Toon of the Day - January 19, 2014

Toon of the Day - January 18th 2014

Comic Cover of the Day - January 17th, 2014

Comic Cover Archive Updated!

I finally got around to updating the gallery.   Now over 500 City of Heroes covers are on display, which should be all of them.   Also I've a separate gallery for Champions Covers (82 so far).   I hope to have DCUO covers soon added as well.  Check the link on the menu (Cover Archives) for this.   Enjoy. 

Cover of the Day - January 16, 2014

I've gotten back into playing Flagborn.  I've gotten in 3 levels already this week -- He's almost level 20 now.

I'm bacckkk

Yes -- time to start posting again.   Post Dragon*Con I got lazy again.   But I'm not going to let the blog sit.

1)  -- A lot of what I've been monitoring and keeping track of is MMO activity via the Flipboard activity on my iPad (finally upgraded to an air last November).  Making the Central Nexus News covers a lot of what I like in gaming -- MOSTLY MMO games, with emphasis on superhero games.   We've still got Champions and DCUO.  Neither really gets involved much.  We've still got 2 other multiplayer games in Marvel Heroes and soon DC Infinite Crisis.   Both take a Diablo type approach, which means you can't make custom characters.   The Marvel game has no real explanation though, while the DC game essentially has all paralell worlds touching each other at one chaotic spot... Think Elseworlds, think Earth 3, Earth2 (New version?) etc.  It could be interesting, But I'm still holding out for City of Titans.  But it will be a long time beofre that gets here.    Follow my activity on the CNN link (No not that one) above.    City of Heroes stuff still gets in there -- be it commemorations on tribute videos from time to time.   People just WILL not give up the game.

2) I've been playing a lot of Skyrim.   LOTS of it. I've gotten several games, Bioshock Infinite, Saints Row IV, even Grand Theft Auto V,  but I still feel like I've not truly finished Skyrim, and it keeps pulling me back.   Even though i've several characters in the 55+ range now.  Even did a run for 30 levels on the XBOX 360 version.   No mods there, save the DLC, so anything done there is vanilla.    Unfortunately the load times are 10 times the PC version so it tends to drag on.    I did play long enough to get several missing achievements.  On the PC I'm up to 70.   Haven't got the criminal in all holds, vampire perk achievements, nor the legendary dragon.   One of these days.    On the PC I found several wild Magic mods -- but together they make it almost too easy.   1 allows you to wear up to 6 rings.   Always thought having only 1 ring was unrealistic.   At least without an explanation.   Most fantasy games at least let you wear one on each hand.  The next mod expands the final perk on the enchantment tree to allow more than 2 enchantments.   Adding another perk level -- you can go from 2 to 5 to 20 to unlimited.  combined this tends to make your active magic list forever, and some of your stats start skyrocketing.  Great if you want to make your own Arch mage gear from scratch, but it is too easy to add so much that the game gets broken. 

3) Trying Champions again.   Without CITY i tend to miss the MMO life.  But many of the groups I've found tend to be 3-6 people with 20-50 people that NEVER are on.   Of course sometimes I find Champions depressing.  I keep wanting to do CITY toons again, but they never turn out exactly right play wise.  Looks are sometimes very close, and that just gets you.  I tend to try new ones more often than not these days.  But I keep finding myself trying solo games instead of MMO.   I haven't touched Defiance or Star Trek Online, or even Star Wars.  I'm waiting on Elder Scrolls Online.   I still wonder about it, whether it will capture what Skyrim did even in part.   If it can, it will be around a while.  Otherwise it will be one fish in a large pond FULL of fantasy MMOs. 

Anticipation of Dragon*Con 2013

It happens every year.   Nervous about Dragon*Con.  Have I forgotten anything?  Is everything ready?  Which do I give priority to?  And when?   Always wondering if work will intrude on the event, despite having it cleared months in advance.    Its the funnest time of the year for me, always surprising, costs way too much in parking alone.  But I haven't missed one for anything.   I've gone every year since 1998.  Back then it was only in 2 hotels with some gaming in a seperate hall.  Now its in 5 hotels AND they still ended up getting some convention hall as well.   

I get around with a cane these days.  Bad knee and more.   Going handicapped again helps -- but navigating the crowds was problematic before this.  Trying to do it now IS a real problem.   You can't rush from hotel to hotel and even expect to make it.   Some sessions, like live podcasts will seal the room.  Of course if you do get there early you can cut to the head of the line, and that helps.  I still have to plan out my events carefully, and have some alternates if I really can't get from point A to point B.  There is supposed to be handicap shuttles between buildings, but I've never seen them.

Thursday I plan to get my ticket early, and do all my last minute preperations.  And probably go through my schedule one more time.   I want to hit a few things -- Two Doctor Whos will be there this year --  Davison and McCoy.   Sylvester McCoy was there the last two years, and is a riot.   Plus his roll in the Hobbit movies makes him a double draw.     I've seen Davison there before, but it has been a few years.

I also want to see Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner -- They are both due to be there.  The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman shows came out when I was in high school -- I loved them - even if I had to suspend disbelief.  I mean they made it sound like attaching one arm will give you super strength.  Maybe for crushing or throwing -- but lifting also affects the back.   They would have had to Anchor the arm to a reinforced skeleton and spine.    Its almost fun to watch the old shows just to see what was done right and what was done wrong.

The very first MMO session I'm still looking forward to -- a rundown on the year in question.  City of Heroes will MOST likely be the topic of choice.   I hear they're bringing in an economist to make sense of NCSoft's decision.   That corproation sure  hasn't been forthcoming with any details.

I hope to catch some photoshoots this year -- I've stumbled on to a few in the past, but I hope to catch some good ones.  

I can't help but wonder what the cosplay fad will be.  It happens every year -- some theme is the most popular.   One year it was Halo costumes.  Another year 300 style Spartan Warriors.  One year it was Hogwarts Staff & Students.    A few years ago it was Lord of the Rings.  Usually it is something NEW.   Nothing stands out as a BIG theme of choice.  We have a lot of continuing things like Game of Thrones and such, but I really can't put my finger on the one thing that would stand out.    I'm kind of hoping to be surprised.   

I hope to be taking plenty of photos.  Maybe this year I can work up a video...