Clint's Blog @ Feralia.net

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 01:47:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of entries here! There hasn't been much to report, but here's what's been going on (from the feralia.net homepage):

We will be releasing the second book in the Feralia series (title soon to be announced), as well as a rerelease of the original novel! We’re shooting for a late summer or fall release this year for both books. They will also be available in eBook format.

The original novel will be newly edited. The sequel is finished and awaiting editing and cover art.

We’ll still be using this blog for book news, however the tumblr. account is updated almost daily for fun, quick entries. Don’t forget to join us on Facebook, Twitter, etc. also!

(Late) Final Fantasy XIII Review

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:32:00 +0000

I’m normally not a big game reviewer, but after spending 120+ hours (and counting) on Final Fantasy XIII, I thought it was worth taking the time to discuss. There seems to be an amazing array of mixed reviews and feelings out there about FFXIII. In fact, I feel like I’m in the minority being a long time fan of the series who actually liked the game.

Rather than hesitate, let’s jump right into some of the complaints people have with the game. Some of them I totally understand, others I just can’t at all. The issues with the game seem to include (but are not limited to): too linear, lack of towns and stores, lack of exploration, poor story and delivery, and even the music. Hopefully I’ll address all of these as I go on.

Graphics
This seems to be for the most part agreed on as one of the game’s strong points. The colors, environment and character design are simply beautiful.

Story
FFXIII’s story has garnered a lot of criticism for a lack of substance and being overly complicated or confusing. Without spoiling anything, I’ll agree that the story wasn’t amazing, but I didn’t think it was terrible either. I really liked the characters and the worlds they travel through. I will say that the story is very deep and complicated. If you want to have a full understanding of everything, you’re really going to have to read most of the files and take the time to get the most out of it. I did this, and didn’t mind, but I can understand that some players are not into stopping to do this, and to them, the story lacked.

Gameplay
Perhaps one of the most criticized elements of the game, I’ve read reviews with complaints that it’s too overly complicated and others that state that it’s way too easy. I thought if anything it leaned toward easy, but for me that was a blessing after struggling with FF 12’s tedious gambit system. After getting the hang of FFXIII’s Paradigm system, I thought it was quick and fun to play, with enough of a challenge at times to keep from becoming too easy – especially if you take advantage of all of the side quests outside of the main storyline – some of these can be extremely challenging. Some of the bosses were tough as well. So overall, I found it to be fun, with enough strategy to stay fresh, and more than enough challenges for those who search them out.

Music
Going into FFXIII, I wasn’t expecting much without longtime composer Nobuo Uematsu, who has done such amazing work over the years. But I must admit that I fell in love with the score. Masashi Hamauzu did an amazing job. I’m actually shocked at many of the criticisms I’ve read about the soundtrack and can’t help but wonder if Hamauzu didn’t have a chance with those fans because he isn’t Uematsu, or if they were just so turned off and angry with FFXIII being so different that things such as the music didn’t have a chance with them. Sure, it doesn’t sound like the old Final Fantasy music. But each FF is a new world with new characters and a new story. I understand nostalgia, but why should it have to be so similar? I thought the music was amazing, beautiful and very fitting for the environments. It’s all about opinions. Some thought the soundtrack had no emotion – I thought the opposite.

Negatives
While I really didn’t mind, the story can definitely be hard to follow, especially if you don’t take the time to do all the reading.
It’s definitely linear. I understand the complaints on this one, but I personally didn’t mind it, as I’ll explain below.
My only real complaints are minor:
I would have liked a fixed map (one that did not rotate with you), as I found it easy to get turned in the wrong direction and hard to look for landmarks.
A dedicated button to bring up the map would have been nice. (The Resident Evil games have spoiled me.)
I thought that although the game provides countless hours of fun and replay value for all of the missions, the story was a little short. I felt like I was only just getting to know the characters when it ended.

Positives
The smooth battle system is easy overall and not tedious, with enough challenge for those who seek it out.
The presentation (especially in regard to graphics and music) is incredible.
Great value – even paying full price for the game when it came out, I feel like I’ve gotten more for my $60 than I have in a long time – I’m almost done completing everything at a little over 120 hours.

In conclusion, I feel that I’ve grown up with the series, and the series has grown up with me. Some feel that Square Enix is trying to please the casual fans with a linear game, but for someone who’s grown up now and doesn’t have nearly as much time to play games, I loved the fast pace, lack of random encounters, and rarely having to do anything over. As much as I love the old games, I don’t miss finally beating a boss, only to get killed before reaching the next save point. I do think that many times series have to evolve to survive (love it or hate it, Resident Evil 4 is the perfect example). While I would like to see some of the old elements (such as towns, more open areas, a bit less linear paths) from previous entries in the series, I thought that FFXIII was a refreshing update to the series and highly recommend it.

Quick Review - Tyson

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Ok, I know this probably seems like an odd topic in comparison to my usual subject matter. But, I figured, what the heck? It's interesting enough for me to babble on about for a little bit, so why not? ;) Anyway, recently I got to sit down and watch a documentary that I've been wanting to check out since it was released: Tyson. In case you haven't heard about it, it's a very personal overview of former heavy-weight champion boxer Mike Tyson's life, from his own mouth.

