Entertainment

The Exclusive Interview with Cryptic Studios on Ten Ton Hammer chats with Joe Harrington about gear in Star Trek Online, Cryptic’s upcoming sci-fi MMORPG. Along the way they discuss storage, the absence of permadeath for bridge crew, armor types, a more "item-centric" approach than other Cryptic games, gear scavenging, and more.

Related posts:

1. Star Trek Online Interview
2. Star Trek Online: Bridge Crews
3. Star Trek Online: Bridge Crew & Officers
4. Star Trek Online first details
5. Star Trek Online News – Exclusive Screenshots

Like you didn’t know… Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and Don Cheadle as Rhodey. Favreau revealed that the first official trailer would be attached to Sherlock Holmes this Christmas, so be on the lookout for that next month. Paramount is bringing Iron Man 2 to theaters on May 7th next summer.

Related posts:

1. Iron Man Teaser Trailer Coming Sept. 10!
2. Another Iron Man Teaser Poster…
3. Downey Jr., Favreau & Cheadle Suit Up for The Avengers!
4. Iron Man 2 promises more heroes, villains
5. It’s Official: Rourke to Play ‘Iron Man 2′ Baddie!

Can the dashing Princess Amalie save her country before the demon Baal takes over? See how the second entry in the King's Bounty series fares as a stand alone title as well as a sequel.

Those “Black Friday” shoppers are punks! The REAL action is RIGHT HERE!

It’s CYBER MONDAY at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop, and there are literally THOUSANDS of products on sale today! No lines, no crowds, no waiting. Click and save 10% on everything from our participating publishers!

Alderac Entertainment Group
Crafty Games
Goodman Games
Mongoose Publishing
Pinnacle Entertainment
Palladium Books
Malhavoc Press
2000 AD
Coscom Entertainment
…and many DOZENS more!

And don’t forget you can add stuff to the accounts of your friends and family members. Click away your Christmas shopping list at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!

The Holiday Sales Guide Is Up and Running… All Season Long!

Available at RPGNow.com

Okay, my last few reviews have been pushing the horror envelope rather well. I’m here to today to say that this puppy fits to horror like hockey masks and FOX News. What we have today is a mini-sourcebook for Slasher Flick. This system’s game focuses on slasher horror and its conventions, some of which are archetypical characters, insanely powered mad men (and sometimes women), and mayhem. This mini-sourcebook’s name comes from the special features bundled into DVDs Yep, you’ll require Slasher Flick before you pick this game up because there is precious little to mine from it that isn’t directly useful to the core material. Should you happen upon this first though I think you’ll find that you will want to pick up the source material.

This kind of game is the stuff of pick-up games, convention games, and the fabled one-shot. It’s not to say this won’t work for the long term; however, the genre may have a thing or two to say about that.

The layout plays to its material. Each page appears to be blood soaked and the fonts for pages, headers, and other eye-grabbers are written in a desperate scrawl, the kind you’d find in an asylum or crime scene.

One thing this PDF does that I appreciate is offer two options. The twenty-six page document also comes in a thirteen page form to save chainsawing some trees down (chainsaws have needs elsewhere).

Besides the artwork required in the layout, there is no artwork in the book. I didn’t really notice the lack of it until I was rereading a few bits, so I guess thirteen pages without artwork isn’t a big deal.

The writing is laid out into five sections. We’ll look at each in brief.

Section One is a one-paragraph intro that explains the purpose of the document.

Section Two is a complete list of special abilities from the Slasher Flick rulebook and the Deleted Scenes sourcebook. I can’t speak to what else is in the latter’s material, so I don’t know how much this book negates a need for it. The authors’ idea is to combine all that material to make it easier for game masters. These special features have great names like “Scream Queen” and “Suck It Up.”

Section Three is a random character generator. Some people like these; some hate ‘em. I like control over my characters, so I appreciate a point build system; however, I always geeked out on some of my random creations in Marvel Super Heroes. There is a place for chance and I’d be amiss to not admit it. For this generator to work, players will still need the corebook.

Only a few steps are randomized. Positive and Negative Qualities are one area that chance claims (you get to veto Positive/Negative Qualities that cancel out each other).

