There I am in my Whiskey Media "I'm a Wizard..." shirt (which I DID have to pay for, just in case anyone thinks us interns get special privileges) holding a goblet of...magic potion...let's go with that, on Friday, June 10th 2011. E3 technically ended yesterday, but we're still putting up videos, and I have COMPLETELY checked out mentally. You can hear me on ComicVine's podcast, and read me on their frontpage, though that probably won't be til the weekend. I'll also probably show up in various Lemon Lense/Kessler Kams, so look for me there. I think this is gonna be the first blog that i don't post to the forums. Keep this one for my loyal followers. Hope you guys enjoyed our coverage, it was absolutely insane around here, though not as insane as it was in LA I'm sure. Oh and expect a full-on blog about the E3 experience. Long story short: it was one of the most intensely incredible experiences of my life, even though I didn't actually GO.
Look at him...confused by our simple box technology.
Two weeks later and already a ton has changed. By now you've all been introduced to Ben (or GlenTennis as you probably know him better as), who arrived two weeks ago (kinda. More like a week and a half). He's assumed many of my previous responsibilities, including the AnimeVice trailer updating, and I had to train him. He's also tall like a tree, so training him was an effort, I had to get a bullhorn and stand on a footladder to communicate on even the most basic level. And the most basic level is all he understands, so I need to make simple hand gestures and symbols. This week will also see the return of Matthew Kessler Bodega the Third, Esq. to the Whiskey Media family of sites, so I'm learning from the master now. At least that's what he tells me. He's also promising/threatening to integrate me and Ben into his future video features, which has a vaguely sinister tinge to it, doesn't it?
Speaking of learning, my job's become a great deal more complicated what with posting trailers for Giant Bomb, which has vastly more stringent standards of formatting both on the internal naming and what appears on the site. There have been stumbling blocks, some more glaring than others, but overall it's been a great way to learn about aesthetically pleasing formats. On that topic: have you seen the Giant Bomb Facebook page? Cause it's pretty great...and I'm not just saying that because I'm the one who posts most of the links on there. The other Whiskey Media sites have Facebook pages too, but you'll have to look at that OTHER guy's blog to get those links, cause let's face it, you came here, you want to hear about me.
Return of the Kingtern
And hey, SPEAKING of the other Whiskey Sites, you may have heard your friendly neighborhood intern on Comic Vine's podcast over the last few weeks, which has been great for a few reasons, most notably I didn't ask for it. Ethan essentially wanted to know if I'd like being on the Comic Vine podcast and I had to think about all the various ways I'd like to say "yes." I wasn't nearly boisterous enough my first time and was encouraged to cut loose and be a bit more of a presence in the future 'casts. I've apparently been doing a fine job and I've been learning a lot about professional-level podcasting, which is great for me since I've always wondered what goes into one of these things and actively participating in one really is the best way to find out. I've also been talking about comic books for free for YEARS, I had no idea I could get paid for it.
But wait! There's more! Whiskey Media quests are hot like the surface of the sun and I've been writing most of them across the board. So if you've liked them, that was ME and if you didn't...those parts were all Daniel's fault. I tried to talk him out of them, but he refuses to listen to reason and then he gets all knifey. Writing these quests has been a great way to express myself creatively in small bite-sized chunks. Writing's always been one of my passions but it's been tough to find time to do any in my freetime, so it's nice to find time in my professional life. Of course they're pretty limited in their subject matter, but it's much better practice to have to write with limitations than total freedom.
Editor's Row buzzes with activity
Apart from that, we're all gearing up for E3 (yeah, even the non-Giant Bomb Whiskey Media folks are, in their own ways, since it will probably touch every facet of the sites) and I'm limbering up my trailer header/deck typin' fingers to be inundated. I've actually had a few people ask me if us interns are going to E3, and the answer to that is HEEEEEEEEEEEELL no. They wouldn't let me anywhere near that event, and with good reason. As much as I've learned and as far as I've come, I don't even know what I'd be doing there as I'm not anywhere near the level of professionally writing about the biggest event in videogames of the year. Still, I'll be making my own contributions and lightening the workload and isn't that what's REALLY important? Aren't I the REAL hero in this story? Yes, and yes.
