Relaxing with a digital canvas.

I decided I needed to unwind some today, so I did a little bit of digital painting. I've got some design artwork that Randy did, and found a couple of them I thought I'd take a stab at. This is the first piece ... done in about an hour and a half. Let me know what you guys think.

Original pencils

Color image

Checking out the Playground again

Well, with things finally getting fixed on the Electric Playground's web servers, I'm finally able to post reviews up there again ... which I will be doing on a regular basis. Today marked the debut of two new reviews: X-Men Legends (Xbox) and Spider-Man 2 (Xbox). There's a lot more coming down the pipe, and I'm really interested to hear what some of you guys think about the reviews.

Really, it IS my work!!

Y'know something that'll bug the hell out of me? Not getting credit for work I've done. I've had it happen before w/ Play when they forgot to put my credit in the masthead for some work i did. Y'know what will get me even more torqued? Seeing my work credited to someone ELSE. Not too far back, I did a review of Doom 3 for the Gamexilla web site. So, imagine my surprise when I saw my review posted on the site ... word for word ... only to see that it was credited to Autumn Sims, the Artxilla/Gamexilla Creative Director. I talked it over with one of the guys there who said that it was a mistake on the part of the programmer, and that it will be fixed ASAP. I understand that, and I know that ... "stuff" ... happens. But it STILL irritates me somewhat ... especially after having already been burned once before. Ah well.

There's also no rest for the wicked, as I've had another review go live over at GameSpy. This one is a review of Vietcong: Purple Haze on the Xbox. Also, I had a phone conference with the guys over at Greedy Productions, and it looks like things are about to go full swing with me writing content for the Electric Playground's web site. I'm working on a new batch of reviews as we speak. Originally, they also wanted me to post the stuff I wrote back before the server crashed just so it wouldn't go to waste ... but I'm not really inclined to do that. My reasoning is I don't think many people want to see a batch of reviews that are three months old. Maybe I'm wrong. Chime in and let me know what you think.

And finally, I've been having some fun with a new toy lately. I took an older PC that was in storage and set up the latest version of the Fedora (Linux) OS on it. I've been wanting to do some more work on things like that for a while, and since this PC didn't have any recovery discs I figured it was a good place to start.

Murphy's Law

So ... I had a frustrating day yesterday. Every bit of planning I had for how the day was supposed to happen fell through. On the upside though, it did give me more than enough time to finish up my review of Vietcong: Purple Haze for the Xbox. Some people have really hammered the game, but I actually had fun with it. Sure it has its flaws, but it was still entertaining. Ah well.

Speaking of reviews, my review of Monster Hunter (PS2) went live today at GameSpy. Some of you may remember that I wrote the preview for it a few months back. I liked the game well enough, but I thought there was still some polish Capcom could have added to it. Unfortunately, there really wasn't any difference between the preview copy I played and the final retail version. It's still fun, but it just fell short of its potential.

And finally, I've got a phone conference to take part in later today w/ Greedy Productions. Now that everything is running smoothly on their servers again, it looks like I'll be back posting content for the Electric Playground website. If all goes as planned, I'm looking to post an average of 3 or 4 pieces a week over there. As soon as I can iron out all the details w/ Vic, Rob, and Tavis, I'll let all of you know what to look forward to.

Quick update

Short post this time around. The GunGrave: OverDose review went live at GameSpy tonight. I just got my review copies of Monster Hunter and Vietcong: Purple Haze, so those should be done by week's end. And with any luck, I'll be picking up Star Wars: Battlefront for the Xbox tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what I think.

And the hits keep on coming

No, I'm not talking about the hurricanes in Florida ... although I have dodged a few bullets there. Of course I'm in Virginia now and we're getting tornados from Ivan's aftermath. Ah well. Nope, this isn't weather related. Instead I'm talking about more reviews coming up from yours truly.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm not only working on that comic article for GameSpy, but I have three reviews assigned to me: GunGrave Overdose (PS2), Monster Hunter (PS2), and Vietcong: Purple Haze (Xbox) ... and that's just for GameSpy. I'm also about to write up a new batch of reviews to update the Electric Playground website. Since the servers are finally back up and running smoother than ever (knock on wood), things should be in place for me to do regular updates.

It looks like my plate is about to get pretty full with the writing gigs (thankfully), but I always make sure to post the latest news here. Oh, and before anyone asks ... no, I haven't stopped doing the digital coloring. I just am putting more focus into my writing. But don't worry ... more art WILL be posted here in the near future.

Back to the written word

Okay ... so I've been dabbling in the world of digital coloring as of late, but first and foremost I'm a journalist. Having said that, it's back to the virtual typewriter for me now. I've got a new piece I'm doing for GameSpy. This time around, I'm focusing on various comic companies which are doing projects based on different video game properties. It's basically a round table discussion on the interaction between the two industries. It's set to be a three or four part feature. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.