Section Four has some additional advice for those running the game. Two subjects–corpse scenes and group templates–are covered. There is advice aplenty about how to handle corpse scenes (the scenes in flicks where soon-to-be-dead co-ed happens upon a barn full of the killer’s earlier works). This advice basically stems from the author jotting down notes from many horror movies so you don’t have to. It’s the same structure for group templates. This comes the concept that the same archetypes are in most horror movies. We have the creepy old guy, the slut, the virgin, and geek (who is wildly informed through his comic books/video games/RPGs on what is going on). The originality to this section’s information won’t blow your mind; nevertheless, it makes for a quick refresher for those who haven’t seen a good horror
movie in awhile.

Section Five turns out to be my favorite. Here we have three pre-made killers for your Slasher Flick game. These three could easily be used in a Delta Green or Hunters game as the authors did not put much game-specific information in their write-ups. These three killers look like old familiar friends, but have some excellent twists (and plot hooks) associated with them.

Pound for pound, this section proves to be the heaviest. Clayton Roth, the spirit of a plantation owner who was very, very bad, is probably the winner of the trio for sheer villainy.

Well, a brief sourcebook calls for a brief review. To clarify things, here are my scores for Special Features:

Layout: Four out of Five Dice (Blood splattered imagery fits perfectly)
Artwork: No artwork
Writing: Three out of Five Dice (good, clear writing . . . just not wowing)
Overall: Four out of Five Dice (I round up because I find myself wanting the corebook for further review)

I wish to thank Spectrum Games for this free reviewer’s copy.

Review by Todd Cash

Huey, Dewey, and Louie will play some mini-games in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. Will their uncle, Scrooge McDuck, show up to scold them?

It seems Microsoft’s plans for Natal are getting bigger by the minute.
Marc Whitten, the general manager responsible for Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, stated during the Streaming Media West show that he sees Project Natal replacing the traditional remote control for the TV even.

"With the flick of my wrist I can change a channel," Whitten said. "With the power of my voice I can start a movie."
"It won’t be a remote control" that consumers use," Whitten said. "A remote control is already too hard."
Instead, Whitten said he envisions a future where Natal recognizes the users in the room, and their voices as well. Knowing the identity of the users will coalesce the content they’re interested in, and allow one of multiple users to control the interface. (In one recorded demonstration, Natal picked up on a user’s voice to control a game.)
"I believe that this will be the largest leap of TV experience since the remote control,"

Source

Related posts:

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2. Natal To Cost $50, Sphere (PS3 Motion) To Cost $100?
3. Natal Launch To Be Almost As Big As The 360’s Initial Launch
4. Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 remote reviewed
5. Wireless Remote Control for iPod

 

After a string of nuclear attacks on 23 of the biggest cities in the United States, the survivors are left overwhelmed and under-prepared. In the small Kansas town of Jericho, the townspeople pull together (and in some cases, fall apart) as they struggle to survive on their own. In the wake of the attacks, Jericho is cut off from the rest of the world – and when they do eventually regain contact with the outside world, they see people and places more fractured and blood-thirsty than their own hometown. This story, chronicles in the recent television series Jericho on CBS, ran for two seasons and was canceled twice before not even fervent fan campaigns could bring it back to the television screen. But just as the show itself showed the tenacity of Americans in diversity, the show itself is fighting back – and fighting on, in comic book form.

This revolution will not be televised.

On November 25th, Jericho turned from television series to comic book form courtesy of its producers and comic publisher Devil’s Due. The television series, which starred Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James, was canceled one before, only to be resurrected thanks to a fervent fan campaign that went straight to the doors of CBS with truckloads of nuts – a prop taken directly from the first season’s finale. But after the end of the second season and with no drastic improvement in ratings in sight, the series was cancelled again. But with an avid fanbase in view and a show staff that was invested in the story, they decided to follow in Joss Whedon’s footsteps and bring the series to comic books.

"Both Jon and I couldn’t be  more excitedthat the characters and world we first conceived almost 5  years ago are still alive and kicking," said co-creator Josh Schaer. "The direction we’ve taken in the comic book series touches on the long-term arc we plotted out for Jericho, and its citizens, right from the beginning."

