in a scary building site world.

We left the front door open, assuming he'd return when he got hungry - I'll give him one thing, he knows the hand that feeds him. I asked the site folk to keep an eye out for him and checked under the neighbours cars then resigned myself to trying to get my deadlines done, all the while hoping he'd come home.

An hour later, I turned round to see him stroll into the living room. I have no idea if he was in the house (although I'm assuming not) or had just walked in but I grabbed him and hugged him to death. I tell you, if this is what it's like having kids, then I'm sticking with animals. Either way he's fine and spent the afternoon being all creeped out by the whole escapade. I'm guessing he didn't like the noise of the drilling and was hiding somewhere nearby before coming home. He's being really affectionate though, jumping up onto and curling up on my desk so I can make a fuss of him. Sweet, eh?

My editors were lovely though. It sounds like the world's worst excuse - on a par with 'Miss, the dog ate my homework' but when you lose someone that important, your priorities change. It was just bloody inconsiderate of him to choose deadline day to do it!

Life on Mars: ABC Style

2008-05-15T08:54:00.004+01:00

I want to like this, I really do but past twenty seconds and my mind and soul started to back away very quickly. The seventies look awful and why the hell do they spoil that oh-so-important mystery by precising the entire episode? The annoying narrator even uses every cliché known to man and the cast seem to be ad-libbing their way to much of the original's dialogue.

Are Americans even called 'Colin'?

Dancing Brains: What a Way to Advertise Water

2008-05-14T08:35:00.004+01:00

Yes, it's obvious Brains is almost entirely CGIed by that doesn't stop this being a fantastic piece of advertising!

World of Warcraft: Swift Flight Form Get!

2008-05-12T12:41:00.000+01:00

Ahh it's a truly beautiful sight - the one which had motivated me since Serisa first hit 70. After grinding the rep, getting the heroic key and doing the quest chain, she was finally ready to enter Sethekk Halls. Thanks to help from fellow Demi Gods Stalvar, Utarehpson and Nightcrawler and ex-Demi Holyfang, we cleared the instance in under an hour then it was time to head back to Cenarian Refuge for a momentous transformation.

Needless to say, I love my new flight form.

Siren: Blood Curse - It's Official

2008-05-07T09:05:00.007+01:00

As with the original game, Siren: New Translation, has been given a bit of a name-change by SCEE when it was announced last night at the first Playstation Day, held at the O2 (aka the Millennium Dome) in London.

It's now known - in Europe, at least - as Siren: Blood Curse.

In another twist to this tale, the game is not being released on disc but episodically via the PSN in twelve installments sometime this summer - which I'm taking to mean around the same time as the Japanese release.

For those who missed my previous posts, I'm a bit of a fan of this series and make a point of covering it religiously: the game follows a bunch of Americans including a film crew who get lost in the mountains of Japan whilst researching a local legend about a village that vanished thirty years previously.

Tragedy has long befallen the small village of Hanyuda characterised by red rain falling from the skies and the sound of an eerie siren which literally warps reality, plunging anyone in the vicinity into a strange dimension where life and death blur into an abomination. The TV crew - along with Sam Monroe, a cultural anthropologist, and his family - suddenly find themselves trying to survive against impossible odds and legions of Shibito, the undead former residents of this cursed village.

SCEE has yet to confirm a release date - they're just saying 'summer' - or a price for each episode.

World of Warcraft: Murmur is Down! I Repeat: Murmur is DOWN!

2008-05-06T13:15:00.010+01:00

Long ago, in a dimension of the cosmos unfathomable to mortal minds, there was born - if such a term can be used for it - a being of such unbelievable power that its very entrance into existence shattered all reality around it.

Known only as Murmur, it was the essence of sound. And to hear it speak was to know death eternal!

Existing only for chaos, its slightest whisper meant the destruction of whole worlds!

Yet still, there were those that would try to worship this mindless being. There were even those more insane who dared to think to control it!

And lo, how the mighty fell trembling at its feet, fearful that it might direct its words upon them.

But still did these charlatans, these worshipping pretenders to a non-existent religion, rail against the inevitable in a vain attempt to control their 'god'.

Uncaring, and likely not even noticing them, Murmur yawned and they knew oblivion.

