I am publishing this post in an effort to score some points (literally) in a contest to win an advanced copy of Feedback, the 2nd book in the ... duology (?) that started with Variant.
Variant was a great read. It has many elements that hook you and reel you in, little by little. What's going on at the school? Where are the teachers? What's in the Shed? What kind of first name is Benson? For that matter, what about Robison? Isn't there a letter missing?
The best part (by which I mean, the most maddening part) is that it ends with a twist, a what-just-happened reveal that makes you fall to your knees and cry out in despair and then beg that the author doesn't die before publishing the next book so that we have to live with the knowledge that we don't have the answers. (Like, what's the deal with Lisbet's twin sister? No more Dragon Tattoo books?!? Auuuuuugh!)
Here are two links where you can go purchase Robison Wells's fine masterpiece, and see the pre-order page for the next one, due out in October. I, for one, will be impatiently waiting for it to come out and quench my thirst, like a tall ice-filled cup of Diet Coke spiked with pink lemonade.
Variant
Feedback (pre order)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Maybe they should redefine "Final"
I have recently had the pleasure (spoken with British accent) of booting up my PS3 that has been in the box for 10 months, but it now fully operational. I only have 2 games for it (I can't believe it doesn't ship with one that shows off its power, like the Wii Play game) Both of them are part of my most beloved game series: Final Fantasy. I have both Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2. I've only tried the first one out, but I can say that the graphics are breathtaking. The opening cinematic with ships cruising through the atmosphere and then the train sequence through the futuristic city. Wow.
It makes me think back to the origins of the game. The first one came out on the original Nintendo (NES) in 1990 (in the USA) and it looked like this:
Rad!
More followed on the NES and then later on the Super NES. With such improved graphics like this:
That's from the sixth installment (FF VI) Well, it's a little bit improved.
The graphics really took off with #7, debuting on the new Sony Playstation (PS1) I remember trying it out for the first time and hearing that familiar fanfare and just getting goosebumps.
The next one is arguably my favorite of the series, FF 8, largely because of a little mini-game card battle (Triple Triad). You could collect these monster cards and then play them against opponents in various towns and other places and win their cards and add them to your deck. Later, you could convert cards to weapons and stuff. Very addictive. Even my wife enjoyed playing the card game!
FF X was released on the PS2 and had even better graphics, but dispensed with an overworld map. It had some fun features, too, and great dialogue. All of them place a high emphasis on the storyline and get you attached to the characters. Sometimes, though, they go a little bit out there.
There were 2 that came out as MMORPGs (online only) and I tried the first one, but my computer was not really up to rendering it very well, so I gave up on it. World of Warcraft had a much smoother interface.
It's hard to capture how pretty the latest one is with just a picture, but here's one anyway. Trust me, it is just gorgeous.
It makes me think back to the origins of the game. The first one came out on the original Nintendo (NES) in 1990 (in the USA) and it looked like this:
Rad!
More followed on the NES and then later on the Super NES. With such improved graphics like this:
That's from the sixth installment (FF VI) Well, it's a little bit improved.
The graphics really took off with #7, debuting on the new Sony Playstation (PS1) I remember trying it out for the first time and hearing that familiar fanfare and just getting goosebumps.
The next one is arguably my favorite of the series, FF 8, largely because of a little mini-game card battle (Triple Triad). You could collect these monster cards and then play them against opponents in various towns and other places and win their cards and add them to your deck. Later, you could convert cards to weapons and stuff. Very addictive. Even my wife enjoyed playing the card game!
FF X was released on the PS2 and had even better graphics, but dispensed with an overworld map. It had some fun features, too, and great dialogue. All of them place a high emphasis on the storyline and get you attached to the characters. Sometimes, though, they go a little bit out there.
There were 2 that came out as MMORPGs (online only) and I tried the first one, but my computer was not really up to rendering it very well, so I gave up on it. World of Warcraft had a much smoother interface.
It's hard to capture how pretty the latest one is with just a picture, but here's one anyway. Trust me, it is just gorgeous.
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