The Ultimate Graphic Novel Summer Reading List
Added: 02.07.2015 0:06 | 5 views | 0 comments
FreakAngels by Warren Ellis
The popular webcomic is now available in six paperback volumes stuffed to the brim with psychics, steampunks, and planetary disaster: just the thrilling sort of stuff to liven up any summer beach read bag. Buy the whole set and study up on your pyrokinesis before you fire up that grill. (Photo: Avatar Press) Black Hole by Charles Burns
This graphic novel found a new audience after it appeared in last year's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Black Hole takes place in a nightmare alternate Seattle, where teenagers mutate into classic B-movie monsters after catching a disease. It's a surprisingly intense read that'll keep you creeped out long after you finish. (Photo: Pantheon) The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud may be most famous for his instructional books on creating comics. Now you can see his principles in action in a very weird tale about a sculptor who makes a deal with death to gain inhuman artistic capabilities. It's one of the most peculiar superpowers we've ever seen illustrated. (Photo: First Second) Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
A young woman living in London returns home to Tokyo after she learns of her father's death. This is a thoughtful story about immigration, grief, and making tough choices. If you're looking for something outside of the box, this is your sure bet. (Photo: Harry N. Abrams) Celeste by I. N. J. Culbard
When you're ready for a dose of epic, intelligent sci-fi, you'll want to pick up the latest creation from I. N. J. Culbard, famous for his work on Sherlock Holmes. Celeste explores the end of the world from the viewpoint of the few people left to experience it. Think Last Man on Earth mixed with 2001 and you're halfway there. (Photo: SelfMadeHero) This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
The cousin team-up that brought us the exceptional graphic novel Skim joins forces once again for an incredible coming-of-age story. Set during the summer at a lakeside cottage, This One Summer details, with a touching sense of sadness, the friendship of two girls. (Photo: First Second) MW by Osamu Tezuka
The Japanese godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, has a reputation for going for the jugular in his stories, and MW is no exception. In what's probably his darkest work, Osamu tells the tale of Michio, a disturbing young psychopath who enjoys cruelty. You'll need an appetite for something revolting and revolutionary to read this one, but you'll be rewarded if you can stick it out. (Photo: Vertical) Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore
This is another graphic novel series for your classics shelf. First serialized in 1993, Strangers in Paradise is now available in six paperbacks perfect for traveling. Jump in and discover why this love-triangle thriller remains a fan favorite. (Photo: Abstract Studio) The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis
A world that rains knives and has no birthdays sounds like an awful place to live, but it's a wonderfully surreal place to visit in this new graphic novel by Rob Davis. If your teenage years were bizarre, brooding and impenetrable, you'll feel right at home. (Photo: SelfMadeHero) Pluto by Naoki Urasawa
Astro Boy holds a prominent place in the pantheon of important Japanese manga, which makes Naoki Urasawa's bold retelling of the story all the more impressive. Pluto's blending of a classic Japanese style with hard-edged, Philip K. Dick-inspired cyberpunk produces amazing results. (Photo: VIZ Media) The Graphic Canon Vol. 3 (Edited by Russ Kick)
The Graphic Canon has lived up to its editor's huge ambitions of publishing an omnibus of classic world literature in comic form. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the important works of literature humans have created, combined with unique interpretations by dozens of the world's greatest illustrators. Volume 3 includes contemporary writers like Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace, a highbrow/lowbrow combo the authors themselves would surely appreciate. (Photo: Seven Stories Press) Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware
In many ways Jimmy Corrigan put alternative comics and graphic novels on the critical map, with the New Yorker calling it "the first formal masterpiece of the medium." Jimmy Corrigan is a tragic, and at times hilariously awkward, story of father-son relations and the ways we negotiate identities in a complicated world. It's time to finally check it off your list! (Photo: Pantheon) Over Easy by Mimi Pond
Anyone who's wound up hungover in a California diner will find this nostalgic send up of dropouts, punks, and artists entertaining. It's a smart memoir that feels like a more warm-hearted and witty version of Inherent Vice. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly) Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco
Joe Sacco is a war reporter on a mission: to humanize complex foreign conflicts and bring them to life in comic form. With the rigor of a journalist and the empathy of an artist, Joe makes the Bosnian War feel as if it happened to your friends. The book is an unmissable achievement. (Photo: Fantagraphics) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
Before the worldwide controversy over Seth Rogen and James Franco's The Interview, this book opened a window into the secretive country of North Korea. This is an eye-opening journey through the author's job as an animator under the rule of Kim Jong-il. A movie version was even in the works, but Fox pulled the plug after last year's threats over The Interview. Now you can read the story that was too dangerous to show. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly)
Tags: Sees, Thief, Easy, Arts, Daly, Says, When, With, North, Black, Jump, Japanese, First, Last, Ultimate, Hold, Planet, Mini, James, Chris, Skin, Earth, Over, Score, David, Korea, Clone, Thomas, Summer, Ruin
From:
www.gamespot.com
| Cut the Rope Time Travel
Added: 29.06.2015 11:16 | 3 views | 0 comments
Om Nom is hungry but he can't reach the candy! Feed the adorable little monster with treats hanging from ropes out of his reach. The quicker you feed him, the better your score will be. Think strategically about collecting stars to improve your score. Encounter new challenges as you progress through each level. Play now - this monster needs to eat!
