The Gamer’s Quagmire #13: A World of Warcraft Tirade
The Gamer’s Quagmire: 13th Edition
- Jamison DeLorenzo
Gaming, humor, and insanity in harmony
Just earlier today I was thinking about how long it has been since a really stupid gaming article had been written. Some articles fail to make points but are relatively entertaining (something that I seem to strive for a little too often), some articles talk about interesting topics but provide no useful information, some articles are just a bunch of nonsensical yammering (your typical web log), and some articles are just stupid. Behold, the power of the Internet.
Two years ago I encountered an article which made a valiant attempt at being insightful but failed miserably. The title was something very close to “Games Need to Be Fun.” All I could think of was one of Ralph Wiggum’s best quotes – “Fun Toys are Fun.” The article was talking about how games need to focus more on the fun aspect instead of graphics or something else non-substantive. I don’t mean to be nasty when reading articles like that one (okay, that’s a lie), but people need to pay attention to their overall topic so as to avoid sounding like a nitwit.
Normally I do not spend time dissecting articles because it’s pretty tough read for anyone when the accompanying article isn’t linked. Some times I tend to be a little too harsh when sending people’s thoughts through the shredder, so please understand I did not link it to be nice. If you spend time online looking you will probably find the piece this rant is based on.
Today’s metaphorical bread winner (somehow I’d feel compelled to go out and buy a loaf of bread if I didn’t include that adjective) talks about how World of Warcraft fails in showcasing certain values. Having played the game for hours on end the topic was intriguing for two reasons. One was that not many people talk about Warcraft and life values, thus giving hope to some unique and intriguing content. Second was that I had an idea that the article was going to contain a highly negative tone with bias and inconsistent arguments. I may be negative about many different things, but consistency is a strength.
And wouldn’t you know it- I was right about the inconsistency. The article was written from a point of view that I had before playing some online games. What was interesting was that the crux of the main argument, which was that time invested and group dynamics play too big a part in World of Warcraft, was based off a quote from Raph Koster. I don’t know much about the man, but I do know that the first year of Star Wars Galaxies, under his direction, was one of the worse online experiences I’ve ever had. I guess what I’m saying is that if you use him in an argument with me you better have some concrete viewpoints.
Also, you probably shouldn’t use an argument made by a veteran of leading multiple online games to make an argument against online games in general. You can try to narrow down specific points to Warcraft if you work at it, but World of Warcraft does not provide any new online gaming elements or dynamics.
Street Fighter 2, perhaps the most renowned 2D fighter along with Mortal Kombat, was used as a main counter for Warcraft’s teachings in the article. Being a veteran of the game that took Ryu to places most gamers didn’t know existed I knew that I’d be ready to deal with everything I would read. Street Fighter is different from mostly every online game because you do not need to rely on anyone else to beat your opponent. Warcraft forces you to use group dynamics in almost every arena except for duels.
(And for the record, the SF2 food chain is as follows: Ryu, Guile, Ken, Chun Li, Blanka, Dhalsim, E. Honda, Zangief).
Most people in the military will tell you that, despite this Army of One silliness, using group tactics are important for succeeding. Whether you’re in a 10 on 10 skirmish or in a guild you wind up relying on your friends from time to time. Predictably, further comments were made stating that introverts are ignored by online games. Well, duh. If you don’t like working with people all the time an MMOG style game is not for you. Even introverts who carry large close range weapons need help from artillery.
Being a major introvert was an argument I used when stating why I would never play this style of game. Yet here I am knee-deep in an online game. How did I make this amazing transition? I limit the number of people I interact with, trust only a select few, and play a class where I don’t need to rely on other people all the time. Being someone who could almost not be more introverted (as multiple psychological tests have proven) stating that World of Warcraft completely ignores introverts is nothing more than ignorant. Even if I’m in group of 40 people or a guild of over 100 I don’t know or interact with many of them. You don’t need to know everyone- you just need to know your role. Those of you that don’t figure this out will go insane when working in industry… a good lesson for anyone.
A highlighted example discussed the concept of people who are online more should get more rewards and countered it with talking about an expert creating something far superior to a layperson (that may have been dealing with user interface icons… but that’s not the important part here). There are a couple of problems I have with this argument- none of them minor.
People who put more time into certain fields are generally better than others, but luck is always involved in online games. Every site that provides gamers with information on who drops what always talks about “random drops” because, well, it is not set in stone what enemies drop what loot. If that were so the game would be quite boring. Luck is always involved in getting the best stuff in the game. Prime example- a friend of mine has had a level 60 character for 5 months and has yet to find an epic item outside of an instance. I have found 2 with characters under level 50 in about 6 weeks. It is true that he’s quite irritated at this, but it’s not the game’s fault. The law of averages will eventually play out, and in the end it’s not about loot- it’s about fun.
Also, experts are always experts no matter what field you are in. Okay, the talk about a UI expert taking almost no time at all to whip out a streamlined interface is quite true. Now ask somebody who has no graphical abilities to design an interface and give them 2 months on their own to do it. Should the end product be as good? Of course not, so good job at recognizing this.
Luck, believe it or not, is not the only part of the equation in finding good loot in the game. A player must also know where to hunt for it and how to hunt for it. The best World of Warcraft gamers have a system down for building characters, generating income, finding loot, and leveling. Example: I am able to level with no rest XP from level 54 -55 in about 9 hours. Why? I know how to kill efficiently and I know where lots of experience can be had in the game. I’ve done this with two different characters now.
If you want to make comments about skill and then state that more time shouldn’t make you a better player and more powerful is stupid. Coupled with that, no game has ever had multiple classes and have everything completely balanced. This especially holds with Street Fighter 2 because the best Zangief player on the planet will always lose to a mediocre Guile player. Three years of playing that game carved that in stone. And if it takes one player 1000 hours to get to a place where someone in 1 hour got to the person who played less is obviously smarter and a much better tactician. At the highest levels in World of Warcraft tactics are always more powerful than time.
An interesting counterweight is the concept of time invested making you a more powerful character is nothing new to role playing games. In fact, any role playing game ever made where you needed to level a character up over the course of the story enforces that more time invested means a more powerful character. There is an immutable law passed down from the RPG gods that a level 99 character should wallop a level 90 character. If this were not the case then leveling up becomes meaningless.
For special players there’s always an exception, in that a player who is given loot consistently and doesn’t understand good strategy with the character they have will easily lose to a character even 3 levels below them. If you think that someone who invests time to level a character to level 60 doesn’t pick up a few tricks along the way should have some form of reward, such as being more powerful than lower levels, you are working from a Marxist perspective. If Warcraft was a game where character level could be offset by amazing gear then there would be a fundamental problem.
So how do these two opposite influence merge in an online world and make it work? First of all, you have to be smart and cunning to get to level 60, and along the way if you’re smart enough you will find, or even make, better equipment than a lesser player of the same level. And as life does teach many people (and kills who are unable to learn it) the bigger and richer groups almost always win. The medieval times taught this and today’s large companies are another good example of this. If you are unable to function or swim in a guild in an online game you will drown in the real world at a company.
So let me counter every major point made the article.
1) The game does not teach that investing a lot of time in something is worth more than actual skill. If you are unable to utilize everything in your character’s arsenal the amount of time staring at the screen and missing it will not help you become better. In online games where there is some permanence those who choose to work at it and become more experienced by killing thousands of monsters and exploring new areas will become experts. Those who gain more than avatar experience will be the winners.
