Off the Cuff – #19 – What’s a Marvel? The column about DC
Off the Cuff – Edition 19
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related
*There are two things that Justice League has changed since it became Justice League Unlimited. And both of these things are fundamental to its current success. 
1. More Character Interaction: In the old Justice League the characters were often stiff – nothing more than husks of themselves. In Justice League Unlimited they actually interact with one another, they relate with one another, and they grow with one another.
By doing this, the audience is able to sympathize and relate to the heroes. Despite their immense powers, you come to view them as very human – even when they are not.
2. More Unique Stories: In the old Justice League the stories were as empty and formulaic as the characters. Each story, with the admitted exception of one or two, was just a regurgitated tale you could read or see in any superhero show. However with JLU the writers really explored new ideas and concepts. Perhaps the best example of this was in the episode, “The Greatest Story Never Told.” A publicity seeking Booster Gold saves the world while being assigned to crowd control so the ‘real’ heroes can fight some kind of giant monster. It was one of the best-written and most entertaining stories told by this show.
I’ve really enjoyed (as I’ve said before) the new version of Justice League. Let’s hope they keep up with these new changes for their upcoming season.
*I went and saw Constantine this weekend. I actually enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t fantastic, but it was a good, solid movie. But perhaps the most exciting part of the whole experience was seeing the Batman trailer. What I liked about it was that initially I thought, “hey this looks like a cool movie!” And it was only after I had that thought, that I realized, “Hey! That’s Batman!”
I often wonder if I want to go see one of these comic book movies because it looks good, or because it’s a comic book movie. In this case, I think the answer is I want to see it because it looks good AND it’s a comic book movie.
I can’t wait.
*The Batmobile still looks stupid.
*I few weeks ago I posted some pictures from the Fantastic Four movie and said “I just can’t get excited about the upcoming Fantastic 4 movie. Every time I look at a picture/clip from the movie, it just looks cheesy.”
Well unfortunately I am not feeling any better about the movie now that I’ve seen a shot of Dr. Doom. Doom is one of my favorite characters. He’s one of the few bad guys who’s actually a sympathetic character. In some way’s he’s like Thanos in that regard. Sure they are both villains, but they aren’t quite evil like Joker or Carnage or Lex Luthor.
Instead they are “overly ambitious”, well, I guess that’s a bit of an understatement. But I think you get the idea. They have their own agendas, and become bad guys in order to fulfill that agenda. However, if they need to become good guys for a while, then they’ll do that too. Anyway, this isn’t a rant about “what defines a villain,” instead it’s to point out that Dr. Doom looks cheesy in the Fantastic Four movie.
*Boy, I just quoted myself. Is that cheesy?
*Top 3 books for February (can you believe February is almost over?!):
1. Majestic
2. Space Ghost
3. Batgirl
*Again, Marvel isn’t doing too well in my rankings. I’m going to have to stop saying that because it’s becoming too repetitive!
*I’ve realized that I like major crossovers – until they end that is. What do I mean by such a crazy comment? Well in my opinion a crossover is great until it comes to a conclusion. Most crossovers, and major stories like Identity Crisis, are designed to “re-work” a character, a city, or sometimes even an entire universe. They are, at heart, designed to shake things up. But often I find I like the status quo. I don’t want things to be shaken up.
Take a look at War Games. I didn’t want Batman’s identity to be revealed to the public. I didn’t want him to fail. And I didn’t want Stephanie to die (if she did). So I loved War Games up until the conclusion. When I finally finished Act 3 Part 8 I thought, “you can’t leave thinks like this!”
The same can be said of Identity Crisis. The story was brilliant, but I don’t want to find out my old heroes ere criminals, or at least criminal-like. I don’t like how things have changed.
Sure all of this may lead to new stories, new characters, and new developments, but inevitably it destroys something that I found unique, or interesting about a character. So crossovers are great – until they end.
*I know that the movie industry is Big Business, but am I the only one getting tired of so many cross promotions? For Batman Begins we have the Movie, the Video Game, the Trading Cards…. It reminds me of Spaceballs where Yogurt was putting “Spaceballs The…” on everything and anything.
*Well we take a week off from Off the Cuff the Column to bring you Off the Cuff the Video Game Column. So stick around and while you’re hear check out some of the other fun areas, like Evertime Realms.