Yet one somehow managed to survive, and in his insanity found a way to bring Murmur into the world.

A mortal possessed of arcane and dark knowledge that none could surpass, he devised a method to enhance his summoning through the capture and use of souls untold.

Whole civilizations were brought to extinction through his soul devices to fuel the ritual through which he and his conspirators would bring Murmur into their world.

And summon forth Murmur they did.

Powerful magics of containment and silencing were employed, held together by the constant supply of souls being fed into them. Yet still they could not control the beast, could not bend it to their will.

These mortals began to devise different strategies, and one after the other they all failed. And in so doing, they weakened the rituals, accidentally giving Murmur the slightest modicum of freedom.

It was all that was needed ...

- The Codex of Blood

Murmur, the personification of sound, is an abomination lurking at the heart of the Shadow Labyrinth. Towering up above, the minions of the Shadow Council (the idiots who summoned him in the first place) try vainly to send him back from whence he came. They're not doing a really good job; Murmur is permanently at 40% health, which is actually a good thing!

Yes shadow labs called, not for one reason but two. Serisa needed not only the first fragment of the key to enter Karazhan (for the rep, you understand) but also 995 lower city rep to become honoured enabling her to buy the key to get into heroic Sethekk Halls to fight Anzu, the Raven God, and her wings (well [Swift Flight Form]).

I've always liked this description of Murmur, an ancient creature so aloof he doesn't notice the worlds he destroys so it was awesome to not only see him with Serisa's own eyes but also down him as well.

Four bosses and dozens of trash mobs later, we stood in front of this monstrous boss. In the end we wiped once and I sat out the last two minutes of the fight after battle rezzing our beloved Guild Leader and Main Tank (who just so happen to be the same person) and expiring an instant later (fantastic timing on my part).

Not bad for five hours work, I think.

Getting the Twitter Bug: Micro Blogging Mania

2008-05-02T21:45:00.001+01:00

As always Tycho and Gabe have their fingers on the technological pulse and this comic manages to summon up the phenomenon that is Twitter in three elegant panels.

Simply put, Twitter is an EVIL thing, capable of inducing even the most tech-savvy human being into micro blogging their entire day. Heck, just look to your right and you'll see how my day has been progressing. Thing is it, addictive, and - just like Facebook - journalists left, right and centre seem to be taking it up.

At the same time, it's a bit like RSS, so I can keep tabs on my favourite sites or see what friends and colleagues are doing. Tycho and Gabe have a point though, there's a limit to what should you should Tweet.

World of Warcraft: I'm Melting .... Melting .... Oh, Wait ....

2008-05-01T15:57:00.007+01:00

After a week of raids being called off due to lack of healers/tanks and people, we made a super-raid (from beginners like me to old hands like my good friend Pinkgin) and headed for Karazhan. We downed Attumen, Moroes and Maiden in double quick time before to bosses new. In all we cleared half the instance including the Opera Event (an Azerothian retelling of The Wizard of Oz), the Shade of Aran, the Curator, Terestian Illhoof and the Chess Event.

Having downed half the instance we wiped at around 2:30am thanks to Prince Malchezzar and so hit the hay, returning this afternoon to down Prince and we then tried Netherspite, wiping again, before coming back tonight to try Nightbane.

The nice thing about this super raid was not just the fifteen lovely [Badges of Justice] I claimed from the various bosses but some nice epics landed my way: two for Serisa's DPS set including the [Wicked Witch's Hat] and two for her healing set including the awesome [Idol of the Avian Heart], not bad. In fact it seemed like everything dropping was for druids, there was even a T4 that will be coming my way in the near future.

Serisa also finally hit exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive and hit 5200g which meant she was off to buy riding lessons and a shiny epic gryphon. She's also started doing the Swift Flight Form quest chain, although she has a lot of rep grinding to do before facing Anzu.

All in all, excellent!

Wii Fit: Do I Detect A Little Someone?

2008-04-26T15:29:00.007+01:00

No, I'm not pregnant!

So I've just got back from the gym and figured I'd see if I lost anything (hah! Desperation, I know). I didn't but on a whim I decided to pick up the Ginger One (that's my tom cat Jerry to anyone who doesn't read my blog regularly), recalling Miyamoto-san's comment that the Euro/US version of Wii Fit would feature the ability to weigh your furry feline/canine/leporidae-ine (that's rabbit, BTW) friends by holding them.