Holy Magilla Gorilla, has it already been a month? It seems that way, but my journey to this internship began a whole month and a half ago. HUGE difference. I started following Ethan (resident community manager) on Twitter a few months back and I saw an update on his for an internship at the Whiskey Media Offices. Now, I'd applied for such an internship when it got posted on the actual forums a few months ago, but had heard nothing back. I figured "Oh well, it was a longshot anyway" and promptly forgot about it. Until I saw that Twitter post and sent Ethan a PM. Thus did the ball begin to roll and an interview was scheduled. I wore the only tie that I own and suited up to make the best impression I possibly could. I also borrowed my roommate's peacoat because the nicest coat I own is a leather jacket.
Editor's Row The interview went exceptionally well, though I only knew that in retrospect because HEY! Here I am. It started with Ethan asking me a few questions about certain things I'd do if I got hired, what my interest in the Whiskey Sites was, how long I'd been a fan, etc. I had a hard time with that "stuff I'd do if I got hired" part, but the interview continued. Phase 1 done with, I then met Whiskey Media marketing mastermind Daniel, who was certainly more...casual, I'll say, in his approach. His approach was more of a "Hey! How are ya? Who are ya?" He was accompanied by ComicVine maven Tony and Screened senior puppy correspondent Rorie, the latter of whom I'd actually met outside the office a couple of times. They ran me through a gauntlet of some of the best, most strange, interview questions I've ever been asked. It was also ridiculously stressful because I've been in the workforce for about a decade now, and I'm really, really good at job interviews because they're mostly the same thing regardless of where you go. A job interview at most places amounts to "how well can you answer these questions that we got out of a management book that was written twenty years ago for use in high-rise office buildings?" This wasn't like that at aaaaaaall. These were questions that were so well integrated into the interview I wasn't sure if I was just shooting the shit, or if I was actually being interviewed anymore. I'm still not entirely sure which was what. There was also a tour of the whole office sectioned out in the interview, and I was asked to stick around and meet the office dog Chloe, who is adorable as long as you approach her the right way. I also got to watch Tested record a segment, and it’s crazy to watch those crazy videos actually get filmed. Again, it’s not like what my preconceived notions were like at all, it takes a lot of professionalism to look that casual and funny. In any event, I was called in to moderate a TNT chat (MKvsDCU) and apparently I did well enough to earn a job offer. Which was met with utter jubilation on my part, of course.
My workspace complete with coffee. Day 1 was pretty standard first day stuff, except that I was suddenly surrounded by people I’ve watched and respected for close to a decade, but they were all pretty laid-back, which was good because I was a powder keg of nervous energy. My primary go-to people were still Ethan, Daniel and Melissa, who handles a lot of the logistics for the office and control room, because here's something that a lot of people may not get just by perusing the sites: the Whiskey Media editors and engineers are BASICALLY working constantly. I’ve never been so surrounded by people who start working the moment they come in and don’t stop until they leave. Don’t get me wrong, they still chat and whatnot, but it’s almost always WHILE they’re sitting at their computers typing away. Or filming. Or playing a videogame FOR filming or reviews. Day 1 concluded with a massive impromptu staff party in the fabled Bar Area that pretty much had me intermittently gushing like a fanboy and remaining completely silent for large stretches to listen to crazy-insider stories about the various industries that everyone had worked in.
Days 2 & 3 were the infamous Whiskeyocalypse, so that was certainly a baptism of fire. It went from me struggling to find stuff to post to me struggling to parcel out my time so that I could do everything that was required of me and STILL moderate all the new chats that were suddenly springing up due to all the livestreams. I also found time to make it into the semi-finals of the Mortal Kombat: Scrub League invitational and blurted out “Full of win” loudly and proudly on-camera to over 7,000 people. My internship was going amazingly. Things settled down from there, and I’ve fallen into a pretty decent groove of updating AnimeVice (described accurately as my first trial), getting food, sending out mail, creating quests...you know, intern shit. I’ve also become a regular on the ComicVine podcast, which is amazingly fun and very informative, and am posting trailers on Giant Bomb which has, hilariously, resulted in more followers than all my chat hosting combined.