The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and ©; their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is ©; Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!
Post your comments in the Forum!
February 15, 2005
Off the Cuff – #18 – A return to comic books (sort of)
Off the Cuff – Edition 18
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related
*A few weeks ago I bought the (then) latest issue of Robin. I had been looking forward to reading about all the changes in young Tim’s life. But when I got home I started reading other titles first (Batgirl, Superman/Batman, Space Ghost…). Robin simply remained on top of my ‘to read’ list. And remained. And remained.
You see I kept picking up the book and reading whatever was beneath it. But each time I would place Robin back on the stack and think, “okay, you’re next.” But it never was. And still isn’t.
I think the problem is that I’ve begun to dread reading that title. I really love the storytelling. But the Art… The art is just so awful. I hate to use that term, but it’s true, at least in my view. I’ve said it before in this space, and others, that I don’t like the art in Robin. And now it’s come to the point where I literally dread reading the story.
Maybe I’ll read it tomorrow …
*Krypto sure is getting a lot of play right now. Not only is he starring in this week’s episode of Smallville, but he’s also got his own upcoming show on Cartoon Network. This is how the Cartoon Network is describing the show:
| Quote: |
| “Krypto the Superdog chronicles the comedic canine adventures of Metropolis’ day-saving super dog from the planet Krypton. Krypto jettisons to Earth after orbiting countless years in space as a test-pilot puppy aboard a malfunctioning rocket ship built by Superman’s father. Landing astray on unfamiliar terrain, the fully-grown Krypto swiftly seeks out companionship on Earth and flips over Kevin Whitney, a young boy who also longs for friendship. Endowed with an amazing array of super hero powers, ranging from heat vision to super strength to flying, Krypto, partners with best pal Kevin to fight evil forces that threaten the safety and well being of the people and animals of Metropolis.” |
Well see, I’m not so sure how I feel about this concept. But Cartoon Network has done a pretty good job of handling original series (with the exception of the poorly written He-Man). So I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt…for now.
*I hadn’t seen Rave Master in a few weeks, and when I finally tuned in I was shocked. Haru Glory was fighting a horde of monsters, and as he would kill them a big spray of black liquid would come squirting out. At first I thought the monster blood was simply black, but then I noticed that Haru was bleeding black blood as well.
I think this falls into the ‘if you’re not going to do it for real, don’t do it category,’ much like swearing in cartoons. It’s pretty clear that Rave Master didn’t want to get censored for violence, so they changed the color of blood. But why should that not count as violence?
There is more ‘blood’ in these recent episodes than any other TV show I’ve ever seen. Why isn’t that being complained about? Now don’t get me wrong, I like Rave Master, but it is geared toward a younger audience, especially with a 6:30 airtime. This is the type of violence that should not be shown to children.
If the animators took time to change the color of blood from red to black, then they probably could have taken the time to edit out the blood all together. By doing so I don’t think they would have taken anything away from the story, so that couldn’t really have been the reason for leaving the bloody scenes.
*I picked up a stack of The Demon comic book a few weeks ago. They were $0.50 a pop, so how could I refuse? Anyway, the one thing that struck me was seeing all the old movie ads. For example, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Adventure, Start Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, Robin Hood, and Double Impact (a Van Damn movie)
*The other thing I noticed is that there were significantly fewer advertisements. The books originally cost $1.50 and I find it hard to believe that inflation took costs up almost 100% AND forced the publishers to sell more ad space. Now I’m a big fan of capitalism, so I don’t really have a problem with this. I just don’t want to hear about how ‘unprofitable’ it is, blah blah blah.
*FUNimation (the company that brought the US shows such as: DragonBall Z, DragonBall GT, YuYu Hakusho, and The Full Metal Alchemist) was recently bought by another corporation. I don’t know how this will affect the anime that they bring into the US, but hopefully it won’t disrupt it too much. I’m always concerned when a successful smaller company is bought buy a larger company. Very rarely is this a good thing for fans of the smaller company. This is especially true of those companies that focus on very specialized areas. How many video game developers have fallen apart once they were bought by a large company like EA or Sierra?
*Boy complaining about advertising in comic books, pricing of comic books, and mergers, I sound like some kind of anti-capitalist!