2) The Honor System in the game is a work of art. This indeed does play off of the time invested because you need succeed at every military rank (we’ll enumerate them as 0 through 14) against your peers in order to advance in these levels. If you win consistently at levels 1-7 but are suddenly unable to advance it is not because people play more than you. You need to not just win but win consistently at the higher levels to get to the highest of Honor levels. If you play 20 hours a day and never win a match it is impossible to make to the highest levels (and I know players that are living proof of this).
3) You need to know how to function in a group. Being an individual in the game is very doable- every class affords the opportunity for a player to not group with anyone else and get up to the highest level. Some classes are easier to solo with than others, but you will always do better if you are able to understand group dynamics and work with other people. Even introverts are able to work with people from time to time, and if you feel that you constantly need to talk with your teammates to succeed you have already lost.
4) Introverts are not marginalized. Introverts can succeed and even gain an amazing reputation on a server populated with tens of thousands of players. Constantly crushing your opponents in group skirmishes, for example, will make people fear you. You may win battles if you work better in a group but there will always be people who fear one particular person in a group battle. Kobe Bryant may be the best individual player on the court, but his team will never be the best.
5) The best guilds do not work in an ivory tower. If you choose to be in a guild that tries to be completely self-reliant and shuns any other guild it is the fault of your leaders and not of the game. Having guilds merge or work together in dungeons or PvP is commonplace with my guild. Not everyone needs to stand in line in a guild and ignore other people. Your guild leader is not Big Brother. Then again, if you think soloing is better than guilds then why bother joining one in the first place?
6) You can explore any area in the game you can figure out how to get to. I’ve been in areas without texture mapping, accidentally duplicated items during the midst of a server crash, been logged on four over 80 hours in a week, found huge shortcuts through dungeons and quests, and identified bugs where the developers worked with me so that my problem was resolved or told that a solution was being worked on. The exact amount of time my account has been suspended during the course my non-contiguous subscription: 0 seconds. And if you don’t like rules feel free to rob a bank with out of date terms of service (or security protocols) and make this same argument to the arresting officers.
Online games may not teach you everything you want or be the style of game that you enjoy, but at the very least you have to give it a chance and see that it does teach things that align with what goes on in the real world. And if it makes you feel any better I still don’t like paying a monthly fee for them.
This article is written and copyrighted by Jamison DeLorenzo and all thoughts are solely his and do not necessarily represent anyone else’s including anyone else at this site. This is a weekly article which deals with anything and almost everything gaming. Feel free to post comments or e-mail. Thanks for reading.
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February 22, 2006
On The Shelf This Week – 02.22.06
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE
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Usagi Yojimbo #91, $2.99. By Stan Sakai. Fast approaching 100 issues of Usagi Yojimbo! You’d never know it. There is no gear-up to an extra special 100, just quality storytelling each and every moth. Not that an extra sized issue 100 wouldn’t be appreciated, but this title doesn’t need that kind of gimmick. Possibly the best title Dark Horse has to offer, at worst a close second to Conan. The first title I would recommend if you are at all interested in checking out something different than the run-of-the-mill super hero books. 32 Pages.
DC COMICS
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American Way #1 (Of 8), $2.99. Written by John Ridley, Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story. Almost totally off topic – but since this is a mini I know little about, and it is the only Wildstorm book I have to write about this week, I will take a little liberty here. Why in the WORLD is DC canceling Majestic? Not too long ago, DC had a great idea to bring a new influx of readers into the Wildstorm Universe. Cross Majestic over, give him some exposure in Superman, give him a mini that shows his efforts to return home, and then have his own ongoing waiting on the other side. And the creative team on that ongoing was outstanding, the book was a great read. But once the ongoing started, the promotion ended, and sales started to flag a little. But people like me, DC readers who really didn’t have any interest in the Wildstorm Universe were onboard, and for my part, Majestic was near the top of my pile every month. It almost seemed like Majestic was going to spearhead a new Wildstorm, breathing fresh air into a stale concept that was in dire need to change. Well, that “relaunch” is going to happen, but Abnett and Lanning’s Majestic isn’t going to be a part of it. So for my money, if a book of Majestic’s quality wasn’t fit to be a part of the new Wildstorm order, then clearly Wildstorm isn’t going in a direction that would appeal to someone like me. So one potential reader of the new Wildstorm is lost, and I know I am not the only one. Canceling a quality book that started with so much promise and potential is not the way to engender new fan loyalty to a label. Major flub by DC here. 32 Pages.
Batman #650 $2.50. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen. It would be a lie to say that there hasn’t been anything of value in Jason Todd’s return, but there have also been problems. Why, for instance, would we need a three issue arc where Jason Todd kidnaps the Joker, when he pretty well already had his poetic revenge when he first made his re-appearance? And considering his motivations, why didn’t he KILL the Joker with that crowbar, instead of leaving him alive to even have this story? There have been some great aspects to the return of Jason Todd, but on the whole the story has gone on too long and has been plagued by some serious plot and characterization errors. This title really needs a fresh start. Thankfully, OYL is a month away. 32 Pages.
Batman Journey Into Knight #7 (Of 12), $2.50. Written by Andrew Helferl, Art by Tan Eng Huat. With the downward turn the regular Batman titles have taken over the last year, it is really tough to get excited about a Batman mini – especially when the mini really isn’t doing a better job of telling a Batman story than the ongoings are. Just over the halfway point, and already people have stopped talking about this one. Maybe it will read better as a collected story. 32 Pages.
Cartoon Network Block Party #18 $2.25. Written by Tom Warburton, John Rozum and Robbie Busch, Art by Maurice Fontenot, Scott Roberts and the Iguana. Same fare here as usual – about the biggest news is that with the cancellation of the Powerpuff Girls ongoing, they will pretty much dominate the lead story of this anthology next month, and for the foreseeable future. This might draw more attention to this title, but it does take one more good kid-friendly book off the market. A mixed bag to be sure. 32 Pages.
Catwoman #52, $2.50. Written by Will Pfeifer, Art by Pete Woods. It really speaks volumes about the quality of the Batman books where the Catwoman/Black Mask tension is way better than the Batman/Black Mask tension. Does it seem like the Black Mask even cares about Batman at all? And am I the only one who hopes it is Selina who finally gives the Black Mask his due? Under Pfeifer’s pen, of course. 32 Pages.
Green Lantern #9, $2.99. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins. It took this long, but finally we are getting a little Batman/Hal Jordan forced cooperation. Admittedly, the luster of the Green Lantern: Rebirth story is starting to wear off, and I am finding myself more and more interested in the upcoming Ion book, and less interested in keeping up with this title. If this arc ramps it up a little, maybe I will change my mind, but really – there is nothing new out there that we need Hal Jordan for. He is just one of those characters that should have stayed dead. 32 Pages. Also Available: Green Lantern Green Arrow Vol 1 TPB $14.99.
JLA Classified #17, $2.99. Written by Gail Simone; Art by José Luis García-Lopéz and Klaus Janson. It really is nice to see Simone on something new, and doing well. Birds of Prey has remained tip-top, but she had a troublesome run on Action Comics (something I attributed to the mess of Infinite Crisis), and I’ll not get started on the Teen Titans two parter. But she really needed this arc to be special, and while it is still really early yet, it is off to a great start. I, for one, am breathing a shigh of relief. I’d hate to see a world where Gail Simone lost her writing mojo… 32 Pages.
