Niahak's Place

Hey reader(s),

I’ve posted many times about how I wrote for videolamer.com, a fringe website that had a half dozen active authors at a time and perhaps twice as many readers.

I feel pretty good about the writing I did, and as a reader was continually impressed by the topics others would bring up (which ran the gamut from market analysis to commentary on politics of video games to photoshopping Jack Thompson in compromising conditions).  After it went down, I was sad that the site had gone into disrepair and more so that I wouldn’t be able to go back and read some of the great reviews and analysis from the others.  A few weeks back, Jay said he still had a backup.

I was able to bring the site back at http://www.videolamer.niahak.org.  It’s a temporary home for it while we push the hosting back and forth a bit.  I had to do a bunch of manual SQL nonsense to get things working, so if you do happen to take a look, please let us know if links are broken.

Compared to before, I don’t really have as much free time as I used to, but I’m hoping I can at least write a few small reviews and some E3 fan stuff (loved the first looks at Xenoblade Chronicles X) sometime in the near future.  Not sure if the “whole gang can get back together”, but at least what we wrote over the course of a half dozen years is back on the internet, and I’m pretty happy with that.

I figured I’d update this site with a few of my latest projects (writing, translation, etc).

I’ve posted a couple of new articles at videolamer in a vain attempt to resuscitate a website where I was happy to both read and write.  A third is on the drafting table and nearly complete, but I’m not sure it will ever get posted given the lack of feedback and effort on the part of both readers and writers.

A project which I thought would never get going finally did late last year: scanlation for the manga written to accompany (I assume) The PS1 version of Baroque.  The PS2/Wii remake of Baroque was released in the US and is a game I recommend.  Two chapters of Volume 2 are complete, and a couple more have been submitted for editing and finalization.  I’m doing the translation work and the manga group Friendship Scanlation is doing everything else.  Independent of the game I’m not sure the manga is anything special, but I enjoy its art style and it adds some story content that was difficult to find in-game.  For those who played the game and thought the story was overly vague, the manga has much better pacing and of course less dungeon-crawling.

Game translation projects are on standby for the time being.  The only item really in consideration is the sequel to Jesus.

I’ve also started a new project – in collaboration with Jay, I have begun development on a game using the XNA engine (appropriate for Windows/XBLA development).  It is a pirate-themed strategy game with a wildly branching plot.  It’s been fun, and I hope it sees the light of day.  In case anyone who happens to read this might be willing to do artwork or music composition, we are still looking for assistance.

I don’t normally consider “slice of life” content for this blog, because it’s supposed to be about fun and interesting stuff.  Life is consistently both much of the time, but not in a way that I would expect yon reader of obscure blog about video games to enjoy reading about.

However, I had an experience today with a security question and answer that I initially enjoyed.  Soon afterward, I was shocked and dismayed.

I found myself unable to log into a website, having forgotten my username (and my password, though I was not as sure of that).  Said website did not allow me to rediscover my username – although there was the feature, it asked me to call a toll-free number to do so.

Being a dutiful customer, I obliged.  I had the following exchange when I got to a representative.

I find the vast majority of things that Toastyfrog/GameSpite comes up with to be well-written, comprehensive, and correct.  Parish & co., who I have much respect for, consistently create good publications that I spend actual money on – a rarity when the internet is full of people who will tell you their opinion on video games for free (prime example right here).

However, Journal #10’s 7th Saga segment, posted just today, has in my view wronged a game.  I do not protest the overall treatment; I agree fully with the overall premise that 7th Saga is bad.

However, since I played the game to completion for the first time just a few months ago, I feel obligated to point out some incorrect or overblown parts of Jake Alley’s article.

I attended PAX Prime again this year.  It’s a good chance to get in touch with (somewhat) local friends, and to visit Seattle, which is a pretty cool city to just walk around.  And, of course, there were games there.

I don’t usually visit the big booths on the Expo Hall floor, since – by and large – the same content is out in a few weeks, and coverage on it is out in a few days.  I did try out the intro for Mass Effect 3, which was fun enough, but not worth the 2-hour wait.  The best under-the-radar game I saw there was Shoot Many Robots – a co-operative, 1-4 player shoot-em-up, which feels like a post-apocalyptic, hick-themed Metal Slug.  Some brief bits follow: