Operation Backlog Completion 2026

The Wild Hunt is Almost Here

 Books, Video Games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 182015
 

All right, so when I said I wouldn’t talk about The Witcher again until I played the first game, I was mistaken. And despite my plan to catch up on the entire series in time for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I’m not going to make it. I haven’t even started playing The Witcher yet.

And Wild Hunt comes out today.

Witcher-3-Ciri

I know, its release date is actually tomorrow, but digital copies will become available at 1 AM in Warsaw, which is this evening in the United States. But even if I consider tomorrow as the actual day, I can’t play through The Witcher and The Witcher 2 in a single day.

But I’m still excited. Even though I planned to not even order Wild Hunt until I finished the previous games, speed-reading the fan translations of The Tower of the Swallow and The Lady of the Lake over the past couple of days left me even more excited than I was already.

I know what the Wild Hunt is, and why they want Ciri (probably).

I know how the books end, and how the games begin (sort of).

I know that the Witcher series still has plenty of surprises in store for me, and I can’t wait to see how the games continue the story. Now, the author of the books considers the games to be non-canon. In his eyes, the story ended with The Lady of the Lake. Right now, I can see both perspectives. Lady of the Lake had an unusual ending, one I’m not wholly satisfied with. It concluded the main plot well enough that, if there was nothing else in the series, I think I’d be content with it.

On the other hand, since the games do continue the story (canon or not), I’m happy that it isn’t over yet. I wouldn’t want to end here, without playing the games.

Now I’m starting to ramble. The point is that even though I won’t be ready in time for The Witcher 3, I still intend to play the games soon. My new goal: finish the Witcher series by the end of the summer. If you also need to catch up on the series, the order is…

  • The Last Wish – This short story collection has a different tone than the rest of the series, but it sets the main events of the saga into motion. Take a look at my review for more information.
  • Sword of Destiny – This is also a short story collection. Like The Last Wish, some of its stories tie into the overarching plot.
  • Blood of Elves – The first novel centers around Ciri and truly begins her story. I also reviewed this one.
  • Time of Contempt – The plot really begins to pick up in this next novel, which also introduces the Wild Hunt. As I indicated in my review, it has the most self-contained plot in the series.
  • Baptism of Fire – The last novel translated into English continues the story and introduces some memorable characters, along with a brief interlude of bizarre humor. Once again, you can take a look at my review if you want.
  • The Tower of the Swallow – This felt like one of the darkest novels in the series (though they all have some pretty dark moments), but also one in which we really learn more about Ciri and what she is capable of.
  • The Lady of the Lake – Old enemies are confronted, new enemies reveal themselves, and everything comes to a climax in the last novel.

The first game picks up a few years after the last book, and that’s where I’ll be headed next.

What about you? If you’re interested in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, are you planning to play it right away or wait a while? How familiar are you with the rest of the series? What do you think about Ciri and the Wild Hunt?

May the 4th and Other Odd Holidays

 Books, Movies and Shows, Video Games  4 Responses »
May 042015
 

May the 4th be with you!

…In case you didn’t get it, Happy Star Wars Day! May the Force be with you. And if that wordplay makes you cringe, just wait until I try to explain the holiday based on a Japanese pun. Oh yes, I’ve got a couple holidays to share with you that make May the 4th seem downright normal.

So let’s start with today and head through the calendar to take a look at the odd holidays I’ve taken to celebrating over the years!

Even major retailers like Amazon celebrate this one!

Even major retailers like Amazon celebrate this one!

May the 4th, or Star Wars Day

When: May 4th, obviously

Why: “May the 4th” sounds enough like “May the Force” for Star Wars fans to give one another a slight variation on the famous, “May the Force be with you.” While it isn’t officially recognized as Star Wars Day, it’s popular enough and celebrated by enough people to give it some legitimacy.

How to celebrate: This is an easy one! Watch the Star Wars movies, dive into the (no longer canon) Extended Universe novels like the Thrawn Trilogy, or play one of the great Star Wars video games like Knights of the Old Republic or Republic Commando.

True diehard fans may want to engage each other in simulated lightsaber duels, and don’t forget to greet everyone with, “May the 4th be with you.”