Growing up, I was one of those kids (like most of the other boys in school) that always sort of admired Iron Mike. The man was incredible. He even got extra cool points for having his own NES game!

As his career and life went on, as everyone knows, it got more and more controversial. To outside appearances, Mike seemed crazy and out of control. This is a reason I think the documentary is great. They don't shy away from any of that. Even Mike himself discusses how out of control things were. Is it biased? One sided? Perhaps. It is his side of the story. But the best thing (in my opinion, anyway) about Tyson, is that it really tells the story behind all of the craziness that went along with his amazing career.

Mike is very emotional at times. Once you learn about where he came from, all of the out of control times in his life make a lot more sense. I'm not saying that everyone will agree with everything he's done, but the film does a good job at peeling away the layers and revealing the person beneath all of that. It really makes everything (yes, including the ear biting) a lot more understandable upon reflection of his childhood and details of everything that he went through.

As far as the production quality, you'll notice that a lot of the footage used from early in his career is of low quality, which is understandable because of its age. However, I thought that did a lot to lend the film a gritty feel, which suited the subject matter well.

If I had one complaint, it would be that quite a few times during the documentary, they use clips of Mike talking, and then bring another clip of over top of it, and then another. I understand the effect they were going for, but for me it was really distracting as it cut off the beginning and end of a lot of his statements, making them jumbled and hard to understand. Other than that, however, I thought everything flowed nicely.

So overall, I would recommend Tyson to anyone who has even been even a little interested in his career or life. Keep in mind that its rating is for good reason - Mike is very candid and not shy at all about assigning expletive-filled descriptions to those who he felt did him wrong. I found myself agreeing with those descriptions more often than not, and thought that this documentary did a fine job revealing the man behind all of the controversy. Whether you like him or not, I think you'll at least understand him after watching it.

- Clint ^_^

worse to (much) better

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:16:00 +0000

It seems that life is always crazy in one way or another, for better or for worse. The past few years for me have been craziness mostly in the worse category, unfortunately. I’ll spare you the details, but it was due to pressure and anxiety from owning/operating a very stressful business. Thankfully, that’s behind me now, and growing farther and farther away each day. What was a 60+ hour a week mess (to put it lightly) which limited me in many ways is now gone, and for that I am truly grateful.

Throughout it all, however, I did manage to put a lot of work into writing projects. The newest of which, a second Feralia story, is moving along at a brisk pace. In fact, it should be finished very soon! My new – what should I call it? schedule? non-schedule? career change? – has provided me more time to devote to writing, and hopefully blogging! …Yes, I know, I know. I always say that. So let me just say that it’s still a goal, but I won’t set the bar too high. No pressure, right? ;) I do have some new ideas for blogs, so maybe the relaxed approach will work better.

In other news:

I’m happy that football season is here. I’m sure it will go too fast, as always, so I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts!

I’ve been keeping busy with the job that I love (and now have more time to devote to): Alicia’s Anime. Our customers are so cool! I lub dem. They’re always so excited and appreciative. We couldn’t ask for more wonderful customers. The familiar faces at anime cons are awesome as well!

Thanks to Viz and Hulu, we’re almost caught back up on Bleach since they are posting episodes just a week after they air in Japan! Now is the perfect time to catch up on Bleach and a bunch of other series.

And lastly, I’m enjoying Halo: Reach. A lot. Today I finished the campaign on Heroic. I got to play through the entire game co-op with my buddy Aaron, which was so much fun. Also, Matchmaking and Firefight are addicting.

We'll schedule the next entry for a relaxed 'soon.'

<3 Clint

Featured Artist Volume 3: The Unknownn

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:48:00 +0000

"Don't ask The Unknownn
who they are...
because they won't tell you

Don't ask The Unknownn
where they are...
because it's not worth knowing

In fact, the only thing
you need to know about
The Unknownn is in their music

Now stop asking questions and just
...listen"

So says the message currently found on the MySpace Music page of The Unknownn, a band whose music I was lucky enough to discover a year or two back. For my next featured artist, I wanted to share a bit of what I've discovered about the mysterious band. Hailing from somewhere in the UK, The Unknownn are a bit hard to classify, now that I think about it. It may in fact be easier to instead attempt to describe the moods the band creates. Why don't I start by just jumping right into, as the band says, "the only thing you need to know" about them - their music.

It was the debut album which caught my interest. Dark. Haunting. Beautiful. Dreamy. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of this album. The song Nocturnal was the first to really captivate me, with its moody synths and beautiful vocals. Raw quickly became another favorite with its gentle, eerily pretty intro, followed by crashing guitars. The album is very dark and emotional and at times epic and strong. Even the 51 second long instrumental Squeeze has an otherworldly, electronic feel to it. I was so excited to get into this album because it has such a refreshingly different sound.