Legion Of Super Heroes #15, $2.99. Written by Stuart Moore and Mark Waid, Art by Patrick Olliffe and Barry Kitson. Final issue! No, really! This issue looks to be something of a one-shot story that might be related to recent events in Infinite Crisis, but next month the title changes to Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes. Of course, fans of Waid’s story don’t care what the book is called, or whether or not Supergirl is in it, as long as the story stays consistent. And as silly as I think Supergirl’s addition to this title is, I can’t argue with that logic. 32 Pages.
Lucifer #71, $2.75. Written by Mike Carey, Art by Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly. Instead of one large epic conclusion, Lucifer is wrapping things up with some mopping up. And that kind of is a good thing, if you think about it. All the loose ends tied up in one neat package, without rushing everything to fit into an explosive finale. Not bad thinking at all. 32 Pages.
Solo #9 $4.99. Written by Scott Hampton and John Hitchcock; Art and cover by Hampton. This month’s solo focuses on Scott Hampton, known recently for his work on Batman: Gotham County Line. Some of you mighty also remember him from the Devin Grayson/Greg Rucka Black Widow mini, the second one under the Marvel Knights imprint some time back (That was a great read, brings back memories), as well as his graphic novel “The Upturned Stone” as well as some work on Hellblazer and Books of Magic. Should be an excellent showcase of his talents. 48 Pages.
Superman The Journey TPB, $14.99. Written by Mark Verheiden and Gail Simone; Art and cover by Ed Benes, John Byrne and Nelson. Basic trade collection of the Superman issues impacted by Infinite Crisis and the countdown minis. Includes Superman #117, 121-125, and part of Action Comics #83. Good purchase for those interested in the complete Infinite Crisis story who don’t follow the Superman books. 144 Pages.
Swamp Thing Book 3 Healing The Breach TPB, $17.99. Written by Joshua Dysart, Art by Enrique Breccia, Ronald Wimberly and Richard Corben. Collecting issues #15-20 of the ongoing series. This really is the first I have seen this book mentioned in a long time – since issue #24 was out earlier this month, it seems that I just missed it all together. But the lack of buzz can’t be good, since the last I read anything about Swamp Thing, people were lamenting it. Maybe things have picked up for it? Maybe a once over the trade is in order… 144 Pages.
Teen Titans Go #28, $2.25. Written by J. Torres, Art by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker. Almost like a tease, this month’s issue focuses on a key aspect of the last season of Teen Titans – the Doom Patrol. Not much has changed since the show was cancelled officially late last year. Some of the execs at DC and Cartoon Network do seem to be a bit stung by negative fan reaction to the cancellation of Teen Titans and the uncertain future of Justice League Unlimited, and though haven’t said anything that amounts to a commitment, have implied that the end has not come for either series, and that we should hear something during a series of three announcements which will occur at the end of this months, through mid-March. With some luck, the folks at Cartoon Network will have come to their senses and commit to new seasons of BOTH shows. 32 Pages.
Vigilante #6 (Of 6) $2.99. Written by Bruce Jones, Art by Ben Oliver. Bruce Jones’s first post-exclusive series comes to an end, a month before he gets his start on Nightwing One Year Later. As expected, Bruce Jones has done a great job with this series, and all signs point to a satisfying ending. Should make an excellent trade read. 32 Pages.
Wonder Woman #226, $2.50. Written by Greg Rucka, Art by Cliff Richards. The last issue of Wonder Woman for a little while. It is kind of surprising that we haven’t yet heard when the new Wonder Woman series would be coming out. Conventional fan wisdom was that Wonder Woman would be out with a new #1 as early as next month, considering the terms of DC’s ownership held that the title had to be published regularly or ownership would revert to the Martson estate. Of course, those original terms stated only “four issues” (one would presume per year), so even under those guidelines, DC would be OK so long as Wonder Woman came back by November. Even so, it is doubtful they would have gone this long without acquiring a more firm ownership of the character. Still – you can bet Wonder Woman will be back sooner than later. 32 Pages.
IMAGE COMICS
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PvP #23 $2.99. By Scott Kurtz. It wasn’t always this way, but I find I am enjoying PvP far more in comic form than I am via Kurtz’s daily strips online. The concepts being presented in the comic each month are the best of the best story concepts, and while they aren’t necessarily bad, there are times when PvP Online just isn’t as outstanding as it has been in the past. Especially of late, perhaps due to some of the other projects Kurtz is working on. This issue focuses on the Brent death threat storyline. Another great one, be sure to pick this one up. 24 Pages.
Savage Dragon #123, $2.99. By Erik Larsen. Wow, it has been a while since I had to talk about Savage Dragon. Is Image getting this book back on track, as it did with Spawn? We can only hope. This issue follows Dragon, who has lost his regenerative powers, as he faces his “biggest challenge ever.” Savage Dragon is always a fun superhero book, and well worth a peak. 32 Pages.
MARVEL COMICS
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All New Handbook of the Marvel Universe A To Z #2, $3.99. Written by various. This is a much better way to approach the handbook series if you ask me – instead of breaking it up into little themes every month, just do it all in alphabetical order. Hopefully this leads to some nice encyclopedia later in the year – Marvel really needs something comparable in scope to the DC Encyclopedia. 64 Pages.
Amazing Spider-Man #529 $2.50. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Mike Deodato. So bone “stingers” huh? I was never one that got too upset about the organic webshooters. I mean, I liked the fact that Peter was a science geek who built the webshooters, but I could understand the idea behind the change, especially in reference to the movie. And the upcoming “Iron Spidey” costume, sure I hated it. Most Spider-Man fans really did. But then I figured that enough people would complain, the costume would become temporary, and that would be that. And since we are already being assured that it is a temporary costume change, it is safe to say I was right. But the Other was supposed to be a defining Spider-Man crossover, something meant to change Peter Parker forever. But bone stingers? Complete with his own snikt like “SHAK!”? Why would Spider-Man ever STAB anyone? Since when do Spiders have stingers? Spider-Man has gone from an insecure every-geek character who gained super powers through a tragic accident, was driven by guilt and loss, struggling to afford the very web fluid he used to do his work. Now he’s a Spider-Totem-god who’s married to a super model, lives rent free in a skyscraper, doesn’t want for anything, has the head of a major corporation designing and building him the latest high-tech costumes. And that’s not even taking into account the stingers. Am I the only one here who thinks Spider-Man might be broken? 32 Pages.
Arana 3 Night Of The Hunter Digest TPB, $7.99. Written by Fiona Avery, Art by Roger Cruz and Francis Portella. These kind of books seem to do well as digests, which is more than a good enough reason to keep putting them out. But no, Arana pretty well stopped with little to no ceremony. In fairness, this book was doing so poorly sales wise that even I can see Marvel’s logic in canceling it. This does serve to show the power of Marvel Marketing – when they pushed the book, it sold well. When they stopped, sales plummeted. If they’d put their muscle behind the titles that aren’t dropping, the ones that are barely staying afloat on their own, and left the big name books to sell themselves, the general health of the Marvel Universe would be a lot stronger. Collecting Arana #7-12. 144 Pages.
Black Panther #13, $2.99. Written by Reginald Hudlin, Art by Scot Eaton. The last issue of the infamous “bride-hunt” arc, which of course is leading to the much trumpeted Black Panther/Storm wedding. Comic readers are almost universally dispassionate about. Not that the match doesn’t make sense, but it seems almost out of left field. Outside of appearances together in alternate realities/universes, these two characters have had virtually no interaction with one another in recent memory. Fans care more about the Jessica Jones/Luke Cage wedding, not because they are bigger characters, but because their wedding is a legitimate and logical character evolution for them. If you ask me, that is way more deserving the title of “Marvel Wedding of the Decade” than Storm and Black Panther. 32 Pages.
