Worldbuilding Challenge: The Gods of Blackbloom

Worldbuilding Challenge: The Gods of Blackbloom — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy the excellent xeedee Once a month, instead of flash fiction Chuck calls upon his readers to contribute in a worldbuilding exercise he's doing. One of the few things we know is: The gods walk among men but are forgotten and unrecognized. Nobody believes in them anymore. Some say the gods are dead; others simply do not remember them. I took this notion and ran with it along with my affinity for trickster spirits, and came up with the following for his latest challenge.

Men may have forgotten his name, but once they called him Brightflower, Smirk or simply the Jackal. He can assume any form of any size he wishes, but prefers to walk as a man among them, since they're so amusing to him. He toys with their perceptions, slipping secrets between his half-truths, but he never lies. Despite his cheerful, playful and jocular demeanor, he's still got a temper. The other gods tried to curtail his shenanigans by helping men call him a lord of lies. In response, he helped the people of Blackbloom forget the gods – including himself – ever existed.

I guess we'll find out soon, as Chuck is taking the challenge to a biweekly schedule. This will get interesting!

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Blue Ink Alchemy

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Hannibal

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Hannibal — Blue Ink Alchemy

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/hannibal.mp3] After two truly excellent films and a somewhat passable prequel, we come to the fourth and final installment in our look at Hannibal Lecter. Like the other movies based on the novels of Thomas Harris, we're presented with a charismatic and compelling villainous protagonist, shown dark recesses of the human condition and are at least somewhat creeped out by the goings-on. But Hannibal, to be blunt, doesn't measure up to the truly excellent Silence of the Lambs and the very good Red Dragon. Let's peel it apart and find out why, shall we? At the core of any decent film should be a decent story, right? I mean, fun films can get by with gaping plot holes and one-note characters - a common criticism of most superhero flicks, even decent ones - but to make a film with something approaching meaning the story has to be solid. And while the story in Hannibal never really smacks of total implausability, every once in an while a moment comes where you feel like Thomas Harris either chuckled at the thought of skeeving his audience or dialed up a bit of lurid absurdity to underscore the fact that a novel like Silence of the Lambs adapated into a film that wins five Oscars doesn't really need a sequel. But getting paid is nice, I guess. So, the premise: Hannibal's absconded to Europe and tries to get a steady job as curator at a museum. Special Agent Clarice Starling is struggling to coordinate operations but keeps getting the short end of the stick on account of having boobs. A faceless man - literally, this man has no face - is on the revenge warpath for Doctor Lecter and a Florentine police officer who has yet to notice the oddly-dressed gentleman free-running on the rooftops is beginning to suspect that his erudite, polite American is more than he seems. Seriously, when are Americans erudite and polite? There's gotta be something up with the guy.
His leering is nowhere near as creepy as Hannibal's default state, so Starling is completely unphased. If there's one thing that approaches salvaging the film, it's Sir Anthony Hopkins. His portrayal of Hannibal remains pitch-perfect, equal parts cold menace and disarming charisma, and he's always fun to watch. What made Silence of the Lambs so great and Red Dragon a success, however, was that he was supported by excellent material and a talented cast that kept up with him. This is not to say that Julianne Moore, Ray Liotta and Gary Oldman (face or no face) aren't talented, but Anthony just leaves them in his dust here. I don't think it's the fault of the cast, honestly, nor of Ridley Scott the director. The writing is where this one falls short, and while there are glimmers of truly interesting conversation thanks to David Mamet, the big weakness that causes people to assault this film for massive damage is its focus. In the other two films I keep raving about, the focus is on character development and interpersonal drama. They're deeply psychological films, every bit as much explorations of the darker corners of the human mind as they are tense murder thrillers. Hannibal, on the other hand, is a gorefest. As it's wearing the dressings of Florence and the mannerisms of Hannibal Lecter, it doesn't have the naked self-indulgent gore of Saw or any other current horror flick you'd care to name, but it certainly likes to slice and dice its way through its running time. It takes no time to develop the new characters that are introduced other than one-note traits that verge on stereotyping, and the established characters unfortunate enough to not be Hannibal Lecter are left flat and uninteresting, mere passengers on the Cannibal Express. I say this is the writing's fault because Julianne Moore has been in several fantastic films carrying more than her own weight, Ray Liotta was stellar in GoodFellas and Gary Oldman is one of the most talented character actors I've ever seen. I don't think they were intending to play characters who are so completely flat, but that's what they were handed.
Hannibal is considering eating her raw. ...Um. There were warning signs from the beginning that this would not end well. Both Jodie Foster and Jonathan Demme, originally foregone conclusions in the continuation of Hannibal's story, walked away from the project due to the direction it takes and the proposed changes to Clarice's character. The funny thing is, Ridley Scott asked Harris if he was married to his original ending, and Harris really wasn't. In fact, the impression one gets is that Harris has little to nothing to do with this project at all. It's unlike Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon to such a degree that if you change the names of the characters, it doesn't lose a thing, and neither do those other stories. There's an underlying cynicism to the whole affair of Hannibal that makes me wonder what Harris' real motivation was in writing the novel. Was he prompted to do it due to Hannibal being so interesting, or did the studio hound him for another story, driven by the success of Silence of the Lambs? Whichever's the case, the feeling one gets upon examining this odd and disappointing specimen is that it was completely unnecessary - unnecessary to write, unnecessary to make, and unnecessary to watch. Save yourself some time, and read the excellent and hysterical Hannibal in 15 Minutes by Cleolinda Jones. She even lifts lines and moments directly out of the film. Things like Gary Oldman not having a face and Starling's disturbingly funny lines and Hannibal carefully preparing bits of brain in a saute pan. I swear, she is not making that stuff up. Josh Loomis can't always make it to the local megaplex, and thus must turn to alternative forms of cinematic entertainment. There might not be overpriced soda pop & over-buttered popcorn, and it's unclear if this week's film came in the mail or was delivered via the dark & mysterious tubes of the Internet. Only one thing is certain... IT CAME FROM NETFLIX.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Show, Don't Tell

Show, Don't Tell — Blue Ink Alchemy

You're going to see this, a lot, if you're starting out or struggling as a writer and you get up the gumption to put your work in front of the eyes of another human being. Show, don't tell. At the most basic level, it means you should always have characters doing things and events happening in such a way that the audience is shown what is going on, instead of simply telling them. I can tell you from experience that it isn't always obvious. We can't always look at our own work and say "Oh, yeah, I'm telling the hell out of this and need to be showing more." Sometimes, yes. Other times we're too focused on other things, such as conveying what we feel is enough information, or getting through a tedious portion of the story to get to the "good stuff". I know it's a trap I've fallen into before and probably will again. I really don't feel I can give a lot of advice on this, as it's something I myself struggle with, but when I'm told I'm telling instead of showing, there are a couple things I do in an attempt to alleviate the issue. I include more dialog, or inject more action. They're really two parts of the same solution, as characters doing something is always preferable to them doing nothing. And if you're rattling off expository information and doing little else, your characters are idle. Show them in motion. Engage them in conversation. Weave the information you need to convey into other elements, from small talk to gunfights, in order to show your meaning instead of just telling it to the audience. Your characters, after all, are what they do, and how they say what they say is often just as important as the words coming out of their mouths. The more you show them in action, the more they come alive for your audience and the less exposition is necessary. Writing the words "He felt frustrated" doesn't have quite the same impact as "He frowned, turned away from the equipment and kicked the wall hard enough to leave a crack." Do you have other examples? Classic literature, modern movies, something of your own? How do you show instead of telling?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Heart of the Swarm: Armchair Impressions

Heart of the Swarm: Armchair Impressions — Blue Ink Alchemy

Yesterday I promised I would go over the pending changes in StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm in detail, and I do try to be a man of my word. Without further ado, here's my take on the changes coming for the Terran, Zerg and Protoss races.