The Unknownn recently released their second album, The Two, and I was pleased to find that while it is quite different, it still has all of the aspects that drew me to The Unknownn in the first place. The album is still electronic, and still dark, but moves into new territory musically for the band. One of the most notable aspects of The Two is the use of harmonies to accompany the already pretty vocals. They are very well done, and add a strength to the album. Also, while the first album could be called more epic, The Two is more cool and confident. The guitars and bass have an awesome, grindy sound. I've been listening to The Two to and from work and really getting into it. It's hard for me to compare the two albums because the debut album is special to me, but I think The Two is an even more solid effort, taking the best aspects of the first and evolving. It's solid all the way through, but the standouts for me right now are The Inside, The Hurt, The Misskiss, and The Slide Bastard, to name just a few.

I would definitely recommend both albums to anyone, especially those who are into anything electronic, dark and moody, and anyone who just wants something new and different. Visit their MySpace Music page (listed below) to hear some of their stuff. With any luck, The Unknownn will make their way over to the US and I'll finally get to see them live!

The Unknownn on MySpace
The Unknownn on Facebook
Official Website
The Unknownn on Amazon (you can sample the songs here, too)

Check them out!

<3 Clint

Featured Artist volume 2: The Pink Samurai

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:15:00 +0000

For my next featured artist I wanted to feature my friend Becky and her business The Pink Samurai. TPS features super cute, handmade items that cater specifically to geek culture. Are you a fan of Star Wars? Star Trek? Anime? Comics? Anything dorky? If so, then The Pink Samurai likely has something for ya.

The Pink Samurai has been at DC area conventions such as Otakon and Katsucon, and always has something new and cute up on the Etsy Page.

Check it out!

<3 Clint

idea to outline

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:38:00 +0000

A surprising amount of people tell me that they wish they could write a story, or that they have ideas that would make a good book, but they could never do it. It seems as though those earliest steps in the formation of a story are the hardest for many. Today I thought I'd share a couple simple tips that really helped me a lot. Now, by no means do I consider myself to be anything great, or any kind of literary expert. I actually consider myself a rookie in the writing world. Heck, if I could some day be half as good a writer as those whose works I grew up reading, that would be amazing to me. But if I can pass on a few tips that helped me get past that first hump - the one from an idea to something a little more solid - who knows? Maybe it'll encourage an aspiring writer to take the leap he or she has been considering and start creating something.

The first thing I would recommend is to write down all those ideas in detail while they are fresh in mind. Don't let a great idea slip away!

Going along with this is a bit of organization. And really, I'm not one to be talking about such a thing in general, as klutzy, forgetful, and, well, disorganized as I tend to be. But the basic principle has helped me a lot, and it's as simple as keeping everything together in one place. A notebook is great, and so is a folder on your computer (preferably backed up externally). Keeping things compiled and within easy access of each other can make a world of difference.

Once you've gathered enough ideas, don't be afraid to start throwing them together into a rough outline or timeline. Some authors will warn against overusing an outline, and I agree - you don't want to tie yourself down to the point that you curb your own creativity or limit yourself. But a good outline can give you clear direction, and even motivation when you see things start to fit together. I always think of it as constructing a skeleton, which you'll add to, take from and rearrange until it's more solid, paving the way for a complete and strong body.

Lastly, don't be afraid to learn from other authors. Obviously, you never want to copy, but to try and emulate the skills of your favorite writers can really be something worth striving for. I also recommend reading books on writing, especially those written by authors you may already be familiar with. I'm planning on listing a few of my favorites in an upcoming blog.

So if you have a story idea, start putting your thoughts down on paper. And don't be discouraged if it seems to take a long time to form something. (I outlined for 2 years before beginning anything, and I've talked to others who have done so for far longer!) And even if it's just for you at first, don't stop creating!

<3 Clint

Manga Review: Bunny Drop volume 1

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Back when I was blogging regularly, one of my favorite things to do was feature manga that I liked. It got a pretty good response and was a lot of fun. So I wanted to continue that tradition with a manga I picked up recently, Bunny Drop. It was released in the states by Yen Press (who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine).

Bunny drop is by Yumi Unita. Anyone into warm, funny stories will love it. The description is best described by the paragraph on the book's rear cover:
"Going home for his grandfather’s funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won’t this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi’s love life?!" (Source: Yen Press' Bunny Drop page.)

I think that fans of series such as Midori Days, Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba&! (another title now published by Yen Press), will really enjoy this one. Though I will say that the humor is more akin to the innocent kind found in Yotsuba&! than that of the other titles. The situations Daikichi gets into, and the things he has to learn are both funny and heartwarming. The art and character design are great (some of the expressions are hilarious!), and Rin is just adorable!

So, I really enjoyed Bunny Drop, and would highly recommend it. Volume one is available now, and I can't wait for volume 2, which is coming September 2010!

<3 Clint

Update: Writing, Blogging, etc...

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:51:00 +0000

Ok, this is it: my attempt at a for-serious return to blogging! It used to be something I did at least a few times a week back when I visited 1Up frequently. I got to meet a lot of awesome friends (some of them I'm still lucky enough to keep up with!), and have some great discussions. It was a lot of fun, and I miss it! ...I know, I know... I've been talking about doing it again regularly for how long now? I don't know - a long time. Anyway, I figured I'd set a goal for myself: starting tomorrow, I will blog for 5 days straight, and then once a week (hopefully at least for all of spring and summer). It's fun, and I think it's a good exercise in writing.

