As an avid reader, I have read all sorts of novels: books that made me laugh, cry, hide under the covers and put the book in the freezer, and inevitably cringe at how terrible the writing is. I’ve read plenty of excellent books, books I wanted to read over and over. The Harry Potter series, despite its atrocious epilogue, I’ve adored beyond belief.  I never thought I would find a book that would surpase the HP as #1 in my heart.

Then I read Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind, and my preconceived notions of good literature were blown out of the water.

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Virtually everyone who has access to Xbox Live or a DS has had a chance to lose hours, and in most cases their soul, to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. The gem-shifting puzzle game is returning in the form of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, albeit taking a turn from fantasy to sci-fi and trading in their old columns-and-rows system for hexagonal gem-based challenges.
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Welcome to another Weekly Emanata, the MEGATONik review of comics. As these are a combination of readerly reaction and critical examination, expect spoilers. I’m going to write as if you, the reader, has some passing knowledge of comics, but feel free to post questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

Air #6
written by G Willow Wilson
art by MK Perker
The last issue, reviewed here, had the makings of being the penultimate issue of a storyline. Things were coming together, leading to a nice reveal “to be continued.” This issue delivers on what was built in a completely satisfying way as all the big hints get fit together into a clearer image of what the supporting cast has been doing behind the protagonist’s back and the mystical mysteries in what at first seemed like our own world are laid out.

The neat thing is, this is all done in, oh, the first two-thirds of the issue. After that, any sense of status quo is shattered once again. Blythe, the leading lady, was introduced as a flight attendant with a fear of heights. This seemed like a gimmicky quirk at first, a cutesy hook for readers, but it all comes back to kick off the next part of the story as Blythe effectively fails her induction into the hero quest halfway through, falling through time and reality to end up in a very interesting position (socially and… biologically?) given everything that’s happened before.
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Is the gaming industry slowly shying away from World War II as a setting for their productions? Rumors about the time-tested Medal of Honor franchise, the general success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and the sparse release horizon would suggest so. Such a move would be a good thing.

I am tired of World War II-based video games.

I realize that in the past, the setting has held quite an appeal for game designers.  It was marked by sprawling, gritty conflicts on land, over seas, and in the air; history has lost the names of many of those who died during the fighting, leaving room for developers to weave their own stories; there was a clear and detestable enemy in the Nazis and their allies.

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After 2008’s E3, a lot of people predicted the downfall of the trade show.  It was not nearly as big and spectacular as previous shows, and there was a dearth of “big” announcements (save maybe Microsoft’s reveal of FFXIII coming to the 360).   Well, it looks like this year’s E3 (scheduled for June 2-4) will return to its previous form, letting in virtually anybody that can whip up somewhat decent credentials (hint-hint Nate!) and returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center.  So, hopefully there will be a whole lot less of Cammy Dunaway’s personal life, and a whole lot more games - and here’s a list of ten games that really need to harness the power of E3 if they want to be successful.
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Okay,  so Nate attempted to make a post about video game characters he would like to have with him in case of a Zombie apocalypse.  I say attempted, because, to be frank, his list sucks.  A lot.  So, I made a list that is way, way better.  Oh, and it might contain spoilers, especially for Fallout 3.  SO DON’T LOOK!
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These days, it seems like zombies are always just around the corner. Sure, my paranoia could stem from the growing popularity (and my own subsequent exposure to these mediums) of zombies in games, movies, and books, but I figure that it never hurts to be prepared. As such, I’ve developed a list of game characters that I feel would help me not only survive the zombie apocalypse, but turn the tide and give Earth a new hope for a zombie-less future.

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Welcome to another Weekly Emanata, the MEGATONik review of comics. As these are a combination of readerly reaction and critical examination, expect spoilers. I’m going to write as if you, the reader, has some passing knowledge of comics, but feel free to post questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

Final Crisis #6
written by Grant Morrison
art by JG Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy, & Doug Mahnke

The big hubbub about this issue is that Batman is dead, burnt to a skeletal corpse by Darkseid’s Omega Sanction. We should just get that out of the way to separate the sensationalism and plot from the things that are actually going on in the construction of this story.
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The beginning of the end has come. Friday night marked the start of the final wave of Battlestar Galactica episodes. By and far one of the most powerful episodes the series has to deliver. I was glued to the screen for every second of those 45 minutes, nervously clutching my teddy bear. It even pulled from me a gut-wrenching gasp that had my roommate thinking I was ill.

THE EPISODE WAS THAT GOOD. Spoilers frolic in a horde below.

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Tomorrow night starts the final episodes of the epic science fiction series, Battlestar Galactica. (Technically a remake of an old show from 1978, but that sucked so hardcore, its hardly worth mentioning.)  4 years have led us up to this moment. Thanks to the shitty internet of Europe, I get to enjoy this masterpiece on YouTube. But for the rest of you, glue yourselves to the Sci Fi channel at 10/9c, and prepare to have your minds blown.

Never seen the series? (You fail.) Redeem yourself!
A highly entertaining recap of the first three seasons.
YOU WILL BE SPOILED.
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