Newton Meets Escher: Review of The Bridge

TheBridgeScreenshot8

  The world of video games is diverse and broad, nowhere more so than in the indie community. Among the many, MANY genres of games out there in the untapped wilderness of the Internet, however, one in particular has become a consumer and critical darling: the genre I can only define as Artsy Indie Puzzle Platforming. You probably know the type... a very polished and distinct art style, cutesy characters with a sort of dark twist, a sort of broody, mysterious narrative, mechanics that … [Read more...]

Sugar Rush and Symbology: Review of Wreck-It Ralph

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  Here’s a quick test for you: 1)      Do you like video games? 2)      Have you seen Wreck It Ralph yet? If your answer to the first question is yes but second is no, then RUN, don’t walk, to your nearest theatre and watch Wreck It Ralph. Not only is it a genuinely excellent film with a surprising amount of heart and emotion, but it is a love-letter to your childhood, a joyful celebration of all things video games, and a welcome nudge and wink to those who … [Read more...]

Avengers Assemble: The World’s New Obsession

The Avengers

So I went to see The Avengers again tonight, with my family. This being the third weekend it's out, and that we showed up more than an hour before the show, we weren't that worried about getting tickets. We should have been. It was sold out, and the next showing, and the three nearest theatres. Needless to say, I am now extremely depressed. So why is it still number one? Why is the internet obsessed with it? Mainly because it's awesome. So. In all seriousness, The Avengers was … [Read more...]

Brave New World: Aquaman and Catwoman

Catwoman and Aquaman

In Canada today it is Family Day, or as it is more commonly known, February Doesn't Have Any Statutory Holidays So Let's Make One Up and Give People a Day Off Day. I will be celebrating it by surrounding myself with my own kind of family: my wife, my cats, the staff at the world-famous Fran's Diner, a leather-loving jewel thief, a disgustingly-scarred gunslinger, and a few assorted members of the Justice League. Yes, I'm still on my DC kick, revelling in the unfolding mysteries of the New 52. … [Read more...]

Fair Terms and a Villain’s Mind: Review of Manga Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

Merchant of Venice

If there’s one thing I geek out about more than anime, manga and video games, it’s Shakespeare. I’ve loved his work since I was five years old. Strangely enough, however, I owe my love for his plays to a great version of Romeo and Juliet; specifically, a comic book version with beautiful high-quality art and the full text of the entire play. Even though I couldn’t understand the complicated language, I could understand the plot and, over time, grew to appreciate the artistry in … [Read more...]

Neverwinter Reborn: A Review of the 4E Neverwinter Campaign Setting

neverwinter campaign setting book

I have a long history with the fictional town of Neverwinter. The first MMORPG I ever played was Neverwinter Nights, back on AOL. I adored the first Neverwinter Nights stand-alone PC game, and, whenever I got a Forgotten Realms product, I would smile when I saw Neverwinter mentioned. My city, I would always think. When the Forgotten Realms campaign guide for 4E came out, the first section I flipped to was the North, waiting to see what changes had occurred in Neverwinter. I was shocked to … [Read more...]

Playable Anime: Review of Catherine

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There’s a certain genre of anime that always seems to attract discussion: not quite horror, not quite drama, not quite mystery, but a bit of all three wrapped up with philosophy and creepy underpinnings. Boogiepop Phantom and Lain are some of the most famous examples. Well, good news, everyone! Atlus decided to add to the genre… with a video game. Catherine is pretty much the closest you will ever come to a playable anime. With gorgeous cel-shaded graphics and anime cutscenes by Studio … [Read more...]

Thor’s Day, Thor’s Day, Gotta Get Down on Thor’s Day

thor

I gotta give these new Avengers movies something – they’re hella entertaining. I can be very forgiving of movies if they just show me a good time. And Thor was a very good time. The plot was a little spare, even for a superhero flick. Most of the movie felt like a prologue to the actual movie, but then again they had to squish quite the epic origin saga into it and still turn out a decent flick. As it was they still cut out a decade or so of Dr Donald Blake. But if Thor only gets one more … [Read more...]

The Last Unicorn, the Movie: Through a Lens Both Nostalgic and Critical

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Every once in a while, a movie, or book, or story comes down the road that just clicks with me, and, seemingly, with other fantasy fans. Oddly enough, a number of them have come from the Rankin/Bass studio, which I lampooned mercilessly in an earlier article about the Rankin/Bass Christmas Special RPG. Although the animated Christmas specials were my first exposure to R&B, so to speak, their place in my heart was really cemented by their production of The Hobbit, which, in some ways, put my … [Read more...]

Butch Love: New in Butch-Femme Online Dating

Butch Femme

I could write reams on the dynamics of a butch-femme relationship, and how butch is both a personality trait and a gender in its own right. Actually, I have written reams on the subject before. Butches and femmes are part of a closed world-within-a-world, part of the wider gay community but in some ways set apart from it. A world of old-fashioned relationship dynamics wherein the butch opens doors, walks on the side of the street closest to traffic, always picks up the cheque, does everything … [Read more...]