Quest Log – One-Quest.com https://one-quest.com Every nerd starts with One-Quest! Your destination for podcasts, articles, and more nerdy discussions than you can imagine! Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:10:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 yes One-Quest yes episodic One-Quest Every nerd starts with One-Quest! Your destination for podcasts, articles, and more nerdy discussions than you can imagine! Quest Log – One-Quest.com https://one-quest.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg https://one-quest.com/blog/category/quest-log/ c9c7bad3-4712-514e-9ebd-d1e208fa1b76 PodQuest 418 – MultiVersus, Rumbleverse, and Prey (2022) https://one-quest.com/blog/podquest-418-multiversus-rumbleverse-and-prey-2022/ Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:10:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=24312 On this week’s episode of PodQuest, Chris talks about MultiVersus, Drootin played Rumbleberse, and we dig into our book club topic of The Predator prequel, Prey (2022) on Hulu. Before all that Walnut talks a bit about the new content in Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak and Apex Legends. And we wrap up with some The Sandman and Attack on Titan talk.

Our next book club is going to be Ex Machina (2014) on HBO Max for September 1, 2022.

Timestamps
00:00:00 – Intro
00:01:47 – Agenda
00:02:48 – Tangent, Tom Cruise, and book club options
00:10:24 – Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak
00:24:47 – Apex Legends
00:47:28 – MultiVersus
01:01:45 – Rumbleverse
01:13:03 – Book Club – Prey (2022 Hulu)
01:31:09 – Next Book Club – Ex Machina (2014)
01:33:49 – The Sandman (Netflix) *Light Spoilers*
01:40:39 – Attack on Titan Question
01:50:44 – Outro

Support One-Quest
https://www.Patreon.com/OneQuest

Follow Us
Email – Social@one-quest.com
Twitter – @One_Quest
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Follow Richie on Twitter – @B_Walnuts
Follow Drootin on Twitter – @IamDroot

Intro and Outro music Mega Man 2 ‘Project X2 – Title Screen’ OC ReMix courtesy of Project X over at OCRemix

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On this week's episode of PodQuest, Chris talks about MultiVersus, Drootin played Rumbleberse, and we dig into our book club topic of The Predator prequel, Prey (2022) on Hulu. Before all that Walnut talks a bit about the new content in Monster Hunter ... One-Quest yes 1:52:41
PodQuest 393 – Comic Books, Ori, and Fantastic Four 2015 https://one-quest.com/blog/podquest-393-comic-books-ori-and-fantastic-four-2015/ Thu, 24 Feb 2022 16:09:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=24147 It’s time for another PodQuest, this week we spend some time talking about the recent changes to Comixology along with thoughts on recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Devils Reign, and more! Then we discuss Richie’s progress through Ori and the Blind Forest and the beginning of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Afterwards we talk about times we accidentally completed a game, and then get into our book club discussion on the 2015 Fantastic Four film.

Our next book club top is going to be the 2013 F1 film Rush, which you can find on Netflix in the US.

Timestamps
00:00:00 – Intro
00:11:49 – Agenda
00:13:19 – Comixology Changes
00:23:43 – Spider-Man, Devil’s Reign, and other comic things
00:45:49 – Ori and the Blind Forest and Will of the Wisps
00:52:23 – Blind Forest ending spoilers (<5 minutes) 01:03:29 - Games you’ve accidentally beaten 01:18:21 - Book Club Discussion - Fantastic Four (2015) 01:37:54 - Next Book Club - Rush (2013) 01:40:15 - Outro Support One-Quest
https://www.Patreon.com/OneQuest

Follow Us
Email – Social@one-quest.com
Twitter – @One_Quest
Instagram – @One_Quest
Facebook – OneQuestOnline

Follow Chris on Twitter – @Just_Cobb
Follow Richie on Twitter – @B_Walnuts
Follow Drootin on Twitter – @IamDroot

Intro and Outro music Mega Man 2 ‘Project X2 – Title Screen’ OC ReMix courtesy of Project X over at OCRemix

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It's time for another PodQuest, this week we spend some time talking about the recent changes to Comixology along with thoughts on recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Devils Reign, and more! Then we discuss Richie's progress through Ori and the Blind ... One-Quest yes 1:41:12
Site Changes! https://one-quest.com/blog/site-changes/ Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:00:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=24016 We’re moving our hosting this week, so please bear with us as we make these changes

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PodQuest 369 – AEW All Out 2021, Psychonauts 2, and Sony Marketing https://one-quest.com/blog/podquest-369-aew-all-out-psychonauts-2-and-sony-marketing/ Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:52:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=23920 This week on PodQuest Droo fills us in on what happened at AEW All Out 2021, Chris has been exploring minds in Psychonauts 2, Richie is dipping into the original Metroid for the first time, and we have a discussion about how Sony has been handling marketing, especially the recent to-do with Horizon Forbidden West upgrades. We also have a little Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, some Star Wars The High Republic, Surviving Mars, Edens Zero, and a discussion about a recent Reply All #178 I Am Not a Bot.

Our next book club topic are some episodes of Top Gear available on HBOMax. We’ll be discussing them on our September 23rd episode.

Top Gear Season 21 Episode 3 – Ukraine Road Trip
Top Gear Season 22 Episodes 9 & 10 – Patagonia Special

Timestamps
00:00:00 – Intro
00:07:00 – What’s on the agenda?
00:10:11 – Star Wars The High Republic
00:23:24 – AEW All Out 2021
00:41:49 – Psychonauts 2
00:49:59 – Microsoft Flight Simulator
00:51:52 – Sony Stuff – Horizon Forbidden West Upgrade messaging / Walk backs
01:10:30 – Surviving Mars
01:17:35 – Metroid (NES)
01:30:25 – Reply All Podcast #178 – I Am not a Bot
01:42:33 – Edens Zero
01:45:15 – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (No Spoilers)
01:48:45 – We lost Richie – Some (very) minor Shang-Chi spoilers relating to MCU connections
01:56:15 – Movie Tavern’s decline
02:00:25 – Book Club reminder – Top Gear
02:00:51 – Outro

Support One-Quest
https://www.Patreon.com/OneQuest

Follow Us
Email – Social@one-quest.com
Twitter – @One_Quest
Instagram – @One_Quest
Facebook – OneQuestOnline

Follow Chris on Twitter – @Just_Cobb
Follow Richie on Twitter – @B_Walnuts
Follow Drootin on Twitter – @IamDroot

Intro and Outro music Mega Man 2 ‘Project X2 – Title Screen’ OC ReMix courtesy of Project X over at OCRemix

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This week on PodQuest Droo fills us in on what happened at AEW All Out 2021, Chris has been exploring minds in Psychonauts 2, Richie is dipping into the original Metroid for the first time, and we have a discussion about how Sony has been handling mark... One-Quest yes
A written post on this website?! What is it 2015?! https://one-quest.com/blog/a-written-post-on-this-website-what-is-it-2015/ Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:09:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22851 Hey there, Drootin here. I’m sorry that I’ve been missing being on PodQuest a lot over the last year and I kinda wanted to share why.

So, over the last year especially, I’ve probably been feeling overall the worst I’ve felt since like High School. A multitude of things has led to me feeling very depressed and fully knowingly that it’s the depression that makes me not want to do things, and I SHOULD go do things to try and feel better (like record this podcast with my friends), but it also completely sucks all of the energy out of me and makes me not want to leave the house. So let me kinda fill you in on what’s been going on and where things go from here.

-My chronic daily headaches have been pretty bad, the things below all probably play into this.

-My job had SUCKED real bad. My job got to the point where it was super fucking shitty and caused me an insane amount of anxiety and that has then become pretty crippling depression. So, in October of 2015 that department had 6 employees, 4 people doing the actual work, 1 “team lead” who had her own tasks and would help with some of the regular work, and a manager. By August of 2016 there was 1 person in the department, me, AND we were trying to transition where in the different sites in the company different tasks were being done so I was tasked with a 7th different persons work in also trying to train people in Maine and Florida how to do my job while also trying to do all my normal work which is super time sensitive. Had I been able to afford it both monetarily and from a benefits standpoint, I would have quit, but I couldn’t so I just became incredibly resentful and angry and that has manifested itself in some bad ways.

-We’ve then also had issues over a stupid CO for the house we bought that didn’t get settled, and not with the best outcome but far less bad than it could have been, until November of last year.

-Then I had my tonsils removed in January and my wife got a promotion at her work (yay!) but the combination of those things for a while there led to me being home alone until like, 7-8 PM on a lot of nights, and I didn’t quite realize how much that was having an effect on me.

-I sleep like shit. For the last number of months, I’ve been consistently waking up between 3 and 4 AM from weird dreams that I barely ever remember anything from them except possible small bits.

-All these things have affected my weight, which I’m at the like heaviest I’ve ever been in my life, which makes me feel shitty, which rolls into all of these other feelings to make me feel depressed, which saps out all the energy I would have to exercise to lose the weight to feel better, but I just can’t figure out what to do about it. Its a vicious spiral that sucks.

So, yeah, that’s what’s been really causing me issues and why I haven’t been on the show much over the last year. And here’s what I’m hoping to do about it.

I got a promotion at my work and have moved to a VASTLY more supportive team and things are looking up on that end and I’ve been feeling a bit better. BUT, I’m currently sick, an upper respiratory infection because of fucking course I would get that, I’m doing better but have this real hacky cough that comes in fits and would be SUPER annoying to have on a podcast so I won’t be on this week. I plan to be back next week (4/18/17), and then hopefully be there consistently from here on out. ALSO, I have thoughts about bringing back the ‘Rasslin Report in some form. I will talk to Shaun and see if he want’s to do it, but he’s kind of a nightmare to lock down, even for a once a month type of thing. I’d be hoping to have it come out the same time every month, either like the beginning or end of the month, probably on either a Saturday or a Sunday, all kinda depends how this is going to go. If Shaun can’t commit to it I’m going to reach out to a group I run on Facebook and see if any people in there want to randomly rotate in as co-hosts and I’ll edit it all together or whatever, we’ll see how that goes, I’m sorta into this idea a little more to be honest as I want to get the editing skills.

So yeah, that’s what’s been going on over here, I’m starting to feel better, the next step is trying to get exercising going and cutting this weight. I’m hoping to start doing better and being back on PodQuest and even other podcasts around the internet spreading the word of One-Quest. And if you have any helpful suggestions, please reach out to me, I’m on Facebook (facebook.com/IAmDroot), Twitter (@IAmDroot), & Tumblr (IAmDroot).

Thanks!

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PodQuest 130 – Nintendo Switch, D&D, Dragon Ball https://one-quest.com/blog/podquest-130-nintendo-switch-dd-dragon-ball/ Wed, 18 Jan 2017 21:50:25 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22796 This week on PodQuest we dive deep into the Nintendo Switch and all of the announcements from last week. But before any of that we talk about Final Fantasy XV some more, Dungeons and Dragons, the return of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Dragon Ball Super.

Intro and Outro music Mega Man 2 ‘Project X2 – Title Screen’ OC ReMix courtesy of Project X over at OCRemix

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This week on PodQuest we dive deep into the Nintendo Switch and all of the announcements from last week. But before any of that we talk about Final Fantasy XV some more, Dungeons and Dragons, the return of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Dragon Ball Super. One-Quest yes
Quick Look: Titanfall 2 https://one-quest.com/blog/quick-look-titanfall-2/ Mon, 22 Aug 2016 00:14:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22703 What’s this, 2 videos in 2 weeks!? I took the time to play and give you my first impressions of Titanfall 2, using their Tech Demo made available this weekend. This was a Pre-Alpha server stress test that EA will lock down tonight, and make it available again only next weekend. Please check out the video, and try the demo next weekend.

Titanfall 2 is released on October 28th, 2016 for PS4, X-Box One, and PC.


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No Man’s Sky – First Look https://one-quest.com/blog/no-mans-sky-first-look/ Sun, 14 Aug 2016 20:28:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22704 The biggest game ever, literally the scale of this game is insane, has finally released. Walnuts sat down and played No Man’s Sky over the last week, and here are his first impressions of it! It’s also our first real video so let us know what you like and what you think we need to work on!

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Review – Gal*Gun: Double Peace https://one-quest.com/blog/review-galgun-double-peace/ Fri, 12 Aug 2016 02:30:31 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22675 galgundoublepeacelogo

Gal*Gun: Double Peace, a sequel to Inti Creates 2011 Gal*Gun is about as anime as anime can get, and if you look past the absurdity and put aside some preconceived notions you’ll find a fast paced and fun game.

I was uncertain about Gal*Gun: Double Peace when I first popped it in. I’d seen some gameplay of it, read about it in the news a few times, but otherwise didn’t know a ton about it. What I did know was you rolled around a schoolyard giving girls ‘euphoria’ so they’d stopped chasing you. It seems like a concept that could only work in Japan, where they have a very different media acceptance to this kind of material. That’s not to say everything out of Japan is perverted, but anime and many video games are known for some over-the-top fan service for a reason. That’s really all Gal*Gun is using here, it’s fan service. There’s no nudity, no sex, no foul language, just goofy self aware fanservice and engaging on-rail shooting.

ekoro-creepier

The basic premise of the game is you play Houdai Kudoki who is a pretty unremarkable high school student. By unfortunately circumstances he’s hit by what is essentially an overpower cupid arrow which makes all the females he encounter fall irrationally in love with him. The Cupid (Or Angel as the game refers to her) Ekoro that shot him basically becomes his guide through the game. She explains that you’ve got to use the overpowered pheromones you now have, in the form of a Pheromone Shot, to send the girls into a fit of euphoria that will knock them out and thus give you a chance to carry on. The catch here is, if he doesn’t get together with his ‘True Love’ by the end of the day, the powers wear off, but he will never have affection from another living being, even from family or pets.

This is of course made more complicated by the fact that there is a demon also on the loose, who is messing with people, making their darkest versions come out. This basically translates to the girls still being in love with you, but being much more violent about it. Luckily there are two girls, sisters in fact, on campus who not only are unaffected by the Angel or Demon, and just happen to be old estranged friends of Houdai, but are also Demon Hunters. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

If you’re an anime fan, the story here isn’t all that out there. Young guy needs to find his true love or his something bad will happen. Obviously the sexual nature of the game takes it down a different road than you’d usually see in anime, though even then it wouldn’t be that absurd of a notion, but the story is still pretty straightforward and non-offensive. Gal*Gun: Double Peace is very self aware, at multiple times Houdai says how ridiculous this is and how he feels like a creep for actions he’s forced to take. That could of course vary depending on the type of profile you start with, as Gal*Gun offers you different variations. Things like athlete, bookworm, or even pervert are available, and claim to offer different combinations of girls who will fawn over you. I only played it through once so far, so that is yet to be seen for me.

galgunshinobuandmaya

There is some decent replay value here if you’re into it also. It’s not a very long campaign, a couple of hours will have you through it, but with several potential paths you could be playing for hours till you get what you want. There are also several locked paths and character types that you’ll unlock by playing through, personally I want to unlock the “Nothing special” character option to see what his zero stats do to the game. There are multiple endings too, which follow the usual trend of the better you played the game / made the right choices then the better your ending will be. Each path comes with occasional dialogue choices which if don’t correctly can go towards landing that perfect ending. I for instance, apparently made some bad dialogue choices and ended up with a confusing mess of an ending. Depending on your level of investment you could easily spend weeks replaying the game, trying to get better endings and unlock the various paths.

The art style is a standout in the game with really bright and vibrant colors. Some cutscenes are drawn in a slightly different style that anyone who enjoys anime styled art will just adore. The one downside are the dialogue boxes and menus looks so drastically different, and almost stand out as if it were done for a different game. It’s a minor complaint, but there is a very stark contrast while seeing this beautiful drawn scenes only to have a very out of place blue box popup for dialogue.

I mentioned before that this is an on-rail shooter, as such you don’t control where Houdai goes, though you do get to choose which school location to go to before some stages begin, and occasionally decide a direction when multiple are available. Ga*Gun: Double Peace shines really well when it comes to the shooting. There are lots of targets and collectibles to get all while the game moves at a fairly quick pace. Triggers allow you to zoom in, and see through some objects, among other things.

galgunscreen1

Houdai has unlimited ammo with his pheromone shot, and also has the ability to charge that shot up, causing extra damage to the primary target and doing some splash damage or stunning other nearby targets. I very rarely found myself using the charge shot, simply because the enemies were so abundant it rarely seemed viable. For the most part you could just spam fire constantly and be fine, but that’s going to mess up your accuracy stats at the end of a stage. There are also bonuses awarded for accuracy, the girls have an area that will award you instant euphoria. It’s usually noted by some japanese text over the girl when you’re aiming at the area. You’ve also got the ability to zoom in on someone and analyze that section of their body, getting a percentage for how much euphoria could be caused by shooting them there.

There is also the Doki-Doki mode, which is the most overtly sexual portion of the game. You use the cursor to poke, rub, and generally touching the target until she hits euphoria. This generally includes them in a bit of a compromising position, of which you can purchase more via ingame currency. Doki-Doki mode was the least fun part for me, aside from not being interested in the sexual nature of touching cartoons, the mechanics didn’t really work all that well, and the few times you’re forced to do it feel like more of a chore than a game. Luckily, you’re only required to do this mode a few times throughout a playthrough so it’s not too bad. This also goes along with some of the boss battle or other gimmicky sections, where you need to please your target then perform touch motions on the Playstation 4 touchpad or the screen of the PSVita. One instance is an ally is stuck in a window and you’ve got to first soften her up with some pheromone shots and gentle poking before using the touchpad to swipe various ways to free her. This are fairly easy sections to get through too, and getting a perfect or better requires little skill which will help towards getting better endings.

galgunscreen2

For its few minor faults, Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a fun game with a really nice visual style and super fast gameplay. If you’re on the fence simply because you’re turned off by the fanservice and sexual nature of the game, don’t be. While it’s front and center the whole time, it’s never in an offensive manner, and almost always comical and self aware. At a time where rail shooters aren’t so prominent Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a great way to scratch that itch without trying to find the last remaining Time Crisis at a local movie theater.

Verdict
galgunps4art Gal*Gun: Double Peace

Developer: Inti Creates

Publisher: PQube (NA)

Platforms: Playstation 4 and PSVita

Released: August 2, 2016 (NA)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

The Playstation 4 version of the game was used for this review

Reviewer and site have a long history and friendship with Producer at Inti Creates

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Review – Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode One: Realm of Shadows https://one-quest.com/blog/review-batman-the-telltale-series-episode-one-realm-of-shadows/ Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:06:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22659 Telltale_BATMAN_101_KeyArt_1920x1080

If you’ve ever read a comic or watched a movie and thought “Well that’s not Batman,” then Batman: The Telltale Series is going to be for you. . . mostly.

Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode One: Realm of Shadows is a great representation of what Batman is to the player, you mold your own Dark Knight and his alter ego Bruce Wayne. As is common in Telltale’s games, your choices in dialogue and actions while interacting with other characters alters their perception of you. This first episode Realm of Shadows, focuses heavily on these interactions. Rather than some of the more explorative and puzzle based sections of prior Telltale games, it is character and story driven with lots of choices on how you want to treat others. If you’re a fan of Batman and enjoy the narratively driven games Telltale produces you’re going to enjoy this one.

Grappling_Gun_1920x1080

The art is the same cartoony style seen in previous Telltale games, but that is exactly what a Batman series should have. It’s really like seeing a Batman comic come to life. Batman is a leaner more athletic looking version, similar to the Greg Capullo version, even the suit is reminiscent of the final design the artist did before leaving the Batman a few months back. As you make your way through the first episode, you’re introduced to various other members of Batman’s rogues and allies. Some like Catwoman or Gordon are depicted pretty closely to previous incarnations. Others though range from minor tweaks to complete reimaginings. I can say one character in particular threw me off at first, but definitely stuck at least the initial landing.

When the game starts we’re in a world where Batman already exists, this isn’t a origin story, but it is early in his career. Jim Gordon isn’t yet Police Commissioner, Harvey Dent is still the DA, and Catwoman has only just started making a name for herself in Gotham. The press, citizens, and police aren’t yet sure what to think of their new vigilante, and the criminals don’t yet quiver in fear of him. Aside from being an early adventure as it were, this is also an alternate telling of the Batman mythos. Your relationships with established characters, and as I mentioned the physical appearance are often different than you’re use to seeing.

This first episode, and most likely the season as a whole, is a story about Bruce Wayne rather than Batman, which is a wonderful deviation from the kind of Batman games we usually see. You can make your Bruce a suave, flirtatious playboy; a silent brooding grump; or even a friendly but serious and powerful figure. Personally I played my Bruce as friendly and honest with allies, but cold towards his enemies, because that’s just how I’ve always seen Bruce Wayne. Throughout the two or so hours the episode takes to complete you’ll have plenty of chances to woo or shun the masses, and some of the smallest choices can definitely come back to haunt you later on.

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As you progress through the dialogue you start to see the path the story is going, it’s not your typical Joker is killing people, or Bane is taking over the city plots. This is a mystery more than anything else, and one that has incredible consequences for Bruce and Batman. How you react to the twists thrown at you will most likely have a huge impact on the remainder of the game, with some choices potentially determining early on which characters you’ll have as allies over others.

The Batman portions in contrast focus more on combat decisions and investigation, with Quick Time Events as your mode of action for Batman to deliver his own devastating brand of justice to criminals around Gotham. While the story primarily follows the Bruce Wayne stuff, it opens with a wonderful bit of the Dark Knight doing what he does best, striking criminals with fear and fists. Much like the Bruce sections you can create your own personality for Batman. Ranging from virtuous but intimidating, as he is in Batman: The Animated Series, all the way to the ruthless and violent murderer, we most recently saw in Zack Snyders Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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We’re also treated to a wonderful voice cast being headlined by Troy Baker, who is doing a very different take on Batman from his time as the Lego version. Many voices are going to be familiar to game fans, and even more so to Telltale fans. Popular voice actors including Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette, Richard McGonagle, and Travis Willingham help bring the world of Gotham and Batman to life. The dialogue is good, but with some missteps depending on the paths you choose. A shining aspect for me was the humor, whether being told “Say Hi Bruce” to a group of party goers and responding literally or interacting with the Batmobile and have a fantastic reaction from Batman, which I won’t spoil for you.

If you’ve had any experience with Telltale games, you’ll be familiar with how they weave Quick Time Events (QTE), and time limited dialogue to flesh out the player character, without giving players unlimited decision making time. Realm of Shadows utilizes this heavily, the game opens with several fast paced sequences featuring some of the most chaotic QTE I’ve seen in a Telltale game. Generally these scenes succeed, making the combat feel somewhat more dangerous and purposeful than it has in the past. It feels as if Telltale took a lot of influence in how Batman fights from the Arkham Series. Though you’re not really the one pulling off the combos and jumping between henchmen it’s still fun and exciting to see Batman in action in this comic book to life setting.

Grappling_Gun_1920x1080

The downside here is the serious curve that seems to be put on the QTEs. You can completely miss several prompts and Batman still performs the actions without hesitation or missing. A gauge in the corner shows about how many times you can miss, which is quite a few. My first playthrough was on Xbox One, where I’m not as automatic about button positioning, thus missing many prompts. This never affected my gameplay as I was always able to hit enough to keep the game moving. This is great for someone new to the series or unfamiliar with the controller, but for anyone hoping for that blood pumping tension you felt in some of The Walking Dead scenes, they’re unfortunately missing. Some are also just too fast, giving you literally no time from the button appearing on the screen to it registering a failed attempt.

The other side to the Batman parts comes down to investigations and planning using various tools and gadgets. You’ll investigate crime scenes and piece together evidence, actually linking different clues at points, until you unravel the culprits. Exploring your environment, while sometimes slow and a bit tedious, is also really interesting. Looking at everything at a crime scene, or wandering around the Batcave is always a good time. There’s also a chance to use remote drones to plan out a course of attack for Batman, scoping out the area, listening into conversations, and deciding how he’ll take down enemies rather than strictly relying on the quick time events.

Overall Realm of Shadows is a solid first outing for the Caped Crusader’s Telltale Games debut and helps to blend the various aspects of the character that fans love. If the remaining episodes of Batman: The Telltale Series continue this trend we’ll easily have another acclaimed adventure game from the popular developer.

I do have to point out that reports seem to be showing the PC version of the game has had problems with crashing and frame rates. Which makes you wonder, is Batman cursed when it comes to PC?

Verdict
Batman_FinalLogo_1920x1080 Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode One: Realm of Shadows

Developer: Telltale Games

Publisher: Telltale Games

Platforms: Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, *Xbox 360, Playstation 3, OSX, Android, and iOS

Released: August 2, 2016

Score: 8 out of 10

*360, PS3, OSX, Android, and iOS releasing later

Walnuts played the PC version, expect his take on it during the next episode of PodQuest.

Chris played through Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode One: Realm of Shadows twice, once on Playstation 4 and once on Xbox One. Both versions were provided for review by Telltale Games.

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One-Quest at TooManyGames! https://one-quest.com/blog/one-quest-at-toomanygames/ Sat, 18 Jun 2016 21:33:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22622 TMG

Some of the One-Quest crew are hoping to check out TooManyGames next weekend (June 24th-26th). Listen for our impressions of the show on the following #PodQuest!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pennsylvania’s Longest Running Gaming Convention to Hold its 12th Annual Expo June 24th-26th

TooManyGames Expo features Top YouTubers, Tournaments, Retro and Modern Gaming, Cosplay, Wrestling, New Game Releases, Special Guests, an Arcade and more

Oaks, PA – (June 14, 2016) – The state’s longest running gaming convention,TooManyGames, will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 24th through 26th at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA and will feature an arcade, vendors, tournaments, special guests, industry panels, famous YouTubers with more than 50 million views monthly, live music and more.

Some of the top YouTubers from around the world will be hosting panels, concerts and autograph sessions. TooManyGames is featuring multiple YouTube stars with hundreds of thousands of subscribers each including: The Angry Video Game Nerd, Team Four Star, Super Best Friends, ProJared and The Nostalgia Critic.

On the main show floor attendees can play on new and older video game systems in the consoles area, enjoy board games and card games in the Tabletop Arena, and sign up to participate in tournaments such as Super Smash Brothers 4, Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat X, Marvel vs. Capcom and more for a chance at cash prizes. Several special events will be held at TooManyGames, including a Live Cosplay Wrestling Tournament featuring video game characters, Video Game Comedy Improv, a VIP After-Party with dinner and special guest performers, and a Cosplay Costume Contest for which the grand prize includes a chance to be filmed for a Cartoon Network commercial. New this year will be the Starship Horizons Bridge Simulator, an interactive role-playing experience.

TooManyGames, which is now in its 12th year, is a convention run for gamers, by gamers. Paul Truitt, co-founder and co-owner says, “I love holding TooManyGames to bring gamers of all ages together to celebrate the culture of gaming. We have classics like Nintendo, to newer consoles like the PS4, and we work to cover everything fun about video games and board games. We create a real connection when we get together to play games, that’s what makes the gaming community so great.”

The show is once again hosting a gaming for charity event run by Extra Life, and funds raised will benefit The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Extra Life will also be on the show floor recruiting gamers and sharing how playing games can help benefit sick children in over 170 different Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the United States and Canada.

You can find tickets and more information on their website at:www.toomanygames.com

About TooManyGames
TooManyGames is the premier gaming event in the Mid-Atlantic region, focusing on video games, board games, CCG’s, and tabletop gaming. TooManyGames is known for its video game music concerts, chiptunes, industry panels, panels by famous YouTubers, and brand new game releases for old consoles. There is a marketplace with 60+ vendors selling retro games, new games, board games, crafts, art, and so much more.

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First Details on Batman – The Telltale Series https://one-quest.com/blog/first-details-on-batman-the-telltale-series/ Sun, 12 Jun 2016 15:53:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22601 001_BATMAN_Telltale_Logo

Telltale has given fans a first look at this summers ‘Batman – The Telltale Series’ including images of Batman with Catwoman, Bruce Wayne in the Batcave, and the Batmobile. Along with the images, we’ve also found out some of the voice cast which includes Troy Baker as Bruce Wayne / Batman, and Laura Bailey as Selina Kyle / Catwoman.

The game should also be featuring the new game engine previously announced by Telltale, which should make this more than the usual Telltale fare.

‘Batman – The Telltale Series’ will have it’s first episode available this summer on consoles, PC/Mac, and mobile devices. There will also be a disc based version of the game that will unlock each episode as they become available for download scheduled to release later this summer.

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We should be finding out more, including a release date for Episode One and details on the aforementioned new game engine this week during E3, but until then check out the full press release from Telltale and the images mentioned above!

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SAN RAFAEL, Calif., June. 12th, 2016 — Leading developer and publisher of digital entertainment, Telltale Games, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment, today unveiled the first look at BATMAN – The Telltale Series ahead of its worldwide debut this summer.

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The episodic game series will premiere digitally on home consoles, PC/Mac, and mobile devices, and will be shown to guests attending the annual E3 Gaming Expo this coming week in Los Angeles. The series will also be available on game consoles as a special ‘Season Pass Disc’ which will be available at retailers across North America, Latin America, and Europe later this summer, granting access to the five episode season as it becomes available for download.

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“We’ve been hard at work at Telltale creating an all-new iteration of the iconic Batman story that puts players in the suit of billionaire Bruce Wayne, just as much as it will put them behind the mask, deciding how to carefully navigate a complex drama, rich with action, crime, corruption, and villainy lurking around every corner of Gotham City,” said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. “The complex life and fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne has lent itself to becoming a bold evolution of the signature ‘Telltale’ role-playing experience, and we couldn’t be more excited as we prepare to debut the series to players across the world this summer.”

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Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale’s vision of Batman will feature an award-winning cast of talent, including Troy Baker in the role of Bruce Wayne, Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, and Laura Bailey as Selina Kyle. Additional cast and characters will be revealed as the season progresses.

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Insert Topic – Why No Man’s Sky Is Exciting https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-why-no-mans-sky-is-exciting/ Mon, 07 Mar 2016 15:04:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22523 no_mans_sky_logo

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week I’m talking about why No Man’s Sky is a game to be excited for.

We finally have a release date for No Man’s Sky, it’s June 21, 2016. I turn 30 nine days later. In those years I’ve played a lot of games, more than I can count, more than I even remember. There have been countless titles I’ve been shaking with anticipation for, but nothing has quite grabbed my attention like No Man’s Sky. Funny thing, I’m not alone, so many others are absolutely enthralled by the sheer possibilities of this largely unknown game. This game has been a hot topic for gamers since it was officially announced to the masses at Sony’s E3 press conference in 2014. I still remember hearing what No Man’s Sky was going to be, and being absolutely blown away by the idea. It’s been a long wait, but now we’re only a handful of months away and I can’t wait for this game I know so little about.

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No Man’s Sky has been in development for a long time. While the biggest reveal of the game for most of us was that E3 conference, it was actually announced first at the 2013 VGX Awards, unfortunately not long after that the Hello Games studios were flooded with everything in the office being destroyed. Luckily for us that didn’t detract the team, who are still working to finish what will undoubtedly be a game changer for video games.

Some lucky members of the press got to actually go have a short one-on-one talk with co-founder of Hello Games Sean Murray about No Man’s Sky recently, and even got a chance to play the game itself. Through this we got to hear information about multiplayer, alien interaction, and that Sean Murray himself thinks No Man’s Sky would be awesome in VR. One of the best interviews I saw out of the batch was Kevin Coello from Kinda Funny, who is actually the one that asked about VR, you can check out the video below too, it’s only 10 minutes.

One of the most exciting things about this game is the unknown factor. We really don’t know what we’ll be able to do. The basics are there, spaceships, travel between planets, alien races, and some sort of combat. Beyond that it’s a total mystery. If you look around the internet to people talking about No Man’s Sky, everyone has a different idea of how they want to play. Whether they’ll be able to play that way or not isn’t important to me, the fact that they’re coming up with these ideas in respect to a game is what’s most exciting. That open ended essay question was always a trial in frustration in high school, but now when wrapped into virtual exploration of a universe I’m all for it.

As of late I’ve become very drawn to the adventure style of games. Things where combat or platforming isn’t the key to the game. Gone Home, Life is Strange, and to a certain extent Undertale are games that have taken us to different places without the usual gaming tropes. No Man’s Sky looks to elevate that by allowing players to decide how they really want to explore and experience things. You can probably be an absolute monster and run around killing friendly aliens, or you can be completely benevolent and just explore, spending your time trying to be the first to discover a planet. I can’t think of another game that has had so many different people so interested in what it could be. Even those who’ve had a chance to play the game aren’t entirely sure what to make of it, but no one has anything truly negative to say.

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To finish things up I just want to throw out there again the possibilities this game presents for VR. Sean Murray as you saw above said No Man’s Sky could be great in VR, and it really looks like it could be. I’m very interested to see VR, but I’m in no way interested in being an early adopted. A game like No Man’s Sky is something I could completely see myself investing in Playstation VR to experience virtual space exploration.

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Insert Topic – Pokémon A 20 Year Legacy https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-pokemon-a-20-year-legacy/ Fri, 26 Feb 2016 23:00:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22512 pokemon-20-anni-logo-celebrativo

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week we’re a little short, but I talk about Pokémon.

“Gotta Catch ‘Em All”

A slogan heard for 20 years, a mantra held by many since childhood. Whatever that phrase is for you, it’s become part of not just gaming culture, but everything. Pokémon may have faded from the huge boom of it’s initial mainstream popularity in the late 1990s but the franchise is still powering along with no signs of stopping. For those of us that grew up with Pokémon, whether the games, anime, movies, cards, or any other of the numerous products available, the series will always hold a special place. We’re not the target of this juggernaut franchise, but many times, we are it’s most loyal and diehard supporters.

I’m going to be 30 in June, Pokémon came out in the US when I was 12, that’s 18 years I’ve been playing Pokémon. The series may not raise the same feelings it once did in me, but there’s still something incredibly special about this franchise. As a kid I was incredibly into Pokémon, I own all the versions of each generation up to Diamond and Pearl era. I can remember seeing the first few movies in theaters and getting the special edition playing cards, going to Toys R’ Us for the Pokémon Trading Card Game tournaments, and of course battling my way through the different regions to catch ’em all.

My collection - Can't for the life of me find my Silver, FireRed, or HeartGold.

My collection – Can’t for the life of me find my Silver, FireRed, or HeartGold.

Pokémon Blue was the first and only time I ever caught them all, but man was that satisfying.

Now here we are, 20 years after it’s initial release in Japan. Just this morning Nintendo announced a brand new adventure with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, both due out Holiday 2016. On top of that, this weekend, tomorrow in fact the OGs of Pokémon games, Red, Blue, and Yellow are being released on the Nintendo eShop for 3DS. Along with a new movie hitting Japanese theaters this Summer, and the continued adventures of Ash and friends on the long running anime.

To say Pokémon isn’t going anywhere would be an understatement.

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Insert Topic – Deadpool or Why R Rated Is Cool But Not Always Necessary https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-deadpool-or-why-r-rated-is-cool-but-not-always-necessary/ Fri, 19 Feb 2016 23:00:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22505 deadpool-movie-poster-2016

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week I am to talk about “Deadpool”, and the pros and cons of the R rated comic movie.

A lot of people have been talking about “Deadpool” lately. Every corner of the Internet has something about the Merc with a Mouth and his (real) big screen debut. Critics like it, fans are raving, and all for good reason, “Deadpool” absolutely nailed it. From the over-the-top opening credits you knew this was going to be a wild ride. We’re living in a world where comic book movies are half the big blockbusters that get released each year. In 2016 alone we’ve got six big ones I can think of off the top of my head, not to mention all the TV series that are either already airing or due to start. Most of them are pretty good, and even if they aren’t everyone’s favorite, enough people like them.

The thing is they don’t always feel very much like the comics. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is damn close to feeling like a comic, but not the ones they’re based off. Marvel found this wonderful balance, bringing classic characters and stories to life by melding different aspects together. Most of the other studios doing this haven’t quite hit that mark yet, and Fox has probably had the most struggle. I mean, look at the last ‘Deadpool’ we got on the big screen, that was a goddamn disaster.

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It’s alright though, those things happen. Nothing is ever perfect out of the gate, and the only way to fix something is for it to get it wrong. Fox did just that, they fixed the character Deadpool, and made a comic book movie far better than anyone could have hoped or expected. It was pretty obvious from the huge marketing campaign that “Deadpool” was going to be big. Ryan Reynolds genuinely seemed to be having fun in every promo and interview he did, it was obvious he loved this character. I’m not sure they could have picked a better person to play Wade Wilson on the big screen, well rather they seem to have actually found the real life Wade, look both their names even have alliteration.

“Deadpool” has a ton of things going for it, the characters are great, the story is fun and easy to follow, and it feels like the comic without alienating people who have never read them. For fans of the comic movies you see familiar, X-Men related things, big action, and a charming, funny, and deadly main character. The comic fans see a real representation of what they love, from Colossus actually feeling like Colossus (But needing slightly better CG work), to Deadpool breaking the fourth wall. On top of all that they got to do it without really reigning back on the over the top violence and attitude that is Deadpool.

And that kids is why we’re here today, not to talk about how amazing “Deadpool” is, which it is and the box office numbers show it, but to talk about how giving a movie like this an R rating helped it. First things first, Deadpool was not the first R rated comic book movie. We’ve had a ton of them, whether you realize it or not. All the “Blade” movies, All of the “Punisher” movies, both adaptations of “Dredd”, “300”, “Sin City”, I could keep going, but I think that’s enough. Sure these movies aren’t all good, or at least they aren’t all as good as “Deadpool”, but that’s opinion. “300” and “Sin City” were two fantastic films, and the 2012 “Dredd” was exactly the movie that character needed after the 1990s.

dredd

The thing is, “Deadpool” wasn’t better because it was R rated, it was better because they did it right. In order to make a good Deadpool movie it had to be rated that way, the movie would have been a joke (see “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) if it had been PG-13. The thing about Deadpool is, he doesn’t have to curse or have sex, but he’s gotta kill and be graphic about it. He’s an insane mercenary, and as he says many times in the film, he’s not a superhero.

I think something a lot of studios can take from this is to make the movie you want. Don’t go in aiming for a specific rating or audience. Sure the MCU is always going to be PG-13, but that works. Captain America doesn’t need adult content, he’s fine the way he is. I also don’t think studios need to go crazy now thinking that R rated action films are the way to go. If the rumors are true that we may get an X-Force movie then by all means that needs to be rated R. X-Force is a group of superheroes going around murdering bad guys assassin style, it just makes sense. And of course the final Wolverine film would probably be awesome as an R rated feature, finally getting to see Logan go full on berserker on film without any fancy cutaways to limit the violence or sensor his language would be a fitting farewell to Hugh Jackman’s time as the character.

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It doesn’t need to happen though, “The Wolverine” from 2013 was a good Wolverine movie. It had its missteps, but all of Fox’s movies do. The thing is it felt like the film version of Wolverine we’ve grown to know over the last decade plus. There really isn’t a need to redefine a character that we aren’t going to see the same way again. I’m sure after Jackman is done, Fox will recast the character, Wolverine is too popular not to, but save the rebranding for then. Just give us a damn good movie to go out on for now instead.

By the time “Batman V Superman” and “Captain America: Civil War” come out I think most of the hype over R rated superheroes will have died down. People will remember how awesome these movies can be as long as they’re done right. Come on, Batman punches a man through a floor in the last BvS trailer! We’ll always have people dissatisfied with how characters are portrayed or movies are done. Studios can’t win them all, but as I keep saying, if they just make the best movie they can, then that is going to speak for itself regardless of what it’s rated.

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Insert Topic – Emotional Responses From Games https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-emotional-responses-from-games/ Fri, 12 Feb 2016 23:00:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22478 emotions

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This time I’m talking about the emotional impact and response we get from playing games.

Entertainment, in all forms, is made to elicit an emotional response from us. Whether it’s a movie, television show, or book, their purpose is to pull us in and make us care. Video Games are no different, and over the years the lines that separate gaming from other outlets has blurred. We’re now part of a world where a game can run us through the same gamut of emotions as well, if not better than, anything else. Even before games had gripping narratives to suck us in, players were prone to some of the most basic emotions. Frustration when dying repeatedly, especially on the same obstacle; joy when finishing that previous frustration; anger when losing to your friend, or dying just before the finish; and of course sadness, when there was no game left to play.

There are moments in games that stand out among gamers. Sad moments, exciting moments, it doesn’t really matter, the point is that these games push our emotions to places you wouldn’t expect, and they’ve only gotten better, more refined over the years. The most common tactic I think you’ll see in a game is to build up a player’s attachment to a character only to tear them away. What better emotion to exploit than grief and sadness after all. Love it or hate it, not many gamers weren’t effected their first time through Final Fantasy VII when Sephiroth drove his sword unexpectedly through a praying Aries’ chest. That was nearly 20 years ago, things have changed a lot since then. Characters are killed off constantly in all media, no one is really safe until the title has come to an end. Recently Gamespot put up an episode of The Gist about the most depressing games of all time. While the list in the video is a matter of opinion, it just goes to show how invested we get as humans even with fictional universes.

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In recent years there’s been surge of games driven almost solely by their narrative, games that pack an emotional weight you’d have trouble finding anywhere else. These titles often walk a line between a game, and what some would call an interactive novel–a theme I plan to talk about in a later topic. Some of these more than others possess very little what you’d call traditional game play mechanics, relying instead on the players to explore and interact with their environment to unfold a story. Tell Tale has produced some of the most well known games of this kind, their most popular being Walking Dead Season One. That first season of Walking Dead had all the best emotional ups and downs right up to the very end. It pulled its players through a gauntlet of challenges, more emotional than physical, to prepare them for the finale. By the time you reach the end, with whatever odd assortment of characters you’ve kept alive, you’re exhausted. Adrenaline has gotten you to this point as the fear of making the wrong choice, and the excitement or devastation that comes after slowly whittles you down to your base self.

Walking Dead guided you through the story while presenting branching dialogue, quick time events, puzzles, exploration, and a system where all of your choices reflected an outcome in the game to give you the feeling of completion when it was over. On the opposite side of that coin are games like Three Fourths Home or the recently released Firewatch, the former of which has zero gameplay, but makes up for it with a deep and compelling narrative. Driving home along a rural highway, talking to your family on the phone during a bad storm helps set an interesting atmosphere, but the dialogue is what drives it home. More akin to an old text adventure, Three Fourths Home makes you feel protective of your family, but defensive for yourself as they question your choices. Firewatch on the other hand puts you in the roll of a man running from life. The whole game is exploring the wilderness of a national park as you’ve taken a job as a fire lookout. From the very opening of the game you feel emotionally connected to Henry, you’re main character, and quickly make your decision on how you perceive him, or even more so how you see yourself in him, and how you feel about the only other human contact in the game, your boss over the radio.

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All of these games have something very simple in common, they make us worry, they make us sad, and they make us desperate. Maybe nothing bad happens in some of these games. Maybe they’re designed in such a way that no character can be harmed, but the atmosphere of them creates such a tension and feeling that you just can’t be sure. Sadness and desperation aren’t the only thing games are good for. While titles like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons or Shadow of the Colossus have inherently depressing stories, other games are brighter, and bring more excitement or joy to you. One of the deepest games to do this is Journey. From the outside it probably seems pretty straight forward as you wander these beautiful landscapes making your way through a strange world. At a certain point though the game takes a strange turn, and even though there is no dialogue spoken, no real narrative presented outright to the player, you start to feel lost and sad, only to be lifted back up for a joyful conclusion.

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One last game I want to mention is Emily is Away. Much like Three Fourths Home, it’s little more than a text adventure as far as games go. Emily is Away is a game built around AOL Instant Messenger as you talk to your high school friend Emily, through your senior year and the following 4 years of college. The game offers nothing but text based dialogue, and options for that dialogue. The story may have the same ending for everyone, but getting there is such a unique experience full of nostalgia. That is if you’re of a certain age group, if you grew up a teenager in the late 1990s or early 2000s than you’re not going to see a text adventure, you’re going to see your youth. The exact situation may never have happened to you, but it’s still relatable. You’ll remember clicking on buddy profiles, changing your font and icons, and chatting away with friends. This game brings back the highs and the lows of being a teenager back in those days. Where many games bring out emotions based on your attachment to your player character and their interactions, Emily is Away pulls from your real experiences and how you project them onto your in game counterpart via his interactions with Emily.

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There’s a reason the fairy tales you heard as a child ended with everyone living happily ever after. It’s what we want, we want characters we’ve grown to love to be happy. Think about how many games finished with the hero defeating the final boss, and even if it wasn’t world impacting, their world has changed. Maybe you get the girl in the end, or find out your best friend from hours early survived, all while riding the high of defeating the game’s final challenge. It’s what you expect in a game, it’s what you expect from most things. Our lives don’t always work that way, and in a really wonderful style video games are using that. Our world isn’t perfect, bad things happen. As crazy and unrealistic as games can be, they can also be incredibly real and thought provoking and give us an insight into ourselves we’d never thought possible. By playing with all our different emotions in such a safe setting we’re able to see who we are, how we react to things, and what we really care about.

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Insert Title – The Console Wars In 2016 https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-title-the-console-wars-in-2016/ Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:00:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22467 xbox-one-vs-ps4-vs-wii-u-small

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week we’re going to look at what is commonly known as the Console Wars and where we’re at with console gaming in 2016.

Now that 2016 is into full swing, what better time to check in on the current gaming situation most people call the Console Wars. We’re a few years into this console generation, with the Wii U turning four this fall, while the Playstation 4 and XBox One turn three. It doesn’t quite feel like these consoles have been chugging along for that long, which is more than likely due to a lackluster year or two after launch. Early on the debate between which console was better was fairly heated. In my opinion more of a holdover from the previous generation where the three contenders really battled it out. Now the competition between the three competitors just doesn’t feel as heated. I personally own all three consoles, I didn’t purchase them all at launch, but I have them now. I’m not disappointed by any of them, though they definitely have their struggles.

The Wii U, like it’s predecessor the Wii, tends to fall outside the normal comparisons between consoles. The gaming system admittedly doesn’t bolster nearly the same level of power that the other two do, and that shows in it’s games. You won’t be seeing the newest “Call of Duty” or “Fallout 4” on the Wii U, but that doesn’t actually make this console inferior, in a way it makes it more unique and a solid addition to your home entertainment setup. The Wii U, as I mentioned, may not have the biggest and baddest new games you’ll find elsewhere, it does get top tier exclusives that are not only well made and fun, but tug on just the right bits of nostalgia to keep us coming back. Titles like “Mario Kart 8”, “Super Smash Bros for Wii U”, and one of the best games of 2015 “Super Mario Maker”, all call the Wii U home.

Wii-U

Unfortunately the Wii U does have it’s fair share of flaws, between those must have exclusives there’s not a lot else going on. Nintendo has tried going outside what you’d maybe expect in recent years, by having games like “Bayonetta 2” developed exclusively for them. But not many other big third party titles come to the console let alone get developed for it exclusively. After the initial surge of Wii’s in 2007/2008–when every Gamestop employee myself included, was bombarded with “Do you have any Wiis”–people grew tired of the gimmicks, and the Wii U still utilizes the motion controls and the not always convenient Gamepad. Between that and it’s lack of support for most multi-platform titles, many gamers will skip over this contender in favor of one of the others.

Those others are where the decisions can actually become more difficult for a gamer. If you’re looking to play the newest AAA games as they release, team up with friends, or delve deep into a treasure trove of indie titles then both consoles really offer all of that up. The PS4 came out of the gates at a full sprint, while the XONE had an uphill battle to fight after putting too much focus away from what their fans really wanted. In 2013 when Sony and Microsoft were battling it out on the stages of press conferences and on retail shelves it was a bit easier of a choice. The PS4 at the time was the better deal. It was cheaper, had no implications for crazy DRM preventing used titles or sharing, and kept the full media experience with TV and movies to a minimum. A few years later and there really isn’t much difference in the two consoles. They get the majority of the same titles, they’re comparative with hardware, and the negative features Microsoft lead with have all been removed or reduced. Numbers wise Sony is still in the lead, after falling behind in the previous generation where the Xbox 360 dominated.

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The choice of which console to buy has always come down to the games it offers, and how they’re handled. While hardware is different, it’s almost always comparable and usually not a primary selling point. Exclusive titles are the driving force behind a person choosing between the consoles. The problem here is neither PS4 or XONE has many solid exclusives*. In 2015 there were only a handful worth playing such as “Bloodborne” on PS4 or “Halo 5” on XONE. 2016 sees some interesting titles hitting for both consoles. Sony has potentials hits in new properties like “Horizon: Zero Dawn” along with guaranteed sellers like “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End”. XONE is chugging right along as well with upcoming titles “Quantum Break” and “Gears of War 4”. One thing to note, according to the list of games I’m using (Which can be found at the end of this article), PS4 has 104 exclusives announced or already on sale, while XONE has only 38. These numbers don’t mean the Sony has the better library of course as many of these titles could be less than appealing games to the majority or even more likely small indie games that many of us may never play let alone hear of.

Aside from games, there are a few other factors that potentially effects which console will get used more. They are ease of use, availability and accessibility, for instance how quickly can I jump into a game and start playing, do I need to always have it up on my TV? It’s probably obvious where I’m going with this, but the Wii U and PS4 both offer a great option to play your games away from your TV. If you live with someone else you may not be able to always have your games going, but if you’re playing a Wii U title odds are you can do it just on the Gamepad, one of the few good uses for that device. Alternatively if you’ve got kids they can watch Netflix right on the Gamepad while you use the TV for something else, it’s even got a headphone jack. The PS4 offers a similar ability with Remote Play from the Playstation Vita. While the Vita may not be on everyone’s list to purchase the ability to pick it up and control your PS4, including playing games, is a great feature. I wouldn’t say it’s worth buying a Vita just for that, but Sony’s handheld definitely has enough going for it that picking one up isn’t a bad investment. Sadly, Microsoft doesn’t have any feature like this for the XONE so that console as good as it is, is always a screen stealer.

xbox-one

Out of the big three consoles on the market there really isn’t a clear winner or loser when it comes to content. Sales are a different things, if you’re looking strictly at units sold then we all know Sony is kicking everyone’s ass. As gamers we have a lot of great hardware and software we can utilize to do something we enjoy. I would say go out and buy all three, but not everyone can afford to pull that off. The best thing to do is think about which console has the most to offer you. I mentioned at the beginning I actually own all three, having just purchased an XONE back in November. For the most part they all get pretty equal play depending on what’s going on. I have games for all three that keep me coming back. Recently I’ve been playing a lot of the Witness, after a few hours bashing my brain against that I need a break. At that point I jump over to my Wii U and play “Super Mario Maker”.

All in all after a rocky start for games I think this generation is off in the right direction. In 2015 alone we saw titles a slew of fantastic titles including “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain”, “Super Mario Maker”, “Rise of the Tomb Raider”, and plenty more that all signify an uptick in great content. Even outside of the big releases hundreds of impressive smaller titles have been released each year. “Life is Strange” or “Gone Home” (which just released on consoles in January) are giving players new experiences outside of running, jumping and shooting. If 2016 continues in the same ways we’re going to be in for another wonderful year in gaming, with the potential of the games on the horizon, and the upcoming releases of Virtual Reality to the consumer market gamers have a bright and interesting future to be excited for.


*I’m only counting games currently listed as exclusive to the console, timed or console exclusives with PC ports aren’t taken into account. Here is the PS4 list and the XONE list I used.

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Insert Topic – Games Journalism vs Readers https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-games-journalism-vs-readers/ Fri, 29 Jan 2016 23:00:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22455 Angry-Cat-Photo-2f396d7

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week I’m talking about the often times harsh relationship between game journalists and readers.

Everywhere you turn there are sites and magazines that dive deep into the many corners of gaming. Huge outlets with decades in the industry like IGN and Gamespot are mainstays, with relatively new places like Polygon, Giant Bomb, or Destructoid. The deeper you go, the more small sites you can find like One-Quest. Across these outlets there are things that constantly appear in comments, forums, and on social media, so much so that they’re just accepted, regardless of absurdity. Two of the biggest offenders that need to be tempered are the negative bashing of a reviewer for doing their jobs, when their opinion doesn’t match your own and the attacking of a journalist’s opinion about games that may not be mainstream, games like Gone Home, where game play is different than the norm.

As consumers we tend to rely on others to tell us their opinions on products. In today’s world that is more true than ever before. Every retailer website has an option for reviews of products, the biggest being Amazon. If a product is only $15, but has a single one star review you’re probably going to get the slightly more expensive $30 version with 300 five star reviews. You may not always dive deep into those reviews, but you utilize others experiences for that new kitchen appliance you may want. This form of consumerism makes us all reviewers, gives us all a voice to what we like and don’t like. Even so, there are still many places on the Internet where people are paid to put a product through it’s paces and give us, the potential buyer, an idea of if it’s worth the money, and video games happen to be huge in this arena.

Now here’s the thing, we go to these sites, looking for the opinions of people considered professionals. These are people who have years of experience writing about things on the Internet. Not just as a blog or on their Facebook page, but as a career. They make their living off playing games and giving their honest opinion on it. In recent years things have become easier and cheaper for your average person, with no real experience or training, to get into this kind of things as a hobby. Blogs are simple to setup, YouTube and Twitch give free viable outlets for people to put up videos of themselves playing and commenting on games, and even easily monetize their efforts.

This leads us to our problem. There is this, often damaging, habit of readers who aggressively attack reviewers and their opinions, many times claiming they could do a better job. It’s fair to say that not everyone likes the same stuff, and those who do won’t always share the same opinion about it. Whenever possible these outlets do try and match the game to the person. If someone is vocal about how much they hate anime and JRPGs then odds are, they won’t be getting Persona 5 or the next Naruto game to review. Of course there are situations where the reviewer and the game won’t match up. If a game needs to be reviewed, and only one person is available, well then that’s just how it goes. That person is still a professional, and to the best of their ability they’re going to give the game a fair review. There is really no such thing as unbiased in these situations, the simple idea of reviewing something is for someone to give an opinion. It’s an opinion based on a person experience, and facts gathered along with that experience. Not everyone will agree with that opinion, and that is everyones right. Is it necessary to call out the review in comments or on social media for being a hack or not knowing what they’re talking about? No of course it’s not, the internet gives people this huge freedom of anonymity that allows people to be rude and demoralizing to complete strangers without any fear of repercussions.

I’m not saying we should just accept everything we’re told. I don’t always agree with a given review, but it’s an opinion. You can’t reasonably call someone a bunch of expletives and claim they don’t know what they’re doing, just because their opinion is different than yours. It’s one of those situations where it’s easier to just agree to disagree. Take the useful information you can get from the review, and move on. If you’re that interested in the title to vehemently defend it, while offending others than you probably plan on buying it regardless of the score. If you really need to express your negative feelings, maybe try doing it constructively instead of aggressively. Would it be so hard to counterpoint the reviewers negative feelings? Then again, maybe the only way some people can interact on the internet is by bashing others opinions in favor of what they perceive to be their own.

These review attacks go hand in hand with those who fight against what gaming has become, an outlet for art, entertainment, and expression. Games can be an emotional experience the same way a book, movie, or television show can. If a game like Gone Home or Emily Is Away gets a lot of praise and attention, people seem to get offended. These games don’t involve anything beyond user decision. You decide how to interact with Emily or which room to check in Gone Home. There are no enemies, no guns, no intricate puzzles that need to be solved. These are great games without those things, they’re emotional and interesting and express a unique voice in a world filled with shooters and platformers.

The biggest supporters on these kinds of titles tend to come from people involved, in one way or another, with the games industry. Gaming journalists end up seeing and playing an exhausting amount of games in a year. It’s there job to do it, and in many circumstances it’s a passion. They tend to look at video games differently than the average player. They want to have the same fun everyone does, but they also want to see something different and compelling. They want to get sucked into a game the same way you do a good book. They want to have an experience outside of the ordinary. That’s not to say non-journalist don’t want the same, of course they do, but we’re all also creatures of habit. We yearn for the familiar in the unfamiliar. A first person game without some kind of gun, be it bullet or portal, can feel off. It’s a good thing though, trying new things, learning about something you weren’t familiar with, exploring new concepts. Games journalists are our path to finding these new experiences. They’ll see games, play games, that we as consumers may never hear of if they don’t talk about it.

I can understand the feelings behind the animosity people have towards sites, and the journalist in particular, who promote these types of games over the biggest AAA titles on the market. I just don’t think attacking someone for their opinion is a valid expression. When Game of the Year lists were coming out, there were a ton of games I’d never even heard of on individual lists, that I’ve slowly started playing myself to experience. There were also plenty of big titles like Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Super Mario Maker. There is an important thing to remember when looking at these lists, or at reviews, or the twitter feed of someone. They’re people, they may work for a big company, but they’re still people. They form an opinion based on interest and experience the way most everyone else does. Just because you disagree doesn’t mean they’re a moron who doesn’t know the first thing about games. It means you both have different taste and not everything is for everyone. Writing about games as your career means you play a lot of games, you see the same things over and over, so when you get these amazing little gems, they’re going to stand out more, they’re going to suck you in, and they’re going to be the games you want to praise and hype and convince others to love.

The best part about being a gamer is being able to play things you enjoy. If you’re spending money on something, you’re going to want it to be something you like. Journalists often times get the benefit of playing these games early, and for free. It’s a perk of the field they’re in, it helps them to be critical of something without the nagging “I just spent $60 dollars on this, I need to find positive stuff” playing in the back of their head the whole time. They get to go in completely free and form those opinions they’re so harshly criticized for having. Everyone will have some biased opinions, no matter how long they’ve been doing it, even then a good reviewer always sheds light on pros and cons regardless of the final feelings.

I for one don’t get paid when I do any of this, my career is an IT Consultant, anything I do for One-Quest I do because I want to express my thoughts. When any of us talk about games, whether it’s a review, or just chatting on PodQuest, we’ve gone out and spent our own money to enjoy the product. I’m never going to go out and spend money on a Call of Duty or Battlefield game, they’re not my thing. If I had to play one though, and it was to get my opinion out there, I would try to factor out the monetary investment as best I could while giving my thoughts. I can tell you right now, because of the nature of those games they wouldn’t do well with me. Maybe they’re pretty, perhaps they play well on the technical side, but what I have played over the years isn’t appealing to me.

What I want you, the reader, to take away from this is that you don’t need to hate a journalist for expressing a negative opinion about something you like. Put yourself in their shoes before you blast them in comments or on social media, and don’t take the score at face value. Read the words they’ve said, think about the points they’re trying to make. Most of all, try stepping out of your comfort zone when you can. If all you play are RPGs then maybe try a shooter or puzzle game. Everything won’t be great, you may find some stuff you’re unhappy with, but you may also stumble across a new love, and you’ll probably have some journalist from a website to thank for giving the game some coverage.

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Scott Snyder Leaving Batman This Summer https://one-quest.com/blog/scott-snyder-leaving-batman-this-summer/ Sat, 23 Jan 2016 15:11:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22432 scott-snyder-batman

Long time Batman writer Scott Snyder is going to be leaving the book this Summer. After five years, and over 50 issues Snyder will end writing duties on the main Batman title. There is a silver lining to this news though, Snyder will be jumping over to Detective Comics, where he got his Batman start back in 2010 with the popular and acclaimed The Black Mirror storyline, prior to the start of the New 52. The switch to Detective Comics will allow Snyder to focus on smaller stories with more freedom, rather than the larger event style stories he’s been doing since issue one.

Snyder’s longtime Batman partner, artist Greg Capullo announced late last year that he’ll be a break from Batman to work on a creator owned book with Mark Millar, but is set to return after that. Snyder and Capullo definitely left their mark on the Dark Knight with some of the best and most memoriable storys the character has had, including The Court of Owls and Death of the Family

Scott-Snyder-and-Greg-Capullo-2

In addition to the popular team finishing there run on the series, Batman will reportedly transition to a bi-monthly schedule as well. While fans may not be eager to spend more money, this will hopefully help move along the big event driven storylines the title has been known for.

The exact issue that will be Snyder’s last hasn’t been revealed yet, nor has his first Detective Comics issue so stay tuned for that!

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Insert Topic – Creed https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-creed/ Fri, 22 Jan 2016 23:00:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=22418 Creed-Movie

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week I saw the film Creed, and have a lot to say about it.

I’ve been meaning to see Creed since it came out, instead I ended up seeing Star Wars three times, I regret nothing. I did finally see Creed though, Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, and I was off from work, so I decided to go catch a first showing. I’m not entirely sure what I expected going in, I’ve always been a fan of the Rocky movies, well except Rocky V, but even Stallone doesn’t like that one. I’d been hearing good things though, and Stallone won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes for it, so it must be pretty good right?

Yep, it was pretty damn good.

The Rocky movies in the 1970s and 1980s were very much a product of their time. They had those montages, and great ’70s/’80s rock music powering them along with really memorable film scores. Creed follows in that tradition by being very much about today, and for someone who lives just outside of Philadelphia, it feels like home more so than those older Rocky films ever did. I recognized things, street names stand out more, the roads and views of the city are what I’m familiar with. Of course that’s not what makes this movie so good, it’s just something I personally enjoyed. Creed could have been based in any city, and it would have been just as strong. The characters felt real, and the story echoed the right beats from the previous films, but was still a thing all its own.

Sylvester Stallone already won a Golden Globe for this movie, and he’s nominated for an Oscar. He really brings a new life and struggle to the iconic character he’s been playing since the late ’70s. I feel like those old movies became something different than what they started out as, they always found a way to force Rocky into the underdog role again, even though he wasn’t. Seeing him take down Clubber Lang or Ivan Drago is always epic, but you never have any doubt he’ll win in the end. He’s the champ, how could he not? By Creed though Rocky isn’t the champ, he’s not a big celebrity anymore, even after his fight in Rocky Balboa (also a pretty good movie). His loved ones have all passed on, and he spends his time working at his restaurant. The way his character develops and changes over the course of this movie is really something. The emotion and pain Stallone brings to this shows just how great of an actor that man really is.

Funny thing, for all the accolades he’s been getting, Stallone as Rocky isn’t even the best part. This movie is called Creed for a reason. Rocky may steal a scene here and there, but this movie really is as good as it is because of Michael B. Jordan and his portrayal of Adonis “Donnie” Creed (formerly Johnson), the son Apollo Creed never knew. Jordan is absolutely the heart and soul of the movie. He makes it feel real, from his attitude to his interactions and relationships. I think Jordan is really one of the best actors out there right now. He was great as Johnny Storm in the not so great Fantastic Four movie, and his other super powered, but very different character in Chronicle was a standout in a film full of wonderful performances.

It’s a crime that Jordan isn’t nominated for Best Actor or that Creed isn’t up for Best Picture. I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately, and looking back at the films from 2015, especially those up for awards, there is no reason Creed shouldn’t be included in there. I would never expect a movie like Star Wars or Avengers to end up nominated for anything other than technical awards (which are still great accomplishments). Creed is an emotional, character driven drama of a caliber we don’t get often, and would easily compete with any film up for Best Picture.

Creed-Movie-Poster

The whole film is full of amazing characters, and actors who nail it. Jordan has a great chemistry with Stallone, and his romantic interest Bianco, played by Tessa Thompson. Thompson plays her part really well too, there are a few stumbles between Bianco and Donnie, but for the majority their relationship feels real and organic, not something that was just written down in a script.

Unrelated, is jawn really a Philadelphia area colloquialism?

This isn’t meant to be a review of the movie or a fight for why it deserves awards, I have no intention of pointing out the flaws or scoring it. Creed certainly has it’s flaws. It’s not perfect, but no movie ever is. Any missed beats in it are easy to overlook because of all the heart it has. Really just do yourself a favor and see the movie. Whether you can catch it in a theater before it’s pulled or catch it On Demand or on DVD/Blu-Ray as soon as you can. Even if you hated the Rocky movies, that’s not what this is. Yes it’s about a boxing match, yes there are plenty of scenes where Donnie trains, but they’re always ancillary to the characters development. Shadow boxing, running, hitting pads, and every other workout is driven by characters interacting and growing and learning. No scene is wasted, and that is so rare. Early on, a scene that could easily have been fan service or exposition where Donnie watches a YouTube clip of the Rocky vs. Apollo fight ends up being this touching scene where he shadow boxes along with the fight.

The last couple of things I want to mention are the music and the cinematography. Rocky movies have some of the most recognizable music. You can hear them completely out of context and almost immediately realize it’s from a Rocky. I was a little nervous that Creed was just going to reuse all the classic songs and be weighed down by constantly hearing the iconic Rocky Theme as Donnie trained around Philly. That didn’t happen though. Creed has this wonderful mash up of modern hip-hop and these beautiful scores that feel like a Rocky score. The call backs to the old are there, but they are limited and they are meaningful and carry a lot of emotional weight behind them, but they don’t drive the film and that is really wonderful.

The cinematography was another thing that could have very much been too heavy handed with what came before. Too many montages, too much running, too much cutting back and forth between bloody faces. Instead we get so many wonderful styles mixed together. A fight near the middle of the film looked to be just one long take. Jordan and the actor portraying his opponent make it look and feel like a real fight. Throughout the whole film there are scenes like that, scenes that don’t feel like you’re watching a movie, but watching real life. Then on the other side of the coin are these wonderfully done bits where characters are watching 24/7 on HBO and you get the logo in the corner of the screen or the round time clock on screen, just little touches really brought me into the story more.

Creed was a somewhat unexpectedly emotional movie. I’ve always been excited during Rocky movies, there are few scenes more fun than Apollo’s entrance in Rocky IV. I expected that excitement from Creed, I knew during the big fight at the end I’d be ready to cheer and boo like I was really in the crowd. What I didn’t expect was how many other emotions the film would bring out. I don’t intend to spoil anything, but I need to just say again, don’t go in thinking this is another Rocky movie. Creed is something different, something special, and is easily one of my favorite movies of the last several years.

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Insert Title – Virtual Reality https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-title-virtual-reality/ Fri, 15 Jan 2016 22:00:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21851 Virtual Reality.]]> THE LAWNMOWER MAN_CR

Welcome to Insert Topic, where once a week I’ll spend some time talking about stuff. Topics will vary from what’s big in nerd culture to my experiences with trying games or movies or anything really that I’d written off as not my kind of thing. This week we’re talking about the hot topic in gaming and technology, Virtual Reality.

We’re quickly approaching a point where Virtual Reality will be a viable thing in your home. Growing up it was just something from movies and television, like VR Troopers, or those hulking units you’d find at arcades and movie theaters. In just a couple of months the first of several home VR systems will be hitting the market. For the last few years we’ve been hearing all about them, unfortunately the general public has yet to really see what it’s all about. That unfortunately means we the consumer are starting this game behind the curve. Media and developers can talk it up or down as much as they want, but what does that mean for those of us who need to decide if and when to invest in this new technology.

Last week we got our first insight into how much this technology is going to cost when the Oculus Rift went up for pre-order. As of now you can get your hands on the Rift for $599.99, that includes the headset, sensor, Xbox One controller, and all the cables you’ll need to hook it up. In addition to the hardware you’ll get the games EVE: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale. Sadly what it doesn’t include is the relatively powerful PC you’ll need to use it. With hefty requirements such as a GTX 970 video card, the Rift and PC together are looking to come in around the $2,000 mark.

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift

The Rift isn’t the only headset hitting the market soon, the HTC Vive, also known as Steam VR, is going up for pre-order at the end of February. No specifics on price or hardware requirements are available, rumor is both will be pretty hefty with the unit itself possibly costing upwards of $1,200. There is also the Playstation VR, whose code name Project Morpheus was much cooler. Like the Vive we don’t have many specifics on the Playstation VR, but it’s safe to say the entry point will be lower. Playstation VR will require you to have a Playstation 4, and the Playstation Camera which together are far less than the gaming PC you’d need for the other two. That doesn’t mean the headset couldn’t still come in at a price pushing the $500-$600 range, though hopefully not. The Playstation VR also has the highest number of announced titles in development, which is another plus.

No one ever said the future was cheap.

Like every other new technology, the initial generation is always the most expensive. Cost to produce is high so to make money the cost per unit must be too. Palmer Luckey, creator of the Oculus Rift, has said they’re selling it at cost. Whether that’s true or not, who knows, but it just goes to show how expensive the parts are for this stuff. Think about HD TV’s when they first started coming out, or DVD and Blu-Ray players. They’re all relatively recent technology that started out incredibly expensive, but slowly and surely the parts to manufacture became cheaper, and the process as a whole was refined to a point where you can find these things for pennies compared to their original costs.

HTC Vive

HTC Vive

The problem is, does VR have enough going for it to get past the initial hurdles? Will enough consumers be tempted to spend upfront for something that may not survive long term? As of right now, there aren’t a ton of reasons to pick up an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, only a handful of games are known, and only a handful of people have experienced them. You can’t go into your local Best Buy and look at the wall of TVs. You can’t see the fancy split screen that shows the difference between HD and SD. These devices are going to be available in the coming months, and users are going in blind for the most part, especially those already pre-ordering their units. I’m sure by the time these things are available to purchase at retail outlets they’ll have demo units, just like everything else does now. Whether people are going to be keen to throw on a headset that a thousand other people had on that day is a different hurdle all together.

At the beginning of this I mentioned those old ’90s era Virtual Reality systems. If you went to an arcade or a movie theater back then you’ve seen them. Sometimes you stood on a circular platform with this gigantic contraption on your head, partially surrounded by a circular railing. They were always more expensive to play, and usually had an attendant working them to assist players getting in and stumbling out as the vertigo and nausea washed over them when the gaming experience ended. These were gimmicks, and they didn’t last. You may still see the occasional light gun shooter at an arcade that has some kind of headset attached, but those are rare these days. Those arcade games weren’t the only VR offenders of the day, Nintendo had their own blunder with the Virtual Boy. Commonly known to cause massive headaches, eye and neck problems, and generally just not be much fun.

Virtual Reality has a major uphill battle with consumers

I personally think that VR is a great idea, I would love to see itf take off and have the enormous impact on society that it shows potential for. I’m not sure that this first wave is going to be the one to do it though. It’s all over the news, it’s the ‘next big thing’ according to pretty much any media outlet you check, but the consumers all seem so much more jaded. I know that generally speaking, the negative comments are going to be the minority. Particularly on the internet where people come to hate things. I don’t actually know a single person who’s ready to invest in this stuff though. I know they’re out there, I see them on Twitter and Reddit, but I haven’t actually met a person face to face that wants one enough to spend the money.

Playstation VR

Playstation VR

Right now my prediction is these things sell alright, nothing outrageous or recording setting. We hear a lot in the news about companies losing money on this technology in the next year or so. Software starts out interesting, but ends up being similar to what we saw with the Wii. Lots of gimmick without much substance. An overabundance of the lowest common denominator in game form. But slowly we’ll see companies, and people, taking risks and putting out crazy stuff, it just may not be timed well enough with the number of people who actually own a headset.

No Man’s Sky for instance is a no brainer, we’ve talked about it on PodQuest, and plenty of other people have to. If the Playstation VR doesn’t ship with at least the plans of bringing that game to VR then all hope may very well be lost. At the same time, while it will undoubtedly be cool, who many people will own the Playstation VR at launch and be interested in No Man’s Sky? Video games, especially the big AAA titles are expensive to make, putting those same games into Virtual Reality is only going to get more expensive. If a company can sell a million copies of a game for kids where you play with dogs or build a sandcastle they’ll make them ten times instead of taking a risk with a big title that could fail and lose them millions of dollars.

It’s been a great couple of years for narratively driven interactive story games. Games like Life is Strange and Gone Home, they could hit new levels of immersion by segueing to VR. Sony is already at work on an Until Dawn VR title with Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. These games aren’t for everyone, some people look at this as a waste of time or not really games. That’s just the benefit of a society where people have a plethora of choices, you don’t have to play something you don’t like. I would bet any of the naysayers would rethink their criticisms if those games were truly putting the player into the characters shoes in a way only Virtual Reality could.

Like all things, only time will tell how well VR does, the wait is almost over and in the next several months we should see the hype train die down, and slowly get a real feel for where this new technology is at, and what developers are really focusing on. There’s speculation on a lot of different games; the game development mixed with the emerging ideas with other forms of interactive entertainment means we could soon live in a very different world. Sci-Fi is really becoming reality and we’re lucky enough to be living at its beginnings.

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Insert Topic – Star Wars: The Force Awakens https://one-quest.com/blog/insert-topic-star-wars-the-force-awakens/ Fri, 08 Jan 2016 23:00:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21841 star-wars-the-force-awakens-wide-poster

I’m going to try something a little different here on One-Quest. It’s been a while since I wrote anything, and I decided it was time to get back into that. Right now I’m calling this Insert Topic (tweet me if you have a better name @Just_Cobb), each week I’m going to spend some time talking about different things. I’m going to try and branch out into stuff I’m not familiar with, or things I’d written off as not my thing in the past. Of course for the first week I’m staying very much in my wheelhouse as we talk about Star Wars.

Here we are now, the beginning days of 2016. We’re just a couple of weeks into the theatrical run of the true sequel to Star Wars. We spent our years with the prequels, but now we’re finally seeing what happened after the Emperor was defeated, we’re seeing where Han, Luke, and Leia ended up. We’re also being introduced to some fantastic and memorable new faces (and masks) in this galaxy far far away. Since it released on December 17, 2015, preview night, I’ve gone to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens three times. Once on opening night, once the following night, and again on New Years Day. For me, it was a great movie, exactly what I wanted it to be in most ways. I’m going to talk a lot about Star Wars today, I’m going to probably spoil the hell out of The Force Awakens, you have been warned. This isn’t going to be about me gushing over Star Wars. I want to talk about the problems people are having with not just this new film, but the whole franchise. Good or bad, Star Wars has become a force of nature in our culture, and when that happens there are always people who need to focus on flaws rather than what’s positive.

Personally, I love Star Wars, I have for as long as I can remember. My grandfather gave me VHS tapes of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi he’d recorded off HBO in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and I was hooked. I was born a few years after the original trilogy completed in 1983, but I’ve been lucky enough to see every film in the theaters, thanks to the special editions in the late ’90s. People tend to bash on those versions, but for an 11 year old kid seeing those movies on the big screen was priceless. My first real exposure to the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope), may have been with Han shooting first, but it certainly didn’t change the awe and wonder a person could have as this saga began.

I mentioned at the start of this that I’ve seen The Force Awakens three times so far. Like most big fans, the first time I was just kind of in awe of what I was seeing. I didn’t notice the flaws, from the moment the screen read “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. . .” I was lost. There was a level of excitement I hadn’t felt from a movie in a long time. The whole ride was an emotional roller coaster, joy and sadness swirled together as the story unfolded. I was reunited with old friends, and fell in love with new ones. Not once in that first viewing was I bothered by anything about this movie. It’s what I’d waited nearly 2 decades to see. That doesn’t mean there weren’t flaws, the film has plenty of them. The second and third viewings helped me to focus in on them better, gave me more perspective if you will.

The biggest one for me was honestly the pacing, the beginning of the movie was very slow and methodical to an extent. We saw our new characters in there elements for the first time and got to know them a bit. As soon as Rey and Finn take off into space and meet up with Han and Chewie, things start to feel a bit off. Parts are glanced over quickly, whole scenes of the movie seem to fly by, parts you’d expect a little more content from. None of that broke the film though, sure I would have loved a little more context for some scenes. Or hey, how about Chewie embracing Leia at the end after *SPOILER* Han’s death. I’ve assumed it was just a framing mistake that you see him walk past the edge of the screen when they return at the end, right past Leia. I’ve seen a lot of different arguments for and against this, it’s not that big of a deal though, just one of those little things.

Aside from my issue, a common complaint is that this is just a rehash of A New Hope. And you know what, it’s kinda true, no reason to deny it. This movie hits a lot of the same story beats of the original Star Wars. It also hits some from Empire and Jedi. You know why? Because those were the movies everyone loved. Those were the ones that made people a fan of Star Wars. When you’re starting a new saga, with new characters, what better way to introduce them then with a winning formula? Yes, I know there are other ways they could have done it, but this worked great. It wasn’t a scene for scene duplicate, the new characters, their goals, and all of that stuff was unique to this film. Luke was a whiny farmboy that wasn’t to be a pilot. Rey is a tough scavenger with a soft side, she can already fight, she can already take care of herself, and those around her. Everything about this movie was very much a product of our world today. The way the characters interacted, the tone of the movie, all of that. This wasn’t a remake of a movie from 1977, it was a movie from 2015 that paid a great deal of homage to its predecessor.

One last thing people have been complaining about, that really does bother me, and that’s the entire Rey and Finn being able to beat Kylo Ren (aka Kylo Ren is such a bitch). There are plenty of better pieces online already dispelling why people are stupid to complain about this. Regardless it warrants repeating. Kylo Ren was just shot by Chewie’s Bowcaster. We were shown, multiple times, just how powerful that weapon is. It blows people several feet in the air completely obliterating them. Ren took it like a champ, walked it off, and still held his own against two people. On top of that, Rey and Finn were both shown to know how to fight. Sure they weren’t Jedi, but Finn was trained from childhood to be a soldier, and Rey was raised basically alone forced to fight to stay alive. No part of that makes Kylo Ren a bitch or a baby, if anything he’s one of the most powerful villains we’ve seen in Star Wars. He purposes kills his father in cold blood. He uses the Force to stop a blaster bolt in midair, then after getting shot with basically a cannon he kept himself alive and on his feet to fight and hold his own.

I do have one other minor complaint here, and honestly it’s a bit nitpicky. I just don’t like that Rey was able to so easily harness the Force in the movie. Still though, not enough to make me bash the film, not enough to make me not want to see the sequel. Honestly I’m banking on her being able to so easily tap into it being explained at some point. Even though it bugged me, it does what a good movie point should do, makes me want to find out more.

So The Force Awakens wasn’t perfect, but what is? I didn’t go looking for masterpiece of modern cinema, I wasn’t paying my $15 to ponder the deeper meanings of art or life. I was there to watch a piece of fiction set in a universe I’ve had a connection to most of my life. It’s a fun and memorable ride, and it gets better the second time you see it. You notice things, good and bad, that draw you into the film even more. There’s a reason this movie has broken almost every major box office record in less than a month. People are going to see it over and over, they’re getting caught up in a story over 30 years in the making. I could go on and on about the characters, and various moments from the movie, but who wants to read that? Instead go see it whether it’s your first time or fifth time. The best part is, Star Wars is far from over, the saga is going to continue and all those unanswered questions are just waiting to be answered.

That’ll do it for our first week, let me know your opinions or if you’ve got anything you think would be interesting for me to try or talk about in the comments, or one of the various other ways there are to contact me. Regardless I’ll be back next week with a new topic to discuss.

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Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/everybodys-gone-to-the-rapture-review/ Thu, 20 Aug 2015 03:10:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21681 everybodys gone to the rapture logo
 

everybodys gone to rapture box art Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
 
Developer: The Chinese Room
Publisher: Sony Santa Monica
Platforms: PS4
Released: 8/11/15
Verdict: Where is everybody?
Score: 8/10

 
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a serene walk through the countryside of Shropshire after the rapture. The player explores the village and it’s surrounding areas at their leisure peaking into brief moments of the towns folks lives during the events leading up to the rapture. The game offers insight into the cause of the rapture, while never fully explaining it, leaving a certain air of mystery hanging over the experience. The presentation is exceptional and the plot development is delivered in a truly unique method. While light on interaction, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is heavy in drama and mystery, and a wonderful game for fans of either.
 
As you wander the empty streets of Yaughton, you’ll encounter different “scenes” that help build the backstory leading up to the rapture. Each of the 6 sections of the town follow 1 major character, named at the start of the area, and a couple side stories as well. It’s all presented in an open ended nature. You choose to initiate the story by interacting with objects like phones, radios, and glowing balls of light. The latter are the main event stories needed to view the ending, or rapture, for that area’s main character. Some other story events play out just by walking within a certain proximity of a scene. It is all wonderful to view, but also entirely optional. You could very well skip the nearby ringing phone and walk straight to the ending if you chose.
 
everybodys gone to the rapture bike
 
The majority of the story events are played out with glowing light filled humanoid objects. These characters, so to say, move as if they’re missing frames, and pulse as they speak. Every glowing person looks the same as the last, so it’s not possible to tell them apart unless you can tell which is glowing when they speak. Since the models lack details, and the only other method of story delivery is through audio devices like phones and radios, the actors have to deliver an absurd amount of emotion. Needless to say, they nailed it! None of the voice acting is subpar, by any means.
 
It’s these actors that drive the whole of the experience. The story plays out in short scenes designed to deliver small tidbits of backstory about the characters, or the town. Some story events take place years before the rapture, while others take place at that exact moment, or the hours leading up to it. There are also multiple stories being played out in the game – from the interactions between Father Jeremy and members of his parish, to a drama filled love triangle, and even following the cause of the rapture itself. Every plot interweaves with the others in some way, showing how events from one character can affect another. None of the story is delivered in chronological order. One scene could take place years before the next, or minutes after. It sort of reminds me of Lost, and piecing together the backstories of all the characters to find out how it led to the final moments in their arcs.
 
everybodys gone to the rapture light
 
The incredible delivery of the story, in both acting and method, are the driving force of the game. The world is beautiful, and the story interesting, so it’s easy to get immersed in the experience. However, the world is largely lifeless. Not in the sense that no one is there, that’s the name of the game. Rather, it’s the lack of interactivity with the world you’re exploring that leads to the lifeless feeling. You can open some doors and some gates, many of which are locked. You can turn on TVs, and “answer” phones. You can turn on radios, and CB radios. Oh, and there are 5 – 6 microwaves to make ding, but that’s about it. Beyond those 7 objects there is literally nothing to interact with. You are relegated to the status of a bystander in a world with nobody left in it. You can’t check in cars, pick up newspapers, pour yourself a pint, or anything. There are no collectibles, no puzzles to solve, and no hidden keys to open secret doors. The world is open and vast, but beyond the story – which should only take 5-6 hours – there’s nothing left to do. No reason to come back.
 
While the experience is fairly short, completable in one to two sittings, I found myself getting frustrated by the save system implemented in Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. It took me 3 sittings to get through the game. On the first night I only played for an hour and a half. Just enough time to explore a couple houses, a tavern, and a few other minor locations. I stopped moving feet outside the first tavern you come by. It’s literally minutes into the game, but I had experienced over an hour of story and exploration. I had gained a significant insight into the direction the game was taking and decided to stop to go to bed. In the options menu I found only Settings, Continue, and New Game. No quit. No force save. I had remembered seeing a saving swirl spin every now and again, but not sure when I saw the last one. So, I decided to close the application and just pick up where it left off the next day. Unfortunately, I practically had to start the game over again. It was as if I hadn’t accomplished anything. I started right next to a ringing phone booth, which is feet from the tavern I spoke of, but indicated that the save file didn’t record that I had witnessed this story event yet. I proceeded to check the other areas I had visited already and, needless to say, they played out as if it were my first time again as well.
 
everybodys gone to the rapture bench
 
I tested this again the following night after having viewed 3 story endings. I proceeded a small way into the next area, fully knowing I wanted to stop soon. After witnessing 2 more story events, I quit. The next day I loaded up right after the most recent main story had ended. This wouldn’t have been so bad if each story didn’t end with a 5 minute slow walk in the stars. It’s cool to see the first time, but after that it’s just slow and kind of dull, especially after it’s been viewed already. The frustration was lessened because that third night I finished the game. However, that doesn’t mean that a save system this inadequate should go without mention. A simple “Save and Quit” option would do wonders for this (and every other) game.
 
The only other minor complaint I have about Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is more of an issue I have with games as a whole. If you listen to the 5/20/15 Podquest you’ll hear us discuss the age old technique of creating realistic foliage while saving resources. This is done by combining two flat models, almost images, of a plant in sort of a cross section or “+” pattern. From most sides you see a full plant, but at very specific angles the plant, or other object, practially disappear. This is a neat trick developers have been using for years to save resource power for the actual game and cut down on artist’s workload. The downside – it can, and often does, look cheesy. The benefit of these next generation consoles is a load of added power to fully render plants properly. Take at look at the 2014 Uncharted 4 gameplay demo and you can see how good plants can look in games. Then look at games like Bloodborne to see how distracting it can be when done the old way. Luckily, in Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, the plants are only distracting when you give them an extreme close-up. The developers used the added resources to throw in more cross sections into the plants to create a more realistic looking plant at many other angles. It looks good at a distance, but a game this beautiful deserves to look good all the time.
 
everybodys gone to the rapture pool
 
Despite my nit-picking, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture really captured my interest. From the moment I first laid eyes on it’s trailer, to the ending credits, I was entranced. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture weaves an incredible tale utilizing one of the most unique storytelling techniques I have ever witnessed. It truly is an outstanding experience, and one that I feel everyone should check out.
 
everybodys gone to the rapture tower
 

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Awesome Squre Enix PSN Sale https://one-quest.com/blog/awesome-squre-enix-psn-sale/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 13:38:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21666 square-enix-logo-2

Do you love Final Fantasy? How about Chrono Trigger? Well good news you can get them on PSN to play on your PS3, PSP, or PSVITA right most for just $4.99. Some of the most beloved games in history are here for the picking. And there are a few you probably never even got to play.

I stumbled across this myself while looking to see if Final Fantasy VI was available for a digital download. Funny thing is I looked early in the day and it was $9.99, and I though “Hmmm not bad, but maybe not right now”. A few hours later though I figured why the hell not and went back to the site and saw that it had dropped to just $4.99. Well that sealed the deal, not going to pass that up. Ended up getting VI – IX, because why the hell not.

The sale includes Final Fantasy I – X, X2, XIII-2, Lightning Returns, Tactics, and Tactics: The War of the Lions, along with Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross followed by several other Square Enix games.

Here’s a list of the Final Fantasy and Chrono games, with the prices and platofrms and a handy link to the store page too.

  • Final Fantasy Origins (FF I & II)(PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy III (PSP, PS Vita) for $9.99
  • Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (PSP, PS Vita) for $9.99
  • Final Fantasy V (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy VI (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy VII (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy VIII (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy IX (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3) for $14.99
  • Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) for $9.99
  • Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) for $14.99
  • Final Fantasy Tactics (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Chrono Trigger (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99
  • Chrono Cross (PS3, PSP, PS Vita) for $4.99

Square Enix PSN Page

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ZombiU coming to Next Gen as “Zombi” https://one-quest.com/blog/zombiu-coming-to-next-gen-as-zombi/ Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:03:43 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21658 ZOMBI Logo
 
ZombiU, the WiiU survival-horror exclusive title, is making the jump from exclusive to third-party cross-platform, cross-generation, title. Now known as Zombi, you can expect to get your hands on this unique take on the zombie apocalypse set in London on August 18th.
 
Based on the trailer below, it doesn’t look like much has changed. This looks like a direct port to me. There’s no information on changes in framerate or resolution either. I am very interested in seeing how Ubisoft intends to make this game still feel unique on PS4 and XBOne when we have games like Dying Light to play instead. It will be interesting to see how the lack of the GamePad will affect the gameplay overall, since much of the game relied on its use. Managing inventory, using keypads, breaking down doors and more all used the GamePad to keep the players in the action at all times.
 
Anywho, check out the trailer below and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments!
 

 

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Review – Verdun https://one-quest.com/blog/review-verdun/ Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:00:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21630 Verdun promo banner 2015_big

Verdun

Developer: M2H Game Studio / Blackmill Games
Publisher: M2H Game Studio / Blackmill Games
Platforms: PC
Released: 4/28/15
Verdict: Hold the trench!
Score: 7/10

 

While World War I was supposed to be the “war to end all wars” the First-Person Shooter genre has been dominated by 2 main eras, World War II and modern day/near-future, and World War I has been pretty much ignored. While that likely has much to do with the way in which WWI was fought, trench to trench for yards at a time, which probably wouldn’t make for the most interesting single-player campaign, it should lend itself well to multiplayer, and that’s what the developers of Verdun hoped to accomplish.

Verdun Picardie 1

Verdun is a 32-player squad-based online multiplayer shooter focused on the back and forth trench warfare that defined World War I. Teams take turns alternating between being the attackers and defenders of their respective trenches. Capturing a trench is much like capturing a point in Call of Duty’s Domination mode or Battlefield’s Conquest mode and the attacking team needs to get a number of their troops in and fight back the opponents for a matter of time until the point is captured. There are 7 different squads (3 Central Powers, 4 Allied Powers) each with 4 different squad members mostly comprising of a commander, sniper, machine gunner, and assault that each have their own sets of weapons and slightly different skills. Higher level commanders can call in mortars, spotter planes, and even gas canisters (i.e. Mustard Gas), the assault classes usually have grenades and more sprinting stamina and so on. However in my time with the game I’ve found the progression system very confusing and the “progress” screen under the account tab from the main menu all says I’ve played 0 mins for every squad but also has some of the progress bars for the different classes filled, so that’s something that can hopefully be updated in a future patch. There’s also no way from the main menus to find out when you will unlock any new abilities or perks from leveling up nor is there any way to spend your career points (earned from leveling up) outside of the in-match menus. There’s also a 6 player, rifles only, free-for-all mode that I spent a little time with, and while fun, it didn’t really feel like the proper way to play Verdun.

Verdun Aisne 2

The game has 6 maps based on battlefields from the Western Front of World War I along the French and Belgian borders with Germany.  With the exception of the Asine map which has nice lush greens and blues, the other 5 are kind of drab browns and grays which is sort of how it should be with the damage that was done to “no man’s land” but it make it extra difficult to locate and identify enemies from long ranges, and not nice to look at. The details in the weapons looks very nice though and overall the game is well detailed, but definitely a few levels below modern AAA FPS’es. It is difficult to differentiate between enemy and ally when things get hectic, unless you are very knowledgeable on World War I uniforms. When you die, usually in 1 shot from the number of different rifles from someone you can’t see, respawns are on set timers around every 30 seconds and you can respawn on your squad or at the back lines, but I’m not sure how to choose which. There’s also a suppression system where if you have shots taken at you your screen will start to darken until you can take cover, however there’s no indication about where these shots are coming from which is a little frustrating especially when shots are so fatal. I’m running a fairly old gaming PC and have only really been playing on Medium visual setting and it has run at a pretty consistent 50 frames per second, and if I up it to High it will run right around 30 for me.

Verdun Artois 4

Yes, there are gas masks

All in all, Verdun is a decent outing from small developers in Europe trying to break into a very competitive market place. It tries something new which is refreshing but it’s not quite up to snuff to challenge the AAA developers for market share. If you are looking for a shooter that isn’t just the exact same things you’ve seen over and over, give it a try, it’s a decent playing game that has its flaws.

 

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In Defense of Destiny https://one-quest.com/blog/in-defense-of-destiny/ Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:05:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21617 Destiny The Taken King logo
 
Destiny is no stranger to controversy. Since day one nearly every major games journalism website has featured an article on the first page, or somewhere close to it, ripping apart some aspect of Destiny. Bungie’s foray into current gen consoles has been polarizing to almost every degree. I can respect the arguments about lack of content, missing story, and pretty much anything else you want to complain about. However, the most recent “fiasco” (read: scandal) is absolutely absurd! What is it about Destiny that makes it unacceptable to do what many other games have been doing for nearly a decade?
 
First and foremost, what is Destiny? Well, that’s sort of a hard question to answer. Destiny borrows some of the best, and worst, features from many different genres in order to create it’s unique experience. It’s separated into open world exploration and instanced dungeon crawling. It features randomized events, enemies, and rewards. There’s character development and growth in the form of skill/ability trees. There’s even a load of lore hidden within the world, should you wish to look for it. Oh, and it’s made by the creators of Halo, so it’s a First Person Shooter(and a really good one at that). So, Destiny is a FPS that has Roguelike elements set to an MMO structure. While Roguelike-MMO-FPS is certainly the most fitting genre title, it’s also the first of it’s ilk. It borrows elements from Diablo, World of WarCraft, and obviously Halo, to create a unique experience.
 
destiny ttk classes
 
Of the 3 genres listed, MMO should be the one the stands out the most. MMOs typically run on a pay to play structure. Paying the base cost get’s you in, and paying a monthly rate lets you keep coming back. The monthly rate typically runs from $10-$15 per month. That monthly fee is then used to further develop content for the game to keep players coming back for more. Every couple months an MMO will typically open access to a new dungeon, quest line, or event at no additional cost to the players. However, the players tend to forget they they’re currently paying a monthly rate just to play the game. It’s an endless cycle of content that keeps users paying for content so keep returning to the game and keep those subscriptions running.
 
This is a standard practice that’s been in effect since at least 2004 when World of WarCraft was released. In its first year there were 7 content updates to the WoW. Dungeons, world bosses, even PvP modes and reward structures were all added within the first 12 months at no additional cost. Well, except for that pesky monthly fee. Assuming you’re paying month to month, that’s a total of $180, excluding the cost of the base game, just to play World of WarCraft. That’s $180 paid to the developers for 7 content updates. That breaks down to nearly $26 for an update as minor as a single mid level dungeon. I don’t understand how this is acceptable for games like World of WarCraft and FInal Fantasy XIV, but not for Destiny. Somehow, Bungie has committed a horrible crime against gaming by charging a total of $80 for additional, optional, content in its first year. However, a game that requires players to pay more than 3 times it’s base cost for additional content is completely acceptable.
 
Destiny quest hud
 
At this point you’d be correct in deducing that I have no issue with the price of Destiny’s next expansion, The Taken King. I feel like the 3 different price points are completely fair, and give players of all walks a proper opportunity to jump into a game beloved by millions already. To give a little context to the situation here’s the pricing breakdown:
 

  • The Taken King (Standalone, Digital Only – Must own The Dark Below and House of Wolves in order to purchase) $40
  • Destiny: The Taken King (Retail copy, includes Destiny, The Dark Below, House of Wolves, and The Taken King) $60
  • Destiny: The Taken King Collector’s Edition (Retail and Digital, Includes all above and exclusive digital and physical content) $80
  • Bungie also recently added a “Collector’s Edition Upgrade”, in response to the outcry about the pricing. The upgrade includes all digital content included in The Taken King Collector’s Edition for an additional $20. This is for purchasers of the digital copy of The Taken King only.

 
Taken King Collector's Edition
 
You’d think, after reading the pricing, that the issue flooding the community lies with the incredibly low price tag for the retail copy of Destiny: The Taken King. In reality, the primary complaint is with the collector’s edition. As stated above the collector’s edition comes with physical and digital bonus items. The physical items are your typical collector’s edition faire – steelbook case, replica items, art book, etc. The digital content, coupled with the “need” to repurchase Destiny and the first two expansions to get those items, is what really set the community into a frenzy. Bungie’s response to purchase the digital content separately for $20 wasn’t met very favorably either.
 
It appears as if some of the community feels that in order to get the “full experience” of Destiny: The Taken King they need the items included in the collector’s edition. That’s NEED, as in “require because it is essential.” What could possibly be included in with the collector’s edition that’s so important that it’s been deemed essential by the playerbase, yet not so essential that being offered the opportunity to pay $20 for these items is equally as insulting? Hold on to your butts.
 
dc9f78ae9f1bc0f5b0d45554c02548545436fa95
 
I hope you’re ready for this. This drama, and the reason Destiny has been dominating the headlines recently, is over 9 cosmetic items: 3 Shaders, 3 Emotes, and 3 Class items which provide a bonus to experience gain. While the experience bonus seems like it tips the argument in favor of the complaints, for someone to think that without these items the entirety of the experience that is Destiny: The Taken King falls apart, is ridiculous. Bungie has made multiple statements to refute the “need” to purchase the collector’s edition solely for these items. Bungie has stated that those items may be unique in appearance, but they are not so in function. In fact, with the release of The Taken King class items, an otherwise cosmetic only item, will be changing entirely. Some will provide stat bonuses, others bonuses to experience gain, and all of them far more powerful than those obtained with the collector’s edition. Secondly, all owners of at least Destiny, the base game, can qualify to receive Year One exclusive items, such as (but not limited to): An Emblem(cosmetic), Sparrow(useful), Shader(cosmetic), AND MORE. The “And More” part has yet to be elaborated upon, but knowing Bungie, it should be some pretty cool stuff.
 
All of the items in the collector’s edition are 100% optional.They are, like any collector’s edition content, just cool enough to make someone who owns them feel good about spending extra money. As with the Ghost Edition of the base game, or the GameStop pre-order exclusive digital content for any game, these items will not make much of a difference to the overall experience. It’s just a way to for a developer/publisher to make a little extra cash while providing the players with an optional level of “exclusivity.” Feeling like you having something nobody else has usually costs extra, and this is no different.
 
Arc Warlock Stormcaller
 
The whole incident boils down to a simple matter of desire vs. practicality. While having exclusive content that few others will have sounds good, is it worth the asking price double the rate of the actual content? Rather than simply come up with the answer “no,” the community accused Bungie and Activision of forcing them to re-purchase something they have in order to get something they’ve deemed essential. While this is technically true, it’s also a matter of perspective mixed with your level of desire.
 
Considering that it’s standard practice for collector’s editions to run double the rate of the base game, then $40 more is actually quite reasonable. Even if it comes with content you might already own, it’s still a fair price at double the rate of the stand alone content solely based on collectors edition standard. If that’s still not good enough, then now you can purchase the Digital Collector’s Edition Upgrade for $20, which is the difference between the retail copy and the collector’s edition. Again, it’s a fair price based on the pricing of the original offerings. Lastly, if we take an MMO perspective (I told you the MMO part was important) then you’ll want to look at the cost of the DLC’s over a “monthly rate structure.” Without The Taken King Collector’s Edition the total cost is $6.67/month for all 3 expansions. With the collector’s edition it’ll cost $10/month. Both of those are on the very low end when it comes to monthly rates for MMO’s, which again makes this a fair pricing model.
 
Destiny Nightstalker Hunter
 
If the ideal way to look at the pricing of Destiny, and it’s expansions, is based on an MMO pay-as-you-play structure, then why didn’t Bungie just charge a monthly rate to play Destiny? Well that’s simple, it’s the same reason Bungie refuses to refer to Destiny as an MMO. There’s a stigma associated with the term MMO and monthly fees. To avoid the dirty looks in the locker room, Bungie and Activision instead released the game under the guise of a standard, pay once game, and hid the monthly fees in the optional downloadable content. By calling the DLC “Expansions” as opposed to something like “Add-On” or even “DLC” they made the content updates feel significant, and damned near essential to the future of the experience. It’s all mind trickery to keep you from realizing that you’re actually paying the equivalent of an MMO monthly fee for content updates. Albeit a very inexpensive MMO, which is again fair based on the amount of content offered when compared to most other MMO games.
 
With the perspective side hopefully cleared up a bit, it then falls to desire. How much do you really want these items? If you have a problem with any of the options provided, then that means you don’t really want the content that bad. If you have a problem with the price, then don’t spend your money and the developers/publishers will be forced to make a change. This is one of the instances where complaining that something you want is unobtainable was the wrong way to go about getting what you want. All you did was create a demand, which was answered with a supply at a reasonable asking price based on the level of demand. If you think it’s priced too high, then maybe you shouldn’t have made it seem like you absolutely need the optional items in question.
 
Solar Titan Sunbreaker
 
I’ve had no problem spending $80 on my preordered copy of Destiny: The Taken King Collector’s Edition, just as I had no problem dropping $150 on the Ghost Edition last year. The prices are fair, and we all know we’re going to spend way too much time playing the game. If you have a problem, then say it with your money, not with barbaric language better left on the battlefield. If you’ve been making threats to quit, and still feel like it’s the best option, then maybe you should. Chances are Bungie and Activision are going to just continue to make decisions that you’ll disagree with, and it would be nice if those of us that enjoy the game can continue to do so without your negativity.
 
Be sure to sound off with your thoughts about the pricing fiasco, and anything else concerning Destiny, in the comments below!

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Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies https://one-quest.com/blog/semi-homemade-zelda-triforce-cookies/ Sat, 25 Apr 2015 14:25:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21553 Check out this super simple tutorial for these tasty nerdy treats!

My office likes to decorate cubicles for Birthdays. However, my department likes to go beyond the simple balloons and streamers. Even going so far as building a fort out of paper boxes and their lids. It was decided that the most recent Birthday was going to incorporate the new fad of Post-it wall art. And since we knew the girl was into The Legend of Zelda, it wasn’t difficult to decide on Link as the centerpiece.

I cannot take credit for the creation of the Post-it wall art, which can be seen further down in this post, but I did whip together some pretty sweet (literally!) triforce cookies, which didn’t end up taking all night to do.

1. Ingredients.
> Package of pre-made sugar cookies (already cut into squares)
> Can of yellow point and shoot icing

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Materials

2. Remove sugar cookies from package and begin to mold squares into triangles.

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Forming Triangles

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Triangles

3. Place triangle cookies onto cookie sheet and flatten a little.
(Note: If you don’t flatten, the cookies will have trouble holding the triangle shape while they bake.)

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Flattened Triangles

4. Bake cookies according to sugar cookie package. Shorten the recommended time by a few minutes due to the flattening of the cookie. And then allow cookies to cool.

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Baked

5. Once cooled, take the can of point and shoot icing and etch the outside of the triforce design on each cookie.
(You could always pick up an additional can of point and shoot black icing and use it as the outline. It might help to make the design stand out a little more.)

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Triforce Outline

6. Next, fill in the 3 triangles on each cookie with icing.
(I went with a zig-zag design to conserve on icing, just to make sure there was enough to cover each cookie.)

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Frosted

And voila! Super simple Triforce sugar cookies!

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Frosted Close Up

Also, the Link Post-it wall art, compliments of Rachel from work:

Semi-Homemade Zelda Triforce Cookies - Link Post-its Wall Art

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Friday Five – Favorite Pranks https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-pranks/ Fri, 10 Apr 2015 14:52:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21531 plastic wrapped car
 
Hey everyone! Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This week’s category is: Favorite Pranks!
 
It’s (a little past) April Fools time, so we though it only fitting to look at our favorite pranks. Unfortunately we missed our posting time, so this is a little past due… I mean… APRIL FOOLS! We meant to do it. I swear…
 

Chris

  1. Filling a persons room with pages from the Phone book – This is a video on YouTube somewhere, kid goes away for a weekend leaves the dorm room unlocked. Friends proceed to pull out every page from the pallet of Phone books that no one uses that colleges get and fill him room with them.
  2. Filling a room with balloons – I’m sure this has been on the site before, a few years back Walnuts had his bedroom filled with balloons, some even had surprises in them. A bunch of us were even hiding under them when he came in.
  3. Blocking a door with a wall of phones books – Another wonderful video on YouTube. Some, what I can only assume were engineering students, made a wall of phone books the exact shape and size of a door. Then they glued porn to one side, and covered it in honey then wedged it in front of someone’s door while they were sleeping.
  4. Plastic Wrap almost anything – Cars, desks, anything someone needs to be able to access is generally a great time.
  5. Prank Calls – Not the Bart Simpson ones, though they are funny, but really getting someone up to a furious level, or breaking down to tears, those are great.

 

 

Eric

I love messing with people. Unfortunately I don’t have enough money to support this hobby… maybe that’s a good thing.

  1. Air horn chair – Use black duct tape to tape an air horn to the underside of someone’s office chair. When they sit down, hilarity!
  2. Hidden door – Use some construction supplies to make a door look like part of the wall. It’s a timely one, but with the right supplies you can have the whole thing looking legit within a couple hours.
  3. Snakes in a can – It’s a classic, but get someone to eat some nuts and boom they get a nice jump scare.
  4. Plastic wrapped car – You can’t get the cheap plastic wrap, and you need to go over and under the car, not around.
  5. Tap Tap! – This one is simple. You need some tape, string, and a small rock. You tape the rock and string to the side of a window, hide and pull the string. It makes a subtle tapping sound that is sure to freak people out.

 
Air Horn Chair
 

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Friday Five – Favorite Movie Soundtracks https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-movie-soundtracks/ Fri, 27 Mar 2015 23:54:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21500 Daft Punk in Tron Legacy attire.
 
Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers/podcasters with the help of a top 5 list! This week we take a look at everyone’s favorite Movie Soundtracks!
 
A movie’s score is just as important as the rest of it’s content. The rumor goes that George Lucas showed Star Wars to the execs at 20th Century Fox without a score, and they turned it down. He then resubmitted it with John Williams score and they immediately approved it! It is just a rumor, however. The idea behind the rumor rings true for all media. Without a proper score, the content will suffer. Here’s a tribute to our favorite movie scores and soundtracks of all time!
 

Chris

  1. Aladdin
  2. Tron Legacy
  3. Watchmen
  4. Guardians of the Galaxy
  5. Lion King

 
lionking
 

Shannon

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy
  2. Tron Legacy
  3. The Breakfast Club
  4. Star Wars (IV, V, VI)
  5. Scott Pilgrim VS. The World

 
Guardians of the Galaxy
 

Vogel

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy
  2. Tropic Thunder – The movie soundtrack, not the original score.
  3. Nightmare Before Christmas
  4. Tron- Legacy
  5. Dazed and Confused

 
tropic thunder
 

Eric

  1. Star Wars – There is no score more perfect than the one composed by John Williams for Star Wars.
  2. Tron Legacy – The entire movie score was created by Daft Punk! I picked up the soundtrack before the movie even came out.
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy – Nobody needs to say anything about this one. It’s one of the best.
  4. Sucker Punch – Zach Syder created one of the most visually amazing music videos of all time. It’s called Sucker Punch.
  5. Aladdin – Best Disney sound track of all!

 
Star Wars
 

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Friday Five – Favorite Tabletop Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-tabletop-games/ Fri, 20 Mar 2015 22:19:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21483 tabletop-day-games

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Tabletop Games

Most people love a good board game, card game, or tabletop RPG, so we figured we’d list our favorite this week!

Chris

I don’t really play any tabletop games, so I just listed ones I could remember ever playing.

  1. Go Fish – Does this even count?
  2. Munchkin – I do actually like Munchkin, it’s a lot of fun, should probably play it more.
  3. Scrabble – I’ve never played the real game, just Words with Friends, but I like it.
  4. Trivial Pursuit – The normal game is awful, but some of the themed ones are fun.
  5. Pictionary – Only played this a few times, fucking awful at it too. I don’t even know what I’m drawing half the time.

munchkin

Shannon

  1. Monopoly
  2. Scrabble
  3. Solitaire
  4. Pictionary
  5. Munchkin

scrabble

Audra

  1. Cards Against Humanity – The best is when parents and their children are involved. Awkward hilarity ensues.
  2. Beer Pong – because I’m not to shabby. I’ve been pregnant since the last time we were able to play, so I’ve got to get some practice in once baby’s here.
  3. Settlers of Catan – I’ve gotta get all the sheep!!!
  4. Cranium – a way to make people act out in stupid ways.
  5. Flip cup – I’ve played it once and found it to be enjoyable.

catan

Eric

I don’t play enough tabletop games. I do have a large list of games I really want to play, so this will probably be a list of those.

  1. Settlers of Catan – After years of staring at the game in stores, I finally got a copy for Christmas. I’ve still only played a handful of times, but it’s great!
  2. Dungeon and Dragons – The original RPG. I’ve wanted to get into this for so long. We finally started a campaign earlier this month and I couldn’t have had more fun. Well, I could have. I had a sinus infection… maybe without that it’ll be a lot more fun!
  3. Betrayal at House on the Hill – It’s basically Cabin in the Woods the game, without all the behind the scenes stuff. It’s really cool! Now I just need to buy it.
  4. Ticket to Ride – This game is beautifully simple. Everyone for themselves, draw cards and play them to make train routes. Simple rules, and a ton of fun. If only I owned it…
  5. Pandemic – This has been on my must have list as long as Catan has been. 4 players cooperate against the game itself. Everyone wins together, or loses together. It’s an awesome concept.

d&d

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Friday Five – Favorite Aliens https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-aliens/ Sat, 14 Mar 2015 00:24:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21464 alien-iso-main

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Aliens

This week we’re talking all about our Favorite Aliens. There’s a lot of Doctor Who stuff going on here, but we go for some slightly more unique picks as well. Check them out, and make sure to let us know your favorites too!

Chris

  1. Alf – Alf – Who doesn’t love Alf? He just wanted to eat cats. . .
  2. The Doctor – Doctor Who – Sure he looks human on the outside, but he’s anything but! Though he spends all of his lives trying to protect the earth so that’s swell of him.
  3. Han Solo – Star Wars – Another alien that looks like one of us, but this one is from a long time again and a galaxy far away. The Corellian smuggler found a way into our hearts in the Star Wars movies and he’s been there ever since.
  4. Groot – Marvel Comics – He is Groot
  5. Station – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey – Station man, totally.

station-bill-ted

Shannon

  1. The Doctor – Doctor Who
  2. The Ood – Doctor Who
  3. Thermians – Galaxy Quest
  4. Diva – The Fifth Element
  5. The Silence – Doctor Who

thermians-galaxy-quest

Eric

  1. Protoss (StarCraft) – Super advanced alien race from StarCraft, and my favorite race to play. Legacy of the Void couldn’t come soon enough.
  2. Ridley (Metroid) – He’s a space pirate and a friggin’ dragon! He is not a space-dragon, that’s not official cannon.
  3. Hannar (Mass Effect) – The floaty weird race in Mass Effect. The best one is the one that stars in a series of James Bond like spy movies.
  4. The Watcher (Marvel) – He does nothing but watch!
  5. Face of Boe (Doctor Who) – He may or may not be Captain Jack Harkness… Regardless, Face of Boe is the absolute best.

thewatcher

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Friday Five – Favorite Remakes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-remakes/ Fri, 06 Mar 2015 21:01:13 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21448 evil-dead-poster

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Remakes

After a week off we’re back and this time it’s listing our Favorite Remakes. That is all, onto the list!

Chris

  1. Clash of the Titans (2010) – The original is unbeatable, but this remake really was fun to watch.
  2. Dawn of the Dead (2004) – While the original was a classic, the more modern take and better special effects really help this one out.
  3. Evil Dead (2013) – I suppose Evil Dead 2 is technically already a remake of Evil Dead, but regardless the newest Evil Dead was a lot of fun. It kept some stuff from the original, but kinda left it open where it may not have been a remake at all, but just another sequel.
  4. Dredd (2012) – Judge Dredd is one of those ’90s action movies you can’t help but love and hate at the same time. Dredd though was a whole different monster. That movie is nothing but good and it’s a shame a stigma from the original probably killed out chances at a sequel.
  5. Star Trek (2009) – While maybe not totally a remake, it’s close enough. I’m not really a fan of Star Trek at all, but the newer movies really are well done and fun to watch.

dredd-3d-2012-wallpapershunt_com-dredd-is-coming-back-as-a-web-series

Eric

  1. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lion – Arguable the best final fantasy made better, but unfortunately flawed. Still, one of the best games of all time!
  2. Resident Evil (Gamecube) – The original RE gave me the creeps on PSX. But the remake on GCN was just awesome!
  3. Tomb Raider Anniversary – The original Tomb Raider was one of my favorite games of all times, and the remake on PS3/360 was an outstanding throwback to the original.
  4. Godzilla (2014) – I don’t know that it counts as a remake, but I’m including it. It’s an awesome movie!
  5. Ocean’s Eleven – I never saw the original, but this movie is one of my favorites!

godzilla2014_fan_poster

Vogel

  1. Amazing Spider-Man
  2. Evil Dead
  3. In Time – totally a remake of Logan’s Run
  4. 300 – The 300 Spartans is one of my favorite movies of all time, 300 was a pretty good movie as well.
  5. Batman Year One

300-Wallpaper

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Friday Five – Favorite Bad Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-bad-movies/ Sat, 21 Feb 2015 00:19:25 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21417 mariobros

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Bad Movies

There are some really great movies out there, people love them, critics love them, everyone just loves them. But there are also some really really bad movies, and while the audience for them may be small, a handful of people do love them. So this week we decided to spotlight those failed titles by listing our Favorite Bad Movies, which has a strong dose of Sylvester Stallone going on for some reason.

Chris

  1. Commando – This movie starts out with Arnold Schwarzenegger carrying a fucking tree, the whole damn thing. It gets more ridiculous from there. That is all you need to know, but it is glorious.
  2. Creepshow – This is just too much, I don’t even know where to start.
  3. Demolition Man – The concept was….interesting, but the movie was just weird, I can’t help but love watching it though. Those damn shells.
  4. Over The Top – It’s about arm wrestling, and a father and son, and I’m pretty sure Lincoln Hawk is the template for Ash Ketchum.
  5. Mortal Kombat – Oh this movie…

Pisko

  1. Demolition Man
  2. Judge Dredd
  3. Time Cop
  4. Black Dynamite – Intentionally done poorly, but Fuck you, that’s why.
  5. Guyver

Eric

  1. Mortal Kombat – I was a kid. I thought it was cool. It wasn’t.
  2. Street Fighter: The Movie – JCVD as Guile was pretty cool, the rest of the movie wasn’t.
  3. Super Mario Bros. – It was bad, but it entertained me as a child.
  4. The Last Airbender – Understanding that it took an entire cartoon season and boiled it down into a single 2 hour movie, I thought it was interesting.
  5. Dragonball Evolution – It’s bad, but a small part of me enjoyed it solely for existing.

Shannon

  1. Earth Girls Are Easy
  2. The Stepford Wives (2004)
  3. Batman & Robin
  4. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
  5. Howard the Duck
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Friday Five – Favorite Adorable Creatures https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-adorable-creatures/ Fri, 13 Feb 2015 22:35:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21399 pikachu-face

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Adorable Creatures

Last week we talked about our favorite monsters, so this week we’re going the other direction and talking about some adorable creatures!

Chris

  1. Gizmo – There are lots of adorable creatures out there, but nothing beats Gizmo, especially in Gremlin’s 2 when he goes Rambo!
  2. Charmander – I dunno I have always liked the Charmander – Charizard set of Pokemon
  3. Nibbler – Nibbler is cute and interesting, and I recently found out they added his Shadow into the first episode of Futurama when Fry falls into the cryotube thing.
  4. Mokona – I don’t remember what this thing is from, I just remember the name and look and didn’t feel like searching for it. But he was definitely adorable.
  5. Pikachu – Needs no explanation.

gizmo

Shannon

  1. Pikachu
  2. Gizmo
  3. Adipose
  4. Tribbles
  5. Mew

mew_2_0_by_mewkitty-d5dcez3

Eric

  1. Stitch – Easily one of Disney’s best characters!
  2. Toothless – He’s like a little friggin puppy.
  3. Moogles – The really fat ones from FFXIV would have to top the list. Especially because they love getting drunk.
  4. Ryo-Ohki – It’s just fucking adorable!
  5. Godzilla – Just look at his face after the battle in the 2014 reboot. He’s so cute!

stitch

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Friday Five – Favorite Monsters https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-monsters/ Sat, 07 Feb 2015 01:40:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21329 godzilla

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Monsters

This week on the Friday Five we talk about our Favorite Monsters, because well why the hell not. Evolve comes out next week, and that is all about killin monsters after all.

Chris

  1. Charizard
  2. Slimer
  3. Great Old Ones
  4. Werewolves
  5. Bebop & Rocksteady

charizard

Shannon

  1. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
  2. Sully (James P. Sullivan)
  3. Classic Zombies
  4. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
  5. Cthulhu

Ghostbusters

Eric

  1. Mike Wazowski – He has a full god damned name!
  2. Godzilla – King of monsters!
  3. Owlbears – Bears with Owl faces! There’s nothing more terrifying.
  4. Tonberry – Adorable. Calm. DEADLY!
  5. Hell Bovine – Moo moo moo, moo… moo!

Mike-wazowski-10

Vogel

  1. Monster of the Maw– Planet Hulk/World War Hulk
  2. Maurice – Little Monsters
  3. Spike – Gremlins (After transformation)
  4. Golgothan – The Shit Demon – Dogma
  5. Gorignak – The Rock Monster – Galaxy Quest

Gorignak-Galaxy-Quest

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Friday Five – Favorite Sports https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-sports/ Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:38:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21304 sports

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Sports

If you listen to PodQuest you probably know not all of us are the biggest sports enthusiasts. But enough of us are that screw that guy! So this week we’re delving into our favorite sports, many of which probably aren’t even traditional.

Eric

Sports! This was done for Drootin, mostly because he likes nothing else. It’s his fault this is a category, and I hate him for it.

  1. Blitzball – Underwater football/soccer. I hope you can hold your breath.
  2. Quidditch – Flying brooms and shit! And a golden snitch or something.
  3. Podracing – I need to own a car that sounds like Sebulba’s racer in the worst way.
  4. Dota 2 – I can’t play for shit, but it’s fucking awesome to watch.
  5. Gladiators – The ancient shit where people died not the Americanized version.

Muggle Quidditch

Drootin

So, it seems like there has been some pandering to a certain person to get them to do the Friday Five this week……. Oh, that’s me…. Well it worked!!!!

  1. Lacrosse.8 – its the fuckin best, combines a lot of different skills to make the best sport on the planet. More people should watch it, I personally prefer the box/indoor game to the field game but enjoy both greatly. I’ll gladly watch any game with anyone and answer any questions to try and get people into the sport.
  2. Ice hockey – my 2nd favorite sport, but I must say I’ve been a bit disinterested in the NHL this year.
  3. American football – football is fantastic and ever since I’ve gotten super into fantasy football in the last like 6-7 years its consumed my September-Decembers.
  4. Blitzball – I really liked Blitzball in FFX, the only problem I had with it really with it was that it got too easy.
  5. Curling – my last spot came down to my 2 favorite Olympic sports, Curling and Team Handball, and since we’re in the winter I’m going with Curling. Curling is shuffleboard on ice. Its honestly kinda dumb, but pretty relaxing to watch and can also get pretty intense and skillful.

curling

Pisko

  1. Hockey – “During high school, I played junior hockey and still hold two league records: most time spent in the penalty box; and I was the only guy to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody.”
  2. American Football – Take the idea of basketball with an egg shaped ball meant for throwing and over about 100 years slowly whittle playtime down with commercials until in a 2 hour broadcast there is only 12 minutes of ACTUAL PLAY. But also add in a football robot so people don’t revolt.
  3. Golf – Game of Kings. More exercise than you think…
  4. Bobsledding – Hey, Cool Runnings man.
  5. WW2 Lady Baseball – THERE IS NO CRYING IN BASEBALL. I guess a lot of my sports knowledge comes from movies…

coolrunnings

Shannon

    I’m not really an active person but I don’t mind watching or participating in some sports.

  1. Hockey – I don’t really watch it anymore, if only it were as violent as it used to be.
  2. Tennis – pretty boring to watch, but fun to play.
  3. Volleyball – I’m awful at it, but it’s still another fun one to play and watch.
  4. Bowling – Hey, if the fictional sports the guys picked count then so does bowling. I’m not awful at it, and it’s great for just hanging out with friends or a date.
  5. Scrabble – I was gonna pick something else active but according to Wikipedia Scrabble is a table sport… I really like Scrabble. Though if I has to pick an active table sport it would be air hockey or ping pong.

scrabble

Chris

  1. Hockey – Hockey is probably my go to classic sport. Even though it’s changed a bit in recent years I still enjoy it.
  2. Baseball – Baseball has to be my number two, it’s not the most exciting, but there’s something particularly fun about going to a game.
  3. Quidditch – Who the fuck doesn’t want to fly on broomsticks and hit people with shit?
  4. Mario Kart – This is probably more competitive than any sport on earth, except maybe Dota.
  5. Air Hockey – It was this or bowling, I went with this.

mariokart

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Friday Five – Favorite Universes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-universes/ Sat, 24 Jan 2015 01:42:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21286 marvel

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Universes

Marvel just announced this week that they were going to be wiping out their existing comic universes and merging them into something new, after this summer’s Secret Wars. So, why not use that as a talking point for this week’s Friday Five, Favorite Universes!

Chris

  1. Marvel Universe – Who wouldn’t want to live in a world full of superheroes? Well I’m sure plenty of people, but I think it sounds pretty freaking cool!
  2. Star Wars – The force, Jedi’s, Lightsabers, spaceships, Wookies.
  3. Parks & Recreation – If Pawnee was a real place, I’d definitely go live there.
  4. Marvel Cinematic Universe I suppose this isn’t that different from the first one, but at the same time it is. Either way I seems fun, dangerous, but fun.
  5. Pokemon – I just want to be the very best.

parksandrec

Eric

  1. Dragon Age – Dragons, outlaw mages, over zealous templar as well as mysterious factions and ancient evils. I love everything about this place!
  2. Elder Scrolls – Mostly Skyrim more than anything, because of the dragons. Fantasy stuff without dragons is just a waste of space.
  3. Star Wars – Because who doesn’t want to live in a universe with lightsabers?
  4. Saga – Everything I’ve seen in this book makes me want to be there. Check it out!
  5. Marvel 2149 (Zombies) – It’s Zombies with super powers. Probably the best kind of zombies.

saga

Shannon

  1. Marvel Cinematic Universe – I didn’t really grow up geeky, that started more in my teen years, so I didn’t really get into superheroes and comics until more recently. The Marvel movies were a great gateway into starting a comic book collection.
  2. Pokemon – Who doesn’t want adorable little fighting slaves? I grew up playing the games, collecting the cards, watching the show; so this one just has to be on my list.
  3. Star Trek – I’m kind of frightened of space exploration but Star Trek is one of my favorite universes, I’d use the shit out of those food replicators.
  4. Doctor Who – Dangerous most of the time, but sometimes aliens are nice, right? Traveling with The Doctor to exotic locations would be super cool.
  5. Wreck It Ralph – It would be pretty awesome to hang out with all the different video game characters and explore their games. Plus unlimited candy in Sugar Rush!

pokemon

Vogel

  1. Walking Dead – Call me crazy, but I think I would “enjoy” a zombie apocalypse. I’d be the guy rigging up wind turbines and aqueducts and shit, helping people survive. Who am I kidding, I’d be patient zero with my luck.
  2. Saga – Saga has a pretty intense universe going, and I wouldn’t exactly want to be caught up in a war. That being said, the magic and tech in that universe is awesome and I’d love to be a part of it.
  3. Marvel Universe – Any really. I didn’t start reading comic books until about 5 years ago, so I’m not familiar with all of the different universes. I grew up watching Spider-man and The X-Men on Fox and imagined being part of that world.
  4. Doctor Who – I just got into Doctor Who finally about 2 years ago, Shannon and I started watching it, and Amy and Rory were great companions, so I could see us going around with the Doctor.
  5. Hyrule – I would like living in Hyrule, but I’d have to be important. This isn’t ego or arrogance, it’s because of boredom and death. The people who aren’t important to the story live a pretty standard medieval life, which I wouldn’t mind living in. I’ve fantasized about being a Bowyer or Blacksmith in the times of King Arthur. But I feel like an all powerful tyrant like Ganon( or variation thereof) wouldn’t be very fun to live with.

walkingdead

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Friday Five – Favorite Movies From Before Our Time https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-movies-from-before-our-time/ Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:20:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21267 Favorite Movies From Before Our Time
, so basically movies we love from before we were born. Our ages are all pretty close around here, most of us just a few months apart actually. So you'll definitely see some themes in our picks.]]> movies

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Favorite Movies From Before Our Time

After a week off, the Friday Five has returned. This week we’re listing our Favorite Movies From Before Our Time, so basically movies we love from before we were born. Our ages are all pretty close around here, most of us just a few months apart actually. So you’ll definitely see some themes in our picks.

Chris

I really like movies, and some of my favorites get listed by some of the others later on, like Indiana Jones or Star Wars. So I tried to go with some different ones than what everyone else had for the most part.

  1. Young Frankenstein – Mel Brooks makes some great movies, Spaceballs is probably my favorite, but alas that was made after I was born. Young Frankenstein is an easy runner up though. Gene Wilder is awesome, and the movie in general is just hilarious.
  2. Clue – Originally I had Empire Strikes Back on here, then I was looking at a list of the top movies of the 1980s and I saw Clue came out before I was born. Now that is how you do a movie based on a board game. Those idiots that made Battleship should have taken a note from this movie!
  3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – This movie just barely is eligible for me, it released less than a month before I was born. Regardless of that this is a fantastic movie, even now 28 years later it still holds up.
  4. Ghostbusters – I’m even looking forward to the new one. . . but serious Ghostbusters should be in everyone’s list dammit!
  5. Back to the Future – I’m a little surprised no one else mentioned Back to the Future, who doesn’t enjoy the time traveling antics of Doc Brown and Marty.

Young-frankenstein_poster

Shannon

  1. Gremlins
  2. The Producers
  3. Beetlejuice
  4. Ghostbusters
  5. The Breakfast Club

Gremlins-Poster

Eric

    I think I’m noticing a theme about my interests…

  1. Alien – Suspense, horror, an alien. In space, no one can hear you scream! This movie is outstanding, and a classic everyone needs to see. Also, the cat lives, so bonus points.
  2. Star Wars – A New Hope – I chose this because it introduced me to the fantastic universe of Star Wars. Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the OT, but A New Hope get’s the credit for being there first.
  3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind – My dad introduced me to this one, and I was immediately entranced. People haunted by visions, set out on a journey and discover that we’ve had contact with aliens! Super awesome movie!
  4. 2001 A Space Odyssey – Just… perfection. One of Stanley Kubrick’s best! You have no excuse for not seeing this movie.
  5. Blade Runner – I still don’t understand what the hell happened in this movie, but for 1982 it’s a god damned feat to have produced this movie. The look and feel are incredible! I should probably watch it again.

alien

Vogel

  1. The Omen – This is my favorite movie of all time. I grew up on horror films and this one really stuck with me.
  2. 2001: A Space Odyssey – This move always made me think about full circle plots. My interpretation was that as the universe progressed it eventually reverted to birth. And then the sequel happened.
  3. Star Wars – I remember my dad showing me this movie when I was a kid and it blew me away.
  4. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark – I actually grew up watching Temple of Doom and I thought it was fantastic. When it was brought to my attention that there were other movies and better ones I couldn’t believe it.
  5. The Shining – This was such a strange movie, but I’d be surprised if it isn’t in most people’s top 20-50 list.

omen_ver4_xlg

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Friday Five – Most Anticipated 2015 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-most-anticipated-2015/ Sat, 03 Jan 2015 00:17:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21246 2015_2

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Most Anticipated 2015!

Happy New Year everyone! As usual with a new year comes plenty of stuff to look forward to. So as tradition goes we’ll be listing our most anticipated stuff for 2015. You’re going to see a lot of repeats because there are some huge movies and games due out this year that we all just can’t wait for. So without anymore rambling let us get to the lists!

Chris

  1. Uncharted 4 – I’ve enjoyed all the Uncharted games so far, and after watching the gameplay footage from this one it just looks amazing. This will be a game to really make the PS4 a console worth owning.
  2. Age of Ultron – Every time they release more stuff about this movie it just looks better and better. Topping the first avengers is going to be tough, but this movie definitely looks like it’s upping all the right factors.
  3. Star Wars Episode VII – I just cannot wait to see what this movie is all about. I was a little disappointed to here that they were doing away with a lot, if not all, of the EU stuff. But I’m still super excited to see how they expand on the Star Wars cinematic universe.
  4. Batman: Arkham Knight – I was really bummed when this game got delayed. June can’t come soon enough.
  5. No Man’s Sky – This is just one of those games that everyone is going to dump so much time into when it finally launches.

uncharted

Drootin

  1. NHL ’16 – I was very disappointed with NHL ’15 but only because of the lack of many of the series features and not the gameplay which was still great. Here’s hoping EA gets the missing features back this year.
  2. Uncharted 4 – Uncharted was my favorite new series of the previous gen and the little we’ve seen of the new one looks great.
  3. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain – this might not be a 2015 release but there’s nothing yet that says it isn’t so I’m putting it on here. I love Metal Gear’s crazy story and can’t wait for more of it.
  4. Bloodbourne – I’ve not played the Souls games but have been intrigued by them and this looks even more interesting.
  5. The Order: 1886 – The things I’ve heard on this game aren’t super positive but I’m still looking forward to it. That said it looks stunning. Hopefully Sony Santa Monica has just been holding back all the best stuff until the game is out.

bloodborne

Pisko

  1. The Legend of Zelda (Wii U) – OMG OMG OMG. Number one big awesome in 2015. In all seriousness it will probably be pushed back at least a year but man, if it actually comes out this year it will MAKE the Wii U.
  2. Star Wars Ep. 7 – Instant nerd awesome. The OG cast combined with practical effects and the love that George Lucas created in all of us when we first watched it. There is very little way this movie could be “bad” even in the eyes of the most conservative of EU lovers.
  3. Mass Effect 4 – Please? I know it won’t happen next year. Honestly, at this point I’d take a remaster of the first three on a next gen system. My new N7 hoodie is so lonely. It needs new games.
  4. Spider-Man returning to the MCU – It sounds like this is a lock at this point with all the trouble Sony has had with the Interview and money. It’s only a short matter of time until our favorite web crawler is hanging out with the Avengers.
  5. New Rock Band… Something – We know it’s going to happen. Harmonix has been hinting for the last year that they are going to do something with the property very soon. A recent survey hinted at new DLC for existing systems was on the table as was a new iteration for the new generation. Harmonix implied that there was an overwhelming response to the latter and teased that they were heard. I’d take some seriously redesigned instruments too. This could mean less latency and most likely various improvements over the last released versions (Maybe real strumbars this time?).

zelda

Eric

  1. Age of Ultron
  2. Legend of Zelda Wii U
  3. The return of Star Wars
  4. Final Fantasy XV
  5. No Man’s Sky

starwars

Vogel

  1. Age of Ultron – I’ve watched this trailer over and over. I’m really looking forward to it. There are a few things I’m anticipating, like the Iron Man v Hulk fight.
  2. Ant-Man – I’m interested on how this movie will be handled. There are a few changes I already have seen, Hope Van Dym is one of them.
  3. Star Wars: Episode VII – Who isn’t anticipating this movie? Even the people who think it’s going to be bad are waiting for it.
  4. No Man’s Sky – This game has a really neat concept initially. Hopefully, it’s not a let down. What I would really like out of it is a bit more action that the initial videos have shown, tied with the exploration and discovery aspects.
  5. Batman: Arkham Knight – This game is going to be so good. It has to be, because I say so. I’ve enjoyed this franchise so much so far and another installment does appear to have any inkling of a let down. What’s that you say? Pushed back? So what? If games aren’t completed I’d rather them get delayed until they’re done right rather than EA it and give out old games because of how embarrassingly bad your game(s) is(are).

ageofultron

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Friday Five – Best of 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-of-2014/ Sat, 27 Dec 2014 02:24:37 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21234 Best of 2014. So let's just get right to it.]]> 2014

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Best of 2014!

This doesn’t need much fancy intro, it’s our Best of 2014. So let’s just get right to it.

Chris

  1. Nintendo – Fuck you and your sports Drootin. They may have made mistakes, but over all I’m very pleased with the way Nintendo has been going this year. We got Mario Kart, and Smash Bros, and plenty of games on the horizon have been announced, and that’s just the Wii U.
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy & Cap 2 – These two movies absolutely killed it this summer. Especially Guardians, that movie was a huge success as it deserved to be!
  3. Season 2 of SHIELD – I was vocally disappointed with a lot of SHIELD last year, but from the get go season 2 has be absolutely fantastic.
  4. Comics – This is a bit vague, but all in all there were a lot of great comics this year, and still a few more to come!
  5. Octodad: Dadliest Catch – Who the hell would have thought this game would be so much freaking fun! But it is, and if you haven’t tried it yet you are sorely missing out.

nintendo-mario-kart-smash-bros

Drootin

  1. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – I liked base Diablo III a lot but maybe not as much as Diablo II but Blizzard fixed basically everything wrong with the game with the expansion and it’s been my favorite PC game in years.
  2. Hearthstone – A great card game that is 100% free. Its got everything that you could possibly want in a CCG and you don’t have to spend a penny. If you have a PC, or iPad, or Android tablet you should have this game.
  3. Wolfenstein: The New Order – a fantastic alternate reality setting with solid shooting mechanics and a good story make this game my favorite single player shooter since COD4.
  4. Dragon Age: Inquisition – I wasn’t a huge fan of Dragon Age Origins but liked it enough to give this a try after hearing tons of positive reviews and I’m happy that I did, the game is fantastic. If you’re a fan of RPGs you should be playing this game.
  5. MLB 14 The Show – I spent a lot of time playing this game early in the year. The visuals are fantastic and the gameplay is almost flawless. If you like baseball and have a PS4 and for some reason didn’t get this game I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Diablo_3_Reaper_Of_Souls_59145

Audra

  1. Rocket Raccoon – being introduced to the little furry guy and his plan making abilities.
  2. The ice bucket challenge – yeah, it got repetitive, but it was kind of fun for a minute. And it did raise a lot of money for ALS and a few other Charity’s.
  3. Targets cartwheel app – makes shopping into a game. However, once you get to the front, it seems like you’re only saving a few bucks. But I guess every bit matters.
  4. The comet landing – it was unfortunate that it landed in a spot where it wasn’t able to recharge. But the idea of landing on a comet is an exciting concept.
  5. Trubel on Grimm – I thought they might be pulling at threads when they added another Grimm, but I actually think it worked out well.

RocketRaccoon

Vogel

  1. Comic Books – I finally got around to buying paper comics and it’s fantastic. I even got Shannon into reading them.
  2. Goat Simulator – Amazingly bad. If you haven’t checked it out, check it out right now.
  3. The Walking Dead Season 2 – Telltale Games – I’m not a huge fan of QTE reliant games, or games where you watch it more than you play it. However, this franchise is so good. The only thing I would change is to make the choices you make bare more weight.
  4. Marvel Cinematic Universe – SHIELD, Winter Soldier, Guardians, I’m really enjoying the direction this franchise is going and can’t wait for Avengers 2 and Ant-Man.
  5. Death of Wolverine – On the whole, I really enjoyed this short series. It felt a bit rushed and I wish it was 5 or 6 issues instead of 4, but it wasn’t. I’ve been a long time fan of Wolverine, if you hadn’t guessed from previous posts I’ve made, and I’m looking forward to the Wolverines series that’s going to suck all of my money starting January.

deathofwolverine

Eric

  1. Dragon Age: Inquisition – Hands down, my favorite game this year! I’m nearly 95 hours in and there’s no sign of the end near. I flippin’ love it!
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy – I have to agree with those above me, the MCU has been outstanding this year, and the prospects are looking great for the future! However, everything about Guardians was so spot on perfect that it has to get a special shout out from me.
  3. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – It took a mediocre release of a beloved franchise and made it a must own on 3 different platforms. At this point, it’s inexpensive, and awesome no matter your platform of choice. Buy this game!
  4. Godzilla – After the disappointing Pacific Rim I couldn’t wait to see the King of Monsters show the world what being a Kaiju really meant. He didn’t disappoint. Fantastic acting, interesting characters, and a slow burn/tense build up to the final battle was just absolutely perfect!
  5. Destiny – It’s hard to put this one on this list, just as it was hard to put it on the “Worst of” last week. While I know it’s not the best game ever, but it’s certainly better than most of the games I played this year. I sort of feel the way I felt toward vanilla Diablo III. It’s good, but needs a lot of work to be great. It will happen, and I’m going to be there as it grows!

 
Dragon Age Inquisition Box Art
 

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Friday Five – Worst of 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-of-2014/ Sat, 20 Dec 2014 01:51:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21219 year-198469_640
Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with a top 5 list. This week’s category: Worst of 2014!
 
It’s that time of year again! This is the first in our 3 week look at what has been, and what will be. This week in particular we’re taking a look back at 2014 and the things that we felt were… the worst.

The rules are simple: Anything from 2014 pop culture (Games, movies, comics, TV) that bothered the shit out of us is game! So scroll down, and check it out! Also, be sure to join us on PodQuest 34 as we discuss the Worst of 2014!
 

Chris

  1. Delays of things like Arkham Knight – All of the Arkham games have been great, even Origin’s was a really well done fun game. So when Knight got pushed back I was super bummed
  2. Too much Destiny – This game is on everyone elses list as a disappointment, for me it was just no fun, so I didn’t bother buying it. But all the news and garbage that took up months of Podcasting was just awful.
  3. E3 2014 – E3 this year was kind of a disappointment, no one really blew me away, and there just were enough interesting announcements to get excited for.
  4. Final Fantasy VII PC to PS4 Port – This is just stupid, I don’t even care about a FFVII remake, I’m just sick of all these ports and HD remakes of shit. Just knock it off already and make a new freaking game!
  5. The Interview Being Canceled – This is super fresh, but holy crap what a load of trash this is. Some hackers make threats so you completely pull a movie? Well guess we know how Hollywood will be run from now on, no more fun controversial movies.

 
Arkham Knight
 

Drootin

  1. Destiny – It has the foundation to have been a GREAT game, but everything that the game does that isn’t killing enemies is awful. The level progression system was weird and broken, there was nowhere near enough content to match the progression, and the story was AWFUL. All that said its not even my most disappointing game of the year.
  2. Watch_Dogs – If I knew that this game was just GTA with crazy hacking phone I would not have even bothered buying it. I’m not exactly sure why I expected anything more than that, but I did and was super letdown by it.
  3. Broken game launches – As opposed to Cobb’s listing of delays, I’d rather a game be delayed and come out in a fully working state vs a game come out completely broken (Drive Club, AC:Unity, Halo). If a game needs a multiple GB patch to work, I’d rather it be delayed.
  4. CM Punk leaves WWE – CM Punk has been arguably the best all-around performer WWE has had since Stone Cold. But the day after the 2014 Royal Rumble he abruptly left the company and it wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that we ever found out all the details (from his perspective) about why he left. WWE has spent the better part of the year trying to fill the void left by Punk and seems to finally figuring things out. Punk has since signed with the UFC so we how that works out for him.
  5. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Fuck that movie it was awful. It was an hour too long, had a character carrying his “statutory rape get out of jail free card”, and Mark Wahlberg’s character was terrible. How that was the #1 grossing movie of the year I’ll never understand.

 
Destiny
 

Eric

  1. PS4 2014 Lineup – 2014 was a pretty boring year for early Adopting gamers. As a PS4 owner, I couldn’t for the life of me find a reason to recommend this console to anyone all year. Even now most of my recommendations are for 2015 releases. It’s disappointing. There were still some gems to pay attention to, but largely nothing worth spending $400 on.
  2. Community Canceled – Yeah, I know it’s coming back… on Yahoo. It’s still worth being disappointed that NBC, and other networks, still find the need to cancel shows just because they aren’t Big Bang Theory.
  3. Amazing Spider-Man 2 – This movie was a mess. It was a really well done story about Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey. That part was damned near perfect, but the rest of the movie was… dumb. The villains were so misrepresented it wasn’t even funny. Rhino was in the movie for all of 45 seconds. Green Goblin (ugh) was so poorly realized. His entire arc was based solely on the fact that Harry’s a stuck up snob and that Pete can’t say “let’s look into this first.” Nothing about it was logical! Electro was awesome. I can’t bad mouth that performance. But nothing felt right. It was all so disconnected from the rest of the movie, that I just didn’t really care for anything besides Pete and Gwen.
  4. The Return of Peter Parker – Oh, Superior Spider-Man, how I loved thee! I still think this book could have really screwed with the Marvel 616 in some very incredible ways, and yet… it’s gone. Why? Just to bring the title back for the release of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie! You’ve disappointed me twice this year ASM2! TWICE! (I will not that the transitions was handled well in the book, I just wish we had more time with Spidey-Ock.)
  5. Destiny – I put this last solely because I really enjoy the game, but it did not live up to the expectations set by Bungie at all. I was promised a deep, engrossing story; endless worlds to explore for hours on end; and hours and hours of roaming/killing for bad ass loot. What I got was a shallow plot, with very solid shooting mechanics. 4 incredibly small worlds (less than 15 minutes to make it all the way around them). And an staggering amount of reputation management and currency exchanges to PURCHASE new gear… This is not what I was expecting. But I still can’t put it down.

 
infamous second son
 

Pisko

  1. Gamecube Adaptor for Wii U – Wow. Way to fuck it up Nintendo. This could have single handedly made the Wii mode of the Wii U redeemed. This could have been a gracious effort to keep the 12 year old controllers people hold dear still able to function on the modern system. Instead it only works for smash. That’s it. No future support. This sucks.
  2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) – What the actual fuck. Okay, so while it wasn’t AS BAD as I thought it would be it still was not worth paying for. The intro voice over is cringe inducing while the explanation for Splinter teaching himself Ninjutsu… somehow…is not even present. As in that is the line from the film where Splinter says “I started teaching myself Ninjutsu”. That’s it. I guess he got a book or something. The turtles voices were the most egregious violation next to the catfish face they gave Splinter. Knoxville not being particularly bad, but by being the most recognizable voice kept pulling me out of the film when I was able to get into it for a brief moment. Michelangelo’s dialogue was the closest to what I would consider canon turtles but the voice was too off still for me to accept it.
  3. Smash Bros (3ds) – Great game but man, this is uncomfortable to play.
  4. Assassins Creed Unity – I rushed out to buy it like every other Assassins Creed game, but this one remained in the plastic until I ultimately returned it. Every day since release I saw nothing but bugs, and bad PR. Whether or not the game is really THAT bad is irrelevant because it clearly is not finished.
  5. Apple Watch – I drink the Kool-Aid on almost everything Apple has shit out since 1986. This is my breaking point. There are so many other smart watches that do what this will do for hundreds less. Also, the gold version is reported to cost $4999. Fuck that.

 
wii u gamecube adapter
 

Walnuts

  1. Ubisoft – What can is say, I trash on them a lot and they deserve it. They need to learn the ideal of quality over quantity. They are starting to be on my no buy list, due to the poor releases. Unity is a completely broken game, which should have never been releases. Rogue, will be ported to next get within the next few months, and if it is full price of $60 they can go blow themselves. Over all I just don’t like them. They are by far the worst of 2014 for me.
  2. Poor Game releases – Basically along with Ubisoft, there has been an influx of unfinished games being released. To name a few you have the Crew, a PS4 Launch title that was delayed a year for “faulty menus”, Assassins Creed Unity, basically released as an alpha, and I kinda remember there being an issue with the Battlefield being faulty this year. There are many more that I can’t remember but, these developers need to learn to make sure these games properly work before going gold.
  3. Gamergate/Nerd Hate – This basically covers all the complaints this year about the nerd hating on the “non-nerd” girls in the industry. The death and rape threats on the woman who created Depression Quest, that started it all, as well as all the other threats on people’s health, wellbeing, safety, and families. This is completely uncalled for, what gives you the right?!
  4. Cosplay Complaints – Ever since the show “Heroes of Cosplay” started, there has been an influx of judgmental douche nerds that feel obligated to point out all the flaws. There was even a shirt that said “Cosplay – do it right or don’t do it at all”. As a cosplayer myself, this hit close to home! A) There is no right or wrong with cosplay, there is just doing. B) If you feel you have the right to judge me, please do so in costume, If you don’t have the balls to dress in cosplay, then you have no right to tell me I’m doing anything wrong C) If you do dress in cosplay, it’s all fun, no judgment, just help with advancing the craft
  5. Cinema Announcement Overload – I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to know what will be released in the next 6 years over at Marvel and DC. I wish I didn’t know. The end of this half of Agents of Shield would been that much better. There is no point to releasing teasers, since I know it is coming already. They gotta settle down a notch.

 
ubisft
 

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Friday Five – Favorite Cookies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-cookies/ Fri, 12 Dec 2014 22:17:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21170 fresh_cookie_variety
Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Cookies!

Cookies are great, who doesn’t love a cookie? Christmas is a great time for them too, tons of people make cookies and give them out as gifts. Everyone has their own favorites or recipes too which makes it even better! So this week we decided why not pick out our favorites!

Chris

Eric is an idiot for all of his picks!