Working with new toys

Well, I broke down last night and got a Wacom Graphire 3 tablet to help me out with my digital coloring. After using this for a while last night, I've got to say that if any of you are serious about doing any graphics work on your PC, you REALLY owe it to yourself to pick one of these things up. I was amazed at how much I was able to do with it.

Some of you have caught me online and asked me how much progress I've made learning coloring techniques. I decided to use a Red Monika (Battle Chasers) sketch I had on file from Randy to tinker around with. You can click on each image to see a sharper image. Here's what I started with:

Original pencils

I spent some time on Monika herself, then copied just those layers over to a new image so you can better see her with the coloring work I've done:

Initial colors

I'm still playing around with it from time to time, adding more colors to the rest of the image. Here's the piece as I left it when I decided to post this blog entry:

Adding some extras

And finally, just because I could, I tweaked out a Grayscale version of the art ... just to see how it looked:

Grayscale

Although I know I still have a LOT to learn, I'm having a hell of a lot of fun doing this ... and it helps me to unwind. I'll keep posting things here from time to time, along with the usual updates on my writing. I'm slowly expanding what I feel like covering in the blog, so expect to see more as time goes on. I'm also beginning work on my "official" website as well. We'll see how that goes in time as well.

Vroom vroom!

Okay, so it's not the most original title ... sue me. Anyway, the NASCAR 2005 reviews went live on GameSpy today. There's an Xbox review and a PS2 review, both written by me. The only differences in the pieces were a few lines specific to each system.

Beyond that, it's just been a hectic day. Worked out a deal for Tommy to get a colorist on a project he's doing (no, not me ... a REAL colorist), and spent some time working some contacts. Oh, later today (y'know ... when the sun comes up), I'm hoping to get a UPS package w/ some stuff for me ... including another cell phone. It looks like Nokia sent me the new N-Gage QD to go over. When it comes in, I'll put the new sysem through its paces and write up a review. In the meantime, after I spend some time with it, I'll post my initial impressions here.

Now THIS is how to do an interview

I got a big laugh out of this interview earlier today. The interview is with Cliffy B., and is conducted by my editor at GameSpy, Raymond Padilla. The interview was done during the Atari University press event in Cabo, and y'know Ray actually managed toget in a couple of gaming questions. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out.

A box of digital crayons

Well, I said I'd post some stuff up here as I learn to do digital coloring. It's been a long day and I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a stab at applying some of what I've learned already. I know that I'm still a long way from professional work (hey, I AM a writer after all), but this was relaxing, I had fun, and hey ... I don't think it turned out half bad. Let me know what you guys think.

Original pencils

My colors

Turn left here.

Okay. So anyone who knows me also knows that I'm not the biggest race fan in the entire world. As such, what I know about the world of NASCAR could probably fit comfortably into a thimble with plenty of room to spare. Basically, I know a few of the names and that the sport has a noticeable lack of right turns. However, I AM a big fan of video games. Regardless of the type of game, if it's good then I'll play it. So where is this all leading? NASCAR 2005: Chase the Cup from Electronic Arts (PS2/Xbox). I just received review copies of this game yesterday, and it actually looks to be an interesting game to me. I'll be really digging into the game today, but it looks like EA went the extra mile to put a little more "umph" into it. Besides the online play (FINALLY EA is utilizing Xbox Live), there's acareer mode which touts that you can "be a hero or a villain". That's right ... you get to be a total ass of a driver in the game if you want, and you're rep will build as such with the other drivers. Also, EA added a few cars to the game other than your basic NASCAR fare. After I've played the game a while and written up the review, I'll let you know my thoughts ... but it's at least piqued my interest.

Moving along, I spent yesterday hanging out with Randy in a day long brainstorming session filled with Mountain Dew, video games, and a hell of a lot of creative ideas bouncing around. I'm going to have my hands full up here for a while now, but it's definitely worth it. Odds are, I'll be doing more and more of my work at his studio ... though still getting the majority of it done at home. And thanks to Randy's infinite patience, I'm going to start learning more and more about doing digital coloring. I'm blown away at all of the Photoshop tricks I never knew about. Randy's even offered to let me play around with coloring some of his art just to get in some practice. Thankfully it's digital coloring,so there's no chace of me actually screwing up the originals. As I tinker around with it, I'll be sure to post the results here so all of you can see my handiwork.

A dog-eat-dog world

It was a crunch-time review, and I think it could have been better ... but the review of A Dog's Life went live tonight over at GameSpy. You can check it out for yourself over here and tell me what you think. Tomorrow, I'll be working on some ideas for new stories and keeping myself busy. Not much else going on other than that at the moment ... but stay tuned.

One move down

Well, I got through the move fairly well this weekend. I'm in Virginia now surrounded by boxes. The drive up on Saturday was a pain, but both WonderMutt and myself made it in one piece. Speaking of my canine companion, WonderMutt served up a lot of inspiration for my latest review. I just sent off a crunch-time review of A Dog's Life (PS2) for GameSpy. The game is a kid-friendly look at the world through the eyes of a dog. It's definitely geared more for young kids ... or adults who don't play many games. But overall, it's an entertaining game worthy of a family night rental.

