Thursday, January 31, 2008

Issue #3 Soon

Hey everyone,

As you've no doubtly figured out Issue #3 is going to be a bit late. You have my apologies, but my work schedule just got out of hand and I fell terribly behind. But I'm busting my hump to get it together for a February release and I'm gonna do my best to get Issue #4 out on time in March as planned. But Issue #3 is coming along very well and I'm actually thrilled with some of the art. The stuff is looking better with each issue. Perhaps one day it will actually be good. But I just wanted this post to let you guys know that I am hard at work and haven't forgotten about you guys. Well that's all for now folks. Adios.

- K.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Best of 2007

Here's my best of 2007 for Movies, Music, and Video Games. So here we go.

TOP 10 VIDEO GAMES

10. Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360, PS3)
Beautiful graphics and interesting game play got it in my top 10, but a bit too much repetativeness prevented it from placing higher.

9. Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
Call me old school, but I love a good side-scrolling adventure game. And the Castlevania games have always been some of the best. Dracula X keeps the faith.

8. Lost Planet (Xbox 360, PC)
A lot of folks probably forgot about this game as it came out in January. But Capcom gave fans of giant robots all we could ask for in this mech smashing, alien blasting, memory wiping adventure.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Link is back again with the classic Zelda format which normally would have been enough for me, but throw in some killer touch-screen integration and you've got a Top 10 Game.

6. Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2)
Music games are all the rage and Harmonix just does it best. After handing off Guitar Hero III to Activision, the folks at Harmonix decided to kick it up a notch and add vocals and drums to the equation. Tack on the killer downloadable content that's been available from day one and you've got yourself a winner.

5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, DS)
Sure, the market is saturated with first person shooters. But the guys at Infinity Ward are some of the best at it and that's saying a lot considering this years competition. The guys finally nailed the perfect campaign and multiplayer combination.

4. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Bungie aren't considered the guys who reinvented the FPS for no reason. Halo 3 combined an awesome campaign mode with a fucking tremendous multiplayer mode with countless game-types, plus video/photo capture, and map editing! My hat's off to you Bungie.

3. The Orange Box (Xbox 360, PS3)
What can I say? Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 & 2, Team Fortress, and Portal all in one box. What? Are you on crack? Go buy it now!

2. Bioshock (Xbox 360, PC)
2K Boston completely pushed the boundaries of epic storytelling in this game. Oh yeah, and it's fucking fun as all hell and amazing looking. And c'mon you can shoot bees out of your hand! BEES!!!

1. Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
Bioware made Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which is pretty much one of the best games ever. Mass Effect is actually better. I shouldn't have to say more, but I will. The level of exploration is wonderful, there's tons of side missions, the combat is real time with some pretty bad-ass moves, and the conversation system is revolutionary. And to top it all off, the story is fantastic.


TOP 10 ALBUMS


10. Against Me! - New Wave
Against Me! may not be subtle but they sure know how to write a good punk song with socio-political lyrics. And this album is just too much damn fun to listen to!

9. John Schmitt - John Schmitt
Okay, I might be a bit biased considering John and I have been friends since 1999 and have played music togther on and off over the years. But it doesn't make this record any less tremendous. Heart felt lyrics, beautiful melodies and wonderful arrangements make this a must have album.

8. Tegan & Sarah - The Con
Tegan & Sarah don't need to con anyone about their songwriting skill. The indie folk sisters and crew still churn out some of the best music out there. And The Con just continues in that vein.

7. Lemuria / The Ergs - Split EP
Okay, I'm not usually huge on splits or EP's but this one is just too damn good to not be included this year. Lemuria bring their wonderful indie-pop goodness to the table while the Ergs show why they're on the rise as one of the best pop-punk bands out there and their cover of "Hey Jealousy" is just not to be missed.

6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder
Lots of folks thought CYHSY were going to be a one-time thing when their self-titled debut record blew away folks in 2005. But they were wrong. Some Loud Thunder shows the artistic growth of a band that's going to be around for a very long time.

5. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
The Arcade Fire's 3rd album does not disappoint. While it's not as memorable as Funeral, it's still as an anthemic as its predecessor and a masterpiece in its own right. The Canadian rockers stay true to form with lush arrangements and thoughtful lyrics making this a must buy.

4. Get Him Eat Him - Arms Down
Get Him Eat Him are probably the best band you've never heard of. Electro-pop meets indie-punk on GHEH's 2nd full-length album. And it's a wonderfully odd record that cannot be missed.

3. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine continues to put out some of the best indie-folk period. The songs on The Shepherd's Dog seem more lush and layered than anything that's come before it, making it that much more of a rewarding experience to listen to.

2. Elliott Smith - New Moon
Elliott Smith may be long gone, but as unreleased songs keep turning up he continues to be one of the most profound and heart-wrenching song writers of our time.

1. The Gunshy - There's No Love in This War
The Gunshy is at the top of his game with this newest release. The songs are based on letters written by this grandfather during WWII and are absolutely heartbreaking. Matt Arbogast is truly at his best on this record and shows a true return to form not seen since No Man's Blues.

TOP 10 MOVIES

10. 300
Zakk Snyder's adaptation of Frank Miller's epic graphic novel not only realized the fantastic art style and story from Miller's original work but added to it!

9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Okay, I am a self-proclaimed Tim Burton whore. The only movie he's done that I didn't like was Planet of the Apes. But Todd thrilled me. From the wonderful songs, to Burton's signature style, and Depp's terrifying turn as the killer himself this movie was gold.

8. Aliens versus Predator - Requiem
Finally! AVP done right! Now don't get me wrong this is no Ridley Scott or James Cameron film. But it finally feels like a proper heir to the Alien and Predator franchises.

7. The Hitcher
This flick bombed in the theater, but was a great remake of the 1980's original. Is Sean Bean as creepy as Rutger Hauer? No, but he's way more badass. And the scene with the Trans Am and "Closer" is fucking amazing. Still the most memorable scene of the year.

6. Planet Terror
Man, I could kiss Robert Rodriguez for this movie. Everything I've ever loved about B-Movie Horror is in this flick. Zombies, Babes, Michael Biehn. I could not have asked for more.

5. Spider-man 3
Admittedly this is probably the worst Spidey flick to date. But there were some really tremendous action scenes, the casting was spot-on as always, and Venom was just badass (albeit not in the movie nearly long enough.)

4. Transformers
Transformers was the only movie this summer that I did not walk out of disappointed in one way or another. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. Sure the characters weren't the most indepth ever, but when push comes to shove we just wanted to see the Autobots and Decepticons throw down anyway.

3. Halloween
Okay. I hate Rob Zombie's films. Hate. But this just proves what the guy can do with some solid source material. I enjoyed the background and fleshing out of Michael Meyers. It just really brought the character into the real world. Though one can't help but wonder if Zombie is capable of writing characters who aren't white-trash.

2. Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End
Captain Jack Sparrow returns in this wonderful final chapter of the Pirates saga. My only complaint is that the sword fight between Jack and Jones wasn't long enough. But I really cannot complain about anything else in this film. And I give the guys a lot of credit for not trying to cop out to some fairy tale ending!

1. Live Free or Die Hard
After far too many years doing stuff I could care less about (except Sin City and Planet Terror) Bruce Willis returns to form as John McClaine doing what he does best. Now I gotta be honest this would not have made it to 1 if it weren't for the Unrated Cut on the DVD that truly feels like a Die Hard flick as opposed to the PG-13 version released in the theaters. But it's got all the bang for your buck you could ask for. So thank you, Bruce, for a return to form.