  1. Jelly Thumbprint / Jammie Dodgers I prefer the thumbprint cookies, I feel like the cookie to jelly ratio is better. But Jammie Dodgers are pretty much the exact same thing but in more of a sandwich cookie. Both are good.
  2. Oatmeal Raisin Oatmeal raisin cookies are amazing. Especially if they’re kinda soft and lots of raisins in them. This basically counts out the kind you can just buy in the store, though I’ll still eat them.
  3. Snickerdoodles These are just fun, I don’t actually know anyone that makes them, but whenever I get a chance to have some I take it.
  4. Kourabiedes I’ve no clue who to pronounce these, my grandmother used to make them though, they were always just crescent cookies and they were great. Erica actually gave them a shot last year and they came out just right, but they seemed like a ton of work.
  5. Macaroons – These are the kinda soft fluffy ball kinda cookies, usually coconut flavored and awesome. Not to be confused with the lesser O cookie Macarons which are also pretty awesome but very different.

macaroons

Vogel

  1. Chocolate Chip – they have to be home/hand made. Chips Ahoy is ok, but I prefer fresh, hot, gooey chocolate chip cookies.
  2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip – Unlike regular chocolate chip cookies, I prefer these to be harder and dryer.
  3. Oreos – Come on, who doesn’t love Oreos? Crazy people, that’s who.
  4. Sausalito Crispy Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – I usually eat the whole bag in one go.
  5. Le Petit Ecolier – Hands down, my favorite cookies of all time. I don’t get them very often, but they’re amazing.

petit-ecolier

Erica

  1. Oatmeal raisin
  2. Peanut butter
  3. Almond cookies
  4. Thumbprint cookies – with strawberry jelly
  5. Gingerbread cookies

jellythumbprints

Shannon

  1. Oatmeal Raisin – slightly uncooked centers and extra raisins are ideal
  2. Oreos – cookie dough or double stuffed please!
  3. Macaron – not to be confused with macaroons, which are also super tasty
  4. Rugelach – raspberry are the best
  5. Pizzelle – second best round food to come from Italy

oatmeal-raisin

Deanna

  1. Samoas – best Girl Scout cookies hands down!
  2. Oatmeal raisin – I always have the ingredients in my house to throw these bad boys together. Pro tip: make them with raisinets for ultimate yumminess!
  3. Chocolate chip – melty and chewy!
  4. Butter or peanut butter cookies – classic and delicious.
  5. Chocolate crackle – they remind me of the bakery I worked at for a summer.
    Nom nom nom!

samoas

Drootin

  1. Chocolate Chip – just eeks out the win win as my favorite, my wife makes some super awesome ones. And you can find lots of good pre-made chocolate chip cookies, that’s why it gets the slight edge over my #2.
  2. Peanut Butter – just behind chocolate chip is peanut butter, my mom makes some of the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had.
  3. Oatmeal Raisin – underrated cookie by most people (but apparently not the One-Questers), the flavors in oatmeal raisin just blend so well together
  4. Snickerdoodle – Buttery with cinnamon, and sugar, what’s not to like about them?
  5. Double Stuffed Oreos – Get out of here with your lame O.G. Oreos, they should just get rid of them and make double stuffed the standard. Also the Mega stuffed ones were pretty beastly.

peanutbutter

Eric

    The fact that oatmeal raisin cookies are on this list so many times makes me sad. You’re all a bunch of old people with your oats and fruit! Like better cookies, you old farts! And Jammie Dodgers aren’t good. They’re sticky, they crumble too much, and the cookie part is bland. You just like them cuz of Matt Smith!

  1. Butter Cookies – The best cookie! You’re wrong if you think otherwise.
  2. Chocolate Chip – The classic! Can’t get enough of them!
  3. Brownie Crackles – Brownies, covered in powdered sugar, but baked as cookies!
  4. Potato Chip Cookies – It sounds fuckin weird as shit, and they are. But they’re really good! Sweet and Salty in the right amounts.
  5. Fudgy Swirl Cookies – This is the new addition to this year’s christmas cookie line up. It’s a like pinwheel swirl with 2 different flavors in it: A sort of standard sugar-ish cookie, and a fudgy walnut cookie! It’s like friggin Heaven!

chocolatechip

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Friday Five – Favorite Movie Trailers https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-movie-trailers/ Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:53:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21156 movie-trailers-added
Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Movie Trailer!

Some great movie trailers have come out recently. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, and just the other day we got Terminator Genisys so what better time to list out our favorites!

Chris

  1. Marvel’s The Avengers – Man I remember when this first came out, it was fantastic. I can’t tell you how many times I watched the trailer for it, and there was a great fan parody made too.
  2. Age of Ultron w/ hammer scene – After the original trailer got leaked early, Marvel gave fans an extra little taste of this springs Avengers sequel by showing us a fantastic scene involving the gang trying to life Thor’s hammer. I particularly enjoyed it moving for Cap and the look on Thor’s face. And then of course it goes into the rest of the trailer with the menacing Ultron.
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy – Every time a new trailer hit for this movie it just looked better and better. That’s all I can say.
  4. Fight Club – Great movie, and the trailer does a great job of show casing what a mind fuck this movie can end up being.
  5. Matrix Reloaded – Not the best movie by anyone’s standards, but holy shit was that trailer amazing. After how great the original movie was a lot of people had high hopes for this and the third part, and while Reloaded wasn’t the worst of the three movies, it left something to be wanted. That doesn’t take anything away from the epic trailer though!

Vogel

  1. Age of Ultron – When Iron Man activated the Hulk buster helmet I think I wet my pants a little, but in a good way.
  2. Star Wars Episode VII – I think the hype is what is really drawing me to this trailer, something like 40 million views in the first week. However, I liked the 20 second teaser that has Han Solo actually speak and Luke in an Obi Wanesque robe.
  3. Big Hero 6– I was immediately drawn to this movie. The trailer was fun and amusing, and the premise was a bit of a mystery. They didn’t explain why this kid got attacked by the man in a mask, and I wanted to find out.
  4. Ponyo – This one may sound a little weird, but I remember seeing this with Shannon and thinking I needed to see it. Being a Studio Ghibli film definitely pushed this thought, but I couldn’t wait, we ended get the Japanese version before the week was out.
  5. Don’t – Fake trailer in the Grindhouse movies. Of all of them, which were all great, and one even spawned a franchise (Machete), I found this one the best.

Eric

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy – Not the “Hooked on a feeling” trailer. The “Cherry Bomb” trailer. The synchronization with the soundtrack is excellent. It’s also Guardians of the Galaxy! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiunfbRdTk8
  2. Godzilla (2014) – The Official Teaser is the one I liked best. The halo jump trailer, with the ominous soundtrack from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You barely see the King of Monsters, but there was enough here to make me watch a hundred times over! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjKO10hKtYw
  3. Pacific Rim – Ugh, my biggest disappointment of 2013. The trailer looked incredible, and Guiellermo Del Toro! It’s a shame the acting was uneven, and the pacing was slow, because the cool stuff in this movie was so cool… Also, GlaDOS! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A85EtOalcsM
  4. Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer didn’t miss a beat with this! It was haunting and exciting all at the same time! This was probably one of my favorite movie trailers of all times. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2zYHWDZKo
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Review – Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 – Zero Sum https://one-quest.com/blog/review-tales-from-the-borderlands-episode-1-zero-sum/ Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:22:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21143 tales from the borderlands logo

 

Tales from the Borderlands box Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 – Zero Sum
 
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platforms: PS3, 360, PS4 (Reviewed), XBOne, PC, Vita, Mobile
Released: 11/25/14
Verdict: No loot? No problem!
Score: 8/10

 

I’m going to start this one off plain and simple: Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1 is easily my favorite entry in this series! Gone are the very internetty jokes that plagued the previous two entries (Pre-Sequel and 2, I’m looking at you) and in their place is some of the most clever writing I’ve come across in quite some time. If you’re familiar with Telltale Games previous… games, then you pretty much know what to expect in terms of gameplay. That statement is in no way negative! Telltale has crafted an excellent bitesized experience that introduces players to the new characters and situations in the crazy world of Pandora.
 
I fell in love with the Borderlands series pretty early on. With it’s clever mix of humor, exciting combat, and the loot. Oh, so much loot! It was really hard for me to put the first game down, even with it’s repetitive environments. By the time the second game had rolled around it became fairly obvious that the jokes being used were going to have a hard time carrying the torch for the long haul. Gone were the off key characters of the first game, and in their place were loads and loads of internet memes. That’s fine when you play a game when it comes out, but a year or two down the line and the game sort of loses it’s luster. So, when Telltale Games and Gearbox Software announced this collaboration I was pretty skeptical. Taking the best aspects of Borderlands out of Borderlands just sounded crazy.
 
tales rhys loaderbot
 
Within the first ten minutes of playing Tales from the Borderlands my outlook changed for the better. It was evident Telltale had their hand in the writing, but it really felt like I was playing the original Borderlands game again. The characters felt real, and relatable. Their banter and wit is second to none. Of course the situations these characters find themselves in fit the world of Pandora perfectly. Outlandish villains, insane psychos, and assholes surround our heroes at every beat. Everything is just as inventive as you’d expect from Gearbox, with the level of polish only Telltale can provide an adventure game.
 
If you’ve played any of Telltales previous games then you aren’t getting yourself into anything unexpected here. The big new changes is Left Stick directional prompts that help guide your heroes during the more “action” type sequences. You’re standing in front of a wall of guns, so instead of moving a cursor and selecting an alley to run to you’re prompted to move the left stick to the left. It’s simple and streamlines the gameplay to a level never before seen in a Telltale game. You still have plenty of options to choose from, with a significant number of items to inspect multiple times. Rhys, our main hero, has an Echo eye that lets him scan the Hyperion Database for information on items. It sometimes rewards you with information, other times with nods to the series past. It’s an interesting way to allow players to get as much out of the game as they’d like.
 
tales fiona
 
Players take control of Rhys, a disgruntled Hyperion employee, and Fiona, a Pandora native con artist. Both heroes stories interlock in very interesting ways, and it all plays out in one playthrough. You don’t have to start and finish the game as one character before moving onto the next. Instead the perspective shifts based on what the plot calls for. Seeing the same situation from multiple perspectives is far more entertaining than you might expect and it really helps develop the characters and the world.
 
I can’t really express how entertaining this game was to me. If you’ve shied away from the Borderlands series in the past, then it is definitely a great introduction. If the series has grown stale, than this is just the refresher you might need. If you love Borderlands, then what do you need a review for? The collaboration of Telltale Games and Gearbox Software surprised me, and now I can’t wait to see what happens next!
 
tales zer0
 
Also, Tales from the Borderlands carries on the tradition of a cool song montage to open the game. It’s probably my favorite since the original. You can check out the song linked below!
 

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Friday Five – Favorite Thanksgiving Sides https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-thanksgiving-sides/ Sat, 29 Nov 2014 00:37:25 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=21076 thanksgiving-spread

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Thanksgiving Sides!

This is the week of Thanksgiving, as it was just yesterday. And while it may not be celebrated around the world, all of us at One-Quest happen to partake in the feasting and festivities.

Chris

  1. Sweet Potatoes – Sweet Potatoes are great, especially when they’ve covered with brown sugar and marshmellows.
  2. Pie – Pumpkin pie is a king among pies.
  3. Stuffing – It’s just soggy bread with seasoning, but it’s amazing.
  4. Asparagus – I don’t know why I only really eat this around Thanksgiving, but it’s always good.
  5. Mac & Cheese – Cheese and noodles.

sweetpotatoes

Vogel

  1. Stuffing – I like all types of stuffing, but the best is with cranberries and walnuts.
  2. Sweet Potatoes
  3. Mashed Potatoes – Potatoes are great, I am irish after all.
  4. Mac and Cheese – Everyone makes their own flavor of Mac and Cheese, but Shannon’s family’s is the best.
  5. Turkey – Come on, with all the shit you eat on Thanksgiving, you have more “sides” than meat.

stuffing

Shannon

  1. Baked Mac & Cheese – I’ve never had any that I’ve liked better thank my Aunt’s. Crispy on the top, hard to describe cheesiness.
  2. Sweet Potatoes – My family doesn’t do them, but Rob’s does, so I get them sometimes.
  3. Mashed Potatoes – little bit of turkey, little bit of potatoes, little bit of gravy.
  4. Flakey Biscuits – With my family, toss me a biscuit literally means throwing biscuits across the table.
  5. Cranberry Sauce – the jelly stuff in a can, none of that fresh homemade crap.

backedmacandcheese

Eric

  1. Stuffing – Stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving! You’re stupid if you think otherwise!
  2. Mac and Cheese – One of my top 5 faces, yet no one ever makes it for Thanksgiving dinner. 🙁
  3. Sweet Potatoes – My mom covers them in brown sugar. It’s glorious!
  4. Ham – Second to the main meat, ham has become a welcome side with my families meals.
  5. Biscuits – All types. Rolls are especially nice so I can make a sammich for round 2!

biscuits

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Friday Five – Favorite Technological Advancements https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-technological-advancements/ Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:10:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20971 evolution-phones1

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Technological Advancements!

Recently we’ve had a object land on a comet, and some people made a hoverboard, and all kinds of other awesome technological advancements. So this week we’re doing Favorite Technological Advancements!

Chris

  1. Playstation 2 – There is a reason this console kept putting out games for over a decade, it was basically got everything right. Sure we’ve got nostalgia for games on the NES, SNES, PS1, etc. But the PS2 was a juggernaut in home console gaming that we may not see happen again.
  2. Windows Server 2012 R2 – Windows Server is a pain in the ass no matter what way you look at it. But at least 2012 R2 put the start button back which makes getting to the tiles screen easier when you’re using RDP in windowed mode. Plus Server Manager is just way easier to use then previous versions. And that’s not even talking about some of the nice features they’ve started including.
  3. Nintendo DS – Much like the PS2, the DS just got handheld gaming right. The systems that led up to it were magnificent, but the DS was innovative and by the time it’s replacement the 3DS launched it’s library just dominated other consoles.
  4. Smart Phones / Tablets – Sci-Fi movies and television have had portal devices like this for decades! It’s only right that we finally get to use them in real life, and they really do help. I use my phone for pretty much everything, much like everyone else.
  5. Water and Ice Dispenser built into refrigerators – Who the hell wants to have to put ice cube trays or pitchers of water into the fridge? Not this guy that’s for damn sure!

Playstation

Vogel

  1. Soap – Sorry, had to. And if you don’t get the reference, your loss.
  2. Microprocessor – Because who wants a computer the size of their house that has less power than the phone in my pocket?
  3. Firmware – I like the idea of being able to upgrade hardware without replacing it.
  4. GUI – The graphical user interface bridged a gap for users of limited computer knowledge and allowed the home computer to flourish.
  5. Pulleys/Hydraulics – From the ancient pyramids to Stonehenge, pulleys made lifting large objects possible. Hydraulics works on this same principle. Basically, I’m impressed by any discovery that allows you to exert less work and produce a mechanical advantage.

fightclubsoap

Shannon

  1. Television
  2. Internet
  3. The Light Bulb
  4. Photography
  5. Boats

television

Eric

Well… I suppose the minor conveniences we enjoy in everyday life apply here.

  1. Wireless Remote Controllers – The convenience of sitting as far away from the television and still retaining the ability to control it is the greatest achievement in laziness.
  2. Touch Screens – They suck so bad, but they’re a far cry from what they were 5 and 10 years ago. Super responsive, and simple to use. Touch Screens are a stepping stone to greater things.
  3. Smart Phones – These are a Miracle of modern science. All of the worlds information available at your fingertips AT ALL TIMES! Stop bitching about how slow it is and understand just how far we’ve come in under a decade!
  4. The Airplane – Because a 2 hour flight to Florida beats a 13 hour drive any day!
  5. 3DS – Glasses free 3D! It’s not perfect, but it’s an achievement! It can really only get better from here.

smartphones

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Friday Five – Things We Want To See Call of Duty Do https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-things-we-want-to-see-call-of-duty-do/ Sat, 15 Nov 2014 02:27:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20963 callofduty

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Things We Want To See Call of Duty Do!

We missed last week’s Friday Five, but we had this topic waiting. A new Call of Duty recently released, and while it’s been getting some good reviews, we’re still interested to see the series go into some different directions. So this week we decided to list what those directions are!

Chris

  1. War of the Roses – Because it’s not really a war, and I think COD could use a little change.
  2. Civil War – This could be the best single player campaign ever!
  3. French Revolution – Assassin’s Creed is doing it already, but they apparently didn’t do a great job. Wouldn’t it be cool to be a ‘soldier’ in the streets of France while the people of throw the monarchy?
  4. The One Year War – Gundams, all of the Gundams!
  5. The Yuuzhan Vong War – Because we’ll never see this in the new Star Wars movies, a game may be the next best place.

Honorable Mention – Galactic Civil War – More Star Wars dammit!

Walnuts

  1. Medieval Warfare – With the mechanics they have been able to master, imagine being a knight in shining armor.
  2. Kaiju Warfare – Either battalions of kaiju fight each other or armies fighting against Kaiju
  3. Office Warfare – Imagine preparing reports for your boss, launching TPS reports to the higher ups, rubber band gun fights, and having to fire someone, the OMG moment, you have to choose to fire your wife or best friend
  4. Video Game Warfare – The whole point of the game is to pick what game to play, and then the system won’t work, so you have to fight with the settings.
  5. Cop Life – The everyday work of a cop, pulling people over, giving speeding tickets, resolving domestic disputes, maybe a gunfight or man hunt here and there, and car chases!

Eric

  1. Call of Duty: First World Problems – Open world, taking place in London. You play as an upperclassman that refuses to be disrespected. Another house of nobility said that your Mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. Your job is to seek the family members down and publicly humiliate, and kill them, in a duel. Glove Slap!
  2. Call of Duty: War of the Outback – Australia is a cool place, but everything in Australia has been bred to kill humans. The animals have begun to revolt and slaughter city after city, and their next stop? America! You’re dropped into the Australian outback to quell the animal uprising. You die, a lot.
  3. Call of Duty: Pirates Life – What makes first person shooters better? PIRATES! Well, not just pirates, but everything involved with pirates. Rum, women, pillaging, and naval battles! Best part about this one, you can make a Modern Pirates Life sequel featuring the lame pirates that keep hijacking cruise ships. It will still feature rum, women, and pillaging.
  4. Call of Duty: Primal Warfare – DINOSAURS! Start with a caveman version using stone axes, spears, and sling shots. Thrown in a controversial mission where you play as a dinosaur that slaughters an entire village, and you have the makings of a great CoD! Just like the Pirates game, we can do a Modern Primal Warfare featuring some Jurassic Park shit to let you fight Dinosaurs with cool weapons! AND extend it further to Advanced Primal Warfare! FUTURE DINOSAURS!
  5. Call of Duty: Part Deux – The Reckoning – This game will be entirely designed around the concept of shitty 80’s action movies. Stupid names, lame plots, and a fuck ton of one liners that will make the most seasoned fan of puns cringe! Like the rest, it can be set in nearly any era just by throwing the Modern, Advanced, Primal, etc. modifier in the name! Call of Duty: Advanced Part Deux – The Reckoning!
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T.W.I.G. 11/9/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-1192014/ Sun, 09 Nov 2014 15:22:58 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20957 Twig11-9-14

 

Well, look at this I’ve managed to remember to actually complete the TWIG 2 weeks in a row!!!! There’s been PLENTY of news to get caught up on so let’s jump right in!

The News:

  • Lets start with the Blizzcon news: 1st, Blizzard has announced a new game called Overwatch, it hopes to be a very accessible class-based shooter with very Pixar like visuals. Beta sign-ups are live at us.battle.net/overwatch. 2nd, they have unveiled a trailer for the 3rd part of StarCraft II, titled Legacy of the Void, the game focuses on the Protoss faction. 3rd, the first “expansion” for Hearthstone is coming in December. It will add 120 new cards, a new minion type of “Mech”, and a spectator mode.
  • A new Tony Hawk game is coming to consoles and mobile sometime in 2015. No further details are currently available.
  • CD Projekt Red has announced that there will be 16 FREE packs of DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. These packs will include character customization items and all new quests to complete. The plan is to release new DLC every week after the game releases on February 24th.
  • Nintendo has finally confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is being remade for the 3DS. It will be releasing in the Spring of 2015.
  • The PS4, XboxOne, and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto V will include a 1st-person mode. Also the PC version will support 4K resoluton.

The new releases:

  • Assassin’s Creed: Unity (11/11) – PC, PS4, XB1
  • Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (11/11) – 360, PS3
  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection (11/11) – XB1
  • Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (11/11) – 3DS
  • Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (11/11) – WiiU
  • Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (11/11) – 360, 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, WiiU, XB1
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (11/11) – PS3, PS4
  • Valkyria Chronicles (11/11) – PC
  • Tales of Hearts R (11/11) – Vita
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T.W.I.G. 11/2/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-1122014-2/ Mon, 03 Nov 2014 12:02:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20949 Twig11-2-14

Apologies again for missing the T.W.I.G. last weekend was busy with us at SJ Geekfest Fall and then my wedding anniversary! But we’re back after some time away again, hopefully I can keep on track with this from now on!

The News:

  • Resogun is coming to PSVita. Climax Studios who handled the PS4 and Vita ports of Housemarque’s Dead Nation will be handling the port.
  • Nordic Games has purchased the IP for de Blob from the now defunct THQ. Nordic had previously acquired most of the THQ library including Red Faction and Darksiders.
  • After years in development hell, Prey 2 has been officially canceled.
  • Assassin’s Creed Unity may have some sections of the game taking place during World War II. In a trailer released this week called the “Time Anomaly Trailer” you see a character in what looks like the classic assassin’s gear firing machine guns from a PT boat at Nazi planes.
  • Bungie has announced some details of the 1st expansion to Destiny. The level cap will raise from 30 to 32, and there will be a handful of new story missions, a new strike, a new raid, new guns, and 3 new Crucible maps. It will release on Dec. 9th for $20, or as part of the expansion pass paired with the 2nd expansion for $35.
  • Star Wars Battlefront will be coming in time for Episode VII, holiday of 2015. Battlefield 5 will be coming in the holiday season of 2016.
  • Valkyria Chronicles (a personal favorite PS3 game of mine) will be coming to PC. It will release on November 11th, for $19.99

The new releases:

  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (11/4) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, XB1
  • Rocksmith 2014 Edition (11/4) – PS4, XB1
  • The Binding of Issac: Rebirth (11/4) – PC, PS4, Vita
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Friday Five – Favorite Candy https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-candy/ Fri, 31 Oct 2014 22:20:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20939 reesescups

Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Candy!

Everyone loves candy, and it’s Halloween, so it only makes sense that this week we list our Favorite Candy!

Chris

  1. Reese’s Cups – I like peanut butter and chocolate this makes perfect sense.
  2. KitKats – I don’t even know, they’re just awesome.
  3. Twizzlers – Fuck red vines, Twizzlers are way better.
  4. Almond Joys or Mounds – coconut is awesome.
  5. Butterfinger – I prefer these, in the fun size or even better the BB’s which I don’t think exist anymore.

twizzlers

Shannon

  1. Fudge – specifically from the Jersey shore
  2. Peanut M&Ms – plain M&Ms are gross and all the others are ok
  3. Twizzlers – all bags of twizzlers should be re-sealable
  4. Almond Joy/Mounds – coconut is awesome, I feel bad for those of you that don’t like it
  5. Swedish Fish – what do these even taste like?

swedishfish

Eric

  1. Snickers – The ultimate candy. I had a hard time not buying these daily when I was younger.
  2. Heath – I somewhat recently discovered the joy of toffee. Heath is as close to the dream as it gets.
  3. Butterfinger – Nobody lays a finger on my Butterfinger!
  4. Kitkat – 4 bars for me. Get your own.
  5. Peanut M&Ms – The best M&M. All other M&Ms aspire to be peanut M&Ms.

snickers

Erica

  1. Reese’s cups – preferably the holiday ones because they have more peanut butter in them.
  2. Nestle crunch bars
  3. Poprocks
  4. Sour gummy worms
  5. Sour patch kids

sourpatchkids

Vogel

  1. Reese’s Cups – Halloween pumpkin and Christmas tree shaped cups have the best chocolate to peanut butter ratio.
  2. Goobers/Mr Goodbar – they’re the same thing, basically.
  3. Gonna cheat, Snow Caps – how is this cheating? I only really like them when they’re in movie theatre popcorn, but then they are amazing.
  4. Peanut Chews – I could, and have, eat a 3lb bag in a sitting.
  5. Ferrero Rocher – A whole hazelnut, covered in Nutella, inside a wafer ball, dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed hazelnut.<
  6. /ol>
    ferrerorocher

    Pisko

    1. Reeses PB Cups! – Like, seriously. Put them in the freezer.
    2. Razzles – It’s candy… THEN IT’S GUM. WHAAAAAAT?!
    3. Sour Patch Kids – I could do without the sweet part, but those sour babies are delicious
    4. Cadbury Cream Eggs – The OG. Lick out all the filling.
    5. Kit Kat – Because wafers are cool

    kitkat

    ]]> Friday Five – Best Stories Ever https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-stories-ever/ Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:38:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20896 ythelastman

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Best Stories Ever

    Gonna keep this short this time, stories are awesome we picked our favorites.

    Chris

    1. Amazing Spider-Man Dying Wish / Superior Spider-Man – A lot of people hated Superior Spider-Man, I was no one of them. Well I hated it, but the kind of hate you love. Doc Ock was terrible, but awesome as Spider-Man and I actually miss it. But that story line was spectacular from beginning to end.
    2. Saga – Everyone else seemed to go with Y: The Last Man, which from what I hear was a great story. But I never read it, so I’m going to go with another BKV book, Saga. It’s still going and I hope it never ends. It’s just an incredible story.
    3. Toy Story – All three of these movies just create a fantastic story.
    4. Final Fantasy X – It may not be the best Final Fantasy ever, but the story had all the right bits and pieces to make it memorable and amazing
    5. Lost – People hate the ending to this show, those people are dumb. It closed out exactly how it should have and if you don’t think so you don’t like things the right way.

    toystory

    Eric

    1. The Last of Us – One of the best games of all time in my book. The Last of Us has excellent characterization, so much detail, and it’s so tense. You don’t just passively watch these characters grow over the course of the game, you are them. You grow with them. Every deep breath they take, you take. When they’re scared, you’re scared. It’s just incredible.
    2. Final Fantasy IX – Corruption, Dark Magic, a parallel world. FFIX had some of the coolest and kookiest characters around, but one of the most engaging stories in the series.
    3. Wolverine: Old Man Logan – One of my all time favorite comics. A fantastic depiction of an apocalyptic future, where Logan has to search deep for his inner strength. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
    4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Over 11 years old and still one of the best stories in gaming. Awesome characters, a great plot, and a twist that M. Night Shyamalan envies.
    5. Y: The Last Man – Brian K. Vaughn is a master of his craft. His stories are insane, and Y: The Last Man is no exception. I’ve been praising this book for years, yet no one I know has read it. This really needs to change.

    finalfantasyix

    Vogel

    1. Tale of Two Cities – The fact that this was a school required reading book, and I actually read it, says a lot.
    2. Wolverine – Enemy of the State – Wolverine is killed by the Gorgon’s stare an reanimated as an agent of Hydra to bring down S.H.I.E.L.D. from within.
    3. Old Man Logan – Ok, I like Wolverine books, but this was fantastic. Wolverine fighting Red Skull (who is wearing Captain America’s costume) and then puts on an Iron Man suit to fly from D.C. to California.
    4. Y: The Last Man – Oh, those feels. This was an amazing series and I loved reading it.
    5. Wolverine’s Revenge – Yes, I like Wolverine, get over it. Again, those feels. (prelude)Wolverine is sent to hell and fights his way out. (on to the actual plot) He finds the Cult who banished him to hell and fights mutant after mutant to get to them, only to find a horrible truth.

    oldmanlogan

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    Friday Five – Superhero Movies We Want To See https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-superhero-movies-we-want-to-see/ Fri, 17 Oct 2014 19:49:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20886 superheroes

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Superhero Movies We Want To See

    With Warner Brothers and DC announcing their full slate of movies, and all the speculating going on for what Marvel is brewing it’s only natural to wonder if your favorite hero will be seeing any screen time. So this week we decided to list all the superhero films we’d like to see made. Some are probably more likely than others, but after the success of Guardians of the Galaxy it would be dumb for any studio to count anyone out.

    Chris

    1. Hawkeye – The only stipulation on this is that they do a freaking Fraction version of the character, well to an extent anyway.
    2. Black Widow – I think at this point if Marvel doesn’t make a Black Widow movie people will riot. Scarlett Johansson is killing it in the role and the character has some crazy history and all that fun stuff to keep a movie interesting.
    3. Winter Soldier – It’s inevitable at this point that Bucky won’t get a solo film, but odds are it’s going to be as Cap rather than Winter Soldier, and that’s fine he’s an awesome character. But seeing a movie based on Winter Soldier would be even cooler.
    4. Nightwing – Dick Grayson is just a fun character, he’s got almost the same back story as his mentor Batman, but where Bruce is all angst Dick is is more light hearted and fun.
    5. Swamp Thing – I know we had some Swamp Thing movies in the 80’s, but these character is way cooler than those movies made him out to be. Especially when you look at the recent New 52 run, there’s so much more there it would be awesome to see someone like Guillermo Del Toro go after the character with his love of practical effects over CGI

    Honorable Mention: Inhumans – It seems like Marvel may go with them sooner or later, it only makes sense and Eric and I have speculated on this several times in conversation. But either way they’re a group of really cool characters and would be great for Marvel considering their lack of Mutants.

    blackwidowhawkeye

    Eric

    At this point, literally every super hero is getting a movie. For crying out loud, we’re getting a Warner Bros/DC AQUAMAN movie! If it exists as a comic, it’s coming to theaters. So here’s some, sort of, obscure ones.

    1. The Thunderbolts – This is highly likely at this point. DC is moving forward with Suicide Squad, and Thunderbolts is essentially Marvel’s version of the team. I just think it would be cool to see the Dark Avengers lineup as the Thunderbolts from the Dark Reign era. Lot’s of cross studios deals would need to be made for that one.
    2. Nemesis – Mark Millar’s Batman-esque supervillain comic is supposedly being worked on, and I can’t fucking wait. This villain is ruthless in his quest to literally destroy his enemies life, and what’s better is that it’s revealed that the role of Nemesis is sort of a “Pay for villainy” service. If you have the money, you can be the Nemesis and do what you want! It’s going to be awesome!
    3. Miles Morales Spider-Man – Last year I would not have picked this. I still miss Ultimate Pete and his friends, but Miles has really grown on me. It would be awesome to see his story, complete with the Death of Peter Parker, on screen!
    4. Super Dinosaur – Robert Kirkman is a strange man. On one hand he’s created one of the grittiest, dark comics on shelves which has translated amazingly to television. On the other hand, there’s Super Dinosaur! An intelligent Tyrannosaurus Rex, with a robot arm rig, that fights villains such as Terrordactyl and Trycerachops! It’s fucking genius!
    5. Squirrel Girl – Yep, I said it. She’s defeated Marvel’s greatest villains including Doctor Doom and Thanos, BY HERSELF! She’s currently being used as a Nanny… what a waste! Squirrel Girl is getting her own ongoing comic in 2015, so maybe there’s hope for this one!

    darkavengers

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    T.W.I.G. 10/12/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-10122014/ Sun, 12 Oct 2014 14:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20867 Twig10-12-14

    AND ITS OFFICIALLY BACK!!!! It’s The Week In Gaming here on One-Quest! As I said before there’s been a multitude of reasons that it’s been away but I’m getting back into the swing of things starting this week. So with all that said let’s get to it!

    The News:

    • Sony’s Xperia Z3v phone will be releasing on October 23rd with Verizon at a cost of $199.99 with a 2-year contract. Why does this matter? Because this is the 1st phone that will work with the PS4’s remote play features.
    • EA is currently offering Dragon Age: Origins for free as their “On The House” game for Origin on PC this month.
    • Nintendo has announced the release date for a few things this week: Super Smash Bros. for WiiU and the first Amiibos will release on November 21st. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will release on December 5th. A 2nd wave of Amiibos will release in December. The first round of amiibo figures includes Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Fox, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Pikachu, Kirby and Marth. The second wave coming in December includes Zelda, Diddy Kong, Luigi, Little Mac, Pit and Captain Falcon.
    • Ubisoft has stated that one artist has been working on the 1:1 recreation of the Notre Dame Cathedral that will be in Assassin’s Creed: Unity for 2 years along side a French historian. As stated the building hopes to be a perfect recreation of the famous Paris landmark, the only difference will be the artwork and stained glass included in the building due to copyright issues.
    • Sticking with Ubisoft news, they have stated that The Crew has been delayed until December 2nd. Ubisoft has said that the delay is to work on feedback given in the earlier beta, and they will be adding a console beta sometime in November.

    The new releases:

    • PlayStation TV (10/14)
    • The Evil Within (10/14) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Sleeping Dogs: Difinitive Edition (10/14) – PS4, XB1
    • Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (10/14) – 360, PC, PS3
    • Minecraft (10/14) – Vita
    • Duck Dynasty (10/14) – 360, 3DS, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Peggle 2 (10/14) – PS4
    • The Walking Dead: Season 1 (10/14) – PS4
    • Lone Survivor: Directors Cut (10/14) – PS4, WiiU

    2603369-the_evil_within_boxartsleeping-dogsborderlands p-sminecraft vita

    2682439-duckdynastycover2578209-box_peggle22348800-box_twdead2188072-lone_survivor_l__en__2012_1333561198_442490

     

    So, the Distant Worlds, the Final Fantasy concert is coming to Newark this January check the link below for details:

     

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    Friday Five – Favorite Fictional Nerds https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-fictional-nerds/ Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:07:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20856 Favorite Fictional Nerds is like letting everyone know who we associate our personalities with the most. So lets see what everyone thinks of themselves! Let us know your favorites in the comments below!]]> Nerds1

     

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Fictional Nerds!

    Let’s face it, we are all nerds(otherwise we wouldn’t be here), so picking our top 5 Favorite Fictional Nerds is like letting everyone know who we associate our personalities with the most. So lets see what everyone thinks of themselves! Let us know your favorites in the comments below!

     

    Chris

    1. Doctor Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory – Sheldon is just so awkward and terrible to his friends 98% of the time, then there are those rare 2% of times where he’s such a sweet guy. Like when he asked Penny not to hurt his friend that one time. But regardless he is a super nerd and great at it.
    2. Doctor Gregory House – House MD – He’s freaking House, that is all.
    3. The Doctor – Doctor Who – No matter his current regeneration, the Doctor is always a nerd in one form or another.
    4. Peter Parker – Amazing Spider-Man – He may not always come off super nerdy, but that’s his roots and he still really is.
    5. Abed Nadir – Community – He’s not the same without Troy but Abed is still awesome.

    Honorable Mention: David Lightman  – WarGames

    Nerds2

     

    Erica

    1. Sheldon – Big Bang Theory – ” One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid, and that makes me sad.”
    2. Leonard – Big Bang Theory – ” You call that a glow stick? *Pulls out a Lightsaber* This is a glow stick!”
    3. Steve Urkel – Family Matters – ” Did I do that?”
    4. Dr. Chi Park – House – ” So, nobody cares about the position until I apply, and suddenly it’s the last limited-edition lightsabre at ComiCon?”
    5. Lisa Simpson – The Simpsons – ” If anyone wants me, I’ll be in my room”

    Nerds3

    Audra

    Honestly, everyone on The Big Bang Theory is my favorite nerd. But for the sake of diversity, I’ll a few others.

    1. Ben Wyatt – (Parks and Recreation) – “Cal-cu-later”.
    2. Hermione Granger – (Harry Potter) – It’s Wingardium LeviOsa, not LevisA”.
    3. Gandolf – (Lord of the Rings) – I was probably the wisest one on their journey.
    4. Shawn Spencer – (Psych) – “LEERRROOOYYYYYY JEEENNNKKIINNNNSSSSS!!!!”
    5. Belle – (Once Upon a Time) – She’s what you call, book smart.

     

    Nerds4

    Walnut

    1. The entire gang of The Big Bang Theory – I know I’m cheating a bit, but I love them all equally
    2. Filburt Shellbach (Rocko’s Modern Life) – “I’m Nauseous, I’m Nauseous”
    3. Steve Urkle (Family Matters) – “Got any cheese?!”
    4. Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan) – Badass nerd who can fight giant creatures
    5. Shaun (Shaun of the Dead) – “Get to the winchester and wait until this all blows over”

    Nerds5

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    Friday Five – Favorite Sword Wielding Characters https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-sword-wielding-characters/ Fri, 03 Oct 2014 18:41:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20836 Favorite Sword Wielding Characters. Plenty of video game picks here, but some interesting ones from tv, movies, anime, and books too! So check it out and let us know your top five in the comments!]]> link-feature
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Sword Wielding Characters!

    This week on the Friday Five we decided on picking our Favorite Sword Wielding Characters. Plenty of video game picks here, but some interesting ones from tv, movies, anime, and books too! So check it out and let us know your top five in the comments!

    Chris

    1. Yoda – Star Wars – I feel like this doesn’t even need explaining.
    2. Kenshin – Rurouni Kenshin – He killed a ton of people then decided not to and just proceeded to cripple them with a reversed blade sword. That’s pretty fun.
    3. Auron – Final Fantasy X – Auron is the best character in Final Fantasy X hands down. His only drawback is he can’t be used on flying / ranged enemies. But once those fuckers are close he can wreck them.
    4. Leonardo – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – He’s a damn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that’s all that matters.
    5. Jon Snow – Song of Ice and Fire – While he doesn’t often fight, Jon Snow is one of the more interesting characters on Game of Thrones, and also has a story the most separate from everything else.

    yoda

    Pisko

    1. Link
    2. Dante
    3. Brave Fencer Musashi
    4. Goemon, the mystical ninja
    5. Tidus

    link

    Shannon

    1. Link
    2. Pyramid Head
    3. Cloud
    4. Ichigo
    5. The Arbiter

    pyramid-head

    Erica

    1. Brienne of Tarth – A Song of Ice and Fire
    2. Michonne – The Walking Dead
    3. John Snow – Games of Thrones
    4. Buffy – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    5. Link – The Legend of Zelda

    michonne

    Eric

    1. Link – The Legend of Zelda – The Hero of Time! (and other variations)
    2. Dovahkiin – Skyrim – Technically he can wield anything, but mine used swords and shields… and magic, bows and arrows, two handed axes, maces, daggers, more spells, summons, and the Thu’um.
    3. Darth Vader – Star Wars – He’s scary, practices an ancient religion that gives him access to sweet ass “magic” powers, AND he has a sword made out of Red Light. RED FUCKING LIGHT!
    4. Kratos – God of War – While the Blades of “something” (they changed throughout the games) Weren’t swords in the traditional sense, they were still incredi-bad-ass! Kratos also generally had access to some massive, Final Fantasy scale, swords in his adventures.
    5. War – Darksiders – Fantastic series. I hope it’s not gone forever…

    war

    Vogel

    1. Hiro Nakamura – Heroes
    2. Link – Legend of Zelda
    3. Thanos – Legendary Star Lord
    4. Butch Coolidge – Pulp Fiction
    5. Arya Stark – Song of Ice and Fire

    hiro

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    Friday Five – Favorite Animated Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-animated-movies/ Fri, 26 Sep 2014 21:55:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20814 Jessica Rabbit
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Non-Disney Animated Movies!
     
    So, we grew up sort of in the prime of Animation. From the onslaught of 90’s cartoons, to the insane quality of animated movies in theaters. A large majority of them are Disney movies, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of others to enjoy. So, without stalling much further, here’s our list of Favorite Non-Disney Animate Movies!
     

    Chris

    1. Howl’s Moving Castle – Yes, it’s technically kind of a Disney movie, but really it’s a Studio Ghibli movie that Disney picked up the rights for and distributed in the US. So I don’t think it counts and it’s awesome.
    2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit – If you don’t love this movie you have no soul. I also recently learned a little about the book it’s based on, and wow is that different.
    3. Princess Mononoke – Technically another Disney distributed film in the US, aside from that it’s just a fantastic film, totally on par with some live action movies and it’s got a great voice cast.
    4. How To Train Your Dragon – I’ve yet to see the sequel, but the first movie was just a ton of fun with some great characters.
    5. Cool World – I stole this from Vogel, I’d forgotten it even existed. He’s actually the one who had me watch this in High School, and it’s a really fun movie with Brad Pitt before he was a huge star.

     
    Howl's Moving Castle
     

    Vogel

    1. Cool World – I remember watching this when I was younger and thinking it was amazing. I recently watched it again and it held up quite nicely.
    2. Bebe’s Kids – I watched this when I was young as well. It’s about a guy who’s trying to go on a date with a woman, and, to impress her, agrees to watch her friends kids.
    3. Castle in the Sky – I’m a fan of all Studio Ghibli films, and oddly enough this is one of my favorites. Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo are close to this one.
    4. Steamboy – The first time I watched this I thought it was fantastic. Later on I hated Anna Paquins male Scottish accent, but I still love the movie and would love a sequel based on the stills in the credit sequence.
    5. Akira – Wow, what an amazing movie? This isn’t just in my top 5 animated films, it’s probably in my top 5, possibly 10 films of all time.

     
    Cool World
     

    Eric

      I pretty much only watched Disney stuff when I was a kid. So the “No Disney” restriction is kinda tough…

    1. The Iron Giant – Who doesn’t love this movie?!
    2. Titan A.E. – Cool sci-fi setting, and really sweet animations.
    3. The Land Before Time – This list is incomplete without at least one of these movies. Are they still making them?
    4. The Cat Returns – It’s a gentleman cat in a top hat. ‘nuff said.
    5. We’re Back – Dinosaurs! Also, I couldn’t think of anything else.

    The Iron Giant

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    Friday Five – Worst Boss Fights Ever https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-boss-fights-ever/ Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:25:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20781 Phogoth the Untamed
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Worst Boss Fights Ever!
     
    Ever get to a point in a game that makes you want to throw your controller at the TV? Ever get stuck on a battle that you swear has been developed just to make you hate life? Yes. You have. We all have. It’s the worst. There is nothing more frustrating in a fun game than a boss fight with cheap mechanics that lives to frustrate. This is our tribute to those jerks.
     

    Chris

    1. Seymour – Final Fantasy X – Seymour isn’t even a hard boss, but that first time you face him, especially the first time you play the game it’s an intimidating fight. You already know he can summon Anima which is a god damn monster of an Aeon. But he’s also a heavy magic users with two adds who heal him and shit. Now unless you are a grinding machine you probably don’t have the really useful spells like hastaga or reflect yet. So it’s just a matter of having a solid strategy, but it can still end up being a really long fight. Luckily the other times you face him are cake. Hell the last time all you have to do is poise and Null-Element the shit out of yourself.
    2. Isgebind – Final Fantasy XIV (Stone Vigil) – If you know the mechanics this isn’t a bad fight, the boss really isn’t the problem it’s that you need to fight him with other people. And unless you have a group of friends to take it on there’s going to be a lot of bitching and quitting going on most likely.
    3. Ghost of Lady Comstock – Bioshock Infinite – Not so much a hard fight, but long and annoying as hell. You’ve got random adds to take care of, plus Lady Comstock floating around and popping up causing problems. I was glad to be done with this part when it was over.
    4. Samurai Horseman – Ninja Gaiden – Screw this guy, I really liked the Ninja Gaiden games on Xbox, but that second boss was a god damn nightmare. If you hadn’t gotten really good with the bow that you just got by that point you were done. I think I’ve beaten that guy twice, and both times by sheer dumb luck.
    5. Bane – Arkham Series – Bane isn’t challenging at all, and he should be. Arkham Origin’s gave you the best Bane fights, and at times they could get a little more challenging, but nothing compared to some of the other fights in the game where you actually have to put a little thought into your approach.

     
    Seymour
     

    Vogel

    1. Axem Rangers – Super Mario RPG – I’ve talked about Super Mario RPG before, and I’m fairly certain I’ve mentioned that I would rent it from Blockbuster weekly. I would always get stuck at the Axem Rangers. I don’t know if I wasn’t geared/leveled enough or what, I just couldn’t beat them. Years later nostalgia hit and I replayed the game and beat them finally.
    2. Deathstroke – Arkham Origins – This should not have been the first major boss in the game, that bit it the first annoying part. The next issue I have is how difficult he was as the first boss. I feel that an enemy of this caliber deserves the difficulty, but belongs later in the game where the difficulty makes sense.
    3. Final Boss(Will find name later) – Pikmin 3 – This boss fight is incredibly complex. You have to kite the boss around with one of the characters while the other two are completing the puzzles throughout the level to clear a path for the first character to travel through. I’ve spent at least 5 in game days on this boss and still haven’t completed all of the obstacles.
    4. Magic Carpet Level – Disney’s Aladdin – Ok, so maybe this isn’t technically a “boss”, but it was a pain in the ass regardless. QTE at its finest with the responsivity of a Sega Genesis controller.
    5. Lord Marrowgar and Sindragosa – World of Warcraft – These are just examples of the type of bosses I hate in WoW, and it’s mainly because of other players more than the boss fight itself. The fights I mean are where you can be trapped or chased and must rely on raid members to save you. PUGing these fights is a bitch because people like to tank and spank and complain when people die from things they have no control over.

     
    Axem Rangers
     

    Eric

    Some bosses are awesomely hard. Others just make you want to punch walls…

    1. Weigraf – Final Fantasy Tactics – Ramza alone with the, up to that point, big bad. Unless you’ve done a ton of grinding he’ll be way stronger than you. All of his moves can reach 3 spaces away and take no mana. Unless you can cheese the fight, you can’t win. I lost quite a few controllers to this one…
    2. Duriel – Diablo II – No boss in that game made you hate yourself more than Duriel. A giant…bug thing, maybe, with huge scythe-like claws and the ability to nearly freeze those he struck. The fight wasn’t fun for melee builds, unless you were immune to cold, and even range had a lot to fear because he was fast as shit! Players dreaded the fight at higher difficulties.
    3. Guard Scorpion – Final Fantasy VII – The first boss in FFVII, and for many their first Turn Based RPG boss ever. He had a unique setup that caused him to counter attack with a massive hit against your whole team if he was guarding with his tail in the air. There weren’t many encounters in the game that featured unique conditions like this, so it’s an odd fit to begin with. But a step further is when it first happens one of your team mates, Barret, says “Attack him while his tail is raise and he’ll counter attack for massive damage.” However, the game only allowed a single line of text and TVs were small in 1997. So all you saw was “Attack him while his tail is raised” for about 20 seconds before the next line appears. That lead to way too many frustrating deaths…
    4. The Sorrow – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – Walk forward forever and avoid being touched by those you killed. It sounds boring, and it is. Worst yet, if you killed a lot of enemies, there’s a ton of shit to dodge. Oh! and you die at the end, no matter what. If you don’t use a revive pill, one of those cool spy teeth pills, then you have to start over. But that pill is only supposed to revive you if you used a fake death pill so you probably just died again and again until you looked it up and threw your controller at the TV as if it were Kojima’s stupid, genius, face!
    5. Phogoth the Untamed – Destiny – I like Destiny, a lot. I don’t like doing the Strike mission on the moon. Phogoth the Untamed is needlessly difficult due to the number of adds that spawn during his fight. Throw in the fact that he can kill you in 1 hit and it’s just a load of bullshit. This is the only mission I actually dread in Destiny. The rest are a ton of fun!

     
    Weigraf Lightning Stab
     

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    Friday Five – Favorite Pixar Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-pixar-movies/ Fri, 12 Sep 2014 16:07:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20768 brave
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Favorite Pixar movies!
     
    So, Pixar is one of the best movie studios out there. Everything they make is essentially gold. So we’re listing our favorite movies by this fantastic studio! Check ’em out!
     

    Chris

    1. Finding Nemo
    2. The Incredibles
    3. Toy Story 2
    4. Wall-E
    5. Up

     
    findingnemo
     

    Shannon

    It’s hard to really put any of these movies over the others, I could watch them all over and over. But I think these 5 stood out just a tiny bit more to me than the others.

    1. Toy Story 3
    2. Wall-E
    3. Cars
    4. Brave
    5. Monsters, Inc.

     
    TOY STORY 3
     

    Vogel

    1. The Incredibles
    2. Toy Story
    3. A Bug’s Life
    4. Ratatouille
    5. Finding Nemo

     
    the incredibles
     

    Eric

    They’re all pretty awesome, so this is a fairly silly list.

    1. Wall-E
    2. Brave
    3. Monsters Inc.
    4. The Incredibles
    5. Finding Nemo

     
    wall-e

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    Friday Five – Favorite RPGs https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-rpgs/ Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:20:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20746 finalfantasy
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This week we list our Favorite RPGs

    This week for our Friday Five we’re going into the realm of Video Games so we can talk all about our Favorite RPG’s!

    Chris

    1. Pokemon – I’ve been playing these damn games since 1997, I’ve mentioned before on the site that I still have at least one version out of every generation, and pretty much all of them from Gameboy and GBA. They’re not the best RPG ever, but they are so simple to get started but impossible to master. Some of the more reason entries have really started to up the quality of the story too which makes them even more entertaining.
    2. Final Fantasy IV – It was hard to pick just one Final Fantasy, but I wanted to narrow it down so I went with IV. It’s just such an amazing game, and I think it’s what made the series how it is today. Final Fantasy I-III were good games for there time, but were all lacking something special that IV had and has been around ever since.
    3. Fire Emblem Awakening – This is just such a fun game, I’ve had it on a few other game related lists in the past which just goes to show how much I really enjoyed it. The story is great and the characters are easy to get attached to so you really don’t want to lose them in battle.
    4. Kingdom Hearts 2 – C’mon son, who doesn’t love Kingdom Hearts? It mixes the best bits of Final Fantasy with all the awesome Disney characters you could hope for. I went with Kingdom Hearts 2 because for me this one just felt like it played the best. Sure the beginning was a little weird, but once you find out what’s going on it really opens a whole new level or lore for the series.
    5. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic – This was such a fun game, I already loved Star Wars, but it hadn’t really had a good video game made for it. KOTOR knocked it out of the park though. I just wish they’d make a sequel that lived up to the original.

    Honorable Mention: Mass Effect
    fireemblemawakening

    Drootin

    1. Final Fantasy Tactics – I believe I’ve stated multiple times on this site that FFT is my favorite game of all time. Its (to me) the perfect blend of gameplay and story and I could go back to it again and again.
    2. Diablo III – The 3rd installment in the franchise has now fully usurped Diablo II as my favorite in the series. It’s so nice to not be locked into a build of skills and they’ve fixed the drop rates to make the game almost perfect.
    3. Fallout 3 – Such a great combination of RPG and FPS. The story was was solid and very open, you could kill pretty much anyone you wanted, be a true hero or evil mastermind. Fallout 3 was one of my favorite games of the PS3/360 era.
    4. Final Fantasy X – FFX is a beautiful game with a fun skill system (sphere grid) and is one of the easier modern RPGs for someone new to the genre to get into
    5. Pokemon – I’ve played at least one game from every generation of the series. While its clearly targeted towards kids it is a surprisingly deep game. The games are fun even if the stories lack a little.

    finalfantasytactics

    Shannon

    1. Tales of Symphonia – One of the few games I’ve played more than once. I love the interactions between different characters, and the interesting storyline.
    2. Pokemon – We grew up with Pokemon. We had the cards, the games, watched the show. Now we still go out and buy the new games, though I’ve never caught them all.
    3. Skies of Arcadia – This game had a really cool dynamic with airship battles and hand to hand combat. I would love to see a remake of this one.
    4. Dark Cloud – I like RPGs that have more than just battling and leveling up. Dark Cloud had dungeons to venture through and you had to rebuild the different towns you visited as well.
    5. World of Warcraft – I had a hard time picking this last one, but I can always go back to WoW (budget permitting). There is so much to do in this game, and the mmo aspect helps for the game to never be the same, even if you play the same type of character again. Some of the things they’ve added more recently are a little cheesy, but there’s still the core game to play if you’re a purist.

    Honorable Mentions – Diablo III and Final Fantasy X
    talesofsymphonia

    Eric

    RPG has become the genre to transcend them all. Every developer now strives to create some type of advancement system with stats and skills that fits their game. Every developer wants deep and meaningful plots. Every developer wants to create the next big game. The next big game is guaranteed to have plenty of RPG inspiration.

    1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – You can literally do anything! Go to every corner of the map. Search every house. Explore every dungeon. Battle every person, creature, zombie, and dragon to your hearts content. I’ve put well over 200 hours into this game and haven’t experienced everything yet. I still long to go back every now and again. In my eyes, Skyrim is the epitome of the Role Playing Genre. It is the game all games want to be, and the game that will be the standard in which I rate all others.
    2. Final Fantasy Tactics – This was one of those games that just found it’s way into my life after a friend, Drootin, recommended it. Since then I’ve been hard pressed to find a better or worthwhile successor in the genre. Some have come close, but none have quite matched it’s strategy and intrigue so well.
    3. Diablo – I can’t pick a single title out of the 3. The original earns a place for being slow and methodical, and for creating a brand. 2 earns a place for generating endless hours of calculating entertainment. And D3 is here for being the perfect advancement of the systems, allowing me to enjoy life away from the PC while still giving me the opportunity to experience everything this game has to offer. The Diablo franchise is dark, evil, and way too much god damned fun.
    4. Borderlands 2 – Borderlands sort of combines everything good about Diablo with the immersive world of Skyrim, albeit with a hilarious twist. This FPS does all of the RPGing in the background with only a few numbers necessary to pay attention to. Skill trees, way too much loot, and 96.5% more wub wub than it’s predecessor, Borderlands 2 is just an all around fantastic experience, especially with friends.
    5. Final Fantasy – I won’t pick a number because, like Diablo, each of these games brings something new to the table that makes it difficult to compare it to the next/last iteration. I will say that each game has successfully crafted a world that I want to visit. Each game contains a story that I want to take part in. They’re all as close to perfection as you can get for being a linear experience. Maybe someday we’ll get a huge Skyrim style version… I can dream, can’t I?

    Skyrim-Logo-600x450

    Vogel

    1. Pokemon – Gameboy and DS only. I didn’t really like the GBA one’s for some reason.
    2. Super Mario RPG – I go back and play this game once every few years. I rented it from Blockbuster week after week when I was a kid, never beating it. As an adult I went back and finally finished it. It’s definitely up there in my favorite games of all time.
    3. Skyrim – I put so much time into this game. The story was pretty good, but I spent most of the time running around exploring.
    4. Legend of Zelda – Link to the Past – One of my most favorite games ever. I’ve played through this game at least a dozen times.
    5. World of Warcraft – I’ve quit this game so many times because of boredom, but they always come up with something that pulls me back in. I’ll be trying it again when the xpac comes out later this year. I’ll probably only play it for 2 months and then quit again, but I usually accomplish the things I care about in that time.

    SuperMarioRPGSNESCoverArtUS

    ]]>
    Chocolate Covered Baby Groot in Oreo Dirt https://one-quest.com/blog/chocolate-covered-baby-groot-in-oreo-dirt/ Sat, 30 Aug 2014 15:28:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20716 So, we all felt that heartache when “I am Groot” became “We are Groot”. When poor, sweet groot became no more in order to save his new friends. But then, the emotional roller coaster had us back up with Rocket carrying around a re-growing baby Groot in a flower pot. Here’s a tasty way to have your own baby Groot!

    What you’ll need:

    – Large Pretzel Rods
    – Small Pretzel Stix
    – Chocolate Jello
    – Milk
    – 2 Oreo Packages (Any Flavor, I decided on cookie dough.)
    – Marshmallows
    – Milk Chocolate Chips
    – Black Chocolate Wafers
    – Piping bag
    – Disposable Cups (or regular cups if you have enough)
    – Sauce Pot (or double boiler)
    – Quart Sized Ziplock Baggie
    – Aluminum Foil

    Baby Groot Materials

    1. Mix chocolate pudding together with milk according to the directions on the pudding packaging.

    Baby Groot Pudding

    2. Crush up a package of Oreos in a baggie and, once crushed, mix them all into pudding mixture.

    Baby Groot Smashed Oreos

    3. Assemble Grout by sticking a marshmallow on one end of a large pretzel rod. Take 2 small pretzel stix and carefully break each stick into thirds. Then push the small pieces of the pretzel stix into the top of the marshmallow along the rim.

    Baby Groot Head and Hair

    4. Melt milk chocolate in a pan and brush onto the assembled pretzels and marshmallow (I used a pastry brush). Lay on a plate or movable flat surface covered with aluminum foil. Then put in the refrigerator or freezer to solidify.

    Baby Groot Base in Chocolate 1

    5. Melt black chocolate wafers into a piping bag (just a small amount will work), and pipe eyes and a mouth onto what will be the front of baby Groot.

    Baby Groot with Face

    6. Take 2 small pretzel stix and break both in half. Using the milk chocolate as a glue, put the broken pretzel pieces back together, but angle them like an arm would be, with the pieces joining together like an elbow. Lay the pieces on a piece of aluminum foil and put in the refrigerator or freezer to solidify.

    Baby Groot Arm Assembly

    7. Pour chocolate pudding into a disposable cup. Then take an oreo, crush it up and place on top of the pudding in the cup.

    Baby Groot Dirt in Cup

    8. Put Groot into cup of pudding.

    Baby Groot Individual Completed

    We…. Are…. Groot.

    Baby Groot In Fridge

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 8/24/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8242014/ Sun, 24 Aug 2014 15:47:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20687 Twig8-24-14

     

    It’s a little later in the day than normal, but its time once again for The Week In Gaming! Its been a very slow news week, so this is going to be MUCH shorter than last week’s edition.

    The News:

    • Gamers have translated the radio messages from P.T. and they seem to point to alien involvement in the game. The messages when translated seem to reference the original War of the Worlds radio broadcast with lines like “As the radio drama from 75 years ago was the truth. They are here, on our Earth. And they oversee and see all.” So we will see what kind of updates come as we hear more about Silent Hills.
    • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is not coming to WiiU. Sledgehammer studios says it was “an Activision decision” but also Sledgehammer is only working on the PS4/XB1 versions and an unnamed studio is working on PS3/360.
    • In semi-related news, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that Watch Dogs will be Ubisoft’s final M rated WiiU game. The decision was made because of the poor sales numbers of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on the WiiU.
    • Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia will be holding a press conference on September 1st. No word on what it will be about but it will be broadcast online.

    The new releases:

    • Madden NFL 15 (8/16) – 360, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Metro Redux (8/16) – PC, PS4, XB1
    • Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (8/29) – 3DS

    Madden15 2670485-pwaa 2669561-metro+redux+v1

    ]]>
    “Gingerbread” Tardis (Graham cracker Tardis) https://one-quest.com/blog/gingerbread-tardis-graham-cracker-tardis/ Sat, 23 Aug 2014 15:28:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20672 After a lengthy wait, Dr. Who is finally back! And with a new face, none the less. In honor of the shows triumphant return, it only seemed fitting to show support in an edible way. Follow the below steps to take create your own delicious, time traveling machine.

    What you’ll need:
    – 5 Graham crackers (any flavor, I used honey)
    – Dark blue chocolate wafers
    – White chocolate wafers
    – Black chocolate wafers
    – 2 White air heads (mystery flavor)
    – Mini marshmallows
    – Aluminum foil
    – Piping bags
    – Small saucepan or double boiler

    Gingerbread Tardis ingredents

    1. Melt dark blue chocolate wafers in saucepan or double boiler.

    Gingerbread Tardis blue wafers

    2. Cut a gram cracker slightly shy of the middle (this is being used for the top, so cut it big enough to cover that space). Use a knife to slowly saw away so as to make a clean cut.

    Gingerbread Tardis roof

    3. Cover the 4 graham crackers, and the square roof piece, in chocolate. Let them rest on an aluminum sheet (I even used a cutting board under that) and put them in the fridge to solidify. Then, pour some melted blue chocolate in a piping bag.

    Gingerbread Tardis Melted Blue Choco in Piping bag

    5. Pipe 6 squares on each graham cracker, as seen below.

    Gingerbread Tardis Blue Piped Squares

    6. Cut 8 little white squares from the white air heads (Roughly the same size as the blue piped squares), and apply them to the graham crackers using the blue melted chocolate in the piping bag, as seen below.

    Gingerbread Tardis Airhead Windows

    7. Melt black chocolate wafers and put it in a piping bag. Then make 4 little squares in the windows. Also, using the black melted chocolate, pipe a horizontal box above the windows. Next, melt white chocolate and put that in a piping bag. Cut the tip super small and continue to pipe “POLICE BOX” in the horizontal black box above the windows.

    Gingerbread Tardis Detailed Piping

    8. Put in the fridge to let everything solidify. Then, using the blue melted chocolate in the piping bag, start applying chocolate to the long sides of the graham crackers and attaching the 4 walls together. (You can put a little bit on each side, just so they are slightly attached at first, and then you can go back and pipe more into the cracks after they are all standing up.)

    Gingerbread Tardis Walls Together

    9. Now, do the same for the top little square.

    Gingerbread Tardis Roof Assembled

    10. Take a mini marshmallow and pipe 4 equally spaced lines from flat side to flat side, using the melted blue chocolate. Then, cover one flat end of the marshmallow with the melted blue chocolate, taking care to leave a point in the center. Let the chocolate solidify and then apply it to the center of the top of the tardis with blue chocolate.

    Big Tardis Gingerbread Tardis

    And there you have a deliciously, timelordy, treat.

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Doctor Who Episodes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-doctor-who-episodes/ Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:35:09 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20660 doctor-who-50th
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Favorite Doctor Who Episodes

    The newest season of Doctor Who starts this weekend, so we decided to get a little wibbly wobbly and list off our favorite episodes! It’s all from the new series, but don’t fret, we love the old ones too! Now enjoy the lists, and don’t forget to let us know your favorites!

    Chris

    1. Day of the Doctor – 50th Special – This was just something special, it was an exciting episode and really did the 50th anniversary something amazing. I think I watched it 3 times that day alone, once in the theaters and then twice on TV later that night. It was great to see David Tennant back and interacting with Matt Smith, but the inclusion of John Hurt and that special little cameo at the end really took this to an entirely new level.
    2. A Good Man Goes To War – Season 6 – I loved this episode, from the very beginning it was just a great ride and a lot of things get revealed, well not a lot just something incredibly important!
    3. Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead – Season 4 – This is probably one of my favorite set of episodes with Tennant, the scene where he threatens the vashta nerada to look him up and a second later they back away was just incredibly epic.
    4. Stolen Earth / Journey’s End – Season 4 – So many good times in this episode, but it end on such a sad one. Made even worse that just 2 specials later we were saying good buy to the Tenth Doctor.
    5. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances – Season 1 – One of the first season’s best episodes! This had everything including the introduction of the one and only Captain Jack Harkness! But nothing could be better than the Ninth Doctor in this one. Eccleston is fantastic, and this episode was probably his best.

    slience-in-the-library

    Shannon

    1. The Angels Take Manhattan
    2. The Doctor’s Wife
    3. A Good Man Goes To War
    4. Journey’s End
    5. The Beast Below

    angels-take-manhatten

    Audra

    1. The Day of the Doctor – It was non-stop awesomeness.
    2. Blink – The first weeping angel episode with David Tennant, it was sooo well done, and made me fear angel statues.
    3. Silence in the Library – And now we can fear shadows, too.
    4. Midnight – The doctor takes a short trip to a diamond covered planet. As annoying as this episode was, it was also really good.
    5. Day of the Moon – Explains why we all walk around with tally marks on ourselves.

    dayofthedoctor

    Vogel

    1. Day of the Doctor – okay, I know the name of that one, but John Hurt is one of my favorite actors and that was a great episode.
    2. Stolen Earth/Journey’s End– 2 David Tennants and a Doctor Donna? Yes please.
    3. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords – I loved the unnecessarily convoluted plan that was a spoiler, and then the spoiler happened.
    4. Voyage of the Damned – The cliffhanger leading into this episode left me cracking up, and the actual episode did not disappoint.
    5. Nightmare in Silver – There was a huge reference to a very old magic chess machine that I found fantastic. Also, this was a fun episode watching Matt Smith argue with himself.

    journeys-end

    Eric

      This is not a fun category. Too many great episodes, and I need to choose 5… not cool, bro.

    1. The Runaway Bride – The introduction of Donna, killer robot Santa’s, and the Tardis flying around London! Great episode.
    2. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances – One of the creepiest episodes of the series which also serves as the intro of Captain Jack Harkness. Also, Christopher Eccleston!
    3. The End of Time – You cried. We all cried…
    4. The Eleventh Hour – Matt Smith had some fantastic episodes, but his introduction is probably one of my favorite. It was jarring at first: new show runner, new doctor, new cameras, new companion, etc. But it was some of the best TV I’ve ever seen. Apples are rubbish!
    5. The Lodger – The first introduction of Craig. Great episode to watch the Doctor try to fit in with society. “Here, have some rent.” * hands over a bag of cash*

    empty-child

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 8/17/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8172014/ Sun, 17 Aug 2014 13:32:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20649 Twig8-17-14

     

    Well its another Sunday and Gamescom was this week so there’s a TON of news to get to so let’s get started!

    The News:

    • Sony has announced that in the upcoming fall 2.0 system update for the PlayStation 4 they will add a new feature called Share Play. This is actually an extension of a feature announced back at the original unveiling of the system. Back then it was shown that you would be able to have someone take control of your game for you to pass a difficult spot or something like that, it has now been extended to allow full co-op play even if your friend does not own the game. Share Play is limited to 60 minutes at a time but there is no limit on the number of times you can use it with your friends so as soon as the 60 mins ends you can jump right back in.
    • Meta Knight is returning to Smash Bros for WiiU/3DS.
    • Guillermo del Toro and Hideo Kojima are teaming up for a new Silent Hill game. Titled Silent Hills the game stars Walking Dead/Boondock Saints star Norman Reedus as the main character.
    • The next game in the Tomb Raider franchise Rise of the Tomb Raider, is a timed Xbox exclusive. No word on length of the exclusivity but it will be only on Xbox when it releases holiday 2015.
    • Halo 5: Guardians beta will be coming to XboxOne on December 29th.
    • Microsoft has announced 2 new XboxOne bundles to release this year: a white console and controller bundle that comes with Sunset Overdrive and a custom Call of Duty console that comes with Advanced Warfare and a 1 TB hard drive. The white console bundle will retail for $399.99 and the COD bundle will be $499.99.
    • With the revival of the Sierra brand we are getting new King’s Quest and Geometry Wars games. Both games are set to release in 2015.
    • DayZ is coming to PS4. No date set for release.
    • The first expansion for Destiny will be releasing in December. No word on if it will be a new planet or really many details other than a title “The Dark Below”
    • DmC, Enslaved, and Heavenly Sword creators Ninja Theory have announced a new game coming exclusively to PS4 titled Hellblade. As with many of the games at Gamescom no release date has been announced.
    • Tearaway is coming to the PS4.
    • PlayStation TV is coming to North America on October 14th. It will cost $99 by itself or $139 for a bundle with a Dualshock 3 and Lego The Movie Videogame for Vita.
    • Dead Nation and Resogun creators Housemarque are making a new game titled Alienation. The game looks to be at least 3-player co-op as you battle against an alien invasion.
    • BioWare has announced a new episodic RPG Shadow Realms coming to PC “late next year”. The game is set in a modern fantasy world and features an asymmetric 4-vs-1 multiplayer aspect with 4 heroes battling the “Shadow Lord” who can control minions. Signups for the alpha test are available on their website ShadowRealms.com.
    • Obsidian Entertainment has partnered with Paizo Inc. to produce games based in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game universe.
    • A new game based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is in development at Overkill Software, the developer of Payday, Kirkman and Starbound announced at Gamescom. The game is currently scheduled to release in 2016.
    • Ikaruga director Hiroshi Iuchi is working a new shoot-’em-up for PlayStation 4 called Ubusana. Ikaruga is a favorite of ours at One-Quest even with it being one of the most difficult games we’ve ever played. I’ll be looking forward to this coming out for sure.
    • Lastly, the original EverQuest will be getting its 21st(!) expansion, The Darkened Sea later this year.

    The new releases:

    • Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Editon (8/19) – 360, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (8/19) – PS4
    • Hotline Miami (8/19) – PS4
    • The Golf Club (8/19) – PC, XB1
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Robin Williams Roles https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-robin-williams-roles/ Fri, 15 Aug 2014 20:40:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20646 Robin-Williams

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Favorite Robin Williams Roles

    This was a truly sad week as we lost a brilliant man, the one and only Robin Williams. All of us at One-Quest grew up with him, he taught us how to fly, to seize the day, and to be ourselves. Unfortunately his lessons may be over, but the ones he left will live on. Decades of entertaining millions of fans around the world, left us with the idea to try and pick our favorite roles that Williams played, it’s a hard list though, because all of his roles were amazing in one way other another from the serious to the hysterical he was definitely one of a kind.

    Chris

    This is a really really hard one, it’s damn near impossible to come up with just 5 favorite roles that Robin Williams has done over the years. This list doesn’t even begin to cover all his wonderful roles, so many favorite childhood movies involved that hilarious man.

    1. Genie – Aladdin – Aladdin is one of my favorite movies, animated or otherwise, and a lot of the reason for that goes to the amazing Genie that William’s so magically brought to life.
    2. Peter Banning / Peter Pan – Hook – Bangarang! If any one man could portray a grown up Peter Pan it was Robin Williams. He did fantastic as the straight lace Peter Banning, but when he finally remembers, and finally embraces his legacy as Pan. . . Boy does the movie just take off.
    3. John Keating – Dead Poet Society – This wasn’t a movie I watched as a kid, but I remember seeing it for the first time in high school and finding it really interesting. Over the years I’ve seen it again and again, and it all still really holds up, and Williams’ performance as the teacher and mentor to those boys is one role that will always be remembered.
    4. Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire – Mrs. Doubtfire – Everyone loved this movie, it was great! You had Robin Williams dressing up as an old woman to be around his kids, he played this role so wonderfully. It could have easily become over the top but it never did. It’s a shame we never got that seqeul that had been in the works.
    5. >Mork – Mork & Mindy – The role that really brought Williams to the spot light, I remember watching reruns of this on Nick at Nite and not really understanding all of it, but loving the idea of this cooky alien trying to live on earth.

    Shannon

    1. Mrs. Doubtfire
    2. Jumanji
    3. Night at the Museum Series
    4. Hook
    5. Man of the Year

    Vogel

    1. Man of the Year
    2. Aladdin
    3. What Dreams May Come
    4. Good Morning, Vietnam
    5. Dead Poet Society

    Eric

    I made a list, tore it up, and re wrote it like a hundred times. There are no “5 best roles” for Robin Williams. They were all his best!

    1. Peter Banning / Peter Pan – Hook – “Oh, no. To live… to live would be an awfully big adventure.”
    2. Alan Parrish – Jumanji – “You think that mosquitos, monkeys, and lions are bad? That is just the beginning. I’ve seen things you’ve only seen in your nightmares. Things you can’t even imagine. Things you can’t even see. There are things that hunt you in the night. Then something screams. Then you hear them eating, and you hope to God that you’re not dessert. Afraid? You don’t even know what afraid is. You would not last five minutes without me.”
    3. Genie – Aladdin – “You ain’t never had a friend like me!”
    4. Rainbow Randolph – Death to Smoochy – “Die! Die, you stuffed son of fluff! You illegitimate Teletubby! Die, you Muppet from hell! Die, you foam motherfucker!”
    5. Daniel Hillard – Mrs. Doubtfire – “HELLLLOOOOOOO!!!”
    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 8/10/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8102014/ Sun, 10 Aug 2014 12:36:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20621  

    Twig8-10-14

     

    It’s a beautiful start to a new week here in South Jersey so that of course means it’s time again for The Week In Gaming! As we approach Gamescom at the end of this week some news has been leaking out so things are starting to get interesting in the world of gaming once again.

    The News:

    • Sleeping Dogs looks to be the next gaming getting the HD treatment. A listing for Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition has appeared on Amazon for PS4, XboxOne, and PC. The game will release on October 14th and will also include all 24 pieces of DLC that released with the original game.
    • Activision has teased the relaunch of the Sierra brand coming at Gamescom. No word on what this would really mean but we will have to wait until the end of the week to find out.
    • Surgeon Simulator is coming to PS4 this Tuesday. The PS4 version will come with some sort of exclusive content that the developers have yet to say what it is.
    • Evolve has been delayed until February 2015. Take-Two and Turtle Rock stated that the delay was to make sure they could implement as much feedback from the betas as possible. Stinks that another game that looks really promising has been moved out of 2014, but if the game is better for the delay then we can’t complain.
    • The last-gen version of Assassin’s Creed has finally been confirmed. Once rumored to be called “Comet” The official name is now Assassin’s Creed Rogue. You will be controlling a Templar as in the original rumors and you will be hunting assassins. The game will be set in 18th century North America and is completing the “North American Saga” that includes AC3 and AC4. The game will release on November 11th.
    • Capcom has announced they are going to remaster the original Resident Evil again. It will be releasing as a digital download in early 2015 for PC, PS3, PS4, 360, and XboxOne.

    The new releases:

    • Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (8/12) – Vita
    • Hohokum (8/12) – PS3, PS4, Vita [DL]
    • Risen 3: Titan Lords (8/12) – PC

    2642248-box_d4apr 2642257-box_r3tl hohokum

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 8/3/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-832014/ Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:59:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20556 Twig8-3-14

     

    Weeeee’rrrreee baaaaaaccck! The slow summer news cycle has led me to stretch this to every other week, but we will be back to weekly soon, Gamescom is 2 weeks away so news should start back up in a significant way soon. So with all that said let’s get to the news!

    The News:

    • No Man’s Sky will be coming to PC at some point and is just a timed exclusive to PS4. No exact word on when it will come to PC or if it will ever make its way to XboxOne.
    • Crytek has sold the rights to the Homefront franchise to Deep Silver. Deep Silver has said they will keep working on Homefront: The Revolution but no release window has been given.
    • EA has announced a new subscription based service called “EA Access” on the XboxOne. For either $4.99 per-month or $29.99 a year subscribers will get access to “The Vault” which will be free games with the first ones announced being FIFA 14, Peggle 2, Madden NFL 25, and Battlefield 4. You will also get a 10% discount on all digital content and 5 day early access to games. No date has been announced for the release of this service. Also Sony turned down having the service on the PSN as Sony did not believe the service offered good value to customers.
    • EA has delayed 2 games, Battlefield Hardline has been delayed until sometime in 2015 but will be released in the 2014 fiscal year so will be out by March 31st. Also Dragon Age: Inquisition has been delayed to November 18th.
    • LittleBigPlanet 3 is releasing on PS3 and PS4 on November 18th.
    • Disney Interactive has announced that Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes will be releasing on September 23rd.

    The new releases:

    • Ultra Street Fighter IV (8/5) – 360, PS3
    • The Swapper (8/5) – PS3, PS4, Vita
    • Sacred 3 (8/5) – 360, PC, PS3

    2502628-the-swapper-cover 2515618-usf4 2663949-3252393812-image

    ]]>
    Hulk Chocolate Caramel Apples https://one-quest.com/blog/hulk-chocolate-caramel-apples/ Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:40:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20528 Who knew that someone who’s angry all the time could be so sweet?! I’ve been wanting to try these Hulk Chocolate Caramel Apples for a while now, but since Walnuts’ birthday is approaching, and he’s a big advocate of Hulk, I thought that it was an appropriate time to give it a go.

    What you’ll need:
    – Apples
    – Caramel (I chose the little round balls.)
    – Marshmallows
    – Purple White Chocolate Wafers
    – Green White Chocolate Wafers
    – Black White Chocolate Wafers
    – White Chocolate Wafers
    – Piping Bags
    – Cookie Sticks
    – Decorative Cookie Bags (optional)
    – Small SaucePan or Double Boiler
    – Aluminium Foil

    Hulk Apple Ingredients

    1. Wash the apples and stick cookie sticks into the cores.

    Hulk Apples on Sticks

    2. Melt caramel in saucepan or double boiler adding a tablespoon or two of water. (The water will soften the caramel so you don’t lose teeth when trying to eat the apple.)

    Hulk Melted Caramel

    3. Cover the apples in the melted caramel. Cover a plate or two in aluminium foil. Place caramel covered apples on plate and place in refrigerator to help harden the caramel.

    Hulk Caramel Covered Apples

    4. Cut marshmallows in half. (Dipping knife into powdered sugar can help to keep the knife from sticking too much.)

    Hulk Marshmallows cut

    5. Stick cut marshmallows on opposite sides of the apple. Then take an uncut marshmallow and slide it down the stick. (A damp paper towel can be used to clean the marshmallow bits off of the stick.)

    Hulk Marshmallows on Apple

    6. Melt green wafers in saucepan or double boiler. Then cover the apples with the melted green chocolate. (Move quickly, the hot chocolate tends to melt the bottom layer of caramel.) Rest the apples back on the aluminium foil covered plate and place it back in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate layer.

    Hulk Green Choco

    Hulk Green Covered Apples

    7. Melt purple wafers in saucepan or double boiler. Then cover about an inch up from the base with the melted purple chocolate. Rest the apples back on the aluminium foil covered plate and place it back in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate layer.

    Hulk Purple Choco

    Hulk Purple Apples

    8. Melt black wafers in saucepan or double boiler. Then spoon the chocolate into a piping bag. Decorate the Hulks as seen below. Repeat with the white wafers to complete the eyes.

    Hulk Individual Chocolate Caramel Apples

    Hulk Chocolate Caramel Apples

    Of course these sweet, angry little guys won’t last long.

    Hulk All Eaten

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Opening Weekend Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-opening-weekend-movies/ Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:00:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20519 The Avengers team up
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Opening Weekend Movies!
     
    So, just as a heads up, this was listed as “Favorite Movie Openings” when shared with the group. I took it literally, meaning the opening of a movie. Not the opening weekend of a movie. I wrote an entire list of movies whose opening I found favorable. This has a significantly different dynamic than that of what was asked. So I fixed it. I don’t intend on ever replicating the original list, because it was a stupid list. Regardless… enjoy the list of our favorite Opening Weekend Movies.
     

    Chris

    1. Marvel’s The Avengers
    2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    3. Star Wars Episode III
    4. Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor
    5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

     
    Order of the Phoenix
     

    Erica

    1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
    2. Paranormal activity 2
    3. Captain America The Winter Soldier
    4. The Dark Knight Rises
    5. Marvel’s The Avengers

     
    sorcerers stone
     

    Eric

    Well, I wrote out my favorite opening in movies. You know, the beginning of a film. That’s a movie opening. Now I gotta think of something else…

    1. Marvel’s The Avengers – I just want to point out that Erica wasn’t with us as we cheered and laughed with hundred of other nerds at the midnight opening of The Avengers. It was the greatest movie experience of my life. I only saw it 3 times opening weekend.
    2. Matrix Reloaded – My first ever midnight showing. It was awesome!
    3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was spectacular in IMAX 3D.
    4. The Hobbit – Thus far we’ve seen both movies at Midnight on opening weekend in IMAX. I’m excited to see the close of the trilogy and, subsequently, the franchise this fall.
    5. Godzilla (2014) – This movie completely surprised me with how good it was. So much so, that I saw it twice opening weekend. The fact that there’s a sequel incoming makes me immensely happy!

    Honorable Mention: Guardian’s of the Galaxy – I’m seeing it this Saturday in IMAX, but I already saw it earlier this week. It’s phenomenal! Go see it.
     
    matrix reloaded
     

    Audra

    1. Marvel’s The Avengers – This will forever be my favorite midnight release movie. We went to see it at the King of Prussia IMAX and anyone who was there was a complete fan. Everyone laughed together at the appropriate parts, and shhh’d when it looked like a good part was coming up (without any hard feelings).
    2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – This was Eric and my first movie together. I remember the date on the golden ticket was for February 1 (my birthday) and then Eric had me open his glove box, which somehow contained a hardback copy of the Half Blood Prince. (Yup, we’re adorable.)
    3. The Dark Knight – One of my early IMAX experiences. I remember bringing a few people with us to the King of Prussia IMAX to try and get everyone as addicted to that screen as I am.
    4. Men In Black III – I surprised Eric with Movie Tavern tickets for our 8 year dating anniversary. It was the first time we had ever had the experience of being served food while watching a movie.
    5. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – I was epicly into this series when it came out. I remember my cousin and I being super excited to see it and I also remember crying like a baby at the end.

     
    Aragorn and army of dead
     

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    Friday Five – Most Frustrating Video Game Enemies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-most-frustrating-video-game-enemies/ Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:00:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20490 Deathstroke
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This week’s category: Frustrating Video Game Characters.
     
    Ok, not much explanation needed here. We’ve all encountered an enemy in a game that was so infuriating that it made you want to throw a controller, or smash your TV. One enemy that makes you question the motives of the developers. Makes you wonder if they’re secretly laughing at any and all with the misfortune of facing these impossible foes. If you haven’t, then you need to play some more games. Unfortunately, if you do then you’re going to run into plenty more…
     

    Chris

    1. Hammer Bros – Super Mario Bros – These guys aren’t hard, but man can they be a pain in the ass. Especially as a child, they’re just damn frustrating. One wrong move and you could go from a fire ball throwing badass to a little dude scared for your life.
    2. Demon Dogs – Shinobi (PS2) – I don’t remember much from the PS2 Shinobi game, I do remember having some fun with it, until you run into the demon dogs with freaking swords and armor. Screw those things seriously.
    3. Lava – Aladdin – I’m sure going back to it now, it’s not as bad as I remember, but the lava escape portion in the Cave of Wonders was a nightmare and took many a life from poor Aladdin.
    4. Behemoths – Final Fantasy XIII – These guys were tough, well if you didn’t beat them quick enough anyway. If they were on all fours you could take them out quick if you went into the battle right. Unfortunately if you didn’t get them dead quick enough they transformed and basically became unstoppable.
    5. Deathstroke – Batman Arkham Origins – If you didn’t go into the Deathstroke fight the right way it was really hard. For most people you really take him on in a completely different way than the rest of the game. But the fight was a lot of fun at least, just frustrating when you know you almost had him beat only to slip up and have Batman get taken down.

     
    hammer bros
     

    Eric

    Pretty sure I’m the only person that didn’t have trouble with Deathstroke in Arkham Origins.

    1. Saytr – God of War – Worst. Enemies. Ever! If they aren’t blocking your attacks, they’re flipping out of the way. They’re such a pain in the ass! I’ve lost far too much health to these guys in the earlier games.
    2. Barbed Lurker – Diablo 3: RoS – They hit hard, and take way too many hits to kill. If I can practically face roll everything else, why do I have so much trouble with these guys? I think they need a rebalance… Blizzard will probably just nerf my damage instead.
    3. Weigraf- Final Fantasy Tactics- When you finally face this asshat, you’re alone. Ramza vs. Weigraf. He’s more than likely far more powerful than you are, and all you can do is run away. It takes a ton of luck, ot an insane amount of planning to be able to defeat this guy. Back in the day, this was the worst fight ever.
    4. Dogs – Metal Gear – I don’t kill in Metal Gear, not since MGS2 anyway. Well, dogs are assholes in that they aren’t affected by the tranquilizer darts for nearly as long as human soldiers are. It makes moving slowly, like I do, a pain in the ass.
    5. Static Camera Angles – Every Survival Horror before Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry (prior to DmC), Ninja Gaiden – There’s nothing worse in a decent game than not being able to see what you’re doing. The worst game that comes to mind is Ninja Gaiden. The enemies and everything were easy enough, it was seeing them when they were attacking you that made the game difficult.

     
    Kratos vs satyr
     

    Audra

    To be honest, all enemies are frustrating to me.

    1. Shadow Link – Ocarina of Time – I could never beat him without my brothers assistance. However, after just replaying it, I finally figured out the secret technique.
    2. The 3 Crabs – Donkey Kong Country Returns – They’re everywhere!!
    3. Afronova On Difficult – DDRMAX2 – You need 5 feet to beat this song without failing.
    4. Any Character My Brother Played Against Me With – Any – It was required that my handicap be all the way up.
    5. The Blue Spiked Shell – Mario Kart – Why did it take Nintendo until this year to combat that damn blue shell. Your best bet was to hope second place was close enough that you could slam your brake and not be affected.

     
    Shadow Link
     

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    T.W.I.G. 7/20/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-7202014/ Sun, 20 Jul 2014 13:31:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20454 Twig7-20-14

     

    Hello again everyone, it’s time for everyone’s favorite (or at least my favorite because I write it) weekly post here on One-Quest, The Week In Gaming! Now keep in mind that it’s summer and for whatever reason that means gaming news and releases are REALLY sparse so bear with me if these are a little shorter in the summer it’s not my fault!

    The News:

    • For the 6th month in a row, the PS4 was the top selling console. No exact numbers have been released but this should put the PS4 somewhere around 9 million units sold in just 8 months. Also with the lowered price point Xbox One sales in June were double those in May but still had it in second place.
    • The single-player Hearthstone expansion Curse of Naxxramas will be releasing on July 22nd. The first wing is free to anyone who plays during the “Launch window” previously mentioned to be about a month with the other 4 wings costing either 700 in game gold or $6.99 with a pack for all of the wings costing $24.99.
    • Sony has updated The Playroom app on PS4 with full on production support for live talk-shows and other uses that weren’t originally planned for the game. Originally just an interactive showcase, people started doing live talk shows (and other inappropriate things) even with the minimal options in the app. You will now be able to create live polls and interactive features using a companion app. Keep an eye out for a One-Quest show using this tech, we were already interested before and this is even more interesting with full support!
    • 3 new characters were announced for Smash Bros. 4. Captain Falcon is returning along with 2 new characters both from Fire Emblem Awakening: Robin, the main character, and Lucina (who apparently will have the same moveset as Marth).

    The new releases:

    • Oddworld: New and Tasty (7/22) – PS4
    • Wii Sports Club (7/25) – WiiU

    2640539-19+-+5qkoepd 2644182-new_n_tasty_official_cover_art

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    Friday Five – Favorite Cancelled Sitcoms https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-cancelled-sitcoms/ Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20446 Cancelled

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite Cancelled Sitcoms

    Comedy’s on TV are one of my favorite things to watch. Laughing along for 22 minutes is just a good time, and doesn’t usually require much of a commitment. We have some great shows still airing right now like Parks & Rec, Modern Family, and thankfully Community (even if it’s on Yahoo). Unfortunately for all the good shows we have now, there are plenty of great ones that have already ended. Some got to run out their series others ended to soon. So this week we’re going to talk about our Favorite Cancelled Sitcoms.

    Chris

    1. My Name Is Earl – I only watched a bit of this show while it was on the air, but lately I’ve been watching it on Netflix. I’m near the end of season 3 with just one more to go, and I find myself sad that I won’t get to see Earl finish his list (because I know he didn’t do it by the end of season 4). The show was created by the same person that did Raising Hope so there are a lot of references and actors between the two shows.
    2. Dinosaurs – I’d kinda forgotten about this show until recently seeing a few episode of Netflix, man Netflix is great for watching TV! Anyway it was just a fun show, luckily it’s all puppets and such so it still works today.
    3. Clerks The Animated Series – Clerks is an amazing movie, unfortunately the animated series never took off. Coming from a movie with a lot of adult themes and foul language a prime time cartoon on ABC would probably be facing some problems. All 6 or 7 episodes are available on DVD though so you have no excuse not to check out this amazing show.
    4. ALF – I don’t know anyone that grew up in the ’80s or early ’90s that didn’t love ALF. The show got a little crazy with some of the TV movies and all, but that’s a different story. ALF was just a good time all around.
    5. Boy Meets World – With the recently premiered sequel Girl Meets World, I found myself watching some old Boy Meets World episodes on some week day morning when I was working from home. This is just such a fun and timeless show, very rarely do they get into pop culture or technology related stuff so even though the show first aired over 20 years ago, and ended over 10 it still works. Hopefully Girl Meets World can find it’s footing and survive on Disney Channel which is a challenge all it’s own.

    mynameisearl

    Pisko

    1. Arrested Development – Cancelled at the peak of its hilarity and self-awareness this show was given NO justice until dark horse content provider Netflix jumped in to give the show it’s swan song and to bolster a lot of subscription numbers. The show may or may not be cancelled again. We may never know until it’s back again warming our lives with blue jokes, illusions and “anus tarts”
    2. The IT Crowd – It was ahead of its time for most people but for the nerdy, awkward, and those of us who actually KNOW what “IT” means it was a beacon of smart writing, excellent acting, and distinctly British humor in a dark void of reality shows all around the world. The plots ranged from the mild “nerds try to speak football” to the dark and disturbing “new football friends are bank robbers and now you’re an accomplice” all in one episode. The show had the uncanny ability to turn the scene on a dime but never lose the connection to the main plot. Also, street countdown, which is like regular countdown, but, played on the street. It can get quite cold.
    3. Futurama – No cartoon ever made me emote this much. I cried with Fry when he realized he could never have Seymour back. I laughed when everyone died… all the time. Just to come back again. I was laughing so hard at the shenanigans of pseudo-Kirk Zapp Brannigan and his bedroom woes. Mostly, I’m thankful for the now very real crime of “Burglarsonarceny” by one Bender Bending Rodriguez.
    4. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law – The show was very loosely based on characters from the 1960’s Birdman cartoon and asked the important question of , “What happens when an ex-superhero gets a law degree?” Harvey Birdman combined the excellent Gary Cole and his silky smooth voice with Stephen Colbert and his overpowering weirdness. If you didn’t love it, you were an asshole. So many quotable moments from EVERY character. Apache Chief has a “growth problem”. Secret Squirrel is a flasher. Peter Potamus needs to know if you, “Got that thing I sent ya?” And of course Stephen Colbert/ Falcon 7/ Phil Ken Sebben, “HA HA… Dangleyparts”.
    5. Married… with Children – No Ma’am.

    arresteddevelopment

    Eric

    I hate the “TV” categories. . .

    1. Titus
    2. 3rd Rock from the Sun
    3. The Drew Carey Show
    4. King of Queens
    5. Curb Your Enthusiasm

    titus

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    T.W.I.G. 7/13/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-7132014/ Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:18:28 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20416 Twig7-13-14

     

    Sorry about missing the post last week, things were a little hectic with the 4th of July but fear not the TWIG is back! So let’s take a look at the interesting news that has come out in the last 2 weeks!

    The News:

    • According to an interview with Gamasutra Sony’s Adam Boyes said they considering bringing an “early access” program to the PS4 marketplace. They are seeing how the process of an early access program and the things that would bring to a console ecosystem where gamers expect a higher level of polish on the games they are buying. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
    • EA Sports is looking to make Madden NFL 2015 play more like NFL football and less like “Madden”. They are revamping their “Skills Training” mode and in doing so they want to help players understand better what the plays they are calling mean, like “What is a ‘Cover 2’ defense and how as an offense do you attack it?”. As much as I was uninterested in buying Madden this year, this is pretty exciting news and I may get suckered into buying Madden to see how their new skills trainer.
    • Another new Smash Bros 4 character will be announced on July 14th. No real hints have been dropped about who it could be but we will find out tomorrow.
    • Rogue Legacy is coming to PlayStation consoles on July 29th. It features cross-buy between PS4, PS4, & Vita and some extra content that is not available on the PC version. This is a game I’ve been waiting to come to the PlayStation since it was hinted that it was coming.
    • Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby will have the return of Secret Bases. You will be able to visit other peoples bases via Street Pass or QR codes and that will unlock decorations and other bonuses like faster egg hatching.
    • Blizzard has announced the pricing details for the single-player expansion for Hearthstone. Titled Curse of Naxxramas, it will be sold in 5 “wings” of the dungeon, each wing will cost $6.99 but you can buy all 5 for $24.99. Also the first section will be FREE to anyone who gets in the expansion in the launch ‘event’ which according to Blizzard “will last roughly a month or so”. You will also be able to buy the wings for 700 in game gold per wing. If you don’t play Hearthstone you really should, its a simple enough game to get into and has a great amount of depth to learn AND its FREE (with the option to spend real money on card packs if you want, but you can also just use the in game gold like I have).
    • SquareEnix has announced Dragon Quest X for the 3DS. The MMORPG will have cross-platform play with the Wii, WiiU, and PC versions of the game and will come with a 60-day free trial. The game releases in Japan on September 4th.
    • Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is coming to PCs this October. It will release on October 24th and cost $49.99.
    • Gearbox’s next game is a First-person MOBA titled Battleborn. The game will be coming to PS4, XboxOne, and PC in 2015.
    • Epic Games and Gears of War creator Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski has come out of retirement with a new studio, Boss Key Productions, and a new game currently under the name “Project Bluestreak”. The game is a Free-to-Play “arena based sci-fi shooter” for PC and is being published by Nexon. No word on when the game is expected to release but I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty of news as development advances.

    The new releases:

      There’s really not much coming out this week.
    • Risen 3: Titan Lords (7/15) – PC

    Risen3

    Did You Know

    So I didn’t even know, but The Week In Gaming is over 1 year old now! The first post was on 6/9/2013 and I can’t believe I missed the 1 year anniversary. In fairness to myself it was in the lead up week to E3 so that kinda took precedent over remembering when the first post was. So a belated happy birthday to the TWIG!

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    Friday Five – Most Disappointing Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-most-disappointing-games/ Sat, 12 Jul 2014 01:12:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20403 zombie u
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Most Disappointing Games.
     
    Ah, the hype machine. Bringer of dreams, destroyer of hearts. It seems like every year we’re talking about the scope or scale of some new game. And with it, every year, we’re talking about how said game(s) didn’t live up to the hype. Some exceed expectations, but others… disappoint.
     

    Chris

    1. Final Fantasy XII – It’s not so much that Final Fantasy XII was a bad game, it just wasn’t the game that I wanted to play. I only managed to get a handful of hours in before I just wasn’t enjoying myself at all anymore and stopped. What they tried to do with the battle system was a nice idea, but it ultimately didn’t work, until apparently far later in the game when you have unlocked a lot of variations. Luckily they refined this for Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 which in my opinion did a lot better. While XIII was the better of the two, XIII-2 had the better battle system. Unfortunately that still leaves XII as a forgettable titled for me.
    2. ZombiU – This was one of the first two games I purchased with my Wii U on launch. The other was New Super Mario Bros which is fantastic. Unfortunately ZombiU missed that boat. The controls weren’t great, the premise wasn’t all that interesting, and the multiplayer only allowed for two people and really wasn’t anything special.
    3. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Assassin’s Creed III was bad, but IV was a straight up disappointment. The series had been a lot of fun up until III. The first game and Revelations were probably the worst two up to that point, and they were still good games. III was just a giant mess, and then Black Flag came out, and I thought “Okay I’ll give the series another go, even though I hate the boat missions” I got it for PS4 because I had nothing else for it at that point, and I could only stomach like 3 hours of it before I turned it off and haven’t gone back. It’s nothing but following people and trying not to get caught, and I’m sorry but that isn’t not a good time.
    4. Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced – Final Fantasy Tactics was an amazing game, everything about it made you want to keep playing it over and over. So you’d think that a sequel to it would be just as awesome. Unfortunately the GBA sequel Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced fell a bit short. It’s not a bad game, and it’s still a solid play, but compared to the epic story and all the customization and strategy of the first game it’s basically nothing. The addition of the judges were cool, and annoying. I can remember at times either having to look away and missing the ‘Rule’ of the matches, or just not understanding what they were talking about.
    5. Diablo III – I know Diablo III apparently improved greatly with it’s recently expansion Reaper of Souls, and I’m not saying it was a bad game before that. I actually really enjoyed Diablo III for my first play through. It just didn’t have that certain something that made you want to keep going over and over again like Diablo II had. Unless you were Eric then you maxed out the level of every class just because.

     
    Final Fantasy XII
     

    Vogel

    1. Terraria – I really enjoy Minecraft and kept seeing people talk about it, but I don’t think it lived up to the hype.
    2. Walking Dead: Survival Instinct – I read the books and watch the show, so a fps zombie survival game in the Walking Dead universe should have been awesome. Best I can gather, it was rushed for the initial purchases and didn’t care about quality.
    3. Zombie U – this game had a lot of potential, the multiplayer was a lot of fun. But with the buggy controls and the fact that multiplayer was 2 player only (would liked to have seen 5 player or a co op) the game fell flat.
    4. Sim City – at first I really liked it. I didn’t have the server connection problems people were having and very rarely couldn’t play when I wanted to. Then I started playing with my wife and the server problems got worse. We work on a big project like the solar farm and our games would show different stages or it would not show at all after it already had. I played this game, I feel, for as long as I could though and I had fun, I was just disappointed.
    5. Twilight Princess – I loved most of the early LoZ games, and I didn’t play OoT until Windwaker came out for Game Cube (preorder bonus). When I tried to play Twilight Princess I just couldn’t get into it. I was just disappointed with it for no real reason.

     
    terraria
     

    Drootin

    1. Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced – Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time so when a new game in the franchise was announced it forced me to buy a GBA. Then I played the game… the game didn’t have the depth that the original had since not every character could unlock every job. The story was much more childish I guess, it just wasn’t the original game and that was sad.
    2. Final Fantasy XII – This game played like an MMO with REALLY stupid teammates. I just couldn’t enjoy it they way I had 7, 8, 10, and 11.
    3. Watch Dogs – My most recent disappointment, while the game didn’t have any major flaws it felt too much like GTA and I just couldn’t get into it. If you’re a GTA fan you’d enjoy the game, but as a non-fan of that franchise, the game just didn’t do it for me.
    4. Madden NFL 2007 (PS3) – The PS3 version of Madden ‘07 was awful. It was missing so many of the features that the PS2 version had (franchise mode, co-op play being the 2 most glaring omissions that my brother and I were missing).
    5. Any PS2 Era EA NHL Game – My love for EA Sports NHL ‘94 is well documented on this site and in our podcasts, and I also like a lot of their NHL games up to NHL ‘99 but the PS2 era games just never felt right. I don’t know if it was that I was starting to look for a more realistic game and they still played too fast or if it was some of the gimmicks they put in like the “Hero” line but I just never really enjoyed or owned any of the PS2 era NHL games.

     
    final fantasy tactics advanced
     

    Audra

    1. Perfect Dark – I had so much fun playing multiplayer Golden Eye so I pre-ordered this game for my N64 (my first pre-order). However, when I got the game, it just didn’t hold the same luster.
    2. Eragon – Received this game as a gift. Thanks Walnuts for thinking of me, but as it turns out games created from movies, not so good. I’m pretty sure I got stuck in a wall.
    3. Majora’s Mask – It’s not the worst game, but greatly disliked being under a time crunch at every moment. Plus I had just come off of playing Ocarina of Time and had high expectations.
    4. Raving Rabbids TV Party – I was in love with the first Wii Rayman Raving Rabbids game, that of course I wanted the portable version. But it just didn’t hold a candle to the Wii version.
    5. The Sims Pets – The game was fun, but I just couldn’t get past the controls. I was used to the original Sims controls for moving across the screen but I couldn’t figure out how to switch the controls around in Pets.

     
    Perfect Dark
     

    Eric

    It looks like I have a love/hate relationship with fantasy games…

    1. Dragon Age II – I could not get enough of Dragon Age: Origins! I played it multiple times, platinum trophy, all the DLC, everything! So, I was of course super excited for Dragon Age II! The problem here is that Dragon Age II wasn’t a bad game. Not really, anyway. It just wasn’t a natural progression for Dragon Age as a series. It took away the whole tactical feel, that FFXII and Baldurs Gate had before it, and instead went for more of a generic style action game. You literally spammed combat abilities until the enemy died, and sometime that was far too long. There was no strategy. On top of that there were only about 10 different maps to explore, all very small. Your party couldn’t be customized in almost anyway, most wearing the same armor and using the same weapons from the moment you meet them until the end. It just didn’t feel as grand as DA:O did. The story was still excellent, and DA:Inquisition looks great! So it wasn’t bad, just disappointing.
    2. Final Fantasy VIII-2 – Horrible fucking game. XIII was splendid albeit diluted from the rest of the series. The lack of strategy, and no emphasis on exploration until nearly 20 hours into the game hurt it. Those aspects of the game were fixed in it’s sequel, however it also came with a campy plot, with horribly boring characters. The Voice acting and writing were horrendous to the point that I played with the volume off and read subtitles. Just… not fun.
    3. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings – I really liked Final Fantasy XII. It felt far less MMO-y to me then it did my peers. Instead it felt more like a classic American style RPG akin to Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights, with the whole Final Fantasy style added to it. Some of the cast was annoying, Vaan and Pannello weren’t actually planned to be in the game until later stages of development. It’s story was much darker than most, and the combat was super customizable. However, Revenant Wings took everything good and threw it away in favor of a pseudo-RTS style game. All you needed to do was build enough of the strongest units and you insta-win the map. Super boring, and it came from such a great game!
    4. Assassin’s Creed III – Every game up to this point ranged from really good to ok. However 3 was just downright disappointing. Nothing about it was fun, at all. It was buggy, the characters were boring, and the ending just left me questioning why the game had to happen at all. Very poor effort.
    5. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – Yeah, this game was bad, and it hurt so much because I loved everything about all of the game before it! It took the game out of it’s open-ish exploration setup and opted for a more mobile friendly mission format. Sadly, it just didn’t feel natural. 10 minutes in a mission, then back to the hub and go again. It just wasn’t exciting. The characters were also a major snorefest. Luckily Birth By Sleep was worlds better than any other KH game to date, so it made up for the blandness of 358/2 Days.

     
    Dragon Age 2
     

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    Friday Five – Games That Got Away https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-games-that-got-away/ Fri, 04 Jul 2014 16:00:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20377 God of War II
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Games That Got Away!
     
    So, I’m sure we’ve all played a game that we were legitimately interested in, but never got to play. Or maybe you heard it was great, but it didn’t grab you right away so you walked away only to have it sit in the back of your head for a long time. For some reason you never go back to these games, but you always consider it. Whatever the reason, these are the games that got away. Here’s our list.
     

    Chris

    1. Mass Effect III – I really enjoyed the first two Mass Effects, I didn’t actually start playing any of them until after all three had released. But I went through the first two pretty quickly, then started up the third and just kind of forgot about it. The gameplay was just as good and the story still interesting, I think I just got myself played out on the series. Someday I’m going to go back and finish that up!
    2. Dragon Age – Another Bioware game, this one I’ve started probably a half dozen times, but every time I run into something that just puts me off. It’s a fun style game and the story seems cool. With ow awesome the new one looks I really need to get through this and the sequel sometime soon to make my PS4 a more useful machine.
    3. Final Fantasy XII – I’ve played through every Final Fantasy from VII-XIV plus IV and most of III. But for some reason XII just didn’t appeal to me the way the others did. I’m still behind on XIII-3 (Lightning Returns) but I’ve even enjoyed the often times hated XIII trilogy more than I ever enjoyed XII. Maybe someday I’ll get back to this one.
    4. God of War – I bought the God of War collection on PS3, and put a couple of hours into God of War one, after hearing how great the series was up to that point. But while it’s cool, it just didn’t keep my interest. Funny thing is I played all the way through the first PSP God of War game and thought it was great.
    5. Chrono Trigger – Chrono Trigger is often considered one of the greatest RPG’s ever. And I’ve only ever played for about 2 hours. When the game released on DS I thought, finally now I will play Chrono Trigger, but alas it’s not worked out that way at all. . .

     
    Mass Effect 3
     

    Drootin

    1. Legend of Dragoon – A pretty awesome JRPG on the PS1 that for some reason I could never bring myself to actually finish. I’m not sure why because I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about the game.
    2. Final Fantasy IX – My least favorite of the PS1 era Final Fantasy games. I never really understood the skill system in the game and thats mostly what has kept me from getting past disc 1. The game was gorgeous for the time and played well, I just don’t know why it didn’t hook me like FFVII and FFVIII did.
    3. Jade Cocoon – A Pokemon-esq game also from the PS1 was probably a little beyond my comprehension at age 12 when it came out. I would combine the monsters and make things that looked cool but it would make them weaker and I couldn’t progress like I should have. It was hard to figure out what I was supposed to be doing.
    4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – I don’t know if its because I just finally bought this like 2 years ago in a Steam sale and it hadn’t aged well, or if it’s because it is a GIANT pain in the ass to play on PC now (really buggy), but this game didn’t hook me like it has most other people.

     
    Legend of Dragoon
     

    Vogel

    1. Dragon Quest 8 – I played so much of this game, but then one day just stopped. I was having a lot of fun and I’m not really sure why I stopped, but I did and never picked it back up.
    2. God of War – Franchise – I played GoW1 when it came out and never beat it, so I never played 2. When 3 came out I got the 1 and 2 combo and 3, started playing 1 again and once again never finished it. I ended up trading in the games without even playing them.
    3. Pikmin 3 – I got this game because I enjoyed Pikmin 2, but mostly for my son. I played this game in spurts and have yet to finish it, even though I’m currently at the final boss.
    4. Batman Arkham Asylum – I really enjoyed this game, but for whatever reason just stopped playing. When discussing the game with friends I realized I was almost done, so I quickly finished it up months later.
    5. Final Fantasy X – I really liked this game, which is odd for me because I’ve never really been a fan of FF games. I went a couple week between playing and that gave some friends time to beat it. We started discussing plot and spoilers and I was so unhappy with the end that I never went back.

     
    Dragon Quest VIII
     

    Audra

    1. Majora’s Mask – To be honest, I couldn’t get past the time elapsing. It drove me nuts.
    2. Night’s – For both the Sega Saturn and Wii. I played the hell out of the first couple of levels for Saturn, but could never get very far.
    3. Spirit Tracks – I’m not sure why I never finished. It’s probably going to be my next game.
    4. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence – The game froze on me and then wouldn’t let me get past a certain part.
    5. Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom – I was hooked on this game, but then couldn’t figure out a part with Patrick and was convinced there was an issue with the game itself.

     
    Majora's Mask - Moon
     

    Eric

    This one was fairly difficult for me because when I get a game, I tend to finish it. There are a few notable exceptions however…

    1. Lost Odyssey – I picked this up after hearing so much insane buzz about the game. I loved Blue Dragon, Mistwalker’s first game. But when I started playing, I couldn’t really get into it. It was definitely cool, but something just didn’t grab me at the beginning. I still want to get into it.
    2. Dark Cloud 2 – I LOVED the first game. It was a ton of fun rebuilding the towns and exploring the dungeons. But the second game complicated things with “perfect town layouts” and way more materials needed to craft new cities. I thought it was great, but never really got into it.
    3. Front Mission 4 – I owned, sold, and reowned this game but never got more than 4 or 5 missions into it. I love turn based strategy games, and the prospect of controlling mechs definitely amped things up. Like the few others on this list, it just couldn’t hold my interest.
    4. Company of Heroes – A real time strategy game based in World War II, utilizing realistic tactics from the actual war. Tanks can’t be damaged by infantry unless they plant sticky bombs, units can take cover in tall grass. It’s really intricate, but I never finished it… I should get back to that.
    5. Sid Meier’s Civilization V – Ok, this isn’t a game you can really finish. There’s no story. But I’ve never actually finished a game. I usually start one up, play for a few hours, then stop. Next time I play, I start a new game. I would love to actually finish a game, see the ending… if only Augustus would stop being an a-hole and wiping me out every game!

     
    Lost Odyssey
     

    ]]>
    Too Many Games 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/too-many-games-2014/ Thu, 03 Jul 2014 15:00:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20338  

    Too-Many-Games-Announcement

     

    Once again, just as it happens every year, hordes of gaming nerds rush into The Greater Philadelphia Expo center in Oaks, as it is dangerous to go alone. That’s right, Too Many Games has returned for another year of gaming awesomeness. There is plenty to do there ranging from live concerts, arcade and console gaming, indie developer showcase, panels, and a decent sized vendor area you can easily occupy a day at a nice price. So stay a while and listen, while I tell you about the experience I had at Too Many Games 2014.

    IMG_4111 IMG_4199

    I was only able to attend one day at Too Many Games this year, and it was by far one of the better experiences we have had at Too Many Games. The convention was on June 27th – 29th and I was there on Saturday the 28th. The concerts they held were amazing this year. Having about five bands play this year, I was able to see four of them. We started off the day with the band The World is Square, they are a video game folk band. Most of the music they play sounds almost exactly like the original sound tracks from the games they are from. Given their name, they pull most of the music from square soft games, which we all know have amazing soundtracks. Between each song you see them shuffling among the array of instruments they bring to have that authentic sound. What they bring to the table musically is amazing, and I will have more on them as well as many of the other bands I will talk about in the future. The next band that played was Bit Brigade. This band is awesome, as they have a player speed run a game as they play the soundtrack live. For their set on Saturday they played the original Legend of Zelda. Every area and dungeon the player went into they were able to play along with. It was fantastic! On Sunday they actually played through Megaman 2. After their set, our friends The X-Hunters went on stage. As I have stated many times before, THEY ROCK! I have been to many shows of theirs and have actually ventured about 2-3 hours away to see them in Baltimore. Rocking out to mostly covers of Megaman-X level music, I love what these guys do with classics. You can actually see a video of their set a few years back here. Finally, I got to see PowerGlove, these guys were awesome! If you love nerdy influenced music and metal with a dash of GWAR, you will love these guys. The show was so entertaining, and the music rocked. With a set spanning from Pokemon game music, to Legend of Zelda, and ending with the Power Rangers Theme Song, they have won a place in my heart, and I can’t wait to see them again. There isn’t just concerts at Too Many Games, there is a decent amount to do with the games aspect of the show.

    IMG_4212 IMG_4299

    With us having been to Too Many Games before, we haven’t actually had many positive things to say about it. This being our third year in attendance, I made an effort to make sure I was having the full experience of the convention. This year was by far the best with the number of Indie Developers they had. Some of the games I was able to demo and the stories I heard about the team making them were awesome. Add to that the fact that most of these developers are local to the Philly area, I have no shame in plugging them a bit. Of the teams I talked to a few really stood out, the biggest one was 3dmuve and their game Pulsar. Pulsar is a multi-player team based space shooter. The object of the game was to destroy the spawn portals of the opposing teams and be the last man standing. This game looked amazing, and was still in early stages of development. I’m not sure when a possible release date will be, but I look forward to it. To read more about their projects, please visit their site and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. The next team I was able to talk to was Quartic Entertainment and their game Colony One. I was able to play a small bit of Colony One, as it was in a pre-alpha state. The game is a top down shooter such as Dead Nation, but in space with aliens. There is some Rpg like qualities to the game, that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are decisions that will alter how you play the game, as you go through. Of the small portion I played, and talking to the sole developer of the game, I learned that it has only been in development for about 6 months. I was astonished as to how clean the game was at that point. They are looking to get into a kickstarter and I will send off that information as I get it, but please checkout the site and follow them also on Twitter. Lastly I talked to my friends at Semag Studios. They currently have 2 games released and 2 in development. The games they have are mostly for mobile devices, and one game in development to be compatible with Amazon TV. One game they have recently released was called ‘You’re Fired’, you play as a character that just got fired from his job and he decides to burn the place down. It is a side scrolling slalom game, where you collect items to get a better score. They had so many awesome ideas in progress that I can not talk about them all or I’d be here all day, so please also visit their site and follow their Twitter and Facebook. Besides the indie developers, they had a small section for Arcade Cabinets and a console gaming section. Similar to previous years, it is lacking in that aspect, but there are plenty of other things to do at the convention.

    IMG_4280 IMG_4282

    There are a huge amount of vendors at the convention, along with some panels. Since I went more for the concert and game aspect I didn’t care too much about those areas of the convention. I wasn’t able to jump in any of the panels, since the convention does close fairly early at 7. The vendors on the other hand are awesome. I know a hand full of them and they always look out for their loyal customers. I was able to hang out with Squarepainter, and listen to a little of DJ Cutman. Both are great guys that do amazing work in their craft. If you are a proprietor of classic games and devices, such as NES games, this is your place to be. I on the other hand don’t collect older then PSX, which I still can find some hidden gems(I almost bought an originally sealed copy of Legend of Dragoon) here and there.

    IMG_4096 IMG_4090

    Over all Too Many Games has really picked up its game over the past few years. They have better laid out its show floor, and gotten much bigger. The bands, Indie developers, panels, and vendors are all very friendly and excited to see everyone at the show. Again same with the previous years, I just wish the arcade and console area had more in it. It was neat seeing what they had, but it wasn’t enough to me. If they keep expanding like this I think they will have that fixed up in no time. The best part, is the food court sells beer! So with that, would you kindly follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and check out their site when you get a chance. If you were there please don’t hesitate to comment below on your experience, and share our pictures with your friends who have never been there before.

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    T.W.I.G. 6/29/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-6292014/ Sun, 29 Jun 2014 12:16:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20315 Twig6-29-14

    Sorry about missing last week but things were a little crazy for me so I just didn’t have time. In any case, the TWIG is back this week with all the gaming news that I could round up from the internets!

    The News:

    • Mario Kart 8 has become the #4 selling WiiU game having passed 2 million in sales in just under a month. That’s some impressive sales numbers for a game on a console with an install base under 7 million. It will be interesting to see what kind of tail the sales for the game has and/or what kind of spike it gets this Christmas.
    • Platinum Games, makers of Metal Gear Rising and Bayonetta, are making a downloadable game based on the Legend of Korra series. Platinum makes damn fine action games so this shouldn’t disappoint. The game will be out on PC, PS3, PS4, 360, and XB1 this fall.
    • Metro Redux, the remastered versions of both Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light will be releasing for PS4, XB1, and PC on August 26th. The retail disc version will include both games and cost $49.99 or you can download them each separately for $24.99
    • A UK Games Retailer accidentally posted (and then removed) a posting for Sleeping Dogs HD to release on PS4, XB1, and PC.
    • The DOtA 2 International 2014 prize pool is up to $10,000,000. Yes, 10 MILLION DOLLARS for a video game tournament. I need to get good at DOtA apparently.

    The new releases:

    • Divinity: Original Sin (6/30) – PC
    • Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Editon (7/1) – PS4, WiiU, XB1
    • Armillo (7/3) – WiiU

    Divinity2421392-guacamelee_key_art_final 2647778-armillo-logo

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    Friday Five – Favorite Reality Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-reality-shows/ Fri, 27 Jun 2014 21:44:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20305 Next_Food_Network_Star_logo

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite Reality Shows

    Reality TV is kind of the norm on TV, that and procedural cop dramas. It’s been that way for years now too, so why not actually take a look at the shows we all actually like. Thankfully no one said Survivor, so let’s get started with Favorite Reality Shows.

    Chris

    1. Storage Wars – Something about this show is just fun to watch, it’s probably 99% staged, but the people are just such crazy characters it’s hard not to be interested. The original buyers were the best, some of the newer ones, not so much. But how bad can a show be if Tom Hanks is a fan?
    2. Americas Got Talent – I don’t think I’ve ever watched it past the first round or two, but it’s so much fun to see all the different acts, especially when they’re good. The bad ones can be fun too, but seeing someone come out and nail it is just awesome.
    3. So You Think You Can Dance – I particularly like the auditions for this show, seeing all the crazy dancers come out and do things I didn’t even think possible blows my mind.
    4. American Ninja Warrior – I watched the original Japanese Ninja Warrior on G4 for a while. It was goofy and fun, but it just wasn’t as good to me as American Ninja Warrior. It seems like the American version is just full of crazy athletic people who REALLY want to complete this course. And seriously holy crap some of the obstacles they have to go through.
    5. Next Food Network Star – Food’s always fun, and seeing new Food Network people getting picked is fun. So this show is just a lot of fun, especially these last few years with the 3 stars (Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis) kind of running the show.

    storagewars

    Drootin

    Yay I get to cheat again! Fuck “reality” shows. Sports is real unscripted TV!

    1. Sunday Night Football – NBC got the rights to broadcast the NFL’s Sunday night game in 2006 and it instituted a “flex-schedule” for the last 7 weeks of the season. Since then they have the best match up every week and has rarely failed to be a fantastic game.
    2. NHL Rivalry Night – This past season NBC Sports Network started pushing Wednesday nights as “rivalry night” and put on game that (mostly) pitted 2 long time rivals against each other. When they had actual rivals on the games were good, but the times that they didn’t get actual rivals the games sometimes disappointed. But it’s hockey so I loved it.
    3. NFL Draft – The most entertaining version of people reading names. The natural drama of who will be picked and if trades will happen is thrilling for any football fan. This years draft had its highest TV ratings ever.
    4. NLL/MLL on CBS Sports Network – Lacrosse is my favorite sport but it doesn’t get a lot of coverage on TV so when it is on I’m almost always watching.
    5. Around the Horn – ESPN’s daily sport debate game show basically. 4 sports writers from across the country debate the big topics of the day and earn (or lose) points based on their arguments. It’s a very entertaining way to catch up on sports news.

    Sunday-Night-Football

    Shannon

    1. Pawn Stars
    2. Heroes of Cosplay
    3. American Pickers
    4. Next Food Network Star
    5. Mythbusters

    Pawn_Stars_cast

    Vogel

    I was a ton of shows on Food Network with Shannon.

    1. Rachel vs Guy – Celebrity Cook Off – It’s fun for me to watch celebrities who can actually cook. Also, I tend to learn new cooking techniques/recipes watching this show.
    2. Next Food Network Star – This show can actually get pretty funny. Alton Brown is awesome so that’s bonus points right there for his being a mentor/judge on the show.
    3. Pawn Stars – I’ve been watching Pawn Stars since it came out. I liked it a whole lot better before it became an “unscripted-candid” show. It was much better when they just focused on the items.
    4. Mythbusters – I love the crazy things they do on the show, and I’m pretty fond of science so there’s that.
      Hardcore Pawn – Kidding, that show is awful.
    5. Chopped – I pretty much watch this for the same reason I like any other cooking show, to learn new ways to cook food.

    rachael-vs-guy-celebrity-cookoff

    Pisko

    I loathe 99% of reality TV. That being said, here are the ones I loathe the least.

    1. Billy the Exterminator – Goth cowboy kills wasps in Louisiana. This is God’s work.
    2. Mythbusters – It’s kinda science and they blow shit up in slow mo.
    3. Top Chef – It has to taste good and not just be entertaining. Good quality. +1 Gordon Ramsay
    4. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop – THEY MAKE MUPPETS! SO COOL.
    5. Hoarders/Intervention (TIE) – A&E had an awesome block of programming that made me feel like a super clean individual and then made me feel superior for my lack of a drug problem.

    billy-the-exterminator

    Eric

    Really? This is our category? Good thing I watch so much TV on that cable I don’t have…

    1. Mythbusters – The fact that this show is still going on is awesome! Most of the time they’re just coming up with excuses to blow shit up. But that’s ok with me! MICHAEL BAY IT UP!
    2. So You Think You Can Dance – DANCE DANCE! These people have some insane talent. Anyone can sing passably well, but only dedication can get you to the level of talent seen on this show.
    3. Survivorman – A man in the wild with a couple cameras. He even goes through the trouble of setting up shots of himself using the cameras. He’s insane and awesome.
    4. American Pickers – I just like to see the cool stuff! And the skinny guy is such a nerd, it’s funny.
    5. Pawn Stars – The old episodes. When the focused on the cool shit. All the new ones focus too much on the interactions of the people. I don’t care about them.

    mythbusters

    Erica

    1. Sister Wives
    2. Heroes of Cosplay
    3. Pawn Stars
    4. Dance Moms
    5. Scariest Places On Earth

    sister-wives

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    Friday Five – Worst of E3 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-of-e3-2014/ Sat, 21 Jun 2014 00:32:38 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20268 worst-of-e32014
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Worst of E3 2014

    Welp, last week we talked about all the stuff we liked at this years E3. So it’s only right for us to listed the worst things for us out of this years conference. And believe me, there was plenty bad, but I’ll let the lists do the talking. So let’s get started with our lists for Worst of E3 2014.

    Chris

    1. Nintendo Not Having Press Conference – I’m not a big fan of the Nintendo Direct Events for E3, I get it probably saves the money, and allows them to control the show even more. But come on Reggie isn’t nearly as exciting when he’s obviously been saying the same lines and acting (poorly) for hours. Give the guy a stage and a room full of game nerds and he’s a fucking rock star though.
    2. EA Not Having Games – EA had the normal sports games, but then a bunch of Tech Demo’s. While I liked seeing things for Mirrors Edge, Mass Effect, and such showing us what are barely playable demos of games that have been in development for a while is just insulting.
    3. Microsoft Opening with Call of Duty (again) – Microsoft was the least impressive of the ‘Big 3’, and a lot of that has to do with not seeing anything exclusive and exciting. Frankly it was a big sign of what’s to come that once again the big opener for Microsoft was Call of Duty. A game we all know is coming every year, at this point there’s no reason for an E3 appearance of the game, it’s happening and we all know it.
    4. No Final Fantasy XV – I suppose this is a slightly more picky topic than most, but it’s been 8 years since Versus XIII was announced (at E3 06), and now it’s a year after they renamed it Finaly Fantasy XV and we’re seeing nothing new. I’ve heard rumors it’ll be released next May (2015) but those are just rumors.
    5. Terrible Presenters – I talked about this on the post E3 PodQuest, but the people on stage talking up these games just weren’t good. Aisha Tyler for Ubisoft is really the highlight, and that’s not really a good thing. It’s crazy how much you can miss people like Jack Treton and Reggie Fils-Aime when they’re not live on a stage for you. Everyone else just didn’t seem all that interested in being there.

    e3-nintendo

    Vogel

    1. Sony showing 18 seconds of Batman gliding in a circle
    2. Missing the Destiny Alpha
    3. Call of Duty, I’m just tired of this franchise
    4. Working through most of E3
    5. Bad announcers with no enthusiasm

    arkham-knight

    Eric

    It’s no secret that I found this year’s E3 utterly disappointing. In fact, it was probably my least favorite in recent years. Here’s why:

    1. Where were the AAAs? – By AAA I mean a game that deems a console “must have”. As of now neither the PS4 or Xbone are must haves. Both of them are ok, at best, for early adopters. Wii U is looking a little better, with more exclusives, but still none really necessary to own. This years E3 we were treated to… um… nothing. At least, nothing coming in the near future.
    2. 2015 – Fuck 2015. I literally need to buy every fucking game in 2015. But what do I get to buy in 2014? GTA on Next Gen? Dragon Age? ANOTHER FUCKING CALL OF DUTY?! Seriously, every awesome “announcement” (see previous) was for some game not coming till 2015 AT THE EARLIEST! What’s worse is that most of these games were announced in some form, last year. Some of which… and this pisses me off a lot… have shown little to no progress whatsoever
    3. EA’s behind the scenes bullshit – 3 of the most exciting games announced LAST YEAR were Mirrors Edge, Star Wars Battlefront Reboot, and a new Mass Effect reboot. In an entire year all EA, Dice, and BioWare have to show for these titles are a couple 2 minute behind the scenes videos. Hey, you redesigned Faith for Mirrors Edge? Cool! HOW COME SHE LOOKS THE SAME! God damn, this was some bullshit. At least it wasn’t a random 15 second clip of a game with no context and absolutely no guarantee that it’s not CG.
    4. Teasers – I love trailers, but only when they show me some representation of what the final game will actually look like. I HATE teasers that give me nothing. No hint at story. No hint at gameplay. And no way to tell that what I’m looking at is actually in game or CG. Sure, I want to play another Uncharted as much as the next person. However, it was a game that was announced last year (see above), not coming to 2015 at the earliest (see above) and overall the trailer tells me nothing! 15 seconds of a man walking into a jungle is a weak closing to any conference. At least it’s something new…
    5. More of the same – Ok, this is a rough one. But, look at Destiny. I’m friggin stoked to play Destiny. What I’m really excited about tho, is not seeing it at any more gaming events. 3 years of various game play trailers, on stage demos, and cg stories etc. I’m done. Let’s get the game out and move on already! Also, did we really need 2 Smash Bros character announcements during Nintendo’s digital event? I know you guys can only work so fast, but a new character doesn’t really feel like wow material to me. It feels like filler. So does a new Call of Duty (3 years opening is enough Microsoft), 15 second teaser trailers, Halo 5 making it’s second announcement with nothing to show besides a cg trailer, and more fucking HD remakes. GIVE US SOMETHING FUCKING NEW!

    Honourable Mention – CG trailers – These things should be dead by now. If you can’t show it off in engine, then nobody needs to see it. Stop over hyping your shit with flashy movies and show me what you’re really about.
    e3

    Audra

    1. Microsoft’s lack of announcing backward compatibility like everyone was hypothesizing.
    2. Aisha Tyler’s need to wear stiletto’s next to the short Ubisoft developers.
    3. Nintendo not showing up live but rather having a recorded spot.
    4. The America vs. French – Push up match which the American did well enough in to win the game level but was called out for doing faux push up’s. The French are just jealous because we passed the reins of most obese country to them.
    5. Not having been able to attend.

    xbox

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    T.W.I.G. 6/15/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-6152014/ Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:06:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20262 Twig6-15-14

    Well, E3 was this week and we recorded an awesome podcast covering our thoughts on this years show, and because we’re us completely unrelated things that derailed the show more than it needed to be. That should be up for your listening pleasure soon! So the T.W.I.G. this week will cover mostly just the new announcements quickly from each press conference.

    The News:

    • Microsoft: Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been confirmed, it will contain Halo 1-4 on one disc and you can play the games or parts of the games in any order you like, it will also come with a code for the Halo 5 Beta. Fable Legends showed it’s 4-player co-op mode and the ability to play as the villain. Platinum Games announced a new Xbox One exclusive called Scalebound. A new Tomb Raider game was unveiled. A few very interesting indie games were announced: Ori and The Blind Forest (a beautiful side-scroller), Inside (from the makers of Limbo), and Cuphead (which looks like an old Disney cartoon).
    • EA: EA had a very uninteresting show to be honest. They started with a character intro trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition. EA Sports showed the 1st gameplay trailer for NHL 15, detailed the new defensive improvements in Madden NFL 15, introduced their new player emotion tech for FIFA 15 which seems like it will change how certain players will perform depending on how the game is going for that player or their team, also they showed their new fantasy courses for EA PGA Tour 2015. EA showed off their new MOBA titled Dawngate. Maxis showed some of the new details for the Sims 4 and its online connectivity and being able to download other players created items and characters and gave a release date of September 2nd. EA also showed some behind the scenes footage for Star Wars Battlefront, the next Mass Effect, BioWare teased a new project, and a new action-sports/racing game from Criterion.
    • Ubisoft had a good showing. They started with a trailer for FarCry 4 that showed off the villain. Showed 2 new Just Dance games: Just Dance 2015 for consoles, and Just Dance Now a mobile app based game that makes it possible for many players to play at once. They showed some more Assassin’s Creed Unity gameplay and announced a release date of 10/28/14. There were trailers for The Crew, The Division, and a heartwrenching trailer for Ubisoft’s Ubi-art engine based World War I game Valiant Hearts. There was a gameplay demo of their new XboxOne exercise game Shape Up, which looks to gameify working out. They closed the show by unveiling a new Rainbow Six game called Rainbow Six: Siege, it looks great.
    • Sony: Announced a new Destiny bundle for PS4 which includes a white PS4 and controller. On the hardware end Sony also announced that they are officially bringing the VitaTV, now called the PlayStation TV to the US this fall for $99. Sucker Punch announced a new stand alone DLC for Infamous: Second Son. Media Molecule announced LittleBigPlanet 3 for PS4 and announced 3 new playable characters: Toggle who can shrink down and get through small gaps or stay large and push certain things down in the ground, Oddsock who runs on all fours and can wall jump and knock down certain walls, and Swoop a bird who can fly and carry the other characters, all who look as adorable as they should. From Software, makers of Dark Souls and Demon Souls, have announced Bloodborne, exclusive to the PS4 coming in 2015. Deep Silver announced Dead Island 2. The PS3 & PS4 versions of the Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition will have The Last of Us themed enemies. Grim Fandango is getting remastered for the PS4 and PS Vita. FarCry 4 will allow you to play co-op with friends who do not own the game. Sony announced that The Hulk will be a timed exclusive to PS platforms for Disney Infinty 2. Suda51’s next game Let It Die will be PS4 exclusive, looked to be some sort of RPG-shooter, and will be free-to-play. YouTube support for sharing video clips is coming this fall. The Last of Us Remastered will be coming on July 29th. No Man’s Sky an open world, procedurally generated, space exploration game will be debuting on the PS4. Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS4 in the fall. The original Ratchet & Clank is getting a PS4 remake, and there is a Ratchet & Clank movie in the works. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End should be out in 2015.
    • Nintendo: Unveiled Lady Palutena and custom Miis for Smash Bros, also later announced Pac-Man. Announced Yoshi’s Woolly World, a yarn-themed Yoshi game with 2-player co-op that looks adorable coming in 2015. Also announced Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker coming this holiday season. Bayonetta 2 is coming in October, it will include Nintendo based costumes they showed Samus, Peach, and Link, retail copies will include Bayonetta 1. Midina an Zelda as playable characters for Hyrule Warriors. A custom Mario level designer called Mario Maker is coming soon. Release dates for the Pokemon remakes Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby of November 21st. Announced Kirby: The Rainbow Curse for Wii U, a sequel to the DS Canvas Curse. They also announced a 4-v-4 shooter called Splatoon where the goal is to cover as much of the maps surface with your team’s paint, you can even quickly travel in your team’s ink as a squid, very vibrant and colorful it looks pretty fun.

    The new releases:

    • EA Sports UFC (6/17) – PS4, XB1
    • Pushmo World (6/19) – WiiU

    EAUFC pushmo_world_logo

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    Friday Five – Best of E3 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-of-e3-2014/ Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:53:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20251 e3
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Best of E3 2014

    It’s that time again, E3 2014 is wrapped up, but it’s left us with plenty to look forward to in gaming! So this week we’re listing off what we liked most at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo! And don’t miss out on even more E3 chat on next week’s PodQuest which should be up on Monday 6/16/14!

    Chris

    1. Rise of the Tomb Raider Reveal – Last years Tomb Raider reboot was amazing, it was a great way to revitalize the series, and characters. The biggest problem with it was, they forgot the tombs! Apparently that’s going to be fixed in the sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara will be back to solving puzzles and exploring all kinds of nasty places. If they keep the game half as engaging as the previous one, this will easily be one of the best of the series, and I can’t wait for it in I believe 2015.
    2. Bioware – Bioware had some great annoucments and stuff. I really want to play Dragon Age, I’ve wanted to for years now, every time I start I get distracted and end up having to start over when I finally do go back. Inquisition may actually be the title that gets me to play the first two finally, it just looks that good. Oh and let’s not forget a Mass Effect sequel! I know a lot of people were left with a bad taste in their mouths at the end of 3, to them I say get over yourself! The games were all great, and this one should be just as fun.
    3. Halo Master Chief Collection I haven’t played a Halo since 3, but man did I play the hell out of those first three games, especially the multiplayer. Now to have a chance to go back and play all of the main games in the series again, with original multiplayer and updated graphics? That’s like a dream! Unfortunately I don’t have an Xbox One, but this would certainly be a title I’d own if I ever get one.
    4. Legend of Zelda Wii U Who doesn’t love Zelda games? I’ve been playing them for as long as I can remember, unfortunately in recent years my playtime has been mostly the handheld games (which are awesome!) I hope with this stunning new Zelda console title I’ll finally get back into the wonderful and dangerious world of Hyrule.
    5. Uncharted – The last pick was really hard for me this time, so many good things happened at E3. I had to go with Uncharted though, we knew it was in the works, and it was expected to get a trailer at E3, but still it looked beautiful. And I can’t wait to pick up the game whenever it releases.

    Honorable Mention First Person Shooters – I’m not really an FPS fan, but wow are there some interesting titles coming out that may just change my mind on the genre. I’m never going to be interested in Call of Duty, but games like Rainbow Six Seige, Battlefield Hardline, Destiny, and Farcry 4 just make you want to play them all the time!

    Shannon

    1. Little Big Planet 3 – The new characters are going to add so much to the game. Not only will it be cool to discover what they can do, but the levels that users create with these new characters in mind are going to be amazing!
    2. Yoshi’s Wooly World – I love Yoshi, the games are a little easier than the Mario games, so it will be perfect for me.
    3. Halo 5 – I’ve always loved the Halo series, they’re pretty much the only shooter I’ll play.
    4. Destiny – Ok, Halo being the only shooter I play might change with this game. It looks amazing.
    5. Star Wars Battlefront – My brother and I used to play this together. I’m hoping this is another game that will actually make me game more.

    Honorable Mention – Sims 4 is coming out this September so I’ll definitely be getting the for my birthday.

    Eric

    Well, I feel like this E3 was pretty… ok. Nothing blew my mind, but everything was pretty damned exciting. There weren’t really that many big reveals that we didn’t already know about ahead of this conference. And most of the biggest announcements are games for 2015, which means we’ll more than likely see them at the next E3… again. It’s rather underwhelming. I’ll explain better on PodQuest next week, so check it out.

    1. Assassin’s Creed Unity – I had very low expectations for this game. I had every intention on not picking it up day 1. However, with the gameplay shown and the inclusion of 4 player co-op… I’m sold. Seriously, this is the most agile and acrobatic assassin in the series and, he can crouch at the press of a button! Finally introducing proper stealth to the series!
    2. Rainbow Six Siege – This was the absolute best closing reveal of any of the big conferences. Literally the only game that wasn’t teased, or leaked in anyway, before it hit the stage. Fantastic looking game.
    3. Absu – I don’t care about any details. It looks like Journey underwater. I NEED IT! If you haven’t played Journey yet, do it. You’ll understand.
    4. Legend of Zelda – We knew it would be announced, but I was quite pleased with the short tease we were given. It was a lot more impressive than the 12 seconds of Nathan Drake we saw at the tail end of Sony’s Presser. I would have loved to have seen more LoZ tho. Also, Hyrule Warriors has a US release date! I didn’t think it was gonna happen!
    5. Rise of the Tomb Raider – I really enjoyed the first game in the rebooted franchise, however it felt off. I’m glad to hear that this next game “will put the tombs back in Tomb Raider” as they said at Crystal Dynamics. It’s going to be nice to have the new survival style gameplay coupled with the puzzle solving/tomb exploring of the classic games.

    Honorable Mention: Kirby and the Rainbow Curse – Canvas Curse was far too awesome to let it just disappear! I’m so glad to be getting a sequel that’s coming to Wii U!

    Pisko

    1. The Legend of Zelda Wii U – WOAH. TRULY open world. Sprawling scenery. A sweet uneasy marriage of Wind Waker and Skyward Sword visuals. AN ADULT LINK. Leaping off a horse and attacking! This game has it all and we don’t know shit about it yet. Still, nothing has made me pine for a game this much since Skyward came out.
    2. Halo: The Master Chief Collection – This is super exciting to me if only for the remastered Halo 2 Anniversary edition. All 4 Halo games have their original multiplayer in tact (they don’t all have to use Reach’s matchmaking). All the games are set to run at 1080p @ 60fps on the xbox one and Halo 5 beta access is included with the package as well as the Knightfall show when it premiers.
    3. Amiibo – For all the forward thinking Nintendo did in putting NFC into the gamepad, they sure took their sweet ass time making anything that works with it. (I know Pokemon Rumble used it, but not very well) The toys themselves look incredibly high quality which makes me nervous of the price, but the promise of having an autonomous helper at your fingertips that will learn and cross multiple games might be enough to justify the cost.
    4. Sony – They snuck a few not-too-subtle “Fuck you”’s at Microsoft through out the press conference but otherwise they brought a 1-2-punch of games, games, and more fucking games. The only real problem with Sony this year was they instead of just letting the Vita languish against the 3DS they now insist it’s an accessory to the PS4. Little Big Planet 3, Uncharted 4, Ratchet & Clank remake, games, games, games. Sony wins mostly because they are the only company who remembered to both bring and talk about games that are ACTUALLY COMING OUT THIS YEAR.
    5. The Devil’s Third – Wii U exclusive from

      Tomonobu Itagaki

      . Let that sink in for a second.

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    ‘Rasslin Report #2 https://one-quest.com/blog/rasslin-report-2/ Thu, 12 Jun 2014 01:42:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=20246 Sorry for missing the week there, time kind of got away from me. But in any case the ‘Rasslin Report is back fora second edition and there’s been a decent amount of news in the last few weeks to talk about.

    • The biggest news is that Daniel Bryan has been stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. His recovery from neck surgery has not progressed as well as the doctors have hoped and he will not be cleared to wrestle before the Money In The Bank pay-per-view. So the company made the decision to strip him of the title and instead of having a ladder match for a future title match at any time and now the main event will be a WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match.
    • As of this time 4 of the 7 entrants for the ladder match have been decided. Right now it is Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Cesaro. The other 3 spots will be determined in qualifying matches in the coming weeks.
    • There are rumors of still doing the “traditional” Money In The Bank ladder match at the upcoming PPV which would likely be filled out by the up-an-comers on the roster who might be getting a push sometime in the next year.
    • The other really big news is that Seth Rollins has turned his back on The Shield and joined Evolution. The night after the Payback PPV Batista “quit” WWE after not being given a one-on-one match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This looked to be the end of Evolution but at the end of that night’s RAW The Shield called out Randy Orton and HHH which they obliged. HHH had his trademark sledgehammer in hand but so Rollins went and grabbed chairs. Rollins then proceeded to attack Reigns and Ambrose and left with Orton and HHH.
    • Over in NXT, Charlotte defeated Natalya to win the NXT Women’s Title. Adrian Neville retained the NXT Championship over Tyson Kidd. Tyler Breeze defeated Sami Zayn to become the #1 contender for the NXT Title.

    RAW_1098_Photo_007

    RAW_1097_Photo_289

    RAW_1097_Photo_311

    All photos courtesy of wwe.com

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    T.W.I.G. 6/8/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/twig682014/ Sun, 08 Jun 2014 11:09:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19619 Twig6-8-14

     

    It’s bright and early on a beautiful Sunday morning here in southern New Jersey so that means it’s time for the last pre-E3 2014 edition of The Week In Gaming here on One-Quest.com!

    The News:

    • The Last Guardian canceled? IGN has reported that Sony has scrapped the long awaited game has been officially canceled, however Sony has denied the rumor and has led to IGN to look further into their source’s claims. This all comes after pre-order listings for the game have appeared on Amazon.com
    • Forza Horizon 2 has been announced. The game will release this fall for both the XboxOne and Xbox 360. The studio behind the game, Playground Games, are the ones who made the first Forza Horizon and are working with Turn 10 to share tech. They have also stated that the game with its open-world will be running at 1080p and a locked 30 frames per second.
    • Crytech has announced Homefront: The Revolution, they acquired the IP after THQ went out of business. The game will be set in a future version of Philadelphia, which make me kind of interested. The game will be releasing on PC, PS4, and XB1 no timetable for the release has been announced.
    • A follow-up to last week. Ed Boon has confirmed that we are getting a new Mortal Kombat game next year. Titled Mortal Kombat X, the game will be releasing on PS3, PS4, 360, and XB1.
    • Batman: Arkham Knight has joined the list of games that have been delayed until 2015. Reports from people who have played it have stated that while the game looked amazing it ran very roughly.

    The new releases:

    • How To Train Your Dragon 2 (6/10) – 360, 3DS, PS3, Wii, WiiU
    • Enemy Front (6/10) – 360, PS3

    httyd2 2167199-enemyfront5

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    Take It Or Leave It – June 4, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-june-4-2014/ Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:45:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19595 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Take It Or Leave It, two weeks in a row? Man this hasn’t happened in ages! We’ve got a busier week of comics here, and I only really focused on the ones I liked, so this week is basically all Take It’s. The not so good books just weren’t worth writing about. For now though, let’s just get on with what’s good!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    the-woods

    The Woods #2

    The Woods is this wonderful Sci-Fi/Mystery/Drama mixture that just works. It reminds me a little of the Image series Morning Glories, but faster paced. The first issue did a fine job of setting us up to what happened, without letting us know what actually happened. This second issue gets things moving and it’s immediately obvious that the monster aren’t the only thing the kids have to fear. The split groups adds nicely to the plot as well, I feel like if the whole thing took place out in the titular woods or just on the school campus things could get stale quickly. I don’t want to give anything away since the story is still developing, but The Woods is definitely shaping up to be a book worth following, so give it a shot before you get too far behind.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batman-eternal-9

    Batman Eternal #9

    It would be easy for these weekly issues of Batman Eternal to get stale pretty fast, luckily 9 weeks in and things are still going pretty strong. Personally I’d like a little more diversity in the narrative. I was hoping things would focus more on characters like Red Robin, Gordon, Harper, etc, rather than everything being primarily Batman centered. I suppose when the book is called Batman Eternal that’s to be expected though. On the bright side, you really have to try to go wrong with Batman. Issue 9 see’s the Dark Knight traveling to China to unravel what’s going on with Falcone and what brought him back to Gotham so fiercely. There’s plenty of action, and a few big moments throughout the issue that actually make it pretty worth reading. The biggest problem you’re going to get with Batman Eternal is that it’s a weekly series for the next year so we’re not getting any real closure for quite some time!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    green-arrow-32

    Green Arrow #32

    I remember a time when, like Aquaman, Green Arrow was kind of a joke. He had a similar back story to Batman, but wasn’t nearly as tragic or exciting. Sure he had some great stories, but a few hits doesn’t make an icon. Ever since Jeff Lemire took over writing I feel like Oliver Queen has a new lease on life. With the Outsiders War ending last issue, and Ollie returning to Seattle after the events of Forever Evil, it’s back to business as normal. Except well the crime in Seattle is off the charts and his allies pretty much lead the bad guys right to there base of operations. This was also the start of what I hope to be a bigger role for Diggle as we start to learn how his history intertwines more with Green Arrow. There was a lot of story here, and some interest action, but the big game changer comes in the final pages as we see things are definitely changing for Oliver and his friends.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-34

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #34

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just seems to get better and better each month. And this month we get METALHEAD! This book really takes the best parts of the classic comics and cartoons and wraps them into a new modern setting and origin. With the Turtles back in NYC with their allies it’s only a matter of time now before the Foot attacks and Krang finally unleashes the Technodrome on Earth. Everything about this book is elevating to a point where it’s going to be non-stop excitement any issue now. For the most part this issue feels like a bit of a breather, much like the last it’s reestablishing the Turtles in New York and showing us some of their ‘allies’, and maybe some new ways they’ll be battling the foot soon? Regardless it’s a superb read, the art is a little off this month but it’s nothing to not read the issue over.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    rise-of-the-magi-1

    Rise of the Maji #1

    I missed Free Comic Book Day this year, so I didn’t get a copy of Rise of the Maji 0. I know it was available for free online, but I still managed to miss it. I decided to just jump right into issue 1 though, and luckily they give a nice little recap of what’s happening. It was pretty exciting to see Marc Silvestri was doing a new comic, and magic/fantasy stuff is usually a good time. Rise of the Maji is no exception, it’s an interest concept, with a twist to it. Issue one had a lot of action and suspense as you were left wondering where things were going. And seriously those horsemen with the rino horns were badass. Personally I’m looking forward to see what kind of crazy stuff starts happening now that the story is fully in motion.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    witchblade-175

    Witchblade #175

    For some reason, this is just not what I expected this issue to be. After battle the Angelus and all that fun stuff for the fate of who controls the Witchblade I thought Sara would be back to her old habits, or something. Instead we get this crazy internal issue where Sara and the Witchblade have some choice words for each other. Obviously the Witchblade isn’t all that thrilled with Sara for abandoning it. Sara on the other hand just isn’t happy with the Witchblade, it kind of ruined her life, but she’s dealt with it the best she could. And now they’re back together. It’s going to be interesting to see if we get more of this perspective of the Witchblade and more confrontations with it and Sara in the future. Overall not a super eventful issue, but one that still gets a lot of information across.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    cyclops-2

    Cyclops #2

    I never thought I’d intentionally read an issue of a Cyclops comics, let alone two of them. Young Scott Summers off in space with his father Corsair just seemed like an interesting take on a character that I generally don’t care for. And when I say I don’t care for him, I mean I really just don’t like Cyclops. This younger version of the character isn’t the same stick in the mud that we’re use to though. He’s only just become an X-Man, and by being thrown into a future he wasn’t ready for, his whole character is changing. The relationship with Corsair is actually pretty good too, as Scott has no idea what to think of his father, or the situation he’s put himself in. Corsair occasional “I keep forgetting this is new to you, older you has dealt with this” lines are actually a nice touch. I think I may actually stick with this series for a little while, and see where it goes from here. This father and son intergalactic road trip can only last for so long, but it seems like it should be fun while it does.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    original-sin-3

    Original Sin #3

    It’s really hard to judge this event comics, they are almost always a disappointment in the end. Some start out great and slowly spiral out of control. Others start out bad and just keep a nice level of consistency. So far though, I’m enjoying Original Sin, it’s a very different feel than most other even comics we’ve had in recent years. Hell it’s different than most main stream comics, being that at it’s core it’s a murder mystery. There’s really nothing to show what’s really happening, and now that so many characters have seen their deepest secrets it actually make me as a reader want to pick up those tie-in books. That hardly ever happens, most events the tie-ins feel forced and unrelated. Original Sin actually gave them all a purpose, that while not needed for the story, could make it more interesting. There’s so many secrets and mystery going on in the series, I have a feeling by the time we get to the reveals it’s going to be intense. Oh and holy crap, those last pages were insane. I really want to know what the hell that was about!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Favorite Handheld Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-handheld-games/ Sat, 07 Jun 2014 02:11:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19597 Nintendo_3DS_and_PS_Vita

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite Handheld Games

    It’s that time of week once again, as those of us at One-Quest gather and discuss our five favorite things from a given topic. Or as it’s been called since the beginning, the Friday Five! We’re continuing with the Video Game theme this week as we dive into our Favorite Handheld Games. This is a tough one to narrow down, as so many wonderful games have come out in the 25 years since the original Game Boy released and ushered in the era of Handheld gaming. So let’s get to the lists already.