In similar fashion, just a few weeks from now is…

Geek Pride Day

When: May 25

Why: This is sometimes celebrated as an alternate Star Wars Day, because the first movie was originally released on May 25, but it’s also Towel Day (originally recognized to honor The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Douglas Adams two weeks after his death) and the Glorious 25th of May (from the Discworld novel Night Watch).

How to celebrate: Celebrate Star Wars, celebrate Douglas Adams, celebrate Terry Pratchett… if it’s anything that might get you named a geek or nerd, it should fit the theme. This is the most open-ended of all the holidays on this list. In fact, celebrating most of the holidays on this list probably qualifies you to celebrate Greek Pride Day…

So let’s move on, all the way to July, with…

Bungie Day

When: July 7

Why: Bungie has a fascination with the number 7. Therefore, 7/7 is the perfect day for them. The very first Bungie Day was 7/7/07, but since then the company decided to celebrate it every year.

How to celebrate: The best way to honor Bungie Day is by playing Bungie’s games! Whether it’s Destiny, Halo, or you have one of their older games like Marathon, devote this day to the developer you love. (And if you don’t love Bungie… why are you looking for advice on how to celebrate them?)

Next, September gives us…

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

When: September 19

Why: According to the official site, September 19 is one of the founders’ “ex-wife’s birthday, and the only date he could readily recall that wasn’t taken up with something like Christmas or the Super Bowl or something.” Now, people celebrate it all across the world.

How to celebrate: Another easy one. The name of the day tells you what to do–talk like a pirate. For most people, this means spending the entire day saying “ye” and “me” for “you” and “my,” addressing people as “mateys” or “hearties” and threatening to make them walk the plank, and tossing in the occasional “arr” and “yarr” for good measure. Feel free to dress as a pirate or drink grog if it helps you get into the spirit of things.

Back when I was in high school, one of our teachers decided to talk briefly about silly holidays. She mentioned Talk Like a Pirate Day and said, “Believe it or not, people actually celebrate a holiday this absurd. It’s on September 21 or something like that.” Very quietly at my desk, I said, “September 19,” much to the delight of the girl sitting next to me. That’s right, I was celebrating back then, and I’m still celebrating now–here’s to ye, me hearties!

We could stop in October for Mole Day, but I don’t really celebrate. Mole Day fans, please join me in the comments if you’d like to shine a spotlight on your day. Let’s continue on to the month of November, starting with…

N7 Day

When: November 7

Why: November 7 = N 7 = N7. The N7 designation marks you as a graduate from the Systems Alliance’s Interplanetary Combatives Training special forces program, but for the majority of fans it’s just a symbol of Commander Shepard and the Mass Effect series. BioWare started celebrating N7 Day on the first game’s 5th anniversary.

How to celebrate: Playing Mass Effect is a great place to start, although there are also novels and other tie-ins if you want to deepen your knowledge of the lore. This is also a popular holiday for cosplay and fan art, and Bungie sometimes holds its own sales and contests.

But we all know what I really look forward to in November…

Walter Sullivan Day

Walter_SullivanWhen: November 21

Why: To explain with as few spoilers as possible, when Silent Hill 4 antagonist Walter Sullivan is described as the “11121 man,” that’s a misinterpretation on the character’s part. It’s really “11/21,” which makes 11/21, or November 21, the perfect time for a holiday! Every year, I faithfully wish my friends a Happy Walter Sullivan Day, and every year the majority of them look at me like I’m out of my mind. Rather appropriate, really.

How to celebrate: If you can find a copy, give Silent Hill 4: The Room a chance. It may be somewhat maligned by Silent Hill purists, but it’s actually my favorite game in the series.

It’s also recommended that you be cautious around spoons on Walter Sullivan Day, and if you have an apartment, be kind to it.

Silent Hill 4 spoiler
It might be someone’s mother.

Riiiight, okay, let’s hurry out of crazy-ville and flee into March to see what we can oh no…

Mithos Day

When: March 13

Why: Okay, I’m taking this one on faith, but as far as I can understand, “3 10 3” can be read in Japanese as “mi to su,” or Mitosu, the Japanese name for the character Mithos in Tales of Symphonia! I missed it this year, because I only learned about it the other week, but next March I plan to join the few crazy diehard Symphonia fans who recognize it.

