Category: Amish Otaku

All the stuff I published when I ran a nerd blog

Amish Otaku, PS3, Video Games

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM is the fusion of the Dynasty Warriors series, which first began life on the PlayStation and found its fame on the PlayStation 2 console, and the Gundam anime series; the longest running anime series based on mechs and robots.

The Dynasty Warriors series is a beat-’em up action genre which involves the player taking the role of an important figure from the “Warring States” period of ancient China and doing battle with the different factions of the time. The series is based on historical figures and events, but the gameplay is most certainly not. Players will find themselves utilizing power ups that increase their strength, defense, and speed and collecting items from fallen enemies that can be equipped and used in future or previous battles. Continue reading “Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM”

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Amish Otaku, Features, The Haven

The Haven: Pilgrim’s Progress

By Andrew Goletz

This column should be on time again barring any technical difficulties on the site. Dan is on the road for a special event that he’ll be writing about soon, but it may cause the delays of this column along with several others. The boss needs to get his ass out there and do some legwork, too, you know?

Well, if I ever learn how to do proper HTML and coding, I could help the poor bastard out and post new stuff myself, but then who would I get to blame???

I only have a handful of comments this week since most of my time was spent on all of the wonderful Life of Reilly details. (Big, big week for that little project.) Continue reading “The Haven: Pilgrim’s Progress”

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Amish Otaku, Video Games

EVE TV: PPV for the PVP Crowd

So…, what is EVE TV? Originally, EVE TV was a free service to EVE Online players that allowed us to watch the very popular alliance tournaments. In order to make the tournaments more than just sitting there watching ships blow each other up – which is in itself fun – EVE TV added a studio with commentators (read: people from the EVE community) giving us not only the blow-by-blow of the game but also other related content, such as interviews with the DEV’s and news about upcoming game-related events.

The first of these events that I watched on EVE TV, a tournament that spanned a few days, was a lot of fun for me. I enjoyed watching the alliances fight it out and, in fact, this is one of the reasons I decided to join in the first place. After all, any MMO company that offers a service like that to its players for free has to be good.

The next event, however, was a tad different. CCP had decided to go through a distribution company named Jalipo and, as a result, if players wanted to see the higher quality versions of the tournament they had to pay. This experiment turned into a bit of a mess due to issues with the servers in which members were frequently unable to watch what they had paid for. Continue reading “EVE TV: PPV for the PVP Crowd”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, DC, Features

Caught My Eye: Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special

First of all, let me start out by saying that all I know about the Green Lantern is what can be seen on the Justice League cartoons. I’m not a huge fan of space-related comics simply because they’re so fantastical and far removed from reality that I have a hard time getting emotionally involved in the plot. I can count on one hand the number of space comics that I enjoyed and didn’t feel like I was being punished by reading them.

Sinestro Corps was an interesting venture for me because I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. The $4.99 price tag certainly was a gamble, but I’ve been craving something by Ethan Van Sciver so I decided to take the plunge.

The art was the most enjoyable aspect of the comic. Every page was filled with huge visuals that remind me of the summer blockbusters that I love. I felt like a kid looking at the coveted Toys“R”Us big book of toys that comes out at Christmastime every year. It really was that good. Ethan Van Sciver took his time with this comic and it shows. Continue reading “Caught My Eye: Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special”

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Amish Otaku, Comics

Brielle and the Horror #1: Actors Come to Graphic Fiction

I picked up a lot of comic books at the recent Wizard World Con in Philadelphia. A lot of comic books. None of them have stayed with me as much as Brielle and the Horror. I picked up a copy on that first Friday and immediately returned to the creative team the next day to give them a heaping dose of positive feedback. I pulled a couple of wayward guests over to their table, as well.

This is the first issue of a live-action graphic novel. The creators have used real actors to portray the characters in the book and then photographed the “panels” in sequence to the story and then hand drew over the photos to create a pretty unique-looking piece of art. The only time I remember someone doing anything like this was Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man) on his early work, like AKA Goldfish and Jinx, but it didn’t seem to be done to the same extent as this. I can’t begin to tell you how strange it was to see the “actors” at the Loaded Barel stand, read the book and then see the actors again. Continue reading “Brielle and the Horror #1: Actors Come to Graphic Fiction”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Kosher Kuts, Manga, Viz

Kosher Kuts: D. Gray-man

D. Gray-man is essentially a gothic version of the X-Men. The idea has some initial originality. A dark undertone to a classic idea can provide new ground to explore in the action superhero genre. However, the foundation of the team and the plot must be strong to keep the series from sinking into banality. These sentiments are the deciding factors when you read through D. Gray-man.