Terran

The core gameplay of the Terrans looks to be remaining unchanged. You can still create "bioballs" of Marines, Marauders and Medivacs and try to roll your way to victory. The standard mirror match composition of Marines, Siege Tanks and Vikings also looks to be viable in the expansion. But with the unit changes coming, I for one would like to see some variations in Terran strategy. I'll admit, as someone who once looked up to Optimus Prime, there's a part of me that's all for declaring "Hellions, transform and roll out!" every now and again. And combining the two transforming units, Hellions and Vikings, into a single force for highly mobile scouting, harassment and map control appeals to me. I can't shake the feeling that part of the reason the Hellion attack changes from a line to a cone in walker mode is because people kept whining about how much they miss the Firebat, but given how slow Hellions in battle mode are compared to how Firebats worked, I see them filling different roles. The Firebat and the Goliath both made cameo appearances in the Wings of Liberty campaign, and fans of the original game have been clamoring for them to come back. Instead of the Goliath, however, Blizzard introduced the Warhound, a medium-cost walking mech unit with decent anti-mech ground attacks and rapid anti-air. The Thor has been bumped up to the "hero" tier once occupied by the Protoss Mothership - more on that in a moment. The nice thing about the Warhound from where I sit is that it fills a necessary niche in mech-heavy armies but isn't the sort of thing you can just spam for the win. It must be part of a balanced force with a specific focus, and I really dig that. It's the reason I liked the Aspect Warriors of the Eldar in Warhammer 40k, but let's stick with one nerdy strategy game at a time. The thing that really bothers me is how it looks. It feels too... delicate for Terran. Terran units tend to have a bulky, armored look to them, balanced by the sweeping curves of the Protoss and the spiky bits of the Zerg. The Warhound seems a bit spindly. Finally we were introduced to the Shredder at BlizzCon. Yet another Factory-produced unit, this tiny robot gives Terrans some new options for controlling their opponents. I'm assuming it's going to be less costly than the Siege Tank, as that tends to be the go-to example for Terran static board control. It sets up a radiation field that does damage over time to any unit standing in or passing through it, as long as the unit is not friendly. This mechanic, again, points to developers wanting Terrans to put a little more thought into map placement and unit control, instead of just holding down a button or two to coast to victory. Other Terran changes include a speed boost on cooldown for Battlecruisers, Reapers regenerating outside of combat but losing their demo charges, Ghost cloaking getting tweaked and of course Thor changing to a one-at-a-time "hero" unit. Overall, I think the changes are going to shake things up a bit for Terrans, and this is a good thing, as no race in StarCraft should be pigeonholed into a single strategic line of thinking.

Zerg

So the Zerg are at the core of the upcoming expansion, with the storyline of Kerrigan continuing and all sort of variations on Zerg broods being introduced. But the focus of much of the buzz was on the multiplayer units. Zerg is a macro-intensive, reactionary race, and there was speculation as to what changes Blizzard would make to help the gameplay remain vital in the expansion. Enter the Viper. Currently, Zerg players need to evolve an Overlord into an Overseer to have mobile detection capabilities. The Viper will be able to inject other Zerg units with a parasite that turns them into detectors, eliminating this somewhat superfluous evolution. The Viper also coughs up a noxious cloud that obscures vision of ranged units, reducing their effectiveness. Finally, you'll soon hear Zerg players bellowing "GET OVER HERE!" as the Viper has an ability in the style of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, pulling high-priority units usually relegated to the backs of groups to the forefront for easy elimination. Put these elements together and you have a diverse, airborne caster unit that speaks to the versatility, adaptability and overall scariness of the Zerg. I think it's going to add a lot to Zerg play. The only other brand-new unit the Zerg seem to be getting for ladder matches is the Swarm Host, described as an artillery unit. When burrowed, this prolific little Zerg produces tiny creatures called Locusts, that rush to their rally point to devour whatever's in front of them. An individual Locust has, at this point, about 90 HP and a basic melee attack, but if there's a line of Hosts outside the enemy base, each producing two Locusts every 15 seconds, and suddenly your opponent is being starved out of their base and you have another entire host waiting for them to storm out. It allows a Zerg player to exert more control on the enemy and gives them some breathing room to expand, tech, or build forces. Ultralisks have often been ignored by Zerg players, but with the burrowing charge ability they're getting, I expect we're going to see a lot more. When a Zerg player evolves to Hive technology, Hydralisks will be able to move much faster and Banelings, the adorable kamikaze bombers of the swarm, will gain the ability to move while burrowed. Did I mention burrowed units are essentially cloaked? It's a frightening prospect, which might be why I like it so much.

Protoss

I can't speak to the Protoss situation any more than I can the Zerg, as I'm still struggling to get out of Bronze League focusing on Terran, and the new season is likely to be no different. However, I have noticed that a lot of Protoss players seem to either go for all-or-nothing early attacks or build up a huge ball of death for the assault. Very little raiding goes on. The Oracle will seek to change that. This flying unit, designated as support, does some very interesting things in the early game. Its two main abilities lock down structures' production and prevent minerals from being harvested. Without attacking workers, they deliver a one-two punch that can cripple the enemy economy, allowing the Protoss to dash ahead to bigger and better units. The Replicant is a robotic unit that uses nanotechnology to clone an existing enemy unit. Rather than adding another body to the core army of the Protoss, the Replicant is meant to allow Protoss players more flexibility in responding to enemy pressure and tactics. Photon cannons take a while to set up, while a Replicant can pop a Siege Tank or Shredder into existence for some impromptu map control. Likewise, a Replicant can become an Infestor or Banshee for quick harassment while the death-ball gains mass. I can see where Blizzard is going with this, but I have to admit, my initial reaction was that they were taking the piss. The Protoss will boast a new capital ship in Heart of the Swarm called the Tempest. Its primary attack is an area of effect anti-air pulse designed to clear the skies of light air units such as the Viking and Mutalisks, long the bane of many a Protoss fleet. It also has an air-to-ground attack to supplement the other units in said fleet, and from what I understand, it dominates the skies with its crescent shape. It appears to be more efficient at what it does than the Phoenix, but in light of an unseen cost I can understand Protoss players railing against it. That unseen cost is the loss of the Carrier. A quintessential Protoss unit, the Carrier is being nixed because of its size, build time and the fact that few pros are using it. Same for the Mothership. Instead of this massive, expensive unit that is almost always the primary target of the opponent's entire army, the Protoss will get a recall ability on their Nexus that works similarly to the Mass Recall ability of the Mothership, but has more flexibility. The Nexus will also acquire a defensive ability that should deter mineral line harassment.

Conclusion

Overall, I think Blizzard is doing the right thing in tweaking certain aspects of the playstyles they're seeing in Wings of Liberty. I can't speak to the viability of the new units or how the changes will affect the games to come, as I neither got a hands-on experience with them nor do I play all three races. However, hopefully there will be a public beta period where I can give these new units and tactics a try, and will expand on my thoughts then.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Heart of the Swarm: Armchair Impressions

Heart of the Swarm: Armchair Impressions — Blue Ink Alchemy

Yesterday I promised I would go over the pending changes in StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm in detail, and I do try to be a man of my word. Without further ado, here's my take on the changes coming for the Terran, Zerg and Protoss races.

Terran

The core gameplay of the Terrans looks to be remaining unchanged. You can still create "bioballs" of Marines, Marauders and Medivacs and try to roll your way to victory. The standard mirror match composition of Marines, Siege Tanks and Vikings also looks to be viable in the expansion. But with the unit changes coming, I for one would like to see some variations in Terran strategy. I'll admit, as someone who once looked up to Optimus Prime, there's a part of me that's all for declaring "Hellions, transform and roll out!" every now and again. And combining the two transforming units, Hellions and Vikings, into a single force for highly mobile scouting, harassment and map control appeals to me. I can't shake the feeling that part of the reason the Hellion attack changes from a line to a cone in walker mode is because people kept whining about how much they miss the Firebat, but given how slow Hellions in battle mode are compared to how Firebats worked, I see them filling different roles. The Firebat and the Goliath both made cameo appearances in the Wings of Liberty campaign, and fans of the original game have been clamoring for them to come back. Instead of the Goliath, however, Blizzard introduced the Warhound, a medium-cost walking mech unit with decent anti-mech ground attacks and rapid anti-air. The Thor has been bumped up to the "hero" tier once occupied by the Protoss Mothership - more on that in a moment. The nice thing about the Warhound from where I sit is that it fills a necessary niche in mech-heavy armies but isn't the sort of thing you can just spam for the win. It must be part of a balanced force with a specific focus, and I really dig that. It's the reason I liked the Aspect Warriors of the Eldar in Warhammer 40k, but let's stick with one nerdy strategy game at a time. The thing that really bothers me is how it looks. It feels too... delicate for Terran. Terran units tend to have a bulky, armored look to them, balanced by the sweeping curves of the Protoss and the spiky bits of the Zerg. The Warhound seems a bit spindly. Finally we were introduced to the Shredder at BlizzCon. Yet another Factory-produced unit, this tiny robot gives Terrans some new options for controlling their opponents. I'm assuming it's going to be less costly than the Siege Tank, as that tends to be the go-to example for Terran static board control. It sets up a radiation field that does damage over time to any unit standing in or passing through it, as long as the unit is not friendly. This mechanic, again, points to developers wanting Terrans to put a little more thought into map placement and unit control, instead of just holding down a button or two to coast to victory. Other Terran changes include a speed boost on cooldown for Battlecruisers, Reapers regenerating outside of combat but losing their demo charges, Ghost cloaking getting tweaked and of course Thor changing to a one-at-a-time "hero" unit. Overall, I think the changes are going to shake things up a bit for Terrans, and this is a good thing, as no race in StarCraft should be pigeonholed into a single strategic line of thinking.