So if you have the time to read over my random babbling this week, please do! You're likely to hear about manga, writing, video games and other dorky stuff. As always, comments are open and encouraged!

Other stuff...

Writing
I've been hard at work for a long time on another Feralia story, which is going quite well. Better use of outlining has enabled me to write far more productively than I've ever been able to before. I'm accomplishing a great deal each time I sit down to write, - sometimes 4 to 10 pages, which, for me, is quite a bit. ...So, how far along is the project? I'm guessing somewhere around 60-75% of the first draft is finished, but who knows? I'm really terrible at estimating those kinds of things. My goal, however, is to have everything done by the end of the year, and shoot for a spring 2011 release. :)

Games
It's pretty much been nothing but Final Fantasy XIII for me.

I'm 60 hours in and having a blast. I know that i'm nearing the end, so I've been taking my time and trying to get the most out of it. The story, graphics, music and character design are all beautiful. While it is more linear than many of the past FF games, I've still found it quite entertaining and endearing, and feel that I've gotten far more for my $60 than I have in a long time.

See you tomorrow!

<3 Clint

Featured Artist Volume #1: Sharon Powell Photography/Moss and Mist Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:44:00 +0000

For my first in my series of featured artists, I wanted to feature Sharon Powell. Sharon, aka Sharie, is a talented artist and photographer who has had her work included in nationally distributed publications, teaches art and photography at a college in Maryland, makes unique jewelry, and, not to mention, took the author photo on the back of Feralia. ;)

Some of Sharie's work can be found on the following pages:

Sharon Powell Photography on Etsy

Sharon Powell Photography Facebook Page

Moss & Mist Jewelry on Etsy

Moss & Mist Facebook Page

If you're into fine art or artisan jewelry with a romantic flair, check her out! We'll also be featuring her on the Feralia Facebook page, so keep an eye open for that as well.

<3 Clint

Catching Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:18:00 +0000

Hey everyone! My apologies for the lack of updates here. It seems that working around 60 hours a week has continued to put a dent in my time devoted to other activities. Plus, the ease of updating on sites like Twitter and Facebook tend to cause me to be more relaxed about updating in other places. I do plan to get back into blogging regularly again. Some of the things I'd like to feature are a return to my anime and manga blogs, which I used to love to do on 1Up (again, a lack of time has pretty much killed my time on that site), and also, I'd like to do a regular section on featured artists. A friend of mine (who's already been doing it for a while, and will be my first feature) gave me the idea.

For the moment however, I thought I'd take the opportunity to catch up on Feralia news, in case anyone has missed anything over the past few months.

Book Signing
First up is a book signing we're having at Barnes and Noble Annapolis this Sunday from 2pm to 4pm! Other authors will also be there. If you're in the area, please stop by and say hello!

Social Pages
Also, please find us on the following sites, where we update news regularly and are planning some fun stuff:
Facebook.com/clintcassa
Facebook Feralia Page
MySpace.com/clintcassa
Twitter.com/Feralia

We also post links to new blog posts there shortly after they're posted here.

LA Times Festival of Books
Feralia will also be on display at The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 24th & 25th. Check it out if you're planning on attending!

That's all the book news for the moment. I'll be posting again soon! (...I promise!)

<3 Clint

My (late) Otakon Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Well, it's only about a month and a week or so late, but here it is: my Otakon 2009 blog. Once again this year, thousands of anime fans filled the Baltimore Convention Center and the surrounding areas in Baltimore, Maryland. (Over 26,000 this year, in fact!) Ask anyone who has attended the convention - the second biggest anime con in the US and largest on the east coast - and they'll tell you how crazy and fun it is. I always have a great time, and this year was no exception. While we worked most of the weekend with our company (Alicia's Anime), we did get to enjoy a little of the convention outside of that - mostly looking at all of the great stuff in Artist Alley, and checking out the awesome cosplayers (there were thousands!).

Below are a few of the pictures we got this year:
Shunsui & Nanao from Bleach. What a cute couple!

Helloooo nurse! (I heart Silent Hill!)

Baby Naruto! How could something so cute have a Nine Tailed Fox Demon inside? ;)

Resident Evil! Rebecca and Chris with a Licker!

Giant cute panda!!

Who is this dork? ...yeah, that's me, as Ukitake from Bleach. lol
Here are a few more I got with some other Bleach cosplayers:
They were all so cool!

Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist, with pictures of his unbelievably cute daughter Elicia!

Jill from Resident Evil

The boys from Eyeshield 21. These guys were great!

One of my first and all time favorite anime characters: Deedlit from Record of Lodoss War

Staaaaaarrrs! - Nemesis from Resident Evil

Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach

A gang from Mario & Sonic

A Silent Hill nurse with Sasuke from Naruto

A great bunch from Super Mario Bros. Wario demanded 20 coins for the picture! lol

Kisuke Urahara from Bleach

Another one of my favorite characters: Yotsuba! She was so cute!

