Exfanding Your Horizons

Game On!

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

My Backloggery is calling to me again...it's time to make a decision about where to focus my free time next.

Where I've Been:

Last week I completed Kirby & the Amazing Mirror with 100% item completion. Easily my least favorite Kirby game of the few I've played thanks to the mostly unnecessary gimmick of summoning brain-deficient AI clones to "help" you, and the confusing level design that could commit to being neither Kirby nor Metroid long enough to be consistently satisfying.

This week I finished Sparkster, which followed the same trend as Legacy of the Wizard: the more sincerely I tried to beat it, the less I enjoyed it. It was great fun to rocket around the screen and try out all my fancy moves on all the cartoony baddies, but the fun began to give way as anything fancier than walking and basic sword slashing started getting me killed, and as boss battles became more and more based on excessive patience and luck. I feel bad for disliking this game because, like Legacy of the Wizard (and Mighty Bomb Jack after that), a friend of mine put a lot of effort into handpicking this gift featuring some interesting mechanics that should be right up my alley. Really, in all three cases, I've liked the mechanics--but in all three cases, something about the execution has fallen short, and it's not something you'd guess until playing it for yourself.

A few days ago I decided to give Mega Man Soccer a shot, having picked it up over Christmas vacation after being curious about it for some time. I ran around in circles for maybe 15-20 minutes, had more fun with the concept than the actual gameplay, and decided I'd need to look at an instruction manual if I was to stand any chance of beating the thing.

Wanting to fill out the remaining gaps in my Mega Man education, I went poking around last night for other obscure and forgotten games that I could get my hands on. I finally settled on Rockman & Forte: Challenger from the Future, the grayscale WonderSwan game that is exactly what you'd get if you mixed Mega Man & Bass with Mega Man II for Game Boy and never bothered to translate it into English. Despite its flaws, I was hooked; I finished the whole game in a single sitting.

Where I Am Now:

I'm gradually making progress through The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, having recently returned to the main quest after heading off in random directions to explore more of the world map. It's a huge game that's discouraging me from starting anything else remotely as lengthy or deep, but the truth is that I'm cutting all sorts of corners and barely scratching the surface of the story in order to keep things moving. While I like the game, there is simply too much to do if I ever want to play any other games this year. I find that skipping entire obvious sidequests helps to keep my completionist tendencies in check.

Everything else I'm playing is with my wife, when she feels up to it--Space Quest II (VGA) and Half-Life are the two she's watching me play, which are both a little too gross or creepy in parts than we might like (though still great fun); we've got Episode 6 of Sam & Max: Season One to start up; and we're cleaning up the last 7% or so of LEGO Batman.

Where I'm Going Next:

Well, that's really up to you. Here's what I'm considering as my next personal gaming project:

- Mega Man Soccer: If I don't attempt to play it now, while the curiosity's still a little warm, I might never work up the motivation to come back to it.

- Mega Man Network Transmission: The interquel between Mega Man Battle Network and MMBN2 would continue to expose me to an entire branch of the Mega Man family I've never bothered with, simultaneously giving me the platforming fix I perpetually crave.

- Nightshade: Another gift from the friend who gave me Sparkster, which I know absolutely nothing about other than what's on the box. I've been trying to get to this one for a while, and I'd love for this to be the game that breaks the trend I discussed.

- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: I've been in a Zelda mindset ever since starting work on an upcoming Zelda-themed post for GameCola, and the fact that I've been tempted to start playing in spite of already having an involving RPG going in the form of Morrowind should be some sort of sign.

- Scurge: Hive: Because I'm still anxiously waiting for my wife to beat the original Metroid on her own so that I can show her the rest of the series, and this is the closest new thing to Metroid I've got.

So there you have it. Five games I've never played for five different systems. Any recommendations?

Entertainment...CUBED!

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Post) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Today's post comes from Joseph, author of the blog Paragoomba Shift, and creator of amusing voiceover videos.

Most everyone who is interested in gaming will be able to tell you what their first home system was. For those from the start of household gaming, they may tell you that they first owned an Atari 2600, an NES, an SNES, a Genisis, or maybe even an N64. Now there’s a new generation who are growing up playing on the Xbox, Playstation 3, and the Wii and subsequent Wii U.

Me? I had a GameCube.

The Nintendo GameCube, or GCN (NGC in Japan, they got the order of the letters right) was the 4th home console Nintendo developed and part of what is considered The Sixth Generation. The GameCube uses discs instead of cartridges and uses memory cards that can store mega blocks of information and can be interchanged to give you even more memory. But that’s not why I got the GameCube. I got the GameCube because it was and had been the current Nintendo system for a while. The Nintendo GameCube was released in 2001, about 2 or 3 years before I was exposed to the amazing world of video games.

Although, I didn’t actually buy it. You see there’s this thing where most 8-year-olds don’t get to buy expensive stuff. Crazy right?

But anyways, I had a GameCube now, so what would I get to play? The GameCube had been around for a while, so there would be a great amount of great games to start with. Super Mario Sunshine? Super Smash Bros.? Super Luigi’s Mansion? Nope. I got Pac-Man.

Okay so not actual arcade, “put a quarter in to play,” Pac-Man; Pac-Man World 2, the sequel to a game I had never played.

My reasons for buying this game were, well not really plural. I saw my 2nd cousin playing it, so when we were going to get a GameCube, I asked for that game. Turned out to be a pretty fun game, though the concept of saving seemed to be beyond me or something, because I swear I played those first levels at least 30 times. The game was fun, though. Get from point A to point B, eat dots and ghosts, find all the fruit, and all that good stuff. There were some good platforming sections as well as some cool powerups that led to pretty good puzzles even in the early levels.

Also, Pac-Man can apparently Spin Dash like Sonic the Hedgehog--where was THAT ability in the arcade? So many quarters would still be with us today…

So that was Pac-Man. All in all, above average, but still not nearly the quality the GameCube library had to offer. Now that I had experience with this box of might, I should probably have gotten something better, more mainstream, maybe even 1st-party-developed!

Three words: Monkeys In Balls.

I have no idea what possessed me to say, “I want that one,” but whatever it was, I’m grateful. Super Monkey Ball was one of the most fun games I have ever played, second only to Yoshi’s Island. It’s got a simple concept, there is a monkey in a ball, now get him to the goal in under a minute. There were 3 difficulties, beginning, advanced, and expert, with 10, 30, and 50 unique stages, respectively. That’s a total of 90 different levels, some of which to this day I still haven’t even seen. But I did play enough to be able to beat beginner with no deaths and speed-running tactics.

There were also minigames. The first three, in my opinion the best, are unlocked from the very start, while the other 3 require you to earn points by beating levels in the main game. These minigames were great for me and my family to play. And I enjoyed even playing them just by myself. And the main game was a great experience to play over and over again.

But the minigames were just as much a part of the fun as the main game. Target Test was by far the favorite among my brother, my dad, and myself. You could play with powerups, with pure skill, with bombs, with random effects, and with a wide selection of turn amounts. We played that minigame so much we found all sorts of silly tricks, like if you have the sticky-glue powerup you can land on the overhanging bars on the ramp and still get 5 points, and if you go out far enough and have a lot of luck, you may just be able to land 500 points by hitting a tiny little target.