    Chris

    1. Pokemon – I can’t even narrow this one down, I’ve owned at least one game from every generation, and have poured so many hours into this series I could probably have multiple doctorates by now had I applied those hours to education.
    2. Fire Emblem Awakening – I’d never played a Fire Emblem game before Awakening, and boy am I glad I finally got around to this series. I had my reservations about it, but ended up just falling in love with everything about it. I ended up playing the game through, then immediately started a new file and did it all over again!
    3. Final Fantasy IV – It’s probably not the best thing to admit, but I never played Final Fantasy IV until it was released on the Nintendo DS. It’s easily one of the best in the series, and works perfectly on a handheld, especially now that they’re such powerful little machines.
    4. Legend of Zelda – Link’s Awakening – This was the first Zelda game I ever beat all the way through. It was also the first in a very long line of amazing handheld Zelda adventures.
    5. Wario Ware Inc. – If you never had the chance to play Wario Ware Inc on the GBA you missed a truly unique experience. I don’t think this series ever hit the peaks it did with that original GBA game, to this day I’ll occasionally pop that in my DS or GBA and play to kill some time. It’s the ultimate A.D.D. game.

    pokemon-red-and-blue

    Pisko

    1. Rock Band Unplugged
    2. Pokemon Diamond
    3. Legend of Zelda – Link’s awakening
    4. Mii Plaza
    5. Pokemon Red

    rock-band-unplugged

    Audra

    1. Tetris – I had this game for Gameboy. I remember how wowed I was when I was able to play my brother by simply connecting the two Gameboy’s together with a wire.
    2. God of War: Chains of Olympus – I love Kratos.
    3. New Super Mario Brothers – I remember sitting in the theater with Eric, waiting for a movie to start, both of us playing this game after just picking it up.
    4. Legend of Zelda – Minish Cap – Adorbs little hat dude.
    5. Mario Kart DS – I remember playing this game at Eric’s house while waiting for him to get done work. I played the hell out of this game.

    god_of_war_chains_of_olympus

    Eric

    1. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep – The highlight of the series! If you have a PSP you should get this.
    2. Lumines – Not Limunes 2 or any of the other sequels. The original is the best, and the reason I got a PSP.
    3. Dragon Quest IX – This game was fantastic! It brought the return of classes, a massive world map, and multiplayer to the series! So much flippin’ fun!
    4. Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis – I still have no idea how the job system worked in this game. I do know I spent far too much time playing against Retro Game Network’s PixelPapa in English class sophomore year! #FightItOut #PenisSword
    5. Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD – Yeah, a mild cop out. Still, this is a fantastic addition to my. . . ok, it’s the only game worth owning on PSVita that isn’t free.

    kingdom-hearts-birth-by-sleep

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    T.W.I.G. 6/1/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-612014/ Sun, 01 Jun 2014 16:00:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19584 Twig6-1-14

     

    We’re back with another exiting (not really) edition of The Week In Gaming! It’s only 1 week until E3 when we will find out all sorts of crazy news, but for now let’s take a look at what’s gone down in the past week.

    The News:

    • Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix will be releasing this year for the PS3. It will include remastered versions of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep. No word on an exact date but I’ll imagine we will find that out at E3 next week,
    • Nintendo will be releasing a GameCube controller adapter for the WiiU for use with Smash Bros.
    • A poster teasing a new Mortal Kombat has leaked online so it looks like we will be seeing what they have in store at this year’s E3
    • EA has confirmed the rumors of a new Battlefield game that will release this year. Titled Battlefield Hardline the game will focus on “The war on crime” and feature cops vs crimials.
    • The Order 1886 has been delayed until early 2015.
    • Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham has been announced for release this fall on PS3, PS4, Vita, 3DS, WiiU, 360, XboxOne, and PC

    The new releases:

    • Murdered: Soul Suspect (6/3) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Tomodachi Life (6/6) – 3DS

    murdered tomodachicleanhalf

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    Take It Or Leave It – May 28, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-may-28-2014/ Sat, 31 May 2014 15:56:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19561 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’re back! It’s been a while, between starting a new job and buying a house I haven’t had a lot of time to read comics, let alone write about them! I’ve finally gotten myself (mostly) caught up though so I figured now was as good a time as any to get back to the one and only original and official Take It Or Leave It, except no impostors or substitutes.

    Anyway, I’ve got a small group this week, but hopefully next week we can get back into the swing of a nice full Take It Or Leave It. And remember if there are any books coming up that you’re interesting in, but don’t want to pick it up unless there’s a good chance it’s good, let me know the title in the comments or on Facebook.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    batman31

    Batman #31

    It really says something about the creative team, that even when a story seems to have gone on far too long, it’s still entertaining to read. I’m personally really looking forward to the end of Zero Year so we can get back to the Dark Knight of the present and see how things form issue 28 come to be. Even with that said, Zero Year is fun to read, and issue 31 definitely feels like it’s picking up more than recent issues in the Savage City portion of the story have before. I mean come on Batman battling lions? It doesn’t get much cooler. Issue 31 actually did a nice job of showing who Bruce was as he grew up to, with just a few minor scenes. And the Riddler / Batman chat was exactly what you’d expect from these two. All in all, while Zero Year hasn’t been nearly as thrilling as Night of Owls or Death of the Family it’s still be a solid story, and issue 31 keeps that trend going. With only two more issues to go in this prequel storyline you’d be crazy to skip this one.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    nightwing30

    Nightwing #30

    Oh Nightwing, you were such a good book, and I’m going to miss you. For me the end of this series was when Kyle Higgins (who’s new book I talk about next) finished up his run last issue with #29. It wrapped up the storyline he’d been working on, and you could guess the next logical step was his trip to Gotham in the opening of Forever Evil. Now a couple months later issue 30 picks up with Dick ‘dead’ to the world, except Bruce, after the events of Forever Evil. I guess technically Lex, and Catwoman both know too but whatever. This wasn’t a great issue, it did do a good job of setting up Dick’s next series, Grayson, that debuts this summer. The problem is the story just didn’t feel cohesive enough, like the writing team didn’t know how to work together yet. I can personally look past this, as long as it improves by the time Grayson launches. It was sad to see Alfred’s reaction to what’s happened, but then we get to the Bruce and Dick parts of the story and it just doesn’t feel right. These characters have so much history, and there dialogue just didn’t feel right. The fact that both of them were basically just talking and not really having a conversation didn’t help either. I’m looking forward to see where Grayson goes, but this issue was just missing a lot of the heart you’d expect from it. Especially when it comes to such an emotionally heavy topic as Bruce asking Dick to do what he needs him to do. I just can’t recommend this issue, unless you really want to see the setup for Grayson.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    cowl1

    C.O.W.L. #1

    I’ve been interested in C.O.W.L. since Image announced it back at Image Expo early this year. Series writers Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel are bringing their short film The League to the comic page. Which is fitting since it was inspired by superhero comics after all. C.O.W.L. stands for Chicago Organized Workers League, and it’s the first union for super powered people. They’re not the Avengers or the Justice League though, these characters actually feel like real people. Sure they can do crazy things, but they’re people first. They’re working their job, protecting people, and they’re not all in it to do what’s write, some are just trying to make a paycheck. The other thing about this story, it takes place in the 1960’s. But a slightly more advanced ’60s. This first issue did a great job of getting the reader interested in learning more about this world and these characters. The book jumps right into action, and spends the rest of the issue showing the outcome of it. I’m not talking fallout from an alien invasion, but how the news and other members of C.O.W.L. deal with life after a big fight. So if you’re a fan of super hero comics, but you want something different than what you’re use to getting at Marvel or DC check out C.O.W.L. it may just scratch that itch for you. A side note to all that, since this story has already proven itself as a short film, if the book does well enough we could be seeing the first steps to a new comic related TV series. Though we’ve already got plenty of them on the horizon, one more not tied into bigger continuities would be nice.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    inhumans2

    Inhumans #2

    Like many, when I heard Matt Fraction and Joe Madueira were going to be working on an Inhumans book together I got excited. These two guys are amazing, and working together I couldn’t even fathom how awesome the work would be. Unfortunately Fraction left before the first issue was even done after some creative differences. Luckily Marvel put the book into the very capable hands of Charles Soule who’s been doing an awesome job on Swamp Thing over at DC. And the book still had Madueira, so it couldn’t all bad. And you know the first issue was pretty good, and so was the second, minus a few complaints. The biggest problem with this book is the shipping schedule, huge delays between issues, with #3 not coming out till the end of July. Oh and that issue will be Madueira’s last, again Marvel is replacing him with someone equally great Ryan Stegman. That’s all done though, let’s talk about issue 2 some. I hardly remembered where issue 1 had left off when I started this one, but quickly found myself back up to speed. The problem is whole issue felt unnecessary. Nothing really important happened until the last few pages. It was nice to see Cap and Medusa team up, and the scenes with Dante and his Sister had some good humor to them, but over all it felt like filler. The real selling point of the book is Madueira’s art, which as you’d expect was spectacular. This guy doesn’t do nearly enough comics, and even if Marvel just bounces him from book to book I’d love to see him do more. Unfortunately there are quite a few times where all we get are vague silhouettes of the characters, with the delays these issues are facing you’d think a little more detail would be possible. I’m not a publisher though, so who knows what the reasoning was. I guess over all this was a fun read, if not totally needed. As I mentioned before Cap and Medusa teaming up was fun, as was the reaction of the AIM people they were fighting. If for nothing else though, I’m recommending this book because Joe Madueira doesn’t do nearly enough comics and you should pick them up while you can.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    uncannyavengers20

    Uncanny Avengers #20

    Originally Inhumans #2 was going to be my last review this week, but then I read Uncanny Avengers #20 and just needed to talk about it. There’s something about alternate future X-Men characters that I can’t help but love. Seeing a group of mutants like Psylocke, Magneto, Cyclops, and Cable battling a mixed group of ‘freedom fighters’ in Havock, Wasp, Beast, and Kang’s team was a lot of fun. But nothing was better than seeing Wolverine and Sunfire set free, while they didn’t get to do much, there few panels of action were great after what we know they’ve been through the last several years. This arc of Uncanny Avengers is close to wrapping up (I think anyway), so the next couple issues are probably going to be intense and full of action. Issue 20 though was definitely the transition issue that starts it all, and it’s well worth checking out, especially if you’ve been interested in Uncanny Avengers already.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    One-Quest Wrestling Report #1 https://one-quest.com/blog/one-quest-wrestling-report-1/ Sat, 31 May 2014 12:48:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19565 WWE-LogoSo, it’s a week later than I said it would be but here it finally is, the start of the One-Quest Wrestling Report (the name is a work in progress, if you have any suggestions leave them in the comments here or on Facebook!). 

    • I will start with the one thing I think WWE is really doing right now, the John Cena-Bray Wyatt feud. Bray is the perfect counter to John Cena, he’s not some super muscle-bound meathead, he might be the best talker in the company now, and has gotten the crowd completely on his side. I’m hoping Bray finally break John Cena’s winning streak in Last Man Standing matches.
    • So Daniel Bryan is still the WWE World Heavyweight champion after this week’s RAW. He did not do as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley asked and surrender the title to her, nor did she strip him of the title. In the confrontation on RAW Bryan also seemed a little selfish in saying that the “WWE Universe” deserves to have a fighting champion defending the titles each week but still didn’t relinquish his title. I don’t know if making Bryan look a bit selfish was done on purpose and maybe start of a heel turn or was this just something I’m reading more into than was really there.
    • I do not get the Adam Rose-Jack Swagger feud. Honestly, I don’t get Adam Rose, I’m not a fan of his gimmick so far. And to be honest I’d much rather see Jack Swagger in a feud with Rusev. Zeb Coulter is already pretty popular with the fans and the “We the people” chant is popular with the crowds so they wouldn’t even have to change anything with either character to get them over as the babyface in a feud with Rusev. And it would have made SO much more sense for The Real American Jack Swagger to make the save for Zack Ryder on Monday than Big E.
    • Hunico is doing a much better job with the Sin Cara character than Mystico ever did. Who knows what would have happened if Mystico could have stayed healthy, but for now it looks like WWE made a good choice by letting him go and moving the character to Hunico.
    • It’s pretty bad that the best wrestler in the Los Matadores-3 Man Band feud is El Torito. This whole feud is such a waste of time.
    • Damien Sandow has had one of the hardest falls I’ve ever seen. He won Money In The Bank and looked to be in line for his first top-tier title but lost to John Cena when he cashed in. Since then he’s been pushed to full on jobber status and now is in a weird “identity crisis” gimmick where he’s wrestled as Magneto, Sherlock Holmes, and a rapper nammed D-Sizzle. It’s terribile and a waste of talent, he must have pissed someone high up REAL badly.
    • I was originally completely behind the idea of pairing up Cesaro with Paul Heyman but the crowd now seems to be confused as how they should feel. Cesaro and the Cesaro Swing are way over with the crowd, and Paul Heyman can be over but he keeps playing a heel role and talking about how Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak. We will see how things play out with these two, if Daniel Bryan is out for an extended period of time and does relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Title I think Cesaro will be near the top of the list of contenders for the vacant title.
    • I’m looking forward to NXT Takeover. The NXT shows have been as good if not better than most RAWs or Smack Downs in recent weeks and all 3 titles are up for grabs on Takeover so things should be very interesting.
    • That brings me to the competition of WWE, TNA. TNA has been awful. I haven’t even bothered to watch because NXT has been vastly superior to TNA. I just checked the results of last week’s Impact, there was like 20 minutes of wrestling on the 2 hour show. While over on NXT there was also about 20 minutes of wrestling, but NXT is only a 1 hour show.

    So that all pretty much sums up my observations of the week (and then some) in the world of professional wrestling. That just leaves one thing, my predictions for tomorrow night’s Payback Pay-Per-View!

    payback 2014 logo

    • El Torito will easily defeat Hornswoggle on the Payback Pre-show.
    •  The Shield will defeat Evolution. Roman Reigns will be the one to the the final pinfall on HHH.
    •  Bray Wyatt will defeat John Cena after hitting Sister Abigail somewhere outside of the ring.
    •  Bad News Barrett retains the Intercontinental Title after hitting the Bull Hammer on RVD.
    •  Cesaro wins the United States Title after a big swing-Neutralizer combo on Sheamus.
    •  Paige will retain the Diva’s title in her match with Alicia Fox. I’ll say she locks in the Scorpion Crosslock for the win.
    • Rusev will defeat Big E
    • And I think Daniel Bryan will finally give up the WWE Championship.
    He's got the whole world in his hands......

    He’s got the whole world in his hands……

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    Friday Five – Favorite PS1/N64 Era Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-ps1n64-era-games/ Fri, 30 May 2014 20:05:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19549 gaming-nintendo-64-playstation
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite PS1/N64 Era Games

    So last week you probably remember us doing favorite 16bit games. That was easy, that generation of consoles presented there games in 16 bits it was nice. The next gen you had things getting out of hand with 32 and 64 bit systems on the market! Long story short, that’s why this isn’t Favorite XX-Bit Games. Regardless of that, a lot of us really came into a gaming glory during the days of the Nintendo 64 and Playstation 1. Of course we grew up with things like Atari, NES, SNES, etc, but we were small children at the time. By the mid to late ’90s we were pre-teens into teens and our tastes began to expand. Though not that much, since we picked mostly the same type of games as the previous generation! Enough of this though, let’s get on with the lists.

    Chris

    1. Final Fantasy VIII – I didn’t really know which Final Fantasy from this era I wanted to pick, but as you read on you’ll see Tactics, VII, and IX are all picked. So I decided to go with Final Fantasy VIII, so it could get some love too. Now the other PS1 Final Fantasy were all great, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed them all. VIII gets a lot of crap from people because of the Draw system, and some other things. But seriously that game had a fantastic story, and the junction system was simple enough to use but crazy awesome if you really got into developing it.
    2. Super Mario 64 – I played this game for god damn hours when I got my N64, then it came out on DS and I played it for even more hours! You almost never go wrong with a Mario game, and Mario 64 really jumped everyone’s favorite turtle battling plumber into 3D well.
    3. Mario Kart 64 – The original Mario Kart on SNES was fun, but Mario Kart 64 is where the game really got great. It felt fast, the battle stages were a ton of fun, and just racing around all those crazy tracks could keep you busy for hours. Every Mario Kart tends to have something special about it, but I think Mario Kart 64 is definitely the top of the Kart Racing, hell even just racing game genre.
    4. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time – This game felt like it took forever to come out, and it kind of did. If Link to The Past is my favorite Zelda game, than Ocarina of Time is easily my second. It was just such a huge epic game that spanned time, obviously, and the story just felt bigger than previous Zelda titles. Plus when you get Epona in the middle of the game, that whole section is just awesome.
    5. Spider-Man: Enter Electro – Spider-Man has a real love hate relationship with video games. The older side scrollers like Maximum Carnage were fun, and from what I hear the more recent titles are kind bleh. But The two games for PS1 really got Spidey to start hitting his stride, and the second one Enter Electro did it best. These weren’t the best Spider-Man games, that title goes to either Spider-Man 2 (the movie game) or Ultimate Spider-Man. But this one was definitely a step in the right direction.

    Honorable Mention: Tony Hawk 1 & 2 – These games were just a ton of fun, I played the hell out of them to the point I could clear most stages in a single run, well as long as it was possible anyway. The music is what really did it though, both games just had such awesome soundtracks.
    final-fantasy-viii-logo

    Drootin

    1. Final Fantasy Tactics – This is still my favorite console game of all time and probably my favorite game ever (with only Diablo 2/3 close). The gameplay is awesome and it has one of the most intricate and twisting plots in any game I ever played. I’d recommend this game to anyone.
    2. Super Smash Bros. – While I’m not really the biggest fan of fighting games normally Smash Bros is awesome.
    3. Final Fantasy VII – This is the first RPG that I played and it was an Eye-opener. I pretty much only played sports games and platformers up until I played FF7 and since then RPGs have been near the top of my list of favorite genres.
    4. WWF Attitude/WWF SmackDown 2: Know Your Role – My 2 favorite wrestling games of this era were some of the most played games during this time so I have to include these on my list.
    5. Blast Lacrosse – The only ever retail-sold National Lacrosse League game (a digital download game was available on the 360 a few years back) has to be on my list. The game isn’t very good but also not complete garbage. Its very arcadey but it has the real teams and real players of the time so at least it had that going for it.

    Final-Fantasy-Tactics

    Vogel

    1. Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time – I never had an N64 but I got this as a bonus on the Gamecube. It’s one of my favorite games ever.
    2. Tomb Raider 3 – the first Tomb Raider game I really got into, but it made me want to go back and play the previous ones.
    3. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 – I played the hell out of this game. I remember sinking so much time into this game because I loved the gameplay and the soundtrack.
    4. WWF SmackDown 2: Know Your Role – I used to be really big into wrestling and the first couple Smackdown games were great.
    5. 007 – Golden Eye – As I stated earlier I never owned an N64 and I got a ps1 about 2 months before getting a PS2. In other words I needed a 5th.

    ZeldaOcarinaOfTimeStartScreen

    Eric

    1. Tomb Raider 2
    2. Final Fantasy IX
    3. Final Fantasy Tactics
    4. Pokemon Stadium
    5. Paper Mario

    tomb_raider_2_box

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    T.W.I.G. 5/25/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-5252014/ Sun, 25 May 2014 12:41:04 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19536 Twig5-25-14

    IT’S SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! And that means that it’s time for all the gaming news I found interesting this week!

    The News:

    • Ike will be returning to Super Smash Bros. for WiiU and 3DS. In related news Smash Bros for WiiU will use Near Field Communications (NFC) similar to Skylanders/Disney Infinity for something in the game that it appears they will unveil at E3.
    • The Kickstarter campaign for a new version of Amplitude reached its goal. The game is estimated to release next March. We will be sure to keep you updated as Amplitude was a favorite of most of us here at One-Quest.
    • The 2 Metro games, 2033 and Last Light, are getting remastered releases on the PS4, XB1, and PC this summer in a package called “Metro Redux”
    • Update to an item from last week, WWE 2K15 will NOT be releasing next year and will be releasing on October 28th of this year for PS3, PS4, 360, and XB1.
    • Sony has announced that they are bringing SingStar to the PS4 this year and you will be able to use your smartphone as the microphone with the free companion app that will release along side it. No word on if they will still sell microphones for the PS4 version or if the PS3 ones will be compatible or not.
    • EA will be unveiling six new games at E3 2014. No word on platforms or anything like that, but at least it means the EA presser could be very interesting.
    • Worms is coming to the PS4 and XB1 on June 3rd. The game is introducing clans to the series and that will allow co-op play for the first time.
    • Minecraft is coming to PS4, Vita, and XB1 this August. The full price will be $20, but if you own the PS3 or 360 versions the upgrade will only cost you $5

    The new releases:

    • Watch Dogs (5/27) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Sly Cooper Collection (5/27) – Vita
    • Mario Kart 8 (5/30) – WiiU

    WatchDogs 2372462-box_tsc 2600974-12510938343_01c49da2be_o

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    Friday Five – Favorite 16-bit Era Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-16-bit-era-games/ Fri, 23 May 2014 16:30:31 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19529 linktothepast

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite 16-Bit Era Games
     
    It’s been a quiet week over here at One-Quest, a lot of things have been going on behind the scenes, but we didn’t forget about the Friday Five. So for this week’s Friday Five we decided to get a little nostalgic and talk about our favorite games from the 16-bit Era of gaming. We basically all picked Super Nintendo and Sega games, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still love the games on the Turbo Graphix 16 or Neo Geo. We just don’t love them as much. So let’s get on with the listing!

    Chris

    The 16-bit era of gaming was a magical time, so many classic games that people still play and love today came out. I would love to say my top 5 are games like Final Fantasy II(IV) or Chrono Trigger, but I never played those back on the SNES. It wasn’t until years later when the games were ported to handhelds that I finally get a taste of their greatness. Instead my list are games of my childhood that I would play for hours and hours.

    1. Super Mario World – Super Mario World shipped with the original Super Nintendo, and it was a masterpiece of platforming. I’ve spent so many hours traveling through the islands of this game that I can get through some levels while barely looking at the screen
    2. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – Who didn’t love Sonic, a hedgehog with attitude and a love of chili dogs. My Sega Genesis was basically only used to play Sonic games, and occasionally rentals like Earthworm Jim, Power Rangers, or Aladdin. But Sonic 2 was always my favorite, the music, the levels, just about everything.
    3. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – One of my first articles on One-Quest was an overly long look back at Link to the Past, and there’s a good reason for that. This game is amazing, and was a huge part of my childhood. I think I own 3 or 4 different versions of the game on various platforms at this point, and I would buy another if it came my way.
    4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time – TMNT games were always fun, if not unbearable hard (I’m talking about you NES TMNT). Turtles in Time was different though, it took aspects of the cartoon and the movie and blended them together in this fantastic side scrolling beat-em-up. I played this as recently as last year, and it’s still a load of fun.
    5. Sonic & Knuckles – This may be a bit of a cheat, since you can play it by itself or with Sonic 2 or 3 attached, but it was a lot of fun. I loved the new worlds you got to play through, and Knuckles was a great addition to the cast of the game. Not to mention playing through the familiar levels of Sonic 2 with Knuckles totally changed the game. And of course as an added bonus if you put in any other game but Sonic 2 or 3 you’d be able to unlock the special levels of Sonic and Knuckles to practice.

    supermarioworld

    Drootin

    1. NHL ’94 – This game is still in my top 5 games of all time so it deserves its spot atop my Friday 5 for this week and it is still one of the best sports games of all time. This was easily the most played game until I got a PlayStation 1
    2. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – In my mind this is THE best Legend of Zelda game and I couldn’t possibly not list this.
    3. Mutant League Football – One of the best arcade style sports games in the best era of arcade style sports games has to be on the sports gamers list of 16-bit games.
    4. NBA Jam T.E. – Another one of the great arcade style sports games. Tons of hours were sunk into this by me and friends trying to beat the tournament mode without losing.
    5. Madden ’93 – I played this game so much as a kid that now if I ever pop it in or play on an emulator I need to set arbitrary rules for myself for this game to be even remotely challenging.

    nhl94

    Eric

    I didn’t own a Super Nintendo as a kid. I had a Sega Genesis. It does what Nintendon’t!

    1. Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
    2. Ecco the Dolphin (Sega Genesis)
    3. Jurassic Park (Sega Genesis)
    4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (Sega Genesis)
    5. Vectorman (Genesis)

    finalfantasyiv

    Vogel

    Growing up, my sister got a Super Nintendo and I got a Sega Genesis. Many fond memories come from those systems.

    1. Super Mario RPG – I would rent this from Blockbuster every week because I wanted to do everything there was is the game.
    2. Super Mario World – In second grade I came dow. With bronchitis really bad and missed a month of school, I played this game just about every day.
    3. Darius Twin – a semi challenging shooter game where you’re a spaceship flying through a war field of animalesque robots.
    4. Link to the Past – I had LoZ for the NES but never really got into it as a kid, but LttP was amazing. It felt like two games in one and had so much optional content.
    5. Mario’s Time Machine – part educational, part detective work, but I loved this game growing up.

    mariorpg

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    T.W.I.G. 5/18/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-5182014/ Sun, 18 May 2014 17:56:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19521 Twig5-18-14

     

    It’s May 18th, 2014 and that’s a Sunday so that means its time for the One-Quest weekly gaming news recap we call TWIG!

    The News:

    • Microsoft made 3 announcements this week that I was surprised they didn’t save for E3. First they announced that starting June 9th the XboxOne will come in a Kinect-less option with a $399 price tag $100 less than normal. Second they announced the next Halo game will be titled Halo 5: Guardians and will release in the fall of 2015. Lastly they have removed the XboxLive Gold requirement from the majority of entertainment apps including Hulu and Netflix.
    • In related news there are rumors that Halo 1-4 will be coming to XboxOne in a bundle titled Halo: The Master Chief Collection. If true we will likely hear more on this at E3.
    • Tom Clancy’s The Division has been “delayed” to 2015. Honestly I would have been surprised if this game had released in 2014 so hopefully the extra time makes this as awesome as the original trailer seemed it could be.
    • Ubisoft has announced FarCry 4 will be releasing this November 18th for PC, PS3, PS4, 360, and XB1.
    • Ultra Street Fighter IV will be coming to PSN June 3rd and XBL on June 4th.
    • WWE 2K15 may be starting a new release date cycle for the wrestling game. Talk is that the game will be releasing close to WrestleMania as opposed to the fall to take advantage of the extra attention the company gets that time of year.

    The new releases:

    • Drakengard 3 (5/20) – PS3
    • Wolfenstein: The New Order (5/20) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Transistor (5/20) – PC, PS4

    2624769-drakengard3 2603035-4043793104-W7M7u 2632715-untitled

    Kickstarter

    So there’s 6 days left in our Kickstarter and we were REALLY hoping to be closer to our goal than we are by this time but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be reached! So please, if you haven’t donated yet and you can, please do and if you have or can’t please share the link!

    Thanks!

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    Friday Five – Most Anticipated Summer Movies 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-most-anticipated-summer-movies-2014/ Fri, 16 May 2014 17:00:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19500 daysoffuturepast
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Most Anticipated Summer Moves of 2014
     
    We’re all pretty big movie fans at One-Quest, so the summer is usually an awesome time for us. So this week we decided to look ahead at the movies we’re most looking forward to seeing in a cold dark theater while it feels like a bad day on Tatooine outside. So let’s get started with our Most Anticipated Summer Movies of 2014.
     

    Chris

    There are a ton of awesome movie this summer, we’ve already had a few with Cap 2 and ASM 2. I can’t wait to see what else the summer movie season brings.

    1. Guardians of the Galaxy – I think everyone was a little skeptical when Marvel announced this one, but with ever image and trailer we see it just keeps looking better. And the cast is pretty awesome too.
    2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – After X-Men 3 I kinda lost interest in these movies, so I didn’t see First Class till almost a year after it released. That movie was fantastic though, and with Bryan Singer still in charge of DOFP this new chapter in the X-Men films looks like it’s going to be even better.
    3. Lucy – This one just looks pretty crazy, and hopefully if it does well it’ll push Marvel to do a Black Widow movie even faster.
    4. A Million Ways to Die in the West – I thought Ted was pretty damn fun, and this new one from Seth MacFarlane looks even better. There’s even a Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown cameo in one of the trailers! And that’s just a cameo, there’s still the awesome cast like Neil Patrick Harris and Liam Neeson
    5. 22 Jump Street – 21 Jump Street was surprising funny, so I’ve got pretty high hopes for the sequel. Hopefully they can do it twice, unfortunately I doubt we’ll get another Johnny Depp cameo.

     
    guardians-of-the-galaxy-movie-poster
     

    Shannon

    1. How to Train Your Dragon 2
    2. Guardians of the Galaxy
    3. The Giver
    4. Maleficent
    5. Lucy

     
    howtotrainyourdragon2
     

    Drootin

    1. X-Men: Days of Future Past – The X-men are probably my favorite superhero group so I’m really excited to see this movie.
    2. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – The first Sin City movie was awesome and I’ve been waiting since then for this to come out.
    3. Guardians of the Galaxy – As a non-comic reader I had no clue who the Guardians of the Galaxy were when this movie was announced but the trailers look awesome and I’m now super interested in this movie.
    4. The Expendables 3 – Older action movie stars killing people and blowing things up, need I say more?
    5. A Million Ways to Die in the West – I love Seth MacFarlane and everything he’s done. This movie has the potential to be totally stupid but it will probably be fun.

     
    sincityadametokillfor
     

    Audra

      I easily get excited for a movie when I see the trailer, and then quickly forget, so this may take some googling.

    1. Maleficent – I hope Disney releases more villain centered movies. Forget Disney Princess, bring on Disney Villains.
    2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – As I am in the midst of reading the Hunger Games, I find myself wanting to see more and more with Jennifer Lawrence. And you can’t really see much more of her than you do with her as Mystique.
    3. Guardians of the Galaxy – Eric had me watch the trailer for this movie at least 5 times in a row. It looks awesome and it’ll be nice to be exposed to new storylines. (Plus freakin’ Karen Gillan and Chris Pratt are going to star!)
    4. Lucy – Once again, I lovvvvvve Scarlett Johansson. She’s such a badass, and this movie plot sounds incredibly thought inducing.
    5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – I haven’t given up on them yet. 😀

     
    Maleficent
     

    Eric

    I find this topic to be a little late. Given, it’s only about 2 weeks late, it’s still late! If I didn’t already see Amazing Spider-Man 2, then it would be on this list. But it was disappointing, so it doesn’t even get an honorable mention.

    1. Godzilla – The King of Monsters is back! I’ve heard plenty of unnecessary skepticism due to the last American attempt to conquer this beast, but this looks infinitely better. Godzilla has been re-sized to match the growth of our cities, he’s been designed to resemble the original Godzilla in almost every way, his roar is frightening and best of all. . . HEISENBERG! If you idiots thought Pacific Rim was a good kaiju movie, then you’re in for a real treat now!
    2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Wolverine is back in center stage as he leads the X-Men of the past to stop a horrible future. It’s going to be nuts! Also, Jennifer Lawrence. Ok, really I’m just going for that part. By now I don’t have much regard for the non-Marvel Studio’s superhero flicks.
    3. Jupiter Ascending – I honestly don’t even know what it’s about, but it’s a Wachowski movie, so it’s gonna be wild. Count me in!
    4. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – So awesome it get’s all caps! No explanation needed! At this point I determine where I am in life based on when the next Marvel Studio’s movie is being released. Right now I’m somewhere in between “desperate” and “sad”. This movie needs to come out fuckin’ NOW!
    5. Hercules – Two different Hercules movies grace the silver screen this year. Only one of them is worth seeing, even a little bit. Hercules start Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the mighty demi-god after he’s completed his 12 labors. Now he’s a mercenary trying to survive. Is it going to be terrible? Probably. Do I need to see it? You bet you’re ass I do!

     
    Godzilla
     

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    WEEKLY COMIC WRAP-UP MAY 13, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/weekly-comic-wrap-up-may-13-2014/ Tue, 13 May 2014 19:22:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19487 wcn51314
    I’m a day late, but it’s alright the news is still here. So there’s a lot of Movie and TV based comic news this week, but first let’s talk about some of the straight up comic book stuff happening.

    Comic News

    • Savage Hulk is happening – The solicits for this summer show a new Hulk book hitting the stands, and much like the similarly titled Savage Wolverine, this book will be non-canon arcs by various creators. Savage Wolverine has been pretty hit or miss, and I feel like a good Hulk story is even harder to get right so I personally don’t have high hopes for this book.
    • Richard Rider’s fate explained soonish – The Original Sin tie-in for Guardians of the Galaxy will apparently delve into the demise of former Nova Richard Rider during the Thanos Imperative. Hopefully it finally explains how Star Lord survived and Rider didn’t. Bendis promises we’ll 100% know what happened to Rider, and find out some more history on other Guardians members
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Visual History Book -This June in honor of the 30th anniversary, Insight Editions will be releasing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History, written by Andrew Farago. The book will include interviews with the creators of the Turtles, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, as well as a slew of others like Brian Henson and Vanilla Ice. If you’re a TMNT fan this will be a must have. It’s being priced at $50 which isn’t to bad.
    • tmnt-ultimate-visual-history

    • The Woods #1 gets a second printing – The new book by James Tynion IV (Batman Eternal, Talon) over at Boom! has been picked up for a second printing. If you missed it the first time around, definitely check it out when the second printing hits stands.
    • Agent Carter airing between the Fall and Spring runs of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – ABC revealed their fall lineup and a bunch of Promo’s for new series. Unfortunately Agent Carter wasn’t one of them. We did however find out that the series will have a shortened season, probably 13 episodes, and air in the winter during the S.H.I.L.D. hiatus. This seems like a great move, that hopefully ABC sticks to (last time they announced this format was Once Upon A Time In Wonderland). This could also help out with the number of repeats the S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered from this season.
    • Fox’s upcoming Batman related series Gotham gets it’s first trailer and episode number – We’ve seen a couple different trailers for Gotham, and while it’s not exactly what I hoped it would be, the series could still end up being good. We’ll just have to wait till the fall to find out. And at least Fox really seems to be backing it as they’ve already ordered an extra 3 episodes than normal, bringing the current season count to 16. It’ll be paired with Sleepy Hollow as well, which is getting an 18 episode second season, so that could help out the ratings as well.
    • Channing Tatum is playing Gambit in X-Men: Apocalypse – I posted about this on our Facebook page, but I’m going to repeat it here. Channing Tatum gets a lot of hate, but the guy is actually pretty funny. Go watch 21 Jump Street or his hilarious cameo in This Is The End. He’s also able to pull of action, so the only concern I’m going to have is whether he can pull of the Cajun accent and the general swagger Gambit brings to everything.
    • Oh, yeah Ben Afflect in Batman suit and the new Batmobile have been revealed! – Yeah, so Zack Snyder revealed a pictures of the new Batman and his Batmobile this morning. And IT WAS FREAKING SWEET! The Batmobile has a very classic feel to it, while still looking sleek and hell. The Batsuit on the other hand is almost 100% the Dark Knight Returns suit which increases my interest in this movie a lot! With 2 years still left till release we’re bound to get plenty more shots of our new Dark Knight, but this one is the first.
    • ben-affleck-batman

    Comics To Watch May 14, 2014

    • All-New X-Men #27 – All-New X-Men has been the best of the X-books since Marvel Now relaunched everything. Now with the team back on earth and sans a young Cyclops things should start picking back up even more and being all kinds of interesting.
    • Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Legend #3 – I’m a month behind, but regardless the Zenescope Robyn Hood titles have been an absolute thrill to read. Series writer Pat Shand delivers all kinds of fun and excitement while still weaving in some great emotion.
    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 5/11/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-5112014/ Sun, 11 May 2014 14:08:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19470  

    Twig5-11-14

    Hello everyone! It’s a Sunday so that means it’s time for the weekly gaming news wrap-up here on One-Quest.com!

    The News:

    • Nintendo has announced that remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, titled Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, will be releasing for the 3DS this November.
    • An updated version Final Fantasy III is coming to Steam soon. The game will include Steam achievements and cards. No exact details on price or release date.
    • Deep Down, the super detailed free-to-play action RPG from Capcom is getting a public beta in Japan this summer. Hopefully that beta goes well and they extend it to US accounts because this is a game that has had me intrigued since it was first unveiled during the PS4 reveal press conference.
    • Epic has unveiled their new play for the Unreal Tournament franchise. The next game, simply titled Unreal Tournament, will be absolutely free and be built mostly by modders. Epic plans on getting the basic deathmatch portion of the game up and running and then having the mod community iterate on that. It is an interesting plan and (if my PC can handle it) I will try it out as I’ve had fun with Unreal in the past.
    • Dying Light has been delayed to February 2015. The developer Techland was not happy with how the movement system that they wanted to develop for their first person traversal in the game and wanted to flesh it out more.
    • Keeping with the delay theme, Elder Scrolls Online has been delayed about six months on PS4 and XB1.
    • Activision and Bungie have announced that the beta for Destiny will be coming this July and will start on PS3 & PS4 first. Activision has also claimed that the development and marketing costs for Destiny will wind up totaling around $500 Million, making it the most expensive game ever.
    • Harmonix has started a Kickstarter campaign for a sequel to the PS2 game Amplitude. This is a very popular game among the One-Quest crew and one of my favorite PS2 games.
    • EA Sports has posted the first teaser trailer for NHL ’15. It is the first game in the franchise for the next-gen consoles which will feature advanced player and puck physics and a new broadcast package including the NHL on NBC broadcast team of Doc Emerick and Ed Olczyk with TSN’s Ray Ferraro “between the benches” and all the NHL on NBC overlays and pre-game package. I will be preordering this ASAP.

    The new releases:

    • Borderlands 2 (5/13) – Vita

    2560027-bl2clean

    Did You Know

    We still have a Kickstarter going for 2 more weeks and we really really hope that we can reach our goal! So please if you can donate please do, and keep in mind that if we don’t reach our goal you will get your money back. And if you can’t donate please spread the link around to anyone who listens to podcasts and wants to hear us talk about dumb things and be fun every week!

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    Agent Carter Logo revealed https://one-quest.com/blog/agent-carter-logo-revealed/ Sat, 10 May 2014 19:49:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19465 Marvel has released the logo and synopsis for their upcoming TV show, Agent Carter.
     
    The details straight from the site are as follows:
     
    “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” starring Captain America’s Hayley Atwell follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life–Steve Rogers. Inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”

    Starring Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is executive produced by Christopher Markus, Steve McFeely, Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Jeph Loeb.
     
    I’m sure you want to see the logo too.
     
    Agent Carter
     
    This sounds pretty sweet to me! No word yet is Dominic Cooper will reprise his role as Howard Stark, but has gone on record stating that he would love to be involved.
     
    We’re going to stay pretty close to this one, so if we hear anything else we’ll keep you in the loop!
     

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    Friday Five – Favorite Reads https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-reads/ Fri, 09 May 2014 20:32:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19456 HisDarkMaterialsUS-1
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite Reads

    If you’re here, right now, looking at this, you’re probably reading. It’s just something that happens. Not everyone can do it, and that sucks, and not everyone wants to do it. Some people hate to read, they’ll do it for required things, but would never pickup a book or something for enjoyment or entertainment. Most of us are the opposite, we read all the time. Books, games, comics, text messages, internets, you name it, we’re part of a culture that just absorbs a lot of stuff through text. So this week, why not talk about our Favorite Reads.

    Chris

    I actually really enjoy reading, whether it’s comics, novels, Wikipedia pages, you name it. I’ve read stuff from the Star Wars expanded universe to non-fiction books like The Art of Deception. Reading is just a good time, most of the time.

    1. Ready Player One – If you have any nostalgia factor for things from the ’80s, even if it was all second hand by the time you got to it, this is a great book to read. Ready Player One is a fast read, and you just don’t want to put it down as you follow these people through this future virtual reality game. It’s nothing like you’d expect it to be, but it’s still a load of fun, with a ton of ’80s references.
    2. Amazing Spider-Man – Who doesn’t love Spider-Man. I thought about this one a lot, did I want to pick a certain book or go broad, which Spider-Man did I prefer now? I decided the main universe Amazing Spider-Man is probably my favorite to read right now, even as it just relaunched. It’s the one everyone knows, and has the most history to it.
    3. Inheritance Cycle – You may remember the movie Eragon from 2006 (Holy shit, 2006. . .), this is the book series itwas based on. Eragon was also the name of the first book. Unfortunately the movie didn’t do a great job, so like another series on my list, we never got to see the rest of the story play out on screen. The novels though are just full of action and fantasy goodness. Lots of dragons too which is always cool
    4. A Song of Ice and Fire – It’s rare today to know someone who doesn’t watch Game of Thrones, well A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for that show. Game of Thrones is actually just the title of the first book, but definitely is a much better TV name than the book series has. If you’re a fan of the show, you’d only be hurting yourself by not checking the books out too, totally worth it!
    5. His Dark Materials – Another series that started to take off into the movie realm, but came crashing down. Back in 2007 there was a fun little fantasy movie called The Golden Compass, based on the first novel in the series. That movie wasn’t the best, and it didn’t do a great job presenting the story that is told in the book series. And thus we never see the rest of the story. Luckily though we’ve still got these books. The series is really crazy, and has all kinds of crazy sub themes and such.

    ready-player-one

    Shannon

      I don’t really read much anymore, but here are some of the things that stand out for me.

    1. The Odyssey – I first read this in 6th grade and I absolutely loved it. I bought the Iliad and Odyssey in one book a few years ago and I need to pick it up again.
    2. The Harry Potter Series – Great characters and a good read for a huge age range.
    3. Fables – Ok, so I just started this series, but I’m hoping it will get me into comic books more and so far it’s pretty interesting.
    4. Pet Shop of Horrors – Most of the good mangas I’d like to put on here I never actually read, but watched the anime instead. But I did read a few of Pet Shop of Horrors which has interesting stories and different takes on classics.
    5. The Sincerest Form of Flattery – A book written by a friend that can be found for digital download on Amazon. I haven’t finished reading it, but the story is really cool.

    The-Odyssey-Book-Cover

    Audra

    1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy – The story line is so addictive and well thought out.
    2. Inkheart Trilogy – A young reader series, but it is so interesting how they get sucked into a story book.
    3. His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass Trilogy) – They traveled to different worlds and kept you suspensefully on your toes.
    4. The Sookie Stackhouse Series – The HBO series has gone down a weird path. However, they did started to make up concepts that weren’t even in the book. But some of the things that they did take from the story were best kept in the book.
    5. Fifty Shades of Grey – Yeah. I’ll be that girl. I got into it, and actually learned quite a few things. And while it is definitely not considered ‘Great Literature’, it kept my interest and was an easy read.

    millennium-series-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-series

    Eric

    I generally don’t read book unless they have pictures. There are a few exceptions.

    1. Spider-Man – Literally anything with the wallcrawler is free game. If I have to choose a favorite it’s Ultimate Pre Miles. Altho. . . Miles is growing on me.
    2. Saga – Everybody should be reading this book. It’s got everything: Blood, Sex, Space, and Naked spider ladies! Seriously, it’s insanity and so good!
    3. Hawkguy (Hawkeye) – Another book that you should just pick up right now! Fraction is all over the place in this book. Sometimes it’s hard to follow, but when it all comes together, it’s fantastic! “Boomerang arrow. Always comes back in the end.”
    4. Y: The Last Man – This was such a great book! BKV is a genius(see Saga), and Pia Guerria’s art is perfect for the book. Check this one out!
    5. Harry Potter – Told you I read books without pictures! It’s incredibly entertaining, and an insanely easy read!

    harry_potter_paperback_set

    ]]>
    Cooking With Glass Part 1 https://one-quest.com/blog/cooking-with-glass-part-1/ https://one-quest.com/blog/cooking-with-glass-part-1/#comments Fri, 09 May 2014 17:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19436 Hello, World! A phrase that most anyone who’s done any kind of programming is all too familiar with. Today I started working with the Google Glass at my local community college, Montgomery County Community College, or if you wish to be more trendy, MCCC or MC3.

    glass_box glass

    A little about myself to get this started. I am currently majoring in Computer Science, and I’m about two semesters in. I’ve been having a ton of fun and making contacts with some great people. At home I’m a husband and a father of two. The support of my family helps tremendously with the projects that I take on, for classes or otherwise. When it comes to class work I’m always trying to find ways to expand the lesson to challenge myself. You want a program modelling a musical note? I’ll make a synthesizer that outputs an ASCII score and plays back the melody you want. You want a program that models a quadratic formula? I’ll make a an Android Graphing Calculator. My final project this semester was a team effort, and he modified existing code to turn an OCR (optical character recognition) app that will pick up text with the camera and translate it for you into one that will do it in real time as well as text-to-text when you type it in. A couple of my professors have approached me to become a lab aide and a tutor, and I hope to start that in the fall. As for this summer, I’ll be volunteering my time to first and second semester CS students as well as developing for the Glass.

    glass_viewfinder glass_buttons

    And now we’re back to the Glass. I’ve done some light to more complicated Android Development, and when asked I was excited to start working on the Glass. Before I was able to get my hands on it, I went through some blogs and forums, trying to make sure I had everything setup and ready to go when the time came. Today I finally got to sit down with it and as anyone who’s tried something new for the first time could guess, I had some problems.

    Although my computer would recognize the Glass for what it was it wouldn’t let me set it up with the Android Device Bridge, or ADB. It just wouldn’t show up. After Googling for a while I found a few workarounds and fixes, and through persistence… I ended up uninstalling the driver and reinstalling it and it was fine. The major problem, it would seem, is the drivers were created for Windows 7, and I’m running Windows 8 and therefore had to disable driver signature enforcement.

    glass_power_cable glass_ear_piece

    And so finally, after a couple hours of getting everything setup so I could create my “Hello, World!” on Google Glass, I looked through a bit of sample code that comes with the software development kit, or sdk. Light development for the Glass, being an Android device after all, is the same as developing for an Android phone or tablet. I played around a little, drawing colored squares on the screen, but using the bulk of my time allotted for today on software troubles, I decided to call it a day. I’m going to spend the next week reading up on voice recognition and using the head-tilt and touch gestures.

    glassdev-sdk-select glassdev-canvas

    glassdev-view
    I hope to come in at least once a week to work on the Glass, and plan on writing about my discoveries/failures when I do. Until next time, Vogel out.

    ]]>
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    Pokemon Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire Are Coming https://one-quest.com/blog/pokemon-omega-ruby-and-alpha-sapphire-are-coming/ Wed, 07 May 2014 16:45:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19405 omegaruby-alphasapphire
    Nintendo revealed what this falls entry in the Pokemon franchise shall be, and it’s probably no surprise, we’re getting remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. This November on the 3DS Nintendo is releasing Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. They’re just past the 10 year mark, which seems to be about the time a remake for the games come out. We haven’t gotten any other details yet, but it’s likely they’re going to include some new features to the game, especially with the game going from a single screen to the duel screens. Most of that information will probably be made public come Nintendo’s E3 live stream event in June.

    omega-ruby

    alpha-sappire

    The original Ruby and Sapphire were the first Pokemon titles on the Gameboy Advanced way back in 2003 (NA release), and were probably the least popular of the entire series. Much of that was due to an inability to transfer Pokemon from Blue/Red or Gold/Silver generation games. The previous generation allowed players to transfer their original Pokemon from the older games once you reached a certain point in the story. Unfortunately due to changes in code, and the non-compatiblity of the GBA to the older Gameboys or Gameboy Colors, that feature was lost.

    ruby-sapphire-box

    Even being the least popular in a series like Pokemon still means the game did fantastically, and millions of kids and adults around the world purchased it like crazy. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire originally introduced us to the Hoenn region, and all it’s fancy new Pokemon, including a ton of fancy new Legendary Pokemon, the series has become known for. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was also the first in the series to let the player decide which gender they wanted, and thus introduced a set of 3 ‘rivals’. You’re player, the opposite gender, and a third boy, were all part of a group of new trainers leaving your town at the same time. Like the previous games, you ran into them periodically, but their individual stories and routes went very differently than you usually expect. The female trainer ended up being the template for May in the anime series, much like they’ve done since with Ash’s female traveling companions.
    rubysapphiretrainers

    hoennmap

    groudonbattle
    There were plenty of other fun additions to the world of Pokemon in the original Ruby and Sapphire, and I’m personally looking forward to picking them up on the 3DS. So let us know in the comments what you think about the news, and what your favorite Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire memories are!

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    Weekly Comic Wrap-up May 5, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/weekly-comic-wrap-up-may-5-2014/ Mon, 05 May 2014 21:12:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19345 wcn5514
    Not a ton of news worthy moments this week in comics, but some of the stuff that did happen is pretty cool. It was honestly just a great nerd weekend, Amazing Spider-Man 2 released on Friday (or Thursday), Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, and Sunday was Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you!). As ususal I want to take a moment to plug our Podcast Kickstarter, we’ve only got a couple weeks left and still a pretty long way to go. A dollar or a share would certainly help a lot. And speaking of Podcasts, don’t forget to check ours out, episode 3 of PodQuest should actually be up by the time you’re reading this.

    Enough of that, let’s get to the news!

    Comic News

    • FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2014! – Anyone who’s reading this, probably took part in Saturday’s Free Comic Book Day. Comic shops all over had tables full of special free books for you to choose from. Depending on where you live, some stores may have had comic creators there to sign books, or other fun events going on. It’s really an awesome day to stop into a comic shop, even if you’re not interested in the free books. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get to the store till about 9:30pm and most of the books were gone by then.
    • Free Image Comics on Comixology – Not sure how long this is going to last, but all weekend, Image has been offering 196 free comics on the digital platform. They’re mostly first issues, but some of them are from amazing series, like Saga, Sex Criminals, Morning Glories, and so many more. If even you’ve never heard of a title, it’s free, give it a shot! You can find all of the free books right here on Comixology, but act quick before they end the promotion.
    • Nine More DC Movies – So while not 100% comic news, it still fits in the realm. Basically DC and WB announced they’re making a run to take on Marvel, while it may not be in such an elaborate shared universe as the MCU, DC has plenty of characters to pull from and make compelling cinema. So far of the nine movies, it’s pretty clear that the upcoming Man of Steel sequel and the recently announced Justice League don’t count. So that actually means we’ve got 11 future DC movies already in the works. Of those original nine I mentioned, it’s anyone’s guess. The Wall Street Journal article that revealed the plans, talks about Shazam, 100 Bullets, The Metal Men, and Fables as being four of the possible films. There is also the Joseph Gordon-Levitt produced Sandman in the works, so that’s cool. I’m sure we can count on a new Batman movie in the mix at some point, and depending on how well the Justice League performs multiple sequels to that.
    • The Amazing Spider-Man Returns. . . Twice! – This week featured the return of two Amazing Spider-Men, the first was in Wednesday Amazing Spider-Man #1 (volume 3), where Peter Parker returned to spinning webs and cracking wise after a 31 issue absence in Superior Spider-Man. The book was a great reintroduction to Peter’s life, but the price tag was a little hefty, there was plenty of book, but not all of it really seemed to matter that much to be included. Now on the other site of entertainment, over in Hollywood land, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 released in the US, after an early international release. I managed to see it Friday night and it was, in my opinion, the best Spidey film yet. It definitely had it’s problems, and we discuss them a lot in this weeks PodQuest (another shameless plug), but it got so much else right that I’m willing to overlook the negative. Seriously if you haven’t gone out to see it yet, make the trip you won’t be disappointed.

    Comics To Watch May 7, 2014

    • Swamp Thing #31 – Swamp Thing and Animal Man were probably the two most unlikely awesome books that launched with the New 52. Unfortunately Animal Man ended, but Swamp Thing is still going strong. The amazing stories Scott Snyder started, were expertly continued by Charles Soule, and easily make this one of DC’s best books every month.
    • Aphrodite IX #10 – There’s a lot of dystopian future stuff going on out there right now. Particularly in the way of movies based on young adult books. Luckily for comic fans, we’ve got Aphrodite IX where a dystopian future is way more interesting than most movies ever make them out to be. Not saying I’d want to live there, but Matt Hawkins is really crafting an awesome universe that will soon be colliding with the current iteration of Cyber Force before starting up a whole new book again this summer.
    • Miles Morales The Ultimate Spider-Man #1 – It took me 21 issues to like Miles as Spider-Man, and now I honestly miss the kid. It’s been to long since an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man came out that wasn’t tied into something else. Not only that, but this is probably going to be the only Ultimate book with a solid team working on it. I’ve said before, the other two books have interesting ideas, and the writing is good, but the art is disgusting. Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man has two great creators on it, so no worries there.
    • Original Sin #1 – I’m going to kick myself for this one later, I just know it, but Original Sin just sounds interesting, and I’m hoping with Jason Aaron ending a lot of his other books, this one won’t suffer from him being overworked.
    ]]>
    The Humble Image Comics Bundle https://one-quest.com/blog/the-humble-image-comics-bundle/ Mon, 05 May 2014 19:24:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18953 humbleimagebundle

    It’s been a while since we’ve posted about any Humble Bundles, and I thought this one was a good time to break that streak. Right now through May 13, 2014 you can pick up a bunch of awesome comics, and pay whatever you want for them!

    For any amount you’ll get East West Vol. 1, Lazarus Vol. 1, Morning Glories Vol. 1 and Fatale Vol 1. If you pay more than the average (which is $9.59 as I type this) you’ll also get Saga Vol 1, Revival Vol. 1, and Chew Vol 1.

    So let’s put this in perspective a bit, any one of those books is going to be around $10.00. For less than that you’ll get seven of them. They’re all trades too so between 4-7 issues per book, somewhere over 100 pages. That’s a pretty good deal if I ever saw one. Hell just Saga and Morning Glories alone is enough to make it worth while. The best part, it’s not even done yet, anyone who pays $15.00 or more will also get The Walking Dead Vol. 1 and Vol. 20. Even if you’re not interested in all of the books, there are certainly enough to make it worth while!

    So what are you waiting for click the link to the Humble Bundle already!

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    T.W.I.G. 5/4/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-542014/ Mon, 05 May 2014 02:06:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19335  

    Twig5-4

    After a week away I’m back for another edition of The Week In Gaming here on One-Quest. There’s been plenty going on in the world of gaming so lets get right into things!

    The News:

    • The 2014 edition of Call of Duty has been unveiled. Titled Advanced Warfare, it is the first game with Sledgehammer Games as the lead studio. It will be taking place in the near future and has soldiers equipped with ability enhancing exoskeletons and advanced weaponry. The first trailer which is online now, shows that Kevin Spacey will be playing a starring role in the game as a head of a Private Military Corporation that is sure to be at the center of whatever mess is going on. The game is scheduled for release on November 4th.
    • Sticking with Activision/Call of Duty news, former Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero development studio Neversoft appears to be fully merging into Infinity Ward. Neversoft was a major force in the extreme sports games genre in the late 90s-early 2000s when they created the Tony Hawk series and it’s a shame to see that studio is no more, but at least the employees have not lost their jobs.
    • According to multiple tweets from Epic Games employees, they appear to be prepping an new Unreal Tournament game. They have a live stream scheduled for 2 P.M. this Thursday. I for one will be very interested to see what Unreal Tournament will look like in their new Unreal Engine 4 and what kind of changes they will have made in the 7 years since Unreal Tournament 3.
    • Nintendo has announced that there will be a Mario Kart 8 WiiU Bundle when the game releases on May 30th. The bundle includes the 32GB deluxe system, Mario Kart 8, and a red Mario Wii Wheel accessory and red Mario Wii Remote Plus and will retail for $329.99. Also if you register Mario Kart 8 with the Club Nintendo service before July 31st you will receive a free download of one game from the following: New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, Wii Party U, or Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD. That offer applies to both the bundle and the retail game.
    • Driveclub, originally scheduled to be a PS4 launch title, now has a release date of October 7th. There is currently no word on if the game will still be offered up for free with PS+ as was originally planned.
    • A listing on a Chilean game retailer’s website may have spoiled another future BioWare announcement after briefly posting a listing for PS4 and XboxOne versions of the Mass Effect Trilogy. The listing has since been removed but we will be keeping our eyes out to see if any further word comes on this.
    • Madden NFL ’15 will be releasing on August 26th for PS3, PS4, 360, and XboxOne.
    • An ESRB ratings listing for Suikoden II on the PS3 has appeared leading to rumors that it will be coming to the PSN Store soon.
    • According to a report on The Escapist, Assassin’s Creed Unity may have 4-player Co-op. The Escapist reports that this mode will be shown at this year’s E3.

    The new releases:

    • God of War Collection (5/6) – Vita
    • MLB 14: The Show (5/6) – PS4
    • Sportsfriends (5/6) – PS3, PS4

    GodofWar theshow14 Sportfriends

    Did You Know

    We still have our Kickstarter up and running here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/454312795/one-quest-podcasts
    There’s just 20 days left and we still have a bit of a way to go so please, please, please, if you can donate, we’ll appreciate any amount you can give, and if not please share the link!

    Also, May the force be with you!

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    Amazing Spider-man Caramel-Chocolate Apples https://one-quest.com/blog/amazing-spider-man-caramel-chocolate-apples-2/ Sun, 04 May 2014 15:44:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=19275 SpiderApple
     
    In honor of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released this weekend, and the return of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 I present these… Amazing Spider-Man Caramel/Chocolate Apples. Great for kids birthdays, party favors, and 28 year old husbands with a sweet tooth! Not only do they look great, but they are delicious too.
     
    What you will need:

    • Apples (I used 6 apples)
    • Soft Caramel chews (3 – 5.5oz bags was enough for 6 apples)
    • White Air Heads (Mystery Flavor)
    • Red colored, vanilla flavored, chocolate melting wafers
    • Black colored, vanilla flavored, chocolate melting wafers
    • Disposable decorating bags (or zip lock bags)
    • Cookie sticks
    • Party bags (big enough to fit an apple)
    • Aluminum foil
    • Small saucepan (or double boiler)

     
    Materials
     
    1. Unwrap all of the caramels and put in a saucepan.
     
    Caramels
     
    Melted Caramels
     
    * Please note: I used only caramel when melting. Milk can be added to thin the caramel, making it a little easier to apply to the apples.
     
    2. Clean apples and stick a cookie stick into the top of each apple.
     
    3. Apply the melted caramel to apples, taking care not to touch it to your skin, like I did. Turns out, it’s very, very hot.
     
    Caramel Apples
     
    4. Allow the caramel to cool on the apples. In the mean time, pour the red chocolate wafers into your saucepan or double boiler.
     
    Red While Chocolate
     
    5. Turn the pan on low to melt the wafers. Make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.
     
    Melted Red While Chocolate
     
    6. Dip your caramel coated apples into the red chocolate, taking care to smooth the sides.
     
    Red Chocolate Apples
     
    7. Unwrap white Air Heads and microwave them for 4 seconds. This will soften them enough to stretch them out. Then cut out a shape, similar to the image below, to be used as Spiderman’s eye. Cut out the needed amount (2 per apple).
     
    Air head Eyes
     
    8. Melt black chocolate wafers in saucepan, be careful not to let it burn.
     
    Black Chocolate
     
    9. Pour the melted black wafers into a disposable decorating bag. (I used a cup below to stand my bag upright while filing it.)
     
    Bag in a Cup
     
    Chocolate in bag
     
    10. Trim the tip of the decorating bag, but don’t make it too big. Then following the images below to decorate your spiderman apple.
     
    Start of Webbing
     
    Right Eye
     
    Outline Eye
     
    Left Eye
     
    Webs!
     
    Complete
     
    All Done!
     
    11. Depending on what your intentions are for the apples, they can be wrapped up just like the image below.
     
    bagged
     
    These little crime fighting heroes will disappear in no time. Just remember, everybody gets one.

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Spider-Man Villains https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-spider-man-villains/ Fri, 02 May 2014 16:00:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18985 Spider-Man_Villains
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite Spider-Man Villains

    So Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens today (or last night) and this past Wednesday marked the relaunch of the Amazing Spider-Man comic with a new #1, and what better way to celebrate everyone’s favorite Wall-Crawler than by listing off our favorite bad guys! So that’s exactly what we’re doing, this week is devoted to all those villains that have made Spider-Man and Peter Parker’s lives a living hell over the last 50+ years.

    As always let us know your top 5 in the comments or on Facebook!

    Chris

    1. Venom (Eddie Brock) – Everything (Except Spider-Man 3) – The original Venom was great, Eddie Brock hated Spider-Man and the Symbiote did too, they’re a match made in heaven. Sure both parts of the character have had some issues over the years, but you can’t deny Venom was one of the best parts of comics in the late ’80s and early ’90s. And at least while Eddie Brock keeps getting screwed, the Symbiote is doing better than ever with Flash Thompson as his host. . . well except for being drugged and controlled so it won’t take over.
    2. Morlun – Comics – Morlun, like a lot of the early 2000’s run of Spider-Man was a lot cooler than he gets credit for. His entire purpose is basically to kill things with SpiderPowers. And he’s so powerful that Spidey’s own fight or flight reflex kicks in and instinctively makes him run and hide. While the character has been gone a long time, he’s return with Spider-Verse later this year, and that’s pretty exciting.
    3. J Jonah Jameson – Everything – Man this guy is the best and the worst all at once. J.K. Simmons played him perfectly in the first 3 Spider-Man films, and I really hope we get to see the character on the big screen again sometime soon. He’s probably one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, as he’s not only helped create some of his other enemies (Scorpion, Spider-Slayers, etc) he’s also slandered him in papers, and made whole police units just to take him down.
    4. King Pin – Comics – More of a Daredevil enemies than anything else, King Pin first appeared in Spider-Man, and he’s the reason that Pete and MJ aren’t married any more. After Pete unmasked, King Pin tried to kill him and ended up shooting Aunt May instead, this lead to one of the best scenes in recent comics where Pete breaks into prison just to beat up the King Pin as himself and threaten to kill him if he ever came after his family again.
    5. Kaine – Comics – At this point Kaine is a reluctant hero, but back during the ‘infamous’ clone saga is was 100% bad guy, and continued that trend for a long time afterwards. In his defense, he was kind of insane from being an imperfect clone and was slowly dying. Now though he’s a stronger version of Pete with some of the powers Pete lost during Brand New Day (Organic webbing, wrist spikes, spider-talk).

    Special Mention: Green Goblin & Doc Ock – Easily Spider-Man’s two greatest enemies, they’ve done the most damage to the character over the years, physically and emotionally.
    venom

    Eric

    1. Spot – Who sounds less menacing than Spot? Nobody! It’s ridonk how awesome this guy is tho. Made up of many portals to another dimension. He can be quite a pain for the webslinger.
    2. Chameleon – Chameleon is mostly a threat to Spider-Mans reputation more than anything. Still a pretty big threat!
    3. Mysterio – A master of special effects and the perfect villain to use in a movie, yet still unutilized. Fix it Sony!
    4. Morbius – The human vampire! I’ve just always thought the character was cool.
    5. Shocker – This was a tossup with Boomerang. Ultimately Shocker won for because hev at least had some scientific knowledge, were as Boomerang just theirs boomerangs.

    spot

    Pisko

    1. Morlun – I don’t like Morlun, I like that he’s unbeatable. He’s a pretty awful villain except for the fact he could destroy the world.
    2. Doctor Octopus – One of my favorite Spider-Man villains because he is a mirror held up to Spider-Man in a “what-if” way. Where Parker learns to shrug off bullies and abuse and rise above it; Otto let it run his emotions and his life which turned him dark and lustful for revenge. Both of them brilliant scientists, Otto was once Parkers since camp instructor and the two have a relationship before either gains power. They match each other incredibly well and know how to push the others buttons.
    3. Shocker – Shocker is a bad villain. I mean, he’s good at being a villain but he’s bad at not getting caught. Generally the battles with Shocker are the ones where the web head is at his funniest. Shocker sets Peter up for some of the best one liners based on his padded, quilted-northern style wardrobe. Not to be underestimated, Shocker always seems to find a way back out of jail to torment the wall crawler.
    4. Vulture – Vulture represents what would happen if someone gave Mr. Burn from the Simpsons the ability to be young forever. It doesn’t end well. Adrian Toombs simply wants to be young again and the only thing standing in his vulture suit super powered way is… Yeah, Spider-Man. Vulture’s ability to fly makes for some of the best acrobatic battles for Spider-Man outside of a Goblin encounter. Vultures cohorts and crime ties make him a foe that has plenty of hired help to tire out Spider-Man to make an easier battle.
    5. Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) – While Stormin’ Norman Osborn is by far the better Green Goblin, Harry is the goblin who proves a harder foe because of the shared friendship and past he and Peter have. Peter KNOWS that Harry is a good person and won’t ever stop trying to save him from a fate resigned to Harry from his father and his legacy. All Spider-Man has to do is save him and hope he sees the light.

    morlun

    ]]>
    400 Likes!!!! https://one-quest.com/blog/400-likes/ Wed, 30 Apr 2014 22:18:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18968 So back when we got to 300 likes back in January I tried to do a contest on Facebook to offer up some free games! And it was going well, until Facebook sent us all an e-mail telling me we did something wrong, which I still don’t quite understand. But anyway, this is my way around it now that we’ve gotten to an awesome 400+ likes I want to finally give these codes away. So here’s the deal, I have 12 games to give away on Steam/Origin so the 1st 12 people to send a message to the One-Quest Facebook page will get a free game from the list below which I will update as games are chosen. Thanks again to each and every one of you!

    Steam:

    • Dead Space
    • Medal of Honor (claimed)
    • Mirror’s Edge (claimed)
    • Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising

    Origin:

    • Dead Space
    • Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
    • Crysis 2
    • Dead Space 3
    • Medal of Honor
    • Mirror’s Edge
    • Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising
    • Populous
    ]]>
    Free Wii U Game with Mario Kart 8! https://one-quest.com/blog/free-wii-u-game-with-mario-kart-8/ Wed, 30 Apr 2014 21:46:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18957 mario kart 8
     
    During it’s Mario Kart 8 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced some great news for all Wii U owners, and those still on the fence! You get a free Wii U game just for buying Mario Kart 8!
     
    All you have to do is register the game on clubnintendo.com by July 31st and you’ll be able to choose one of 4(10 in europe) games to download onto your Wii U!

    Now I know what you’re thinking, “He hasn’t told us what games are free, so they’re probably crap.” That couldn’t be further from the truth!

    Options, in the US, are:
     

    New Super Mario Bros. U

    New Super Mario Bros U
     

    The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD

    Wind Waker HD
     

    Pikmin 3

    Pikmin 3
     

    Wii Party U

    Wii Party U
     
    European Wii U owners will also get to choose from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Nintendo Land, The Wonderful 101, Sonic Lost World, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, and Game and Wario.
     
    So that’s it! One of 4 awesome games, completely free, just for buying Mario Kart 8!
     
    Personally, I’m probably getting Pikmin 3! …or Wind Waker HD… This is gonna be a tough decision.
     
    Let us know what you’re getting in the comments below!
     

    ]]>
    Weekly Comic Wrap-up April 28, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/weekly-comic-wrap-up-april-28-2014/ Mon, 28 Apr 2014 14:45:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18937 wcn42814

    It’s time again for this weeks wrap-up of comicbook news! Little more than last week, though some of it is just as much Hollywood news as comic. Before that though, I’m going to plug the One-Quest Kickstarter, we’ve got 27 more days to make $925 so every dollar and share helps!

    The News

    • Comixology App Changes – This is probably the biggest news of the week, after being aquired by Amazon a few weeks ago, Comixology has updated their iOS and Android apps. Unfortunately for some (mainly Apple and Google), the update makes it so the operating system creators don’t get any cut of the sales via the app. On iOS they’ve completely removed the function to purchase in-app. Now you have to navigate to a separate website to make your purchases, this has a lot of fans ready to quit Comixology forever, while others are realizing that it actually should benefit the creators by leaving a larger percentage to go back to them. The Android app on the other hand, while getting updated still allows in-app purchases, they just no longer go through Google, so there goes their cut as well. Personally I’m all for this, more potential money for creators means more potential books from them! We just need some confirmation as to where that extra money is going.
    • The Death of Wolverine – If you listen to this weeks PodQuest, you’ll hear us talk about this briefly, but basically Marvel is planning on killing Wolverine. We don’t know how, but if you’ve been reading any book with the famous mutant, you know he’s lost his healing factor and is 100% killable. All of this is a bit old news though, the actual interesting part now is that in September Charles Soule and Steve McNiven are going to be the creators behind the wheel. Taking Logan on his ‘final’ ride, in a weekly 4 issue series called, wait for it. . . Death of Wolverine. These are comics though, so until he’s dead I don’t believe anything, and even afterwards we can pretty much guarantee he’ll return within a year. We can only hope that Marvel goes the unexpected route and keeps him gone a bit longer, unfortunately with more X-Men movies already set for production in the next few years that’s unlikely.
    • Marvel C2E2 News – This is getting lumped together, but it’s mostly pretty cool stuff. Marvel teased a new event for the fall called AXIS featuring the Avengers ‘A’ and X-Men ‘X’ in the logo. So this could be a follow up to Avengers Vs. X-Men, or something new where the two teams, team-up. It would be nice to get all the heroes on the same level fighting for the same goals again. And with the crazy stuff happening in the MCU right now, there are plenty of major changes that could happen to make the groups come together.

      Marvel also shed some light on their 100th Anniversary specials, which obviously isn’t really a 100th anniversary, but is a look to 47 years in the future. Well the publishing future, as we see how characters like the X-Men and Spider-Man may be written 47 years from now. It’s a cool concept, and could lead to an interesting alternate universe set of stories.

    • Justice League Movie – Originally I was going to talk about the casting of Cyborg in the Man of Steel sequel, but now that it’s official that Justice League is coming after the sequel, well what’s the point. Zack Snyder is already attached to direct, so at least we’ll hopefully get a sense of continuity, but there are plenty of problems that could prevent this film from being awesome. They’re really jamming characters into Man of Steel 2 at this point, and that can lead to a poorly fleshed out story for that film, and under developed characters for the next. There’s also the dilemma of Justice League mainstays like Flash, Green Lantern and Green Arrow all of which have current incarnations audiences may be familiar with. Now the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern probably won’t be making a return to the big screen, but hopefully WB and DC are planning to incorporate the CW versions of Flash and Green Arrow into the films to keep it cohesive and draw in fans of the TV series’. Obviously we’re going to have to wait and see, and the way they handle the characters in Man of Steel 2 will factor hugely into it.
    • Thanos – Finally, and probably least of all, Marvel revealed they’ve cast an actor to play Thanos, but they’re not tell us who…So that’s cool of them. Hopefully we find out by this summers Guardians of the Galaxy, since the Mad Titan is supposed to play a minor role (maybe cameo) in the film.

    Comics To Watch On April 30, 2014

    • Ghostbuster #15 – Ghostbusters has been such a fun book, and really captures the feel of the movies perfectly. If you haven’t read this book yet, stop delaying already!
    • Amazing Spider-Man #1 – Pete’s back as Spider-Man and the rebooted Amazing Spider-Man has such much going on to look forward to if you don’t read it you’re missing a lot.

    That’s it for this week, in the mean time let us know what comics you’re most looking forward to!

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Video Game Consoles https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-video-game-consoles/ Fri, 25 Apr 2014 16:10:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18911 SONY DSC

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Favorite Video Game Consoles!

    It’s Friday once again, and Eric is busy working so I get to fill this empty space in with some words of wisdom. . .

    So here’s the Friday Five, it’s about Video Game Consoles enjoy!

    Chris

    1. Super Nintendo Entertainment System – SNES wasn’t my first system, but damn did I put a lot of hours into it. This is the console I’m most likely to pull out and hook up and play even 20+ years later.
    2. Nintendo DS – I love handhelds, the 3DS is great, but I’d have to say my pick is the original DS. The library of games on it is absurdly awesome. Pokemon, Phoenix Wright, classic RPG remasters, New Super Mario Bros, and that’s only a few I can think of off the top of my head.
    3. Playstation 2 – This is such a great console, it’s lifespan alone gains it a spot on any list. Gamestop just stopped taking in trades on the console last summer! The only reason I willingly let this system go is because I purchased the PS3 version that was still 100% backwards compatible with PS2 games.
    4. GameBoy Advanced – The original GameBoy was awesome, and the GameBoy color certainly improved that. But the GBA kicked it into a whole new level. I have a drawer full of GBA games and even have my SP ready just in case. Just thinking about the GBA makes me want to go play Wario Ware Inc.
    5. Playstation 3 – My final pick was a hard one, I’ve owned a lot of systems over the years, but I think PS3 really changed the game. With games like Uncharted or Assassins Creed it made games more like Hollywood movies you can play, and not like those stupid movie adaptations.

    nintendo_ds_lite_handheld_gaming_system_2

    Pisko!

    1. Nintendo Entertainment System – The machine that started it all for me. I logged more hours on this machine in my young life than I ever did at school in the 12 years combined. Okay, maybe not, but I got really good at hand eye coordination because of this grey little box that required the spit of children to activate games.
    2. SNES2 (GameBoy Advance) – The TRUE successor to the SNES where all of the ideas about 16-bit life continued on Nintendo’s little 32-bit machine that could. I bought the Fuchsia GBA when it came out and relished that USA got a color reminiscent of the N64’s Atomic Purple weirdness. Let us not forget such perfect games such as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and Advance Wars AND also managed to revive the long thought dead Mario RPG in the form of the Mario & Luigi series.
    3. Nintendo 64 – Most likely the home console I put the most time into in my short life thus far. I believe I only ever had around 10 games for the system in it’s entire life but that was enough to both keep myself entertained and my friends with their three controllers when they came over. Mario Kart 64, Super Smash Bros, Starfox 64, Tony Hawk and more kept us in hours of endless entertainment and torment.
    4. Playstation 2 – My teen years would be spent rediscovering the beauty of the Final Fantasy line while experiencing platforming games that pushed the envelope in ways Nintendo couldn’t dream of. Newcomers like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly Cooper defined and refined my love for the console that dared to play dvd’s out of the box with no accessories needed. The controller that had been slowly refined over the last generation needed no refining at this point. It proved to be the commanding force that seamlessly tied player to game. Perfect for FPS, adventure, and just about every game known to the generation of consoles. Also, Kingdom Hearts.
    5. Xbox 360 – The first console to not only take online gaming seriously, but to get it right from the start. Better matchmaking, included voice chat, and wireless controllers out of the box made the 360 a tour de force for gamers who wanted to connect but had no way outside of a PC. This was also a shift for Microsoft who actively courted developers who had been Sony exclusive or damn near close. Locking up Lost Planet from Capcom as well as courting Final Fantasy away from a Playstation exclusive for the first time in a decade. Setting up and continuing franchises such as Gears and Halo to provide a reason to use the already great online functionality proved to be a boon to the Microsoft team who would finally turn a profit with the 360.
    6. Special Honors: Gamecube – Though it didn’t have the game library to fit everyone or have the perfect controller (I loved it’s handled grips, myself) what the Gamecube did have was a plethora of ideas that never got utilized past the game they debuted with, but would be testbeds for what would eventually become the Wii U and DS. The GBA connectivity in Four Swords Adventures, Odama’s microphone, Pokemon Box (Precursor to Pokemon Bank), and the excellent GBA Adaptor all proved to be great ideas but failed to save the system or the games that were bundled with them (With the exception of the GBA adaptor which is both highly sought after and well regarded). The Gamecube would bear idea fruit for Nintendo to reuse in new and exciting ways for years and generations to come.

    SONY DSC

    Shannon

    1. Atari 2600 – My first gaming system. I can still remember playing some sort of fire truck game and it was screwed up. I could get the ladder to go up and I always just gave up.
    2. Nintendo 64 – This is probably the system that actually got me into gaming. I don’t remember what I actually played on this one besides Sarge’s Heros. I think I did a lot of watching my younger brother play on the N64.
    3. Playstation 3 – We have a PS4, but I haven’t touched it yet. I’ll still play stuff on the PS3 until the PS4 has games I’ll actually want.
    4. Gamecube – I think I have the most hours clocked on the Gamecube next to PC. There are so many games I loved for this system, and it led to a lot of family bonding in the form of killing sprees.
    5. XBox 360 – Three words. Family Halo Night.

    nintendo64

    Drootin

    1. PlayStation 2 – The PS2 was the first system I bought with my own money. I loved the PS2 era Madden games especially Madden 06, Final Fantasy X is one of my all-time favorite RPGs, and there were tons of games that absorbed hours of my life. Add in the ability to play PS1 games and this system was amazing.
    2. Sega Genesis – For the most part this was a 2 game system for me. NHL ’94 and Madden ’93 likely accounted for 90+% of the time that this system was on but those 2 are probably my favorite sports games of all time. But add in games like Streets of Rage, Sonic, and Gain Ground I loved the Genesis.
    3. PlayStation 1 – Has my top 2 RPGs (FF Tactics and FF7), some of the best wrestling games (WWF Attitude and the original WWF Smackdown games), great sports games (Madden NFL and NHL 99), this system started my super hardcore gaming.
    4. PlayStation 3 – The last generation of gaming was great and I was a PS3 guy. First Person Shooters became megapopular with COD, EAs NHL games got amazing again, The Last of Us was mind blowing, Rock Band was so much fun, and that’s just a small list of games that I spent hours upon hours on.
    5. Super Nintendo Entertainment System – This was mostly 4 games for me: NBA Jam, Super Mario World, Mario Kart, and Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past (aka maybe the best game ever). Even if I only ever played A Link to the Past on SNES it would have deserved it’s place in the top 5.

    Sega-Genesis-Mod2-Set

    Eric

    1. Nintendo Entertainment System – The true classic
    2. Playstation 4 – Greatness Awaits
    3. Nintendo DS – 2 screens!
    4. PSVita – Great console, little support
    5. Playstation 2– So many great memories!

    ps4-hrdware-large18

    ]]>
    Dragon Age Inquisition Release Date https://one-quest.com/blog/dragon-age-inquisition-release-date/ Tue, 22 Apr 2014 21:23:04 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18865 dragon age inquisition
     
    OK, I know I just posted about Dragon Age Inquisition last night, but this is too awesome to pass up! WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE!
     
    On October 7th 2014 Dragon Age Inquisition lands on PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and PC! And I can’t flippin’ wait!
     
    To go along with the announcement we’ve also been treated to a new trailer featuring gameplay footage!
     
    Check it out! We get a glimpse at Cassandra, the woman from the chantry who was interrogating Varric in Dragon Age 2, and her conflict with the Inquisitor. We see Varric and his awesome crossbow, Bianca! Leliana also makes a brief cameo in the trailer, which isn’t surprising considering her turn up at the tail end of the final cutscene in Dragon Age 2, but no less exciting. We also see some of he expansive open world settings, and some dragons. And of course we witness the Inquisitor in action!
     
    One thing to take note of: It sounds like the Inquisitor has a voice over in the trailer, which is cool. But don’t let that dissuade you from anything! The Inquisitor is 100% customizable from race (human, elf, dwarf, and even qunari) to sex and class! But I can bet that helmet is a central piece of his/her appearance!
     
    Anyway, enough of me being all giddy. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think in the comments below!
     

    ]]>
    Dragon Age Inquisition Box Art Revealed! https://one-quest.com/blog/dragon-age-inquisition-box-art-revealed/ Mon, 21 Apr 2014 23:41:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18858 Ok, so one thing that’s important to know, or remember, about One-Quest is that we don’t repost news we see on other sites. Instead we post the things that seem coolest to us on our site! Yes, we usually find this stuff on other sites, but everyone has their sources. . . :-p

    That said, I just have to post this exciting reveal for my Number 1 Fall 2014 game, Dragon Age Inquisition. Don’t worry, Destiny is a close 2nd.

    The big revel comes in the form of. . . BOX ART! Exciting, I know. But it’s better than nothing! Truth be told, I’ve been trying hard to avoid any plot details so I don’t know much other than the basic info released last year when the game was announced. You know, the world is in general disarray, the Inquisition is formed and you head the Inquisition to go. . . be inquisitive? That’s all I know, but I’m a huge fan of the land of Thedas and it’s fantastic lore, so that’s all I need to know to want to buy the next Dragon Age game.

    Check out the box art and tell us what you think in the comments below! Is Thedas a place you intend to visit this fall in Dragon Age Inquisition?

    Dragon Age Inquisition Box Art

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    Weekly Comic Wrap-up April 21, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/weekly-comic-wrap-up-april-21-2014/ Mon, 21 Apr 2014 21:00:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18833 wcwu42114

    Crazy to think it’s already been a week, but there’s more comic news to discuss. Before we get to that though, just a few site related things to cover. First we had an awesome time this past weekend at South Jersey Geek Fest and our first Podcast should be available by the time you’re reading this, which was recorded live at Geek Fest. Second if you’ve got the time and a dollar or two to spare we’re still looking for help with our Kickstarter. Even if you can’t help by donating please share the link on your Facebook or Twitter, not only does every dollar count, but so does ever share and retweet.

    Enough about that stuff, lets get to the news, as I mentioned last week I’m going to try out a few different formats to see what works best, this week is going to be more in line with what Drootin does over at T.W.I.G.

    The News

    There’s not a lot that jumped out at me this week, so it’s a bit short!

    • Grayson Launches in July – This kind of spoils the outcome of Forever Evil, but we now know that Dick Grayson survives, but can no longer be Nightwing. So what’s a young man who’s spent most of his life fighting crime to do? Become a world class secret agent of course! Yep, Dick is hanging up the super hero tights to become a spy. Personally I’m a big Nightwing fan, so I’m just glad they didn’t try and do something drastic and kill him, and at least this path seems interesting and could have some great stories considering his reformed orgin in The New 52 continuity. As I mentioned at the top though, this story spoiled the ending of Forever Evil, which probably wouldn’t have mattered if the book wasn’t delayed by months!
    • grayson

    • More DC Reboots – I guess I might as well continue with DC stuff. Along with Grayson launching this summer, DC announced that Teen Titans and Suicide Squad would also relaunch with new number 1’s. I haven’t read any of Suicide Squad so I’m not sure what the story is there, but Teen Titans is wrapping up only to be relaunched, with the same cast of characters, and I can only assume continuing the story that’s been building for almost the entire run. This to me feels a little sloppy, and like just a way to grab better numbers with a fancy new number 1 on the cover. I guess it works for Marvel so DC is giving it a shot too.
    • teen-titans_1 NewSuicideSquad_1
    • The Era of Superior Spider-Man Is Over – After 31 issues of crazy stories featuring the mind of Doc Ock in the body of Peter Parker, Superior Spider-Man is no more. If you’ve somehow missed all the news about this, Pete is back in control, and on April 30, 2014 Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3 will be starting up. As someone who really enjoyed Superior I’m a little sad to see it go, but at the same time I’m glad to have the one true Spider-Man back to spinning webs throughout New York City.

      I know, this wasn’t really news, but I wanted to say something about it anyway!

    • superiorspiderman31

    Comics To Watch On April 23, 2014

    • Batman Eternal #3 – While the cost of buying a weekly series is a little much, so far Batman Eternal has been really interesting, and doesn’t focus on Batman much at all.
    • Justice League United #0 – More out of curiosity than anything else is this book on the list. Forever Evil isn’t even over yet, because as I mentioned earlier, it’s had all kinds of delays. It makes you wonder what kind of problems this book will have, since it’s spinning out of an unfinished story line. At least Jeff Lemire isn’t getting to write more Buddy Baker (Animal Man)
    • Secret Origins #1 – I’ve had more than one dicussion about the character Origins in the New 52, particularly with members of the Bat-Family. This book could be a great way to really straighten out all the inconsistent plots and time frames.
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #33 – This is just an amazing book, and issue #33 takes the Turtles back to NYC for the start of the next big arc. Makes it a great jumping on point for new readers!
    • The Walking Dead #126 – Unlike TMNT, probably not the best jumping on point, but it is the conclusion of the massive All Out War storyline. Some day I may even catch up to that. . .
    • Original Sin #0 – I’m always weary of Comicbook crossovers, Original Sin sounds interesting at least, and Jason Aaron does a pretty awesome job. Of course this is the prelude to the series and is written by Mark Waid. Luckily he’s also known for great work so I’ll be checking it out at least.
    • Uncanny Avengers #19 – Uncanny Avengers has been one hell of a ride, it’s had some delays here and there, but the story has been so good it’s worth the wait.
    • Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Helsing #1 – A brand new series from Zenescope featuring one of their breakout characters from last years Unleashed. This should be worth checking out as Pat Shand does what he does best and fleshes out a new character just like his hit Robyn Hood series.
    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 4/20/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-4202014/ Sun, 20 Apr 2014 13:53:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18804 Twig4-20

     

    Happy Easter to all those who are celebrating today, and to everyone else have an awesome Sunday! Before we get to the news here’s another reminder to please please please check out our Kickstarter, we’d really love to do podcasts and hosting them can get a little pricey so spread the word if you can!

    The News:

    • Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be releasing on the PS4 on Tuesday 4/22. I’ve been looking forward to the PS4 release of this game for a few months now and am super excited to get this next wee.
    • With the March sales numbers out Sony has announced that 7 million PS4’s have been purchased by consumers. Microsoft announced that 5 million XboxOne’s have been sold to retailers but did not release the number of consoles purchased.
    • Naughty Dog is looking into discounting the PS4 remaster of The Last of Us for those who already own the PS3 verison. Still no official release date for the game yet but I will be holding on to my PS3 copy of the game now.
    • Final Fantasy 3 may be headed to PC soon. A listing has popped up on the German version of the ESRB for a PC version of the game but that is the only one so far. I’d imagine this would be a high-res version of the DS re-release of FF3 which would look really pretty. Keep an eye on the T.W.I.G. for more news as it comes.
    • Codemasters has posted a video to their YouTube page teasing an announcement of a new game this Tuesday with the tagline “Racing is coming”. The rumors are that this will be a new game in the highly acclaimed Grid series. More on this in next week’s T.W.I.G.

    The new releases:

    • Dark Souls II (4/25) – PC
    • NES Remix 2 (4/25) – WiiU

    DS2 nes-remix-2

    Thanks to everyone who visited our table at the South Jersey Geekfest yesterday we had a blast and were super excited by the turnout! We will be contacting the winner of the Marvel fleece blanket on either Facebook or Twitter soon so keep an eye on your inboxes. And a very special thanks to the people who were responsible for running the Geekfest, we look forward to doing more of them!

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/454312795/one-quest-podcasts?ref=card

    ]]>
    Easy to Make Super Hero Necklace https://one-quest.com/blog/easy-to-make-super-hero-necklace/ Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:17:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18769 (As seen at the One-Quest Booth, South Jersey Geekfest 2014)
     
    This simple to make necklace can be hand picked to reflect your nerdom.
     
    First, your materials list.
     
    Having to pause a project just to run out to pick something up that you forgot can be frustrating. Make a list of everything you need before running out, or you may run the risk of walking aimlessly around A.C. Moore for several hours (which is a delightful weekend afternoon for myself, but not so much for the hubby).
     

    • Bottle caps (Preferably the twist off kinds, the other ones may get dented while popping off the bottle).
    • Comic books that you don’t mind cutting up.
    • Mod Podge (Basic Mod Podge, Clear)
    • Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (Clear)
    • Paint Brush (Basic/inexpensive brush)
    • Ribbon (We chose an 1/2 inch thick ribbon).
    • Spray Paint in the color of your choosing.
    • 1.8 mm Euro Metal Hole Punch Pliers (Jewelry section in craft store).
    • 7 mm Jump Ring (Jewelry section in craft store).
    • Prefered Jewelry end fasteners (We chose a Spring Ring Clasp).
    • Newspaper or cardboard box.
    • Needle nose pliers.
    • Hot Glue Gun

     
    *You will notice in the picture below that there are Key Rings and a Chain included. These will not be needed in the making of the necklaces. These were used to make the bottle caps into key chains for the convention. Feel free to experiment on your own after this tutorial.*
     
    Material
     
    1. Clean your bottle caps and dry them. Once dry, you can punch a hole in the rim of the bottle cap using your hole puncher. Try to aim for about half way from top to bottom on the rim.
     
    Punching Hole
     
    Punched Hole
     
    2. Cut out a base pattern from a regular sheet of paper that will fit into the inside of the bottle cap nicely. Once that is completed, you can scour your comic books for a cool image that matches up to the pattern you just cut out, and proceed to cut that image out of the comic book.
     
    Sacrilege! Cutting Comics
     
    3. Take the piece cut from the comic and use the basic mod podge and paint brush to adhere image to the base of the bottle cap. Allow to dry according to the instructions on the back of mod podge bottle.
     
    Mod Podge
     
    4. Once dry, take bottle caps outside and place on newspaper/cardboard, with the top of the cap facing up (the mod podge comic book image should be facing down). Then proceed to spray the top of the caps with the spray paint until the original logo can no longer been seen. Then allow to dry.
     
    Before Spray Paint
     
    Spray Painting
     
    5. Fill the bottle caps with the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic until it completely covers the image. (Try to remain under the hole you punched in earlier. If you go over, it shouldn’t pour out, but will solidify over the hole. This can be popped open with a pin once dried.) Remove any bubbles that may have formed and allow to dry.
     
    Wak!
     
    6. Open a jump ring using the needle nose pliers, then hook the ring through the hole in the bottle cap. Then, using the pliers, close the jump ring. Measure out the desired length of ribbon to be used to hold your superhero bottle cap. (We used roughly 22 inches). Then thread the ribbon through the jump ring.
     
    Batman Bottle Cap
     
    Measured Ribbon
     
    7. Thread the ribbon through the clasp you chose.
     
    Batman with Ribbon
     
    8. Fold part of ribbon over and hot glue it down.Repeat on other end.
     
    Glue Ribbon
     
    Hot Glued
     
    And then there you have it, your completed, one of a kind, superhero necklace.
     
    Completed
     
    A simple, yet fashionable, Nerdy DIY project! We’ll have more coming at you in the future, so keep an eye out for them!

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Characters You Love to Hate https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-characters-you-love-to-hate/ Fri, 18 Apr 2014 16:11:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18758 Negan
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week: Characters you love to hate!
     
    So, we all end up hating a specific character so much, in anything really, that we just can’t stand their existence but don’t want them to go away at all! Loki is like that. We know he’s up to no good, but we love him all the same. Well, this is our tribute to those character that you just love to hate!
     

    Chris

    1. LokiMarvel Cinematic Universe – I think Loki may fall into a slightly different category, he’s more of a character you hate that you love. He’s kind of a douche, started an alien invasion, tried multiple times to take over asgard and the 9 realms, he’s just not nice. But at the same time, he’s just cool, and sometimes even does kind of the right thing like in Thor: The Dark World. There’s a reason why when Tom Hiddleston came out on stage of Comic Con dressed in full Loki gear people lost their shit. He’s just a super charismatic and likable bad guy, and that’s just right for the Norse God of Mischief.
    2. Superior Spider-Man (Otto)Superior Spider-Man – It’s crazy to think that a little more than a year ago Doc Ock took out Peter Parker and became the new Superior Spider-Man. All of Docs memories merged with Pete’s body. In his defence, he only meant to use the body for evil, but through reliving Pete’s important moments decided to instead become a hero, the best hero, the Superior Spider-Man. And you know what, as much as it suckd, he did a pretty good job. Sure his methods were 100% villainy. He had henchmen, giant robots, and a island base. But for the most part he cleaned up the city, he also got Pete’s life mostly on track, though he also sacrificed a lot of other parts of it. That’s one of the reasons you love to hate him, he’s still a bad guy at heart, and some of his decisions just make you want to punch him in the face, but he’s still trying to be the good guy at the end of the day. Frankly, at the end Otto finally became the true hero, and that’s kinda what matter right? Now we’ll just have to wait and see if/when Doc Ock will make a return to comics.
    3. King JoffreyGame of Thrones – This kid is such a douche, every scene he’s in you just want to watch someone come up behind him and filet him. And every episode he just gets worse and worse, you never think he can, but he does. And you know what, the show just wouldn’t be the same without him. Joffrey is such an unlikable character, aside from his mother I’m pretty sure nobody likes him in the show or books. And I must say, he’s a terrible little shit in the books, but he’s a whole lot worse in the show.
    4. Ben LinusLost – Ben was such a weird character, sometimes he was kinda good, other times he was bad. He wasn’t against killing an innocent to protect himself or the island. He was the first real villain on Lost. At the point Ben came in it was just people trying to survive, sure they’d had problems with the ‘others’ a bit, but then Ben came in and things just exploded. He was really the point in the show where things got crazy, and the whole time you just kind of hated him, but loved it when he was in a scene at the same time. I guess in the end he kind of redeemed himself, maybe?
    5. The Governor The Walking Dead – This guy is ridiculous, I’m sure almost everyone is familiar with the Governor from the TV series, he had this wonderful quality to be a monster, but still likable. You hated everything he did, but felt bad for him at the same time. He walked this crazy line right up until he started cutting people’s heads off that we actually cared about. But then you jump over to the comic book version, and he’s so wildly different. Within just the few couple pages he’s introduced he cuts of a main characters hand just to show he can, and then spends a couple issues rapeing another, while making a third listen next door. The guy was a straight up monster, and mostly got what he deserved, but not before he took a real toll on the group we’d come to follow and care about. And while I haven’t gotten far enough to see some of the later ‘villians’, the Governor really made an impact on the book and the show, and sure you hate him, but could you imagine him just not being there at all?

     
    Loki
     

    Drootin

    So if you somehow by now haven’t noticed, I don’t really get too deep into lots of TV or movies, I do however have a massive emotional investment into Philadelphia sports teams. These are the players I despise and love hating them and booing them.

    1. John TavaresBuffalo Bandits (NLL) – He’s the National Lacrosse League record holder for games played, goals, assists, and points and always been a thorn in the Wings side. I hate him but unlike the rest of this list I have massive respect for him.
    2. Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) – He’s one of the most skilled players in the NHL but he’s such a bitch. If anyone touches him he instantly starts whining to the refs looking for a penalty call. It pisses me off that he’s so talented and on the Flyers cross-state rival.
    3. Tony RomoDallas Cowboys (NFL) – I hate Tony Romo and I’m glad he sucks. Screw the Cowboys.
    4. Bryce Harper Washington Nationals (MLB) – The youngest player on this list and while I don’t really care about baseball as much as the other 3 sports I’ve mentioned he just seems like a douchebag and annoys me.
    5. Wii & WiiU – Because Eric said so I will put them on here. These systems suck. Yes the Wii is second only to the PS2 in console sales it was a total gimmick and no one bought games for it. The WiiU has been a massive flop for Nintendo and could very well winding up selling less consoles than the Dreamcast. It is under powered with a junk online system and no games outside of Nintendo’s 1st party and that can only carry Nintendo so far. (That said I’m looking forward to the new Smash Bros.)

     
    John Tavares
     

    Vogel

    1. King Joffrey, of the houses Baratheon and Lannister. First of his name. Epitome of the mewling quim.
    2. Zack King of the Nerds Season 2 – This guy was such a douche, but he hung around till like the final 4.
    3. Negan The Walking Dead – This guy, you know? Fuck this guy.
    4. BillyChumscrubber – So if you’ve never seen this movie… Local drug connection kills himself so this kid Billy, along with his girlfriend and their friend, kidnap who they think is the dealer’s best friends’ brother, but it’s the wrong kid. Solution? Try to kill the kid before you get caught. I watch this movie every 6 months or so, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, but I love watching this kid be a dick.
    5. The last one is a tie for me

    6. Simon PhoenixDemolition Man
    7. Sid 6.7 Virtuosity – Two serial killers running around making bad jokes and whose soul purpose is making the life of the protagonist miserable. Cliche, but they’re such great characters.

     
    King Joffrey
     

    Eric

    1. Drootin One-Quest.com/Childhood/Reality – Ok, not technically a character per se. But if he were, he’d be the worst goddamned character ever! We’ve been friends since the beginning of times and we only like about 5 of the same things: Boobs, Star Wars, Diablo, Command and Conquer, and Final Fantasy. And considering he spends his Sunday and Monday evenings watching sweaty dudes rub up on one another, I can almost guess that Boobs is lower on his list than mine! You know what they say about keeping your friends close, and keeping your enemies closer? Well there’s a reason I’m still friends with this Nintendo hating jerk face! That’s right, he’s my arch nemesis! Also, he’s a cool dude, and a great demon slaying partner. Mostly because he dies less than Vogel. Despite how much I hate him, it’s only because I hate him. I couldn’t imagine not having Drootin around. I mean. . . Who would I hate then?
    2. The JokerBatman – This guy is probably the greatest villain of all times, and solely because he’s so goddamned lovable! How can you not smile when he shows up on screen or in panel? I seriously couldn’t contain my excitement when DC announced the Batman arc “Death of the Family” and that Joker would be returning after a year long hiatus. He’s completely unpredictable, absolutely insane, and just utterly fantastic! Which also make him terrifying. If Batman’s scared, I’m scared. And who can resist hearing Mark Hamill’s excellent take on the Clown Prince of Crime from his run on Batman The Animated Series? No one! It’s too good!
    3. NeganThe Walking Dead – I love this guy! Much like my first choice he’s hilarious, and unpredictable. He’s not nearly as insane as the Joker, as he “can be perfectly reasonable.” Which is why I like him. He doesn’t like killing, Lucille does. But he will not hesitate to do what needs to be done to keep people in check. Much like Doc Ock and Peter Parker are foils of one another, I feel like Rick and Negan are as well. Different methods for the same goal. I hope we get to see him show up on the TV show at some point too!
    4. SylarHeroes – Sylar just emanated cool whenever he was on screen. He was mysterious, evil, and had the coolest powers. It’s still a shame the show had to end, since there was so much left to tell. And it would have been great to see more Sylar.
    5. Agent Grant Ward Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – After the ending of the episode “Turn, Turn, Turn” it’s impossible to not hate the guy! I can’t wait to see where his character goes from here. I just really hope the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. writers don’t cop out and write him in as a Double Agent or make him come back to S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s too good as a villain.

     
    Drootin

    ]]>
    South Jersey Geek Fest This Weekend https://one-quest.com/blog/south-jersey-geekfest-this-weekend/ Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:57:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18752 GFBanner1

    Hey folks, this weekend, April 19th in Woodbury Heights NJ is South Jersey Geek Fest, and it’s looking to be a pretty awesome time. Their website probably describes it best:

    “SJ Geek fest is a celebration of your geekery featuring comics, art, tabletop games, music, video games, youtubers, a yoyo champion, cosplayers and more.”

    There’s going to be all kinds of fun stuff to do, with games, and artist and stuff to talk to, and vendors to buy stuff from. Unlike a lot of the big convention that we get in the area, there isn’t going to be hoards of people there just to meet some famous person taking up valuable real estate, though they may have some mystery celebrities. This day is going to be all about celebrating geek culture and have a good time with friends old and new. It doesn’t matter if you’re a gamer, into comics and art, or maybe you’re really into board games. Basically if you’re in the South Jersey or Greater Philadelphia area it’s well worth swinging by and checking out, it’s only $8 dollars at the door, try getting into any other show for that much!

    Oh and there’s one other awesome reason to check out SJ Geek Fest, One-Quest is going to be setup there giving away free stuff and recording our first official podcast right on the show floor. So make sure to swing by say high and grab some free swag, because who doesn’t love free swag?

    Here’s the show info, and obviously go check out the SJ Geekfest website for more.

    South Jersey Geek Fest
    Date: Saturday April 19, 2014
    Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
    Location: Woodbury Heights Community Center
    741 Helen Ave Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097

    **PS the top image is right from the SJ Geek Fest website and isn’t something we made.

    ]]>
    Weekly Comic Wrap-up April 14, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/weekly-comic-wrap-up-april-14-2014/ Mon, 14 Apr 2014 20:57:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18739 wcwu41414
    Welcome to a brand new weekly article I’m going to be doing. Drootin’s been doing The Week In Gaming for nearly a year now, and it’s about time we start talking up some of the news in other mediums! That’s what we’ve got here, Weekly Comic Wrap-up may not have a fancy acronym like T.W.I.G, but hopefully the content is just a relevant to you, the readers.

    Being that this is the first entry, I thought I’d take a minute to walk through what can be expected each week. First we’ll cover some of the more interesting news items from the comic book industry. It’s all going to run from oldest to newest with the date we received it.

    After that I’m going to spotlight a few books to watch out for on your comic shelves this week. Again it’ll be books coming out, so it’s basically me hoping a book is good and letting you all know about it. Being the first week for this, the format could very well change, but for now this seems like a good start.

    Without me rambling on any longer let’s get to the actual news.

    The News

    April 7, 2014 – Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Changes Forever In the Wake of Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier!
    So if you happened to miss last weeks epsiode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. then you missed all kinds of spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This episode was a far closer movie tie-in then we got with Thor back in November. It was also one of the strongest episodes yet of the series. A lot of things went down, and I’m going to avoid spoiling them for you here, but if you’re a little behind on S.H.I.E.L.D. or just wasn’t feeling it early on, definitely give it a shot now. . . Just go see Cap 2 first.

    Here’s exactly what Marvel told us about it:
    Nothing will ever be the same for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. following the jaw dropping events of the blockbuster film Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, now in theaters! In the series’ latest episode “Turn, Turn, Turn,” airing Tuesday, April 8th at 8|7c on the ABC Network, Coulson and his team come face–to-face with the Clairvoyant and must deal with the greatest threat of all…one that will hit closer to home more than they’ve ever imagined.

    April 8, 2014 – Legendary Comic Book Character Archie Andrews Dies In July

    I’ve never read an Archie comic in my life, but I still know exactly who all the characters are and the basic idea of the world they’re in. That’s how ingrained into society Archie’s world is, so to kill of a character, who is by no means a super hero, is a big deal. Luckily this is just one of many Archie titles, so while he’s dying in one book, he’ll live to tell more tales in another.

    Here’s a portion of what Archie Comics sent out about this issue:

    Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE series, announced the unthinkable today: Legendary comic book character Archie Andrews will die to conclude the hit LIFE WITH ARCHIE comic series.

    The iconic comic book character, beloved by millions around the globe for over 70 years, will sacrifice himself heroically while saving the life of a friend in the pages of July’s LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36, the final issue in the flash-forward series, which spotlights Archie’s adventures after high school and college.

    “We’ve been building up to this moment since we launched LIFE WITH ARCHIE five years ago, and knew that any book that was telling the story of Archie’s life as an adult had to also show his final moment,” said Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “Archie has and always will represent the best in all of us—he’s a hero, good-hearted, humble and inherently honorable. This story is going to inspire a wide range of reactions because we all feel so close to Archie. Fans will laugh, cry, jump off the edge of their seats and hopefully understand why this comic will go down as one of the most important moments in Archie’s entire history. It’s the biggest story we’ve ever done, and we’re supremely proud of it.”

    LifeWithArchie_36_Magazine

    April 8, 2014 – ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT AND CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS BRING BACK CHARMED

    There are a lot of shows that have been continuing as comic books over the last several years. A lot of them were on the WB too. Charmed is something that, by nature of the series, should work really well as a comic. Zenescope isn’t new to the series either, having already done a comic series for Charmed.

    Here’s what Zenescope released about the upcoming series:

    Zenescope Entertainment and CBS Consumer Products are bringing the fan-favorite series CHARMED back to comic book and graphic novel formats this Fall. Zenescope published the first 24 issues of the bestselling series from June 2010 through September 2012.

    Constance M. Burge created the popular TV series, which starred Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan and Shannen Doherty. Charmed aired from 1998 through 2006, and found a new life as original comics when Zenescope began publishing “Season 9” four years ago. Now, Zenescope will release a brand new “Season 10” in an on-going monthly comic book series with trade paperback collections released twice each year.

    “I’m so glad to announce this news.” said Zenescope Editor-in-Chief, Ralph Tedesco. “Charmed fans are an extremely rabid and loyal group. They write us all the time, asking about Season 10 since it’s been almost two years since the last issue was released. We’re happy to let them all know that it’s been worth the wait — we’re coming back with a brand new arc and a ton of surprises that we feel will absolutely satisfy hardcore Charmed fans, while also appealing to new readers.”

    The first issue of Season 10 will debut at New York Comic Con the weekend of October 9, 2014. Original comic book series writer Paul Ruditis will edit the series and Zenescope writer Pat Shand (Angel, Robyn Hood) takes the helm penning the new arc. The art team will be announced next month.

    April 8, 2014 – Get Lost In ‘The Woods’ With James Tynion IV and BOOM! Studios
    This book sounds like it could be interesting, and James Tynion IV generally writes great stories, makes it work mentioning or sure.

    Now as usual, here’s what Boom! had to say:
    Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is excited to announce the May release of its newest ongoing series THE WOODS, a horror suspense title from creator and writer James Tynion IV (Batman Eternal, Red Hood and the Outlaws) and artist Michael Dialynas (Amala’s Blade, Spera). In THE WOODS, an entire high school campus with over 500 students, teachers, and staff suddenly vanishes and reappears in the middle of an alien-looking wilderness next to a towering, mysterious obelisk. Left to fend for themselves in a hostile environment, the group tries to find out where they are, why they’re there, and how to get back home.

    “James’ pitch for THE WOODS knocked me out of my shoes,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “We’ve been passionate about bringing this story to comics from the jump and I’m proud to say that James’ story has surpassed even our lofty expectations. James and Michael have combined teen angst with high strangeness to create a slow-burning horror story that feels like what I love about Stephen King’s work. It’s completely gripping, and is equal parts mysterious, thought-provoking, and suspenseful.”

    WHY WE LOVE IT: As fans of James Tynion IV’s work in the Batman universe (Batman Eternal, Red Hood and the Outlaws), we were eager to publish his first original comic series for print. THE WOODS gives us that same eerie, small-town horror feel we get whenever we read a Stephen King novel.

    WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: James Tynion IV honed his writing craft by working with one of the best writers in comics—Batman scribe Scott Snyder—so you know he can craft a compelling tale. If you’re fan of teen conspiracy comics like Sheltered and Revival, you’ll immediately be sucked into THE WOODS.

    WHAT IT’S ABOUT: On October 16, 2013, 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 additional staff from Bay Point Preparatory High School in suburban Milwaukee, WI vanished without a trace. Countless light years away, far outside the bounds of the charted universe, 513 people find themselves in the middle of an ancient, primordial wilderness. Where are they? Why are they there? The answers will prove stranger than anyone could possibly imagine.
    THE WOODS #1 arrives in comic shops on May 7th with a main cover by Ramón Peréz and a 1-in-10 variant by Matthew Woodson for the price of $3.99 under Diamond order code MAR140952. A retailer incentive cover by Paul Duffield will also be available in limited quantities. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one! It’s also available for order directly from boom-studios.com.

    thewoods

    April 10, 2014 – Hack/Slash Returns With All-New Story Arc
    Hack/Slash is a great horror comic, with a really interesting concept. A girl who’s been tormented by ‘Slashers’ out to kill them before they kill others. You can pick up the back issues in a couple omnibus collections, and it’s well worth it.

    Now time to see what Image said:

    Your favorite slasher hunter is back! Michael Moreci (HOAX HUNTERS) and Steve Seeley (HOAX HUNTERS) return to the fan-favorite series created by Tim Seeley—HACK/SLASH—with an all new arc in SON OF SAMHAIN.

    When a mysterious cult of monsters arises, Cassie is forced to return to the life she thought she’d left behind. Coupled with a new partner and faced with enemies unlike any she has battled before, Cassie must confront the darkness in the world—and in her own life—in new ways. The agents of evil never rest, and unfortunately for them, neither does Cassie Hack.

    The newest chapter in Cassie Hack’s life will appeal to both long-time HACK/SLASH fans and readers looking for a jumping-on point. “Readers are going to get something that is immediately recognizable as Hack/Slash, yet unique in its own way as well,” said Moreci. “I think Tim told the story he wanted to tell, and that’s why he brought in Steve and I—we’re preserving what he did while building a whole new thing. There’s a lot of great stories to still tell with Cassie Hack and, hopefully, Son of Samhain is just the beginning.”

    “All biases aside, I’ve been a Hack/Slash fan from the beginning. It’s a smart book with equal parts horror, comedy, action, sexiness; you name it. We knew continuing that legacy would be a difficult task, considering its history and loyal fan base, but Mike and I are damn proud of what we are doing with the book,” said Steve Seeley. “It’s still a sexy, comedic, action-y, horror comic, except it takes two of us to write it now. Mike’s all sexy action. I’m comedic horror. This is our sequel… the next step in the evolution of Cassie Hack.”

    HACK/SLASH: SON OF SAMHAIN #1 arrives in stores on 7/2, and will be available for $3.50. It can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAY140592. An incentive variant cover featuring art by Cameron Stewart will also be available to order with Diamond Code MAY140593.

    hackslash

    Comic Book Spotlight

    As I mentioned before, this is just a few books to keep an eye out for this week on your trip to the comic shop or while you’re scrolling through Comixology.

    All books On Sales April 16, 2014
    Check out ComicList.com for all the new releases
    Batman #30 (Greg Capullo Regular Cover), $3.99
    Batman has been a great read since the New 52 launched in 2011. Lately we’ve been wrapped in the year long story arc Zero Year. Delving into the New 52 origins of Batman. Not every issue has been the best, but the story as a whole has been just as interesting as you’d expect. Now with the final few issues of Zero Year coming, it’s definitely not a time to start missing issues.

    Witchblade #174 (Cover A John Tyler Christopher), $2.99
    When Ron Marz returned to Witchblade he jumped everything ahead in time, and took the Witchblade away from Sara. Not the first time the writer has done that, but this time was under way different circumstances. While I feel like the release schedule’s been a little wacky, and I didn’t look it up to find out, the story is strong enough to make you not even care. Right now I just want to know how Sara is going to get back the rest of the Witchblade.

    Sex Criminals Volume 1 TP, $9.99
    This is the only book I can speak for the content truly. Sex Criminals has been a wacky ride, and should not be missed. While it’s definitely an adult themed book, other than some language there’s nothing really straight up offensive. But the characters, story, and humor all make this book a must read for any comic fan (that’s 18 or older).

    Superior Spider-Man #31 (Giuseppe Camuncoli Regular Cover), $5.99
    The era of the Superior Spider-Man is coming to an end. Whether you hated Otto or loved him, Spider-Man fans shouldn’t miss out on this issue, especially after how issue 30 ended. Things appear to really only be heating up, and who knows how the conflicts will finally come to an end.

    Ultimate FF #1 (Mike McKone Regular Cover), $3.99
    The Ultimate Universe is what really got me into reading comics. And boy has it had a rough road of late, but with this new relaunch of the books things seem promising again. Cataclysm may not have had the most satisfying ending, but the books that are spinning out from it potentially have a whole lot to explore.

    Grimm Fairy Tales Godstorm Presents Hercules Payne #1 (Of 5)(Cover A Harvey Tolibao), $3.99

    Godstorm was a great series from Zenescope, but it didn’t seem to get the praise or the sales it should have. Luckily writer Pat Shand is getting another go with it. I remember reading in an interview that Shand didn’t expect to get a chance to write this one, and had done is best to finish up the characters stories in other titles. I guess he did that a little to soon. Either way if this new volume of Godstorm is anything like the first it should be a good time reading.

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    T.W.I.G. 4/13/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-4132014/ Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:00:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18725 Twig4-13

    And we’re back! It’s Sunday so that means it’s time for another edition of One-Quest’s The Week In Gaming! Also hopefully you have seen that we have started a Kickstarter campaign to start recording podcasts, so if you would like to hear us talk about games, comics, movies, wrestling, music, and just generally anything that’s been going on please donate and/or share the link and spread the word! Thanks!

    The News:

    • The new game from Supergiant Games, the makers of Bastion, Transistor will be releasing for PS4 and PC on May 20th. The game will cost $19.99 for both PS4 on the PS Store and on Steam.
    • Sony has officially announced a new post-apocalyptic MMO titled H1Z1. The game is of the same ilk as DayZ but will have a larger number of players per server, up to 2000 compared to DayZ’s 40. Also fire will play an important role in H1Z1. The game is scheduled to be free-to-play but will also have an early access period on Steam for $20 in about 4-6 weeks.
    • 2K has announced Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel coming this year to PS3, 360, and PC. The game takes place between Borderlands 1 & 2 and has you working for Handsome Jack on the H-shaped moon of Pandora as Jack works his way to becoming the villain of the 2nd game. Also you get to play as Claptrap and a few other returning characters from the 1st 2 games. And yes, the camera will be at a much lower height when playing as Claptrap. We will keep you updated when a release date and price are announced.
    • There was a big Smash Bros. based Nintendo Direct this week with tons of news so I will make quick notes of everything listed. Charizard, Greninja, Yoshi, Shiek, and Zero Suit Samus were all announced as playable characters, and yes that means Shiek and Zero Suit Samus are separate from Zelda and Samus. All levels will have a “Final Destination” version with 1 flat platform and no level hazards. There will be 2 online modes “For Fun” and “For Glory” with the “For Glory” mode seeming to be the ‘ranked’ mode with no items and the Final Destination levels. There will be 2 separate ‘Pokeball’ items, the standard Pokeball which can have any of the possible Pokemon pop out and now also a Master Ball which will only have the rare and legendary Pokemon. Finally release windows were announced for both versions of the game; the 3DS version is due out this summer and the WiiU version this winter.

    The new releases:

    • Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (4/14) – PS4
    • Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars (4/15) – 3DS, Vita
    • 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (4/15) – 360, PS3
    • Trials Fusion (4/15) – PS4

    FFXIV C2 FIFA Trials

    Did You Know

    As I said in the intro, we are running a Kickstarter to raise money for podcasts. It’s something we’ve all wanted to do since the very beginning of this site and we’d really appreciate any help you guys can give.

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    Hound: A Ancient Celtic Myth Kickstarter! https://one-quest.com/blog/hound-a-ancient-celtic-myth-kickstarter/ Fri, 11 Apr 2014 20:40:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18718 So you may have noticed us plugging the hell out of our own Kickstarter, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still like to check out what other cool projects are out there. In the past we’e spotlighted a few campaigns that really stood, and Hound is another one in that category. I was actually contacted by them to see if One-Quest would be able to help spread the word about the Kickstarter. After quickly checking out what it was for, I saw no reason not to. I personally love history, so that pretty much had me on the hook right away. As I continued to read about what this book was going to be though I got more intrigued, and the artwork, which you can see plenty of over on their Kickstarter, has this dark and gritty look. It’s the type of thing I’d expect to see as an illustration in one of these old tales.
    hound001
    I’m sure you’re more interested in what Hound is actually about, than me talking about what I liked about it. So here is something straight from the Kickstarter page.


    Set in Ancient Ireland HOUND is the first in three Graphic Novels covering the life of Cu Chulainn…

    In this forgotten world where war once ruled peace reigns supreme and this is killing Morrigan, last of the Long Lived. In a desperate bid to stay vital she kidnaps baby Cú Cullan and exposes the child to her darkness imbuing him with unnatural strength and agility, but at a price. He inherits her dark hair, eyes and unpredictable brooding nature. He is not easy to be around. Although physically smaller than his peers he has the status of a giant. Friend and foe fear him. Since killing a Blacksmith’s guard dog and taking it’s place as a child, hence his nickname, HOUND, he has earned a reputation for never letting anyone or anything get in the way of that which he wants more than anything else – to be Champion of the World.

    With Cú Cullan seeded as her living weapon Morrigan plans to turn a hard won peace into endless carnage.

    Cool right? Hound is just the first of three planned graphic novels to tell the whole story, I expect it to have quite the epic feel to it.
    hound002
    Now is where you click on through one of the links, including this one here to the Hound Kickstarter and check it out indepth for yourself, and maybe drop a few dollars to help some people make something cool!

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    Friday Five – Worst TV Series Finales https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-tv-series-finales/ Fri, 11 Apr 2014 15:37:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18712 Black
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a Top Five list. This week we’re listing our Least Favorite TV Series Finales!
     
    Last week we listed our favorite TV Show Finales. Logically, this week we’re listing our least favorite! One great thing about this site, and all of us being friends, is that we don’t always agree with one another. While some of us thought the HIMYM Finale worked, there were plenty of those online (and here) that thought it was terrible! That’s always been something I loved about having this little blog site. So we can all voice our opinions as loudly as we choose! Well, enough of me being happy about this for a second and let’s move on to our least favorite TV finales!
     

    Chris

    1. House – House was a great show, but by it’s final season it was definitely struggling. The ‘team’ was changed again, and just didn’t have the same attitude the previous ones did. But going into the Finale I still expected something more, instead it’s just House dealing with his demons and faking his death to go hang out with Wilson before he dies. While that’s kind of touching in one way, it’s also just felt wrong. And seriously what happens after Wilson dies, House is supposed to be dead, what’s he going to do?
    2. Chuck – Chuck was a great series, but it had it’s problems, and was almost always on the verge of being canceled. Somehow though it made it through 5 seasons, and after all of that you’d expect a happy ending for Chuck and Sarah, but we don’t really get that. We get what is essential a cliffhanger for an episode that was written as a series finale. I could look past it if the show was cancelled late in the season and they had already started production on the episode, but the whole season was billed as the final one. On the bright side it wasn’t the worst ending ever, that’s still to come, but it just isn’t what I wanted to see for the ending of this series.
    3. Seinfeld – Oh Seinfeld, for a show about nothing, your ending sure had too much going on. It’s been close to 20 years since the show ended, but people still list it as one of the worst finale’s ever. While these characters really weren’t what you’d call good people, and probably didn’t deserve the big win you think they’re getting at the beginning, having them go to jail based on trumped up charges was kinda dumb.
    4. Weeds – Weeds was an awesome show, but the ending just felt to perfect and like a cop-out. Everything just turned out right for everyone, the whole tone of the show just didn’t add up to that.
    5. David the Gnome – David the Gnome takes the cake. In case you can’t remember, or never got to watch this show. Back in the late ’80s a show about a Gnome doctor riding a fox around the forest healing sick or injured animals was fantastic for a little kid. Then you hit the final episode where David and his wife Lisa have to go off and die. Yep Gnomes only live to be 400, so before then they have to head off into the mountains to die. Even worse, their friend Casper, another Gnome, has no family and doesn’t want to die alone so he asks to go with them. This is not how a childrens show is supposed to end. Yes it’s great try and teach kids at an early age about death and all, but serious wtf were they thinking?!

     
    Dr. Gregory House from House M.D.
     

    Eric

    OK, last week was pretty rough for me. I don’t watch a ton of TV shows to the end. If I don’t like the show, I don’t watch it to the end. It turns out that most of the finales I didn’t like were for shows that got canceled prematurely. (Yes, I consider Heroes a premature cancellation.)

    1. Heroes – This one sucks. I really loved the show. I supported it all throughout it’s airing. Watched it every week! And it ended on a cliffhanger. . . not cool! Luckily, Heroes Reborn is starting up next year, so maybe it’ll shed some light on what happened.
    2. Jericho – I just watched this show last year and loved the hell out of it! I couldn’t stop watching! The only issue I had is that both finales, the show was canceled twice after all, were major cliffhangers. It sucks, networks often cancel shows without letting them know it’s coming, so it’s not their fault that it all ends on cliffhangers. However season 2 should have been evident. It was only 8 episodes long. More effort should have been made to at least close the series a bit. Instead I have to find the comics that continue the story and find out what happened.
    3. Psych – Ok, this was on my favorite Finales list last week. The issue I had here is that it didn’t feel like a Series Finale. Rather, I got more of a season finale vibe. All the characters just move to a new location leaving the series open for more hijinks later. That’s great, but it didn’t feel like an ending.
    4. House – It just felt weak. Although, the ending felt in character for House, it was still not as strong as it could have been.The final season as a whole was lacking in pretty much every area. So it wasn’t surprising when the show ended at a low point.
    5. Firefly – I don’t like listing this on here any more that you like seeing it. Truth is, the end sucked! By no fault of Joss Whedon or the cast. It’s all Fox’s fault. Serenity didn’t even do a great job of ending the series. It just added more to the story. . . Oh well. Maybe Joss will give us a remake somewhere down the line.

     
    Cast of Heroes
     

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    One-Quest Podcast Kickstarter! https://one-quest.com/blog/one-quest-podcast-kickstarter/ Thu, 10 Apr 2014 17:07:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18693 One-Quest Podcast
     
    Well, in case you missed it in the title, we want to grace your ears with the presence of our voices through the magic of Podcasting!
     
    It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally ready to start bringing you our fantastic opinions in an audio format! Well. . . almost ready. We still need your help.
     
    See, we know what we want to do, but we don’t have all the equipment necessary to do it. We also lack a proper hosting space for said audio entertainment.
     
    This is where you come in! We’re hosting a Kickstarter campaign to see if we can get things rolling! We don’t need a whole lot of money, but every little bit counts.
     
    It doesn’t matter how much you donate, we’ll still love you the most. Even more than that guy over there! If you only have a dollar to give, you still qualify for the most epic of High Fives if we’re ever in the same place at the same time! If you have more than that we have a whole smattering of options for you including a special thanks on One-Quest.com, a shout out on one of our podcasts, a chance to write an article for the website, opportunities to record an episode of the One-Quest Podcast with us, and even a chance to hang out with us at a local nerd convention!
     
    This is all pretty sweet stuff, and we couldn’t be more excited to get our fans involved! Now, we just need fans. . . Well, if you know anyone that likes us, even just a little bit, please send them a link to our Kickstarter and tell them to help us out! Or just ask them to forward it along in hopes someone else likes us more than you guys do. . .
     
    Thanks in advance for all your support and donations! We’re really excite to start podcasting, and we hope you’re just as excited to hear us bitch about everything we hate. . . err, talk about all of the awesome nerdy things going on all the time! Nice. Totally saved it.
     
    You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here: One-Quest Podcasts
     

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    T.W.I.G. 4/6/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-462014/ Sun, 06 Apr 2014 18:07:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18684 Twig4-6

    Listen up brother, WrestleMania 30 is today so the T.W.I.G. is a little late as I’ve been doing last minute preparations for the big show. If you’re at all interested in wrestling follow me on twitter @Drootin_39 as I’ll be tweeting during the show, brother! Also brother, its been a really slow news week. Also, an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!

    The News:

    • Persona 4 will be releasing as a PS2 classic on the PS3 on April 8th Atlus has announced. The game will cost $9.99 on the PS Store.
    • Microsoft has announced that Phil Spencer is taking over control of all things Xbox, hardware, MS Studios, and Xbox live.

    The new releases:

    • Titanfall (4/8) – 360
    • WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (4/10) – WiiU
    • Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (4/10) – WiiU

    2615944-box_tf     1891362-box_wware     1865068-box_katam

    My Wrestlemania 30 Predictions

    • The Real American win the Tag Team Titles
    • Dolph Ziggler wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
    • Bray Wyatt defeats John Cena
    • The Undertaker defeats Brock Lesnar
    • Kane & the Outlaws defeat The Shield as The Shield finally spilts up
    • Natalya wins the Diva’s Title
    • Daniel Bryan defeats HHH
    • Daniel Bryan pins Batista to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite TV Series Finales https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-tv-series-finales/ Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:05:38 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18670 himymfinale
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category is: Favorite TV Series Finales

    This is a rough spring, a lot of fantastic shows are ending, well two are anyway. How I Met Your Mother and Psych both just wrapped up their final seasons. While not everyone may have loved the outcomes, there’s no denying getting to the end of a series is an exciting and emotional time. You spend years with these characters, and you grow attached, and it’s your final chance to see where they’ll go. So this week, we’re going to be talking about all the finale’s we’ve loved over the years, so let’s get started!

    Chris

    1. Psych – This is how you end a show, they kept things normal, there was a case to be solved like every week. The best part was all the emotion going on behind that though, it was simultaneously one of the funniest and saddest episodes the series ever had. I loved Psych from the beginning and I was nervous it wouldn’t end well, but boy did they pull it off. It didn’t happen long enough ago for me to get into details, but it was probably the most satisfying ending of a series I’ve ever seen.
    2. Lost – So many people hated this ending, and I just don’t understand why. Nothing about this was bad, we got to see how everyone left either survived to leave the island or died. Everything this series built towards over 6 seasons worked out here. Sure we didn’t get all the answers, but we got plenty of them. And the final explanation of the strange flash sideways was amazing, and while I kinda saw that coming, at the same time it wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. And in the end the characters, new and old, all got to have their happy endings one way or another.
    3. 24 – I guess since they’re reviving this series, this may not be the best choice, but the original ending of season 8 really finished off the series how you’d expect. From the ending of season 1, you knew there would be no happy ending for Jack Bauer. He saved the world one more time, then had to fade into the shadows a fugitive from the country he pretty much gave his life to save. He lost his family, his friends, and probably his humanity along the way. This wasn’t even close to a happy ending, and that’s good, because this show didn’t need one.
    4. Trigun – Trigun was an amazing show, starting out like just a goofy action comedy, but soon drastically changing to something far more. It still kept a lot of the the humor, but added a layer of drama and developed a set of characters and backstory that few shows ever do. Then the finale hits, and we continue to learn so much about what made Vash who he was, and his final confrontation with his brother Knives. Apparently the source manga continues on after this, but I think the TV series really ended it right.
    5. How I Met Your Mother – I’m sure plenty of people will argue with this one, probably more than would argue Lost at this point. But I really enjoyed the ending for what it was, the show kept the promise it made 9 seasons ago, we saw Ted meet the Mother. You could really ask for nothing more, but we got more. We got to see how everyone’s lives played out, sure they weren’t always great, but in the end everyone was happy with their lives, and that’s really all any of us can hope for.

    psych-finale-the-break-up-dule-hill

    Shannon

    1. Psych
    2. Friends
    3. Futurama (the last time)
    4. Spaced
    5. Cowboy Bebop

    Futurama_726_wedding

    Eric

    Endings are tricky. Be it in movies or TV, no matter what happens people will be unhappy. Don’t explain enough and the complaint is that there wasn’t enough closure. Close all the loose ends and people feel that it went too far. Regardless, shows have to end and every creator has their own reasons for doing what they did. As long as everything makes sense to me, and it all seems logical, I generally have no qualms with the ending.

    1. Lost – It’s no secret that I LOVE Lost. However, it ran against Heroes I believe, so that ended up winning for me. I marathoned the entire series in the last 2 months leading up to the finale. I was 2 weeks behind, and I heard every complaint under the sun. I also heard the big reveal spoiler from just about everyone who hated the ending in the 2 weeks leading up to my viewing. I was pretty upset about that, but I couldn’t have been more satisfied when I realized that everyone was wrong. It’s been over 5 years so its safe to drop the bomb now. . . just to clear it up, here’s the big reveal: THEY WEREN’T ALL DEAD THE WHOLE DAMN TIME! Boom, mind blown right? At this point, if you still think they were dead the whole time, and you hate the show for that then you don’t deserve an explanation. In short, you’re stupid. Go watch Jersey Shore or some other mindless bullshit.
    2. Breaking Bad – Wow. Just wow. I kept hearing how great this show was for a few years, but I never really payed attention to it. Malcolm in the Middle’s dad selling drugs or something? What ev. Well, I finally gave it a shot. Decided to watch it all in the two weeks leading up to the finale. Ended up about 2 weeks behind again, but holy crap was it fantastic! While I like the “alternate ending” that showed Hal waking up in bed with Lois(his wife from Malcolm in the Middle) after having a nightmare about the entire series, I feel that this is no better ending than the one on TV. It tied everything up nicely, while leaving just enough open for speculation. It was perfect.
    3. The Office – While the final season wasn’t all that great, I still enjoyed it. It had it’s charm and it shifted focus to include more of the supporting case in primary roles, which was nice. The Finale wasn’t as emotional as Michael Scott’s last episode, it was still excellent. It closed everything up nicely and got the gang back together one last time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
    4. How I Met Your Mother – This is one of the primary reasons we’re here. 2 of our favorite shows closed out in the last 2 weeks and we needed a reason to complain or praise the endings. This one in particular has been a hot button on the internet, so here it goes: I liked the finale. Everything felt natural for the characters. Did it move fast? Sure. Did it suck to negate a marriage in the first 15 minutes that the last 3 seasons spent building up? Yeah. But that’s life. Was the big reveal, and the following twist, over shadowed by the ending scene? No, absolutely not. I understand the complaints people have, I just don’t agree with them. The creators threw 15 years worth of story into less than 45 minutes of running time. It was a lot to take in, and difficult to connect with emotionally if you had a hard time keeping up with the changes in time. It wasn’t perfect as it aired, but I feel that it hit all the right beats and settled all of the characters well.
    5. Psych – And the other show that ended this season. . . This one was rough. 8 seasons in, and all I can think is that I just want more. It’s sad to see it go, but here’s the verdict: I loved the finale! Psych hit all the right emotional beats. We saw Shawn grow up in ways we never thought capable. It was excellent, but. . . (see next week)

    lost_sanctuary_600

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    Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-reaper-of-souls-review/ Wed, 02 Apr 2014 19:50:31 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18644 Malthael
     
    Almost two full years after the launch of Diablo III comes the highly anticipated launch of it’s first expansion, Reaper of Souls. Diablo III had a fairly controversial launch, plagued with server errors and not a whole lot of end game replayability. Since day one Blizzard has been focused on perfecting Diablo III so it wouldn’t fall in the shadow of it’s predecessor. They have finally succeeded. Featuring a whole new act, a new class, 10 new levels for each class, new abilities, a revamped loot system, enhancements to the paragon system, an enchanter, and adventure mode to help players on their never ending quest for loot; Reaper of Souls is the best thing to happen to Diablo III since it’s launch.
     

    Reaper of Souls box art Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
     
    Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
    Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
    Platforms: PC(reviewed), PS4, XBOne
    Released: 3/25/14
    Verdict: No one can stop death!
    Score: 9/10

     
    One of the biggest complaints about Diablo III, from the vocal minority, was the lightened tone of the series. Diablo III featured a fairly varied palate compared to that of the blacks and greys of previous entries. Instead of everything being dark and desolate, we were treated to occasional vibrant colors and environments. This helped avoid a stale feeling as we progressed from outdoor area to dark tomb and so on. However, since it was a complaint it had to be fixed, and fixed it was. Act V features no bright colors save for swirling energy wisps in the background. All of Westmarch, where the majority of Act V takes place, is covered in darkness. The streets are lined with the bodies of fallen humans. Houses are filled with people fearing for their lives. It’s as if Act III, the Bastions Keep sections anyway, takes place in a city instead of a soldiers stronghold. You get a true sense of desperation as you make your way from t/he streets of Westmarch to the once majestic Pandemonium Fortress. It really feels like the series took a complete 180 in terms of aesthetics and tone.
     
    Westmarch
     
    The plot also takes a small leap forward, but I really mean small. It doesn’t make much sense that one of the the Archangels, especially since it wasn’t Imperius, succumbs to the dark power held within the Black Soulstone. Sure Malthael is the Archangel of Death, so it’s only natural that he would want to kill everything that threatened his great city in the heavens, but for him to fall to the powers of darkness just doesn’t make sense. Imperius seemed like a much easier target to fall for corruption, but Blizzard went a different route. On the up side, the way the plot is presented far outshines that of Diablo III. The optional logs give deeper insight into the major players in the conflict and help you understand why Malthael is the big baddie this time around. The city itself is rife with optional side quests and events to help you get into the story and the tone. It all sort of mashes together for a fantastic feel that really works on levels far beyond what was possible in Diablo III.
     
    World Map
     
    Being an expansion we have to expect some new ways to play, not just new places to play in. So as expected we’re treated to class #6, the Crusader. The Crusader has been likened to the Paladin of Diablo II in a few reviews I’ve read. Stating that it fills in the space of support character that was lacking in the current roster. The problem with that statement is that the Monk existed as the support character. I know, it’s a silly argument, but something I felt worth pointing out. There are plenty of similarities between the Diablo II Paladin and the RoS Crusader, but the feel is very very different. The Crusader plays more like a Barbarian with Monk support abilities thrown in. It’s a great class to have in a group, but not exclusively a support class. The Crusader feels slow, hits hard, and has a ton of defense. They can really take a massive beating, and the entire time receiving buffs to damage or defense solely for blocking attacks with their massive shields. The Crusader is a full on power house, a tank, and a great support class all rolled into one.
     
    Reaper of Souls - Crusader
     
    New characters aren’t the only way to add to the way we play, and Blizzard knows that. They increased the level cap to 70, bumping it by 10 levels. Of course new levels means new skills. Every class is rewarded 1 new skill, 5 runes for that skill, 3 new passive skills, and (best of all) another passive skill slot! The new skills for each class actually feel worthwhile, not like they were just tacked on. The new passives and passive skill slots create a plethora of new options for skill builds. It’s funny, when I think back to playing Diablo III a few months ago, or even last year, I don’t remember changing my skills all that much. I found the abilities I liked and stuck with it. Since playing RoS I have changed my build for my Wizard at least 6 times. It’s barely been a week. One of the biggest factors to prompt build changes are the new Legendary and Set items, but I’ll get to those in a minute. Back to skills it’s important to point out that as of Patch 2.0, which launched about a month before RoS launched, a majority of the skills received massive overhauls. An example would be the addition of the FROZEN ORB rune, on the Arcane Orb skill for the Wizard. That’s right, I said Frozen Orb people! It’s back! These changes are not exclusive to RoS, vanilla Diablo III players can take advantage of these as well. However to reach level 70, and use the rewarded new skills, you will need to upgrade to Reaper of Souls.
     
    FROZEN ORB
     
    Another feature added with Patch 2.0, which can be taken advantage of by everyone, is Loot 2.0. The advantages of Loot 2.0 on RoS vs DIII is the ability to obtain higher level gear, and new gear is available only after level 61 is reached. Otherwise, Loot 2.0 is the same on both versions of the game, but it is highly recommended that you purchase Reaper of Souls to get the best loot possible. But what is Loot 2.0, and why should you care? Well, the simple answer is it’s everything awesome ever. The long answer. . . well, it’s a lot. To start every Legendary and Set Item has a chance to drop at every level, except those only available after level 61 (because then you wouldn’t need Reaper of Souls). This means that that awesome wand that you got a level 15 that gives you the ability to summon multiple Hydra’s at once has a chance to be awesome again when it drops for you at level 70. This opens up a wide variety of new gear. The next change is that all Legendary and Set Items have had their stat caps raised above that of Magic and Rare Items of the same level. This means the Legendary and Set Items are actually worthwhile. Beyond that most Legendary and Set Items have been redesigned and enhanced with new custom appearances and abilities. Some have higher caps on certain stats, others have silly ability to make for amusing play, but most importantly a lot of them increase the usefulness or significantly alter a skill. Like using Energy Twister? Get yourself a Valthek’s Rebuke which ensures that Energy Twister only travels in a straight line. Enjoy the splendor of Seismic Slam? Keep an eye out for Fury of the Vanished Peak which drops the Fury cost of Seismic Slam by 40-50%! The last bit of Loot 2.0 is the key portion of it’s usefulness. The biggest issue that plagued Diablo III before Loot 2.0 was the inability to get useful loot on a frequent basis. Instead many players resorted to surfing the Auction House for the best gear since anytime an item dropped it could roll stats useful for any class, or no class. Loot 2.0 addresses this concern by introducing Smart Drops. Every Item has a chance to be a Smart Drop. There is no way to tell if an item is a Smart Drop or not, it’s all on the backend. But what you will notice is that a large majority of the items dropping will roll with stats that are at least somewhat useful for you. Again not everything will be perfect for you, but you’ll find a lot more +Dex items as a Demon Hunter then you will as a Wizard.
     
    Enchanting
     
    Patch 2.0 also introduced a redesign of the Paragon System that was introduced back in 1.0.4. The Paragon System was initially an additional 100 levels for your characters to attain. Each level granted a few stat increases (no different than regular levels up) but also added 3% Magic and Gold find. That second part was the big deal. At Paragon 100 your character received a 300% bonus to magic find, which is the hidden stat that is supposed to increase the likelihood of finding higher quality items. I personally never really noticed a difference, but some did. Well, Blizzard saw an opportunity with the Paragon System, and so a redesign was in order. Instead of being character based, the Paragon System is now Account Based. Every character gains Paragon Experience for the account when it reaches level cap (60 for Diablo III, 70 for Reaper of Souls). When a Paragon Level is gained every character on the account is given 1 Paragon Point to spend in one of 4 specific category. Each category has 4 different stats to raise, some with a maximum of 50 points, others with no maximum. You can spend the points differently on each character, and the selections are not permanent. This system is genius! It grants the players a further ability to customize their characters without forcing Blizzard to fully redesign the way the game plays. Some stats seem like insignificant changes, but in the long run you’re looking at nearly 10% increase in attack speed, 10% run speed, 50% crit damage, 5% crit chance and so much more. The only draw back is the inability to raise Magic Find. One of the greatest additions of this system is the ability for new characters to start with higher than normal stats because of the bonus Paragon levels. It really adds a whole new dynamic to the endgame of Diablo III and Reaper of Souls.
     
    Paragon
     
    Before I get into Adventure Mode and how it has really changed the way I play Diablo III I want to bring up the Mystic. The Mystic is the fabled 3rd crafting artisan teased way back before Diablo III was released. The Mystic was pulled out because it didn’t make sense to allow a character to enchant an item when you could just add a gem to it. As of Reaper of Souls, it makes so much sense! The Mystic is introduced during the events of Act V, and when she finally sets up shop you’re open to a ton of new options. First is the ability to Transmogrify any item. Transmogrify is a fancy way to say “change the appearance of”. If you find a really powerful new weapon, but don’t like the way it looks, you can Transmogrify it to look like a different weapon of the same type that you like better. I have noticed that some items can’t be Transmogrified, and others fall into some very specific categories, but in general it’s a really cool feature. You can finally control they way you look beyond changing the color of your clothes. The other purpose served by the Mystic is Enchanting. Enchanting is handled so well here, and it’s absolutely fantastic. You can’t add stats to items. So don’t think you can find a new white weapon and add a bunch of stats you like until it’s perfect. Nope. Instead you can re-roll any 1 stat on any item as many times as you want, for a cost. Let’s say, as a Wizard, you find a legendary weapon with +Int, +Vit, +Crit Chance, +Damage to Arcane Torrent, +Monster XP, and a Legendary Only Stat. I’m sure you’d consider it, but your weapon is near identical save for the Legendary Stat that just sounds so cool, on top of that you HATE Arcane Torrent. What do you do? Well, you don’t have to compromise now. You can bring this weapon to the Mystic, and re-roll the stat you least like. In this case it’s Arcane Torrent, but realistically it could be anything except that Legendary stat. You can get an idea of what possible stats you will receive when re-rolling with the click of a ? to the right of the stat. After rolling you’re granted the choice to stick with the same stat, or choose from 1 of two new stats. There’s so much possibility here, it’s nuts! Just yesterday I raised my DPS by over 50% simply by re-rolling a stat on a weapon and getting a socket. We wanted more control over our characters, now we have it!
     
    Transmogrify
     
    Ok, I feel like I’ve been going on forever here, but there’s just one more (albeit awesome) feature to touch on: Adventure Mode. Previously, to grind for items in Diablo III you had to find an area you liked, run it, quit the game and start again. On top of that, if the area you liked happens to be part of the story you may end up replaying all of the silly cutscenes which can be an interruption in play. Lastly, if you liked Act II but decided to jump into Act IV you had to quit the game, change your quest, and jump into Act IV. It wasn’t intuitive. It wasn’t fun. It was exhausting. Adventure Mode makes things fun. First, it opens up the entirety of the game to travel through waypoints. You aren’t restricted to a specific act now, you can go where you want and pursue the enemies you want when you want. The freedom is great, but it also removes all story elements from the game. No need to mash the ESC key when you wander into the Skeleton Kings crypt. Just run in and wreck him! The next addition is Bounties. There are 5 bounties, randomly generated at the time of game creation, added to each act. Bounties can show up in the form of completing an event, clearing a dungeon, killing a specific monster, or activating a cursed chest/shrine. Completing a bounty rewards bonus XP and Gold, which is always good. You can also receive Blood Stones or Rift Keystone Fragments. Completing all of the Bounties in an Act rewards the player with a Horadric Cache. The Horadric Cache is just an extra chance to get some bonus items. Gems, crafting items, random loot, and Legendary Items are all possible to obtain from a cache. On top of all the rewards received for completing bounties and opening the caches we have Blood Stones and Rift Fragments. Blood Stones can be traded to Kadala, a new vendor found in every Act hub. She will trade you a random item for a certain number of Blood Stones, usually 5. It’s like the Gambling feature in Diablo II, but you get to specifically target the type of item you want. Wizard Sources are only 5 Shards, so I’ve been spending a ton of Shards on those. Rift Keystone Fragments allow you to open an Nephalem Portal through the Nephalem Obelisk found at every Act hub. A Nephalem Portal is a portal to a randomly generated dungeon. Each dungeon can be from 1 to 10 floors and features a random location, lighting effect, and monsters. An Act V location could be haunted by Act I ghosts and skeletons and the stairs at the end could lead to an act II location with Act V enemies. It’s really cool not knowing who or what you’re going to face at any time. In each Rift you’re tasked with killing enemies to fill in a bar. Once the bar is full the Rift Guardian is unleashed to rain hell upon you and your allies. Killing a rift guardian is like killing an Act boss for the first time. It’s like a rain of loot showers form his their corpse! The downside, I’ve ever gotten anything good from one. No Legendary, no Set, just Blood Shards, more Rift stones and some random loot. Despite my luck, I have had a ton of fun with the rifts. Adventure Mode is the only way to play Diablo after completing the main story. It reminds me of jumping into Diablo II after completing the story, only with added benefit of bonus never ending replayability!
     
    Kadala and the Obelisk
     
    Ok, I’m going to keep the end short. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is, as I stated, the absolute best thing to happen to Diablo III since launch. A ton of new content, a new class, and a never ending quest for loot is all we could have ever asked for. I have no complaints, and I really don’t see any reason to look for any. If you played Diablo III and gave up, give Reaper of Souls a chance. I think you’ll enjoy it.

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    T.W.I.G. 3/30/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-3302014/ Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:00:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18629 Twig3-30

    March is coming to a close, but there’s still time for one more look back at The Week In Gaming for the month, so lets take a look!

    The News:

    • The Last of Us will be getting a re-release on the PS4 this summer. No exact date or price has been confirmed yet but it will be releasing on both disc and digital download. The re-release will also include the Left Behind DLC. We will keep you updated when more news comes down the line.
    • Two different Assassin’s Creed games will be releasing this fall. Assassin’s Creed Unity will be released on the PS4, XboxOne, and PC while Assassin’s Creed Comet will be releasing on PS3 and 360. No word on if AC:Comet will be coming to PC or if any version will be coming to the WiiU. AC: Unity has been confirmed to take place in France during the French Revolution and rumors have it that Comet will be taking place in North America and you may be playing as a Templar.
    • Sega has confirmed that there will be a Legend of Zelda crossover in Sonic Lost World. Sonic will be decked out in Link’s iconic green cap and tunic and Link, along with many other LoZ characters will be making appearances in “Legend of Zelda Zone” in the game.
    • Alien: Isolation has been given an official release date of October 7th for PS3, PS4, 360, XB1, and PC.

    The new releases:

    • Age of Wonders III (3/31) – PC
    • MLB 14: The Show (4/1) – PS3, Vita
    • Ragnarok Odyssey Ace (4/1) – PS3, Vita
    • The Elder Scrolls Online (4/4) – PC

    2428284-aow3_logo2 2603666-theshow14 2487261-ro_ace 2237362-clickhandler.ashx

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 26, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-28-2014/ Fri, 28 Mar 2014 19:30:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18608 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Only enough time for a quick little Take It Or Leave It this week, I also only had enough time to read 2 books so far. Traveling for work can really make a bag log of books at the comic shop. (note: I wrote this first, which I never do, and it turned out to be anything but short!)

    This weekend should actually be a test run for our new Podcasting endeavors, so expect to hear plenty of other opinions on the books below, and many others when we release that, hopefully next week!

    Anyway, even though I only had enough time to read 2 books, I they were two great books. Not only that, but I have a lot to say about them, so lets get this thing started.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Marvel Comics


    hawkeye18

    Hawkeye #18

    Hawkeye has easily been one of Marvel’s best books since it launched. Not only that, but it has been helping Marvel to realize people will read books that go in a different direction. We have new books now like She Hulk and Black Widow, that probably wouldn’t be the same if Hawkeye hadn’t succeeded so strongly. Even with that in it’s corner, our favorite Archer(s) have had some problems lately. The book has suffered from delays, and rearranging of issues. For those who may have missed it, issue 16 came out before issue 15, and now issue 17-19 have all been rearranged. It honestly makes it a little hard to follow what’s happening in the two stories that are running. Regardless of that, issue 18 is a really solid issue, especially for a Kate focused one. Personally I’ve enjoyed the slightly more lighthearted adventures Kate has been having in LA. Sure she’s had her problems with bad guys, and just life in general, but compared to some of the stuff going on with Clint it’s like a vacation.