So I held, stepped on and the Balance Board exclaimed: "Oh, do I detect a little someone or something on me with you? They weigh 11lbs. Brilliant!'

Cool.

Cue cute pic of the Ginger One on the Balance Board!

Wii Fit: Impressions

2008-04-25T17:06:00.002+01:00

I picked up Wii Fit this morning on impulse after seeing it in Woolworths and lugging it home was half the effort as it's a heavy beast (yes, Balance Board, I do mean you) but that's half the fun right? I'm embarrassed to admit, I had to check with the cashier (in a baggy Wii Fit T shirt) what the weight limit on the machine, not just for my benefit, you understand, but also for the two women behind me. As it happened I need not have worried: 23st 8lbs (150kg) is not a bad limit at all and much higher than I would have suspected. People were actually queuing to pick these up, the sleek Nintendoesque boxes calling around to shoppers across town and they weren't just buying one either, it seems Wii Fit is the new must-have accessory..

£70 later, I got the thing home, unboxed it and dumped the manual somewhere (I think the cat may well be eating it). Synching the board took seconds once I figured out to press the synch button on the Wii, not the remote - d'oh and it was boot up time. Pleasingly, the Balance Board wasn't the light piece of plastic I imagined it to be but a hefty white slab of ergonomic goodness, complete with a handy on/off button within reaching distance.

In keeping with Nintendo's ethos of making gaming fun and family orientated, Wii Fit turns a taboo subject into something a little less boring. Take the Balance Board, equiped with a high pitched voice it tells you when to or not to stand on it, offers hints and appears in glorious 3-D next to your Mii.

After entering my date of birth and height, the Balance Board cheerfully told me it was going to calculate my Body Mass index (BMI), Wii Fit Age and weight.

Yes, it's a bathroom scales in disguise - oh Nintendo, we didn't see that one coming!

A second later, the lovely Balance Board informed me without harshness or mockery that my Wii Fit Age was 37, my BMI was 54.85 and my weight of 21st 6lbs. My Mii instantly changed to take this into account (suddenly looking a lot more like me!) and the Balance Board asked what I'd like to aim for in terms of loss in two weeks time. Some folks might be shocked by these figures but as someone who has had a gastic bypass and suffers from an eating disorder, I was prepared. It's easy to guesstimate my weight even though I avoid scales like the plague so I had a good idea what it would say.

Next it was time to try some of the games and exercises. Split between yoga, aerobic exercises, balance games and muscles workouts, I - in a moment of insanity - picked jogging. Talk about leaping in at the deep end! Now, partly because of my eyes, partly because of sheer laziness, I do not 'jog' (yogging - as Ron Burgundy might say). Hell I only run if I'm going to miss the bus and that never happens. Anyway, your Mii does the running and movements are worked out not by running on the Balance Board but by using the Wii Remote as a pedometer. I merrily started running, thinking how easy it was then hit The Wall and nearly died .....

I quite like the yoga exercises, simply because they are a lot more sedate, although I can't find the Meditation exercise anywhere. Hopefully it'll be unlocked at some point, it looks a lot of fun. The balance exercises can be anything from walking the tightrope to doing a ski jump but I do really enjoy the step exercises, it takes a couple of goes to get the hang of but is a lot of fun.

Regardless, I'm joining the gym five minutes down the road. If I'm going to track my weight, it's going down, not up!

Back to Hanyuda: Siren: New Translation Demo Impressions

2008-04-25T12:09:00.004+01:00

This morning I was woken to scrabbling and 'miaow, miaaaaaooow, mow, mow, nyah' which I'm sure was the Ginger One's way of going: 'Oi, Food Source, get up! The Siren: New Translation demo is up on PSN!' Needless to say I was quick to download it (although someone has kindly uploaded footage seen below) and have a go.