Tousen from Bleach

Death the Kid, from Soul Eater (So symmetrical!) ;)

Midna from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

An awesome cosplay of Taokaka fron BlazBlue!

Ashley Graham from Resident Evil 4

A couple of notable (and awesome) cosplayers that I missed getting pictures of this year:

Flo, from Progressive Insurance

and,

the Shamwow guy! He even had the hooker with him - they were both so funny!

Great stuff!

My Pick For E3 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:06:00 +0000

I have to admit, I was a little bored with last year's E3 Expo, and I wasn't getting my hopes up for this year either. I was pleasantly surprised, however. For me, this year was a pretty big improvement. I thought there was a lot of great announcements, and great new info on games we've already heard about (whether through previous announcements, or even leaks).

I have a nice long list of stuff I'm excited about, but I thought there was one game in particular that deserved its own spot: The Last Guardian.

I'm surprised that I'm picking a PS3 exclusive game, considering I don't yet own the system, but for me, the presentation was beautiful. For those not familiar with the game, The Last Guardian is the follow up to two of the most critically acclaimed games of the Playstation 2, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, both of which featured innovative gameplay and beautiful art, set in a fantasy world. In case you missed it, here is the E3 trailer for The Last Guardian (courtesy of Gametrailers.com):

This is just the kind of game that Sony needs more of. It's the same kind of exclusive which the PS2 was so popular for, giving it arguably the best and most varied catalog of games in its generation. Once the PS3 has enough of these kind of exclusives, I'm sure many more gamers (including myself) will finally be getting the system. Other games, like Heavy Rain, seem to be a big step in the right direction as well. Will the PS3 ever get the amount of Third Party exclusives that its predecessor had? It's hard to say, especially with all of the big titles which Sony once had as exclusives going multi-platform (Final Fantasy XIII for example).

Regardless, The Last Guardian looks amazing. The developers seem to be taking it right along in the steps of Ico and Shadow, and given their history, we can be sure they'll be adding lots of new and exciting elements. The trailer indicates that they've already nailed the magical feel and emotional impact of their previous games. (Yes, I'm a dork. But it's true!)

- Clint :3

Maru the Cat's Latest Box

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:52:00 +0000

I love cats. Actually I love all animals, but cats have always been my favorite. One of my usual morning activities is to check my e-mail for the latest kittehs from icanhascheezburger.com. Today's was especially nice because they included a video by a box loving cat named Maru - a kitty they've featured before, and who I first heard about from my friend Aaron. I've been a fan of Maru since then, and was excited to see that he discovered a giant box in today's video!

Check him out: (Thank you, i can has cheezburger!)

I hope this makes your day, like it did mine!

- Clint

a bit on handheld games

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Today I wanted to spend a little time on handheld games. I haven't given in and gotten a PSP yet. It's a really nice system, but for me personally, there just aren't enough games for it that I really, really want. So for me, handheld gaming = the Nintendo DS, and, still, the Gameboy Advance and its huge library of games.

My wife (and myself occasionally, usually not in public) plays her pink DS Light.

I still have my old grey original DS from the first day of the DS' release. I've often thought about trading my poor old DS in for a newer DS system, but since we have a DS Light, it just hasn't seemed worth it.

Now that the DSi is out, there's another option on the trade in. The DSi seems really nice, but again, I'm just not sold on it yet. The Downloadable Content just doesn't interest me (at least nothing so far), and the lack of a slot for GBA games is a big drawback for me since I still play those games a lot. So, I don't know. we'll see. I may eventually end up with the DSi since our DS Light still plays GBA games, but I'm just not pressed to make a decision any time soon. We'll see what E3 has to offer.

Currently Playing:
Final Fantasy III
One of the few Final Fantasy games I haven't played and finished, III has been fun (and challenging). The updated graphics are nice, and it just has that classic FF feel to it.

On my list:

Hopefully I'll soon be picking up The World Ends With You and Chrono Trigger (another classic that I missed back in the day!)

- Clint

Summer's Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:08:00 +0000

So not much has been going on lately - nothing worth blogging about, anyway. In times like this, as summer approaches, the best thing to do is turn to - what else? - games! I know how awful this sounds, but one of my favorite summer activities has always been gaming. I know, I know - summer, sunlight, activity, etc. And I do enjoy all that, very much. But ever since my school days, summer has meant more time for everything, including games. Luckily for me, I grew up with a pretty balanced outlook on things. I grew up on 120 acres of farm land, and my best friends grew up on a ton of farm land as well. We were pretty much kicked out of the house most days, but our parents knew when we'd had enough (or when it was too hot), and would then let us back inside to our games.

Nowadays, I have much less time to devote to my beloved hobby, but summer still makes me think of it. The following games have been receiving my attention as of late:

Resident Evil 5
Well, I've finished multiple times, but the unlockable stuff keeps me coming back. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the multiplayer stuff. But I loved the story, and can't wait to see where Capcom takes both it and the entire direction of the series with the next installment.

Street Fighter IV
For long time fans of the series there is a lot to love - the same old school game play we know and love, along with challenging new aspects. Newcomers may find it a bit rough. Fun times, though - the long overdue sequel was worth the wait.