Next was Race. Get around the track as fast as you can before the others do. Hit speed strips to go faster. Don’t fall off. Simple and fun, except that purple space stage. That one was hard…

Last and, well, least was Fight. I seemed to be the only one who liked this game, but maybe that was just because I OWN ALL NOOBZ AT MONKEY BALL FIGHTING! BWAHAHAHA!

Ahem…

But to supplement my lack of fist-attached-to-a-ball fodder, you could always play with computer players. The powerups in Fight were also cool too, like making the giant fist even more giant, making the spring attaching your fist to the ball go further, or being able to have the fist swing around and around you like a tornado. The best part was that these powerups could be added upon themselves and each other. I always figured it was infinite, because the time would eventually stop you from having a colossal fist that was attached to a 40-ft. spring that swirled around you. But it would be interesting to know.

Then there will be minigames that you unlock. Several times, for me. I guess the idea of “saving” was still lost to me. It might have helped if I had a memory card. In fact, the reason I got so good at the beginner stages in the main game was because I would play them repeatedly to get the points to unlock a minigame I wanted to play. I don’t know what I was excited about though, because Monkey Golf, Monkey Billiards, –coughpoolcough- and Monkey Bowling might have just as well been called Generic Golf, Pool, and Bowling. Beyond a few creative golf holes there’s not much to look forward to.

Okay, now back to the GameCube itself. No more game reviews within a discussion of a system. Enough monkeying around.

Anypun, the GameCube itself seems to be like the commercials between your favorite shows, you rarely talk about them and if you do it’s not often positive. I’m not sure that makes sense to you all but it does in my head and that’s good enough for me! I generally only hear about it when people call the Wii the “GameCube 1.5” when referring to the Wii’s graphics. And if 50% better is an insult, then that means that these people think very highly of the GameCubes capabilities.

So the GameCube is seldom spoken of, why? Is it a bad system? No, at least as far as I can tell.

The graphics, while definitely not up to today’s standards, can still produce some pretty impressive and cool-looking stuff, especially towards the end of the system’s run. The controls work fine, and the controller is a nice restyling of an N64 controller, and is in fact generally preferred among those who play Virtual Console games on the Wii.

Is it because it isn’t innovative? Well, it seems that its main quality is being a cube, but it does have much more to offer than that. It uses memory cards, allowing potential for unlimited memory that could be saved separate from your hard copy of the game, meaning if you rented the game again you could start right where you left off.

It's nice and compact, easy to move around, as we often took it on long road trips.

Does it have a bad library? Not in my opinion. Monkey Ball, Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Baseball, Pokémon Laughing Face (XD), LEGO Star Wars, and even some cool collections of Zelda and Mega Man, to name a few.

Does it not have cool accessories? No dice, the Mic is one of the best additions the Mario Party franchise could have had, and being able to connect your Game Boy to the GameCube had to be pretty cool too.

Is there something wrong with the hardware? Well, it does have this problem where if you leave it on for 24-hour periods. after only turning off the TV when you were playing baseball and football video games all night, and your kids don’t check to turn it off before school, and so they come home and find the thing still running. Then the GameCube breaks.

Or so I’m told.

I did get a GameCube with a Pokémon on it as a result, though, so I guess it wasn’t a total loss. More like 90%.

But why do I like the GameCube so much? Well, it has to do mainly with nostalgia. Nostalgia plays a large part in what many of us like and dislike. I liked the GameCube in childhood, I like it now. I loved Yoshi’s Island as a child, too, and it remains to be my favorite game. If you need an example other than myself, Nathaniel’s favorite Mega Man game was the first one he played, and I bet Alex read some of The Goon series early on in his comic reading days as well. The GameCube also represents the best that Nintendo could do with the standard home console design at the time.

After, wii got a We. I mean, we got a Wii. I insisted that we should keep the GameCube. Sure, the Wii can play GameCube games, but it is much more fragile and complicated to move around. However, the GameCube did fade into obscurity for a while as we grew more fond of the Wii.

Nowadays the GameCube sits in my room. It gets a little more love now that I have a TV to play it on, and also has a few old classics like Mario Baseball and the Mega Man Anniversary Collection to have fun with. And I always have a satisfying feeling that I’m using an excellent piece of hardware when I turn it on and hear that title theme.

Doo-doo-di-doo-doo-di-doo-doo-doo-dooloodoo-doo-doo-di-doo-doo-di-doo-doo-doo Whuhm.

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 4, Issue 4

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I'm coming off a pretty cool Tuesday, I have to say, so writing this week's Waiting for has taken a bit of a back seat. Not to worry, though, because yesterday's Awesome is, well, it's pretty awesome.

However, just because I enjoy being cryptic, all I will say about Tuesday is this--I got to interview my favorite wrestler of all time. Now, I can't say who it is, or what we talked about just yet, but you can bet that I will post the link to the story here as soon as it goes live!

I found out that I would be doing the interview when I walked in the door yesterday morning, and I was told that the interview was scheduled for 2:00. I was elated. Super-excited, even.

And for people who know me, those are two things that I never am.

Not to fear, though, as that old familiar feeling crept in a little later on in the day when I started to get nervous. Once I warded off that particular bout of crippling anxiety, though, it was time...for lunch.

So I ate lunch with a buddy and got back to the desk with plenty of time to wallow in my nervousness.

But then something funny happened. I got in the room and I wasn't nervous. I got through the interview without making a complete jerk of myself (or, as they call it in the wrestling business, without being a total "mark"), and I even made the interviewee laugh, thus reinforcing my existence on this planet.

When I post up the link (once the article goes through edit), I'll get into it more, but this wrestler was/is my all-time favorite performer and I grew up watching him. Getting an opportunity to talk to him at a show or an autograph signing would have been a big deal, but being able to talk to him in a professional capacity today was a real thrill for me.

So, yeah. Good times.

Anyway, more on that later. Right now, let's get into the comics, as that's kind of the point of this feature. I have a few single issues on the list for today, but the book I'm most looking forward to picking up is the hardcover collection of Mark Waid's and Paolo Rivera's and Marcos Martin's excellent Daredevil relaunch from Marvel.
This is, in my opinion, the best superhero comic book on the stands today. Personally, I don't think there's anything in the past year that does the job better than Waid and Rivera's new-old take on Daredevil.

I use that confusing description not because I'm a bad writer (that's only part of it), but because Waid's story introduces us to a lighter DD than we've seen in...well, in forever.

Since Frank Miller dragged ol' Matt Murdock through the ringer in the 1980s, all previous writers have done essentially the same. Since that seminal Miller run on the book--which I still hold up as some of the very best comic book storytelling of all time--Daredevil has found himself in desperate situation after desperate situation.

And while that's made for some seriously good stories over the years, it just got to a point where all that darkness was too much to take. So Waid and Rivera and Martin dragged the 'Devil out of the dark and into this new series, where we actually see Matt Murdock *GASP* smile!

He also fights crime and acknowledges past tragedies and keeps in complete accord with decades of continuity. As such, these first six issues are some of the very best comics of the past decade.

Here's the description from Marvel for today's trade:

THE DEVIL IS REBORN. RENEWED. RESURRECTED. With new enemies, new friends ... and that same old "grinnin' in the face of hell" attitude, the Man Without Fear is back in action and leading with his face!

