SMG’s true accomplishment, I think, is designing these huge (and beautiful) worlds to explore while keeping the game so accessible. At no point did I feel lost, although a fair bit of searching and sweating was done at times, especially in getting the last 10 stars. But it was real good. And Super Luigi Galaxy was good too :)

In the near-future AR (augmented reality) is everywhere, thanks to a break-through in technology. But there is a dark side to it; mysterious creatures (illegals) that some say are viruses appear, and there are rumors of kids ‘getting lost’ in the AR world; their souls having left their body and unable to return to it.

This 26-part series tells the story of a couple of kids as they unravel the secrets of the dennou coil and the secrets of their own past and their relation to each other, I found it riveting, watching the entire series in one go. The animation is of a high quality, the storyline gripping and moving, the near-future tech interesting. Overall, it reminded me a little of Lain although it is less bleak and with a faster pacing.

And by hard I mean hard. No pussy-footing around here.

This series started life as a novella in which characters representing villain, victim, and rescuer would switch places during the course of the narrative. Donaldson found the result unsatisfying, and the book was shelved until he had the idea of setting a retelling of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in the same universe, and casting the characters from The Real Story in roles from Wagner’s opera.

The Real Story novella became Volume 1, and the rest of the series explores the Wagner theme. The series is not the Ring Cycle explicitly retold, but more an interpretation set in a future universe.

Like the author’s other major work, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, the story can be very dark and bleak at times; but it draws you in, takes you along for the ride, and what a ride it is. Some of the best hard-SF I’ve read in my life.

Childhood friends Arumi and Sasshi are residents of the Abenobashi commercial district in Osaka, Japan. After an accident, they find themselves transported to an alternate sword and sorcery world. Their attempt to get back to reality finds them traversing a series of nonsensical worlds built on science fiction, war, fantasy, dating sim games and American movies. Each alternate Abenobashi is a surreal manifestation of Sasshi’s otaku interests, populated by analogs of the protagonists relatives and acquaintances.

The story manages to be both outrageous and funny in its many sexual references and geek parodies which vary from episode to episode and touching and heartfelt in the larger storyline which spans the 13 episodes.

Good news everyone!

How cool is this? After giving up all hope of Futurama ever being revived we get not one, but four DVD-only movies!

I’m walking on sunshine!

Bender’s Big Score is a Futurama fan’s wet dream, tying up or adding on to earlier side-stories while weaving a zany time-paradox story filled with geeky jokes and making fun of itself and everything else, and ending with a cliffhanger that will make the next one seem so far, far away.

88 minutes of yummy Futurama goodness with the original voice cast means yaaaaaay. Now bite my shiny metal ass!

Heehee, here are the first keywords from the IMDB Entry :
Nudist, Spacecraft, Robot, Christmas, Asian Woman, Cult Favorite, Computer, Disembodied Celebrity Heads, Actor Playing Multiple Roles, Scientist, Professor, Alien Creature As Pet, Destiny, Criminal Syndicate, Studio Logo Parody, Hero From The Past, Delivery Boy, Technology, Cult Cartoon, Cyclops, Science

What’s not to like?

The story of Planetes follows the crew of the DS-12 “Toy Box” of the Space Debris Section, the purpose of which is to prevent the damage or destruction of satellites, space stations and spacecraft from collision with debris in near-earth space.

The episodes sometimes revolve around debris collection itself (and features highly realistic settings and orbital mechanics), but more often the concept of collecting “trash” in space is merely a storytelling method for building character development.

I found it a very engaging series and while it is not for everyone it is certainly worth watching.

I’ve seen better.

Remember those point-and-click-to-walk puzzler arcade adventure games of the golden age? Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest, Monkey Island?

This game revives that long-lost love of mine, adds modern graphics and animation, deep puzzles, and proper use of the Wii remote. I hear the sales of this game are generally not going well, and that is a shame, because it is a really, really good game.

I generally love Charlie Stross’ books (I’ve read pretty much everything the man has published). Atrocity Archives: fantastic. This book: not so much. I fear the Bob Howard stories are going to become somewhat of a franchise not unlike Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Some of the ‘humorous’ foot notes were toe-curlingly bad. It started out good, but near the ‘climactic’ end I stopped caring entirely and battled my way through.

I still like Charles Stross, but I can’t recommend this book. Or rather, I would recommend you read any other book by him. Go read Accelerando, Halting State, or Atrocity Archives.

This was worth the wait. This was very, very, VERY much worth the wait. What an awesome game. It looks gorgeous. The sheer size and scale of it alone should be enough to blow you away, but add the smooth control scheme, story, music, animation, cut-scenes and you end up with the best Wii game to date. The bosses are huge and wacky, the levels range from nice and slow at the start to insane and bizarre after you collect some 50 stars (I hear there are 120 stars/levels) and playing it is a joy.