Archive for June, 2010

More Info On Upcoming 40K Titles Released

Jun
28

We’re all big Games Workshop guys here at the Way of the Game. Blood Bowl, Space Hulk, Dawn of War, you name it. THQ unveiled some 40k titles this E3, so it’s about time we posted up some info about them.

The first up is Space Marine. Read more »

LurkerWithout’s Sunday Trade: Dynamo5

Jun
27

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Dynamo5: Post-Nuclear Family written by Jay Faerber, drawn by Mahmud A Asrar, colors by Ron Riley, letters by Charles Pritchett

Captain Dynamo was one of Earth’s greatest heroes. Blessed with super-human strength, flight, enhanced vision and eye-blasts, telepathy and shape-changing. And then he was found dead, naked in a motel room. Which lead to his wife finding his little black book and learning he was a philandering asshole along with being a super-hero. Seeing the city he protected up for grabs from his old foes Maddie, the widow, tracked down five kids from her husband’s affairs. And then exposed them to the radiation that gave her husband his powers. Each of them then gained one of their previously unknown natural father’s powers. And joined together as Dynamo5…

Faerber writes good old-fashioned super-heroics with just enough of modern day dramatics to keep things interesting. Though the most enjoyable part for me is how well Faerber crafts non-standard families as team books. He was one of the few people other than Nieceza I liked as New Warriorswriter and he also writes the ultimate in dysfunctional super-hero families Noble Causes. WithDynamo5 you can see the five Dynamo kids organically grow and bond together, both as a team and as siblings…

Solium Infernum Saturdays, Part VI

Jun
26

Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well. – Samuel Butler

As I mentioned in Part V, I’ve been taken out of the game that I’m using as the basis for this blog. I won’t lie, this is making it extremely difficult to follow what’s going on. Players who are eliminated from the game can monitor what’s going on as far as the game board goes, but they don’t get the turn-by-turn reports about who’s demanding what of whom, what events are being played and such. I’m basically blind, but I’ll do my best to keep up.

Also, apologies for not having a map this week. It takes a fair bit of time to construct the maps, and I’m already behind schedule.

Baphomet worked his way north until he reached a point when he was within striking distance of Lillith’s stronghold. Lillith realized she was in trouble and approached Baphomet with a proposition. She said that she’s excommunicated, so she can act against anyone with impunity. Lillith argued that if Baphomet allowed her to live, she’d work on his side, afflicting Baphomet’s enemies with rituals from afar so he can sweep in and finish the job.

Baphomet accepted Lillith’s terms.

And on the next turn, he smashed Lillith’s stronghold.

Read more »

The Way of the Game – Episode 28

Jun
23

We’re back on our regular schedule with our E3 wrap up show.  Hopefully you enjoyed our early coverage and experimental commentary.  Next year, if we’re not physically at E3, we’ll have to actually make plans for doing more direct coverage.

Alex, on vacation from the world, basically, spent the week playing with a ton of XBLA games his brother “gave” him: Castle Crashers, Snoopy Flying Ace, Toy Soldiers, and Beat Hazard.  Also distracting him from his E3 watching duties has been Splinter Cell: Conviction.  Apparently, it’s quite good.

Jonathan has been focused on the E3 coverage, and so hasn’t played much.  The rest of the ‘cast is devoted to the announcements from E3, and who won what.  Our choices might surprise you.

The Way of the Game – Episode 29

Jun
23

It’s finally time for our Best of 2009 Show!  Woo!

Before we get into that, Alex talks about some of his recent micro-purchases, including a table for Pinball FX and a couple of games in the XBLA Game Room.

Jonathan has received his invite to the OnLive Service, and after a few days playing with it, he has some thoughts.

Once we’re done with that, we get into our lists, and we’ve got contributions from around the web, as well: Tim White from Return to Northmoor, Tony Mast from the Back Seat Producers, David Pinilla from the Podge Cast, Chris Engler from Wapcaplets, RiB from Down Under Gamers, Mike from Bear Swarm, and Jim Brown from the Internet!  We’ve got some surprises, and we’ve got some really obvious choices, but all in all, I don’t think you can really complain about any of the games on anyone’s list.  They’re all awesome.

Enjoy!

LurkerWithout’s Sunday Trade: The Rabbi’s Cat

Jun
20

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The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar, with colors by Brigitte Findakly

Joann Sfar is probably my favorite European comic artist, especially with his normal partner Trondheim. Here he tells the story of an Algerian rabbi and his beautiful daughter as narrated by their cat. Literally so as the cat becomes able to speak to humans one day…

Sfar’s art richly supports the simple story of the widowed rabbi’s attempts to teach his cat proper morals, followed later by his work to come to terms with his daughter’s marriage to a Parisian rabbi from a cosmopolitan Jewish family. I especially love several panels where the cat is shown reading the Torah. And those involving the rabbi’s cousin Malka who travels with a rifle and lion…

Solium Infernum Saturdays, Part V

Jun
19

Turn 24 in our Solium Infernum game could be best summed up with this map.

I’m out. As expected, Lillith’s Chosen struck my stronghold, overcame its defenses and conquered it.

However, not all went as planned for my betrayer to the east. Read more »

The Way of the Game Presents: Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference

Jun
15

You’ve heard of commentary podcasts.  You’ve read tech conference liveblogs.  We at the Way of the Game has mushed them together to create a commentary track for Microsoft’s 2010 E3 Press Conference!

You’re going to want to pull up the press conference video for this one, folks, otherwise it could be really boring in spots.  We used the official feed from Microsoft (which has been redirected to GameTrailers.com), and started the video at 31:30.  We also provide a bit of description of what we’re watching as we’re watching it, so if you get your feed from somewhere else, you’ll hopefully be able to sync up with us.

Let us know what you think of the press conference, our comments, or the commentary experiment in general in the comments below or our forums!  And be sure to join us tomorrow when we give Nintendo and Sony the same treatment, hopefully in quicker order.

The Way of the Game – Episode 27

Jun
14

It’s our first pre-E3 episode, which is why you’re getting hold of it early.  Before we jump into E3 speculation (and music game debates), there’s some game talk.  Jonathan has parted company with Demon’s Souls, but he’ll be back for more later.  Alex’s elves were destroyed by goblins in Blood Bowl, and he’s thrilled with Bad Company 2.

We want you to contribute to our Best of ’09 show in a couple of week.  Deets are here.

Our E3 preview covers the Nintendo 3DS, next-gen motion controllers, the new keytar, and which company has the most to prove (Hint: their name starts with an “S” and ends with an “ony”).

LurkerWithout’s Sunday Trade: Nomad

Jun
13

Nomad: Girl Without A World written by Sean McKeever, pencils by David Baldeon, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters Joe Sabino & Clayton Cowles

Ok so heres the set-up. Rikki Barnes is originally from an alternate Marvel Earth created by Franklin Richards as a place to stick Onslaught or something. Don’t ask, Rob Liefeld was involved. But there she was Bucky to that world’s Captain America. And then in some heroic self-sacrificing thing she ends up on the regular Marvel Earth. Once again don’t ask, Leifeld AND Jeph Loeb this time. After an attempt to meet the new Captain America after Steve Rogers death she ends up changing her id and costume to those of a d-list Cap ally named Nomad. Then she has to deal with mind control at her new high school. The whole thing being written by McKeever, whose last teen supers book was a simply dreadful Teen Titans run…

BUT despite all that this was an enjoyable mini-series. One that leaves me interested in continuing to follow the writer and character on the upcoming Young Allies. Its McKeever writing at the level he was at before going to DC for awhile. Makes me wonder if its just the different editorial styles of the two companies…