Mark Waid (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, IRREDEEMABLE, RUSE) joins neo-legendary artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin for a new spin on Daredevil that will leave you gasping for air. Having turned his world upside over the past several years, Matt Murdock realizes that justice may not be blind to his past and villains may not be the only ones looking for answers. Bring it on. if Matt Murdock could see what he was doing ... he'd be terrified.

COLLECTING: DAREDEVIL (2011) 1-6

Now, am I prone to exaggeration? Absolutely. But in this case, lots of other people agree with me (IGN called it 2011's best new series, so there). If you're new to the character, pick this book up. If you've drifted away from the character in recent years due to the excessively depressing situations Matty found himself in, pick this book up.

If you like comics, pick this book up. Just...trust me.

Good comics are worthy of wide audiences, and in a year that has seen some big-time negative reaction from a fan base tired of events and cross-overs, this new Daredevil series is a welcome relief, and one that proves that even "corporate" comics can have a soul.

With that, I'm back on the job. But before I head out--what are you Waiting for?

Exfanding Review: Chip

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you need to step out of the box a bit and read something completely different. So last night I decided to pop open my pocket-size compendium edition of Richard Moore’s excellent Antarctic Press series, Chip.

Richard Moore is the writer/artist of Boneyard, one of my favorite comics series of all time. With Chip, Moore brings to the table his trademark irreverent humor and wonderful cartooning sensibilities.

Chip tells the story of the world’s tiniest gargoyle, who lives on a farm in upstate New York where gargoyles are hand-chiseled by the farm's owner. Also, all the gargoyles can walk and talk.

(That's important.)

The compendium edition available on Amazon combines Moore's two Chip mini-series and follows the diminutive gargoyle as he quests to become the most terrifying gargoyle who ever lived.

The image of Chip--standing in at just under 4 inches tall--next to the other gargoyles on the farm is funny enough, but throw in the protagonist's penchant for bold words and--we'll say--overestimation of his own abilities, and you've got a winning tale.

What's more, though, this comic book is actually and truly targeted at an all-ages audience. This is a Big Deal in comics today because, let's face it, most all-ages books are simply not good.

Either they don't work as a kid's book, or they prove to be unreadable for adults.

But in Chip, Moore straddles that line brilliantly and has produced something that can entertain on a number of levels.

On that note, over the past couple of years, Moore has very quietly put out some of the best books that the comics market has to offer.

His new series, Gobs, is another whimsical (though not as all-ages-friendly as Chip) tale featuring all manner of mythical creatures.

Both books present wonderful--and much needed--escapes from the superhero tropes that so flood the market.

So check out Chip--it officially has the Exfanding Seal of Approval.

Exfanding New Horizons

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

When I wrote my first few posts for Exfanding Your Horizons back in late 2008, I had grand plans of introducing at least one new fandom per week. Over time, those grand plans mellowed into a goal of one new fandom per month--given the time and effort required to write a satisfactorily thorough introduction, and in the interest of not prematurely running out of fandoms to discuss, this seemed more reasonable. Once my all-time favorite fandoms were introduced, however, I found myself struggling to come up with new ways to exfand your horizons--most of the other fandoms I could talk about were ones I myself was still exploring, and I'm too much of a completionist to introduce just 60% of the Stargate TV and movie franchise.

Looking back at 2011, there's a huge gap between my introduction to Dragon Warrior and my last formal introduction before it, a post about Nabisco toasted chips (which, despite the subtitle, "A Legitimate Snack," barely feels like a legitimate introduction to me). I'd talked about other new fandoms in the interim, such as Axe Cop, but not in enough depth to feel like I was upholding one of the founding principles of this blog. I've been excited about expanding people's fandom horizons since Day One, and I've been feeling like a slacker the past two years or so.

However, it occurred to me last night that I haven't been thinking broadly enough. I recently wrote a guide to becoming a minor Internet celebrity; before that was an episode guide for Star Trek: The Original and Animated Series. Alex and I joined forces for another round of Gifts for Geeks, and back toward the beginning of the year, Alex produced a great guide to commissioning an artist. I've been too fixated on introductions to realize that guides and how-to's are just as much a way of expanding one's horizons about a fandom.

That being said, I'm now looking forward to a year of doing one of the things I do best: doling out copious amounts of unsolicited advice. There's a guide to Star Trek: The Next Generation and Mega Man tips and tricks in the works, but there's always room for more--what would you like to see this year?

The Bark Side

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, advertisers everywhere are working overtime to prep those wonderful, wonderful commercials.

And because everything is over-the-top crazy these days, some companies have taken to releasing previews for their upcoming Super Bowl spots.

That's right--like movie trailers, only for commercials.

Insane? Sure. But at least we get things like this, from Volkswagen. It's called "The Bark Side" and, well, I'm posting it today just because.

Enjoy, and Happy Sunday.

Exfanding Review: Fullmetal Alchemist

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

A fair warning: Here be spoilers.

A few times this month I've referenced Fullmetal Alchemist, the anime series about two young boys in search of the Philosopher's Stone, the fabled red rock that will allow an alchemist to ignore the law of equivalent exchange: that you can only get as much as you put in. Ed and Al (whose names together form a clever anagram for "lead," the substance historical alchemists sought to transform into gold) aren't even tall enough to ride Space Mountain at Disney World when their mother dies, and with their father long gone, they do what any grade-school kids would do: use the sophisticated and forbidden alchemy practice of human transmutation to resurrect their dead mother.

There's only one catch: equivalent exchange. What's a fair trade for a human life? Ed finds out the hard way that it costs an arm and a leg, quite literally. Al loses his entire body, but is saved from total annihilation when, in desperation, his brother's alchemy anchors Al's soul to a nearby suit of armor. What do their sacrifices gain them? A horrific imitation of their mother that dies shortly after its creation.

Fast forward several years. The boys have realized their mistake; now they just want their real bodies back. Al remains a huge walking suit of armor. Ed now has mechanical replacement limbs, and still isn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain. So they set off on a quest for the mythical stone that can undo the damage without requiring two more limbs and another body to do it.

Along the way, they encounter others who have experimented with human transmutation, and others in search of the Philosopher's Stone. The interplay of motives and actions between characters makes for an intriguing series with plenty of plot twists, the characters are intriguing and memorable, and there's enough humor to keep the heavy subject matter from becoming too overwhelming. Still, with less than ten episodes to go until the end of the series, my enthusiasm for the show is gradually giving way to a sort of mild depression that I'm ready to shake off.

Characters continually go to disturbing lengths to achieve their goals, and unhappy events (and flashbacks to unhappy events) are commonplace--yet these aren't responsible for the gloom that's been setting in. I can appreciate that these characters and these situations make the story as engaging as it is; we could still have a good story without anyone ever blending their dog with their innocent daughter to create a new creature, but the psychological impact that anyone would ever do such a thing gives an incredible amount of depth to the story and the characters.

I think that's just it: I can handle the plot, but what's weighing on me most is what the plot is saying about the characters.

Look at any character who's after the Philosopher's Stone. Look at any character who's tried to bring back the dead. Though there are still a number of motives to be uncovered in these last few episodes, there's a recurring theme: these people cannot let go of the past.

I will be the first to admit that I live happily in the past--I play retro video games, I hold off on new technology until it's old, and I wax nostalgic about the joy and simplicity of days gone by. Yet I embrace the present, look forward to the future, and am not so firmly rooted in the past that I let it consume my every thought and action. The characters in Fullmetal Alchemist are driven to reclaim what was lost or what should have been, reliving the past until things turn out right.