Zerg

So the Zerg are at the core of the upcoming expansion, with the storyline of Kerrigan continuing and all sort of variations on Zerg broods being introduced. But the focus of much of the buzz was on the multiplayer units. Zerg is a macro-intensive, reactionary race, and there was speculation as to what changes Blizzard would make to help the gameplay remain vital in the expansion. Enter the Viper. Currently, Zerg players need to evolve an Overlord into an Overseer to have mobile detection capabilities. The Viper will be able to inject other Zerg units with a parasite that turns them into detectors, eliminating this somewhat superfluous evolution. The Viper also coughs up a noxious cloud that obscures vision of ranged units, reducing their effectiveness. Finally, you'll soon hear Zerg players bellowing "GET OVER HERE!" as the Viper has an ability in the style of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, pulling high-priority units usually relegated to the backs of groups to the forefront for easy elimination. Put these elements together and you have a diverse, airborne caster unit that speaks to the versatility, adaptability and overall scariness of the Zerg. I think it's going to add a lot to Zerg play. The only other brand-new unit the Zerg seem to be getting for ladder matches is the Swarm Host, described as an artillery unit. When burrowed, this prolific little Zerg produces tiny creatures called Locusts, that rush to their rally point to devour whatever's in front of them. An individual Locust has, at this point, about 90 HP and a basic melee attack, but if there's a line of Hosts outside the enemy base, each producing two Locusts every 15 seconds, and suddenly your opponent is being starved out of their base and you have another entire host waiting for them to storm out. It allows a Zerg player to exert more control on the enemy and gives them some breathing room to expand, tech, or build forces. Ultralisks have often been ignored by Zerg players, but with the burrowing charge ability they're getting, I expect we're going to see a lot more. When a Zerg player evolves to Hive technology, Hydralisks will be able to move much faster and Banelings, the adorable kamikaze bombers of the swarm, will gain the ability to move while burrowed. Did I mention burrowed units are essentially cloaked? It's a frightening prospect, which might be why I like it so much.

Protoss

I can't speak to the Protoss situation any more than I can the Zerg, as I'm still struggling to get out of Bronze League focusing on Terran, and the new season is likely to be no different. However, I have noticed that a lot of Protoss players seem to either go for all-or-nothing early attacks or build up a huge ball of death for the assault. Very little raiding goes on. The Oracle will seek to change that. This flying unit, designated as support, does some very interesting things in the early game. Its two main abilities lock down structures' production and prevent minerals from being harvested. Without attacking workers, they deliver a one-two punch that can cripple the enemy economy, allowing the Protoss to dash ahead to bigger and better units. The Replicant is a robotic unit that uses nanotechnology to clone an existing enemy unit. Rather than adding another body to the core army of the Protoss, the Replicant is meant to allow Protoss players more flexibility in responding to enemy pressure and tactics. Photon cannons take a while to set up, while a Replicant can pop a Siege Tank or Shredder into existence for some impromptu map control. Likewise, a Replicant can become an Infestor or Banshee for quick harassment while the death-ball gains mass. I can see where Blizzard is going with this, but I have to admit, my initial reaction was that they were taking the piss. The Protoss will boast a new capital ship in Heart of the Swarm called the Tempest. Its primary attack is an area of effect anti-air pulse designed to clear the skies of light air units such as the Viking and Mutalisks, long the bane of many a Protoss fleet. It also has an air-to-ground attack to supplement the other units in said fleet, and from what I understand, it dominates the skies with its crescent shape. It appears to be more efficient at what it does than the Phoenix, but in light of an unseen cost I can understand Protoss players railing against it. That unseen cost is the loss of the Carrier. A quintessential Protoss unit, the Carrier is being nixed because of its size, build time and the fact that few pros are using it. Same for the Mothership. Instead of this massive, expensive unit that is almost always the primary target of the opponent's entire army, the Protoss will get a recall ability on their Nexus that works similarly to the Mass Recall ability of the Mothership, but has more flexibility. The Nexus will also acquire a defensive ability that should deter mineral line harassment.

Conclusion

Overall, I think Blizzard is doing the right thing in tweaking certain aspects of the playstyles they're seeing in Wings of Liberty. I can't speak to the viability of the new units or how the changes will affect the games to come, as I neither got a hands-on experience with them nor do I play all three races. However, hopefully there will be a public beta period where I can give these new units and tactics a try, and will expand on my thoughts then.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

General Post-Blizzcon Thoughts

General Post-Blizzcon Thoughts — Blue Ink Alchemy

BlizzCon has come and gone again. And again, I didn't get to go. Sadface. But next year! Next year will be THE YEAR OF CONVENTIONS! I'm totally going to cons next year. It is a moral imperative. Anyway, while I wasn't present and couldn't shell out for the live stream, I did keep an eye on my Twitter feed and a couple other news sources to piece together what the rather mad and admittedly skilled yacht-owning developers at Blizzard have in store for their fans. Let's go IP by IP.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

"Isn't it a little late for April Fool's?" - Danielle So, yeah. Pandaran. Don't get me wrong. I love the pandaran brewmasters. But to me they've always been on the fringe of Azerothian stories, kind of like the bounty hunters in Star Wars. Remember how LucasArts released a game all about one of those bounty hunters because they wanted to make him a "breakout hit" from Attack of the Lame Screenplay? The overall reaction was "meh." That's an appropriate reaction here, as well. Now, taking the game in a PvP direction and away from the PvE content that has not really been up to snuff since Burning Crusade is probably a good thing, as Old Republic's voice-acted labyrinthine quest chains are probably going to blow WoW out of the water. And the environments and new character models look great. I just can't shake this feeling that, like in previous expansions, the other character models will remain as dated as they have been for years. There's also the fact that adding the Monk as a basic class, while good on paper, means that all of its abilities need to be scaled and balanced against the others. I don't know if doing Monk as a Hero Class would have been more or less work. But the game already had balance issues, mostly pointed out by the PvPers, and with Mists being aimed for PvPers, you'd think some thought would have gone into making sure things are well balanced. The talent system is reportedly "overhauled and improved," but I for one won't be holding my breath. Between Skyrim and Guild Wars 2, I'll get all the fantasy RPGing I can handle, and then some.

Diablo III

"...like giving crack to a heroin fiend..." - Ross Miller I'm also somewhat lukewarm about Diablo 3. I enjoyed both Diablo 2 and its expansion, and I'm sure that the sequel will be enjoyable as well in the same "click your way into the dungeon, click your enemies to death, click your way back" fashion as its predecessor and Torchlight. My objections to the lack of character customization leading to the Witch Doctor being a walking stereotype aside, I'm sure the game's engine is solid, the skills of the various classes fun to use and the story as dark as the previous iterations. In this case, it's more a matter of prioritization than anything. I want to play Skyrim and get into Guild Wars 2 far more than I want to play Diablo 3. I must admit, though, that pitching the WoW yearly pass to players by throwing them a gratis copy of this game is a stroke of genius. Well done, Blizzard, enjoy the new yachts!

Blizzard DOTA

"lolwut" - Me. I love the tongue-in-cheek nature in which this was presented at BlizzCon. I've played a bit of League of Legends and I like the gameplay that feels like the handsome bastard rogue child of RTS and RPG. Doing so with known characters has a frankly shameful amount of appeal. I just love the notion of mincing in as Jim Raynor and blasting the snot out of Arthas over and over again. Or Illidan. Let me show you just how prepared I am, bitch. Anyway, it could be fun. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. Speaking of Jimmy...

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

"ZOMG PROTOSS GOT SHAFTED, NERF TERRAN" - Every Protoss player ever. Campaign looks interesting, wish Kerrigan's skin was still as dark as it had been in the original game, blah blah blah. I'll talk more about the units and other initial changes in tomorrow's post, but what struck me as the torrential amount of backlash from a lot of the StarCraft community. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, as many players have made it a point to constantly decry how one particular race is dominating the others or the ways individual units can or should be tweaked to defang a prevalent strategy. Personally I don't put a lot of stock in public outcries in this matter, partially because I have no basis by which to gauge the power of units relative to skill as I don't have much skill myself, and partially because I think that most of the forums on which I see this sort of caustic feedback are too loosely moderated to sort out the ruffians and bandwagon-jumpers from the people who have honest, well-reasoned opinions on the state of the game. I should really listen to the podcast of the same name more. Thoughts on new multiplayer units and the changes I'm aware of tomorrow. Stay tuned.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The Bill

Flash Fiction: The Bill — Blue Ink Alchemy

For the the Terribleminds flash fiction challenge, "Bullies and the Bullied".