Gears of War 2
I know this has been out for a while, but there's one thing that keeps me coming back: Horde. The mode is so fun, even more so with friends or online. If Gears 3 can somehow top 2 over all... wow.

F.E.A.R.
I finally picked this one up after wanting to try it out for quite some time. I'm only a few chapters in, but really enjoying it so far. It's a really good first person shooter, but the J-Horror influence really sets it apart.

Creepy! F.E.A.R.'s Alma. This little girl killed me about 4 times before I realized I had to dive out a window to get away from her.

I'm also catching up on:

Yes, I know how long ago these came out. I guess I just missed them due to working full time, trying to find time to write, and playing the many other games I did get to over the years. Anyway, I'm having fun with them now!

What are you playing? Let me know!

- Clint

Artists & Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:27:00 +0000

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to a book signing and art show in Sterling, Virginia with my friend A.T. Nicholas We'd like to give a special thank you to Joey for putting everything together!

We were able to find some new readers, and we made some cool friends who are quite talented. Check them out at the following links:

Cryptozoo Crew

Badmonkeybrain

Gracestone Calligraphics

Iszy Iszard

Hatton Slayden
Hatton on Deviant Art

Walt Stoneburner

I have a couple more links to add, but left them at home, unfortunately. I'll update later! :)

- Clint

First Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Congratulations to Amy, from Alaska, winner of our Book Giveaway!

We'll be randomly selecting another winner at the end of the month. If you haven't entered yet, check it out - it's free! Check out the Feralia.net Home Page for details.

- Clint

Quick Update

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:42:00 +0000

As expected, April has been a crazy month. We had anime cons two weeks in a row (Tekkoshocon and Shorycon). Both were really nice, as usual, with awesome attendees and staff. This weekend, we'll be traveleing back to my hometown in western Pennsylvania to see my mom and some friends perform a Country Legends show. It'll be a nice, non-work trip that I'm really looking forward to. Then, I'll be finishing up April the following weekend with a book signing in Sterling, Virginia. (Check the Feralia.net home page for details.)

As far as writing goes, I'm still slowly chugging along. My busy work schedule, plus all of the other craziness of this month has been tiring, making it hard to stay up late and write, which is usually my most productive time. I've made it to about page 170 or so on the first draft of my current project, which I'm estimating is just under half way!

Other than that, there's not much to report. I'm always planning, however, and hope to have some stuff to announce soon. :)

Also, don't forget to sign up for the book giveaway if you haven't done so yet! (Details for that are on the home page as well.)

I'll be back with a (hopefully) more exciting entry soon!

- Clint

News and Random Picks

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Nothing too exciting has been going on as of late. Working 60+ hours a week doesn't leave much time for anything except trying to rest up (which I need to do as much as possible because April is going to be a crazy month). A few cool things, though...

Book Signing!
My friend and fellow writer A.T. Nicholas and myself will be having a book signing coming up at the end of April. There will also be a bunch of artists there all weekend. If you live in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, stop by and see us! Details are back on the Home Page at Feralia.net. Other signings should be announced soon.

Anime in the Steel City!
We'll be traveling with our company Alicia's Anime up to Pittsburgh for Tekkoshocon (one of our favorite anime cons) from April 3-5, 2009. Tekko is always a fun time with great people, and I highly recommend checking it out!

Shows!
For the first time in a loooong time (seriously, years), I've actually been watching more american television than anime. Let's see, there has been Lost, Survivor, ANTM (Alicia's show that I support her on and currently root for Allison), my new Adult Swim veg out show - King of the Hill. But a couple of standouts are:

Battlestar Galactica - The Final Episodes and Finale

So, it's over (this is spoiler-free, by the way), and it's been a great run. While the series had some parts that I thought were rather slow, overall I think it's one of the best shows on TV in recent history. I enjoyed the finale. Certain things were hinted at, others were left up for debate, but for me the ending was satisfactory, and better than I had anticipated. And yes, I found myself getting choked up over certain characters and relationships. I'm going to miss it, but I thought it wrapped up nicely.
Speaking of Battlestar, this is my awesome picture of the day:

Adama in pink!!! I could never picture this, but it is awesome. Srsly.

Naruto Shippuden

My wife and I recently finished up the first series of Naruto, and we loved it. Admittedly, we skipped over the majority of the 80 filler episodes (with the intention of catching up on them later) so that we could start Naruto Shippuden, which picks back up where the manga left off.
So far I've really been impressed. The art, character design, and animation are all beautiful. Also, the series is much more mature and a little darker. The exciting story adds to it, making for a really great, quality series that I look forward to catching up on.

Also:
Finished RE5, and it has incredible replay value. Long time fans of the series will love it, including the story, which ties a lot of things together, especially when you take the time to read the files. The RE3 references and little tie ins are great! I can't say any more for fear of spoilers, but if you've played it, or are a fan of the series, let me know what you think!

- Clint

RE5 so far

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:49:00 +0000

So finally, after four years since the last (main) game, Resident Evil 5 has been released. I picked up my Collector's Edition Friday morning.