The six-issue Jericho Season 3: Civil War miniseries will delve into what would have been the third television series’ story. At the end of season 2, jake and Hawkins had delivered the nuclear device to regional government in Texas, and a potential new American Civil War had been brewing all across the fractured United States.

"The comic book series opens almost immediately after the events of the show’s season 2 finale," said Robert Levine, writer for both the television show and the new comic book. "Jake and Hawkins are in Texas to warn of the coming conflict, Paul Revere-style.  They help forge an alliance between Texas and the Eastern States, but that union is quickly overtaken by a new catastrophe, which propels our heroes onto their next mission."

The end of the first season saw changes in the cast, so you have to wonder if having the third season as a comic would be any different. But with the appearance of Jake and Robert on the covers released so far, we know two who will be showing up.

"The story will definitely favor Jake and Hawkins, as they’ll be the lens through which we’ll see the world outside Jericho." said john Steinberg, co-creator and producer of Jericho. "The rest of our characters will definitely play an important role, as will the town of Jericho itself, as it takes on an increasing significance as the threat of Civil War grows.  But because there’s so much of the outside world we can’t wait to explore, it’ll probably mean that a good chunk of the story will be spent with Jake and Hawkins (and whomever may be out on the road with them…)"

Unlike some television and movie adaptations that come to comics, the people behind the book have made sure to be able to use the likenesses of the actors from the live-action series – in fact, the actors are promoting the book too; actor Lennie James, who played the character Robert Hawkins, appeared at the Jericho panel at Comic-Con International earlier this year.

"The actors are thrilled to be a part of the comic book series," said Dan Shotz, series writer and co-executive producer. "Jericho is one big family and this series has had such an impact on each and every cast member.  They never want this story to end. They’re also extremely excited to see themselves with bigger muscles."

At the time of filming the last episode of Jericho season 2, the staff did not know if the series would be renewed or cancelled. With that uncertainty, they filmed two season finales – one if the series was continued, and one if it was not. Although the series was ultimately canceled by CBS, there were many ideas as to what the future story of Jericho was…. and the show’s producers are continuing that, television show or not.

"The comic is pretty similar to the ideas we had for Season 3," said Stephen Scaia, a writer and producer of the series. "The trickiest part of re-engineering was figuring out how the ending that was aired (the originally intended ending was more of a cliffhanger, and can be seen on the DVDs) could link up with the story we had wanted to tell.  Once we figured that piece out, we were back in familiar territory. 

One of the constraints of live-action television is the budget – from the cast, to the time devoted to a scene, and down to the nitty-gritty of special effects and props. While a few television series are able to splurge on "blockbuster film-level" budgets for special episodes, the constraints are there for any show, including Jericho. But now as this world and these characters come into comics, the gloves are off.

"What’s been really great about doing Season 3 as a comic," Scalia continued," is being able to let our imaginations run free…usually there’s the "is this produce-able?" filter running in the back of your head that makes you second guess that action scene or tarmac full of planes.  But since the only expense is imagination and artwork, we’ve really been able to enlarge the scale of the story we already had.

"Also, blow more stuff up," Scalia said matter-of-factly.

As Jericho transitions from television to comic books, there remains talk of a movie continuation of the epic story at some point. But whether or not that can happen is still up in the air.

"We are currently in early stages of developing a movie," said co-executive producer Karim Zreik," but we wanted to get the comic book series off the ground first.  A lot of the ideas and characters you will see in the comic book will be used to inspire a theatrical movie plot."

Not many canceled television series spawn a spin-off comic book or talk of a feature-film continuation of the story; without the ardent fanbase that brought it back from cancelation once before, Jericho couldn’t have made it this far.
" The great thing about our fans is they have formed their own community," said Matthew Federman, a writer and producer on Jericho. "I went out to Jerichon (the annual fan convention), in Kansas, to represent the show and met a lot of them there. But we all have stories of running into people all the time who find out we worked on the show and say "I sent nuts!" It’s pretty funny. But moreso it’s nice to know the show affected people in a positive way."

With a comic book in the works and a feature film on the drawing board, there’s a lot to look forward to for Jericho fans.