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He'd sought election to do what was best for his home. Supporting this bill meant more rights for the people he represented. On his desk were two envelopes. One, from the lobbyists, was full of cash. The other, from the opposing party's news network, had photos of him. Shameful photos. Photos of the lifestyle he'd never shared with his parents or close friends. To stay safe, to earn that bonus, all he had to do was deny his people the rights they needed to live as equals, instead of outcasts. He took a deep breath, and picked up his pen.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Silence of the Lambs

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Silence of the Lambs — Blue Ink Alchemy

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/silence_of_the_lambs.mp3] At the conclusion of the career of the serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy, Doctor Hannibal Lecter was languishing in Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. It looked for all the world that he was destined to return to his quiet incarceration, sketching and reading while infurating his smarmy overseeing psychiatrist, Dr. Chilton. But then another dark soul emerges to claim innocent lives, and the unique insight of the good doctor is once again required. This time, the FBI has sent a trainee. They've sent one of their best and brightest, untarnished by the greater evils of the world. They've sent a young woman named Clarice Starling. Starling's quarry is dubbed "Buffalo Bill," from his peculiar calling card of skinning his victims. They're all young women but seem to have nothing else in common. After playing a game or two with Starling, Lecter offers to profile the killer in exchange for being allowed to leave Chilton's care. The deal is considered skeptically until Buffalo Bill abducts the daughter of a US Senator. But when Lecter if offered a deal, he opts instead to work with Clarice directly, exchanging information on the killer for secrets of Starling's past. Quid pro quo - after all, how can Lecter trust Clarice to keep her word if he doesn't know the deepest corners of her soul? Silence of the Lambs was shot in 1991 and has some of the vestigial trappings of the 80s that are also present in TV shows of the time such as The X-Files. I can think of at least one scene where Jodie Foster is nearly swallowed by the shoulder pads of her jacket. But there's only so much criticism I can level at this film, considering that the writing is extremely solid, the acting is superb and the directing is taut and intimate.
Always so polite. The book, written by Thomas Harris, was the third he wrote featuring Doctor Lecter. As I mentioned previously, his second book was adapated to film in 1986 under the title Manhunter, and while the debate as to which between it and Red Dragon is the superior film contiues to this day, the first film was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This one was adapted by Ted Tally, a relatively unknown screenwriter who only had a TV movie and a romantic comedy to his name. And yet, when it came to Silence of the Lambs, he walked away with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Jodie Foster really came out of nowhere for this. I mean, child stars transitioning into adult works have never had an easy time of it. Add to the fact that Jodie was the sole obsession of John Hinkley - the guy who shot President of the United States Ronald Reagan in 1981 - and she had quite a bit of notoriety to shake off. However, she'd proven her acting chops in The Accused, and she was paired up with Sir Anthony Hopkins, who took over the role (and the original spelling) of Hannibal Lecter from Brian Cox. Oddly enough, both of them began acting in 1968. Both of them stepped in after other actors had left the roles. And both would, like the writers, walk away with Academy Awards.
THIS is girl power, you ignorant douchebuckets. The film was directed by Jonathan Demme. He'd been struggling to break through into the mainstream after finding critical acclaim with his earlier films, trouble with some big studio projects and a few documentaries and comedies. Silence of the Lambs was a bold turn for him, and he directed it much like Lecter directed the development of Starling. We as the audience, like Starling, are not only shown evil; we are sat in its presence and made to stare. It blended procedural crimesolving with chill-inducing horror so perfectly that it's been the template upon which many subsequent films in the genre have been based. Not only did Demme win the Best Director Academy Award for his work, the entire film was honored with the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. That's five, if you're keeping track. Five Oscars, all in major categories, and Silence of the Lambs is one of only three films to boast that accomplishment. What more can I say about it? How much longer would I need to sit here trying to convince you to see it, if you haven't already? It's quality cinematic entertainment, packed from start to finish with fine performances and keen artisic sense. It will enthrall you and immerse you as well as making you think, and the novels and movies that can truly do that are growing more few and far between every passing day. To neglect The Silence of the Lambs would be, in my humble opinion, extremely rude. And we all know how Doctor Lecter feels about rudeness. Josh Loomis can't always make it to the local megaplex, and thus must turn to alternative forms of cinematic entertainment. There might not be overpriced soda pop & over-buttered popcorn, and it's unclear if this week's film came in the mail or was delivered via the dark & mysterious tubes of the Internet. Only one thing is certain... IT CAME FROM NETFLIX.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Silence of the Lambs

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Silence of the Lambs — Blue Ink Alchemy

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/silence_of_the_lambs.mp3] At the conclusion of the career of the serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy, Doctor Hannibal Lecter was languishing in Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. It looked for all the world that he was destined to return to his quiet incarceration, sketching and reading while infurating his smarmy overseeing psychiatrist, Dr. Chilton. But then another dark soul emerges to claim innocent lives, and the unique insight of the good doctor is once again required. This time, the FBI has sent a trainee. They've sent one of their best and brightest, untarnished by the greater evils of the world. They've sent a young woman named Clarice Starling. Starling's quarry is dubbed "Buffalo Bill," from his peculiar calling card of skinning his victims. They're all young women but seem to have nothing else in common. After playing a game or two with Starling, Lecter offers to profile the killer in exchange for being allowed to leave Chilton's care. The deal is considered skeptically until Buffalo Bill abducts the daughter of a US Senator. But when Lecter if offered a deal, he opts instead to work with Clarice directly, exchanging information on the killer for secrets of Starling's past. Quid pro quo - after all, how can Lecter trust Clarice to keep her word if he doesn't know the deepest corners of her soul? Silence of the Lambs was shot in 1991 and has some of the vestigial trappings of the 80s that are also present in TV shows of the time such as The X-Files. I can think of at least one scene where Jodie Foster is nearly swallowed by the shoulder pads of her jacket. But there's only so much criticism I can level at this film, considering that the writing is extremely solid, the acting is superb and the directing is taut and intimate.
Always so polite. The book, written by Thomas Harris, was the third he wrote featuring Doctor Lecter. As I mentioned previously, his second book was adapated to film in 1986 under the title Manhunter, and while the debate as to which between it and Red Dragon is the superior film contiues to this day, the first film was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This one was adapted by Ted Tally, a relatively unknown screenwriter who only had a TV movie and a romantic comedy to his name. And yet, when it came to Silence of the Lambs, he walked away with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Jodie Foster really came out of nowhere for this. I mean, child stars transitioning into adult works have never had an easy time of it. Add to the fact that Jodie was the sole obsession of John Hinkley - the guy who shot President of the United States Ronald Reagan in 1981 - and she had quite a bit of notoriety to shake off. However, she'd proven her acting chops in The Accused, and she was paired up with Sir Anthony Hopkins, who took over the role (and the original spelling) of Hannibal Lecter from Brian Cox. Oddly enough, both of them began acting in 1968. Both of them stepped in after other actors had left the roles. And both would, like the writers, walk away with Academy Awards.
THIS is girl power, you ignorant douchebuckets. The film was directed by Jonathan Demme. He'd been struggling to break through into the mainstream after finding critical acclaim with his earlier films, trouble with some big studio projects and a few documentaries and comedies. Silence of the Lambs was a bold turn for him, and he directed it much like Lecter directed the development of Starling. We as the audience, like Starling, are not only shown evil; we are sat in its presence and made to stare. It blended procedural crimesolving with chill-inducing horror so perfectly that it's been the template upon which many subsequent films in the genre have been based. Not only did Demme win the Best Director Academy Award for his work, the entire film was honored with the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. That's five, if you're keeping track. Five Oscars, all in major categories, and Silence of the Lambs is one of only three films to boast that accomplishment. What more can I say about it? How much longer would I need to sit here trying to convince you to see it, if you haven't already? It's quality cinematic entertainment, packed from start to finish with fine performances and keen artisic sense. It will enthrall you and immerse you as well as making you think, and the novels and movies that can truly do that are growing more few and far between every passing day. To neglect The Silence of the Lambs would be, in my humble opinion, extremely rude. And we all know how Doctor Lecter feels about rudeness. Josh Loomis can't always make it to the local megaplex, and thus must turn to alternative forms of cinematic entertainment. There might not be overpriced soda pop & over-buttered popcorn, and it's unclear if this week's film came in the mail or was delivered via the dark & mysterious tubes of the Internet. Only one thing is certain... IT CAME FROM NETFLIX.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Red Dragon

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Red Dragon — Blue Ink Alchemy