From:
www.miniclip.com
| Talking Point: The Mystery of Devil's Third and Its Drift Away from the Spotlight
Added: 28.06.2015 17:00 | 14 views | 0 comments
Nintendo of America remains silent while Europe has a release date
From:
www.nintendolife.com
| Nintendo Reportedly Pitched NX To Third Parties During E3 2015
Added: 28.06.2015 14:25 | 3 views | 0 comments
Miyamoto takes a step back from NX discussions
From:
www.nintendolife.com
| What other Square Enix games deserve the Final Fantasy 7 treatment?
Added: 27.06.2015 0:00 | 22 views | 0 comments
The internet got hit with a heavy dose of Final Fantasy fever coming out of E3 2015. Against all odds, Square Enix finally announced a Final Fantasy 7 remake. And it's not just going to be a one-to-one remake. Speaking to - and not changed - in this new Final Fantasy 7, but we're not stopping there.
Let's not forget that the Square half of Square Enix still has an extensive back catalog of fantastic games that are just as worthy of the remake treatment as Final Fantasy 7. Some of them were great ideas that just weren't properly executed at the time, while others are timeless gems that have proven themselves worthy of another go-around. Which one gets your vote? Which game from Square's collection would you like to see get a modern-day makeover? Let us know in the comments below, and read on to see our picks.
What's striking about Bushido Blade are the things you don't see. Here's a 3D fighting game without a health bar, timer, energy meter, or brightly-colored combo counter cluttering up the action. Instead, all you have are two fighters slowly, cautiously circling one another, each awaiting their chance to deliver the killing blow. There are no double-digit combos here. One clean hit is all it takes to win a fight. When you hear people talk about Bushido Blade, one word always comes up: tension. It's one big game of chicken with razor-sharp swords.
Sadly, Bushido Blade never lived up to its full potential. Instead, it spawned the Kengo: Master of Bushido series, which ended up playing like an awkward and stilted Soulcalibur (complete with all those meters and mechanics the original omitted). A modern Bushido Blade could correct the series’ stiltedness while remaining true to the minimalist design that makes it so unique. If you've been even a little bit interested in the player-versus-player combat of the Souls series, then you're ready for a new Bushido Blade.
At first glance, Brave Fencer Musashi looks like a low-rent Legend of Zelda clone, and OK, yeah, in some ways it kind of is. Combat's a little clumsy, and its 3D graphics are blocky and primitive, even compared to other PlayStation games at the time. Luckily, that's the kind of stuff that can get fixed in a remake, because Brave Fencer Musashi's world is filled with interesting secrets, loads of charm, and far too many food puns - and it deserves another chance.
Japan's greatest swordsman has been transported to an alternate dimension by Princess Fillet of the Allucaneet Kingdom in order to put an end to the Thirstquencher Empire's reign of terror (I told you there were food puns). Rescuing its citizens opens up new shops in the city, and finding hidden items to access new areas to save more people quickly turns into a completionist's paradise. You can even purchase action figures and either take them out of the packaging to play with them, or keep them mint to sell back later at a markup. There's a day/night cycle, a ton of abilities, and inventive puzzles - all the pieces are already there for this cult classic to become a modern hit.
The Bouncer is a 3D brawler. Think Streets of Rage, but in 3D and with floppier hair. When it was released near PS2's launch, it was graphically exceptional, with in-game graphics that were almost as good as the standard of pre-rendered cut-scenes at the time (unsurprising as that's been a common theme for Square-Enix's output ever since). But that was likely where most of the development time went, as it was too short and the fighting too simplistic to become a true classic.