*Okay, how about one more thought…mmmmmm, I got nothing. So instead, allow me to do a bit of a cross promotion and suggest you check out my other column, Beyond Fact & Fiction. This week’s is about the superhero dating scene. I know you’re curious.
Until next week!
The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and ©; their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is ©; Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!
Post your comments in the Forum!
February 13, 2005
Still on the Shelf #86 – Ultra
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Once upon a time, if you were going to make a super-hero comic, you had a pretty simple formula to use. You had your good guy, who went after the bad guys. The focus of the story was the action itself, and all that personal, real-life stuff was shoved in the background.
Over the years, people started to demand stories that were a little more sophisticated. Especially in recent years, the heroes in the comics we grew up loving grew deeper, more personal. Then, of course, we wanted realism in our comics. We wanted the heroes in our books to deal with stresses that they actually would if they existed in our world.
We have come a long way from the days – stories have become more mature, more complex, and more personal. We even get superhero books from time to time that are more about the character’s lives, and less about fighting evil. As a result, we as readers have more of a reason to care about these new creations beyond their cool super powers. And since just about every possible combination of super powers has been used already, it is good to finally have a fresh approach.
When I first heard about Ultra, I was a bit skeptical. The first issue’s cover, a mock-up of a Time Magazine cover, featured the caption “The Private Life of a Super Heroine,” with Ultra herself standing, head obscured by the title, with her breasts front and center on the cover. Expecting another all-too-common T&A comic with little story potential, I almost gave this one a pass. Almost. Thankfully, Image has been putting out some great stuff lately, and I thought that I would give this mini a shot.
Ultra tells the story of a heroine whose life is turned upside-down by the prying eyes of a tabloid magazine. That isn’t the only parallel to the real world – heroes all have agents, are all marketed. Their work is an actual job, they have celebrity endorsements – the works. Problem is, when one of them makes a bad move in their personal life, it is all over the front page of the news. And some are willing to pay big money just to have a chance at tearing down these celebrities’ pristine images.
Cast of Characters
Pearl Penalosa, known as Ultra to the public, is lonely. Ever since her last rocky relationship (with Captain Steel), her dating life has been virtually nonexistent. After a night out with her friends Jen and Liv, she gets talked into seeing a fortune teller who tells her that she will find her true love within seven days. Skeptical, she tries to forget about the fortune (despite constant reminders by Liv), until she meets Jason, an ordinary, non-superhero guy, who she thinks might just be the one the fortune teller told her about.
Pearl is under contract with Heroine, Inc., an agency that exclusively represents female heroes. Her agent, Will, is always on the lookout for her best interests – mostly her financial and image interests, but since money and image are tied to a personal life, Will is right on the front line when Pearl’s life gets a little rocky.
Jennifer Janus, known as Cowgirl, is the “good girl” of the trio. Her boyfriend (Sweet of the crime-fighting duo Sweet and Sour) seems a little too friendly with his side-kick, leading many to believe he is, in fact, gay. Her father is the mayor, her mother a former sex-pot heroine, Jen grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. The fortune teller tells Jen that she would “receive what you have been given within 7 days.”
Oliva Arancina was recently hired to take on the Aphrodite mantle for Olympus, Inc. A former super-model, Liv lives up to her new heroine roll with many frequent liaisons. She urges the three to go to see the fortune teller, and uses Pearl’s fortune to push her into the arms of any man that will have her. Not so much interested in finding real love for her friend, she really thinks Pearl just needs to get “some action,” and soon. Liv is the wild-girl of the trio, reckless with her love life (and her driving). Her fortune, “You shall suffer a loss within 7 days,” seemingly came true almost immediately, with yet another car accident. Whether that was THE loss referred to, however, is still up in the air.
Thoughts
On the surface, there is a Sex in the City aspect to this story, and it is really easy to get distracted by that and miss a lot of the fun, subtle stuff that peppers each and every issue of this comic. The first time through the first six issues, I completely missed a lot of the Sweet and Sour stuff, which was hilarious. So when you do read Ultra (you should), I recommend you do so carefully. There is a lot more here than super-heroines and sex.