Jericho Season 3 #1 is in stores now

Source

Related posts:

1. ‘Jericho’ To Continue as Devil’s Due Comic Book
2. ‘Jericho’ Movie in Development
3. CBS is readying a plan to bring back drama “Jericho” sometime next season, reports Variety. The network will likely orCBS Looks to Resurrect Jericho
4. “Jericho” Movie on the Horizon?
5. JERICHO LEAVES FANS HANGING

With only three RPGs left before the end of the year, it looks like 2009 is winding down. Points of View has a flurry of reviews for you as December dawns.

On a Deadhead board recently, I read a post detailing what kind of erm, chemical help, the band was availing themselves of during the recording sessions for each album. Not sure how true it was, but it was funny as hell. Similarly, I've always wondered about rpgs...what kind of drugs were the designers doing when they wrote that stuff? Here are my tongue-in-cheek guesses:

OD&D - Coffee, beer & red wine, nicotine
1e AD&D - Sensimilla, coffee, nicotine, fruit wine
2e AD&D - coffee, nicotine, wine coolers
3e AD&D - Starbucks coffee, microbrews
4e AD&D - AA badges
OSRIC/LL/S&W - Viagra, coffee, nitroglycerin
Empire of the Petal Throne - Nepalese temple-balls, Persian H, mescaline, chai
Runequest - shrooms, sensimilla, herbal tea
WFRP 1e - blow, Lebanese black hash, Newcastle brown
CoC - pcp, nitrous, opium
Sorceror - Red Bull, paint stripper
RIFTS - roids, Gatorade
T&T - coffee, sensi, beer
Gamma World - acid, sensi, mescaline
d20 Gamma World - Xanax, diet pills
Traveller - coffee, truckstop speed, tequila
Vampire: The Masquerade - Xanax, ritalin
Talislanta - more of everything with a needle & a spoon
GURPS - valium, coffee
Forward to Adventure! - pipe tobacco, coffee
Exalted - fruit juice masquerading as a 'smart drug'

And feel free to add you own favorite hopped-up games to the list.

Get ready to snap your DSi's camera, as Foto Showdown is making its way to North America. Those who fear demon mushrooms need not apply.

Along with the announcement of Foto Showdown, here's a few screenshots and artwork. The demon mushroom is adorable.

28 DAYS LATER #4
A VERY ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS
ALIENS #4 (OF 4)
ANITA BLAKE LC EXECUTIONER #2 (OF 5) (MR)
ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #204
BATMAN AND ROBIN #2 4TH PTG
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #38
BATMAN THE CAT AND THE BAT TP
BATMAN THE UNSEEN #5 (OF 5)
BETTY #183
BLACKEST NIGHT THE FLASH #1 (OF 3)
BLACKEST NIGHT WONDER WOMAN #1 (OF 3)
BOYS #37 (MR)
CAPTAIN AMERICA THEATER OF WAR PRISONERS OF DUTY
CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #44
DARK AVENGERS ANNUAL #1
DARK TOWER BATTLE OF JERICHO HILL #1 (OF 5)
DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #898
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #6 (OF 24)
FALL OF HULKS ALPHA FOH
GI JOE #12
HAUNT #3
INCREDIBLES #3
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20
INVINCIBLE PRESENTS ATOM EVE & REX SPLODE #2 (OF 3)
IRON MAN REQUIEM
IRON MAN VS WHIPLASH #1 (OF 4)
JSA ALL STARS #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA AF BOX SET
KING CITY #3
LOONEY TUNES #181
MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD 2-PK
MARVELS PROJECT #4 (OF
MIGHTY #11
MIRRORS EDGE TP
NORTH 40 #6 (OF 6)
PSYLOCKE #2 (OF 4)
RED TORNADO #4 (OF 6)
SIEGE CABAL
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #207
SPIDER-MAN NOIR EYES WITHOUT A FACE #1 (OF 4)
STRANGE #2 (OF 4)
SUPERMAN WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #10 (OF 12)
SWEET TOOTH #4 (MR)
SWORD #20 (MR)
TEEN TITANS DEATHTRAP TP
THOR #604
TICK NEW SERIES #1
TORCH #4 (OF
TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 05 LONELY CITY NEW ED (MR)
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #5
UNCANNY X-MEN #518
UNTHINKABLE TP
WARLORD #9
WHAT IF SECRET INVASION
X-BABIES #3 (OF 4)
X-FORCE ANNUAL #1