The aforementioned plot of D. Gray-man has a Zoroastrian bent to it. There are people around the world who possess a super-human power called “Innocence.” An organization called the Black Order is trying to find these people and recruit them to become exorcists. Exorcists are supposed to defend humans from an elf-like creature called the Earl of the Millenium, which is attempting to destroy all humans who utilize Innocence (and thus to bring about the end of the world). He has his own group of human followers and manufactures beasts called Akuma with the souls of dead people whose loved ones want them to live again. In doing so, the Earl fulfills the wishes of humans, but damns the souls of the dead. The exorcists use their powers to save the Akuma from damnation and to protect Innocence. Continue reading “Kosher Kuts: D. Gray-man”

Joshua Goldberg
Amish Otaku, Features, The Haven

The Haven: Rumors and Reilly

By Andrew Goletz

Two weeks in a row that the column is on time… Sadly, this is a new personal record.

The fallout from Wizard World Philly continues. I’m so bogged down with work right now. I made a lot of great contacts and confirmed set interview dates with the first two creators, but finding the time is going to be quite the task. This is where one’s organizational skills can make or break you. If I don’t have some new interviews and reviews up by the end of the month, I’m going to feel like a colossal failure. Continue reading “The Haven: Rumors and Reilly”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, FUNimation, Madhouse

Claymore: Basilisk for Girls? Well…Not Exactly

I’m a big fan of shows with dark settings. I’m also a big fan of shows with intriguing plots. Some fast-paced action here and there doesn’t hurt; neither does excellent art.

That said, I’m not particularly picky when it comes to genres. If you’ve got a sci-fi epic, a tale of modern-day espionage or a fantastic tale of swords and sorcery, I’m pretty much good as long as you manage to include some or all of the above. Considering my roots in Record of Lodoss War, though, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for shows that manage to pull them off in a medieval world. Continue reading “Claymore: Basilisk for Girls? Well…Not Exactly”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, DC, Features

Caught My Eye: Flash, The Fastest Man Alive #13

Looks pretty bad, huh? Well, this is only the third page
DC Comics

Where do I start? Yeah, I’m looking at you, DC Comics, and your wonderful editorial direction! You’d better run and take cover, because I’m coming… and hell’s coming with me, you hear???

It is going to be very difficult for me to discuss this comic without spoiling it for the few of you who stuck with this title post–Infinite Crisis, but I’ll do my best to keep this review spoiler-free.

This issue marks the last in this volume’s thirteen-issue run. I started reading this title with the conclusion to the huge DC Comics blockbuster from last summer, Infinite Crisis. The One Year Later storyline was a gimmick where all of the in-continuity titles advanced a year. It promised to be a radically different gimmick than what we were used to. I for one was really interested in what was going on in the world of DC. Flash was a character I had wanted to check out for some time, since he was one of my favorites in the Justice League animated show on Cartoon Network. Continue reading “Caught My Eye: Flash, The Fastest Man Alive #13”

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Amish Otaku, Music

Dual Core

The dude in a penguin shirt
Dual Core

So there I was fending off the usual barrage of camgirls and free iPod/iPhone/yourmom ads on MySpace. And of course, the obligatory MySpace Bands, many of which are talented. Sadly, in the grand scheme of things, many is not all, or even most.

Now, stop, hold on, I know what you’re thinking: “Doesn’t the Music and Gaming Festival like musicians?” Why wouldn’t we friend bands? I realize this, but we’re a videogame event, so we try to only friend videogame bands and/or videogame-related musicians. Keeps it tight, ya know?

Eventually, I came to a group of dudes called Dual Core. Close investigation revealed spiffy art of a dude in a penguin shirt, but for some reason the music player wasn’t working (does it ever?) so I tossed them a message and asked if they had any music online. Continue reading “Dual Core”

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