He stalks your dreams. There are two things that really stand out to me so far: one is that I answer the phone, which is usually just someone wanting to be let into the building, but almost every day there is at least one call from someone who has no idea who we are and is either trying to get walkthrough help or tech support, TECH. SUPPORT. on a videogame. These are particularly hilarious when they somehow don’t believe me when I tell them we don’t provide those services and try to convince me to help them. The other was Whiskey's nomadic son Alex Navarro. We wished him farewell to him on Friday (Saturday for some, but I was too in my cup to make it to that) and I have to say that I feel sorry for the interns who are coming in after me because Alex stood out as extremely approachable and extraordinarily helpful. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the editorial staff have been helpful, particularly since I've become more acclimated, but Alex specifically came off as more laid-back, and, again, approachable right off the bat. I'll conclude by saying that it's interesting that I’m it, too which is kinda cool because I feel like I’m learning at an increased rate and getting a more personalized experience. Apparently there’s going to be a deluge of new talent coming in, and I’m about to become KING INTERN! Only to be slain by my son and he by his and on and on like some grand, Greek tragedy. Keep tuned into this blog for more updates.
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I just played the DA2 demo again and I have so much to say, so I figured instead of starting a million different forum posts, I'd just put it all in a blog.
I Love the New Darkspawn
Okay, I lied, I already started a forum post about this, but I just can't help myself. The new darkspawn look is awesome. We learn in the last game that darkspawn are created by corrupting humans, elves, dwarves and Qu'nari into hideous monsters. But the darkspawn in DA:O look almost exactly like orks from any other fantasy series, specifically the Lord of the Rings movies. They're vaguely reptilian-humanoid monsters who tend to hunch over and use scavenged, corroded equipment. In this, they appear to be twisted, corrupt, insane versions of the creatures that they were originally created from, and I think that takes great steps to differentiate this from other fantasy games/books/movies.
Learning From Our Fallen Brothers
Something I noticed in my second playthrough of the demo was that there were locked abilities for all the party members that corresponded to both "Rivalry" and "Friendship," and both were essentially polar opposites of one another. The tragically flawed Alpha Protocol (check my lists for more on why I liked that game just fine) used a similar system by which alienating your allies could be just as useful as embracing them. Alpha Protocol did a lot of things I hope to see in future RPG games, but this is one of the most interesting and I'm glad to see it used in a game that's guaranteed some level of success. Hopefully it'll catch on in other games so being a jerk can still pay off.
Better, Stronger, Faster
I've only played through DA:O once, despite loving the living HELL out of the game. This is because it's so laboriously paced that I can't see putting ANOTHER sixty to eighty hours into it while I still want to play other games. Part of this stems from the combat which, by Bioware's own admission, takes from Baldur's Gate 2, which was itself an extremely slow-paced game as it had to adhere closely to the Dungeons and Dragons system. That Dragon Age II is taking a much more brisk pace to the combat, including attack animations and "charge" moves that get characters into melee combat with a quick strike, is a welcome change. I understand the desire for a throw-back, but a game that was made a certain way out of necessity and one that was made that way stylistically are very different.
Finally...
There's nothing much negative to say about the game, other than I really hope it doesn't hitch and load as much in the final version, but I really love what they've changed. They seem to be shooting for the same tone while not just resting on the incredible sales of their previous iteration. That's something I admire about Bioware: they're not afraid to change a formula netted them great sales, even if it means potentially alienating a few users. Bioware seems to have paid close attention to the flaws of the original and taken real steps to fix them. I'm more excited for this game than ever, which is pretty much the point of a good demo.
