Is this thing on?

Shock, surprise, and awe! I have once more returned from under whatever bridge I have been sleeping under lately. It has been a while, far too long in fact. I hope everything has been alright with you all - I myself have been absurdly busy. My activities of late range from getting robbed, having my car broken into, moving to a new state soon, getting engaged to the perfect woman, and most recently becoming a published author. I'll be able to expand more on the final event once things have progressed further.

These events cast a wide net, from the downright deplorable to the amazing - and I can't actually say I'd rather have it any other way. Now that something I've written will actually stretch past the walls of this little blog I've decided resuscitate my beloved blog and continue my ramblings for those that are interested. I'm not sure what I want this space to be still...I may tell stories, talk about movies, discuss video games, rant about the absurd - who knows. Writing everyday and in varied forms is what is important however, and if my yammering happens to stir interest in someone else then all the better!

In my spare time I've been split between a variety of television shows and various video games. Now, before I go on - since it has been I while and maybe some of you will be new, everything I say is definitely only my opinion. There are no statues of me declaring my will law (yet), and I am open to all forms of discussion. Back to what I was talking about, that time I said writing in video games was better than television. Oh wait, that was just now.


Now now, I don't watch every single show on television - in fact far from it. My viewing list is often a mixed bag - most recently it includes; The Leftovers (HBO Drama), True Blood (HBO Giant Piece of Garbage), Kill la Kill (Anime), Breaking Bad (AMC, when I'm in the mood to be depressed), Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX etc.), and finally Doctor Who (BBC).  Looking over this list I'm almost reticent to back up what I have already said (except for the one dumpster among them). I must have seen every single episode of Always Sunny about (and I'm not lying) 50 times - something about the show allows it to be ceaselessly funny to me. Breaking Bad is of course amazing and highly lauded, though it does weigh heavily on the mind. The rest are amazing as well, NOT YOU True Blood, and deserve to be commended - but my love of well written video games is still stronger...I'll try to explain.

Pictured above is TellTale's rendition of the famous franchise first spawned from comics, The Walking Dead. It's graphics are not stellar, the animations are even a bit clunky at times, and actual game play is pretty sparse. Yet, as each new episode comes out I find myself frothing at the mouth barely able to contain my excitement. There are few games that will swindle me into the whole "Season Pass" schpeel, but Walking Dead is one of them. In my humble opinion, in comparison to the show, the game is the superior choice (except for maybe the comic books) when it comes to wanting to experience The Walking Dead.

The first game sees you following Lee through the beginning of the zombie apocalypse through an adventure that would mentally test anyone to their limits. The game is not full of pop out scares, button mashing combat, or over the top gore (though this is still present, it's The Walking Dead after all). What it is full of is some of the best character development in any medium that I've seen in years. If you have a computer capable of playing games (the requirements for TellTale's games aren't too bad to handle) I'd highly recommend the title. Instead of chopping through zombies (which you will do now and then) the game is more about how you respond in conversations. You are given four, or sometimes fewer, responses to whichever situation Lee finds himself in. As the game progresses your choices effect what happens, people will die and live by your choices. By the end of the final chapter in the first season you will be on edge of your seat, the characters by this point will be your friends and no matter what - not everyone is going to make it.

Following closely on The Walking Dead's heels comes another project by TellTale, The Wolf Among Us. Another to spawn from the comic book world, The Wolf Among Us takes the comic Fables and treads down a new storyline. Men and monsters alike have been pushed out of their fairytale world by a being known as The Adversary and the fantastical beings are forced to live in modern day New York City. Everyone gets a new start in the gritty real world, the game follows Bigby Wolf (AKA the Big Bad Wolf) as the sheriff of Fabletown attempting to solve a deadly case. Much like the walking dead you are building your character through conversation and progressing the story by digging out whatever facts you can and coming up with the best options when things go wrong (and they will).

A television show, while many are still amazing, simply does not provide the immersion of a title such as those listed above. Your actions do not directly impact how the story will play out or how someone will grow as a person - you are merely a spectator. You may have your heart strings pulled, but someone's (albeit virtual) life is never actually in your hands. Video games are slowly becoming the way to tell a truly emotionally impacting story. If you don't trust me, give one of the chapters to either of the above titles a try. If you  really don't want more, then alright you win this round. I have yet to meet someone (video game player or not) who has not enjoyed both.


Ahhhhhh, not bad for a warmup I suppose! I'll be back regularly with more musings, drawings, reviews, and what have you!