Mission Objective: Search for the Others

The demo (which includes two missions) introduces one of the main protagonists an American named Sam Monroe. He wakes outside the Gojaku Mine to find red liquid falling from the skies and it's pitch black but for a slight reddish tinge to the clouds. He's been separated from a woman - who from their later interactions I'm guess is his (ex-)wife - named Melissa Gale - and a little girl, his daughter Bella. Sam is initially convinced this is some kind of trick or TV stunt until he sees a Japanese man beaten to death by a seemingly rabid woman. A few seconds later, the man gets to his feet, in the same state as the woman.

Sam sneaks past the man, snags a plank of wood from the wall and returns to beat the ... thing to death so he can take his pick axe before heading into the mine where he hopes to find his companions. The woman is inside and it takes a few moments to dispatch her before Sam finds a shack, breaking the lock with the axe, he walks inside, only to be hit on the head by Melissa. He walks up a few minutes later and the pair talk; she admonishes him for bringing Bella to Japan (obviously without her permission, it seems) before the pair decide they need to get out of the mine and find Bella.

Mission Objective: Escape to Hirasakai with Melissa Gale

The second objective sees Sam and Melissa trying to escape from the mine, unfortunately the exit is guarded by Shibito so you need to divert them in order to get past then deal with each, one by one, rather than all together. Killing a Shibito by chucking them down a lift shaft also gives Melissa a weapon and that instantly doubles their chances of survival and they eventually make it to Hirasakai at which point the demo concludes.

A cut scene then introduces sight-jacking and Sam gets a vision that shows Bella with a bald American man, trying to escape from Shibito. He sacrifices himself so she can escape and we eventually see her huddling in an abandoned room, trying to convince herself that the monsters aren't real.

Impressions

I'm hardly biased when it comes to Siren, I adore the franchise and so was eagerly awaiting this demo. First things are the intro screen, the logo has changed drastically and I believe this is to make the game a little more acceptable to international markets - which would seem to agree with the inclusion of American characters rather than ones who are Japanese.

The game looks gorgeous, retaining the oddly realistic photo-models (no doubt based on the actors who play them). All the Objectives are in English and Japanese along with the screens displaying the character you'll be playing, their location and the time in-game and, while all the tutorial instructions and subtitles are in Japanese, it's obvious this game has been created with English-speaking audiences in mind.

The leap from Siren 2 to New Translation in terms of graphics is stellar and yet it's hard to see as the game is very dark, even with Sam's flash light. This of course makes navigation damn near impossible as visibility is down to a metre in either direction, in turn enhancing the chills and thrills factor which makes horror games so deliciously playable.

Sight-jacking wasn't enabled in the opening level, although there were an Archive (Bella's diary) to be found. However if you get to near, the Shibito will sense you prompting a strange blue like almost like a muddled reflection on your eyeball. It's different to the early games but remarkably effective. The D-pad controls other actions like turning the torch on and off or yelling to attract attention while the shape buttons allow you to engage in melee or sneak by.

Siren: New Translation looks to be a fantastic game, it's not easy but it's not impossibly hard either. A little lateral thinking and you're off. For fans like me, there are plenty of references to the original game from a calender in the mining office, identical maps (as far as I could tell) to the reuse of the creepy ending theme from the original Siren. My only complain - well nit-pick - is Sony's choice to mistranslate Hanyuda once again, rendering it as Hanuda in English but you can;t have everything I suppose, at the least the English voice acting is a thousand times better.

Siren: New Translation is released on 24 July in Japan. UK and US release dates are yet to be announced.

The Road To Comic Con: Flights, Check! Premium Economy, Check! Disability Assistance, Check!

2008-04-19T21:59:00.006+01:00

After weeks of researching and comparing prices, Friday was the day I'd chosen to sort out my flights. My mother (my personal fianancial advisor - hehe) met me in Norwich to trawl the travel agents for the best flights.

While I'd originally been won over by American Airlines (the lowest fare was £550 return), it became clear that saving money also meant sacrificing comfort. Thompsons were helpful but didn't have any AA business class seats so - after hearing my brother's tales of Premium Economy with Virgin - we headed round the corner to see what Richard Branson could offer me.

Norwich is filled with travel agents, there must be a dozen of them but this one is tucked next to the Vodaphone store in the Castle Mall, quite unassuming but we were very surprised. After explaining that we were looking into Premium Economy but that I only had around a grand to spend, the lovely agent Vicky explained they had a special on, a Premium Economy flight from Heathrow to LAX for ... wait for it the better part of eight hundred quid! She then looked at a connecting AA flight from LAX to San Diego (return) would be around £260 making the whole trip weigh in at a not unaffordable £1186 and change including tax!