The boy seeking the restoration of his lost limbs, despite being told repeatedly how beneficial his mechanical ones are...

The man who has devoted his life to avenging his dead brother and fallen people...

The husband who creates living puppets to remind him of his late wife...

The military officer whose ambition to move up in the ranks is fueled by his fear of being ordered to repeat his mistakes...

Even here, the principle of equivalent exchange applies: instead of building a future, these characters are using the present to fix the past. They're giving up one to focus on the other. It's sad to see the tragedy that has befallen these characters; it's depressing to see them dragging themselves backward when the only way for their wounds to truly heal is by moving forward.

I dig that I'm invested enough in these characters and their world for this to be making an impact on me. But it's time to move on. For as much as I enjoy the animation style, the action sequences, the characters, and the thought-provoking and humorous dialogue, it's time for someone to get what they want. No matter the resolution--happy, sad, or none at all--I'll take it. There's a handful of episodes left and plenty more anime out there I want to experience; gotta move out from under this cloud if I'm going to see it all.

SOPA Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:45:00 +0000

In a follow up to this week's Waiting for and the issue of the proposed SOPA legislation, I wanted to bring everyone's attention to an independent comics publisher that has joined in the Internet Protest.

Head on over to Timeless Journey Comics, where they are offering two of their top titles, FOR FREE, all week long. Not only that, but the publisher has some very sensible words about what the legislation might mean for all of us.

Exfanding definitely falls under the web of this legislation (Mega Man YouTube videos, anyone? Or how about that one time we linked to the official Sirius Radio clip of The Gaslight Anthem?), so we're following how this whole thing is shaking down pretty closely.

Speaking of, it looks like the first hurdle to stopping the legislation has been cleared as the bill's main proponent has said today that he "will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution." Good for you. Check out the full article, here, at the LA Times.

As with the rest of the Internet, we'll keep watching, but in the meantime, go get issue one of both Mack Turner: Slayer of the Dead and The Argonauts for FREE, and join in the fight!

I've read both books, and I can vouch for how good they are. Go check them out!

Mega Man vs Ghosts 'n Goblins

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

It's been, what, five days since the last time I mentioned Mega Man? Let's fix that. Here's a video I made for GCDotNet, the official YouTube channel of videogame humor website GameCola.net

It's exactly what it sounds like:

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 4, Issue 3

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Instead of getting into the nitty gritty that is Waiting for Wednesday, a reminder to all you lazy researchers out there.

Today, Wikipedia goes dark for 24 hours.

In a concentrated effort to protest against proposed legislation (the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act, or PIPA, in the U.S. Senate) that will certainly hurt Wiki--and the Internet in general--if passed, that bastion of free and easy information has decided to take a stand.

And, while this is clearly a very serious issue with potentially widespread repercussions down the road, we here at Exfanding would rather treat it like we treat everything else--hilariously. (Well, for the next paragraph, anyway.)

So, yeah, if you have a paper due today or tomorrow that you've put off for as long as humanly possible and you just planned to wing it based on other people's (somewhat reliable) research? Maybe you should think about heading out to the library.

Okay. Hilarity over. Serious Alex, coming through.

Obviously, this proposed legislation is a serious issue and one that I personally feel shows just how huge the cultural gap is between people of my generation and the folks in Washington.

Now, clearly, since I'm (barely hanging on to) my twenties, politicians have, for the entirety of my life, always been much older than me. And there's always been that sense that old people just don't understand the world the way younger people do. (And vice versa, for sure.)

But this whole censoring the Internet thing?

It displays a complete--and, frankly, terrifying--lack of understanding when it comes to advancing technology. Now, I completely understand the desire to stop online piracy. But guess what? Much like the war on drugs, the fight to stop online piracy will be going on forever.

But there are ways to attack the pirates directly--cut off their funding, and they will cease to exist. A blanket censorship proposal? Um, no.

That's like draining Loch Ness to find the monster.

And, in my opinion at least, taking away rights is NEVER the way to go about making a change. Lots of sites, including Google, are participating in protests today, and I think that adds another layer to this whole debate.

The Internet is not a fad, or a niche, or something "that the kids do." The Internet and its multi-billion dollar corporations that call it home are serious players in today's economy.

The voice of the opposition on this is going to be loud, and massive, and it's not going to go away.

-- -- -- --

Oh. Also. New comics come out today. My list is pretty short (See? I can cut down on books!), but there's still some high quality stuff out there. Like the latest issues of Batman and Wonder Woman from DC, Hellblazer from Vertigo, Chew from Image, and Daredevil (which is EXCELLENT!!) from Marvel.

Go. Buy.

But before you do--what are you Waiting for?

Onward to the Next Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

With all the creative input I've been receiving the past few weeks, I've been starting to formulate my next Dungeons & Dragons adventure in my head.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind has begun to break my mind out of the rut of "hobbits in huts" with surprising locations such as a city comprised of organic shell-looking buildings, rocky stretches of land plagued by blinding red dust storms, and a sort of quarantined area blocked off by towering walls of ghostly energy.

I've been getting ideas for villains from the likes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Bunraku--villains who are formidable in their own right, but downright devastating when working as a team. Tangled reminded me of how much I enjoy creating memorable side characters and injecting a measure of humor into my adventures.

Nearly everything I've been watching, playing, or reading recently has triggered some thought or another about what to throw at my adventurers the next time I run a campaign. Now I just need to figure out where to start.

Literally, where to start.

My first campaign world was the one I inherited from my first Dungeon Master, who decided he'd like to take a break from running the world to play in it instead. I took on the mantle of DM and carried on the quest from where he left off, making his world my own. This world was the setting of every quest I ran in college, its history deepening and its borders expanding on a weekly basis. I made it a point to keep detailed maps and thorough records of world lore for the sake of preserving continuity, but I found that I had written myself into more than a few corners. There were ways out of these corners, to be sure, but I already had enough inspiration for a brand-new campaign setting to be able to let my first world rest comfortably after graduation.

Unlike the old world, the new world was to be planned out farther in advance than a full course schedule would allow, with the players' actions significantly shaping the direction of the world. Virtually every encounter was to be a first contact scenario--the quests were to be set early enough in the world's history that most races had never heard of one another. Magic and other planes had yet to be discovered. Everything the characters did would have an impact somewhere down the line, and there would be forces at work from the very beginning that wouldn't reveal themselves until someone reached Epic-level status and could take them on.

I got sloppy with the record-keeping. I rushed a few adventures out the door and completely blew the opportunity to set things up as I wanted. My world map was a mess. I was so focused on the big picture that I overlooked so many of the smaller details that framed the big picture.

Now I'm here, thinking about where to hold this new quest I've got in mind.

There's the first world, well-established and rich in history. There's the second world, still young enough to be reshaped to better fit my original purpose for it. Any quest I could come up with would easily have a home in one of these worlds, yet the more I mull it over, the more I want to take a crack at a third world.

If this were anything other than a tabletop roleplaying game, I'd be getting annoyed at myself right now for threatening to reboot my franchise again. Yet this isn't a matter of profit, creative poverty, or desire to breathe new life into a dying series. I want to take the lessons I've learned from both worlds and apply them in the creation of something that draws on the best elements of each: a malleable game world with a bit of history behind it, a bit of subtle hinting toward future quests, and plenty to explore in the here and now.