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/red_dragon.mp3] When we last left our dear Doctor Hannibal Lecter, he was completing his tenure at a Parisian medical school while enacting bloody vengeance upon the Nazi war criminals that devoured his sister and his innocence. While he did have run-ins with the law, he did not truly meet an equal or memorable rival the way he did in his first actual outing, which we'll be covering next week. When, in his timeline, we next meet up with Hannibal, this will thankfully be different. Storytelling in this sort of genre is at its best when the battle of wits feels more compelling than anything involving physical weapons. Since Sir Anthony Hopkins made the character the most prominent, and I haven't bothered to watch Manhunter yet, we'll be reviewing Red Dragon. Fans of Brian Cox's "Doctor Lecktor" are invited to leave their protests in the comments below. When we catch up with Doctor Lecter in Baltimore, he's seen as a man of wealth and taste, inviting his friends from the philharmonic to dinner even as they mourn the loss of their second clarinet - although they admit, his disappearance is an improvement. The dinner is followed by a visit from Special Agent Will Graham of the FBI, who's been consulting with Lecter on the profile for a serial killer. Circumstances fall into place that Graham discovers Lecter was his prey all along, and the two have an altercation that ends with Lecter imprisoned under the smarmy care of Dr. Frederick Chilton while Graham retires early. Years later, a serial killer the media dubs "The Tooth Fairy" is baffling authorities, and Graham is the only man with the wherewithal to bring him in. To do so, however, he must resume his relationship with Doctor Lecter. To keep more people from dying, he must face the man who tried to kill him. What is most puzzling about this film is not that it's a retread of Thomas Harris material previously covered. That can be explained by the popularity of Lecter as portrayed by Sir Anthony. And after his previous outings, pairing him with dramatic powerhouses in their own rights - Edward Norton, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel and Ralph Finnes to name just a few - is a brilliant move. No, the perplexing portion of the affair is that it's under the direction of one Brett Ratner.
Hannibal's had a hankering for Ratner since The Last Stand. Do you recognize the name? You should. This is the man who nearly drove the X-Men film franchise into an early grave and took the high-energy batshit-bonkers action star Jackie Chan and made him into a somewhat mediocre straight man to Chris Tucker in not one, not two, but three different films. But odd as this may seem, I think I have an explanation. You see, when you have excellent writing, and it's given to talented actors who have chemistry and a grasp for their characters that transcends words on a page, not even someone like Brett Ratner can fuck things up. The linchpin, of course, is Sir Anthony. While I'll go into more detail next week as to why his Doctor Lecter became such a sensation and a template from which other horror film villains would crib notes, his mere presence seems to elevate the rest of the cast. Edward Norton gives us a particularly interesting character in Graham. He seems shy at first, almost entirely introverted around other people, but encounters with Doctor Lecter draw him out of his shell and allow him to realize his full potential. As much as he may loathe the man, its undeniable that Hannibal's influence is a big part of his success. The scenes between these two are electric, and while the relationship Hannibal develops with the next Special Agent that comes to see him is a bit more nuanced, this sort of talent playing off of one another is a big key to Red Dragon's success.
A work of art (the painting) within a work of art (the film). Insert joke/meme here. Meanwhile, we have Ralph Finnes and Emily Watson. It may surprise fans of Lord Voldemort to see this seemingly unrepentant killer of men suddenly become tortured by his nature and darker desires when faced with Watson's character. On top of being lovely and a talented actress, Watson is called upon to play a blind woman employed in a photo processing dark room, and the ways in which she moves, behaves and relates to her environment are actually quite compelling. Nothing she does feels forced or artificial, which is a testament to her skill. Much like Hopkins and Norton, Finnes and Watson are good to watch together on-screen, and the two pairs trade off back and forth through most of the second act. I felt that a couple of the other characters, while serving purposes for the narrative, were a bit tacked-on or one-dimensional, and some of the would-be twists at the end were easy for me to spot coming. But taken as a whole, Red Dragon is a surprising and delightful success, outdone only by the next story in Doctor Lecter's career that was actually the first time film audiences really got to know him. And instead of being paired with a fellow experienced actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins' counterpart would be someone who, like many child stars, had previously struggled to transition into adult movie success. We shall return to where it all began, my friends; and it all began with a man desperate for change, an erudite animal behind a pane of glass, and a little girl who for years carried a tiny and frightened little lamb. Josh Loomis can't always make it to the local megaplex, and thus must turn to alternative forms of cinematic entertainment. There might not be overpriced soda pop & over-buttered popcorn, and it's unclear if this week's film came in the mail or was delivered via the dark & mysterious tubes of the Internet. Only one thing is certain... IT CAME FROM NETFLIX.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Crank File: Demon Knight Review

Crank File: Demon Knight Review — Blue Ink Alchemy

Every now and again, life catches me off-guard. It's times like these I need to turn to contributions from you, the audience. If you've ever read the Opinions section of the local newspaper, or the comments of an article on the Huffington Post, you know that sometimes the readers contribute just as much as the established writers. Thus, I present to you the Crank File. Today's Crank File entry comes to us courtesy of Monica A. Flink. Enjoy!

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It occurs to me that there is something more frightening in the world than nuclear holocaust, the mass genocide of day-walking gingers like myself, or a Rebecca Black greatest hits album. I find that out of everything in the world, I am more horrified by mediocrity being rewarded for being just good enough and the world just accepting that doing just enough to get by is the standard by which we all live in the near future. Which was why I was pleased to come across something that I had forgotten in its previous substandard form. When I first saw Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, I was rather ho-hum about the entire experience. Perhaps it was because I was wee lass of only thirteen summers when it was first released in 1995, and far too young to be seeing it in theaters without a fake ID and some good make up, or because the first time I saw it a year or two later, it was because it was chopped up for the homogenized swill that Americans call cable television, but I remembered this movie as nothing but run-of-the-mill schlock. But coming across it again in Netflix, I decided to sit down and give it another try, hoping boobies and profanity would do what it does to everything else and of course, make it a whole lot better. Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, also know just as Demon Knight, was the first spin-off film from the HBO Tales From the Crypt series. Unlike the episodes run on HBO, the story was an original work that was actually drafted two years before the series ever began. The script went through several re-writes, until it culminated in two scripts, one about literal demons, another that was about demonic yuppie bible salesmen, which honestly sounds more frightening to me. The studio decided to put in the money for real demons though, and the script by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, and Mark Bishop was put into production.
Glad to see they're still using Kate Moss for these DVD covers. The film centers around an ancient artifact called the Key, which when filled with blood turns any person's blood into that of Jesus of Nazareth, whose blood originally filled the Key. There are actually seven Keys in total, and once collected they can be used to open the gates of Hell. While they were spread around the universe, the minions of Satan have found six of them, the seventh in the possession of a human guardian named Brayker. Brayker, played by a gritty and intelligent William Sadler, is a man who received the Key from a wounded soldier during World War I. Since then he has been ageless, running and keeping the Key safe from the Collector, a human-looking demon played by Billy Zane. Brayker has an incident with the Collector in the desert, and makes his way to the boarding house in a small town, where he stays for the night. When the Collector shows up at the hotel with the local sheriff and his deputy, Brayker realizes that this night is the last of his life, and it is time for him to pass on the Key to one of the seven people now in the boarding house. The Collector gets pissed off when the sheriff will not just give him the Key, and ends up murdering the man and calling forth demons from Hell, nothing more than mindless killing machines that follow his every order. Brayker is then trapped within the boarding house with the landlady, a woman who is part of a prison work release program, a hooker, an alcoholic, the deputy, the hooker's client and a former postal worker.
Well, if smiling like a goof ball won't get me my way, I'll just enslave your souls. Think of it as your new Verizon contract. By doing what demons do best, which is tempt the weakest of the group, the Collector eventually kills them all off until Brayker takes a fatal wound and must pass the Key off to the reforming prison woman and she has a show down with the Collector that reveals his true nature. When the sun rises, we find her ready to pick up her new life as the Demon Knight, and gets on a bus to leave town, followed by a new Collector. I am the first to admit that this is pretty schlocky. Billy Zane chews the scenery whenever he can, and every character is an exaggerated stereotype, from the hooker with a heart of gold to the postal carrier who has gone insane and was secretly planning to shoot up the local post office. Jada Pinkett Smith plays the work-release prisoner Jeryline with the warmth you want to see in our eventual heroine, and William Sadler, probably best known for his goofy performance in The Shawshank Redepmtion, actually comes up to bat as a grizzled, ageless warrior who knows what is on the line without being endlessly emo about it.
Those are some high waist-band pants. The director at the helm is Ernest Dickerson, who is not the most prolific of movie directors. He is better known for directing episodes of wildly popular series such as The Wire, ER, Law & Order and Dexter. He did nothing out of the ordinary here, and I am more inclined to believe that Zane and Sadler's performances were the culmination of their own ideas than anything he directed, but he deserves some credit for the over-all package. As with most things with the Tales From the Crypt label on them, this has gore in spades, frightening visuals, and more than a little tongue-in-cheek humor to cut through the scenes where people are being disemboweled by possessed hookers in cheap silk robes. It is also book-ended by a scene with the Crypt Keeper (voice by the legendary John Kassir), which would be a gaping hole in this gore-fest if he did not make an appearance. For those of you that care, it also means that there are titties like three minutes into the film.
Lady Gaga really went all out for the 4th of July this year. So the truth of the matter, was it scary? No, not particularly. I viewed this as a fantasy adventure story, not a horror, and it was not scary except for a few cheap jump scares. But was it mediocre? Not in the least. Excellent actors giving amazing performances in a setting that could have easily become silly or dull with the material given, and a story we actually gave a damn about. I'm sure there were gaping plot holes in places, such as why the hell the Collector didn't just set the boarding house on fire and reclaim the Key when everyone was dead, but that can be overlooked when taking into consideration that it would have ruined the whole movie, and that the Collector is actually having fun tempting the souls of the people inside. Demon Knight does its best to cater to the Tales From the Crypt crowd as well as people who are not fans of the 90's staple horror series, and manages to deliver without being too basic or boring. Black humor is spiced up with danger and a characters that manage to find dimension even while giving their souls to the Beast. I'd like to see Twilight manage that.

