Movers, shakers, and other rumblings

Okay, so you guys know that updates have been running a little on the slow side. I've been keeping busy behind the scenes, but I haven't forgotten things here. Here's a quick list of a few things I'm currently working on:

• Development continues on the Visionary Ink news hub. I've been working with Shane over at Near Mint Heroes to develop content for the site, which will cover news, reviews, and other information related to the video game and comic industries. I've already been in talks with various artists in the comic industry, both established and unknown, to contribute some really cool artwork to the project. More to come.
  
  
• It looks like I'll be adding another publication to my list of writing credits soon. Recently, I've been in talks with the editors over at Electronic Gaming Monthly, and while nothing is set in stone just yet, it looks like I'll be contributing some freelance writing to the magazine in the very near future.
  
  
• Writing, writing, and more writing. I've got a pretty full plate in terms of writing this week. I'm working on a couple of articles about the upcoming BloodRayne comic book. One of these pieces is an interview with Christina Z., the writer of the comic series. I'm also working on write-ups for Super Monkey Ball Deluxe and American McGee Presents Scrapland.
  
  
• Speaking of American McGee, I've just set myself up with an opportunity to interview him about his work. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, American McGee (yes, that IS his real name) was one of the designers on Doom 2, Quake, and Quake 2. More recently, American has gained noteriety for his design work on American McGee's Alice, a dark sequel to the classic children's tale. Currently, American is working on a series of projects, including another visit to classic literature with Oz and Grimm. I hope to have this interview done soon. Once I have it wrapped up and have a confirmed outlet for it, I'll post the details here.

So as you can see, I'm keeping myself fairly well occupied. There are more irons in the fire as well, but nothing I can really get into the details at the moment. In the meantime, here's some new gaming news to whet your appetite for a while:

• Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the Grand Theft Auto series, has taken the fight to EA's doorstep in terms of monopolizing the sports industry. Take-Two recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association giving it the exclusive third-party development rights to licensed MLB video games. The door is still open for first-party development of MLB licensed baseball games from Microsoft, Sony, and Ninetendo, but all third party developers are excluded from using any official MLB teams, players, stadiums, etc. The deal is rumored to have cost Take-Two upwards of $150 million. You can read more about the agreement in Take-Two's press release.
  
  
• Anyone out there remember LucasArt's cult hit, Sam & Max Hit The Road? Well, the rumor mill was in full swing over the weekend as word was leaking out that Bad Brain Entertainment was in negotiations with LucasArts to bring about the long awaiting return of the canine and lagomorph (don't call him a rabbit). Of course, just as quickly as the rumor heated up, it fizzled out today as word came out that the negotiations had broken down, leaving the intrepid duo still stuck in developmental hell. Apparently, a misunderstanding during an interview with Bad Brain's CEO Wolfgang Kierdorf had led to the incorrect news that an agreement had already been reached.
  
  
• Namco and Capcom have offically announced the upcoming release of their new joint PS2 game Namco x Capcom, a new RPG title boasting hundreds of characters from both companies' extensive libraries. The game is scheduled to hit Japanese shelves in May. I should have more details on this upcoming game soon.
  
  
• In more company crossover news, who knew that Mario could slam dunk? That's right, in case you missed the announcement earlier this month, the Gamecube version of EA's NBA Street V3 will feature Mario, Luigi, and even Princess Peach as playable characters in the game. The three will make up the Nintendo All-Stars team, and will also have their own custom court for B-Ball action.
  
  
• Midway Games shocked gamers and retailers around the country recently by announcing that its reimagined version of the classic game NARC would be hitting store shelves at a MSRP of only $19.99, more than half off of the original list price. Now the company has decided to sweeten the deal even more by offering a limited edition 2 CD soundtrack free to pre-order customers.

So hopefully this adds a little more for you to talk about until I can get some more news posted. Updates SHOULD be coming more frequently now, as things are seemingly starting to settle down somewhat. Just keep checking back, checking in, and hey ... leave some feedback to let me know you're still out there.