Besides, I never really abandoned the first world, even after creating the second one. The two were always linked, though you didn't hear that from me. How they were linked was a secret I planned to reveal to my players toward the end of their adventures in the second world, and nothing says there's not room for yet another world to be linked somehow. A fresh start doesn't have to mean I'm giving up on the past; all it means is that I've got new stories to tell.

I think it's time to start putting some ideas down on paper.

Panel to Panel

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Because I'm in a cliche-y kind of mood this morning, I'd like to start this post out with the following, staggeringly insightful statement: Life is funny sometimes.

Told you it'd be cliche-y.

But tired old cliches are both tired and old precisely because they're usually quite true. And, despite the validity and/or ridiculousness of that previous sentence, I do have a point I'd like to make today. Only, as with most things when it comes to my writing, it's taking me a little while to get there.

I just find it funny--not "haha funny," mind you--that just a couple weeks ago, I was stressed out to the max, worrying about every possible future event that might have been on my horizon. As I've talked about, just before Christmas, I left a job that I had spent the past two years doing, working with truly wonderful, smart people.

I'd carved out a nice little thing for myself, and I was content with it.

But, as life tends to do, an opportunity arose that I couldn't ignore. And then, when I wished that there might be some kind of sign to help me make a decision about what to do--take a new gig or stick with the one I had--a sign literally fell on my head and all but made the decision for me.

Still, I was hesitant and more than a little angry and sad at the way things went down.

But in the end I knew that I had to make a move. And now, two weeks into the new job, I'm glad I did. Don't get me wrong--I am by no means an optimist, and I fully understand that every job has its ups and downs and sometimes the downs can be crushing. And I still miss the people I used to work with, but I'm very fortunate that I've been able to stay in touch with a good number of them.

But the way things are now, I get to spend the majority of my day writing.

Like, for a living.

After being an editor for seven years and working on everything from high school textbooks to how-to guides on laying tile, from interviews with pet psychics (Note to Self: Must write a post about that, one day) to a book on built-in furniture, I've always had a...let's say, love/hate relationship with writers.

And I've always wanted to write my own stuff, obviously, but as an editor, that can be poison. So I all but knocked that thought out of my head.

Sure, Nathaniel and I write on this blog every day and quite a few people read what we lay down on the keys. But for me, at least, Exfanding has always been my only venue to get my work out there. Nathaniel, on the other hand, writes for GameCola and produces an insane number of YouTube videos--both of which garner an impressive number of readers and watchers.

Now, though, I have a new creative outlet (that's WWE.com, kiddies) and, like I said, I spend my days writing.

And that's just fine with me.

Creative Input Overdrive

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Over the course of the last few months, I have effectively doubled the number of ongoing entertainment projects I have. Normally I keep the numbers in check--two books, two hour-long TV shows, a handful of half-hour TV shows, two or three video games, and the occasional movie or trade paperback. I've got some free time again, so it's possible to juggle everything and not forget where I left off.

I've mentioned before some of the shows and games my wife and I have been working through--Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Fullmetal Alchemist, and LEGO Batman, along with The Simpsons, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Sam & Max Save the World, to name a few.

At the same time, I've been playing through Sparkster, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on my own. I've also been keeping up with four different books (which I haven't done such a practice was required for school!), including my first James Bond novel, The Facts of Death.
Between Netflix, Christmas, the honeymoon, and the Great Comic Book Adventure we never talked about, there's plenty of new material in the house to keep me busy for a while. On top of all that, there's been a Space Quest renaissance thanks to the release of three long-awaited fangames over the course of a few weeks, two of which caught me totally by surprise.

Imagine that one of your favorite game series has been officially dead for about as long as Duke Nukem Forever was in development, and that the fan community has been more or less dormant for about a decade (aside from rumors that a few fans might eventually finish a remake of the first sequel)...and then suddenly there's not one but three new games to play. Of course we can wait a little longer to unpack the boxes in the guest bedroom.

It's refreshing and energizing to have such variety, and to have the freedom to marathon one thing or bounce back and forth between a number of other things whenever the mood suits us. I'm excited to return to my side projects that have been on hold--all this creative input is giving me some great ideas, and I'm relaxed enough to dedicate however much time is needed without getting too anxious about anything else that's on my plate.

So You Want to Be a Minor Internet Celebrity?

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I receive a good many requests on my YouTube channel for suggestions on how to produce quality content, increase viewer traffic, and generally be better at playing Mega Man. Over the years, I've been happy to oblige--I may not necessarily be the foremost expert in any of the aforementioned matters, but I've enjoyed enough success to have at least a few insights, and I love sharing my interests, knowledge, and advice with others.

What follows is a collection of pointers and recommendations for aspiring YouTube stars, especially those focusing on video game playthroughs. I'll cover Mega Man tips and tricks in a separate post, as there's more than enough ground to cover as it is with creating and promoting videos. I make no promises about the effectiveness of my suggestions, but I hope you will find them helpful, and I welcome your feedback!

How do I become popular on YouTube?

Before we even begin to address that question, make sure you're sure of what you're asking. I make a key distinction here: If people visit your channel, that's attention; if people keep coming back for more, that's popularity. I've got plenty of ideas about how to attract attention to your videos, but it's ultimately your content that determines your popularity. Content is king. Content is the difference between a screaming baby and a screaming baby made of solid gold.

It's safe to make three assumptions about your content, whatever it may be:

1.) Someone's already done it
2.) Someone's already done it better
3.) Someone's going to do it even better in the future

These assumptions are humbling, but not crippling. Until you are being hailed by the entire Internet as "the next Star Wars Kid," let these assumptions serve as constant reminders that you are not the next Star Wars Kid. It's not the number of views that matters so much as whether your video is worth watching in the first place. Take Hollywood as an example: Avatar may have way outgrossed Serenity at the box office, but there's enough room in the universe (and in fans' hearts) for both Pandora and Miranda. Regardless of the number of fans, each of these movies brings enough content to the table that viewers find to be worthwhile.

That's really all there is to it: figure out what it is that makes your videos worth watching. For my Mega Man videos, it's the unique blend of clean humor, informative and thoughtful commentary, skillful and experienced playing, creative special weapon use, goofing around, and showing off. Other people specialize in damage-free runs or rely on gimmicks to set themselves apart. Even if you're a strictly average player with no particular experience with making commentary, enthusiasm (or outright hatred) for a game goes a long way.

Once you've determined the appeal of your videos, be careful not to ruin it with any of the following:

- Overlong introductions. Unless you're the Star Wars Kid, assume that no one knows who you are, and that no one cares. Say hello and get on with it. If you haven't told a funny joke, started playing, or done something to grab people's attention within the first 10-20 seconds of the video, you've effectively lost your audience.

- Dull or repetitive video footage. It's okay if you're not very good at Metroid, so long as you edit out the worst parts that aren't hilariously bad. Unless you've got awesome commentary, your video is going to drag if you show yourself dying in the same spot in the same way for five minutes straight. The same goes for taking your hands of the controller to talk about something--a momentary pause is fine, but any more than 5-10 seconds becomes interminable if your character isn't preparing to take a nap on the floor and mutter about pasta in his sleep.

- Excessively awkward, repetitive, or long-winded commentary. Plan out what you want to say in advance, and practice it. Pay attention to the words or phrases you use frequently (like, um, you know, etc.), and guess how many times you can get away with saying them before your audience wants to rip their ears off. And, if you're truly uncomfortable recording audio commentary, stick with text commentary.