How to celebrate: Play Tales of Symphonia. Watch the anime! Read the tie-in manga! I mean, you should do this stuff regardless of what day it is, because Symphonia is one of the best games ever, but this day just gives you the perfect excuse!

And treasure your loved ones on this day.

…Ahem! The fun doesn’t end there, because one day later, we get to enjoy…

Pi Day

Minamimoto-PiWhen: March 14

Why: March 14 = 3/14 = 3.14, the first three digits of pi. Notably, this year saw 3/14/15, which made it a special Pi Day. True Pi devotees honored it at exactly 9:26:53.

How to celebrate: Even though it’s a math-themed holiday, the majority of people celebrate by eating pie. Yes, we couldn’t get out of this without more wordplay, now could we? So eat some pie and chat about math if you’re so inclined. The gamers among you might want to fire up The World Ends With You to hear some math gibberish spouted by the wacky Game Master Sho Minamimoto.

And… can it be…? That takes us all the way back to…

May the 4th Be With You!

Have a great Star Wars Day, and join me in celebrating all these other delightful holidays. Have you added any of these to your calendar? Do you know any I missed, especially in that massive gap between November and March? Let me know in the comments!

Hmm… I think we fans need to get together and make some new holidays. Why isn’t there an Ace Attorney Day? Shouldn’t we be celebrating the date of DL-6 or seeing if we can make any date puns from the main characters’ names? No Professor Layton Day, either? Descole is just dying for his own holiday, folks!

Apparently there is an International Raistlin Majere Day faithfully celebrated every year on April 8, though it doesn’t seem to be widely recognized. (On the other hand, it’s probably still more popular than Mithos Day.) The holiday’s creator has several entertaining recommendations on how to celebrate. Should I add it to the list?

Baptism of Fire: The Start of a Journey

 Books, Reviews  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Apr 202015
 

Baptism-of-FireOur journey through the Witcher saga meets a journey in the Witcher saga, in the third full novel (and currently the last one with an official English translation), Baptism of Fire.

If you’re mainly interested in reading the Witcher series for Geralt of Rivia, this might be the novel (excluding the short story collection) you enjoy the most. Where Blood of Elves focused on Ciri and Time of Contempt balanced its story between the major characters, the third Witcher novel centers around Geralt’s search for Ciri, with only a few deviations.

The Time of Contempt left Ciri in a bad situation, and Geralt knows he has to find her before it’s too late. Despite his initial attempts to go alone, he is joined by the ever-amusing bard Dandelion and the fierce archer Milva, along with other companions the pick up along the way.

Character interactions are the strongest part of this book, and that alone is reason enough to recommend it. They’re a weird, dysfunctional band of heroes, almost like a party you’d see in an RPG. Their differences, conflicts, and loyalties are what make the journey so interesting–more so than the plot itself.

To my dismay, Baptism of Fire is more like Blood of Elves in the sense that its plot feels too much like a part of something larger. The journey is the core of the story, and while subplots are resolved, the main plot is left for the next book to complete. While the novel ended with quite a striking scene, it didn’t feel as conclusive as it should have.

It also features some major mood whiplash, as the fairly dark story about war, corrupted innocence, and other grim topics transitions from a serious moral discussion on vampires’ right to exist to… a story that sounded more like it belonged in Discworld than The Witcher. Lines like “I finally began to do absolutely unacceptable things, the kind of things no vampire does. I flew under the influence” left me unsure if it was a parody of vampires, anti-alcohol PSAs, or both.

I mean, what was that scene? Why was it here?! Dandelion’s comic relief fits the universe, but this took the weird fairy tale retellings of The Last Wish and dove even further into the surreal.

With that said, as long as you don’t mind the sense that this is just part of the overarching story (and try not to think too hard about the vampire story), Baptism of Fire is a great dark fantasy book with entertaining characters and some intriguing developments.

So, as a quick recap, we have:

The final two novels are The Swallow’s Tower and Lady of the Lake (as well as a newer book in the universe unconnected to the main saga), currently available in English only as fan translations. I’ll take a look, but the next time I talk to you about the Witcher, it should be about the first video game!

And speaking of video games, stay tuned for my upcoming review of Tales of Symphonia…

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