One fun gimmick you might notice if you look at the cover scans is the magazine parodies. The Luna Brothers take it even deeper than a simple pin-up cover – believe it or not, they actually are pertinent to the story in each issue. A good part of what goes on in Ultra is about how the media perceives the protagonists, and the cover is glimpse into that perspective. At the end of each issue is a two page “story” (or in the case of issue 6, a “pictorial”) in the spirit of the magazine spoofed on the cover. These spoofs add a whole new dimension to the comic, providing exposition on each of the characters, that would otherwise be cumbersome to tell in the story, and shedding a different light on the happenings in the main story itself.
The art? Well, it is shiny! Despite not being the best art critic in the world, I do know when I like what I see, and I like this. The facial expressions really make this story – there is a lot of emotion conveyed through the art. One of the most striking things about the art, however, is the characters themselves. One of my more resent pet-peeves is the inability of some artists in comics to draw more than one or two body types. Look at your average Michael Turner comic, and you will notice that while the characters are gorgeously drawn, there is really no difference between them aside from outfits and hair colors. In Ultra, though – the characters are different. They have different body types, and distinct, individual looks. I never had a problem figuring out who was who, no matter what action was happening on panel. I have to give a lot of credit Jonathan Luna – diversity in body types is a rare thing in comic art of this type, and his work is very impressive.
The story seems straightforward in the beginning, but it becomes totally unpredictable. Six issues into it, I have given up trying to figure out how this is going to end. The Luna Brothers have thrown in twist after twist in this story making it so compelling that I was actually a little let down by the action-oriented nature of issue #6. Yes, there are some element of this plot that would make for a good “chick flick,” but I do feel there is a lot to offer anyone who enjoys a well-told story. It is a little tough to describe without getting into specifics, but since Ultra is an eight issue mini-series, I do want to avoid spoiling you as much as possible.
Bottom Line
The Luna Brothers have created themselves one heck of a world here, one I hope that we get a chance to see more of in the future. Not that I am demanding a sequel already – one of the reasons I love minis so much is because there is little reason to save anything for “next time.” But as we saw with Noble Causes, Image doesn’t seem at all shy about releasing a title as a mini a few times before giving it the go-ahead as an ongoing. Ultra, as a concept, is clever and unique, and skillfully put together. Even if this mini is the end of Ultra, I can’t wait to see what else these two will put together next.
As I said before, Ultra is an eight issue mini, the first six issues are out on stands right now. Issue #1 just went into it’s second printing, and the second issue just sold out at the distributor (so if you see it in stores, snatch it up!). Issue #7 is due out on shelves this Wednesday, February 16th, and the trade collecting the first eight issues is due out in April of this year.
If you are curious about this title, and want to see a little more before deciding to pick it up, do check out the Luna Brothers website at LunaBrothers.com. You can find general news and info about Ultra there, as well as on sale dates and preview pages of the first issue.
Some of you might remember that I mentioned misplacing the second issue of this series some time ago, and I actually ended up spending three months trying to track another copy of it down so that I can read the rest of this series. I did find a copy, and this article should be enough proof that I really think the search was worth it. If this is an example of the kinds of things we are going to be seeing from Image these days (and I think it is), the publisher is in very good shape. It takes a lot to impress this normally jaded reviewer, and I am pleased to say that the Lunas did so with very little difficulty. I am going to be sad to see this one end.
Credit Where Credit is Due
Ultra is
Written by Joshua Luna and Jonathan Luna,
Art and Letters by Jonathan Luna, and
Published by Image Comics.
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February 8, 2005
Off the Cuff – #17 – The end of an era: So long Star Trek
Off the Cuff – Edition 17
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related
*Well welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed the ‘surprise’ column about gaming that I threw in there. I’m planning on making it a regular (although for now, monthly) occurrence here at Still on the Shelf. However, if there is an outcry for more, I’ll seriously consider bumping up its schedule. After all, we aim to please our visitors here at SotS. But we can’t do that if you don’t contact us. So either drop me an e-mail or better yet, join the forums and let me know what you think!
*What a difference a year makes. Less than 6 months ago I was complaining about how bad the Justice League Unlimited was. Now I find that this is one of the few shows that I actually looked forward to.
But this isn’t the only show that I’ve come to feel that way about – the other show being Star Trek’s Enterprise. This show has been absolutely fantastic this year, with possibly some of the best episodes from any Star Trek show.