Black Widow 2 #6 (Of 6) $2.99. Written by Richard K. Morgan, Art by Sean Phillips. About the only bad thing about this mini has been a few totally unnecessary political barbs. In fact, the story has been so good that the small bits of over politicizing stood out all the more. While I wish writers would stop using the explanation of a character’s motivations to justify political rants (I mean, come on, do you need to launch into a rant about how “no one wanted the war” when introducing a disgruntled ex-Navy Seal?), in this series it has been minimal enough to totally ignore. And in light of how good the series it, well worth doing just that. Hope this one wraps up just as well as the first one did. 32 Pages.
Book Of Lost Souls #5, $2.99. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Colleen Doran. The ad count has gone down considerably, which has only strengthened this book. Most people are buying it based on the writer, but the art is really the strong point of this book, and anything that helps the presentation is only going to be good for this title. 32 Pages.
Captain America #15 $2.99. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Steve Epting. This issue is billed as a stand alone which will set up the next year of stories on this book. Gotta say that is a fantastic idea. Captain America hasn’t been a must-read title in quite some time. And now that it is, some readers who were caught by surprise might be looking for a place to jump aboard. This issue would be it. A must-buy this week if you aren’t already reading Captain America. 32 Pages.
Exiles #77, $2.99. Written by Tony Bedard, Art by James Califaore. Next stop on the World Tour – the Squadrom Supreme Universe. And the team has a new member – one that is quite exciting to a lot of long-time Marvel readers (I won’t spoil it – if you want to know, look at the cover!). The title continues to divide some readers, some of which don’t really enjoy Bedard’s direction on the book. On the whole Bedard is doing a much better job than previous writers have on the book, so the title is at the very least solid. Something that you couldn’t really say at one point. 32 Pages.
Fantastic Four #535 $2.99. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Mike McKone. Big feature of this issue is the Thing out to rescue the Hulk. As interesting a dynamic as this is, it really is something we have probably seen a bit too much of these days. JMS fans are still enjoying his take on the team, but I can’t help but notice the total lack of buzz his run is getting these days. This arc in particular – JMS seems more interested in retelling a Hulk story than he is developing the Fantastic Four. Not bad, but certainly not groundbreaking. 32 Pages.
House Of M World Of M TPB, $13.99. Written by Reginald Hudlin, Ed Brubaker, Fabian Nicieza, and Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Trevor Hairsine, Lee Weeks, Tom Grummett, Patrick Zircher, and Michael Lark. This trade collects the various House of M crossover issues that dotted the Marvel line-up during the event. Included are Black Panther #7, probably the only example of T’Challa and Storm being “together” in recent memory (even then it is an alternate reality), Captain America #10, a solid story about an elderly Steve Rogers who was never frozen in time, New Thunderbolts #11,Cable/Deadpool #17, The Pulse #10, The Pulse Special Edition, and the House of M Sketchbook. Also out this week is the trade of the House of M Spider-Man mini, which was a fairly decent story on the whole. Both good items for people looking for the entire House of M story. 184 Pages. Also Available: House Of M Spider-Man TPB, $13.99, 120 Pages.
I Heart Marvel Outlaw Love, $2.99. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Jon Proctor. Another week of I *Heart* Marvel, this week’s issue focusing on a little villain love-story between the Answer and Ruby Thursday. Valentine’s Day is long gone, but this could be a fun read. 32 Pages.
Iron Man The Inevitable #3 (Of 6), $2.99. Written by Joe Casey, Art by Frazer Irving. This mini isn’t anything special, but it really isn’t supposed to be. It just seems like something that was put out to give Iron Man readers something during the ongoing’s “absence,” and along those lines, it is exactly what the doctor ordered. For fans of the ongoing, issue 6 is supposed to be out next month, and Marvel has solicited an issue every month so far after that. Hopefully things are getting back on track for the title. 32 Pages.
Kabuki #6, $2.99. By David Mack. Been a while since we saw the last Kabuki from Icon. This one is billed as a jumping on point for new readers, so if you are curious about it, this is the week to get it. Kabuki is an extremely visually interesting title that is really unlike anything else on the market today. 32 Pages.
Marvel Milestones Dragon Lord Speedball & Man In The Sky, $3.99. Marvel seems to be treating this more like an ongoing series these days, and that is a fantastic thing. The headline story in this issue should appeal to fans of the recent re-emergence of the Marvel Monsters, a story from Marvel Spotlight #5 introducing Dragon Lord. Also Speedball #1, a logical inclusion with his increased profile in the Marvel Universe these days. As always, a great way to brush up on some important classic issues. 48 Pages.
New Warriors Reality Check TPB, $15.99. Written by Zeb Wells, Art by Skottie Young. This really is a trade you should pick up. The New Warriors is one of those groups with a small but loyal fan base, and as a title it really deserves a lot more respect than it seems to get. Even this series though had some fans a bit hesitant, that was entirely due to Young’s cartoonish art style. It didn’t take too long to get past that, and this mini surfaced as one of last year’s most entertaining. With several New Warriors appearing in more high profile roles this year (Nova in Annihilation, Speedball in Marvel Team-Up and the I *Heart* Marvel issue), it would be good for unfamiliar readers to see them in a more traditional role. This series was cleverly written and was an extremely fun read. 144 Pages.
New X-Men #23, $2.99. Written by Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, Art by Mark Brooks. It really is a shame to see what has happened to this book. Not that it isn’t decent, it just isn’t great anymore. It used to be a beacon of what X-Men books were supposed to be like. But Marvel changed its whole focus. Now it really isn’t all that different than the other X-Men books out today, and that is not progress. It should still do well on name value alone, but it doesn’t have the quality anymore that made the title extra special. 32 Pages.Nick Fury Howling Commandos #5, $2.99. Written by Keith Giffen, Art by Eduardo Francisco. Second to last issue in the mini- so naturally it is probably best to wait for the trade if you aren’t already reading this series. This series hasn’t lived quite up to its potential, not devastating, but it hasn’t quite lived up to Giffen’s reputation. Can’t always have runaway hits, I suppose. 32 Pages.
Nightcrawler The Winding Way TPB, $14.99. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Art by Darick Robertson. The second trade from the series that finally looks to be cancelled for real. Not that any book deserves to be axed, but the fans weren’t really resonating with this take on the character, and Marvel just kept going back and forth about whether they should keep this title. Probably best for the health of the X-Universe all together to let this one end. Collects Nightcrawler #7-12. 144 Pages.
Sentry #6 (Of 8), $2.99. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by John Romita, Jr. This series certainly has been decisive. Some readers are loving it to bit, while others simply find it to be confusing. Perhaps it would have just been better to develop the Sentry anew in New Avengers, but considering the fact that Marvel really can’t keep Thor away forever, that is a tough shadow for a “new” powerhouse to come up underneath. Hopefully Jenkins can tighten it up in the last three issues to win back some of the detractors. 32 Pages.
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #3, $2.99. Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Takeshi Miyazawa. Spider-Man might be the first name on the title, but this is very much Mary Jane’s story. Hey, doesn’t really matter what you call it in the long run, as long as the story is the same, right? And it is. Old Mary Jane readers should continue to be pleased. 32 Pages.
