"... does whatever a spider can"

Sorry guys and gals ... not too much done today due to getting hit head on by train disguised as a migraine. I DID however manage to get a review done for Chronicles of Riddick and Showdown: Legends of Wrestling for EP. With luck, they'll be up before week's end, along with a couple of other reviews and the first "Comic of the Week" web segment.

Speaking of comics, I've got two cool recommendations for all of you ... with only one title to remember: Spider-Man 2. First off, the movie is amazing ... it's spectacular ... it's sensational (okay, for all of you comic fans out there who DON'T get where I'm going with this ... SHAME ON YOU!!) Seriously, it's simply a damned good movie. I enjoyed this one even more than the first. It will definitely leave you anxious for Spider-Man 3. And if that's not enough to cure your arachnid addiction, the Spider-Man 2 video game was released today on the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube. I've got my copy of the Xbox version and have been having a blast with it. It's got an open-ended gameplay and lots of web-slinging fun. To be perfectly honest, I really can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a video game. And hey, it's narrated by none other than Bruce Campbell ... so you KNOW it scores high marks on the coolness factor. I'm working on a review for the EP site, and I'll get into much more detail there.

Just as a side note, I've started up preliminary work on my personal website. The plan is for it to focus on my writing career, along with other tidbits of info I find of particular interest. I've got a ways to go before anything gets posted, but once it gets set up, I'll be sure to let all of you know.

Anyway, it's well past time for me to bail. With luck, some sleep will help knock this migraine out of my system. In the meantime though, check back here for the latest and greatest in what's happening with my writing.

I see Carpal Tunnel in my future

The GameSpy review of IndyCar Series 2005 is live now. Feel free to go check it out. I also finished up my list of the 10 worst comic-based video games. I've got most of the list for the 10 best also. Right now I'm waiting for the GameSpy editors to check over my choices and chime in with a few of their own. If all goes as planned, I should be working on the articles by week's end.

Moving on to the EP front, I'm going to be pretty busy tomorrow (today?) with a lot of writing for Electric Playground. I'm hoping to get three reviews taken care of: Chronicles of Riddick (Xbox), Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox), and Far Cry (PC). Another piece I'll be writing up is something that people have asked about for a while. I'm going to incorporate EP's "Comic of the Week" segment into the web site. What this means is that once a week I'll be writing up a comic review to add to the site, along with my two to four video game reviews. Between that and the work for GameSpy, I can pretty much so guarantee that I'll be having a few more late nights and early mornings.

Beyond that, there's not much going on ... but isn't that enough? Seriously though, I should be busy for a while, but I'll certainly keep things up-to-date here. Keep checking in and let me know what you think.

Idle hands and all that

I've been keeping myself busy quite a bit lately. I wrapped up a review of IndyCar Series 2005 (Xbox) for GameSpy. With luck, it will get posted sometime tomorrow. I'm also working on a preview of Monster Hunter (PS2). There's an online press embargo on that one, so don't expect it to see the light of day until either the end of July or early August. I'm also playing around with the new game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling (Xbox), in order to write up a review for Electric Playground.

I pulled together some more info for the GameSpy and EP features I've been working on. The GameSpy piece is going to be a 10 Best / 10 Worst list of comic-based video games. I've been working on the list over the weekend. Just about finished with the list. It should be a pretty cool series, as I do have a few fun twists in store. As for the Electric Playground piece, I'll be keeping with the comic theme and doing a run down of some upcoming comic-based video games. The Punisher, 100 Bullets, etc. There's a lot coming down the pipe, and I'm going to cover as much as I can.

While I'm at it, I'm going to check with Vic at EP to see about possibly adding the Comic of the Week segment to the website as well. I should be able to format a comic review similar to the game reviews. Let me know what you think about the idea.

Recess time at the Electric Playground

Well ... I FINALLY did it. I figured out what the glitch was on the scripting of the Electric Playground site. After a few hours of tinkering around, I've got all of my reviews up and running. Plus, I'll be adding more reviews and features to their site on a regular basis. But for now, you can head on over to Electric Playground and see what my thoughts are on Transformers (PS2), City of Heroes (PC), Red Dead Revolver (Xbox), and Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA).

While you do that, I'm going to get some sleep.