Unfortunately, news has come that Enterprise is getting canned. And I have to say, I’m pretty disappointed by this news. Not only because it means no new Star Trek, but 
because of the potential this show started to show. If they had cancelled it last year I wouldn’t have cared. It was a mediocre show at best. But this year the show really improved, and frankly, it’s one of the best 5 shows on TV right now. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. As it stands now, it will be another one of those shows that I’ll forever wonder “what if…”
So can we do anything? Probably not. But there is a Save Enterprise campaign under way, and I recommend anyone interested to check out the site. I’m not very surprised that Enterprise was cancelled, since Paramount (which owns the rights to Star Trek) has been pulling some of the Star Trek computer games while they’ve been in the works. I think Paramount has basically given up on the Star Trek property all together. Although to their credit, they did try to reduce the licensing fees (although I don’t know by how much) to encourage UPN to pick it up for a fifth season. Star Trek in recent years has just been unprofitable. And let’s be honest, with the exception of this season, Enterprise wasn’t really a great show.
Now I don’t think this is a flaw with the concept of “Star Trek” as it is with poor corporate management. The studios really didn’t do a whole lot in terms of pushing the edge with Voyager, and the property just got ‘flat.’
So what does this have to do with Justice League Unlimited? Well my fear is that JLU may face the same problem. Think about the similarities. A show that was below average up until this season has fully reinvigorated itself with some brilliant stories and character development. The main difference is that JLU has had some pretty solid numbers, especially among younger demographics. But the threat is always looming.
The problem with TV executives is that they often focus on the bottom line. I can’t really blame them for that; it IS a business after all. But because of that focus, they don’t always recognize a shift in writing and give it the credit it deserves. Let’s hope that Cartoon Network is a little more forgiving than UPN.
*A few months ago I talked about how certain shows and comic books try to get away with cussing by changing the words a little. For instance changing ‘hell’ to ‘shell’ is the favorite trick on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now as I suggested, I’m not really a fan of this. Either you swear or you don’t. If you aren’t clever enough to say something without cursing, then 
just curse. This ‘shell’ behavior is neither funny nor clever.
At the time I suggested that you simply make up new words as your curses. And in all the places to find an example, Spongebob Squarepants is the last place I thought I’d find it. Yet they do a brilliant job of disguising curses. For instance, whenever Spongebob gets upset he’ll say ‘barnacles’. And when he gets really upset he’ll say ‘tartar sauce.’ It’s both inoffensive and clever, and that makes it funny.
*Although I suppose if I had a 4-year old walking around shouting “barnacles!” I might feel differently.
*I’ve been watching Ghost in the Shell on Cartoon Network, and I can’t decide if I like the show or not. It’s a pretty gritty, and often depressing, cartoon. At it’s best it’s a great philosophical take on modernization and the role technology plays in our lives. But at it’s worst however, it tries to politically preach to the audience, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the show’s writers aren’t from the ‘right side’ of the political spectrum.
There are two things that bother me about this show. One is that for a super secret covert unit that can seemingly infiltrate anywhere, they are a noisy group. In one episode while sneaking around a terrorist base they have a robot that is loud in moving, talks a LOT, and bumps into things. How in the world are they supposed to sneak up on people making that much noise?
The other thing that bothers me isn’t really a flaw with the program, it’s more a pet peeve of mine. The endings on this show are often so open-ended and non-conclusive. I suppose it’s a reflection of the nature of their work and a reflection of ‘real life’. But man, does it annoy me. I like things to have a nice conclusion. To be wrapped up at the end of the 30 minute show. I know that’s not ‘realistic’ but that’s the precise reason I want things to be wrapped up. Life has enough ‘unknowns’; your entertainment should endeavor to have actual resolution to their stories and plot lines.
*I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: comic previews are going to drive me insane. Our own esteemed Craig Reade writes a good newsletter previewing upcoming comic books (April’s preview). And frankly it’s one of my favorite things to read. Helps me keep up on what’s heading down the pike.
However, it causes serious confusion on my part when I go to a comic book store. Outside of my regular titles, I’m always waiting for some mini to start. And yet because of the previews being so far in advance I can never actually remember what month they are supposed to launch. So I end up expecting to see a certain title months in advance.
I suppose I could just look up when the titles are coming out. Or make some kind of list. But frankly that seems to resemble work a little too much for my tastes. Plus I’d rather be enjoying reading the comic books that writing lists about them. And heck, if I’m going to write about comic books, I’ll do it for you guys instead.