Storm #1 (Of 6) $2.99. Written by Eric Jerome Dickey, Art by David Yardin. The Storm/Black Panther “march to the alter” starts with this mini. This story is being billed as “The epic, untold love story between Marvel’s two pre-eminent Black super heroes.” Two problems right there that are bothering some readers. The first the attention paid to their race – readers don’t want this to be a racial issue. They like Storm and Black Panther, and their skin color doesn’t play into it at all. Of course, if Marvel’s motivation to pair them up is based solely on skin color, isn’t there something wrong with that? But that issue is really secondary to the fact that this love story is, as the solicit says, “untold.” Manufacturing a romantic history at the last minute doesn’t make the wedding an epic event. The Jessica Jones/Luke Cage pairing is much more worthy this kind of attention. Marvel really isn’t off to a good start with this idea – hopefully they can pull something out by the time it is over. 32 Pages.
Supreme Power Hyperion #4 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Dan Jurgens. Supere Power’s time at MAX is coming to a close with this series, and quite possibly the end of MAX as a line all together. Pretty much the only MAX title left is Punisher, and one title doesn’t really make an imprint. I wonder if we will hear something more about the future of MAX once the Marvel Knights reorganization is over and done with. 32 Pages.
Thing #4, $2.99. Written by Dan Slott, Art by Andrea DiVito. Lockjaw! Dan Slott continues to prove that he really is the best thing Marvel has going for it these days. I personally loved seeing Arcade back on the pages of the funny books, and the fact that it was a great story to boot just made it that much better. Thing is definitely one of the best new Marvel books on the shelves these days. 32 Pages.
Ultimate Spider-Man #90 $2.50. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mark Bagley. This title is back to firing on all cylinders. For a long time the book wasn’t bad, but it seemed like it was stagnating a bit. But after almost 100 issues, you figure a writer isn’t going to be at top form 100% of the time. It is great to finally be enjoying Ultimate Spider-Man this much again. 32 pages.
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #2 (Of 6), $2.99. Written by Damon Lindelof, Art by Leinil Francis Yu. Pretty action packed, and we are only one issue into it! Wolverine fans are mouring the results of the first tussle, but are counting on Logan having a better showing in the inevitable rematch . It has to happen, right – we have 5 more issues? Personally the first fight was how it should go every time in my book – with all due respect to Wolverine as a combatant, he just isn’t in that league. I can understand the character’s appeal, but come on, it is the Hulk. Even in the Ultimate Universe, what chance does a guy with some sharp knives who can heal really fast actually have? 32 Pages.
Wolverine #39, $2.50. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Javier Saltares. Like most Way efforts, fans aren’t quite sure whether or not they like this latest arc or not. True it is a little more involved character-wise than some of the previous all-action Wolverine stories we got. But considering the importance of the story we are being presented here, you would expect things to be a little more intense and not quite as relaxed as this story has been. 32 Pages.
Craig’s Pick of the Week
Astonishing X-Men #13, $2.99, Marvel. Written by Joss Whedon, Art by John Cassaday. Well, Whedon and Cassaday have returned for another year of Astonishing (along with three variant covers, whether or not this is a good thing is certainly debatable), which can only be described as a good thing for the X-Universe. There were some controversial aspects to their initial twelve issue run to be sure, but even with all that, this title was written the way that readers want their X-Men team book stories to be told. Hopefully we are in for another year of that. 32 Pages.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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February 20, 2006
The Gamer’s Quagmire #12: Why We Need People Against GTA
The Gamer’s Quagmire: 12th Edition
- Jamison DeLorenzo
Gaming, humor, and insanity in harmony
After reading through all of the comments I’ve made about the lunacy surrounding GTA I firmly believed that the peak of idiocy surrounding the game was over. Thanks to a union of sex workers I have been proven wrong. This was last week, so it gave me plenty of time to ponder the situation as a whole. Am I being too hasty? Am I being to picky? Am I too much into gaming to properly address both sides of the issue fairly? Well, that last part isn’t my job. Investigative journalism was never my forte (and in some cases it’s not the forte at major news organizations either).
So once again we have another instance of a hissy fit against GTA. If nothing else it gave me a reason to laugh and put some more thoughts into words. It is this type of headline that caused me to start writing about video games six years ago in the first place.
You will have to forgive me, but because my position as a columnist here prevents me from obtaining funds to properly research all possible angles of this latest GTA hoopla. Due to the overwhelming restrictiveness of the UYOM budgetary system here (use your own money) I did not go out and seek the opinions of the actual workers. Instead I had to focus on the content available online with respect to this story.
When it was all said and done I had to side with the video game once again. Rockstar is not the pinnacle of company operations or ethics but they do make some of the best video games on the planet. At this point nobody can argue about whether they make the most influential one (you have to agree with that whether you like the game or hate it). Rather than simply letting this story slide and moving on to something fresh I had to stamp down my opinion one more time on this matter.
A message to everyone in the world: stop piling on the back of GTA. We get it- people like suing GTA. It’s the lawsuit flavor of the month (or decade, as it has been attacked since the release of Vice City). There’s nothing like trying to make a point that other people have already made with lawsuits. I understand that many lawyers are just after a quick buck or making a headline, but when groups start all suing one entity it becomes boring. Here’s a tip- try to make conditions better for real prostitutes before making life better for pixelated ones. And in case your think your true motives are well disguised let me tell you something- they aren’t. You want a headline and you want to further your cause any way you can- making claims against a video game used to the spotlight is a good way to do that.
Speaking of which, hey, did you see something in the news about invisible cola? Holy delayed action, Batman! It was possible to beat up prostitutes in GTA III. It was possible to do the same in Vice City. Now it is possible to do the same in San Andreas. And over a year after the third game was released these people are now just putting a complaint together. Nice. Hey, is it too late to sue Nintendo because I smashed my head on a pipe after having my pizza delivered by a guy named Luigi? No, wait, that didn’t work. Okay, is it too late to sue EA over getting into a car accident because I played Burnout I for 2 days straight and then went for a drive?
Okay, I messed up the lawsuit idea with Luigi. That’s an honest mistake. However, we are well beyond the point of confusing what GTA is about and what it may or may not promote. The game doesn’t advocate beating up prostitutes. Any character walking around can be beaten up. You can beat up gang members, soldiers, cops, businesspeople, pimps, shop owners, and any other pedestrian. All of these can be done just walking around and ignoring the story. Have any of those groups filed a lawsuit? The game simply doesn’t stop you from doing it. If Rockstar did decide that beating up prostitutes was somehow more sinister than beating up somebody else that would be placing prostitutes on a pedestal. Any bets on whether that would be sniffed out by Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman?
And before you get on my back about not being sensitive in this issue (okay, you may already have- give me time to defend myself now) let me say a few things. I understand how serious a crime rape is. I have seen how it affects people even that aren’t involved directly in it. Rape is a very vile act and probably one of the worst acts that exists in our world. That being said, there is no way this can happen in the game. A bludgeoning? A shooting? Vehicular manslaughter? Dismemberment? Pick your favorite way to break the penal code and have at it. Better still- perform any combination of these. If every possible negative act can lead to more serious negative acts then we may as well claim that shoplifting leads to murder. Not everything is a slippery slope. In real life it’s not okay to beat up people for the sake of doing it. And once again, the game is not promoting that activity. The players simply choose to do it. You can’t blame a company for society’s actions.
Speaking of playing the blame game (does anyone remember there a game called blame? All I can come up with is the board game Sorry!. A little more info would be helpful), making a legal claim because something ‘might’ happen is against our Constitution. Remember that pesky thing? Just as you can’t lock someone up because they might commit murder you can’t ban a game because it might encourage certain behavior (the fact that it categorically doesn’t is irrelevant to this point). A quick tip: Minority Report is a fantasy. Despite how other organizations work breaking the law and violating our Constitution is a bad thing.