    Issue 18 feels like it’s really bringing things together, that have been happening since Kate headed out to LA, and that it’s starting to wrap up her time there as well. I’m not going to lie, I’ll miss the adventures on the west coast, perhaps Kate will move back and for the West Coast Young Avengers? Probably not, but really the characters that have been introduced to support her have just been fun. To get such a crazy back story for Harold H. Harold, or as we all know him, the weird guy in the cat food isle, was really cool. And of course, as I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, the story is starting to come back together with Clints, so I’m sure we’ll be having a Hawkeye reunion issue soon, probably with car chases and explosions bro.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman30

    Superior Spider-Man #30

    I’m warning everyone now, there will be spoilers here, but I’ll clearly label where they start. For now let’s start with the basics before I start dropping spoiler bombs. Issue 30 is the second to last of Goblin Nation, and second to last issue of the series as a whole. Superior Spider-Man has been a lot of things, to a lot of people. Some hated it, but grew to love the craziness of it, others still hate it. But for every hater, there’s someone who has loved this book from the start. I fall in that later category, I was nervous by the outcome of the finale to Amazing Spider-Man, but I trusted Slott and the team to give me an amazing adventure. They didn’t fail either, Superior has been great as a whole, and Goblin Nation started out in the best possible way, without having to build up to it. The story just starts, the city is already over run by the Goblin’s and Spidey is in pretty bad shape.

    By the time we get to issue 30, pretty much everything that could go wrong has. Loved ones, and past citizens that Otto saved are being used as bait, and Otto is getting to his breaking point. This is such an emotionally driven issue, more so than any other in the series to date. I found myself wanting to cheer, cry, and even getting chills at things that were happening. And by the time the issue finished I just put it down next to me and stared at nothing for a moment, trying to process. This issue did so much for Otto’s character, he’s been on the line between being a hero, and reverting to his old ways this whole time, and one gust in the wrong direction could have brought everything crashing down. I don’t know what’s in store for issue 31, but it’s going to have a tough time competing with this one.

    **SPOILERS AHEAD**

    Now don’t say I didn’t warn you, from here on out there’s no holding back. So with everything I said before, I just can’t believe how this all went down. We all knew Pete was coming back, his consciousness has been hiding out in Otto’s memories for the last few issues after all, not to mention the relaunching Amazing. Regardless, there was no way to know how Pete was going to be, as we see in the mind scape, he was losing himself, not knowing if he was Peter Parker or Otto Octavius. So when we finally got to that scene, where he relived his own dying memories through the mind of Otto like back in Amazing Spider-Man 700, and remembered who he was, it was a awesome. But that’s not what made this issue great. Nor was Otto’s struggle to do the right thing, to be the Superior Spider-Man, and save people and stop the Goblins at the same time. It was great to see just how far Otto had fallen, to see him struggling, and angry, and scared to lose someone he loved in Anna Maria. But again, not what made this issue.

    The thing that cemented this has an amazing comic book, was the end, the return of Pete, and the truly heroic sacrifice of Otto Octavius. It was unexpected, it was emotional, and it was exciting. Peter revealing himself to Otto, while the later was frozen in contemplation about saving a little girl or chasing down the his enemies was a big moment. I expected a battle of the minds, for Peter to struggle against Otto like before, but to ultimately come out on top. Boy was I wrong, that single moment, where Pete told Otto he was wrong for thinking and not using his instinct to just save that child, was intense. But for Otto to then take them back to his Lab, for Pete to be shocked by Parker Industries, and for Otto to not only admit that he was not Superior, but that Pete was the truly Superior Spider-Man was something that I don’t think anyone could have anticipated.

    And it only got better from there, in the few pages left of the book, Otto went from a guy who thought he was the greatest, and could do no wrong to a humble man ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Reading as Otto erased every memory he ever had, as himself, and as Spider-Man was a powerful moment, and then that moment of lingering and conversation with Pete about Anna Maria, you realize Otto was doing it for her. He knew that Peter was the only one who could save everyone. He knew that he’d be wrong, being the smartest and acting like it didn’t make him Superior.

    **END OF SPOILERS**

    So that went on long enough I think, but it works since there were only two books this week. In closing, there are a lot of ways this issue could have gone, and this series as a whole, but personally I think this was the perfect way to do it. And on top of everything, I am 100% excited for what’s to come both in the finale of Superior and the relaunch of Amazing. One last thing, while this is all just my opinion, and I’m sure others are going to feel differently about this, there is no denying it was a fantastic way to start the wrap up of a comic book series.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 10/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Celebrity Crushes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-celebrity-crushes/ Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:07:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18607 Jennifer Lawrence
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category is: Favorite Celebrity Crushes.
     
    Ok, so in a bold move we’ve decided to jump from same sex celebrity crushes to. . . celebrity crushes. We’re a wild bunch, you just never know what we’re going to do next! Or do you? Ah well, here’s a list of everyone’s top 5 celebrity crushes, and some nice pictures to go along with them.
     

    Drootin

    1. Christina Hendricks – My crush on Christina Hendricks has already been made known on this website (see #5 here). But in case you don’t feel like clicking away from this page, I think she’s the most attractive actress around right now, and the red hair and gigantic boobs don’t hurt.
    2. Isla Fisher – What can I say? I have a thing for redheads, and her accent sure doesn’t hurt.
    3. Jennifer Lawrence – She’s really attractive but doesn’t ever seem to take herself or her job too seriously so she seems like she would be awesome to hang out with.
    4. Beth Phoenix – One of the strongest WWE Divas of all time, she could probably manhandle me, and I’d be okay with that.
    5. Christina Ricci – I’m not exactly sure why but I’ve always kinda had a thing for Christina Ricci. She’s not as “classically beautiful” as some of the others on my list or anyone elses, but I’ve always had a crush on her. I think it’s her eyes.

     
    Christina Hendricks
     

    Shannon

    1. Robert Downey Jr
    2. Colin O’Donoghue
    3. Chris Evans
    4. Chris Pine
    5. Jonny Lee Miller
    6. Honorable Mention – Chris Hardwick, he’s a funny dude

     
    Robert Downey Jr.
     

    Chris

    1. Karen Gillan
    2. Alison Brie
    3. Scarlett Johansson
    4. Alexandra Daddario
    5. Emilia Clarke

     
    Karen Gillan
     

    Eric

    1. Amy Adams
    2. Karen Gillan
    3. Olivia Wilde
    4. Jennifer Lawrence
    5. Aubrey Plaza

     
    Amy Adams
     

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    Nerd Polish https://one-quest.com/blog/nerd-polish/ Tue, 25 Mar 2014 13:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18543 I’M ALIVE!!! I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. I try to participate in the Friday Five when it interests me, but I’ve been pretty busy and kind of gave up on the whole Geek Bites thing since somebody (*cough* Vogel *cough) never cleans the kitchen. But back in September I developed an addiction to nail polish and started a nail art blog. I also just recently started my own indie nail polish brand!

    Since I’m a bit geeky, I try to do fun nail art based on nerd culture every once in a while. Here are a few of the nerdy manis I’ve done since I started my blog.

    The Rooster Teeth logo. I’ve been a fan of Red Vs. Blue for quite some time, and I’m somewhat active in the RT community.

    Rooster Teeth Nail Art

    Triforce. I celebrated LoZ: A Link Between Worlds with this mani. I haven’t played the game myself, and probably never will, but I bought Rob the gold LoZ 3DS as a surprise and wanted to match.

    Triforce Nail Art

    Pokeballs. I just had to!

    Pokeball Nail Art

    Pacman. I’ve seen other people do similar nail art and loved it.

    Pacman Nail Art Pacman Nail Art

    Storm Troopers with Galactic Empire emblem.

    Storm Trooper Nail Art Galactic Empire Nail Art

    That’s all I have for now, but maybe in another few months I’ll have some more to show you. To see all my nail art and blog posts visit Marbles For Polish and to purchase my nail polish visit my Etsy Store (I may just be be coming out with an Avengers collection of polishes next month).

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    Spider-Verse is coming, Spider-Men Unite This November https://one-quest.com/blog/spider-verse-is-coming-spider-men-unite-this-november/ Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:58:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18575 Spider-Verse_Dell'Otto_Banner

    Before I get into nerding out over this, for those of you who just want the basic gist, this November in Amazing Spider-Man #9 every Spider-Man in history will be coming together in Spider-Verse. Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel are bringing this years Spider-Event together, and as you can see in the image above, there are a ridiculous amount of possibilities here. Now that’s the gist, if you want to hear me be a nerd about Spidey for a few paragraphs read on, or you can skip to the end for the official press release and cover.

    I’m going to try and keep this as level and reasonable as possible, but frankly I’m really excited about what this is announcing, so no promises. So I grew up with the ’90s X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons, and as a kid I was enthralled with the Secret Wars story line in Spider-Man. Bringing in all those different heroes was just awesome, and to follow it up with another team made out of nothing but various parallel world Spider-Men was just about the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Now this was around the time I first read comics too, and while I didn’t really know enough to follow anything properly Spider-Man was my book of choice. At the time I believe I bought random Spider-Man 2099 and Scarlet Spider books, hence being a fan of those characters today.

    So now fast forward, a lot, and I actually get into comic collecting via Eric and the Ultimate Universe. After getting my feet wet there I started reading back issues of Amazing Spider-Man starting with J. Michael Straczynski’s run. While some of the things he did in his run had fans ticked off for a long time, I loved the idea that Pete’s powers were deeper than just a flawed science experiment. The idea that he was part of something much bigger, and that him being Spider-Man wasn’t an accident after all, it just worked for me.

    With that out of the way, lets talk about the actual announcement here, I don’t usually get so detailed when these things come out, but I just had to for this one. Every line of it had me growing more and more interested. You’ll see what I’m talking about in a bit, but for now let’s break some stuff down.

    First up as the title indicates the event is going to be called Spider-Verse, it’s happening this November starting with Amazing Spider-Man #9 and the creative team is going to be Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel. Both of these guys are great, and I really hope Coipel is going to be a part of the Spidey artist rotation. Hell he may already be and I just missed the news somewhere. Anyway, This is a pretty cool team of creators. Slott is great at weaving detailed and intricate stories, look at what he’s done so far! Now these Spider-Events tend to be grand in scale, and frankly work out way better than the big Marvel events that happen pretty much all the time.

    Without any other information, this would be enough to have me picking up all the issues without a second thought. But we do have more information, like every Spider-Man in history will be a part of a team put together to defeat one of Spidey’s fiercest foes. Not Green Goblin, not Doc Ock, but Morlun. If you didn’t read Amazing Spider-Man in the early 2000’s you probably wouldn’t remember this guy, but he was deadly and wanted nothing more than to destroy Spidey. I’m not getting into the details, but it’s definitely work check out the story around Morlun, if for no other reason than to prepare yourself for this story.

    Who knows how this is going to work, but the press release mentions a few familiar names like Peter Parker (who should be expected), Miguel O’Hara (who also makes sense right now), and Miles Morales. But it also uses the words ” It will take thousands of spider-powered heroes to battle back the greatest threat to this universe or any other!”, and then you look at the promo art (at the top), and see all the different Spider-Men. Ben Reilly, Superior, Black Suit, Armored, and so many more! The possibilities here are crazy, and it really takes a mad scientist like mind, one that Dan Slott has demonstrated to have, to pull something like this off.

    I may very well be in the minority here for excitement about this, and if it was a run of the mill Marvel event I probably wouldn’t care nearly as much. But being a Spider-Man event helmed by a team of creators who work wonders, and pull all kinds of nostalgia strings on top of that, I just can’t not be excited for this stuff. I know it’s generally bad form to be so enthusiastic when reporting on a piece of news, but you know what screw that. What’s the point of reporting on this kind of thing if you can’t express your fandom about the topic!

    Alright, now that I’ve got, mostly everything I wanted to say out, how about I get to the official release. and some pictures too!


    Every Spider-Man in History Unite for SPIDER-VERSE!

    This November, prepare for every Spider-Man…ever! Marvel is proud to announce Spider-Verse, the biggest Spider-Man story of the year from New York Times Best-Selling Spider-Scribe Dan Slott and blockbuster artist Olivier Coipel!

    Kicking off this November in Amazing Spider-Man #9 (with a special lead-in story on Free Comic Book Day), Slott and Coipel assemble an legion of Spider-Men from every corner of every universe. Peter Parker, Miguel O’Hara, Miles Morales and many, many more must unite to stop a seemingly insurmountable super-powered foe. Morlun, an incredibly powerful villain has returned with a singular and terrifying goal – exterminate every Spider-Man in every universe! It will take thousands of spider-powered heroes to battle back the greatest threat to this universe or any other!

    “The scope of this event is so big, the word ‘epic’ just doesn’t do it justice,” says editor Nick Lowe. “The story is just huge and heartbreaking and has necessitated spreadsheets to organize all the Spider-Men. Luckily we have a writer who has proven time and time again he can thread impossible story-needles [Slott] and the most versatile character artist in the business [Coipel].”

    Fans can see the first hints of this event in April’s Amazing Spider-Man #1 but will get their first real taste of Spider-Verse in Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day Guardians of the Galaxy issue this with a special 5-page lead-in story available for free at all participating comic shops on May 3rd. This fall, Spider-Verse unites every Spider-Man in history to drive back the forces of darkness. But will an army of Spiders be enough?

    Don’t miss the blockbuster Spider-Man event that will have the Marvel Universe on the edge of its seat when Spider-Verse hits comic shops this November! Plus, don’t miss the start of the next big chapter in Spider-Man history in Amazing Spider-Man #1 on-sale this April!

    Amazing_Spider-Man_9_Del_Mundo_Variant_Cover

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    inFAMOUS: Second Son – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/infamous-second-son-review/ Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:40:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18572 Infamous Second Son
     
    Having owned the PlayStation 4 since launch, I’ve been clamouring for a top notch console exclusive to justify the purchase of a $400 Blu-ray Player. It’s been a long wait, almost 4 months, but it’s finally over. inFMAOUS: Second Son is the game every PlayStation 4 owner has been waiting for!
    &nbsp

    Infamous Second Son Box Art inFAMOUS: Second Son
     
    Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
    Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
    Platforms: PlayStation 4
    Released: 3/21/14
    Verdict: Enjoy your power!
    Score: 8/10

     
    Seven years have passed since the events of inFAMOUS 2. Cole is dead. New Marais and Empire City are gone. Conduits are feared and hated. They’ve been reclassified as Bio-Terrorists, and the government has created a task force for the sole purpose of capturing and imprisoning these Bio-Terrorists. The D.U.P., or Department of Unified Protection, has been overseeing the Bio-Terrorists for 7 years at Curdon Cay. They’ve been doing such a great job that the government has decided to shut down the D.U.P. and shift the Bio-Terrorist division to the Military. On the day of the first transfer from Curdon Cay, three Bio-Terrorists escape and change the life of Delsin Rowe, and his brother Reggie, forever.
     
    When we first meet Delsin, he’s just a small town punk. Getting into trouble, vandalizing local billboards, and just being rebellious. He isn’t very likeable, but you don’t hate him either. In the first 10 minutes of the game before you make your first karmic decision you learn enough about Delsin to know that he really could go either way toward the path of justice, or evil. He has a problem with authority, but will do anything to protect those he loves. . . and himself. After the opening you make your way to Seattle to find the head of the D.U.P. and well. . . spoilers.
     
    Infamous Second Son Delsin
     
    The city is pretty large, with plenty of side missions and random activities to keep you occupied. However, it doesn’t feel like the city is any larger than Empire City in the first inFAMOUS. And while there is a bit to do, it doesn’t seem like there are as many side missions in this outing of inFAMOUS. As is standard with inFAMOUS games, Seattle is broken up into two separate sections divided by impassible bridges and the like, to keep you in one section of the sandbox until the game deems it necessary to move on. Each half of the city is then subdivided into multiple districts, for a total of 12 across the entire city. These districts are each protected by the D.U.P. with cameras, patrols, and a mobile command center. Destroying a mobile command center reveals the location of all collectibles in the district and helps remove the D.U.P. presence within the city. After completing most of the side missions in a district, and gathering the collectibles, a District Showdown opens up wherein Delsin stakes his claim on the district and drives out the D.U.P. for good.
     
    You could just go off and tackle the story missions, but you’ll be at a disadvantage. Without driving out the D.U.P. you can expect heavier resistance. Without gathering all the collectibles you won’t have the strongest powers. Without tagging all of the walls you won’t. . . um. . . be able to show off your artistic vision? Ok, so not all of the side missions are winners, but for the most part they’re entertaining enough to pass the time. Based on how you play, the side missions can get pretty repetitive mostly due to lack of variety – Chase a guy, spray paint a wall, follow and listen to an audio signal, and find and destroy a hidden camera. On top of that, none of the side missions offer any reward other than being required to open up the District Showdowns. And remember, 12 districts means 12 of each type of side mission. It adds up to a lot, but feels somewhat shallow in the long run. I feel like more time could have been spent making the extra things to do in inFamous: Second Son feel more meaningful, and more varied.
     
    Infamous Second Son Smoke
     
    In previous entries killing enemies, or performing stunts, granted the player EXP to be used to unlock new abilities. That’s not the case in inFAMOUS: Second Son. Blast Shards are the only form of currency needed to obtain new powers. Blow up a Mobile Command Center, gather the 4 shards it spits out, then hunt down the Tracker Drones in the district and grab the blast shards embedded within. Next thing you know you have an abundance of powers to unlock and plenty of shards to use. It’s a simple method, but takes the need to defeat enemies away from the player. To combat that Sucker Punch introduced karmic actions during combat to help the players gain Karma points and advance to the next Karma bracket. Want good Karma? Subdue the enemy. Want Bad Karma? KILL ‘EM ALL! The 5 brackets each open up more new powers to spend the blast shards on. I really enjoyed this system, it felt more natural and much easier to grasp than the EXP system used in inFAMOUS 2.
     
    What helps inFAMOUS: Second Son stand above the previous two entries in the series is the variety of skills to use against the D.U.P. While the first two games didn’t exactly make you get by on some bare bones powers, the ability to at will switch out to one of 4 different feeling and looking powersets helps usher in a new era in the franchise. I honestly couldn’t go back to just using electricity for an entire game. Throw in the stunning effects and the power of the PlayStation 4 and you have one fantastic looking game. The lighting on the neon skills is stunning. The pixelaton on the video skills is just cool. And smoke! OMG SMOKE! My biggest gripe with the powers is that you don’t get any time to play with the last skill since you get it at the very end of the game. It would have been nice if Delsin picked it up just a mission or two in advance so I had more time to play with it, instead of being forced to use it during the last mission.
     
    Infamous Second Son Neon
     
    Of course everyone wants to know how good the game looks. That’s a simple question to answer: It’s GORGEOUS! Everything from street garbage, to the way the sunlight interacts with the trees looks fantastic. Again I can’t stress enough how cool neon powers look, but try them in the dark or at night. They’re even cooler! Facial animations are ridiculous, with realistic looking wrinkles and movement. You can actually see the emotion pouring out of the characters eyes and faces. Delsins’ jacket and vest also look awesome, and move incredibly realistically against his body. This game is beautiful, and the game to show your friends to prove that next gen is actually worth the price tag.
     
    Overall, inFAMOUS: Second Son is a fantastic addition to the PlayStaion 4 library and the game every early adopter has been waiting for. The stunning effects and gorgeous scenery are top notch for anyone just looking to show off the hardware. The game plays spectacularly with the new DualShock4, even using the oft useless touchpad in interesting ways. The side missions are a little repetitive, but are fun enough to pass the time. The ability to swap out 4 different power sets at will, that all feel different, is just so cool! inFAMOUS: Second Son is the game we’ve been waiting for on the PlayStation 4.
     
    Infamous Second Son - Beginning

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    T.W.I.G. 3/23/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-3232014/ Sun, 23 Mar 2014 15:22:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18560 Twig3-23

    So even with the Game Developers Conference this week there’s not a lot of news to report so we will get right to it.

    The News:

    • Magicka creator Arrowhead Game Studios is developing a new game in the Gauntlet franchise. The game is scheduled to release this summer for PC with SteamOS support and both local and online co-op.
    • Sony has officially announced their Virtual Reality headset called Project Morpheus. The headset will track the users head movements to move the camera, and also they may work in WiiU style asynchronous multiplayer with the player with the headset seeing a different layout than the players who are looking at the TV.
    • Castlevania creator Koji Igarashi has announced that he has left Konami to form his own studio. No word on what the new studio is or will be working on as of right now.

    The new releases:

    • Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (3/25) – PC
    • The Witch and the Hundred Knight (3/25) – PS3
    • Mercenary Kings (3/25) – PC, PS4
    • Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (3/25) – PS4, Vita
    • Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (3/25) – PS3
    • Fez (3/25) – PS3, PS4, Vita

    d3ROSWat100k2609093-mercenary_kings_box_art2566357-9042037469-61EUV2166793-box_fez

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 19, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-19-2014/ Fri, 21 Mar 2014 18:57:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18533 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Just time for a quick Take It Or Leave It this week, and it’s a pretty good week at that. I haven’t made it through my whole pile, but the books I did read were all well worth the cover price! So without anymore gabbing lets get started!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    batmanandaquaman29

    Batman and Aquaman #29

    The Batman and … title has been really hit or miss since the Death of Damien last year. Some of the issues like Batman and Batgirl or Batman and Nightwing were great emotionally charged reads. Others like Batman and Red Robin and Batman and Catwoman were just missing something. So when I heard Batman and Aquaman was coming I had my reservations, they weren’t necessary though. Tomasi tells a action packed story, with just enough of that emotional punch that’s needed when dealing with the death, and stolen body of Damien. I’m not saying this is the best issue of the series, and there are plenty of things I would rather see coming out of this series, but it’s at least moving the plot along with whatever Ra’s is up to. After all, the story is called ‘The Hunt For Robin’, there are a lot of possible interpretations to that, and we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    redhoodandtheoutlaws29

    Red Hood and the Outlaws #29

    Last month I was excited to see Red Hood and the Outlaws back on track as a fun, action packed ride with a group of friends who aren’t exactly heroes, but that are trying to do good. And luckily enough it’s keeping up that trend, now that all the serious stuff is over with the League of Assassins, and Jason having his memories wiped we’re back to space ships, aliens, swords, and all kinds of other fun stuff. If you’re new to Red Hood and the Outlaws, than this would be a good place to jump on, and from here we can only hope that things continue to be fast, fun, and action packed.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    aphroditeix9

    Aphrodite IX #9

    The real story is finally starting to pick up with Aphrodite, over the last few issues we’ve seen scenes of other IX’s doing something. And well we kinda know what’s happening now. It’s an interesting story, and Aphrodite certainly isn’t going to be to keen on joining up with her ‘brothers and sisters’ especially not knowing her own memories. Anyone who checks solicitations will know that this series is going to be wrapping up soon too. So we can expect so huge revelations in the coming months. But fear now, after a Aphrodite / Cyber Force crossover a new book with all our favorite characters from this future world will be hitting the stands.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    sexcriminals5

    Sex Criminals #5

    You might see a book titled Sex Criminals and think it’s something that should be wrapped in a black poly bag and labeled Adult Only. And while it is definitely an adult book, it’s far more raunchy comedy than anything else, and boy is it a good one. The story of Suze and Jon is so crazy and unrealistic, but still feels real. The characters just have this sense like if this stuff were really happening, this is exactly how they’d react. And there’s no weird cartoon sex going on, well there is, but not the porn kind. The biggest problem with this book is they’re going on an extended break, the next issue won’t be out until June! Things were just getting to their climax, pun totally intended. The ‘cops’ are onto them, things are going sideways fast, and feelings are starting to get in the way of great time freezing, pooping in plants, sex.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewinvaders3

    All-New Invaders #3

    I think I’ve mentioned before, but Winter Soldier is one of my favorite characters. I didn’t really start reading a Captain America book until Bucky had already taken up the mantel, and was on trials. From there I ended up going back to see exactly how Brubraker got this hero of the 1940’s to this point, and as you probably already know, it was awesome enough that they’re putting it into a movie! Anyway long story short, I’ll pretty much buy any book with Winter Soldier in it. So I’ve obviously been reading All-New Invaders, and while it hasn’t been the book I was expecting it to be, it’s been a fun ride. Things are really getting worked up by issue 3, and more characters from the 1940’s are showing up. I feel like those Golden Age heroes don’t often get the recognition they deserve. Sure you’ve got Cap, and Batman, and Superman, and Namor is always lurking around some corner of the Marvel Universe. But what about Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, or so many other awesome characters. Well All-New Invaders is using them, and they’re making it a fun ride in a modern setting. One of the best parts about this is, unlike Cap, all the other guys have experienced the past 70 years. Sure Bucky was frozen for decades at a time, and Hammond hasn’t always been…put together? But we’re not just getting a bunch of heroes misplaced by time banding together. It’s heroes, who have one hell of a history together, who would die for one another, coming together decades after helping to protect the free world in WWII. And they’re doing it not just to save the world, but to help each other out. Namor is captured, the others have been attacked, and now together they’re going to save their friend or die trying. I know this is getting a little wordy, but these are really some of the best characters in comics. It take something special for a character to last 70 or 80 years, and all these guys have in one form or another. Now to get real about it for a minute, it’s not the best book on the stands, but it’s fun and that’s how comics were supposed to be back when these guys were punching Nazis, and I’m okay with that.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    msmarvel2

    Ms. Marvel #2

    So the last book for the week certainly wasn’t the weakest! I didn’t really know what to expect from this new Ms. Marvel. It’s always hard to really find yourself getting interested in an entirely new hero, especially a teenager, when you’re no longer a teenager yourself. In just two issues though Kamala has really found an interest voice thanks to creators G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. Things like family, religion, and culture, all place a huge part in the story. It’s not 1962 anymore, a teenager getting bit by a spider and getting powers doesn’t have an easy time staying out late fighting crime. Well not that Pete ever had an easy time. Kamala’s journey is going to be an interesting one, and we haven’t even seen in getting sucked into the wide world of super heroes that are all around her. Her biggest fears and problems are still just what you’d expect, what do her peers think of her, and how can she make her parents happy without disappointing herself. Add a set of crazy shape shifting powers to that, and I smell a character that can easily stand the test of time and stick around for a good long while.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Same Sex Celebrity Crush https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-same-sex-celebrity-crush/ https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-same-sex-celebrity-crush/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:00:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18515 Captain Jack Harkness
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Same Sex Celebrity Crush.
     
    Ok, we took this one from Troy’s (Donald Glover’s) last episode of Community. It was a pretty forgettable moment in the show, but we couldn’t forget it and decided to run with it this week.

     

    Eric

      I have to agree with JohnScott here. But I’ll try to limit it and open up my answers.

    1. Thor – I suppose you could say Chris Hemsworth, but he’ll always be Thor to me.
    2. John Barrowman – Ladies, your rating just went up!
    3. Neil Patrick Harris – I think this night would be legen. . . wait for it. . . dary!
    4. Daniel Craig – He has the dreamiest eyes.
    5. David Tennant – Seriously, the show has a huge fangirl base for a reason.

     
    Chris Hemmsworth

    Chris

    Unfortunately John and Eric beat me to most of my picks. Regardless I tried to avoid the MCU heroes as best I could, and I totally would have picked David Tennant if he didn’t get used twice already!

    1. Neil Patrick Harris – He’s Barney Stinson, Doogie Howser, a broadway actor, and a magician come on!
    2. Tom Hiddleston – Watch his panel from last years Nerd HQ and see him do his impersonation of a Raptor, you’ll understand.
    3. John Barrowman – Captain Jack Harkness
    4. Aaron Eckhart – What a charasmatic freakin guy, Thank You For Smoking could easily make you want to start smoking in the first half, and quit by the end.
    5. Nathan Fillion – There doesn’t even have to be a reason.

    Film Independent's 2007 Spirit Awards - Show

    Shannon

    I felt like I had to do this one because I know all our readers don’t want to think about guys banging guys.

    1. Emma Watson
    2. Dianna Agron
    3. Natalie Portman
    4. Jennifer Morrison
    5. Kristen Bell

    emmawatson

    Vogel

    I don’t have celebrity males crushes, but I do have some favorite actors that when I see that they’re going to be in a movie, or in a movie and I hadn’t realized it makes me go “oh, he’s in that movie?” And that’s usually enough to make me want to see it. The movie after each is a favorite role.

    1. Nathan Fillion – Firefly
    2. Peter Dinklage – Death at a Funeral (british)
    3. Norman Reedus – Boondock Saints
    4. Gary Oldman – just one? Ok… uh… Leon? Yeah. Probably Leon.
    5. Alan Rickman – Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves

    nathanfillion
     

    Drootin

    I’m not gonna be like Vogel and not say “I don’t have celebrity male crushes” I’d pretty much go gay if any of these guys wanted me to.

    1. George Clooney – He’s a god damn good looking man.
    2. Brad Pitt – Mostly “Tyler Durden” style Brad Pitt.
    3. Hugh Laurie – Especially as Dr. Gregory House, the slightly grey scruffy beard really set off his piercing blue eyes
    4. David Beckham – He’s filthy rich, in incredible shape, handsome, British, and has tattoos, what’s not to like?
    5. Chris Jericho – He’s my all-time favorite wrestler and just seems like a super cool guy.

     
    george clooney
     

    Audra

    I would like to consider this my super girly, slumber party make out list.

    1. Scarlett Johansson – She’s super cute with an amazing figure.
    2. Olivia Wilde – She has beautiful eyes for our ‘gaze lazily into each others eyes’ portion of the party.
    3. Jennifer Lawrence – She isn’t an average beauty, and I think she would have a mean pillow throwing arm.
    4. Emilie de Ravin – I’ve only seen her in Once Upon A Time, but I think she is so adorable as Belle.
    5. Christina Ricci – Mostly for nostalgic reasons, I think she’s a smart cute.

    Scarlett Johansson

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    T.W.I.G. 3/16/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-3162014/ Sun, 16 Mar 2014 13:29:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18495 Twig3-16

     

    And we’re back! After a week off from TWIG due to going on a SUPER long trip to Rochester to watch the Philadelphia Wings play I’m back with all of the big news of the week from the world of gaming! GDC is this coming week so news has been a little slow leading into it, but let’s take a look at what news we do have.

    The News:

    • The PS4 version of MLB 14: The Show will be releasing on May 6th, about 1 month after the PS3 and Vita versions. The PS4 version was pushed back to make sure it had all of the features that the PS3 version would have.
    • The Witcher 3 has been delayed until February 2015.
    • Watch Dogs has gotten an official release date of May 27th. That is for the 360, PC, PS3, & PS4 versions of the game. The WiiU version still does not have a release date.

    The new releases:

    • Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (3/18) – 360, PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (3/18) – PS3
    • Final Fantasy X HD (3/18) – Vita
    • Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (3/18) – 360, PC, PS3
    • Infamous: Second Son (3/21) – PS4

    2578540-mgsvgz   2572041-ffxx2_standard_edition_art   2584187-box_yaibangz   2578164-box_ifss

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    Friday Five – Favorite Space Ships https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-space-ships/ Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:32:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18487 Starfox Ship
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the assistance of a top 5 list! This weeks category is: Favorite Space Ships!
     
    Who hasn’t dreamed of flying through the stars? The answer better not be anyone reading this! Space is too majestic to not want to explore. It’s the final frontier! There are plenty of games, movies, shows, and books that help us feel like we’re there. They may not always be accurate, but the’re what we dram about. This is our tribute to our favorite space traveling ships.
     

    Chris

    1. T.A.R.D.I.S.Doctor Who
    2. Swordfish IICowboy Bebop
    3. Serenity Firefly/Serenity
    4. Zonama SekotStar Wars
    5. Millenium Falcon Star Wars

     
    TARDIS
     

    Eric

    1. AphelionRatchet and Clank: Future – Ratchet found this awesome Lombax ship on Fastoon in Tools of Destruction. She’s sentient and pretty snarky. Since her introduction she’s become one of the staples of the series.
    2. Normandy Sr2 Mass Effect – I loved wandering around the Normandy in ME and ME2. The ship always felt like a home to the characters, and it looked bad ass as well.
    3. Ragnarok Final Fantasy VIII – The player primarily controls the ship on earth, or wherever the game takes place, but it is an abandoned space ship. Other than that, I just thought it looked cool.
    4. Slave I Star Wars – I always thought Boba Fett was the coolest, mostly because of the jet pack. He also had a really cool looking ship.
    5. USG Ishimura Dead Space – Ok, this ship is more creepy than a favorite, but it was also awesome to explore. If you’re into survival horror then Dead Space (just the first one) is a game you really need to check out.

     
    Aphelion
     

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    Friday Five – Favorite Enemies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-enemies/ Fri, 07 Mar 2014 17:00:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18471 BatmanandJoker
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week’s category: Favorite Enemies.
     
    Most heroes meet a villain in their career that just won’t go away. A villain that may have some tragic history, or a history with the hero, that generates a dynamic that no other villain has. Sometimes there’s no history. Some people just want to see the world burn. Whenever these enemies meet you know it’s going to be epic. Intense battles, startling revelations, major twists. You never know what to expect. That’s what makes it exciting. This is our tribute to our favorite enemies.
     

    Chris

    1. Wolverine & Sabretooth – While X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn’t a very good movie the relationship with Wolverine and Sabretooth was great, and that’s something that you get a lot of in the comics. Hell recently Sabertooth came to control pretty much everything evil and he used all that power to make a now killable Wolverine wish he were dead. And that’s not even touching on the Ultimate version of these characters which is even crazier!
    2. Jack Shepherd & John Locke – While they weren’t exactly enemies until the end of the series, and even then it’s complicated, they never really saw eye to eye. Even on those few occasions where they had a similar goal, they never really wanted to get there the same way. While a lot of people say Lost was Jack’s story I’d say it was just as much about John Locke.
    3. Dr Gregory House & Everyone – House hates pretty much everyone, and even the people he doesn’t hate he could general handle never interacting with. Except maybe Wilson. His antagonistic tendencies while dealing with patients, mainly in the clinic, is what helped to make that show so great, and is why it still miss it to this day!
    4. Sherlock & Moriarty – There are all kinds of incarnations of these two characters. There’s the classic written version, the modern version in shows like Sherlock and Elementary, and so many in between. The one thing they all have in common is that these two are the ultimate enemies. They’re exactly what the other would be if one thing or another could have turned out differently. I’d have to say so far my favorite version is the one from Elementary. A female Moriarty that posed as Irene Adler and was in a relationship with Sherlock is brilliant and really adds a more human side to both the characters.
    5. Spider-Man and Doc Ock – Spidey doesn’t have one ultimate foe. While Norman really messed up Pete’s younger life and pretty much made it his mission to destroy everything he held dear, Otto is the one that really did it. Eventually Norman grew too large, he became a threat to the whole Marvel Universe. Otto has always been a nemesis to Spider-Man though, even when he showed up other places we knew where he belonged. While Green Goblin may be back (we still don’t know for sure who it is), Otto made the ultimate play and took over Pete’s body, and while Pete is returning Otto has probably struck the hardest blow by essentially ruining his entire life.

     
    Wolverine and Sabertooth
     

    Eric

    1. GlaDOS and Chell – I need to point out that I feel like Chell is the “bad guy” in this relationship. GlaDOS just wants to science, and Chell has to be all touchy and want to live and stuff. Ridiculous.
    2. Kratos and Zeus – Zeus let the gods meddle in the affairs of mortal life. While most of the mortals just sort of took the bs the gods threw at them, one guy stood up against them. Kratos held all of the gods accountable for the misdeeds of one. It was pretty bloody.
    3. Link and Ganon – Throughout time, and even different realities, these two have been mortal enemies since almost the beginning. Very few exchanges exist between them vocally, but their confrontations are always epic.
    4. Mario and Bowser – Sure they get together every now and again to play soccer, tennis, baseball, and even go kart. That doesn’t mean these guys don’t hate each other inside and out!
    5. Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson – Spider-Man’s rogues gallery is fairly diverse with Goblins, Octopi and other ferocious animals. While these bad guys tend to do some pretty terrible things to Pete and his Family, there is none more terrible than J. Jonah Jameson himself. This guy slanders the name of Spider-Man every chance he gets. He wants nothing more than to see Spider-Man revealed for the menace he is, despite the countless times Spider-Man has come to his rescue. He’s built machines, and hired scientists for the sole purpose of the demise of Spider-Man! And for what? Because he’s upset that Spider-Man stole news coverage away from his son! That’s true villainy my friends!

     
    Glados and Chell
     

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    T.W.I.G. 3/2/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-322014/ Sun, 02 Mar 2014 17:26:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18444 Twig3-2

     

    It’s the 1st Sunday of March for 2014 so its time for The Week In Gaming here on One-quest.com!

    The News:

    • An image has leaked of new banners that GameStop will be putting up in their new marketing materials that may be a sign of a new Batman game to be announced possibly this week. Keep an eye here on One-Quest for any following news.
    • Follow up to a story in last week’s TWIG that new Tony Hawk game has been confirmed to be a mobile exclusive game. This is fairly disappointing news as I would have liked to see what a next-gen Tony Hawk would have been.
    • A new Dynasty Warriors game is on the way for PS3, Namco Bandai has announced that Tecmo Koei game Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn will be coming to the PS3 as a digital release this summer in the Americas. The game will have both online & split-screen co-op. No exact release date is listed.
    • Konami has cut the price on the PS4 and XboxOne versions of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes from $39.99 to $29.99 for both the digital and retail copies of the game. This is good news as the $40 price tag was a little steep for what is a prologue to a full game that is releasing later.
    • Twitch live streaming is coming to XboxOne on March 11th, just in time for Titanfall.
    • 4 new Persona games will be coming to North America over the next year. Persona 5 will be coming to PS3 in 2015, a Persona 4 dancing game called Persona 4: Dancing All Night will be coming to the Vita in 2015. This fall will see the releases of fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for PS3 and 360 and a dungeon crawler titled Persona Q on the 3DS.

    The new releases:

    • South Park: The Stick of Truth (3/4) – 360, PC, PS3
    • Awesomenauts (3/4) – PS4
    • Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition (3/4) – PS4
    • Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f (3/4) – Vita
    • Blok Drop U (3/6) – WiiU

    SPTSOT anauts dead_nation hmpdf 2603568-screen1

    Did You Know

    The new Diablo 3 patch is out (see Eric’s post here) and with that came a new Clan system, so if anyone around is still playing (or coming back to) Diablo 3, search for the clan One Quest and I will gladly add you to our group!

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Numbers https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-numbers/ Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:00:28 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18423 count1_610x316
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Favorite Numbers!
     
    We’re going a little out there this week, normally you’ll see us listing things like favorite characters or situations, but this week we went crazy obscure with our Favorite Numbers! So lets get this game going.
     

    Chris

    1. 12 – I don’t know, 12 has just always been my go to number for some reason.
    2. 37 – All because of Clerks, and I’m not the only one to mention this.
    3. 13 – To some it means bad luck, but screw that!
    4. 144 – It’s 12 squared!
    5. 1300 – The model of the Millennium Falcon was a Modified YT-1300f light freighter

     
    12
     

    Drootin

    1. 39 – The most frequent number I wore playing sports growing up and it’s the one on both of my custom Wings jerseys. I wore this number because of NHL goalie Dominik Hasek and I modeled my play style after his.
    2. 35 – The 2nd most frequent number I wore. This was Wings all time great and NLL Hall of Famer Dallas Eliuk’s number.
    3. 27 – My 3rd most frequently worn number. This was Flyers great goalie Ron Hextall’s number and he was my 2nd favorite NHL goalie. I loved his passion and aggression.
    4. 3 – my birthday is March 3rd (or 3/3) so 3 has always been a favorite number of mine.
    5. 26? – idk about a 5th number but I’ll go with 26. I was married on 10/26 so that’s where that comes from.

     
    Vancouver Canucks v Detroit Red Wings
     

    Eric

    1. 10 – I’ve always loved the number 2.
    2. Googol – 10,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000,­000
    3. 10/11/12 – My wedding date.
    4. 3 – Only because Valve hates it so much.
    5. 007 – How am I the first person to pick this?

     
    binary
     

    ]]>
    Pokemon Coming To Netflix https://one-quest.com/blog/pokemon-coming-to-netflix/ Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:11:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18422 pokemon_on_netflix

    Yeah, you totally read that correctly, at long last Pokemon will be streaming on Netflix. Well in certain places anyway, luckily the US is one of those places.

    So here’s the actual scoop, starting tomorrow, March 1, 2014 the very first season of Pokemon that aired between 1997 and 1999 will be available in the US, Canada, Ireland, and the UK for Netflix streaming subscribers. Many of fans will remember this as the Indigo League years that were most formative for young Ash Ketchum and his friends. Now that’s not the only thing we’re getting, the 14th season from 2010, Pokemon Black & White will be available for all Netflix territories along with the Black & White movies, Pokemon The Movie: Black – Victini and Reshiram and Pokemon The Movie: White – Victini and Zekrom both of which released in 2011.

    While that’s not even a fraction of the series, it’s a great start and we can only hope that Netflix and the Pokemon Company will continue this wonderful relationship and bring us more of the early adventures of Pokemon.

    Also for those of you doing the math, yes we’re all really that old now. Pokemon is almost a legal adult, and Ash should be in his late 20’s by now. But who cares, it was fun to watch when we were all younger, and it’s sure to bring back some nostalgia, and maybe in a few tears. Go watch Pikachu’s Goodbye and Bye Bye Butterfree tomorrow and try to keep an dry eye.

    As a side note, while googling to verify I got those episode titles right (Which I did!), typing the word ‘Bye’ resulted in the first suggestion being Bye Bye Butterfree. Either that’s a popular search or Google has been reading minds again.

    byebyebutterfree

    ]]>
    Diablo III Patch 2.0.1 Now Live https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-patch-2-0-1-now-live/ Thu, 27 Feb 2014 20:32:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18419 Diablo III

    Well, it was live as of yesterday. Regardless, this patch is pretty exciting! Here’s a list to the full patch notes, but in summary you can expect the following:

    • Loot 2.0 implementation – Loot drops now have a chance of dropping with stats tailored to your class, and class specific items will never roll primary stats for a different class. Essentially, if I’m a wizard and a belt drops, there’s a chance said belt will have stats specific for me (+Intelligence, +Arcane Damage, etc). Not all loot will do this, but some will. On top of that, if a wand drops it will never roll with +Strength, because a Wizard doesn’t need strength!
    • >Fully Reworked Legendary Loot – This means a couple things. 1. Every Legendary item has been redesigned to now be more desirable to use. They aren’t necessarily stronger, but some have unique abilities that make them more interesting. And 2. Legendary Items now bind to the account. They cannot be traded unless they dropped during a multiplayer game, and you trade within 2 hours of the item dropping. Even then, it can only be traded to someone within the game. This eliminates the need for the auction house.
    • Difficulty has been fully readjusted – Enemies will now level up with the players. Difficulty options are no longer Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno. Instead they are Normal, Hard, Expert, Master, and Torment(I-VI). Torment has been broken up into 6 levles offering varying degrees of difficulty and rewards. Master unlocks when completing Act IV, and Torment unlocks at level 60.
    • Bosses have been retooled – Most bosses have had their mechanics redesigned. And enrage timers won’t trigger for a number of bosses unless you are playing on Torment I or higher.
    • Paragon 2.0 Implementation – Paragon levels were added last summer to extend the life of the player characters. Each level granted a specific hero 3% Gold and Magic Find, as well as some small stat increases. Max level was 100 and it took a long time to level up the classes. Many also complained that there wasn’t much of a difference in a 60(0) character versus a 60(100). Now Paragon levels are Account wide as opposed to being tied to the individual characters. The player will earn Paragon Points at every Paragon level and can distribute those to one of 4 different categories – Core, Offence, Defense, and Utility.
    • Clans and Communities – Diablo III Originally had next to no social support. There was barely a chat room available. Clans have a maximum of 120 members, communities have no limit. That seems to be the only difference.
    • Complete UI Face lift – All new menus, Waypoint menu is now a map, etc.
    • Some Generic Additions – New Shrines to grant bonus Paragon Experience, New Globes that now grant players small buffs, higher enemy density, etc.

    Yeah, this is pretty awesome! I’m going to hope in and check it out, so expect an impressions post in the near future! In the mean time, happy hunting!

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 2/23/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-2232014/ Sun, 23 Feb 2014 15:16:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18405 Twig2-23

     

    I don’t know about you guys but I can’t believe that we are already at the end of February! There’s been a decent amount of news this week so let’s get right to it!

    The News:

    • Activision has confirmed that there is a new Tony Hawk game in development. No word on what systems it will release on or any time frame but
    • Diddy Kong has been announced as the next character for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and WiiU. This brings the current total number of characters to 24. There were 35 characters in Brawl (36 if you count Shiek as a separate character) so there’s likely many more characters to be announced for this game in the time leading up to its release.
    • TowerFall Ascension, the updated version of the only popular Ouya game TowerFall, is slated to release on PS4 and PC on March 11th. No word on pricing for either platform yet but one would think it wouldn’t cost much more than the $15 it cost on the Ouya.
    • Bethesda has announced that Wolfenstein: The New Order will be releasing on May 20th for PC, PS3, PS4, 360, and XB1. Along with that announcement came the announcement that everyone who pre-orders the game will be getting access to a beta for the next game in the Doom franchise. I personally didn’t even know that there was a new Doom in development but this makes me even more interested in the new Wolfenstein game.
    • Harmonix, the studio most famous for creating Rock Band (and site favorites Frequency and Amplitude), have announced a new combination rhythm game/team based first person shooter called Chroma. It is a very different concept to say the least and I’m interested in checking it out. Alpha testing sign-ups are available at playchroma.com

    The new releases:

    • Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2/25) – 360, PC, PS3
    • Thief (2/25) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4, PC, XB1
    • Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (2/25) – PS3
    • Magus (2/25) – PS3
    • Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition (2/27) – PC
    • Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (2/28) – 3DS

    clos2cleanthiefboxarttalesbox_magusre4hdlayton

    Everyone should go watch Twitch Plays Pokemon, even for just a few mins, it’s pretty ridiculous.

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Burgers https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-burgers/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 20:10:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18387 burgers
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: BURGERS!
     
    Who doesn’t love cheeseburgers? The answer is: NOBODY! Nobody doesn’t love cheeseburgers! NOBODY! It’s un’murican to not love cheeseburgers! Do you hate ‘murica? DO YOU? I didn’t think so! In that case, you LOVE cheeseburgers! And as a result you have a favorite, or a couple favorite. Well, that’s what we have here. A full list of complete ‘murican deliciousness! Read it. Love it. Then tell us your favorite cheeseburgers in the comments below. ‘MURICA!
     

    Chris

    Burgers are amazing, as long as they’re cooked right and actually meat. One of the best examples of a burger lover is Ron Swanson, so a good portion of my selections are inspired by that amazing man.

    1. Paunch Burger Parks & Rec – The number two: “Double bacon grenade deluxe, hashbrowns, chili cheese fries, and one poached egg” (sometimes including a banana for health stuff). The first of a few Parks and Rec picks, this meal sounds amazing, but any burger named Double Bacon Grenade Deluxe is a must have. Also, they have a soda size that is called Baby Sized because it is the size of a child!
    2. Turkey Burger Parks & Rec – A burger with a fried turkey leg inside, if that doesn’t exist at every fair in the world then I don’t want to live on this planet any more.
    3. Drootin’s Dad’s Burgers IRL – Another I have to steal from someone else, but it’s true these burgers are some of the best I’ve ever had, and they’re huge way more red meat than anyone should eat, but EVERYONE should eat them!
    4. Royal Red Robin Burger Red Robin – Aside from homemade, which are generally the best, Red Robin has some of the better burgers I’ve had. This one is easily my favorite, a burger with bacon, cheese, and all the other usual suspects plus a fried egg. Of course this is delicious.
    5. Good Burger Good Burger/All That – Because why the hell not?

     
    Paunch Burger
     

    Drootin

    Finally a topic I actually can comment on! Burgers are one of my favorite foods and almost never turn down a chance to get one.

    1. My dad’s bacon cheeseburger – My dad makes some kick ass bacon cheeseburgers, he has a special mix of stuff that he mixes into the ground beef and it is still my favorite burger to eat. The ironic thing is, my dad is a vegetarian but me and my siblings never were so my dad would cook us all kinds of non-vegetarian meals and he got really good at it.
    2. Sara’s homemade ‘Juicy Lucy’s’ – Juicy Lucy’s are cheeseburgers but with the cheese melted inside the burger instead of on top. With the cheese in the middle these burgers stay extra juicy and Sara seasons then perfectly. These burgers are great and I can’t wait until the next time Sara makes some.
    3. Five Guys – In the like not quite fast food fast food burgers I like Five Guys the best. They have the best selection of toppings (most for free) and also I REALLY like their fries so that probably skews my perception a little but it’s part of the package.
    4. Any Fat sandwich involving burgers – So this is cheating a bit because Fat sandwiches come on a hoagie roll so they aren’t your classic burger configuration. Anyway Fat sandwiches are crazy and almost only available in New Brunswick, NJ near the Rutgers university campus. They consist of a base meat (usually burger, cheesesteak, or ckicken) then topped with things like french fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, etc. They are pretty awesome and I wish they were more prevalent.
    5. Wendy’s Baconator/Burger King Stacker – This is a tie for me in the “fast food” division as these are easily the best 2 fast food burgers around. These have the trifecta of burger, bacon, and cheese, with the Stacker maybe getting the slight edge for its sauce but the Baconator is on a better bun so it’s difficult for me to decide on which one. Also McDonald’s burgers suck so don’t even ask me about Big Mac or Quarter Pounders.

     
    five guys burger
     

    Eric

    Like everyone else here, I love cheeseburgers almost as much as life itself. Cheeseburgers are my primary excuse for not going vegetarian, or partaking in any type of diet ever. They’re delicious, and you can put anything on them to make them even better.

    1. Whiskey River BBQ BurgerRed Robin – A few years ago the wife and I were marathoning through Psych. Season 2 had some sort of advertising deal with Red Robin, and it was mentioned in nearly every episode. After 6 episodes we decided that Red Robin had to happen. The nearest store was over an hour away. This was the burger I got, and it’s still my favorite on their menu to this day.
    2. Kobe BurgerCheesecake Factory – My wife and I decided to go to Cheesecake Factory a few years back. As we walked through the restaurant to our table I spotted a beautiful cheeseburger on another table. For some reason I went with a pasta dish and I regretted it. Not that the dish was bad, but it wasn’t the burger. The next time I went I got this burger and it literally melted in my mouth. However, I hate mushrooms. So I get it without that crap.
    3. The Ultimate Burger Appetites on Main, Exton, PA – This place is near my wife’s home town, and it’s really good. What made it appealing was that all of their sandwiches could substitute vegetarian “meat” which is great since my wife is a vegetations. Me? Not so much.I just want burgers, and this burger lives up to it’s name. French Fries, Bacon, BBQ Sauce, American, and Cheddar Cheese tops a half pound patty in between two spectacular buns. Superb!
    4. Five Guys Burgers and Fries – If I’m in the mood for a quick burger that tastes great, I look to Five Guys! 2 patties, bacon, cheese, and anything else you want on it! Great burgers!
    5. McDouble McDonalds – Is it a great burger? Not really. Is it great when you only have a $1 in your pocket? Hell yeah! It’s not my favorite burger to go to, but when I’m low on funds (which is often) I have no problem getting my burger-fix for a dollar.

     
    Whiskey River BBQ Burger

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – February 19, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-19-2014/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:00:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18378 lucky enough to be working in New York City, so that's an hour and a half train ride from Philadelphia. Plenty of time to write up a wonderful Take It Or Leave It for you all to enjoy. This week's list is nothing but good books that you should probably check out. So lets just get going before I ramble on anymore.]]> Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    And I made it two weeks in a row! That hasn’t happened in a while. So as I mentioned last week, with a new job and all my schedule for Take It Or Leave It is going to fluctuate. Today I’m lucky enough to be working in New York City, so that’s an hour and a half train ride from Philadelphia. Plenty of time to write up a wonderful Take It Or Leave It for you all to enjoy. This week’s list is nothing but good books that you should probably check out. So lets just get going before I ramble on anymore.

    Oh and one minor note, I don’t have Photoshop on my work laptop, so no fancy image with the date on it this week. . .

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    animalman28

    Animal Man #28

    This is a fantastic penultimate issue to a series that has been so good in such an unlikely manner. Jeff Lemire is winding down the book and bringing a lot of emotions with him. Animal Man 28 was one of two books this month that had one of those scenes where you almost want to cry. Both out of sadness and out of joy, and that my friends, is the mark of a true master. I’m excited that Buddy will be continuing on his adventures with Lemire in a new Justice League title, but It’s going to be sad to lose this book and the cast of characters that go along with it. One of the worst parts is, I only recently started reading Animal Man, so it makes this ending seem even more sudden. Enough about that stuff though, this issue was really great, it wasn’t overripe with action sequences as you may have expected after how everything ended last month. But it’s got what you wanted to see happen. And as I mentioned before there is a whole lot of emotion driving this book and I can only assume a lot of that is going to be carrying over into next months final issue. I for one can’t wait to see how the Baker family comes out of this, and whether or not they’ll come out of it together.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    redhoodandtheoutlaws28

    Red Hood and the Outlaws #28

    Issue 28 of Red Hood was very much a ‘Back to Basics’ story. After so many months of build up to Jason’s showdown, with the Demon’s Head himself, Ra’s al Ghul. It was nice to bring the team back to their roots and bring back a love interest for Jason. Honestly it had been so long since we’d since Isabel I sorta forgot who she was until after Kori greeted her. So while the issue wasn’t overly plot heavy, it was a really nice transition back to how we met them, well not quite how we met them, but not trying to stop an eternally evil power from destroying the earth either. Hopefully the way this issue played out leads to a some more issues like this, where the team just takes care of business and gets to have a little fun too.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    undertow1

    Undertow #1

    I’m honestly still reserving my full judgment on this book until I get a little more out of it. I hadn’t actually checked out anything about it, the name just sounded interesting. And luckily enough the story that’s being weaved in it’s pages has a lot of also interesting elements at work. It’s not a perfect book, but none are. Well except maybe Saga, yeah Saga is pretty close to a perfect book. That’s not the point though, Undertow has a pretty unique view on such a fabled and kind of overused world like Atlantis. In fact none of the book even happens there, it happens up on earth. But these characters are Atlanteans like in Marvel or DC, they’re totally different and that’s what makes it worth reading. I don’t need another Aquaman or Namor, we’ve got those guys already. Undertow is about the Atlanteans that don’t want to live there anymore. They want something else and something different. So they try to survive on land in what I can only gather is either prehistoric or way into the Planet of the Apes era future. The biggest draw back here was I found the book a little hard to read and follow. When I was getting it I really enjoyed it and by the end I understood what was going on. Getting there was a little tough at times though and not everyone may be willing to stick it out. If you’ve got a few extra dollars this week though, and want to explore something a little different give Undertow a shot, you may just be pleasantly surprised.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    amazingxmen4

    Amazing X-Men #4

    This book is easily my favorite of the X-Men franchise right now. It’s 90% characters I love, and it’s bringing back one of the best. Back when I was talking about Animal Man I mentioned that there was another comic with a lot of emotions in it this week. Well folks here it is, Amazing X-Men 4 really brings the feels in a number of scenes. Nightcrawler is pretty much everyones friend, he’s just that kind of guy. So when they’re find him “alive” it’s a pretty emotional time. His brief fight with Hank, while Dr. McCoy was a bit out of his mind, helped drill home how much it meant for the team to see Kurt again. I’m going to go very minor spoiler for a second here so skip a few lines down if you don’t want to read. The real heavy moment in the book though had to be when Wolverine collapses and remembers a night out with Kurt, only to have Kurt show up moments later and save him in the present. Seriously guys that splash page with, the emotion on both their faces was phenomenal. Ok ok, enough of that though, the book had plenty of other great moments to, which I’m not going to get into here. But come on how about Firestar? Once you read it you’ll get it. There’s one issue left in this opening arc and I can only assume next time will finally feature Kurt going up against his dear old dad Azazel, and it’s going to be awesome.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    newarriors1

    New Warriors #1

    I was damn near devastated when Scarlet Spider got canceled, not only was I losing Venom, but I was going to lose Kaine as well. It was a bad time to be a comic fan. But then I found out Kaine and Aracely would be moving over and joining the New Warriors and it was going to be written by Christopher Yost too. Now that’s something I can get behind. This first issue is very much a “Hey guys we got all these characters in different places lets start fixing that”. So unfortunately we don’t have the full team on display yet, infact we haven’t even met everyone. On the brightside they’ve certainly got their mission by the end of the book, and hopefully next month we’ll start to see them all coming together. Now I do have a small problem here, and it’s just a bit of a personal one. I wish they’d used someone other than Nova, I get it they were setting this up in his book, but why not give us another young hero without a book or a team? Oh well Sam’s at least an interesting character and hopefully with so many other heroes running around the book won’t turn into Nova part 2. Other than that little gripe I’m definitely on board with the newest incarnation of the New Warriors. It was even nice that they made mention of the previous team and how they’re pretty much solely known as the guys that blew up Stamford CT and started the Superhero Civil War. I’m wondering if Yost will play on that in future issues, and help bring their names out of the garbage.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/guardians-of-the-galaxy-trailer/ Wed, 19 Feb 2014 05:04:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18339 Guardians of the Galaxy
     
    Here it is kids, the trailer for the final movie in Marvel’s Phase 2 before Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Guardians of the Galaxy!
     
    It’s absurd, it’s wacky, and it’s exactly what I was expecting.
     
    Watch it, love it, or watch it till you love it! Then tell us why you love it in the comments below!
     

    ]]>
    The Order: 1886 Story Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/the-order-1886-story-trailer/ Wed, 19 Feb 2014 04:48:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18333 The Order 1886
     
    The coolest game announced at Sony’s E3 press conference last year was The Order: 1886, currently in development by Ready At Dawn studios.
     
    The Order: 1886 was introduced through a video with a few people using weapons far beyond the technology available in the Victorian London setting. It was short, but it looked exciting. What really set the video apart was the promise that everything shown was rendered in engine. With that information the video, and The Order: 1886, moved up the ranks of anticipated next gen games.
     
    We’re nearly a year out from it’s initial announcement and we’re still waiting to see some gameplay footage, confirming the “in engine” claim. However, we have been given a very enigmatic story trailer to whet our appetites in the interim.
     
    It seems that The Order: 1886 follows a group of people sworn to stand against all forms of evil. Not much to go on, but the later half of this trailer is certainly beautiful. If it’s also running in engine, then we certainly have plenty to look forward to.
     
    The Order: 1886 is expected to release later in 2014 only for the PlayStation 4.
     
    Check out the trailer and tell us what you think in the comments below!
     

     

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    Take It Or Leave It – February 12, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-12-2014/ Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:59:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18296 tioli21214
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Welcome back again for Take It Or Leave It! It’s been a bumpy while for regular updates here, but hopefully things will be leveling out soon. On a personal note I just started a new job so while I want to keep things smooth updates are going to probably be a little smaller and may show up later than usual.

    Enough of that though, this was a great week for comics, and I don’t even talk about half of the awesome here in detail. It’s pretty much an all DC and Marvel week, but that’s alright because they have some big moments happening like the reveal of Batman’s newest sidekick and the first ever Superior Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin confrontation…Well verbal confrontation.

    For now though lets just get right into the goodness.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Marvel Comics


    batgirl28

    Batgirl #28

    I really feel like Batgirl has had a bit of a hard time lately. There’s been one main focus since Death of the Family, but it’s been broken up by things like Villains Month, Zero Year, and Gothtopia. It made it hard to follow the main storyline of Barbara dealing with ‘killing’ her brother and having her father hunting down Batgirl. It looks like all of that has finally wrapped up though and we’re off onto a new story about vampires. And believe me it’s nothing like you expect. The problem is that not necessarily a good thing, this new villain just feel crazy so far and doesn’t really have a motive other than being crazy. And I know that works great for a character like the Joker, but that kind of thing doesn’t happen often. Hopefully the character can get fleshed out a bit more in the next issue and make me care, otherwise this felt like another wasted issue.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batman28

    Batman #28

    This month, as many of us knew, we got a little break from Zero Year and jumped forward in time to a point in Gotham and Batman’s near future. I saw quite a few people not thrilled with this issue, but I thought it was a nice little break from the otherwise year long story. It’s also nice to see our first glimpse of what the DCU will be like after Forever Evil wraps up. We find out who the blue haired gun wielding Nightwing lookalike is, even though most already knew. And we get a few hints of what will be going down in the final issues of Forever Evil. All in all I’d say this was another great issue of a book that’s got a winning streak of 28 at this point. If you haven’t been reading Batman, this might not be the greatest jumping on point, but you’d still enjoy yourself. And I really have to say, this has me very exactly for what’s to come in the DCU. Both with Batman post Zero Year, Batman Eternal, and the fallout of Forever Evil everything is just looking to be exciting. Oh, and there is one hell of a reveal at the end of this book, something that long time DC fans should be very excited about!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    nightwing28

    Nightwing #28

    I really like Nightwing, it’s a great book, I do however have one huge problem. And this is a normal super hero comic problem. Dick Grayson leaves Gotham for Chicago to track down his parents killer. At the same time Gotham’s masked vigilante Nightwing comes to Chicago and just so happens to have a hand in bringing down Dick’s parents killer? I mean come on people put two and two together. Sonia even shows up and talks to Dick after speaking with her father in prison and she doesn’t put anything together. Now I know this isn’t the first or the last time something like this will happen in comics, but it is happening now so I wanted to talk about it. I guess soon enough everyone will know who Dick Grayson is as the monthly titles start to catch up with Forever Evil.

    Now aside from all that the issue was pretty good, and really unexpected, right up to the final page. I thought I knew where the book was going at the beginning, and then it quickly veered away from that, and then just when I thought I knew how it was going to wrap up it changed everything up on me again. It was just really solid storytelling, and well worth picking up.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmen23

    All-New X-Men #23

    The bizarre crossover between All-New X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy is fully underway as the Guardians and X-Men sans Jean head off to rescue Jean from a whole group of aliens who hate her for things she hasn’t done yet. Yep it’s that kind of story, and by that I mean a normal X-Men story where nothing makes any sense, but it all actually makes perfect sense. One of the best parts about the story are the dialogue, which as you’d expect coming from Bendis is fantastic. Particularly the young X-Men dealing with these people from space picking them up. Iceman just wanting to talk to Rocket because he was a talking R-r R-Word was great. So far though 3 issues into a 5 issue story and we don’t have much in the way of story. It’s all just been character moments which while amusing aren’t great for progressing the story. The few scenes we get of Jean show she is certainly not in a good place, which makes me feel like the others should probably be trying a little harder. On the other positive side, there is bound to be some interesting confrontations in the next issues as young Cyclops meets up with the last person in the universe he’d ever expect to. Even with the lack of story progression, in my opinion, this was still a pretty solid book and well worth reading.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman27

    Superior Spider-Man 27.NOW

    Goblin Nation is offically 100% underway, and thankfully it wasn’t a slow cook. Well I guess technically everything since we first started learning about the Goblin Army way back in the Amazing Spider-Man 600’s was a buildup. That’s all doesn’t matter though, what I’m getting at is the story jumps a head in time from the last issue. We don’t have to see the Green Goblin (Whomever it may be) slowly bring down the city and Spidey. We open up the first page right to it, and it’s glorious. Otto has really done a number on his life (well Pete’s life), and the whole city is basically controlled by the Goblins. There’s a lot going on in this book, between Otto trying to figure out how his Spider-bots haven’t picked up on any of the damage, ghost Pete is still trying to figure out how to survive, and the Green Goblin has a little secret up his sleeve that Otto certainly doesn’t see coming. Goblin Nation is really looking to be one hell of a Spider-Man event, even if all the moving parts don’t always make sense. And it’s going to be a great final chapter for the Superior Spider-Man.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    wolverineandthexmen41

    Wolverine and the X-Men #41

    There is just one issue left until Jason Aaron wraps up his time with Wolverine and the X-men. While it hasn’t always been the best X-Book on the stands, it’s always been good, and filled a wonderful hole for a slightly more lighthearted book. Even with that tone, there were plenty of emotional and near heartbreaking moments that made this such a fantastic run. I believe right now it’s the highest numbered Marvel book out there, which will soon be changing as it goes back to #1 after issue #42. But we’re not hear to talk about that, we’re here to talk about this amazing penultimate issue. Very few people care about Toad, I’ve read all of Wolverine and the X-Men, and while he’s always been around, and played a part in plenty of issues, nothing ever really focused on him. That changes here, and it changes in a pretty depressing way. After letting his heart lead the way, Toad ended up betraying the X-Men and guided students to the Hellfire Club, all to make Husk happy. Unfortunately, having been a villain so long doesn’t lead to many chances, so the teacher decided he had to go, while being completely alright with what Husk did. This issue has a huge focus on Toad, as he tries to put his life on a path he can live with, and there are a few points where you really think things will work out. Maybe he’ll get hired back because everything goes to hell without him, maybe he’ll prove he’s a real hero, unfortunately the issue doesn’t lead to any of that and you’ll just have to read it to see how Toad’s life goes from here.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 2/16/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/18319/ Sun, 16 Feb 2014 14:42:13 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18319 Twig2-16

     

    Well, its been an interesting news week this week so there’s actually quite a bit to report, so let’s get right to it.

    The News:

    • Halo 2 Anniversary coming this year? Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes said to GameZone “I think you may be ahead of yourself on Halo 5. I wouldn’t expect anything until 2015. What you can look forward to this year is an anniversary edition of Halo 2”. When asked by Polygon.com to comment Microsoft only responded with “your next Halo journey will begin in 2014”. So it looks like we will have to wait and see but I’m sure this isn’t what Halo fans wanted to hear.
    • According to the U.K. site for Amazon a new Transformers game titled Rise of the Dark Spark is coming to the PS3, PS4, 360, XboxOne, 3DS, and WiiU. No word on a release or who is developing the game but the last 2 non-movie tie-in games have been very well reviewed so we will be keeping a close eye on this one.
    • Nintendo’s newest Kirby game, Triple Deluxe, will be releasing on May 2nd in North America for the 3DS
    • A new character has been unveiled for the next Super Smash Bros game for WiiU and 3DS. Punch Out’s Little Mac has been upgraded from an assist trophy to a full on playable character.
    • MLB 14 The Show has been given release dates. The PS3 and Vita versions will release on April 1st and the PS4 version will be releasing in May. The delay was made to ensure that all the games have all the same features and to not leave the PS4 lacking any major features that series fans have come to expect.
    • The WiiU version of Watch Dogs has been delayed to an undetermined time. Rumor mills are churning that the game has been canceled for the WiiU after the preorder SKU temporarily disappeared from GameStop systems and Nintendo not mentioning it as a game for their upcoming fiscal year during their 3rd quarter financial report.
    • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will not be using 2 screens. Players will be asked to chose which screen they want the game displayed on when they load up the game and the other screen (TV or the GamePad) will be blank. This is the first WiiU game to do this and its quite surprising given that Nintendo in its latest investor call said that more focus would be put into the GamePad being a key component of the WiiU so we will see if this is something that shows up in more games or not.

    littlemac

    The new releases:

    • Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (2/18) – 360, XB1
    • Earth Defense Force 2025 (2/18) – 360, PS3
    • Strider (2/18) – PS3, PS4, XB1
    • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2/21) – WiiU

     

     

     

    2584783-2190557706-nZGSuEDF2025 dkctfboxartfinal strider_logo

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    Friday Five – Favorite Dynamic Duos https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-dynamic-duos/ Fri, 14 Feb 2014 18:42:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18299 Ace and Gary
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Favorite Dynamic Duos!
     
    It’s Valentines Day, and what better way to celebrate it than to honor our favorite fictional couples? But we aren’t restricting ourselves to romantic couples in this edition of the Friday Five! No sir! Instead we’re paying tribute to those on screen/in panel partnerships that would be criminal to break up. So read on, and don’t forget to tell us who your favorite Dynamic Duos are in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. Troy and Abed Community – These two were really the funniest part of the show, and usually the part with the most emotions. Now though, Troy has left and things will never be the same.
    2. Fitz and Simmons Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – These two are by far the best part of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and they’ve barely got any fleshing out so far. The downside to them being the best, they’ll end up being the fan favorites. And with Joss Whedon attached to the show, we all know what happens to fan favorites. . .
    3. Dick Grayson Batman and Damian Robin Batman – I might be in the minority for this, but I really liked Grayson as Batman between Final Crisis and New 52, and his teaming with Damian was just really well done. It also lead to some of the more emotional stuff when it came to Damian’s death last year.
    4. Shawn and Gus Psych – These two are probably the best example of best friends ever. They don’t always get along, they hardly ever agree (except about food), but they’ve still been friends since childhood. Not only that, they’re hilarious and are truly going to be missed when Psych ends at the end of this season.
    5. Han Solo and Chewbacca Star Wars – Sure it may have started with Chewie declaring a life debt to Han, but these two became pretty much inseparable. And for those who never delved into the expanded universe, the death of Chewbacca really messed Han up for a long time. And was seriously depressing.

     
    Troy and Abed
     

    Vogel

    1. TS and Brodie Mallrats – 4 words, bumble the boy wonder.
    2. Jesse and Walter Breaking Bad
    3. Joker and Harley Quinn Batman
    4. Mario and Luigi Super Mario bros.
    5. Rick and Carl (and sometimes Michonne) Walking Dead (comics)

     
    TS and Brodie
     
     

    Eric

    1. Joel and Ellie The Last of Us – Their relationship started off as a business deal, and ended up as one of the strongest and most emotional bonds I have ever witnessed in gaming. It’s a powerful journey that everyone should experience.
    2. Ratchet and Clank Ratchet and Clank series – It’s never been a secret that I love these games. They’re humorous, action packed, and they take place in space. However, the most important part of this series are it’s protagonists. An accidental partnership that has forged one of the greatest friendships in gaming.
    3. Nathan Drake and Victor “Sully” Sullivan Uncharted series – From the moment I turned on the first game back in 2007 I know I was going to love these characters. It took 3 games to finally explain how this unlikely pair first teamed up, and it was just as rewarding as the relationship we’ve seen unfold in games. Always out for the next big score, always watching each others back, Nathan Drake and Sully are one inseparable awesome duo!
    4. Cecil and Kain Final Fantasy IV – Friends both at the head of the military of Baron, separated by an evil overlord. While they may have been enemies for a short time, it just strengthened their resolve and friendship in the end.
    5. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson Spider-Man – Ok, they aren’t really a dynamic duo, and technically they haven’t been a “duo” of any kind in over 5 years. However, in any medium of Spider-Man, the web slinging hero is at his best when his favorite redhead is by his side. Even after the Brand New Day arc, these two have continued to support one another, and form one of the greatest, if not frustrating, relationships in comics.

     
    joel and ellie

    ]]>
    Kickstarter – Fairy Quest 2: Outcasts https://one-quest.com/blog/kickstarter-fairy-quest-2-outcasts/ Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:45:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18289 At long last, and after plenty of bumps in the campaign for the first book, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos are finally ready to bring us Fairy Quest 2: Outcasts. Things are looking to run much smoother this time as they’re teamed up with Boom! Studios to produce the book.

    fairy-quest-1-wolf-and-red

    If you missed it the first time around, Fairy Quest is an original graphic novel about some of the worlds most famous fairy tale characters, only more of a “What they do when they’re not being stories”. Think of Marvel’s current Hawkeye series. The main focus is Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, who while they’re enemies during the stories, they’re friends in their off time. Unfortunately the powers that be, aren’t fans so they go on the run. And that’s the meat of the story and it’s going to be continued into this next chapter Outcasts as well

    The opening page of Outcasts

    The opening page of Outcasts

    So with all that out of the way, here’s the important stuff. The Kickstater for Fairy Quest 2: Outcasts has 34 days left and at this writing they have $19,417 out of a goal of $60,000. So while the campaign is off to a great start, there’s still a ways to go and they’re going to need some help! Now last time they had the same goal, but ended up with just over $95,000 so if you can, chip in and help them reach even higher.

    Look at that artwork!

    Look at that artwork!

    If you missed any of the other links, here’s another to the Kickstater!

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 2/9/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-292014/ Mon, 10 Feb 2014 02:00:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18264 Twig1

     

    Welcome to the special evening edition of TWIG. It’s been a slightly busy week so lets get to it!

    The News:

    • Activision has added a 3rd studio to the Call of Duty series. Sledgehammer games will now be working on their own version of the game starting with this year’s title. They join Infinity Ward and Treyarch as the lead developers on the franchise and that now gives each studio 3 years to work on a game.
    • Sega has announced Sonic Boom a new game for WiiU and 3DS as well as a new cartoon. The WiiU version will support up to 4 player co-op. No release date has been announced.
    • In one of the most bizarre announcements Amazon has bought Killer Instinct and Strider developer Double Helix. No exact word on what Amazon plans on doing with them as of now but we will be keeping our eye on it.
    • And in another odd move, WB Interactive has said that they will not be patching the progress stopping bugs that are plaguing some people’s copies of Batman: Arkham Origins until they can get the next story DLC out.

    The new releases:

    • Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2/11) – 360, PS3
    • Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2/11) – Vita
    • One Piece Romance Dawn: The Dawn of Adventure (2/11) – 3DS
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite TV Characters https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-tv-characters/ Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:28:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18253 ronswanson
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Favorite TV Characters.
     
    Last week, we discussed characters we can’t stand or just don’t really love. This week is the exact opposite! Only characters you keep coming back to TV shows for. Good thing there’s so many of ’em to choose from!
     

    Chris

    1. Gregory House – House – House was easily one of my favorite shows when it aired, even in that final season when it wasn’t quite as good, and that’s all thanks to the title character. Hugh Laurie did an amazing job playing House, and I still end up watching the marathons on TV when I can.
    2. The Doctor – Who doesn’t love The Doctor honestly? Even when a new one takes over the character is still amazing!
    3. Shawn Spencer – Psych – It was a depressing day recently when it was confirmed Psych will be ending this year. But Shawn has easily been one of the best leading characters on tv since the show started, and hopefully we see him and Gus back again for a movie or something.
    4. Ron Swanson – Parks & Rec – Anyone that loves Bacon and wood working that much has to be the greatest man alive.
    5. Dexter Morgan – Dexter – I’m not through with Dexter yet so I haven’t hit the parts that people tend to not enjoy. So far though Dexter is a pretty compelling character and all the stupid things that go on around him make it even more interesting to see how does what he does.

     
    house md
     

    Pisko!

    1. Walter Bishop – Fringe: How could a person NOT love Walter? Equal parts childish whimsy and mad scientist this man was hell bent on saving his son whether it was from this universe or another. He made a few mistakes that cost him and the people around him dearly but his compassion and ultimate sacrifice in the end made the world whole again.
    2. Charles Bartowski – Chuck: Chuck was working in a retail electronics store with skills way above his paygrade. Going nowhere and expelled from Stanford he was content to toil away as a retail slave with his best friend… That is until an old frenemy comes into play and turns him into the man he always thought he could be. In the process he reconciles with his family and finds love in a CRAZY HOT Yvonne Strahovski. In the end his heart and loyalty are what keep you invested in the character way past when the show got stale.
    3. Murray – Flight of the Conchords: Murray has a heart of gold and just wants to manage a really cool band. As manager for Flight of the Conchords Murray handles all the important things like press releases, Little New Zealand opening concerts and bus tours, booking gigs and most importantly making sure the band has PLENTY of hair gel. Though his brief stint as a successful band manager almost had him leave the boys, he quickly came to his senses when he ran out of money.
    4. Stephen Colbert – The Colbert Report: Changing his name wasn’t enough (It’s pronounced Col-Bert to the rest of his family) Stephen had to invent a whole new person for his new show. Radically different from the real Steve, Stephen is a right-wing bleeding heart conservative who knows that President Bush was either a great president or probably the greatest president of all time (Don’t tell the ghost of Reagan or his dog Rex). Colbert slathers his guests in a satire so deep in the first few years no one actually knew if he was serious or not. Also, slathered satire sounds delicious.
    5. Tywin Lanister – Game of Thrones: Peter Dinklage…. SO BAD ASS.

     
    Walter Bishop
     

    Vogel

    1. Arya Stark – Game of Thrones – come one, this girl is bad ass.
    2. Dexter Morgan – Dexter – but only if you ignore the final episode.
    3. The Hound – Game of Thrones – He’s actually a bit more complex of a character than people who don’t know his story realize.
    4. Malcolm Reynolds – Firefly – I thought he had a great character. Probably my favorite episodes is when he and Wash are taken “hostage”. It really showed the kind of person Mal was.
    5. Fitz and Simmons – Agents of Shield – Cheating a little, but come on, neither would be as funny if they didn’t have the other.

     
    Arya Stark
     

    Eric

      I’m sticking with shows currently on TV.

    1. Coulson – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – He’s dry, nearly humorless, and 100% awesome. If he wasn’t the lead of the show, I’d probably not have been as interested.
    2. Monroe – Grimm – This show has been nothing short of fantastic since it started, and most of that is because of Monroe.
    3. Captain Killian “Hook” Jones – Once Upon A Time – I’ve been watching this show from the beginning. With it’s hokey special effects, outlandish liberties with the properties, and Captain Hook, I just can’t stop watching. Hook is just so god damned cool!
    4. Ron Swanson – Parks and Recreation – He’s the manliest man on TV. He’s hilarious. I just wish I could grow a moustache half as awesome as his.
    5. Mitchell Pratchett – Modern Family – I haven’t watched the show from the beginning, but I’ve been catching reruns on The CW recently. I love this show, and Mitchell has got to be my favorite character on the show.

     
    Agent Coulson

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 2/2/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-222014/ https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-222014/#comments Sun, 02 Feb 2014 14:42:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18247 Twig1

    News is starting to pick up as are new releases so lets get right to it!

    The News:

    • Sony has announced the free games for PS+ members for February: PlayStation 3 owners will be getting Remember Me, Payday 2, and Metro Last Light; PlayStation 4 owners will be getting Outlast; and Vita owners will be getting Street Fighter X Tekken and ModNation Racers: Road Trip. Sony keeps making PS+ a great value, I thought I was going to really hate paying for it when the PS4 came out but with the number of free games I’ve gotten for my PS3 & PS4 in the 3 months I’ve had PS+ it’s totally paid for itself.
    • Mario Kart 8 will launch for the Wii U in May. No specific date was announced but it will be one of the 4 Sundays in May.
    • Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn will be coming to the PS4 on April 14th. The game was pretty popular with most of the One-Quest staff when it relaunched for the PC and PS3 back in the fall, we will see if the PS4 release spikes any more interest in the game.
    • Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley said in a Reddit AMA that EverQuest Next will be “absolutely coming to the PS4” and that the game will likely release sometime in 2015.
    • Warner Bros. has cancelled all upcoming DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins. This seems like a very odd move to me, if this was a cross-generation game and they wanted to focus more on the PS4/XB1 versions of the DLC I would sort of understand that move, but it only released on WiiU, PS3, and 360 so I can’t imagine it should have taken too much work and money to make it all work for the WiiU.
    • A new Sonic the Hedgehog game looks to be releasing in 2015 for the PS4, XB1, and WiiU. An image leaked of a sign at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair with a listing of 3 Sonic games: Sonic: Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the 2014 Winter Games, and “New 2015 title TBA” with the WiiU, PS4, and XB1 logos. So check back here for more news as it releases.

    The new releases:

    • Dustforce (2/4) – PS3, Vita
    • Outlast (2/4) – PS4
    • Bravely Default (2/7) – 3DS
    • The LEGO Movie Videogame (2/7) – 360, 3DS, PS3, PS4, Vita, WiiU, XB1

    Did You Know

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    Friday Five – Least Favorite Main Characters on TV https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-least-favorite-main-characters-on-tv/ Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:50:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18232 Jack Harkness
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Least Favorite Main Characters on TV.
     
    With so many TV shows there’s bound to be a character or two that ruffle your feathers. We have a few, so here’s our list of our Least Favorite Characters on TV. Don’t forget to tell us who your least favorite characters are in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. Jeff Winger – Community – Sure Jeff has his funny moment, but on a whole if he were to leave the show I wouldn’t mind nearly as much as when Troy did or if several other characters were to make their exits.
    2. Charlotte “Charlie” Matheson – Revolution – Thankfully with the second season they’ve made Charlie less of the central character and more just one of many mains. Still her bits are generally the weakest and totally overshadowed by pretty much all of the other characters. If they’re going to kill of anyone this season, make it her.
    3. Sookie Stackhouse – True Blood – True Blood isn’t anywhere near as good as it was originally. She makes terrible decisions, and she’s generally just plain stupid.
    4. Jack Shephard – Lost – I love Lost, it was a fantastic show, but Jack was probably the weakest link even though the story was his. Sure he had some amazing moments and episodes and his story was fairly compelling. But I just never felt invested in him the way I did with other characters.
    5. Leslie Knope – Parks & Recreation – This last one was hard to come up with. And I didn’t know if I really wanted to put Leslie or not, she is funny and has some pretty enjoyable storylines. Unfortunately for many episodes she’s kind of the weak point, especially with Ann and Chris having left. While the show certainly wouldn’t be the same without her, I feel that they’d still be able to consistently bring the funny if she left.

     
    Jeff Winger
     

    Eric

    I tend to not watch a TV show if I hate the characters. I don’t know how those other guys did this so easily.

    1. Chuck Bartowski – Chuck – I don’t hate him. I just. . . it’s complicated. The show is great, but the “Ross and Rachel” story between Chuck and Sara is so annoying to the point that I don’t care about it anymore(BTW, the wife and I just started watching this a few weeks ago). On top of that, the supporting cast is phenomenal. I’d take a Jeffster show over Chuck any day! Also, Yvonne Strahovski. ’nuff said.
    2. Jake Green – Jericho – I only watched this show about a year ago, and loved it all! Except Jake. His backstory was a little intriguing, but the character was boring. Everyone else on this show was more interesting to watch than him. Even the annoying IRS girl.
    3. Captain Jack Harkness – Torchwood – In Doctor Who, Jack Harkness is the absolute coolest person you could ever want to see. In Torchwood he’s less likeable in just about every way. He’s not fun. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t joke. He’s just all brooding and stuff. Not cool.
    4. Ted Mosby – How I Met Your Mother – Same deal with Chuck. I don’t hate Ted, I just don’t love him as much as the supporting cast. I’d rather watch Lily and Marshall try not to poop in front of one another than watch Ted walk around in those stupid cowboy boots again any day!
    5. Carl Grimes – The Walking Dead – I HATE Carl. I understand his purpose on the show, the ground Rick in reality and junk. But I hate him. Everytime he’s on screen I get angry. He’s not an interesting character, he’s just an idiot. I hope he dies soon.

     
    Chuck Bartowski

    And just for the hell of it, here’s Yvonne Strahovski.

    Y

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – January 29, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-29-2014/ Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:12:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18225 tioli12914

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Aaaand we’re back! It’s time once again for Take It Or Leave It, it’s a bit of a smaller version this week but it’s still a pretty solid week. So without anything else from me let us get right into it.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    teentitans27

    Teen Titans #27

    For the most part I’ve enjoyed Teen Titans, ever since Forever Evil started though the book has just felt off. It’s one of the only books dealing directly with the problem right now, aside from the Justice League titles. Only they’re not dealing with the problem, they’re dealing with a different problem caused by Forever Evil. Anyway, this whole future storyline with Bart (Kid Flash) being made out as a villain just isn’t what I wanted it to be. I’m all for finding out what Bart’s real background is, but I think I would have preferred it if they didn’t let him get back his memories and he was just dealing with something he did, but couldn’t remember. And then there’s Superboy, who isn’t the same one we’ve known all this time. And if you want to get the whole story you have to read his book too. Now this is all well and good when there’s a crossover going on, but for something like this it’s just annoying. I still have hopes for this series getting back on track once the Titans are back in their own time and we can finally see the solution to the whole Raven and Trigon storyline. And who knows, maybe with the upcoming New 52 introduction of Stephanie Brown she’ll be added to the roster, or maybe even an as yet unannounced Wally West to take over the Teen speedster role if Bart doesn’t make it through this unscathed.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    tmnt30

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #30

    God this is such a good book, if you’re like me and grew up with the Turtles watching the cartoon and movies, then there is no reason not to be reading this book. It’s got some of the best parts of the original comics, and the cartoons all rolled up into one great monthly installment. Now it’s dealing with the fallout of City Fall, with the Turtles and their allies recovering at April’s families farm. This was one of the parts I enjoyed most in the first movie, seeing the beaten heroes come back to their senses, and this comic is doing it’s own take on that and so far it’s been a great ride. There isn’t a lot of action here, but it’s still a pretty touching issue and well worth the read.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    witchblade172

    Witchblade #172

    I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about Witchblade’s time jump, but now that we’ve seen a handful of what Ron Marz has planned I’m on board. It’s nice to see Sara is going to be going up against The Angelus, especially with the Darkness apparently dead (I don’t read the Darkness so I’m a bit behind on that). This issue picked right up where the previous one left off with the crazy guy trying to kill Sara and an Angelus warrior there to stop him, but do pretty much the same thing. It’s pretty obvious to see where it was going, but it was still fun to get to it. And the flashbacks of Sara finally removing the Witchblade shed some decent light on how things got to this point, more so than I think the previous couple of issues have done.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman26

    Superior Spider-Man #26

    Superior Spider-Man is really getting good, with the official kickoff of Goblin Nation we get some great Hob Vs. Green action. And a little bit of a certain ghostly wall crawler that was revealed last issue. Now I’m completely torn about that, I’m super excited that Pete is coming back and they’re relaunching Amazing Spider-Man, but at the same time I’m going to miss what’s been happening in this series. One of the nice parts of this issue is it teases what could possible be the direction of the upcoming relaunch of Amazing, and just how Peter’s world is going to be different. Most notably when it comes to dealing with his allies that Otto has effectively told to screw off. I am glad people are finally calling him on his shit too, that’s been the most frustrating aspect, no one really calling Pete on acting like a villain.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10/h3>

    Reviewed By: Chris


    uncannyavengers16

    Uncanny Avengers #16

    I feel like Uncanny Avengers never comes out, I know there have been some delays, but by the time I get to a new issue I’ve almost forgotten what last happened. Regardless of that though, this is a really great book. So much has been happening, and so many characters have died. It’s one of those stories that you know when it’s all over they’re going to end up rewriting time or something to fix it all, but it’s still just fun to read and see where things are going. Issue 16 is no different, and frankly any time we get to see angry Thor is a good time. He even picks up Cap’s shield at one point. Things are really coming to a head finally so the next issues should only be more exciting from here.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    MAGFest 12 https://one-quest.com/blog/magfest-12/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:22:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18151 Magfest2

    Every year on the first few days of January, the most heard saying you usually hear is “New year, New me,” followed by the usual unsuccessful new years resolutions of getting in shape, writing your book, and eating healthy. For many of us nerds though, if you took a chance to venture into the National Harbor, outside of Washington D.C., on Jan 2nd – 5th you had the pleasure to hear this all weekend instead. That’s right, the nerds MAGFest war cry. MAGFest is a Music And Gaming Festival held in the Gaylord(Tehe) Hotel. This festival is a 12 year old celebration of Video Games and music that influences and is influenced by gaming. Having an arcade/game room open for 24 hours a day, vendors that can be open what ever hours they want, Panels, Tabletop games, and concerts of all types of music throughout the day, MAGFest is one hell of a celebration(it took me over a week to recover and write about it).

    Magfest

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    This year was MAGFest’s 12th year of running, and our first in attendance. This festival has one of the biggest Arcades/Game Rooms I have seen in any convention/festival. A hand full of Arcade cabs I have seen before, such as DDR and other rhythm cabs like DJ Max Technika. They also had arcade versions of Guitar Hero, Taiko Drum Master, and Pop’n Music. This years big game of the year was Unit-e’s Neon FM, a rhythm based game with 5 pads. Each pad correlates with a different color icon on screen that you have to hit a corresponding note as it drops to the specified icon. There are multiple difficulties for each song and the option to make the notes move faster, and even change their color. My preference was to play with the bottom notes dark blue, and the top light blue. There was always a line for this game, and since it was its debut weekend I don’t think we will be seeing it in arcades for a while. I’m looking forward to it being in more arcades and conventions in the future, all I wanted to do that weekend was play that game. It wasn’t only rhythm games at MAGFest, they also had cabs of all the classics like Super Mario Brothers, a 6 man X-Men cab, Captain America and the Avengers, Pinball Machines, Pac-man Tables, Tron, Sinistar, a hand full of racing cabs, and tables upon tables of console gaming. It was practically impossible to not find a game you like. In one section of the hall they had it open up with people playing Johann Sebastian’s Joust. Think of having a glass of water, the more intense the music is the easier it is to move and not spill, that was joust. They grouped people up into teams and you had to knock over their PS Move controller. The more the controller moved, it would blink, when it turns off you are out. I have a video of the game uploaded on our Facebook, but since it was played in the dark and I took it with my cell phone you might not be able to see it very well. There is also an enormous selection of table top gaming. Spread about 3 rooms, you can do anything from sample new board games, card games, or table top RPG’s. Although it was a big part of the festival, it wasn’t all about gaming. There is a lot of emphasis on the music aspect of the celebration.

     

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    MAGFest had plenty of musical guests and major concerts. This years festival had about 40 musical guests amongst all the stages of the show. There was always music playing throughout the day on the 2nd and chip tune stages. I didn’t get into the 2nd stage or the chip tune shows much, but I did get to check out the band Final Stage. They are a video game music cover band, with a set that included a Mario Party Medley, first gen Pokemon Battle Theme, and music from Animal Crossing. This was their first show and they rocked! I can not wait to see what they think up in the future. Throughout the weekend I took the chance to see The Megas, This Place is Haunted, The X-Hunters, and the Video Game DJ Battle. The Megas are an awesome rock group all about Megaman 2. They covered the level songs and written awesome lyrics about the bosses. They currently have 3 albums out and are working on a 4th. If you are a fan of both Megaman and story written lyrics, I highly suggest you check them out, I love this band. This Place is Haunted is a video game/pop culture rock cover band. They covered music from T.V. Shows, video games, Disney, and a hand full of movies. Me being a Philly native I thoroughly enjoyed when they did a medley of the Rocky songs. They also have 3 albums out, and if you are looking for a bit of nostalgia, I suggest you check them out, they are amazing. We have articles of the X-Hunters previous shows, and they have always rocked! That’s no different to this show either. They are an awesome group who cover primarily Megaman-X level songs, but have taken other chiptune game music into their own rock themes, such as from Donkey Kong Country and Chrono Trigger. They currently only have 1 album out, so get it and check them out, they rock! The last concert I saw was the Video Game DJ Battle, there were 6 DJ’s that each had a short set to demo their music. The most DJ’s I have ever seen on a stage at a rave, and was one of the best raves I have seen at a Convention. The general atmosphere for this concert was simply epic. If you have a liking to most house/techno/Video game remix music I suggest checking out these DJ’s. The DJ’s included with this battle were, Dj Cutman, bLiNd, Benjamin Briggs, Grimecraft, Flexstyle, and Totentans. They were all masters of their craft and amazing! Lastly they had a Jam space in the back of the concert areas. If you know how to play, and are looking to just rock out, go check out that space. There wasn’t just gaming and concerts to be done at MAGFest, there was plenty of other great events to partake in.

     

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    One great thing about MAGFest is that you can always find something to do there. Besides the games and concerts there were always side events going on. There were panels, tournaments, and other special events running through out the day. One section of the hall they had dedicated to the “Art of Akira” exhibit. This is an exhibit of personally owned original art cells from the anime movie Akira. There are storyboard books, models, movies posters, and they even ran a panel showcasing the cells next to the movie. This year they ran pot smashing and table flipping for charity events through out the weekend. When table flipping, the more you donated, the more they loaded up the table for you. Pot smashing was a set fee and you won a prize for each pot smashed. There were a number of panels held, but with so much to do at the rest of the convention I was unable to make any. I hope that in the years to come I will have a chance to check these out. One of the greatest things about MAGFest is that they streamed all the major events. If you were unable to make it to the show, you would have been able to see the stream of any panel or concert you might have wanted to see. Lastly this show is a 3DS street pass Mecca. Having never had a 3DS at a convention before, didn’t know the wonders of street pass. In just the probably 20 hours that I actually had my 3DS on, and on me, I met about 124 people, not counting doubles. With that I was able to gather all of the original puzzle pieces, and complete find Mii once. If you are big on the street pass, I suggest you never forget your 3DS.

     

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    MAGFest may look and sound like a convention, but it is not. They stress it as festival, a celebration of nerd kind. The panels are primarily fan run, the entire festival is ran by volunteers, and all proceeds are used to cover future events and concerts. There are always things to do there, and with the celebration being 4 days long you will find yourself getting into a grove. Having 2 concert halls, and a chip tune area, there is always music playing. The huge arcade/game room being open all weekend gives you plenty of chances to play the game of the year, this year being Neon FM. If you, some how, had enough of those, all the extras(such as the Art of Akira Exhibit, and Panels) that were in the hall will surely occupy you the rest of your time. Overall it is a blast, and I suggest that any music or Videogame Fan, basically all nerd kind, should take the weekend to head over to MAGFest or anyother MAGFest run event in the future. To keep up with much of the fest’s news you can go online at www.MAGFest.org, or you can simply follow their Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube pages. They are always runing events through out the year, so keep a look out for what they may have in your area. The next event will be a concert called Game Over Baltimore on March 1st featuring: Rare Candy, X-Hunters, Triforce Quartet, Overclocked University, and introducing Steel Samurai.

     

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    T.W.I.G. 1/26/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-1262014/ Sun, 26 Jan 2014 16:00:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18194 Twig1

     

    We’re back to our regularly scheduled date of Sunday, sorry for the missed week but things have been a little busy for me recently, but I should be back on track on getting these up at 11 A.M. on Sundays from now on! (Feel free to yell at me on our Facebook page or in Twitter if I don’t). Also I’d like to thank everyone who has gotten us to 300+ likes on Facebook. If you haven’t seen our post we put up we have some free games for Steam and Origin available for people who share our post that we hit 300 likes. There’s 12 games in all available (they are listed in the comments of that post) and only 3 people have shared it so there’s at least 9 more games available to be won! So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go share that post and try and help us get more likes!

    The News:

    • 10 months after it’s release, EA has announced that they will be patching in offline play to SimCity. This comes after many times saying that the game could not possibly work offline. Will this change help the perception of this version of SimCity? Probably not, but it’s interesting to see that they were willing to abandon such a key feature (at least in their eyes) to maybe help the game.
    • Call of Duty: Ghosts will be receiving it’s first set of DLC on January 28th. The DLC pack includes 4 new maps, 1 new dual Sniper/Assault Rifle, and a new episode for the Extinction mode. One map, named Fog, will include the ability to play as Michael Myers, the villain in the Halloween movies. While this may seem strange it is apparently a nod back to a game mode that organically sprung up in prior games where one player would be designated as Mike Myers and all other players must run and hide. They cannot shoot the Myers and only the last person left may try and fight back. It’s pretty cool that IW would recognize this and actually put it into the game.

    The new releases:

    • Broken Age: Act 1 (1/28) – PC
    • Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (1/28) – 360, PS3, Vita
    • Tomb Raider: Definitive Editon (1/28) – PS4, XB1 [Note, this may be out in some stores if not all already but 1/28 is still the listed release date]

    That’s all for this week, please keep checking back for more news here on One-Quest!

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    Friday Five – Shows You Can’t Skip https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-shows-you-cant-skip/ Fri, 24 Jan 2014 17:05:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18186 Matt Smith as Doctor Who
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list! This weeks category: Shows You Can’t Skip!
     
    We all love TV. Even if you say you hate TV, in secret you love it. Why? Background noise. Effortless entertainment. Occasionally stimulating scenarios. Whatever the reason, there are some shows you cannot help watching no matter what episode it is. This is our tribute to those shows!
     

    Chris

    1. House
    2. Always Sunny In Philadelphia
    3. Psych
    4. Doctor Who
    5. Parks & Recreation

     
    house md
     
     

    Eric

    I don’t have cable, so I only have one decent station, ION TV, and the major network stations. Most of them don’t run reruns all day, except PHL17. So as it has been, this one is based on past experiences.

    1. Psych – I can’t get enough of this show. ION TV used to play this one all the time. They have rights to shows like Flashpoint, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order: SVU. Every Saturday from 6pm to 3am it was all Psych. Then it stopped. I was so upset that I actually emailed them. I got a generic response back too!
    2. House – My wife and I Marathoned the entire series to catch up to the finale. It was awesome! The clinic scenes were the absolute best parts of that show. House at his grumpiest.
    3. Doctor Who – Again, the wife and I marathoned this show in a few months, very recently. The worst part about it, was we did it after our wedding and wish we had known about the show prior to the event. Regardless, when I’m at the gym I always jump to BBC on the TV in case Doctor Who is on.
    4. The Price is Right – If you have a day off, you’re watching The Price is Right. I have a lot of days off, so I’m always watching The Price is Right.
    5. Ninja Warrior – When I had cable I watched a lot of G4. About 80% of the time this was the only show on that station all weekend. Same goes for my TV.

     
    Psych Fist Bump

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    Zenescope Announces 1st Annual Grimmie Awards https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescope-announces-1st-annual-grimmie-awards/ Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:20:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18181 firstgrimmiesaward

    Zenescope has something fun going on, their first annual awards, picked by the fans! You get to pick your favorite characters from the various titles Zenescope put out this year and the one with the most votes will win. Check out all the details below and then go vote.

    ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES 1st ANNUAL GRIMMIE AWARDS

    Fans choose their favorite Grimm Universe Characters of 2014

    Zenescope Entertainment is announcing their first ever Grimmie Awards, an event that gives fans the opportunity to vote on their favorite Zenescope series and characters from 2014. Voting takes place on Zenescope’s Facebook and begins on Thursday, January 23rd and the winners will be announced throughout the week beginning on Monday, February 24th.

    Fans will have the opportunity to vote on various categories on Zenescope’s Facebook and if they share the poll, they will be entered to win various prizes that will include: art prints, trades, comics, and other merchandise. Voting will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays with new categories each week. The categories are as follows: Best New Series, Best Breakout Female Character, Best Breakout Male Character, Best Villain, Best Team, Best Sidekick, Best Fight, Best Mad Hatter, and Best Overall Female Character.

    And the nominees are:
    Best New Series – Oz, Realm Knights, Through the Looking Glass, Hit List, No Tomorrow, and Unleashed
    Best Breakout Female Character – Van Helsing (Unleashed), Masumi (Unleashed), Dorothy(Oz), Aisling (Quest), Keres (No Tomorrow), Rian (Hit List)
    Best Breakout Male Character – Roman Asher(Unleashed), Elijah Jones (Unleashed), Will Scarlett (Robyn Hood), Patrick Clay(No Tomorrow), Thorn (Oz), Dominic (Hit List)
    Best Villain – The Dark Queen (Age of Darkness), Keres (No Tomorrow), Wicked Witch of the West (Oz), Queen of Spades (Wonderland), The Being (Unleashed), Cindy (Grimm Fairy Tales), The Dark One (Grimm Fairy Tales)
    Best Team – Realm Knights, Jurassic Strike Force 5, The Dark Horde, Quest Team, Oz Team, Hit List Crew
    Best Sidekick – Violet Liddle (Wonderland), Bolder (Quest), Blake (Quest), Toto (Oz), Dark Cheshire (Wonderland), Buggy (Jurassic Strike Force 5)
    Best Fight – Robyn Hood vs Red Riding Hood, The Being vs Everyone, Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter vs Callie and Violet, Realm Knights vs Cronus, Sela vs Cindy and the Dark One , Guy Gisbourne vs Robyn Hood
    Best Mad Hatter – Johnny Liddle (Escape From Wonderland), Uncle Drake (Return to Wonderland), Madder Hatter AKA Emma Legrasse (Madness of Wonderland), Sammy (Wonderland Volume 1)
    Best Overall Female Character – Sela Mathers (Grimm Fairy Tales), Robyn Locksley (Robyn Hood), Calie Liddle (Wonderland), Britney Waters (Code Red), The Dark Queen (Age of Darkness), Cindy (Grimm Fairy Tales)

    Here is what some of the nominees had to say about being part of the first Grimmie Awards:
    “Ah such lowly creatures, you have given me an award? I shall accept your measly praise. Oh I have not won, only nominated, that’s…oh” – The Being

    “The faired haired lad is an excellent sidekick and I wish he the best-a-luck. WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE BEEN NOMINATED TOO!! I AIN’T NO BLEEDIN’ SIDEKICK!!!” – Bolder

    “I’m honored to be nominated and I wish all the other nominees the best of luck. I’m not really sure who Jurassic Strike Force 5 is but I’m sure they are good people.” – Sela Mathers

    The winners will be accepting their awards over Facebook beginning on February 24th. Fans can see the nominees interact via Facebook on their new profiles.

    Follow the fun of the first annual Grimmie Awards on the Zenescope Facebook, www.facebook.com/zenescope and sign up for the newsletter to find out ahead of time which categories will be released to vote on.

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    Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Demo Impressions https://one-quest.com/blog/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-demo-impressions/ Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:23:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18138 Lightning Returns - Final Fantasty XIII Logo White

    Let’s start off with a little personal setup.

    I loved Final Fantasy XIII. Even the 20 hour long tutorial. It was a slow start in the gameplay department, and most of the side quests couldn’t be completed until after the game was finished, but it was a beautiful game. The visuals were impeccable, the music was fantastic, and the voice acting was top notch. Due to the superb level of details the story was able to come across more lifelike than in any other Final Fantasy to date. The plot of desperation, solitude, and questioning the purpose of everything shined on the hardware used to tell it. Of course there were faults, as there are in every game. However, the faults most players called out – feeling of solitude due to lack of people to talk to, no shops, too linear, and a 20 hour tutorial – all felt right to me. You’re playing as fugitives, so you can’t exactly walk up to people and greet them. You’re hiding form the law, so there aren’t exactly a plethora of shops in the back alleys of Cocoon. Not every game needs to be Skyrim, and when it does open up you complain about all of the plot development that occurred before reaching the open areas of the game. It all felt like nitpicking to me. My only complaint was that the game left no opening for a sequel, and when the sequel tried to fit itself in I was lost.

    Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released to address the issues of the first. Instead of traveling from point A to point B in a linear fashion you were given access to a map with multiple destinations. Complete enough activities in one destination to open up a route to a new one, or two. Travel to them in any order you see fit. But it was confusing and there was little to no direction. It felt like I was thrown back into Final Fantasy 1 and told to go kill the 4 Dark Lords. Well. . . WHERE ARE THEY? and the game replies “Figure it out on your own!” Not cool. Combat was opened up to not give a game over when the lead party member died, but I died so infrequently in FFXIII that I never had an issue with it in the first place. There is at least 1 “city” or “hub” in every new zone. Each hub had multiple people to talk to, extra quests, and SHOPS! WOOO! (That was a sarcastic WOOO!) Lastly the tutorial was relegated to “It’s in the menu under Tutorial. Go read it.” What was sacrificed was a coherent reason for this game to exist, likable characters, and good writing. The ending of FFXIII was erased to make way for XIII-2. Instead of everyone finding one another and being happy, Lightning disappears. It made no sense to me when I started XIII-2, and didn’t make any more sense after playing the game for 30+ hours. I also had no idea how a 3rd game was supposed to exist in this series, but here it is.

    Lightning Returns - Final Fantasty XIII  - Lightning

    Well, Lightning Returns takes place at the end of time. With 13 days remaining it’s up to Lightning to save everyone as the Savior. The demo kicks off with her inside Snow’s palace. She needs to save him, but since he’s lived so long with no hope in his life he’ll also be one of the hardest people to save. That’s evident early on when she presents herself to Snow and they fight. After the insanely cool cut scene he disappears and you take control of Lightning. Tutorials take place in combat since so much has changed. No party members here, just Lightning and a load of bad-ass abilities.

    Lightning can change classes during combat, as has been the theme since the first FFXIII. She can have 3 classes in her rotation for a battle, but it looks like you have have a total of 9 created to swap in an out of easily. Each class has different abilities. Triangle and X act as abilities, casting spells or special attacks. Square is usually some form of Guard, and Circle is a form of basic attack. The left analogue stick can be used to move Lightning around the field, which gives the combat a whole new level of interactivity. Each class has it’s own Ability Meter. Using any of the face buttons drains the ability meter, when empty no actions can be take by that class. At that point you change classes, use new abilities, and continue on like that. Each class has it’s own strengths and weaknesses. Dragoon – which dresses Lightning in a sexy/cool version of the classic Kain armor – is powerful, but slow. Heartstealer – which dresses Lightning up as if she’s a Zidane cosplayer, complete with tail – is fast, but weak and able to avoid attacks easier than any other class.

    Outside of combat Lightning can explore corridors and such. There’s a Sprint button which drains Lightnings Ability meter in exchange for faster movement outside of combat. Lightning can also attack her enemies on the field to lower their HP for a battle. Dragoon lowered HP by 25%, while Savior only lowered enemy HP by 10%. Other classes may have other effects on enemies if used to attack them outside combat. Lightning can also jump to traverse minor platforming puzzles, and climb ladders. Everything runs smoothly and feels natural.

    Lightning Returns - Final Fantasty XIII  - Combat

    While the demo was on the short side, clocking in at less than 30 minutes and maybe 10 battles, it does feel like an excellent representation of the final product. At least the combat portions of it anyway. Besides a few fights, 6 classes, and some corridors to run through, there wasn’t much else to do in the demo. You can leave messages for other players, similar to Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, but that feature didn’t seem to add a whole lot for me. There were a ton of messages, but no real reason to check them out.

    Otherwise I was impressed by what I played. The combat feels fresh and exciting, taking away the “auto-pilot” mentality the previous two entries had. Staggering foes is far more involved that it was in previous games. There’s no stagger meter, instead you have to attack enemies with abilities they are weak to or when they leave themselves open before or after an attack. You have to stay focused, and can’t just mash X for “Auto Attack” anymore. The world feels open like a proper Final Fantasy entry. Random corridors to run down, and minor platforming elements help remove the monotony of running away from the camera. The class system is really interesting, and seems like it’s going to open up the game to a large number of customizable combat options. Best of all, the plot seems interesting. While I’m still really confused about how we’re actually here in the story, I don’t really care. I would like to know what exactly Lightning is supposed to do, and how the Serah clone fits into it all, but those are answers for the main game.

    Lightning Returns - Final Fantasty XIII  - Combat 2

    My opinion is turned around for this one. I was completely uninterested, and now I’m somewhat interested. Not $60 interested, but maybe $30 in a few months interested. Time will tell.

    What did you think about the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII demo? Let us know in the comments below!

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    Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns Demo Available Now https://one-quest.com/blog/final-fantasy-xiii-lightning-returns-demo-available-now/ Tue, 21 Jan 2014 21:31:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18130 FFXIII Lightning Returns Logo

    The third, and final, entry in the Final Fantasy XIII line of games is just a few weeks away. To give players a taste of what to expect Square Enix has released a demo to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 players available for download today.

    As a special bonus, players who download the PlayStation®Network demo will automatically receive the Utsusemi Garb DLC, which includes the Heavenly Fan weapon and the Kaminari (meaning “Lightning” in Japanese) shield item. The DLC pack will download with the demo and will be unlocked in the full retail game on February 11. The DLC pack will also be available to purchase for other customers later this year.

    img0069

    The demo puts players in control of Lightning as she traverses the chaos-infested Yusnaan palace of her old ally, Snow. Players will experience Lightning’s new customization options and master the game’s completely overhauled battle system. For those who activate the Outerworld services and submit their battle scores of the final fight against Zaltys, the ‘Siegfried’ outfit will be unlocked in the full retail game.

    Are you excited for the third entry in the Final Fantasy XIII line, or have you had enough of Lightning and friends? Let us know in the comments below!

    We’ll have a write up of our impressions of the demo later this week, so stay tuned!

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    Friday Five – Games You Keep Playing https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-games-you-keep-playing/ Fri, 17 Jan 2014 19:11:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18117 final fantasy tactics
    nbsp;
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Games You Keep Playing.
     
    We all have that one game that we just love to play over all others. No matter the occasion, it’s the game that you just can’t get enough of. For some it’s because of the nostalgia the game endorses. For others it’s the challenge. Everyone has their own reasons, just like everyone has their own game. So read on and check out the games we just keep going back to.
     

    Chris

    1. Final Fantasy VII-IX – This might be a slight cheat, but I can honestly play these three games over and over again. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve been through them, it’s been a few years now, but that might have to change soon.
    2. Pokemon – Sure new versions come out regularly, but I can play any of them at any time and have fun. Well of the main series anyway, not like the Ranger or Mystery Dungeon games.
    3. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – This was my favorite Sega game, whether I’m playing it for real or just messing around with debug and level select, I just keep going back. The music was great too, who doesn’t love the tunes in the Chemical Plant.
    4. Mario 64 – I didn’t realize how much I liked Mario 64 until I got it on DS. Sure it’s a little different but still great. It’s a great way to kill time too.
    5. Fire Emblem Awakening – This is the newest game I picked, but it just has so much replay value. I’ve done two play throughs so far and have probably 80+ hours. And that’s not even getting half the possible stuff.

     
    Final Fantasy VII
     

    Shannon

    1. Pokemon
    2. The Sims
    3. Civilization
    4. Bloons Tower Defense

     
    pokemon x y
     

    Drootin

    1. Sports games – Sports games don’t really fit this category because you don’t really “beat” most sports games, but in all likelihood I’ve spent more time playing sports games than every other kind of game combined. Heck on the PS3 alone I likely played close to 1000 hours of the NHL series. PS2 and PS1 were dominated by Madden. Genesis had Mutant League Hockey & Football, NHL ’94, and Madden as well (my favorite is ’93). Madden has me pretty hooked on the PS4 so far and I’m really looking forward to MLB the Show 14 and NHL 15
    2. Final Fantasy Tactics – One of my all time favorite games, you can beat the game somewhere around level 60 and without maxing all the classes, but I’ve leveled all my characters to level 99 and with the main character mastered every job. I’ve also played through the game at least 4 or 5 times with countless hours (well over 100, probably more like 300+) put in.
    3. Diablo – This mostly applies to Diablo II however I’ve got well over 100 hours into Diablo III as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played Diablo II with all the 7 different classes and done countless number of different builds with each of them.
    4. Super Smash Bros. – I believe I’ve said it before, but Smash Bros is my favorite thing Nintendo has done since the SNES era. I’d be down to play Smash Bros at pretty much any time.
    5. Call of Duty – Again this sort of is cheating but I’m putting it anyway. It’s cheating because I haven’t played single player in any of the COD games since Modern Warfare 2 (which was 2009), but I love the multiplayer in them. Ghosts is a little disappointing due to some missing things, but I’ve still sunk lots of time into it.

     
    nhl 93
     

    Eric

    I try really hard not to keep going back to the same game. I have far too many new in my pile to play, so I usually can’t justify a second playthrough unless it’s a particularly cool game. But there are some that I cannot escape. . .

    1. Diablo – I would say Diablo II to be specific, but it’s been a few years since I’ve loaded it up. Diablo III has taken it’s place but won’t reach it’s fullest potential until Reaper of Souls is released in March.
    2. StarCraft – It was the original until the sequel was released. I don’t go back for the campaign, once is enough. The multiplayer isn’t for me, I suck too bad to be competitive. But I love the custom maps! Golems? Turret Defence? That’s my jam!
    3. WarCraft III – I only recently played the first two games. They weren’t fun. Warcraft III is awesome tho! I love the campaign and replay it every few years, and the custom maps were fantastic! Ever heard of DOTA or any of it’s spin offs like League of Legends? They got their start as WarCraft III custom maps.
    4. Final Fantasy Tactics – I’m in love with strategy RPGs, and this is my absolute favorite. I played the hell out of it on PSX, and picked it up again on PSP. I’m anxiously awaiting it’s release on Android so I can have FFT everywhere I go!
    5. Left 4 Dead – Also include Left 4 Dead 2. They’re fantastic games with a ton of high pressure action. However, they’re only good with a couple friends.

     
    diablo 2

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    April Will Be Full Of BAMF! https://one-quest.com/blog/april-will-be-full-of-bamf/ Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:29:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18113 At this point, I’m over the guessing game for the Marvel teasers. I wish they’d just tell us what books are coming when they’re ready to tell us. Cryptic images that could potentially be any number of characters isn’t all that much fun anymore. That is when the image says something other than BAMF. . .

    Yep, looks like with the return of everyone’s favorite Blue Elf in Amazing X-Men, we’ll be getting a brand new Nightcrawler series. Well unless Marvel is really screwing with us and it’s going to be a series about the little BAMF’s that have been infesting the Jean Grey School. I seriously doubt that though, as it was with huge fan approval they announced the return of Nightcrawler, it only makes sense to cash in on that with a solo adventure.

    Oh, and in case you don’t notice it on the image, the one and only Chris Claremont is going to be writing the story. After 17 years of writing for Nightcrawler and the rest of the X-Men, who better to tackle this job. And joining him on art is Todd Nauck, whose still should fit perfectly with the character.

    So come April be ready, and keep an eye on One-Quest for more information on this as we hear it. And now without further rambling here’s the image!

    bamf

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    Peter Parker Returns! https://one-quest.com/blog/peter-parker-returns/ Mon, 13 Jan 2014 17:42:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18102 Amazing_Spider-Man_1_Cover
     
    Technically he never went anywhere. His mind was just swapped out and. . . I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.
     
    Last December Marvel published the 700th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. Sure, it’s been double, and even triple, shipped but The Amazing Spider-Man still reached the momentous milestone with the devilish writer, Dan Slott. Who is Dan Slott, and why is he one of the most devious writers in Spider-Man’s history? If you’re a fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock, then you’re familiar with Steven Moffat. Moffat likes to give his viewers everything in the world, then swiftly rip it all away. It usually leads to intense feels, and a ton of fan outcry. Well, Dan Slott is like that. He’s the guy that gave Peter Parker, and his fans, the greatest time in his life. He had an awesome job, great apartment, and it finally looked like he and Mary Jane Watson were going to get back together.
     
    Amazing Spider-Man 698
     
    All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere but certainly not, Doctor Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus, steps in to ruin the day. Back in issue 600, written by none other than the dastardly Dan Slott, Doctor Otto Octavius was diagnosed with a terminal illness leaving him with only 1 year to live. This makes Spider-Man’s greatest enemy even more dangerous than ever before. Over the next 3 years, which is about 1 year in Marvel time, Doc Ock faced the webhead quite a few times. Each time Doc Ock gained a new piece of the puzzle to help him get the ultimate upper hand on Spider-Man. In ASM 698 it was revealed that Doc Ock had swapped his consciousness with Spider-Man. In issue 700, Doc Ock’s final year came to an end and he died, with the consciousness of Peter Parker inside his brain. This event left Doctor Octopus in control of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, with nothing in his way to do everything he ever wanted. Except he also had all of Peter Parkers memories, and as a result, the whole “Great Power, Great Responsibility” mantra looming over him. Doc Ock swore to uphold the legacy of Spider-Man but in a way that would far exceed the methods of Peter Parker. He would become the Superior Spider-Man.
     
    Amazing Spider-Man 700
     
    Superior Spider-Man kicked off the events of Marvel Now! in 2013 for Spider-Man. Instead of the happy, goody goody, Spider-Man we’ve been used to, we were subjected to the crotchety, and miserable methods of Doctor Octopus. Spidey-Ock spent the next year perfectly destroying everything Peter Parker had worked for in his life all the while bringing Spider-Man one maniacal laugh away from becoming the world’s greatest villain. Peter Parker and Spider-Man had nearly brutally beaten two lower class thugs to death, actually killed someone, blackmailed Mayor Jameson into giving him full control of the Raft, hired goons, built giant mechanical spiders, captured the Sinister Six and enslaved their minds to force them to fight as his super team, covered all of New York in Spider-Bots that report all crime to him and others in a very Big Brother kind of style, and started a new relationship NOT with Mary Jane Watson! As for the good things Ock did for Pete – he got his Doctorate Degree, and started his own company. It’s been an interesting, if not somewhat frustrating ride.
     
    Superior Spider-Man 1
     
    Unfortunately none of this outrageous behaviour has triggered the suspicions of any of Peter Parker, or Spider-Man’s, friends and family. Aunt May just thinks Pete is finally doing well for himself. The Avengers were skeptical, but a quick brain scan showed no issues since Ock managed to keep Peter’s brain waves. Carlie Cooper has been fairly suspicious, and with the help of the Spectre, has been investigating Spidey Ock and is pretty close to figuring it out. Worst of all, Mary Jane Watson had not noticed a thing. Not even when he shouted and call her “woman” did she even think that something was off. On the plus, every issue has been interesting. Ock’s mind works different than Pete’s, so seeing how he tackles the enemy threats has been exciting and fun. I’ve gotten used to grabbing new issues and wondering how angry Spider-Ock’s going to be this time. I’m not at the point that I prefer Spidey-Ock over classic Peter Parker, but I do wish we had more time to see where things would go from here.
     
    Amazing_Spider-Man_1_Martin_Variant
     
    This weekend Marvel announced the return of Peter Parker and The Amazing Spider-Man. Starting April of 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man relaunches with an All New #1 with none other than Peter Parker himself as the title role. Of course Dan Slott will fill the role of writer for the return of Peter Parker, he’s also bringing artist Humberto Ramos along for the ride as well. While we know the when, we do not know how. Expect some exciting twists and turns coming to us in the next, and possibly final, arc of Superior Spider-Man, Goblin Nation.
     
    Dan Slott won’t reveal any details, but he is of course leaving us with a small tease. Dan Slott says Peter Parker will return “In a strange and terrifying way. And… possibly… at a very great cost. Remember, nothing is ever easy for Peter Parker. It’s one of the reasons he’s a true hero.”
     
    I’m sure there’s going to be a crazy twist tied into this event, and I really look forward to seeing what comes next. Part of me wishes The Superior Spider-Man would stick around for a little longer. Regardless of the change, at the hands of Dan Slott Spider-Man will never have it easy.
     
    How do you feel about the return of Peter Parker? Do you wish Superior would stick around longer? Let us know in the comments below!
     
    Amazing_Spider-Man_1_Opena_Variant

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    T.W.I.G. 1/12/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-1122014/ Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:45:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18098 Twig1

    Its Sunday so that means it is once again time for The Week in Gaming here on One-Quest! Its actually been a relatively busy week so there’s more than like 2 pieces of news! Let’s take a look. (Sorry for the late post, I had it all laid out and forgot to actually publish it!)

    The News:

    • Sony announced at CES that their game streaming service will be called PlayStation Now and it is set to go into beta next month and they hope to make it fully available this summer. No word yet on pricing or if it will be included with PS+.
    • King Dedede is returning to Super Smash Bros. for WiiU & 3DS.
    • Respawn has announced that Titanfall will be 6v6. While that sounds a little disappointing that number just refers to the human players and they have said that with the AI and Titans there will be closer to 50 players in all on the maps.
    • Sega has officially announced Alien: Isolation their next game in the Alien franchise. Players will be controlling Amanda Ripley, daughter of Sigourney Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley, in the game which will have more of a survival-horror feel than Colonial Marines. The game will be releasing at the end of this year for PC, PS3, PS4, XboxOne, and 360.
    • Nintendo has announced that Yoshi’s New Island will be releasing on March 14th for the 3DS.
    • And lastly this isn’t exactly gaming news but it does have a gaming connection. WWE has announced the WWE Network, a new subscription based service that will include all the Pay Per Views, including Wrestlemania, exclusive live content, and on demand content for $10 a month. It is coming out on February 24th and will be available for PS3, PS4, 360, PC, iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices.

    The new releases:

      Only 1 new release of note this week:

    • Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (1/14) – PC, PS3
    ]]>
    One-Quest's Second Anniversary! https://one-quest.com/blog/one-quests-second-anniversary/ Sat, 11 Jan 2014 22:01:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18092 onequest2year

    Holy shit people, we missed our anniversary again, if this was a marriage we’d be in the dog house! Anyways, back on January 3, 2014 One-Quest.com officially turned 2 years old. Yep, that’s right we’ve actually been at this for 2 years now, and while we’re not the biggest site on the net we’re having a great time bringing information to everyone that reads it. So serious to everyone that checks out the site, likes us on Facebook or follows on Twitter thank you, and stick around 2014 should be a pretty awesome year for us.

    We’re finally getting started with Podcasting, after numerous delays and false starts we’ll have some of our first episodes coming out in the coming weeks and months! I’ve also heard some rumors circling around that we may get back into the Web Comic game sometime soon, and if you’re looking forward to that make sure to hound Eric for him to get back on it!

    So that’s that, 2 years, over 700 posts, and a whole lot of fun later and we’re still going with plenty more to come.

    And in case you’re wondering here are our first 2 posts from January 3, 2012

    Welcome
    First up we have just our Welcome, while a lot of things have changed since then the goal is still the same!

    With Great Power. . .
    And here is our first real article, another written by Eric that was originally titled Ultimate Spider-Man Sucks. This was about 6-7 months after Ultimate Peter Parker was killed and Miles Morales was introduced to us all. It’s pretty obvious back then that Eric wasn’t a fan of the road the book was taken, and like myself he’s changed tune as the book got significantly better!

    And that’s all we’ve got for now, thanks again for a great 2 years!

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    Take It Or Leave It – January 8, 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-8-2014/ Sat, 11 Jan 2014 21:32:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18079 takeitorleaveit1814
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Well we’ve been gone for a few weeks now, the Holidays came and went, and frankly not many books came out those weeks. But we’re finally back and in full swing with Take It Or Leave It. This week we’ve got our usually dose of the good and the bad in the world of comics, including some of the first All-New Marvel Now titles! So lets get started with the first book up this week

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    batmansuperman7

    Batman Superman #7

    Like many readers out there, I liked the first arc of this new Batman Superman series. Then this second one started and boy has it been a disappointment. My biggest problem is the art, yes it looks pretty, but every page is a double page spread. I read this series digitally, and I hate that every page is such a hassle to actually see properly. I know some people could argue that it’s meant for print, or that I can do the panel by panel thing in comixology. But frankly I don’t like those arguments. Comics are changing to say that something is only meant for one side of it just doesn’t make sense to me. And I just don’t like the panel by panel view. The art isn’t the only problem the story isn’t all that great either. So far in 7 issues we haven’t had a real Batman Superman adventure. We saw a kind of origin, and now we have them acting like they can’t stand each other. How about we see them have a good relationship for a bit of a change and do something that actually warrants the talents of two of DC’s top super heroes. Luckily this issue wraps up the whole video game theme they had going, on the downside it looks like the next issue is going to spiral directly out of it.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenarrow27

    Green Arrow #27

    If you’re reading Green Arrow hoping for a fun superhero book with a street level vigilante you’re not going to find it here. If you’re hoping for a book like Marvel’s Hawkeye, you’re definitely looking in the wrong place. But if you happen to be looking for a globe spanning action adventure featuring all kinds of fun elements you’ve hit the jackpot. Green Arrow isn’t like anything you’d expect, especially if you’re a fan of the series Arrow who is picking it up to find a connection. Ollie is on this huge adventure against adversaries that aren’t your average super villains. I really can’t recommend this book enough for someone looking for a little less super hero in their super hero comics. And I love he scene when Ollie ducks under the shield thrown Cap style, it was just very slick.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    aphroditeix7

    Aphrodite IX #7

    The first 6 issues of Aphrodite IX introduced us to this future world and it’s inhabitants. Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way things can start getting more complicated. We already know our Aphrodite isn’t the only one running around, but they’re a newer model than her, and there are plenty of other variations in stasis too. This is a great book for sci-fi fans, especially if you’re familiar with the Top Cow universe. Matt Hawkins has thrown all kinds of nice little easter eggs for other books in the universe, and issue 7 has a pretty big one.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    sexcriminals4

    Sex Criminals #4

    The first thing to keep in mind about this book is it’s definitely not for kids or those that are easily offended. It’s not a very graphic book so you don’t have to worry about that, but the subject matter is a bit mature. Okay now that I’ve said that bit, this book is fantastic. It’s just a whole lot of funny, and this one particularly has some interesting moments with the adult book store, and these strange Sex Police. Now while the book itself is more than worth reading, this is probably one of the only comics where the letters page is just as interesting. Fraction and Zdarksy both add their opinions to fan letters, and the fans share some pretty intimate stories. If you haven’t checked out this series yet stop waiting!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxfactor1

    All-New X-Factor #1

    I’ve never read any X-Factor, I wanted to just never really got around to it. So I figured now that they’re rebooting why not giving it a shot. It also helps that I’ve been a fan of Gambit since the ’90s cartoon. Anyway I wasn’t sure what to really expect here, it’s not really a continuation of the previous volume, even though it’s got the same writer. It does however seem to tie into that, and some of the other X books. This first issue as you’d expect is pretty much all setup, we didn’t even get introduced to all of the characters yet. It seems pretty promising though so I’ll definitely be giving issue 2 a chance.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    avengersworld1

    Avengers World #1

    Oh Avengers, how I miss the days when Bendis controlled you. It’s been no secret that I haven’t been a fan of what Hickman’s been doing to the Avengers since taking them over. Avengers World isn’t much different, it just doesn’t feel like an Avengers book. And it’s pretty much the same cast as the main Avengers so I don’t really see a point to it. Hopefully Nick Spencer who’s co-writing the book can infuse some of his voice into it and make this a more interesting and true Avengers title, but for now it’s just another flop like the rest of the Hickman run Avengers.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    blackwidow1

    Black Widow #1

    And for the final book this week we have the new Black Widow title. I’m personally a fan of the character, in fact I tend to like any hero that doesn’t really have any powers. That’s why books like Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Nightwing, and Winter Soldier are usually on my pull lists. The last Black Widow series a few years ago was actually really promising, and I enjoyed it until it was canceled. Now we’re getting another chance to read a solo adventure of everyone’s favorite Russian assassin turned S.H.I.E.L.D agent turned Avenger, or something like that. The first issue did a good job of setting up the idea of what the book is about, Natasha is trying to clear her guilty conscious of all her terrible deeds. The real basic concept is similar to Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye, where this is what the character is doing while they’re not out saving the world. The big different here is where Hawkeye is very much Clint just trying to be normal and enjoy his every day life. Black Widow has Natasha hoping around the world taking contracts to help people and setting up trusts and charities with the profits. And so far it’s working, so I think I’ll be sticking around for a while.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Image Expo 2014 Roundup https://one-quest.com/blog/image-expo-2014-roundup/ Sat, 11 Jan 2014 18:34:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18044 imageexpo_2-logo
    This past Thursday, January 9, 2014 was the Image Expo hosted by Image Comics. This was a one day event primarily for press, retailers, and other industry professional to find out what Image will be doing in the coming year. Luckily though fans are able to purchase tickets and attend to, so everyone has a chance to get early word on some cool new comics and interact with the top tier talent the company has working with them. Unfortunately for One-Quest, the event is in San Francisco and we’re all located in New Jersey, so none of us were in attendance. That bit of a downer doesn’t mean we don’t have all the great news to give to you though! I’ve taken some time and collected all of the press releases directly from Image into this one easy to read place. So if you’re wondering what new creators and books Image is going to have coming, look no further. So check out the release, and maybe a cover or two and stick around after each for some of my opinions on the book. Now let’s get started.

    NICK SPENCER BRINGS THREE ALL-NEW SERIES TO IMAGE

    PARADIGMS, CERULEAN, and GREAT BEYOND will take readers on thrilling, fantastic adventure

    In 2014, Nick Spencer (MORNING GLORIES, BEDLAM) will team up with three different artists and launch three new thriller series sure to capture readers’ imaginations.

    A contemporary fantasy epic with a spy thriller aesthetic, PARADIGMS will showcase art by Butch Guice (Captain America, Superman) and explore a world that exists beyond, or more specifically behind, ours. In the shadows where magic is real, warring clans of sorcerers battle for power and the favor of their gods.

    A sci-fi thriller of dead worlds, lost secrets, and hidden dangers, CERULEAN, with art by Frazer Irving (MORNING GLORIES, BEDLAM, Batman), follows the last survivors of the destruction of Earth as they struggle to rebuild civilization on a distant planet full of its own mysteries.

    In the GREAT BEYOND, featuring art by Morgan Jeske (ZERO, SEX) a “post-life community” values the size of your bank account over morals and values—and your place in the hereafter is determined by it. But then polite society is rocked by the apparent suicide of one of its own.

    “I knew I wanted 2014 to be a big year for my creator-owned work, but I never dreamed I’d get the opportunity to work with so many incredible artists! Collaborating with a legend like Butch, a visionary like Frazer, or an exciting new star like Morgan, it just makes you want to tell great stories with them and do the best work you possibly can. And it’s always great to be doing it at Image, which has been like home to me the entirety of my career. I really believe in what we’re doing here, and I can’t wait for people to see what’s next.”

    PARADIGMS, CERULEAN, and GREAT BEYOND are all new, ongoing science-fiction/fantasy series coming to Image Comics in 2014.

    spencer-paradigms spencer-greatbeyond


    Nick Spencer is a great writer, if you like really slow build up. He doesn’t write books where each issue has some huge reveal. His current creator owned stuff at Image, Morning Glories and Bedlam have both been great. His more mainstream stuff for Marvel has been a little hit or miss though. I loved where he was going with Ultimate X-Men, but unfortunately it moved to slow and he was off the book before all of his pieces were in place. Luckily all three of this books have a very good feel for his kind of story telling so it should be great to dive into them and let the craziness wash over you. And that’s not to mention the great arists he’s working with. I’m not familiar with Jeske, but Frazer and Guice have done some great work on books like Uncanny X-Men and Winter Soldier recenty.


    WYTCHES WILL PUT BLOOD-CURDLING SPIN ON MYTHOLOGY OF WITCHES

    Scott Snyder and Jock team up for an all-new ongoing horror series

    Scott Snyder (Batman, Superman Unchained, SEVERED) and Jock (Batman, Wolverine, SNAPSHOT) will team up for a new, ongoing horror series called WYTCHES. Everything you thought you knew about witches is wrong. They are much darker, and they are much more horrifying.

    WYTCHES takes the mythology of witches to a far creepier, bone-chilling place than readers have dared venture before. “I like taking classic monsters and reimagining them in a fresh, contemporary, and much scarier way,” said Snyder.

    Snyder and Jock have worked together previously on the Batman story “The Black Mirror” in the pages of Detective Comics and Snyder knew from the get-go that he wanted Jock on board.

    “It’s great to finally have Scott Snyder back at Image,” said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. “We loved working with Scott on SEVERED, and he has only gotten better since then, so it’s really wonderful that he’s teaming up with Jock on what is without a doubt one of the creepiest books we have ever published.”

    WYTCHES is a new ongoing fantasy horror series coming to Image Comics in 2014. You’ve been warned.

    snyder-wytches

    It’s great to see Snyder and Jock working together again. The Black Mirror story line in Detective Comics prior to New 52 was my first introduction to both those guys, and man was it a great introduction. Snyder gets all kinds of praise for his great work on books like Batman and American Vampire, so it’s pretty exciting to see him going back to Image and doing a new book with such an interesting concept. And Jock, I mean come on, this story sounds like it was made for him!


    THE GODS ARE REINCARNATED IN THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE

    Just because you’re immortal doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever

    What if every 90 years the gods were reincarnated? Coming this 2014, Kieron Gillen (THREE, PHONOGRAM, Young Avengers) and Jamie McKelvie (PHONOGRAM, SUBURBAN GLAMOUR, Young Avengers) team up to infuse new life into the old mythological characters in THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE. The new ongoing series will feature guest creators and surprise arcs with alternate endings that will bring the gods of mythology to life.

    Twelve gods will be briefly reincarnated in order to perform miracles like superheroes and bask in celebrity fame. But for the first time, there may be a thirteenth god reincarnated, and lucky number thirteen is tipping the delicate balance.

    “The idea of playing superheroes as celebrity isn’t exactly new,” explained Gillen. “However, it’s always played cynical. The celebrity characters are always the debased bad guys, or at least the cautionary tale and wandering from the road of truth. It’s always implicitly arguing that these people are worse than the heroes who came before them because they’re on the cover of a magazine and they do a bit of coke. We’re not interested in that. We’re anti-that. We’ve all had pop-stars save our life.”

    As if superhero-like gods reincarnated isn’t enough to draw readers in, Gillen promises a hefty dose of drama and mystery as well. “There’ll be a lot of fights, drama, emotions, secrets, and kissing,” hinted Gillen. “Worth noting is the question of whether the lead ends up being a God is the story to begin with. As far as the world knows, there’s only twelve gods who appear. There may be a mystery going on.”

    THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE is a new ongoing fantasy action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    gillen-wicked-devine

    I really enjoyed the last year of Young Avengers, so I’m just excited to see Gillen and McKelvie working together on something else. These guys just mesh really well together, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with free reign over a book. This whole Gods as heroes and celebrities is pretty interesting too. Sure we have super heroes that are essentially gods and celebrities. But when it really comes down to it, Superman is an alien not a god that’s reborn every 90 years. Taking mythological beings of immense power and re-imagining them like this is incredibly intriguing.


    SHUTTER AN ALL-NEW URBAN FANTASY ADVENTURE

    Move aside Indiana Jones, Kate Kristopher is here

    Marvel Knights: Hulk and Glory writer Joe Keatinge teams up with artist Leila del Duca for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining urban fantasy and globe-spanning adventure, SHUTTER.

    Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer on Earth—an Earth that’s far more fantastical than the one we know, filled with demons, gorgons, phantom ninjas, and various other monsters of lore—is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.

    Kate’s character can be described as a contemporary Indiana Jones. “We’re looking at the 21st Century, where it’s at and where it’s going, and considering what the Adventurer for its time might be like—what would Indiana Jones be like if created in 2014? What’s after Lara Croft?” said Keatinge. “We’re at a much different time than the pulps and serial Indiana Jones and, to an extent, Lara Croft, were rooted in—information from all remote corners of the world comes from great ease, where we’re more knowledgeable about other cultures, where technology enables us to access we could only dream about. Where do you go from there?”

    Leila del Duca was brought on for SHUTTER’s art by Keatinge himself. “Joe Keatinge was the first industry name who showed real interest in my work and I really enjoyed his writing on Glory and Hell Yeah,” del Duca explained. “When he pitched Shutter to me, I was ecstatic about the concept. Joe’s imagination is incredible and he’s writing me a script perfect for my interests, with lush visuals and diverse subject matter.”

    SHUTTER is a new, ongoing fantasy, adventure series coming to Image Comics on April 9, 2014, the first issue of which will feature variant covers by Dustin Weaver, Brandon Graham, and Emma Ríos.
    shutter

    I know really know much from either of these creators, but I love Indian Jones, and I really enjoyed the recent Tomb Raider game. So while this is it’s own tale, anything that’s taking hints and ideas from those two great franchises has a huge amount of potential that we’ll just have to wait and see.


    BILL WILLINGHAM AND BARRY KITSON BRING MAGIC AND MAYHEM BACK INTO THE WORLD WITH RESTORATION

    A new ongoing series about magic and gods running rampant

    On Restoration Day, magic comes back into the world. This is not good news.

    Bill Willingham (Fables, Elementals) and Barry Kitson (Batman, Fables) reveal that the magic and gods of legend and lore are not just oral history, but real…and now they’re back in the forthcoming series RESTORATION.

    Millennia ago, a group of some of the more forward-seeing movers and shakers in the world got together and decided to remove magic from the world—our world. They called themselves The Brotherhood of the Cauldron, because, in the first stages of their massive project, they would feed captured magical items and beings into a large magic cauldron, which would render them down into their most basic magic essence, which could then be bottled and stored away, much like we store the unwanted residue of our nuclear programs.

    The world settled down into manageable natural laws that were always the same for everyone. Magic was gone. Until one day something terrible went wrong and the gods and monsters broke loose. Suddenly, all at once, magic came rushing back into the world.

    “Bill Willingham was in the early vanguard for creator-owned comics, as well as one of comics’ most unique and interesting voices, and it’s a huge thrill to be working with him here at Image,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Likewise, it’s fantastic to welcome Barry Kitson back to Image for his first project here in over a decade. Restoration is going to be a fantastic ride, and different from everything else on the stands!”

    Now the gods wish to keep their freedom—and magic—while the rest of the world seeks to imprison them. Will there be war? And who will win?

    RESTORATION is a new ongoing fantasy action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.

    Another series with Gods and magic is right up my ally. I love the fantasy and mystical stuff when it’s done well. And from the people behind Fables that certainly seem to be in their realm.


    TECH JACKET RETURNS TO IMAGE COMICS WITH AN ALL-NEW MINISERIES

    The fan favorite returns with a three-issue miniseries

    The fan-favorite series TECH JACKET, returns with an all-new three-issue digital miniseries. Written by Joe Keatinge (GLORY, HELL YEAH) and drawn by Khary Randolph (Spider-Man, Hellboy), this miniseries is the perfect introduction to Kirkman and EJ Su’s exciting superhero.

    “Tech Jacket has always been near and dear to my heart and I’ve been dying to do more adventures with Zack Thompson and crew,” said Kirkman. “While EJ and I could never quite find the time, things work out because Joe Keatinge is a better writer than I am and Khary Randolph is amazing. This book is going to be great!”

    The return of TECH JACKET picks up a bit later than the original run. “The original Tech Jacket run was largely about Zach having his role as our planet’s Galactic Guardian thrust upon him, fumbling with this new title, unsure of anything he encountered,” said Keatinge. “Here Zach’s firmly in his position—perhaps even getting a little too comfortable with it—and finding out that being Earth’s defender from what lies beyond is more dangerous than he could ever imagine.”

    Ravaged by the Invincible War, Zach Thompson needs some time away from being Earth’s galactic guardian. But when his vacation doesn’t go as planned, Tech Jacket must return to face a brand new threat.

    TECH JACKET, issues 1-3, will all be available exclusively for one week on www.imagecomics.com, before going live across all digital platforms. All three issues will be available simultaneously in 2014.
    tech jacket

    I’m not familiar with Tech Jacket, so I don’t want to make any claims about it. Basically though from what I could gather if you’re a fan, it’s going to be something to check out.


    WILLIAMSON’S FORTHCOMING THRILLER SERIES SURE TO BE A REAL NAILBITER

    New series by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson about a town that breeds serial killers announced

    Did you know that more serial killers have been born in Buckaroo, Oregon than any other city in the world?

    Joshua Williamson (GHOSTED, MASKS AND MOBSTERS, Captain Midnight) teams up with artist Mike Henderson (MASKS AND MOBSTERS, Venom, TMNT) to bring readers a serial killer mystery they won’t be able to tear their eyes away from this May.

    Since 1969, Buckaroo, Oregon has been the birthplace for sixteen serial killers and FBI criminal profiler Charles Kohl aims to uncover why. But just as Kohl begins to close in on understanding the truth behind why this small town seems to breed some of the vilest human beings America has ever seen, he goes missing. Enter trusted friend and NSA agent Nicholas Finch who must race against the clock to find his friend and piece together the rest of the mystery…before anyone else gets hurt.

    Williamson delved deep into research about serial killers, both real and fictional, pulling inspiration from the Zodiac killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the characters in films like Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, and Psycho. “We talk a lot of the families of the victims, but what about the families of the killers. That’s what Nailbiter is about,” explained Williamson. “The people who have to deal with finding out someone they love is a murderer. Like how Twin Peaks shines a spotlight on a small town after Laura Palmer’s death, Nailbiter does the same but shows a small town after finding out a bunch of horrible killers are from there.”

    “Josh and I had been working on Masks & Mobsters together for over a year when he pitched the idea of Nailbiter to me and it was an easy sell,” said Henderson. “We both wanted to create something new and expansive and I was drawn in by the eccentric cast of characters, which took on a new life when I started designing them.”

    The process for bringing NAILBITER to life is an ongoing collaborative correspondence. “With each issue Mike and I text and chat about the plot, the pacing, the horror beats, and really try to get the most out of every page,” Williamson revealed. “But at the same time, once we get past the layout stage, Mike cuts loose, and brings the energy and excitement the book needs.”

    NAILBITER is a new, ongoing crime-thriller series from Image Comics, debuting this May.
    nailbiter

    We definitely live in a world where people are enthralled by Serial Killers, and I can’t really think of many comics that have covered the topic. Personally I’m just getting into the show Dexter now that it’s available entirely on Netflix and it’s a great time. So to read a book that kind of delves into serial killers and what creates them is all kinds of exciting and interesting.


    Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s NAMELESS is Coming

    morrison-nameless

    Well this one has nothing to go along with it but an image, and frankly that’s all you need. Anything Morrison and Burnham are doing is going to be worth checking out. Did you miss Batman Inc? Well if you did go check it out and you’ll understand why this is going to be a must read.


    LOW A NEW AQUATIC SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY EPIC

    Remender and Tocchini’s new series journeys from the depths to the scorched surface of Earth

    Frequent collaborators Rick Remender (BLACK SCIENCE) and artist Greg Tocchini (Uncanny X-Force, Last Days of American Crime) will bring readers on another high-octane science fiction adventure, this time to the lowest depths of Earth after it has been ravaged by the sun’s radiation.

    LOW is set in the distant future, after humanity has relocated to radiation-shielded cities below the sea and the surface of the planet has become a scorched uninhabitable wasteland. A probe has returned with information on a possible alternative planet for humans, but it has landed on the Earth’s surface. A few brave representatives from the warring human clans venture out to retrieve it and the hopeful news it bears.

    More than just a science fiction story, LOW touches on the human condition, but in an unconventional way. “Low explores what happens to groups of humans who are holding out hope for a solution when one is quite unlikely. It’s an examination of how quickly our ideals shift when we’re forced to make pragmatic choices for survival,” explained Remender. “But at its core is an examination of how one person’s optimism in the face of all of this hopelessness can potentially change everything for the better.”

    The concept for the art on LOW was born out of one image. “When Rick Remender asked me what I wanted to do for our new project, I made a drawing of an astronaut removing her space suit in a curved setting. And that was it,” said Tocchini. “Everything I wanted and the way I imagined it was in that drawing. And that was our first ‘Big Bang’. The look of the whole Low universe came from that drawing.”

    “Welcoming Rick back to Image Comics was one of my favorite moments of 2013,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Black Science was an incredible return, and everyone here is excited for Deady Class, but I think it’s a real testament to Rick’s boundless imagination that he still has more new creator-owned work on the way. What he and Greg have planned for Low is nothing short of phenomenal, and we couldn’t be more proud to help them bring their vision to life here at Image.”

    LOW is a new, ongoing science-fiction action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    remender-low

    Low has a great creative team, but I’m not sure if it’s something that I really want to be reading. Post apocalyptic books aren’t usually my thing, but Remender’s book haven’t often steered me wrong, so I’ll at least be giving issue one a shot.


    BRANDON GRAHAM’S 8HOUSE, A SERIES OF SCIENCE FICTION MINISERIES

    Graham to launch new series of stand-alone tales linked by a world run by eight houses

    In 2014, Brandon Graham (PROPHET, ELEPHANTMEN) will team up with four different creators to bring a series of science-fiction/fantasy miniseries set in a world ruled by eight houses to life.

    The first of the series will be 8HOUSE: KIEM, written by Graham and drawn by Xurxo Penalta and follows a soldier who must project her mind into the body of her dead twin in order to fight monsters on a distant comet.

    The second of the series is titled 8HOUSE: ARCLIGHT, written by Graham and featuring art by Marian Churchland (BEAST). ARCLIGHT will bring readers the chilling story of a high-ranking lady of one of the houses who has her mind trapped in a monster’s body. She will soon learn that the monster trapped in her body has taken over her old life in her absence.

    The last of the series will be 8HOUSE: MIRROR, and will be written by Emma Ríos (PRETTY DEADLY) and drawn by Hwei Lim. 8HOUSE: MIRROR will examine what it means to be “human” and promises to take readers on an ironic space opera battle between self-absorbed humans intent on their own survival and noble monsters striving to save their worlds.

    “Brandon Graham possesses one of the most irreverent creative minds in comics, which is what led me to tap him for the Prophet relaunch a couple years back,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Brandon’s work on Prophet also revealed he has a keen eye for talent, so in addition to being one of the most creatively adventurous project we publish all year, 8House is also one of the most gorgeous.”

    8HOUSE is a new series of sci-fi/fantasy miniseries coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    8house

    I think the concept and execution of this book actually has me more interested than what they’re all about, even though the sci-fi/fantasy elements are right up my ally.