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Got something for the Crank File? Email me here.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

A Big Bite of Apple

A Big Bite of Apple — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy MS Paint Adventures I've been fighting this. I haven't had an Apple product of my own in any place I've lived with the exception of a 2nd generation iPod Shuffle I still use for walks. I've opted to install Linux on all but my latest laptop. I've had moments where I've considered purchasing an iPad in passing, but I've consciously struggled not to fall into the iCulture that seems to promote an attitude of smug superiority in some circles. No more or less so than Tux's biggest fans, but that's beside the point. Those days might be over. I may soon own an iPhone, and perhaps an iPad before the end of the year. Why the change of heart? Sure, it'll pay homage to the memory of Steve Jobs, but expenditures and committments like this require more concrete, practical reasoning. So here it is.

As A Rich Media Professional

First and foremost, the position I now occupy requires a great deal of tasks and testing related to the iOS. The advertisement assets upon which I work can and often do appear on Apple's mobile devices, and as HTML5 grows, the more prevalent those sorts of adverts will become. It'll behoove me to have a platform on which I can test my work on these items, no matter where I might happen to be. Other projects by other professionals will be created for the platform as well. I know a few very talented people invested in pursuing transmedia projects, and having a universally-available and name-brand platform is sure to be key in a few of them. Giving feedback on those projects, and reporting on them either for the blog or a professional publication, will require the use of such a device. There's only so much of an ARG I can experience using my current dumbphone, after all.

As A Gamer

I know there's a contingent of gamers who would like to say that platforms like the iPhone and iPad are not viable for gaming. I don't think they can be more wrong. From graphically impressive RPGs like Infinity Blade, to simple and fun puzzle games like Angry Birds, to straightforward multiplayer standbys like Words with Friends, I can tell you that an iPhone or iPad can cater to just as many gamer tastes as a PC or console can. Sure, some of the graphics and depth of gameplay or story will be a few years behind, but it's forgivable for being able to have that sort of thing in your pocket on the same device you use for communication, or even productivity. It's not just limited to what's on the App Store under the Video Games category, either. Tabletopping could benefit from it. A quick, covert die roll or looking up a forgotten rule might be easier with one of these devices, even if it doesn't have the same tactile feedback as a page or a polyhedral. And I hear there are emulators available, so I may be able to play Mega Man 2 on the train as I have long dreamed. Just remember, if you see a scruffy man approaching middle-age glaring at his iPhone and muttering curses at somebody named "Quick Man," it's probably me.

As A Writer

I've long been a proponent of the notion that a writer can write anywhere. Originally this was based on a writer only needing some basic tools: something to write on, and something to write with. And there's nothing wrong with carrying a pen and paper with you at all times, if you've got a creative mind. But a technological tool can be helpful as well. Imagine my delight upon discovering that PlainText is available for the iPhone as well as the iPad. Now, I can't picture myself doing long passages of writing on the iPhone, but if an idea strikes me and I need to jot it down (or perhaps dictate it!), this device would provide me the means to do it, and always know where I left my notes. I know other writers who adore their Apple devices for various reasons, and I'm sure they'd be happy to tell me more about their experiences. That's why I have a comments section, after all.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Game Review: Alpha Protocol

Game Review: Alpha Protocol — Blue Ink Alchemy

One of the things that made Wing Commander such a memorable series of video games for me, beyond the cool spaceships and neat character design, was the branching campaign. You could choose to defend a particular asset for the Confederation, or take the fight right into the Kilrathi's furry faces; you could completely botch a mission and the game would not end; you could lose wingmen and shipmates and life would go on. It was storytelling that felt open-ended even if the plot was rattling along on rails towards the final destination. At least those rails had junction points. Alpha Protocol brought back some of those memories, mixed in with liberal doses of Deus Ex and Mass Effect, to produce a gaming experience that, quite frankly, surprised the hell out of me.
It's a balcony hot tub in Rome. Eat your heart out, Mr. Bond. We're introduced to Mike Thorton, an American international operative candidate with a shady background recruited by an organization called Alpha Protocol. The organization is a covert unit attached not to the government per se, but to one of its biggest private military contractors. Mike is dispatched on his first mission to Saudi Arabia, but before things can be properly concluded, he's betrayed and abandoned. With few resources to begin with, Mike must travel around the world to build a case against his former employers, or at least collect enough explosive devices to make the PMC's stockholders very nervous and very angry. More often than not, when a game declares itself to be an "action/RPG", what they mean is that you can customize a few of your weapons and maybe put a different hat on your self-insertion military fantasy persona. The games that continue the traditions of System Shock 2 and Deus Ex are few and far between, allowing you to make a character tailored to your particular gaming tastes not just in terms of weapon mods. Alpha Protocol may not be as deep as those others in terms of game engine, and I'm not sure shotguns needed their own category¹, but at least an effort is made to allow a player to guide Mike down a particular path, and not just through the medium of the thumbstick.
Well, I could beat it out of him with own vodka bottle... hmm. Indeed, between the action set pieces players have opportunities to determine how the story will unfold, and without the benefit of a color-coded morality meter. Instead, Mike interacts with people through one of three attitudes, chosen on the fly: professional, aggressive and suave. They're three distinctive flavors of one overarching attitude, however. Mike's a bit of a jerk. I mean, sure, he's been backstabbed by his government and the company trying to buy them², and that's likely to make anybody a little cross. Some of his antics are excusable under that circumstance while others are inexplicable in their maliciousness or mischeviousness, outside of just being a troll. This doesn't stop them from being hilarious, but how professional can one actually be if they're sending emails about bovine weaponization conspiracies to trigger-happy nutcases just for a laugh? I don't want to give the impression that moral choices don't exist. Most of your conversations, however, are more personal matters. The choices you makes in how you relate to certain people will raise or lower their respect for you, and consequently can either make them inclined to help you or eager to put a bullet in your skull. However, there are moments where you must make a decision, and you're not given a lot of time to make up your mind. Brilliantly, you will not always know the full ramifications of the choice you make when you make it. Only at the very end as the news is relating stories from around the world do you realize exactly what you've done³. Amongst games where choices are almost always squeaky-clean white or dastardly black, Alpha Protocol paints its plotlines in shades of gray. And they're really attractive shades.
I told him what I'd do if he crossed me. He thought I was bluffing. When the words stop flying to make way for bullets, Alpha Protocol still does a few things quite well. Like any good game with emphasis on stealth and gathering intelligence, it gives you the option to sneak past opponents rather than shooting them in the face, even if the "takedown" option still induces wincing on the player's part. While it's possible to play through without making a single kill, I can't imagine getting punched in the throat by a professional martial artist is particularly pleasant. And the mini-games you must play to hack computers, pick locks and bypass circuits do a great job balancing a limited time-frame with puzzle-solving skills, for the most part. It's not a game without flaws. The engine occasionally goes a bit berserk with its rag doll physics, and you're never 100% sure the wall or prop you've chosen to take cover behind will (a) conceal you or (b) allow you a clear line of fire to your foes. Some of the boss fights can make life very difficult for particular character builds, and on a couple occasions I set off an alarm trying to pick a lock when I distinctly hit the button to quietly cancel the attempt. I hear there are also conversational bugs but I can't recall running into any, so if I did they were somewhat insignificant, not unlike the others. None of the bugs or hiccups I encountered felt game-breaking, and more importantly, none of them got in the way of the story. Indeed, the story is what keeps the action moving, even when nobody's getting shot at. Here's a case where the strengths of the game outweigh its flaws, and while I can't blame some hardcore shooter fans for letting those flaws keep them from checking out Alpha Protocol, enthusiasts for this style of game are sure to be pleased. Stuff I Liked: Weapon customization is pretty cool, and having be only one aspect of character building rather than the extent of it is even better. Every safehouse is distinctive for its area which was a great touch, as were the little trophies and mementos Mike keeps. Options to decrease difficulty of missions through gathering additional intelligence felt smart. No hilariously stereotypical accents - "ZEY HAFF GIVEN ME LEMON-LIME" is a thing of the past. Stuff I Didn't Like: Could have consolidated SMGs, shotguns and assault rifles into one category and spread out lock-picking, hacking and electronics. Some obtuse boss fights. The occasional bug that will break a lockpick, your cover or that gas canister next to you, but thankfully not the entire game. Stuff I Loved: Writing and voice acting well above average. A conversational system that makes sense and works well without being tied to rigid morality. A sense of purpose and weight to choices made. Satisfying stealth gameplay. More than a few laughs when Mike starts trollin'. Bottom Line: It could be because I'm a fan of good storytelling that drives the action, or decently balanced stealth/shooting gameplay, but for me, Alpha Protocol shines. As shooter-RPGs go, it's around the same level as the first BioShock in terms of action, definitely inspired by the aforementioned superstar shooter-RPG tagteam. And in terms of plot and character, the plot adaptability and solid writing has it swinging from the same monkey bars as Dragon Age: Origins while Halo and Gears of War participate in a game of gay chicken over in the nearby sandbox. ¹ Deus Ex filed them under "Rifles" for a reason, after all. ² Just swap "Halbech" with "Bank of America" or "Wells Fargo" or any oil company and you've got the right idea. ³ I'm giving Sega & Obsidian the benefit of the doubt and thinking this was meant to promote better storytelling, not just a way to get us to play the game more than once. Which I think I may have to, now. Bastards.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Game Review: Alpha Protocol