For this reason, and others, courts have not placed the blame of any murder or violent act on video game companies. They also have not blamed television or cartoons for real world violence. They also have not blamed gun companies for shooting deaths (even as compelling as Runaway Jury is). It is perfectly fine to ask people to not play the game and even ask developers to not put something in the game. However, making a legal claim because you want to make headlines is not going to fly. At least it shouldn’t in a country that, as I’m told, is about, among other things, free speech.
(I tried to fit more commas into that last sentence. Apologies if I disappointed you.)
And in case you feel like I have may have been unclear with what I have said let me reiterate something- nobody in the game asks you to beat up prostitutes (a point which, ironically, has been beaten to death). You can make it through the game without even interacting with them. The players choose to do it. The players also choose to shoot people, blow up vehicles, break into military installations, and disobey every traffic law in existence. This points the problem, if there is one, to the players wanting to do this. Rockstar is quite good at creating a subculture game with mass appeal. If millions of people didn’t enjoy beating up and murdering people left and right this game would not have sold. It’s not as though advertising is the reason this game sells. This is like blaming the country’s addiction to caffeine on the big coffee companies.
While reading about another group complaining about GTA does amuse me I know I have made all of these arguments in the past. The more the world changes the more it stays the same I suppose. Understand that I am trying to see more than one side to every argument, but sometimes when you make an argument enough times you start to see a lot different things the same way. So I guess what I’m saying is that this new union making this complaint sounds a lot like what we saw from Hillary Clinton not all that long ago.
Next week I promise to talk about something different. Seriously.
This article is written and copyrighted by Jamison DeLorenzo and all thoughts are solely his and do not necessarily represent anyone else’s including anyone else at this site. This is a weekly article which deals with anything and almost everything gaming. Feel free to post comments or e-mail. Thanks for reading.
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February 15, 2006
On The Shelf This Week – 02.15.06
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE
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Conan #25, $2.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Cary Nord. A milestone issue, but it looks like Dark Horse isn’t marking it with anything special other than the usual good storytelling. It has been a little while since we really got to see Conan go up against anything remotely worthy in terms of combat, but since it looks like he will be pitted against an entire army in this issue that might be what we get. Looking forward to an action-packed issue. 32 Pages.
DC COMICS
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Batman Gotham Knights #74, $2.50. Written by A.J. Lieberman, Art by Diego Olmos & Bit. This title is set to end in one month, and Lieberman looks like he is going out by focusing on the two characters he was most notorious for his use of – Joker and Hush. The former for his very atypical presentation of, and the latter for his plain over-use of. This title lost its way long ago, and it is good to see that DC is finally putting it aside in favor of something else a bit more relevant for the DCU. 32 Pages.
Batman War Crimes TPB, $12.99. Written by Andersen Gabrych, Bill Willingham, Devin Grayson, Bruce Jones and Will Pfeifer, Art by Pete Woods, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and others. This trade collects the four part War Crimes crossover found in Batman #643-644 and Detective Comics #809-810, basically a follow-up to the War Games Batman event. In addition they have included some material from the Allies and Villains Secret Files one-shots from last year. A good read if you were a fan of the War Games saga, and missed these issues. 128 Pages.
Batman Year One Hundred #1 (Of 4), $5.99. By Paul Pope. This has the making of an interesting mini, which is saying quite a bit considering how mundane Batman minis tend to be. This story is set in 2039, 100 years after Batman started appearing in Gotham. The grandson of Comissioner Gordon, a Detective, must delve into the mystery and myth of the Bat in an effort to solve a murder. An interesting premise – this could be a good read. 48 Pages.
Birds Of Prey #91, $2.50. Written by Jim Alexander; Art by Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti. A little interlude before Birds of Prey fast forwards one year. Basically a fill-in issue, from the looks of it, there just wasn’t anything planned for this month, and since the whole OYL thing starts in March, they had to do something this month. This issue will be a rare one this month, in that it probably won’t tie into the whole Infinite Crisis thing, and certainly isn’t a part of any major ongoing story. A rare, true stand-alone issue. You don’t get those in comics too often anymore. A great book to pick up if you are at all curious about the characters in this book. 32 Pages.
Elfquest The Grand Quest Vol 13 TPB, $9.99. Written by Richard and Wendy Pini, Art by Wendy Pini and John Byrne. Another month, another Elfquest collection! This one collecting Elfquest (vol 2) #4-7, 9, 11-13, and 15-18. Not a bad price for 12 issues. Probably suited to Elfquest fans, of course, but it isn’t a bad purchase if you are fans of the genre. 224 Pages.
Hellblazer #217, $2.75. Written by Denise Mina, Art by Leonardo Manco. This is Mina’s second issue after Carey’s three-year run, and so far things seem to be off to a good start. This is especially good for those readers who didn’t quite enjoy Carey’s take on the character, as it is certainly different. A good book to sample still if you aren’t already a reader – it is still very early in her run, and titles like this do tend to be a little tough to get into once a writer gets deep into a story. 32 Pages.
JSA Classified #9, $2.50. Written by Peter Tomasi, Art by Don Kramer and Keith Champagne. The second JSA Classified this month, and Tomasi is wrapping up his Wildcat/Flash two-parter. Tomasi, of course, is the writer of the Light Brigade mini that I am so often raving about. The JSA, at least in its current form, has always been where the newer DC reader would turn to once they are ready to move past Superman, Batman, and the other top tier characters. This title makes it easier than ever to truly get into the guts of the DCU. Glad to see that nine issues into it, that is still true. 32 Pages.
Justice #4 (Of 12), $3.50. Written by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, Art by Doug Braithwaite and Ross. Much like Earth X, this series is proving to be a real snoozer. Much like my thoughts on Planetary, I expect to be lynched by many comic fans for that opinion though. Try as I might, I just can’t get through an issue of this series without nodding off. Not sure I will be able to finish it. Granted, they hardly need my endorsement, this book is doing very well off name power alone, and will probably finish strong. Still – I continue to be bewildered by the appeal. 32 Pages.
Kid Eternity, $14.99. Written by Grant Morrison, Art and cover by Duncan Fegredo. Collecting the three issue mini from back in 1991. Not sure why a fifteen year old mini would get collected like this unless they are hoping on a boost from Morrison’s increased profile these days (especially true considering his last three Vertigo minis were fairly disappointing). Of course, readers of Teen Titans might have noticed his return from death in last month’s issue, though a Showcase Presents collecting some of the old Quality Comics issues might be a better way to reintroduce the character to curious readers. 144 Pages.
Losers #32, $2.99. Written by Andy Diggle, Art and cover by Jock. Losers fans shed a tear – this is the very last issue. Losers was a divisive series, but it certainly had a devout and avid fan base, and though some who didn’t enjoy it aren’t batting an eye at its end, it is always sad to see a book with such a loyal fans cross the finish line early. No one likes it when their favorite books get the axe, and I certainly don’t like it when it happens to someone else. Never say never in comics, though – perhaps this concept will yet live again. Hopefully this is a worthy final issue. 32 Pages.
Loveless #4, $2.99. Written by Brian Azzarello, Art and cover by Marcelo Frusin. The ongoing that I really, really wish was a mini. When looking at Jonah Hex, you see how outstanding the western genre can be. Loveless, thus far, has represented everything that made people want to look elsewhere. Disappointing is the best way to describe this one. 32 Pages.