I haven't finished it yet, but I did get to spend quite a bit of time with it over the weekend. So far, it's been really awesome. I played through about two thirds of the game with my nephew Danny. The split screen co-op was great. I also played through about half way on my own, with the AI controlling Sheva. I've talked to people who have been having a bit of trouble getting AI-controlled Sheva to, well, not die. But I haven't really had problems with it myself, and thankfully, the single player experience has also been great for me so far. That was my main concern going into the game, that perhaps Capcom had put so much into the Co-op that the single player game would suffer. Minutes into the game, my fears were put to rest.
Some more specifics:
Let's get the negative over with first...
The Negatives:
Honestly, I have no big complaints about the game so far. If I had to put a list together to be fair however, I'd only say the following:
- It would be nice to have the feature back to 'Use' a health item immediately upon picking it up. Then again, the added challenge is alright with me.
- RE4 hardly had any puzzles. RE5 has even less (so far, anyway).
- Many fans of the original games will probably be disappointed to see the series continue to evolve further from Survival Horror into Action Horror. It hasn't really scared me yet, unfortunately.
The Positives:
- The gameplay & controls are just as good as RE4, with options for everyone (RE4 and Gears of War style included).
- Graphics & Sound: Beautiful.
- The story so far has been really great, and on top of that, there's a ton of in depth bonus reading material that recaps the series so far, and adds background.
- The new statistic page is awesome (especially for dorks like me who love to know that they've killed 450+ Majinis, 6 Sharks and 1 Bat among all the other creatures).
- Co-op & Single player both work well.
- New multiplayer modes are coming soon.

Overall, RE5 seems to have improved upon the formula that RE4 introduced in most every way, if not distancing itself a bit further from the original style. Being a huge fan of the originals, I am sad to see so many aspects of the classic games gone. However, I do agree with the creators when they said that the series needed to evolve to survive. I think the series has definitely done that, and I think RE5 will prove to be much deeper as it continues, with all the unlockable stuff for fans of the series, and the new modes that should be arriving soon. So, enjoy it!

- Clint

Why do we write?

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:04:00 +0000

I think one of the most interesting things about any type of art, whether it's drawing, writing, music, or anything else, is why the artist/writer/etc. does what he or she does. Some people are truly driven by a cause or some inspiration.

As for me, I can't really say it's anything like that, but mostly just a desire to tell stories. At first, I didn't even realize that I wanted to do that. In 6th grade, our English teacher would devote a part of the school year to creative writing. Back then I just went along with whatever was happening (although I did enjoy it very much). It wasn't until years later that I realized how awesome that was. At that age,of course, I had no idea what a little push could do - what a little nudge to do something creative could turn into. Looking back on it now (I was twelve then), I can see how impressionable the mind of a child that age is, and what some creative influence can do years down the road.

I really didn't do much with what I'd learned at first. In fact, it was probably about two years after the little stories I worked on in 6th grade until I started making outlines for my own comics. I would draw the covers (although I'm definitely not much of an artist), and have detailed outlines for what my super-powered crime fighters would get into. That was pretty much it for my high school years.

It wasn't until 2 years after I was out of high school that I had the first ideas for what would eventually become Feralia. I outlined those ideas for about 2 more years before starting the first draft. Finally, after 4 years of writing whenever I could, the novel was finished. ...And then, of course, it was about 4 more years to finally get all the loose ends together and get it published.

Wow... all together that ends up being a quick story that takes place over 19 years! If you count the earliest ideas and outlines, Feralia has been a big part of my life for 10 years, even though the book hasn't even been out for a year yet!

Any writers, artists, musicians, etc. reading? Leave a comment and tell me what your inspiration is!

- Clint

more fun with electronics!

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:48:00 +0000

So, it seems that my luck with electronics hasn't been the best as of late. In my previous blog I mentioned my bad experience(s) with my X-Box 360. My friend Becky thinks that Microsoft may secretly hate me. ;)

Unfortunately, this brings me to my next device failure, the Garmin Nuvi 350:

First off, I have to say that I do love this GPS. I get lost terribly easily, especially in cities. The Nuvi has never failed to get me where I need to go, even when I make wrong turns. ...I don't know how I functioned for so long without it. :) This model also features Text-to-Speech (directions in real street names), which makes it nice since you don't have to take your eyes off of the road to find out where "turn right" means. I won't get into any more features, since I'm not really reviewing the item, just rambling like usual, but in short - it's been an awesome device.

That is, until it stopped working. For some reason, the GPS would not locate any satellites. After trying everything I could think of, and after a bunch of research online, I still couldn't get it to work.

A little more research revealed that this is a problem that many folks have with this model. Most who've had problems seemed to have owned their GPS's for around a year. I had owned mine for about 4 months - just outside both the allowed reutrn period for Amazon (where I purchased it), and the 90 day warranty through Garmin. Frustrating. Even more so was the fact that Garmin's flat rate to fix it would have been more than what I originally payed for the item. (I could really begin to vent here... even Microsoft's warranty is a year. But we'll just let it go.)