The flight leaves around 3pm GMT and doesn't get into San Diego until 11:30pm PST but knowing I get to travel in comfortable 21" seats makes me a lot happier, plus no screaming kids. We mulled it over for an hour but my gut was screaming: "Go for it! Go for it!"

The way I see it, this is a trip of a lifetime so why not enjoy it? I impressed my mother as I actually paid the whole balance up-front (not using my credit card either!) and still have enough left in my savings to deal with that looming tax return and my accommodation in both San Diego and Paris. Wow, who knew three years worth of saving could go so far, eh?

While Virgin Atlantic doesn't have too much info on Premium Economy, surfing the net is ever so useful (incidentally, this is the kind of info I like, actual experience stuff and blow by blow accounts). Chris and Cheryl flew Virgin on their honeymoon (Upper Class on the way out and Premium Economy on the way back) and he spoke highly of the airline. I like the fact Premium Economy is a touch closer to First Class than simply being Economy with bells and whistles, even if it means china plates, a bigger V:Port and a glass of champagne on take off. In all honesty, it's the seat size and being nearer the front of the plane - yes I get to turn left rather than right! Now I know what to expect though, I'm really looking forward to it. Next was travel insurance, easy enough and oddly Virgin was the cheapest which surprised us.

Finally, disability assistance.

Normally I'm pretty self-sufficient, I have to be but airports are a different matter. Small ones like Norwich are okayish but big ones? Not a chance! Virgin were only happy to help once I gave them a call and explained my needs, a person will meet me at the check-in desk, guide me through, hopefully deposit me in a nice lounge (Upper Class?) and get me on the plane. Vicky called AA on my behalf and here's where it gets odd: they only do wheelchair assistance .... oddness. Although I kind of see their weird logic from reading this page: why shepherd through a busy airport when you sit in wheelchair through? Worst case, I get a free ride through LAX, no problems there although hopefully they will realise that being visually impaired does not actually mean you can't walk - although after the lengthy flight, it could well be a problem!

I was quite impressed to be honest, I thought this would be annoying and stressful but no! Vicky made a note of a good seat for me (my eyes want window, my legs aisle) that I'll be able to book when I pick up the tickets next week. She's even going to find out if I'm entitled to go in a lounge. I am quite tempted to ask, on the day, if I can upgrade but we'll see. Either way, I'm going to America!

So now the waiting, working and saving begins. I just hope the exchange rate stays the same ...

Either way, I'm kind of terrified. After all I'm visually impaired, have never flown out of the country before and am going to a strange land across the ocean. I swear my mother was choked, I suppose she assumed I'd never do it but when have I let anything else stop me? I'm one thing if not stubborn, once I get an idea into my head I just won't let go.

Hmm Upper Class .....

No, no, that's one idea not worth fixating on at all, even if it is nice. I can but hope, eh? I'm still going to dress smartly though, just in case!

Okami: PS2 Vs. Wii

2008-04-19T12:11:00.001+01:00

Gorgeous and I can't wait to play this!

Back to Hanyuda: Siren: New Translation Officially Announced!

2008-04-18T23:26:00.010+01:00

「２００７年８月３日米国のテレビアクルーが日本の山間部を取村中に突然その消息を絶った」
On August 3rd 2007, an American TV crew in the mountains of Japan found themselves in the middle of a forgotten village and suddenly everything changed ...*

A couple of days ago, I blogged about the announcement of a new Siren game for the PS3, kindly leaked two days early thanks to a copy of Famitsu. Well the scary clock duly hit zero early this morning and the game's teaser site was revealed. There's not much on there at the moment except promise of a demo and a revealing trailer.

Here's what we know:

It's not a strict retelling of the original, rather a follow up set in Hanyuda four years (starting 3rd August 2007) after the events of Siren.

There are Americans in it but don't worry, they seem to be a television crew and a family so they should die quickly. The include a mother and child and some teenagers so maybe a family who got a little lost?

The English voiceovers don't sound too bad, neither do the Japanese.