    CASANOVA QUINN RETURNS!

    Matt Fraction, Fábio Moon, and Gabriel Bá team up with Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon to continue the series

    In 2014, Matt Fraction (SEX CRIMINALS, SATELLITE SAM), Fábio Moon (Daytripper, Serenity), and Gabriel Bá (Daytripper, The Umbrella Academy) team up with author Michael Chabon to bring the adventures of Casanova Quinn back with CASANOVA VOL. 4: ACEDIA.

    Casanova escaped the complicated and stressful life of a dimension-hopping, identity-shifting, sexually voracious killing machine and we last saw him wandering out of the wreckage of a UFO that landed in the Hollywood Hills.

    It’s our Los Angeles. It’s our Earth. And he remembers absolutely nothing of his past.

    “There has literally never been a better jumping-on point for new readers,” said Fraction. “Our main character has no idea what’s happened in the other Casanova books either… If that weren’t enough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon joins series co-creator Gabriel Bá to create a dazzling array of backup stories that explore the worlds—and the people—Casanova left behind.”

    The CASANOVA series has roots with Image and the Publisher himself has been a long-time fan. “Casanova is one of my all-time favorite comics, and I think I’ve been pretty open about how gutted I was when Matt and the twins chose to take it elsewhere a few years back, so it should really go without saying that I am incredibly thrilled to have this book back at Image,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Anyone who is as big a fan of Casanova as I am is going to be amazed by everything the guys have planned this time around.”

    CASANOVA VOL. 4: ACEDIA picks up where CASANOVA V3: AVARITIA left readers hanging and will continue the science fiction series with Image Comics in 2014.
    casanova

    I’m a bit ashamed to say that I haven’t actually ready any of the previous Casanova books, but I’ve heard some great stuff about it. When Matt Fraction is given a book to play with, magic usually comes out. Just look at his work on books like Hawkeye or Sex Criminals they’re such different books, but they’re both fantastic. Throw him together with pretty much anyone and the books are bound to be intensely interesting.


    BITCH PLANET PROMISES TO BE BOTH CAMPY AND KICK-ASS

    Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro announce a new series set on an all-female penal planet

    In 2014, Kelly Sue DeConnick (PRETTY DEADLY, Captain Marvel, Avengers Assemble) and artist Valentine De Landro (X-Factor) are bringing the Women in Prison trope to outer space in BITCH PLANET. Sure to be a campy, kick-ass adventure, BITCH PLANET is the story of five leading ladies ready to bust out of their prison cells.

    DeConnick admitted the tricky dilemma she set up for herself in wanting to work with the Women in Prison trope but still honor feminism. “I have a profound and abiding love for exploitation films, but as a feminist, I also find many (if not most) of them deeply problematic—for reasons that are both obvious and that I can’t expound on without sounding like an academic paper,” said DeConnick. “These are two WILDLY mixed feelings. And I love mixed feelings. It happens that mixed feelings are the perfect soil composition for fiction.”

    “Kelly Sue pretty much sold me on this with the title. It’s called Bitch Planet—how can you not love that?” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “But seriously, it’s a true pleasure to have Kelly Sue working on a second title at Image, and even better that she’s doing it with Valentine De Landro. Mark my words, this is your new favorite comic.”

    A science-fiction take on the Women in Prison exploitation feature, BITCH PLANET follows five prisoners on an all-female penal planet, ready to make their escape by way of a gladiatorial exhibition against a team of visiting male prisoners. DeConnick summed BITCH PLANET up with, “there are five women, all ridiculous and real, and all very different. One shouldn’t be there. The other four are unrepentant and guilty as Hell.”

    BITCH PLANET is a new, ongoing science-fiction action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    bitchplanet

    This book just sounds crazy, an all female prison planet where 5 prisoners are trying to escape via a gladitorial fight? Come on that just sounds like someone threw a bunch of words at the wall and went with whatever stuck. And you know what, it’s a good thing! DeConnick has been doing great work with books like Captain Marvel and Avengers Assemble, and Pretty Deadly has been getting a lot of great talk behind it. So why not check out something so out there and different it sounds crazy?


    C.O.W.L. FEATURES THE FIRST SUPERHERO LABOR UNION

    Superheroes need to prove their worth to a disillusioned public in forthcoming series

    This May, Kyle Higgins (Batman, Nightwing), Alec Siegel (Captain America, Avengers), and Rod Reis (Justice League) take readers back to 1960s Chicago, in a time when the once-celebrated superhero labor union C.O.W.L. struggles to maintain their public image and regain the confidence of the people.

    A rise in “super powered” individuals dates back to the closing days of World War II after the deployment of the atomic bomb. In response, Geoffrey Warner (then known as The Grey Raven) spearheaded the campaign to bring heroes together in Chicago…and struck a contract with the city for the heroes’ services. But while C.O.W.L. once stood as a beacon of hope against an epidemic of organized crime and a loose “brotherhood” of villains, the organization is now in a position where it must prove its worth to an ever more disillusioned public…while overcoming great threats from both inside and outside its offices.

    Although Geoffrey, aka The Grey Raven is the character responsible for first organizing the heroes under one banner, C.O.W.L., he’s not the only character readers will get to know. “While Geoffrey is definitely a major player, both within C.O.W.L and within the story, the book is very much an ensemble piece, allowing us to explore C.O.W.L. from a number of different viewpoints,” said Siegel. “These characters range from some of the “top tier” heroes, to members of the Investigations and Patrol Divisions. We’ve also got spouses, reporters, Chicago Police Detectives, jailers, and City Hall.”

    The concept for C.O.W.L. has been marinating with Higgins for quite some time. Its first appearance was in his college film, THE LEAGUE. “As someone who loves history, comics, and crime fiction, 1960s Chicago was always the perfect era for C.O.W.L. In fact, it’s what got me to take the idea of organized superheroes seriously,” said Higgins. “Between the politics and labor unions in Chicago, and the rise of Marvel Comics, the early ’60s are one of my favorite periods in American History.”

    “With this I project tried to play around a little with references for comics and illustration,” explained Reis. “Stuff like ’80s graphic novels, noir and ’60s illustration, to create a fun and exciting way to tell the story.”

    Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel, and Rod Reis’s C.O.W.L. is projected to debut in May 2014 from Image Comics.
    cowl

    I’m actually really excited for this. I’d heard a little bit about it before, and the fact that Higgins is doing great with Nightwing doesn’t hurt either.


    JAMES ROBINSON AND GREG HINKLE JUMP INTO THE WORLD OF COMICS—LITERALLY—WITH THE FORTHCOMING AIRBOY

    New series inspired by the original Airboy comic series of the 1940s

    James Robinson and Greg Hinkle decide to go on an adventure and bring back the now public domain AIRBOY series of 1940s fame. Created by Robinson (THE SAVIORS, Earth-2) and Hinkle and starring, well, Robinson and Hinkle, AIRBOY is the story of two comic book creators determined to breathe new life into a series that, while once wildly successful, had fallen into obscurity. This will be Hinkle’s debut at Image Comics.

    Robinson and Hinkle’s story, although taking inspiration from real sources, is fictional. “Honestly, in reality Eric [Stephenson] didn’t come to me with Airboy, I conceived the whole thing with me in it and all the drinking, drugs, and sex and took the idea to him,” said Robinson. “There was never any intended Airboy relaunch. It was all made up by me.”

    A humorous blend of fiction and reality (and a healthy dose of embellishment) AIRBOY begins the renewed journey of a character much beloved at one point, but forgotten today.

    “Oh and our characters are quite like they’re depicted in the comic, including our weak wills, depravity, and cowardice,” added Robinson.

    Image Comics Eric Stephenson himself even makes a cameo appearance in the story.

    “As the writer of Starman, James is one of comics’ preeminent writers, and when he first started talking to us about doing more creator-owned work at Image, I was thrilled,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Saviors has been fantastic, obviously, but that in no way prepared me for the absolute insanity of AIRBOY—and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. What James and Greg have come up with here is nothing short of inspired mayhem.”

    AIRBOY is a new ongoing semi-autobiographical series, inspired by the original Airboy comic series, coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    airboy

    The idea of a comic about a comic can easily go wrong, but a comic about a comic that’s really part of history might be able to just do it right.


    ED BRUBAKER & SEAN PHILLIPS SIGN UNPRECEDENTED DEAL WITH IMAGE COMICS TO HAVE FIVE YEARS OF FREE REIGN

    Starting with the new ongoing series THE FADE OUT, Brubaker and Phillips will have complete freedom, creative control, and ownership

    Ed Brubaker (Batman, Captain America, FATALE, CRIMINAL) and Sean Phillips (FATALE, Sleeper) and Image Comics have signed an unprecedented deal in comics publishing, a five year deal to do anything they want with total freedom, total control, and total ownership over their projects.

    “Everyone at Image loves working with Ed and Sean,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “They’re one of the best creative teams working in comics today, with an absolutely stunning catalog of work, and I personally consider bringing Fatale to Image one of the best things to happen to us over what has been a pretty amazing last couple years. One of the great things about this business is the opportunities we’re given to work with good people, and it’s really gratifying to see directly how talent like Ed and Sean respond to the unparalleled freedom and support we offer at Image.”

    “This is amazing. It’s like having an overall deal with a studio, except we get to greenlight our own projects,” said Brubaker. “Sean and I have been making comics together for fifteen years, and in the early days before we built the passionate readership we have now, we struggled to survive, so a deal like this is exactly what I was looking for. I’ve already got more than enough ideas to fill those five years, and both Sean and I are looking forward to experimenting and really pushing the boundaries.”

    The first project on this new deal for the award-winning creators is THE FADE OUT, debuting this summer, following the conclusion of FATALE with issue #24.

    “The Fade Out is my ultimate noir story. It’s a brutal crime story set in late ’40s Hollywood, and all spinning around the mysterious death of an up-and-coming starlet,” said Brubaker. “For people who’ve been waiting for us to return to Criminal, this will be exactly what they’re looking for, but on a much more epic scale—going from studio backlots to the debauchery of the rich and famous, and even stretching back to the horrors of World War Two.”

    Several of Brubaker and Phillips’ previous projects are currently in development as films, with Kim Jee-Woon (A Bittersweet Life, I Saw The Devil) recently signing on to direct COWARD, the inaugural story arc of their celebrated series Criminal, and Sleeper being produced by Ben Affleck (Argo) and Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity) at Warner Bros.

    THE FADE OUT is a new, ongoing noir series coming to Image Comics in 2014.
    brubaker-fade-out

    This is very much a holy shit kind of announcement. These two great guys getting free reign for 5 years is just unbelievable. Brubaker is who got me into Captain America with his run, so I really am looking forward to what they’re going to be offering up in the coming years!

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    Ultimate Marvel Now! https://one-quest.com/blog/ultimate-marvel-now/ Fri, 10 Jan 2014 21:48:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18035 All_New_Ultimates_1_Marquez_Variant

    Ok, I usually leave the comic articles to Chris, but this one has me far too excited to pass up.

    You see, when I started reading comics I started with Marvel’s Ultimate line of books. Most importantly Ultimate Spider-Man. Suffice to say, it’s been rocky for the line. With complaints that things were too similar to the 616, to a lack of cohesion in the line, Marvel stepped in to literally flip the Ultimate books upside down. With the Ultimatum taking place in 2009 Marvel killed off a majority of the leading roles in comics we know and love. No more Cyclops, Ant-Man, Black Widow, and even Wolverine. Efforts were redoubled to focus on a smaller number of books with the writers working together to keep the timeline from falling apart. That’s when the Ultimate comics were rebranded Ultimate Comics.

    It sort of fell apart within 2 years or so. At that point Marvel took another look at their line, which was now in decline, and decided the only way to make things better was to kill off the Ultimate Comics Peter Parker. For those of you that don’t know, Ultimate Comics are strict on their “Permanent Death” policy, so the death of Peter Parker means no more Spider-Man. An odd decision considering it was the number 1 selling book in the line. As much as I had hoped, it was not a marketing ploy. Pete didn’t just change costumes and become a new hero. He died in the arms of Aunt May and Mary Jane. It was terrible.

    With that Marvel again relaunched Ultimate Comics with an all new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, as well as Ultimate Comics The Ultimates, Ultimate Comics X-Men, and 3 mini series: Ultimate Comics Hawkeye, Ultimate Comics Iron Man, and Ultimate Comics Wolverine. This new relaunch of the Ultimate Comics line was pretty well received. The new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man received mass praise from readers and critics alike. Some of the books suffered from slow pacing, but for the most part the writers kept everything intertwined fairly well. Each book tended to, in part, reference on another which helped the line of comics feel as if they all existed in one world. It looked like things were turning around for the Ultimate Comics, but. . .

    All-New_Ultimates_1_Nakayama_Cover

    Sadly, after the events of Age of Ultron, the 616 version of Galactus made his way into the Ultimate Comics universe. He then combined his strength with that of the Ultimate Comics Gah Lak Tus in the Cataclysm event that crossed over the entire Ultimate Comics line. The Ultimate counterparts of our heroes are significantly underprepared for such a threat, and as a result. . . well I don’t know. It’s not over. After Cataclysm began Chris and myself started noticing a lack of solicitations for the Ultimate Comics, and since we both follow that line closely, we were sort of nervous. We arent the only ones, many suspected that Ultimate Comics would soon be coming to an end, and some of the Ultimate heroes would be finding new homes in the 616. We were wrong.

    Today Marvel has announced a new initiative to again rebrand the Ultimate Comics with Ultimate Marvel NOW!

    Brian Michael Bendis, Michel Fiffe and Joshua Hal Fialkov will take the lead in the 3 new Ultimate Marvel Now! books.

    It all starts in April with ALL-NEW ULTIMATES, from the creative team of Michel Fiffe (Copra) and Amilcar Pinna (X-Men: First Class). Spider-Man, Black Widow (formally Spider-Woman), Kitty Pryde, Bombshell, Cloak & Dagger officially unite to tackle the vicious, rampant crime wave overtaking Hell’s Kitchen! But can this new team of Ultimates stand up to the murderous gang known only as the Serpent Skulls?

    Ultimate Marvel NOW! continues through the spring of 2014 with the launch of ULTIMATE FF by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Cataclysm: Ultimate X-Men) and upcoming superstar artist, Mario Guevara. The FF – Future Foundation – is all that stands between the Ultimate universe and COMPLETE AND UTTER DOOM! Can Sue Storm, Tony Stark, Machine Man and Sam Wilson face the oncoming devastation directly after the events of Cataclysm?

    Ultimate_FF_1_McKone_Cover

    And finally, Miles Morales is back in his own web-slinging solo-series, MILES MORALES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN by creator Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, All-New X-Men) and artist Dave Marquez (Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, All-New X-Men). In the wake of earth-shattering events, Miles is back in action with a new status quo and a new outlook on life! But there is no time to sit back and relax. A BIG villain from Peter Parker’s past is alive and well and about to turn New York upside down.

    I’m really excited about all of these books! I love that All-New Ultimates has none of the standard Avengers in in. No Thor. No Iron Man. No Captain America. What’s cooler than that? These 5 characters have been teamed up in the past few issues of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, and it’s been awesome. Hopefully a different writer can keep up with the quality Brian Michael Bendis has brought to this group. What’s to look forward to in Ultimate FF? Teaming up Tony Stark and an unmarried Sue Storm should be pretty hilarious. Also, MACHINE MAN! Lastly, you’d be hard pressed to hear me say this a year ago, but more Miles Morales is a good thing. The kid has really grown up since his book started, and not just because they aged him an extra year. It’s going to be nice to see what else is in store for him.

    Well, there you have it! While the Cataclysm is going to rock the Ultimate Comics pretty hard, it’s not going to erase them like many had thought. What do you think about the ULTIMATE COMICS NOW!? And how about those Ultimate FF costumes! Wooo, those are wild!

    Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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    Friday Five – Can’t Skip Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-cant-skip-movies/ Fri, 10 Jan 2014 19:27:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18025 breakfast club
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. The category for this week is Movies You Can’t Skip.
     
    It’s Sunday afternoon. Your team isn’t playing this week, so you’re channel surfing. Suddenly, you land on a movie that you’ve seen a million times. It’s more than half way through, and you own the DVD. Still, you stop. You laugh out loud, or gasp, as if the first time you’ve seen this movie. It’s one you can’t skip. We all have them. Here’s ours!
     

    Chris

    1. Mallrats – I’ve seen this movie more times that I could ever count. For a long stretch it was my go to when I had nothing else to watch I would just pop it on and laugh. Now it’s more of a “If it’s on I watch it no matter what”. Shame it’s not on more often though.
    2. Indiana Jones – Raiders and Last Crusade – I love all the Indiana Jones movies, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but Raiders and Crusade were the best and any time USA or Spike are doing marathons of those movies I will inevitably tune in for those two no matter where they’re at in it.
    3. Empire Strikes Back – A lot like Indiana Jones I love the Star Wars movies, I prefer the originals but I’ll watch the prequels if I have nothing better to do. When Empire is on though I’ll sit through the whole damn thing almost every time.
    4. Ghostbusters – Who doesn’t love the Ghostbusters? Comedy Central and a few other channels play them pretty frequently and it’s great when I’m sitting at home to have such a great movie to watch almost anytime.
    5. Commando – this certainly isn’t the best movie in the world, but come on it’s Arnold in all his ’80s glory killing an army without even getting a flesh wound till the very end. And he carries a damn tree by himself in the beginning!

     
    mallrats
     

    Shannon

    1. Kiki’s Delivery Service
    2. Sister Act
    3. Hocus Pocus
    4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
    5. National Treasure (1 or 2)

     
    kikis delivery service
     

    Vogel

    1. Bram Stokers Dracula – I’ve always loved this movie. This and the next movie really show the range of Gary Oldman.
    2. Leon: The Professional – It has to be Leon, not just The Professional. Some of the scenes are a little different and the Leon version is a little longer.
    3. The Breakfast Club – For a long time this was my go to movie to listen to while I was working on my computer. It’s serious enough that you can listen to it and not get lost, but funny enough to still catch the jokes when you’re only paying 25% attention to it.
    4. The Boondock Saints – I remember the first time I watched this movie and thinking that it was spectacular. I have introduced quite a few people to this movie and haven’t met one yet that hasn’t loved it.
    5. Galaxy Quest – I actually have watched this movie 3 times in the last 2 days. I still crack up laughing at the jokes everytime I see it, and I’m sure it’s in the dozens. My wife (Shannon) was looking at me like I was a lunatic they other day because I was laughing uncontrollably at one of the jokes.

     
    Bram Stokers Dracula
     

    Eric

    Well, not having had cable for the last 2 years doesn’t help me out with this one. Since everything I watch is something I choose on Netflix, or put in the Bluray player myself, I tend to watch it all the way through anyway. . . But there are some movies that I just can’t walk away from when they’re on TV at other peoples houses.

    1. Step Brothers – When I had cable, I also had HBO. Step Brothers was the big movie then, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I watched it almost daily.
    2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall – This is one of my number one movies, especially in terms of quotability. It’s been on at my parents house a few times, and I can’t focus on anything else besides this when it’s on.
    3. I Love You Man – Same as Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Fantastic movie, that I can’t walk away form when it’s on.
    4. Marvel Cinematic Universe – Anything from this studio is automatically a must watch.
    5. Doctor Who – I cheated here. But when I’m at the Gym and I change the channels and land on Doctor Who I stop. Nothing else matters. Doctor Who’s on!

     
    Step Brothers

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    Friday Five – Can't Skip Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-cant-skip-movies-2/ Fri, 10 Jan 2014 19:27:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18025 breakfast club
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. The category for this week is Movies You Can’t Skip.
     
    It’s Sunday afternoon. Your team isn’t playing this week, so you’re channel surfing. Suddenly, you land on a movie that you’ve seen a million times. It’s more than half way through, and you own the DVD. Still, you stop. You laugh out loud, or gasp, as if the first time you’ve seen this movie. It’s one you can’t skip. We all have them. Here’s ours!
     

    Chris

    1. Mallrats – I’ve seen this movie more times that I could ever count. For a long stretch it was my go to when I had nothing else to watch I would just pop it on and laugh. Now it’s more of a “If it’s on I watch it no matter what”. Shame it’s not on more often though.
    2. Indiana Jones – Raiders and Last Crusade – I love all the Indiana Jones movies, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but Raiders and Crusade were the best and any time USA or Spike are doing marathons of those movies I will inevitably tune in for those two no matter where they’re at in it.
    3. Empire Strikes Back – A lot like Indiana Jones I love the Star Wars movies, I prefer the originals but I’ll watch the prequels if I have nothing better to do. When Empire is on though I’ll sit through the whole damn thing almost every time.
    4. Ghostbusters – Who doesn’t love the Ghostbusters? Comedy Central and a few other channels play them pretty frequently and it’s great when I’m sitting at home to have such a great movie to watch almost anytime.
    5. Commando – this certainly isn’t the best movie in the world, but come on it’s Arnold in all his ’80s glory killing an army without even getting a flesh wound till the very end. And he carries a damn tree by himself in the beginning!

     
    mallrats
     

    Shannon

    1. Kiki’s Delivery Service
    2. Sister Act
    3. Hocus Pocus
    4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
    5. National Treasure (1 or 2)

     
    kikis delivery service
     

    Vogel

    1. Bram Stokers Dracula – I’ve always loved this movie. This and the next movie really show the range of Gary Oldman.
    2. Leon: The Professional – It has to be Leon, not just The Professional. Some of the scenes are a little different and the Leon version is a little longer.
    3. The Breakfast Club – For a long time this was my go to movie to listen to while I was working on my computer. It’s serious enough that you can listen to it and not get lost, but funny enough to still catch the jokes when you’re only paying 25% attention to it.
    4. The Boondock Saints – I remember the first time I watched this movie and thinking that it was spectacular. I have introduced quite a few people to this movie and haven’t met one yet that hasn’t loved it.
    5. Galaxy Quest – I actually have watched this movie 3 times in the last 2 days. I still crack up laughing at the jokes everytime I see it, and I’m sure it’s in the dozens. My wife (Shannon) was looking at me like I was a lunatic they other day because I was laughing uncontrollably at one of the jokes.

     
    Bram Stokers Dracula
     

    Eric

    Well, not having had cable for the last 2 years doesn’t help me out with this one. Since everything I watch is something I choose on Netflix, or put in the Bluray player myself, I tend to watch it all the way through anyway. . . But there are some movies that I just can’t walk away from when they’re on TV at other peoples houses.

    1. Step Brothers – When I had cable, I also had HBO. Step Brothers was the big movie then, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I watched it almost daily.
    2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall – This is one of my number one movies, especially in terms of quotability. It’s been on at my parents house a few times, and I can’t focus on anything else besides this when it’s on.
    3. I Love You Man – Same as Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Fantastic movie, that I can’t walk away form when it’s on.
    4. Marvel Cinematic Universe – Anything from this studio is automatically a must watch.
    5. Doctor Who – I cheated here. But when I’m at the Gym and I change the channels and land on Doctor Who I stop. Nothing else matters. Doctor Who’s on!

     
    Step Brothers

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    T.W.I.G. 1/5/2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-152014/ Mon, 06 Jan 2014 17:47:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18020 Welcome to the first edition of The Week In Gaming for 2014 here on One-Quest.com. As per usual in the winter news is a bit slow but CES 2014 is coming up soon so some things should be coming out of that. (Also sorry for being late!)

    The News:

      • Warner Bros. Montreal has confirmed that the first Batman: Arkham Origins DLC will feature Mr. Freeze. Not many more details have been released and only 2014 has been set for a release date.
      • Respawn Entertainment has said that there will be no built-in modding tools for the PC version of Titanfall when it releases in March. They will evaluate the situation after launch if they believe the need is there.

    New Releases:

      • Don’t Starve (1/7) – PS4
      • Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (1/9) – PC
      • Wii Fit U (1/10) – WiiU
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    Friday Five – Best Moments in Gaming https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-moments-in-gaming/ Fri, 03 Jan 2014 22:04:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18010 Batman Arkham Origins
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category? Best Moments in Gaming!
     
    Video games are awesome! Seriously, try to argue with me on this one. You’re wrong! While not all games are created equal, every game can cause different reactions in the players. Moments that some find boring, others may find to be game selling. With that we’ve come to our decision to list the best moments in gaming! Now, I like this idea so much that we will be returning to this one annually. Why? Because with so many games coming out every year, we’re bound to come up with something new next year! For now, enjoy the overall best moments in gaming!
     

    Chris

    1. Everyone’s Connected – Final Fantasy VIII – Well it’s another Final Fantasy one, but finding out that all your characters were connected from childhood and even the villain was pretty wild. I know a lot of people hate on Final Fantasy VIII but looking back on it, it’s really a great game, with a pretty crazy story.
    2. Everything – Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past – This one is a bit of a cheat I guess, but there are just a lot of things I remember about playing this game. It was the first really epic game I can ever remember playing start to finish, and there were plenty of things that had me stuck for a while. But pulling the Master Sword for the first time, defeating Ganon, entering the Dark World for the first time, finding the god damn Flute, all those things are just ingrained into my memory probably forever.
    3. Being Batman – Batman Arkham City – Yes I know it’s a bit vague, but more than any other game Arkham City makes you feel like Batman. Arkham Asylum and Origins were great, but City just took it to a different level, and did it first. Swooping in a guys from above, taking them out with batarangs or dangling them off ledges, and all of it voiced by the one true Batman Kevin Conroy, it’s almost more than anyone could hope for.
    4. Harnessing The Force – Star Wars The Forced Unleashed – While the game had some pretty big problems that opening sequence as Vader with all his powers was amazing. Force throwing Wookies out of trees doesn’t get much better.
    5. Learning The Past – Final Fantasy VII – I’m sure a lot of people will always remember Aeris dying, and while that was a pretty big moment and certainly shocked me the first time I played it, I think finding out what really happened to Cloud in his past was more memorable. Especially now when I think about how dumb it really was.

     
    FFVIII Orphanage
     

    Vogel

    1. Discovering the truth – Heavy Rain – I really enjoyed the story of this game. Eventually they go through a flashback sequence and show you the tragic event that turns a one into a serial killer.
    2. Beating the “Power Rangers” – Super Mario RPG – This is one of my favorite games of all time. I used to rent it from Blockbuster all the time. Anyone who rented cartridge based games before understand the frustration of restarting the game every time you rent it unless you’re lucky enough to get the same copy. I always seemed to get to the battle on the ship toward the end of the game. Years later, I finally played through the game and beat them allowing me to complete the game.
    3. Alternate World – Link to the Past – This is another game that makes it to my top 10 list. The first time I played it I remember getting frustrated when Link was sent to the Dark World as a bunny and couldn’t do anything. As I continued to play I really started to appreciate the mechanic of an alternate world.
    4. Having 100’s of Playable Characters – Skylanders – So, this is the most expensive game I’ve ever bought having spent an easy $400+ on 2 games and at last count we have 37 characters, with a couple variations.The game is my son’s but I enjoy playing it with him or alone, and the ability to switch characters on the fly is a lot of fun. My favorite character is Drobot, but I play as all different characters.
    5. Making my own Games – Little Big Planet 2 – LBP1 had a really cool level editor, but it was essentially playing the same game with a different look. Sure, they eventually added the paint gun for a new game mechanic, but it was still just a platformer. LBP2 added logic functions to the level creator effectively turning it into a game maker. I’ve made fully functional pinball machines, peggle clones, Ikaruga style shooter, Simon (you know, the electronic memory game). My son still plays LBP2 and pretty much all he does is plays around in create mode, and it still reminds me of the hours of joy and frustration trying to get my games to work.

     

     

    Eric

    Well, I play a ton of games. Literally, at this moment, I’m in the middle of Darksiders 2, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, Pokemon Y, Kingdom Hearts 3D, and who knows what else really. The best thing about this, is that I still find myself in awe during most games. It’s a wonderful feeling, and I really hope it never goes away. Anywho, I’m going to keep this one restricted to 2013.

    1. What would you do with a drunken sailor? – Assassin’s Creed III left a sour taste in my mouth. Very sour. I decided to give ACIV a shot as my only PS4 purchase. Boy was it the best game in the series! The ending was sort of. . . meh. The rest of the game was fantastic! Especially the sea shanties. Best moment of the game? Sailing, at travel speed, camera zoomed out, with the crew singing one of the many shanties.
    2. Infinite Possibility – I will not spoil a damn thing here. But the ending of BioShock Infinite was an absolute mind f**k. The game itself was. . . ok. Too much gunplay, not enough exploration. The plot of the game was excellent, and the twist ending was outstanding.
    3. The return of Lara Croft – Tomb Raider was an excellent Uncharted game, but not a very good Tomb Raider game. The platforming and puzzle elements in the game were severely lacking, but I did really really enjoy the acting. Best moment in the game? Lara Croft! She’s back, and better than ever. Just not really as good as she used to be. . . also, the dual pistols was awesome.
    4. Meow! – Super Mario 3D World is just what the Wii U needed. A new core Mario game, that doesn’t force gimmicks on the players. It’s also a sweet ass throw back to Super Mario Bros. 2 and the different jumping abilities of all the heroes. Yes, I’m aware SMB2 was not actually a Mario game. I just don’t care. Best Moment of the game? The moustachioed hero in his kitty costume. It’s actually really creepy. . . and the “Meow” is. . . strange. It’s also one of the most OP powerups in the series.
    5. Stan Lee Smash! – Lego Marvel Heroes would have to be listed as the best game I played in 2013. There’s over 300 characters, costume changes, a ton of random missions (like cleaning up the daily bugle as Deadpool and Doc Ock), and Stan “The Man” Lee! He can Hulk out, and it’s adorable. I mean. . . AWESOME!

     

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 12/19/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-12192013/ Sun, 29 Dec 2013 16:09:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=18004  

    Twig1

    Welcome once again to The Week In Gaming here on One-Quest. It’s the last T.W.I.G. for 2013 and its been an INCREDIBLY slow news week so this will be one of the shortest TWIG’s in quite some time.

    The News:

    • Nintendo has confirmed that Zelda will be back as a playable character in the new Super Smash Brothers game for WiiU and 3DS, no word on if she will be able to transform into Sheik as in previous games. That brings the current character count to 20: Zelda, Link, Toon Link, Donkey Kong, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina & Luma (Mario Galaxy), Bowser, Sonic, Mega Man, Villager (Animal Crossing), WiiFit Trainer, Olimar & Pikmin, Pikachu, Samus, Kirby, Fox, Marth, & Pit
    • Sony has announced the free games for PS+ members in January, PS4 owners will get indie title Don’t Starve, PS3 will receive BioShock: Infinite and DmC: Devil May Cry, and Vita will be getting Worms: Battle Islands and Smart As… So some pretty sweet games will be coming for free next month, if you have a PlayStation 3, 4, or Vita you really should get PS+ its totally worth it.

    The new releases:

      There’s just 1 new release worth mentioning this week

    • Dr. Luigi (12/31) – WiiU

    Happy 2014!!!!

    Hope everyone has had a good 2013 and I wish you all a great 2014! We have some exciting plans for 2014 here at One-Quest (podcasts, videos, more?) and we hope you can all spread the word for us and try to help our site get a little more notoriety. Thanks!

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    Friday Five – Top 5 for 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-top-5-for-2014/ Fri, 27 Dec 2013 17:07:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17994 2014
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each Week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week we take a look at the most anticipated things coming in 2014!
     
    So, 2014 is right around the corner. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to it and the changes we anticipate the new you bringing to our lives. As nerds, we have a whole other set of things to look forward to. New story arcs, new games, movies, and a new DOCTOR! So, here’s our tribute to the things we’re most excited for in 2014!
     

    Chris

    1. Movies – While 2015 is shaping up to have some of the biggest movies ever released, 2014 is just as jam packed with things I can’t wait to see. Captain America The Winter Soldier is probably number one on the list, but Days of Future Past, Amazing Spider-Man, and a bunch of others are high up on that list. Hell I’m even interested to see the new TMNT movie even if it may be terrible.
    2. Peter Capaldi as the Doctor – While I know a lot of people didn’t really love the the Christmas special I really enjoyed it. It certainly had its faults but it was a great farewell for Matt Smith, and I liked the 20 seconds I saw of Peter Capaldi makes me really excited for this fall when series 8 starts up!
    3. A Job – This is something I really wish would happen sooner rather than later. Unemployment isn’t terrible, but it can get pretty boring. But on top of that I’d like to be earning money to buy a house and such.
    4. Goblin Nation – Superior Spider-Man has been building up to this for a year now, and it was even going on before that way back in Amazing Spider-Man. People getting the Goblin tattoo’s, and over the past several months the Green Goblin amassing an army. On top of all that we still don’t know if it’s Norman or someone else under the mask. Only time will tell though, and who knows maybe everyone will finally find out it’s Otto not Pete in the Spider suit, well and the Pete suit too I suppose.
    5. PS4 & Nintendo – There are just too many games coming out I’m looking forward to, which is great. We’ve got a bunch of new or newish consoles that haven’t been out long enough to hit their strides yet. Between PS4, Wii U, and 3ds I should have plenty to keep me going throughout 2014!

     
    captain america poster
     

    Drootin

    1. Games – So there’s a decent number of games I’m looking forward to this year so I’m just slamming them all into one pick here and I’ll list off the ones I’m really looking forward to: Watch Dogs – this was the game I was going to get at the PS4 launch but it was then delayed until 2014 so hopefully the extra time puts some polish on to what looks like a really interesting game. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – I love Diablo and really liked Diablo 3 in spite of its flaws and the expansion is set to really address the issues that the game had. Thief – I’ve never played the Thief series but have always heard great things about it and with the limited number of games currently out on PS4 its high on my radar and looks pretty cool. Destiny – I’ve never really been a fan of Bungie’s games (Halo), but I’ve been very intrigued by Destiny ever since it’s announcement, here’s hoping I’m not disappointed. NHL 15 – The 1st next gen NHL game should look amazing, here’s hoping that EA doesn’t ruin the great gameplay that they have honed over the previous generation of games and maybe give us some cool new features we didn’t know were missing. MLB The Show 14 – I haven’t really played a baseball game intently since EA’s NCAA Baseball 06 (a very underrated game in my opinion) but my brother and Anthony have raved about the recent years of The Show, so again like Thief because there’s a lack of games right now on PS4 it has a chance to impress me. Rouge Legacy – In fairness this is out on PC already but I’m looking forward to it releasing on PS4 and I’m probably more likely to play it on there than on my PC.
    2. Movies – I’m with Cobb on this one, there’s so many movies to look forward to this year and as with Cobb the 2 I’m most looking forward to are Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men Days of Future Past. And because I’m a total sports nerd, there is a movie called Draft Day all about a General Manager in the NFL trying to acquire the top pick in the draft, and a lot of work was done to make things very accurate so getting some of that insider knowledge will be really cool.
    3. E3 2014 – E3 this year could be really interesting with plenty of announcements, or conversely all the interesting announcements could happen before E3 and then it won’t be nearly as interesting, but for now, a solid 6 months out, I’ll say I’ll be excited for all kinds of new announcements to come at this year’s E3. Here are a few things I hope we get at E3 2014: Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain release date, and maybe a Final Fantasy XV date?
    4. My belated Honeymoon – My wife and I will be taking a trip to Boston at the beginning of May that we are both really looking forward to, we haven’t taken many vacations together so it will be great to get out for an extended period of time. (If anyone has any suggestions on things to do in Boston let me know!)
    5. The Philadelphia Wings 2014 season – A new season always brings new hope, so, I’ll put this on here because I’m always excited when the Wings season starts and really I don’t have anything else.

     
    Diablo III Reaper of Souls Logo
     

    Vogel

    1. School – I still have a few semesters left since I’m a part time student but I’m excited to continue school.
    2. Days of Future Past – I’m really interested to see what they do with this film. I liked the story arc from the animated series of the same name, although I’m fairly certain they have little to do with each other.
    3. Sin City: A dame to kill for – I really enjoyed the first movie and I’ve read one or two of the books. This is definitely going to have to go on “that’s now what happened”.
    4. Kids – We don’t have any milestone birthdays this year, but the kids are growing fast. I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring for them.
    5. PS4 – I’m hoping to pick up a PS4 this year. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played on it so far and look forward to what it’ll bring in the months to come.

     
    xmen days of future past posters
     

    Eric

    2014 is shaping up to be awesome with far too many awesome movies coming, great games on the horizon, and just loads of potential! Here’s my top 5 of 2014.

    1. The Year of Nintendo – Luigi had his time to shine last year, and it was magnificent. However, the upcoming year is all about Nintendo, most importantly the Wii U. Kick off the year with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, followed by the release of Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Hyrule Warriors(working title), the secretive X, Bayonetta 2, a brand new Legend of Zelda Wii U announcement, and the hope of a new Star Fox or Metroid announcement! Nintendo is going to rock 2014, and that list didn’t include any of the upcoming 3DS games.
    2. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – You should know by now that I LOVE the Diablo series. While everyone was bitching about Diablo III, I was playing almost non-stop. I did trail off after a few months due to the repetitive nature of level layout, but RoS looks to correct that issue as well as a whole bunch I didn’t know existed! It’s also going to fix the crappy loot issues that plagued Diablo III, and if the console version of any indication of how well the new loot system works, consider me stoked!
    3. Playing my PS4 – Throughout the year the only thing I could complain about was the lack of games I owned on the Wii U. Some would say because no games came out, but that’s not true. It’s because I just didn’t have the time or money to buy them. Luckily I got a few awesome ones for Christmas, and I won’t skip over the Wii U games coming in 2014. I can’t say the same for PS4 tho. Much like the Wii U’s first year, there are only about 3 titles I want to purchase for the PS4. While I don’t want my first year of PS4 to be like my first year of Wii U, I don’t have unlimited finances. I will try to buy a new game every couple months to keep the PS4 alive, so long as these games don’t interfere with a release on the Wii U. I just hope my investment in PS+ can help the console going over the next year.
    4. Superior Spider-Man – I cannot stress how much I love this book right now! I will agree with what Pisko said last week, that it is infuriating that nobody has noticed Pete acting like a complete asshole all the while uttering phrases like “Cantankerous Contraption!” I mean, if you know the man is Spider-Man and all of a sudden he’s using his arch nemesis’ tactics in battle, wouldn’t you think something is going on? Eh, I just tend to let these things go however. This book is far too entertaining to nitpick. Although, who in their right mind would leave MJ for Anna Maria? COME ON!
    5. Destiny – Of all the games coming out next year, besides Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, this is the one that has me completely smitten. An open world, first person, exploration based, roguelike, semi-MMO, Destiny is literally everything I’ve ever dreamed of. While Watch Dogs is going to be an awesome Assassin’s Creed game, and Infamous Second Son is just going to be awesome, Destiny is the place that I’m going to lose myself in for far too long. I can’t flippin’ wait!

    Nintendo

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    T.W.I.G. 12/22/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-12222013/ Sun, 22 Dec 2013 16:00:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17987 Twig12-22

     

    Hello, and welcome to the next to last T.W.I.G. of 2013! Its Christmas week so lets get to the news!

    The News:

    • The biggest news for at least me of the week is that the expansion to Diablo III, Reaper of Souls, will be releasing for PC & MAC on March 25th, 2014. I can’t wait to play more Diablo and try out the new class and modes and see all the changes.
    • Nintendo has unveiled a new Legend of Zelda game, but it’s not what you think, its a Legend of Zelda themed Dynasty Warriors game titled Hyrule Warriors. While it looks exactly what you would think a Legend of Zelda/Dynasty Warriors mash-up would look like, I don’t know how well this game will work.
    • Nintendo has also announced Rosalina as a playable character for the next Super Smash Brothers game.
    • Yoshi’s New Island, a sequel to the SNES game Yoshi’s Island will be coming out on the 3DS in the spring of 2014

    The new releases:

    • Halo: Spartan Assault (12/24) – XB1
    • Castlestorm (12/26) – WiiU

    Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! Hope you all have a great holiday and get all the gifts you wanted!!!!!

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    Friday Five – Best and Worst of 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-and-worst-of-2013/ Fri, 20 Dec 2013 17:25:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17962 2013
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This week we list the best and worst of 2013!
     
    A lot of ups and downs have come our way in the year 2013. It’s been a wild ride, but it’s coming to a close. So here’s a look at our favorite, and least favorite, moments of the year.
     

    Shannon

    Best

    1. Disney World – I hadn’t been to Disney World in over 10 years. You might think it’s a place for kids, but I enjoyed it so much more as an adult. We’ll definitely be going back for our daughter’s 5th birthday since we went for our son’s 5th, but if possible we’d love to go again in between.
    2. Kindergarten – This year our son started school. He never went to any kind of daycare or preschool, so this was a whole new venture for all of us. He loves it, and I’m now the teacher contact for his class, so I get a say in organizing parties, etc.
    3. Nail Polish – Ok, that might not seem like something big, but I started a nail art blog this year and it’s so much fun. I’ve been doing reviews of indie brands and gaining popularity. Eventually I’d like to start my own nail polish brand too! Look out for a long overdue post from me at some point with all my geeky nail art.
    4. “New” Car – We bought a car off of a private seller a few weeks ago. It’s a ‘95 but runs well and after we had a heart attack with the inspection that turned out to be a mistake, all is well for at least another year. That takes a huge weight off our shoulders since we were driving around a car with an expired inspection. Maybe we can even get that one fixed up this coming year.
    5. Toddler Stuff – Our daughter became a toddler this year. It’s great because she occupies herself more easily now, and she’s starting to say more words so it’s easier to understand what she wants.

     
    disney world
     
    Worst

    1. New Addiction – Back to the nail polish. I’ve never had any type of addiction before, but now I can’t stop buying nail polish. This is really bad when you have no money. I think I need an intervention.
    2. Injury – Nothing big, but just a couple weeks ago I started getting a pain in my hand. It was getting worse so I went to get it checked out. Apparently I have a swollen joint. I only had to wear a brace for a week but I’ve chosen to wear it occasionally because it’s still bothering me. I’m hoping this isn’t something permanent since I’m at the computer a lot for my blog.
    3. Still in Debt – I swear, someday we’ll pay off our credit cards.
    4. I Want a Bunny – Rob won’t let me get one. He thinks I’m gonna kill it.
    5. Ear Infections – Seems like Andi is prone to getting colds and for her it leads to ear infections. When we were in Disney she was sick and miserable and when we got home we had to bring her to the doctor because the pressure from the plane caused the cold into her ears. Sick babies are not fun.

     
    nail polish
     

    Chris

    Best

    1. Engagement – While it wasn’t the best timing in the world as far as things went, I got engaged at the beginning of November which was pretty cool.
    2. Doctor Who – We got new companions, a 50th anniversary with all kinds of Doctors, and we’re going to be bidding farewell to Matt Smith in just a few days and making way for Peter Capaldi. This was a great year for Doctor Who!
    3. Great Movies – While not all of them got the best reviews, there were a lot of movies I really enjoyed this year. Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, The Wolverine, Thor, and that’s just the superhero movies. 2014 is shaping up to be just as good, but 2015 is really what we’re all waiting for.
    4. Playstation 4 – To hell with the Xbox One I picked up the PS4, and it’s a great system, the included software (if you have PS+) is a lot of fun, and I really like the redesign to the controller, it just feels more comfortable. Now I just need some games, but more on that later.
    5. One-Quest – We got to do some cool stuff with One-Quest this year, had a table at Wizard World, attended Baltimore Comic Con, New York Comic Con, Too Many Games, and South Jersey Comic Con. And that’s just events, that doesn’t include all the stuff on site we’ve done. And next year should be even better.

     
    Engagement
     
    Worst

    1. Unemployment – Getting laid off in November kind of sucked, it happened right before I got engaged which is where the bad timing came from. And it’s been almost 2 months with not much to do. Sure it’s fun for the first week or so, but then you start getting restless.
    2. Playstation 4 – While I love the PS4, I wasn’t able to get any games for it. I’d paid the system off months ago, but a lack of income forced me to hold off on buying anything so for the most part it hasn’t gotten a lot of use. That should be changing with Christmas around the corner though.
    3. Comics – Sure there are some great comics out there, Batman, Superior Spider-Man, Hawkguy, Saga, etc. But we also got some truly terrible books like Infinity, Avengers, and New Avengers. All of which are written by the same guy, Jonathan Hickman. And to top it off some great books got canceled, like Scarlet Spider and they’re just going to put another terrible Avengers book out written by Hickman.
    4. Celebrities – I feel like this year has been particularly bad for people giving a shit about celebrities. I can’t remember hearing as much stupid gossip about them as I did this past year. Between Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, the Kardashians, and things like Paul Walkers death getting more coverage than Nelson Mandela just make you wonder what’s wrong with people.
    5. Lack of Vacation – For the last several years I’ve taken a decent Vacation each summer. This year because of house hunting we decided to hold onto vacation time in case we found something. So while I’ve had plenty of time off at this point nothing particularly fun was done. A couple day trips happened but nothing spectacular which is pretty disappointing.

     
    unemployment
     

    Drootin

    Best

    1. My wedding – after 3 years of being engaged Sara and I finally got married and it was a great day and Eric gave an awesome best man speech. Thanks to all who came.
    2. The Last of Us – This is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Naughty Dog was one of the best developers of the last generation and The Last of Us was their best work to date.
    3. PlayStation 4 – I’ve personally really enjoyed the PS4 so far. Resogun is really cool, Madden looks great and is the best one in the recent history of the series. Lego Marvel Super Heroes looks great from what I’ve watched my wife play but I haven’t played myself. CoD:Ghosts is mixed bag for me, while I like the game, Black Ops 2 was better. They changed too much stuff some good and some bad. Party chat is great and I’m glad Sony finally got that feature in.
    4. Pacific Rim – While I totally get why Eric didn’t really like this movie (it could have used more robots fighting monsters and less love story) it was probably my favorite movie this year.
    5. Giant Bombcast – So this is cheating because Bombcast has been around for years now but I just started listening to it this year after the passing of Ryan Davis and it is great. Listening to the show makes my Wednesdays at work fly by.

    (Honorable Mention – The 2013 Philadelphia Eagles season has been a pleasant surprise after the trash that was 2012)
     
    wedding
     
    Worst

    1. The 2013 Philadelphia Wings season – I saw 2 of the worst performances this year but also saw a few great games. They made the playoffs but lost in the 1st round. It was an inconsistent and frustrating season to be a fan
    2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – I just did not like this movie. I don’t know exactly what to say about it but I just found it boring, there was no real tension knowing that there’s still 2 movies to be made.
    3. The Console “Wars” – While I have a personal preference of console (see above) the whole flame war that happens online over the systems is honestly dumb. Competition makes things better and having 2 viable console options is good for gaming.
    4. The Mass YouTube Copyright Takedown – Just this month many gaming related YouTube videos got hit with copyright claims mostly based on the background music which was licensed to be in the games. Its been a major fiasco and hopefully gets sorted out soon.

     
    wings
     

    Pisko

    Best

    1. Doctor Who turns 50 with a year of events! It was awesome, emotional, and quite the fun ride (Though I still pine for the years with showrunner Russell T. Davies).
    2. Year of Luigi! My favorite underappreciated Mario brother got his dues this year with two brand new games based around his cowardice and high jump.
    3. Pacific Rim. Giant robots are built to fight giant interdimensional monsters. And all the robots sounds like GLAdos from Portal.
    4. Winning a surface. I did it. It was pretty awesome.
    5. Still being alive. Pretty high on my list.

     
    Day of the Doctor
     
    Worst

    1. NSA knows what you do at all times. I mean, if they want to watch me play Simpsons Tapped Out! on the toilet through my iPad camera, go for it because you are going to get quite the show.
    2. New Consoles. We don’t need ‘em yet.
    3. 3D content. We finally had the technology to get it right and it turns out the issue is that everyone hates wearing stupid glasses that make the movie darker. Move on and make 4K affordable finally.
    4. Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day. I hate everything about it.
    5. Superior Spider-Man. RAWWWRRRRR. Okay, so the writing of Spider-man/ Otto Parker is excellent but this switch going unnoticed for so long shows that the ancillary characters must be brain dead not to notice the quippy and friendly neighborhood Spider-Man now uses phrases like “Confound you woman!” and “Indubitably”. Not that Parker was an idiot but he never sounded pretentious. I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! I HATE IT! WORST.

     
    NSA
     

    Eric

    There were plenty of great things to come out in 2013, despite the fact that I would rate this the worst year in the entirety of my existence. It seems for everything good that happened, something worse took it’s place. But I’m not letting it keep me down. I’m setting myself up for success in 2014, and we have new Spider-Man, Godzilla, and Captain America movies to look forward to. Screw you 2013!
    Best

    1. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – It’s no secret that I prefer the PS4 since it’s the console I purchased. But that’s no reason to not be excited about the release of the final 2 next gen consoles. Both a great, especially after Xbone took a full 180 on all of it’s policies. These consoles are great, and I can’t wait to see the games that come out in the future!
    2. Doctor Who – I shouldn’t have to put anything here, but I will. This year has been AWESOME for Doctor Who! And we still have one more special coming! This is going to be a year of Doctor Who I won’t soon forget.
    3. Agents of Shield – It’s not the best show on TV, but I love it! It started off rocky, but the show really picked up by the end of it’s first half, and the cliffhanger it left us one was ridonkulous! I think I’m just excited that I get Marvel Cinematic Universe entries without waiting 6 months for new movies! Coulson Lives!
    4. Games – I can’t pick one. . . Tomb Raider, BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. All worth playing. All worth the wait.
    5. Movies – Again, I can’t pick one. Iron Man 3 was great despite the negativity around the twist. Thor was absurdly good. I didn’t expect that to happen. Monsters University was fantastic!

    Honorable Mention – Psych: The Musical – It was spectacular!
     
    PS4 vs Xbox One composite
     
    Worst

    1. Pacific Rim. . .job – I love a giant robot punch fest as much as the next guy. I hate terrible acting, horrible directing, and a forced love story. This was the only movie I have ever considered walking out on in my entire life.
    2. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – I didn’t want to get involved in this at all. But some jerk named Shahid convinced me and a large number of our friends to get it. He promised that it would be great, and we’d be playing for a long time! Guess what? It is great! But we all blew ourselves out and now nobody wants to play it anymore. I figured that would change with the new patch, but it didn’t. We have about 5 people that regularly sign on, and that’s about it. What’s worse, Shahid is the first of us to formally announce that he is quitting the game. Here I am still addicted to this crap! It’s all his fault!
    3. I got a raise! – Sounds great right? I thought so too. . . We had it all planned out. Debt free in 1 year because of this raise. Then a month and a half later I got laid off. Well, there goes that plan.
    4. We didn’t make a game – Not exactly the most surprising thing on the list. But still disappointing. My goal this year was to finally do it. Finally get a game out there. Just like every time we come up with something, a week or two later everyone stops caring.
    5. Family Deaths – This year my grandmother passed away. It sucked. It hurt, but I didn’t really feel it until Thanksgiving, which was held at my house for the first time. Let’s top this off. After we laid my grandmother to rest, and we were driving to the luncheon, my wife and I received a call that her mother passed away. That was a bad day. A week later my parents family dog had been put down. And a month later we had to have one of our parakeets put down. Bad year.

     
    Pacific Rim

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    Soule Replaces Fraction On Inhumans https://one-quest.com/blog/soule-replaces-fraction-on-inhumans/ Tue, 17 Dec 2013 00:25:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17955 After dropping off Fantastic Four and FF earlier this year to write the All-New Marvel Now book Inhumans, Matt Fraction is now no longer writing the upcoming title. He’s being replaced by Charles Soule with art still coming from Joe Madureira. This is pretty sad news for me, when I saw that Fraction and Madureira were working on a book together I was really excited for it. With all Fraction’s shuffling around I hope this doesn’t end up effecting the always amazing Hawkguy too.

    Now on the bright side Charles Soule has been doing great work with Swamp Thing, look at any review on the net and you’ll see that. Superman/Wonder Woman has been improving with each issue too. Things like that definitely bode well for the Inhumans, and hey with art like Joe Mad’s behind him the book has every chance to be awesome.

    Marvel hasn’t released any details about what spurred the change, but says we’ll get some details in the near future. So I guess until then we’ve just got the official announcement from Marvel below.


    MARVEL ANNOUNCES CHARLES SOULE AS NEW WRITER OF INHUMAN

    New York, NY (December 16th, 2013) – Marvel Entertainment is excited to announce the addition of Charles Soule as series writer for INHUMAN beginning with an All-New Marvel NOW! #1.

    Beginning this April, Charles will join superstar Joe Madureira (Avenging Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men) to introduce the world to Marvel’s newest super hero franchise. Born out of the events of INFINITY and the blockbuster INHUMANITY #1, INHUMAN will change the landscape — and the fate — of the entire Marvel Universe.

    “Years ago, young(er) Charles made up a list of Marvel characters that would be a blast to someday write – my Marvel Dream Team, basically – and the Inhumans were on that list,” says Soule, “So getting an opportunity to work with those awesome, strange, classic characters, as well as to expand the existing mythology into cool new places is pretty extraordinary. INFINITY and INHUMANITY work as amazing springboards to new stories and new characters, and I cannot wait to create them!”

    “As soon as I read Charles’ first Thunderbolts script, I knew he was going to be a star,” says Marvel Editor in Chief, Axel Alonso. “His pitch for She-Hulk proved that he thought big and would bring a lot to the world-building of INHUMAN.”

    Don’t miss the incredible first issue of INHUMAN this April!

    inhuman1

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    T.W.I.G. 12/15/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-12152013/ Mon, 16 Dec 2013 23:12:13 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17952 Twig1

    Hello and welcome to The Week In Gaming special I-forgot-to-work-on-the-post-on-Saturday-to-have-it-auto-publish-on-Sunday-so-I’m-writing-this-on-Monday-after-work edition!

    The News:

    • Rayman Legends, the once WiiU exclusive, will be coming out on PS4 and XboxOne on Feb. 25, 2014. As I said Rayman Legends was originally announced as a WiiU exclusive but will now have released on basically every current console
    • Elder Scrolls Online has been given a release date for PC & Mac, the game will release on April 4, 2014. The game will be coming to PS4 and XboxOne sometime in June.
    • Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros (a game I am VERY much looking forward to) has finally gotten a release date of March 18th. Both the Xbox versions and PlayStation versions will have different exclusive missions, the Xbox gets a mission featuring the Metal Gear Rising version of Raiden while PS versions get one featuring a “classic” version of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 1.
    • Rockstar has teased that new single-player DLC will be releasing in early 2014 for GTA 5.

    The new releases:

      We’ve definitely hit the slow point for games for the rest of 2013. Not too many new releases to speak of:

    • The Walking Dead: Season 2 (12/17) – 360 [DL], PC
    • Zen Pinball 2 (12/17) – PS4
    • flOw (12/17) – PS4
    • Minecraft (12/17) – PS3 [DL]
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Middle-Earth Characters https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-middle-earth-characters/ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 18:01:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17944 The Hobbits of Lord of the Rings
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Favorite Middle-Earth Characters.
     
    Middle-Earth, like many fantasy realms, is a place where almost anything can happen. It’s inhabited by orcs, humans, elves, dwarves, and many other fantastic creatures. There are some remnants of magic, and powerful weapons forged with magic. It’s an awesome place for those willing to let themselves be taken in by it’s beauty. As it turns out, most of our writers don’t enjoy trips to Middle-Earth, so we’re going to be brief here.
     

    Chris

    I have seen all the movies and they’re just not something I enjoy, I’ve tried reading the books several times over the years and I’ve never made it past the first chapter of Fellowship. I did read the Hobbit though for 9th grade summer reading. It wasn’t terrible, I guess, but still hard to get through. So I’m just going to pick characters I can actually remember from the movies.

    1. Gandalf – I just like Ian McKellen, he is Magneto after all.
    2. Aragorn – Aragorn was kind of cool in the second and third movies, everything sucked about the first.
    3. Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck – While I could have probably put Merry and Pippin together they have enough differences in the movies that they should be separate and they’re the only two Hobbits that didn’t make me want to throw shit at the screen
    4. Peregrin “Pippin” Took – See my reasons for picking Merry they’re pretty much the same.
    5. Gimli & Legolas – While it may be silly to include these two together but have Merry and Pippin separate I didn’t really like these two all that much, but their bickering and hijinks during battles were kind of neat, aside from that they could just as easily not been in the movie.

     
    Gandalf
     

    Eric

    As it has been noted before, I tend to clamour over anything with knights and dragons and the like. Fantasy settings are definitely my thing. However, I’ve never read the books. I can’t do it. I made it to the point in the Hobbit where the dwarves are climbing the stairs to meet the eagles. The stairs were described for 2 whole pages. TWO PAGES! I gave up. Never tried again.

    1. Treebeard – A walking, talking tree. Well, and ent. But still, he was super bad ass in the movie!
    2. Figwit – Figwit is essentially a made up name for a random background character. He literally just stands there in a scene of Fellowship. Some girls fangirled over him, and gave him a name that stands for “Frodo is grea. . .WHO IS THAT?!”, and he was brought back and credited for the third movie. Just, silly!
    3. Radagast – One of the few wizards of Middle-Earth. He doesn’t appear to be as strong as Gandalf, or Saruman, but he’s quite a character. He’s also played by Sylvester Mccoy in the movies, so that’s pretty awesome too.
    4. Lurtz – Lurtz is the Uruk that killed Boromir in Fellowship. He’s huge and awesome! Most importantly, he helped Sean Bean add to his death reel.
    5. Gandalf – What I liked best about the Lord of the Rings movies was their use and interpretation of Magic. Only in one instance, on the extended editions, do we actually see a “traditional” spell cast. A fireball. Otherwise Gandalf uses his powers to alter his surroundings and influence others. Sort of like the Emperor in Star Wars, but with a little more. . . show. It’s a very different interpretation of magic, and I thought it was fantastic.

     
    Treebeard

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    Elder Scrolls Online Release Date https://one-quest.com/blog/elder-scrolls-online-release-date/ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:16:38 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17937 ESO Logo
     
    Bethesda announced today, on the Bethesda Blog, that Elder Scrolls Online has a launch date for PC and Mac. Expect to start adventuring as soon as April 4th, 2014! However, they did also announce that the PS4 and Xbone versions won’t launch until June of 2014. So, we have a bit of gap there.
     
    ESO Launch Date
     
    Bethesda also released a new trailer to celebrate the announcement. Titled: War in Cyrodiil, we get a new look at the Alliance War and the battles fro the Ruby Throne. It looks pretty exciting, so give it a quick view below!
     

    &nsbp;
    Tell us how excited you are for Elder Scrolls Online in the comments below! And be sure to stick with One-Quest for any ESO news!

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    Godzilla (2014) Teaser Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/godzilla-2014-teaser-trailer/ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 19:55:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17933 Godzilla 2014

    Pacific Rim may have rocked the international box office earlier this summer, but that doesn’t make it the king of kaiju. That title belongs to Godzilla, King of Monsters, and he’s got his sights set on the global box office. :-p

    Godzilla hit’s screens in May 2014, and stars Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

    Check out the trailer below, and tell us what you think in the comments!

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    T.W.I.G. 12/8/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-12813/ Mon, 09 Dec 2013 01:34:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17840 Sorry for missing last week, but it was a slow news week and also Thanksgiving here in the U.S. so I sort of forgot about the T.W.I.G. by the time the weekend rolled around. But no worries, we are back! Let’s get into the news. VGX was on Saturday (formerly SpikeTVs Video Game Awards) and some decent news came out of there.

    The News:

    • Nintendo has confirmed that Cranky Kong will be a playable character for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
    • Telltale Games has announced 2 new games. Tales From The Borderlands, an adventure game set in the world of Borderlands from Gearbox. And a series set in the Game of Thrones universe.
    • Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition will be coming to PS4 and XboxOne next year. This is a “rebuilt” version of the most recent game in the Tomb Raider franchise.
    • Destiny has a release date, September 9th, 2014.
    • The PS4 beta for Final Fantasy 14 will start on February 22nd, 2014 and the game will release in April of 2014.

    The new releases:

      Slow week again for game releases

    • Peggle 2 (12/9) – XB1
    • Rush (12/12) – WiiU

    Lastly the news of a death of someone related to the world of gaming, actor Danny Wells who played Luigi in the 1980s “Super Mario Super Show!” died at age 72. ‘Captain’ Lou Albano who played Mario on the show died in 2009 at the age of 76. If you’ve never seen the show it’s pretty cheesy but still kinda fun. There are episodes on Netflix streaming so go check it out.

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Fictional Gadgets https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-fictional-gadgets/ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 18:39:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17891 dick tracy
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list! This weeks category: Fictional Gadgets!
     
    Gadgets are all over. Some make us wonder who was dumb enough to think of something that dumb. Others make our jaws drop to the floor in awe. The gadgets a hero has at their disposal are almost as important as they are. So let’s pay tribute to our favorite fictional gadgets!
     

    Chris

    1. Batman’s Cowl – Batman – Batman’s Cowl is pretty awesome, it’s got all kinds of high tech stuff built into it to help the Dark Knight fight crime. Look at the Arkham games, you jump into detective mode and can see all kinds of things you don’t normally notice. Who wouldn’t want something like that?
    2. 3D Model Computers – Marvel Cinematic Universe – I just think it’s cool how they can interact with things. I was just watching Iron Man 2 on TV last night and I caught the scene where Tony finds the new element, doing stuff on a computer like that would be great.
    3. Life Model Decoy – Marvel Comics – Everyone has something they don’t want to do sometimes. Maybe you want a day off of work without using PTO? Maybe you have to meet with someone you don’t like? It doesn’t matter you can just send in your custom LMD and let them do the dirty work.
    4. Sonic Screwdriver – Doctor Who – It is the best piece of defence in the universe. Open any door, that isn’t wood, short out electronics, and never worry about hurting anyone.
    5. Vortex Manipulator – Doctor Who – Quick and dirty time travel, go anywhere you want any time you want with nothing but a thing strapped to your wrist.

     
    contaminated cowl
     

    Vogel

    There are a lot of things on my list that I’ve always liked, but as I’ll point out below, the idea that some are starting to become non-fiction makes my enjoy and respect these things more.

    1. BMW 750iL – 007 Tomorrow Never Dies – I remember watching this movie as a kid and thinking how cool it would be to have full size remote control car controlled by a cell phone. Nowadays you can get helicopters and drones controlled by your smartphone, so we’re almost there (almost).
    2. Ghost Trap – Ghostbusters – I had a playset of the fire station, ecto-1 and ghost traps when I was a kid. I loved Ghostbusters, obviously. The ghost trap always stuck out in my mind when thinking about fictional gadgets.
    3. Food Replicator – Star Trek – I’m a bit of a tech geek. I read journal summaries and articles about new technologies and discoveries. I’ve always thought the food replicators were cool, and not just because Earl Grey is my favorite tea. Now with the prospect of 3d printing and 3d printed foods, we’re getting there. It’s not as sophisticated as repurposing matter in the universe to make food, but it’s still awesome.
    4. Iron Man Suit – Iron Man – It could even be de-weaponized and I would still enjoy just being able to fly around in the suit. If I had to pick one of the suits in particular I’d want the Bleeding Edge Armor because, come on, who doesn’t want armor that you just have to think about and it comes out of your skin and builds itself. OK, that sounds a bit creepy but awesome.
    5. Interactive User Interface Computer – Minority Report –
      and
      3D Model Computers – Marvel Cinematic Universe –

      These two devices are pretty similar, one is just 3D. They do have 2D versions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but they seems like no more than transparent touch screens (Avengers movie in the research room).

     

     

    Pisko

    1. Sonic Screwdriver – Doctor Who – Never a weapon, never a threat, always a way out as long as you have your Doctor attached to it. Though I am newly a fan of War Doctor’s, my favorite will always be 9/10’s blue sonic. It will work on anything but wood. The ultimate key. Truly a tool for a master of science (and Time and Space).
    2. Lightsaber – Star Wars – Combine the artful war of the Samurai and combine it with the future sheath that allows it to retract into itself BECAUSE IT’S BUILT FROM LIGHT. The Lightsaber has had limitless uses over the years from battle, to deflecting laser bullets, to even melting doors open on trade ships. Also, it’s a right of passage to build your own after a certain amount of time at the academy.
    3. Transporter – Star Trek – How could you not love it, unless you are a technical type in which the fine print basically says that each time you step in a transporter that you die and a new you is re-materialized on the other side and so on, and so on… If you can ignore that then this is the best invention of the next century! Allowing your spaceship to stay in orbit and beam down to the planet. Moving cargo to and from stations without having to “land” or dock. This is an invention that could get us into space so easily and fast since we could build the ships in space where size restrictions wouldn’t matter and there would be no need to pack unnecessary fuel to break from Earth’s gravity.
    4. Omni-Tool – Mass Effect Series – The Omni-Tool is like if the Sonic Screwdriver were built by Earthlings. Built for peaceful means but instantly turned into a weapon. The Omni-Tool can hack droids, computer systems, control AI’s, function on the ExtraNet, and pretty much interface with any computer even if it’s over 50,000 years old. That’s one hell of a “tool”. Also it disappears when you aren’t using it. Awesome.
    5. The Neuralizer – MIB – You could do SO MUCH with this tool. Break up didn’t go the way you like? Flash it and rewrite the story. Boss says you aren’t pulling your weight? Flash him and tell him he knows you’ve been working very hard. Arrested? Flash the cops and tell them you are a model citizen. While there are few “good” applications of this device (Someone die? Flash the grieving relative and tell the person they moved away). Either way, how awesome would this gadget be?!

     
    doctor who 10th sonic screwdriver
     

    Eric

    Gadgets! This is going to be tough. . . I tend to gravitate toward more fantasy games over scifi. I still love scifi, and all their crazy gadgets. But if you look at my games catalogue you’ll see the scales tipped in favor of knights, magic, and dragons over science and technology.

    1. The Animus – Assassin’s Creed – It’s no secret that I LOVE Assassin’s Creed. So I feel like it would be blasphemous for me to not mention the plot device that makes the entire series possible. I know there are tons of people out there that hate it, but I think it’s fantastic!
    2. Echo Communicator – Borderlands – I don’t know how it works, but it provides it’s user with a full HUD. Active mini map, compas, ammo counts, health, exp, quest logs; The works! There’s only one Hud I would rate above this one, and that’s Samas’ HUD from the Metroid Prime series. But the whole suit of armor sort of takes away the marvel of the idea.
    3. Web Shooters – Spider-Man – These little devices provide the user with the ability to be awesome! I mean, we’ve seen in the comics that it takes more than precision to properly use the web shooters, but they’re still super cool. I tend to make the web shooter motion to people at random all the time, so having actual shooters would make life a lot cooler.
    4. Lightsaber – Star Wars – This has and always will be my favorite weapon of all times. Ever since I first saw Star Wars I knew I wanted one of these more than anything. The practical uses are limitless. However, like the web shooters, without a little assistance for a certain outside “force” usefulness may be limited.
    5. Magitek Armor – Final Fantasy – While Final Fantasy VI isn’t in my top 5, it still has one of the best contributions to the series: Magitek. Gives any user the ability to cast magic while within the armor. Having the ability to cast a fire spell at any time would make me a dangerous person, but I would be so happy! Now we just need to work on the size of that armor.

     
    Animus 1.0

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    Take It Or Leave It – December 4, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-december-4-2013/ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 15:47:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17879 tioli12413

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This was a really good week for comics, well aside from a hiccup or two. That doesn’t matter though, Take It Or Leave It is here to help you pick from all those books on the comic shop shelves so lets get to it.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    batmansuperman6

    Batman/Superman #6

    Batman/Superman continues it’s second arc much the way the previous issues ended with Batman apparently dead, and Superman not to happy. Because of the previous story I’m still not quite sure if this is our normal New 52 world or another alternate universe. Regardless though, it’s a bit of a boring story where a bunch of kids think they’re playing the newest video game. It sheds a bad light on gamer too, making them sound like all they care about are scores and killing things. That’s just how the media perceives them, and I would think with the huge crossover of gamers and comic fans this wouldn’t be a medium I’d see it in. Even with that personal issue aside, it just isn’t a very interesting story. And frankly I don’t like the widescreen perspective they’re doing, with the whole thing being double page splashes. It’s plan to see that in the end things will get worked out, and you never want to know that going into a book. Too many things are being done in this issue that can’t possibly continue. This issue also continues the awkward friendship woes between Bruce and Clark, they just don’t have that close dynamic that you expect out of Batman and Superman. Sure it makes sense they would have problems, all friends do, but they act like they don’t even like each other half the time.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenarrow26

    Green Arrow #26

    Green Arrow has been a great read, even last months issue was a good time and it was a Zero Year tie in. Now though Ollie is finally back on track looking for the Arrow artifact while all the other clans want his head. I don’t know if The book is trying to be a slight reflecting of the Arrow tv series, but it definitely has a lot of the feel of that show now. It’s less about super heroing and more about adventuring and doing right. Sure Ollie is still a hero, he’s hung out with the Justice League and such, but he’s also go this own real problems. I didn’t really know much about Green Arrow before the show started, and the show convinced me to give the book a shot and so far I’m glad it did. This issue does a lot of back story and setup as Ollie and Shado return to the dreaded island, but it’s well needed set up as the issues to come look like they’re going to be action packed!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    burntheorphanage2

    Burn The Orphanage Born To Lose #2

    This book is just a lot of fun, it’s a shame it doesn’t release more often honestly. While the first issue had a very Streets of Rage or other side scrolling beat ’em up feel, issue 2 is quite obviously a nod to the classic Mortal Kombat. With our hero being forced into an otherworldly fighting tournament with the fate of worlds on the line. The book is just choked full of humor and action in a perfect mixture. I really can’t express enough how worth while this comic is to read, now we just have to wait a few more months for the third issue of this three part mini-series to come out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    amazingxmen2

    Amazing X-Men #2

    I’ve always liked Nightcrawler, unfortunately by the time I decided to really get into reading X-Men books he was already dead. So obviously when it was announced he’d be returning I was excited, and after his awesome opening battle in the first issue of Amazing X-Men I couldn’t wait for more. Oh but wait I must as our favorite fuzzy blue elf got nothing more than a single page and some narrative captions in this book. Don’t get me wrong it was still good, Jason Aaron really knows how to write a good X-Men book and Ed McGuinness is at the top of his game with this book. The multiple battles and character cameo’s in this book are more than worth the read. As an Iceman fan as well I particularly enjoyed when he literally froze hell over, come on how badass is that?

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    inhumanity1

    Inhumanity #1

    I didn’t really know what I was going to be getting when I started reading Inumanity, honestly I don’t know a lot about the Inhumans. When I heard Fraction and Madureira would be working on a book though I knew I’d be buying it, so I figured I should at least get up to speed. After all the stuff that went down in Infinity I wasn’t sure if this was going to be about known Inhuman’s like Crystal and Medusa or about all these new ones that are popping up after what Black Bolt did. I’m still not entirely sure, but at least for the moment it looks like it’s going to deal more with establish characters which I’m alright with. Overall it was a pretty interesting issue and I’m looking forward to seeing where the Inhuman’s are going now. My biggest question though, other than the fact they’re Kree science projects what is the actual difference between an Inhuman and a Mutant? They were all once just human with some special genes. I hope this is something Fraction can flesh out in the books, or maybe they’re all going to team up and we’ll have a giant X-Men/Inhuman team running around.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    GFTHoliday_2013_coverB

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents 2013 Holiday Special

    Zenescope’s holiday books are almost always a good time, you don’t need to be completely familiar with the current story, just familiar with the character. As usual the story is set around the holidays with several stories being told all involving an evil spirit taking out the naughty ones. Of course several Grimm heroines are linked to this acts as the main setting of the book is a holiday party with Sela, Red, Robyn, and Leslie Van Helsing. I particuarly enjoyed how even though they’ve all caused plenty of destruction and violence over the years Robyn is still the naughty one. You’d think by now she’d get a break. If you’re looking for a fun book with a holiday twist on it this is definitely the book you want to be checking out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/amazing-spider-man-2-trailer/ Thu, 05 Dec 2013 16:24:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17874 ASM2
     
    Okay, okay, okay. . . It’s glorious!
     
    Electro, Rhino, and some type of Goblin will be facing off against Spider-Man in May 2014. It looks awesome!
     
    If you look closely you can see Vultures Wings, and Doc Ocks arms in the background. So we’re getting pretty close to a full Sinister Six. We just need Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and Sandman. Some Sinister Six incarnations use Chameleon in place of others as well. So we’ll see how that turns out.
     
    The designs for most of the villains seem to be heavily inspired by the Ultimate Comics variations. Instead of the old green and yellow jumpsuit, Electro can be seen wearing a more modern take similar to that found in Ultimate Spider-Man. Mecha-Rhino, as some seem to be referring to him, is straight out of the Ultimate Comics. Spider-Man fans will also be able to note that the former Rhino in Amazing Spider-Man comics was also in a Mech suit, so the movie is straying to far from the source material. As for Goblin. . . It looks like he’s got a new take on the New Goblin suit introduced in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. I’m not a fan. . . The hair is weird.
     
    Anyway, the trailer is great! Have a look below, and tell us what you think in the comments!
     

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    10 Recent Comics That Would Make Good TV https://one-quest.com/blog/10-recent-comics-that-would-make-good-tv/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 21:40:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17850 Comic book related shows a big right now, with Netflix preparing 4 new shows, a Commissioner Gordon centered series, and of course Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D all helping to expand heroes into other mediums and in some cases tie back into the big blockbuster movies we all love. While this is great, there are so many other comics that could make great television, some of them you might not have ever even heard of. So what we have here are 10 picks of recent comics that could make for great television. Once you’re done make sure to let us know your picks in the comments.

    Hawkeye

    Why It Would Work:
    We already got to see Clint Barton make it big screen appearances in The Avengers, and of course the minor cameo in Thor. But those two movies didn’t give Marvel’s premiere archer nearly the screen time he deserves. In the last decade or so Hawkeye has been through a lot, and it’s been a great character building experience for him. With the current Hawkeye series written by Matt Fraction it’s the perfect time to bring Clint to a wider audience. One of the best parts about Fractions Hawkeye is the book is about what happens when Clint’s not out saving the world as a member of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D, instead it’s a character focused comic, and boy does it have a lot of character. Another big part of the comic is the ‘other’ Hawkeye Kate Bishop, a member of the Young Avengers. We all know Jeremy Renner probably doesn’t have time to film a weekly TV series, but he could certainly pop up here and there on a show about Kate right? This doesn’t have to be a monster of the week, it doesn’t need big battles in every episode, it just needs to have the heart that the comic has.

    How To Make It Work:
    Well I already hinted at this above, but focusing more on Kate Bishop rather than Clint Barton as the title character would be the way to go. Obviously we’d still need Clint to pop up here and there, but with that Hawkeye off as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D in the movie and tv universe he probably doesn’t have much downtime. This could easily be made via back door pilot via Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to help introduce people to Kate prior to launching the series. Being a hero without super powers means the budget wouldn’t need to be huge as she could deal with normal thugs and such when she’s not dealing with just normal problems. Something like Veronica Mars only with Marvel references and cameos, and a lot more archery.
    hawkeyes

    Saga

    Why It Would Work:
    Sci-Fi movies, when marketed well, thrive in theaters. We’ve got older franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars making comebacks in the theaters. Along with some news additions like Enders Game. But how about one that doesn’t revolve around a galaxy spanning war? Well I suppose Saga does have the big war going on, but it’s not a focal point of the series. At it’s heart Saga is a family dramedy, it’s got laughs and feelings galore and characters that everyone no matter who can connect with. It would be that movie that opens the genre up to more than just rebel groups attacking “The Man”. Now you probably noticed the things other space things I mentioned were all movies, and this is about TV. Well there’s a reason for that, TV doesn’t have any good spacey sci-fi shows that appeal to the masses. Sure there have been plenty of the years that have found various degrees of success, but Saga could be the one to really break things into the mainstream and maybe even land on Network Television. Series creator Brian K. Vaughn was a writer for Lost and has been working on this past summers new series Under The Dome, so the man definitely knows TV.

    How To Make It Work:
    Well I guess first thing would be to tune some of it down. The book has a lot of nudity and sexual stuff going on, and while it’s nothing we haven’t seen on HBO it’s more than a network station could show. A lot of those things are easy enough to cover up or allude to without showing. Having Saga air late in the 9pm or 10pm time slot means it can get away with a lot more. For this to thrive it’s going to need to appeal to a broad audience and be easily accessible. Now while shows like True Blood and Game of Thrones pull in huge numbers premium cable just isn’t the place for this show. That key 18-35 demographic is going to be a lot stronger when it can be viewed by everyone much easier. As I talked about in the ‘Why It Would Work’ section, Brian K. Vaughn is no stranger to sci-fi television, and I think he would be able to lead the way with Saga. There’s a great market for new experimental shows right now. Look at things like Hannibal, Under The Dome, and Sleepy Hollow. These are all different than we’re use to, and aside from Sleepy Hollow they run on slightly different schedules. That means Saga doesn’t have to try and fit into the fall line up, throw it on in the Spring / Early Summer when there aren’t as much to watch. Draw in an audience in the off season and if it does well, then maybe consider moving it into the more traditional fall lineup. Frankly though, that TV structure is slowly dying out, and Saga can be part of the herd to bring in a new generation of TV scheduling. Saga has so many elements that can appeal to so many different audiences, all it needs is for people to give it a chance and we’d be set.
    saga-no-killing

    Morning Glories

    Why It Would Work:
    Supernatural thrillers can draw great audiences when given the right chance. Look at shows like Being Human(syfy), Lost, Supernatural, and several others. Morning Glories would be a much subtler show too, like the early seasons on Lost. You know something weird is going on, but you don’t quite realize it’s supernatural weird. Even after you saw the smoke monster for the third time it’s still up in the air what’s going on. Morning Glories hits that just right, after over 30 issues it’s still not clear what’s going on, but there is definitely some creepy stuff with ghost demon students, and time travel, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    How To Make It Work:
    Morning Glories is probably the best suited recent comic to be adapted to TV. So it makes a lot of sense for us to have it at number 1 on our list. The mystery and ordeals of the students at Morning Glories academy could easily hook a pretty solid viewership if done correctly. First it wouldn’t be an 8pm network show. A nice 9pm or 10pm time slot would do a series like this wonders whether on cable or network television. Another thing that can go a long way would be a semi-established cast. Keep the students fresh, but have the faculty be actors and actresses we’re familiar with. That said, you’ve got to be careful, the book has a definitely sex factor to it and you don’t want to go to overboard, but you also don’t want to cast the teachers as 65 year olds. Another bit that may have to be changed for TV would be the kids ages, while teen sex and drama and death isn’t new, it’s probably not something the larger networks want to get attached to. Maybe making them all 18 instead of 16, or have it be college instead of high school could elevate some doubts networks and even viewers would have. If something of that nature had to be done it would have to be done carefully, half the intrigue about this series is that it’s kids trying to react to these dire circumstances. Also just throwing it out there, but Mark Pellegrino would make a great Abraham, that role has his name all over it.
    MorningGlories_01_cov

    Grimm Fairy Tales Present Robyn Hood

    Why It Would Work:
    Everyone knows Robin Hood, the character has been around for centuries, but not many know the story of Robyn Hood. Fairy Tale inspired shows are doing great right now, Grimm manages to thrive on the dreaded Friday nights, and seems to be one of NBC’s go to shows when it needs to fill a spot left empty by a failed series. And over on ABC Once Upon A Time isn’t just going strong it spawned a spin off down the rabbit hole in Wonderland. That still doesn’t quite explain why Robyn Hood would make a good choice for a TV series though does it. Well it’s simple, it’s a well known character but with a very modern and drastically different twist. Look at shows like Elementary, taking the Sherlock Holmes legend and bringing into a modern setting. That’s what Robyn Hood is, rather than a guy hiding in the woods with a bunch of friends and stealing, it’s a teenage girl thrust into a world she doesn’t understand and has to try and fight her way out of. Not only would it make for a great action adventure show, it’s got a lot of metaphor for life in general. Both males and females would find things to like in the show, with a strong female lead and plenty of action and adventure to help propel some of the more dramatic stories that have already been told in the comics. Zenescope the publisher responsible for the Grimm Fairy Tales comics have already had there Wonderland series optioned for a TV series, so why shouldn’t Robyn Hood get a shot too?

    How To Make It Work:
    This one doesn’t really need anything changed to survive in the current climate. Like I said already, there are plenty of other fairy tale inspired shows doing great right now, and this would be just different enough to not just be considered a ripoff. A big thing will be the casting though, this won’t work without the right group of actors and actresses. Obviously the casting of Robyn is major, it’s got to be someone younger, who can really get across all the anger and things that the character has going on. A nice unknown would be great, but at the same time going with someone a bit more established might help to draw in an audience. It’ll definitely be a fine line to walk.
    rhwanted01_cover-digital-602x926

    Hoax Hunters

    Why It Would Work:
    Hoax Hunters would make a great fit on those cable networks with all the terrible ghost hunting shows, or the various other “Myths and Monsters” shows that have been on. Obviously those shows are portrayed as real and unscripted, Hoax Hunters on the other hand would be 100% scripted mockumentary spoofing all those shows. In the comic the team goes around and solves supernatural cases and debunks them, only usually they’re real and they have to clean it up before saying it was all a hoax. That’s the selling point right there, while all the ‘real’ shows are trying to prove ghosts and monsters are real, this fictional show would be doing the exact opposite. So all those people who watched a show claiming it would show evidence about Big Foot but got nothing, can sit back and enjoy a giant monster terrorizing some woods while a group of investigators tries to dispatch him. Of course there would need to be a bit of a budget for this show, with characters that aren’t exactly normal running around, and of course the monsters each week. Like another show I’ll talk about later, this would also have an appeal to people who like shows like Sleepy Hollow.

    How To Make It Work:
    A big thing for this show to work is a reasonable budget and a good special effects team. Look at a show like The Walking Dead, they do a lot with some really common things like raw meats and such. It doesn’t all have to be CGI and fake looking, because lets face it TV never has a decent enough budget for solid effects like that. Aside from that, the comic is already formatted to be a TV series, so not much else really needs to be done to it, the stories would translate well to TV and with all the various myths and legends out there, there is no shortage of new stories that can get cooked up.
    tfaw_hoaxp7

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    Wonder Woman Has Been Cast For Batman Vs. Superman https://one-quest.com/blog/wonder-woman-has-been-cast-for-batman-vs-superman/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 19:59:04 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17842 new52_01

    It’s official, Wonder Woman is going to be in the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman movie, and she’s going to be played by actress Gal Gadot. The 28 year old Israeli actress has been in the last 3 Fast & Furious movies, but otherwise has had mostly smaller roles.

    fast-and-furious-6-gal-gadot

    Zack Snyder said about the casting “Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe, Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”
    wonderwomancasting
    This brings confirmed heroes for the upcoming sequel to 3, with the rumors of a possible Nightwing cameo that number can still climb and continue to help lead the way into a future Justice League movie.

    So now it’s time to let us know what you think about this casting. Is Gal going to make a good Wonder Woman or did you have someone else in mind? Let us know in the comments below!

    TrinitySMlg100dpi

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    ILR – Fire Emblem Awakening https://one-quest.com/blog/ilr-fire-emblem-awakening/ https://one-quest.com/blog/ilr-fire-emblem-awakening/#comments Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:58:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17830 fireemblemawakeingbox Fire Emblem Awakening

    Developer ntelligent Systems & Nintendo SPD

    Publisher NintenIdo

    Platforms Nintendo 3DS

    Released: February 4, 2013

    Verdict: A great tactical RPG for long time Fire Emblem fans and new comers all the same.

    Score: 9/10

    As it is with these Incredibly Late Reviews, Fire Emblem Awakening has been out for a while now. But that of course doesn’t mean you, the reader, have played it yet, and frankly shame on you for that! Let me be honest though, this was the first time I have actually ever played a Fire Emblem game. So I guess shame on me too! One of the biggest factors in keeping me away from this fan favorite series all these years, is the complexity of it all. All of the characters, and customization, and the ever present danger of losing your favorite character with a wrong choice. Yes that terror to all gamer that is permanent death is a big part of the Fire Emblem series. As much a part as a huge roster of playable characters, and epic stories. While these factors can, and have cause people, including myself, to avoid these games, they are in fact the greatest reasons to play them.

    Fire Emblem Awakening is a huge game, with 49 total characters across 51 chapters (that you don’t have to download), all crammed into 30+ hours of game play. If you’ve ever played a Fire Emblem before you’ll know the style. It’s a grid-based, turn-based battle system, similar to past games in the series or Final Fantasy Tactics. You control a group of warriors known as the Shepherds lead by the Prince Chrom of Ylisse. Your entry point to the group is a character known as The Avatar, which as the name implies is your Avatar in this world. As the game begins you have a bit of customization you can do to him or her and you get to pick a name. Aside from Chrom and the Avatar you then get to fill up your battle teams with various other characters all with their own unique feels.

    Boy that's a lot of characters

    Boy that’s a lot of characters

    The customization of the battle teams is the part of the game I most enjoyed, trying to decide what characters would be the most useful in a given battle, and deciding where they should start out on the map made a huge difference to how a battle went. Another huge part of this system are the relationships, characters become friends the more they battle next to each other, or are paired together. And some Male/Female pairs can even marry. This is a key element to the game if you want to get all of the characters, but more on that later. Pairing people up does more than make them friendly, they get bonus’ in battle, and will even double attack if you can’t take something down in one hit, or knock the enemy back before they can attack. Raising the relationship of two characters is as simple as putting them on the same square or adjacent squares while attacking an enemy. And if things work out correctly and both characters attack the enemy they both gain experience. This ends up being a double whammy for you, not only are you upping their relationship, but you’re getting dual experience for characters off one enemy.

    Having a battle partner is key!

    Having a battle partner is key!

    We all know when it comes to RPG’s gaining experience and levels for all your characters is key to beating the game. Fire Emblem is no different from others in its’ genre, but you get a whole new level of customization with leveling. Characters all start out with a certain job class, as you level towards the cap of 20 you can eventually upgrade them to an advanced class with a special item. Then you get the chance to level them all the way to 20 again. This time though they’re already stronger and all the levels you gain just keeps moving them up. Of course once you hit 20 again you’re done, there isn’t any higher to go.
    Well, luckily you don’t always have to go up to get better. Once you’ve caped out your advanced class you can switch to a completely different starting job. Say you have a Mercenary who you promoted to Hero, but now you have a level 20 hero who isn’t getting any better. Well why not switch them over to a Pegasus Knight then upgrade them to a Falcon Knight. Now you will lose some stats when switching like this, but not nearly as many as you earned or will continue to earn. It leaves you open to level up and train your character infinitely.

    So far I’ve only really talked about the gameplay, but there is so much more to Fire Emblem Awakening than just an endless sea of battles. There’s an enormous story that spans generation and sets your band of characters on a mission across their world. As I mentioned before, the game starts with a group known as the Shepherds lead by Prince Chrom. They’re basically an elite group of peacekeepers for their kingdom. As the story goes on though, you gain so many more characters with various classes and specialities. Some are just part of the story, and others you have to meet certain requirements to achieve. One thing to always make sure of in a Fire Emblem game, if an Enemy has a unique name make the main Character interact with them. My first time through this (Yes I’ve gone through it multiple times) I missed a few characters because I didn’t know any better.

    Talking can even make enemies friends!

    Talking can even make enemies friends!

    Another big part of this story is time travel, well of a sort anyway. Several of the characters you can get are from the future. Without giving too much away, you get these characters based on the relationships you forge between your group of present time characters. These groupings not only determine if you can get a certain future character, but also the states of those from the future. Your relationship building is going to bring out the biggest moments of the stories. There are some relationships that have grounds laid for them right from the get go, but you may decide to take characters in a different direction entirely. That’s the beauty of it, these things are totally up to you, and you can end up making your team the strongest characters possible because of that.

    If you’re looking for a Final Fantasy like RPG than you probably don’t want to jump into Fire Emblem Awakening right away. This game is pretty linear in where and what you have to do, as you finish one mission the map unlocks the next one. Along the way you’ll have both main scenario missions and side missions known as Paralogues. That’s not to say that the only thing you can do is go straight through these missions. Part of the fun is going back and fighting on the cleared battlefields against new enemies. Testing out new strategies or just leveling up your characters and their relationships. My first playthrough clocked in at about 37 hours. My second, which I haven’t even finished completely yet is closing in on 50 hours with a ton left to do. This is the kind of game that can really thrive on the 3DS, and I hope to see future installments coming to the states.

    Grouping your team can be useful too

    Grouping your team can be useful too

    Now that I’ve gotten done talking about the game it’s your turn to go out there and give it a shot. Then let us know your thoughts in our comments or on Facebook!

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    Review – Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds https://one-quest.com/blog/review-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds/ Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:02:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17818 A Link Between Worlds The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
    Developer Nintendo
    Publisher Nintendo
    Platforms Nintendo 3DS
    Released: 11-22-2013 (NA)
    Verdict: Relive the past with the power of 3D!
    Score:9.5/10

    An odd 20-some years ago Nintendo struck gold on the SNES in A Link to the Past with a refined system that premiered in the very first Legend of Zelda game on NES (Skipping the RPG focused sequel on the NES). Since then the top down perspective that has served the original games so well has been relegated mostly to hand held systems (Except 2004’s Four Swords Adventure on the GameCube) is back on the Nintendo 3DS in a direct sequel to A Link to the Past. A Link Between Worlds picks up a few generations after the SNES original and smartly plays on gamers nostalgia by using the same over world map, and as soon as the game opens up I can tell you it works. Seeing the SNES classic world in a refined perspective and beautifully done in 3D sends all the best feels through the body of anyone who played the original.

    ALL THE FEELS

    ALL THE FEELS

    The gameplay is mostly the same and the touch screen is kept to a useful minimum for menus, item swapping, and checking out your gear which leaves the top screen mostly empty save for the player’s hearts and the “action meter”. Speaking of the new action meter most of the legitimate documentation refers to it as the magic meter but it is so much more now. It’s really a perfection and the next step of the stamina meter from Skyward Sword. Now there is no more worrying about bombs or arrows as they smartly use the action meter now, meaning you never have to worry about being in a dungeon and not having enough of an item that is required. Another smart edition to the action meter is that is fills up automatically now. This is a wonderful turn, though without all of the items to be picked up it means you are generally finding rupees EVERYWHERE. Rupees are in such an abundance you rarely will need to look for them and there are no hidden wallet upgrades so Link is free to fill his wallet up to 9999 from the start.

    Rupees are used to rent and buy items this time around which is a lovely departure. From very early on in the game you get the ability to rent 90% of the games items. Further into the game you obtain the ability to buy these items for good, which allows you to upgrade them with the help of Mother Maiamai. Speaking on Mother Maiamai she has lost her 100 babies across the light and dark worlds and for every 10 you collect she will power up an item that you own. It’s a fresh new way to encourage players to explore their worlds and keep the sound slider all the way up as baby Maiamai’s can be located by their feint audible cries. I loved exploring the world and found myself just spending hours just collecting the babies. The collecting and exploration is further expanded once the ability to travel to Lorule is unlocked and portals open up all over the map. This makes the decade old over world feel fresh and unexplored despite the hours I invested in the SNES classic.

    Rent all you want... Just don't die!

    Rent all you want… Just don’t die!

    Dungeon progression starts out as a paint by numbers if you played Link to the Past. Three light world dungeons which hide three spiritual stones needed to unlock the master sword from its lost woods pedestal. Once you break into Lorule and are tasked with 7 more dungeons to save the sages reincarnate the game really opens up in a way any Zelda game since the original hasn’t. You are free to tackle any dungeon in any order. With my wife and I playing at the same time we found we had decided to deal with the tasks in a completely opposite order. The only problem with this is that none of the dungeons feels harder than another and a real sense of progression is lost. Even in the original Zelda for NES if you decided to play Level 8 first, you were free to, but the difficulty would make it known you are tackling a dungeon with some serious difficulty. Despite that the freedom to explore and make each quest your own is decidedly welcome to Zelda games. I only hope that the Wii U version will follow suit.

    Additionally, this game, like its predecessor wastes no time with hand holding that the series has picked up since transitioning to 3D. It takes about 10 minutes to get into the action and I cannot overstate how welcome this is from Skyward Sword’s 30 minute guided tour of Skyloft and then the additional 30 minutes of menial tasks before you can even begin exploring. I hope that this approach too follows into the Wii U game soon to show its face.

    On the topic of 3D, stereoscopic 3D that is; I have to say this is the first game I have willingly played mostly in 3D mode. (Sorry Mario 3D Land) The 3D visuals are subtle when they should be and the bosses stand out in beautiful color and depth. This is the game that should have launched with the system if Nintendo was serious about pushing the 3D. It’s a shame to see it finally show up 3 years after the systems launch but, if you were on the fence about the system before I can comfortably tell you this would be much less of a moving and cinematic experience if played on the 2DS.

    Finally, the characters here are a bit lacking as is the general story. Growing up in the Atari/ Nintendo era it was always understood that the story was in your head. The game could play out as much as it could convey in its limited memory and format and the player was left to imagine the rest. Having grown into gaming this way A Link Between Worlds didn’t disappoint me, but I certainly was not impressed either giving the storytelling the device and medium have been able to achieve since A Link to the Past. The characters are underdeveloped, the plot paper-thin, and the dialogue only as wordy as it needs to be. This doesn’t hurt the game at large, but if you thought you were getting anything but what was presented 20 years ago, you will be disappointed. Ganon is by far the most robbed in his game as he doesn’t get a single line of dialogue. Not one word. Notta. For the greatest villain Link has ever faced this is an injustice that is inexcusable especially since this game takes place before the first two NES games where he is an overpowering force that is not easily dealt with. The final battle with him also leaves MUCH to be desired.

    This image from the demo is FAR more interesting than Ganon in game.

    This image from the demo is FAR more interesting than Ganon in game.

    All said this is still a game that cannot be missed if you are a Zelda fan or have a 3DS that needs some quality time with your hands. This is a game that should not be missed and will be a welcome addition to any collection as you play it over and over in Hero Mode and Shadow Battles via StreetPass.

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    Take It Or Leave It – November 27, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-27-2013/ Fri, 29 Nov 2013 22:06:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17786 tioli112713

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This week, Take It Or Leave It was going to be smaller, but then I looked at all the great books that came out and I just kept adding more to the list. So lets get to this and start talking about them!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    aquaman25

    Aquaman #25

    Aquaman 25 is quite a bittersweet ending to a pretty amazing story line. This marks the end of the line for Geoff Johns time on the book, for now at least. Johns made Aquaman a character worth reading, and less of a joke to comic book fans around the world. And issue 25 continues that as he wraps up Arthur’s battle with the Dead King of Atlantis. It’s been a pretty wild ride to get here, and while it’s not the most exciting ending, this issue does a great job of wrapping things up and opening up plenty of opportunities for the next writer to do something of their own. Let’s just hope the next person on the book can bring the same level of humor and excitement to the King of Atlantis as Johns was able to. And if not, at least we were given a good send off and a great 25 issue run.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    teentitans25

    Teen Titans #25

    I like the Teen Titans, but I don’t like it nearly as much as I want to, if that makes any sense. The story just jumps around to much, and at this point it’s hard to remember what happens from issue to issue. I suppose it doesn’t help that things happen to these characters in others books that I don’t read like Superboy. Aside from that though it’s intresting what they’re doing with Kid Flash, he’s been such an enigma since the book launched, and we’ve known something wasn’t quite right with him. And now finally after so long we are finding out exactly what he did. This was a pretty strong issue in that light, we got a lot of conflicting emotions from all the Titans about Bart’s past, hopefully next issue can keep that up.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    teenagemutantninjaturtles28

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #28

    City Fall is over, and boy what a ride it was. Leo was evil, the Turtles and their allies were essentially broken and Shredder was slowly taking over the city. Luckily nothing lasts forever, and as anyone could expect the Turtles pulled something off in the end with the help of several others. It was great last issue the big reveal of Bebop and Rocksteady, but seeing them in full action and actually winning was even better. It brings back all those fond memories of the ’80s cartoon that this book is so good at invoking. The end of the issue leaves another surprise with us that if I’m not mistaken is a direct reference to the first movie. It’s got me excited for next month, and frankly every month after that!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    saga16

    Saga #16

    Saga is a wonderful book, where nothing really happens, but so much amazing stuff happens! I know, that makes absolutely no sense if you haven’t been reading the book, and that’s the problem right there. You’re not reading this book yet, you should definitely go remedy that immediately. This issue picks up where we left off, The Will is in bad shape, our ‘heroes’ are still keeping a low profile and, well being a family for the first time in a long time. Oh and Prince Robot is finally showing up. The story is catching up to where they were months ago before go into the flashback and it looks like next issue things should get really serious. I just can’t say enough nice things about this book, and you can pretty much go read any other review and see the same thing. So do yourself a favor and jump on the bandwagon already!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    infinity6

    Infinity #6

    Oh Infinity how I wish you didn’t suck so hard. For a couple issues there I had real hopes for you turning a corner and getting better. Alas, your official ending was no better than anything else in this convoluted story. The ending just felt so anti-climatic, and knowing Hickman we won’t see any sort of outcome from this for years. I don’t hate these big event stories, I think they can be a lot of fun. Lately though most of them haven’t been, and Infinity is the worst of the bunch so far. If you’re dead set on knowing how this story ends then go ahead and read it, otherwise just forget about this story. Nothing important happens, and I’m sure every damn book that tied into it will make reference to it, so you really won’t miss anything. I will say one good thing about this story as a whole though, it gave us a great Wolverine and the X-Men Annual featuring Kid Gladiator, now that was a good read, shame everything else made me wish I could unread it all..

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 2/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    scarletspider24

    Scarlet Spider #24

    Oh Scarlet Spider, how I’m going to miss you. It’s great that a book like this got a 2 year run, I just wish I could have gone on longer. Can’t we just cut out some of these terrible Avenger and X-Men books and keep a little room open for Kaine? I grew up a fan of Scarlet Spider, the earliest issues of Spider-Man I ever read as a kid, before I really knew what was going on, featured Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider. I know that Ben and Kaine have nothing income other than being clones, but it was that nostalgia that drew me to the book, and the amazing stories that kept me coming back. On the bright side Kaine will be showing up in New Warriors early next year, still being written by Christopher Yost. I just hope we still get to see some of his supporting cast, that’s what helped make this book so good. I guess I should say something about issue 24 now though. The issue pretty much deals directly with the outcome of Kraven on Kains friends, as we saw at the end of last issue, not everyone is to happy with him. So much so that they found out just who exactly Kain used to be. That’s not all that this is about though, plenty of other very strange things start happening, it’s nice to know Chris didn’t just sit back and let the last couple issue go by, he’s looking to take Scarlet Spider out with a bang and as sad as it’s going to be, I can’t wait to see how it all ends in Scarlet Spider #25.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quest01_coverC

    Quest #1

    Quest #1 has the privilege of opening up the next big story line for Zenescope, that being the Age of Darkness which will lead us right up to the milestone 100th issue of Grimm Fairy Tales. Zenescope’s books always tend to have a grand scope when you read them, and with Unleashed having just finished up they’re not wasting anytime jumping into the next disaster on the horizon of the universe. Now Quest #1 doesn’t set up much, but it’s still a really fun read. The dialogue between the characters feel real for a group who aren’t really all friends, but are still stuck traveling together. And even when here’s some terrible stuff going down, we get a nice dose of humor to lighten the mood. I do wish this might have shed a little more light on how Age of Darkness will be effecting the Grimm Fairy Tales Universe, but there’s still 4 more issues and several other books to come to delve into this conflict so for now it’s worth sitting back and enjoying the ride.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch casting confirmed! https://one-quest.com/blog/quicksilver-and-scarlet-witch-casting-confirmed/ Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:49:37 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17772 Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
     
    Well, it’s been known that both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would be appearing in the highly anticipated sequel to Marvel’s The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and now their casting has finally been revealed. You can read the official announcement over at the Marvel blog, or just scroll down a bit here.
     
    Who will portray the children of Magneto in this sure to be blockbuster? Exactly who we all thought it would be.
     
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson, of Kick Ass, will portray Marvel Studios adaptation of Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron, while Evan Peters has already been cast in the same role for Fox’s X-Men Days of Future Past.
     
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson
     
    Elizabeth Olsen(Oldboy) will be bringing the Scarlet Witch to life for the first time on the silver screen!
     
    elizabeth olsen
     
    Pretty exciting news here! Altho, it was all highly rumored so not exactly surprising. Let’s just hope they don’t try to adapt the Ultimate version of these characters. Things got weird in there. . .
     
    Ultimate Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
     
    Anyways, stick with One-Quest for any future announcements concerning Avengers: Age of Ultron and really anything else nerdy.
     
    Don’t forget to tell us what you think about the casting in the comments below!

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    T.W.I.G. 11/24/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-112413/ Sun, 24 Nov 2013 16:00:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17767 Twig1

     

    We’re back to being on-time for this week’s edition of The Week In Gaming. The Xbox One has been released and I’m sure we will have some first impressions coming soon from Walnut. But lets take a look at the rest of the news from the past week.

    The News:

    • Persona 5 has been announced for PS3, it will release in Winter 2014.
    • Final Fantasy 10 & 10-2 HD have finally gotten a firm release date of March 18th, 2014. I was hoping for this to come out in December like initial reports had it now it slipping closer to when more games for the PS4 will be out and I’m not sure I’m going to want to boot up the PS3 anymore by then.
    • It looks like both Sony and Microsoft moved over 1 Million each of their respective new consoles in the first 24 hours of release. The PS4 went on sale in just the U.S. and Canada on 11/15 while the Xbox One launched in 13 countries (Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the U.K., U.S., and New Zealand) on 11/22. The PS4 goes on sale in Europe on 11/29.

    The new releases:

      After 2 weeks of new console launches and the big lists of launch titles its a VERY slow week for new releases as only 1 new game is coming to retail this week and a few digital downloads are coming out.

    • Ys: Memories of Celceta (11/26) – Vita
    • Escape Plan (11/29) – PS4
    • Flow (11/29) – PS4, Vita

    Did You Know

    In the NES era, Nintendo had strict licensing rules in an effort to maintain quality control (hence the gold Nintendo seal of quality badges on the cartridges). They only allowed third-party publishers to release 5 games a year for their systems.

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    Friday Five – Favorite Xbox 360 Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-xbox-360-games/ Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:45:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17753 xbox-360-250gb-slim

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category is: Favorite PS3 Games.

    It’s Friday again, so it’s time for the Friday Five! Last week with the launch of the PS4 we talked about our favorite PS3 titles, this week to go along with the release of Xbox One we’re doing it about Xbox 360 games. So lets get to it already!

    Chris

    1. Mass Effect 2 – Well to be honest I haven’t finished the last Mass Effect yet, but I played the first 2 and probably about half the of third. And out of that I definitely enjoyed the second one the best. While the games were drastically different I was pulled into the second game the most and enjoyed the story more than the first one.
    2. Bioshock – I only actually played the first Bioshock on Xbox, and I didn’t even beat it entirely on my own. At the time it came out I worked at Gamestop and spent saw just as much of the game while other people played it as I did while I played it. But it was still a great game, and one of only a few first person game I actually enjoyed. Someday I’ll get around to playing Infinite too.
    3. Earth Defense Force 2017 – This game is pretty ridiculous, and while I haven’t played it for years I loved running around fighting giant bug alien monsters. This was another one of those games I played with working in a Gamestop and it was a great way to kill them.
    4. Castle Crashers – If you have a 360 and you didn’t play Castle Crasher we’ll you’re doing it all wrong. I know it was eventually released on PS3 a couple years after 360, but that’s not important. This was one of those games that were inexpensive, didn’t require a trip to the store, and had all the right kinds of fun in it, and plenty of humor.
    5. Halo 3 – I only actually played the first 3 Halo games, never played any of the side games either. Out of those first three though I enjoyed the final one the most. I’ve heard, and you’ll see it later on in this list, that later titles were even better but this is pretty much where the saga ended for me and it was fun.

    mass-effect-two

    Shannon

    1. Halo 4
    2. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
    3. Fable 3
    4. Dead or Alive 4
    5. Beautiful Katamari

    halo4

    Pisko

    1. Mass Effect (Series) – Impossible to pick one as they change gameplay types every chapter. One was a superbly crafted RPG experience. Two, a balanced RPG and tactical cover-based shooter. Three the action packed adventure closing out the series quite decisively.
    2. Bioshock – This game may have only taken 5 hours to complete but I spent so much time in Rapture someone should have been charging me rent. The atmosphere in Rapture was the first in a video game to ever make me feel like the environment itself was out to get me. Hearing Big Daddies lumber around with their companions. Contemplating the risk and calculating the reward. Bioshock was a game of choices so much more than if you save or harvest the sisters. It took the kid gloves off and treated the player as an adult. Something games dont often do anymore.
    3. Halo (Tie between Reach and 4) – This was tough… Halo: Reach is Bungie’s best effort on the system and a heartfelt goodbye to the franchise that got them so far with one of the most polished and perfected multiplayer modes on Xbox Live. On the other hand Halo 4 has some of the best graphics on the 360 to date and greatly benefits from a fresh set of hands on the franchise.
    4. Left 4 Dead – Though it was arguably better on the PC, I spent so many hours on Xbox Live playing with friends in the house. It was like a month long LAN party screaming from room to room. Teamwork was the key and Valve sent that message home in one hard package.
    5. Guitar Hero 3 – I don’t think this disc left my 360 for a year solid. It still didn’t have online multiplayer but that was a small price to pay. I will accept any challenge to this day.

    bioshock1

    Eric

    I don’t own an xbox, but my brother has one. So when I lived at home I played it a bit. Not too much tho. . . :p

    1. Gears of War – I feel like people were more into it for the shock value of curb stomping enemies and chainsawing them in half. I, however, thought the premise was interesting, despite the script sounding like it was written by a 12 year old. An alien invasion from the inside. However, I never understood why the humans fought so hard and didn’t just up and leave. . . SHIIIIIIT!
    2. Blue Dragon – This was one of the only reasons I played xbox, and one of 3 games I personally purchased for the console. It was a fantastic game, with outstanding music, and beautiful visuals. It’s a shame the 360 couldn’t handle the special effects during combat.
    3. Lost Odyssey – This is one of the 3 game I purchased as well. It’s from the same studio as Blue Dragon, but held a more adult feel. No more cartoony characters, instead we have beautiful realistic visuals, and a story about an immortal struggling with living forever. Pretty deep stuff.
    4. Mass Effect – I hold the first one in higher regards than the second. It felt more like an RPG than the second game did. I understand why BioWare made the decision to change it, but I preferred the exploration, and slow reward method of ME over the run and gun methods of it’s sequels.
    5. Braid – This is one of those indie games that I love and hate. I love it because it is genius from gameplay to story telling. I hate it because some of it’s puzzles were absolutely insane to solve. Also, it’s creator is one of those pretentious types that swears his works are better than that of Shakespeare. Learn some humility man!

    blue-dragon

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    Zenescope Enters the Age of Darkness https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescope-enters-the-age-of-darkness/ Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:39:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17748 AOD_Quest_CR_GFTDQ_Facebook_ad

    The beginning of Zenescopes next big storyline starts next week with Quest #1 as they enter the Age of Darkness. Leading up to the huge issue 100 of the main Grimm Fairy Tales book this summer, we’ll see the rest of the Zenescope line get plunged into the darkness. I got a chance to read Quest #1 a head of time, and while I can’t say much I will say it’s a nice lead in to what should be a pretty exciting storyline. The next part of the story will be in Code Red due out in December and Dark Queen hitting shelves in January. You can see all of this in the image above, and don’t worry there’s plenty more than just those three books coming out of the Age of Darkness. Just check out the full press release below, and check back next week for our review of Quest #1 in next weeks Take It Or Leave It!


    Zenescope Entertainment’s Enters the Age of Darkness

    November, 2013 — Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans for a new event that will become part of the long running hit comic book series, Grimm Fairy Tales. The event is called Age of Darkness and will involve most of Zenescope’s Grimm Universe spinoff series as well as its flagship title, Grimm Fairy Tales as it approaches its landmark 100th issue, due out July 2014.
    “Everything we’ve ever done in the Grimm Fairy Tales has led up to this event and the Grimm Universe will be forever changed by this.” states Zenescope President, Joe Brusha. “We’re thrilled that this series has lasted so long and we’re even more excited to see it evolve into something bigger now with the Age of Darkness event.”

    Age of Darkness will first hit the Grimm Universe starting in two spinoff titles: Quest and Code Red. But 2014 will get more intense as the Age of Darkness descends upon multiple Grimm Fairy Tales series including Robyn Hood, Neverland, Inferno and Wonderland: Clash of Queens.
    “We’re definitely going to shock some fans as we lead up to #100.” says Editor-in-Chief Ralph Tedesco “But Age of Darkness is not being done simply for shock value, we want this ride that our fans have taken with us for the past eight years to really pay off.”
    Upcoming Age of Darkenss titles are currently available for pre-order in Diamond Previews, which is out now. Check back on the Zenescope blog, http://blog.zenescope.com/ and follow Zenescope on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zenescope and on Twitter @Zenescope for updates.

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    First Look – Playstation 4 https://one-quest.com/blog/first-look-playstation-4/ Mon, 18 Nov 2013 20:56:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17726 PS4-controller-HD-Wallpaper

    The Playstation 4 has officially been released, and what a weekend it was for Sony’s newest home console. Over 1 million units sold, hours and hours of gamers pouring themselves into their new games. Christmas certainly came early for quite a few people with numbers like that. Many of the early adopters of the new platform waited in lines late into the night on Thursday to be the first to pick up there consoles at midnight. Others like myself headed to their respective pre-order locations and grabbed their console first thing in the morning. I’m usually not someone who likes to pick up a console when it’s first released, I like to wait it out a while, let some games build up and see how everything is going. Last generation I waited over a year before picking up the 3 contenders (PS3, 360, Wii). Lately though I’ve found myself wanting to be part of the launch, I did it with the Wii U last year, and now I’ve done it again with the PS4. Now there are things to be said for both ends of that, waiting means you’ll generally have a better library of games to pick from, while getting it right away you get to see what all the hype is about first, and in this current generation you even get a few added perks, but more on that later. So to move on with this, I picked up my PS4 Friday morning, and that’s all I got, I didn’t get any games or accessories so I’m running with just what the console comes with.
    ps4retailcontents

    To be fair, I did already have a PS+ account so I didn’t have to worry about that, but if you aren’t already a subscriber the new system comes with a free 30 days of the service, and believe me it’s more than worth the 50 dollars a year to jump on it. Now the great thing about the PS4 is that even without any games purchased you get access to PSN titles for free, Contrast, and puzzle platformer and Resogun a side-scrolling shoot ’em-up. That’s not all though, there’s another Free-To-Play title called Warframe, a 3rd person co-op shooter, you can download.You even get some extra perks as a PS+ member. So that’s 3 things to do with your console right from the get go. Add to that the 10 dollar worth of PSN credits you get for picking up your system and you have a potential 4 games without spending anymore than the cost of the console. I personally picked up the game Flower from ThatGameCompany. It’s only $6.99, and while it was originally for the PS3 if you didn’t play it, it’s well worth the time and money. I believe it’s also a cross buy, so if you did purchase it on the PS3 you can download it right away on your PS4. At this point I still haven’t found a reason to not pick up a PS4 right now, and it’ll get better as Sony plans on continuing to add new digital titles for free download to PS+ members just like on the PS3.

    Obviously in today’s market, this thing isn’t just about games. Their are plenty of entertainment options to go with too, along with the other free stuff that comes with the console there’s also a 30 day trial for Music Unlimited. That will allow you to stream music directly from your PS4. You can use it while playing games on the PS4 or Vita, and apparently even access stuff on other mobile devices and PCs. Personally I haven’t tried it yet, but if you’re a music fan, which honestly who isn’t, than this isn’t a bad deal for free. Aside from the music you’ve got all your standards too, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, and more. Coupled with the consoles ability to play DVD’s and Blu-rays and this one box is pretty much your entire home entertainment hub, just like the PS3 was. Now their is a downside here, I spent a decent amount of time watching Netflix over the weekend, and as I did with my PS3 I tried to turn off the controller while watching to conserve battery. Unfortunately you can’t do it now, when you hold the PS button to turn off the controller it pauses the video, and you can’t unpause it unless the controller is on. This may just be a minor design flaw that they’ll fix with an update later on. There is one way around this, in setting under power saving you can set a standby power off for the controller. The shortest time is 10 minutes which isn’t awesome, but it is at least something. Regardless of that for now you may be better off streaming Netflix or other streaming services from another device. I still prefer to use my Wii U since the Gamepad will show me details about what I’m watching while it’s on.

    Not my Dashboard, but this is what your console will look like.

    Not my Dashboard, but this is what your console will look like.

    The system OS itself is actually pretty user friendly too, though it’s a little strange how much they’re integrating a built in Social Network feel to it. I feel like this makes you want to have friends on your PS4 more than you would have cared previously. The less people you’re friends with the less you’re going to feel like you’re utilizing all of the PS4 features. Aside from that everything else is pretty straight forward. When you boot up your system for the first time it will walk you through everything including setting up your PSN account or signing into an existing one. You get the choice if you want to keep going with your user id or switching to your real name too. I just went with my real name, considering I’m all over the internet I don’t see a point in trying to hide it. You can still sync up with your Facebook account too, this will let you sync your name, profile picture, and automatically have the PS4 post to your Timeline whenever you play a game or get a trophy. I highly advice you read the terms of use and pick what you want to show up. If you’re someone who plays a lot of games and switches around a lot you might not want it to post every game you play. This will fill up your friends news feed and may have them blocking you. I spent a while trying to find setting for this after the fact, and it just felt hidden.

    So overall I haven’t really found to many problem with the PS4, and frankly none of them are big enough to not pick up this system. I’ve seen the articles about some of the problems that are surfacing with the console, but so far I haven’t had any of those happen. Hopefully if you’re one of the people running into problems you can find a solution to it and get back to enjoying this great piece of gaming hardware. I know that it’s not without flaw, but if it works, and lets you do what it’s meant to do, I think it’s a win. Now we just need the game library to start filling out a little more. There’s plenty of games coming though with the likes of Watch_Dogs, The Order 1886, and plenty of others.

    Contrast

    Contrast

    With the basics out of the way, how about we talk a bit about the two big free games that came with your Playstation Plus account. I’ve only played Contrast once so far, and it was pretty cool. I spent about an hour phasing between being a real physical being and being a shadow running along the walls. The style of the game is great, and it’s got a fun puzzle platform feel to it. Unfortunately in that first hour it was incredibly glitchy, I was constantly getting stuck in various objects I was trying to jump on. That really pulled me away from the game spending a few minutes trying to wiggle free of a table I’m stuck in just wasn’t fun. Luckily on the other side of the free coin (well kinda free), we have Resogun which is super addictive and fun in a you hate yourself kind of way. I never played Housemarque’s other popular PSN title Super Stardust HD, but Resogun felt a lot like one of my favorite Xbox Live Arcade games, Geometry Wars. Resogun isn’t as open with where you can move and shoot as Geometry Wars, but it’s got such a similar style and feel if you were a fan, you’ll love Resogun. This is the game I keep going back to, every time I turn on the PS4 even if it’s just for Netflix I play a few rounds of Resogun. For me it easily made the system worth purchasing without any other software.

    Resogun

    Resogun

    The last thing to talk about is the Share button that Sony was all about in every press conference since the PS4 was announced. I honestly haven’t found much of a use for it yet, but I will admit I’ve seen a few friends post videos on Facebook and that is pretty cool. As someone who works on a website about video games I can really see this feature being instrumental in news outlets quickly and easily showing the world new games. I don’t have to go out and by a video capture device, or spend more money than I have on an SDK the system can just make videos and screen shots for me.

    Now it’s your turn, let us know your experiences with the PS4 so far, or if you haven’t picked one up yet, what are you waiting for? A game? A new model? Xbox One?

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    T.W.I.G. 11/17/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-11172013/ Mon, 18 Nov 2013 02:02:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17732 Twig1

     

    Its Sunday so that means we’re ready for our weekly news recap, The Week In Gaming: The extra late because of the PS4 launch edition!

    The News:

    • Fallout 4 might be announced on December 11th. A new website, supposedly registerd by Bethesda, thesurvivor2299.com features simply a countdown clock and morse code for 11-12-13 (the European date format for December 11th). Its not positive that this is set up by Bethesda but there is also no indication that it wasn’t so we will likely have to wait until the 11th to find out.
    • Sony has stated that over 1 million PS4’s were sold in the 1st 24-hours after release. No word on further sales from Saturday as of just yet.
    • 4J Studios is attempting to work out a way to make saves from the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft port over to the Xbox One. That will be good news for all the people who have sunk countless hours into the 360 version.
    • Towerfall: Ascension has been announced for both the PC & PS4. Towerfall is a multi-player bow & arrow game that is the most popular Ouya exclusive game. Ascension is adding 50 new levels, 4 more characters, 6 extra power-ups, and a co-op quest mode. This will be a game I keep my eye on as its release nears, which is currently targeted for next January.
    • At the PS4 launch event in New York Naughty Dog announced that a new Uncharted game is in the works for the PS4. No word on a full title or a release date but this is exciting news, the Uncharted series was one of the best sets of exclusives to the PS3 and had some of the most impressive visuals, I can’t wait to see what Naughty Dog can do with the PS4.
    • Rayman Legends is headed to PS4 and Xbox One in February 2014. What was once a WiiU exclusive will now have been released on all systems.
    • Nintendo has announced that in an upcoming system update that the 3DS will be getting access to the WiiU Miiverse and the ability to combine your account balances between the WiiU and the 3DS.

    The new releases:

      Another big week for new releases as we see the XboxOne and all of its games come out this week:

    • Xbox One (11/22)
    • NBA Live 14 (11/19) – PS4, XB1
    • The Amazing Spider-Man (11/19) – Vita
    • SoulCalibur 2 HD Online (11/19) – 360, PS3 [Download only]
    • Tearaway (11/22) – Vita
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (11/22) – 3DS
    • Super Mario 3D World (11/22) – WiiU
    • Mario Party: Island Tour (11/22) – 3DS
    • Crimson Dragon (11/22) – XB1
    • Dead Rising 3 (11/22) – XB1
    • Ryse: Son of Rome (11/22) – XB1
    • Killer Instinct (11/22) – XB1
    • Forza Motorsport 5 (11/22) – XB1
    • Lococycle (11/22) – XB1
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    Friday Five – Favorite PS3 Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-ps3-games/ Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:54:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17713 colectie2
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category is: Favorite PS3 Games.

    Well we managed to still crank out a Friday Five this week, even though a good amount of us are busy playing PS4 right now. And in honor of the newly release console, and the departing PS3, we’re listing our favorite games we played on PS3. So lets get our lists started!

    Chris

    1. Uncharted 2 – I have a feeling at least one other person may be picking this game, it was just so good. Uncharted 2 has been the peak of the franchise so far, but they did just unveil a new PS4 Uncharted with a teaser trailer. So while it could still be trumped in the future, it’s officially going down as the best of the series on PS3!
    2. Ghostbusters – I don’t know if a lot of people actually played this game, and that’s a shame. It was a mutli-platform release, but PS3 is where I played it and loved it. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan this is a must have really, it continues the legacy of the movies perfectly, and if I’m not mistaken it even fits into continuity with the current on going comic over at IDW.
    3. Portal 2 – The first Portal was a masterpiece, for something that was basically just filler it went on to become huge. The story was great, the voice actors were great, and oh man were the puzzle great. But then Portal 2 came out, and it just upped the ante on everything the first one had down. Added more characters, expanded on the existing antagonist, and all the while kept throwing this amazing puzzles at us to solve.
    4. The Last Of Us – This is just one of those games that looked amazing from it’s first reveal, and it really held up to the hype. I don’t buy a lot of games at launch, or play them for hours a day until they’re done. With The Last Of Us though that’s exactly what I did, this game was paid off and ready for my system before it was even released. And boy when it was I just kept going, I doubt I broke any records for finishing it, but I just couldn’t put this game down.
    5. Batman: Arkham City – Arkham Asylum was nuts, and nothing but awesome. Especially after years of bad superhero games, I don’t think I even picked it up myself I think it was a random gift or something. But that first game like Portal got me hooked. So when the sequel Arkham City launched I was ready for it and powered through that game in about a week and loved every second of it. There was just so much stuff hidden in the game for Batman and comic book fans what’s not to love.

    Uncharted 2 3

    Shannon

    I don’t play many games, so this is pretty much a list of all the PS3 games I’ve played.

    1. Little Big Planet/LBP2
    2. Injustice: Gods Among Us
    3. Soul Calibur IV
    4. Pain
    5. Mini Ninjas

    LittleBigPlanet-2-3

    Pisko

    1. inFamous – Holy hell this was Spider-Man 2 taken to a ridiculous new level. Wide open city to explore. Great plot (that ignores some paradoxes… kinda). ELECTRIC SUPER POWERS. Using those electric super powers on average gang members. This game really cemented my love for the PS3 with one game. Up until this Uncharted was the one to own the system for but it’s short story and lack of DLC made me yearn for a bigger adventure. That adventure turned out to be inFamous from Sucker Punch the ex-Sly Cooper dev’s. The graphics in this were slick and the comic book presentation was really inviting to me. So much so that I found EVERY blast shard. All 300+ of them. Like it was some kind of Mario game. LOVE. <3
    2. Little Big Planet – While it failed to keep my attention very long (I’m personally not big on content creation) the adventure and “story” portion of this game gave the PS3 what it desperately needed in both a new mascot and a family friendly title. It also didn’t hurt that it looked amazing.
    3. Metal Gear Solid 4 – This took the PS3 years into the future with its graphics. The gameplay was everything people had come to expect and more. Finally allowing for more range in how you play the game. Want to play it like a shooter? Done. Want to sneak like MGS 1? Also done. Me, I hung in the middle playing both ends of the extreme and was not disappointed. Though the ending, like other Metal Gear games, was just a big bag of, “What did I just play?”
    4. The Last of Us – Wow did the PS3 know how to go out with a bang. This game changed my mind about wanting a next gen system. It uses still only a fraction of the waning PS3’s power but still looks and plays amazing and fluidly. The voice acting is second to none and the gameplay is a cover shooter mixed with uncharted’s exploration. This is a masterpiece and the last great reason to get a PS3.
    5. Super Stardust – I never knew what was essentially Asteroids could look so amazing. The concept is simple: You are a spaceship protecting worlds against space junk. Waste management for the stratosphere. Your job? To blow the hell out of the space junk. The controls were simple in this twin-stick shooter but the addition of Geometry Wars-like power ups such as boost and bombs made this game simple to play but hard to master. It is the one game that has been on my PS3 since day one and still gets played often.

    Infamous_sc014

    Drootin

    1. The Last Of Us – This was, in my opinion anyway, the best game on the PS3. The story was so good it made it easy to overlook some of the minor gameplay quirks.
    2. NHL series – It’s well known here that NHL 94 is one of my all time favorite games but honestly I wasn’t the biggest fan of many of the games in EA’s franchise after that (exception being NHL 99 on PS1). That all changed on the PS3, something about moving the shooting and checking from a face button to the analog stick just completely changed the game and made it fun again and as the PS3 went on the games just got better. I look forward to what EA does with their hockey games on the PS4.
    3. Valkyria Chronicles – As we said in the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played V this was a great game with beautiful art, solid gameplay, and a good story.
    4. Rock Band series – Rock Band was some of the most fun I had with the PS3. I remember having 10+ hour marathon sessions with all the friends when 1 & 2 came out and many extended sessions thru the years. And Beatles Rock Band was partly instrumental in my coming around to realizing how amazing that band truly is.
    5. Metal Gear Solid 4 – This was the game that made me choose the PS3 over the Xbox 360 and I don’t regret that at all. It was a phenomenal game that I couldn’t put down. I beat it in 2 7-8 hour sittings.

    the-last-of-us-shot-one

    Vogel

    1. Little Big Planet 2 – They introduced the advanced game creator into LBP2 and I loved it. I spent so much time building my own games, like ikaruga style shooters and pinball machines. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to relate the logic from those games into the object style programming of the editor.
    2. Heavy Rain – I really wanted to see every ending of this game, get every trophy, all of that. I loved the story and I was compelled to keep playing (I don’t complete games very often, I tend to get distracted). However, my PS3 crashed and I lost my game save and never replayed it.
    3. Batman Arkham Series – Asylum and City – Another series of games I actually completed. I enjoyed City so much I got every trophy except the Calendar Man one because I’m too lazy/impatient for that. Also, I don’t care enough about the trophies to time jump, I just see the trophies as another layer of the game to enjoy.
    4. Portal 2 – I’m gonna list this on here because I did infact buy it for the PS3. Only because it came bundled with the PC version for free, but I bought the PS3 version none the less. I did complete the PS3 version of the game, Cobb calls me a masochist for various reasons, I would admit that my 70+ hours into the PC version alone is a testament to that.
    5. Grand Theft Auto V – The main reason I’m going to cop out on this one is that I beat it and I still play the story mode to try and get all the random events and whatnot. As I said earlier, I don’t actually complete games often, I think GTA Vice City was the only one from the franchise I completed and then I never looked at it again. I still attempt this game every few days (I say attempt because there’s something wrong with my PS3 and it doesn’t like to start the game).

    Portal_2_coop_jan_22_2

    Eric

    What I dislike about this category, is that it’s hard for me to choose only 5 games. What’s amazing, is that a lot of them have already been used by everyone else. However I say screw it, they’re all worth mentioning again! BTW, everything I pick will be a PS3 exclusive.

    1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – I loved the first one, and it was an early sell for me with the system. The third one was spectacular as well. However, Uncharted 2 is the absolute best in the series, and one of the best games on the PS3. it’s stunning, fun, and hilarious. A MUST play.
    2. God of War III – I LOVE this series. An angry man bent on revenge against all Gods for the wrongdoings cast upon him in his life. This is the final chapter in the series, as far as we know, and is by far one of the best games i’ve ever played. The first time I gutted a Centaur and literally saw his guts spill out on the ground, my jaw dropped. I was in awe. And that was within the first half hour of the game!
    3. inFamous – This came out alongside Prototype and together both games were considered rivals. Both games featured young heroes with new superpowers, and a morality system, in a free roam environment. The difference with these two is that inFamous was exclusive to PS3 and as a result had far more polish than Prototype. The only people I know that liked Prototype over inFamous are those that never played inFamous. I call those people Blasphemers.
    4. Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time – I clocked far too many hours into this game, solely because it was phenomenal! Everything about the series was finely tuned to craft the perfect Ratchet and Clank experience. The weapons were absurd, there were plenty of planets and secret areas to visit, and of course it was beautiful!
      This one is tough. . . On one hand the indie scene is under represented here, on the other hand, some blockbusters really deserve to get mentioned again. Ugh. I will go with. . .
    5. Journey – This is BY FAR one of the single greatest experiences of my life. The game clocks in at about 3 hours, but by the end you will have experienced a whole new level of feels. On top of that it is, of course, beautiful! Some of the most amazing sand animation I have ever seen. And one of the best musical scores in gaming. This is truly a game that you need to experience as soon as you can, and it’s only available on PlayStation.

    god-of-war-3-release-date-screenshot

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – Z https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-z/ Thu, 14 Nov 2013 17:00:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17552 GYPSHP_Z
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “Z”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Eric

    Zone of the Enders (PS2 – 2001)
    This was the reason I wanted a PS2. This game. Some people saw this game as a means to access the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo, but not I. Nope, I saw an awesome, anime style, flying robot game. It was awesome. There were some frame rate issues, and the voice acting was really bad. But the design, and the plot were spot on. Not to mention the quickness of these mechs! The sequel was even better, but this game deserves the recognition for being different so early in the PS2 life cycle.
     
    ZoE HD
     

    Chris

    Zone of the Enders (PS2 – 2001)
    Unfortunately there is a real lack of solid Z titles to pick from, so I’m going to have to follow along with Eric and go with Zone of the Enders. I never did get to play the sequel, back when I worked at Gamestop I always thought about buying it, but for a used PS2 game in 2008 it was just too expensive. On the bright side I have played the original, and holy crap was that game fun, it was everything a Gundam game should have been, but never was.
     
    ZoE HD2

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    The Night Of The Doctor Sheds Some New Light https://one-quest.com/blog/the-night-of-the-doctor-sheds-some-new-light/ Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:31:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17704 We’ve got only a little over a week left until The Day Of The Doctor finally airs! BBC isn’t making the wait any easier though, they recently released this mini-episode featuring the return of Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor. If you haven’t seen the video yet watch it right now before reading anymore!

    For easy viewing here it is, The Night of the Doctor

    **Spoilers Ahead**

    And there you have it, John Hurt is officially the War Doctor, the regeneration between 8 and 9, which I suppose technically makes him 9 and pushes everyone else back one. A lot of things really happen in this short video, things that will potentially have a huge impact on things to come later. This is also the most we’ve really seen of the Time War so far, or at least the effect it’s having on the universe, and I suppose the effect it’s having on The Doctor as well. One other thing this video does is give me hope that we may be seeing Christopher Eccleston in the 50th for a brief cameo. Wouldn’t it be great to get a flashback of Hurt remembering his final moments, ending the Time War and becoming this generations first Doctor.

    Sure I may be reaching here, but it’s still fun to speculate. So with that, let us know your thoughts and speculations not only for The Night Of The Doctor, but the Day of the Doctor too!

    nightofthedoctorpaulmcgann

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    Wolverine Getting A New #1 With Cornell and Stegman https://one-quest.com/blog/wolverine-getting-a-new-1-with-cornell-and-stegman/ Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:57:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17689 Yesterday I posted a Marvel teaser that just said MORTAL. I made a guess that it was going to be a reboot to Wolverine. And it looks like I was right!

    wolverine1

    So this February Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman along with Mark Morales and David Curie will be taking Wolverine on a new adventure, one where we can only assume he won’t be nearly as resilient as we’ve known him to be in the past. And seriously how about that gun? Wolverine with a gun just sounds like a good time, not only can he stab you when you’re close he can shoot you when you’re far! I feel like this adds a whole new level to The Best There Is.

    There is a small downside to this news though, Stegman will no longer be working on Superior Spider-Man. This means the book is either going to be continuing on with a two artist rotation, or more than likely will be adding a new artist to the line up soon.

    Lets focus on the good stuff though, check out the covers for the upcoming Wolverine book! It pretty much means I’m going to be buying it without a thought.

    wolverine1bw

    wolverine2

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – Y https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-y/ Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:00:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17551 GYPSHP_Y

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “Y”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    You Don’t Know Jack (Various – 1995)
    A trivia game sounds boring. A trivia game featuring a hilarious host sounds less boring. A trivia game played on your PSX, with up to 3 other players, is awesome. It’s simple in design, but the outcome was far greater than I could have ever expected. If you get a chance to play a game in this series, do not pass it up.
    37861-You_Don't_Know_Jack-1

    Chris

    (Super Mario World 2) Yoshi’s Island (SNES – 1995)
    Yoshi’s Island was a late entry on the SNES, but boy was it still fun. Yoshi was always the best part of Super Mario World, and now you got a whole game playing as him! A lot of people (including me until recently) don’t realize the impact this game made on Mario cannon. Those babies in the game are actual Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. That means Yoshi is either really old, or his grandson ends up becoming BFF’s with the Mario Bros later on in life. Regardless of any of that though it’s just a fun well made platformer, and it’s a shame the same level of quality isn’t seen in more games today.
    sryoshi610

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    New Marvel Teaser – MORTAL https://one-quest.com/blog/new-marvel-teaser-mortal/ Tue, 12 Nov 2013 18:25:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17678 So Marvel hasn’t let up on teasers for new books yet! And the newest one certainly got my interest piqued upon reading it.

    MORTAL

    So there’s going to be a book about a Mortal character, and it’s going to be written by Paul Cornell? I don’t know about you but I’m thinking this just might have to do with Wolverine. The current story arc of Paul Cornell’s Wolverine run has to do with Logan losing his healing factor, thus making him essentially mortal. It’s been speculated that Marvel is going to be killing off the popular mutant in 2014. So this could be the beginning of the end of Logan, at least as much as comic book can ever end a character.

    The thing that made me take the most notice was the artist listed on the teaser, Ryan Stegman. Many of you probably know that he’s one of the rotating artists currently working on Superior Spider-Man, so does this mean he’ll be leaving the rotation soon? I for one hope not!

    Let us know what your thoughts are on this teaser in the comments below!

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – X https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-x/ Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:00:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17550 GYPSHP_X

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “X”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Eric

    Xenogears (PSX – 1998)
    One of the first Squaresoft games I ever played that wasn’t a Final Fantasy game. It took me years to finally understand the intricacies in the combat system. Years. The system was incredibly deep, but still easy enough for a beginner to complete. The story was. . . convoluted, yet still fantastic. It also featured Giant Robots, which to some means instant gold. To me, it means potential. The potential was met with characters to care about, and fantastic art direction, and a plot that I really couldn’t put my finger on but couldn’t walk away from. Simply, outstanding.
     
    xenogears
     

    Drootin

    Xenophobe (ARC/NES)
    This game is a lot of fun. It is a side-scrolling, 1-3 player co-op, horizontal split screen, alien shooter with a weird Star Trek meets Alien design. The objective is to clear out all the levels of aliens before the area self-destructs. The cool part is that since it splits the screen horizontally you and your co-op partners can split up and aren’t locked in to the one screen area at a time. Its a really fun and goofy game that you should totally play.
     
    xenophobe
     

    Chris

    X-Men (Arcade – 1992)
    I kinda missed out on a lot of the arcade fad of the late ‘80s, but there were still a few games I loved to play whenever I saw them. X-Men was one of them, I was already a fan of the show, and getting to run around as these cool heroes and walk sideways while beating people up was just too much fun. I usually leaned towards using Wolverine or Nightcrawler because they’re the best two in the game. Oh and screw Cyclops.
     
    x-men arcade
     

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – W https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-w/ Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:00:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17549 GYPSHP_W
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “W”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Eric

    WarCraft III (PC – 2002)
    I’d never played a WarCraft game before. I’d had plenty of experience with StarCraft and Command and Conquer, but this fantasy setting was new to me. It was incredible. The minor RPG elements thrown into the genre really helped you learn the mechanics easier than in other RTS games. The “use map settings” missions available over battle.net were also some of the best hours I have ever spent playing games. 3 races, all vastly different, and a ton of missions and strategy. And some of the best pre-rendered cinematics I have ever seen.
     
    WarCraft III
     

    Chris

    WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (GBA – 2003)
    We don’t have a lot of handheld titles going on here, but one that must be mentioned is Wario Ware. This game ended up spawning onto home consoles and had a few sequels, but the original on the GBA is what really made the biggest impact on gaming. It was such a stupid little game, but so damn addicting. I remember playing for hours at a time doing nothing but guiding a paper airplane down a never ending brick tunnel thing. If you needed something to play, that wouldn’t take long, but would be a lot of fun, Wario Ware is where you turned and it delivered 100%.
     
    warioware microgames
     

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – V https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-v/ Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:00:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17548 GYPSHP_V

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “V”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    Valkyria Chronicles (PS3 – 2008)
    I had every intention on passing this one over. I happened to download a demo one day and instantly fell in love with the turn based/real time strategy blend. The characters also won me over instantly. So I picked it up, and never put it down. The cell shading was fantastic, giving the game a superb storybook feel. The story was epic, and emotional. The game played flawlessly, and the sense of progression was outstanding. A game worth of far more praise than it received.

    Valkyria Chronicles

    Drootin

    Valkyria Chronicles (PS3 – 2008)
    I normally wouldn’t pick a game that was already chosen but “V” doesn’t have a whole lot of games so I will do it here. I echo Eric’s sentiments. It was a really solid game with beautiful artwork and a storyline that will really tug at your heart.

    valkyria chronicles 2

    Chris

    Viewtiful Joe (GCN – 2003)
    This game was just a load of fun for a system that didn’t get nearly as much praise as it should have. It was such a fun and different play style at the time, and had a ton of humor to go along with it. Honestly when I first saw Wonderful 101 I thought it may have been something of a spiritual successor to the wonder that was Viewtiful Joe. While it fell short of that, it did bring back some of the charm of this classic Gamecube game.

    viewtiful joe

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    T.W.I.G. 11/10/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-111013/ Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:00:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17540 Twig11-10

     

    We are a mere 5 days away from the true start of the next generation of video game consoles and the release of Sony’s PlayStation 4. We are all very excited here for its release. That said there’s TONS of news to catch up on so lets take a look at The Week In Gaming!

    The News:

    • Peggle 2 is coming to the XboxOne in December. It is a timed exclusive for the system.
    • Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, the prologue to The Phantom Pain, will be releasing next spring for PS4, XboxOne, PS3, and 360. For PS4 & XB1 it is currently scheduled to only be a downloadable game with a $29.99 price tag, for PS3 & 360 it will be sold both on a disc for $29.99 or digitally for $19.99
    • Need For Speed Rivals has had its release date moved up to November 15th to be available with the launch of the PS4.
    • SpikeTV will be hosting a PS4 launch event on their channel on November 14th starting at 11 P.M. Rumors have it that something big for the PS4 is set to be announced during this broadcast but as of right now there are no leads on to what that may be. We will keep you posted during the week if any news comes out about this before Thursday.
    • Sony has announced MLB The Show 14 will release on PS3, PS4 and Vita next spring (likely early March). This isn’t really unexpected but something interesting did come out of the teaser image that game along with the announcement, Sony has a small little bit of text on it claiming that The Show will be the only baseball-simulation game available on next-gen consoles. 2K’s Major League Baseball 2K series has been lagging behind The Show in all the critical reviews for the last few years and was rumored to have been killed before last season but made a seemingly last-minute comeback. We will see if 2K makes any announcements about their MLB offerings in the coming months.
    • Unity will be free for all indie developers that are registered for the ID@Xbox when it launches next year. Microsoft hasn’t had the best reputation with the indie community over the last few years so this is a good step in the right direction for them.

    The new releases:

      As I stated last week the New Releases section is starting to get a little daunting with the new consoles
    • PlayStation 4 (11/15)
    • Madden NFL 25 (11/12) – PS4, XB1
    • FIFA 14 (11/12) – PS4, XB1
    • Ducktales: Remastered (11/12) – 360, PS3, WiiU
    • Just Dance 2014 (11/12) – PS4, XB1
    • Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus (11/12) – PS3
    • Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (11/12) – PC, PS4, Vita
    • Knack (11/15) – PS4
    • Killzone: Shadow Fall (11/15) – PS4 [Note: this may be available at some retailers already]
    • War Thunder (11/15) – PS4
    • NBA 2K14 (11/15) – PS4, XB1
    • Minecraft (11/15) – PS4
    • Resogun (11/15) – PS4
    • Divekick (11/15) – PS4
    • Warframe (11/15) – PS4
    • Skylanders: Swap Force (11/15) – PS4, XB1
    • Flower (11/15) – PS4, Vita
    • Sound Shapes (11/15) – PS4
    • Contrast (11/15) – 360, PC, PS3, PS4
    • Lego Marvel Super Heroes (11/15) – PS4
    • DC Universe Online (11/15) – PS4

    Did You Know

    Brutal PC FPS Kingpin featured a boss called The Jesus, named after the character from The Big Lebowski. He even repeated some of the lines from that film, including the immortal “Nobody f**** with the Jesus!”

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – U https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-u/ Sat, 09 Nov 2013 17:00:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17547 GYPSHP_U

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “U”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3 – 2009)
    I held out on getting Uncharted 2 until Christmas of 2009. It was a gift. I avoided playing it until I was able to sit alone and enjoy the game entirely. So, the day after Christmas, after work, i grabbed some cookies and sat down to play. Next thing I knew, 4 hours had passed and the cookies were untouched. Not a dull moment in this game. It’s beautiful, controls well, and incredibly fun. Uncharted 2 is everything a video game should be, and so much more.

    Uncharted 2

    Drootin

    U.N. Squadron (SNES – 1991)
    This game is a gorgeous side-scrolling shooter from Capcom where you equip your jet with different weapons to take out targets. This game is also equally in-fucking-furiating. Bit don’t let that deter you, this is a game you should play.

    UN Squadron

    Chris

    Ultimate Spider-Man (Multiple – 2005)
    The original Ultimate Spider-Man is one of my favorite comic book series, and this game is easily one of the best Spider-Man games ever released. It fits into the cannon of the comics, and has cameo’s from all kinds of characters, and you don’t spend the whole time as our normal ultimate wall crawler, several levels are devoted to Venom, who has a completely different play style and really does a great job of mixing things up. Spider-Man is one of the few superheroes who has a pretty good library of fun games, and Ultimate Spider-Man is definitely a must play if you’re into them.

    ultimate spider-man

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    Take It Or Leave It – November 6, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-6-2013/ Fri, 08 Nov 2013 20:05:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17644 tioli11613

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’ve got another great week full of comic goodness for you. After a couple weeks off and a very limited edition last week this time we’ve pack full of books to talk about. So lets just get started already.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Big Dog Ink | DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    Shahrazad1

    Shahrazad #1

    After months of promotion from Big Dog Ink, Shahrazad #1 is finally out. Back in June I got a chance to read the preview issue that kind of setup what the story was all about. Now months later the story is finally get started. Issue one does a pretty good job of getting that story started too, we get some pretty epic scenes on the open sea with your traditional sea monsters coming into play a bit. I obviously don’t want to spoil anything, but if the coming issues can build about these correctly this should be a pretty cool book to read. On the other hand though, if things are carried on fast enough it’s going to get dull and boring quick. We’re going to need the story to keep moving at the same pace, and develop the characters for this to really take off. It’s a pretty easy decision if you’re a fan of fantasy stuff, in the vein of Once Upon A Time or the Grimm Fairy Tale stuff I’d say you’ll feel right at home with Shahrazad

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batmansuperman5variant

    Batman Superman #5

    The first very. . . strange multi-universe arc of Batman Superman was a fun time and really enjoyable. Issue 5 starts a new arc though, with new artist. Tons of books are great out of the gate, but start to lose it after the first arc. Luckily Batman Superman keeps things interesting with a bit of a ‘Real World’ Vs. Video Game plot going on. The first arc showed us that Bruce and Clark weren’t always friends. This second one is showing us that even though they’re close friends now, they still have their differences. I particularly enjoyed Batman’s reaction to Nightwing after his disagreement with Superman. I’ve mentioned before I’m not the biggest fan of the Man of Steel, but this is definitely the kind of book I think I could keep on reading, you probably should too.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    supermanunchained4

    Superman Unchained #4

    Oh more Superman to talk about this week. I started out really liking Superman Unchained, and while it’s still interesting, I’m starting to get a little bored by it. Honestly if it didn’t have the team it does working on it, I don’t know if I would even be reading it anymore. Lee and Snyder are keeping Superman just interesting enough for me to want to keep reading, and I’m sure if you’re a fan you’ll be even more enamored by it. I like what they’re doing with Wraith, I just hope we get some answers, I know he’s going to have to die or vanish by the end of the issue. Well I guess he doesn’t have to, but I feel like there won’t be such a powerful character around to either go against or train Superman. So if you’re a fan of Superman this is a must read, if you’re not but want to give him a shot Superman Unchained probably isn’t a bad place to start.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ghostbusters9

    Ghostbusters #9

    Something about this issue of Ghostbusters just didn’t click with me. Most of the series has been a great time, but issue 9 just fell a little short for me. The ‘Ghost’ wasn’t all the interesting nor was it an exciting capture. In fact it all seemed pretty simple. I suppose it could just be leading to something far far worse for the gang, but we’re not talking about the big picture right now, this is all about the individual issues. And this individual issue just feel short of the level the rest of the series has set as a standard.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    morningglories34

    Morning Glories #34

    This was probably the most straightforward and easy to follow issue of Morning Glories since the book started. Well as straightforward as this book ever is honestly. The flashbacks were all about Jade, and really brought up a lot of question about her. We also got a definite answer on the whole Jun issue from the end of last issue too which was nice. And when I say definite I mean what they said was real, but we still don’t know how the hell any of it happened. This was just a really nice issue, and it was great to have everything kind of taken back a step and be a more character focused issue without tons of time travel and such.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    amazingxmen1

    Amazing X-Men #1

    Well another X-Men book is officially on the shelves, and while we probably didn’t need it, I am pretty glad we have it. I’ve always been a Nightcrawler fan, and this is the book that will bring him back after years of being dead. Issue 1 set everything up nicely with a fun team of X-Men traveling to what I’m assuming is the afterlife to both take down Azazel and bring home the Blue Elf. The opening to the book was honestly probably the highlight with Nightcrawler getting right back into action even though he’s in Heaven at the time. A close second would be the. . .interesting introduction of a nervous Firestar to the Jean Grey School. If this series keep going in the right direction from here, it’s going to be going Mr. Bendis a run for best X-Title.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    mightavengers3

    Mighty Avengers #3

    Mighty Avengers is exactly the Avengers book I wanted when Bendis left, unfortunately Hickman has been delivering something very different, and just not nearly as much fun. The best part of the Mighty Avengers is it actually feels like an Avengers book, with a group of heroes coming together to save the day from something no single one could take down alone. It’s like the moto of the team after all. I particular enjoyed Luke Cages speech at the end, that’s how you introduce a new team of Avengers, I hope Hickman is taking notes.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Screwed06_cover A

    Tyler Kirkham’s Screwed #6

    Screwed wraps up with issue 6, and it’s been on crazy ride. It’s been a lot of fun getting here, but unfortunately I wasn’t completely sold on the finale. It wasn’t a bad way to close out the series, in fact it was actually pretty damn good. The questions that have been hanging around since the beginning all started to fall into place for answers. The thing that got me was some of the closure to it, just felt like it was there for shock value. It certainly kept in line with every other issue, this was not a happy ending, not in the least. If you’ve missed the rest of Screwed, definitely grab a copy of the trade when it comes out. Zenescope is usually pretty quick with getting collection out, so you shouldn’t have to wait long. Otherwise if you’ve already been following it, there is no reason not to miss this one!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Foods You Used to Hate (or Still Do) https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-foods-you-used-to-hate-or-still-do/ Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:18:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17631 Food
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category is: Foods You Used to Hate (or Still Do).
     