It did, however, have a certain something. And the roster of playable characters and gradual unlocking of story scenes made for plenty of replay value. If that were expanded now, and the graphics given the same attention to detail using the might of PS4, The Bouncer 2 could be a modern classic. We haven't had a decent brawler like this in ages, and it's about time we did.
I defy you to name a better game involving opera houses, spontaneous combustion, and grenade launchers. This gem of an action RPG is so unlike Square's usual fare: it's set in modern-day Manhattan, revolves around themes of mutation and body horror, features quasi-real-time combat that prioritizes guns, and earns an M rating. But it also exhibits many of Square's greatest strengths, with gorgeous cinematics (which, for my money, still hold up), a stellar lead in the form of tenacious NYPD officer Aya Brea, and an engrossing narrative (albeit one of sci-fi rather than fantasy).
The original Parasite Eve could go a long way with some spruced-up visuals and full voice-acting, and you can be sure that those cutscenes of grotesque rat transformations would look even more horrifying in HD. But for the love of all that is holy, Square Enix, add the ability to skip cinematics you've already seen. Without spoiling anything, I had to watch the extremely creepy (and lengthy) cutscene before the final boss probably 18 times, because that fight is damn difficult. Oh, and it might be worth unlocking the roguelike-esque Chrysler Building challenge tower right from the get-go.
Final Fantasy 8 is a hot mess, and I say that with all the love in the world. The follow-up to one of Square's most gargantuan commercial successes, Square took the risky step of making it wildly different from the game that came before, and some really interesting ideas surfaced as a result. Sadly, surface is all some of them ever did, and trying to balance too many left FF8 a clutter of half-realized thoughts that swings at greatness and just misses the mark. It would take a complete rebuild to help FF8 reach its potential, but it needs to happen.
As opposed to a port or remaster that would bring along all the unfortunate plot problems of the original, a full remake could focus on making FF8's most pivotal elements work effectively. They could beef up the fascinating sorceress lore, focus on how growing up in a post-war society has affected the main characters, strengthen the Laguna segments to make them a fuller part of the game, and finally, finally develop the main romance into something that approaches believability. Square-Enix would have to completely tear it apart, but it'd be worth it, because then FF8 could finally become the game it was meant to be.
"Hey, didn't Square Enix just remake Final Fantasy X and X-2?"
Thank you for asking, disembodied voice. But no, Square Enix did not remake FFX/X-2 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, it merely remastered them with upscaled textures and slightly better looking models. The game's voice acting remained as simultaneously charming and weird as before - sidenote: AH HA HA HA HA - and overall the experience was roughly 95 percent identical to what players experienced in 2001 (and 2003 for the sequel).
What we're talking about wanting for Final Fantasy X/X-2 is a full-blown remake. That means an entirely new graphics engine, new voice acting, new everything. Tidus and friends are some of the series' most fondly-remembered ragtag group of heroes ever assembled, and for good reason. They're distinct, memorable, have interesting relationships with one another, and they live in a unique, post-apocalyptic-but-still-futuristic setting. It's true that the HD remasters looked good, and we appreciate the work that went into them. But imagine Yuna summoning Ifrit, Shiva, Bahamut or any other number of strange creatures with today's graphical capabilities at the developer's fingertips. Plus glorious, glorious Blitzball.
So there are our picks for the Square games most deserving of a FF7-esque remake. However, I just can't shake the feeling that we forgot something. It's almost like there's a game out there everyone loves that seems like an obvious pick that just somehow didn't make it on this list. Oh well. Let us know which game gets your vote, either from the list or from your heart. State your case in the comments below. Hey, if a FF7 remake can happen, anything is possible.
Tags: PlayStation, Brave, Thief, Play, When, Black, Fantasy, There, While, Legend, Staff, Master, Souls, Kingdom, Square, Final, Princess, Enix, Final Fantasy, Square Enix, Zelda, Soul
From:
www.gamesradar.com
| Sega Releases New Yakuza 5 Developer Interview
Added: 26.06.2015 4:19 | 4 views | 0 comments
Gio Corsio of SCEA Third Party Production team sits down with two of the developers from the legendary Yakuza series.
From:
n4g.com
| 15 Third Party PS4 Titles to Anticipate in 2015
Added: 25.06.2015 21:15 | 1 views | 0 comments
While Sony had a stellar E3 2015 press conference, many of the highlights ended up being games that wont release until 2016 or even later. That doesnt mean that there isnt plenty to enjoy on your PlayStation 4 until then, however, as there are plenty of promising looking third-party titles that should fill your gaming plate for the rest of the year.
From:
n4g.com
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