Manhunter #19, $2.50. Written by Mark Andreyko, Art by Javier Pina and Fernando Blanco. Final Manhunter issue pre-OYL, and that is exciting news. Mostly because that means that there is post-OYL issues, and that this book isn’t going anywhere! Once it was clear that the DCU was going to have a bit of spring-cleaning, that was a very real concern. This doesn’t mean I am going to stop hounding on you to read it, quite the opposite! The DCU is good right now, there is no denying it, but this is one of the best titles they have to offer. If you aren’t reading it, and many of you aren’t, you are really missing out. 32 Pages.
Sgt Rock The Prophecy #2 (Of 6), $2.99. By Joe Kubert. This issue is hardly worth mentioning, if only because this little blurb could write itself. As soon it was announced that Kubert was going to do a Sgt. Rock mini, you knew it was going to be great. And to absolutely no one’s surprise, it is. Great to see Easy Company back again, hope this isn’t just a one-time-only engagement. 32 Pages.
Superman Red Son TPB, $17.95. Written by Mark Millar, Art by Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Kilian Plunkett and Walden Wong. Basically a big What If? story, but still, not one that anyone had done before, so while the idea is almost a no-brainer, the story is worth reading. The premise is simple – the space ship carrying the infant Kal-El crash lands in the Soviet Union, instead of the United States. Definitely one to take a look at if the idea appeals to you. This one was a pretty decent read. 160 Pages.
Testament #3, $2.99. Written by Douglas Rushkoff, Art and cover by Liam Sharp. This is a series with some potential, but it is iffy as to whether or not it will actually achieve it. The story concept is a little tired – a future where people are forced to have electronic implants implanted by the government, and there is the whole “draft” thing, but Rushkoff seems to be trying to do something different by injecting a little biblical twist to the story, and he does deserve some credit for trying to do something different with it. Not bad, but not the almost instant classic status we come to expect from Vertigo ongoings. Still hope yet for this book though. 32 Pages.
IMAGE COMICS
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Girls #10, $2.99. Written by Joshua Luna, Art by Jonathan Luna. Man, this series can only be described as bizarre. So much so that it seems that the solicit writers couldn’t muster anything beyond “Are you afraid of Girls?” for their comments. But make no mistake – this series has been one heck of a read, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what the Lunas come up with next. If you can find the back issues on this one, you should pick it up. Otherwise, definitely be on the lookout for the trade(s). 32 Pages.
Spawn Manga Vol. 2, $9.99. By Juzo Tokoro. Something extra for fans of Spawn. Of course, if you don’t like manga style comics you should look elsewhere, but this is supposed to be a unique story, not based on existing Spawn stuff, so you aren’t getting a retread of classic Spawn here. A great buy for fans of the character. 200 Pages.
MARVEL COMICS
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Daredevil #82, $2.99. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Michael Lark. Goodbye Bendis and Maleev, hello Brubaker and Lark! As those who read #81 know, Matt Murdock is in jail, along side all of the villains he put there himself. And, of course, they all want his head. Doesn’t look like Brubaker is going to miss a beat, and you can definitely tell that he worked with Bendis for a very smooth transition. Don’t expect much in terms of new writer fallout here, Daredevil should stay right on pace. 32 Pages.
Essential Moon Knight Vol 1 TPB, $16.99. Written by Doug Moench, Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant, and Frank Miller, Art by Don Perlin, Mike Zeck, Jim Mooney, Jim Craig, Pablo Marcus, Gene Colan, Keith Pollard, Bill Sienkiewicz, Herb Trimpe, and Mike Esposito. This one is already on my pull list. With the new Moon Knight series upcoming, it only makes sense that we get something like this to reintroduce the character to those that aren’t familiar. Included in this collection are Werewolf by Night #32-33, Marvel Spotlight #28-29, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #22-23, Marvel Two-in-One #52, Hulk Magazine #11-15, 17-18, and 20, Marvel Preview #21, Moon Knight #1-12, and Marvel Team-Up Annual #4. If you like this, try and dig up a copy of the Marvel Knights High Strangeness mini, and the Marvel Knights team book he appeared in. It is great to see Moon Knight back, gotta say. 528 Pages.
Generation M #4 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Ramon Bachs and John Lucas. Hate to sound like a broken record, but these post-HoM minis are so much better than the event itself was. Far and away better. And this mini has ended up being way more true to the kind of book I wanted from the Pulse. Granted, it is pretty well over now, so unless you have been reading it from the beginning, you might want to wait for the inevitable trade. 32 Pages.
Giant Size Ms Marvel #1, $4.99. Written by Brian Reed, Cover by Rob De La Torre. Like most of the Giant Size books from Marvel these days, this one is mostly a reprint. But it has been a while since Ms. Marvel was a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, so maybe some readers could use the backstory. In this issue you will find stories from Captain Marvel #18, Ms. Marvel #1-2, and Ms. Marvel #20, and, of course, a new 16 page story from the writer of the upcoming ongoing. A nice way to warm up for a new ongoing. 96 Pages.
House Of M Mutopia X TPB, $13.99. Written by David Hine, Art by Written by David Hine, Art by Lan Medina. This was something of a controversial ending to the District X series. Hine’s District X was widely considered one of the best written and most compelling of all the X titles, and was credited with giving actual depth to the generally flat Bishop character. But the end of House of M kind of made the whole point of the series superfluous. So the mini got an extra issue to wrap up as many lose ends as possible, and the series was ended without the benefit of a real satisfying ending for the fans of the book. The loss of this series to accommodate House of M was a real blow to Marvel’s line-up that hasn’t yet been made up for in the aftermath. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made, this is true, but until House of M yields real progress for the X-Book, the loss of District X remains just bitter. 120 Pages.
Also Available. – House Of M New X-Men TPB, $13.99, Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, Art by Aaron Lopresti.
I Heart Marvel: Marvel Ai, $2.99. Written by CB Cebulski, Art by Kei Kobayashi and Tomoko Tamiguchi. Three short stories in this issue, and this week’s I *Heart* Marvel is one for the manga fan. A few interesting story potentials, with a story about the Scarlet Witch and Vision, Medusa and Black Bolt, and one with Eletkra and Black Widow fighting over Daredevil. Could be a fun issue. 32 pages.
New Avengers #16, $2.50. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Steve McNiven. This is being billed as the beginning to the biggest New Avengers arc yet – knowing Marvel’s tendency for hyperbole in their solicits, that should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Though they do appear to have something big on the horizon, with the introduction of the Collective to square off against the Avengers. Despite the controversial nature of this title, with respect to fans of the original Avengers, it has been a solid read, and there is no reason to expect that this arc will be any different. 32 Pages.
New Mangaverse #2 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by CB Cebulski, Art by Tommy Ohtsuka. When was the last time you saw two books from CB Cebulski out the same week from Marvel? They sure are reaching for those Manga readers. As you might expect, this series is outstanding – if you like the genre. It is action packed and far from padded, but the art, at least to me, is just bothersome. Never was a fan of the style, and this brand of manga certainly isn’t the restrained variety that I find to be tolerable. Expect lots of lethal looking guys and virtually naked heroines. If that is the kind of thing you like, you should be pleased. 32 Pages.
Punisher Vs Bullseye #4 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Steve Dillon. We are approaching the climax of this series, so you can probably expect a lot of action in this issue. But, considering the title characters, it would come down to a brawl eventually. Expect a easy, action-packed issue. 32 Pages.
Runaways #13, $2.99. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Adrian Alphona. Fans of Molly should enjoy this issue, as it looks like it will focus solely on her. After a fight, she is separated from her “team,” and must survive on her own until she can find the rest of the group. With luck, this will really develop her character. 32 Pages.