    So, we all hate foods. And sometimes we grow out of that. Some times we don’t. These are the stories of those foods.
     

    Shannon

    Most of the things I didn’t like as a child still don’t make it to my plate now. There are a few things that I was never willing to try when I was little, that I eat often now.

    1. Steak – I was never a big red meat person, I’d have the occasional burger at a party, but I never wanted to eat steak. After I started to date Rob we had steak often and now it’s a treat when we have it.
    2. Chicken Parm – Not really sure why I never wanted to try this. I like eggplant parm and I like chicken. Now this is one of the few things I order at diners.
    3. Water – Ok, not really a food, but I’m running out of options. I never drank plain water as a kid, so more recently I’m forced myself to drink water a lot so I’m pretty much only drinking it.

     
    steak
     

    Vogel

    1. Sauerkraut – I used to hate sauerkraut. Like, with a passion. My family made it all the time and I couldn’t stand it. One day I tried it again for almost no reason and it was great. I can even eat it cold now I love it so much.
    2. Mountain Dew – I never really was a big fan of mountain dew. I liked the voltage flavor, but be honest. It was just pepsi blue/ blue raspberry sprite. When Halo 4 came out I bought a lot of mountain dew for the xp boost and I tried the regular flavor again and discovered I liked it.
    3. Spicy foods – You can ask Eric about the potatoes, spicy foods have never really agreed with me but now I love them. I still keep the spice at a moderate level, but I really enjoy the flavor.
    4. Sour foods – I used to love sour foods. When I was young there was this stuff that was, well, slimy. It was a test tube filled with this goopy liquid that was super sour. I used to eat 2 or 3 at a time. I think I may have overdone it because now sour things make me sick. I love lemons and lemon flavored foods, but if it’s too tart, I feel sick.

     
    sauerkraut
     

    Pisko

    1. Broccoli – Used to hate it. Would only eat the “tree tops”. Then I discovered that it could be cooked properly and taste freaking delicious! Even better raw!
    2. Chick Peas – Again, never prepared properly for me as a kid which is why I probably hated them. Now they are a staple in every salad I eat. Like, every one. Also, hummus. AMAZING.
    3. Spinach – I’m just gonna tell you my mother was a horrible cook. Spinach was always too watery and over boiled (Yes, you can do that). Once I discovered spinach in leaf form for salads instead of cruddy lettuce I was sold. Also, creamy spinach cooked correctly is now one of my favorite sides.
    4. Roast Beef – I’m not really sure why but my taste buds were never buds with roast beef as a kid. I hated it hot. I hated it cold. I hated everything about it. Then around 16 my tongue decided to try hanging out with RB again and my world was rocked. I still don’t really prefer it hot, but cold on a sammich… OH MAN.
    5. Brussel Sprouts – Nope, still hate them. Tolerable now, but still full of hate. Guess not everything changes. Though, I can now eat them without gagging… So that’s a plus.

     
    broccoli
     

    Eric

    Um. . . I can’t list things I used to hate and now enjoy, because everything I’ve tried recently has not changed my opinion at all. So I’ll list those, and 1 exception.

    1. Shrimp – And really all seafood. The smell is such a turn off for me, I can’t stand it. I’ve been trying different things, but most recently it ended up with calamari spit out in a napkin and me downing 3 sodas to remove the flavor. BARF!
    2. Corn – It’s. . . weird. But also the smell I suppose. I can do corn chips, corn flakes, corn bread, pop corn, but no corn. Not at all.
    3. Peas – They’re flavorless, and dumb, and stupid. I hate them.
    4. Olives – I’ve tried them. I still do when I see them. Something about them looks appetizing, but they never are.
    5. Salad Dressing – When I was a kid I ate my salad plain. It was really plain. I stopped doing that quite some time ago.

     
    seafood
     

    Chris

    1. Peppers – When I was little I hated these things, I think it’s mostly due to not liking onions and generally those two things go together. Now though I’ll out peppers in anything…still hate onions though
    2. Sushi – The first time I tries sushi I thought it was gross…now though as long as it’s not gas station sushi I’m down for it.
    3. Strawberries – I’ve always loved things strawberry flavored but I’m just recently starting to like the actual fruit…something about the texture just didn’t agree with me
    4. Hot Wings – Really anything hot I used to hate, that weird tingling feeling it leaves on your lips was terrible. Now though I think its great and a good order of wings is never a bad idea.
    5. Ground Beef – For a while I just didn’t like anything with ground beef in it. I think part of it was the only way I had it was either crappy McDonald’s or the way my mom makes it, which is dry and terrible, but it’s how she liked it. Now if I can have a good burger I’m all for it

     
    peppers

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – T https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-t/ Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:00:35 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17546 GYPSHP_T

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “T”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    Tales of Symphonia (GCN – 2004)
    I don’t remember many details about the plot, something to do with “the choice” and a journey. I do remember that the voice acting was campy, and really lame. I do remember spending a number of sleepless nights playing this game with my friend and brother in multiplayer glory. It was great. The combat started off simple, but gained depth as the game went on. And the story had to be interesting enough to keep me up all night.

    Tales of Symphonia

    Drootin

    The Last Of Us (PS3 -2013)
    For me this is the best all-around game of the generation. The gameplay wasn’t perfect but was good enough to not detract from the amazing visuals and story this game provided. There is some new single-player content coming sometime later this year and I can’t wait to get more of the story. Naughty Dog really knocked it out of the park with this game.

    The Last of Us

    Chris

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (SNES – 1992)
    Growing up I was a huge TMNT fan, I still am in fact, but back in 1992 that’s all that really mattered. I played pretty much any game featuring the heroes on the half shell. Turtles In Time was easily my favorite though, traveling through NYC and then time as any of the four turtles, making your way to take down the Shredder! This game incorporated not only things from the popular cartoon, but also the movies which made it even better. Who didn’t love fighting Tokka and Rahzar, and by love I mean hate because when you’re 7 or 8 those guys are hard as hell.

    turtles in time

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – S https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-s-2/ Thu, 07 Nov 2013 17:00:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17545 GYPSHP_S

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “S”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC, Xbox – 2003)
    The Star Wars franchise has seen many ups and downs when it comes to video games. Sadly, more downs than ups. One game that enters the latter field is Knight of the Old Republic. The game takes place thousands of years before the Star Wars movies, and avoids conflicting the canon set by the films entirely. You enter the galaxy as a newly discovered force attuned hero. Striving to make the galaxy better, or worse. The decision is yours, and every decision has a meaningful outcome. Knights of the Old Republic also features one of the best stories ever told within the Star Wars franchise, and contains of the greatest twists I’ve ever been a part of. Phenomenal in every way.

    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

    Drootin

    Super Smash Bros. Brawl. (Wii – 2008)
    I was originally going to pick Melee instead of Brawl but when thinking about it you can play Brawl with GameCube a controller so I decided to pick the version with the most characters and levels because why not? The games in the series all play very very similarly so the main difference is the characters. The series is super fun to play and may be my favorite thing that Nintendo has done in recent years.

    super smash bros brawl

    Chris

    Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2 – 2005)
    ‘S’ is a hard letter, so many amazing games to pick from. Luckily Eric picked one of my other favorites with KOTOR. And part of me really wanted to pick Superman 64 for the same reasons I went with ET earlier in the countdown. In the end though I decided to go with Shadow of the Colossus, this was made by the same team that made ICO, and it’s another outside of the box adventure game. An adventure made up of nothing but epic as hell boss fights. You’re trying to save your love and to do it you have to default a bunch of giant monsters with nothing but a sword, a bow, and your trusty horse. What more could you possibly want in a game? This is one of those games that didn’t get a lot of players at first, but gathered a huge cult following after it’s release, they even did an ICO/Shadow of the Colossus HD release for PS3.

    shadow of the colossus

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – R https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-r/ Wed, 06 Nov 2013 17:00:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17544 GYPSHP_R

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “R”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Eric

    Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3 – 2009)
    This is the most recent traditional Ratchet and Clank game to grace the planet earth. It was perfect. The series staples of absurd humor, and incredible weapons, was amped to 11. There was tons of mini games, and the space flight mechanics were awesome! We’re getting a new entry in the series soon with Into the Nexus. However, A Crack in Time stands as one of my favorite PS3 games, and the best in the Ratchet and Clank franchise.
    Ratchet-clank-future-crack-in-time-2

    Drootin

    Red Faction (PS2 – 2001)
    Red Faction really had a chance to be the great console FPS franchise but never lived up to it’s full potential. The game was best known for allowing players to shoot holes into almost any surface and they would even uncover hidden rooms or paths.
    trucos-red-faction

    Chris

    Resident Evil 4 (GCN – 2005)
    It’s pretty common for people to love Resident Evil, frankly though I don’t much enjoy the original games. It wasn’t until 4 that I really started liking it. They made things easier, but kept the game play challenging and fun. One thing I’ve always hated was the way you controlled characters in early Resident Evil games, Tomb Raider also suffered this, where you hit left or right on the D-Pad to face a direction then hit up to move. I understand why it was like this, but I just always hated it. Resident Evil 4 did away with that and let us fully control out characters movements with the analog stick. Also “Bitch, this ain’t a cutscene! Press A! Press A!! You don’t have time to smoke a bowl, you’re still playing! Jump, gypsy! C’mon, jump! The President’s daughter’s been kidnaped, it’s up to us.”
    Resident_Evil_4_HD_1

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – Q https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-q/ Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:44:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17522 GYPSHP_Q
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into games that start with “Q”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Eric

    Um. . .
    Yeah, I can’t think of any game that starts with Q that I feel needs to be played by anyone else. I’ve played Quake, and I wasn’t impressed. Q*bert isn’t really anything special to me. . . Maybe we should get more Q games people!
     
    Q
     

    Drootin

    Quake (PC – 1996)
    Quake is the father of all multiplayer first-person shooters and that’s good enough for me to get it on this list.
     
    quake
     
     

    Chris

    Quake (PC – 1996)
    I’m going to have to agree with Drootin on this one, when it comes to first person shooters, while it may not have been the first it was certainly one of the best. It came out in the early era of PC FPS domination. It’s a successor to Doom, and really helped to make the multiplayer shooters what they are today. So all you COD nuts out there, Quake is why you have that.
     
    Quake 4

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – P https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-p/ Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:00:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17515 GYPSHP_P

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “P”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS – 2005 NA)
    This game has a pretty big following, or at least it did, I remember several years of Otakon where this was the predominate cosplay with people running around shouting Objection! every chance they got. It wasn’t until after that wore down that I finally played the games, and I immediately saw the appeal. You need to look at things and think in order to progress in the game, there’s no button mashing or fighting involved. It’s all investigation and talking to people till you can make the right calls and get your clients named cleared. There’s plenty of games in the series, but if you’re going to give it a shot, start with the original it’s the only way to go!
    Phoenix_Wright_Ace_Attorney

    Eric

    Portal 2 (PC, PS3, 360 – 2011)
    So, you have this cool gun that lets you shoot portals at walls. And you use this gun to conduct a series of experiments, which are mostly mazes, for science. All the while a snarky computer AI is calling you stupid with big words. You escape, fall asleep, wake up somewhere around 200 years later and do it all again. Only, over a longer period of time, with multiple AI’s talking to you, and a whole new assortment of fun things to play with. Portal is a fantastic evolution in storytelling, keeping the narrative simple and the character excentric in every way. It’s. . . it’s perfect.
    portal-2

    Drootin

    Pokemon Red/Blue (GB – 1998)
    The one that started it all, Pokemon Red & Blue came out at the perfect time for me and I’m still a fan of the franchise to this day. It has the perfect mix of simplicity and depth that makes the game great for both kids and adults. If you like RPGs and can look past the cartoony animation its a great franchise and you may as well start at the beginning.
    Pokemon-screen-1

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    T.W.I.G. 11/3/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-11313/ Mon, 04 Nov 2013 03:16:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17510 Twig11-3

     

    Welcome back to The Week In Gaming. I’m back after taking a week off to spend time with my new wife, so lets get right back into it!

    The News:

    • The South Park: The Stick of Truth, the long anticipated RPG has once again been delayed from this December and pushed to March 4th, 2014. This is at least the third official delay for the game and it is time to start thinking that this game may just not come out.
    • EA has canceled the upcoming free-to-play version of Command & Conquer. Citing negative feedback from players in the alpha the company decided that the game was not up to par and scrapped the project. Eric and I are big fans of the franchise (mostly Tiberian Sun) and it sucks to see a new game canceled.
    • EA Sports has dropped Tiger Woods from the name of their upcoming next-gen golf games.
    • The XboxOne and PS4 with both support 8-player party chats.
    • Titanfall will be releasing on March 11th, 2014 for XboxOne, Xbox 360, and PC. This is one of the biggest games for the early lineup for the XboxOne so I’m sure plenty of people will be pre-ordering this one soon.

    The new releases:

    It’s starting to be the busy time of year for new releases and add in to that we are only 12 days away from the PS4 release and these lists are gonna get long!

    • State Of Decay (11/5) – PC
    • Call of Duty: Ghosts (11/5) – PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XB1, WiiU
    • Ben 10: Omniverse 2 (11/5) – PS3
    • Mario & Sonic at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games (11/8) – WiiU

    Did You Know

    Not really a Did You Know this week, but I just did want to thank all my friends and family that came to my wedding or sent me well wishes on Facebook or by text over the last week. The wedding was great, Eric, Cobb, Vogel, Shannon, Anthony, and Audra were all in our wedding party and Eric gave an epic best man speech. Love you Sara!

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – O https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-o/ Sun, 03 Nov 2013 17:00:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17405 GYPSHP_O

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “O”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Oregon Trail (PC – 1981)
    This is a strange pick I know, but we’re getting to a point, where the average gamer will have never played Oregon Trail, and that’s sad. Sure this isn’t the game you generally had at home, but anyone over 25 should remember playing the hell out of this game any chance they could in school. It was kind of educational, but not really at the same time, because who really paid attention, you just hunted a lot until you could do the cool river mission to reach the end. And if you just walked to the end you did it wrong!
    Carol Ann has dysentery

    Eric

    Onimusha 2 (PS2 – 2002)
    This Capcom series didn’t get nearly as much recognition as it deserves. Samurai’s fighting demons, and some crazy whacked out story involving ancient beings and super powers. It’s pretty freaking cool, and it plays fairly well too. The series did borrow it’s control scheme from Resident Evil, but it seemed to work better in this series. Onimusha 2 refined the first games flaws, and extended the total game time beyond 3 hours. So, it remains the better of the 3. Altho, the 3rd game did feature Jean Reno. . .
    onimusha2

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – N https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-n/ Sat, 02 Nov 2013 16:00:09 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17404 GYPSHP_N

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “N”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    NBA Jam (Genesis – 1993)
    I don’t really like basketball, but many hours were spent in my childhood playing NBA Jam, who didn’t love setting the net on fire and wrecking their friends at this 2-on-2 game.
    nbajam

    Eric

    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3 – 2013)
    This is the first, and hopefully only, game on the list that’s still in my “must play” pile. Ni No Kuni tells a tale about a boy in search of his mother’s spirit. He commands little creatures, like pokemon, in battles around the world. The game story was created by Hayao Miyazaki, head of Studio Ghibli, with the game itself being created by legendary studio, Level 5. All of the cutscenes were actually drawn and animated by studio Ghibli, and Level 5 was able to re-create that art style in game using 3 dimensional models. It’s beautiful to look at and, based on the demo i played, just as great to play.
    ninokuni

    Drootin

    NHL ’94 (Genesis – 1993)
    This is probably the best sports game ever. The game is so popular to this day that it has a large community (including me) playing online and modding the game to do custom rosters and more over at NHL94.com. For more info on some of the great community there see the interviews I did here on One-Quest last year(Part 1 Evan, Part 2 Smozoma, Part 3 Halifax). The game is a blast to play and the right mix of realism and arcade style. If you have even the faintest interest in playing a hockey video game play this one.
    nhl94

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Class https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-class/ Fri, 01 Nov 2013 16:11:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17493 class
     
    Welcome the the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category is class.
     
    So, we decided to play a little joke this week and leave no context to explain the category. Instead we just asked for “Favorite Class.” No questions asked by anyone. No explanation given on the subject. These are the answers we received.
     

    Vogel

    1. Math
    2. P.E.
    3. Physics
    4. Programming
    5. Graphic Design

     
    Math
     

    Pisko

    1. White knight
    2. Black Mage
    3. Fighter
    4. Summoner
    5. Time Mage

     
    white knight
     

    Audra

    1. Pre-calc
    2. Trig
    3. Art Major 3
    4. Photography
    5. Sewing/Home Ec

     
    pre calculus
     

    Chris

    1. Summoner
    2. Paladin
    3. Upper Middle
    4. Computer Science
    5. Dragoon

     
    summoner
     

    Eric

    1. Prime
    2. Aristocracy
    3. Onion Knight
    4. 4
    5. Sentinel

     
    Prime Strips

    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – M https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-m/ Fri, 01 Nov 2013 16:00:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17403 GYPSHP_M

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “M”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Mega Man X (SNES – 1993)
    Sure, the original Mega Man games are pretty awesome, but something about the X games always stood out with me more. I especially loved collecting the pieces of armor and getting this badass version of Mega Man.
    megamanx

    Eric

    Metal Gear Solid (1998 – PSX)
    Spanning over 25 years, the Metal Gear series is one of the most influential in gaming history. Featuring intense Tactical Espionage Action, Metal Gear is like a James Bond movie that never ends. Series protagonist, Solid Snake, is an icon in gaming. Series creator, Hideo Kojima, is a visionary. The game that really brought the series to the forefront was Metal Gear Solid on the PSX. The first in the game with 3 dimentional polygons, and voice acting. It’s one fo the most memorable entries on the platform, and in gaming as a whole.
    Metal-Gear-Solid

    Drootin

    Mega Man 2 (NES – 1989)
    For me this is the definitive game in the Mega Man series. The levels and bosses are fun and the music is iconic. There’s really not much to say about this game other than that it is awesome. For added fun (at least in my opinion and to support an awesome band) purchase The Megas’ album “Get Equipped” and play the game in the same order as the track listing it’s a blast. (Check themegas.com or search for The Megas on Bandcamp for their albums)
    NES-Mega-Man-2

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    Take It Or Leave It – October 30, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-october-30-2013/ Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:36:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17481 tioli103013
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    And we’re back! It’s been a couple weeks since our last installment of Take It Or Leave It, but we’re back with a slightly scaled back edition. I’m terribly backed up on comics right now, Final Fantasy XIV took over my free time for a while. But I’m trying to burn through my backlog and hopefully by next week we’ll be back to a the full glory of Take It Or Leave It! Anyway, enough chit chat lets get to the reviews.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Valiant Entertainment | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    greenlanternannual2

    Green Lantern Annual #2

    When Lights Out started my big complaint was we just got done with an incredibly long Green Lantern universe crossover, and now they’re starting another. On the bright side this story only ran through one of each issue, the downside is you really can’t follow the story if you didn’t read them all. Now while this certainly isn’t ideal, it was a fun ride. I actually found myself reach the conclusion and wishing it would go on a little longer, just so we could get a little more information. There’s so many twists and turns I feel like I should now be reading all of the Green Lantern books rather than just the primary book. Hell I’m even interested in checking out Red Lanterns now. Which I suppose is exactly what DC was hoping for, to draw new readers into stories that they may not have read otherwise. Well good job DC you succeeded at least with me, well half succeeded I can’t promise I’ll be reading any of the books, but I certainly wouldn’t mind doing it. Anyway This final issue of Lights Out is a pretty hefty book and has a bit higher of a price, but a lot really goes on it, and there’s some nice conclusions and cliffhangers left at the end. One thing I noticed was missing, and I’m a huge sucker for is that big hero moment. It was almost there, but just fell a little short and that was a bit of a disappointment. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, that’s a minor problem.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    witchblade170

    Witchblade #170

    The whole Top Cow Universe is a really interesting place, I’ve recently really gotten into it and have been trying to take in as much of it as possible. Witchblade is probably the best of the universe at the moment with plenty of stuff happening in recent issues. And now with issue 170 popular Witchblade writer Ron Marz returns and jumps us, along with Sara quite a ways into the future. We meet up with Sara while she’s a sheriff in a small town in New York, and holy shit she doesn’t have the Witchblade anymore. The issue is full of all kinds of mystery as to how Sara reached her current situation, and a few flashbacks and nightmares slowly start to shed some light on it. I’m especially curious to see how this will play out in the other books like Darkness and Artifacts, well really if they’ll effect them at all. I’m a few issues behind in those two, so I’m not sure if they too will be following a time jump. Either way, Witchblade is looking to be going in an interesting direction, with plenty of questions that need answering. Oh and lets not forget there’s a couple big surprises in the book too! If you’re a Witchblade fan you’ll enjoy this, and if you’re not, but you like Supernatural stories, give it a shot!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    infinity5

    Infinity #5

    And now for the final book this week, I know three is pretty low, I was busy reading back issues to get caught up though! That said, Infinity is just another chapter in a story that really didn’t need to be told. This whole thing would have played out just as well as a minor crossover in just Avengers and New Avengers. Instead it’s a full blow event and taking over other books I actually enjoy like Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy. On the bright side over the last couple of issues, the main Infinity books have gotten more interesting. Not quite enough to save the series but enough to not make me want to scream anymore. A small part of me is actually looking forward to the Avengers coming back to earth with a whole god damn fleet of allies to take down Thanos. That should be awesome, unfortunately with the way this stories been going, I’m probably going to be disappointed with it. Hopefully in the handful of books Hickman has left to wrap this story up we get some actually answers and closure.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – L https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-l/ Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:00:46 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17402 GYPSHP_L

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “L”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES – 1991)
    I’m sure there aren’t many people who haven’t played LTTP, if you’re a Zelda fan this is a must have. The thing is, and I’ve complained about this before, LTTP doesn’t get nearly as much credit as it deserves in the Zelda franchise. Sure it’s a fan favorite, enough so that they’re releasing a sequel 22 years later. The thing is everyone says how Ocarina of Time set the standard for Zelda games, but frankly LTTP did this, it set the format that almost every game followed since, and it did it beautifully. So if you claim to be a Zelda fan, make sure this is somewhere in your gaming library it’s one of the best.
    linktothepast

    Eric

    Luigi’s Mansion (GCN – 2001)
    Since the beginning of time Luigi has been thrown in the background, never getting his own adventure. In 2001 Nintendo fixed that with the outstanding, Luigi’s Mansion. As Luigi, you explored an old mansion in search of Mario. The graphics were beyond beautiful, and the audio was absolutely impressive. You could actually hear how terrified Luigi was in his voice, as he called out to Mario. Using the trusty Poltergust 3000, Luigi would collect money, gems, and ghosts from the mansion on his quest. It took more than a decade to get a sequel, but it’s absolutely worth it!
    luigi's_mansion

    Drootin

    Legend of Dragoon (PS1 – 2000)
    This is another PS1 RPG that I never finished likely due to not fully appreciating how good it really was. It was a pretty good looking game for the time and had a unique combo system in the battles that let you deal extra damage and kept the combat from simply being picking menu items. This is a game I should really go back and finish one day.
    legend-of-dragoon-ps1-ingame-71532

    ]]>
    Wii U's Woes https://one-quest.com/blog/wii-us-woes/ Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:53:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17467 Wii U Woes

    It’s no secret that the Wii U isn’t doing so hot. Currently there are 3.9 million Wii U consoles on home shelves. No where near the level of Wii’s sold within it’s first year. However, it’s still an ok number. I say that because I’m an optimist. A believer that Nintendo can turn the situation around. They’ve done it before, they can do it again.

    Before I get into my rant, I’d like to point out that Nintendo will not be going out of business anytime soon. Let’s face it, the are selling the #1 portable gaming device of all time, and that machine is selling hard. Nintendo could very well drop out of the console market, which they won’t do, and still be profitable solely on the 3DS/2DS. So, drop those notions immediately.

    What I am here to discuss is my opinion on the Wii U and what Nintendo needs to do, and what Nintendo needs to stop doing, to increase sales of the device. I’m by no means an industry analyst, but I am a gaming expert. I play them daily, I read about the daily, and I would write about them daily but I’m too busy doing the other two things.

    miiverse logo

    The Wii U is a solid console, you might not believe it, but it is. The games look pretty. The menu and interface is simple, and easy to navigate. The MiiVerse is interesting, but needs serious integration with Twitter/Facebook to become relevant. The backward compatibility is a standout feature that no other console at the moment is offering. The GamePad is an excellent addition to gaming. However, too few third parties see meaningful ways to utilize the second touch screen. What’s sad about this, is it’s the same argument that was used when the DS was announced in 2003. This device went on to sell more than 153 million units in it’s lifetime. Third parties have a hard time seeing the innovation offered by the second touch screen, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. While the GamePad battery is short lived, the packaged charging wire is over 10 feet long and should be more than sufficient for anyone to reach an open outlet for emergency charging during playtime. The biggest shortcoming is the power of the console. This will prevent heavy hitters like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear from debuting on the console, however it doesn’t mean we won’t see other amazing games come to fruition. Graphics aren’t everything, and some of the best games on the market aren’t graphical power houses.

    The Wii U is a mess at the moment. We have a well built console, with some really great concepts. However we have a lack of support from 3rd parties, and in some aspects 1st party. We also still have a lack of significant software to justify the purchase, and there’s the issue on where the console might be in the next year.

    WiiU SmashBros

    What’s great about Nintendo is that they’re really an open book when it comes to their business. They aren’t hiding anything. In fact, just a few weeks ago we were told that a New Zelda game for Wii U will be announced at E3 2014. Sadly we don’t know when this game might come out, but we do know that Nintendo has no intention on dropping off its support of the console. Every month we’re treated to a Nintendo Direct with Satoru Iwata and friends, where they discuss what will be coming for Nintendo’s consoles in the near, and far, future. Nothing is a secret with the company, and that’s because they want us to know that no matter what, they have Wii U’s back. Nintendo is fully aware that people are afraid to pick up the console that might be dead as soon as November 15ht, and that’s why they keep reassuring us that new games are on the way.

    Well, that’s another issue. Nintendo has been reassuring us that games are on the way for nearly a year now. Since the release of the console in November of 2012, there’s been a shortage of must buys for the Wii U. Most of these issues were due to delays, and cancellations. Two significant hits against the Wii U were the delay of Pikmin, from February to August, and Rayman Legends from February to September. These were games that sold me early on. They weren’t the reason to buy the console, but they were justifications for early adoption. They were the “I got this, and I’ve bought nothing since launch day” purchases. The delay hurt the sales of those games immensely. It damaged the credibility of the console, and it’s still reeling from that. Wii U went from a standard 2 month gap in games early on, to a frightening 9 month drought without anything meaningful to purchase.

    pikmin 3

    Again, Nintendo has been aware of this. They’ve been working frantically to bring some meaningful games to the console. Since August we’ve received Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Rayman Legends(which is now multiplatform, and still underperforming for UbiSofts standards), Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, and Wii U Party. Nintendo also dropped the price by $50 in the US and Europe and has seen a significant increase in sales. But the numbers aren’t nearly where Nintendo wants them to be. Before Christmas Nintendo will also release Super Mario 3D World, and Wii Fit U. While I don’t see Wii Fit U doing much, a new proper Mario game should help round out the lineup of games. Nintendo also has Donkey Kong, delayed from October to February, coming next year along with Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and some other third party exclusives like Monoliths “X”, and Platinum’s Bayonetta.

    The lineup looks to be more worthwhile by the end of 2014, however, that’s 2 years after release and we’re still missing some heavy hitters to bring in more “core” gamers. I feel that a few other games NEED to be announced by the time E3 2014 rolls around if Nintendo wishes to make a significant dent with the Wii U. Those titles are:

    – Star Fox – The long running series has been MIA since the terrible GameCube adventure style games. What we need is an open world(galaxy?) space combat game. Explore the galaxy, discover new planets, and shoot things in space. It needs to be exciting, and it needs to drop all gimmicks, like leaving the ship. Bringing tanks back, like in Star Fox 64, would be more then welcome in certain planet exploration missions, as would a persistent upgrade system to increase the abilities and power of your fighter. The GamePad also needs to be utilized properly, such as displaying your allies health bars and video feeds, freeing up clutter from the game HUD. This game would welcome casuals, and core players alike. Just, again, LEAVE THE GIMMICKS OUT!

    NONE OF THIS!

    NONE OF THIS!

    – Metroid – Of course we need a new entry in the Metroid series. And while the series is known for it’s roots in a sprawling complex built of rooms and puzzles, I feel that it’s would be best to take inspiration from the Prime games while mixing in a little. . . absurdity. Bring back the First Person Perspective. Remember, FPS = First Person Sells. Amp up the action, and give Samus a new array of weaponry. Energy blasters and missiles just aren’t enough. Take a page out of the Ratchet and Clank book and give Samus some crazy weapons that can obliterate foes. Bombs, mines, flame throwers, lasers, rockets, ice beams, anything to change it up! You also want an optional exploration system built in. Allow the game to be completed within 8-10 hours with minimal exploration, for those looking to just trudge through the campaign. For everyone else, open the world up. Give us side areas with secrets, and upgrades, and more weapons. Use the GamePad to assist in exploration, or for an interactive map. Just none of that scanning crap again. Separate the exploration and the combat. You can throw in a random sub boss every now and then during exploration, but do not make me fight corridor after corridor of enemies while in secret tombs. Also, as with Star Fox, SPACE. Open it up. Let us fly to new planets, and explore new areas. Make that aspect interesting, and exciting. But don’t keep it as open as Star Fox’s open galaxy. Keep it somewhere in the realm of Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time.

    This + Crazy weapons + Space Exploration = GOLD

    This + Crazy weapons + Space Exploration = GOLD

    – POKEMON – I know the excuse. I know the aversion. But seriously, as a last ditch effort to save the Wii U, Nintendo needs to make this happen. If nothing else will save the Wii U, like innovation and interesting games, Pokemon will. There are of course rules for this. NO POKEMON STADIUM COPIES. NO POKEMON SHOVELWARE. You know what would save the day? A proper Pokemon game. Incorporate all 6 billion species of Pokemon. Utilize every Pokemon region, ever. Allow the player to choose which region they want to start at. Give the player a new Pokedex for each region, and new starter at each region. Don’t unlock a Global until all Elite 4 champions are defeated. At that Point, unlock a WHOLE NEW REGION WITH NEW POKEMON. You want to take it a step further and guarantee money forever? DLC regions. Start with a new region for Wii U, unlock old ones with DLC or new game versions. NFC POKEMON. Seriously, Pokemon Skylanders will win. Just do it right. No gimmicks, just an instant unlock of cool Pokemon that locks to your Nintendo Account so you can’t share the NFC figure with everyone.

    HD Pokemon. 'Nuff Said!

    HD Pokemon. ‘Nuff Said!

    Ok, I’ve ranted a lot here, but these are 3 games that I believe could help save the Wii U. I know Nintendo knows it, I’m sure they’re just holding off till E3. At least, I hope they are.

    There’s just one more thing that needs to happen. Nintendo needs a new Marketing team. One that understands how to get people’s attention and inform them that A: The Wii U is new, B: It’s awesome, and C: It’s not going anywhere. Instead we get crap like last years giant wall of cubes commercial, and now this crap with Wayne Brady. You know where your marketing budget is going wrong? Hiring celebrities to market your games, instead of just marketing your games. Here, watch these commercials. Laugh at the second one, which is pretty decent. Then complain about them in the official comments on YouTube so Nintendo gets the idea where they went wrong.

    Ok, enough out of me. I believe in this console. I know Nintendo believes in this console. Nintendo just needs to show everyone they believe in this console, and release my 3 dream games, to get everyone on board. Tell us what you think about the Wii U and it’s Woes in the comments below! Do you think theres something else that can be done to save the Wii U?

    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – K https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-k/ Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:00:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17401 GYPSHP_K

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “K”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Katamari Damacy (PS2 – 2004)
    There have been quite a few sequels to this game, but none of them are as much fun as the first time you turned on the original. I remember a friend turning this on and me not knowing what the hell was wrong with him. After a few minutes though I realized nothing was wrong with him, I’d just been missing out on one hell of an experience. What’s more fun than being a tiny little cosmic dude who gets to roll up pretty much everything in the world and make a ball out of it? Nothing that’s what!
    katmaridamacy

    Eric

    Kingdom Hearts (PS2 – 2002)
    It’s not the greatest game in the world. Nor the greatest in the series. What it is, is a remarkable game that features an unlikely collaboration of two completely unrelated game studios. What started out as a joke between two businessmen in a elevator on their way to their offices with two separate companies, on two separate floors, has grown to become one of the most widely known gaming franchises of all time. Featuring characters from numerous Final Fantasy and Disney franchises, and a new cast of heroes, Kingdom Hearts is a revelation in cooperation among corporations. It also has one of the coolest, albeit confusing, stories in gaming. Certainly worth starting from the beginning.
    kingdomhearts

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – J https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-j/ Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:00:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17400 GYPSHP_J

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “J”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Journey (PS3 – 2012)
    I honestly haven’t played Journey, but I’m all for indie games getting huge and popular and making people check them out more. So if you haven’t played Journey give it a go, I know I have every intention on playing it at some point, I’ve just got such a backlog of games right now. . .
    journeytitle

    Eric

    Journey (PS3 – 2012)
    I have played Journey, and if ICO represented the games are art argument from 2001, this is the new face of that campaign. Just as it was in ICO you awaken in a desert with no direction other than the knowledge that in the distance lies a massive mountain. You head toward it and thus begins your Journey. It’s a beautiful game, made even better with drop in drop out multiplayer. At random other players of the game can show up in your version and travel with you. You have no way to communicate besides pressing the Circle button to call out to your new partner with some sounds. The game encourages partnership, and is literally one of the most beautiful 3 hours I have ever spent playing a game. Ever. Play it.
    Journey

    Drootin

    Jade Cocoon (PS1 – 1998)
    Jade Cocoon was an interesting game to say the least. It had the Pokemon element of catching monsters but you could also fight as your main character. Unlike Pokemon however you could sell the monsters that you caught or you could fuse 2 of them together to get a completely different one. The monsters were also much less cartoonish than those of Pokemon. It’s an interesting game that I know I didn’t appreciate as much as I probably should have.
    jadecocoon

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    X-Men Days of Future Past Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/x-men-days-of-future-past-trailer/ Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:37:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17445 xmen days of future past posters

    This is a lot like last weeks post about Captain America, on X-Men.

    It’s here. It looks awesome. And we need to see more, ASAP!

    Watch it and tell us what you think in the comments below!

    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – I https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-i/ Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:56:58 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17391 GYPSHP_I

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “I”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Ikaruga (GC – 2003)
    Ikaruga is the Contra of a newer generation. It’s that game you play because you want to hate yourself for a while. This isn’t a game you get better at the more you play, no matter how often you play this game you will always suck, but that’s alright, that’s why it’s fun. I know that sounds stupid, but if you’ve never played Ikaruga you wouldn’t understand, which is why you should go find a copy and check it out. I think it was even released on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s a bullet hell, which if you’re not familiar it’s a 2D top to bottom shooter that just fills the screen with enemy fire that you have to avoid and still take them out. The fun part with Ikaruga though is that the enemies fire red or blue attacks, and you can switch your shields or something to that color. This allows you to absorb one color (the one you are) but take extra damage to the other. It’s hard, and exciting, and you probably won’t get more than a few levels in, but it’s so worth it.
    ikaruga2

    Eric

    Ico (PS2 – 2001)
    Ico isn’t a game. It’s art. It’s a wonderfully detailed world filled with strange creatures and a compelling premise. The entire game features no voice acting or context really. You wake up, and there’s a girl, and you both want to escape a tower. Simple, and pure. A perfect representation of games are art from a game over a decade old.
    a-ico-2

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – H https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-h/ Sun, 27 Oct 2013 16:00:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17359 GYPSHP_H

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “H”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Heavy Rain (PS3 – 2010)
    I played this game for the first time about a year ago, and wow is it crazy. I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ve heard of Heavy Rain, and you’ve certainly heard of the developers new title Beyond: Two Souls, which while it looks great has been getting terrible reviews. Heavy Rain is such a step away from tradition games, you play as various characters trying to solve a crime for various reasons. And the weirdest thing is at any time your choices can have the character killed, and that’s it they’re dead. In fact you can get all of your characters killed and that’s it, it’s not a game over, your game just finishes out with everyone dead. It’s a pretty ballsy move, and it honestly paid off a lot, plus open game play made exploring and looking for clues fun.

    heavy rain

    Eric

    Half-Life 2 (PC – 2004)
    Half-Life 2 helped define the FPS genre. While Half-Life introduced the series, and the enigmatic world that would soon encompass Portal (and possible Left 4 Dead), it features numerous headaches and poor design decisions that keep it from being a must play. However, Half-Life 2 took the FPS further than it had ever been taken. No longer were we just playing a game, we were interacting with the world, and the plot. Living as Gordon Freeman in this world overrun by aliens, and corrupt officials. This game made you feel for the characters and their well being, which has made the 6 year wait since it’s most recent episodic entry nearly unbearable. If you want to know where Call of Duty and Halo get their inspiration from, play Half-Life 2.

    half life 2

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – G https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-g/ Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:00:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17350 GYPSHP_G

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “G”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Gitaroo Man (Lives!) (PSP/PS2 – 2006)
    I played this game on PSP back when I worked at Gamestop. It’s not the greatest game ever made, but it is pretty damn addicting. It’s a music based rhythm game with a crazy sci-fi story, and style that reminds me of the Katamari series, or the anime FLCL. It’s goofy, but really entertaining, and the epic battles are a lot of fun as you play your guitar and battle down enemies through various songs. And don’t worry this isn’t anything like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, it’s actually fun and you don’t need a bunch of people to join along.

    Gitaroo Man PSP

    Eric

    Ghosts ‘n Goblins (ARC – 1985)
    When you hear about impossible games you always hear the same game names thrown around. Ninja Gaiden, and Contra. Rarely is Ghosts ‘n Goblins mentioned. It’s nearly impossible. I’ve never completed the 2nd stage. Yet, somehow it remains one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. Strange weapons, and armor upgrades can be found to help you on your quest. Do bad, and end up wandering the battlefield in your heart patterned underwear. . . Hilarious, and terrifying all at the same time.

    Ghosts n Goblins

    Drootin

    Gauntlet (NES – 1987)
    There are many versions of Gauntlet and honestly almost all of them are great but I will talk about the one I am most familiar with, the NES version. It is one of the few officially licensed Tengen (although an unofficial version was also later released). The game you can pick from 4 different characters: Warrior, Amazon, Elf, and Wizard and they each have slightly different characteristics like speed, damage, and health. It is very difficult to finish all 100 levels in this game.

    Gauntlet NES

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    Friday Five – Favorite Apps https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-apps/ Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:30:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17380 android-apps-1
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Favorite Apps

    We don’t do nearly enough technology related stuff here at One-Quest, even though we all love new gadgets, software, etc. So this week we decided to pick out of Favorite Apps, whether it’s for iOS or Android, it doesn’t matter just as long as it’s an App!

    Vogel

    1. Drop Box – I use Drop Box for everything, and since I have the Galaxy Note Tab, I get a free 50 gb account. I have it on my cell phone and my tablet and it really alleviates the need for a thumb disk at school because I can drag and drop everything from my phone into it. One last thing I love Drop Box for. If I want to add handwritten notes to my school notes I can use my Note 2 and just start writing, save it to my Drop Box and drag it into Word. This has come in handy in many situations.
    2. Advanced Task Killer – I know jelly Bean is supposed to be awesome at not running shit in the background when it’s not needed, but I’ve found that some apps linger or collect too much garbage and need to be shut down manually.
    3. Andie Graph – This is an emulator for Texas Instruments calculators, so it requires a rom. You can dump the rom from your own calculator with a USB cable or you can find one by other means, but I actually use this app often. It ends up being easier to open this app than to locate and dig through my backpack for my graphing calculator.
    4. Flashlight – People have been using their cell phones as a flashlight since cell phones have had lights built into the screen. I like this app because unlike some other apps it uses the flash instead of just making the screen white which drains so much battery.
    5. Perfect Viewer/Aldiko – I’m not really sure if this is considered cheating or not, but I kind of use these for the same purpose, that’s why they’re linked. Perfect Viewer is the best app I’ve found for reading comic books. My Note 2 has a big enough screen that it’s still easy but I usually use my Note Tab. Aldiko is the best app I’ve found for reading e-books and pdfs. I’ve read the first 2.25 Game of Thrones books so far through Aldiko and I have my Java book for my programming class on there as well.

    Dropbox-Android-App

    Drootin

    1. Feedly – This is my go-to RSS reader app ever since Google shut down Google Reader and I probably couldn’t do without this app. It’s easy to use and lets you save articles to go back and find easily later. I use this to find news for T.W.I.G. every week.
    2. Stitcher – Stitcher is a radio/podcast app that I don’t use too often but really like when I do. If you’re looking for a way to listen to podcasts on your phone this is the app to get.
    3. Pandora – Good music player app, just wish there were less commercials.
    4. IMDB – Everyone knows the website IMDB and how useful it is to find out who that person in that movie or show you recognize but can’t remember why, now its right in your pocket for you to do so.
    5. Wikipedia – Ever want to look something up on Wikipedia but then forgot before you got home? Its happened to me and I hate it, so that’s why I got the app. Its always fun to look shit up and learn more about random crap.

    feedly-app-for-ios

    Chris

    Well a lot of my favorite apps, have actually already been mentioned, but that’s not going to stop me from saying them again.

    1. Dropbox – I know this is available on computer too, but I use it on my Note 10.1 all the time. I throw all kinds of things in it from my computer and then have them at the ready when I’m using my tablet it’s great.
    2. CLZ Comics – I use to use CBI to keep track of my comics, but frankly it went downhill as things were updated and it’s most useful feature, a weekly new release and pull list you could setup stopped work months ago. With the exception of the new release/pull list it’s a great way to keep track of what books you have. The only downside is I have to plug it into my computer to properly sync my collection.
    3. ScoreCenter – I’m actually surprised no one else mentioned this, and by no one else I mean Drootin. This is a great way to keep track of scores and stuff for your favorite teams. ScoreCenter tends to be how I follow the Phillies and Flyers because I never actually have time to sit and watch a full game. It can even have it notify you about scores and news.
    4. Perfect Viewer/Comixology – I read a lot of comics, and it’s honestly easier to read on a tablet than an actual book. Whether it’s a book linked to Comixology or a .cbz/.cbr file these two apps do an amazing job of making comic books easier to read.
    5. Chrome – I don’t know what I would do without Chrome on my phone, the normal browser is fine, but the fact that all my stuff syncs from every device I use is great. Oh I started reading something on my phone at lunch? I can pick right up with it at my computer or tablet later on.

    Special Mention: I’m going to have to give a special mention for the Twitter and Facebook apps, I don’t particularly use either one a lot, but at the same time I do. They are my go to for something to read through if I’m killing time with my phone…well that or looking stuff up on Wikipedia.
    espn-scorecenter-app

    Eric

    The most common used app on my phone is Google Maps, because I hate getting lost. Otherwise, it’s mostly games and gmail.

    1. Marvel AR – I think this app is a ton of fun. Brings a whole new dimension to comics. The downside being that the lighting in my house is somewhat inconsistent, so it takes me a while to get it working sometimes.
    2. Google Sky Maps – For those rare nights the stars are visible in South Jersey, this is a nice way to tell me what the hell I’m looking at.
    3. Pandora – I hate the radio, because it never plays what I want to hear. Pandora does, most of the time. Now I just need an AUX jack installed in my car. . .
    4. Plants vs. Zombies – I’m on Android, and PvZ2 just hit my phone yesterday. So the verdict is still out on that. But PvZ is one of my favorite time wasters.
    5. Shazam/Google What’s This Song? – You know, for when that song comes on and you have no idea what it is, but you just NEED to know. They save everything you have them identify too, but I never go back to look. It’s only important in the moment.

    marvelarapp

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – F https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-f/ Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:00:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17292 GYPSHP_F

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “F”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Final Fantasy IV (SNES/PS1/DS – 1991)
    This was a tough one for me, there are a lot of great games that start with the letter F that I wish everyone would have played. I ended up going with Final Fantasy IV for several reasons. It’s still pretty easy to come by, so if you haven’t played it you can easily get a copy of it. It’s also one of the lesser appreciated in the series. Everyone talks about Final Fantasy VI and VII being the best of the series, but there are really so many other wonderful entries. Final Fantasy IV is one of them, I’ll admit the story drags a bit near the end, but which game doesn’t? Hell Final Fantasy VII starts out disc 2 with just nonsense. Anyway the story for FFIV is great, the characters are compelling, and the gameplay is solid.

    Final Fantasy IV

    Eric

    Final Fantasy X (PS2 – 2001)
    I chose FFX over all other games in the series, and over all other FF titles because it’s one of my quintessential titles. Final Fantasy X didn’t usher in a new era of RPGs or anything, it just refined the formula to perfection. Easy for newcomers, and incredibly deep for genre veterans. It’s also the first in the series to feature voice acting, and some of the best graphics I have ever seen. If you’ve never played an FF game before, this is the one I’d point you toward to learn what the series is all about.

    Final Fantasy X

    Drootin

    Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1 – 1998)
    Remember a few days back when I said stay tuned for my other favorite game of all time? Well this is it. I absolutely love this game. It has a deep, intriguing story, tons of characters and classes, and lots to do. Like Diablo II it is difficult for me to find any real flaws with this game. It is an absolute must play for RPG fans. Also have you sensed a bit of a theme today???

    ff tactics battle

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    Captain America: The Winter Soldier Trailer! https://one-quest.com/blog/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-trailer/ Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:26:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17372 captain america poster

    No teaser. Full Trailer. It looks great. LIke really great.

    Nothing else to read. Just watch it.

    Apple Trailers has a quicktime version of the US trailer.

    We have youtube video of the UK version below.

    Comment below if and junk. Then watch it again.

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – E https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-e/ Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:00:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17290 GYPSHP_E

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “E”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600 – 1982)
    I’m going a little different with this one. So far all my picks are games you should play because they’re awesome. This isn’t one of those, but you should still play E.T. because it’s history, and people should understand how terrible it is so it never happens again. This is much the same with Superman 64, the game is broken and unplayable. On the brightside if you’re at a party and happen to be able to set this up, a group of friends trying to climb out of a pit can actually be pretty amusing.
    etatari

    Eric

    Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The (PS3, 360, PC – 2011)
    Every game in this series pushes the genre further with Skyrim being the buildup from 4 previous games. The world was huge taking nearly 40 real world minutes to cross on foot. The random events were numerous, helping to immerse you in the beautiful landscape. The gameplay had been refined from a confusing mess, to a streamlined masterpiece. Everything about this game was fantastic. And after 200+ hours in the game, there’s still so much more to do.
    GOTY-Skyrim-2

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – D https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-d/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 16:00:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17288 GYPSHP_D

    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “D”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    Darksiders (PS3/360 – 2010)
    Darksiders is a pretty recent game, and while it did manage to spawn a sequel I don’t think it gets nearly enough credit, or purchases. It’s a pretty straight forward hack and slash, but the story is actually really cool. You control War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as he tries to right some wrongs that prematurely ended the world. You fight all kinds of wicked demons and get some pretty cool powers along the way. On top of that, the creative director was Joe Madureira, who is an amazing comic artist. And Mark Hamill lent his voice to one of the main characters. I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be at least a 4 part game with each game having you play as another of the Horseman, unfortunately with THQ going under we probably won’t be seeing anymore sequels anytime soon. So for now go pick up this one, it’s great on it’s own and you should be able to get it really cheap!
    darksiderswar

    Eric

    Dragon Age: Origins (PS3, 360, PC – 2009)
    In DA:O you played as a hero from beginning to potentially end. The story sprawled the entire continent of Thedas, and allowed you to choose from one of three races, with upwards of six different upbringings. Your origin determined how people in the game reacted to you as a person, and you determined how you reacted to them. There was plenty of depth for those willing to learn every system, and an excellent automated leveling/ai system for those just looking for a great story. One of the best games this gen, and it needs to be played by all.
    Dragon-age-origins-PC_Combat

    Pisko

    Dance Dance Revolution (Multiple Systems – 1998 onward)
    DDR is not for everyone. In fact, DDR is not for most people. The importance of DDR comes in both its ability to license music and to retain an audience for well over a decade. If you enjoy such titles as Guitar Hero or Rock Band you owe a lot to DDR as it kept the music game genre alive when only a few filled this genre, and mostly in Japan. Titles such as DDR and Beatmania
    ddr_supernova_08

    Drootin

    Diablo II (PC – 2000)
    This might be my favorite game of all time (stay tuned for the other contender). I love pretty much everything about this game. The items, characters, skills, story, and enemies, are all so well crafted that it is really hard to find a real flaw in this game. Just play this game. It is an all time classic.
    cow05

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    Doctor Who In One Month! https://one-quest.com/blog/doctor-who-in-one-month/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:32:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17324 Doctor Who Logo

    Just a quick update for everyone, we are officially in the one month countdown to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special! The feature length special will air simultaneously around the world on November 23rd, and in a bunch of movie theaters as well! Now if you’ve been hiding from news for a while, below you can see the recently released teaser for the special, just to help you get a little pumped up.

    So now would probably be a good time to go catch up on episodes, it’s going to be one hell of a Saturday night!

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – C https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-c/ Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:00:43 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17275 GYPSHP_C
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “C”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Chris

    Conker’s Bad Fur Day (N64 – 2001)
    This game was terrible, but in the best kind of way. Back when this came out on the N64 I had no idea just how much fun I would eventually have with it. From the beginning I thought it looked interesting, but it wasn’t until a year or two after it came out that a friend got it and did the fun really start. The story isn’t anything amazing, your usual 3D platformer where you fight poop and pee on things. The real fun here is in the multiplier. Where else can you fight squirrels against teddy bears in all kinds of bloody violence. A couple years ago I got my hands on a new N64 cheap, and the first thing I did was jump on eBay and find a copy of this game. And while the graphics don’t live up, grabbing a samurai sword and flipping around as a teddy bear killing the hell out of squirrels certainly did.

    Honorable Mention has to go to Chef Boyardee’s Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa(PC) it’s a free download and absolutely ridiculous is a really awesome way. If you’re into RPG’s and craziness give it a shot.
     
    conkers bad fur day
     

    Eric

    Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun (PC – 1999)
    I’ve played a ton of RTS games in my day, but none of them were as memorable as my time with C&C: Tiberian Sun. The warring factions were both incredibly unique, and powerful. The story was told in awesome FMVs. And by awesome, I mean super campy. And the game just played superbly. It’s a shame the series took a steep decline in quality after Westwood was purchased by EA.
     
    CC Tiberian Sun
     

    Pisko

    Castlevania (NES – 1987)
    This game took timing and patience to a whole new level. Especially when those Medusa heads start flying. Side scrolling adventure had never been this dark. Suddenly you were thrust into the persona of Simon Belmont fighting monsters of lore and skeletons culminating in a battle with Death and Dracula! Nothing could prepare the player for the huge screen presence of THE Dracula.
     
    Castlevania nes
     

    Drootin

    Counter-Strike (PC – 1999)
    This is arguably the most famous Mod of all time and one of my personal favorite FPS games of all time. The game started as a mod to the original Half-Life and later became a full-fledged game. The game is best known for its realistic damage and no respawns. There were originally 3 game modes: hostage rescue (counter-terrorist must rescue the hostages), demolition (terrorists must destroy a target site), and assassinaton (CTs must escort the VIP who is armed only with a pistol to the extraction point) with the first 2 being the most popular. All rounds would also end if all the players on either side are killed. This is a fun, highly skilled game that I’ve been playing for years, if you like multiplayer FPS games and have a even half-decent PC you must play this game.
     
    counter strike

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – B https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-b/ Mon, 21 Oct 2013 16:00:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17257 GYPSHP_B
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “B”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably Should Have Played
     

    Drootin

    Bad News Baseball (NES – 1990)
    So shocker I picked a sports game! But in all honesty this is a really fun and surprisingly deep baseball game back on the NES. All the players had speed, throwing, and position specific fielding (i.e. someone may be a good 1st baseman but not a good shortstop) ratings. Also the umpires were bunnies! There were cool little cutscenes for home runs or close plays at the bases. There was even a code that would change all the teams players to girls and gave them different ratings. This is a very fun game. This was a game that my dad, brother, and I used to play all the time.
     
    bad news baseball
     

    Chris

    Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2/Xbox – 2004)
    Racing games are a pretty niche market. You have to really be into cars and driving in circles to enjoy them. Luckily Burnout Takedown is not a racing game, it’s an experiment in who can cause the most damage with a virtual car. I honestly can’t tell you if there is even a racing option in the game, all I ever played was the crash mode, and boy were hours spent enjoying the hell out of that. Back when EB Games still existed there would be groups of us taking turns trashing vehicles trying to be the current high score. It was a great time, and honestly never really grows old if you have enough people to play with.
     
    burnout 3 takedown
     

    Eric

    BioShock (PS3, 360, PC – 2007)
    BioShock is one of those games that’s hard to describe. For starters, it’s a very solid first person shooter, with added mechanics like the ability to hurl fireballs and lightning bolts at your enemies. It has the added benefit of having one of the greatest atmospheres in gaming history. A world that calls to you and become very difficult to walk away from. And lastly it’s a technical masterpiece, with absurd state of the art water effects and the ability to use your environment in conjunction with your abilities to dispatch foes. Just. . . perfection.
     
    Bioshock
     

    Pisko

    Bomberman 64 (N64 – 1997)
    The first 3D Bomberman entry in the series was also one of my favorites. The game showcased both Bomberman’s world and Bomberman himself in beautiful 3D with a controllable camera. Between this game and Mario 64, 3D platforming was formed and the foundation of all that followed was cemented. The single player was challenging without being completely frustrating and remembering to use the camera was just as important as finding upgrades to your bombs and firepower. Where this game really shined for me was multiplayer. Up to 4 people could compete in a range of old and new bomberman games. New maps made use of the N64’s power and the game rarely slowed down even with multiple explosions and items on screen.
     
    bomberman 64
     

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    T.W.I.G. 10/20/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-102013/ Sun, 20 Oct 2013 16:32:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17269 Twig1

     

    There wasn’t a lot of news this week, but there was some big news that came down, so let’s take a look.

    The News:

    • Ubisoft has delayed the highly anticipated Watch_Dogs until Spring 2014. They were not happy with how things were looking for the game with only a few weeks left to finish so rather than ship an unpolished game they delayed to make sure they put out a final product they were happy with. This is aggravating for me as this was THE game I was going to get at the PS4 launch and now I’m very unsure of what to get.
    • SquareEnix has announced that we will be getting a Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix in 2014. This is good news as SquareEnix has been struggling as of late but that means that the KH 1.5HD has sold well. Let’s hope that trend continues.
    • Blizzard has announced that the Diablo III Expansion, Reaper of Souls, will be coming to the PS4 when the game releases sometime next year. This is pretty cool news as the console versions are apparently pretty good, I however will still be picking up the expansion on PC.

    The new releases:

      After a rather slow week for new games there is a plethora of worthwhile new releases this week.

    • LEGO Marvel Super Heros (10/22) – WiiU, PS3, 360, PC, 3DS, Vita, DS
    • Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut (10/22) – WiiU, 360, PS3, PC
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutrles (10/22) – 360, Wii, 3DS
    • Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst (10/22) – PS3, 360
    • Batman: Arkham Origins (10/22) – PS3, 360, PC
    • Path of Exhile (10/23) – PC
    • Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (10/25) – 3DS, Vita

    There may not be a TWIG next week, or at the very least I will not be writing it. I am getting married on Saturday so I will be a little busy to say the least. Have a good two weeks everyone, see you in November!

    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – A https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-a/ Sun, 20 Oct 2013 16:00:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17229 GYPSHP_A
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.

    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we move into game that start with “A”. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played
     

    Drootin

    Alundra (PS1 – 1997)
    This is the rare time where this is actually a game I haven’t played and that’s exactly why I am choosing it. Alundra was a PS1 action-RPG that had a strong Legend of Zelda feel to it. I remember watching Eric play this game back in the day and always thought to myself that I should play this game. If you’re a fan of the older Legend of Zelda games and RPGs this game should be on your list to play. It was followed up by a less than stellar sequel that got rid of the Legend of Zelda style gameplay that made the original a game that should be on your radar.
     
    Alundra
     

    Chris

    Aladdin (SNES – 1993)
    Whether or not your played Aladdin for the SNES has a few different factors. The biggest one is going to be which system you had, and which you primarily played. It’s strange, but Aladdin on SNES is actually a completely different game from Aladdin on the Genesis. They were made by different companies, and play very different. Genesis Aladdin has a sword, SNES he throws apples and ninja’s the hell out of bad guys. Anyway I’ve played both version, and while the Genesis is usually the majority favorite, I actually prefer the SNES version. I like all the prince of persia action, and the fact that after levels you could write down a password to continue from that spot. Starting completely over after you died or had to restart the system sucked.
     
    aladdin snes
     

    Eric

    Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PS3, 360, PC – 2010)
    I can’t tell you how much I love this series, and every year I’m disappointed by how many people I know that don’t play it. Most recently I was disappointed by the game itself (AC3) due to lack of polish, and boring characterization. However, this is still a series worth checking out by everyone simply for the exciting mechanics. The story that has you visiting different time periods to uncover the truth behind a secret war plaguing the real world is also incredibly intriguing. ACII and Brotherhood are the standouts in the series, so start with one of those if you can.
     
    Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
     

    Pisko

    Adventure (Atari – 1979)
    This was Zelda before the technology was ready. Sure you couldn’t save and the Dragon looked more like a crazy duck (I mean, Come on, Fhqwhgads) but the sense of exploration was EPIC for the time. It’s almost so abstract it could be a work of art. This was the FIRST action-adventure game on a home console and everything that follows in the genre for the next 20 years shows it. In addition it may not have been the first to showcase an easter egg but was one of the best known on Atari 2600.
     
    adventure

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    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played – #s https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-s/ Sat, 19 Oct 2013 16:00:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17215 GYPSHP_#
     
    We can finally say that Next Generation in gaming is in full swing with the release of the final 2 entries in console war in just about a months time. To commemorate this event we’ve decided to take a look back at all of our favorite games, in alphabetical order, across every generation. We’re calling this the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played.
     
    Some of our choices will be mainstream titles, some will be indie games that you’ve probably never heard of. A handful of these selections will be older then you, while others are younger than your car. All that matters is that in some way we feel that these games are worth playing. So come along for the ride, as we start off in the Numbers before moving onto the letters of the alphabet. Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!

    Check out the rest of the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played

    Chris

    1943 (ARC – 1987)
    I think the first game like this I played was actually 1942, but I actually owned 1943 on the NES so way more time was spent on that. The game play isn’t really all that different, you’re a plane and you shoot down other plans, but the 3 year difference in releases helped refine the look a bit. 1943 definitely looks prettier.
     
    1943_arcade
     

    Eric

    3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3 – 2009)
    Sometimes a game comes along and helps us remember why we began playing games in the first place. 3D Dot Game Heroes is one of those games. Picture the original Legend of Zelda but in 3D. Not like Ocarina of Time, but each pixel is a cube instead. What you get is a charming top down perspective Adventure RPG with customizable characters.
     
    3d dot game heroes
     

    ]]>
    Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble Promos! https://one-quest.com/blog/ultimate-spider-man-and-avengers-assemble-promos/ Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:23:04 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17239 marvel-logo
    We received a few promo’s for upcoming episodes of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble that air on Disney XD. So without any further babbling, check them out!


    BIG HEROES! BIG VILLAINS! AND BIGGER ADVENTURES…this week Share Your Universe with brand new episodes of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble inside Marvel Universe on Disney XD (Sunday, 11a/10c).

    Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man
    In Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man “Second Chance Hero”, Norman Osborn takes on a new role…and it’s not the Lizard! In Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, Osborn puts on a new suit, the Iron Patriot suit that is. With a new identity and mission, Osborn sets out to do good and Spidey soon finds himself in a very unlikely partnership with this new hero. But the question still remains, how much can this web-slinger really trust his former foe?


    BIG HEROES! BIG VILLAINS! AND BIGGER ADVENTURES…this week Share Your Universe with brand new episodes of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble inside Marvel Universe on Disney XD (Sunday, 11a/10c).

    Marvel’s Avengers Assemble
    All eyes are on Falcon in Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, literally. In “Avengers Impossible,” Impossible Man joins this week’s episode and the Avengers’ world is turned upside down when this shape-shifting mischief-maker makes Falcon the star of his action movie, but this blockbuster puts all of Earth on the line!

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Walking Dead Characters https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-walking-dead-characters/ Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:00:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17201 The Walking Dead, saison 1
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Favorite Walking Dead Characters,
     
    We’re on Season 4 of the popular zombie apocalypse drama, and that means we’ve met quite a few likeable, and unlikeable, characters. Some stand out as the series heroes, some are over hyped, and some. . . well they just suck and will never make it to the top five of anyone’s lists. Everyone has different opinions about every character, and that’s what makes this so interesting. So read on, and tell us who your favorites are in the comments sections below!
     

    Chris

    1. Tyrese – I only read a couple volumes of the comic, but Tyrese was awesome from his first introduction. Last season they finally introduced him to the show, and while he didn’t make that much of an impact at the start, he definitely looks like he’ll be getting a better role as this season goes on.
    2. Glenn – Come on who doesn’t like Glenn? He’s kind of a nerd, but he managed to fight off a walker while tied down to a freaking chair! Which one of you would be able to do that huh? He also saved Rick which was nice of him considering people outside (and occasionally inside) their group seem to just all be hate filled jerks.
    3. Hershel – I go through phases with Hershel sometimes he’s pretty cool, others I wish he would just die. Ever since that episode where he gets drunk with Rick at that bar I’ve enjoyed him more. He’s not so out of his mind at this point, that moved over to Officer Grimes.
    4. Daryl – At this point I think everyone just loves Daryl, he’s the cool guy that everyone wants to win the Zombiocalypse.
    5. Merle – Merle is just such a hateable guy that you love him. He was a terrible human being, but exactly the Batman you need for this situation. Or something like that anyway.

     
    tyreese
     

    Vogel

    1. Daryl – Daryl isn’t in the comic book and was a great addition to the show. I think he’s come a long way since episode 2(?) when he’s introduced.
    2. Glenn – Here’s another character that’s really come a long way. When you meet him in the Walking Dead game, I felt some excitement to learn more about this character.
    3. Dale – The voice of Rick’s reason many times, I felt Dale helped the group quite a bit.
    4. T-Dog – Great soldier for the group. Dependable and really likeable as a character.
    5. Carl – Carl started out as kind of a whiney brat that grew up pretty fast. I know we’re supposed to stick to the show, but I’m current with the books and can’t wait for Carl to break out of his shell.

     
    daryl
     

    Eric

    1. Glenn – He’s been my favorite character since the moment he was introduced. He brought humor, and filled out the group well by being the guy willing to do stuff, unwillingly. . .
    2. Maggie – The farmers daughter turned out to be one of the most likeable characters on the show, and probably the only female lead I don’t hate.. She’s not annoying like her sister, not a bitch like Lori, and she’s not Andrea.
    3. Tyrese – I hear he’s a book favorite, and so far I find his character very entertaining on the show. Can’t wait to get more screen time from him.
    4. The Governor – His character worked so well in every way. He was/is insane in every way. But he’s awesome.
    5. Milton – The Governors science guy. I was really rooting for him to make it through the end of last season. It would have been awesome to see him integrate with the main cast more.

     
    glenn
     

    Pisko

    1. T-Dog – He had zero development as a character until the episode he died. While I disagree with how the show has handled black male actors (only one at a time?) I did come to love T-Dog in spite of his awful character development.
    2. Dale – As a comic fan I was very upset with how Dale went out on the show. That being said, his show counterpart was a shadow of the comic Dale. Good thing is that we didn’t have to suffer the relationship between Dale and Andrea.
    3. Karl – This kid just does not give ANY fucks. “Karl, stay here”, NOPE. “Karl, don’t follow us” NOPE. “Karl, zombies are dangerous” NOPE. Karl does what Karl wants. Karl killed Karl’s mama. Karl is badass.
    4. Merle – I hate Merle. That mostly why I love him. Let’s be honest, in a zombocalypse (Google auto-corrected that word for me… HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?) this is mostly the kind of people you would find. Despite all that it was nice to see him redeemed before he took the big dirt nap.
    5. Hershel – Hershel is the only level headed person after he finally lets go of his farm and accepts the new world around him. Honestly, if he can whittle himself a new leg, then he should turn those crutches into some badass weapons.

     
    t-dog

    ]]>
    Games You (Probably) Should Have Played Starting Tomorrow! https://one-quest.com/blog/games-you-probably-should-have-played-starting-tomorrow/ Fri, 18 Oct 2013 15:03:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17210 gypsp_logo

    Starting tomorrow, and for the following 26 days leading up to the release of the PlayStation 4, we’ll be bringing you an alphabetical look at, what we feel, are the Games You (Probably) Should Have Played. We may not be talking about the best games on the planet, but certainly the games that impacted us the most.

    We’re ranging from Retro to Current Gen in our quest to tell you about the games that you should not pass up for any reason. So, join us tomorrow for our nearly month long journey across our favorite games.

    There will be a total of 27 different articles, with at least 3 different opinions on each article. And feel free to add your own opinion in the comments below! ^_^

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    New All-New Marvel NOW! Teaser.NOW https://one-quest.com/blog/new-all-new-marvel-now-teaser/ Thu, 17 Oct 2013 16:08:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17195 Marvel isn’t done with new books yet, we just got a brand new teaser delivered with just the letters MS. on it. Could this be the long awaited biographical comic about the history of Microsoft? No probably not, but it could mean Miss, as in Miss Marvel? Though that would be a bit strange since she’s currently Captain Marvel, and that seems like some kind of demotion or something. I’m sure this won’t be the last teaser we get before another slew of official announcement, for now check it out below and let us know what you think it might be!

    MS

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    All-New Marvel NOW! Is Getting Big https://one-quest.com/blog/all-new-marvel-now-is-getting-big/ Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:13:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17162 all-new-marvel-now-banner

    Marvel announced a whole slew of new books and reboots coming in 2014. Things like a reboot for X-Factor and a new ongoing Black Widow series are sure to draw in fans. Some of the titles seem a little silly though, and I’m not sure how I feel about the .NOW thing they’re doing with titles that aren’t getting the renumbering treatment. I’m certainly willing to give these a shot though, especially the previously announced Inhumans with Matt Fraction and Joe Madureira, I can’t wait for that one!

    Not every book is all that interesting though, Captain Marvel is just getting restarted and #1 and sent into space. X-Factor is getting restarted at #1 too, after just ending a few months ago, and with the same writer. On the bright side of things though, fans of Ghost Rider, Punisher, Black Widow, Elektra, and others will finally be getting more solo action for those guys. Oh and aside from Inhumans, my personal favorite a brand new New Warriors written by Chris Yost featuring the soon to be solo bookless Scarlet Spider!

    Now if you happened to somehow miss all the teaser for the new books, luckily there’s a nice gallery of them on AnalogAddiction.org that’s also where I found the title image.

    Anyway, here is the full release from Marvel, check it out and let us know what books you’re interested in seeing in the comments. And stick around after the text for a little visual present.


    New York Comic Con may be behind us, but All-New Marvel NOW! is just getting started! This Winter, the Marvel Universe heads in an exciting, all-new direction to deliver the best comics on the market with all-new ongoing series from blockbuster creators AND must read .NOW entry #1 issues for all readers!

    “All-New Marvel NOW! ushers in 2014 with bold new launches and exciting new story lines for ongoing series that provide wide-open doorways into the Marvel Universe,” explained Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “With new voices joining our creative chorus, and new heroes stepping into the spotlight, the Marvel Universe is about to expand in every way possible. Our NYCC announcements were only the tip of the iceberg — we’ve plenty more to come.”

    Titles announced at New York Comic-Con 2013:

    All-New Ghost Rider #1
    By Felipe Smith (Writer) & Tradd Moore (Artist)
    March 2014

    All-New X-Factor #1
    By Peter David (Writer) & Carmine DiGiandomenico (Artist)
    January 2014

    All-New X-Men #22.NOW (=All-New X-Men #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & Stuart Immonen (Artist)
    January 2014

    Avengers A.I. #8.NOW (=Avengers A.I. #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Sam Humphries (Writer) & Andre Araujo (Artist)
    January 2014

    Avengers Undercover #1
    By Dennis Hopeless (Writer) & Kev Walker (Artist)
    March 2014

    Avengers World #1
    By Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Spencer (Writer) & Stefano Caselli (Artist)
    January 2014

    Black Widow #1
    By Nathan Edmondson (Writer) & Phil Noto (Artist)
    January 2014

    Captain America #16.NOW (=Captain America #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Rick Remender (Writer), Pascal Alixie (Artist) & Nic Klein (Artist)
    February 2014

    Captain Marvel #1
    By Kelly-Sue DeConnick (Writer) & David Lopez (Artist)
    March 2014

    Elektra #1
    By Zeb Wells (Writer) & Mike Del Mundo (Artist)
    March 2014

    Guardians of the Galaxy #11.NOW (=Guardians of the Galaxy #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Brian Michael Bendis (Writer) & Sara Pichelli (Artist)
    January 2014

    Iron Patriot #1
    By Ales Kot (Writer) & Garry Brown (Artist)
    April 2013

    Loki: Agent of Asgard #1
    By Al Ewing (Writer) & Lee Garbett (Artist)

    New Warriors #1
    By Christopher Yost (Writer) and Marcus To (Artist)
    February 2014

    Punisher #1
    By Nathan Edmondson (Writer) & Mitch Gerads (Artist)
    February 2014

    Savage Wolverine 14.NOW (=Savage Wolverine #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Richard Isanove (Writer & Artist)
    January 2014

    Secret Avengers #1
    By Ales Kot (Writer) & Michael Walsh (Artist)
    March 2014

    Silver Surfer #1
    By Dan Slott (Writer) & Mike Allred (Artist)
    March 2014

    Superior Spider-Man 27.NOW (=Superior Spider-Man #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Dan Slott (Writer) & Giuseppe Camunicoli (Artist)
    February 2014

    Thunderbolts 20.NOW (=Thunderbolts #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!)
    By Charles Soule (Writer) & Carlo Barberi (Artist)
    February 2014

    These titles join already announced Avengers 24.NOW, All-New Invaders #1, Inhuman #1 and She-Hulk #1 as the Marvel Universe charges into a bold-new direction this December with All-New Marvel NOW! – featuring unique new series, new mission statements, epic scales, and bigger conflicts than ever before.

    Every FIRST ISSUE bearing the All New Marvel NOW! branding includes a code for a free digital copy of that same comic on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices. But that’s not all! Select .NOW! titles will also come with a digital code for the entire first collection of that series ABSOLUTELY FREE!

    Once again, the biggest creators bring you the biggest characters in the biggest stories…and it’s happening NOW! Look for All-New Marvel NOW! in print and digital starting this December!

    For more on All-New Marvel NOW!, please visit www.marvel.com and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #AllNewMarvelNOW.

    ]]>
    Watch Dogs delayed to 2014 https://one-quest.com/blog/watch-dogs-delayed-to-2014/ Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:05:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17149 Wow. That’s all I got on this one.
     
    We’re just about a month away from the highly, and I mean HIGHLY, anticipate open world game’s official release date of November 22, 2013, and Ubisoft drops this bomb on their blog:
     

    “Following is a statement directly from the Watch Dogs development teams.

    Watch Dogs Update Image

    Our ambition from the start with Watch Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming. It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until spring 2014.

    We know a lot of you are probably wondering: Why now? We struggled with whether we would delay the game. But from the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality. As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune each detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience.

    We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the way you respond on the web, at events, press conferences and other opportunities we have to interact. Your passion keeps us motivated.

    We can’t wait to see you in Chicago next spring. We are confident you’ll love this game as much as we love working on it.”

     
    That’s just. . . wild. Anyway, It looks like Ubisoft is also delaying the release of The Crew to summer 2014.
     
    Delays aren’t uncommon in this industry, but a delay this close to release for such a massive period of time. . . doesn’t bode well to me.
     
    Sorry guys, as more info comes to us about this news we’ll pass it on. For now, tell us how you feel in the comments below.

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    Kingdom Hearts III Early Gameplay Demo! https://one-quest.com/blog/kingdom-hearts-iii-early-gameplay-demo/ Tue, 15 Oct 2013 15:57:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17146 Kingdom Hearts III Logo
     
    Yesterday saw the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix. Today, a new look at some of the upcoming gameplay elements from Kingdom Hearts III!
     
    It looks simplistic, and in some parts a bit. . . uninspired. You need to keep in mind this is incredibly early work here. Remember, the art style for the graphics were barely decided on by the time they announced the project at E3. At this point all we’re looking at is proof of concept work.
     
    Regardless of that bit of info, I think this looks glorious! In particular, take note of that fire spell in the early part of the demo. It’s awe inspiring work there!
     
    Watch the trailer below, and tell us what you think about ‘dem graphics in the comments section!
     

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    Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX Coming To PS3 https://one-quest.com/blog/kingdom-hearts-hd-2-5-remix-coming-to-ps3/ Mon, 14 Oct 2013 12:05:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17138 kingdomheartshd2p5remix

    Yep, that’s 100% official, in 2014 Square Enix will be releasing Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX! Thanks mostly to the 20 million copies sold of the first HD ReMIX, fans will get to play an upgraded HD version of more Kingdom Hearts while we continue the long wait for Kingdom Hearts III.

    KH HD 2.5 will feature 2 full games plus cinematics of another, the same format used with he first one. The games included will be:

    • Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix – PS2
    • Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix – PSP
    • Kingdom Hearts RE:coded *HD Cinematics only*

    The other bit of awesome about this is that this will be the first time KHII and Birth By Sleep have had their Final Mix versions released outside of Japan. So not only are we getting the games in HD we’re getting versions never seen in most of the world.

    All of this news can be seen straight from the source over at the Playstation Blog along with the trailer, but why click a link when you can just watch it right here?

    This is pretty awesome news, and should help to solidify to Square Enix that it is definitely worth the time to make Kingdom Hearts III sooner rather than later. Hopefully this will be some fire under their collective ass and get Final Fantasy XV finished up so the team can move on to their next project (KHIII).

    So keep an eye on One-Quest for any more information about this release as we find out, and let us know what you think in the comments!

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    T.W.I.G. 10/13/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-101313/ Sun, 13 Oct 2013 15:00:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17132  

    Twig1

    Good Sunday (or whatever day you happen to be reading this) to you all and welcome to yet another edition of our weekly gaming news post. Also a happy (slightly belated) 1st wedding anniversary to our very own Eric & Audra! With that said, let’s go to the news.

    The News:

    • The now defunct THQ has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against EA and the UFC claiming that EA used inside knowledge of THQ’s financial struggles to get the UFC to back out of their deal with THQ and give the license to EA. THQ claims that EA became aware of this information when attempting to acquire the struggling company and then fed that information to the UFC.
    • The WiiU version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will not be getting any of the planned DLC.
    • Indie platformer Dustforce will be coming to Xbox360, PS3, and Vita in January. I was fortunate to pick up this game in one of the Humble Bundles for Steam and must say it is a very enjoyable fast-paced platformer. I highly recommend this game either on Steam for PC or when it comes out for the consoles.
    • Square announced that they are bringing many games to mobile devices. They have said that they will be bringing Dragon Quest 1 through 8 and adding Final Fantasy 6 to the list of Final Fantasy games that are available on iOS and Android devices.

    The new releases:

      It’s an ugly week for new releases this week.

    • Skylanders: Swap Force (10/13) – 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii, WiiU
    • Valhalla Knights 3 (10/15) – Vita
    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – October 9, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-october-9-2013/ Fri, 11 Oct 2013 19:00:58 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17096 tioli10913
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    I’m not going to say a lot this week, so lets just get to Take It Or Leave It!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    GreenLantern24Cover

    Green Lantern Corps #24

    It seems like at this point Green Lantern books should just be advertised as one giant interconnected story. As soon as one major crossover finishes up in them they start a new one. On the bright side they haven’t been that bad. I had some trouble following Rise of the Third Army and Wraith of the First Lantern because I was only really following the main Green Lantern title. This time I’m doing it different, and Lights Out is actually looking to be pretty good because of it. It’s just 2 issues in, but I’m liking what they’re doing here, though I feel like the only way to make an enemy for the Lanterns to take down is to make him either really old or something similar. It’s to the point where if one group of Lanterns can’t win you just get the others. Lights Out is taking that option away by just completely draining all of the power from the emotional spectrum, it’s different and that’s a good thing. This issue of Green Lantern Corps has a lot of John Stewart being pretty badass getting a plan together ready to sacrifice everything to save as many other Green Lanterns as he can. This could probably be a pretty good entry point if you want to start reading Corps too, but haven’t really done it yet. Well that’s if you’ve at least been reading Green Lantern already.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    supermanwonderwoman1

    Superman Wonder Woman #1

    I’m not really a big fan of either of these characters. It’s not that I dislike them, just that their stories don’t usually pull me in the way other heroes do. The only Superman books I’ve been able to really enjoy have been Unchained and Superman Batman. That being the case I thought maybe a team up book with Wonder Woman would bring me around a little more on these characters. So far though, that’s not the case. They just don’t seem to have enough chemistry going on, the whole relationship they have feels forced. The couple pages of it in Justice League felt a lot more substantial than an entire book about it. Maybe after another issue or two it will open up some more, but right now I just can’t find any reason to keep reading the book.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ghostbusters8

    Ghostbusters #8

    I don’t talk about Ghostbusters nearly enough, but it’s a really fun read especially if you grew up loving the movies. It just feels very true to those. Issue 8 continues the story from before with Winston in Vegas trying to take down a Ghost on his own for a free vacation, Egon is losing his mind, and everyone else is trying to take down ghost pirates which is pretty awesome. I can’t really say much else other than start reading Ghostbusters you’ll thank me in the morning.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    americasgotpowers7-

    America’s Got Powers #7

    One year and six months. . . That’s how long it took for 7 issues of America’s Got Powers to come out. I think last time an issue came out I mentioned that even though it’s a great story at this point it’s just not worth buying. That still holds true with the final issue, it’s a great finale and I really enjoyed it, but I barely remember how we got there. Just do yourself a favor, skip the issue and pick up the trade in a couple months, Image is awesome at getting this stuff out quickly in a collected edition. And trust me it’s worth reading, but as one whole story.

    Verdict: Leave It – Wait for the trade

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    infinity4

    Infinity #4

    I hate to say this, but I actually enjoyed a bit of this issue. I know I said that last time too, and it’s not an easy thing to admit. The story as a whole is still just a huge mess, but this issue had a couple really outstanding pages. Basically all the ones with Thor. I was pretty uninterested in all the Thanos and Inhuman stuff, but that happened too. I would honestly say this book is worth buying just for the Thor stuff, he’s a badass and everyone in the universe should know it. Other than that though, you can probably just skip the book, maybe just flip through at the store or something.

    Verdict: Leave It – But check out the Thor parts

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    wolverine10

    Wolverine #10

    The current volume of Wolverine didn’t really start out awesome, but it’s certainly grown on me. I’m really enjoying the Killable story. I mean we all know Wolverine isn’t going to die, he’s going to get his healing factor and all back, but the way his character he being handled just feel real. If you found out all of a sudden that you could be hurt and die, and the way you’re use to acting not only hurts, but could be fatal you’d be pretty sad too. The team up with Kitty is nice too, those two have an interesting relationship, I’ve always preferred this one to Wolverine and Jubilee, mostly because I don’t like Jubilee. Anyway, while the effects won’t last forever, I think this a pretty good story and worth reading if you’re a Wolverine fan.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    GFTHAL2013_coverA

    Grimm Fairy Tales 2013 Halloween Special Edition

    I wasn’t really feeling this book at first, it felt a little silly. Sela, Red, and Robin all get invited to a party and immediately get their cloths changed into skimpy little outfits. Then I realized what the outfits were, and that made me laugh a bit. But going further the story ended up being interesting. Sort of pitting each of them against something that would generally be kind of a big deal, if they weren’t all such badasses in the book. One of the nice things about this holiday special is it gives us a nice little teaser at the end for some stuff that I’m sure will be big in the coming months.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Screwed05_coverA

    Tyler Kirkham’s Screwed #5

    Screwed is a really weird book, but it’s good. I like that we’ve slowly learned more and more about the characters and what’s going on. We haven’t had huge gaps with nothing really happening, or finding out to much. We’re given just enough info each story to keep us going and caring what happens. With only one issue left, we don’t have a lot more to find out either, so the final issue is probably going to be pretty action packed, which this series has had plenty of, and that’s not a bad thing!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    2013 TV Season Premieres – Monday https://one-quest.com/blog/2013-tv-season-premieres-monday/ Tue, 08 Oct 2013 16:00:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16919 It’s fall, at that means all the TV shows we love, some that we hate, and plenty we have yet to see are back with new seasons. For some it’s their last, we’ll be saying goodbye to characters we’ve been following for years. While others are chugging along or just getting started, it’s a fun time to discover new things to occupy you while your sitting at home.

    Just like last year, I’m going to have a brief roundup of all the shows we can watch. This won’t be every show premiering this fall, but I’ll do my best to get to as many as possible! Each one will focus on a certain day of the week, and it will be updated as new shows air. So first up is going to be Monday which had its first new show I watched premiere on September 16, Sleepy Hollow. Remember, this doesn’t have everything that’s aired, it’s just what I plan on trying to watch. If you want a list of everything airing though, check out our Fall 2013 TV Premiere Schedule.

    Now lets get started, and keep an eye on this page for updates as the rest of the shows air, and more get added if we get to see them. and don’t forget to check out the other 5 days of the week (Saturday doesn’t have anything).

    *Updated on 10/8/2013

    Sleepy Hollow – 9pm on Fox (Premiere Date 9/16/2013)

    SLEEPY-HOLLOW-TV-Series
    I didn’t entirely know what to expect when Sleepy Hollow started. Judging the shows by the trailers I thought, at least for season one, it would be all about tracking the Headless Horseman. This show was a lot more than that though, sure the big bad for the episode was the aforementioned sight impaired equestrian, but the show had a lot more going for it. As the hour carried on we met all the major players, and had more than one big shocking revealing. Our heroes Revolutionary War soldier Ichabod Crane and police Lt. Abbie Mills, played by Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, have a great chemistry in this first episode, and they both have a lot of burden on them even before things really get started. Ichabod’s arrival in the future isn’t something he’s expecting and the reactions by the people in 2013 actually make a lot of sense. They don’t make it overly campy with him experiencing new things, but he’s also noticeably taken aback by a lot of it too. One of the best scenes involves his surprise of a black female police lieutenant that wears pants. And starbucks.

    One of the things that really set this show apart from what it could have been, is the mythology and religious tie-in’s they’re using to make this whole Headless Horseman and time traveling Ichabod Crane a bit more ‘realistic’. Now obviously there isn’t really anything realistic about this story, but it’s better than just “Oh yeah there was a whole that sucked both these guys in and one of them had just lost their heads”. It actually really adds something to the myths of the series, and makes expanding past just this singular villain a reasonable thing. Really why else would Ichabod be helping Abbie out if things were all tied together.

    That brings us to another point, where shows like Continuum(which is actually really good) have their main time traveling hero find some way to trick the police into letting them work cases. Sleepy Hollow just flat out has the police know what’s going on. Granted none of them really know what’s going on, but they all saw a dude on a horse with no head, so I guess a dude claiming to be BFF’s with George Washington isn’t such a farfetched idea.

    Overall Sleepy Hollow is really looking to be a great new shows, that’s sure to fill a spot on Monday nights. If you were a fan of shows like Buffy and Angel this is definitely something to check out. Definitely make sure to start with this first episode though, and tune in on Monday September 23 for episode 2!

    Verdict: Watch It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    How I Met Your Mother – 8pm on CBS (Premiere Date 9/23/2013 *1 hour premiere*)

    himymseason9
    How I Met Your Mother’s final season is a few weeks in now and it’s be going pretty well so far. The last two season I felt were a little weak, they had their moments, but overall I just wasn’t impressed with where a lot of story lines were going. Now with this final stretch to the end the writers have an ending in sight and only so many episode left to get to it. Without focusing to much on the more recent episode, lets talk a bit about the one hour season premiere. This was our introduction to just how this season is going to run, with the gang attending Barney and Robin’s wedding at a nice hotel in a town called Farhampton. Of course it’s not going to be that easy, the first episode featured a brief road trip to the hotel with Ted and Lily, which Lily quickly baled on because Ted is crazy. This of course led to our first real introduction to the woman known only as The Mother. Unfortunately for Ted, it was Lily who first met her, and it was actually a great introduction. She seemed to actually hit it off with Lily really well, and her personality just felt like she would fit into this group of friends. The problem with the first half of the premiere was that this was the highlight, meeting this character we’ve been waiting on for so many years was great, but the rest of the episode left something to be desired. Barney and Robin’s almost incest was weird, and the only enjoyable parts were the ring bear and Game of Thrones reference. Yeah, Joffrey was a great King. . .

    Marshall had a story that could have been good, had it not obviously been something that’s going to drag out over several episode. Was it really necessary to make his character have to take this long road trip with a stranger to get back in time for the wedding? Just let the poor guy take a plane ride! I suppose with the reveal last year that he was offered a Judges job, while he and Lily were preparing to go to Italy for a year is an alright reason to drag things out, it still feels forced. Ted was really the only character that didn’t have much going on in this first episode, though at the end we did get a pretty big glimpse into where his mind was at the moment. On the bright side we kind of know how things are going to play out, sure bad stuff will probably going down, but we can assume a show like this is going to have a fairly happy ending by the end. Granted I know that we’ve heard Ted reference to Aunt Robin, Aunt Lily and Uncle Marshall to his kids, but I honestly can’t remember if he ever mentions Barney in a similar way to his kids. I could just be forgetting things, or possibly this is foreshadowing dun dun dun.

    Anyway, the second episode had the characters actually arriving at the hotel, and while the Mother wasn’t really a big part of this episode, her one scene was probably the highlight of the entire episode. Without spoiling things, it’s nice to know that the show at least threw fans a bone on this one, and hopefully we get a few more. We all know that Ted will not be meeting her till probably the last couple episodes, if not the very last. We’ve seen where it happens, and have a pretty good idea of when, it’s going to be one hell of a season getting there though. If you haven’t started watching this season of How I Met Your Mother yet stop hesitating and get to it already, this is certainly to be one of those shows you don’t want to miss.

    Verdict: Watch it and be ready to cry this spring!

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    2 Broke Girls – 9pm on CBS (Premiere Date 9/23/2013)

    tv-2-broke-girls03
    2 Broke Girls isn’t the best show on tv, it’s certainly not the smartest humor, but it is funny. Funny in a very sophomoric way, that you just can’t help but laugh at. The problem is coming into its third season not much has changed. The major drive force for the girls is to open a cupcake shop. They did it and it failed, so now they’re doing it super late night out the back window of the diner they work at. I still find myself laughing at the show, but I’m not sure how much longer that’s going to happen. It’s just not one of those shows that I feel like I need to watch every week, I could probably catch it once a month and have my fill. It’s a shame too, the cast is all fun, and they really go full force into their characters. Some characters aren’t as amusing as others, but you get that in every show. I guess if your Monday nights are light this is a decent way to spend the 9-930 timeslot, for me though I’d much rather be watching Sleepy Hollow than this anymore. Doesn’t mean I won’t DVR the show and watch it later though.

    Verdict: Better left to DVR or OnDemand

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Mom – 9:30pm on CBS (Premiere Date 9/23/2013)

    Mom-cbs
    I only watched the first episode of Mom, I had every intention of watching the next couple that have aired, but nothing is really driving me to do it. I just wasn’t that interested in the first episode. Anna Ferris plays a woman who use to be a terrible mom, who had a terrible mom, but now she wants to be a a good mom. That about sums it up, she doesn’t really like her mom, her daughter doesn’t really like her. It’s one of those full circle kind of things. Outside of that it’s just really not that interesting, and like 2 Broke Girls, at the timeslot it’s on, I’d rather be watching Sleepy Hollow.

    Verdict: Skip It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    The Blacklist – 10pm on NBC (Premiere Date 9/23/2013)

    theblacklistnbc
    NBC is pretty well known for having pretty low ratings on their shows, but I’m noticing more and more that they really do have some of the best ones on. Revolution is an interesting fun show, Grimm is one of my favorites, they’ve got great comedies like Parks & Rec, and now a show like Blacklist hits their network. Blacklist has an interesting, but not original, plot. A most wanted criminal turns them self in and starts working with the FBI. It sounds pretty straight forward, but it’s not. With just 2 episodes they’ve already layered all kinds of mystery into the show. Motives for our main character Red Reddington, just why is he doing this if he’s a criminal himself? And Why is he so infatuated with a rookie FBI profiler? And what the hell is up with her husband? Sure the show has some flaws to it, some scenes are a little forced, but any time James Spader is on screen everything feels very natural. He really takes control of a scene and drives it in the proper direction.

    So far with just a couple episodes down I’ve gotta say The Blacklist is one of my favorite new shows, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go. Luckily it just got picked up for a full 22 episode season, which should bode well for it being renewed for a second year.

    Verdict: Watch It!

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    We Are Men – 8:30pm on CBS (Premiere Date 9/30/2013)

    Pilot
    After watching the first episode, and a decent portion of the second I’m just not feeling this show. The humor isn’t really there, and the characters feel forced. I love the cast, but this is just not the show they should be in.

    Verdict: Pretend it doesn’t come on anymore.

    Score: 1/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Fall 2013 TV Premiere Schedule https://one-quest.com/blog/fall-2013-tv-premiere-schedule/ Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:35:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16934 Fall means a lot of things, Halloween is right around the corner, stores are decorating for Christmas, everything is flavored like a Pumpkin. And lets not forget all our favorite shows are returning for a new season, unless they got canceled then they’re gone forever. On the bright side there are also some new shows you might like. Now I know for most of us it’s easy to find out when things will be on, there’s the nifty guide button on our remotes. That only goes so far though, so I’ve compiled a handy schedule of all the premieres, excluding reality based shows like The Voice or Amazing Race. It’s broken down by Day of the week, followed by day it aired, and finally time it airs. I’ve included the network too, just in case. If there’s a strike through the title it’s already aired which should be obvious by the date. And as things air feel free to click on the day of the week to see our reviews of the shows.

    Sundays

    September 8, 2013

    Boardwalk Empire 9pm HBO

    September 29, 2013

    Once Upon A Time 8pm ABC
    The Simpsons 8pm Fox
    Bob’s Burgers 8:30pm Fox
    Revenge 9pm ABC
    Family Guy 9pm Fox
    The Good Wife 9pm CBS
    Homeland 9pm Showtime
    American Dad! 9:30pm Fox
    Betrayal 10pm ABC
    Eastbound & Down 10pm HBO
    Masters of Sex 10pm Showtime
    The Mentalist 10pm CBS
    Hello Ladies 10:30pm HBO

    October 13, 2013

    The Walking Dead 9pm AMC

    Mondays

    September 16, 2013

    Bones 8pm Fox
    Sleepy Hollow 9pm Fox

    September 23, 2013

    How I Met Your Mother 8pm CBS **Hour Long Premiere**
    2 Broke Girls 9pm CBS
    Mom 9:30pm CBS
    The Blacklist 10pm NBC
    Castle 10pm ABC
    Hostages 10pm CBS

    September 30, 2013

    We Are Men 8:30pm CBS

    Octoboer 7, 2013

    Hart of Dixie 8pm CW
    Beauty and the Beast 9pm CW

    Replacement Shows

    Intelligence (Midseason replaces Hostages at 10pm)
    Almost Human (Late Fall / Midseason replaces Bones at 8pm)

    Tuesdays

    September 10, 2013

    Sons of Anarchy 10pm FX

    September 17, 2013

    Dads 8pm FOX
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine 8:30pm FOX
    New Girl 9pm FOX
    The Mindy Project 9:30pm FOX

    September 24, 2013

    Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 8pm ABC
    NCIS 8pm CBS
    The Goldbergs 9pm ABC
    NCIS Los Angeles 9pm CBS
    Trophy Wife 9:30pm ABC
    Person of Interest 10pm CBS
    Chicago Fire> 10pm NBC
    Lucky 7 10pm ABC

    October 8, 2013

    The Originals 8pm CW (Pilot on Thursdays 10/3)
    Supernatural 9pm CW

    Wednesdays

    September 4, 2013

    It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 10pm FXX
    The League 10:30pm FXX

    September 25, 2013

    Revolutions 8pm NBC
    The Middle 8pm ABC
    Back In The Game 8:30pm ABC
    Criminal Minds 9pm CBS
    Law & Order: SVU 9pm NBC
    Modern Family 9pm ABC
    CSI 10pm CBS
    Nashville 10pm ABC
    South Park 10pm Comedy Central

    October 9, 2013

    Arrow 8pm CW
    The Tomorrow People 9pm CW
    American Horror Story: Coven 10pm FX

    Replacement Shows

    Suburgatory – Should be returning midseason, date and time are not confirmed yet. Originally aired on Wednesday though.

    Thursdays

    September 26, 2013

    Big Bang Theory 8pm CBS
    Parks and Recreation 8pm NBC **Hour Long Premiere**
    The Millers 8:30pm CBS
    The Crazy Ones 9pm CBS
    Glee 9pm Fox
    Grey’s Anatomy 9pm ABC
    Michael J Fox Show 9:30pm NBC
    Two and a Half Men 9:30pm CBS
    Elementary 10pm CBS
    Parenthood 10pm NBC

    October 3, 2013

    The Vampire Diaries 8pm CW
    Welcome To The Family 8:30pm NBC
    The Originals 9pm CW (Pilot only, moves to Tuesdays)
    Sean Saves The World 9pm NBC
    Scandal 10pm NBC

    October 10, 2013

    Once Upon A Time In Wonderland 8pm ABC

    October 17, 2013

    Reign 9pm CW
    White Collar 9pm USA
    Covert Affairs 10pm USA

    Replacement Shows

    Community – Sometime probably Midseason after another show gets canceled. May be on a different day.

    Fridays

    September 13, 2013

    Haven 10pm Syfy

    September 20, 2013

    Last Man Standing 8pm ABC
    The Neighbors 8:30pm ABC

    September 27, 2013

    Hawaii Five-0 9pm CBS
    Blue Bloods 10pm CBS

    October 25, 2013

    The Carrie Diaries 8pm CW
    Grimm 9pm NBC
    Dracula 10pm NBC

    November 8, 2013

    Raising Hope 9pm Fox

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 10/6/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-1062013/ Sun, 06 Oct 2013 12:00:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17049  

    Twig10-6

     

    We’re back! After a missed week (sorry about that!) we are back with a double-stuffed edition of TWIG. That’s right 2 weeks worth of news in one post!

    The News:

    • The infamously difficult GameCube top-down shooter Ikaruga may be coming to Steam soon. It is currently up for vote on Steam Greenlight. We are fans of this game even though it is so difficult it is still very fun to play.
    • Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus will be releasing for PS3 on November 12th. It will cost $29.99 both retail and download.
    • Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut will be releasing on October 22nd for PC, PS3, 360, and WiiU.
    • A new Kirby platformer will be coming out on the 3DS in 2014.
    • Batman Arkham Origins will contain a “permadeath” mode called ‘I am the Night’. This mode will unlock after beating the game regularly.
    • New single-player The Last Of Us content is set to release in either December or January. No details on what this will include but I will be purchasing that as soon as it comes out.
    • Valve made a series of announcements aimed at getting Steam into the living room: 1) A new free, Linux-based Operating System called “Steam OS” 2) A number of options for something called “Steam Machines” that will be released by both Valve and other companies for a range of prices and specs 3) A new controller usable with these “Steam Machines” and current PCs that is aimed more towards games that aren’t really viable with currently existing controllers.
    • Keiji Inafune’s spiritual successor to Mega Man, Mighty No. 9 has been fully funded on Kickstarter and is slated to release on at least PS4, XboxOne, and PC.

    The new releases:

    • Beyond: Two Souls (10/8) – PS3
    • Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (10/8) – PS3
    • Borderlands 2: Game of The Year (10/8) – PS3, 360, PC
    • Dishonored: Game of The Year (10/8) – PS3, 360, PC
    • Just Dance 2014 (10/8) – PS3, 360, WiiU
    • Pokemon X & Y (10/12)

    Did You Know

    George Lucas originally wanted Luke Skywalker to become Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi? His last lines were going to be “Now I am Vader. Now I will go and kill the [Rebel] fleet and I will rule the universe.” This would have been MUCH different, and maybe even better, but who knows?

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Legend of Zelda Items https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-legend-of-zelda-items/ Fri, 04 Oct 2013 18:46:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17040 Legend of Zelda Items
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know some of our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week’s category: Legend of Zelda items!
     
    If dungeons and bosses are part of the equation that makes Zelda so important, then the items must be the lifeblood of the series. Each dungeon, and boss, is designed around a specific item. When you find a new item in a dungeon, you know the rest of the dungeon is going to teach you how to use it effectively. And if you don’t learn how to use it, well. . . expect to have a bad time on the boss for that level. There are a ton of items in the series, but many of them are as simple as they were in the very first game in the series. Read on to see which ones are our favorites and tell us yours in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. Hookshot/Longshot (Multiple) – This item was ridiculously helpful, not only could you use it to pull yourself across things, it was great for grabbing items. Especially in the 3D games like Ocarina of Time.
    2. Magic Boomerang (LTTP) – The Boomerang is such a classic LoZ weapon, and I’ve always loved the upgraded one in A Link To The Past. Not so much because it goes further or anything, but how you get it. Finding that random cave with the fairy and throwing the right item in gets you an upgrade. Come on that’s just cool.
    3. Master Sword (Multiple) – I don’t care which game you’re playing, if it has a Master Sword it’s god damn epic. The first time I got it was in A Link To The Past, and wandering through the woods early in the game to that happy tunnel of trees and forest animals to this strange sword in a block of stone was awesome to a 10 year old. Of course it was really disappointing to learn I couldn’t get it yet, but going back after battling the first three dungeons and finally getting the sword was the best thing ever!
    4. Fairy Bow (OOT) – The Bow and Arrows were always a good weapon in any game, but they made all the difference in Ocarina of Time, and you could even fire them from horse back.
    5. Flute/Ocarina (Multiple) – Everyone remembers the Ocarina from it’s namesake title. But how about the earlier versions like the recorder in LoZ or the flute in LttP. Like many great Zelda memories mine come from Link to the Past when you have to go digging for it in that grove. I remember being very young and spending hours trying to find it, and not knowing what certain words meant. Fellow One-Quest writer Drootin and I spent way too long looking for this item, and using a dictionary to find out what the hell a Grove and Orchard were.

     
    Toon Link Hookshot
     

    Drootin

    Its been awhile since I’ve done one of these but it’s been awhile since I felt like I’ve been comfortable commenting on the topic. Anyway I love LoZ: A Link to The Past so I can pick 5 weapons from that game. And yes I remember playing LttP with Cobb and taking forever to find the flute.

    1. Master Sword – Is there really another choice?
    2. Ice Wand – It was always fun to freeze enemies and smash them. It was extra helpful in areas with many enemies to level the playing field.
    3. Quake magic – my favorite of all the spells in LttP. It just had the most fun animation in my memory.
    4. Upgraded Boomerang – Being able to toss the boomerang the entire screen became super helpful in LttP.
    5. Bow & Arrow – The bow was very powerful in LttP and some enemies could only be killed with it

     
    Master Sword in the Lost Woods
     

    Eric

    I’ve played and completed most of the Legend of Zelda games, but not all. . . I should get around to that some time.

    1. Bombs – Multiple – A series must, along with the sword and shield combo, boomerang, and bow and arrow. The bombs are way cooler than the other items because they explode! The explosion looked amazing in Wind Waker.
    2. Mole Mitts – Minish Cap – They were used to dig through walls and such in Minish Cap. Link could also use them to dig through clouds. Because clouds require you to dig through them.
    3. Double Shot – Twilight Princess – It was awesome getting the doubleshot. Up until this game Link could only ever grapple onto one thing and swing over to it, end of story. With the Double Shot he could do a pretty decent Spider-Man impression.
    4. Skull Hammer – Wind Waker – There are hammers in a lot of the Zelda games, but the Skull Hammer is by far the coolest! I mean, it’s pretty weak to fight with, but it looks so bad ass!
    5. Triforce – Multiple – Win! Nobody else mentioned the single most important item in the entire series. The binding force that threads the fate of Link, Ganondorf, and Zelda together. One of the most symbolic items in gaming.

     
    Triforce
     

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – October 4, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-october-4-2013/ Fri, 04 Oct 2013 16:41:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16991 tioli10213
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Well we missed last week because I screwed up, but fear not we’re back, with a rather small week. I just didn’t read that much this week but that’s no reason not to talk about what I did get around to. So lets get started.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    foreverevil2

    Forever Evil #2

    Forever Evil seems to be taking a lot longer than it should, maybe it’s because of all those Villain month issues, but I just feel like the first issue was more than a month ago. Regardless of how long it feels, this is still a much stronger story than any of those villain month books were. We haven’t seen much happen, but there are still 5 issues to get things really going. Issue 2 just continues to setup the pieces, like Lex Luthor and his test tube baby you may all recognize. My big problem is I don’t buy that the whole Justice League is dead, I mean shouldn’t Superman just be in a healing trance or some crap like when he was ‘killed’ by Doomsday? And I realize that Hal kind of has his own problems going on, but you’re telling me he’s not even vaguely aware that his home planet is getting ripped to shit right now? I guess I’m just looking for things to complain about here, because honestly the concept is pretty interesting and it’s really just stupid stuff like that could be considered problems. And who is the guy in the hood? Any guesses?

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmen17

    All-New X-Men #17

    Battle of the Atom continues and boy is it getting confusing. We saw in the last part that Magik took young Beast and Iceman to the future to find out where the future X-Men came from, and what do they find, but a different set of Future X-Men in what appears to be a decent world. Man time travel gets confusing sometimes, it’s just such a ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. . . But it’s still really good, I want to know what all these factors are that keep causing future version of heroes to lose their shit and try and change history. I mean come on at this point they’ve done it so many times they know it’s a bad idea, but it just keeps happening. I’m also fairly certain that the layout of the future Jean Grey school is the same as that one issue of Wolverine & The X-Men where Wolverine gets a message from the future. I know that’s kind of vague, but I don’t remember the issue number. Regardless the schools look pretty similar if memory serves which is a nice bit of continuity, it also means the future isn’t all that bad, and the first set of future guys to come back are apparently jerks and liars.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmenspecial1

    All-New X-Men Special #1

    Remember a couple years ago when Marvel did those 3 part stories through various Annuals. They had the Negative Zone one that went through Steve Rogers Super Soldier, X-Men, and Namor The First Mutant. Well looks like they’re trying it again, but rather than it being Annuals they’re Specials. This time around we get All-New X-Men, Indestructible Hulk, and I believe Superior Spider-Man, or one of the other Superior books at least. Anyway, it’s set away from Battle of the Atom, probably before hand. And for the most part it feels like a pretty normal issue of the book, until Doc Ock shows up, and not Superior Spider-Man, but old school ugly as sin, green tights and all Doctor Octopus. Of course Spidey shows up at this point, and yes it’s Superior Spidey so he’s kind of a jerk and all that good stuff. It’s pretty cool though, at this point I think Marvel is getting a little nuts with Time Travel, but maybe this isn’t time travel stuff, perhaps it’s cloning? That hasn’t been done in a while right? Oh…never mind.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Nintendo Direct – 10/1/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-direct-1012013/ Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:25:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17012 Nintendo Direct logo
     
    Nintendo released a new Nintendo Direct this morning detailing the games coming to the Wii U and 3DS over the next few months.
     
    Notable Announcements are:
     

    • Mario 3D World launches on November 22.
    • Mario and Luigi Wii Mote + on sale November 1.
    • Wii U Party is launching on October 25 and comes with a Horizontal GamePad stand.
    • Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze has been delayed until February 2014.
    • Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics – Sochi 2014 will launch on November 15. It will feature Online play, and a persistent country ranking system.
    • Pikmin 3 will be receiving updates and new DLC to the challenge modes in the game. There is also a required software update to access the DLC. The update gives the users 1 free DLC stage.
    • The original Etrian Odyssey is being remade for 3DS with new graphics, and gameplay mechanics. 1st run comes with the soundtrack and artbook. Available October 1st.
    • Just Dace 2014 coming to Wii and WiiU on October 8.
    • Skylanders Swap Force coming to 3DS, WiiU, and Wii on October 13.
    • Lego Marvel Super Heroes coming to 3DS, WiiU, and Wii on October 22.
    • Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate will launch on the 3DS on October 25.
    • Sonic the Lost World will come to WiiU and 3DS exclusively on October 29.
    • Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is coming to WiiU on October 29.
    • Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Dual Destinies will launch exclusively on the 3DS eShop. Demo available today! Full game available on October 24.
    • Nintendo will be at IndieCade and will have info on Indie Games coming soon.
    • Nintendo Zone and Street Pass receiving enhancements to allow users to progress through games faster.
    • Bravely Default, for the 3DS, is coming to the US in early 2014. (Trailer below)
    • Zelda A Link Between Worlds has been redesigned from previous games. Instead of receiving a new weapon in each dungeon to progress, Link can buy which ever item he wants to use from the Ravio Shop. If you want to progress through the dungeon that requires the Bow and Arrow, then head to the Ravio Shop and buy one! You’re no longer confined to a specific order for the dungeons.
    • New 3DS sidescrolling Kirby game coming in 2014!

     
    Well that about covers it! . . . what? Did I miss something?
     
    Oh, you mean this!
     

    • SONIC THE HEDGEHOG will be playable in Super Smash Bros for WiiU and 3DS!

     
    Ok, that’s really all there is. You can watch the full Nintendo Direct below.

     
    I recommend checking out the new Bravely Default trailer!

     
    And the new Kirby 3DS teaser too!

     
    Ah, that music brings back memories. . . What’d you think of the Nintendo Direct? Let us know in the comments below!

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    Fantastic New Trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug https://one-quest.com/blog/fantastic-new-trailer-for-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug/ Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:02:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=17007 the hobbit the desolation of smaug poster
     
    The newest trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has just been released, and it looks fantastic! We get a look at some of the new heroes involved in this leg of the Dwarven quest to retake their home, and we even hear Smaug speak to our hero, Bilbo.
     
    The scenery looks beautiful, and the action looks intense. Needless to say, I’ll more then likely be attending a midnight launch at my nearest IMAX theater.
     
    Check out the trailer and tell us what you think in the comments below!
     

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    Friday Five – Zelda Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-zelda-games/ Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:05:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16995 wp-1-1280x800
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the assistance of a top five list! This week’s category: Favorite Legend of Zelda Games!
     
    This series has inspired some of the greatest games of all time. Of course we hold them all in high regard, but there our lists are bound to leave out some of the fan favorites. Read on to see our top five games!
     

    Chris

    1. A Link To The Past
    2. Wind Waker
    3. Phantom Hourglass
    4. Ocarina Of Time
    5. Link’s Awakening

     
    link to the past
     

    Eric

    1. Wind Waker – Back when it first came out I fell in love with the cartoon style. I thought cel shading was the coolest thing game companies could do. Wind Waker had a lot more going for it than just pretty scenery tho. The musical score, and it’s incorporation in the combat, is something that I don’t feel has been surpassed by any other game in the series.
    2. Link to the Past – This is generally the go to for everyones number one. While I did love the length, something like 10 -12 dungeons, I often found it difficult to progress. It may have been because I was younger at the time, but it’s still a great game.
    3. Minish Cap – This was one of the most well polished games in the series. It was also unique in that it took place before any other Zelda game at it’s time of release and it did not feature, series villain, Ganondorf at all. The unique ability to shrink and grow at will in the game made for some awesome puzzles.
    4. Four Sword Adventure – This one goes under rated quite often, but it needs to be known how awesome of an experience this game really was. 4 heroes on screen, or off on their own via the GBA, battling classic enemies and trying to stop Vaati. It was so great to play this series with friends, and a sequel would be awesome.
    5. The Legend of Zelda – The game that started it all. Without this one simple game, we’d have no Zelda. Who knows what gaming would be like today without the influence of this masterpiece.

     
    The Legend of Zelda
     

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    2013 TV Season Premieres – Tuesday https://one-quest.com/blog/2013-tv-season-premieres-tuesday/ Thu, 26 Sep 2013 15:42:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16969 Well I suppose as they say, better late than never. As you can tell I’m a little behind with getting this posted, but fear not I will get caught up! Anyway here we have some of the premieres from the last few Tuesdays including hit shows like Sons of Anarchy and New Girl, along with new comers like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    I’ll be adding more as I get to watch the shows, but for now make sure to keep an eye on the other days of the week we’ve already covered. You can do that by checking out our list of season premieres and clicking on the day of the week!

    Now lets get started with the shows that air on Tuesday nights.

    Sons Of Anarchy – 10pm on FX (Premiere Date 9/10/2013)

    soa2
    Sons Of Anarchy just aired it’s 3rd episode this week, so I’m going to talk about how the show as a whole as been this season. As this show usually does, it left last seasons with a lot of crap going down. The main villain Pope was dead (which has some bad repercussions), Clay was in jail, and Tara was arrested. And that’s only some of what was left dangling when the show ended last year. Now we pick up not long after all this stuff went down, Tara is up on murder chargers for what Otto did to that nurse, Clay is in jail for murder he didn’t commit, and the MC is in pretty bad shape all around. SOA is a show that’s great at having a lot of plot lines going, but having them all actually mean something. Even the little bits that get no screen time have a good chance of being a major blow later on in the season. This year that appears to be Bobby, who after what Jax has done decides he needs to get away from Charming, and appears to be setting up his own chapter (maybe Nomads).

    This season has so much going on it’s hard to really narrow any one thing down as the main conflict. You’ve got Donal Logue’s violent, unhinged ex-US Marshall stirring things up while he’s out for revenge. On top of him you’ve still got Pope’s guys out there as both business partners and enemies of SAMCRO. They still want Tig dead, but they want to do business as well. It’s quite the interesting relationship. On top of all that, the premiere also featured one of the most intense things I can remember seeing on TV. If you haven’t watched any of this season yet here is your warning, the following will have ***SPOILERS***. So throughout the entireity of the first episode we see this random kids, in a school uniform. He’s usually walking or sitting with his notebook in the generally area where the club is moving through. There’s actually one scene where the kid and Jax make eye contact for a minute, I thought something was going to happen there. But nothing did, Jax just got on his bike and left without a word. Not long afterwards we the kid ends up at his school, after taking off his jacket, he rolls up his sleeves and reveals scars from cutting. At this point you knew something was up, and seconds later he pulls a large gun from his bag and proceeds to enter the school and kill several people in his class, both students and teachers. That’s how the episode ends, with an outside shot as blood splatters on the inside of this school and children screen over the gunfire. It’s a pretty chilling thing, even without visually seeing the massacre.

    (Spoilers are over)

    And that’s just the first episode, everything since that act has added to the tension of the show. After all these years we’re actually seeing the fallout to the rest of the community from the things SAMCRO has been doing. The guns and the violence isn’t contained the way they have always thought. And now they have a whole lot of powerful people out to get them and make a message out of them. I mentioned already that we’re only three episodes into the season, and things really are intense at this point. I can only imagine how crazy things are going to get, not just with the major stuff I’ve been talking about, but with all the smaller character stuff too.

    Verdict:Watch It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Dads – 8pm Fox (Premiere Date 9/17/2013)

    dads-fox-tv-show
    I was really looking forward to Dads, it was on my Friday Five list for new shows a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately it didn’t hold up to my expectations, or based on the internet’s reaction anyone else’s. It had some good stuff going for it, a strong cast, and what should be a funny concept. The problem was the premiere just wasn’t all that funny, it was going for the shock laughs rather than something genuinely funny. We get it the dads are older and have terrible interpretations of the world, such as calling the Asian businessmen orientals. But did they really have to go all the way to making the small penis joke after having Brenda Song do the ‘slutty school girl’ because according to the show that’s what all Asian men want?

    To be fair, I haven’t yet watched the second episode that aired this week, and from what I’ve heard it did get a little better. I guess after all the backlash they got from early screening of the pilot the folks in charge decided to change a few things up. I’m going to be giving this show one more chance, but after that if it hasn’t gotten better then I’m done. At least the show has a great cast, Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi are playing their parts great and are generally the only actually funny parts. Seth Green’s imaginary sword killing of his dad was one of the few highlights from the first episode.

    Verdict: One More Chance

    Score: 3/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Brooklyn Nine-Nine – 8:30pm Fox (Premiere Date 9/17/2013)

    Brooklyn-Nine-Nine-Cast-Shot-620x413
    Now here is another new Fox show, but one that actually delivered. The new cop comedy is one of the funnier shows I’ve seen so far this season. Andy Samberg is great, and Andre Braugher as the captain is a perfect fit. I’m generally not a big fan of cop shows, they usually need an interesting hook to keep me, usually comedy will do it. It’s one of the reasons I love Psych, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is looking to be right up there with the popular USA series. The first episode has a lot of just silly gags going on, and a lot of that feeling carries over into the second episode. From Braugher’s entrance as the new Captain of the precinct and immediate hounding of Samberg, he’s got a great mix of comedy and seriousness. He’s got that very dry straight faced response to all of Sambergs crazy hi-jinks. While it’s not a new dynamic, it’s one that tends to work best when the actors are good at what they do. The rest of the cast really rounds things out, including the hilarious Terry Crews, who you honestly don’t expect to be as funny as he is.

    Fox has been doing pretty well in recent years with picking out winning comedies, the problem is the right ones don’t always last. I’ll be talking more about that later on with another Fox show. But regardless of that, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has the stars behind it, and the writing to keep it going. So hopefully this is one of those shows that keeps going and keeps making us laugh.

    Verdict: Watch It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    New Girl – 9pm Fox (Premiere Date 9/17/2013)

    newgirlseason3
    It’s kind of a shame, for a show that was actually really good in it’s first two season, I’ve just got nothing to really say about season 3 of New girl. The first episode had it’s moments, with Nick and Jess finally together and running away to Mexico for some alone time. And in classic Nick fashion he decides that they should just stay there forever, which leads to him getting in over his head. It’s nothing out of character, but it just didn’t have that much going on. Probably the highlight of the episode was the side story with Schmidt and Winston. Where Schmidt needs to pick between Cece and Elizabeth while Winston is trying to do a puzzle. It gets particular funny when we find out Winston is color blind and that’s why he can’t put the puzzle together. Hopefully the season can pick it self up quickly and do more group episodes, it’s great everyone has these independent stories, but the funniest stuff tends to come when they’re one unit dealing with something ridiculous. Perhaps we’ll get another round of True American this season, that would be fun.

    Overall New Girl is still a solid show, and has it’s laughs, but after 3 years it’s just not going as strong as it once was.

    Verdict: Watch it

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    The Mindy Project – 9:30pm Fox (Premiere Date 9/17/2013)

    mindy-project-season-two-watch-online-
    I really don’t think Mindy Project, it’s not the worst show on TV, but it’s damn close in my opinion. I watched most of the first season because my girlfriend is a fan, and it was awful. Some of the characters are funny, and there are enjoyable moments here and there. But Mindy Kaling is no funny, she’s annoying and I just can’t get past that. There are so many other shows on TV worth watching. ABC premiered two new comedies that air Tuesday nights that just by the first episode are better than all of The Mindy Project. Aside from James Franco being part of the first two episode, the only enjoyable part of the premiere was Morgan when Mindy woke up in the New York hospital. He is generally the comedy is this show, which is kind of sad since the whole thing is suppose to be a comedy.

    The premiere picks up a few months after last season ended, Mindy gets sick and has to leave Haiti (I think that’s where she’s at) and come back. Things go on fairly boring from there with her boyfriend, the minister who brought her to Haiti trying to get married spur of the moment. Things just go on from there with things happening that don’t make sense until the credits roll. I suppose I’m a bit biased since I really don’t enjoy the show, but just nothing really jumps out about it. I don’t see a reason to care about this character that tries way to hard at such stupid things. All the other minor characters end up being the ones that you care about, but there stories are always stunted for Mindy’s crap.

    Verdict: Skip It

    Score: 2/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – 8pm ABC (Premiere Date 9/24/2013)

    marvels-agents-of-shield
    I’m honestly going to keep this one short, I don’t want to say to much about the show, but it was basically awesome. If you’re a fan of the Marvel movies you’ve got no reason not to check the show out. They make some nice nods to the movie universe with mentions of things like the New Mexico incident(Thor) and Extremis(Iron Man 3). But they never make it to much about those things, the show is about this group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents trying to contain ‘superhuman’ situations. Honestly though, the best part about the show is that Coulson lives! Sure we don’t really know how or why, they give a brief explanation that doesn’t really seem to be all there is to it.

    You might be thinking this is just going to be a monster of the week show with these guys taking on one super powered person after another, much like Smallville, but you’d be wrong. In this pilot episode they’ve already planted seeds for what could be season wide stories carrying through everything. I’m sure there will be a certain amount of monster of the week going on, but there’s going to be something else arcing over it all, which is nice.

    Everyone behind this show has said they don’t want it to be a marathon of cameo’s, but fans will notice a lot of nice nods to characters, and some familiar faces like Cobie Smulders reprising Maria Hill for the pilot. And who knows, with How I Met Your Mother ending this year, maybe she’ll be back if the show gets a second season, and really why wouldn’t it get a second season?

    Well I went a little longer than I wanted to one this show, but it’s just worth it, so go check it out already. Though with the ratings it got, I imagine there aren’t many people left that haven’t seen it.

    Verdict: Watch It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Gotham Is Coming to TV With Commissioner Gordon https://one-quest.com/blog/gotham-is-coming-to-tv-with-commissioner-gordon/ Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:28:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16959 Yesterday it was revealed by Deadline that Fox has one a bidding war over Warner Brothers for the rights to a new series based on a young James Gordon. Better known later in life as Commissioner Gordon, friend and ally of Batman. Yep, that’s right the Batman Universe is finally coming back to television. The last time we got to see anything involving the Bat was back in 2002 with Birds of Prey, which didn’t actually featured the Dark Knight. Well this new show probably isn’t going to feature him either, but it will feature a character just as important to the universe and mythology.
    animatedgordon
    The new series is to be called Gotham and focus on a young James Gordon while he’s still just a detective with the Gotham City Police Department. It’s being written by Bruno Heller, who’s best known as creator and writer for the CBS series The Mentalist. Not surprisingly Fox has opted to skip the Pilot process for the series and send it straight to series. That means this will most likely start airing in the 2014/2015 season. DC and Warner Brothers are really starting to expand their TV presence, they’ve already got the hit Arrow on the CW with a possible spin-off from that series in the works about the Flash. Flash will be appearing in season 2 of Arrow as a possible way to segue into a new series. With this newest announcement that could mean 3 DC Universe series going on at once, granted they’re on different networks, so a crossover may not be possible. Not to mention Gotham is most likely going to need to take place several years ago, I suppose an ‘older’ Gordon could show up in Arrow at some point. Outside of the unfortunately short lived (only 2 seasons) of Human Target, this is the first DC related show to not air on the WB or CW in over a decade.
    garyoldmangordon
    Obviously since the announcement was just made not a lot is known about the series, outside what I’ve already discussed. We can expect Gordon to use his detective skills to take down some of the more prominent (but probably non-super) villains in Batman’s rogues gallery, as the criminal world makes it rise in Gotham.

    I could go on with predictions for hours on this topic, but lets keep it short. Gotham has the chance to be great, the problem is cop drama’s are everywhere right now, and throwing a popular comic character doesn’t make that any less true. Fox and DC are really going to need to do something that sets this show out on it’s own and makes it worth watching. Personally I’d like to see early on the murder of the Wayne’s with occasional references or scenes involving a Young Bruce as he slowly comes to realize what he’ll need to do. It would help to tie Gotham to the actual world of Batman with something other than name, and at the same time wouldn’t take anything away from the shows focus on Gordon.
    gordongunbatman
    Well that or a teen dramedy where all the characters are in High School, like Saved By The Bell but with more thievery and murder.

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    Steam OS https://one-quest.com/blog/steam-os/ Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:17:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16951 Steam OS

    The first of 3 (2) major announcements from Valve has been released.

    Steam OS is a Linux based system built for playing games. The press release specifies this OS is optimized for Steam and gaming alike. It will also be free to any who wish to make their own gaming centric Steam box. The devs at Valve have been working with game developers to ensure that games run at the highest quality through Steam OS.

    One of the prime features talked about in the press release is the usefulness of Steam OS in the living room. You’ll get all of your favorite Steam features on your living room based machine. Sounds nifty! Valve also expresses how the “openness” of the system will change gaming going forward. Primarily, the ability for developers to make changes to the games, to update and directly talk with the users, and the ability for users to swap out pieces of hardware as they see fit.

    Valve is also adding some new features to Steam to help support Steam OS. First is In-Home Streaming, the ability to stream your Steam games from your PC to your Steam OS enabled device as long as you’re on the same network. Many of the new consoles are seeing the usefulness of this feature in their design, and Valve has as well. No need to create a top of the line Steam OS box for your living room, just stream the games from your gaming PC to your living room TV. They’re also working on TV, Audio, and Movie support. Most likely in the form of Netflix, Pandora, and other streaming services. Valve will also be enabling family sharing, or the ability to let others play the games you have purchased. This was a feature that stood out on Xbox One, but has since been removed after the backlash of the consoles announcements. And lastly, they’re adding Family Options. Essentially different profiles so you can save your setting the way you want, while dad saves his setting the way he wants.

    steamos_livingroom

    The best news about the OS is that it will be free to download for everyone forever. So there’s no need for you to run out and grab a $500 console with the OS built in. Instead you can take your old PC, format that HDD, and install Steam OS(or dual boot). And voila, you have yourself a fancy Steam Box for your living room.

    Overall this sounds like a solid start for the new Steam Box console. Like I said Valve is teasing 3 announcements, the second will most likely be the actual Steam Box console. As for the 3rd announcement? I wouldn’t expect much. Valve don’t do 3s.

    The second announcement should be released on 9/25/13 at noon EST. To see the official press release check the Steam Living Room page. Tell us what you think about the upcoming announcement(s) in the comments below!

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    T.W.I.G. 9/22/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-9222013/ Mon, 23 Sep 2013 02:25:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16913 Twig1

    So, sorry for the late post of T.W.I.G. this week, but the One-Quest crew (well most of us anyway) were out for my bachelor party yesterday so I’ve been very, very tired. Anyhow here’s the incredibly late and lazy 1st full day of fall edition of The Week In Gaming!

    The News:

    • Capcom has announced that it’s PS4 exclusive Deep Down will be coming to the system in 2014 and it will be free-to-play. I’ve been interested in this game since it was first shown during the PS4 reveal and this makes me even more excited. Hopefully it does not become a pay-to-win situation.
    • Sony has said that they will be rolling out PS3 game streaming on the PS4 in 2014. No details were given on pricing or anything like that so as more is said we will be sure to update you.
    • Microsoft has said that the XboxOne was not designed to be kept in a vertical position. They did not really say what would happen if you were to put it that way but said that it would not be an overheating issue but that the drive was not designed to be used in a vertical position. I don’t really know what the issue could be but I guess it will have issues reading discs and may scratch them? It seems like a very weird decision by MS.
    • The release date for the RetroN 5 has been pushed back to December 10th to make “key modifications” to the system.

    The new releases:

    • Armored Core: Verdict Day (9/24) – 360, PS3
    • Scribblenauts: Unmasked (9/24) – WiiU, PC, 3DS
    • FIFA 14 (9/24) – 360, PS3, PC, Vita

    Did You Know

    The play area of GTA: San Andreas is roughly 17 square miles. That’s about five times the size of Liberty City and four times the size of Vice City.

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    Friday Five – Favorite Legend of Zelda Bosses https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-legend-of-zelda-bosses/ Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:26:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16897 ganondorf
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list! The category for this week is: Favorite Zelda Bosses.
     
    Wind Waker HD has just been released digitally, and will see a retail release in the coming weeks. It’s for this reason that we’ve decided to spend the next few weeks celebrating the Legend of Zelda series. From insane puzzles, excellent mechanics, genre defining gameplay, and a story that spans over 15 different titles, you’d be hard pressed to find a bad entry in the series. Of course we’re excluding the CDI games. The Legend of Zelda has been around almost as long as I have. I’ve watched its humble beginnings on the NES with flat 2D sprites, and onto the lush 3D worlds that are now commonplace in the series. One element that has stood out in the games are the bosses. After traveling through the dangerous depths of a dungeon, our hero encounters a massive creature guarding the levels treasure. Some of them are basic, some are incredibly complicated, but all of them are immensely fun. Take a look at our favorite bosses from the 25 year history of the Legend of Zelda series.
     

    Chris

    1. Agahnim – A Link To The Past – I remember getting to this guy when I was really young and not totally knowing what this game was all about. I thought it was the big final battle because it seemed so epic, then things got nuts and threw you into the Dark World. Anyway the fight was just fun, you had to avoid stuff and knock the attacks back at Agahnim it was the toughest fight up to that point.
    2. Helmasaur King – A Link To The Past – I thought it was a lot of fun when you get to the first dungeon in Dark World where everything changed. That and I didn’t really read stuff on the screen when I first played this so it took me awhile to realize I had to beat his face with a hammer.
    3. Dark Link – Ocarina Of Time – He wasn’t really a boss, he was just a pain in the ass mini-boss. From what I hear the Dark Link from Zelda II is was harder, but I never played that one because I’m a bad person. The way this one jumps on your sword and flips away is just really annoying and cocky it’s damn near infuriating.
    4. Phantom Ganon – Ocarina Of Time – Phantom Ganon was the only boss fight in OOT that kind of had me on edge. Sure they’re all pretty nasty, but Ganon that early in the game is hard to get over. Even if he’s not real, and he jumps in and out of paintings so you can only hit him with a well timed arrow.
    5. Ganon – Wind Waker – This was cool, not only do you have former pirate Zelda helping you out, Ganon is like a ninja samurai kind of enemy this time.

     
    Agahnim
     

    Pisko!

    1. Ganon – Legend of Zelda – The pig man scared the crap out of me when I first got there when I was 5. The skull on the floor was particularly ominous.
    2. Ghoma- Multiple Games – The supremely giant cyclops spider was one of my favorite boss fights in the original NES title and one of the first big moments in Ocarina of Time.
    3. Twinrova – Ocarina of Time – Fire and Ice witches that combine into a younger, sexier witch? Cool. The battle was the first to use the mirror shield and gave it probably it’s only reason to exist.
    4. Dark Link – Legend of Zelda II: Link’s Adventure – He knows all your moves and is worse than the final boss fight.
    5. Bongo Bongo – Ocarina of Time – So cool. You need to use the eye of truth to see and hit him but he can smack you around his drum arena just fine.

     
    Ghoma
     

    Vogel

    1. Agahnim – Link To The Past
    2. Moldorm – Link’s Awakening
    3. Angler Fish – Link’s Awakening
    4. Ganon – Ocarina of Time
    5. Arrghus – Link To The Past

     
    Moldorm
     

    Eric

    1. Godhan – Wind Waker – This is one of those bosses that appears in pretty much every game. I always find their specific mechanics quite interesting.
    2. Mothula – A Link to the Past – It was a complicated fight that had a neat hidden mechanic. You could use a bee, captured within the dungeon, to damage the boss.
    3. Aquamentus – Legend of Zelda – The first boss in the original Legend of Zelda. Nothing particularly difficult, but scary as shit to a 10 year old!
    4. Jalhalla- Wind Waker – This boss consisted of a bunch of ghosts fused together. You couldn’t hit them until you forced the ghost to take a physical form by reflecting light on it with the mirror shield.
    5. Gannon – Any – Sort of a cop out, but these are some of the most climactic battles in any game series. You’d also think that he’d have developed some sort of immunity to gold arrows by now…

     
    gohdan

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    Take It Or Leave It – September 18, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-september-18-2013/ Fri, 20 Sep 2013 19:06:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16881 takeitorleaveit91813

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Well Infinity continues to confuse me and make me sad, but so much good stuff came out from Image and you throw Battle of the Atom and Venom in there and the disappointments like Batman 23.3 can be forgiven. Enough of that though I don’t want to give everything away so lets get started with this weeks Take It Or Leave It.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    batman23p3

    Batman #23.3 Penguin #1

    I don’t really know much about the New 52 version of the Penguin. To be honest the majority of my Penguin experience is with Danny Devito in Batman Returns. The most I’ve seen him in comics has been a few issues of Dective Comics I read a while ago, but never really got invested in. That aside, I thought this was a more interesting version of the Villain issues than I’ve read so far. It’s not a rehash of his origin or anything. It’s taking place during Forever Evil so the world is without heroes, and the Penguin is just trying to keep making his money. While nothing was especially awesome about this one, it was still interesting. Unfortunately like a lot of these issues, it’s just not enough to make me want to know more.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batmanandrobin23p3

    Batman and Robin 23.3 Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins #1

    Ra’s Al Ghul is such a cool character, and this issue could have been just as awesome if it was a little more present and a little less past. I get it, it was cool seeing all the historical stuff with Ra’s, but the stuff happening in the present was so much better. We only got a few pages to see just how badass this foe of Batman really is, on the bright side he will hopefully be fairly prominent in coming issues of Red Hood and the Outlaws. I can’t say this is a must read, but if you’re not super familiar with this guy it’s probably worth a read, at least for the $2.99 2D cover.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    AIX05_cover

    Aphrodite IX #5

    Well that was one hell of an opening story arc. Issue 5 of Aphrodite IX brings to a close a bunch of the plot lines that have been running for these first five issues, and mostly finishes introducing us to our heroine and some of the immediate supporting cast. It’s nice that a book can tell us all kinds of things about characters, but still leave so much as mystery, it’s not like in normal superhero books where you know who the person is, just no one else does. In this case, no one knows anything and it really keeps the story moving. The action in the issue is great and the story doesn’t feel forced to the conclusion, nor was it just a co-op. Matt Hawkins found a great balance to keep things moving forward without sacrificing any of the story or characters. Well I guess he sacrificed characters, but not in the way I meant. Aphrodite IX is a book you should really be picking up, and it’s only 5 issues in so get on board now.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    morning-glories-31-cov-web

    Morning Glories #31

    Well everything in Morning Glories seems to be back to normal, well as normal as this book ever is. It feels like forever since the kids were actually part of a school, and not this twisted time travel of terror coaster they’d been on. Now we’re back to a bit more familiar formula with things being weird and confusing while also showing us more about particular characters. Last time we saw a lot about Irina’s past and just how she’s connected to everything. This month though it’s all about Hunter, and how he had one of the crazy trips with everything that went down. Not quite as bad as Casey, but still pretty crazy. Oh and he joins a the A/V Club which is kinda cool too.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    infinity3

    Infinity #3

    How do you say something is the best out of a series of bad things? Because however that’s done Infinity 3 seems to be playing the part. I know I’m in the severe minority here, but what in the hell does everyone see in this story that it’s getting such rave reviews? The first 2 issues, and most of the ‘tie-ins’ have been terrible and gone nowhere. Now this issue at least seems to stay fairly focused and moves things forward, but it’s just one issue, and it’s still not very good. I’m kind of expecting Infinity 4 to just be 22 pages of “Hahaha screw you guys” over and over again. Seriously please if you haven’t started buying this yet don’t start, and if you have I’m so sorry.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 2/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    newavengers10

    New Avengers #10

    Alright, I’m going to be completely honest, I actually kind of liked this issue. I know I had nothing nice to say about New Avengers when it first restarted in Marvel Now, but it’s starting to grow on me. I’m still not a huge fan of the whole Illuminati thing, and maybe I’m just picking the lesser of 3 evils (the others being Infinity and Avengers), but this wasn’t that bad. I’m finding that I really enjoy the Inhumans, which makes me excited for the new series debuting in a few months. So it’s nice that this book kind of has a lot to do with them. It’s also mostly separate from the ridiculous crap going on over in Avengers and Infinity that I just couldn’t give a damn about. I wouldn’t call this a great issue, and if you’re not following all the Infinity stuff or the previous 9 issues this probably isn’t a good place to start.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    uncannyxmen12

    Uncanny X-Men #12

    As much as I’ve enjoyed Battle of the Atom so far, this issue was a bit of a let down. It still had some interesting stuff happening, but for the most part it was a recap of already recapped things. We get it future X-Men are here to tell the past X-Men to go home while the present X-Men decide who’s right and wrong. Even considering it wasn’t much new to us, the interactions with and caused by young Jean and Scott meeting with older Scotts X-Men was pretty interesting. I especially enjoyed Emma telling Scott the only thing he loves more than the memory of Jean is himself. Of course the ending has a whole lot of awesome going on too. It really gets you excited for the next issue, because frankly we don’t enough action in some of the X-Men books. I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again, Battle of the Atom is at this point the best event running in comics, if you don’t want to get dragged down by Infinity or slightly confused with Forever Evil and all the villain issues this is definitely the book to go with.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    venom41

    Venom #41

    Marvel seems to be canceling the books I like best right now. Unfortunately Venom is one of those, the story is getting so good right now too it’s sad that in just a couple more issues we’ll be losing it. And possibly Flash as Venom too. It’s a shame, Flash has been a great character to use for this kind of series. I never liked Mac Gargan as Venom leave that guy as a loser like Scorpion. Eddie Brock was a great Venom, but I do also enjoy where his character has gone in recent years. Enough of that though, this issue of Venom is really getting things moving, with seeds that were planted way back in the Circle of Four from 2012. It’s been along road to get here, but damn I’m excited to see how it goes. With the addition of Mania and the creepy but revealing conversation Flash gets to have with the Symbiote I see this story going on to be one of those must reads for Venom fans whether you’re an old school fan or not.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Mario & Luigi Team Up With Campbell's SpaghettiOs & Meatballs https://one-quest.com/blog/mario-luigi-team-up-with-campbells-spaghettios-meatballs/ Thu, 19 Sep 2013 15:09:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16868 mariospagettio

    Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s I have very fond memories of some amazing novelty foods and drinks based on popular characters. We had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pies, Hi-C Ecto Cooler, and of course plenty of Mario Brothers themed treats like the amazing Mario Soda.
    mariosoda
    Sadly, these things all have gone away. It’s funny to think back though, on a time when companies really were trying just about anything. Remember Crystal Pepsi or New Coke? That’s not a discussion for right now though, we’ve got more important things to go over.
    crystalpepsi
    It appears that Campbell’s is going to be marketing a new Mario & Luigi themed SpaghettiO’s with Meatballs. I honestly don’t know why this wasn’t a thing sooner. It’s kind of ironic that the famous fictional Italian plumbers haven’t been on a canned pasta meal already. I haven’t seen any dates for when this will be available, but I’m sure with Super Mario 3D World releasing soon it can’t be far off.

    I wonder too, with the other recent announcement from General-Mills that they’ll be selling the two long lost monster cereals, Yummy Mummy and Fruit Brute against this fall, and probably seasonally in following year. Could this be a sign that other retro foods will be making a come back? A Ghostbusters sequel has been in the talks for years perhaps that could relaunch Ecto Cooler, or the new Ninja Turtles cartoon and movie could mean a return of the pies? That’s not to mention the potential for all those crazy themed cereals to make a big return!

    ecto-cooler-slimer-hi-c tmntpies

    So I probably start grasping a bit at this point, but regardless SpaghettiO’s are pretty awesome, and if they’re going to be shaped like stuff out of Mario I’ll buy a case. Anywhere is the original tweet from Campbell’s twitter account.

    mariospagettiotweet

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    Hiroshi Yamauchi Former Nintendo President Dies At 85 https://one-quest.com/blog/hiroshi-yamauchi-former-nintendo-president-dies-at-85/ Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:24:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16863 hiroshi-yamauchi

    It’s sad news today, a pioneer of video games as passed away. Hiroshi Yamauchi was the president of Nintendo that brought them into the video game market. He’s arguably one of the people most responsible for the games we love today, if he hadn’t pushed the company away from hanafuda cards and hired a young man named Shigeru Miyamoto who knows what electronic entertainment would be like today. Yamauchi was President of Nintendo for over 5 decades and headed the company from the original NES all the way through the Gamecube, not stepping down until May 2002. He didn’t leave the company he’d spent so long with though, from 2002-2005 he was the chairman of Nintendo’s board of directors.

    While when a lot of people think of Nintendo they think of Shigeru Myamoto for all of the iconic games he’s created, it’s really Hiroshi Yamauchi we have to thank for all these years for fun and challenge.

    Yamauchi was in the hospital for complications due to pneumonia when he passed away. His funeral reported to take place this Sunday.

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    Baltimore Comic Con 2013 Recap https://one-quest.com/blog/baltimore-comic-con-2013-recap/ Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:37:46 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16744 Baltimore-Comic-Con-620x250

    Baltimore Comic Con 2013 was on September 7 & 8, we’re a little late with our coverage, but regardless of that it was still a great time. Below is a general recap of our day down at the convention, and expect some pictures to come later on through our Facebook page.

    Baltimore’s Inner Harbor once again played host to the popular Baltimore Comic Con. Like previous years the main show floor is covered with tables full of comics, figurines, artwork, and various other nerdy things. For the most part the layout stays the same with vendors on one side, followed by exhibitors who tend to be your comic publishers like Zenescope and Boom!. And then tucked back in the corner is Artist Alley, this is where you’ll find a lot of the comic professional you’d want autographs from, and a whole slue of amazing artist you’ve probably never heard of yet. A straight up Comic Con like this one is a different kind of monster from your Anime conventions or your Wizard Worlds. The guests are writers, artists, and other industry professional in comics. You don’t have big stars like Norman Reedus or John Barrowman showing up inflating the price and packing the house even tighter. These events are for your real comic book fans, and boy has it exploded recently.

    2013 is the third year I’ve attended Baltimore Comic Con, this year we were only able to make it down for Saturday, but it was still one hell of a time. This convention has grown exponentially in those 3 years. Back in 2011 the line to buy tickets on Saturday was nothing, you waited an hour or so before the Con opened and you were in within 20 minutes of it starting. This year by 4pm the line to purchase tickets was still wrapped around the Baltimore Convention Center. And those are just the meeting who are buying that day, pre-reg looks like it skyrocketed too as the floor was quickly flooded with people as the doors opened to general attendees. Within an hour you could barely move down the aisles around vendors and exhibitors, and not long after artist alley followed suit. It’s great news for the comics fandom that it’s grown in popularity, but with the current spacing and layout they’re using it’s not going to be enough to accommodate the attendees. On the bright side next years event will be 3 days, not just two. This could help spread out the congestion as people won’t have to cram everything into Saturday fearing they’ll run out of time on Sunday. Best case scenario the convention continues to grow and they implement a system similar to Otakon, which currently uses the same convention center. That is, have Thursday night for pre-reg pick up so come Friday people can just roll right into the show. Not only that, but spread things out a bit more. Otakon has dealers and artist alley in two different areas, which while maybe not the best idea for a comic con, certainly couldn’t hurt.

    Enough talking about things to come, lets talk about what we saw this year, unfortunately with the massive crowds we didn’t get a lot of photo’s taken, next year we’ll be ready to expect more congestion and come a little better prepared for that. Regardless of that we still had a pretty awesome time, talking to people, and checking out some of the amazing artwork people have up for sale. We saw some familiar faces, talk a lot about comics, and met some of the my favorite creators in the industry. Just like last year it was just myself and Erica attending, and like any dedicated fan we were there early enough to get onto the floor before the general admissions were in and scope the place out. It’s a lot of fun seeing what new things people thought to make and bring to conventions each year. This time we saw someone doing comic book collages similar to the ones we did for Wizard World and are selling on Etsy at the moment. We also saw someone doing custom blankets with video game characters, drawback is they didn’t look handmade, more like they printed the design onto fabric and put decorate stitching on the front. And of course lots of great artwork, it’s amazing just how much talent is out there and relatively undiscovered.

    Now we certainly didn’t just spend the whole convention staring at things, one of our must do things at any comic convention is to check out the Zenescope booth and see what new stuff is going on. Those folks do some great stuff, and this year one of their top writers Pat Shand was on hand talking to fans and signing just about anything you wanted. We’ve known Pat since last year just before his first big Zenescope titles came out, Robyn Hood, and now he’s just blown up in popularity with the publisher. I think he said by the end of this year he’ll have released somewhere around 73 comics with them. That’s an insane number when you think about it, an average comic is 22 pages published, that’s 1606 pages of comic book greatness. Most novels aren’t even that long, and your average comic script is longer than the finished book. Basically the point I’m trying to make is it’s ridiculous to put out that much quality work in a year, and really shows a lot of passion for ones craft. The whole team over there is really dedicated to the company and it’s characters, and it shows by the writers they hire to bring these characters to life. So next time you’re at a convention and you see the Zenescope booth in the program make a trip over and talk to them. As we saw with Pat this past weekend, if you’re unfamiliar with the stories, they’ll get you all setup with what you need to know to jump right in.

    Zenescope wasn’t the only table we stopped by during the convention, we also ran into Chris Campana from Wyrlwind, you might have seen me mention Wyrlwind a few times in the past. Like after last years Baltimore Comic Con, or in the review of the first 2 issues of their comic series Kantara. Chris was representing Kantara solo this year, but still had plenty of books and prints for fans. I’ve gotta say Chris and everyone else over at Wyrlwind are some of the nicest guys I’ve met at a convention. Some people that are independently publishing their books come off as a little pushy like a car salesman. It’s not that they’re not interested they just want to get their books out there, which I get, but there are others ways to do it. When Chris recognized us walking by he got our attention and rather than going “Hey we have a new book, here’s why you should buy it” he had a conversation. Of course after a few minutes he told me I would have to buy the newest issue. It was a joke though, since he new I enjoyed the previous 3. That’s beside the point though, it’s nice when someone is really into what they’re doing that they don’t have to pitch you on it. If the conversation can be natural and convey what your story is and why it’s worth reading then you’re doing a great job. I really can’t say enough, if you’re at a convention and you see anyone from Wyrlwind, stop by and talk to them. I promise by the time you’re done you’ll want to read these books, especially if you’re into fantasy.

    Baltimore Comic Con isn’t just about talking to people though, they run some pretty cool panels too. In previous years I’ve gotten to see panels about DCs New 52, Marvel NOW!, and a Q&A with Stan Lee. As I mentioned before it was really packed this year, so panels really seemed to fill up. Erica and I managed to get in for the Marvel panel with Mark Waid, Mark Bagley, and Ed McGuinness. Personally I really enjoy hearing the behind the scene stories these guys tend to tell. And as a huge fan it was amazing to not only get to meet Mark Bagley (I’ll mention this later), but to here some of his stories and thoughts on the comic book industry. I’ve had the privlege of meeting Mark Waid last year and attending a few panels he was part of, and boy is that guy into what he does. It’s nice to know that not just the newbies love comics, but these veterans still have such a passion for it as well. Ed McGuinness was another great addition to the panel, while he was unfortunately held up getting to the panel he had a newer stance on how comics are done art-wise, then Bagley. The only real hindrance to this panel were the fan questions near the end. It’s great that they let people ask, but I’m sorry please don’t take up time if you just want to tell them how big of a fan you are, go wait in line and tell them at there table. It was also a shame more people didn’t have questions for the artists, 95% of the questions were pointed at Waid, who even started apologizing to the other guys and asking people to direct questions at the others. Thankfully the moderator for the panel, who’s name I can’t recall, was pretty on the ball and slipped in several of his own questions directed at the whole group. Unfortunately only being there for the day I didn’t get to spend much more time in panels, but they always have some cool ones. So if you’re attending next year make sure to check our your programs, you’ll get to learn something about an industry you like, and it’s even a chance to sit down for an hour!