Related posts:

1. New Comics for the week of 10/28/2009
2. New Comics for the week of 11/25/2009
3. New Comics for the week of 09/16/2009
4. New Comics for the week of 07/15/2009
5. New Comics for the week of 10/21/2009

Cactuars are the new staple of any Final Fantasy game, appearing yet again in Final Fantasy XIII. Will a moogle appear soon?

Come one, come all, to another edition of the Saving Throw. Read the review of Manual of the Planes and Dungeon Delve while your turkey leftovers digest.

Flight Plan's next RPG will keep many Japanese RPG fans from tucking the PlayStation 2 in the closet just yet. But could this be the very last time?

Horror and dark fantasy fans love getting (and giving) gifts just as much as anyone else. However, we certainly can be hard to shop for sometimes.

So, just what do you get for someone who loves the darker side of entertainment?

In this edition of the FlamesRising.com’s Winter Holidays 2009 Gift Guide, we hear from FlamesRising reviewer and horror aficionado Steven Dawes. Steve talks about games, movies and books perfect to give as a gift for the horror fan in your life.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman is back; and he’s returned just in time as the inmates have taken over the asylum! The Joker is now in charge of Arkham Asylum and only Batman stands between him and the diabolical plans he’s cooking up for Gotham City!
This is easily the greatest superhero game I’ve ever played! All of Batman’s iconic toys and methods of dealing with the bad guys are available, and you’re going to need them all to survive and save the city! This is the closest you’ll ever feel to being “the bat” without putting on the cape and tights yourself. Fans of the 1990s Batman animated show are in for a treat as Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill both reprise their roles as the voices of Batman and the Joker respectively.

Familiar allies like Commissioner Gordon and Oracle provide assistance while a variety of favorites from Batman’s ever-impressive rogue’s gallery will make appearances. I won’t say who shows up (I won’t ruin the surprises) but you can bet they are all itching to give Batman a violent and untimely death! Give the gift of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Gotham City will thank you for it.

Left 4 Dead 2

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the safe house and look for other survivors; Left 4 Dead 2 has just been released. And let me tell ya peeps, this game is infectious; yes, pun intended. If you thought the first L4D was a nightmare to survive, then buckle those seatbelts, ’cause this ride is only getting rougher from here!

You get more weapons to choose from (including melee weapons like chainsaws and crowbars). You get new and improved zombie types (the acid-spitting zombie is a new favorite of mine) to deal with. You get new maps with new types of objectives and methods of survival (this time in the New Orleans neighborhood) along with new styles of game play (”Realism mode” is the awesomest). This all adds up to many more hours of survivalist 7th heaven, all in one package!

For anyone who enjoys surviving a good zombie apocalypse and ESPECIALLY for those who loved the original L4D game, its time to reload and aim for Left 4 Dead 2! All the things you loved about L4D are here and then some!

And while I’m on the subject of zombies…

Dead Reign RPG

If I were a Chinese calendar, 2009 would be “the year of Zombie” for me. I’ve been marinated this year in Zombie lore via video games (see L4D above), novels (thanks to the reviewer books from the generous staff of “da Flames,” movies, board games (Last Night on Earth) and more, but the most interesting zombie setting for me this year is the Dead Reign RPG from Palladium Books.

While there’s a lot of familiar ground with the theme of surviving the zombie apocalypse present, writers Kevin Siembieda, Josh Hilden and Joshua Sanford have created a compelling world of adventure with some great twists and ideas. For example, there are many different kinds of zombies to deal with; some of which are very different and unfamiliar, making them extremely dangerous to new survivalists and old alike. Another great angle of the adventure is that the game begins about five months after the apocalypse took place. Heck, the story of exactly how the apocalypse itself took place is priceless!

