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The Zombie Mishap is Available Now

 My Stories, Writing  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Apr 222016
 

Zombie-Mishap-coverToday’s the day!

The Zombie Mishap is available now.

Once, this comedy novella was published under the title The Accidental Zombie. For various reasons, I opted not to renew its contract with the publisher, and the story temporarily disappeared.

Now it’s back and better than ever before!

The Zombie Mishap is a newly-revised and edited edition of the story, with an all-new cover, available now from Griffin Publishers.

What would you do if you accidentally created a zombie? That’s what Dr. Nathan Harrison and Dr. George Davidson must decide when their dead test subject walks out of the lab.

It’s a zombie story, but not a scary one. The Zombie Mishap is a comedy, and I even poke a little fun at the sillier side of my beloved survival horror games.

You can buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or add it on Goodreads.

The Ace Attorney Anime is Off to a Good Start

 Movies and Shows  12 Responses »  Tagged with:
Apr 202016
 

Ace-Attorney-animeI don’t watch a lot of anime, but once the Ace Attorney anime began, I had to give it a try.

I’ve watched the first two episodes, and so far I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s staying pretty true to the game, with some new scenes and conversations added, and it hasn’t lost Ace Attorney’s crazy, over-the-top nature.

The first episode covers the entire tutorial case, but the rest has slower pacing. Some people have said episode three still feels a little rushed, but I haven’t seen it yet to judge. However, I do think including every bit of game dialogue and testimony could be odd in an anime.

I’ve already noticed a few hints of foreshadowing for later events, so it should be enjoyable to watch the story unfold.

I’m especially excited for the third episode, since it will be the first trial of the second case… meaning we’ll get to see anime Edgeworth in action!

From what people have said, Redd White is also much funnier than I remember him in the games, which should be interesting… and much preferable to his other adaptation.

(Seriously, what were the people in charge of the movie thinking??)

The Ace Attorney anime is available on Crunchyroll. Paying members can watch episodes one hour after they air. If you watch for free, like me, you have to wait one week (which is why I haven’t seen Episode 3 yet).

Subtitles are available, including an alternate English track that uses the localized names. Right-click the video player to select that option.

Right now, the Ace Attorney anime seems like it will be a great way to experience the story. And apparently people who tried the anime on Crunchyroll liked it enough to try the games, so the fanbase is growing! Enough for a physical release of Ace Attorney 6?

Enough for Investigations 2 and Dai Gyakuten Saiban localization?

I’ll never lose hope. And for the time being, I’ll look forward to each new episode of the anime.

Ratchet & Clank: Back to the Original

 Reviews, Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Apr 182016
 

When it comes to Ratchet & Clank, everyone is excited for the newly-released remake. So of course, that’s not the one I played.

Ratchet-and-Clank-HD-CollectionAs I mentioned when I discussed the remake as one of several new 3D platformers, I had no familiarity with the Ratchet & Clank series.

Since I had the Ratchet & Clank Collection, I decided it was a good time to finally check out the original.

Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer from Insomniac Games, the company that made the original Spyro games. Unlike Spyro, however, Ratchet & Clank’s gameplay involves the use of weapons and gadgets alongside its platforming. And instead of a hub world, you travel from planet to planet in your spaceship.

In addition to the required objectives, there are optional tasks you can complete as well to get new weapons and gadgets. I loved the sense of exploration, especially whenever I found a secret area or an infobot with information about a new planet. And there’s just something satisfying about smashing some boxes to collect bolts (which are used as currency).

There were also parts I didn’t love. You can assign weapons and gadgets to a Quick Select wheel so you don’t have to enter the menu when you want to equip something new, but its limited space made it occasionally tedious. When you die, you return to a checkpoint… but although the enemies respawn, any ammo you used is gone. (Bolts and crates also remain gone.)

Finally, it might have been my imagination, but I noticed an odd difficulty spike. For most of the game, the enemies were moderately challenging and the checkpoints were fair. Just when the strongest enemies appeared, however, it felt like the game became stingy with checkpoints.

But even though I was frustrated near the end of Ratchet & Clank, I enjoyed it overall.

The story was entertaining (as simple as it was, it surprised me a couple of times), the characters were endearing, and it had a great sense of humor. I didn’t realize it was a funny game, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I love 3D platformers, and I’m glad I finally played Ratchet & Clank. It had its frustrating aspects, but I look forward to finishing the Ratchet & Clank Collection, playing the other sequels, and finally checking out the remake.

Buy Ratchet & Clank from Amazon
Buy the Ratchet & Clank Collection from Amazon

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