Category: Amish Otaku

All the stuff I published when I ran a nerd blog

Amish Otaku, Video Games

GAX Online – The Social Network for Gamers

By now, our readers have realized I’m a big fan of video games. (That and cooking are almost all I ever mention on here.) However, I’m going to guess that you didn’t know that I’m a big fan of podcasts and somewhat of a web 2.o [read social networks] nut. Therefore, it should be no surprise that when the hosts of one of my favorite gaming podcasts mentioned they were experimenting with the creation of a social network for gamers that my interest would be piqued and I would have to sign up.

So, what’s so great about this particular social network that I’m actually bothering to write about it? Continue reading “GAX Online – The Social Network for Gamers”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Image

Caught My Eye: Firebreather

Guest Post

With this review, you may notice a little pattern with the comics that catch my eye. I suffer from a little-known affliction called “glutton for good comics.” Once I find a topic or creator that interests me, I can’t move on to another until that hunger is satisfied. The current creator that has me occupied is Phil Hester.

In my last review, I checked out the comic Thirteen Steps, written by Phil Hester and Chuck Satterlee. That introduced me to Hester’s writing ability, where before I had only known his art. I was pretty impressed with the different type of story it was and wanted to see what else he had up his sleeve. I went to Wizard World Texas in November and saw that he had a book called Firebreather, and I couldn’t wait to check it out.

Firebreather is a creator-owned book that Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn worked on together. Until I discovered this series, Andy Kuhn wasn’t really known to me (but I’m not the most knowledgeable on various creators yet). I will say that I’ll be following him a little more now since I’m a fan of the style he draws in. If you’re not familiar with his work, his most recent projects include Blue Beetle, Brit, Hulk and Power Pack, and Marvel Team Up. What I like about his style, and others who draw similarly, is that it’s a cartoony look that is not overly realistic, but at the same time not kid stuff either. I really don’t have the comic technical vocabulary to describe it, but it’s my favorite type of comic art. Continue reading “Caught My Eye: Firebreather”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Marvel

Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe

By Ahmad Chaudhary

I loved this book. Maybe because it only took me a week to read it. Maybe because I don’t know much about the Marvel Universe or maybe because I’m just in a good mood today!

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether this book is for you or if it will be a good gift. Hopefully my review will help you make an informed decision. I got it free from a friend who worked at a discount book store and it was worth more than the free “Transformers” ticket I got over the summer.

Luxuriously finished in thick, black, padded, full-grain leather-like vinyl, the cover features a 3D matte-finish image of some of Marvel’s finest flanking the Thing – featuring Spider-Man leaping above, Wolverine and Captain America lunging beneath, Invisible Woman floating on the right, Elektra poised with sais ready to the left and the Incredible Hulk supplementing with his own heavy hitting close behind the pack. In a subdued Daredevil Crimson above the eye-popping image, it decrees in a stately font in all capital letters, “MARVEL”, while below it says “The Characters and Their Universe.” A direct linear history, it masquerades as something more due to the fact that the dimensions coupled with the weight of around five pounds give it a tome-like presence. Continue reading “Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Q-Treats

Q-Treats 2: Italian Chicken Rolls

Ah yes… It’s been a while since the first Q-Treats. To be honest, I had about three dishes documented visually and ready to write articles on. However, an upgrade to the newest version of OSX and somehow messing up my backups left me without those pictures as well as a few other things. Ah, well, such is life in geekdom.

However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been thinking up things to cook… In fact, this will be the first of three dishes I’ll be bringing you in the next couple of weeks. This recipe was an experiment for dinner a few days ago and it turned out pretty well.

Oh, and it’s pretty easy! There’s a little bit of work involved, but you’re not going to spend hours in the kitchen over this one. Continue reading “Q-Treats 2: Italian Chicken Rolls”

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Amish Otaku, Eastern Culture, Features

What’s with Pocky?

I’m sure, if you’re reading Amish Otaku, you already know what Pocky is. If not, let me give you a quick rundown. Pocky is a thin breadstick dipped in chocolate or some other flavor of melty goodness (like strawberry, “almond crush” or vanilla crème) and then packaged in bundles and sold for exorbitant amounts of money at anime and gaming conventions. And that’s usually where the knowledge of Pocky ends. Hah! But not today, my friends! Continue reading “What’s with Pocky?”