    The remainder of our day was spent wandering the convention floor checking out various artworks and getting some autographs. I had made it a point to meet a few people down in Baltimore. Mark Bagley, Paul Jenkins, Eddy Barrows are just a few. I think aside from getting to discover new series, getting to meet the creators of my favorite books is one of the best parts about these shows. You get it at bit at shows like Wizard World, but they’re so focused on the big celebrities that a lot of the comic stuff gets left in the dust.

    Ultimate Spider-Man #1 freshly signed by Mark Bagley for Eric. . . It's from a cell phone.

    Ultimate Spider-Man #1 freshly signed by Mark Bagley for Eric. . . It’s from a cell phone.


    The last thing I want to talk about is really a plug for a cool guy we met down at Baltimore Comic Con last year, and purchase some artwork from, Teague Pupo a digital artist who really does some cool work. He’s got a Kickstarter running right now trying to fund a collection of short stories and illustrations. He told us a little about it when we were talking at the convention, and it sounds really interesting, all these characters he sells prints for have these back stories to them that are going to be available for everyone to see. The book is going to be called The Solomon Collective and as of right now he’s needs about $5,000 dollars in the next 21 days. I’ve seen fundraisers blow up like crazy in the past, so hopefully the one will be doing the same thing. If you can’t make a donation, just pass the word around about it, or we’ll all be missing out on something with a lot of potential.

    That’s about it for Baltimore Comic Con 2013, I already mentioned that next year it’s moving from 2 days to 3 days, and hopefully One-Quest will be back again to cover it. This is one of the more enjoyable conventions I get to go to, and I’m looking forward to watching it grow more, I just hope we get some more space next year. If you were at this years convention make sure to let us know what you thought in the comments or on our Facebook page!

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    Diablo III Auction Houses getting shut down! https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-auction-houses-getting-shut-down/ Tue, 17 Sep 2013 20:10:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16850 Diablo III
     
    The Auction Houses have been a huge point of contention within the Diablo III community since the games’ release. Some have argued that their benefit outweigh the downfalls, while others argue the opposite. Blizzards original intention was to mitigate the interference from potentially dangerous middle man or black market websites selling in game items to those willing to pay. The effects of the Auction Houses weren’t exactly as positive as the team had hoped for. The primary issue being that good, high level loot was incredibly rare. Many players claim spending days, or weeks, grinding away at the hordes of enemies to be rewarded with mountains of useless trash loot. In essence many players felt that the best way to play the game was to effectively play the Auction House, which is not exactly fun.
     
    Well, it’s taken a bit of time, but Blizzard is showing us that they’re really listening. First they announced a whole load of new content with the Reaper of Souls expansion. The expansion will be adding a new hero, 10 new player levels(and skills to go with those levels), and a whole new act. Sounds cool right? Sure, but what else? Well, they’re adding the Loot 2.0 system into the game once Reaper of Souls launches. Loot 2.0 lowers trash drops, and adds smart loot. Smart loot adds a chance for loot to take on stat properties important to the player the item drops for. Loot 2.0 also increases the odds of Legendary items dropping by allowing all Legendary items to scale up or down based on when they drop. Of course they’re also adding new Legendary items.
     
    There are only 2 things left to fix Diablo 3 in the eyes of the players at this point: Drop the Auction House, and remove the Always Online restriction. Guess what? Auction Houses are being dropped! As of March 18, 2014 the Auction Houses, both gold and RMAH, will be shut down! Bad ass right? Well think about this one: The only reason there was an Always Online restriction was to regulate the access to the Auction Houses. In the video below Josh Mosqueira, current director of Diablo III, says to expect more exciting information at BlizzCon. I suspect we’ll be hearing about an Offline mode and, most importantly, a release date for Reaper of Souls that should be very close to, or on, March 18, 2014.
     
    Check out the video below, and the official statement over at the Diablo III blog. Of course, don’t forget to tell us how pumped you are for all the changes coming to Diablo III in the very near future in the comments section below!
     

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    The Evil Within looks incredibly creepy. . . https://one-quest.com/blog/the-evil-within-looks-incredibly-creepy/ Tue, 17 Sep 2013 15:50:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16830 evil_within_logo

    I loved the original Resident Evil, and Shinji Mikami is a master of his craft. Clearly I’m very interested in The Evil Within.

    Hopefully you’ve seen the butcher sequence that was shown at E3 this year. It was intense. The detail in the animations is absurd, and the environment is beautiful. Well. . . beautiful in the way a dirty boiler room thats also used as a butchery is. Yeah, it’s grotesque and fantastic at the same time.

    As great as it was to finally see the game in action I felt like we were missing something. Not that there wasn’t a reason to be afraid of the butcher, but I just didn’t feel afraid of what was going on. However, this new TGS Trailer for The Evil Within is just what I was looking for!

    It cashes in on the creepiness from the original announcement trailer, and fills us in on some of the story. The animations are outstanding, and the effects are fantastic. The character models look a little to. . . I don’t know. I suppose they hit the Uncanny Valley a little too hard, like most Capcom games tend to do for me at least.

    Anyway, check out the trailer and tell me what you think in the comments below! ^_^

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    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-review/ Mon, 16 Sep 2013 19:52:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16746 4210A_Realm_Reborn_Black
     

    Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn box art Final Fanrasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

    Developer Square Enix

    Publisher Square Enix

    Platforms PC and PS3 available now. PS4 in 2014.

    Released: August 27, 2013

    Verdict: I need to take more time off work. . .

    Score: 8/10

     
    It’s been 3 years since the original release of Final Fantasy XIV Version 1.0. It was plagued with immense server lag, poor pacing, and it lacked standard MMO features like Auction Houses and jumping. FFXIV Version 1.0 was deemed nearly unplayable by fans the world over. However, this was the first introduction into the world of Haydealen and Eorzea. It featured the unique ability for characters to change classes on the fly. It boasted a deep and engaging story for players to take part in. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough to save the game. Capping out at around 30,000 players Square Enix made the highly controversial announcement to remake Final Fantasy XIV in it’s entirety. They planned to rebuild the game from the ground up to give the players a proper entry in the numerical Final Fantasy saga.
     
    bard ffxiv arr
     
    Here we are 3 years later. Naoki Yoshida(Yoshi-P), the director of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, has worked tirelessly with the developers, designers, and fans to craft the ultimate Final Fantasy MMO. Did he succeed? I’d have to say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is everything that was promised and more. It’s finely tuned, fun, and beautiful! Best of all, it’s available on PC and PS3, with a PS4 version coming in 2014. It’s also fully cross platform.
     

     
    From the moment you turn on the game you can tell the team at Square Enix poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this release. No area of the game is, in anyway, half assed. From character creation, to end game, there’s nothing short of quality.
     
    After the mandatory cutscene that explains, in general, the events of Version 1.0, players begin their journey by creating a character. Choose from 5 different races, all of which can be male or female, and all are broken down into 2 further “sub races” or backgrounds. Are you a massive Roegadyn Sea Wolf, descending from the great pirates of old? Or are you a Hyur Midlander, focusing on studies for the betterment of all Eorzea. Whatever you decide upon is mostly a cosmetic option. There are differences in stats across all races, but the general difference is about 4 points from highest to lowest. Customization doesn’t just end at race, sex, and background. You can fully customize the appearance of your hero from height, musculature, bust size(females only), hair, eyes, and more. Your hero truly feels like your own, especially when you run alongside other heroes of the same race. You can clearly pick yourself out of a crowd based on these options.
     
    ifrit ffxiv arr
     
    Once you have your basic appearance down it’s time to choose your starting class. The class you choose also determines your starting zone and the beginning of the main story quest line. It seems like a huge decision, but in all actuality it’s not. By level 10 you can change to any other class you want, provided you undertake a very short quest to join that classes guild. And at level 15 you will be traveling around the world on the same story quests as everyone else. This information will help the early decisions seem a little less daunting, and will help you get right into the action.
     

     
    There are 8 classes to choose from. They all fill the basic 3 rolls found in any MMO. Your tanks, or the guy taking all the hits, are Marauders and Gladiators. DPS, or the guys dealing the punishment, are Pugilists, Lancers, Archers, Thaumaturges, and Arcanists. There is only one starting healer and that’s the Conjurer. You pick one of these classes and move on from a series of quests, which range from “Kill x of these” to “Go here, then here”, dungeons, and random FATE or Full Active Time Events. Most of your quests are fairly standard MMO fare, but when coupled with additional filler like FATEs, the Hunting Log, and Levequests, it all seems less mundane and far more interesting that many other MMOs.
     
    titan ffxiv arr
     
    Imagine the scenario when your lancer is tasked with taking out a few menacing plant monsters. As you lower the enemies ranks one by one a warning pops up informing you that a FATE is nearby. You head over to the targeted area and spot a massive plant monster floating by itself. Then a few more heroes run up beside you. One of you attacks the ferocious beast and thus begins a FATE battle. You can’t just mindlessly press buttons here, you have to be careful not to pull the enemies attention away from the tank. Someone also needs to make sure the tank doesn’t KO or else the monster will seek someone else to suffer it’s wrath. Upon successfully downing the foe all participants are rewarded based on their contribution. You’ll receive EXP, Gil, and Grand Company tickets(which can be exchanged to your faction for equipment and other items). Some FATEs also reward players with minions, or non combat pets, and specialty currency used to purchase specialty gear. The latter currently only occurs with the FATE battles against Behemoth and Odin. It’s a great system that really breaks up the monotony of performing standard fetch quests.
     

     
    Upon reaching level 30 with any class all heroes open the option to specialize that class into an advanced version or Job. Lancers become Dragoons, Thaumaturges become Black Mages, Conjurers become White Mages, Pugilists become Monks, Gladiators become Paladins, Marauders become Warriors, Archers become Bards, and Arcanists become Summoners or Scholars. Many players feel that there is an imbalance by giving the Arcanist multiple specializations, but Square Enix has defended this by stating that all classes will have access to 2 different Jobs in later patches. It can also be stated that both Summoner and Scholar take on severely different rolls taking bonuses from 2 different sets of equipment thus making it difficult for a player to consider dual speccing beyond level 50. Jobs provide all heroes with a bonus to stats, better gear, and new abilities. These advanced classes are built primarily for group combat, since they lack the ability to use cross class skills from nearly every class. You won’t see a Warrior running around healing anybody, much like you won’t see a White Mage running around hitting enemies with a flurry of staff strikes.
     
    garuda ffxiv arr
     
    New dungeons, quest hubs, and zones keep the game from feeling stale well into the beginning stages of the late game. Once a player hits level 37-38 you will start to notice an increasingly high amount of grinding needed to advance your character. While players have a vast array of options available to them to grind out these later levels, it quickly becomes tedious. FATEs can be fun, but when you’ve battled the same boss for the umpteenth time in the Coerthas Highlands just so you can get that last bit of EXP to open up the next story quest, they start to lose their luster.
     

     
    The plot starts out strong from the get go. Letting players know that they are entering the world 5 years after the events that closed out version 1.0. The strange thing is, nobody remembers what happened. All they know is that 8 heroes, whose faces cannot be remembered, were seen on the battlefield defending all of Eorzea from the Garlean Empire. It’s very entertaining, and really picks up around level 40 as it sets up the endgame content. I’ve never been as pumped as I am to enter a dungeon in any MMO as I am in Final Fantasy XIV. The desire to see what’s coming next is insatiable, but the grinding required to move on can sometimes obliterate your motivation.
     
    behemoth ffxiv arr
     
    So far endgame seems to be entertaining. There are a series of high level dungeons to run at level 50 offering players a chance to acquire Tomestones used to trade in for better gear. Players can also take on Hard Mode versions of the 3 Primal battles fought throughout the main questline. There’s also the Binding Coil of Bahamut, the first part of a multi section raid dungeon available to high geared players. Square Enix has also announced that another dungeon, the Crystal Tower, will be released in a future patch. Besides more dungeons players have the option to take on a profession in the form of crafting, or level up other classes to gain new crossover skills or just to try something different. It seems like there is an endless amount of content available to those willing to invest the time into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborns many side options, and still just as much content available for those just seeking out battle with the biggest and meanest Eorzea as to offer.
     

     
    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has been a massive undertaking for Square Enix. Taking one of the biggest jokes of 2010 and turning it into this glorious game is nothing short of outstanding. FFXIV: A Realm Reborn offers players an almost overwhelming amount of content to take on. You’ll often find yourself standing around trying to decided if you want to enter a dungeon, run some side quests, swap classes for a bit, or work on making that new pair of boots. When you do move on through the story you’ll be greeted with a wonderful plot, infrequent and charming voice acting, and a great cast of characters. The simplified controls from version 1.0 ensure that anyone can jump in and have a great time, while offering a wealth of depth for those striving to be the very best.
     
    limit break ffxiv arr
     
    Many questioned Square Enix when they announced their efforts to remake Final Fantasy XIV. While their conservative player estimate may have lead to a slew of login issues for the first week of the games release, it also goes to show that there are many players interested in visiting Eorzea. It’s clearly evident that Yoshi-P and his team take this game, and it’s fans, seriously. Despite the late game grind that can become somewhat of a drag, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn shines in every aspect. It promotes player interaction through crafting and gathering. It creates a quick(sometimes) way to access content without the need to sit around spamming LFG in the chat. And it boasts one of, if not the, best story I have ever experienced in an MMO. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is absolutely worth all of the time that Square Enix put into it, and it’s easily worth the $30 out of your pocket and $15 monthly price tag.

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    T.W.I.G. 9/15/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-9152013/ Sun, 15 Sep 2013 16:29:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16787 Twig1
    It’s that time again for all the gaming news from last week and the new releases of this coming week.

    The News:

    • Sony has announced a new slimmer PSVita that will be available in many new colors. No word yet on a US release date or price however.
    • Sony also announced a new piece of hardware called the PSVita TV. It is a small box that is capable of playing PS Vita games on your TV using a Dualshock 3. It will also be able to be used as a remote play device for the PS4 as the Vita would. Support for the Dualshock 4 will be patched in at a later date. This also has not been officially announced for anywhere outside of Japan however I don’t see why this wouldn’t come out in other regions. The price point in Japan would have it running about $100 in the US. We will keep you updated on this intriguing piece of hardware as more news comes out for it.
    • The Retron5 is now available for pre-order. The 5 will play NES, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advanced games. The console will release on October 31st and cost $99.99.
    • The Vita’s Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is getting the HD treatment. The HD release is headed to the PS3, 360, and PC.

    The new releases:

    • The Wonderful 101 (9/15) – WiiU
    • Grand Theft Auto V (9/17) – PS3, 360
    • Hot Wheels Worlds Best Driver (9/14) – PS3, 360, WiiU, 3DS
    • Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (9/20) – WiiU [Download Only]
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Fall 2013 New Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-fall-2013-new-shows/ Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:42:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16764 Agents of Shield promo shot
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list! This week’s category: New TV Shows starting in the Fall of 2013.
     
    Every year we see far too many new TV shows come and go, and this year will be no different. While there are plenty of shows that make you question the executives behind the pilot selection of every studio, there are bound to be a few that seem quite interesting. The craziest aspect of TV is never knowing what’s going to stick, and what’s going to just disappear. Some of our choices are more than likely only going to last a few weeks before being cut, but that doesn’t make the show any less interesting to us. Read on to see what we can’t wait to watch, and then tell us what you’re looking forward to in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
    2. The Crazy Ones
    3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
    4. Dads
    5. Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

     
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine
     

    Vogel

    1. Low Winter Sun – This already started, but I haven’t started watching it yet. I catch the preview sometimes after Breaking Bad.
    2. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – This looks interesting, but knowing the market I don’t think this will last. Hope I’m wrong.
    3. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
    4. The Michael J Fox Show
    5. Master’s of Sex – I see previews for this every week before Dexter. I’m interested. I like Michael Sheen, he’s a really good actor.

     
    Once Upon a Time in Wonderland logo
     

    Eric

    1. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Seriously, if this isn’t at the top of your own list, there’s something wrong with you! It’s got the brand power to draw in the crowds, and the writing/director to keep at least a cult following. This show is going to be fantastic.
    2. Almost Human – This is one of JJ Abrams many attempts to get picked up this season. It’s your standard cop drama, with Karl Urban starring as a human cop partnered up with an android( Michael Ealy). Seems interesting.
    3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – I love Andy Samberg, so I’m down with this stupid cop comedy.
    4. The Crazy Ones – Robin Williams on TV once again! And he’s partnered with my childhood crush, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Yep, watching this one.
    5. Once Upon A Time In Wonderland – I feel like this is a cheap answer, since I already watch Once Upon A Time. But it’s a new spin off, and I can’t wait to see how it ties into the story of Storybrooke, or if it even ties in at all.

    Honorable MentionSleepy Hollow – Its an odd sort of premise, but it’s one that’s had me intrigued since I hear about it. Definitely going to give this one a shot.
     
    THE CRAZY ONES

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    Take It Or Leave It – September 11, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-september-11-2013/ Fri, 13 Sep 2013 15:49:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16752 tioli91113

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Well with Events ripping through the Big Two you might be having trouble picking out stuff worth reading. I know I keep giving Hickman and Infinity chances and just keep getting let down. And lets not even talk about Villains month, for as interesting as Forever Evils opening issues was, this Villain issues of our normal DC books are just boring. Luckily enough there are some pretty good new number 1’s out this week from various publishers. SAMCRO makes their comic debut and Zenescope starts marking off names with Hit List, oh and Marvel has a little titles called Mighty Avengers with a couple cool heroes like Spider-Man and Luke Cage. Enough about that though, lets get started with Take It Or Leave It.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    sonsofanarchy1

    Sons Of Anarchy #1

    Every fall I look forward to the new season of Sons Of Anarchy, it’s such a crazy show you can’t help but want to see what mess SAMCRO gets into next. So it’s easy to assume I was excited when I heard about a new comic series spinning out from the show. Obviously going into something like this you want to be a little reserved, luckily this first issue of Sons Of Anarchy delivers a lot of familiar stuff, but still keeps the story fresh. We see faces we’ve known for years, just displayed in a different way. And of course the expected amount of violence is on hand too. It looks like the series is taking place sometime between present day on the show and mid-season last year. Jax is the president, and Bobby is still his VP. And Tig has already lost his daughter and is fully into the downward spiral we saw in the season premiere this past week. I think the cool part about this book is going to be the change of perspective, we’re used to have Jax be out main point of interest, but with this first issue it’s definitely Tig. And that can certainly change as times goes on. The only drawback I’m finding is the very washed out sorta mono-toned coloring. The art itself really fits the book, and the characters are easily identified, but something about the colors just doesn’t work. That’s a minor drawback to a comic that in it’s first issue, captures a lot of what makes the show so much fun to watch, lets hope they can keep it up.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    aquaman23p1

    Aquaman 23.1 Black Manta #1

    This was a pretty disappointing read, since the New 52 started Aquaman has been a great book to read, and with Geoff Johns at least co-writing a book about the Ocean King’s nemesis seems like it would be solid. Only it’s not, a good portion of the book is just different angles and different artwork from Forever Evil #1, we really don’t get anything good out of this other than a few panels here and there of what I can only assuming is foreshadowing. DC really did good last year with the 0 issues, this years Villains month seemed to have promise, but so far it’s just a waste of time and money. Also between this and Forever Evil #1 we know how things end up in Aquaman by the end of issue 25, so that’s cool. . . well not really.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    avengers19

    Avengers #19

    I just don’t understand how Avengers, and Infinity are getting so much praise. These books aren’t good, they’re over crowded with no forward momentum. Hickman’s entire run so far on Avengers and New Avengers has all been the same, and now it’s spread into Infinity. All of these old (and failed) plots from the past aren’t helping it either. It’s a real shame too, I can see the promise in the stories concept, but the execution is just terrible. This whole thing needs to be scaled back and focused better and not so jumpy and all over the place. It’s so uninteresting at this point I don’t even want to talk about it. Just do yourself a favor and save your money, go read something else instead.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 2/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    mightyavengers1

    Mighty Avengers #1

    I wasn’t going to read Mighty Avengers, so far everything Infinity touches it kills, but I like Luke Cage and it was a shame to see him leave New Avengers at the end of Bendis’ run. Compared to the other Infinity tie-in’s and main books this is a welcome addition. Mighty Avengers barely constitues being in the same event as the rest of the books, well for this issue anyway. The book is framed by the events happening in Infinity, but the real story is here is about Cages new team of Heroes For Hire with White Tiger and Power Man. With Spidey and Monica Rambeau get tossed in for good measure. We’ve also got a mystery hero who’s trying to keep themselves secret even to the other heroes, except Monica. Overall this issue was pretty good, and I can see some hope for the series after it fully breaks away from Infinity, but I think the coming issues may suffer from the plague that Hickman has unleashed on the Marvel books.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    HitList01_coverA

    Hit List #1

    I didn’t fully know what to expect when I started reading Hit List. I figured it was about an assassin or two, I assumed the girls from the covers would be it. Boy was I wrong, while not a lot went down in this first issue, it definitely set up and intriguing premise and a lot of mystery as to what exactly is going on. While I never got to read the comic version of Wanted, this book reminds me a bit of the movie adaption, minus the weird supernatural stuff. There’s this secret organization going around killing people that are from first appearance pretty scummy. So what’s not to enjoy about that? If you only know Zenescope for their Horror and Fantasy themed books, this one should show you that the company has a lot more to offer comic fans.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    PS Vita "Slim" Announced! https://one-quest.com/blog/ps-vita-slim-announced/ Mon, 09 Sep 2013 18:49:28 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16733 Slimmed down in EVERY way

         What you are looking at here is no artists rendition. No this is the eventual redesign we have all been waiting for, but is it enough to entice those who have held out on the Vita for this long? While the newly redesigned system does address a few nagging issues from the original form factor it seems that it may still be a mixed bag…

         Along with the announcement of the new system’s slimmer proportions Sony also touted how it will come in 6 colors (Which all seem very Apple-esque). White, Olive Green, Pink, Yellow, Blue and Black will be the first choices but I would doubt the colors will stop expanding with this initial batch as Sony mirrored a similar strategy with the first redesign of the PSP. First starting with 3 standard colors and then allowing bundles to have exclusive colors that are then spun off onto non-bundled releases. The specs of said device are not the most impressive but without holding it I have no way to tell. Sony states that the device is 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the first-generation Vita.

    The good news:

    – Lighter and Thinner

    – 1Gb built in memory

    – Will charge over micro-USB

    – Extra hour of battery life (6-Hours total)

    The bad news:

    – Memory still on the pricey side

    – OLED changed out for LCD screen

    – Still not a lot of games

    vita color backs

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G 9/8/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-982013/ Sun, 08 Sep 2013 12:34:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16725 Twig 9-8

     

    Hello again, its Sunday, September 8th so that means its time for another edition of The Week In Gaming.

    The News:

    • The biggest news of the week was that Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One will be launching on November 22nd. The only worry I have about that date is it is only 1 week from “Black Friday” here in the U.S. so will they have enough time to get retailers restocked for the biggest sales day of the year?
    • Sony and Microsoft have announced how many controllers their respective next gen systems will be able to use at once. The PS4 will support 4 controllers while the Xbox One will support 8. While most games will max out at 4 players on 1 console the extra 4 players on Xbox One will be nice for sports games.
    • The PS4 will support voice commands with the new PlayStation Camera. Very little information has come out about how expansive the voice controls will be but more details are expected at Tokyo Game Show.
    • EA has said that they are currently working on 6 to 8 new IPs, all likely for the next gen platforms.
    • EA has also announced that female fighters will be available to play as in their upcoming game EA Sports UFC. This marks the first time in any UFC game where women will be available to play as.

    The new releases:

    • Puppeteer (9/10) – PS3
    • Killzone: Mercenary (9/10) – Vita
    • Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX (9/10) – PS3
    • NHL 14 (9/10) – PS3, 360
    • The Elder Scrolls Anthology (9/10) – PC
    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – September 4, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-september-4-2013/ Fri, 06 Sep 2013 21:34:04 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16706 takeitorleaveit9413
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’re back again with a pretty light week of Take It Or Leave It. Like several other members of One-Quest I’ve been spending a lot of free time battling my way through Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. As such I didn’t get to read all my usually books this week! Fear not though I tried to read the big stuff. Well except Infinity, that’s just a travesty of a comic. But enough about that, lets get to the comicy goodness that is Take It Or Leave It!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Marvel Comics


    foreverevil1

    Forever Evil #1

    I was really unimpressed with Trinity War, and was even less excited for Forever Evil to be coming right on it’s heels. To be honest though, while it was called an Event I feel like Trinity War was really just the prologue to Forever Evil, which in this first issue was better than anything we saw in Trinity War. It’s not surprise though Geoff Johns is amazing when it comes to writing villains. Don’t get me wrong he does great with the heroes too, but that guy just knows how to make you want to read about the bad guys. This first issue of Forever Evil wasn’t any different, it really set the stage for what’s going on and had some pretty shocking developments. While I don’t see this redefining the DC Universe forever or anything, it should be a fun ride while it lasts. Or at least lets hope it is.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    justiceleague23p1

    Justice League 23.1 Darkseid #1

    Darkseid is a really popular villain, but I’ve never liked him. And unfortunately this look into his past and what makes him go didn’t help that. It was nice that he hasn’t really been in the Justice League since the first arc, but now I have a feeling they’re going to be pulling him in more and more by the end of Forever Evil. To talk specifically about this issue, there just wasn’t anything particularly special about it. Nothing that made me want to keep reading to see what there was about this villain. I haven’t had a chance to read any of the other Villain Month books yet, but if this is where they’re coming from I might not want to.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmen16

    All-New X-Men #16

    Lets clear this up first, if you didn’t notice this is part 2 of Battle of the Atom. The first part of the new X-Men crossover is a little further down and it’s called X-Men: Battle of the Atom. Both books were good, which honestly isn’t surprising since they’ve got the same writer. But lets focus on this second chapter first shall we. All-New X-Men has been a great read since it launched last year. Unfortunately it’s been a little slow too, a lot of it has been the fantastic character development from Bendis, but not a lot of X-Men in action like Uncanny X-Men as had. This issue isn’t really an exception to that, but with the arrival of more time travels at the end of Battle of the Atom Part 1 this issue is more than worth reading even without action. There are some great interactions in this book, and plenty of humor to go with the generally somber tones. Oh and there was one hell of a reveal at the end! I’m not going to spoil anything, but I didn’t see that coming, all my guesses were way off. I’m going to repeat myself in a minute when I’m talking about Battle of the Atom #1, but this is probably going to be the Event to read this year.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman17

    Superior Spider-Man #17

    This could have been the worse book on the market and throwing Spider-Man 2099 on the cover would have had me buying it. Like last weeks Scarlet Spider #21 featuring Ben Reilly (which I didn’t get to talk about!), I’m just a sucker for these ’90s story lines. When I was a kid I didn’t really read much, but the books I did have were Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man 2099. Well those and a copy of Death of Superman that I never opened but that’s beside the point. Anyway it was great to read something set in the 2099 timeline again, Dan Slott did a great job, I actually remember him asking on Twitter months ago about 2099 slang, and he used a lot of it! This book isn’t just about nostalgia though, it plays in perfectly with the ongoing story that’s been happening in Superior plus the entire Marvel Universe after Age of Ultron. It’s really books like this that show you just how much planning and teamwork gets put into these books. It’s a shame we didn’t get much Superior Spidey vs 2099 Spidey, but that’s for next month!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    xmenbattlefortheatom1

    X-Men: Battle of the Atom #1

    Well unless you read the page out of order, you already saw my thoughts on part two of Battle of the Atom. So lets get right to this, the issue was a lot of fun. It started out just like any issue of the current Uncanny or All-New X-Men would. This is thanks to the writer being the same across all these books. Bendis is great at really tying his books together. While the major catalyst of this event doesn’t happen till the very end of the book, everything that leads up to it feel right. This book doesn’t come off the way a lot of other books do in a crossover. (I’m looking at you Infinity!). Now while time travel is getting a little ridiculous in the Marvel Universe right now, I feel like there must be a great point in it. After all the main architect for Battle of the Atom and Age of Ultron, which involve the most time travel, is the same guy. By now I’m sure you’ve figured out I really liked this issue, in fact I’m trying not to just fanboy out about how good it was, but well it really was that freaking good! If history has shown us anything, event comics are usually pretty hit or miss. At the same time X-Men events have had a pretty good string of being exciting, fun, and effecting the general mutant population for years afterwards. We’ve got 3 big crossover event things running in comics right now. DC has Forever Evil, and Marvel has both Infinity and Battle of the Atom. Now if you’re into crossovers and you want to pick a winner out of these three. I say go with X-Men, they’ve got a better track record, and this issue alone is worth giving the rest of the books a shot.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Fall 2013 Returning Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-fall-2013-returning-shows/ Fri, 06 Sep 2013 16:27:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16694 himym
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help get to know us a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This week we’re starting off September with the shows we’re most excited to see return this year.

    Eric is taking today off, so it looks like I get to lead everyone into this weeks Friday Five. Being September, a lot of things are going on. Kids are returning to school, summer is becoming fall, and of course the new seasons of some of our favorite shows are going to be coming back! So this week we decided to list our favorite returning shows for this season. And make sure to keep an eye out for a rundown on what new and returning shows were actually worth watching this year. Anyway lets get started with this list.

    Chris

    • Parks & Recreation – I just started watching Parks & Rec about a month ago. In fact I watched the entire series start to finish in about 2 weeks. That’s how good of a show this is, so if you’re not watching it you better get started, the new season kicks off on September 26th!
    • Elementary – This was just such a great show last year, and apparently this year they’re at least starting the season in England which should be interesting.
    • Grimm – I feel bad for Grimm, no matter how well it does NBC still keeps throwing it in the death pit that is Friday nights. At least so far it’s been able to survive! I’m sure at some point all the new shows NBC has starting will fail and they’ll move it around again for 8 episodes till it’s back on Fridays.
    • Revolution – This show had a huge cliffhanger last season that will really change the entire feel of the series. So aside from it having the same characters I’m expecting a very different show and that’s a good thing. It’ll keep everything fresh.
    • How I Met Your Mother – The last few seasons of HIMYM haven’t been that great, but this is it! We saw the mother and now it’s coming into the final stretch. You can’t help but be excited for this one to come back.

    Special mention: Doctor Who – This show isn’t going to have a new series until next Fall but we’ve got the 50th anniversary special with David Tennant and Matt Smith this November followed by the final episode for Matt Smith this Christmas. Which means everyone will end up crying like a baby by the end of it.

    parks-and-recreation-5056431f846b0

    Vogel

    This one is a little hard for me because 2 shows I love are on their final few episodes right now. Here are the shows I’m looking forward to.

    • Big Bang Theory
    • Elementary
    • Walking Dead
    • Bones
    • New Girl

    elementary_season_1_episode_23_640x360

    Shannon

    I hate to be repetitive, but Rob and I pretty much watch all the same shows with the exception of a few here and there.

    • Bones
    • Psych
    • Elementary
    • New Girl
    • Big Bang Theory

    the-big-bang-05

    Pisko

    • DOCTOR WHO – That is all.
    • Archer – I love this show. The same gents of Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo, and the X-tacles. The quick witted dialogue and awesome characters really make the show shine.
    • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – One could think going into the 10th season the show would be losing steam but it is going as hard as ever. The premier episode of this season spun the general show conventions on their heads and showed that the program will be on for years to come.
    • The League – A show I didn’t want to like has quickly grown into a show I can’t miss. The characters and the addition of Raffi and Dirty Randy make this a can’t miss show with tons of talent.
    • South Park – this show will last forever. I hope.

    It's Always Sunny

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    T.W.I.G 9/1/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-912013/ https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-912013/#comments Sun, 01 Sep 2013 15:00:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16685 Twig1-2

    Time for all the gaming news you can shake a stick at! Its T.W.I.G. for Sunday, September 1st, 2013.

    The News:

    • Dragon Age: Inquisition will allow players with or without saves from Dragon Age I & II to customize the back story as much or as little as they would like using a new cloud based save that BioWare is calling “The Keep”. This is a nice solution and helps ease the move from PS3/360 to PS4/XB1 for those players who don’t want to lose their hard work.
    • The producers of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn have said that they plan to release a ‘major update’ about every three months. The game is pretty popular amongst the staff here, with me being one of the few not so thrilled by the game.
    • Users on the PS4 and Vita will be able to voice chat with one another. This is a pretty darn cool thing, I for one am glad to hear Sony expanding party chat features, that was one of the big things Xbox Live has had that I wish the PSN had.
    • Nintendo has announced a new handheld device, the 2DS, its a 3DS without the ability to play in 3D. It also is an entirely new, non-clamshell, design. It releases on October 12th (the same day as Pokemon X & Y) for $129.99
    • The WiiU is receiving a much needed $50 price drop to $299.99 effective September 20th. Also that day the digital version of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD will be released as well as a new WiiU Deluxe bundle that includes the Wind Waker HD remake. The physical disk for Wind Waker releases on October 4th.

    The new releases:

    • Total War: Rome II (9/3) – PC
    • Rayman Legends (9/3) – PS3, Vita, WiiU, 360, PC
    • Diablo III (9/3) – PS3, 360
    • Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate (9/3) – PS3
    • Castle of Illusion Staring Mickey Mouse (9/3) – PS3

    Did You Know

    The Little Sisters from BioShock didn’t start their life as little girls at all, but rather tiny mole-like creatures who scuttled around Rapture collecting Adam. Early concept art also shows them as retro ’50s-style robots, too. We think they made the right choice.

    Also thanks to Eric for designing the new logo for T.W.I.G. hope you all like it!

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    Friday Five – Power Rangers Moments https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-power-rangers-moments/ Fri, 30 Aug 2013 15:41:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16680 Power Rangers Legacy
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help get to know us a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This week we’re finishing out our Power Rangers 20th Anniversary Celebration with our top 5 moments from Power Rangers.
     
    With a 20 year history, Power Rangers has had some outstanding episodes, characters, villains, and storylines. But if you break it all down, there are particularly memorable moments for everyone in these shows. There’s so much to pull from here, that it instantly became one of the harder lists we’ve ever had to make. Take a look, and let us know what your favorites are in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. First Appearance of White Tiger Zord – It was such a funny entrance, Tommy coming back as the White Ranger was kind of cool with him floating down into the command center and removing his helmet. But then when it came to calling the Tiger Zord it was just goofy. The Zord came running in it’s weird fashion and ended up falling over on it’s back and getting stuck for a second. Granted it then turned battle mode and kicked ass, but that was not the smoothest of entrances that’s for sure.
    2. The Zord battle from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie – I love the Power Rangers Movie, it came out on my 9th birthday and I got to see it that day. That Zord battle at the end of the movie is just amazing. It’s one of the only times you see the zords battle independently for a while, and then they form up the megazord, but it’s not done yet. Tommy was saving a train, so after a few minutes we get the Ninja Falcon Megazord!
    3. The Power Transfer – Not the whole 2 episodes, just the final transfer of power at the end. Thinking back on it, it seemed like Power Rangers had been on for so much longer that it really had at this point. I guess that’s just being a kid and everything taking forever. It was nuts though, the heroes I’d spent watching were leaving and these new people I didn’t like all that much were coming in. Luckily the new rangers ended up being just as good as the old. Also go back and watch it now, you’ll notice all the poor dubbing done for the departing actors since by this episode they were already actually done.
    4. Power Rangers In Space Shell Shocked – I agree it was ridiculous, but awesome too! The two franchises I loved the most as a kid were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, so putting them together was like a dream. Of course it could have been better if The Next Mutation wasn’t such a bad series.
    5. The Dragon Zord – Yeah I know it’s kind of a cheap, but I always loved the Dragon Zord, didn’t matter if Tommy was calling it, or if it was later on when Jason had the powers. It was just always such a cool zord, and you knew if they formed up with him at all it was a tough bad guy, because Dragon Zord could usually hold his own against the enemies!

     

    http://youtu.be/Ke4wslmT2BE

     

    Eric

    I pretty much exhausted mine last week. . . so this is going to be rough.

    1. Morphin’ Time! – The first time I saw Power Rangers I was hooked. It was just these really cool people that fought these weird ass putty monsters. But things were getting tough, so Jason shouts “It’s Morphin Time!” and everything somehow became more awesome! I wanted to be that so bad as a kid!
    2. Thunderzords – I used this last week, but this was one of the coolest events I can remember as a kid. It aired on a friday night, and I didn’t move from my spot on the couch once. The introduction of Lord Zedd, and the new Zords. It was just too cool.
    3. Weapons – The rangers rarely used their weapons when battling enemies. More often than not they’d try punching and kicking a bit, then the monster would grow forcing the rangers into their Zords. Every once in awhile the enemies would put up a fight without growing, prompting the rangers to use their unique weapons. Those were awesome.
    4. Monster creation – I called Finster out on being lame a few weeks back, because he is super lame. But seeing the monsters come to life after going through that stupid ass machine was always exciting.
    5. White Ranger reveal – It was only a few weeks after the Green Ranger lost his powers, but it was still incredible. It sucked losing Tommy, he was arguably everyones favorite of the original cast. When the mask came off and we saw Tommy donning the White Ranger outfit, everything wasn’t just ok, it was awesome!

     

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    Wii U Price Cut And Release Dates! https://one-quest.com/blog/wii-u-price-cut-and-release-dates/ Thu, 29 Aug 2013 15:26:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16674 new 2DS model of Nintendo's popular handheld, and today we get some Wii U price cut news!]]> zelda_wind_waker_hd_wii_u_bundle
    Yesterday we found out about the new 2DS model of Nintendo’s popular handheld, and today we get some Wii U price cut news! If you’ve been holding off on the Wii U for some odd reason, now looks like as good a time as any to pick one up. Nintendo just recently announced that the system will be dropping in price. From $349.99 down to $299.99, which while it may not seem like a huge jump, means you can easily pick up a Wii U and a game for the price of the original system.

    Oh wait it gets better, the Wind Waker HD bundle will be the same price! Yep that’s right if you’re one of the many Zelda fans out there who wants to play the popular Gamecube title in HD, you can pick up the console and digital copy of the game together, along with a special Zelda themed Gamepad and digital copy of Hyrule Historia for $299.99.

    Nintendo has been getting some heat lately about the Wii U, and it’s relative lack of games, well it looks like that’s all changing. To go along with your new cheaper console purchase you can pick up a veritable cornucopia of awesome games. In fact here are some of the newly announced dates for some highly anticipated titles.

    • Rayman Legends – September 3
    • Wonderful 101 – September 15(NA)
    • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – September 20 (Digital)*
    • Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure – September 24
    • Just Dance 2014 – October 8
    • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – October 4 (Physical)*
    • Skylanders SWAP Force – October 13
    • Sonic Lost World – October 22
    • Wii Party U – October 25 (with Wii Remote Plus for $49.99)
    • Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – October 29
    • Call of Duty: Ghosts – November 5
    • Watch Dogs – November 19
    • Super Mario 3D World – November 22 ($59.99)
    • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – December 6 ($49.99)
    • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – Fall
    • Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – Holiday 2013
    • Wii Fit U – Holiday 2013

    *Wind Waker HD is released digitally 2 weeks prior to the physical game.

    So for all you Wii U naysayers out there, how about that? Finally enough reason to pick one up? let us know yours thoughts in the comments!

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    Nintendo Announces the. . . 2DS? https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-announces-the-2ds/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:17:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16661 Nintendo 2DS

    Yeah, not a typo guys. This is real. The Nintendo 2DS is a fully functional, albeit wedge shaped, 3DS without the 3D technology.

    That’s right. It plays 3DS games in 2D only.

    Other noticeable features are the lack of a clamshell design, which helps increase console durability while simultaneously destroying it’s portability, and the lack of stereo speakers. It should be noted that the Headphones jack will support stereo audio, while the console by itself will only play mono audio. Otherwise the 2DS remains as functional as any other 3DS design. Built in Wifi, AR cards, Eshop access, SpotPass, Parental controls, and access to all DS and 3DS games. But… why?

    Blue Nintendo 2DS

    So, what’s the draw then? If it’s just a 3DS without that confounded 3D contraption, who’s gonna want it? Well, for starters, our T.W.I.G. writer Drootin will probably grab one. He hates 3D, so this is right up his alley. He’ll also have further cause to grab one because the 2DS will retail for only $130. That’s $70 less than a 3DS XL, and $40 less than a standard 3DS. I guess that’s part of the package here.

    Nintendo 2DS: Everything your Nintendo 3DS is, without the 3D, for $40-$70 less.

    I will say that it looks pretty comfortable to hold, so it has me… intrigued. I don’t know though. I’m not so sure about this one… What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below!

    Just so you know we aren’t kidding, here’s the official Nintendo page for the 2DS.

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    What Iconic Characters Are Up To Now https://one-quest.com/blog/what-iconic-characters-are-up-to-now/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:17:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16651 I read a J.K. Rowling interview recently in which I was struck by how real she seems to find her own characters. Asked about the epilogue to the series, she expands on what she originally wrote, starting sentences in the manner of “I like to think that Ron… ” or “I don’t think Harry would ever….” It’s as if she thinks of them as real characters, carrying on their lives without her in some fictional and fantastic, but very much functional universe. Of course, this all got me wondering: how are other iconic fictional characters spending their free time now that we’re not watching? Here are some of my best guesses.

    Jack Sparrow
    This is one of the toughest ones to figure, because Cap’n Jack’s life is such a random string of interlocking misfortunes. That said, we know a few things. But, we know there’s rum involved. Additionally, we know he’s negatively affecting other people. Ever notice how everywhere Jack goes there seem to be people who want to slap him, kill him, or catch him? Here’s why: Jack spends his free time gallivanting around the Caribbean, stealing everybody’s rum and making and breaking any and every deal that will lead him to the one thing he cares about in life: his ship.

    Daniel Ocean
    Ocean may seem suave and calculating on the outside, but let’s face it: he’s a broken and restless man. No number of multi-million dollar scores and no level of reconnection with Tess satisfies his need to gamble, scheme, and win. He spends his day distractedly scanning a computer screen, playing games on Betfair and throwing money into online poker tournaments, keeping himself “sharp” until the next big score comes along. When he’s just passing the time, games of chance like video poker or even automated roulette can keep him mildly distracted, almost like throwing on headphones to block out the world. But in lulls between heists, it’s the live online tournaments that really keep him going, giving him the opportunity to log on, compete, and beat other gamblers. Because let’s face it – that’s what Mr. Ocean is really all about.

    Batman/Bruce Wayne
    Going by the end of The Dark Knight Rises, we’re supposed to believe that Wayne just hit up Trip Advisor and booked a romp around Europe with his beloved Catwoman. Yeah, right. Wayne is too restless and unfulfilled for that. You know what he’s really doing? He’s putting on a charming face for his girl while sneaking off to the bathroom to pour over headlines on his smartphone, looking for any hint of danger in Gotham, or a whisper of the League of Shadows. Oh, and he’s also apparently morphing into Ben Affleck….

    batmantoy
    Aragorn
    It’s interesting that the end of Lord of the Rings is really the beginning – of a new era, of a king’s reign, etc. Aragorn is finding out these days that he’s not very well suited to rule. He’s idealistic, uncompromising, and scarred by battle. With no one left to conquer, he finds the everyday rigors of ruling Gondor – settling property disputes, finding jobs for the common folk and what not – tedious and dull. In the night he rides off in search of trolls to satisfy his unexpected longing for the exciting, dangerous days of his youth.

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G. 8/25/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8252013/ Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:27:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16646 Welcome once again to The Week In Gaming, Gamescom was this week so there is plenty of exciting news to cover so lets get right to it.

    Gamescom-2013-logo

    The News:

    • Sony has announced the Playstation 4 will be released on Friday November 15th in the US, November 29th in Europe, no date yet for Japan or other territories but those are expected at a press conference from Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan Asia on September 9
    • Sony has announced a price drop for the struggling Vita to $199 for the Wi-Fi only version. Also prices for the memory cards have been reduced but specifics were not detailed.
    • Rumors are circulating that some new hardware bundles are on the horizon from Nintendo. A 32GB WiiU with Wind Waker HD for $349.99 and 2 3DS bundles one Red and one Blue that will be packed with either Pokemon X or Y for $199.99. No word on which color 3DS is coming with which version of Pokemon as of now, but if these rumors are confirmed we will be sure to post.
    • Blizzard did officially announce the first expansion to Diablo 3 titled Reaper of Souls. It adds one new class and one new act and will also make a number of changes to the loot system, a raise to the level cap (to level 70), add skills and runes for existing classes, among other things.
    • Minecraft will be coming to PS4 at launch.
    • Infamous: Second Son will be releasing in February 2014.
    • Microsoft has said that the Xbox One and Kinect are not ‘separate systems’ and will not be sold separately. Commence countdown to announcement of and XboxOne with no Kinect… now.
    • Edler Scrolls Online will have a $14.99 monthly fee. No further words on pricing for the game or a release date
    • The PS4 will also use Twitch for streaming along with previously announced UStream
    • Rouge Legacy will be coming to the PS4 and Vita in 2014.
    • Gran Turismo 6 will launch on PS3 on December 6th.
    • XCOM: Enemy Within, the expansion to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, will be releasing on November 12th.
    • All launch XboxOne’s in Europe will be coming with a free copy of FIFA 14. No word right now if there will be any sort of bundle for the US.

    The new releases:

    • New Super Luigi U Retail Version (8/25) – WiiU
    • Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (8/27) – PS3, PC
    • Lost Planet 3 (8/27) – 360, PS3, PC
    • Madden NFL 25 (8/27) – 360, PS3
    • Killer Is Dead (8/27) – 360, PS3

    Did You Know

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    Otakon 2013 Coverage: Part 3 Cosplays https://one-quest.com/blog/otakon-2013-coverage-part-3-cosplays/ Sat, 24 Aug 2013 16:00:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16550 otakon-2013
    This is part three of our three part Otakon 2013 Coverage. You don’t need to read them all, but it’s worth checking out part one about Industry Panels, and part two our convention overview.

    Completing our Otakon coverage, I am taking a look at all those costumed crusaders running around the Baltimore inner harbor that weekend. Cosplayers are what they are called, and Otakon is full of them. Seeing people running around dressed as characters ranging from Batman to Mario, Link to the Red Ranger, and Finn from Adventure Time to. . . well Finn from Adventure Time, oddly makes me feel at home. Whether they were put together over a few days or a few months, Cosplays are a key part of this convention. Out of the 230 pictures I took at the convention this year, about 150 of them were of cosplayers, and that barely skimmed the surface. Following here are a handful of my favorite cosplays I saw this year, as well as stories from past conventions.

    Gotta love a photobomb

    Gotta love a photobomb

    On the message boards leading up to the start of the convention, you can see all sorts of groups setting up plans for group photo shoots. They plan a place, day, and time, then meet with some new found friends. This is the biggest opportunity for a cosplayer to show off what they have. This year I walked passed two groups and one just amazed the hell outta me. Being a fan of Final Fantasy my entire life (and highly anticipating FFXIV), I was awestruck when I stumbled upon the Final Fantasy Photo groups. This was a huge group loaded with Clouds, Fangs, Aurons, and even a Red XIII(my favorite). This was the best group I came across. Looking at this group, you can tell that everyone is serious about their craft. From the time they stepped into the photo area, until they were called off, they stayed in character. For instance look at that Zach, he is so serious, it is just awesome!

    IMG_2528 IMG_2536

    There are a number of highly cosplayed characters and shows through out these conventions, that sometimes you can make a little game out of it. In past years I attended with a friend who always dressed up as Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. That cosplay was so over done that we made it a point, to point out every Edward we saw that weekend. Naturally I turned it into a game and called it “There’s an Ed”. This year I only saw one Ed so I took to making a new game called “Find a Finn” as well as “Doctor?”. Just like “There’s an Ed” these games revolved around pointing out and counting how many Finns, from Adventure Time, and Doctor Who characters I saw. There were so many Finns I lost count and was way too uninterested to bother taking their picture. When it comes to the Doctor Who characters, there were some neat ideas. One person walking around as The Master with a Vote Saxon sign. There were a few 9th doctors(as well as 10’s), a number of T.A.R.D.I.S. and Dalek dresses, and even a Weeping Angel. These cosplays were awesome, but very common to come by.

    IMG_2603 IMG_2542

    Cosplay isn’t all about being serious, it’s about having fun and showing off your fandom. I love seeing cosplays that are made just for the laughs. The costumes that are purposely made poorly just for shits and giggles. One of the funnier cosplays I saw this year was one person dressed up as a steam sale. The timing for this costume was amazing, since the summer sale had just ended. He was walking around with a giant mallet with the steam logo on one side, and 75% on the other. It made me crack up every time I passed by him. Another person dressed as Deadpool, was just lounging around at one point. It may look like I asked him to pose like that, but in fact I just stumbled across him going to get lunch. These people that are there just to have fun in costume, are the people to look out for.

    IMG_2561 IMG_2562

    deadpool

    Being a cosplayer myself, I always wanted to see how I looked in my costume. Unfortunately I was never able to easily find one of the hundreds of pictures that were taken of me. That’s why at these conventions I make it a fact to let them know where to find these pictures. Shown below are a handful of my favorite cosplays I had seen this year. In no way am I saying that some are better than other. All the cosplays I saw this year floored me. These were just cosplays that I really liked. These are not the only cosplays I saw this weekend. For a look at more costumes, check out our Facebook page.

    IMG_2476 IMG_2552
    IMG_2649 IMG_2807
    IMG_2821 IMG_2816
    IMG_2776 IMG_2659

    There you have it guys, industry panels, general con atmosphere, and the cosplays you see there. Otakon is an amazing event that happens every summer. Although it will be moving in a few years, it is a constant that all nerds can return to. It has been going on for 20 years and I can not wait to see how it evolves over the next 20.

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    Otakon 2013 Coverage: Part 2 Convention Overview https://one-quest.com/blog/otakon-2013-coverage-part-2-convention-overview/ Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:56:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16527 th year I believe, I can tell you that there is a lot this con brings to mind. With tons to do during the many hours of viewings, panels, dances, masquerade, and concerts, the two words that come to mind most for me are epicness and congestion.]]> otakon-2013
    This is part two of our three part Otakon 2013 Coverage. You don’t need to read them all, but it’s worth checking out part one about Industry Panels, and our still to come final part about this years Cosplayers.

    Continuing on with our coverage of Otakon 2013 anime convention. Being a veteran of this convention, 2013 having been my 7th year I believe, I can tell you that there is a lot this con brings to mind. With tons to do during the many hours of viewings, panels, dances, masquerade, and concerts, the two words that come to mind most for me are epicness and congestion. What do I mean by that though? Well in past years I got to meet Nobuo Uematsu, Johnny Young Bosch, see the first American concert of Mucc, the premier Sub-titled version of The Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, and Eminance performed a free to con-goers concert. With the increasing number of participants though, the dated design of the Baltimore Convention Center has been getting a little tight. With a small handful of main traffic walkways between the now 4 buildings the convention stretches, you will find yourself waiting in highly congested areas a lot, and the likelihood of getting Con-Plague increased. That is all part of the experience though, and 2013 was no different.

    IMG_2470

    Although the schedule for the convention is Friday through Sunday, the festivities start on Thursday. Many people call Thursday Line-Con, since most of them will wait in line from mid to late morning until 3:00 when the doors open to let con goers in to get their badges and programs. Although over the past few years, I have learned that waiting in the sun that long is very unnecessary, it is still kind of a tradition. After getting your badge, rather than going back to your room and sulking until the convention starts, Otakon has recently introduce the Otakon Matsuri, a free outdoor fair/festival, with events, games, concerts, food, and much much more to do to kill time Thursday night. This festival is open for all ages, and to the public, so huge crowds will form. If big crowds are something you don’t like then this convention probably isn’t for you. Unfortunately it was raining quite bad this year, and I was unable to make an appearance to the festival.

    IMG_2466

    Friday and Saturday are fairly similar days, opening at 9am and closing at 2am, after the dance is complete. With 6 major video viewing halls running almost the entirety of the 17 hours the convention is open those days, there is roughly 102 hours of anime and other video segments to watch, each day! They have premiere anime, fan parodies, and anime music videos in these rooms for your enjoyment. This year’s biggest viewing was the premiere of the English dub of Wolf Children. Wolf Children is a heart wrenching tale about a woman, named Hana, who falls in love with a mysterious stranger. This stranger happens to be a descendant of the extinct Japanese Wolf, and after being together for sometime they have two children. The father goes missing and Hana is left to raise their two half wolf children on her own. I have not had a chance to watch it, but the release of the English dub will be available in a Blu-Ray Combo pack November 12th. This year I spent most of my time in panels, but judging from the program they had some great anime being shown.

    Wolfchildren

    If spending the weekend at a convention watching anime isn’t quite your thing there is still plenty of other amazing activities to do. With similar amounts of fan and industry panels being run through out the day, you can always step into see what’s happening with your peers and their thoughts on a range of topics. There are panels run for fans of Digimon, Kamen Rider, OC Remix, special guests panels, and industry panels. These industry panels come loaded with tons of announcements, which you can read about in part one of our Otakon 2013 coverage. There are also tons of workshops that help you improve your skills in things such as how to play Pokemon Trading Card Game, How to pose in a cosplay, How to use photoshop, there was even a fitness anime aerobics early Saturday morning(I kinda wish I went to). Of course every year there are also many special guests with Q&A and autograph sessions. A handful of guests this year were, voice actor Krispin Freeman, writer Tsukasa Fushimi, voice actor Kyle Hebert, Producer Masayuki Ozaki, voice actor Vic Mignogna, and Batman just to name a few.

    IMG_2676

    That’s not even half of what there was to do this year. As always they have a giant game room, filled with all sorts of new and old school gaming. There were a few Arcade cabs, some were Japanese that I have never seen before, as well as classics like House of the Dead 2. You will be waiting quite a while, before you get a chance to play though, as this room gets packed. If you are planing to spend money at the convention, then the place for you are the Dealer Room and Artist alley. The Artist Alley is where amateur artists can get a table and sell you their hand made prints, plushies, statues, figures, and what ever else the artists can think of. In the back they have a silent art auction for original prints as well as other items. The dealers room is where licensed professionals and industry groups, such as Funimation, can sell anything in their inventory. This room is huge, spanning almost, the entire basement of the convention center, and barely any room left to move. You can find all sorts of items here, such as shirts, bags, wall scrolls, corsets, weapons, official figures, statues, movies, and video games. There is a lot of merchandise but try to hold from buying anything until the last day of the con, some dealers will cut prices to reduce the stock they need to bring back. All these rooms get congested quick so be prepared to walk slow and bump into people a lot.

    IMG_2788IMG_2522

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    With all that said, there is still a plethora of other things to fill your time throughout the weekend. If your pull is more toward the music of this culture, they do have live concerts in the afternoon. The performers this year were musical group Home Made, performer T.M. Revolution, vocalist Chiaki Ishikawa, and composer Yoko Kanno. I was unable to attend these concerts since you were required to wait in line early morning to get tickets for that afternoon’s concert, by the time I got to the center they were all given away. As I mentioned at the start, the con runs till about 2 am, with plenty of things to do. Usually the younger teenage attendees will either be at the house/trance music rave, the game room, or the masquerade. The masquerade is a sort of fan made skit/talent show in cosplay. Every year I have attended Otakon, I went to the rave, and unfortunately the music is getting worse and worse each year. These are all fine events, but there is also some 18+ rooms and events to attend. Usually you can find a Cosplay Burlesque Show, an intense japanses horror film, voice actors after dark panel, or various showings of Hentai. There is always plenty to do with the Otakon night life.

    Sunday at the convention is usually low key. Opening at 9am and closing at 3pm, most people use this day for last minute shopping, relaxing, and doing nothing. Sunday cosplays don’t happen too often since most people have already packed up their cars and are saying bye to their new friends. There is a small handful of viewings and panels at the convention, but normally people try to make their own fun that day. This year there was a break dancing circle in the middle of the main floor. It was bad ass! There are closing ceremonies and a con feedback session at the end of the day. This year they had a sad announcement for the con veterans. In 2017 Otakon will be moving the convention to Washington D.C. for the following 5 years. This new facility is bigger and will accommodate the growing size of the convention. This is good news in the fact that there will be more room to move, and a lot more personal space. Everything else about the convention will be the same just the layout and location will be moved. I did hear that Baltimore plans on renovating the convention center, so there is a possibility the convention may return after their new contract is up, but that is currently just a rumor.

    IMG_2824

    Overall Otakon is a blast for all fans of the anime/Japanese Culture community. After only 20 years the convention has grown into a must go destination for all east coast nerds. Since the convention is getting bigger every year, there are many changes needed to accommodate it’s sheer size. With the upcoming move to Washington D.C. I am excited to see how this convention evolves. Everyone will get a chance to see the path Otakon has taken through out the years in their new Oatku-museum. One con-goer has collected and now donated, every badge, shirt, program, and all maps from the past 20 years. These items will be on display every year, showcasing the past of this amazing convention. If you’ve never been to Otakon, I suggest attending at least once. If you were in attendance, check out our other Otakon 2013 coverage, focusing on the Industry Panels and Cosplay around the con, and as always tell us your thoughts on this years convention.

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    Friday Five – Power Rangers Episodes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-power-rangers-episodes/ Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:26:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16617 Original Cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. Sticking with the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers theme we’ve decided to list our Favorite Power Rangers Episodes!
     
    The best part about Power Rangers is a lot of the show was generic “Monster of the Week” styled episodes. There were plenty of ongoing story lines and multiple part arcs, but for the most part you could chime in whenever and not miss much. The downside to this style is that most of the multi-part episodes tend to stand out more than the monster of the week ones. Regardless, there were few episodes that anyone hated for reasons other than disliking that weeks villain.
     

    Chris

    1. The Mutiny – This three part series introduced Lord Zedd and the Thunderzords! What more could you want.
    2. The Green Candle – The end of the Green Ranger was pretty sad, luckily we all know it didn’t last!
    3. Forever Red – It had every Red Ranger up to that point it was a pretty epic moment in Power Rangers.
    4. Legacy of Power – It’s really just a clip show, but it’s also the 500th episode of the series and shows the new Dino Thunder Rangers just how awesome of a legacy they’re becoming part of, and where their teacher came from. It’s also a nice way to learn more about the series if you missed a few season here or there, or just wanted a recap.
    5. Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers – The Alien Rangers were cool, but the part of this story that always stood out the most was how all the rangers transformed back into kids and got transported all over the world to try and fix it. They also used it to replace the second Yellow ranger Aisha with the a new girl named Tanya.

     
    The Thunderzords introduced in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Mutiny
     

    Eric

    This was a tough one for me, primarily because I have a hard time remembering specific episodes. I can remember specific moments a little better, but for the most part it all just melds together as an awesome blur.

    1. The Mutiny – I remember having some childhood friends over to watch these episodes. If memory serves me well, they all aired as a special on a Friday night. It was one of the coolest episodes of anything I ever watched. Also, Thunderzords!
    2. Gung ho! – I had no idea what this episode was about until one of the other nerds here helped me remember. All I knew was that Tommy and Jason were supposed to help one another out, to learn to work together and not step on each others toes. Also, Tommy lended his gold shield to Jason and it was awesome.
    3. The Power Transfer – Ok, weird memory here. I was so excited to find out who the new rangers were, but I had to poop in the worst way. So I stood up the entire episode doing the “OMG I gotta shit” dance. I ended up giving in and missed the last 10 minutes. But I was cool to see the first change in cast since the show started.
    4. White Light – The ominous White Ranger. He wasn’t nearly as mysterious as the Gold Ranger was with his introduction, but he was still awesome. It was so cool when he floated down in the Command Center and took off his mask.
    5. Green With Evil – I thought this would be the most used episode(s) but it wasn’t. The introduction of the Green Ranger, and him being evil, was just too cool. He ended up being everyone’s favorite. The dragon dagger was awesome, and far cooler than Saba the talking sword.

     
    Tommy transferring the power of Red, Yellow, and Black rangers to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha

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    Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Announced https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-reaper-of-souls-announced/ https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-reaper-of-souls-announced/#comments Wed, 21 Aug 2013 16:10:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16520 Diablo III Reaper of Souls Logo
     
    We knew the Expansion was coming. Blizzard said so themselves a few months back. Now we know what it is, where it’s going to take place, and the new class involved. We just need to know when it’s coming. . . Probably “when it’s done.”
     
    Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be coming to the PC when it’s done. Our heroes will travel to the city of Westmarch, which has been spoken about in nearly every entry in the franchise. This will be our first chance to explore the city, so that should be pretty cool. The reason we’re headed to Westmarch? Well, Tyrael in his infinite wisdom, has decided to store the Black Soulstone in the Pandemonium Fortress located in Westmarch. Good idea huh? A fortress names Pandemonium. Who would ever want to travel into it just to gain the ultimate evil power?
     
    Yeah, he was wrong. Again. Malthael, Archangel of Wisdom, follows Tyrael into the fortress, kills his guards and takes the Black Soulstone for himself. He claims “No one can stop death.” Bold words considering we’ve already killed every Prime Evil, some multiple times over. But yeah, that sets the scene for our heroes.
     

     
    Of course, no expansion is complete without adding more characters. Enter the Crusader. He looks a lot like the Paladin from Diablo II, and even has the stupid Hammer skill. It does look like a cool character to play as. It seems like a mix between Barbarian and Monk. Probably Strength based to make a second Strength character. Lots of holy light, and holy forces seems to surround this guy in combat. And it looks like his main weapon is a flail, which haven’t been in the game yet.
     
    Also, expect some new loot, new enemies, and a level cap increase. I assume that means all of the heroes will be receiving new skills and runes, since a whopping 7 point stat increase will do little to nothing to for the players with ilvl 63 gear.
     
    This seems pretty cool, but theres no mention of PVP, which for some players is detremintal to their vision of the Diablo franchise. I personally could care less. I never saw Diablo as a PVP game. It was always about getting the best gear, and experimenting with skills and builds to find a way to wreck the minions of hell. What is really important will be how Blizzard and the Diablo team handle Loot drops, tables, rarity, and quality going forward.
     

     
    Quality loot is so hard to come by that few players spend time trying to find it anymore, and mostly spend time scouring the auction house for the best possible items. The best answer to this solution would be to remove the Auction House, but they’re making too much money off of it right now. I would have to recommend a mode that restricted access to the AH for characters that opt in. As a bonus, loot quality and drop rates would be increased for players in the “AH Free” mode. Hopefully we hear more about the items, and itemization, sooner rather then later.
     
    So, what do you think about this Expansion? Does it have your salivating over the prospect of more loot? Or would you rather they make a whole new game and toss this one aside? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget to check back for updates on Diablo III and it’s expansion Reaper of Souls.
     

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    PS4 Release Date Announced! https://one-quest.com/blog/ps4-release-date-announced/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 19:56:25 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16509 PlayStation 4 console
     
    Well, Sony came out swinging once again at Gamescom. Things started off slow with a look at the games coming to PS3. Most notably we had a look at Gran Turismo 6 releasing on December 6th, and Little Big Planet Hub coming later this year for free.
     
    Sony then moved on the PSVita. I won’t lie when I say I love the console, immensely. I don’t love the lack of desirable software, and the cost of memory. Sony has heard that complaint and will be bringing us a massive amount of outstanding looking indie games, some AAA titles, and PRICE CUTS! WHAT?
     
    PSVita is available now, on Amazon.com, for $199. The memory cards will also see a significant price cut coming soon, but no word on how significant the cuts will be. As for games? Check out the list:
     

    • Rogue Legacy
    • Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
    • Volume
    • Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

     
    The above titles will also be coming to the PS4.
     

    • Murasaki Baby
    • Starbound
    • Fez
    • Velocity 2x
    • Big Fest

     
    The above games are coming to PSVita.
     
    Oh, and Borderlands 2 will be heading to PSVita at some point. Probably not soon, but it’s coming anyway.
     
    Everybody has gone to Rapture and Rime have both been announced for PS4, and they look outstanding! Where Rapture is about a survivor(?) of the Rapture taking place in first person, Rime looks like Ico and Wind Waker had a sexy baby.
     

     
    Also announced were Helldivers, Resogun, and Shadow of the Beast. All of these looks like absurdly fun titles coming exclusively to PS4.
     
    PS4 Playroom was shown off as a tech demo, but will be preinstalled on every PS4. It will require a PlayStation Eye in order to function properly.
     
    Lastly MineCraft is coming to PS4, as is War Thunder, a WWII styled Vehicle Combat MMO.
     
    We were also treated to some new trailers for InFamous: Second Son, Killzone Shadow Fall(as well as an in game multiplayer demo), Watch_Dogs, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Oh, the Assassin’s Creed demo showcased the cross play functionality with the PSVita. We actually saw how smoothly this game will run via remote play on the PSVita, and it looked great!
     

     
    Well, that was pretty much all there. . . OH RIGHT!
     
    The big news! The Release Date! Well, after Andrew House took the time to re-establish that Sony is all about the gamers – “While others have shifted their message and stories we have been consistent.” – He went on to let us know that the PlayStation 4 will be releasing on November 15th, 2013 in the US.
     
    So there you have it. The release date! Did you put inf or time off yet? I did!
     
    Stick to One-Quest for any other details that might surface from Gamescom, and don’r forget to tell us your thoughts about the big news in the comments section below!

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    Xbox One Launch Lineup Confirmed https://one-quest.com/blog/xbox-one-launch-lineup-confirmed/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:51:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16484 Xbox One
     
    With Gamescom going on this week we’re bound to have a plethora of announcements coming our way. Over the last 12 hours Microsft held their Gamescom press conference and announced the full launch lineup for the Xbox One. Here it is:
     

    • Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Ubisoft, Ubisoft)
    • Battlefield 4 (DICE, Electronic Arts)
    • Call of Duty: Ghosts (Infinity Ward, Activision)
    • Crimson Dragon (Grounding/Land Ho!, Microsoft Studios)
    • Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft)
    • FIFA 14 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)
    • Fighter Within (AMA Ltd., Ubisoft)
    • Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios)
    • Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft)
    • Killer Instinct (Double Helix, Microsoft Studios)
    • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games, Warner Bros. Interactive)
    • Lococycle (Twisted Pixel, Microsoft Studios)
    • Madden NFL 25 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)
    • NBA 2K14 (Visual Concepts, 2K Sports)
    • NBA Live 14 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts)
    • Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games, Electronic Arts)
    • Peggle 2 (Popcap, Electronic Arts)
    • Powerstar Golf (Zoe Mode, Microsoft Studios)
    • Ryse: Son of Rome (Crytek, Microsoft Studios)
    • Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions, Activision)
    • Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft)
    • Zoo Tycoon (Frontier Developments Ltd., Microsoft Studios)
    • Zumba Fitness: World Party (Zoë Mode, Majesco)

     
    There you have it. Oh, you may be interested in a couple of those titles. Namely Fable Legends and Fighter Within. Well, you’re in luck. Check out their trailers below! :p
     
    Fable Legends is an asymmetrical 5 player game. 4 players work together, whilst competing with one another, to take down the villain and his minions. 1 player takes the roll of the villain placing traps and enemies in the level for the heroes to battle. It sounds interesting. Here’s the announcement trailer made up entirely of pre-rendered CG.
     

     
    Fighter Within is a fighting game published by Ubisoft. The game is to be played with the Kinect and promises true 1:1 precision. But they always promise that with motion gaming. . . Check out the announcement trailer with includes an ambiguous voice over, real people preparing to fight, and, of course, pre-rendered CG.
     

     
    Are you excited about the Xbox One yet? Let us know in the comments below!
     
    Stay tuned for more inforation from Gamescom coming soon, including details on Sony’s Press conference taking place today at 1PM EST.

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    Pocket Monsters: The Origin Trailer and Speculation https://one-quest.com/blog/pocket-monsters-the-origin-trailer-and-speculation/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:19:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16471 pocket_monsters_the_origin-1024x570
    We’re a little late talking about this one, but it’s still pretty interesting and warrants some speculation. A lot of us at One-Quest have spent a good chunk of our lives playing Pokemon games, and even watching the anime and movies. With that said, any fan would know that the anime doesn’t come close to watching the story presented in the games. Ash is kind of a joke compared to your player character in the games. By the end of the first season he’s got 8 different Pokemon, which is less than what I have by the first gym. But that’s beside the point, this isn’t about Ash being a bad trainer, it’s about a new anime special set to air later this fall based more on the Pokemon games.
    pokemontheorigin
    Yep you read that right, they’re releasing a special without Ash and Pikachu. Instead you’ll get to watch the adventures of Red and his Chamander, which is the default name for the players character in the original Red Version. This should be able to give a whole new experience to Pokemon in media, if this proceeds closer to the game storyline and pulls away from the original anime. Before we start talking speculations, lets have a look at the trailer.

    There you have it, hopefully that opening bit brought back some fond memories for some of you.
    20130816_212038_thumb
    The basic idea of the show seems to be the plot from the original Pocket Monsters Red and Green. For those who aren’t to into Pokemon history, the original Japanese release of the games were called Pocket Monsters and the first two games were Red and Green, where as we got Red and Blue in the US. The plot as I mentioned before will focus on Red and his newly acquired Chamander as he tries to get 8 gym badges and default the Elite Four. His rival is his neighbor Green and based on the games and the trailer will have a Squirtle. Pocket Monster: The Origin looks like it’s just a special so I’m not sure how far into the story we’ll see. On the bright side that trailer shows stuff that looks like it would take place later on, such as Charizard and Blastoise battle.
    poketmonsteroriginposter
    From the sounds of this whole project I think they might end up using some of the Pokemon Adventure manga as a basis for the story. I’ve never read it myself, but from what I understand it follows a bit closer to the games story, well closer than the anime ever did. They’ll have to mix it up a bit, otherwise people will be pretty bored with this special, as much fun as it is to spend hours trudging through tall grass looking for a certain Pokemon, that isn’t going to be fun to watch on our TV.

    The most interesting part for me is going to be how they go about with a universal story. Every player had a different experience with their games, with what Pokemon they caught, what fights they won, lost, avoided. There’s a lot a variables to cover in the special. There’s also the always looming threat of team rocket, with this being about the game characters we hopefully won’t be seeing Jessie, James, or Meowth mucking up the show. We’ll know soon enough though so I guess for now it’s just a waiting game.

    Now I’ve got some bad news for everyone, as of right now there aren’t plans for localize this special. It’s set to air on October 2, 2013 in Japan and that’s it. With how popular this series still is around the world I’m sure we’ll get a dub of it at some point, but who knows how long that will be. Look at the latest Dragonball Z movie, we’re all stilling waiting for that!

    S while we’re waiting for a US release let us know what Pokemon you hope Red gets for his party and how many you think he’ll catch. Lets hope it’s more than 8!

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    The Wonderful 101 Demo Reaction https://one-quest.com/blog/the-wonderful-101-demo-reaction/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 12:14:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16461 the_wonderful_101-1-11

    The Wonderful 101 comes out for most of the world later this week, us in the US have to wait till September 15 to get our hands on the game though. Lucky for us, Nintendo released a Demo on the Wii U that you can pick up free from the Wii U store. Before I get talking about the game, I want to talk about the Demo buying process on the Wii U. This is the first game software I’ve downloaded for the system, and I have to say it’s a little confusing. It took me a few minutes to figure out where the Download Management section was since it’s not part of your normal home screen. Not a big deal, but definitely not very new user friendly. I do however like how when launching the game it informs you how many plays you have remaining, in the case of The Wonderful 101 demo I had 20.
    the_wonderful_101-nintendoenthusiast15
    Alright with that out of the way, lets get to talking about the game. I was getting a very Viewtiful Joe feel from this game based on some of the trailers and game art. Anyone who played Viewtiful Joe back on the GameCube knows this isn’t a slight towards The Wonderful 101 at all, it was an amazing game and I was hoping for a spiritual successor since it doesn’t look like we’ll get a real sequel. The downside, this game is not very much like Viewtiful Joe, it’s got the same frantic feel and awesome cartoony vibe going on, but the game play is very very different. While the demo didn’t have any story what I was able to gather is, you’re a group of heroes, generally controlling one person with everyone else kind of swarming around you. As you travel around savings people and defeating the villains you get new people joining your group which lets you make bigger weapons, something I’ll get to in a moment, and do larger ‘group attacks’. The game wasn’t to hard, but the learning curve did feel a little steep if you don’t pay attention to all of the only screen prompts and tutorials.
    The-Wonderful-101-Screenshot-03
    One of the coolest, but most frustrating aspects of the game are the weapons. This is what I meant by not paying attention to prompts, and being patient enough to wait for them. In the demo you start out with three possible attacks, and large fist attacks(red), a sword attacks(blue) or a gun(green). All of these are created by pulling others in your group together to form the weapon for your player character, which changes depending on the weapon you wield. The cool thing about the weapons are they’re based on inputs to draw them not just pressing a button. You’ve got the option of drawing a shape on the screen of the Game Pad, or using the right analog stick to draw the pattern. For instance to wield the gun you make an ‘L’ shape the larger it is the bigger the gun, and thus the more damage it does. Something to keep in mind though is you can only make things so big before you run out of available people and space. You can tell if you’re weapon is on the right track by the color it the pattern makes on the screen. Like I mentioned earlier red is first, blue is sword, and green is gun.
    The-Wonderful-101-Screenshot-02
    Drawing patterns isn’t only useful for switching weapons you can draw other patterns and rather than making a weapon you use it to send out parts of your group to attack enemies for you. This may sound a little confusing, but it actually comes very natural once you get use to the controls for the game. By the end of the demo I was throwing guys out all over the place while I quickly switched from shooting the big guys with guns to slashing smaller goons with my sword. All of this was done while zipping around the area jumping and weaving all over the place.
    256118-Wonderful101
    While The Wonderful 101 wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it ended up being a lot of fun and I highly recommend checking out the demo and giving it a show. Don’t let yourself get discouraged early on either, play it through before you make your decision the game does take some getting use to. And the best part of all, this doesn’t even cover all the cool stuff you can do in the demo, let alone what will be available in the full game!

    The Wonderful 101 will be available on September 15, 2013 and can be pre-ordered now!

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    T.W.I.G. 8/18/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8182013/ Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:18:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16443 It’s Sunday August 18th and that means it’s time for The Week In Gaming. Gamescom is just 3 days away, with the major press conferences actually set for just 2 days from now, and some big news is expected to come out of these meetings in Germany. There are some rumors floating around for some of the news we will hear so let’s take a look at that and the other news of the week.

    images

    The News:

    • Sony is likely to announce the release date of the Playstation 4 at their press conference on the 20th. I imagine we are looking at a mid to late November release so it is on shelves before “Black Friday” here in the U.S. but there have been rumors of a December release as well.
    • On the heels of Blizzard saying they have a big Diablo-related announcement at Gamescom a teaser page has appeared here for what seems likely to be the first expansion of Diablo III titled Reaper of Souls. I’m super excited to hear what they have in store for Diablo as it is my favorite PC gaming franchise and I would like more Diablo III.
    • Microsoft has now pretty much made a complete 180 in policies with the XboxOne by now no longer requiring the new Kinect to be connected to the system to make it function. This has opened the door to the possibility of making a future version that does not include the Kinect in the box which should drastically lower the price of the system. I believe that is unlikely to happen by launch or to be announced anytime soon as it would put a big hurt on the currently pre-ordered systems and I think we will hear that version announced sometime next year.
    • The XboxOne Controller will work with PC games sometime in 2014.
    • SquareEnix has announced that the new Thief will release on February 25th, 2014

    The new releases:

    saints row IV box

    • Disney Infinity (8/18) – 360, WiiU
    • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (8/20) – PC, PS3, 360
    • Splinter Cell: Blacklist (8/20) – PC, PS3, 360, WiiU
    • Saints Row IV (8/20) – PC, PS3, 360
    • The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (8/20) – PSV

    So in place of Did You Know this week we have an announcement to make! After this week’s Humble Origin Bundle I (Drootin) have codes for games I do not need. That means rather then just let them sit and rot, we’re gonna give them away. We have 9 games to give away for Origin and Steam, here’s the list: Origin- Dead Space, Dead Space 3, Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box, Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Medal of Honor, & Mirror’s Edge; Steam – Dead Space, Medal of Honor, Mirror’s Edge. We have not worked out all the details but keep your eyes on the website, our Facebook, and our Twitter and as soon as the details are all ironed out we will post them everywhere.

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    Take It Or Leave It – August 14, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-august-14-2013/ Fri, 16 Aug 2013 18:57:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16408 tioli81413
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Take It Or Leave It time everyone! It was a pretty good week for comics, except for crossovers, those all kind of sucked. Anyway you know the drill, get reading and see what we thought about this weeks new releases.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    batgirl23

    Batgirl #23

    Batgirl has been really good lately, I like the contrasts it’s giving with Barbara trying to have a semi-normal life but still being guilt ridden about her brother. And on top of that her own father his hunting her down, without actually realizing it’s his daughter. I’m looking forward to the pay off of this story, and the longer it goes own the more drawn in I’m becoming. This issue in particular had a lot of ups and downs for the characters, and an incredibly emotional ending, even if you aren’t invested in anyone particular.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By:Chris


    batman23

    Batman #23

    Zero Year has been a little slow to start, it’s good, but nothing ground breaking. Issue 3 continues that trend, but also gives us some pretty cool scenes for anyone who’s been reading Batman long enough. One of the most popular stories featuring the Dark Knight is Year One by Frank Miller, and without spoiling to much a very pivitol scene from that book is featured in Batman 23 with Snyder’s own twist on the events. We’re also given, from what I can remember, the first really emotional scene between Bruce and Alfred in the New 52 Batman. While Zero Year isn’t as thrilling as the previous stories have been, it’s interesting to see how Batman was born in The New 52. Another plus are the short backup stories in each book featuring a different period of Bruce’s training to becoming Gotham’s protector.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    justiceleagueofamerica7

    Justice League of America #7

    So far Trinity War has been pretty boring, there have been a few things here and there that keep you interested, but for the most part it’s just feel forced. There isn’t a set direction the book is taking or a main focal point to keep your attention, all the ‘major’ DC heroes are just out doing stuff in groups trying to get similar but different answers to the same question. Now I hope that sentence was confusing, because now you completely understand what it’s like reading Trinity War, I suppose maybe the few Tie-In’s may shed more light, but frankly that’s not how it should be done. If a reader has to read side stories to understand the main plot it’s being done irresponsibly and just for money. I’m going to go ahead and finish Trinity War out, but if it doesn’t get better in the final issues, this may be the last DC crossover I invest any time into. On a side note, I enjoyed Flash saying “Hal could do it” when our JLA Green Lantern Simon Baz was unable to break down a magical door.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    saga13

    Saga #13

    Oh Saga, it has been too long, but now you’re back and everything can be right again. So yeah, Saga is back after a brief break. For those who don’t recall, issue 12 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, and now with issue 13 we’re going to learn the outcome. Oh. . . wait no we’re not this issue seems to take place a little before the ending to 12, with our heroes and their pursuers still floating around in space. It was great to see them back, and all of them dealing with the recent events. Particular Marco seems to be having a tough time, and his mother isn’t helping by continuing to be kind of a jerk. Anyway, this issue is pretty light on plot, but it’s still a good book and well worth your time and money. And just think, a slow start is only going to end up with a big payoff in this series! And besides BKV deserves a break, he’s working on one of the best shows to come on this summer, Under The Dome.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    scarletspider20

    Scarlet Spider #20

    I’m going to kind of dual review Scarlet Spider 20 and the first part of it’s story from Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 2. It’s your normal team-up, where two heroes meet up, fight each other a bit, then end up taking on the bad guys together. On well Kaine and Pete are never really together in the fight, yes they’re fighting the same enemy but they’re pretty independent. Since Pete is actually Otto he’s just a jerk the whole time and wants to kill everyone including Kaine. The whole story was actually really good, and it made me like Scarlet Spider even more, the book has already been at or near the top of my reading pile every month. This was also one of those issues that makes me hate Otto as Pete, and angry that no one (except Carly) sees the problem. I was hoping with Kaine coming back he’d figure something was wrong, but he’s unfortunately a little too understanding that Pete could hate him. If you’ve been enjoying Scarlet Spider this book is worth reading and it looks like we’ll have plenty of awesome stories to come, if you’re only thinking about getting it to finish the Superior Team-Up, this book may make you want to stick around.

    My biggest complaint was there wasn’t any real closure to Pete and Kaine, I know it would suck to just end their interaction with a full blow conclusion, but come on it’s been 20 issues and they’re just meeting up for the first time since Spider Island! Okay I know it’s not Pete and Kaine meeting for the first time, but still it’s Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man meeting! I hope we get a bit more of an ending for Pete and Flash in a couple months.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By:Chris


    ultimatecomicsxmen30

    Ultimate Comics X-Men #30

    It sucks. No not the book, well the book wasn’t great but that’s beside the point. It sucks that Ultimate Comics X-Men started out as my favorite book in the Ultimate U when it was reboot, and now it’s by far my least. It seems that all the books have done a 180, and that’s not really a good thing. I’m glad Ultimate Spider-Man has gotten so good, and Ultimates keeps getting better after faltering for a while, but now Ultimate X-Men just feels forced and boring. Nothing particular happens in issue 30, we get a little action early on, then a lot of talking and being childish. It’s a shame Ultimate Jean Grey use to be pretty cool, now she’s just a pain in the ass and I want her to either die or get arrested or both. I’m glad Colossus is finally back in the mix, but I guess we’ll wait and see how well that works out. As much as I like Wood’s work on other books (Adjectiveless X-Men is really good), I’m glad he’s going to be leaving soon. Downside is, that may also be the ending of the Ultimate U as we know it.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    wolverineandthexmen34

    Wolverine And The X-Men #34

    I was thinking about dropping Wolverine and the X-Men for a while, then the Hellfire saga really got going, and I’m glad I didn’t. If nothing else this issue is great for action, half the X-Men roll up riding Krakoa and Bobby is piloting what I can only call a giant ice Gundam. While the issue wasn’t really story heavy, it had a lot of stuff going own and was really fast paced, which is something this book need desperately. At this point I’m really looking forward to see what the outcome of the story is and what comes next for Wolverine and the Jean Grey School.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    Friday Five – Power Rangers Villains https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-power-rangers-villains/ Fri, 16 Aug 2013 18:03:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16430 Lord Zedd from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each Week we help you get to know our writers with he help of a top five list. This week’s category: Power Rangers Villains!
     
    So, the third Friday Five entry in our Power Rangers 20th Anniversary Monthly spectacular brings us t one of the most important elements of the show, the villains. Without these adversaries the Power Rangers would be nothing more than teenagers with attitude, and who wants to watch a show about that? Well, pretty much anyone into reality TV, but that’s besides the points. Now, we have a f=pretty diverse list here. We range from some of the monsters of the week, and even onto the main baddies themselves. So, sit back and check out our list! Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!
     

    Chris

    1. Lord Zedd – I remember when Lord Zedd came on the scene, holy crap was he scary. Granted I was like 8 or 9 at the time so why wouldn’t a guy that looks like that be scary. It’s a shame he went from such a terrifying villain to kind of a joke with the whole Rita giving him a love potion and what not.
    2. Tommy Oliver / Green Ranger – Not only was the Green Ranger one of the best Rangers ever, but he was also one of the best villains. Tommy Oliver and the Green Ranger were introduced in the 5 part story Green With Evil, and man did he play evil well. That was really the first time in the show where the Rangers got soundly defeated multiple times.
    3. Ivan Ooze – Ivan was kind of a joke when it comes to villains, not as much as Zedd was later on, but still a joke. He did however manage to trash the command center and kick the rangers butts, forcing them to head to a distant planet to gain the power of the Ninjetti. And he had those two crazy zords, the Ectomorphicon Titans, and of course he like fuzed with one at the end and fought the Ninja Falcon Megazord! And come on he got taken out with a crotch shot.
    4. Mesogog – Mesogog was an interesting villain because he actually had ties to characters in the show, specifically the Rangers. He wasn’t just some random alien that wanted to destroy or take over the planet. Add to it, that he was kind of a tragic figure, his alter ego didn’t seem like a bad guy, just a very strict person.
    5. Goldar – Man Goldar was a jerk! And kind of lame too, but he’s one of the few monsters to ever tangle with the Megazord and walk away from it. Well he usually ran away, but that’s beside the point.

     
    Ivan Ooze from The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie
     

    JohnScott

    I generally like my Big Bads to have some real motivation, and an ongoing story for why they feel the need to antagonize the Rangers, besides just having a Gargamel Complex and being one note characters. They need to be more than the guy (or gal) who plays the villain week in and week out because thats what the plot required so their characterization and motivation changes from week to week. I like consistency and character growth, which you should be able to see in most of my picks.

    1. Royal House of Gadgetry of The Machine Empire (PRZ) – For some reason I really enjoyed the petty bickering and family squabbles of a bunch of dumb ineffective machines.
    2. Divatox (PRT) – OK, Power Rangers Turbo is pretty much the worst series in the pantheon of all of rangerdom. It’s all that stupid Blue ranger, Justin Stewart’s fault. “Oh yeah, lets make a 12 year old a Power Ranger. Because it worked so well on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’m sure no one will hate him!. And for some reason, when he morphs he’s adult sized.” The only thing the show had going for it was Divatox, it’s over the top, campy villain. I really liked her because I was a fan of Hilary Shepard Turner’s guest spots on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She was actually played by two different actresses because Turner had a baby between the movie and production of the series, so she’s only in the later half. Carol Hoyt played the character so well, and the makeup and costume department were so good you can’t even tell there’s a difference.
    3. Astronema (PRIS) – One of the best villains on the show, she did not mess around. She is one of the few to send in more than one monster at a time, and the only one to ever attack a Megazord while it was transforming. In fact, she did manage to beat Zordon, which is kind of a big deal. Her backstory was complex and engaging, being the Red Space Ranger’s sister who was abducted as a child and raised to be evil. She eventually grew to resist her upbring and reject evil, and was eventually the second Pink Galaxy Ranger.
    4. Mesogog (PRDT) – Another complex villain, who had a whole Jeckyll/Hyde thing going on with his other personality, Anton Mercer, who just happened to be the father of the White Dino Ranger.
    5. Scorpina (MMPR) – What? I was a twelve year old boy when she was on the show, I couldn’t turn down a hot asian warrior babe. Looking back though, I can appreciate that her American voice was provided by Wendee Lee, who also did Faye Valentine on Cowboy Bebop.

    With special runner up to Squat, for being the final piece that won the Wrigley’s luggage stacking contest in the classic Adventures of Pete and Pete episode “King of Road”
     
    Divatox from Power Rangers Turbo
     

    Pisko

    1. Goldar – By far my easiest choice. Goldar started out as Rita’s whipping boy but threw her ass under the bus as soon as Lord Zedd showed up and it earned him some sweet wings. Though they made him a bit bumbling later on in the series I will always remember Goldar as the big baddie in the Cyclopsis Zord.
    2. Lord Zedd – Another character that the show would go on to neuter; Poor Lord Zedd started off as a supreme badass. I mean, he was Rita Repulsa’s boss, after all. He even posed a serious risk to the rangers week after week. Then love potions and marriage to Rita got in the way and Zedd never really had a chance after that. Sad to see him go… Living on an RV on the moon.
    3. Mesogog – The classic Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde scenario. Though, unlike Jekyll/Hyde, Dr. Anton Mercer was just as unlikeable as his dino counterpart Mesogog minus the need to take over the world or turn it into dinosaurs or something… Dr. Anton Mercer’s son Trent was the White Dino Ranger and was pretty messed up thanks to his ‘ol dino dad. Both personalities would go on to torment his son just for funsies.
    4. Lothor – Man I loved Lothor. Equal parts crazy and comical. He was once Kiya Watanabe, the brother of Sensei Watanabe (The guinea pig in a robe) who got all pissed at his brother because he didn’t like him playing with black magic. Family, right?! He also had a couple of nieces that helped keep the mood light with their valley girl personalities and bumbling adventures.
    5. Mr. Ticklesneezer

     
    Goldar from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
     

    Eric

    Ok, so while I may remember a bunch of the random episodes i’ve seen in the past, I have a hard time remembering specific enemies. Well, other than the big baddies that is. So I’ll try to make this interesting. . .

    1. Putty Patrol – Ok, they were weird. Even goofy sometimes. But the original random soldiers the Rangers fought had to be my favorite. Their silly sounds and creepy movements just made them fun to watch. Oh, and they didn’t have that glaring weak spot that Lord Zedd’s versions had. Z-Putties my ass!
    2. Goldar – His face never moved! The actor was so animated inside the costume to make up for the fact that goldar never changes facial expressions.
    3. Finster – Somehow this guy got a job making monsters out of clay. His models never looked like the monster it produced, ever! But I always wanted that machine, if only to make creepy monsters terrorize my brother and sister.
    4. Eye Guy – This is probably one of the only random monsters I can remember from the show. Not because he was terrifying or anything tho. Because I always thought it had to hurt so bad walking around on your own eyes!
    5. Tommy oliver/ The Green Ranger – He was evil, and awesome. Probably the coolest storyline ever told on the series.

     
    Putty Patrol from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

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    Otakon 2013 Coverage: Part 1 Industry Panels https://one-quest.com/blog/otakon-2013-coverage-part-1-industry-panels/ Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:49:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16364 otakon-2013
    This is part one of our three part Otakon 2013 Coverage. You don’t need to read them all, but it’s worth checking out part two our convention overview, and our still to come final part about this years Cosplayers.

    Every summer for one weekend, the Baltimore Inner Harbor has a huge makeover. Hordes of people carrying fake swords, with neon colored hair, and cars packed with tons of luggage traverse to the hotels. They have made the east coast nerd pilgrimage to the anime convention known as Otakon. Being one of the east coasts biggest anime conventions, Otakon has been going strong for 20 years of nerdy greatness. With celebrity & industry panels, anime viewings, and fan run events, it is nearly impossible to be bored. August 9th-11th was the 2013 Otakon convention, and there was so much going on, that I have to break up the coverage into three sections.

    The first section to talk about are the industry panels. There were a handful of panels show casing the new and upcoming releases from companies such as Funimation and Sunrise. These companies produce and license anime all around the world. Each of these panels were chock-full of new announcements, special events, and heads of the companies discussing the direction of the new anime. There were two Funimation panels that I had attended and within them about 17 new Blu-ray/DVD combo packs were announced for release in the near future.

    funimation

    Michele Lee(Social Media Manager), Justin Rojas(Sr. Manager of Social Strategy and Dev), and Adam Sheehan(Sr. Marketing Manager) of Funimation had personally come out to greet and talk about where the company and it’s anime releases are headed in the future. (The anime with release dates will be listed below this section.) Along with the new anime, they also debuted their video letter to the fans, as well as new announcements for the website. Their newly updated website will feature new videos on demand(VOD) and the ability to simulcast as the new episode airs in japan(for a small $7.95 a month fee, at Funimation.com/subscribe). These VOD’s will be available on both the website as well as on the apps for any Android, iDevice, Kindle, Roku, and some Smart TVs. These apps can be downloaded at Funimation.com/Apps. When asked about video game system apps, all they could say is that they are working on them. They also announced a new shop that you can use to directly buy from them. They will be releasing a new blog for the company(Funimation.com/news) and have launched the Funimation Show. The Funimation Show will be a video series about the Funimation teams working on there new projects and at conventions. They next had Masahiko Minami(President of Bones Inc.) to talk about the licensing of new shows such as Eureka Seven AO and many more. Next up was Masayuki Ozaki(Director of Sunrise) to Discuss the new partnerships and Funimation acquisitions, such as Witch Hunter Robin, Tales of the Abyss, Code Geass, Outlaw Star, and Cowboy Bebop(all of which will be BluRay/DVD combos in the future). Finally they announced a new contest looking for the best Guilty Crown art. Upload a pic of your best piece of Guilty Crown art, weather it be cosplay, painting, drawing, or sculpture for a chance to win. More information provided at Facebook.com/Funimation.

    Fuimation New Titles/Releases

    Anime Title

    Release Date

    Fairy Tail Parts 5 & 6 August 20, 2013
    Eureka Seven AO Part 1 & 2 Blu-ray Part 1 Released August 13, 2013 & Part 2 October 15, 2013
    One Piece Season 5 Voyage 1 DVD 1 DVD Released
    Ghost in the Shell: Arise August 20, 2013
    Black Lagoon Blu-ray Released
    Is This A Zombie? Of The Dead Season 2 Starts Airing September 24, 2013
    Hagani Season 1 Released August 13, 2013
    The Future Diary Part 1 & 2 DVD September 17, 2013
    Dragon Ball Z: Rock the Dragon Edition DVD Set Released August 13, 2013
    Michiko & Hatchin 1 & 2 Blu-ray September 17, 2013
    Highschool DxD Blu-ray August 20, 2013
    Wolf Children Blu-ray November 12, 2013
    Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine Blu-ray August 20, 2013
    Fairy Tail Licensed To Episode 175
    Guilty Crown 1 & 2 Blu-ray August 27, 2013

    Sunrise-Logo

    The other main industry panel I was able to attend was for Sunrise. Sunrise is another anime production company, famous for the Gundam series, Tiger & Bunny, Gintama, Binbogami, and many more. Director of Sunrise, Masayuki Ozaki, came out to speak to the fans about the new releases and announcements being made that day. After listing a hand full of new releases Ozaki brought out their video for World of Gundam. A roughly 5 min long video showcasing the history and future of Gundam. Followed right after with some annoucements about the Gundam series. The series shown are Gundam: Unicorn, Gundam SEED Destiny HD Remastered, and the new Gundam Build Fighters. Build Fighters, set to debut in Japan on October 2013, is a Beyblade/Yu-Gi-Oh type Gundam series. The combatants get to control their Gundam model in a battle simulator. This gives the potential for any Gundam to make an appearance in the new series. They also announced their partnership with Daisuki.net, an online free streaming website for any anime their partners have licensed. Any Gundam fans will be happy to hear that Gundam Double Zeta will have an official subtitle through Daisuki. Daisuki currently has a handfull of backers, but in time I can see this getting really big. Next was the announcement that classic titles formerly owned by Bandai will be re-released by Sentai Film Work. These titles include Big O, The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, Zegapain, and more.

    Sunrise New Releases/Titles

    Anime Title

    Release Date

    Tiger & BunnyTiger & Bunny: The Begining Watch It Now or Blu-Ray/DVD October 1, 2013
    Daily Lives of Highschool Boys Released August 6, 2013 Premium Blu-ray Edition
    Tiger & Bunny: The Rising Theatrical Release February 8, 2014 (Japan w/ possible simultaneous release in U.S. Coast to Coast)
    Phi-Brain: Puzzle of God Season 3 starts October 6, 2013(in Japan) Season 1 Blu-ray now available
    Gundam Unicorn Blu-ray ep 1-6 now available. DVD Volume 1 & 2 now available, Volume 3 November 5, 2013
    Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere 2 Watch Online at Anime Network, Hulu, Crunchyroll. Season 2 Blu-ray/DVD released July 2, 2013
    Gundam Seed Destiny HD Available through Gundam.info
    Binbogami Ga! Watch Online at Funimation.com and Hulu
    Gundam Build Series New Series October 2013 (Japan)
    Valvrave the Liborator Watch Online at Hulu and Crunchyroll
    Gintama the Final Movie Theatrical Release July 6, 2013(Japan) Watch Online at Crunchyroll
    LoveLive! School idol project Season 2 Watch Online at Cruncyroll

    Two other Gundam Projects are in the works, but no information was released about them.

    Along with all these announcements, Otakon also hosted some debuts of new anime. The series Wolf Children(dub) was premiered on Saturday night, as part of one of their many different screenings throughout the weekend. I was unfortunately unable to make it, but I hear it is phenomenal.

    That’s only part of what took place in Baltimore last weekend. There are still plenty of other anime viewings, fan panels, and events that happened. Coming next will be my overall feel of the convention this year, as well as some news that you might find quite upsetting. Keep an eye on One-Quest later this week for the conclusion to our Otakon 2013 coverage. And make sure to check out our Facebook Page for all out Otakon pictures!

    Last but not least, let us know in the comments what you thought about this years Otakon, or what you missed if you couldn’t make it.

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    Humble Origin Bundle https://one-quest.com/blog/humble-origin-bundle/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 19:00:13 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16351 Humble Origin Bundle Logo

    The Humble Bundle isn’t really anything new. It’s been coming around every few months with some awesome new game bundles, for incredibly low prices and the option to donate the proceeds to charity. It’s an outstanding concept that has allowed me, and many others, to grow my STEAM library by the dozens for just small sums of cash, whilst simultaneously making me feel awesome for being charitable.

    Recently the Humble Bundle has branched out to books, and at one point it became the Humble THQ Bundle to raise money to help THQ out of it’s financial situation. While plenty of money was raised, THQ was still sadly dismantled. . . But thousands of gamers still helped.

    It looks as if EA has taken notice of the reach and buzz generated from the Humble Bundle, and as such has decided to take part in it’s own version to gain support for it’s Origin digital distribution platform. For those of you that don’t know, Origin is EA’s version of STEAM. Going further, STEAM is a digital distribution software developed by Valve. It’s primarily used to sell games, and has quite a large community backing it. Origin is much less fortunate. . .

    In standard Humble Bundle fashion, there are 6 games available for purchase in the bundle. If you happen to feel generous and want to donate higher than the average donation you will receive 2 more games. The good news, most of these games are available on STEAM. Bad news, the best ones are Origin only. So while we are getting Dead Space, and Mirrors Edge for STEAM. We still need Origin to play Battlefield 3, Dead Space 3, and Sims 3. But it’s absolutely worth it.

    The current average is just under $5. Donate $5 and you get 8 awesome games. Donate more and feel better about yourself for supporting charity!

    Taking everything a step further, EA stated that all proceeds will go to Charity, and the Humble Bundle team. No money is being held onto by EA for any profit whatsoever. So even if you’re an EA hater you shouldn’t feel bad about throwing a few extra dollars their way to support charity.

    The charities supported by this Humble Bundle are: Human Rights Campaign, Watasi, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

    Games included in the bundle are: Dead Space, Burnout Paradise Ultimate, Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Mirrors Edge, Dead Space 3*, Medal of Honor, Battlefield 3*, and Sims 3 + Starter Pack*.
    Games marked with * are Origin only. Battlefield 3 and Sims 3 require a donation higher then the current average.

    So go ahead, pay what you want for these 8 awesome games and support charity at the Humble Origin Bundle.

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    Could Market Value On A Wii Game Really Be $89.99? https://one-quest.com/blog/could-market-value-on-a-wii-game-really-be-89-99/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 18:45:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16346 xenoblademetroidprices

    I’ve seen a bunch of different sites talking about GameStop, and how they’re charging $90 for a used copy of the popular Wii game Xenoblade Chronicles, and they’re even going charging $85 for used copies of the Metroid Prime Trilogy.

    Now what I’ve been seeing are sites making a big deal about the price, like it’s unheard of that GameStop would charge this kind of money for a game. I would have to argue though, it’s nothing new, I worked for GameStop back in 2007/2008 and at that time a used copy of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 on PS2 went for $80, and that game was 7-8 years old at that time. So for a newer game that’s unfortunately incredibly rare to be priced at up there isn’t that new for the company.
    Xenoblade_Chronicles_box
    The real problem is, from my understanding anyway, GameStop had exclusive, or near exclusive rights to both Xenoblade Chronicles and Metroid Prime Trilogy, which basically means they’ve purposefully inflated the market value of the games by making them virtually impossible to get. While it hasn’t been stated how they’ve come across these used copies of the games, I’m willing to guess they’ve either been sitting on them for a while, or they simple have paid to have new copies made and are selling them as a “used item”. I don’t see this being out of the ordinary for GameStop who sells ‘New’ games as new even if they’ve been opened, and probably played by store associates.
    metroid_prime_trilogy_boxart
    While it’s great that they’re looking to bring rare fan favorite games back to the masses, this is a terrible way to be doing it, especially since their arguments are that the prices meet the current value of the games, and that PowerUp members gets a discount, so your price will go from like $90 to $81? That’s still a far cry from the $50-$60 that any other new title would run you. And as I mentioned already, it’s fairly reasonabe that GameStop has caused the inflation themselves to make more money. Just look at what these games are going for on eBay, here’s Xenoblade Chronicles and then Metroid Prime Trilogy

    This has gotten a bit ranty, which wasn’t the point, basically the idea that GameStop is bringing back copies of rare and popular games is great. They claim to have several other games in the works for a similar treatment, the problem of course is the price. I know people will pay that kind of money for a game they deem worthy, but how about no one buys them. Just wait it out, eventually they’ll start lowering the prices until it’s back to a manageable place, I’d pay $50 for Xenoblade Chronicles even if it’s used, $90 not so much.

    Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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    Diablo III Expansion Teased? https://one-quest.com/blog/diablo-iii-expansion-teased/ Wed, 14 Aug 2013 12:44:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16337 diablo3

    Have you seen the new ‘teaser’ site on battle.net? http://us.battle.net/d3/en/reaper-of-souls/there it is.

    Any Diablo fan is going to see a certain name that will make them do a double take. . .

    “BOOK OF TYRAEL

    At this point, it could mean anything, could probably be that it’s pointing at the console release of Diablo III next month, or maybe a release date for the PS4 version of the game. If you read into it enough that would work, think about it.

    “DEATH, AT LAST, SHALL SPREAD ITS WINGS OVER ALL. – BOOK OF TYRAEL”

    The bit about spreading wings over all could easily be a reference to Diablo III branching out to the home console market.

    But that would just be silly. . .

    No what this is more likely is a teaser for what we all knew to be coming, a Diablo III expansion. . . Sure there’s nothing right on the page that says it, but there are a few things if you look in the right spots.

    Lets start with the two hardest to find things, if you look at the source code for the page, you’ll see that it is definitely Diablo related, see the image below for what I’m talking about.

    Reaper Of Souls Battle.net Source Code

    Reaper Of Souls Battle.net Source Code

    And now if you did look at that source code and you clicked on the Stylesheet link you’re going to see a lot of stuff you may not understand, and multiple lines that include the following:

    (../../images/teaser-page/d3x_teaser-es-es.jpg)

    For those who don’t work on Websites, that’s the CSS for an image, and that image name is d3x_teaser-es-es.jpg. Being someone who works in the Web Design world, D3X would be a great way to shorten Diablo III Expansion for image names, and teaser is pretty self explanatory.

    If you don’t feel like going through the work of looking yourself, here is what I’m talking about.

    Reaper of Souls Stylesheet revealing probably Diablo III Expansion.

    Reaper of Souls Stylesheet revealing probably Diablo III Expansion.

    And finally and easiest to find, if you throw that link into Facebook you get the following:

    Put the Reaper of Souls link into Facebook and this is what you'll get.

    Put the Reaper of Souls link into Facebook and this is what you’ll get.

    Now we already knew Blizzard was planning on spilling some beans come Gamescon later this month, but now it’s looking even more likely it will definitely be an expansion to a game that desperately needs one. So keep an eye on One-Quest and we’ll update you on any Diablo III expansion news as we hear it!

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    Kickstarter – Project Phoenix https://one-quest.com/blog/kickstarter-project-phoenix/ Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:18:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16321 project-phoenix
    Every so often we like to bring to your attention an interesting Kickstarter we come across. Today is one of those times, with the recently started Project Phoenix. It’s an indie JRPG from some of gaming veterans. Now luckily the game is already funded, killing it’s 100,000 dollar goal in less than a day. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth backing, they’ve got some cool stretch goals including a collaboration between the games Lead Composer Nobuo Uematsu, Sound Engineer John Kurlander, and popular Symphony Orchestra Eminence.

    Project Pheonix is looking to bring back a little more of the traditional old school JRPG’s that people loved, and it’s being made by people who are just passionate about the project and want to see it through to completion. I highly advice checking out the Kickstarter and reading up on this, it sounds like a game definitely worth backing. And in the mean time, here’s the embedd of the video from the Kickstarter page so you can get an idea of what it all about.

    May need to refresh page, video sometimes doesn’t load.

    And of course, here are some of the concept art, courtesy of www.projectphoenix.info.

    art_city1 art_character1
    art_visual2 art_visual1

    Now quit stalling and head over and read up on this project before it’s to late!

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    T.W.I.G. 8/11/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-8112013/ Sun, 11 Aug 2013 22:46:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16314 Hello again and welcome back to another edition of The Week In Gaming. Its been an interesting news week in the lead-up to Gamescom where we are likely to hear some big news from Sony and Microsoft.

    The News:

    • Volition & Deep Silver have announced a $1 Million version of Saints Row 4. Only 1 copy is supposedly available and its via GAME in the UK if it even actually exists and the list of bonuses is crazy. Here are just 3 of the things announced (aside from the special edition of the game for the platform of your choice): Plastic surgery of the buyer’s choice, a Toyota Prius, and a trip on the Virgin Galactic. There are many more things included, check GAME’s website for details.
    • Below, an indie rogue-like announced for XboxOne at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, is a timed exclusive and it will be coming to PC and PS4 at a later date.
    • Arma 3 will be releasing on September 12th
    • It has been announced that in Pokemon X/Y some Pokemon will have a “Mega” evolution. There are only sketchy details on how these will work but there are new items called “Mega Stones” so I think we can put 2 & 2 together.
    • Sony has announced that you will not need to pay for Playstaion Plus to Stream or Share your games on PS4.
    • Sony has announced new expansions for both EverQuest and EverQuest 2. These are the 20th and 10th expansions respectively for the 2 games.
    • Microsoft has said that the game DVR feature will record games at 720p resolution and 30FPS. This strikes me as odd because I would imagine most games this generation will be 1080p and 60FPS. Also this feature will only be available to XboxLive Gold members.
    • Also this week Microsoft posted an “unboxing” video for the XboxOne and announced that all XboxOne’s will ship with a headset. This is yet another flip-flop from Microsoft made from consumer feedback. Is this the right move? Probably, but why has it taken so much negative feedback for Microsoft to realize what people liked about the 360 in the first place?
    • For those hoping for a WiiU price drop after the dismal sales numbers from the last quarter it looks like you will have to wait. Nintendo has recently confirmed that they are selling the WiiU consoles at a loss and it is unlikely to take an even bigger loss right now just to get people to maybe buy the console.
    • A picture taken by members of the DotA 2 community while on tour of the Valve offices has appeared that seems to confirm that Left for Dead 3 is currently in devlopment.

    The new releases:

    • Mario & Luigi Dream Team (8/11) – 3DS
    • Payday 2 (8/13) – PC, PS3, 360
    • DuckTales: Remastered (8/13) – PC, WiiU, PS3, 360

    duck-tales-remastered-announcement-trailer-news-1

    That’s all for this week, I hope you are enjoying my weekly wrap-up each week, please let me know either here in the comments or on our Facebook page or on Twitter either @One_Quest or tweet me @Drootin_39. Also if you like watching fighting games and like betting fake money, check out saltybet.com. I just hear about this site from the Giant Bombcast this week and its fairly amusing.

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    Take It Or Leave It – August 7, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-august-7-2013/ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 18:40:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16273 tioli8713
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We took a couple weeks of from Take It Or Leave It, but fear not we are back! And JohnScott even decided to include something this week. Anyway you know the drill, so lets get started with this weeks comics.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    greenarrow23

    Green Arrow #23

    Green Arrow continues to be an interesting and engaging read. Even when the story is silly enough to be about a hero named Green Arrow going after an ancient relic known as the Green Arrow, while battling against and alongside more archers than I ever knew could exist. Anyway this issue picks up with Oliver and Shado escaping from Count Vertigo and what not. And while we don’t really get far from that story, we get some interesting history concerning Oliver’s dad and Shado, especially after the big reveal last week. I hope Green Arrow keeps this kind of story telling going, and it doesn’t jump back to the normal vigilante stuff any time soon.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenlantern23

    Green Lantern #23

    Green Lantern just keeps moving along, nothing amazing really happened this issue, but it did show a lot of what’s going on with the Corps current situation and where Hal’s head actually is. I’m really getting interested in the rings cutting out the way they are, I’m sure that’s going to lead to something big with probably another cross over between the other Lantern books at some point. For now at least it’s something interesting that’s keeping me reading.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Artifacts30_cover

    Artifacts #30

    I’ve generally been enjoying Artifacts, but this issue just really missed the mark for me. Angelus is cool and all, but the random dude on the church roof and their heart to heart just didn’t really seem to fit well. It was almost just an excuse to fill people in one some of the lore behind the series. Which while great for newer readers, leaves anyone familiar with it wishing for something a little more. Over all I don’t think I’ll recommend this issue to anyone, but maybe we’ll get lucky and next issue will get better.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    BTO_01covA_FINAL

    Burn The Orphanage #1

    Wow, if you grew up in the ’90s playing the awesome beat ’em ups you’ll get a kick out of this book. I really wasn’t expecting to be as into this as I was, my only real complaint is the art was very inconsistent. Particular near the end I noticed clothing was changing from panel to panel, and drastically at that. It’s a shame because stuff like that can really pull you away from the story, luckily this was such a fun and surprising kind of nostalgic plot that I didn’t want to stop reading. Better yet this was only part one of a three part story. Definitely do yourselves a favor and check out Burn the Orphanage.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    hunger2

    Hunger #2

    I’m not going to lie, I’ve had my problems with the Ultimate imprint as of late, things are just a mess, and not in the fun comic book kind of way. Hunger though is something just different enough and removed far enough from the Ultimate U proper that it’s actually really interesting. The Gah Lak Tus swarm was a really interesting way to change up Galactus back in the early days of the Ultimate Universe, and now to have the original world eater coming into this other universe too it’s really cool. Add to that the return of Ultimate Nova and Silver Surfer and I’m completely on board. It’s nice to see Marvel reaching out to their cosmic heroes all over the place and not just in 616 with Guardians and Nova. This book also managed to make Ultimate Nova seem like less of a jerk, all I remember from his initial issues was that he didn’t want the powers, which he still doesn’t, but he was a bit of a jerk and a baby about it. Now even though he’s not totally into being a hero, he does what he needs to do to protect people. I just hope at some point in this story he gets a burger.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman15

    Superior Spider-Man #15

    I have such a love/hate thing going on with Superior Spider-Man, some issues I love it and think Otto is the best thing to happen to Spider-Man in years, other times I think he’s being a creep and sucks. That second one was where I was left after the last two issues, I was really starting to dislike him, and as an extension the book. Then issue 15 comes around and I started liking Otto again, he’s not Pete, and he’ll never be Pete. But for everyone douchey thing the guy does, he really does end up making a big difference. I particularly enjoyed where he was considering giving up being Peter Parker entirely to devote all his time to being Spidey. I’m still not sure that this character can carry the book for a long haul, but for the time being it’s really a great character dynamic. I can’t wait to see where Slott takes things, especially with the return of the Green Goblin who we still don’t know if it’s Norman or not, I kind of hope it’s not.

    I also really like the new suit, minus the weird spider leg backpack.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Screwed03_coverA

    Screwed #3

    Screwed is a weird book, it’s good and you should be reading it, but it’s also pretty weird. After finishing up the first issue I thought it was going to be more of a monster vs. monster books, boy was I wrong. It’s got that, don’t worry, and boy is it gruesome at times. But the main story is a lot more character driven, and isn’t entirely focused on our cover girl Anne, there’s so many other characters bouncing around that it’s really something you need to read to understand. Each issue we get a little more insight into the various players in the story, and learn a little more about what’s going on behind the scenes. I feel like this book is going to have a nice payoff and I’m definitely going to stick around to find out what it is.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Batman Arkham Origins UK Collectors Edition Revealed https://one-quest.com/blog/batman-arkham-origins-uk-collectors-edition-revealed/ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 11:38:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16268 arkham-origin-uk-collector

    I’m really not a fan of Collectors Editions of games, I’ve purchased a few in my time, but more often than not I’m hugely disappointed by the ‘extra goodies’. The last one I picked up was for Assassin Creed III, and while the statue is pretty cool it just wasn’t worth all that extra money. That said, the Batman Arkham Origins Collectors Edition looks pretty cool, particular that Batman & Joker statue. Downside, it’s the UK version and us folks in the US will probably get some bastardized version of it that isn’t nearly as cool. So if you’re a UK reader and like this it’s going to be £79.99 and available October 25, 2013.

    If we can get an $79.99 edition with some nice goodies I might just give it a go, but track record on Collectors Editions aren’t so good at the moment. So let us know what you think about this stuff in the comment below!

    And did anyone happen to get Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition? I believe that was the one that didn’t come with a normal case for your game.

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    Nintendo Direct 8/7/13 Overview https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-direct-8713-overview/ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 15:19:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16260 Nintendo Direct logo

    It’s been awhile since we’ve hear from Nintendo. Their last Direct was in June for their E3 showing. It wasn’t insanely impressive, but it gave us closer looks at some of the core and first party games coming to the consoles. After the news about the dwindling sales of the Wii U, it seems like Nintendo just wanted to get some buzz rolling around some of their top tier games.

    The direct started off with 3rd Party games. Sonic The Lost World was explained in further detail, and the game looks fantastic! The Wii U and 3DS versions will ship together on October 22, and will be able to interact with one another using local wifi. The 3DS player will be able to help Sonic by creating a customisable remote control helicopter and fly around the stages.

    Rayman Legends is no longer a Wii U exclusive, however the Wii U will still offer a unique experience that utilizes the GamePads featureset. Allowing up to 5 players, asymmetrical multiplayer, and GamePad only play gives this game a definite edge over the other consoles. Rayman Legends is launching September 3rd.

    Art Academy SketchPad will launch on August 9th. It will provide a whole artistic array of functions to the Wii U GamePad. The MiiVerse version will launch soon after the app. There is also a full retail release in the works.

    Nintendo then went on to talk about some of their first party titles. Starting with Pikmin 3, which has already launched. They were exclusively talking about the camera feature that allows you to upload images to MiiVerse directly from the game. Nintendo is taking these screenshots and putting them on their facebook wall, and encouraging users to caption the images.

    Mario and Luigi Dream Team is launching on August 11th. They spoke about the gameplay elements like badges, and challenge modes to acquire new gear.

    Pokemon Rumble U is coming to the Wii U on August 29th. It will feature every Pokemon from Pokemon Red and Blue all the way to Pokemon Black and White 2. Figures will be sold separately that can be imported to the game using NFC. These figures will provide the player with bonuses, but are not required to experience the entirety of the game.

    Next they moved onto the 3DS and the 3DS eShop announcing that Summer Carnival ’92 Recca will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS soon. Donkey Kong will also be coming to the 3DS on August 15th. For those of you with a love of sports, Tecmo Bowl will be heading to the 3DS this fall. Also headed to the 3DS eShop is Warioland 3, launching on August 29th! Super Mario Bros 3 will hit the 3DS and Wii U eShops later this year!

    Two other major titles coming to the 3DS are Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, as well as Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney! Both launch in 2013!

    Focus shifted to The Legend of Zelda series. A Link Between Worlds will introduce a dark or shadowy triforce that exists in another world. The world Link lives in will be the same as the world in A Link to the Past, the ‘other’ world will be new, not the same Dark World. Both worlds will feature new dungeons. The game takes place years after A Link to the Past. So much time has passed that we will be playing as a whole new Link once again. A Link Between Worlds will ship for Nintendo 3DS this November.

    Wind Waker HD will be launching this October. It will feature new features like faster travel, and a fine tuned final section to make the triforce fetch quest a little less daunting. It was also announced that the Wind Waker takes place before Phantom Hourglass! That’s some interesting news to me.

    Adding info into the Year of Luigi – Luigi was announced as a playable character in the new Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS. Not surprising, but still exciting.

    Animal Crossing New Leaf was the final focus of the show. The game is now available world wide, and will allow the players to visit the towns created by other players around the world. There will also be an Animal Crossing community page added to the MiiVerse. Animal Crossing Plaza will become available on the Wii U, which looks just like the Walla Walla Plaza on the Wii U only with Animal Crossing avatars moving about. You can use this area to specifically discus the game, and share and organize images. The Plaza will be available through the end of 2014.

    One final announcement was made: There will be a Nintendo Direct this Friday, at 10AM(EST) for The Wonderful 101. So be sure to check back for info on that!

    Over all I wouldn’t call this an outstanding Nintendo Direct, but I’m just glad to hear from them. Hopefully they can get moving with some more of their first party games like. . . Metroid? PLEASE?!

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    New Thor: The Dark World Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/new-thor-the-dark-world-trailer/ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 13:14:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16256 Thor: The Dark World Logo
     
    After a week of teaser images on Marvel’s facebook page, we finally have access to the newest trailer for Thor: The Dark World.
     
    We still don’t get much of a look at Malekith, but we do see some excellent interactions between the amazing cast members. Particularly Loki and Jane Foster, and Thor and Sif.
     
    Check it out, and tell us what you think in the comments below!
     

     

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    New Animated For Patton Oswalt's Star Wars Filibuster https://one-quest.com/blog/new-animated-for-patton-oswalts-star-wars-filibuster/ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 19:02:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16247 episodeviigauntlet
    You may remember a few months ago Patton Oswalt’s had that amazing filibuster on Parks & Rec? They pretty much just let him improvise for almost 10 minutes. Apparently it was only suppose to go on for a minute or two, but they thought it would be funny to see how long he would go without a cut. Anyway, fast forward and we get a funny, but not well animated version of the rant. Well now thanks to The Nerdist we get a fully animated version of this amazing speech.


    And just in case you missed the previous videos here is the original, which keep an eye on the background actors as it goes on it’s pretty funny.


    And lastly here is the other animated version, which while not as high quality is still pretty funny!


    And finally here is the full image I found for the header, it’s pretty funny if you really look at everything.
    episodevii

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    Nintendo Direct Coming August 7th 2013! https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-direct-coming-august-7th-2013/ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 18:05:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16243 Nintendo-Direct-Wii-U-3DS-May-17
    Yep, tomorrow we’re getting a new Nintendo Direct live event. Nintendo says they’ll be talking about previously announced titles do out on Wii U and 3DS this year.

    Unfortunately that means we’re probably not going to be hearing about some awesome new Metroid or something, but hopefully we get more details on some of the exciting stuff coming our way. I’m hoping to see more from the two Zelda titles due out this year!

    Tune in to tomorrow at 10am EST for the fun!

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    T.W.I.G. 8/4/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-842013/ Sun, 04 Aug 2013 16:32:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16197 Hi everyone, sorry I missed last week, I was gonna write the post on Sunday when I got home, then we got hit with a MASSIVE rainstorm here in South Jersey and my fiance and I got stuck in 3 hours of traffic and I just did not have time. So sorry about missing last week!

    The News:

    • Wolfenstein: The New Order has been delayed until 2014 citing the difficulty of developing the game for both current-gen and next-gen systems simultaneously. I’m all for slight delays if it means the game will be better off because of the extra time in development. So lets hope this helps the game.
    • Deep Down, Capcom’s upcoming PS4 dungeon crawler that was first unveiled during the original PS4 reveal press conference, will be an online-only game. The few moments of the game we have seen have looked amazing, and its a game I definitely have on my radar.
    • EA has stated that they expect the new Star Wars Battlefront that is in development at DICE Studios to release in the summer of 2015 alongside Star Wars Episode VII. Again this is a game on my radar, the battlefront games were good and now its in the hands of a developer known for their large-scale war games so it hopefully can only get better.
    • The XboxOne will be compatible with Xbox360 headsets but will require an adapter to do so. This again is some nickel & dime-ing being done by MS. Made worse is just the prior week Sony announced that PS3 Bluetooth headsets WILL work on the PS4 with no adapter needed
    • Sony has announced Everquest Next, the next game in the Everquest franchise. The game will be free-to-play and no release date has been announced. It will include things such as multi-classing characters, permanently destructible environments, and a companion game/app to create in-game objects called Everquest Landmark
    • Blizzard will make a Diablo related announcement at Gamescom on August 21st. If I had to guess I imagine it will be the announcement of an expansion for the game, but I’m super excited to here what they have to say.
    • Sony & Nintendo have announced their quarterly earnings reports which includes the ever important sales numbers. On the Sony side things were down from the year before which is not too surprising considering the upcoming release of the PS4, the Vita and PSP sold a combined 600,000 systems worldwide and the PS3 & PS2(??) sold a combined 1.1 Million units from Apr-Jun, also 64 Million PS games were sold during the quarter. From Nintendo things are a mixed bag, The 3DS is doing well selling 1.4 million systems and 11 million games in the quarter, the Wii sold 210,000 consoles (which pushed it just over the 100 million lifetime sales) no word on game sales, and the WiiU sold a dismal 160,000 systems worldwide in the same 3 month period and only 1.03 million games. At this pace the WiiU will need almost 10 years to catch the Dreamcast in worldwide sales. Nintendo REALLY needs to do something drastic to make the WiiU a viable system.

    everquest-next-logo-592

    The new releases:

    • Pikimin 3 (8/4) – WiiU
    • Dragon’s Crown (8/6) – PS3, PSVita
    • Tales of Xillia (8/6) – PS3
    • Planes (8/6) – Wii, WiiU, DS, 3DS
    • Divinity: Dragon Commander (8/6) – PC
    • Ibb & Obb (8/6) – PS3
    • Papers Please (8/8) – PC
    • Guacamelee: Gold Edition (8/8) – PC
    • Spelunky (8/8) – PC

    Did You Know?

    Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime used to be the senior director of national marketing at Pizza Hut. While there he launched the Bigfoot Pizza and The Big New Yorker.

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    Friday Five – Theme Music https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-theme-music/ Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:59:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16190 music
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This week’s category: Theme Music!
     
    Not to be confused with one of our previous Friday Fives, Theme Songs. Instead we’re focusing on the music alone. No lyrics! Except for Drootin. He lives dangerously, and doesn’t follow the rules. What a jerk!
     

    Chris

    1. Game Of Thrones
    2. The A-Team
    3. Andy Griffith Show
    4. Knight Rider
    5. Doctor Who

     

     

    Drootin

    1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    2. Jeopardy!
    3. Hawaii 5-0
    4. Cops
    5. Rocco’s Modern Life

     

     

    Eric

    What’s awesome about this is that during our wedding, my wife and I picked a bunch of our favorite theme songs for our groomsmen and bridesmaids to walk out to. God I love TV! :p

    1. X-Men (90’s cartoon) – Everything about this song is awesome. As soon as it starts it’s unmistakable as to what you’re hearing. One of my best men walked into this theme.
    2. X-Files – I used to love this show, but stopped watching pretty early on. The music was so iconic that everyone knew it, even if you didn’t watch the show.
    3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – One of my favorite shows as a kid. Again, I stopped watching pretty early on but I still remember the theme music like I was watching it yesterday!
    4. Doctor Who – I only started watching the show this past year, but I still find myself humming the tune randomly.
    5. The Office – It’s a simple tune that really goes with the absurdity of the show.

     

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    PAPER MARIO TIMELINE https://one-quest.com/blog/paper-mario-timeline/ Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:28:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16181 Logo for Paper Mario Sticker Star
     
    Paper Mario has been around for over 10 years. Let that sink in for a second. . . Ten. Years.
     
    It’s wild to think that the first time I played a game in this franchise was on Nintendo 64 at my grandmothers house. I walked to the store because I was too young to drive. Little did I know that on that day I was purchasing the first game in amazing series that would continue over the next 12 years with 4 fantastic games!
     
    What makes the original Paper Mario so ingenious is the same thing that helps The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker remain a timeless classic – it’s visual style. Doing away with realistic graphics in favor of cartoon style paper craft means that years later the games will still look fantastic! Best yet, the visual style isn’t just for aesthetic appeal. The game actually takes into account that the players and enemies are all made of paper by incorporating that knowledge into it’s puzzle design.
     
    If you haven’t played the games, I highly recommend checking out Paper Mario Sticker Star for the Nintendo 3DS! And to help you get caught up with the story, here’s a handy infographic on the history of Paper Mario!
     
    Infographic for Paper Mario
     
    This Infographic comes courtesy of Nintendo UK. Paper Mario: Sticker Star is one of the Mario games available on Nintendo 3DS

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    Biggest News From Comic Con 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/biggest-news-from-comic-con-2013/ Thu, 25 Jul 2013 12:04:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16108 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    As so many people on the internet already know, this past weekend was Comic Con International, in San Diego California. At this point, it’s really not a Comic Convention anymore, it’s a pop culture event. TV shows premiere pilots, movies show off new trailers, comic publishers reveal new books, it’s pretty much everything a nerd could want! Unfortunately like so many of you around the world, I wasn’t there. But like previous years I watched everything flooding out of southern California wishing I were. On the positive side though, the internet really shows us almost everything we could want without waiting in lines for days on end! And that my friends, is what we’re here for, to show off all the fun stuff that got revealed this weekend in one easy to find place. Oh and a little speculation to go along with it, because what kind of website would this be if we didn’t make wild accusation about what might be happening!

    Before we really get started, check out the Marvel Cinematics Panel which had a special guest!

    Now lets get started with probably the two biggest reveals, both movie related, and both due out in 2015.

      Movies &TV

    1. Batman/Superman THE MOVIE

      batmansuperman
      Not a lot is known about the movie, but we did get some great news to go along with it. Henry Cavill will be portraying Superman again, as well as a lot of the supporting cast from Man of Steel like Amy Adams and Laurence Fishborne. Aside from actors though we found out Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer are going to be writing and once again Christopher Nolan will have a part to play, this time as an Executive Producer. The big question still, who will be Batman? I suppose with Nolan’s name attached to the film, even in a smaller role it’s always possible that Christian Bale could reconsider. The other big name I’m sure people will throw around is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, well the people hoping for the Dark Knight Trilogy to be represented here anyway. The problem with that is there are also some rumor that Gordon-Levitt may be headed to Marvel to star in the Phase 3 film version of Doctor Strange.

      As cool as it would be to see Christian Bale back as Batman, that version of the Dark Knight just doesn’t seem like he’d work out well in a world with Superman. Now this wasn’t on Nolan, no one really gets this right in the movies. Batman is suppose to be the worlds greatest detective. He’s not just a scary guy in a black suit that knows how to kick ass. He’s a genius, that’s how his dynamic with Superman works. Without that quality there really isn’t any reason to have him in a world with Superman. No matter how many thugs he can beat up, Superman can do it better. I do want to step back for a moment and throw out there, Nolan’s Batman wasn’t completely without his intellectually qualities. he was a cunning dude, but not on the level that we’d need for it to be reasonable that Superman would want his help.

      As I’m typing this I found out David S. Goyer let slip the working title of the movie at the Superman 75th Anniversary panel. Looks like WB is going to be rolling with either Batman Vs. Superman or Superman Vs. Batman. Personally I like the first one, but this hints at some much bigger things happening in the movie than we could have hoped for. It does make sense though, apparently at the panel that announced the movie a excerpt from Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns was read, which if you never read that book, features a pretty epic battle between the older Dark Knight and Man of Steel. This could all be done really well, they could go for the older feel where these two have known each other already, which would lend better to the Bale era Batman coming back. Alternatively they could do something similar to the first issue of Justice League where they started adversarial but became good friends. I see that way happening more in this film than the former, it just fits more while trying to develop a continuity. Oh this also probably means we’ll get our first looks at Kryptonite in this movie, Batman is famous for having. . . Preventative measures in case Superman needs to be stopped. Regardless of where they plan on going, I’m now extremely excited to see Batman kick Superman’s ass, because we all know that’s what happens!

    2. Avengers 2 Officially titled Avengers: Age Of Ultron

      the-avengers-2-age-of-ultron-logo
      Next up, and for some way probably even more exciting than a Batman Superman team-up is news about Avengers 2. And as you can tell by the tagline, we’ve got the official title, and it’s pretty damn exciting. This one is still very much like the previous bit of news, we just don’t have a lot of details. Fortunately what we do know, is kinda big deal stuff. First and foremost, it’s been stated that Henry Pym/Ant-Man will not be the creator of Ultron. This is pretty big news, especially since a few months after this movie, Ant-Man will be released. Hell from what’s been released so far, Pym isn’t going to be part of Avengers 2 at all. Now I’m sure nerds are going to rage about this for quite some time, but it looks as though Tony Stark may be the movie version’s creator of Ultron. Which really does fit pretty well with the way things were left off at the end of Iron Man 3. Spoilers if you haven’t seen Iron Man 3 yet, but Tony destroyed all of his Armor’s at the end. While we know this isn’t the end for Iron Man it makes sense that he would be looking into alternate ways to save the world. He was already doing pretty well with remote controlled suits, so why not try and make them suit controlled suits. On top of that, the teaser shown at Comic Con actually showed an Iron Man mask being hammered to reveal the Ultron face, so really who else would it be?

      Something that a lot of fans have been wondering about now though, where does Thanos play into this whole thing? Well honestly no one but the big wigs at Marvel know at this point. And they aren’t sharing anything! But keep in mind, just because we saw him at the end of Avengers doesn’t mean he has to be in Avengers 2. The ending for Iron Man 2 set up Thor after all, so why couldn’t Thanos be a setup for Guardians of the Galaxy next year? It was after all revealed at the Guardians panel that Thanos will play a part in it, we just don’t know how big yet. Regardless Joss Whedon didn’t do us wrong with the first Avengers, and he’s a pretty awesome guy so it’s safe to say whatever his plans are for Ultron and Thanos and all these other characters, we’re going to be in store for one hell of a spectacular ride.
      hankpymultron
      Now with Ultron information out of the way, there’s still the case of a certain pair of Mutants that are making their debut in this movie. We haven’t heard much about how Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be utilized in the film, but Whedon did confirm in an interview over the weekend that they aren’t going to show up, shake hands with the Avengers, and become BFF’s. Well not right off the bat anyway, considering Marvel/Disney doesn’t own rights to all mutants so they aren’t currently able to cross over with the X-Men, this makes a lot of sense. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch started out as villains after all, having them just show up and be part of the team would just feel to forced. I’m hoping we get some nods towards the X-Men franchise with the two of them also, maybe it will get Fox to want to play ball when it comes to licencing the characters out for team up movies. Perhaps Sony too, then we could get a real New Avengers movie with Wolverine and Spider-Man, or even a proper Civil War adaption.

    3. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cameo’s And More!

      Marvels-Agents-of-SHIELD-cast-shot
      We’ve known pretty much from the begining that Coulson would live again in the TV series that premieres this Fall. But we don’t know how that’s going to happen, people have been throwing around ideas since he ‘died’ in Avengers. We never saw him get declared dead, Fury just tells us he didn’t make it. We get our first hints not all is true with the story when Maria Hill confronts Fury about where he found Coulson’s Captain America trading cards. Well rest assured we’re going to find out more about what really happened to Coulson during the first season of the series. Now I don’t think this is 100% confirmed but actor Clark Gregg, who is Coulson, said he would be stunned if we didn’t find out what really happened.

      That’s not all the news we got about SHIELD this week. Maria Hill will be appearing in the Pilot portrayed by actress Cobie Smulders. This is great news for fans, as it leads to a good chance of Hill becoming a character in future seasons after Smulders is done with How I Met Your Mother this year. And just one more bit of cameo news, again from Clark Gregg, he said it just wouldn’t be SHIELD if Commander Fury didn’t pop up at least once. This was followed by the man himself, Samuel L. Jackson saying he’d do just about anything to be part of this show. So we might not have the heroes on the small screen, but it’s looking like we’ll Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to have no shortage of amazing characters on board.
      HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

    4. Movies and Television have become such a big part of comic con, it’s become almost tradition that the biggest news coming out of the convention has to do with some of the bigger movies and shows expected soon! But that doesn’t mean comics are forgotten, so lets get onto them.

      Comics

    5. The Return of BAMF! In Amazing X-Men

      AMAZINGXMEN_1_COVER-610x471
      I’m not talking about those little blue fury dudes in Wolverine And The X-Men, no I’m talking the long awaited return of Nightcrawler! He’s been gone since Second Coming, and as such missed out on a lot of major X-Men related stuff. It’ll be interesting to see Kurt come back into a world where Scott Summers is a criminal, and mutants are once again begining to appear all over the world.

      So far from the teaser information we’ve seen, Nightcrawler has basically been trapped in hell since he died. His dear old pop Azazel isn’t making matters any better for him either. So now he’s some how calling out to his friends, and they’re getting ready to answer. The downside to this news is we’re getting yet another X-Book. And while X-Factor is almost wrapped, and some others, like Gambit are on their ways out soon, it’s still another new book in the family. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for the return of Nightcrawler, especially after seeing creators play with alternate universe versions of the character recently. The problem is this book has some many factors kind of working against it, well for me anyway. The big one is the sheer number of books on the stands, and as this will be a Wolverine lead team that makes 4 or 5 titles with him as a main character, not including Avenger titles, add those in and it’s 6 or 7.

      For arguments sake lets round down and call it 6 books with Wolverine, there are about 10 books total in the X-Family. Sure at least 2 of them are ending, but now we’re adding a new one in with Amazing X-Men. That’s just to much happening in one corner of the Marvel U. The X-Men are giving the Bat-Family books a run for the most books on the shelves.

      The massive amount of existing X-Books isn’t my only hesitation with this title, the core team doesn’t really pique my interest either. So far it’s set to include Iceman, Storm, Beast, Northstar, and for the first time as part of an X-Men team Firestar. That’s along with Wolverine leading and I’m assuming Nightcrawler after they save him from Hell. Luckily since their are so many mutants out there, the team that starts the book isn’t necessarily going to be around for long.

      Lets change focus now and talk about the good, aside from the return of Nightcrawler, the book has a pretty good creative team. Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness are teaming up for the book, so at least we can expect entertaining story and beautiful art. A lot of fans are probably worried that the book will have the same quirky feeling as Wolverine and the X-Men, luckily Jason Aaron already said this is going to be a more traditional X-Men book. He wants it to be like a monthly X-Men event, where the whole world is at stack and only the X-Men can stop it.

      Amazing X-Men is set to debut after the big Children of the Atom event, so keep an eye on One-Quest for details!

    6. Steve McNiven on Uncanny Avengers

      I’ve been enjoying the Uncanny Avengers for the most part, it’s a bit hard to follow at times, especially with some of the early delays in issues, and having not read Remenders previous Uncanny X-Force books. Regardless it’s been a good ride so far, my only consistant complaint has been the art. Some issues like when Olivier Coipel jumped on for an issue, have been great. Now though, we’re getting a super star in what I’m assuming is a regular role. McNiven has done some of the best books released in recent years, and really don’t see his name thrown around nearly enough. I really don’t have much else to add to this other than I’m definitely excited for it!
      UNCANNYAVENGERS_14_PROMO
      The only downside, we’re going to be waiting until November for Steve to get started!

    7. It’s funny, a Comic Convention did really have a lot of ground breaking comic news! Regardless, lets move on to just some of the other cool, funny, or awesome stuff that came out of this past weekend in San Diego.

      Other Fun News!

    8. Robocop Reboot Footage Shown To Fans

      There have been quite a few reboots of these popular ’90s action movies lately. We had Total Recall and Dredd, and still yet to come is the above mentioned Robocop. So far these reboots have been hit or miss, Dredd was a hit, even if it was a sleeper one, and Total Recall was just a boring miss. Based on the recap of the footage shown for Robotcop, I’m leaning towards it being a bit more of a miss. It just feels a little two different and in the wrong ways. From what I’ve read Alex Murphy isn’t killed by criminals, he just gets hurt pretty bad. And instead of letting him mend some crazy scientist basically put his head onto a robot body, and bring his hand along for the ride. Now you’re probably wondering why his hand, well it’s so he can shake hands and not freak people out, because a dude who’s over 90% robot isn’t already going to freak them out.
      94679916-robocop
      Basically what I’m getting at is, I’m fairly hesitant about this movie, and until I actually get to see something from it I’m going to keep any excitement down.

    9. Coulson Probably Isn’t Part of Avengers: Age Of Ultron

      Yes it is awesome that Coulson does in fact live, but writer/director/man of awesome Joss Whedon more or less indicated it’s unlikely he’ll be part of the Avengers sequel. According to Whedon there is just too much happening in this movie, and having to throw in everyone dealing with the revelation that he’s alive would be a wasted B story. At least we get Coulson in the upcoming Agents Of SHIELD that I talked about earlier!

    10. Guardians Of The Galaxy

      Up until this weekend there wasn’t much to be said about the upcoming Marvel Phase 2 film. But now I’m actually pretty damn excited. The cast seems awesome, and the recap I read of the footage shown (It feels so lame to say that) makes this sound like it’ll definitely be one of the better Marvel films. It sucks that we have to wait a whole year to find out! At least there’s till Thor 2 this year, and the Captain American sequel still to come.
      guardians-of-the-galaxy-cast
      Oh and for any Doctor Who fans, in case you missed it, check out Karen Gillan without any hair!

    11. Speaking of The Doctor

      The insanly popular BCC show made an appearance, and even showed an exclusive trailer for the 50th anniversary. A trailer that I’m said to report, probably won’t be made available to the rest of us any time soon. On the bright side there were a ton of great interviews and such with Matt, Jenna, and (Steven) Moffat. In fact here’s a link to one of the best courtesy of NerdHQ.

    I’m sure there were a ton of other fun stuff happening at Comic Con this past weekend, so much so that I don’t think I could cover half of it! But at least now you, the reader, have a better chance of reading half of it.

    As always let us know what you think in the comments below!

    ]]>
    Tips for a Disney World Trip from Geek Parents — Part 2 https://one-quest.com/blog/tips-for-a-disney-world-trip-from-geek-parents-part-2/ Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:16:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14854 Welcome to part 2 of our tips derived from our trip to Disney World. If you missed the first part make sure to go check it out first!

    V: When it comes to reservations, it’s really up to your preference. If you make more reservations, you’ll wait less but have a stricter schedule. Less reservations and you wait longer, but it’s a more leisurely pace. We made reservations the first night for Via Napoli, an Italian restaurant in Epcot. I’m so glad we made a reservation. Mainly because the looks people gave us when they called our name only 5 minutes after showing up were priceless. On a side note, this was the only restaurant all week that didn’t wish my son a happy birthday. We also made reservations at Tokyo Dining, Epcot, Chef Mickeys for breakfast at the Contemporary Resort, and while in Disney made reservation at Hollywood and Vine, in Hollywood Studios. Chef Mickeys was awesome. The breakfast buffet was superb and the classic characters walk around dressed in chef’s garbs and meet every table separately, occasionally going into song and dance through the restaurant. We also ate at the Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom, we should have made reservations, the wait was a good 35-45 minutes. A lot of the waiting was a blur because we had so much fun, so I have a hard time remembering exactly how long the waits were, just that on the whole they weren’t that bad.Hollywood & Vine

    S: The main problems with waiting were the time we could have spent going on more rides, and whiny kids. If you’ll have kids on your trip make sure you can spend as little time as possible in lines by making reservations and getting fast passes.

    V:  I would like to point out that Chef Mickey, Crystal Palace and Hollywood and Vine are each character meal buffets, and they only count as one table service each. I know things like Cinderella’s Magic Table, or whatever that’s called, counts as 2 on most dining plans. Another point for kids, which I’m jumping the gun on our outline here, but we had a double stroller. Our son is 5 and big for his age, but he just made the max limit on the stroller, and boy were we happy we had it. It’s one of the front back models, so it’s easier to maneuver through a crowded store, so if you’re planning on getting one, I recommend not getting one of the side by side models.

    S: Not to mention renting a double stroller in Disney for a week is over $200. We bought ours off of somebody for $40. There are other options such as outside rental companies, but our method was still a lot cheaper. We paid to check the stroller on the flight to Florida because we didn’t realize you can bring it to the plane and they’ll put it in the cargo area. We did this on the way back and it saved us $25.

    V:  One last thing loosely on the topic of kids, we decided to ask our parents (my mom and Shannon’s dad) to come along with us on the trip. We thought they would love to be part of the celebration and would help look after the kids so Shannon and I could have some alone time in the parks. While without children we went to the AMC Dine-In theatre in Downtown Disney and saw the new Star Trek movie (epic btw). Had a nice night just the two of us walking around and just enjoying the sites. Then, at the end of the week, we went to an overnight event at the Magic Kingdom that I really enjoyed, but I think Shannon could take or leave.

    S: Bringing our parents was probably the best idea we had. Not only did it make the trip easier, but it was much more enjoyable to share it with them. It also worked out because my dad got to visit my grandfather one of the days, and another day he stayed with the sick baby while the rest of us enjoyed Animal Kingdom. When we go back for our daughter’s 5th birthday we’ll try to convince them to come again.

    Millie and Andi Steve and Andi

    V: Now on to the things I forgot to bring with me. I’m pretty forgetful so I try to write things down or ask others to remind me about things. I ended up forgetting my contact case, solution and sunglasses and ended up buying replacements in Disney. We stayed at the Art of Animation resort which is new, but I’d imagine that most resorts have essentials in their gift shop. On top of contact solution, our daughter got pretty sick so we had to get baby tylenol from the store. One thing I’ll say about prices in Disney is they weren’t that bad. So many times did I remark how inexpensive things seemed. Graphic tees were $25 just about anywhere you go, and that’s pretty much the same price you’d get them for anywhere in the mall.

    S: I also didn’t bring enough underwear and Rob didn’t bring enough shirts. Luckily the resorts have laundry rooms that are also reasonably priced. We did our laundry half way through the trip and we were good to go. So in theory you could pack lightly and wash your clothes during your stay, I think we’ll be doing this next time. Something else we made sure we did bring was our son’s stuffed Woody from Toy Story. This came in handy for our daughter because she was sick the whole time and took to sleeping with stuffed animals. So make sure you bring your child’s favorite stuffed animal or blanket. We also needed things to occupy the kids on the plane and during down time in the hotel. Luckily our daughter slept on the plane, but our tablet and phones came in handy for our son. Of course, there’s whatever you buy in Disney, but it’s a good idea to have some backups incase you save your spending for later in the trip.

    V: Spending. There was a lot of that. I would suggest a daily budget, but if you’re anything like us, you’re not going to follow it. It still may help from spending way too much money though. I think we had a $75 some-odd daily budget, and some days that was left at the starting line. A tip for shopping: Do not impulse shop. I know in a place like Disney this will be hard but if you see something you want that’s readily available, keep it in mind and keep moving. You might run into something better later, if not go back and get it. I feel it’s a matter of principle, as well as storage control, not to buy anything in the parks that you can get in any random Disney Store. Lastly, and I fell into this category, if you want something that you know is limited, hunt that shit down like it owes you money. Like I mentioned before, there was a shirt I wanted that as only being sold one day and then be gone forever. I got it though, and so many people commented on it and asked where I got it.

    Shannon and Rob

    S: I think another good tip, that we never actually did ourselves, is to give each person a limit. Or at least pay attention to who’s spending the most. I can’t even tell you how much we spent on Rob and the poor kids barely got anything. It was our son’s birthday and Rob spent all our money.

    V: That’s not entirely true. We got my son Lego Star Wars sets on his birthday. You may argue that they were for me anyway, but we went to the Lego Store for him and let him pick out whatever he wanted.So I didn’t spend all of the money.

    S: Next time he’s not getting anything.

     

    So, those are our tips for setting up and enjoying a Disney vacation. Hopefully this helps you out a little bit We had a blast and hopefully you will too. Please feel free to comment with any questions you have about taking a trip to Disney World.

     Fireworks over the Worl Showcase

    ]]>
    T.W.I.G 7/21/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-7212013/ Sun, 21 Jul 2013 14:45:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16088 Welcome back once again to your weekly look at some of the biggest gaming news of the week and a look at the new games that will be releasing this week.

    The News:

    • A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat-em-up based on the current Nickelodeon cartoon will be releasing on October 22nd for the Xbox360, Nintendo Wii(???), and 3DS. Yes, that list of consoles is correct, this game will be releasing on the original Wii, not the WiiU, and also not releasing on PS3.
    • Namco Bandi will be releasing an HD update of Soul Calibur 2 this fall for PS3 & 360. The update will also include online play.
    • A new Ace Combat game, subtitled Infinity, has been announced for PS3. No word on a release date.
    • Capcom has announced a new Strider game to release in early 2014 for 360, PS3, PS4, XboxOne, and PC.
    • The Playstation 4 will support PS3 Wireless Headsets. This is nice especially for me as I like the bluetooth headset that I have for my PS3.
    • Diablo 3 will release on XboxOne and PS4 in 2014.
    • Capcom has announced that Ultra Street Fighter 4 will release in 2014. Ultra will add 5 new fighters and make balance tweaks to all the fighters.
    • Forza Motorsport 5 will require a one-time internet connection to run the game. This is to download the final cars and tracks created by the dev studio that wont be completed in time for production of the discs according to Turn 10 Studios head Dan Greenawalt in an interview with IGN. I hope this is not a trend that continues in the next-gen. A day one patch is one thing, but essentially shipping an unfinished game just to require an internet connection to play? That just seems dumb.
    • An officially licensed Firefly(!) game will be coming in 2014. Titled Firefly Online it is a social-based online role-playing game for iOs and Android based smartphones and tablets. When I saw the headline of a Firefly based game I was excited…then I saw the platforms and was MUCH less excited. Could it still be a good game? Sure, but my expectations have been drastically lowered.

    firefly-online-logo

    strider_logo

    The new releases:

    • The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief (7/23) – PC, PS3(DL)
    • The Smurfs 2 (7/23) – 360, PS3, Wii, WiiU, DS
    • Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (7/23) – PS3(DL)
    • Shadowrun Returns (7/25) – PC

    No “Did You Know” this week, instead, watch this video of 275,000 dominoes falling down:

    ]]>
    Friday Five – 90’s TV Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-90s-tv-shows/ Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:27:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16076 cartoon network
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: 90’s TV!
     