Better late than never

No ... I didn't miss a deadline. The reviews for Spyro Orange and Crash Purple went live today. I was hoping they would both get posted before today, so they could be included in the latest GameSpy invoice. Ah well, instead they'll just be the first articles included in the next invoice.

Speaking of GameSpy, I pitched an idea over to Raymond (GameSpy's senior console editor). For obvious reasons, I can't really say much about it until someone picks it up, but trust me when I say it will turn out pretty cool when everything comes together. I've got a few other ideas I'm working on for both GameSpy and Electric Playground.

Tomorrow I'll be fleshing out some pitches, and checking on some new possibilities for getting my work out on the market. As always, the best way to find out what I'm working on will be right here.

What is this "down time" of which you speak?

Been running myself ragged this weekend ... well, limping myself ragged. Pulled a muscle in my knee earlier this week, so I'm moving around at just above a turtle's pace. It's getting better though, so I'll be back to speed shortly. In the meantime, I managed to get the Crash Purple and Spyro Orange reviews done and turned in even earlier than expected. I was hoping that the reviews would get posted before the weekend, but it looks like it'll be next week before they hit the site. Ah well.

Right now I don't have any pressing deadlines. I've got a couple of pieces I may go ahead and write up for Play to help fill the Ink section next month. I'm also working on some pitches for GameSpy. My main goal for the weekend is to go ahead and get things organized somewhat around here. Basically I want to make it easier to keep track of everything, such as invoices, business expenses, file copies of articles, etc. I'm also putting together something to help me keep track of each individual assignment, and respective status. No biggie ... just a bit of the usual mind-numbing background work.

And hey, maybe I'll even take a break this weekend.

Life's a glitch ...

Anyone who knows me knows how big of a tech geek I am. That being said, there are times that even I get pissed with technology. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I got an email from one of my editors asking me how a review was coming along ... especially when I never received the assignment to begin with. It looks like something happened between him sending it to me and my receiving it (or rather NOT receiving it). No worries though. It takes too much time and energy to worry, and it doesn't solve anything.

I got in touch with the editor and explained the situation. I told him I'd take care of everything and get it to him ASAP. So, I picked up the games I need to review last night (Crash Purple and Spyro Orange for the GBA). Stayed up most of the night and into the morning playing the games. I'll toy around with them some more today, and I should have both reviews wrapped up no later than tomorrow.

In the meantime, it's going to be another long night.

Be afraid ... be very afraid

The review of McFarlane's Evil Prophecy went live today. I warned you guys it was bad. How bad? Read my thoughts for yourself over here. Hell, I feel cheated ... and I got the game for free.

I'm still working on a few pitches for GameSpy. I've got some interesting ideas, but nothing concrete yet. I'm also working on setting up the next round of "Comic of the Week" interview segments for Electric Playground. Greedy Productions will be doing filming for both EP and Judgment Day at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and a few days before that in the LA and San Diego areas. I'll be with Greedy for most of the show, but I've also got a few other meetings scheduled as well while I'm there. If anyone else is heading out to Comic-Con, keep an eye out for me and be sure to say hello.

And with that, it's time to crash for the day. Definately need to catch up on some sleep.

One thing after another

Simply put, that's the only way to describe things over the past couple of days. Let's see ... where's a good place to start? I've been writing for Electric Playground lately, and I've done up some reviews for their website. The initial plan was for me to post the reviews over the weekend. Of course, Murphy's Law being as it is, things didn't quite go as planned. Basically, a scripting error caused part of the reviews not to show. Anyway, things should be fixed soon and the reviews will be up ... with more on a regular basis.

Moving on, I'm working on a review of McFarlane's Evil Prophecy for GameSpy. The game came into my mailbox on Saturday ... but the UPS Store my mailbox is at was closed. They forgot to call me and let me know the package was there. Instead, they tried to put the game into the mailbox. That would have been fine, but the front end of the mailbox is JUST too small to get the DVD case out. Well, I'll be damned if I was going to let THAT stop me. To make a long story short, a little inginuity and dexterity came together just right that day, so I was able to manage getting the case open and the game out. As for the case and the instructions? I got those early this morning. After playing the game, you want to know my initial thoughts? I should have left the damned thing stuck in the mailbox. Want to know why? Check out the full review on GameSpy in a few days and see for yourself.