Sentinel Squad One #2 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by John Layman, Art by Aaron Lopresti and Norm Rapmund. Not expecting anything really groundbreaking from this series, but it does look like it is going to be a fairly solid action series. With some luck, though, this series will work into the upcoming Civil War event. At least, we can hope Marvel is planning with that much care. 32 Pages.
She-Hulk #5, $2.99. Written by Dan Slott, Art by Juan Bobillo. You know, about the only think I don’t like about this book are the pin-up covers. Greg Horn is a skilled artist, yes, but sometimes you want something a little more relevant to the issue than the sexy costume She-Hulk wears on the cover, you know? This title is more than good enough to sell itself on story quality without resorting to sex appeal on the cover. 32 Pages.
Spider-Woman Origin #3 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Jonathan Luna. This series was clearly meant to polish up Spider-Woman’s back-story for easy digestion, and on those lines it seems to be doing the job. Still not much beyond a companion to New Avengers though. In all, a fairly decent mini. 32 Pages.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #27, $2.50. Written by Mark Millar, Art by Greg Land. This issue is the start of a brand new three issue arc in which Reed attempts to alter history, making it so Ben never became the Thing. Basic time-altering tale here, expect a lot of attention paid to how the world is totally different, then some trigger that sets everything back to the way it was. Pretty standard formula here. 32 Pages.
Craig’s Pick of the Week
Batgirl #73, $2.50, DC Comics. Written by Andersen Gabrych, Art by Pop Mhan and Jesse Delperdang. This is the last issue of Batgirl, and that is sort of bittersweet. This title floundered for a bit, but it really started to pick up again once Ganrych took over the writing duties. As an ending goes, this one could be called worthy. There is no way to tell exactly what we are going to get in the new Batwoman book, or even if Cass will be a part of it. Assuming the worst for Cass. , this isn’t too bad a way for her to go out. Still, hopefully this isn’t the last we see of her character. 32 Pages.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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February 13, 2006
The Gamer’s Quagmire #11: How To Confuse an Analyst
The Gamer’s Quagmire: 11th Edition
- Jamison DeLorenzo
Gaming, humor, and insanity in harmony
We are now two months into the next generation of consoles thanks to Microsoft’s aggressive strategy. The 360 created a lot of fanfare for its launch as it needed to. Sega knew that in order to make an impact with its Dreamcast it had to launch early, have a bunch of great games available, and then maintain a serviceable console. This was the direction chosen for the 360, and after two months what have gamers seen? Project Gotham Racing 3, Dead or Alive 4, and Call of Duty 2 are the only titles that exude any mass appeal. Do you think that Sony is nervous yet?
Sony is finally making statements that the PS3 will be launched here in the United States by Christmas, so the 360 will have about one year to make its statement before the real square-off begins. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will all be producing games for their latest product. We are just starting to see what all the massive hype was about last year. Quite naturally we now must listen to what people think about who is going to be this generation’s gaming champion.
It does pay to be blissfully ignorant on consoles and just wait for the systems to come out, but being a person who is dying to know when to budget in a new television to take advantage of the new games and which platform will have the intriguing games I had to spend time reading about what Sony’s plans are. We’ll get to Nintendo soon enough. About the only thing we know for certain now is what each console is going to be technically capable of. This is where Sony and Microsoft seem to be doing their biggest battle.
Surely this is not surprising considering Microsoft’s initial entrant into the gaming universe. The only reason the XBox did as well as it did was because of its technically superior system. Of course when you launch well after the PS2 you would almost insist that it be a more capable machine… otherwise why launch in the first place? The PS2/XBox generation showed us that a console could be for more than gaming- it could be for watching movies too. The original PlayStation started getting people thinking about turning the console into a multimedia center. It was the first console to have games in CD format instead of cartridge. Now we could use our console to play our music CD’s!
Considering now that cellular phones can be used as an address book, to surf the web, to make calls, for playing games, for cooking breakfast and re-tarring a roof consoles almost have to be a far more advanced machine. Why did the Gamecube flounder? Among the reasons was its design- who wants a console which requires these really small discs? The whole concept of a console with a handle for carrying was extremely scary for a lot of people. People want their consoles to be for more than just gaming now because in the long run it saves them money.
(Incidentally, the Gamecube should be exhibit A of how culture can play a big role in where a console will succeed. Nintendo, housed in Japan, produced a small console that did not penetrate the U.S. market nearly as well as it did in Japan. Microsoft, housed in the U.S., produced a large console that did not penetrate the Japanese market nearly as well as it did here. It really is that simple, yet people still like arguing about it.)
When business magazines start talking about the PS3 being too technologically complicated I get quite flustered. What does this mean exactly? This new consoles going to be the first to showcase a high-definition DVD player which Sony itself has developed. Sony has more riding on the PS3 than just gaming dominance- they need their Blu-ray technology to succeed considering how much money they have invested in it. Analysts are falling in love with using the PSX as a reason why they are skeptical of Sony this time around due to all of the parallels between that machine and the PS3.
All I have to ask is- so what? Did people ask questions when the PS2 offered a DVD player? Did people get nervous when Microsoft added a hard drive to the console? No, these machines flew off of the shelves. These machines sold because they were cheap, portable, and had multiple uses. The XBox was a great console for some people who didn’t want a gaming device but wanted a cheap computer or server. I’m sorry, but the PSX failed because nobody really ever understood what it was and it retailed at over $800.
(And if you don’t even know what I’m talking about that should show you how badly that product failed.)
Nobody is going to walk into an electronics store, see an XBox 360 or PS3 and care about every last little function of the console. People will ask what games it can play and stop caring after that. Gamers will know what they want before going into the store and parents will know what games their kids are asking them to get. Are there any other parts to the equation that I’m missing here? Okay, so it can play movies. Oh, it can stream music through the house too. If anything that’s a cost savings for those buying $400+ devices for their living room. I think that’s a good thing.
Still, I cannot tell you what people will think of the new PS3. The 360 has been doing well so far but it has not met the earliest of expectations. There are not a lot of good games out there for it right now, and there may not be a lot of fervor that gets people interested in the console until a big game comes out for it. A lot of people just sit back and start invoking Halo 3 as the big game, but you have to remember that every big gaming franchise starts with the first big hit. Halo was a surprise smash hit. Battlefield was a surprise hit. The same goes for Knights of the Old Republic, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Devil May Cry, and Katamari. It does help when a sequel in a big gaming franchise is released (a concept eluding Square at the present time), but you need good gaming developers to create the next big franchise hit for you.
No matter how many different ways you try to construct the argument, the console wars will be won or lost with the games and not with the technology. Sure, Nintendo is definitely taking a big gamble by ignoring HD technology with their next offering, but we know they are still focusing on creating a great gaming experience. Sony and Microsoft want to give gamers a powerful console that excels at more than gaming and everyone who would be interested in purchasing a console understands that. They also know that they need to produce games that people will want to play if they want to avoid the fate of the Gamecube.
The terms PlayStation, XBox, and Nintendo are all synonymous with gaming. Both Microsoft and Sony’s consoles have the same capabilities and nobody complained about how they were being marketed. If you think about it the previous generation of consoles offered everything that these consoles do except HD-quality video. So please do yourself a favor and ignore market research from business magazines on gaming consoles. Just like politicians, they just don’t understand gaming yet.
This article is written and copyrighted by Jamison DeLorenzo and all thoughts are solely his and do not necessarily represent anyone else’s including anyone else at this site. This is a weekly article which deals with anything and almost everything gaming. Feel free to post comments or e-mail. Thanks for reading.
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