- Unsettlingly loud noises. Please, warn people if you are going to scream at the game.

- Terrible video/audio quality. You don't need to have state-of-the-art equipment, but a Handycam recording your TV over your shoulder probably won't cut it anymore.

How do I promote my YouTube videos?

Once you've got some good content lined up, the next step is to make it accessible to the people who might like to see it. The best videos promote themselves--word of mouth is powerful indeed--but there are plenty of ways you can nudge your videos into the spotlight:

- Keep your channel organized. If viewers like your work, it shouldn't be a challenge for them to find and watch everything you've produced. Playlists are invaluable, not only for video series but for individual, unrelated videos that would get lost in the archives without a "Random Videos" playlist to hang out in. And, for the love of Xenon, choose a visual theme for your channel that doesn't leave people squinting to read the text.

- Provide descriptive, unique titles for your videos. "Let's Play [Name of Game]" is right out, unless you've got an eye-catching subtitle. Imagine how your video will appear in a list of search results--would you pay any attention to your title?

- Along those same lines, select interesting, readily identifiable video thumbnails that show up well at a small resolution. If the name doesn't attract someone's attention, maybe the picture will.

- Don't be lazy: write video and playlist descriptions. This will help you in search results, and this also provides your viewers with something to read if they start to grow weary of your video--which will buy you at least a few more seconds for your video to get to a more interesting part.

- Provide meaningful search tags. If you were to misplace your video, what terms would you use to find it? Use quotation marks if certain words are likely to be searched for together, like "Phoenix Wright" or "bologna sandwich." List everything you see in-game: trees, bottomless pits, monkeys, bazookas, etc. List everything about the game: system, release year/decade, genre, publisher, difficulty, etc. Use lots of adjectives, and don't forget to reference what you talk about in your commentary.

- Respond to comments. All of them. Creating videos is more rewarding when you're connecting with the people who enjoy them; people remember you better if they've had a conversation with you; and you can build a community of fans by simply taking a few moments to chat.

- Leave comments on other people's channels and videos. If you've got interesting things to say, or if you've at least got a cool username, people may follow you back to your channel.

- Promote your videos outside of YouTube. E-mail your family when a new video comes out, put a link to your channel in your forum signatures, embed your videos in posts on your blog, rent a zeppelin with your channel name printed on it, etc.

- Refrain from harassing your viewers. If they like you, they'll subscribe. If you're on Twitter, or Facebook, or wherever, it's fine to make those links available--just don't beat people over the head with them.

What now?

Time to put some of this advice into practice, I'd say. Let me know how things work out, and whether you've got any suggestions of your own!

Toy Stories

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Let's talk toys.

A strange (fragmented) sentence, coming from my keyboard? Perhaps. But just yesterday it dawned on me that, at my new job, I was actually encouraged to bring in toys--sorry, action figures--to make my desk look more "presentable."

It didn't sink in at the time how...awesome...that is.

See, working at a place where action figures are not only acceptable, but encouraged? Yeah, I never figured I'd get to a place like that.

But here I am, and I can honestly say it's pretty cool.

To every job I've held (which, at this point, that's several), I've brought a few constants--a copy of Shakespeare's Tragedies that i picked up at a library book sale, The Harvard Classics edition of Marlowe-Shakespeare and a beaten up copy of Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym--both from that same library sale.

There's also the two books on Abe Lincoln quotations and a cool little paperweight shaped like a pencil with the words, "Make Your Mark" engraved in it.

Those things come with me, always.

But the toys? Not so much. So now I'm gonna throw this out to all you Exfanders. I have a couple of toys displayed--wrestling figures from years ago, a new CM Punk figure that came out last month, and a mini-bust of Wolverine (oh, yeah, and many of my co-workers are way into comics, so that stuff is cool, too).

But I need more stuff. Any suggestions on what toys are cool, or what toys will look good?

Background Check

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, this is what my computer's desktop background looked like:

Today, after leaving my wife alone with Microsoft Paint for a while, this is what my computer's desktop background looks like:

Click to enlarge. Can you spot the difference?

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 4, Issue 2

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Hey! We made it to the second week of 2012!

I knew those Mayans didn't know what they were talking about. Wait--what's that? The Mayan calendar doesn't actually end until sometime in December of this year?

Oh, well, that's still terrifying, then.

You know what else is terrifying? Not being able to get to your local comics shop today. (See what I did there? That's just good writing.)

Today, of course, is Wednesday. Well, actually, today is Tuesday, but you don't have to know that. See, I'm writing this from the office pretty late Tuesday night, just waiting on a couple of things before I can head home for the day.

And, actually, I just got what I needed.

So the rest of this will be written on Wednesday morning. (Admit it; this fourth-wall busting is interesting, if for no other reason than to see how insane I am.)

So. Comics. Today.

A couple of books have my interest this week, and they're both from Image. However, they're both midway through their respective runs, and it doesn't make much sense for readers to jump aboard if they haven't been following thus far.

But the books deserve a nod here, because they're just that good. The Strange Case of Luther Strode, issue four, and Heart, issue three, are two excellent examples of new, different comics done right.
The former is written by Justin Jordan, features outstanding art by Tradd Moore, and is one of those books that deserves the hype its launch received.

Essentially a postmodern variation of the "dorky high schooler gets super powers" trope, Strode is far from your typical capes and tights story.

Fans of realistic super hero fare will dig this book, but I hesitate to compare it with any current or past titles. Luther Strode is unique in the market and it certainly deserves your attention.

The second book on my list is Heart, by G4 commentator and writer Blair Butler and artist Kevin Mellon.
Heart tells the story of an MMA fighter's rise to prominence. Which, when I first read that description, led me to believe I wouldn't be very into the book.

I'm not a real big fan of UFC or MMA or whatever, but I was interested enough in checking out Blair Butler's first comic work that I decided to order the first issue. And I'm glad I did. As with all good stories, Heart--though deeply rooted in MMA terminology, training methods, and techniques--is more concerned with the people involved than the subject matter.

I've found that Heart is one of the first books I read whenever it finds its way into my pile. So fans of MMA should definitely check it out, and those looking to try something new? This one's highly recommended.

Okay. Time to go. But before I do--what are you Waiting for?

Did Someone Say Comics?

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Ya know, I’m just realizing that I haven’t written much about comics in a good long while.

I guess I’ve just been pretty wrapped up in the new job and as a result, I’ve been enmeshed in the world of professional wrestling. Which is okay, since Exfanding is a pop culture blog.

Also, Nathaniel once wrestled on the independent circuit back in the late '90s. Ring name? Grizzly Adams, Jr. Things started to spiral out of control for him, however, when he and his tag team partner (a bear, naturally) had a parting of ways.

Right. So.

Back in the Real World, I do feel remiss in not talking about my beloved funnybooks, but as I scramble to come up with a topic to talk about for today (that's not related to Nathaniel, bears, and indy wrestling in the 1990s), I'm realizing that I just haven't read that many comics in the past couple of weeks.

Which makes writing about them pretty difficult.

Now, I've certainly bought plenty of comics, sure, but they've all met the same, sad, floor-pile fate. And looking at that ever-growing, Lovecraftian pile of books on my floor gets on my nerves, let me tell you.