Game Review: Alpha Protocol — Blue Ink Alchemy

One of the things that made Wing Commander such a memorable series of video games for me, beyond the cool spaceships and neat character design, was the branching campaign. You could choose to defend a particular asset for the Confederation, or take the fight right into the Kilrathi's furry faces; you could completely botch a mission and the game would not end; you could lose wingmen and shipmates and life would go on. It was storytelling that felt open-ended even if the plot was rattling along on rails towards the final destination. At least those rails had junction points. Alpha Protocol brought back some of those memories, mixed in with liberal doses of Deus Ex and Mass Effect, to produce a gaming experience that, quite frankly, surprised the hell out of me.
It's a balcony hot tub in Rome. Eat your heart out, Mr. Bond. We're introduced to Mike Thorton, an American international operative candidate with a shady background recruited by an organization called Alpha Protocol. The organization is a covert unit attached not to the government per se, but to one of its biggest private military contractors. Mike is dispatched on his first mission to Saudi Arabia, but before things can be properly concluded, he's betrayed and abandoned. With few resources to begin with, Mike must travel around the world to build a case against his former employers, or at least collect enough explosive devices to make the PMC's stockholders very nervous and very angry. More often than not, when a game declares itself to be an "action/RPG", what they mean is that you can customize a few of your weapons and maybe put a different hat on your self-insertion military fantasy persona. The games that continue the traditions of System Shock 2 and Deus Ex are few and far between, allowing you to make a character tailored to your particular gaming tastes not just in terms of weapon mods. Alpha Protocol may not be as deep as those others in terms of game engine, and I'm not sure shotguns needed their own category¹, but at least an effort is made to allow a player to guide Mike down a particular path, and not just through the medium of the thumbstick.
Well, I could beat it out of him with own vodka bottle... hmm. Indeed, between the action set pieces players have opportunities to determine how the story will unfold, and without the benefit of a color-coded morality meter. Instead, Mike interacts with people through one of three attitudes, chosen on the fly: professional, aggressive and suave. They're three distinctive flavors of one overarching attitude, however. Mike's a bit of a jerk. I mean, sure, he's been backstabbed by his government and the company trying to buy them², and that's likely to make anybody a little cross. Some of his antics are excusable under that circumstance while others are inexplicable in their maliciousness or mischeviousness, outside of just being a troll. This doesn't stop them from being hilarious, but how professional can one actually be if they're sending emails about bovine weaponization conspiracies to trigger-happy nutcases just for a laugh? I don't want to give the impression that moral choices don't exist. Most of your conversations, however, are more personal matters. The choices you makes in how you relate to certain people will raise or lower their respect for you, and consequently can either make them inclined to help you or eager to put a bullet in your skull. However, there are moments where you must make a decision, and you're not given a lot of time to make up your mind. Brilliantly, you will not always know the full ramifications of the choice you make when you make it. Only at the very end as the news is relating stories from around the world do you realize exactly what you've done³. Amongst games where choices are almost always squeaky-clean white or dastardly black, Alpha Protocol paints its plotlines in shades of gray. And they're really attractive shades.
I told him what I'd do if he crossed me. He thought I was bluffing. When the words stop flying to make way for bullets, Alpha Protocol still does a few things quite well. Like any good game with emphasis on stealth and gathering intelligence, it gives you the option to sneak past opponents rather than shooting them in the face, even if the "takedown" option still induces wincing on the player's part. While it's possible to play through without making a single kill, I can't imagine getting punched in the throat by a professional martial artist is particularly pleasant. And the mini-games you must play to hack computers, pick locks and bypass circuits do a great job balancing a limited time-frame with puzzle-solving skills, for the most part. It's not a game without flaws. The engine occasionally goes a bit berserk with its rag doll physics, and you're never 100% sure the wall or prop you've chosen to take cover behind will (a) conceal you or (b) allow you a clear line of fire to your foes. Some of the boss fights can make life very difficult for particular character builds, and on a couple occasions I set off an alarm trying to pick a lock when I distinctly hit the button to quietly cancel the attempt. I hear there are also conversational bugs but I can't recall running into any, so if I did they were somewhat insignificant, not unlike the others. None of the bugs or hiccups I encountered felt game-breaking, and more importantly, none of them got in the way of the story. Indeed, the story is what keeps the action moving, even when nobody's getting shot at. Here's a case where the strengths of the game outweigh its flaws, and while I can't blame some hardcore shooter fans for letting those flaws keep them from checking out Alpha Protocol, enthusiasts for this style of game are sure to be pleased. Stuff I Liked: Weapon customization is pretty cool, and having be only one aspect of character building rather than the extent of it is even better. Every safehouse is distinctive for its area which was a great touch, as were the little trophies and mementos Mike keeps. Options to decrease difficulty of missions through gathering additional intelligence felt smart. No hilariously stereotypical accents - "ZEY HAFF GIVEN ME LEMON-LIME" is a thing of the past. Stuff I Didn't Like: Could have consolidated SMGs, shotguns and assault rifles into one category and spread out lock-picking, hacking and electronics. Some obtuse boss fights. The occasional bug that will break a lockpick, your cover or that gas canister next to you, but thankfully not the entire game. Stuff I Loved: Writing and voice acting well above average. A conversational system that makes sense and works well without being tied to rigid morality. A sense of purpose and weight to choices made. Satisfying stealth gameplay. More than a few laughs when Mike starts trollin'. Bottom Line: It could be because I'm a fan of good storytelling that drives the action, or decently balanced stealth/shooting gameplay, but for me, Alpha Protocol shines. As shooter-RPGs go, it's around the same level as the first BioShock in terms of action, definitely inspired by the aforementioned superstar shooter-RPG tagteam. And in terms of plot and character, it may not be as immersive or epic as a Mass Effect or a Dragon Age, but it's certainly swinging from the same monkey bars as those two while Halo and Gears of War participate in a game of gay chicken over in the nearby sandbox. ¹ Deus Ex filed them under "Rifles" for a reason, after all. ² Just swap "Halbech" with "Bank of America" or "Wells Fargo" or any oil company and you've got the right idea. ³ I'm giving Sega & Obsidian the benefit of the doubt and thinking this was meant to promote better storytelling, not just a way to get us to play the game more than once. Which I think I may have to, now. Bastards.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: David and Victoria

Flash Fiction: David and Victoria — Blue Ink Alchemy

For the Terribleminds flash fiction challenge, Five Words Plus One Vampire.