*Well that’s it for this time. I should have a couple of interesting thoughts next week. The sudden cancellation of Enterprise has caused me to juggle some things around for this week’s column. Until then…
The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and ©; their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is ©; Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!
Post your comments in the Forum!
February 2, 2005
Gaming Column v1.00
Gaming Column
By Eric Barrett
The State of Gaming
It seems that computer games have been around for a long time. And I guess in some ways it has been. Rumor has it that Stonehenge was the first video game. Of course the load times took forever! Ha ha, I kid.
But in all seriousness, video games have been around, essentially, for my entire life. So I guess that means I’ve been playing computer games for a long time. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of playing computer games. I used to go to an after school program when I was in elementary school just because I could play Oregon Trail on and Apple IIe.
For those of you who have never had the privilege of playing Oregon Trail, it is extremely simple. Yet it had such a great design that it was tons of fun to play. And all this was only magnified because there really wasn’t much else to play. Let’s face it, 
there’s nothing like shooting 100 buffalo to feed you family for a few weeks as you travel across the country.
Other early memories involve Asteroids, Missile Command, and Combat, which I played on my Atari 2600. I don’t remember how many dozens of Atari games we had, but I loved them all, and played for hours.
Eventually I graduated to a Nintendo. No Christmas before or since, has been so exciting since the year we got our NES. In fact I was so excited by the NES, I actually subscribed to Nintendo Power just so I could get the free copy of Dragon Warrior. 
But my obsession with gaming really took off when I went to college and discovered the world of computer gaming. This was a radically different world because things were so much more complex. Games weren’t always linear in nature, the graphics were better, and the sound was improved a thousand fold. Basically, gaming was just better on a computer than on any other platform.
Computers really maintained their dominance until the second generation of consoles hit. The Xbox’s and Play Stations of the world. This is really where video games entered mass acceptance. And I imagine this is also where a lot of you got your introduction into video games.
And that pretty much brings us up to today. As you can see things have changed a lot since video games initially made their way into our living rooms. Unfortunately not all changes in the industry have been good. In fact, there are two current issues that may change the future of gaming for the worse.
The first is Steam. Steam is the method of online distribution for Half Life 2. It was partially conceived as a way for Valve to make more money (no CD, no publisher). It is also used to ‘prevent piracy’. You see, you need to log onto Steam to play a single player game. However, the problem is that Steam isn’t always working. In fact, just this last week Steam crashed, meaning that people couldn’t play the game because authentication for each copy of HL2 couldn’t be verified. I’m sure we can all imagine the frustration and irritation at having to have an internet connection, but also needing a server to be up and running anytime we want to play.
The other significant trend, although it’s only really been with one company so far, is EA. EA inked an exclusive deal with NFL Players Association. This move effectively seals off competition from using actual football players. And let’s face it, who would really want to play a ‘professional’ football game without the professionals? Some of 
you may be saying “so what?”. Well, this year ESPN2K5 was a vastly superior game to Madden. EA knew they were in trouble, so instead of trying to improve their product they simply muscled the competition out of the market. The end result is the high likelihood of a worse football game than gamers would have had if Sega was still in the market.
So what’s on the horizon? Well rumor has it that Xbox2 will be out at the end of this year. Before Christmas even. And it will be another 6 months after that for PS3. And what about Nintendo? I’m not sure anyone really knows. They haven’t had a very good launch since the SNES, so I’m not really expecting a change.
So what’s the point of all this? Well I don’t really have one. But I needed an inaugural column, and I figure, why not give a little gaming history. Consider this the State of the Union Gaming Edition. It’s a brief little roundup of gaming history, and by brief, I mean VERY brief. It’s also a preview of some of the topics and themes that this column will touch on in the future. So I hope you stick around.
(Alert readers will also notice that this column is simply labeled “Gaming Column”. I have a few ideas for names, but I thought I’d throw it out to you guys to see what you thought. I’ll take the best suggestion and that’s what we’ll call it.)
Gaming Column will appear the first week of every month, unless there is such an out-pouring in the forums demanding for more. At which point I will demand Craig pay me more money, and no more of these half-eaten Pop-Tarts he likes to send.
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