The whole stockpiling thing is a part of the comic fan buying cycle that has always confused--Why buy something if you're not going to read it, right? Call it obsessive dorkyness, call it insanity, call it whatever you want.

I do it, and it needs to stop.

So I've come to a conclusion--I need to start dialing back on the amount of books I'm buying, Big Time. Let's call this an official addendum to my New Year's resolutions.

I'll let you know how I make out.

Netflixin'

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I've already written about my resistance to modern technology, but it's worth reiterating that it generally takes me anywhere from a few months to nearly a decade before The Next Big Thing seems safe, desirable, reasonably priced, and/or at all necessary. Such was the case with Netflix, which up until late 2011 was (in my mind) some online and order-by-mail DVD service that sounded like more trouble and expense than it was worth.

I had a local library with an impressive movie collection. I collected all the TV shows I cared to watch (read: Star Trek) on DVD. I had no real need for Netflix. That didn't stop me from being fascinated by it when my wife and I visited my family for an extended Turkey Day stay.

Netflix's on-demand streaming media service had been popular with my friends for some time, yet despite several exposures to Netflix at their homes, I had never gotten the opportunity to poke around on my own for something to watch. During my long Thanksgiving break this past year, I had access to my brother-in-law's Netflix account and plenty of time in which to watch such movies as Toy Story 3 and Dragnet. I'm still curious about that which is newfangled, even if I don't immediately embrace it, so I relished the chance to flood my brother-in-law's Instant Queue with Lethal Weapon, Airplane!, and other essential viewing he'd missed out on.

Downloading Life Force and various Gradius games during my Konami kick had warmed me up to the idea of digital distribution, and it wasn't long before Netflix won me over entirely. Buying anything on DVD was becoming a costly endeavor (both in terms of money and shelf space), and my unpredictable schedule had discouraged me from borrowing movies from the library that needed to be returned or renewed every few days. Despite some glaring omissions in the catalog (e.g.: Weekend at Bernie's), Netflix seemed like the perfect solution to my ongoing viewing dilemmas.

Obviously my family was paying attention to my wide-eyed stare and gaping mouth as I skimmed through Netflix's massive library, because a month later I had a free subscription waiting for me under the Christmas tree.

I was excited. Now I could watch RoboCop 1-3 and other films I wanted to try out before admitting I owned them on DVD.

My wife was not so enthusiastic.

Her objection: By watching movies on Netflix instead of buying DVDs, we're effectively taking away money from the creators.

My response: By watching terrible movies on Netflix and buying DVDs of the good ones, we're supporting the creators we like and not wasting any money on the ones we don't.

Her objection: Video rental stores used to be a fun place to hang out with friends, and Netflix is putting them all out of business.

My response: My friends just deliberated over which movie to rent until it was too late to watch anything anyhow. Besides, we haven't had friends or video stores since, like, 2006. (I kid--I saw an ironically named West Coast Video in central Pennsylvania in 2007).

Nevertheless, I went ahead and set up the Netflix account, downloaded the Netflix Channel on my Nintendo Wii, and unwittingly left my wife alone with the Wii Remote for a few minutes. When I returned, I heard a gasp and found my Instant Queue, completely empty just moments ago, filled with anime.

"Wow, Clannad? And Baccano! They have all of Gurren Lagann! Ooh, I've heard about Highschool of the Dead...wait, I haven't seen Bleach yet, either..."

Her objection: There's not enough time in the day to watch all this anime! My response: You're absolutely right, dear. Netflix is a terrible thing.

First Week Recap

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

And just like that, it's Sunday morning again.

This past week--this past month, actually--has gone by in a flash, but today I've come to a place where I can just...sit. Just sit, have a cup of coffee, watch some brainless morning show tell me for the hundredth time that the weather's going to be nice, and not do much of anything else, really.

Plus, later on, there's playoff football to watch.

And, once that first game gets out of hand (which I'm betting it will), there will be multi-player Call of Duty to play while we wait for the 4:30 game to start.

So, yeah, after weeks of worrying about making a career move, weeks of saying goodbye to friends, and a week of meeting new people and learning new things, this lazy Sunday morning is most welcome.

Now, I'm sure you're all sick and tired of hearing me and Nathaniel tell you about how much we like weekends, but c'mon. I'm still without the Internet at home (that little problem will hopefully be diagnosed in a couple of hours, though), so doing anything online is a bit of a pain for me at the moment.

Fear not, however, as next week promises to see plenty of posting from your friendly neighborhood Exfanders. In the meantime, though, enjoy your Sunday and I wish you all have as lazy a day as I plan to have.

License to Kill...Time

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

For the last several days, I've been locked into a cycle of relaxation and anticipation--I've been prepping myself for a weekend at home in which to hack apart my to-do list, all the while reveling in my complete lack of responsibility for anything out-of-the-ordinary during my evenings at home. No wedding planning, no Christmas shopping, and no packing of bags--just switching over the laundry, hauling out the garbage, and writing lazy filler posts (A.K.A. hauling out the garbage).

Even though the dawn of the New Year is already a week behind us, I still find myself caught up in my resolutions and goals. I've already talked about how this is a year of opportunities for me, and having nothing concrete on the calendar for the near future has energized me to focus more on the things I want to do and less on the things that have to be done before I leave. Most of the major items on my to-do list--writing wedding thank-you cards; finishing off the video recording I committed to--are holdovers from last year. If I leave them on the backburner during the week, I'm not destroying my chances of ever finishing them; if anything, I'm waiting until I'm in the right mindset to tackle them--which is typically before 5-6 PM on Saturday.

I find I'm more amenable to chores and Stuff That's Gotta Get Done if I don't perceive that they're cutting into my free time. Blog posts I've been gearing up to write all day, for example, can be fun and cathartic even if I'm up until Stupid O'Clock writing them. I am happily choosing to spend my free time writing instead of sleeping. On the other hand, if I stay up past midnight watching anime with my wife and then suddenly remember I have to write a blog post for the next day, I get a bit cranky because I already have it in my head that I should be going to sleep now. I clamor for my weekends not so much for the extra number of free hours, but for the ability to work on something for however long it takes to finish and still have at least a little time left over to goof off. It's a subtle difference, but an important one.

Thus, I find myself enthused the possibilities of not one free weekend, but multiple free weekends. If I blow all of Saturday on video games and movies, I've still got Sunday. If I work all Sunday and only knock one item off my to-do list, I've still got another weekend in which to do the rest. I'm a control freak and a procrastinator, an interesting combination that allows me to gauge exactly how long I can put things off before I'll no longer have control of finishing them in time.

Having so much free time at my disposal allows me to procrastinate long enough to eventually feel guilty about leaving things undone, which, in turn, gives me self-generated motivation to finish things. Two or three days of nonstop goofing off is just as likely to inspire me to work as any externally imposed deadline, and often my work is better for not having been pressured into completion. Not always, but certainly often enough.

So I'm locked into this cycle of relaxation and anticipation. I'll get to the big stuff soon enough--for now I've got time to sit back and enjoy life as it happens.

The Untitled Friday

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Hey, so, remember that whole thing about us posting our Year in Review whatsit somewhere close to the end of the year? Yeah...that’s not gonna happen. Well, that's not gonna happen this week, at least.

For, you see, I am once again without the benefit of the Internet at home as my wireless router may have finally checked out to that big ethereal network hub in the sky. (See what I did there?)