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The best way I can think to describe this game with shorthand, which is a practice I actually hate doing but recognize the benefit of, is God of War meets Assassin's Creed by way of Jak and Daxter. If that sounds like a mish-mash, that's because it kind of is. The combat is the usual character-action game fare, weak hit, strong hit, combine them to combo, etc, etc, but the traversal is very Assassin's Creed-like in that you jump from handhold to handhold and even have context-sensitive jumping. There were a couple of times I found myself rolling up to a ledge instead of jumping over it, but the game doesn't seem to allow you to roll off the ledge, which is nice of them. The Jak and Daxter part comes from some gameplay I saw in the post-demo trailer that looked like it'd have you riding a disc at incredible speeds down a river, using your staff as a projectile weapon (firing blasts from it, not throwing it) and generally seemed to have the same varied, platforming-based gameplay that made Jak and Daxter famous. Overall I have to say, this demo REALLY impressed me. Coupled with the Quick Look, I might actually pick this up. The graphics are easily the weakest link the chain, but I've never played games solely cause they look pretty, and I'm not gonna start now. The animations are really fluid so far and there are some cool cinematic touches, like when you take down the final enemy, it does a quick zoom-in on the killing blow. I also REALLY like the character design I've seen so far, the fellow is burly and intimidating, but still lean enough that his ridiculous acrobatic feats aren't ENTIRELY unbelievable and the lady is, gasp, not just eye candy, but that's a whole other rant. Well done, demo. You've won at least a rental.
I was recently terminated wrongfully. I won't get into details cause I'm not sure of the legality of going into detail, but the City agrees with me so I got on unemployment. I'm making about half what I was, but it's more than enough for rent, real food and the occasional vidja game or movie. While I seek out a new job, I thought I'd start a new blog series where I review food and drinks. Usually it's gonna be cheap stuff, (hence the name) but I'll go into some higher end products as well. Why choose a videogame/movie site for this? Well, that's an interesting question...here's my first review. I'm going to do a drink and a food, though that won't always be the format.
7-11 BBQ Pork Sandwich
The first step to enjoying this food is to take a step back and ask yourself, "How did I get here?" Are you like me and you lost your job and have to tighten the belt loops? Or rather expand them if you're thinking of eating this with any regularity. Is it 1AM, the party's kinda winding down, but you're not going to sleep anytime soon? 7-11s are useful in this regard because most of them are open all night and they've got food on the cheap. This is actually my favorite of all their health-free sandwiches. The sandwich itself is a pair of buttery buns between which sits the equivalent of a McRib sandwich. For those who've never had one, it's essentially cheap, fatty pork meat covered in Bar-B-Que sauce and shaped like a tiny rack of ribs. It is also delicious. The meat is chewy and tender, also ridiculously fatty, and the BBQ sauce is the sweet, rather than the smoky, variety. Here's a little trick for stretching out the fillingness as well as the nutritional value: most 7-11s come equipped with a hot dog bar with things like pickles, cheese, onions, nacho cheese, jalapeños etc, but the staff doesn't really care what you use them for as long as you've paid for it. Throw it in the microwave and add whatever toppings you like. Toss in a bag of chips and you've got something a lot closer to a meal than it has any right to be. It's tasty, it's filling, and the extra toppings don't cost anything. The whole thing shouldn't set you back more than $5. But what to wash it down with?
Mike's Harder Lemonade (21+ only! 18+ if you're in Europe)
Mike's Hard Lemonade is exactly what it sounds like: lemonade with about as much alcohol as beer. It's an attempt to be a less girly Smirnoff Ice and it really doesn't succeed, but hey, once again, if you're at a party and there's nothing left, you can do a lot worse. For instance: Mike's Harder Lemonade. Harder is to Hard as malt liquor is to beer with everything that entails. It has almost twice as much alcohol in it (~8%). This stuff WORKS, but my God I can't recommend it. They've had to add massive amounts of sugar to mask the flavor of cheap alcohol and it's sickeningly sweet. It IS effective if you want to get drunk quickly, but it also results in some of the worst hangover you're likely to experience, even IF you drink a lot of water. At the end of the day, if you absolutely must get drunk, or continue to be drunk, you can do worse, but not without the words "Steel" and "Reserve" in the name.