The options of characters are plenty, including Scroungers, Soldiers, the “Half Living” (not a quite a zombie, but not quite human anymore either), zombie-killing experts called the “Reapers,” the “Shepherd of the Damned” who seek out and help lost and confused survivors find safety, and even the “ordinary” survivors who use whatever skills and weapons they have and take up the fight against the undead armies. Of course, zombies aren’t the only issues the player’s characters will deal with; there’s “Death Cults,” Retro-Savages, madmen, psychopaths, raiders, paranoid survivalists and other menaces to deal with daily.

There are tons of adventures just waiting to happen under the tried and true Palladium game mechanics. Lots of random encounter tables, lots of adventure seeds and ideas and lots of fun to be had! And for even more zombie-survival lovin’, pick up a copy of both the sourcebooks, Civilization Gone and Dark Places for even more zombie types, character classes, menaces, equipment, adventure seeds and fun!

Beyond the Supernatural RPG (2nd Edition)

Simply the greatest modern-day horror RPG on the market, Beyond the Supernatural by Palladium Books is a masterpiece! Written in a way as only Kevin Siembeida can write it, this book is overflowing with atmosphere, horror, suspense and the supernatural! Plenty of overview and insight of living in a world that doesn’t believe in the supernatural; and those few who live in this world and yet apart from it simply because they know the truth.

The world is full of the supernatural, hiding from within the shadows (or in some cases out in plain sight) and taking advantage of humanity’s ignorance with near impunity. Humanity’s only protection are the seemingly hopeless outnumbered few who are armed with knowledge, weapons, skills or psychic abilities to destroy these horrors when they find them. The character classes range from Parapsychologists, to a variety of psychic (ranging from Mediums to Pyrokinetics) to ordinary people, each with their own talents and resolve to deal with the supernatural.

Written with an extremely cool and unique gaming mechanic system set within the otherwise familiar Palladium gaming style, BTS is a book that’s overflowing with adventure, mystique, horror and style. Look for additional BTS sourcebooks coming in 2010; which if all goes well, one (or two) of them will be written by yours truly *blushes*.

“Dark Hollow” and “Ghost Walk” by Brian Keene

A few months ago I reviewed Urban Gothic and found it to be a hidden treasure. Since then my interest in Brian Keene’s work has been piqued and I’ve since followed up with the novels Dark Hallow and its sequel Ghost Walk. As I suspected, Brian Keene is the real deal; he can write some seriously messed up scribes and I for one salute his talents!

Dark Hollow is a true “victim’s” tale about a nearly broken man named Adam Senft. Early on we learn that he’s got a crumbling marriage after two miscarriages and yearns to write that next big novel after his first one became a bigger seller than anyone expected. Dealing with the pressures, his only escape and joy come from a bond with his cowardly dog “Big Steve.” On the first day of spring, while Adam’s walking Big Steve in what the locals say is haunted woods, he witnesses something supernatural and extraordinary. In the days following this event, the women in town begin to disappear, and as Adam begins to put the pieces together, he realizes his wife is also in danger. Lots of mythology, pow-wow magic, discovering the truth about LeHorn’s Hollow and Brian’s ability to grab you at page one and never let go is all here.

Ghost Walk takes place two years later. Ken Ripple has poured his heart and soul into “The Ghost Walk,” a haunted attraction designed as a winding trail that goes through Lehorn’s Hollow. However, the woods are still haunted and something much more terrifying has been unleashed from within the woods. While a familiar character resurfaces from the first book as new ones are introduced, the central character here is Levi Stotzfus; the most bad ass ex-Amish pow-wow magus you will ever come across. Unlike the last book, Levi’s talents allows him to immediately realize the danger the planet’s in, and he’s now in a race against time to stop it! Levi has become a new favorite hero of mine and I look forward to his next adventure A Murder of Crows coming next year. Brian’s got mad writing skills and I predict his name will one day rank up there with two other “special K’s,” Koontz and King!

My Bloody Valentine 3D on DVD

My Bloody Valentine 3D is not only my favorite horror flick of 2009, but its one of the best hack and slashers to be released in some time in my useless opinion. For those moments in life where I just want some cheap thrills, lots of well executed slashing and killings, a compelling “who done it” script, a truly terrifying looking killer (that miner’s suit & pick axe scared me stupid) and some awesome bits of nudity (god bless Betsy Rue for her courage to strip down and strut her stuff), this one always makes me one happy schmuck!