Kajiro Miyako makes a reappearence, as does a little girl looking suspiciously like Yomoda Harumi.

There's a new souped-up techno version of the ending theme Hoshingoeika.

The Shibito are back, baby!

* This translation is mine and is based on text found in the trailer. It's not perfect.

World of Warcraft: Nice Horsey .... ARGH!

2008-04-18T23:06:00.010+01:00

Tonight saw my second outing in Karazhan and we started from the beginning with Midnight and her creepy owner Attumen. We came, we wiped, we conquered :D Best of all, I got another [Badge of Justice] to add to my collection and my first proper epics: [The Handwraps of Flowing Thought] - SWEET.

Siren: New Translation Is Coming!

2008-04-16T22:04:00.005+01:00

I love my Japanese horror, be it games or movies. As long as there's a Japaneseness to it, I'm happy. Siren 3 has long been on the horizon and is the reason I bought my PS3. A couple of days ago, SCEJ launched this creepy countdown with a tell-tale clock which will be more than familiar to fans of the game.

And Famitsu has ... well ... stolen their thunder a bit by featuring the game in its latest issue. Now titled Siren: New Translation, it looks to be a remake of the original game and is nearly complete (about 90%). A demo is due to hit the Japanese Playstation Store on April 24th with the full game hitting stores in Japan on July 24th.

Guess what I'm going to be pre-ordering?

PiQ - May 2008

2008-04-15T16:24:00.006+01:00

While I admit to not liking this cover (or Sam and Max for that matter), the offerings this month are pretty amazing. I'm especially pleased with a certain six page offering on Torchwood including exclusive interviews with Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato) and Burn Gormann (Owen Harper) by yours truly!

Yes, living in the UK and writing for an American magazine does indeed have the odd perk.

Anyway, the issue is out now so go get it, people!

World of Warcraft: Of Karazhan and Clangers

2008-04-14T20:45:00.008+01:00

Determined to see more endgame action, Serisa has joined The Demi Gods and is loving every second of it. As the guild's sole boomkin, she's dedicated to gearing up which means only one thing: Karazhan, Medivh's fabled tower located in the depressing Deadwind Pass.

I'd never been into the instance before but now the attunement has been dropped, only one member needs [The Master's Key] (although Serisa is still going to get it, if only for the prestige and Violet Eye rep, besides you never know when the key might come in handy). So we gathered on the assigned raid evening (Saturday) outside the tower where half of Daggerspine seemed to be congregating.

Cue ganking.

And more ganking, oh and some raid group issues but eventually we stepped through the portal into the tower. I'd been expecting to face Midnight and her master, instead we jumped straight into Moroes and then finished the night with the Maiden of Virtue. The tower itself is truly immense and something really special, it's beautiful but in a seriously creepy way. The walls are painted and gilded and the inhabitants (ghostly spectres of their former selves) dance to the music of a harpsichord. Oddly though, the most prominent sound-effect is Clanger-like but still manages to sound fitting.

At the same time, it's not a walk in the park. Serisa died three times, once from Moroes, the second by jumping in the wrong place and the third at the Maiden's hands. Raiding with ten other people is a lot of fun, the pressure to kick arse and not die is still there but the sense of achievement (and four [Badges of Justice]) make any personal danger worthwhile.

The Road to Comic Con: Press Pass A Go-Go!

2008-04-11T18:24:00.003+01:00

Press registration for Comic Con finally opened this morning, which seems like an age ago. I'm not a patient soul so I actually rang on Wednesday to find out when registration would be opening up and the method of delivery used for the letters/features/mastheads that they required for verification.

Once I explained to the PR folks that I was UK based (and found out that they used snail mail) they gave me the OK to send the bits and pieces over - which I'd made a point of getting beforehand - via email. So when registration opened up, it was a simple matter of filling in the forms and waiting. This afternoon my validation email pinged and five minutes later I have a press pass and the validation barcode.

Fantastic.

Just the flights left now and I'm so torn, economy flights will set me back £645 but my eye can't help but fall on business class (which also involves first class oddly enough) but a round trip will cost £1998, that's an amount I just can't really afford (not with the other things I have to do with this year) or justify. All I can do is hope I get a window seat at the front of the plane and that there are helpful attendents to get me from A to B.