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The cockroach scuttled across the insulating layer of dust on the floor. David frowned as he swept his flashlight across the gatehouse interior. The castle had apparently been abandoned for the better part of a century, according to the locals. Nobody seemed to want to say much, though, and the taxi driver had been quite eager to leave once he'd drop the pair off. "Can you imagine?" Victoria's voice echoed slightly in the murder holes above them. "Plenty of ski resorts in Romania are near castles, but none of them have one as its centerpiece!" David kept walking towards the interior side of the gatehouse. His wife had been just as skeptical as he was, but being a venture capitalist meant taking the occasional risk. Two successful start-up companies back in the States gave him plenty to work with, and Victoria's nose for real estate opportunity had put his businesses in fantastic locations. "I think there'd be a lot of up-front work to do." It was the most tactful way he could disagree with her. "Naturally. But it's removed from major tourist centers, the drive up was lovely and getting electricity up here wouldn't be that hard." She smiled at him encouragingly. "Come on, there's more to see." They emerged from the gatehouse into the courtyard. Towers loomed over the pair of Americans as they crossed the cobblestones. The fountain in the center had been dry for years. David caught sight of a rat scurrying along one of the walls to his left. The great hall dominated the section of wall across from the gatehouse. Victoria was at its massive double doors before David could say a word. Within, portraits of people long dead watched them investigate the quiet stasis of the castle. Despite the windows, the interior was much darker than he had expected. The flying buttresses high above showed no rot, at least. But David could not shake the feeling that it was wrong for them to be here. "I love old castles. They were built to last." Victoria was still smiling. "This place must have been beautiful in its prime." "Oh, it was." Both of them turned to aim their flashlights at the interior door of the great hall. Standing there, holding a candle, was an elderly man in a dark robe. David narrowed his eyes. The robe seemed to be consuming him, a bit of the red lining visible under the black velvet. His voice was as withered as his form, but strong. "Forgive me for startling you. You are tourists, yes?" Victoria found her voice first. "Sort of, yes. I'm sorry, we didn't know someone still lived here. The locals..." The old man waved his hand dismissively. "Pah. They fear what they do not understand. My obligation to my family, this castle, is one I will not abandon. They do not understand it." David's frown returned. "You live here alone?" "Yes. Hence why it is not as lovely as it once was. I am only one old man, you see." He cackled softly and David looked at Victoria. She was rolling her eyes when the rain started. "We better go. Sorry again for disturbing you." "Go? In this downpour? You are brave indeed, my boy." He looked out the window. The rain was coming down in sheets. All he could see was water flowing down the glass. How had it hit them so quickly? "Come, I have food to offer. You vill be my guests for zee evening." They followed him through a dark corridor leading down the anterior wall to one of the towers. Within was a small reception room and a staircase on the wall leading both up and down. Sure enough, a small roasted game bird was waiting for them, with some fruit and vegetables. The old man, introducing himself as Nicu, told of how the castle once defended the valley and its villagers from raiders and Cossacks. Victoria listened with interest while David examined the bottle of wine. Despite the decay in the rest of the castle, things here seemed fine. Maybe the old man really had just let the maintenance get away from him. The rain did not abate, and Nicu invited them to stay the night. Above the small dining area were a pair of solars, a room for each of them. David tried to call home but got no signal. With the rain outside and a long day of travel behind him, he settled into bed. He awoke when he felt her on top of him. "You look so peaceful when you sleep, David." He blinked. Victoria straddled him on the wide bed, smiling down at him. She was wearing Nicu's robe, and nothing else. It hung open, pale flesh and curves luminous in the moonlight. Her hands slid the blankets away from his chest. "Vicki, what...?" "Hush." Her lips pulled back from her teeth as her smile widened. They were as red as the lining of the robe. "Nicu has shown me his true self, and we have much to do, you and I." "I don't understand." "And that is your protection." Her fingers slid over his neck, felt his pulse. She inhaled, and David couldn't deny it was an enticing sight. "Your heart... it's beating so fast." "I'm married..." "She is unimportant. The castle will live again, thanks to us." "What do you mean?" "You will see. But first, let me show you what Nicu showed me." She licked her lips and gasped as she slid against him, feeling the response he could not hide. Fangs descended into the darkness of her mouth. "I am his queen, and you our servant. When I finish with you, your will shall be ours. Don't fight it, David. I know you want this." He admitted he'd had his fantasies, and wondered if this was a new one. It was when he felt the fangs in his neck that he started screaming; in pain at first, then for other reasons entirely.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Red Dragon

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Red Dragon — Blue Ink Alchemy

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/red_dragon.mp3] When we last left our dear Doctor Hannibal Lecter, he was completing his tenure at a Parisian medical school while enacting bloody vengeance upon the Nazi war criminals that devoured his sister and his innocence. While he did have run-ins with the law, he did not truly meet an equal or memorable rival the way he did in his first actual outing, which we'll be covering next week. When, in his timeline, we next meet up with Hannibal, this will thankfully be different. Storytelling in this sort of genre is at its best when the battle of wits feels more compelling than anything involving physical weapons. Since Sir Anthony Hopkins made the character the most prominent, and I haven't bothered to watch Manhunter yet, we'll be reviewing Red Dragon. Fans of Brian Cox's "Doctor Lecktor" are invited to leave their protests in the comments below. When we catch up with Doctor Lecter in Baltimore, he's seen as a man of wealth and taste, inviting his friends from the philharmonic to dinner even as they mourn the loss of their second clarinet - although they admit, his disappearance is an improvement. The dinner is followed by a visit from Special Agent Will Graham of the FBI, who's been consulting with Lecter on the profile for a serial killer. Circumstances fall into place that Graham discovers Lecter was his prey all along, and the two have an altercation that ends with Lecter imprisoned under the smarmy care of Dr. Frederick Chilton while Graham retires early. Years later, a serial killer the media dubs "The Tooth Fairy" is baffling authorities, and Graham is the only man with the wherewithal to bring him in. To do so, however, he must resume his relationship with Doctor Lecter. To keep more people from dying, he must face the man who tried to kill him. What is most puzzling about this film is not that it's a retread of Thomas Harris material previously covered. That can be explained by the popularity of Lecter as portrayed by Sir Anthony. And after his previous outings, pairing him with dramatic powerhouses in their own rights - Edward Norton, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel and Ralph Finnes to name just a few - is a brilliant move. No, the perplexing portion of the affair is that it's under the direction of one Brett Ratner.
Hannibal's had a hankering for Ratner since The Last Stand. Do you recognize the name? You should. This is the man who nearly drove the X-Men film franchise into an early grave and took the high-energy batshit-bonkers action star Jackie Chan and made him into a somewhat mediocre straight man to Chris Tucker in not one, not two, but three different films. But odd as this may seem, I think I have an explanation. You see, when you have excellent writing, and it's given to talented actors who have chemistry and a grasp for their characters that transcends words on a page, not even someone like Brett Ratner can fuck things up. The linchpin, of course, is Sir Anthony. While I'll go into more detail next week as to why his Doctor Lecter became such a sensation and a template from which other horror film villains would crib notes, his mere presence seems to elevate the rest of the cast. Edward Norton gives us a particularly interesting character in Graham. He seems shy at first, almost entirely introverted around other people, but encounters with Doctor Lecter draw him out of his shell and allow him to realize his full potential. As much as he may loathe the man, its undeniable that Hannibal's influence is a big part of his success. The scenes between these two are electric, and while the relationship Hannibal develops with the next Special Agent that comes to see him is a bit more nuanced, this sort of talent playing off of one another is a big key to Red Dragon's success.
A work of art (the painting) within a work of art (the film). Insert joke/meme here. Meanwhile, we have Ralph Finnes and Emily Watson. It may surprise fans of Lord Voldemort to see this seemingly unrepentant killer of men suddenly become tortured by his nature and darker desires when faced with Watson's character. On top of being lovely and a talented actress, Watson is called upon to play a blind woman employed in a photo processing dark room, and the ways in which she moves, behaves and relates to her environment are actually quite compelling. Nothing she does feels forced or artificial, which is a testament to her skill. Much like Hopkins and Norton, Finnes and Watson are good to watch together on-screen, and the two pairs trade off back and forth through most of the second act. I felt that a couple of the other characters, while serving purposes for the narrative, were a bit tacked-on or one-dimensional, and some of the would-be twists at the end were easy for me to spot coming. But taken as a whole, Red Dragon is a surprising and delightful success, outdone only by the next story in Doctor Lecter's career that was actually the first time film audiences really got to know him. And instead of being paired with a fellow experienced actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins' counterpart would be someone who, like many child stars, had previously struggled to transition into adult movie success. We shall return to where it all began, my friends; and it all began with a man desperate for change, an erudite animal behind a pane of glass, and a little girl who for years carried a tiny and frightened little lamb. Josh Loomis can't always make it to the local megaplex, and thus must turn to alternative forms of cinematic entertainment. There might not be overpriced soda pop & over-buttered popcorn, and it's unclear if this week's film came in the mail or was delivered via the dark & mysterious tubes of the Internet. Only one thing is certain... IT CAME FROM NETFLIX.

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Blue Ink Alchemy