Even better news is that the 3-D effects only made the film that much better to watch! The pick axes and body parts will fly right at you! The DVD offers a 2-D version, but I assure you that once you’ve been stabbed by this bad boy in 3-D, you’ll never go back! The perfect gift for the slasher fan that has everything but this DVD.

Steven Dawes – 2009

In this edition of the FlamesRising.com’s Winter Holidays 2009 Gift Guide, we hear from FlamesRising reviewer and RPG freelancer, Todd Cash. Todd talks about Play Dirty by John Wick, Hunter: the Vigil by White Wolf Publishing, New Age Requiem and Eclipse Phase by Catalyst Game Labs in this post. Be sure to read our interview with Eddy Webb about New Age Requiem if you’re interested in reading more.

Being a wage slave at a retailer forces me to think a great deal about Black Friday, the holiest of Capitalism’s holy days. Since I’m trapped into pondering it non-stop, I thought I’d pass along the blessings to you all. I’d like to believe, however, that you’ll actually find these shopping guidelines more useful than a 600 count of pink bed sheets (no offense to those of you needed said pink bed sheets). I going to revisit some games I’ve reviewed over the past year (and some I didn’t) for the sole purpose of finding the best of the best. The holidays are afoot, so some of you will have free time over the next month to game. It’s also Winter, the best season for gaming (inmyhumbleopinion).

Being that you’re reading this on a horror-themed site, I’ll try to focus a bit on the Black Evil Darkness that is Black Friday rather than the post-Thanksgiving hoo-ha.

I want to start off with what I consider to be one of the most useful tools for game masters. Although many RPGs have sections entitled “GM Advice,” I find much of it to be rehashed material. When I do find ample useable materials in those sections, those games generally go up several notches. My choice for Most Useful GM Advice would have to be John Wick’s Play Dirty. I’ve read the book several times and swear I learn a different lesson from the closest thing I know to a RPG sensei. My runner-up for this category would have to be Chad Underkoffler’s The Zorcerer of Zo. Hiding within this book are secret DVDish special features that explains in succinct detail how he turned a campaign for two friends into a terrific RPG.

Both of these books will suggest something you probably didn’t consider before… unless you’re one of the authors.

My introduction to gaming had two huge milestones: my first and then my first true love. We won’t go into my first today (hint: super heroes, not dungeons); however, I’ll talk about my first true love, which happens to be Vampire: the Masquerade. It’s been a rough patch over the years, but I’ve found them returning to greatness of late. Permit me to share what I consider are the two best finds in White Wolf’s stash right now.

First, Hunter: the Vigil is an amazing book with some of the most versatile alliances within it. There are the factions that make you feel sorry for the monsters they hunt (Ashwood Abbey) and the factions that are basically monsters themselves (Lucifuge). The artwork is excellent throughout the book and this line also has some excellent support through the SAS line of adventures and the Collection of Horrors.

Second, my runner-up in this group, has to be New Age Requiem. If you love the 80s and need some inspiration to run a game in the day when MTV played music videos, then you cannot go wrong with this book. If you crave running a campaign in the 1950s, give White Wolf time. I sure their scientists are working on that right now.

Finally, I want to offer a suggestion for the best new game I’ve read this year. I look at my reviews and my own purchases in 2009… and find one game just knocked me out. It wowed me because I didn’t expect it to. It’s sci-fi and I’m only kinda-sorta into that. This game has such an amazingly considered setting and excellently-structured rules that I have to point it out again. Yeah, I’d consider Eclipse Phase the single best RPG for your holiday/winter-y needs.

This is the game you can wile the afternoon away with while playing around hot cocoa instead of Coca-Cola.

Happy Holidays,

Todd Cash

The characters look cuter than most Wizardry games, but the color scheme makes it clear that this game is not supposed to be a happy romp through meadows. Just how similar it is to older Wizardry will become clear upon release.

The latest Summon Night is an action RPG, coming out next spring on the PlayStation 2. Will it be a success? Will it come out in English? Will it play well? These are all questions with no answers yet.