Just when I was about to give up, a came across a company called SHARCNET-USA. Based in Pittsburgh (which just so happens to be a short distance from where I grew up and the home of the six time NFL Champion Steelers :D ), Sharcnet-USA specializes in fixing these things. My experience with them was a great one, and I would highly recommend checking them out to anyone who runs into this kind of problem. Their service was unbeleivably fast & efficient, and the problem was fixed at a fraction of the cost that Garmin charges. Not only that, their site provides a ton of trouble-shooting methods, so you can fix the problems yourself unless the item needs a pro to fix it. Check them out!

So why all the electronic failures? Hopefully it ends here, but my friend Aaron suggests having my body scanned for some type of magnetic interference that it destroying the gadgets around me. I'm thinking about it.

Other Stuff...

Bleach

Alicia and I have been continuing our enjoyment of the wonderful non-filler goodness of the new Bleach episodes. It finally seems to be creeping up to the excitement level of the Soul Society story arc. We're up to Episode 202. Great stuff!

360 Update
I should have my system back today or tomorrow, and will hopefully be picking up my special edition of Street Fighter IV later on today! :D

Katsucon
Katsucon was a lot of fun again this year. Thankfully Alicia didn't fall down on the sidewalk this year, and, as usual, the attendees and staff were awesome. We're already looking forward to next year. Next up for us will be Tekkoshocon!

- Clint

Up Next: A blog about writing for once!

Broken 360 - Round 3!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:26:00 +0000

So, I'm still counting down, of course. Street Fighter IV will be here soon. Unfortunately, however, I may not be playing it the day it comes out. Why? Because my X-Box 360 was last seen in this condition:

...for the third time. ...Yup. I'm now among those whose stories you've heard about their 360's breaking on them multiple times. While it's frustrating, it's not nearly as bad as it has been for others - if you follow gaming news, I'm sure you've heard of cases of people having to send their 360 systems in five, six, or even more times.

There seem to be varying estimates on the percentage of 360 systems that fail. 1Up.com has a really good article that shows some differing numbers from different sources. Nevertheless, it's a lot. The amount of systems that go through the shipping store I run is really surprising, and that's just one store.

So anyway, if my last two instances are any indication (they each took around a week and a half), I should have my system back shortly after SFIV's release date of Ferbruary 17th.

That's not entirely a bad thing. Fallout 3 has been stealing time away from my reading, and we'll be busy all this week preparing for and attending Katsucon anyway.

Up next: the other broken electronic item which I just sent in for repair. :(

<3 Clint

Street Fighters and Zombies! ...er, sorta

noreply@blogger.com (Clint) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Hello friends. My apologies for the lack of updates. One of my jobs is running a pack & ship store, and as you can imagine, December is pretty crazy. From here on out I should be able to update more often. Feel free to leave a comment!

Moving on, it’s pretty safe to say that anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a pretty big dork. Let’s see… video games, anime, science fiction, comics, Star Wars… any of the culture that goes along with those things, such as soundtracks and the like… yup. That about sums me up.

That’s why I’m so excited about a couple of upcoming releases. Yesterday I took a few minutes off from work to pre-order two games that I’ve been excited about for a long time.

Street Fighter IV

This entry in the series returns to the formula of Street Fighter II. Many fans, myself included, are excited that the game is built around the mechanics of II. I grew up playing the many incarnations of SFII. What was great about that game for me was the controls. I really felt like I was in control, unlike later games, which featured a series of button sequences to carry out combos. Although I did get into Killer Instinct (which featured combos), the others felt like memorization rather than having more direct control over your character.

SFIV will see the return of many of the most beloved characters, some of which weren’t featured in SFIII or the SF Alpha games. Pretty much everyone from the SFII games will be present, although it appears that Dee Jay and T. Hawk, two of the four additions in Super Street Fighter II will not be making it. Their counterparts, Cammy and Fei Long, however, are reportedly returning. Some new characters, along with some others such as Akuma and Sakura make for a nice variety. The game’s art style looks very nice as well.

With February 17 quickly approaching, the wait is nearly over. Pictured above is the special edition for the 360, courtesy of Capcom’s website. It features an anime movie and a soundtrack! ;)

Resident Evil 5

Can you believe it’s been a little over four years since Resident Evil 4 was first released on the GameCube? It’s been a long wait for this one as well, bit it ends on Friday, March 13th, 2008. The story picks up in Africa, where Chris Redfield and his new partner Sheva Alomar investigate an epidemic. I won’t get any further into the story for fear of spoilers, but it looks like it will be interesting. The graphics look nice, as expected, and the gameplay builds on RE4, which took the series in a bold new direction and was generally considered one of the best games of the generation.

This time around we won't be exactly fighting zombies, but we will be facing some sort of enemy similar to the Ganados in RE4 - zombie-like, but faster & meaner. A demo is coming to X-Box Live on January 26th, and to the PS3 the week after, which will give most of us our first chance to try it out. Last I heard, Capcom hadn't confirmed what would be in the US version, but the Japanese release has a waist pack and a 2 gig USB drive shaped like a capsule with the Tricell logo (a company we'll be inroduced to in RE5).

<3 Clint