I've been in 'I'm going to America' hyperactive mode for half an hour, quizzing G (who knows San Diego and the US rather well, thanks to his frequent travels - apparently Coke tastes palatable and you can get anything at a 7-Eleven). I've been wanting to go since I was eighteen so finally going and for such a huge event is a big deal for me.

San Diego, here I come!

Doctor Who: Partners in Crime (Episode Review)

2008-04-05T21:18:00.009+01:00

Series four of Doctor Who kicked off earlier tonight with a bang: comedy, peril, mime, adorable aliens and a real twist in the tale as well as reintroducing loud-mouth Donna Noble as the Doctor's latest companion. Since the conclusion of The Runaway Bride she has been hunting him down, determined to capture a lost opportunity when she refused the Doctor's offer of travelling with him in the TARDIS.

To this end, Donna has been investigating Adipose Industries, a company selling a new kind of diet pill; one which really works. Of course all is not as it seems when the Doctor realises that the weight isn't just disappearing, it's also walking away through the front door! The stereotypically nasty Miss Foster is actually an alien nanny charged with fostering a few million babies in the form of adorable living blobs of fat. Unfortunately, this can have some deady side-effects - as Donna discovers - and the Doctor is forced to 'deal' with Foster when she refuses to stop what is an illegal activity according to the much-mentioned Shadow Proclamation.

The nice thing about this episode is not just the instant rapport and (for once) none-sexual chemistry between Donna and the Doctor it's the light-hearted feel; yes there's peril but for once the little baby Adipose aren't the source, they're just cute. Doctor Who is family friendly again, if only for this week with it's 6:20pm time slot appealing for all. This is a fantastic way to start the new series and Donna herself seems to have mellowed; her family background gives a hint as to why she is so bossy and while there are moments reminiscent of her behaviour in The Runaway Bride, she has matured quite a bit.

While predominately a bit of fun, Partners in Crime does have some action-packed sequences. The main one involving a window-washer's cart and a sonic pen. It's certainly different. For me, though, the episode's high point was its closing twist. This shocking revelation had the same impact as Captain Jack explaining his nickname was 'the Face of Boe' in the finale of series three.

Donna, who has nipped round the corner while the Doctor moves her numerous pieces of luggage, asks a random passerby - a girl with blonde hair - to let her mother in know which bin she dumped her car keys. When she goes, the girl turns - and it's Rose!

Looking ever so sad and almost world-weary, she simply gazes into nothing for a moment looking like she might cry then walks away and vanishes, the first bars from 'Doomsday' playing as she goes. It's an incredibly atmospheric moment which really has an unsettling impact and the musical cue has to be one of the most apt in the series' history, providing both that note of impending doom and familiarity. Rose may have returned but she is not the same person we last saw at the end of series two, something is wrong and it's sure to have an effect on the on-going story arc.

This instantly raises questions and I have a feeling that, rather than a word being the common theme (as 'bad wolf', 'Torchwood' and 'Saxon' were for the previous series) that it will in fact be Rose who - I think - will finally run into the Doctor for the climatic final episodes which will see the return of Martha, Sarah Jane and Captain Jack for an all-out battle against .... something (my money is on Davros and the Daleks).

I know I said I wouldn't watch series four but Partners in Crime had enough to remind viewers disgruntled with Catherine Tate of what makes the series. It's not the companions but the Doctor so watch away without fear, this is going to be the best series yet.

If you live in the UK, you can watch the episode via the BBC's iPlayer by clicking here.

Eastenders: Jackson 5 Trailer

2008-04-03T19:58:00.004+01:00

Ahh, it's that time of year when the scriptwriters run out of ideas between the perennial nightmare that is a Walford Christmas and throw some old faces back into the mix - by killing Frank Butcher.

We've had Claire, Diane, the evil Janine and now it's Ricky and Bianca's turn, hence this rather good trailer. Not bad but ye Gods has Bianca got a pair of lungs on her.

Living the Freelance Dream: The 'Aww My Filling' Edition

2008-03-31T19:41:00.004+01:00

Currently Blogging To: Stop and Stare by OneRepublic and Blue Song by Mint Royale.