I’ll know for sure this weekend, though, as my cousin-in-law (who’s one a’ them tech guys) will be swinging by to tell me just how bad things are.

And, yes, before you say anything, I fully understand that replacing a router isn’t that big a deal. But I haven’t had much time to do anything this week (new job and all; you know how it is), so replacing the router has been low on my priority list.

Without the Internet at home, though, I have noticed a couple of things about my technological life and about just how important the Internet is to my everyday existence.

See, I would never, ever describe myself as a techie, but being unplugged has made me think about all of the devices I have that rely on the Web. Like my phone, my laptop, my Kindle, the fancy new Apple TV thingy I got for Christmas.

More than that,though, there’s my (now lack of) ability to work remotely, order stuff from Amazon, create a new comics shipping list so I know what to buy on Wednesday...

Oh. And blog.

That's been a bit of an issue without the benefit of the Internet.

So you'll have to excuse our lack of a Year in Review post for 2011, but we promise it'll be up pretty soon. Soon-ish, anyway.

Promise.

Contest Winners Announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Well, that does it. Four unlucky winners now must bear the burden of a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate. Please join me in congratulating them as they set off to cast their prizes into the fires of Mount Doom, or whatever it is that people do with these things.

So, here are the contest winners, and how they won:

Joseph (qualifying comment on the contest post)
Dr. Nick Riviera (Cheating, or possibly Google Friend Connect)
Christian Porter (Twitter, replacing no-show Robert Walters)
Alex Silveira (Facebook)

If one of the names listed above is YOU, kindly e-mail me to confirm you are a real person, and we'll send you your gift card to that e-mail address within a few days.

We WILL NOT use your e-mail address for any other purpose. Especially not to send you funny cat pictures. Unless you really want them.

If we don't hear from you by 11 PM EST on Thursday, January 12, we'll assume you are trapped in a temporal anomaly, and will select a different winner.

That's about it! Thanks so much to everybody who entered, especially those who rifled through the archives in search of problems and mistakes. Seriously. I can't believe I misspelled "their."

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 4, Issue 1

noreply@blogger.com (AJG) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the very first Waiting for Wednesday of 2012! To celebrate this column’s fourth (!!!) year of existence, I have something special.

And, by special, I mean, self-promoting. Disgustingly, unabashedly self-promoting.

I mentioned last week that I started a new job at World Wrestling Entertainment, working for their website. My first day at the gig was Monday and since then I’ve had two articles published on the site--both of them dealing with the CM Punk/Dolph Ziggler feud heading into the Royal Rumble.

If you know what the heck all that means, and if you’re so inclined, you can check the pieces out here and here.

I know, I know.

But I did warn you about the self promotion, so you can't be that mad at me. Also, as long as I'm a self-aware self-promoter, I think it's okay. Hang on...lemme check in with Nathaniel on that, though.

Whoops. Actually, he's busy writing an article for GameCola, so he can't answer me right now.

[Editor's Note: Now that's how you burn your blogging buddy! And don't worry, kids. I don' mean nuthin' by it.]

Okay. Let's get this thing back on (some sort of) track. It's Wednesday, as you know, and like I've done (nearly) every Wednesday for the past (nearly) four years, I'd like to talk comics. Specifically, I'd like to talk comics that I'm looking forward to buying when I head to the LCS today (or at some point this week).

There are a number of books that are lighting up the old Exfanding radar today, but because I have quite a bit going on this morning, I'll only cover one of them. it's okay, though, because that one book is a good one.

Let's talk The Goon. Mostly because I like talking about The Goon, but also because, since the title has gone to a bi-monthly shipping schedule, lots of time has to pass before I can get my Eric Powell fix.

But, happily, today is that...um...bi-week...because issue 37 is sitting in your local comics shop right now.
What can we expect from Powell this time around? Madcap adventure? Gangsters fighting zombies? A pie-eating contest with a skunk ape?

Actually...none of those things. Nope, in today's issue, Powell tackles unions rights. No, really. Check out the description of the issue, below.

When several workers die in a girdle-factory fire due to poor safety conditions and an out-of-control taco cart, the union is in an uproar. But when the fat cats bring in a supernatural union buster, there's only one man for the workers to turn to: The Goon.

"The Goon is the product of a contentedly demented mind."-Comic Book Resources

"A great gurgling gumbo of EC Comics horror, Monty Python wit, and 1930s pulp."-EW.com

As always, I'll be first in line to pick up this latest issue of Powell's brilliant and irreverent series. With the new bi-monthly shipping schedule, there's plenty of time for new readers to catch up between issues, so you should go do that. Now.

Speaking of going...

Before I head out, I'll ask it for the first time in 2012. What are you Waiting for?

A Year of Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Flashman85) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

We've already covered our official resolutions for 2012, but I'd like to lay out some fandom-centric...aspirations, if you will. I hesitate to say "resolutions," because the year ahead is more or less a blank slate at the moment--I'm looking to make the most of the opportunities I have while I've got the time available. Here's what I've got in mind:

- Write more about tabletop roleplaying games. I admit the vast majority of my experience is with Dungeons & Dragons, but there are still plenty of stories to be told and advice to be given.

- Finish my quest to watch through every official Star Trek that exists. I've completed The Original and Animated Series, Next Generation, and all the accompanying movies. My wife and I are now at the end of Deep Space Nine's fifth season, and we're two seasons into Voyager. We'll cap things off with Enterprise, after which I'll begin to brace myself for J.J. Abrams' next Star Trek film in 2013.

- Follow up on my User's Guide to Star Trek: The Original and Animated Series monster mega-post with a guide to TNG and DS9, most likely saving VOY and ENT for the following year.

- Trim down the ratio of unfinished games to beaten and completed games on my Backloggery. I collect games faster than I finish them, and I'd like that to change one way or another.
- Find a suitable permanent recording solution. I've been fighting with a problem-laden makeshift solution since early 2009, and the technical issues keep getting more outrageous with every video series.

One of my friends set the ball in motion by getting me a professional-quality microphone to replace the discount headset I've been using--the one that's barely compatible with my sound card and makes a clunking sound any time I shake my head too much while talking (I get very animated while doing my commentary). Now I just need video recording software that'll last longer than 10 minutes at a clip, and video editing software that works as well as Windows Movie Maker for slapping together multiple video clips and overlapping audio clips, but can also output videos of sufficient quality and size for YouTube without getting any other programs involved. I've had a few suggestions, but more are always welcome.

- Respond to blog comments in a more timely fashion. Seriously, this should not be so difficult for me.

- Follow through on review requests. We've had at least two people offer us review copies for this blog, and we have failed to post so much as a bullet point referencing the material in question. To the people who have offered us things to review, I am sincerely sorry.

- Get caught up on some of the key anime series I've missed. There was a discussion recently on my YouTube channel about Fullmetal Alchemist, which I'd heard plenty about but had never found the opportunity to watch; it's tough to keep track of your comments section when you have no idea what's going on. My parents got me a subscription to Netflix for Christmas, and it turns out there's a wealth of anime available, including FMA. You can imagine how my wife and I spent the last three hours of our day after setting up our account this past Sunday. It's like my college's anime club all over again, and I'm excited about what else is available to watch.

- Avoid staying up past midnight to finish blog posts. On a completely unrelated note, this seems like a good place to stop.