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Amish Otaku, Convention Coverage, Features

Con Report: Tandokucon 2007

Guest Post

As the latest addition to the “major” anime convention schedule for the East Coast, the first Tandokucon took place in the Pennsylvania Convention Center on the weekend of November 9-12, 2007. The convention staff had hoped to take the Philadelphia anime community by storm with an ambitious approach to making a convention that would be on the same scale as many of the well-established events in the region. That approach played no small part in making it one of the most controversial conventions in recent memory as well.

Almost all anime conventions tend to have rocky starts. The first year, in particular, is the most difficult, as often the people involved have little to no experience in planning such an event, a scarcity of resources with which to work and a general lack of understanding precisely what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. In this, Tandokucon was no exception, as it suffered from a host of issues pertaining to planning, location, timing, advertising and programming.

Unfortunately, some of the problems Tandokucon ran into came up long before the convention even took place. These were doubly unfortunate, as many of them were entirely avoidable and likely arose from misunderstandings as much as anything else. Continue reading “Con Report: Tandokucon 2007”

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Amish Otaku, Video Games, Xbox 360

Assassin’s Creed

We’ve been seeing previews for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed for about a year now, and the finished product lives up to nearly every expectation that’s been set .

The first thing that surprises you about this game is its setting. Contrary to what the trailers would have you believe, the actual setting for this game is in the near-future. All of the Crusade-era stuff is actually a virtual-reality representation of Desmond Miles’ genetic memory. So while Mr. Miles is a simple bartender, his ancestor was Atair Ibn La-Ahad – a member of the ancient order of assassins. He’s been captured by a secretive organization, Abstergo Industries, that’s probing his ancestral past for a hidden memory. The catch is this crucial memory can’t be accessed unless he relives the memories that preceded it. Continue reading “Assassin’s Creed”

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Amish Otaku, Convention Coverage, Features

Convention Coverage: Diplocon 2007

Guest Post

Although the existence of such fine information outlets as Amish Otaku belie the existence of a not-quite-underground network of gamers, anime-addicts and DDR freaks in Lancaster, PA, it’s not entirely unfair to say this network is rarely used to its full potential. This isn’t to say that the otaku of Lancaster go without their respective fandoms most of the time, but rather that the various pockets of these oft-linked fandoms remain largely distinct for the majority of the year.

Then, of course, there is Diplocon (the most recent instance of which was on Friday-Sunday morning, November 2-4). Continue reading “Convention Coverage: Diplocon 2007”

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Amish Otaku, Video Games, Xbox 360

Guitar Hero III: Ten Things They Forgot

10 things they forgot to put in Guitar Hero III

1. Pedal accessory
Everyone was excited when they picked up their Guitar Hero II games for the 360 because it had an expansion port on it. The game even came with a diagram that labeled it as the “pedal expansion port.” If it’s not in GH II or in GH III, when are we going to see this? Rock Band lets you change the guitar effects right on your axe, so where’s our pedal?

2. Cheaper DLC
If you look back to the interview I did with Bryan Lam from Red Octane, you’ll see I delved pretty deeply into the price per song of the various guitar/rhythm games on the market. Downloadable songs cost you twice as much: over $2 per song! I guess Red Octane and Neversoft are making serious money at that price point and a lot of people are buying the songs because I don’t see a change in this any time soon. Continue reading “Guitar Hero III: Ten Things They Forgot”

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Amish Otaku, PSP, Video Games

God of War: Chains of Olympus

After seeing how beautiful and how fun God of War II was, most of the fans of the franchise were more than a little curious about the next game to come out in the series. I think everyone was a little surprised when it was announced that the next title would be launched on Sony’s portable platform, the PSP. Surprise turned to eager anticipation when it was announced that a demo would be made available to PSN members who signed up while supplies lasted.

This past week I got my copy in the mail and after playing through it who knows how many times I have to say it passes muster. I was afraid that the game would lose some of its scope and play control by being on a portable system, but from what we’ve seen in the demo, those fears can be put to rest. Continue reading “God of War: Chains of Olympus”

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