This week hasn't been too manic despite numerous features, reviews and other random stuff. Tomorrow is my bi-monthly attempt at updating my website and finishing my accounts for 2007. Gotta love Saturdays, eh?

On Monday one of my fillings chipped. It didn't hurt - thank the gods - but it was bloody sharp and cut my mouth when I spoke meaning I couldn't talk properly or eat much for three days. My dentist is a lovely Polish chap but I can't say I relish paying him a visit. I don't mind for fillings as I know precisely what he's going to do but I hate check ups with a passion. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I've not not updated my address as a good dentist is a hard thing to find but it means I get to invite myself to my mother's for dinner and see her brand new kitchen. Anyway it turns out I need a crown, much merriment there.

Aside from that, it's all go. I've booked my Eurostar to Paris for the Worldwide Invitational and my train to the London Book Fair. Tomorrow the press registration for Comic Con International kicks off so once that's done I hit the travel agents to book my flight and possibly amend my hotel for an extra day or so. I'm hoping to fly from Heathrow using AA although the chaos at T5 doesn't fill me with joy. Not good. I just hope it's sorted by July.

The Ginger One hasn't been a well bunny (well, kitty) so I had to take him to the vet this morning. He's got an ear infection (which I knew just by looking at it) but he's not been himself so I decided to get him checked out. First challenge was getting him in a carrier that I borrowed from my cat-loving neighbour Rose, that was fun but once he was in there Jerry was quite happy. We took the bus and people were complimenting him, he's a right conversation starter. Aside from the odd pitiful 'you're a terrible owner' miaow he was an angel, he just watched the world go by and didn't even complain when we ended up in a waiting room full of dogs.

The vet was lovely and, aside from his infected left ear, Jerry is apparently very healthy for his age (he is definitely an elderly kitty though). Drops and a quick injection later and he's a hell of a lot happier. No need for jabs and such as he's an indoor animal so it was time to hand over the plastic (not that you can put a price on an animal's health) and get him home. Actually he took the whole thing really well and didn't have any accidents or run away when I let him out of the box upon returning home, he was starving though - a good sign I think. The good thing is at least he's now properly registered so if I ever need to take him back it'll be plain sailing.

World of Warcraft - Trading Card Game Spotlight: The X-51 Nether-Rocket

2008-03-29T17:03:00.010Z

On a quiet afternoon in Shattrath City, a hardened druid appeared in the inn. Tucking her hearthstone back in her backpack, Serisa stepped out into the fresh air, checked her mail and proceeded to summon her mount.

But this wasn't just any mount. As the blue rocket appeared, the people around her stopped and stared. Chuckling, Serisa launched herself into the air, zooming towards the centre of the city and the Terrace of Lights, where the portals to Alliance zones are located. She was planning on heading up to the Isle of Quel'Danas to join the struggle against Kael'thas Sunstrider (and earn a few gold in the process) when the above barrage of /whispers began:

Stranger #1: Waoh*, cool mount. How you get it?
Stranger #2: Please tell where mount you get
Stranger #3: Hey m8, where did you get that from
Stranger #4: Can you craft me one of those?
Stranger #5: Whatz that?
Stranger #6: If I gives you g, can I has?

The other day, Tom over at Upper Deck Entertainment sent me a very special parcel containing the newest loot cards from the latest Trading Card Game expansion, Servants of the Betrayer: The [X-51 Nether-Rocket], [Papa Hummel's Old-Fashioned Pet Biscuit] and a [Personalized Weather-Making Machine].

I took Serisa down to Booty Bay to /wave at Landro Longshot and redeem the code which is a simple enough process. Scratch off the panel (carefully!) on your loot card, go to the official loot site, enter your region, realm and a security code and your special numerical code then it will give you a shorter code in return which you then give to Landro and he gives you the choice of two mounts: one regular (60% speed) and the second epic (260%). Hand over your gold, head to Outland and off you go!

While the card is a very rare drop from the new expansion, if you play the TCG then you may well come across it. In the three days since Serisa first hit Outland with the Nether-Rocket, dozens of people have enquired about the mount and it's a great conversation starter, even if I have a macro in place explaining what it is and where I got it.

* Names have been changed to protect the ignorant, their spelling hasn't.