Oh, and speaking of GameSpy ... another article went live today. This is one of those pieces about the Metal Gear Solid comic that I mentioned working on. The piece turned out pretty good, and there's some cool art posted as well. You can check it out for yourself over here.

Tomorrow is yet another busy day too. I've got to wrap up the Evil Prophecy review and get it out. I've got a few pitches to put together for GameSpy. And I have to do some more phone conversations w/ Greedy Productions. Yeah, it'll be another long day ... but I'll be enjoying every damned minute of it.

So there's the latest news. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Crime and Punishment ... part two

Well, my first article for GameSpy went live today. It's the front page feature article ... the interview with Jimmy Palmiotti about the upcoming Punisher video game. I think the interview turned out pretty damned good. You can check it out here.

I've got a phone conference with the guys at Greedy Productions tomorrow. We're going to discuss some more possible projects for me to work on. We're also going to try and get the articles I've written for them so far up on the website. Hopefully we'll get that set up soon.

Anyway, it's been a long day, so I'm going to turn in now. Oh, for the record ... Riddick on the Xbox is a hell of a lot of fun. It looks great, plays great, sounds great, etc. The story is solid and does an amazing job of keeping you entertained. My only complaint? It's too damned short. Ah well, can't have everything. Either way, it's certainly worth the price of admission.

"Where in the hell is my head?!?" asked the chicken

One more sunset, another day alive. I spent the better part fo the day today running around like a chicken with its head cut off (get the title now?). Besides the usual daily routine, I was busy on the phone, email, and IM ... wheeling and dealing and working on the planning stages for more upcoming projects.

Finished up an interview with the guys behind the Metal Gear Solid comic series coming this September. The interview should be up on the EP site next week along with all my other articles. There's also some rumblings going around that I may end up handling more responsibilities for the EP site as well. Still a lot up in the air with the details though, so we'll wait and see.

Finally, I'll probably be writing a few more articles about the Metal Gear comic. From what I've seen so far, the book seems interesting. Definately worth a look.

As always .. more to come.

Crime and Punishment

Wrapped up another piece today. This time around it was an interview piece with Jimmy Palmiotti about his work for the upcoming Punisher video game. It was a fun piece to do, and I think people will get a kick out of it. Jimmy's a great guy and a talented writer. Check out his work on DC's Hawkman comic if you have any doubts. With any luck, the interview will be showing up on GameSpy's website soon.

Oh, I did go ahead and pick up the Chronicles of Riddick game for the Xbox today. I can sum up my initial impressions with one word ... DAMN!!! I mean, this game goes well beyond my expectations. I'm going to try and have a review of the game written up for the Electric Playground web site before the end of the weekend. Hopefully it will go up next week along with the rest of the pieces I've done.

Other than that, it's been a day of prep work and planning. As always, I'll keep you posted as best as possible.

Another day in the trenches

Man, it's been a busy day today. Okay, technically I guess it was yesterday, but since I haven't been to sleep yet it's still today to me. I started off by wrapping up a review for Mario vs. Donkey Kong on the GBA. Let me tell you, if you've ever been a fan of any of the old school Donkey Kong games, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. It's a solidly fun title. My full review of the game, along with a few other pieces I've written for Electric Playground's web site, should be up sometime next week.

Speaking of Electric Playground, I was able to get a hold of Vic today and discuss a few upcoming projects. As it stands, it looks like I'll be doing a lot of writing for the EP web site for the time being. I'll be contributing much more in the way of reviews and features in the near future. We also touched on a few possibilities for the future, but nothing that can really be talked about just yet. I've also already arranged a few interviews to be filmed at Comic-Con in San Diego. If any of you plan on hitting the show in July this year, keep a lookout for the Greedy Productions film crew and stop by to say hey. As for the other stuff? I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Tomorrow (okay, today) is the day. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for the Xbox is finally hitting store shelves. This is one of the few games I have REALLY been waiting for a final copy of. The game really looks to be that damned good. Will it live up to the hype? I'm not sure yet ... but I will. It looks like I'll be writing the review on the game for EP this weekend. Look for an update here later to get my initial impressions on the game.

Okay guys and gals. It's time for me to finally get some well-deserved rest now. Keep your eyes peeled. Things may be getting a lot more interesting.