I should be meeting up with Randy tomorrow. We'll hang out and talk about some ideas we're bouncing around. I'm also hoping to get some more stuff set up at the place here ... like a computer desk. Right now, I'm sitting on the floor typing up this entry into the blog with my monitor sitting on a TV stand.

As always, I'll be posting whatever's happening with me on the blog, so keep checking things out. As I get settled in up here, I'll probably be posting more on a regular basis ... of course I'll also be writing a lot more too. Feel free to drop me a line and say hey any time.

Another busy weekend

Things are going to be more than a little hectic this weekend. Tomorrow I'll be moving up to Virginia for a while. I've got some projects to work on while I'm there too. So, I'll be keeping myself busy. Speaking of work, I had two reviews go live over at Gamexilla's web site. The reviews were for The Chronicles of Riddick on the Xbox and a hardware review of Tapwave's Zodiac PDA console.

Tomorrow, I should be getting a copy of the PS2 game A Dog's Life. I'm writing up a review on it for GameSpy. It's one of those crunch time interviews that needs to be finished by Monday. Considering the move tomorrow afternoon from Florida to Virginia, I'll basically be burning the midnight oil on Sunday to wrap things up. Like I said in the beginning, things are going to be more than a little hectic.

Damned embargos!

First the good news. Another article went live today on GameSpy. This time it was a preview of the upcoming Monster Hunter PS2 game from Capcom. So what's the bad news? I turned in the preview exactly one month ago. The reason it didn't go up any sooner had nothing to do with me missing any deadline, or the guys at GameSpy dropping the ball. The reason for the delay is that the article was hit by one of the little known hazards of the journalism field ... press embargos.

In a nutshell, it breaks down like this: A company provides product or information to journalists so that the journalists can write up an article on the company's product. The problem is, the company decides that it wants to grant an exclusive story to a particular outlet, or it wants to keep everything under wraps until just prior to (or just after) the product's release. Whatever the reason, the company imposes a press embargo, in effect telling the journalists that anything written up about the product can't go live until after a particular date. Most of the time, the press embargos aren't too terribly bad ... just more of a nuisance. In this case, the preview copy of Monster Hunter came across my desk way back at the tail end of June. However, due to Capcom's press embargo, nothing could go up online until after yesterday (August 17).

So, the next time you're wondering why you haven't heard the latest news about an upcoming game from your favorite magazine or website, don't so so quick to lay the blame on them. It's quite possible that their hands have been tied by the game's publisher.

Another day, another article.

This time around, the article is an interview with Ted Naifeh, the artist behind the upcoming Death Jr. comic book series ... which is based on the upcoming PSP game of the same name. I think the interview turned out nicely. You can check it out here and see for yourself. Once you read it, let me know what you think.

Just a quick update

Yeah yeah, I know it's been a week since the last posting. Things have been pretty hectic here. In terms of working, I wrote up an interview with Ted Naifeh about the Death Jr. comic book ... based on the upcoming video game for the PSP. The interview should be going live on GameSpy any day now. I'll post the link when it goes up. I'm also working on a review of Doom 3 for Gamexilla. I will say that the game looks great visually, but there are a couple of flaws. It is still a very fun game though.

I'm in a fun situation right now, where my work is pretty backed up. That's not to say I've got a lot of work to do ... but that my work is backed up at the different outlets. GameSpy does a great job of posting anything I do right away. However, due to technical problems, both Electric Playground and Gamexilla have run into delays getting new articles posted. Things have also slowed down a bit over at Play, but I expect that to change soon. The next issue should have the Randy Green BloodRayne cover I worked out the deal for, as well as my report from the floor of Comic-Con.

Not really a whole lot more to report on in terms of work. On a personal level, I've been running myself ragged lately keeping everything balanced ... but I'm getting everything taken care of. I also was one of the lucky ones in Florida to dodge the bullet in terms of Hurricane Charley. Originally, it had been expected to plow through the state and still hit this area with hurricane force winds. It veered off to the east just before and after landfall, sparing this area anything worse than rain. It still made for a long couple of days though.

I knew something was missing

Leading up to Comic-Con, I kept talking about the work I was doing for GameSpy listing out the 10 best and 10 worst comic book based video games. I was looking over the blog today and realized that although I did post a quick link to the 10 best list, but I forgot to post a link to the 10 worst. So, for those of you that missed either article, here they are:

Comics to Consoles
Comics to Consoles Part II - When Good Comics Go Bad

Moving right along, I've been working more leads on doing some new articles. I'll probably be doing an interview soon with video game personality Cliffy B. Among his credits, Cliffy B. is the lead game designer for Epic Games.

There are a few other things brewing as well. Things are about to get a lot more interesting.

Now here's a first

I've started doing writing for Gamexilla now, and they've just made the announcement on their site. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the title: "Gamexilla welcomes a REAL writer!" HA!