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I've never really been much for online gaming for a number of reasons. Prohibitive use of time being chief among them (I like to diversify my game playing, I don't really have time to play one enough to get a good at it let alone multiple ones), but the fact that online users seem to be slavering lunatics devoid of social graces or even souls is a close second. However when Street Fighter 4 (and subsequently Super Street Fighter 4) swept through my group of friends and I was languishing at the bottom of our hierarchy, I knew that would have to change. Long story short (too late!): I bought it on PS3 (and later on the 360, long story) and started playing it, got pretty decent, yadda yadda, now HERE'S where our little tale takes off. I played a few matches, mostly against Shoto-by-numbers characters, so the first time someone beat me handily with someone OTHER than one of those three (I think it was Dudley, a character I was looking into using) I decided to send him a congratulatory message. To my shock, he replied with a positive. "Interesting," thought I, "but probably more of an exception proving the rule scenario." I tried it again under similar circumstances and HOLY SHIT! Same damn thing happened. Again and again I sent people who I had what I felt were great matches, and again and again I got either positive responses or no response. I've never been insulted, even by people I completely wail on, nor have I ever had a negative response. Hell my Gamertag is Lex Jewthor, I thought that alone would inundate my inbox with hatemail! I am shocked, SHOCKED! Is my experience a crazy outlier, or have any of ya'll had experiences vastly better (or worse) than you expected?
After seeing the very well produced trailer of The Force Unleashed 2, I was left with one very strong impression: "Nice...too bad the gameplay will likely be nothing like that and will just be clubbing storm troopers futilely with your light saber." My first impression after seeing the first half of the Metal Gear Solid: Rising trailer was: "Incredible...psh, too bad it'll probably turn out like Force Unleashed and be about as effective at cutting as a baseball bat-OH HOLY SHIT! He just cut that guy into THIRDS!" How has Kojima Productions made a more effective Jedi game than Lucasarts ever did?? Why do movies get to dismember but videogames don't? Will there be a way to EAT the delicious water melon you've just cut in half? I need ANSWERS, people!
Well Zach, it seems like we've come to the end of our little adventure. Greenvale was certainly an experience, wasn't it? I think there's only one man who had a worse time passing through a small town. We first saw his adventure in 1982, though if you're much of a reader you could've experienced it much earlier. Heh, a movie based on a book, that hardly narrows it down, does it? Zach, I'm talking about First Blood, the first movie where you and I met the character John Rambo. He was played by Sylvester Stallone in what turned out to be a fairly brilliant turn. Brian Dennehy played a small-town sheriff who was...well, rather antagonistic to our hero. Hm, maybe George took some lessons from him on antagonizing out of towners. You know, Zach, a lot of people remember that movie as being very violent, but it's not really that bad. Sure, a few of the characters get pretty roughed up, especially the one who gets those wooden spikes in his legs, but no one dies. What's that, Zach? You're right, one of the deputies dies, but it's really his own fault. Rambo himself doesn't even kill anyone in the first movie. How strange is that? In the later movies he racks up a body count that would rival some small towns, but in the first, he was more of a persecuted character. Isn't that interesting? All he wanted was to be left alone, but when a local sheriff can't help but bother him, all Hell breaks loose... Sorry, Zach. I must have drifted off thinking about those old eighties action movies. First Arnold and now Sylvester. I guess George is having more of an impact on us than I originally thought. I remember seeing First Blood and being shocked at the dignity and even humanity of the main character. Even at the speech he gives at the end of the movie, it's really quite moving...well the parts you can understand. Too bad ol' Sly Stallone can be a little tough to understand at times. Zach, were there any action movies that caught you off guard with their depth the first time you watched them? Related to: Deadly Premonition
I live in San Francisco and I was getting a burger with a buddy and I SWEAR J Allard walked in and sat down. There was no hoodie blazer, but it was the SPITTING IMAGE. Can anyone confirm? Does he live in San Francisco?
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