    Growing up in the 90’s meant we had a ton of quality TV to watch. No lame shit. Everything was pretty much awesome. If it wasn’t awesome there was some channel running re-runs of some of the awesome 80’s crap! There was always something great to watch, and as a result we had a lot to pick from. It’s no surprise we had a few shows pop up multiple times however. . .
     

    Pisko

    The 90’s were a magical time in TV. Weird shows popped up that never would have been greenlit. Everything from soda to tv characters were X-treme (Poochie the Dog, anyone?) and for some reason people rollerbladed. Inline, of course.
     

    1. 94’ X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons – I’m going to pick two here, but only because it’s a dead tie in my mind. These were the first superhero cartoons that were child friendly but also treated the subject matter with respect and didn’t water down the heavy issues that the earlier ‘toons did. Spider-man was free to deal with the reality of clones and his own mortality while the X-Men could talk about racism and inclusion in a world that feared them. The animation was also good enough to match the look of the comics finally which did a lot to bring the characters to life. Plus, Christopher Daniel Barnes as Spider-Man was awesome. Amirite?
    2. DuckTales – This cartoon had it all! D-D-D-Danger right behind you. St-St-St-Strangers out to find you. Rewriting history?!? Yup. This was especially great because Donald Duck and his awful voice were nowhere to be found after the first episode when he drops Huey, Dewey, and Louie off at old Uncle Scrooge’s because Donald decides to join the Navy. (Though, I thought he was already a sailor) Besides this cartoon being directly responsible for the creation of Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin and Darkwing Duck. (Which Chris spoke highly of in last week’s Friday Five) Also, Gizmoduck and his stupid one wheel.
    3. ALF – He’s an alien. He’s fluffy and huggable (Unlike that leathery ass screeching no sarcasm E.T.) and hilarious. Also, he wants to eat your cat! His actual name is Gordon Shumway but he picks up the nickname “ALF” (Alien Life Form) when he first crash lands into the garage of the Tanners. In typical 80’s fashion Alf comes with a moral. His homeworld was destroyed by nuclear war and arriving in the 1980’s USA he feels it could happen again to our planet. He even bends the president’s ear about it in an early episode. Not to mention all toilets on his planet are made of gold.
    4. Boy Meets World – Not much to say about this one. Growing up and being the same age as fictional “Corey Matthews” gave my generation a lot to learn from this show that rarely got too heavy handed with its morals. Corey was an average middle kid from an average middle class family in an average area of Philadelphia. Yet his life was anything but average. The show did a great job of making sure that even if you felt you had no place, no purpose, no group you had an exciting and wonderful life if you only looked at it from anothers shoes. This is illustrated perfectly in the relationship of Corey and Sean who come from what seems two different worlds but really are more similar than they want to admit. It helped that Topanga got HOT at the end!
    5. Duckman – I wasn’t supposed to watch this hilarious cartoon comedy starring Jason Alexander as Duckman. I wasn’t supposed to get a lot of the jokes, but, I did. And man, it’s hard being one of 5 people my age that remember Duckman. The show was lightyears ahead of its time and if it premiered today would be an Adult Swim program. Duckman was a private detective for money but a family man for love. His partner was a pig and his family a rag tag band of misfits. The best part arguably being that Tim Curry played his nemesis whom was named “King Chicken”. I rest my case.

     
    ALF
     

    Eric

    1. 90’s Spider-Man – This was the show that fueled my love for the wall crawler, and redheads. . . It’s hard to go back and watch it today, but it still holds a special place at the top of my favorite shows list.
    2. Bobby’s World – I always found Bobby’s voice incredibly annoying, but I still loved the show. I remember listening to the opening theme song in my head as I rode my bike as a kid.
    3. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – It’s no secret that I love this show. Altho I stopped watching it when I made it to fifth grade because my parents told me it was time to grow up. Sometimes you just need to not listen adults!
    4. Beast Wars: Transformers – This is one of those shows I couldn’t get enough of. I had so many of the toys it wasn’t funny! Unfortunately most of them made it into a trashcan for the same reason I stopped watch Power Rangers. . . parents!
    5. Nick Arcade – All of the Nickelodeon game shows were awesome, but this was by far my favorite! Don’t worry, Legends of the Hidden Temple is a close second.

     
    90s spider-man
     

    Chris

    1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – While it started in the ‘80s this cartoon ran till the mid ‘90s and really started my lifelong love of these heroes in a half-shell.
    2. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – I loved this show when I was a kid, I had tons of the toys, granted I never got the Green/White ranger stuff that I always wanted. Those damn things were impossible to find and super expensive. I’ve recently watched some of those early episode, and while it’s really not a good show the nostalgia factor makes it just as much fun to watch all over again. And this time I realize just how goofy and poorly dubbed some of it was.
    3. Batman The Animated Series – This is THE Batman series, there have been so many others over the years, one just started last week, but none of them quite stack up to the original Batman The Animated Series. Batman Beyond was close, but still fell a little short.
    4. Spider-Man Animated Series – I thought the X-Men animated series was cool but it wasn’t anything compared to Spidey. I just wish it had gone out better!
    5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer – The only non-cartoon I picked. I remember being like 11 or 12 watching this show, it was great up until the last few seasons when they just got a little to ridiculous with the stories. Come on Gods and resurrection stuff is a bit much for a campy WB show.

     
    A special mention has to go out to TGIF, those early/mid ‘90s sitcoms had everyone home watching TV on Friday nights, now Friday is just where shows go to die.
     
    teenage mutant ninja turtles cartoon
     

    Shannon

    Being born in 1988, I had all of the 90’s to watch amazing TV. This one is really tough because I guess I watched more TV than I should have and this list should really be my top 30.

    1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
    2. Doug
    3. Bill Nye the Science Guy
    4. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (and shout out to Clarissa Explains it All)
    5. ReBoot

     
    fresh prince of bel air
     

    ]]>
    Friday Five – 90's TV Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-90s-tv-shows-2/ Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:27:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16076 cartoon network
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: 90’s TV!
     
    Growing up in the 90’s meant we had a ton of quality TV to watch. No lame shit. Everything was pretty much awesome. If it wasn’t awesome there was some channel running re-runs of some of the awesome 80’s crap! There was always something great to watch, and as a result we had a lot to pick from. It’s no surprise we had a few shows pop up multiple times however. . .
     

    Pisko

    The 90’s were a magical time in TV. Weird shows popped up that never would have been greenlit. Everything from soda to tv characters were X-treme (Poochie the Dog, anyone?) and for some reason people rollerbladed. Inline, of course.
     

    1. 94’ X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons – I’m going to pick two here, but only because it’s a dead tie in my mind. These were the first superhero cartoons that were child friendly but also treated the subject matter with respect and didn’t water down the heavy issues that the earlier ‘toons did. Spider-man was free to deal with the reality of clones and his own mortality while the X-Men could talk about racism and inclusion in a world that feared them. The animation was also good enough to match the look of the comics finally which did a lot to bring the characters to life. Plus, Christopher Daniel Barnes as Spider-Man was awesome. Amirite?
    2. DuckTales – This cartoon had it all! D-D-D-Danger right behind you. St-St-St-Strangers out to find you. Rewriting history?!? Yup. This was especially great because Donald Duck and his awful voice were nowhere to be found after the first episode when he drops Huey, Dewey, and Louie off at old Uncle Scrooge’s because Donald decides to join the Navy. (Though, I thought he was already a sailor) Besides this cartoon being directly responsible for the creation of Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin and Darkwing Duck. (Which Chris spoke highly of in last week’s Friday Five) Also, Gizmoduck and his stupid one wheel.
    3. ALF – He’s an alien. He’s fluffy and huggable (Unlike that leathery ass screeching no sarcasm E.T.) and hilarious. Also, he wants to eat your cat! His actual name is Gordon Shumway but he picks up the nickname “ALF” (Alien Life Form) when he first crash lands into the garage of the Tanners. In typical 80’s fashion Alf comes with a moral. His homeworld was destroyed by nuclear war and arriving in the 1980’s USA he feels it could happen again to our planet. He even bends the president’s ear about it in an early episode. Not to mention all toilets on his planet are made of gold.
    4. Boy Meets World – Not much to say about this one. Growing up and being the same age as fictional “Corey Matthews” gave my generation a lot to learn from this show that rarely got too heavy handed with its morals. Corey was an average middle kid from an average middle class family in an average area of Philadelphia. Yet his life was anything but average. The show did a great job of making sure that even if you felt you had no place, no purpose, no group you had an exciting and wonderful life if you only looked at it from anothers shoes. This is illustrated perfectly in the relationship of Corey and Sean who come from what seems two different worlds but really are more similar than they want to admit. It helped that Topanga got HOT at the end!
    5. Duckman – I wasn’t supposed to watch this hilarious cartoon comedy starring Jason Alexander as Duckman. I wasn’t supposed to get a lot of the jokes, but, I did. And man, it’s hard being one of 5 people my age that remember Duckman. The show was lightyears ahead of its time and if it premiered today would be an Adult Swim program. Duckman was a private detective for money but a family man for love. His partner was a pig and his family a rag tag band of misfits. The best part arguably being that Tim Curry played his nemesis whom was named “King Chicken”. I rest my case.

     
    ALF
     

    Eric

    1. 90’s Spider-Man – This was the show that fueled my love for the wall crawler, and redheads. . . It’s hard to go back and watch it today, but it still holds a special place at the top of my favorite shows list.
    2. Bobby’s World – I always found Bobby’s voice incredibly annoying, but I still loved the show. I remember listening to the opening theme song in my head as I rode my bike as a kid.
    3. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – It’s no secret that I love this show. Altho I stopped watching it when I made it to fifth grade because my parents told me it was time to grow up. Sometimes you just need to not listen adults!
    4. Beast Wars: Transformers – This is one of those shows I couldn’t get enough of. I had so many of the toys it wasn’t funny! Unfortunately most of them made it into a trashcan for the same reason I stopped watch Power Rangers. . . parents!
    5. Nick Arcade – All of the Nickelodeon game shows were awesome, but this was by far my favorite! Don’t worry, Legends of the Hidden Temple is a close second.

     
    90s spider-man
     

    Chris

    1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – While it started in the ‘80s this cartoon ran till the mid ‘90s and really started my lifelong love of these heroes in a half-shell.
    2. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – I loved this show when I was a kid, I had tons of the toys, granted I never got the Green/White ranger stuff that I always wanted. Those damn things were impossible to find and super expensive. I’ve recently watched some of those early episode, and while it’s really not a good show the nostalgia factor makes it just as much fun to watch all over again. And this time I realize just how goofy and poorly dubbed some of it was.
    3. Batman The Animated Series – This is THE Batman series, there have been so many others over the years, one just started last week, but none of them quite stack up to the original Batman The Animated Series. Batman Beyond was close, but still fell a little short.
    4. Spider-Man Animated Series – I thought the X-Men animated series was cool but it wasn’t anything compared to Spidey. I just wish it had gone out better!
    5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer – The only non-cartoon I picked. I remember being like 11 or 12 watching this show, it was great up until the last few seasons when they just got a little to ridiculous with the stories. Come on Gods and resurrection stuff is a bit much for a campy WB show.

     
    A special mention has to go out to TGIF, those early/mid ‘90s sitcoms had everyone home watching TV on Friday nights, now Friday is just where shows go to die.
     
    teenage mutant ninja turtles cartoon
     

    Shannon

    Being born in 1988, I had all of the 90’s to watch amazing TV. This one is really tough because I guess I watched more TV than I should have and this list should really be my top 30.

    1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
    2. Doug
    3. Bill Nye the Science Guy
    4. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (and shout out to Clarissa Explains it All)
    5. ReBoot

     
    fresh prince of bel air
     

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – July 17, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-july-17-2013/ Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:11:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16062 takeitorleaveit71713
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Super light this week, but some really solid books. Trinity War keeps. . . uh moving along? Meanwhile Marvel and Image released some really great books! It’s a good time to be a comic fan. Oh don’t forget it’s SDCC weekend so keep an eye to the internet for all kinds of great news. Like Superior Spider-Man is FINALLY going to face off against Agent Venom! Enough of that though, lets get to why you’re here in the first place

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    jla6

    Justice League Of America #6

    Trinity War Part 2 is here, and while we still don’t really know what’s going on, things are much easier to follow this time around. There were some great scenes between Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman that really show their relationship pretty well. The downside is there are just so many characters on these teams that we don’t get much development. I felt the Artwork was pretty inconsistent too, some pages looked beautiful and other were just lacking depth and detail. Overall though, I think this was a better issue than last weeks Justice League 22, and gives me hope for Trinity War as a whole. Now I just hope next issue lets us know what the real force behind everything is and why we should care. Until then I’m going to stand by what I said last week, if you don’t plan on going the distance with Trinity War it’s probably worth skipping this issue. Really being only 6 issue into the series, it almost feels like this series was started strictly for this event which is kind of lame.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    aphroditeix03_coverc

    Aphrodite IX #3

    This book continues to keep me interested, without really explaining anything. I’m sure if you’re familiar with the whole Aphrodite IX story you’ll have a better idea of what’s going on. For me though, as a new comer I’m a bit lost, but it’s a good lost. Like what you get while watching/reading a good mystery, you know something is going on, but you don’t know what yet. If you haven’t started reading this series yet I suggest getting on board before you get left to far behind! Things are really starting to get interesting and no one seems to be safe.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    artifacts29_cover

    Artifacts #29

    Artifacts is such a strange book, but it’s great if you want a nice dose of fantasy magical stuff in your comics. After the last 2 issue arc looking for one of the other Artifacts we get an interesting look at what it was like for Tom being dead in hell. I don’t know if that was something that played out in the books at all since I only started reading back in December, but it was pretty cool regardless. Tom’s partner in crime Tilly ends up traveling all the way to hell with him. It’s kind of like What Dreams May Come only not nearly as bad and with a lot less Cuba Gooding Jr. I don’t know if this is going to have a lasting effect on the over arching story, but it’s was pretty cool and worth a read.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    nova6

    Nova #6

    Well the opening arc of Nova is over, and with that a big team switch, which is more than okay in my book. Taking over for Loeb and McGuinness are the killer team of Zeb Wells and Paco Medina. And on top of that, the story has jumped ahead in time to be a little more current. If you read AvX last year you know the Sam played a part in that whole story, and now with issue 6 we’re seeing what happened after Thor extended an invitation to join with The Avengers. Now I will say nothing really happens in this issue, it’s a lot of character stuff and showing that Sam is still just a kid who has rules he has to follow. On the bright side it looks like he’s going to be doing some Super Hero-ing come next months issue 7! Oh and did I mention that I love Zeb Wells and Paco Medina? Man those guys are great. I still miss Medina working on Ultimate Comics X-Men.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    savagewolverine7

    Savage Wolverine #7

    Another Marvel book with an amazing team like Nova, and oh look part of that team is Zeb Wells again! If you missed last issue of Savage Wolverine you may be a little confused as to the shift. Frank Cho’s arc is over and now we get the team that gave us the opening arc to Avenging Spider-Man, the fantastic Zeb Wells and legendary Joe Madureira. The issue continues where 6 left off with Wolverine teaming up with Elektra to take down the Hand before they resurrect Bullseye. It’s a little silly of a story, but it works, and everything flows really well. I wasn’t a big fan of the first arc of this book, Cho’s artwork was great, but the story was just kind of boring and seemed to be throwing characters in just for the hell of it. This arc is going a lot better though and I hope Wells and Madureira stick around for at least a bit longer than one story.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    EARTHBOUND has arrived on Wii U!!! https://one-quest.com/blog/earthbound-has-arrived-on-wii-u/ Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:09:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16056 EARTHBOUND!!!!

    Today is the day dear Nintendo fans. Yes, Comic Con is kicking off but this release seems to be independent of that event. In any such case IT’S HERE! Earthbound the SNES classic has been released on the Wii U Virtual Console today in all it’s updated glory. The new outing is the SECOND time this title will grace a US Nintendo system. The price seems a bit high at $10.00 (Most other SNES titles retail for $8.00) but I’m betting after the very successful Miiverse campaign to bring the game stateside again Nintendo is confident people won’t mind paying a bit more. The updated title has all the features Wii U owners have come to expect in save states, restore points, and a full fledged Miiverse community as well as the ability to play off screen on the Wii U controller.

    On a sadder note I do have to admit that I have never played this game when it was originally released, through a ROM, or at all. My wife has fond memories and has played the game extensively. She has been more excited than I’ve ever seen her with any other game so I have committed to playing the game through in it’s entirety. If anyone shows interest I am going to log some thoughts throughout the process as a person who is seeing this amazing world for the first time.

    HERE IT IS

     

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    T.W.I.G 7/14/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-7142013/ https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-7142013/#comments Sun, 14 Jul 2013 21:49:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16049 images

    It’s Sunday so that means it’s time for another edition of The Week In Gaming here on One-Quest.com! It was actually a fairly busy week of news this week so lets take a look.

    The News:

    • Sony has announced that PS4 owners will be able to access their digitally downloaded games from any PS4 just by logging in to PSN. This was a feature that Microsoft was going to include this feature with the XboxOne but decided to pull it when they removed the online check-in requirements.
    • Insomniac and Sony have announced a new Ratchet & Clank game coming to PS3 later this year with an announced price of just $29.99. I’m glad to see that Insomniac is still working with Sony on games, especially this series.
    • Suda51 of Killer7 fame is partnering with Katsuhiro Otomo the creator of Akira on a PS3 exclusive game
    • Ultimate Warrior in WWE 2k14? Rumors have it that one time fan favorite The Ultimate Warrior will be a playable character in WWE 2k14.
    • Star Wars in Kingdom Hears III? Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura is highly interested in working with Disney to include a Star Wars themed area in Kingdom Hearts III now that Disney owns the rights. Will it happen, we will have to wait and see but I for one would be even more excited for this game if it includes Star Wars stuff.
    • Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot has recently said that there are no future plans to continue with ZombiU due to poor sales. That fact also lead to the move to make Rayman Legends a multi-platform game. He also said “We hope it (WiiU) will take off. At the moment we’ve said ‘Let’s do through Christmas and see where we are from there.'”
    • Lastly, Ryan Davis on of the hosts of the popular (and super good, I’m sad I just started listening to it) Giantbombcast passed away on July 3rd. The show is so fun to listen to and it wont be the same. Giant Bomb will be selling a special t-shirt in his honor with all proceeds going to Ryan’s wife.

    The new releases:

    • Time & Eternity (7/16) – PS3
    • Shin Megami Tensei IV (7/16) – 3DS
    • Dynasty Warriors 8 (7/16) – PS3, 360
    • Turbo: Super Stunt Squad (7/16) – PS3, 360, WiiU, 3DS, Wii, DS

    Did You Know

    The death screams of the bad guys in the original Golden Axe are digitized from screams used in the films First Blood and Conan The Barbarian. – See more at: http://www.gamesradar.com/101-game-facts-that-will-rock-your-world/?page=2#sthash.gTUuN1Wr.dpuf

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    Friday Five – Spin-offs https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-spin-offs/ Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:26:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16030 cast of Happy Days
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Spin offs.
     
    I’m not the biggest fans of Spin Offs. traditionally they’re a terrible idea. Sometimes you get something great, but that’s only sometimes. Like, the idea that How I Met Your Mother may get a spin off into How I Met Your Father just doesn’t sit right with me. But Once Upon A Time getting a spin off in Wonderland, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, sound like a great idea. They’re very hit or miss. . . regardless of their quality here are out favorites.
     

    Pisko

    1. Torchwood. Not just a fancy anagram but also a good show featuring all types of sci-fi sexiness.
    2. The Chronicles of Riddick – Though it’s considered a “sequel” in the newly dubbed Riddick Trilogy, it didn’t start out that way and was conceived as a spin-off for the character.
    3. Super Princess Peach – That chick rocks, regardless of how much crying she has to do. She proves that Luigi isn’t the only one who can save Mario’s out of shape ass when he gets into trouble.
    4. Speaking of mario…. Super Mario Bros. – “Jumpman” has come a long way since trying to rescue his (Now ex-girlfriend) from Donkey Kong with whom he now casually plays sports, karts, and games with. Something tells me DK was doing Mario a solid. Women, right?
    5. And keeping it in the Mushroom Kingdom my fifth pick is Luigi’s Mansion! Luigi is far superior to Mario. There is no discussion. The only question is why it took Nintendo so long to realize this fact.

     
    cast from Torchwood
     

    Chris

    1. Darkwing Duck – Darkwing Duck was a spin-off of Ducktales, two of the best cartoons of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s
    2. Extreme Ghostbusters – A spin-off of The Real Ghostbusters, both shows were great, and is kind of an inspiration for the current volume of IDW’s Ghostbusters comics, well at least the first arc.
    3. Pinky And The Brain – You may not remember this, but Pink and the Brain didn’t always have their own show, they started out as a short part of the Animaniacs back in the day, but they were still always trying to take over the world!
    4. Batman Beyond – This may not be a straight spin-off, but it’s close enough. Batman Beyond spun off from Batman The Animated Series, and while BTAS was amazing, I loved Batman Beyond!
    5. Wario Ware – The only game on my list, It was pretty much a spin-off of Wario Land games, which themselves were spin-offs of the Mario Land games, which as we all know was a spin off from Donkey Kong. . . Man Nintendo keeps their stuff connected!

     
    darkwing duck
     

    Eric

    1. Luigi’s Mansion – Always helping Mario save the Princess, but never getting the rewards. . . Until Mario is captured and Luigi has to step in to save the day! The best game on the Nintendo GameCube, and a fantastic game on the 3DS!
    2. Beast Wars – I got up early every morning just to watch this before school. My favorite Transformers tv show.
    3. Saved by the Bell – A spin-off of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and one of the best shows ever.
    4. Iron Chef America – When I had cable this was a show I always watched! I also loved the original Japanese version too.
    5. Get Him to the Greek – It’s not an amazing movie, but Aldous Snow was one the the best characters from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It also helps that FSM is one of my favorite movies ever.

     
    luigis mansion
     

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    Take It Or Leave It – July 10, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-july-10-2013/ Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:13:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16017 takeitorleaveit71013
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s a bit of a light week for number of books, but some big things still happened. Probably at the top of DC fan’s list was the start of Trinity War, which as you’ll see below might not be for everyone.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Quick Shots


    batgirl22

    Batgirl #22

    This was a very character driven issue of Batgirl, one where Batgirl never really shows up. We get Barbara Gordon through the whole issue, trying to come to terms with where her life has gone. The issue picks up right where 21 ended with her date Ricky showing up, after she had forgotten about the date. While it was interesting to see Barbara out having a life away from the Bat, the thing that really drove the issue was her internal struggles. She was having a good time, but all the while was still struggling with what she’d done to her own brother and realizing her family would never be whole again. And speaking of the Gordon family, there are some great scenes with Barbara and her father. There are a lot of powerful scenes in this book, but the biggest moment came at the end during a conversation that didn’t involved Barbara at all. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s worth reading almost for that alone. Overall this was a really solid book and helped expand on all the emotional stuff that’s gone down in the last several issues.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batman22

    Batman #22

    Batman Year One is a great story, it’s one of the first Batman stories I ever read, and really set a new tone and direction for the Dark Knight when it came out back in the ’80s. Hell our first That’s Not What Happened Podcast is going to be covering Year One later this summer. Now with all that in mind, I have to say after 2 issues I’m really enjoying where this Zero Year story is going. Yes it’s changing some of the things that Year One established, but who’s to say any of that is even canon in The New 52 anyway. The important thing about it is, we seem to be getting even more of what happened in those early times for Bruce Wayne, before he starting wearing the Cowl. While Year One moved fairly quickly through that first year, and focused a lot of Gordon, we’re now seeing the smaller steps Bruce made, and how he really became the man he is now. It’s also nice to know Alfred didn’t just jump right on board with the insanity of Bruce’s plans. We’ve got a lot more left to happen in this story, so make sure to get on board now before you’re really kicking yourself later.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    justiceleague22

    Justice League #22

    There has been a lot of hype for Trinity War, and now with Justice League 22 it’s finally here. Now if like me, you’ve only been following the standard Justice League book, you’re probably going into this not really knowing what’s happening. Well fear not, things will not be changing anytime soon! I’m just as confused about what Trinity War is really about than I was before. That’s not to say this was a bad issue, a lot of interesting things happened, particularly Pandora showing up and trying to get Superman to open her box. Apparently he is far more human than she realized, which isn’t really a good thing. Shazam also finally makes a proper appearance in this book, now that his introduction finished up last month. I wasn’t too keen on following all of the other Justice League books, but I think with where this story feels like it’s heading, I might just do that. At least until the wars over, we’ll have to see where all the pieces land after that. The basic feeling I’m getting from this is like the last year of Green Lantern stuff, if you don’t plan on reading all of it, don’t read any of it. That goes for all three books, just wait till the story line is over and jump back on afterwards.

    Verdict: Leave It – Unless you’re going to read ALL of Trinity War

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    americasgot06-cover-ab5d3

    America’s Got Powers #6

    I really want to like this book, it’s got an interesting premise and some great artwork, but at this point I don’t even remember when Issue 5 came out, and I barely remember what’s been going on. If you’ve been following the story than you know that all the super powered kids staged a mutiny of sorts to stop being controlled. Now by this issue the US government is ready to Nuke all of them, and pretty much destroy the West Coast just to win. The biggest problem is after over a year, I don’t remember why I should care. I have no attachment to any of these characters, and honestly I don’t see why the government shouldn’t just blow them all up and fix the problem once and for all. Now if the book had released better and I had grown attached to these characters and their lives, than maybe I would being saying something a little different. At this point there’s only one issue left, who knows when we’ll actually get it, but either way it’s not worth picking this one up for it. Wait till the trade comes out, with how quick Image is with those things, it shouldn’t be long after issue 7 that we get it. It’s just been to long for this to be a good book on it’s own anymore.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 1/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman13

    Superior Spider-Man #13

    I really enjoyed this issue, up to about the last 3 pages. At that point our new ‘hero’ went a did something stupid again. I loved how Spidey-Ock had come up with a way to counter every one of Smythe’s escape plans because while he was imprisoned he thought of them all first. It was a great way to tell the story and the fight was really great, right up to the final attempt being foiled. What got me was the demands Ock made of Jonah after everything was said and done, it wasn’t very heroly which is what he’s been aiming for. I’m also not sure I’m feeling the direction these leaves things in, he’s much more in the super villain area of things now than super hero and that’s kind of disappointing. Hopefully these new experiment as I’m going to call it doesn’t last long and we get back to Ock to how it was before. Even with that probably though, it’s still a really solid issue, and Curt Conners is finally back in the loop!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ultimates27

    Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #27

    Issue 27 of The Ultimates isn’t quite as good as 26 was, but it’s still going in the right direction. I’m really getting into this whole Disassembled arc and look forward to see where it’s going. The big problem with these issue, like some previous issues, is there was just too much going on it was a little hard to follow. The basic story is still gripping though, and I really want to see how The Ultimates can possibly defeat Reed, Kang, and the god damn Hulk. And being that it’s the Ultimate Universe, anything is possible, and no character is safe, so who knows maybe we get a different kind of Ultimates team when this is all said and done. Speaking of new teams, Nick Fury’s team was a nice little addition, but like a lot of the Ultimate Universe books lately, I feel like they’re forgetting their roots in pre-Ultimatium stories. I don’t want to get into it to much, but some of these characters were used in a different way previously and I doubt we’re going to get a fulfilling answer to how they came about now.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    uncannyxmen8

    Uncanny X-Men #8

    After the big fight with demons last issue, issue 8 of Uncanny X-Men brings things back home and lets the X-Men come to terms with their situation. There were a lot of great character moments going on, and the fact that one of their new mutants didn’t want anything to do with them shows, Scott’s method definitely isn’t for everyone. I do kind of wish they would have left the new guy with the car controlling powers out of it though, let us get to know some of these other newbies first will ya! Probably the highlight of the issue though is the conversation between Magneto and Cyclops, they’re both so different but still fighting for the same cause. They have a strange respect/rivalry thing going on and it makes for good story telling.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict. So enjoy!

    Nightwing #22

    Nightwing is really doing well in Chicago, well the book is anyway, the character is kind of hit or miss at the moment. But we’re getting what makes Dick Grayson such a great character and that’s what matters, plus some of the supporting cast is finally starting to get fleshed out a bit here.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Superman Unchained #2

    This series continues to be the best book featuring the Man of Steel, all of the internal thoughts really help to relate to the character more than any other book does. We see that it’s not as simple as just using heat vision or flying super fast around the earth to turn back time. If you want a good Superman book here it is, go buy it!

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Hawkeye #12

    Two issues in a row where neither Hawkeye is the main character, this time around it’s Clints brother Barney, and while it’s pretty different than the rest of this series, it’s no less amazing.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Young Avengers #7

    Young Avengers is just a fun book, you really can’t read it and take it to seriously otherwise you’ll hate it. On the other hand if you go in looking for a fun read with interesting characters you’ll be in heaven.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Project X Zone: Crossly Reviewed https://one-quest.com/blog/project-x-zone-crossly-reviewed/ Tue, 09 Jul 2013 20:39:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16006 Project X Zone Project X Zone

    Developer Namco Bandai

    Publisher Namco Bandai

    Platforms Nintendo 3DS

    Released: June 25, 2013(NA)

    Verdict: I have no idea what’s going on…

    Score: 7/10 It is very safe to say that I have NO idea what is going on in this game at any one point in time. That being said I’ve had a surprisingly good time without knowing anything.

    Project X Zone is a rare beast and a confusing business decision but utterly delightful and inspiring for those who would love more games like this localized. Project X Zone (pronounced Project CROSS Zone) sees characters from Namco/ Bandai, Sega, and Capcom come together not to fight each other but a threat big enough to threaten all their respective worlds. . . OR that’s what the box and advertisements may lead you to believe. I’m sure it’s not far enough from the truth but good luck trying to figure it all out. The story here is by far the weakest element in the game. It just doesn’t make any sense. If it were a movie it would be named MacGuffin, because all it is, is a bunch of stupid reasons to put the characters together so they can ask, “Why am I here” and “Where am I” and “I’ve covered wars, ya know”. Also it turns out that regular old fountains are inter-dimensional portals and monsters are also coming through and. . . That’s honestly all I’ve been able to ascertain and I’m several hours into the game.

    Project X Zone Grid

    Grid Based Combat

    Honestly it’s forgivable because, you won’t care anyway, the game is just plain fun. The majority of your play time and “story” will play out on a grid similar to what you would see in Joan of Arc or Final Fantasy Tactics but lacks any of the depth of either of it’s inspirations. It doesn’t matter which side you attack from, items are mainly for pre-battle buffs or health and the only thing you do really have to worry about is which of your characters is next to the other as that impacts who you can access in the battle screen. Battles are fast, pretty, and confusing. There is some kind of repeating combo system. L and R will call any allies near you in the battle zone on the grid. Calling them and attacking at thew same time triggers a “Cross Attack” for bonuses in attack power. These are no Street Fighter battles and the “combos” if you could call them that are limited and easy to do, I suspect on purpose. To be perfectly honest I played this game very drunk one night and it wasn’t any harder to play. I suppose this is a testament to familiar game play and ease of access, but, I have a sneaking suspicion that it may also because it’s just really easy to mash it out and win. Overall it’s not a perfect game but it’s a super enjoyable game that’s easy to play on the go in bite size amounts and for nothing other than that I can recommend it easily. Pick it up and save the world from. . . uhh. . . something.

    Project-X-Zone-battle

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    GTAV Gameplay Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/gtav-gameplay-trailer/ Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:24:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=16003 GTAV
     
    We’ve seen bits of the games major set pieces in the previous trailers, but we’ve yet to see out protagonists during actual gameplay elements. Rockstar changes that with a full gameplay trailer.
     
    I think it would have been nicer to see a mission played out, but the small segments we’re treated to here are really nice. Check it out and tell us what you think in the comments below.
     

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    T.W.I.G. 7/7/2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-772013/ Sun, 07 Jul 2013 17:01:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15991 Hello, and welcome back to another edition of The Week In Gaming. It has once again been a slow week as it can often be in the summer so this will be another short post, lets take a look.

    The News:

    • The biggest news of the week was that Don Mattrick has left Microsoft, where he had been the face of the Xbox in recent years, to become CEO at Zynga. This kind of thing isn’t uncommon to happen in the weeks after e3 but seems a little different than other similar moves due to the massive backlash that the XboxOne had received after its unveiling.
    • Killer Is Dead, the next stylish action game by Suda51, will be out August 27 in North America, publisher XSEED said this past week. Suda has made some interesting games, with Killer 7 likely being his best known work. So this could be interesting, I haven’t looked into very much however.
    • Extra 30-minute cut-scene being added to FFX HD? Reports have indicated that SquareEnix has added an extra cut-scene to the end of the credits for the Final Fantasy X HD re-release. It’s unknown what it entails but it will likely add more to the backstory for X-2.
    • Final Fantasy VII was released on Steam last week for $11.99 with full Steam Achievement support. Its a favorite of mine and was the game that got me into RPG’s and I fully recommend playing it if you haven’t.

    The new releases:

    • NCAA Football 14 (7/9) – PS3, 360
    • Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (7/9) – PS3
    • Civilization V: Brave New World (7/9) – PC

    Metal-gear-solid-legacy-collection

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    Friday Five – Robots https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-robots/ Fri, 05 Jul 2013 18:45:35 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15982 robots
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know some of our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week’s category: Robots!
     
    Robots are awesome, mostly because they can do anything. Some can transform, some can fly, some can flail their arms wildly whilst screaming “Danger!” No matter what you need done, there’s probably a Robot that can do it. This is our tribute to the greatest fictional machines!
     

    Chris

    1. Wall-E
    2. Johnny 5
    3. Marvin the Paranoid Android
    4. Robocop
    5. The Vision

     
    wall-e from wall-e
     

    Shannon

    1. Robot – Lost in Space
    2. Wall-E
    3. Data – Star Trek TNG
    4. Bender – Futurama
    5. Optimus Prime – Transformers

    Honorable Mention – the Terminator
     
    Robot and Will Robinson from Lost in Space
     

    Eric

    Robots! Ugh. . . this is gonna be fun.

    1. Cait Sith – Final Fantasy VII – Cait Sith was Shinra’s inside man controlled by Reeve in Final Fantasy VII. He may have been working for the bad guys, but he knew that he had to sacrifice himself to help out the heroes and did so amicably. His death scene was far more touching than that of Aerith in the same game.
    2. Robo – Chrono Trigger – He’s a robot from the future whose sole purpose was to observe and study humanity. He’s also just awesome.
    3. Clank – Ratchet and Clank – The amazing little sidekick to Ratchet and hero of the galaxy.
    4. HK-47 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – This game was amazing on it’s own, but when you throw in a wisecracking, meat bag hating, android. Pure gold.
    5. Guard Scorpion – Final Fantasy VII – It’s not everyday you get me listing multiple elements from Final Fantasy VII in one article. Primarily because I feel that the game is wildly overrated. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was my first forray into the JRPG genre, and it still means alot to me. Guard Scorpion was the first boss in the game. And Square was nice enough to not throw a learning curve at us, and instead force us to figure out how to not get wrecked by his laser tail. I mean, sure they had the little text box at the top that tried to tell us what was going on, but the text moved slow, and if you read it wrong it made you think you had to attack when the tail was up! UGH! Super frustrating. . .

     
    Guard Scorpion boss from Final Fantasy VII
     

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    Take It Or Leave It – July 3, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-july-3-2013/ Fri, 05 Jul 2013 15:56:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15955 takeitleaveit7313
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    A pretty good week for comics with just a few exceptions. And on top of that, there’s really a little something for almost everyone. The highlight was probably Screwed #2 from Zenescope followed up by DC’s Green Arrow, which I never thought I’d say. But if you want to find out how everything else stacked up you’ll have to get reading!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    batmaninc12

    Batman Incorporated #12

    This series lost a lot of momentum with issue 11, it was an unnecessary pit stop on a story that didn’t have much of a shelf life to begin with. When you kill a major character, especially one that has ties to so many other books, you have to move it along fast. That’s just the opposite of what Morrison is doing with his finale in Batman Incorporated. It’s been months since Damien’s death, and while the other bat-family books have had the characters working through their grief, Batman Inc is still happening way back during the initial fallout and I for one just don’t care anymore. Yes it sucks that Damien is dead, but when do heroes stay dead? That said, issue 12 does have a few good points. Finally seeing Leviathan’s face was. . . interesting, as was the generally reactions of characters. I will say I’m not to keen on Morrison giving us more mystery’s with this woman, or what I’m assuming is a woman running a larger international criminal take down group. I guess we’ll have to wait and see where this goes, but at this point I don’t think it’s worth it. If you want some truly emotional fallout from the death of Damien check out the last several issues of Batman and Robin (or Batman And . . .).

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenarrow22

    Green Arrow #22

    I’m glad I started reading Green Arrow, I always thought he was just kind of a douche, and at points I’m sure he was. Really what superhero hasn’t been? But after really enjoying the series Arrow, I figured why not give Ollie a chance where he started, on the comic page. It’s taken a few issues to really understand what’s happening, but luckily Jeff Lemire doesn’t build impossible stories to follow like a certain Avengers writers has been doing, instead his stories are just plan entertaining. The weird stuff in the desert with Magnus is over for Ollie and he’s got his mission now, and with the help of his allies he’s off to find out about his past and save his future. This issue had great pacing and the interaction between Oliver and his allies, Fyff and Naomi, adds a bit of humor to what could just be standard action scenes. And of course, the final pages give us a few answers, in exchange for more questions. Issue 22 of Green Arrow was a fun time, and not a bad jumping on spot, with a new mission in life, you can pretty much figure out what’s happening.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenlantern22

    Green Lantern #22

    Venditti and Tan are doing a great job following up on the Johns’ legendary run. It’s succeeding because they aren’t trying to mimic it. In these first two issues they’ve set the stage for a problem. The Green Lanterns have multiple problems happening all at once, and no one really seems to worried about the biggest problem that pops up in this issue. It’s really well done to have something go so terrible wrong, but have it be such a minor thing that all the key players don’t give it a second thought. Maybe I’m just grasping at things here, but I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of fallout from some things that happened in this issue. I’ll admit I was skeptical about continuing with Green Lantern after issue 20, but I’m glad I have and I’ll be staying with this book for the foreseeable future.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    darkskullkickers1

    Dark Skullkickers Dark #1

    Dark Skullkickers Dark ends the 5 part series of new number 1’s for Skullkickers. And boy does it finish up the same way it started, completely out there and silly. It’s great when an action comic doesn’t take itself seriously, this book is what I wish the currently Deadpool run could have been. It makes fun of itself, while still having an interesting story to follow, and from the looks of the ending things are going to get worse for our heroes before they start getting better. Now if you’re just getting started, because like many, you saw the #1 on the cover and thought “Hey why not give it a shot” well you’re probably a little angry, and a bit confused at the same time. Fear not though, the book clears up most of the confusion as you go, and what’s left is meant to be confusing, it’s kind of a thing in this series. But you will most definitely have a good time with this book, so give it a chance.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score:

    Reviewed By:


    five-weapons5-cov-web

    Five Weapons #5

    I was nervous for this book, each month I’ve looked forward to Five Weapons, but this story could have so easily been rushed and ruined in it’s final chapter. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, it was handled nicely with everything being revealed and settled up by the end. No questions were left unanswered, our fake Tyler proved once again that you don’t need a weapon to be a powerful. The worst part for me was the ending though, not because it’s bad, just because it’s not what I wanted. It wasn’t really a traditional ‘Happy Ending’, sure everything worked out, but that doesn’t mean it’s what was expected. At least the book was left open for a sequel, which I’m sure is planned since it ended with a To Be Continued. . .

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    avengersai1

    Avengers A.I. #1

    I personally didn’t now what to think about Age Of Ultron AI last week. It wasn’t a bad book, and as John said,, it was worth reading. The problem was I didn’t know what it was leading to, and didn’t really know if I cared. Age of Ultron was a huge disappointment, did I really want to continue on with something that felt like a huge waste of time? Well the answer is surprisingly yes, Avengers A.I. is actually a pretty good book, Pym has kind of an unhinged feeling about him, but in a good way. He’s done with the self pity and loathing, he’s ready to be the hero he was always meant to be. And he’s got 3 ‘buddies’ along for the ride, one being the Doombot we saw at the end of Age of Ultron A.I. I don’t know if this series will have the longevity to last long, but even a solid story arc would be enough to get Pym back in the spot light, along with another long time Avenger, The Vision. And while I like Sam Humphries, I do wish that Mark Waid was the one writing this, after the work he did in that first A.I. issue.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ironman12

    Iron Man #12

    The Secret Origin of Tony Stark has been a fun and compelling ride so far. Seeing what literally lead to the birth of the Iron Avengers has been great. I gave this book a really hard time early on, it just wasn’t good, and shipped far to much. I’m glad I stuck around though as this story line has made it all worth while. Issue 12 finishes up the origin parts of the story and leads Tony towards a new future that he never would have dreamed. Whether we’ll be down for it or not is another story entirely. If you haven’t been following Iron Man recently you’re missing out on something different, this book has been anything but your standard Iron Man stories and that’s part about what making it so much fun to read.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    venom37

    Venom #37

    Boy Flash has certainly been having a bad time as of late, and issue 37 doesn’t let it get any easier for him. Not only does he have to deal drug, arms, and people trafficing, now there are mercs on par with certain members of the Avengers coming after him. It’s been a while that Flash has been setup in Philly, but I feel like he’s really just getting started, he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast yet, and that’s one of the biggest things holding him back. Hopefully Bunn starts expanding on characters like the students in school, Katy, and even Eddie Brock, and make them part of Flashes life more than just background noise while while he’s dealing with bad guys.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    OZ01_coverB 1

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Oz #1

    Oz isn’t a new world to get a comic book adaption, there are quite a few of them out there. This is the first one I’ve read though, and I’m definitely on board. The biggest change I saw right up front was that Toto is a bad ass wolf now and that is exactly what you’d expect from this story. If you want to compare this to the movie, which isn’t really easy, issue 1 is that first bit in black and white. We learn the lead character, and get our first taste of Oz, but not much else is revealed. Like they did with Jungle Book, Zenescope is taking a classic story and really making it something unique without losing those elements that make the story so endearing. Just updating them to a more 21st century feel.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Screwed02_coverB

    Screwed #2

    I really enjoyed the first issue of Screwed, it had some great gory action and a fairly compelling concept. Issue 2 tones down the action a bit, but digs deeper into some of the characters. We find out what some of the motives are, and who’s really on who’s side. Anne still doesn’t really know what’s going on, and she’s still seeing everyone else as monsters. She’s on track to figure out what happened to her, and I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be pleased when she gets the whole story. The story is still getting all of it’s pieces in order, but I’m really excited to see what bloody twists and turns are still to come. If you didn’t check out issue one, jump on board before it’s to late!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict. So enjoy!

    Avengers #15

    15 issue down and this title just doesn’t have anything worth reading it for. I don’t care about the characters, and the story is so hard to follow I don’t even know what’s going on. If you want an Avengers book pick one of the many others out there, leave this one on the shelf.

    Verdict – Leave It

    Score: 2/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    T.W.I.G 6/30/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-63013/ Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:41:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15940 july-4th-fireworks-philadelphia-penns-landing2012-680uw

    Hello and welcome to a belated This Week In Gaming for the week of 6/30/2013. It was a bit of a slow news week this week so this edition will be on the brief side, let’s take a look.

    The News:

    • The Xbox One is going to ship without a headset. Unlike the Xbox 360 where every new system came with a headset Microsoft has decided to forgo including a headset instead using the Kinect 2 as the default voice communication device. Odd move considering that as of this writing they are also not allowing use of Xbox 360 headsets on the X1 and Sony IS including a headset in the box with the PS4 (no word on if bluetooth headsets will still work or not).
    • Metal Gear Solid 1 HD? Hideo Kojima has said he would like to see someone tackle the task of converting Metal Gear Solid 1 to the FOX engine. One studio has jumped at the chance, Just Add Water, who has recently done HD remakes of the Oddworld games.
    • Atlus in trouble??? Atlus, best known for the Persona and Disgaea franchises may be in trouble after their parent company filed for bankruptcy last week. Hopefully another publisher can buy the studio and keep it fully intact.

    The new releases:

      Its a VERY slow week for new releases this week, the 4th of July holiday likely has publishers shying away from releasing games this week.

    • Farming Simulator (7/2) – Vita
    • Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (7/3) – PC
    • Le Tour De France 2013-100th Edition (7/2) – PS3
    • Pilotwings (7/4) – WiiU (DL)
    • Dark(Steam DL) (7/5) – PC
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    Review: The Last Of Us https://one-quest.com/blog/review-the-last-of-us/ Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:11:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15824 thelastofus-600x375

    The Last Of Us is one of the last big Playstation 3 exclusives, what did we think of it? Well here’s our review! (As spoiler free as possible)

    box-art-last-of-us

    The Last of Us

    Devloper: Naughty Dog

    Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

    Platforms: Playstation 3

    Released: 6/14/2013

    Verdict: The end of the PS3 era starts with a bang

    Score: 9 (Does not include Multi-player)

    The Last of Us tells the story of Joel, a survivor in a post-viral-apocalypse America, and his journey with a young girl named Ellie a girl who is infected yet somehow unaffected by the disease and she may be the key to finding a cure. The two must travel across the country to find the science lab of the anti-government survivors The Fireflies who have been trying to cure the plague that has overrun the world. With humanity pushed back into just a few quarantined areas in major cites nature has taken started to retake many areas with lush greenery growing on and over many of the buildings. This wildly contrasts the dark, grittiness that has overcome humanity and the sometimes grotesque look of the Infected.

    The graphics in the game are fantastic and the cut scenes are just amazing. The detail on the characters in them are the best I’ve seen in a game.

    the_last_of_us_Ellie_cutscene

    Look at the detail in the hair, the coat, the arrow, Naughty Dog put a ton of work into the small details and these details really pull you into the world and make you feel for the characters. The graphics during the game are still very good, but not quite as stunning as the cut scenes. My biggest complaint when it comes to graphics are the areas that are infested with the spores that cause the plague, these areas are just ugly and often very confusing.

    last of us giraffe

    Compare the above screen shot to the one below, the dark, spore areas are just not enjoyable as the majority of the game.

    Last of Us Spores

    I won’t too much about the characters because it would be too spoiler filled and I don’t want to ruin things for anyone who hasn’t played it yet. I will just say that you WILL get emotionally connected to the characters in this game from the start. Joel and Ellie are great characters and the banter between them pulls you deeper into the world. Ellie will react to many things in the world and they are often amusing outbursts. You meet many other characters along the way and they all are very well developed, both good and bad, and that’s all I will say on that subject.

    The game plays like a cross between Uncharted (no surprise there) and Resident Evil but it’s not quite as simple as that. The controls are pretty similar to Uncharted’s controls but Joel is a MUCH different character than Nathan Drake. Where Drake can get into a large scale fire fight and come out with barely a scratch, Joel and Ellie cannot often hold off groups even as small as 4 or 5 enemies in a full on fight. Given a chance the enemies will try and flank you and if you get surrounded your in serious trouble. The shooting mechanics aren’t great but it’s fitting in its own weird way. There are also stealth kills that can really help you get by many of the combat areas. However the enemies can sometimes be very easy to lose or confuse to give you time to reassess your situation. You can distract enemies by tossing glass bottles, stun them with a brick, or craft a smoke bomb to run and hide. You get 4 small guns (pistol, revolver, sawed-off shotgun, El Diablo (a scoped magnum)) and 5 big guns (hunting rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, flamethrower, and bow) and ammo is often scarce for the guns. There are also different melee weapons around, 2×4’s, pipes, and baseball bats will take out enemies in a few hits, and later in the game you come across an ax and machete which are one hit kills. All the melee weapons will break after a few hits however and you can’t just wildly swing the melee weapons because if you miss you are left very vulnerable. You can also craft health packs, Molotov cocktails, shivs, bombs, and smoke bombs and the crafting of items is super important. However crafting items and using health packs both happen in real time, so if enemies are around you may want to hold off on either of those things but sometimes you are in dire need of one of these items and you may not have a choice. The enemy AI varies wildly however sometimes spotting you from what seems like impossible distances and angles while other times not seeing you inches away, they also occasionally fail to notice your cohorts walking around even if they were to cross right in front of an enemy.

    gaming-the-last-of-us-crafting

     

    Overall The Last Of Us is Naughty Dog’s finest achievement in the Playstation 3 era, it has an amazing story that can over shadow the flaws in the game mechanics to be one of the best Playstation 3 games ever. If you own a Playstation 3 and haven’t bought this game yet go and do it!

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    Friday Five – Worst of E3 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-of-e3-2013/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:47:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15901 E3 2013 logo
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Worst of E3!
     
    It’s not every year that we get an amazing show like we did at E3 2013. There were tons of games, and new hardware. Best of all: Sony and Microsoft had it out on stage for our enjoyment! Sony came out on top, but Microsoft isn’t finished. They’ve reversed their policies, and are trying to win back the gamers hearts. Before that, they were just a big pile of disappointment. Sure they envisioned the future, but they failed to sell us on that vision. Instead they let us down. But they aren’t the only ones. There were plenty of things that weren’t that great from E3. Check out our list of the worst to come out of E3 2013.
     

    Chris

    1. Xbox One – Sure Microsoft came out and fixed a lot of the flaws they originally announced, but the E3 show was still pretty boring.
    2. Ryse – It was a pretty game, but I just generally had no interest in it, and there were a lot of quick time stuff for fighting enemies.
    3. Battlefield – Sure it looks nice, and has the crazy destruction physics engine going on, but it’s still just generic first person shooter that a bunch of little douchey kids are going to play online.
    4. TitanFall – This is suppose to be huge, but again I’m just not even remotely interested in it.
    5. Sports– I like NHL, and I wouldn’t mind trying MLB but frankly I just don’t care about NBA, Madden, or UFC which are the three sports games they seem to want to promote the most out of. They all have amazing game engines and look good, but for me they just aren’t fun.

     
    Xbox One
     

    Eric

    I got pretty long winded here… So, lets just get into it.

    1. Tablets – These seem to be all the rage this year, and I don’t like it. I recall Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony using tablets on stage during their press conferences. Each one showed some cool new features “only available” on the next gen consoles. Some even claimed that this sort of game play was only possible on “X” console. What they all fail to understand is that I’m already shelling out $400+ for a new console, and they all want me to spend and extra $200-500 on a tablet just to get the complete experience out of their games! You know what I have to say to that? THESE EXPERIENCES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WIIU AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE CONSUMER! GET OVER YOURSELVES AND OPEN YOUR FICKING EYES ASSHOLES!
    2. Project Spark – I don’t know what this is, at all. All I know is that it’s on Xbox One (Strike One), you need a tablet to get the full experience(Strike Two), and the Devs claim that this game is only possible on the Xbox One due to the “unique” Smart Glass features. You know, those features built into the Wii U. Three strikes, you’re out!
    3. Ambiguous Trailers – You know the ones. Those trailers that companies use to get their audience all excited for something huge, only to let everyone down by giving us no information about the announcement whatsoever?! Quantum Break, and Halo 5 are the two that come to mind here. Each ran about 1:30 and gave us absolutely nothing to look forward to besides some pretty images and Master Chief in the desert. You want to excite me? You want me to be interested in your game? Give me a trailer with some interesting story elements and/or gameplay!
    4. Lack of First Party games from Sony – Sony won E3. No arguments here. Everything on display at their conference was placed there to one up Microsoft. And they did it. The only thing missing, was the usual onslaught of first party titles. No Ratchet and Clank(in fact Insomniac was at the MS conference!), no God of War, nothing new from Naughty Dog, and still no word on The Last Guardian! We did get more Killzone, Infamous, Knack, and a few ambiguous trailers (Order 1886), however, we did not get a single exclusive title that sold the console to me.
    5. Nintendo – I loved their Nintendo Direct immensely. I got to see a whole bunch of awesome games coming within the next year for WiiU. However, I didn’t hear anything about a new Star Fox, Metroid, or Console Zelda. . . As awesome as their presentation was, it left me wanting more.

     
    Tablet Display for Battlefield 4
     

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    Take It Or Leave It – June 26, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-june-26-2013/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:15:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15872 takeitleaveit62613
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This was a pretty good week for comics, especially after the disappointments last week! We have the long awaited return of Hawkeye, we see that Hank Pym can be a good character, and that Aquaman isn’t as lame as everything thinks. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so move on and start seeing what we though about this weeks comic releases!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics | Marvel Comics


    aquaman21

    Aquaman #21

    Aquaman generally has a pretty bad reputation, even among non-comic fans he’s known to be lame. While that may have been true at one time, in the New 52 with Geoff Johns in charge of the character, he is anything but lame. Issue 21 gets us back onto the King of Atlantis after a brief break from Aquaman last issue. We continue to see that Aquaman is truly a force to be reckoned with. And is apparently more powerful than most other Atlanteans, whether that’s because he’s royal, or something else entirely, is beyond me at this point. You actually feel pretty bad for him, he doesn’t really want to be King, but he knows he has to. And to make it worse for him, a lot of his ‘subjects’ don’t really want him there either. The part where he’s bombarded with updates and questions shows how truly out of place he is, and is reaction to one piece of news shows where his heart is. It’s really weird to speak so highly of a character I’ve grown up knowing as a joke of a superhero, but these things happen. Johns is really giving Aquaman and interesting world to be a part of, and if his track record with Green Lantern is any indication we can expect some truly wild and inventive stories coming out of the oceans.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batmansuperman1

    Batman Superman #1

    I really enjoy the Batman/Superman relationship, from the few good interaction in Justice League and the recent backup story in Batman, it just goes to show that even while the shelves are dominated by these two guys separately, there’s always room for a team up. And now that I’ve got that long winded sentence out of the way lets talk about this issue. First off it is a great read, the switching perspective between Bruce and Clark is great, and we see how they really see each other in their first ever encounter years ago. The only problem is by the end of it, I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m also confused about certain character back stories. Well specifically Superman in the New 52, I don’t read his book so I’m not really sure what his history is like anymore. Are the Kents alive or dead? Could he fly when he still wore jeans and a t-shirt? Was he kind of stupid at that point? I think, even though I’m not a big Superman fan, I may go back and read early New 52 stuff just to find out about him so this book becomes more clear. Or I could just wait and see if issue 2 explains more, but where is the fun in that? Anyway, if you’re not overloaded with The Man Of Steal and The Dark Knight already you’ll probably already have this book in your pile. If on the other hand you feel there’s a few too many books with these guys, give this one a shot anyway, you won’t be disappointed.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ghostbusters5

    Ghostbusters #5

    I kind of hate myself for falling off this book during Volume 1. It was good, I had no problems with it, and it really felt like it belonged in the same universe as the movies. Now with Volume 2 I’m even more into it, they had the interested first arc with a new team of Ghostbusters filling in while our original heroes were trapped between dimensions, but now things are mostly back to normal. The biggest downfall of issue 5 is that it’s really just a “here is where they are now” issue. And on top of that it looks like, at least for now, most of the new characters are sidelined back to their normal lives. Or Chicago depending attitude. It’s not bad, and it’s handled well, especially the part with Kylie and Peter fighting a ghost train, that was fun. If you like Ghostbusters, give this book a shot, it’s a nice jumping on point and shows you at least who all the major players are and were.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    lazarus1

    Lazarus #1

    I’m a sucker when Image has a new number 1 come out, and this one grabbed me just by the cover. Seriously look at it, girl with what appears to be a bullet wound on her head staring daggers at you. Then right below that are the names, Rucka and Lark who were part of the popular Gotham Central series from a few years back. It just seemed like a clear choice on what to do. It was a damn good choice too, the book is set in a weird future, because frankly what future isn’t weird. In this one though, the world seems to be run in sectors by families. And in these families one member is basically genetically upgraded to be the best thing ever. I don’t want to give to much away, but if you like weird futuristic sci-fi stuff this is definitely a book worth checking out, and what better place to jump on than issue #1.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    morningglories28

    Morning Glories #28

    Like pretty much every other issue of Morning Glories, we get absolutely no concrete answers as to what the hell is happening. What we do get in issue 28 though is a lot of different events finally coming to their climax. Casey is back and about to do something that may or may not fix everything? And Hunter is still in weird land with adult Jade learning that he’s got a pretty big part to play. And that’s only two of the stories in this issue, it’s such a hard book to talk about without spoiling something. After this issue, I have a feeling things are going to be very different for the students and teachers at Morning Glories Academy, and while it’s not a good place to jump on, this is still a fantastic supernatural mystery series that should be read by everyone! Well so long as you don’t mind a lot of questions with no answers.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmen13

    All-New X-Men #13

    This story with Mystque has been dragging on for a while, but it looks to finally be getting interesting. That is to say, the best part of this issue, like the previous 12 have been the dialogue between X-Men. Wolverine constantly calling young Cyclops Slim, Kitty being referred to as Professor Kitty, and of course young Bobby being Bobby. If you want an X book with a lot of action, this probably isn’t the right one for you, try Uncanny, but if you want some of the best character interaction out there you should already be reading All-New X-Men!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    hawkeye11

    Hawkeye #11 Pizza Dog #1

    I’ve been saying for months how good Hawkguy has been, well that streak finally ended. That said, Pizza Dog is amazing, and Pizza Dog #1 is probably one of the best comic books I’ve ever read. Fraction and Aja really outdid themselves with this book. It’s hard to have a compelling comic be pretty much devoid of words. As much as the art tells the story, the words are really integral to it also. Being from the POV of Pizza Dog though, you only get every other word, if that. It’s a really inventive idea on how to handle that as it’s unlikely a dog knows exactly what we’re saying they just know tones and such. The way Aja gets across what he’s thinking is interesting too, with scents and images being attributed to different characters and how Pizza Dog feels about them. I hope next issue doesn’t take as long to arrive as this one, but with this kind of quality I’ll deal if it does.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 10/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Too Many Games Redux (Tecmo Bowl Edition) https://one-quest.com/blog/too-many-games-redux-tecmo-bowl-edition/ Sun, 23 Jun 2013 12:41:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15821
    TB 2013

    So Anthony has talked at length about Too Many Games already so I won’t really go into that, you can check out his post and video for more details on that. What I will talk about is the one tournament I played in, the Tecmo Super Bowl 2013 tourny.

    As Anthony said it was cool to see a tournament for a custom ROM that was running on an actual NES. The best thing about this tournament and all the tournaments they had over the weekend at Too Many Games was that they were using the website Challonge.com to track the tournament which was nice. I believe a total of 13 or 14 people wound up signing up for the tournament which clearly is not ideal but it all worked out and by luck of the draw I got skipped straight to the semi-finals.  However, the guy who was supposed to be running the tournament was often busy doing something else because even with the small number of consoles hooked up there only ever seemed to be 3 people working in the “Gaming Arena” area so this caused some slowdown in the tournament. The tournament was supposed to start at 2 P.M. but started a little late, also due to the nature of sports games the tournament took a good 2+ hours to finish. Since it was a sports game tournament the majority of the entrants were not your prototypical gamer types it was more the sports gamer type with a few exceptions of course.  Of the games I watched most of them were very tight battles with final scores being very close with the exception being the opening game of the tournament where it was pure domination. Anthony and I both noticed that the guy on the losing end (who happened to be one of the few nerdy types in the tournament) almost slammed the controller and rage quit early in the 3rd quarter after some serious bad luck, but to his credit did not and toughed it out. There was good sportsmanship between the players (for the games I watched anyway) as both players shook hands both before and after each game. When it finally got to my turn to play I played against someone who I had watched play and was a good player, he played as the New England Patriots led by a high-powered passing offense led by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. I used the Minnesota Vikings and their dominant Running  Back Adrian Peterson to try and slow the game down as I had noticed that most players were using a pass-heavy offensive style.  The game started poorly for me as I allowed a long pass TD on the very first play. I would drive back down field to score and tie it up. The game was a back and forth game and I trailed going into halftime, mostly due to poor quarterback play which blew a key 4th-and-5 play for me late in the half that led to another long pass TD right at the half for my opponent. We kept trading scores into the 4th quarter where I scored late to get within a Field Goal of the win but I failed to recover the onside kick and that would end the game. Even though I only got to play 1 game and lost I still had fun and lost to a good player.

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    T.W.I.G 6/23/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-62313/ Sun, 23 Jun 2013 11:40:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15811 xbox 180

    E3 2013 has come and gone which has made for a slow news week but the bit of news that has come out was pretty interesting. So lets take a look at The Week in Gaming for 6/23/13! 

    The News:

    • The big news of the week was Microsoft pulling back from their 24-hour internet check in and used game restrictions. Great news right? Well there’s a catch. For one you do still need an internet connection to do the initital setup of the system so people without access to high-speed interent still cannot use the system. Also you no longer have access to games you bought on disc via the cloud but you can use the disc on any Xbox One. They also have removed the 10-user “family” option. So there was some give and take and it hasn’t really fixed the issue of a required internet connection but it may be enough to get the consumers back.
    • Is game sharing coming to Steam??? Code has located in the newest Steam Client beta that seems to indicate that users will be able to loan a game to any friend on their Steam account and take it back at any time. It appears that only 1 user will have access to the shared game at a time but if true that will be a cool feature.
    • Final Fantasy XII HD? Rumors coming from Squarr-Enix seem to indicate that if the Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD remakes perform well that FFXII is next up to get the HD treatment. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of FFXII as it felt like I was playing an MMO with a shitty party, but I was in the minority on that one.

    The new releases:

    CoH2

      Company of Heroes 2 headlines a busier week for new releases this week but there aren’t many other big titles out this week.

    • Game & Wario (6/23) – WiiU
    • Joe Danger (6/24) – PC
    • Joe Danger 2: The Movie (6/24) – PC
    • Ride to Hell: Retribution (6/25) – PC, PS3, 360
    • Company of Heroes 2 (6/25) – PC
    • Project X Zone (6/25) – 3DS
    • Muramasa Rebirth (6/25) – Vita
    • Deadpool (6/25) – PS3, 360
    • Spartacus Legends (6/25) – PS3, 360
    • Hotline Miami (6/25) – PS3, Vita
    • Dark (6/28) – PC, 360
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    Friday Five – Best of E3 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-of-e3-2013/ Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:00:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15801 E3 2013 logo
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week’s category: Best of E3 2013!
     
    Ah, E3! The one week where nothing else matters to gamers at all! Every year we huddle in front of our TVs and computers. We set up alerts for our favorite franchises to make sure we’re up to date with the most important information. We drown out all other worldly issues, for none is more important then the winner of E3! This year was momentous, and as you’ll see and probably experienced yourself, there was certainly a clear cut winner. Now, we are a little late in running this story, and we are aware that MicroSoft has changed their policies surrounding the XBOne. The downside is, they decided to do this AFTER the biggest gaming event in the world. And there will still be a lot of standard consumers that don’t know about the changes. Now, we could talk about what MS did wrong for hours, but we’ll save that for another time. For now, we’re going to focus on what went right in our eyes at this years Electronics Entertainment Expo!
     

    Shannon

    1. Super Smash Bros.
    2. Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
    3. Wind Waker HD (a game I actually beat before, I’d love to play again)
    4. InFamous: Second Son
    5. And of course, Sony kicking Microsoft in the nuts by way of letting gamers do what they want with their games.

     

     

    Audra

    1. PS4 pwning XBone – That was nothing less than brutal. And if you haven’t checked it out yet, youtube how to share by PlayStation.
    2. Wind Waker HD – Its getting re-released with added stuff like the possibility of sending a friend a message in a bottle and it washing ashore in their game.
    3. The Wind Waker boat standee – They brought the boat to get pictures on and Conan O’Brien took advantage of the opportunity. Makes me wonder if he has ever played the game.
    4. New Generation of consoles being announced – its been a long while since Sony and Microsoft have introduced a new console. Its hard to believe that its been over 6 years since I surprised Eric with his PS3. It’s exciting! And its kind of like history in the making, despite which console your backing.
    5. Mario Kart 8 – Of course I’m excited for Mario Kart. I was unbeatable on the 64.

     

     

    Chris

    1. Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III – I’m lumping them together because they were announced together, I’m completely willing to get a PS4 based on just these two games, luckily there was plenty of other cool stuff coming out too!
    2. Nintendo – While Nintendo didn’t do the traditional E3 press event, their Nintendo Direct on Tuesday had all kinds of amazing stuff, and not only that but they put up a ton of trailers right after it was done! Add to that how Best Buy stores got 4 of the upcoming games to demo on Wednesday and I’d say they easily beat Microsoft for best of E3 and came in a close second to Sony.
    3. Destiny – I was up in the air for Destiny, it looked cool but I usually get bored with FPS’ pretty quickly and that goes double for MMO’s, not to mention when you put FPS and Online together you get a giant pile of douche bags tea bagging each other for hours. After watching the trailer for Destiny and the several minutes of gameplay I’m ready to give this a shot!
    4. Metal Gear Solid V – I’m not even a Metal Gear fan and I thought this looked great, I’m also probably one of the few people who aren’t angry about the voice change, it’s 100% alright with me if Jack Bauer is now Snake
    5. Sony Winning E3 – I’m not the only person to list this, and it’s probably going to be a trend, but the fact that Sony came out and did a normal show, then at almost the end they finally just backhanded Microsoft and told them to go home and try again next generation was probably the best thing out of an E3 ever!

     

     

    Drootin

    Hi there Friday Fivers, I haven’t forgotten about you! Hope your enjoying my new weekly gaming news post The Week In Gaming (TWIG for short). Anyway this is a Friday 5 I can actually comment on so I figured I would.

    1. Sony’s Press Conference – They had plenty of games on stage but what really made their show was how they stuck it to Microsoft, no DRM, no internet requirement, and a $100 lower price point. I was 95% on getting a PS4 at launch but that press conference (mostly the price) had me rushing after work the next day to get down my pre order.
    2. Watch_Dogs – Sure it wasn’t brand new but I can’t see that game without getting excited for the next gen.
    3. Battlefield 4 – 64-player online multiplayer on console alone was awesome and then they demolished a skyscraper. Looked awesome and my creep into my launch game libray for PS4.
    4. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare – This is the only game shown for Xbox One that I would want. If you somehow haven’t seen it it’s a 3rd person shooter that looked like they mashed Plants vs Zombies with Team Fortress 2.
    5. The Order: 1886 – While they didn’t show any actual gameplay the trailer supposedly is all in-engine but I’m just intrigued by the premise. It appears to be an alternate history 1886 London with werewolves and modern/future looking weapons. Its an interesting premise that could make for a very fun game.

     

     

    Eric

    I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: E3 is my SuperBowl! I look forward to this almost as much as I look forward to Christmas. It’s such an awesome week, and I hope to some day be in attendance. This year was an especially big one. With Sony and MS unveiling more info about their new consoles, and trying to persuade a mass of new players to their side, it was hard to not get overly excited. I went into E3 this year with lowered expectations based on the reveals at Sony and MS’s PS4 and Xbox One events. They were underwhelming, and I was hoping for one of these guys to stand up and tell me that I’d be stupid to not buy their console. And one of them did. . .

    1. Sony E3 Press Conference – The revel of the PS4 was nice. The insane amount of games shown were also cool. But when Jack Tretton stood on stage and said “PlayStation 4 will not restrict used games.” I literally stood up in my living room clapping and cheering at this news. It was at that moment Sony said – We hear you. We know what’s important to gamers. And we are’d going to screw you over. EVER. Needless to say, I preordered a PS4 the next day.
    2. Destiny – I’ve never been a big Halo fan. I’m not a multiplayer person, and never had a chance to get into the campaigns of the series. So I’ve never actually played a game by Bungie. When I heard they were going multiplatform I got excited. The gameplay demo that was shown at the end of the Sony conference was enough to solidify Destiny as a must have for me.
    3. UbiSoft – I hate companies that show off a 2 minute trailer of a game not coming for another 2 years. I mean, we all know Halo 5 and Dragon Age: inquisition are coming! But if you don’t have something substantial to show me, then don’t show me anything. Well, that’s why I love UbiSoft. They may not have Frostbite 4, Unreal 4, or the Luminos Engine, but they have gameplay to show me! And not pre-rendered bullshit! Nope! This is the real deal! I’m really interested in The Crew and Tom Clancy’s The Division. Both look awesome, and may be getting my money.
    4. Kingdom Hearts III – I know what I said about the pre-rendered stuff, but really, I just don’t even care when it comes to this! I’m just so happy to hear it exists! ^_^
    5. Final Fantasy XV – I’ve been a fan since I first turned on FFVII for the first time on the PS1. I’ve spent hundreds of hours beating every game in the series, and loving (almost) every second of it. I am beyond excited for a new installment. Again, PS4 preordered the day after the announcement!

     


     

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    Take It Or Leave It – June 19, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-june-19-2013/ Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:04:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15763 tioli
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    By this point you know what’s up, you’re here to see what books were good this week! Some big issues dropped this week, Age of Ultron 10 finished up the event, and Ultimate Spider-Man fully introduced Ultimate Cloak and Dagger, and that’s only some of the stuff that went down! Now get ready to see what else happened in the world of comics, and what books you should be picking up this weekend.

    Alphabetical by Publisher
    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    fanboysvszombies15

    Fanboys Vs. Zomies #15

    Fanboys Vs. Zombies is just such a fun book, each issue has humor, geeky references, and plenty of zombie killing action! And now it’s in SPAAAAAAAAAACE! All that aside though, it’s a nice refreshing take on Zombies in a market where frankly there is a bit of an over exposure. It’s like a couple years ago when Twilight was big, if you walked into a Barnes and Noble all you saw were teenage vampire ‘love stories’ all over the place. Fanboys Vs. Zombies tends to poke fun at that and the classic ‘horror tropes’, which while having been done before is still an effect way to make an entertaining book. If you’ve been missing out on this book, I highly recommend picking it up, especially for Zombie fans that want a little humor with their flesh eating monsters.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batmanandbatgirl21

    Batman And Batgirl #21

    It made me nervious when I found out that Batman and Robin was becoming Batman and . . . When Captain America did that after Fear Itself the book went downhill pretty quickly after Captain America and Bucky, but they also were teaming Cap up with just other Avengers, who he usually teamed up with in The Avengers. Thankfully this has been a much better book, while Batman And Red Robin wasn’t the greatest, it was stll entertaining. I thought last months Red Hood issue was a great way to show these two characters together and the problems they still have, and led to consequences in Red Hood and the Outlaws. Now this month we have Batgirl, who is also going through some pretty painful family stuff, plus dealing with the Joker attack and the death of Damien. If anyone in the Bat-family can empathize with Bruce it’s probably her. For the most part the book was pretty standard, but those last few pages with the big confrontation were just amazing. Each character was really raw and emotional and I really hope we get to see more of this duo play out after the book has cycled through the rest of the characters.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    redhoodandtheoutlaws21

    Red Hood And The Outlaws #21

    I really liked the early Red Hood and the Outlaws stuff, it was actiony with plenty of humor and character drama. It’s how you want a book to be, and I liked even more seeing Jason slowly step back from the darkside and embrace his legacy. Now that’s all gone to hell and the book is worse for it. While I’m interested in where everything is leading it’s just not compelling enough, not yet anyway. Give it a couple of issue and I may be changing my tune about it, but for now this book just isn’t what it should be, and definitely not ‘new reader friendly’.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    mara05_cover

    Mara #5

    Mara is such a strange book, when it started I thought it was going to be much more about sports, which I was fine with. But it’s gone so far away from that, and not towards any one genre I don’t even know where to categorize it. Sure there are super powers and things, but no battles or big villains to fight, unless you count the armies. And with one issue left there’s a lot of explaining to do, what’s up with Mara, where did she get the powers being the primary one. If you’re into like sci-fi mystery stuff this is a book you should have been picking up for the past 5 issues, it’s different, and intriguing and well worth checking out.

    Verdict: 7/10

    Score: Take It

    Reviewed By: Chris


    witchblade167_coverb

    Witchblade #167

    Witchblade is an interesting book, while I enjoyed the Progeny story as a whole, I think that it pulled this book particularly away from itself and caused it to lose some pacing. I’m new to the series, and really just started getting use to the characters when BAM! Sara is off fighting with the other Artifact holders and stuff. At least now it’s back on track and getting all kinds of weird and fun. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes, and if you’re not familiar with witchblade #167 wouldn’t be the worst starting point, nothing major happened last issue so you can definitely feel your way through this one. Also the weird girl from underground and here fairy(?) friend with the glowy butt are strange but entertaining.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ageofultron10

    Age Of Ultron #10

    John more or less said everything that needed to be said here. I just needed to add my own feelings about this issue. Age of Ultron was such an anticipated event, and it started out with a lot of promise. Unfortunately it just went in too many directions at the midway point and never really found itself back in a satisfying way. And like John said after the Ultron plot was finished, which was quick and anticlimactic. **SPOILERS AHEAD**The two biggest problems though are the fact that half the book is a reprint of a 2 year old issue of Avengers, that was already reprinted once before. AND the ‘big secret ending’ that only a few people knew and Joe Quesada drew himself to keep a secret was revealed months ago! It wasn’t even a damn secret anymore, nor is it a big deal for anyone who didn’t read Spawn to know what the hell was going on.

    Verdict:Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    avengers14

    Avengers #14

    I have to give Hickman some credit, the guy really knows how to plant seeds for what could potentially be a fantastic story. The problem is, I personally don’t want to wait a year just to find out what something meant from issue 2, it’s even worse with a twice monthly book. So far I’ve been bored and uninterested in Avengers, and I don’t see that getting better any time soon. Issue 14 is being called a prelude to Infinity, which is the next Marvel event, and I just don’t see what anything that happened in this issue has to do with Thanos who I believe is the major villain of Infinity. To top it off, after 14 issues I still don’t know who some of these Avengers are or why they’re around, I’m all for a big team, but it’s suppose to be Earth’s Mightest Heroes, not a group of random people with powers.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 3/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ultimatecomicsspiderman24

    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #24

    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man is finally the book I want it to be! Even in a book where there was absolutely no Spider-Man it was good. The history for Ultimate Cloak and Dagger is great, and pretty tragic at the same time. And while it’s not a new thing to do I am a fan when they introduce normal Marvel 616 characters in to the Ultimate Universe but have them different. Like Layla Miller, who I believe was in Ultimate Mystery is in this issue, but she’s completely different from her 616 counterpart. This “No More Spider-Man” arc has hit all the right notes so far, and I look forward to seeing what finally pushes Miles back to the webs. It still surprises me that after not really enjoying this book for the first 15-20 issues I now this is one of the books I look forward to most each month.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By:


    ultimatecomicsultimates26

    Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #26

    This is one of the best issues The Ultimates I’ve read in months, I guess Fialkov needed a month to get all his stuff together from the situation the book was left in. Even though everyone was doing something different the book felt like a team book again, and the pairings just made sense. Including the long awaited return of an Ultimate Comics character. And let us not forget that Thor is once again the most badass person in the Ultimate Universe, and he’s not even a god anymore! If you’re wondering what I mean, well you’re going to have to check this issue out to see!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    PS4 Interface Demo https://one-quest.com/blog/ps4-interface-demo/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:54:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15758 PlayStation 4 console
     
    “Sure the PS4 sounds cool. . . but is the interface going to be updated?”
     
    That’s the most popular question I’ve heard asked by gamers still hesitant about purchasing the PS4. It’s certainly a valid concern, considering the PS3 interface has stayed exactly the same since launch while it’s competition upgraded on what seemed like a yearly basis. The PS3 is clearly lacking in not only form, but also function when comparing the PS3 XMB to the Xbox Dashboard.
     
    Well, Sony has been listening. Here we get our first look at the primary interface for the PS4 as well as a look at some of the social integration. We see cross game chat, seamless transitions from videos to games, and even how the mobile/web applications can help make the PS4 more accessible than any other console in history.
     
    I can’t say I’m surprised at how well everything seems to run, especially after I got my hands on a PSVita. The interface on that machine is flawless, and it looks like Sony is bringing every feature they can think of to the PS4.
     
    Based on my experience with the PSVita and impressions from this video, I have no doubt in my mind that everything will run smoothly on the PS4.
     
    Check out the video, and tell us what you think in the comments below!
     

     

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    Riddick Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/riddick-trailer/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:37:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15732 riddick-poster
    I knew there was a new Riddick movie coming, but I haven’t paid much attention to it. There are way to many other movies I can’t wait to see. It’s a shame too, because Pitch Black was a great movie, and honestly Chronicles Of Riddick wasn’t as bad as a lot of people make it out to be.

    Regardless of all that though, I happened to catch the international trailer for the new movie earlier and it actually looks pretty good. A lot more like Pitch Black than Chronicles which is cool. It honestly looks like it could be a return to the planet from Pitch Black, or maybe a near by planet. I can’t say if this will be worth seeing opening weekend or not, but if you’re waiting for this years mindless action film Riddick may just be that!

    Here’s the international trailer, which has the wonderful “When the chains come off, you go in the first 5 seconds.”

    And here’s an American one with a few different scenes and no release date just a coming soon.

    So what do you think? Is it going to be worth watching? Guess we’ll find out in September.

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    Too Many Games 2013 – Video Highlights https://one-quest.com/blog/too-many-games-2013-video-highlights/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:43:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15724 tmg-logo-2013

    Without any further ado, here it is. Our official video footage from Saturday June 15, 2013 at Too Many Games! Hope you all enjoy it!

    In case you missed my write-up on the con, check it out here!Too Many Games was a lot of fun, can’t wait for next year!

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    The Last Of Us – First Look https://one-quest.com/blog/the-last-of-us-first-look/ Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:33:46 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15714 thelastofus

    The Last Of Us finally released this past Friday, and after playing for a while this weekend it’s time for the One-Quest First Look! The Last Of Us has been a hugely anticipated title since it was announced, I think at this point if Naughty Dog does something it’s immediately popular. For good reason though, their games are fun, beautiful, and interesting. The thing with The Last Of Us is, I think a lot of people were just expecting Uncharted game play with a zombie apocalypse feel, and boy were they wrong! Yes the control are generally pretty similar, but so are most 3rd person shooters. There are only so many different ways you can control inventory and shooting after all. The big difference is Joel isn’t Nathan Drake, sure he’s tougher than you or I, but he’s spent the last two decades living in utter hell. He’s not a crazy gun wielding adventurer who is a master at parkour. That’s part of what makes The Last Of Us so good, you’re not an action hero, you’re a guy that needs help climbing up high walls and you can’t be at a full sprint and hurdle over obstacles like it’s nothing. It’s the an incredibly realistic feel, right down to how inaccurate you are with guns.

    the-last-of-us-preview
    It’s not just all about how the characters handle though either, in just the first few hours there’s been so much emotion and story, it’s almost hard to believe it’s a game. I remember when Uncharted one came out and people said it was like playing a movie, well this game is making that statement all the more true. Just little things like as you’re exploring ‘safe’ areas Ellie will be doing things that carry over to later sections. They’re just silly things that really have no significance to the story, but it’s still making it a very cohesive experience. And speaking of Ellie, she’s probably one of my top 5 video game characters ever, she’s not playable to my knowledge, but just the things that come out of this girls mouth are hilarious. And with such a dark and nerve racking game you need some humor. Otherwise every time you die, and oh will you die, you’ll just get more and more aggressive and start making bigger mistakes.

    The biggest downfall I’ve found so far are some of the controls, as I mentioned earlier, characters do things more realistically, but I keep running into these situations where I get stuck trying to climb or jump over something and get caught by enemies. It’s not that I’m trying to do it to fast, just the game doesn’t seem to like the distance from the object I’m at, sometimes I have to be right on it, others I need a few steps back. It’s not a huge problem, but at times it can result in death and redoing that part. While at the same time your ‘helpers’ aren’t always helpful. I’ve had them randomly shoot at enemies that immediately drew their attention to me while I was trying to sneak, or stand in the way of me climbing something while running from enemies. This usually resulted in a death and restarting that area, which luckily the game saves a lot so usually you’re not losing a ton of progress.
    LastOfUs2
    Overall, with a few hours down, The Last Of Us has been pretty awesome and I’d highly recommend it to anyone with a PS3. Especially if you’re into survival horror or stealth games. Just don’t go in expecting another kind of game, this isn’t Resident Evil, Uncharted, or anything but itself. You’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of it that way! And remember to conserve your stuff, ammo, shivs, med kits, are super valuable and sometimes really hard to come by.

    Keep an eye on One-Quest for a full review once the game is completed!

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    Tips for a Disney World Trip From Geek Parents – Part 1 https://one-quest.com/blog/tips-for-a-disney-world-trip-from-geek-parents-part-1/ Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14849 This May had a plethora of landmarks for our family. Our daughter turned 1, our son turned 5 and it was our 1 year wedding anniversary/6 years together. We felt it was appropriate to celebrate these events with a trip to Disney World. We had a lot of fun, but some things just really didn’t go as planned. So we decided to write an entry discussing our trip.

    Vogel Family at Magic Kingdom

    Vogel: Firstly, I’d like to start with saying that we started with a loose itinerary that we followed fairly well, but realized some issues with it almost immediately.

    Shannon: One issue, we should have worked a little more on the itinerary before we booked the trip. It would have helped us to fit in a bit more.

    V: Yeah, we should have made the itinerary a little tighter and considered things like park tickets and days in parks or water parks etc. I didn’t know beforehand that Downtown Disney didn’t count as a park day as well as the water parks. I knew the Fun and More package added things, but I didn’t research it enough, I just trusted my wife with the booking.

    S: I think I did pretty well with the booking, but I was misinformed. I could have completely booked the trip online and everything would have worked out fine, but I thought if I booked over the phone I could get park tickets for every day of our trip and the fun & more passes for just a few days. Apparently you get the same amount of tickets and fun & more passes. While talking to the travel agent I said we wanted 7 days in the parks and 5 days of the fun & more passes. He gave us 5 days of each because they add it to each day you have tickets per person, but I thought we had what I had wanted which messed things up on our last day, but we’ll talk about that in a bit.

    V: We keep mentioning the Fun and More package. If you don’t know what that is you can look it up on the site for more specifics, but basically it’ll get you into the water parks, mini-golf and Disney Quest (a 5 story arcade with rides and classic games, they also put in a bunch of Fix-It Felix JR machines). Disney Quest was a lot of fun and I love mini-golf. We went to Winter Summerland outside of Blizzard Beach, but I was told that their other mini-golf course is rated the hardest mini-golf course in the world but Golf Pro Magazine and Tiger Woods. I would have liked the challenge, but we were there for the kids so went to the easier one.

    S: We only got to do one of the water parks, because of how much other stuff we wanted to do during our trip, but since we did get to do mini-golf once and Disney Quest the price of the passes was worth it. Also, I won mini-golf.

    V: So, yeah, itinerary. I knew some of the tricks, start in the back, work your way to the front. But I wanted to plan for the sections of the parks, like the new Fantasyland etc. just make sure we were hitting all the things we wanted to without having too much of a rushed feeling. The next time I go to Disney I now know that you can’t be too loose with your plan or you’ll miss things you want to do. I was watching a 2 hour special of Modern Marvels about Disney World and saw quite a few things I would have liked to have seen but didn’t have time for, mainly because of the issues we had with park tickets.

    S: One of the reasons we had issues with missing things we wanted to do was because we would see one thing, do that, and then try to get to something half way across the park. Instead we could have done a lot more things on the way, even if they weren’t our top choices. We did a lot of unnecessary walking during our trip. While it is good to plan for sections of the park, you don’t want to plan down to what ride you want to do at what time because lines are always a big factor and other things may come up.

    V: I think it could be possible to make a ride order, but never a time frame. It took us a few days to figure out that they had changed the system for fast pass. I haven’t been to Disney for at least 10-12 years and when I went last time things were a bit different on the package standpoint. When I went with my parents, they had paid extra to add fast pass to our card so we could use it on any ride, so I assumed that this was a premium luxury that we didn’t need. Turns out you grab a fast pass for a designated time for the ride you want and then come back, but you can only have one fast pass at a time. Our second trip to Magic Kingdom was a little nicer once we knew that.

    S: The fast passes would have saved us a lot of time, but more of our time was taken up by trying to see all the events that were going on during our stay. The first day we were there was the last day of their garden festival, there was a Monster’s U event that, honestly, I think we could have skipped and changed up our itinerary, and lastly, Star Wars weekend.

    Jedi Mickey

    V: Speaking of Star Wars weekend, I wish we had done that more than just the half a day we did. I was watching one of the events that we didn’t see (only because we had to get to the airport on time) on Youtube, and I would have loved to see it in person. As far as skipping Monsters U., I agree. That was really nothing special and we could have had a lot more fun elsewhere, the only thing I got out of it was a limited edition tee-shirt that’s a size too big because they were sold out of anything smaller.

    S: The issue I mentioned earlier with the ticketing really messed up our last day. Since we didn’t know at the time why we couldn’t enter the park we had to wait in line for guest relations to fix things. Since we got 5 days of park tickets, but one day didn’t go to any parks (We did Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney), we didn’t know about this issue until day 7. It took about an hour after we got to Hollywood Studios to actually get in. I think we would have been able to fit in at least a couple more things if we got in right away. On the other hand though, we got to do Toy Story Midway Mania because the woman at the counter gave us what was essentially a fast pass. This ride/game was a lot of fun, plus I won. When we passed this ride later there was a two hour wait.

    V: Not to mention a 100 minute wait when we got there in the first place. Anyway, back to itineraries. Research the parks you’re interested in and figure out where you want to eat, what you want to ride and see and then book your trip according to that so you don’t have the same issues we had.

    S: Speaking of eating, the dining plan is a must! It saved us a whole lot of money. The first table service meal we had was over $200 for 5 people. We had multiple meals throughout the trip that were around that much. If you include those table service meals, the quick service meals, snacks, refillable mugs, etc. it was well over $1500. They actually only give you meals for every night you’re there, not how many days, so take that into consideration.

    V: We figured that out the second day or so and adjusted our eating schedule accordingly, so it wasn’t that big of a problem. Along with the dining plan and itinerary, you’ll want to make reservations for the table service meals you want. We lucked out and ate at Beast’s Castle Be our Guest Restaurant for lunch one day. For lunch it’s a quick service, but for quick service it’s still a sit down inside and the food is delivered to you. By night it’s a table service. We were told ahead that there was a 3 year reservation list because it was a brand-new restaurant and if we didn’t have a reservation don’t count on eating here. This was the worst misinformation I’ve ever gotten. Firstly, you can’t even make reservations for the quick service lunch and it was only a “45 minute” wait (we stood in line for like 25 minutes tops and it took us longer to decide what to eat.) A lot of the “advice” we got from this person was bad. But like I said, the food was great. My mom and I got this braised pork that was amazing and Shannon couldn’t decided between the quiche or the carved turkey sandwich. I suggested the sandwich because a quiche is a quiche, right?

    S: That was the best turkey sandwich I’ve had in my life. Also probably the best meal I had during the whole trip, but don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an ordinary turkey sandwich, all the food in Disney is amazing.

    Cream Puff at Beast's Castle

    And on that tasty note, we’ll be ending the first part of the article. Keep on reading with Part 2!

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    Too Many Games 2013 – Saturday June 16th Recap https://one-quest.com/blog/too-many-games-2013-saturday-june-16th-recap/ Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:33:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15670 tmg-logo-2013To start things off, words cannot describe exactly how awesome this years Too Many Games (TMG) logo is! The Castlevania font is a damn good look. The Facebook cover photo was so sick I stole it for this post. All these awesome video game characters all meeting up at Drac’s castle. Completely bad ass!

    I was excited to see this Castlevania theme carried over to the guest badges this year as well. Regrettably, I do not have a picture of this to share and I left my badge in Droo’s fiancee’s car. The regular guest badge said “Villager” on the bottom. Which I thought was a nice touch to play into the whole theme. If you were special, like us, your badge stated your station with the convention. Ours said Media, not sure the official name the other special people got.  I’m assuming things like “Vendor” and “Staff”, things like that. I didn’t pay enough attention I suppose. This would largely be in part to all the awesome merchandise that was available. I was far too distracted by things like this:

    tmg-two-girls-one-up tmg-sick-quilts
    tmg-m3-predator tmg-games-bin

    So, needless to say the merchandise was plentiful and there were a lot of cool unique things available for purchase. Rare collectibles, art, and games out the wazoo. Hell, if you weren’t trying to go all 3 days for the reasonable cost of only $25. The $20 fee for just Saturday, or the even cheaper $15 for just Sunday would be worth it just to have access to all the things you could buy. Or, you could be a poopy pants and say “I could just buy all this stuff online for cheaper”. Which, although that’s true. Visiting a website never exactly blows your mind the way a room full of merchandise does.

    Fine, fine. Perhaps that was a ridiculous statement. You should never have to pay to enter a venue solely for shopping. I do find the 3-day admission fee to the con, $25, reasonable. Especially if you enjoy tournaments and live Video Game cover bands. With the price points for the 1 day passes being so close, it’s obviously not much of a deal to go only one of the days. However, it’s certainly not always easy to commit 3-days to something. Hence why we only have one day of coverage… If it’s all you can manage, I’d say its still worth it though.

    The concert area dubbed “The Power Bar” was a sweet set up. Giant open room with a full stage set up. This was the first Too Many Games I attended, but I believe in the past they didn’t have this stage set up, at least not for everyone that performed. I kinda expected the performers to be on floor level stuffed in a corner or something. It was cool to see this big stage. Though, it seemed some of the acts I caught, like Keith Apicary and Rainbowdragoneyes, preferred to be down on the floor with the spectators.
    However, this totally happened during Rainbowdragoneyes:
    tmg-smb-rock
    He rocked out with the Mario Bros.! Can’t really argue with that decision. I would’ve left the stage to party with those guys too! Please excuse the low quality image, I do not own a camera. Nor am I any good at photography. Anyway..

    My biggest regret was not being able to see more of the concerts. If you aren’t aware, last year Walnut caught some awesome concert footage of Brentalfloss and our friends, the X Hunters.

    Another cool area, which touches close to home for me, was the Indie Game Showcase. This area was smack dab in the middle of everything so you had to pass by it on your way around the con. Excellent exposure for all these indie game devs which is exciting. I saw a lot of people checking out the games and talking to the devs. In this area I ran into some old classmates from college. They started an indie team called Wimbus Studios. They have spent the past 2+ years working on their game “The Island of Eternal Struggle”. I spent some time playing it and I’ll tell you what, you need to go to their website right now, shoot them an email and request the demo of that game. Do it! It’s laid out like a classic SNES RPG but there’s a little element of action based combat during the turn-based battles. Definitely a neat concept, we’ll surely have more to say about it in the future.

    Just like everything else at this convention. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in the Indie Dev area. I would’ve liked to check out more of the projects, but when you only have one day nothing much you can do but say maybe next year. As a Philadelphia sports fan I’m very familiar with that saying…

    The gaming/tournament area was pretty standard for a con. They had a flippin’ couch which was sweet. They had a wide-array of consoles and games, classic to current-gen. One of the stand out things for us was the Tecmo Super Bowl ’13 tournament which Drootin participated in. I’ll leave that up to him to talk about in another post but it was cool to see a tournament for a custom-made ROM of a classic NES game. Not really much else I can say about this area. I guess that’s fairly disappointing considering the theme of the event. Though in my experience at cons, which includes having staffed the gaming area several times. Nothing ever really excites me about these areas anymore. I’m not fond of the ridiculous people I always end up encountering in the gaming area, nor the smell many of them often omit from their bodies.. I find this to be the place to go to find your stereotypical “nerd”. Of course, that’s not true of everyone that goes to game-on. It just happens to be a decent amount of them. I don’t mean to offend anyone, its just my opinion, though I think many would tend to agree.

    The last two areas I need to address are the Arcade and Tabletop gaming. From what I understand, Tabletop gaming was everything you’d want it to be. I unfortunately did not have any cards with me so I could not participate in Magic or Yugioh!. People were constantly battling it out over there and it would’ve been sick to get in the action.
    Arcade Gamers - Too Many Games
    The arcade had several classics such as Donkey Kong, Joust, and Punch Out, all the way up to current arcade smash-hits like Guitar Hero. It was sad to see many of the machines un-manned on several occasions. We gamers should relish at the opportunity for Free-Play arcade machines! Perhaps this was because the machines were located in the back of the convention center. Or, like the recent movie Wreck-it-Ralph touched on, maybe people just don’t care about those old games anymore. I hope that’s not true, but you know… people gotta get their Call of Duty on these days and such…BLAH!

    As, Walnut mentioned last year in his recap. There was an awful lot of open space at this convention. I guess this is because all-in-all, this was a small convention spread out across a very large space. Although everything was done very well, you could walk around the whole convention in just a couple minutes. The key to this one is not the size, its what you do while you’re there. If you get involved in the tournaments, check out the concerts, and panels, which we’ll touch on in later posts. You can easily make a whole weekend out of this con. If you don’t like to schedule things in to your day you will likely be very bored at Too Many Games. However, that pretty much goes for any conventions! If you don’t plan to see panels, shop, or participate in tournaments, you probably shouldn’t be there at all. I think if you heed that warning, and you aren’t a fkin’ lamer, you’ll love TMG. I know I enjoyed my time there. wish I could have partaken in more activities, and I hope next year One-Quest gets to roll out in full force!

    I hope you enjoyed my rant. This ain’t all folks.
    Stay tuned for our Video recap and more!

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    T.W.I.G 6/16/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/t-w-i-g-61613/ Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:01:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15654 E3-logo

    It was E3 last week so there’s LOTS of news to report for The Week In Gaming this week so lets get right to it!

    The News:

    • Playstation 4 to launch this November for $399. Big fan of that price point, I’ve already got my preorder in.
    • Sony announced that their PS+ subscription service will be required for online multiplayer for the PS4.
    • PS4 will allow users to replace the included 500GB hard drive with another if desired. This is a nice feature on the PS3 and am glad to see it carry over to the PS4.
    • Xbox One to launch this November for $499. This more than most industry analysts thought it would cost, will this hurt MS? We will have to wait and see
    • A new Halo game coming in 2014, will run at 60 FPS. The franchise finally moves from 30 to 60 FPS but that could truly change the game, will it now feel like Call of Duty in space or will it still feel like Halo?
    • Dead Rising 3 exclusive for Xbox One. Massive open world, wepon customization, Smart Glass integration.
    • A new model of the Xbox 360 was released based off the design of the Xbox One.
    • Microsoft announced that starting July 1 they will be giving all Xbox Live Gold members 2 free games per month. First 2 games are Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2. This is clearly a response to Sony’s similar program with PS+.
    • Killer Instinct will return on the Xbox One.
    • Forza 5 devs announce a new feature called “Drivetar” a learning AI that takes real-time data from your habits and creates a bot for you to earn you credits even while your offline.
    • Insomniac has announced an Xbox One exclusive game, Sunset Overdrive. It is an open world parkour shooter.
    • Crimson Dragon, a new Xbox One exclusive from the creator of Panzer Dragoon. Looked alot like Panzer Dragoon.
    • Ryze: Son of Rome announced for Xbox One. A new IP from Microsoft Studios.
    • Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, a 3rd person shooter coming this Fall to Xbox One and Xbox 360.
    • EA/DICE teased a new Star Wars: Battlefront using the Frostbite 3 Engine.
    • Criterion is working on Need For Speed: Rivals. Set to release with the PS4 and Xbox One
    • Bioware announced Dragon Age: Inquision, coming in 2014 for PS4 and Xbox One.
    • Battlefield 4 will feature 64-player online on the PS4/Xbox One and also include a tablet-based Commander Mode for supporting the players.
    • DICE announced Mirror’s Edge 2 with no release date given.
    • NBA Live returns this year for PS4/Xbox One with NBA Live ‘14. Featuring hourly updates and new ball physics.
    • EA Sports UFC will release next spring.
    • Nintendo has announced the the next Super Smash Bros will release in 2014 for the WiiU and 3DS. New characters include Wii Fit Trainer, Animal Crossing Villager, and Mega Man.
    • Final Fantasy Versus XII has been renamed to Final Fantasy XV and will release for both PS4 and Xbox One. No date had been given.
    • Square-Enix has announced Kingdom Hearts III also for both Xbox One and PS4. Also no date has been given.
    • Pokemon X/Y will release for 3DS on October 12th.
    • Nintendo announced Mario Kart 8 for WiiU.
    • Nintendo has given the official name for the new 3DS Legend of Zelda game, it will be titled Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
    • Nintendo has announced Super Mario 3D World for the WiiU. It looks like a Super Mario 2 inspired 3D platformer with 4-player co-op. It also introduces a Cat Suit, which allows you to climb certain walls in the worlds.

    For more E3 coverage check out our press conference live blogs: https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-direct-e3-2013-liveblog/https://one-quest.com/blog/sony-e3-2013-liveblog/https://one-quest.com/blog/ubisoft-e3-2013-liveblog/, https://one-quest.com/blog/ea-e3-2013-liveblog/https://one-quest.com/blog/microsoft-e3-2013-liveblog/

    The new releases:

    • Epic Mickey 2 (6/18) – Vita
    • Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystaria (6/18) – 360, PS3, WiiU, PC
    • New Super LuigiU (6/20) – WiiU

    Did you know?

    The first E3 ever was held in 1995 and featured the debut of 3 new pieces of hardware: Sony’s Playstation, Nintendo’s VirtuaBoy, and SNK’s NeoGeo CD. Sega also announced that the previously announced Saturn would go on sale immediately during the same E3.

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    Friday Five – Favorite Fictional Fathers https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-fictional-fathers/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:07:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15579 Randy Marsh from South Park
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This week’s category: Favorite Fictional Fathers.
     
    Since fathers day is a few days away, we figured we’d celebrate the occasion by listing the top 5 fictional dads in our lives! Some of them are a little odd, but what’s important to know is that these men exemplify what it means to be a dad in their respective settings. Don’t worry! We’ll be tackling the best and worst of E3 in the weeks coming. Enjoy.
     

    Pisko

     

    1. Stan Smith from American Dad. Stan is one part Homer Simpson, one part Jack Bower, and two parts badass idiot.
    2. Timmy Turners Dad…. “Dinkleberg!!!!!”
    3. Bob from Bobs Burgers.
    4. Ron Swanson (Though they aren’t his kids he still is technically going to be their father)
    5. God

     
    The Smith Family from American Dad
     

    Chris

     

    1. Darth Vader – Star Wars – Sure he was a jerk, and really wasn’t ever a real father to Luke or Leia, but he did in the end help bring balance to the force. Well unless you go into the expanded universe than he didn’t do much, but he did throw his boss down a pit to save his son so that’s cool.
    2. Batman – Batman Stuff – Damien definitely wasn’t an easy son, and Bruce didn’t know him till he was like 10. Still he was a good father, if being a good father entails bringing your son out to fight crazy viscious and dangerious criminals with you. He did that with his adoptive sons too, so it’s probably alright. And he really did care about them, well except Jason he just kinda let that one slide huh?
    3. Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) – Taken – He killed a lot of guys to get his daughter back. That’s pretty good parenting.
    4. Han Solo – Star Wars – Sure Han never had kids in the movies, but in the books that follow he has three with Leia. Twins, a boy and a girl like their mother and uncle, and a third son. I think all but the girl is dead now, but that’s not the parents fault. The youngest son was a hero and the eldest was a dick who fell to the darkside like his grandfather.
    5. Mufasa – The Lion King – He was only a father for like half an hour of the movie, but he seemed like a pretty good one. And he ran head first into that crazy stampede to save his kid, though that’s also the last thing he did.

     
    Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker
     

    Shannon

     

    1. Homer Simpson – The Simpsons
    2. Ted Mosby – How I Met Your Mother
    3. Burt Hummel – Glee
    4. Henry Spencer – Psych
    5. Marlin – Finding Nemo

     
    Homer Simpson and Bart
     

    Eric

     

    1. Red Forman – That 70s Show – I used this during the parent one, and he still stands at the top of my list. Dumbass.
    2. Kratos – God of War Series – Sure, he isn’t the best guy around. He did kill his wife and child after all. But it wasn’t his fault! Ares tricked him into doing it, and Kratos then spent every waking moment seeking revenge against the God of War and the rest of Olympus.
    3. Bowser – Super Mario Series – He’s not exactly the best role model for a child, but he is an awesome dude. I imagine he takes Bowser Jr. out for ice cream and stuff all the time.
    4. Magneto – Marvel Universe – Magneto isn’t a bad father. He just has different ideals then the rest of society. He still brought his kids up to be the awesome heroes/villains they are now.
    5. Dr. Light – Mega Man Series – Not technically a father, but still a father to his robotic creation. Without him, there would be no Mega Man.

     
    Red Forman reading a news paper

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    Wizard World Philadelphia 2013 Recap – Vendor POV Part 2 https://one-quest.com/blog/wizard-world-philadelphia-2013-recap-vendor-pov-part-2/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:54:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15570 onequestatwizardworld

    Well if you’re here, you should have already read Part 1 of my experience as a vendor at Wizard World Philadelphia, if not you’ve still got time, I promise this won’t go anywhere before you’re done! And make sure when you’re done here to check out our full convention coverage

    Okay ready? Lets get started with what went down on Saturday. Like the rest of the days we arrived early, this time with Erica our photographer, we hit a small snag at the door because Erica wasn’t technically allowed in until 10 since she was Press. Luckily Jerry the head of PR at Wizard World was kind enough to let her come in with us early. Like the other days, first thing we had to do was get the table set back up and looking all pretty, which at this point only takes a few minutes. This was about 9:00am, the floor opened to VIP’s at 9:30am so we just kind of hung out for a bit till everything got started. The funny thing about VIP’s is they are all about the celebrity they paid to see, which makes sense those badges cost a lot. I say that because pretty much as soon as doors opened you see a steady stream of people b-lining it right for the back where they could jump in line to get photo’s and autographs.

    I’m sure you can guess that at this point we didn’t have much foot traffic rolling by our table. It wouldn’t be till general admission got let in at 10:00am that we’d started seeing people. Around this time is when Erica went to get in line to meet Norman Reedus, who’s best known for The Walking Dead and The Boondock Saints. Now this doesn’t have much to do with our table or anything, but I want to talk about it for a minute. I already mentioned how Wizard did one of their best jobs yet with this years convention, the only big downfall was apparently the line situation. Erica waited over 5 hours ‘in line’ and never actually got into the actually line. She, like everyone else with general admission was kept off to the side while VIP’s could come and go as they pleased. I completely understand the thinking, they paid a lot of money to meet the celebrities, but it didn’t work out well for the people who couldn’t afford that. Now Erica wasn’t the only person I heard complain about this, between talking to people at the convention, and reading things on Facebook and Twitter it seemed to be a big problem for a lot of attendees. The bright side of this is Wizard is great about fixing mistakes. They’ll try something one year and if it doesn’t work out they’re rework it till it does work! I’ve helped work conventions in the past, I know it’s not easy to get this stuff done, hopefully though we see a better situation with lines next year!
    wizardworld2013 002
    Alright, now that we’ve got the bad stuff out of the way lets get on to all the good and the fun stuff that happened on Saturday. The whole team of con-going One-Quest staff was there plus a bunch of other friends who were just there as attendees. Most of the group was checking out all the convention had to offer, but that’s already been talked about in our Wizard World 2013 recap. Like the other days it was mostly John and I manning the table, only it was Saturday so there were a TON more people wandering around. It seemed like every few seconds I had someone else I was saying Hi to and talking to. It was fun, and everyone was generally pretty cool. I will say there was one exception, as a guy who I can only assume was drunk came up to us and was a complete jerk. He talked trash on our stuff then offered $10 on something that was marked for $100. I’m all for bartering but he was straight up being rude and we just pretty much told him to leave. Luckily that only happened once, and frankly you always have one jerk in a crowd of people this big.

    Saturday was a pretty smooth day, like I said there were a lot more people at the convention than the previous days so we were constantly interacting and talking about comics and conventions and the website and just generally having a good time. It wasn’t until the later afternoon that I got to leave the table for a bit as I attended the Jason David Frank panel with several other One-Quest members. Our very own Walnut got up to ask some questions during the Q&A which was pretty cool. If I only took one thing away from that panel it’s that JDF is one of the coolest freaking guys ever.
    June2013 450
    After the panel it was pretty much just buisness as usual hanging out at the table talking to people and having a good time. We ended up completely selling out of our grab bags on Saturday, all 230ish of them! It was pretty surprising as we didn’t think they’d go that quickly, but people were really into the surprise and even liked some of the stranger titles that were available in them. It just goes to show people like surprises and for a dollar, who wouldn’t. We also got to talk to some of the booths around us, right next door was webcomic writer Tony Digerolamo who was a great guy and really friendly. If you’re into comics you should head over and check out his site The Webcomic Factory there are all kinds of different stories to check out there. Another cool thing for some of us was our high school art teacher was setup at a table a few down from us. I highly recommend if you’re at Wizard World Philly next year or any other one in the area and you see the Neil King on the artist list stop by his table and check out his stuff or there is always his website BoldFaceComics.com.

    So the rest of Saturday wasn’t to crazy, but by the time we broke everything down I personally was exhausted. You really don’t think just how tiring it is to be standing at a table interacting with people and trying to be welcoming to strangers can really get. By the time we packed up for the night and headed home I was ready to just relax and get some rest for the final day of the convention!

    Our own Eric and Audra hanging out with The Doctor and the TARDIS

    Our own Eric and Audra hanging out with The Doctor and the TARDIS


    And that transitions us into Sunday, the final day of Wizard World Philadelphia. Much like Saturday Erica, John, and myself were the first 3 there, we got in and got everything setup. Unfortunately for Erica after the problems with the lines Saturday she wasn’t wasting any time and ran right back to get in line for Norman Reedus. She was luckier this time and after about 2 hours she was up front meeting The Boondock Saints star, she even got him to confirm that a third Boondock Saints is being written right now!. Being the last day of the convention a few things are happening, vendors and artists are doing their best to get as much product sold, and attendees are spending a lot more time looking at things. This was good and bad for us, we had a ton of people coming by and checking out our collages and talking to us about the website but not a lot of people actually buying. On the bright side, even though they weren’t buying we did seem to have some people checking us out online! So anyone that we met at Wizard World Philadelphia reading this, thanks for checking us out and it was great meeting you!

    I figured this was my last chance to actually checking out the convention, it had been three days of just hanging out at the table for the most part. And I have a few things I usually like to do at these kinds of shows. I love walking through the Artist Alley and seeing what art and indie books are for sale and getting to talk to the creators. Hell the more the creators talk the more likely I am to pick up their book, if they’re passionate enough about it I’m willing to check it out. Unfortunately time was limited so I didn’t get much of that done. The first thing I did do though was go get in line to meet Jason David Frank, as I mentioned earlier I went to his panel and he came off like a great guy so I figured why not. I had a little more of a reason for it as well, at the panel he mentioned being a comic fan growing up, and having to sell his books to open his first karate school. He also said he was a big Wolverine fan, I happened to have a stack of Wolverine books that I didn’t need anymore, so I brought them along and when I got up to meet him offer them as a gift. Now I don’t know how most celebrities handle stuff like that, but he was such a cool gracious guy. He immediately thanked me and tried offering me free shirts and stuff. I turned them down since I had already bought one, so instead he ended up signing a bunch of extra pictures for me for friends and family. It was such a great experience, and it’s always amazing to meet a childhood hero and actually have them be a great person.
    June2013 455
    So after that I went back to the One-Quest table for a bit and once the rest of our group arrived I decided to take some time and check things out. I walked around and talked to some people here and there. One place we always try to stop is the Zenescope Entertainment booth, they’re local so they usually get a great spot right by the door and those guys are always friendly and look to be having a great time. They were there really pushing some of their newer books like Robyn Hood Wanted, which we reviewed the second issue of in this week’s Take It Or Leave It, and the newest series Screwed which we also reviewed twice! Once for last week’s Take It Or Leave It, and another stand alone review! The last table I stopped at was the Wrylwynd table, who if you read our coverage of Baltimore Comic Con last year will remember we talked to a bunch and picked up some books from. Luckily for me they had the third issue of their series Kantara available at the show so I picked that up, expect a review early next week!

    That was about it for Wizard World at that point, the rest of Sunday for me was hanging out at the Table talking to people. Overall all this was probably one of the best Wizard Worlds I’ve been to, sure I didn’t get to spend as much time walking around enjoying the convention as past years, but I did get to experience everything in a very different way. If you’re an artist or anything and you’re not sure if you want to get a table at a convention, I recommend giving it a shot, and One-Quest is definitely going to have a presence at next years Wizard World Philadelphia. Now lets finish this article off with some of the cooler pictures we got!

    All photos by Erica Lowry except the blurry ones, that’s me.

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    Take It Or Leave It – June 12, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-june-12-2013/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:54:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15499 takeitorleaveit61213

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s been a great week for comics, not only did I finally get to read some of the books I picked up from Wizard World a few weekends back, which we’ll have reviews for soon, but this weeks releases were all stellar. I think this is the first week ever where everything got a Take It, the downside to that is it’s kind of an expensive week! Not every book is for everyone though, so whether you’re interested in the new Superman Unchained with Jim Lee and Scott Snyder or maybe you want to see the sudo-sequel to Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira’s opening Avenging Spider-Man arc in Savage Wolverine you’ll definitely find some cool stuff. And we can’t forget the first not FCBD issue of the new Aphrodite IX series (it’s really issue #2).

    Alphabetical by Publisher
    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment


    batgirl21

    Batgirl #21

    It feels like more than just a month since the last issue of Batgirl, I had almost forgotten what happened. Fortunately as soon as this book got started I remembered all the crap that Barbara has had to deal with lately. Her interactions with Nightwing at the very beginning were great and I wish we’d see more of them, or other Batfamily characters together. The real meat of the story came with Batgirl facing off against the ventriloquist from last issue, and boy is she one morbid individual and the puppet is even worse! When I first found out the villain last issue I wasn’t to excited but the way it was handled kept me invested and that’s a great thing to say about any book. One of the more interesting parts was just how disgusted Barbara was at the situation and how much everything was obviously really weighing down on her. I’m glad that the events that have recently transpired both in this book and others are really having a lasting effect. It would have been a shame to just move right on like nothing major went down.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    batman21

    Batman #21

    This is the first of two Scott Snyder penned titles released this week, and the opening to Snyder and Capullo’s Zero Year story line in Batman. So if you’re not familiar with the idea, they’re going back 6 years to before Bruce really became the Dark Knight and showing how he got there. This is right around the same time that the Zero issue happened last year so he’s already back in Gotham and trying to get his new ‘life’ in order. The one draw back I was having with the book was the jumping around it did. Every other page was a different time and a different place so the story felt very disconnected. Even with that problem it was still a really interesting read, and we got the introduction of a classic Batman rogue to the New 52, you can probably guess who but I’m not going to spoil it. Throughout the issue a lot of plot lines were setup and I just hope as this year long story continues things start to get more focused and we see Bruce deal with one problem at a time. It says something for the creators even when a person has a problem with the book, it’s still one of the best books on the shelves!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    nightwing21

    Nightwing #21

    Nightwing continues his duel with the Prankster in this issue, and we see what may have been the cause of the lack of superheroing happening in Chicago. I really enjoyed this issue of Nightwing, Dick got to be clever and funny while going up against Prankster and even have some alright fights. 90% of this issue is funny, there’s a lot of humor going on, then in the last few pages everything gets very real, very quickly. I’m really excited for what’s to come for Nightwing in coming months, he’s got one hell of a problem to face that’s for sure.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    supermanunchained1

    Superman Unchained #1

    Most comic book fans are probably going to be picking up Superman Unchained regardless of what anyone says about it. With a creative team like Scott Snyder and Jim Lee working on it you really can’t go wrong. I’ve tread issues of Action Comics and Superman over the last few months and neither of them really impress me. So far the best books to feature Superman have been Justice League, and the back ups in recent Batman issues featuring him working with Batman. Now though there’s a new book out there for Superman fans to get a good representation of The Man of Steel. I think Snyder really gets a nice flow going with his narrative, even while Superman is doing amazing things like catching a space station falling to earth he’s still Clark Kent. And frankly one of the coolest scenes in the book is him holding the wrecked station up over a bunch of scared scientists and astronauts, but I don’t want to spoil how we got there so I won’t say any more. Aside from the story, obviously Jim Lee’s art is amazing, I just hope he sticks on this title longer than just a story arc or two. I know the guy is busy, but most of the interest in this book is the creative team.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    aphroix02_coverb

    Aphrodite IX #2

    This is a really strange book, like I really have no clue how to describe just how weird it is. The thing about it though, it’s good, and the strangeness really helps it. As the reader you get a lot explained to you by various characters, but at the same time you’re just as confused about certain situations as the title character, she doesn’t know what’s happening and is trying to figure it all out too. By the end of the issue you’re genuinely upset about the outcome and what is probably going to happen next. That’s an impressive feat for the second issue of a book, let alone the second issue of a book that I personally had no familiarity with. Aphrodite IX is a completely new franchise to me, so while old fans are going to have their own opinion, I feel for a fantasy sci-fi book, there aren’t many better ways to go than this one.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    avengingspiderman22

    Avenging Spider-Man #22

    It’s funny, I didn’t even consider this team up until it happened, but considering the circumstances of the Spider-Man books it makes perfect sense. Now I’m not a huge Punisher fan, he’s cool but just not my kind of read. I do however generally like books he guest stars in, and past interactions with Spider-Man have always been interesting considering their drastically differing ideals. Now that Doc Ock is in control though those ideals aren’t all that different. From Spider-Man threatening to end Punisher to the Punisher approving and at the same time wanting Spider-Man to step back before he’s lost forever were all just great character scenes. And the inclusion of Hobgoblin and his villains for hire business was a nice touch for this final issue. As the book transition to Superior Spider-Man Team-Up next month we’ve still got a lot of answers we’ll need.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    guardiansofthegalaxy3

    Guardians Of The Galaxy #3

    I read on IGN today and the reviewer said that Guardians of the Galaxy is that surprise book each month where it’s like “Oh hey I forgot you existed” and frankly it’s true. Each month I look at my pull list and there’s Guardians and I suddenly remember how good it’s been. You’d think with such a quality book it would be something more on the radar, but being in it’s own secluded corner of the Marvel Universe has it’s draw backs. Other than Iron Man he’s got no real connection to any other stuff happening in the universe, which is one of the best selling points. You don’t need to follow anything else to get the story it’s all self contained in it’s own little bubble. Plus any book with a talking not-Raccoon and a giant talking tree is alright with me. So this month picks up right where last month left off with the heroes having saved earth, but getting arrested for doing it. There’s so much political stuff going on to keep people intrigued along with the action and sci-fi it’s a really good mash up of genres. Plus even in space with a new team, Tony Stark is still Tony Stark. Also “Blamo! Murdered You!” is my new favorite line.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ultimatexmen27

    Ultimate Comics X-Men #27

    Ultimate Comics X-Men feels like it’s finally going to start getting X-Men-y if that make sense. So much goes down in this issue it’s not even funny, characters aren’t who we think they are, others are who we think they are. Stuff from all over the Ultimate Universe is pretty much hating on mutants right now. The big focus it seemed in the issue was Jean and Psylocke along with General Ross. There was almost no Kitty or Mach Two to be seen. I’m particular interested to see where Rogues story goes with the Sentient Seed. They have a very strange relationship, and not much is shown of it, but we do know now that the Seed cares about the mutants and isn’t going to let anyone hurt them. With the conclusion of the story arc next issue, I have a feeling a lot is going to change and that’s something to really look forward to. Brian Wood’s best Ultimate stories so far have come out of massive change.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    RHWANTED02_coverA

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Wanted #2

    The first Robyn Hood series was great, it introduced all the characters you wanted to see and gave Robyn a perfect character and story that both fits to the original legend but gives her an identity of her own. Now in the sequel she’s not that same person anymore, things have changed and her world frankly doesn’t want her. On top of that the world she saved isn’t in the best of circumstances either. Issue 2 has a lot going on, especially in Nottingham as Bree is now called. The book shows us just how bad things have gotten for real, and we see that like the first series, characters just aren’t safe. Back in the mortal world Robyn is in another terrible situation that she has no real hope of getting out of, but of course she does. We also get some great Will Scarlet, and I really hope series writer Pat Shand doesn’t kill him, but I have a feeling he will. Overall issue 2 was pretty solid, it’s still kind of setting up the main conflict, but that’s alright by the end of the issue you see where everything is headed and it should be epic.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
    Boom Studio Teases A Little Anarchy https://one-quest.com/blog/boom-studio-teases-a-little-anarchy/ Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:47:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15531 Boom Studio sent out a teaser late Wednesday night featuring the logo of the popular FX drama Sons Of Anarchy. With a September headline, so basically all you SAMCRO fans out there can look forward to more than just the show returning this fall. We don’t know much else about the book, but as soon as we learn more expect an update! For now check out the teaser from Boom below, and if you’re wondering the sixth season of Sons of Anarchy starts September 11, 2013. That’s a Wednesday, so maybe the debut of the comic will be the same day!

    Boom_SOA

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    The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Release Window! https://one-quest.com/blog/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds-release-window/ Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:38:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15521 The-Legend-of-Zelda-A-Link-Between-Worlds-2

    It’s official! Well kind of anyway, Nintendo revealed that the highly anticipated sequel to A Link To The Past, A Link Between Worlds is going to be out this November. It was originally revealed to be planned for a winter 2013 release, but now we’ve got it narrowed even further. Man November is going to be an expensive month for some people, tons of games, plus 2 new consoles!

    Being a huge fan of the original game, you can rest assured any new information that comes out we’ll be sure to post!

    And just for fun, here is some video and images from the game!

    E3 Trailer
    E3 Gameplay Courtesy IGN
    zelda3ds 3DS_Zelda_scrn06_E3resized zelda-a-link-between-worlds-stereoscopic-3d-puzzle-screenshot
    3DS_Zelda_scrn01_E3resized link610
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    E3 2013 Schedule https://one-quest.com/blog/e3-2013-schedule/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:45:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14884 E3 2013 logo
     
    It’s nerd superbowl time again kids, and you know what that means! It’s time for E3!
     
    *BOOM* Mind blown and junk, right? Probably not. . . You all knew this was coming. But this is still flippin’ exciting!
     
    So, there’s a whole lot going on next week. Particularly in the Monday/Tuesday range. After that it’s just show floor time. So, we’ll have our live blogs set up nice and early so you can bookmark your favorites. We’ll be liveblogging the Big 3 definitely (Sony, MS, and Nintendo). Some of the smaller guys run into some odd time slots, but we’ll do our best to cover those.
     
    Anyway, here’s the primary lineup.
     

    Monday 6/10/2013

     

    Microsoft

    kicks off the day with their press conference starting at 9am PST, 12 noon EST.
     

    EA

    is next up at 1pm PST, 4pm EST.
     

    Ubisoft

    takes stage at 3pm PST, 6pm EST.
     

    Sony

    rounds off the day with their press conference starting at 6pm PST, 9pm EST.
     
    We will definitely have coverage for Microsoft and Sony. The other guys are going to be a little rough.
     
     

    Tuesday 6/11/2013

     

    Nintendo

    keeps their E3 presence a little more personal with a Nintendo Direct instead of an actual press conference at 7am PST, 10am EST.
     

    Square-Enix

    has a special surprise for media attending E3 at their Future of Final Fantasy event. There won’t be a live stream, but we’ll be sure to bring you any exciting info that comes out of it as soon as possible.
     
     

    Wednesday 6/12/2013

     

    Nintendo

    gives the public an opportunity to take part in the E3 festivities at nearly 100 Best Buy stores across the US. We’ll be at our local store to check out the new games, so be sure to look out for our coverage of that event.
     

    Best Buy

    has the details on the event, so check it out and be sure to check out your local store for a chance to play some new Nintendo games between 4 and 8pm!
     
    The Expo continues into Thursday, but currently nothing special is scheduled for that day. We’ll be sure to keep you all up to date with any other info that may pop up anyway.
     
    There you have it! E3 in a nut shell. We’re stoked! Hope you are too!

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    Nintendo Direct E3 2013 Liveblog https://one-quest.com/blog/nintendo-direct-e3-2013-liveblog/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:30:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14940 E3 - Nintendo

    In a bold move, Nintendo is skipping the standard Press Conference format and instead opting for for a more personal approach. Nintendo is holding a Nintendo Direct on June 11, 2013 at 7am PST, 10am EST.

    You can watch it at the Nintendo Direct Channel, and catch our reactions live, here.

    11:48am by Eric

    Well, after rewatching the Nintendo Direct E3 event, I have to say I’m excited, but not blown away.

    Unfortunately with no hardware announcements this con bumps them down a few notches, but with a solid lineup of fun looking exclusive games coming I’m still happy.

    I am a little disappointed that we didn’t hear about a new Zelda, Metroid, or Star Fox game. But the games they did announce look very entertaining.

    While Nintendo didn’t do anything explosive like Sony did last night, it’s still great to see them come out with a strong lineup!

    11:35am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Direct E3.

    Bayonetta 2 looks great on WiiU! I may need to pick up the first one soon.

    11:25am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Direct E3.

    Wonderful 101 looks like superhero Pikmin! Really cool!

    11:24am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Direct E3.

    They’ve added a new sail to Wind Waker to make the boat faster! ^_^

    11:20am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Event.

    3rd party games coming to WiiU in 2013
    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman Arkham Origins, Disney Infinity, Just Dance 2014, Rayman Legends, Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, DIsney planes, Skylanders SwapForce, Splinter Cell BlackList, Watch_Dogs, Sonic: The Lost World

    3rd party Games going to 3DS in 2013
    Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Skylanders SwapForce, Sonic: The Lost World

    11:09am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Event. Wii Party U is Mario Party with Miis. It has a lot of the game demos displayed at last years Nintendo E3.

    11:08am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Event. In Mario Kart 8 you can drive on walls! Even upside down! That looks cool!

    11:06am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Event. In Super Mario 3D World Peach, Mario, Toad, and Luigi all have special abilities that make them different. Peach can hover, Luigi jumps higher, Toad runs faster, Mario. . . He’s Mario.

    11:04am by Eric

    Rewatching Nintendo Event. Pokemon now has a Fairy type. Pretty cool!

    10:53am by Eric

    Pet, feed, and play with your pokemon like in Kingdom Hearts 3D. Looks awesome!

    10:52am by Eric

    ReWatching the stream. Now seeing some great stuff about Pokemon X and Y! It looks amazing!

    10:46am by Eric

    Well. . . It’s over. And I must say, as excited as I am for some of the games shown, I’m a little disappointed. Mostly due to the technical issues. I feel like I missed some things, so I’m going to try to find the replay and check it out again. From there I’ll make further comments. Till then.

    10:40am by Eric

    #MEGAMAN IS PLAYABLE IN THE NEW #SUPERSMASHBROS! #NintendoDirectNA #E3

    10:39am by Eric

    Smash Bros coming to 3DS and WiiU!

    10:37am by Eric

    Monolithsoft, makers of XenoBlade is making an awesome Mech game for WiiU. Launching in 2014!

    10:36am by Eric

    Bayonetta 2 looks great! Bayonetta has short hair now. . . #NintendoDirectNA #E3

    10:35am by Eric

    Dixie Kong is back as a playable character in the new Donkey Kong game.

    10:34am by Eric

    Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze coming this November! #NintendoDirectNA #E3

    10:32am by Eric

    NEW DONKEY KONG FOR WiiU! ^_^ #NintendoDirectNA #E3!

    10:29am by Eric

    Wind Waker HD Looks incredible!

    10:28am by Eric

    Time for info on WindWaker! ^_^

    10:27am by Eric

    WiiU and Nintendo E-Shop supporting Indie Developers as well.

    10:26am by Eric

    Plenty of 3rd party support coming to WiiU in the future!

    10:24am by Eric

    Wii U adding MiiVerse ArtAcademy tools to allow for more detailed artwork in the MiiVerse!

    10:23am by Eric

    Wii Party U and Wii Fit U due in October and December respectively.

    10:21am by Eric

    Mario Kart 8 coming in Spring 2014!

    10:19am by Eric

    Taking some moves from 7 we have cars that can fly and go under water, but now they can ride on walls too!

    10:18am by Eric

    We’re onto Mario Kart 8, which looks beautiful!

    10:13am by Chris

    Well I can’t wait for Super Mario 3D World. When can I give Nintendo my money?

    10:13am by Eric

    This looks like a nice combination of Super Mario 64, New Super Mario Bros., and classic mario games! Super Mario 3D World.

    10:12am by Eric

    New 3D mario game on display. Mario can turn into a cat, and you can play as peach, toad, and. . . LUIGI!

    10:11am by Chris

    OH man, this Mario game is looking fun, it’s like Mario 3D land mixed with New Super Mario Bros. And Mario gets to be a cat

    10:11am by Eric

    Pokemon X and Y launched worldwide on October 12.

    10:09am by Chris

    Well I don’t know about everyone else, but this is pretty bad. . . I can’t get more than a few seconds without buffering.

    10:08am by Eric

    Ok, we’re in, but the feed is really laggy. Hopfully it clears up a bit.

    10:07am by Eric

    We’re having trouble viewing the Nintendo Live Stream. . . we’ll update as soon as we can.

    09:46am by Chris

    The E3 Nintendo Direct will be starting soon!

     

    ]]>
    Sony E3 2013 Liveblog https://one-quest.com/blog/sony-e3-2013-liveblog/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:30:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14936 E3 - Sony

    Sony rounds off the day of press conferences on June 10, 2013. Their event starts at 6pm PST, 9pm EST.

    You can watch the press conference live at playstation.com

    And also at Gametrialers.com and Spike TV

    You can catch our reactions to the event here!

    11:28pm by Eric

    Well. . . That was intense! Sony came out swinging and, well, Xbox One fell hard!

    It’s hard to not feel this way. There were a ton of awesome game demos, some exciting new reveals, and of course the Pricing! WOOOOO!!!

    Most exciting is that PS+ will carry over and net all PS4 owners a free game at launch. So really, you have no reason not to sign up at this point. Just do it! get free shit! You’ll love it!

    Games? You wanted games? YOU GOT GAMES! Honestly, I don’t think most of those were exclusives, they may have been, but I don’t know. All I know is FINAL FANTASY XV and Kingdom Hearts III rocked my mind! We saw Killzone, Bayond Two Souls, Kingdom Hearts III, Destiny. . . OH MY GOD Destiny! Did I say need it yet? No? NEED IT! Elder Scrolls Online! Assassin’s Creed IV gameplay! Watch_Dogs gameplay! KINGDOM GOD DAMNED HEARTS FUCKING III!!! SHUT UP AND TALK ALL OF THE MONEY!

    I will say I do feel a little jipped that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is being rebranded to XV. I mean, it looks phenomenal, but it’s been in development since before I met my wife. Thats not the “next generation of final fantasy.” That’s a decades old game rebranded. Aw, who am I kidding? I just want it now!

    The Order looked interesting, and Ready At Dawn is a fantastic developer. I would love to see more from that game. InFamous always impresses me. It’ll be nice to have only fire powers, and BAMF around the city like NightCrawler. And the Indie titles! Those looked great and I really can’t wait to try out Transistor, Oddworld, and. . . the one about the cowboys. It looked awesome. OH! And the Zombie one! That looked cool too!

    Well, suffice to say. Sony won. The biggest, and best, news of the night was that PlayStation 4 will NOT restrict Used games. It will also NOT require an online connection. NOT even a 24 hour checkup! It WILL be priced at $ 399! That’s $ 100 lower than the competition.

    Sorry guys, I’m calling this one. Sony Wins. We’ll see you tomorrow to for Nintendo’s conference at 10am EST!

    11:06pm by Shannon

    There were a lot of launch games, live demos, and of course an amazing price point!

    11:05pm by Chris

    Sorry for bad spelling everyone the Note 10.1 is great but not perfect for writing

    11:04pm by Eric

    I don’t feel like this is calling it early at all when I say. . . #SONYWINS! #SonyE3

    11:04pm by Chris

    Only 399? Kee rubbing Salt in thu xbox one wound!!

    11:03pm by Eric

    $ 399! $ 399! SUCK IT XBOX!

    11:02pm by Shannon

    Four Hundred Dollars. Sorry Microsoft.

    11:01pm by Eric

    Time to talk about Gaikai and Streaming Games on PS4.

    11:00pm by Chris

    Welp I’m getting Destiny. Now whats The PS4 going to Cost me?

    11:00pm by Eric

    Destiny coming in 2014! And, yeah, it looks awesome!

    10:57pm by Eric

    Destiny is like Diablo in first person. . . and fun. NEED IT!

    10:49pm by Eric

    DESTINy ON PS4! Looks sooooooo good!

    10:47pm by Shannon

    Destiny!

    10:47pm by Chris

    Destiny

    10:46pm by Eric

    PS+ Will carry over to PS4! Free games, uploaded saves, discounts, auto updates! GET IT!

    10:46pm by Chris

    PS4 is the Console to Own.

    10:45pm by Shannon

    Sony really has their customers in mind. PS+ carries over to PS4.

    10:43pm by Eric

    NO RESTRICTIONS ON USED GAMES! NO ONLINE REQUIREMENT ON PS4! #SuckItXbox! #SonyE4

    10:43pm by Chris

    Man Sony is doing it all right! Take notes Microsoft

    10:43pm by Shannon

    It just keeps getting better. Online connection is not a requirement.

    10:42pm by Shannon

    No restrictions on used games. Listen to the crowd roar with excitement. We already knew Xbox One was losing, but I think it just went down the toilet.

    10:42pm by Chris

    Sony Just Won

    10:40pm by Chris

    Mad Max! I Knew it! There is the new movie Coming

    10:40pm by Shannon

    Keep your poop in your butt Eric…. it’s only freakin MAD MAX!

    10:40pm by Eric

    Mad Max! Still cool. :-p

    10:39pm by Eric

    If this is fallout I’m going to poop my pants. . .

    10:36pm by Eric

    The Elder Scrolls Online! On PS4! ^_^

    10:34pm by Eric

    Exclusive Watch_Dogs content for PS4! Boom! #Suckitxbox!

    10:34pm by Chris

    Watch_dogs is a must buy!

    10:32pm by Shannon

    There are so many ways to do things in Watch_Dogs. Can’t wait to see the whole game!

    10:27pm by Chris

    I hope that Black Flag is Less Buggy that AC3

    10:26pm by Shannon

    Another live demonstration of an amazing looking game!

    10:26pm by Eric

    Watch_Dogs gameplay! Sweet!

    10:25pm by Shannon

    Had some issues with the game freezing up a little, but it still looked great.

    10:25pm by Eric

    This looks world better than III! Aaaaaaaand there’s the glitches. . .

    10:24pm by Chris

    I’m Officialy excited for mon Assassin’s Creed

    10:21pm by Eric

    OK, I’m back in. Assassin’s Creed IV gameplay!

    10:20pm by Eric

    I don’t even care about what’s happening right now. . . I’m so happy after Kingdom Hearts III! ^_^

    10:19pm by Shannon

    We’re actually seeing live game play for Assasin’s Creed.

    10:19pm by Eric

    Wow! Square Enix is bringing it back! Final Fantasy Versus XIII is officially Final Fantasy XV! Final Fantasy XIV on PS4 and PS3! AAAAAAAAND KINGDOM HEARTS III! I NEED PS4!

    10:18pm by Chris

    Holy shit Kind Hearts III and Finn Fantasy XV!!!

    10:18pm by Shannon

    KH3 coming to PS4? Sony is really bringing it!

    10:17pm by Eric

    KINGDOM HEARTS III! ^_^

    10:16pm by Eric

    Final Fantasy Versus XIII is officially Final Fantasy XV!

    10:12pm by Eric

    Versus XIII TRAILER! IT STILL EXISTS!

    10:12pm by Eric

    Square Enix! FINAL FANTASY!

    10:10pm by Eric

    Remake of Oddworld, Oddworld New and Tasty, coming to PS4! ^_^

    10:09pm by Chris

    There are so many Cool looking indie games On the horizon

    10:06pm by Chris

    I like the Style for Transistor

    10:05pm by Eric

    Supergiant games bringing their new title to PS4!

    10:04pm by Eric

    Now on to Indie Games with Adam Boyes.

    10:03pm by Chris

    That was rail cool

    10:02pm by Chris

    It’s Jost a prototype but holy crap. the is amazing!

    10:02pm by Eric

    Is this the old man face from Quantic Dreams display in february?

    10:00pm by Eric

    The Dark Sorcerer running in game on PS4. Looking cool so far.

    10:00pm by Eric

    Knack will launch with PS4. Infamous will launch Q1 2014.

    09:59pm by Shannon

    A lot of games out for PS4 by Q1 of 2014, many at launch.

    09:58pm by Chris

    Can’t wait for Infamous. Voice actin is way Better for second Son

    09:57pm by Eric

    Nice to see some gameplay for InFamous Second Son. It looks awesome!

    09:56pm by Chris

    I don’t really Play First PerSon games but Kilkone looks Beautiful

    09:56pm by Shannon

    Here’s a look at Infamous!

    09:55pm by Eric

    Killzone time. This game does look beautiful.

    09:54pm by Eric

    The Order 1886. Very interesting. I want to see more.

    09:54pm by Shannon

    The Order, looks great!

    09:54pm by Chris

    The Order ? Steam Punk Zombie Shooter?

    09:51pm by Eric

    New IP. Exclusive to PS4. By Sony Santamonica and Ready at dawn. . .

    09:51pm by Chris

    Wow 12 new IP’s from Sony

    09:50pm by Chris

    Ugh I’m least interested in the Social media Stuff

    09:48pm by Chris

    So Will redbox instant be dollar rentals or Subscription based?

    09:48pm by Eric

    Now onto PS4 games with Shu Yoshida! ^_^

    09:45pm by Chris

    So much TV Emphasis in this gen. Make Sense though

    09:44pm by Eric

    Exclusive movie and tv content for PS4. Uncharted TV show? icon smile

    09:43pm by Chris

    as long as it has Netflix and plays games I am Happy.

    09:42pm by Eric

    Michael Lynton of Sony Pictures on stage now. Probably going to talk about movies.

    09:40pm by Chris

    looks less like a VCR tha xboxone Bu a bit like my DVR in Black. Cool though.

    09:40pm by Shannon

    Very sleek, much like a prettier PS2.

    09:40pm by Eric

    It’s a square. This is what everyone wanted. To see the square. O.O It’s a rhombus!

    09:39pm by Eric

    STOP TEASING US! Just Show it!

    09:38pm by Chris

    Finally PS4 Time!

    09:38pm by Eric

    Time for PS4 and some Daft Punk! :-p

    09:38pm by Eric

    PS3 will launch over 300 titles by the end of the year. That’s absurd!

    09:36pm by Shannon

    Holy retro Batman, Batman!

    09:36pm by Chris

    nice Azreal Costume

    09:36pm by Chris

    Oh snap! The Joker!

    09:35pm by Chris

    I like the villians So far

    09:34pm by Eric

    Arkham Origins is looking fantastic!

    09:34pm by Chris

    BATMAN!!

    09:34pm by Shannon

    I’m so looking forward to Batman! Such a great franchise.

    09:33pm by Chris

    Eh I think if I’m getting a new racing game Need for speed wins

    09:32pm by Shannon

    Racing games always have such amazing graphics. All of the games they’re showing look great, and just remember, this is all current gen stuff.

    09:31pm by Eric

    Now some Gran Turismo! This series just keeps getting better and better!

    09:31pm by Chris

    Beyond just Keeps looking Better

    09:30pm by Chris

    Puppeteer and Rain look interesting. But Hero is Beyond TWo Souls

    09:29pm by Eric

    Beyond Two Souls is going to be absolutely amazing!

    09:29pm by Shannon

    This one is the Ellen Page game :p

    09:27pm by Shannon

    No, this is not the Ellen Page game, it’s the other one.

    09:27pm by Chris

    oooh Last of us! Can’t wait for Friday

    09:26pm by Eric

    Time for The Last of Us! ^_^ This game is going to be superb!

    09:26pm by Chris

    Telltales Walking Dead should be great for the Vita

    09:25pm by Eric

    Walking Dead game on Vita?! That’s awesome!

    09:24pm by Chris

    first Shot of new Batman?

    09:23pm by Eric

    I really need more Vita games. Get me more games!

    09:22pm by Chris

    Vita and ps3 are Up first

    09:21pm by Eric

    Yes, we are excited Jack. Now get to the good stuff!

    09:20pm by Eric

    Jack Tretton on stage!

    09:18pm by Eric

    Starting off with an exciting video show casing the popular face buttons and some games.

    09:17pm by Shannon

    Here we go! Will we see the PS4 right away?

    09:17pm by Eric

    Here we go!

    09:13pm by Eric

    Sit down people! I want to see the goods!

    09:07pm by Chris

    Just a few mon minute until Sony Event!

    09:03pm by Eric

    We’re getting psyched for the PlayStation event! What do you think we’ll see tonight?

     

    ]]>
    Ubisoft E3 2013 Liveblog https://one-quest.com/blog/ubisoft-e3-2013-liveblog/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14932 E3  -Ubisoft

    Ubisoft takes the stage on June 10, 2013. Their conference starts at 3pm PST, 6pm EST.

    You can view the Ubisoft E3 Press Conference live at Gametrailer.com and Spike TV.
    You can catch our reactions to the event here.

    07:21pm by Eric

    Overall, I’m impressed. I would have liked to see some more new games. I feel like Ubi is riding Watch_Dogs hard, and I really hope it lives up to the hype. As much as I love Assassin’s Creed, it would be really awesome to see them go somewhere else with the franchise. The future maybe? Or even all the way back to “Those who came before.”

    I will say I am in love with The Crew and The Division. Ubisoft has stepped up their game, and it’s great to see them move into some new territory.

    Stay tuned for the Sony press conference, starting at 9pm EST! Only about an hour and a half to go!

    07:16pm by Eric

    It’s a new Tom Clancy title. That’s fantastic! I definitely want this one.

    07:09pm by Eric

    The Division. Interesting title and concept. Now for a live demo.

    07:05pm by Eric

    Darkwinter?

    07:04pm by Eric

    By Massive Entertainment. . .

    07:04pm by Eric

    Ubisoft MMO?

    07:04pm by Eric

    Yves is back out. . . I wonder why. . .

    06:57pm by Eric

    I’m going to have to watch that trailer a couple hundred more times. . .

    06:52pm by Eric

    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag time! Sooooooo stoked!

    06:48pm by Shannon

    Playing an interactive TV show? My son will love that.

    06:47pm by Eric

    Rabbids Invasion! O.O I may need to get cable again!

    06:46pm by Eric

    New Just Dance should be a fun time at the parties! :p

    06:45pm by Shannon

    Just Dance 2014, great party game!

    06:43pm by Eric

    I mean, it looks awesome. But Next Gen would be games like Ryse, Infamous: Second Son. Games developed solely for the Next Gen consoles, with no chance of being ported on the current gen.

    06:40pm by Shannon

    This is a game I know I’ll be watching my husband play. Then yell at him if he plays when I’m not around.

    06:40pm by Eric

    I love that Watch_Dogs is being heralded as the best of the Next Gen games, but it’s not even a next gen game. . .

    06:39pm by Shannon

    Here comes Watch Dogs!

    06:39pm by Drootin

    Time for Watch_Dogs!

    06:39pm by Eric

    Watch_Dogs! ^_^

    06:38pm by Shannon

    Look at that, another tablet function.

    06:38pm by Eric

    If #TheCrew plays as well as a Criterion racing game, then it’ll probably going to be my next racing game.

    06:37pm by Shannon

    Looks like Ubisoft is giving us more in depth looks into their games. This is scoring points with me.

    06:36pm by Eric

    Form crews to take on multiplayer challenges across the country!

    06:35pm by Drootin

    This is really intriguing, I’m not really big on racing/driving games but this could be one I could get into

    06:34pm by Shannon

    This is really cool. Too bad I’m awful at driving games.

    06:33pm by Eric

    I love the idea of driving across country in #thecrew!

    06:31pm by Eric

    Live gameplay demo showing off 4 different players in 4 locations of the US. This sounds nuts.

    06:29pm by Shannon

    MMO mob racing?

    06:29pm by Eric

    The entire USA? That sounds wild. . .

    06:27pm by Eric

    Fast and the Furious the game? I think I may be more excited for this than I am with Need for Speed Rivals.

    06:27pm by Drootin

    The level of detail on the cars in the next-gen racing games we’ve been seeing is mind blowing

    06:26pm by Shannon

    Wow! This looks like a movie trailer.

    06:25pm by Eric

    It’s a racing game!

    06:25pm by Drootin

    I think this is the first we’ve heard of this game at all

    06:24pm by Eric

    New IP called The Crew.

    06:24pm by Eric

    Yves Gillmont takes the stage to talk about some more awesome games!

    06:23pm by Eric

    From here on out it’s next gen time! ^_^

    06:21pm by Shannon

    I’m sure a lot of the OQ readers are excited for South Park

    06:21pm by Eric

    South Park the Stick of Truth! ^_^ I can’t wait for this game!

    06:20pm by Drootin

    Seems intriguing, persistent loot grind/castle building

    06:17pm by Eric

    I’m in the Beta for The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. I should try it out. . .

    06:17pm by Drootin

    New IP, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot

    06:17pm by Eric

    The Biggest Rayman Ever! . . .that should have come out 4 months ago. . .

    06:17pm by Shannon

    Look like they’re packing a lot into Rayman Legends. Great multiplayer, musical levels. Can’t wait!

    06:15pm by Eric

    Rayman Legends hits store shelves on September 3rd.

    06:14pm by Shannon

    My son loves the Rayman game, he’ll be super excited that this is finally coming out.

    06:13pm by Shannon

    Aisha Tyler being awkward

    06:13pm by Eric

    Yay Rayman Legends! Boooooo multiplatform!

    06:13pm by Drootin

    Jese, an Atari Jaguar reference, lol

    06:12pm by Eric

    I haven’t played a splinter cell since pandora tomorrow, looks like I gotta jump back on board.

    06:12pm by Eric

    This looks awesome so far!

    06:11pm by Shannon

    Gonna get some game play in Philadelphia, PA. We’re all very familiar with that city here at One-Quest.

    06:11pm by Drootin

    oooo Philadelphia!

    06:09pm by Eric

    Mercs vs Spies returns! It was so much fun in Pandora Tomorrow!

    06:09pm by Drootin

    Return of Spies vs Mercs online play

    06:09pm by Shannon

    Time to get sneaky with Splinter Cell.

    06:08pm by Eric

    Splinter Cell Blacklist time! ^_^ This game looks fantastic!

    06:07pm by Eric

    Aisha Tyler is the host once again. . .

    06:05pm by Eric

    Rocksmith 2014, the fastest way to learn guitar.

    06:03pm by Eric

    Jerry Contrell of Alice in Chains on stage playing music, and now a game. . . ?

    05:56pm by Eric

    Apparently I can’t spell… Don’t worry I’ll figure it out.

    05:55pm by Eric

    We’re about 5 minutes our for Ubisofts press conference! Who’s excited for more Assassin’s Creed?! ^_^

    ]]> Zenescope Announces NO TOMORROW! https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescope-announces-no-tomorrow/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:16:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=15215 notomorrow
    Zenescope is once again going to throw us a new spin off series from their Grimm Fairy Tales line, and this one sounds dark and twisted and tragic like none before it. No Tomorrow is about a vengeful angel of death and a normal man trying to stop her! So basically cheat death, it sounds like it’ll have a lot of depth and meaning more so than most comics on their today. And of course it’s going to have the expected level of characterization, sexiness, and story that we always get from a Zenescope book.

    No Tomorrow will be available this August, so make sure to get out there and tell your local comic shop to reserve you a copy!

    We don’t know a ton more about the book, but check out the full press release below followed by a preview of the 4 covers for the series.

    Zenescope Entertainment Announces Grimm Fairy Tales: NO TOMORROW

    Zenescope Entertainment has announced its newest Grimm Fairy Tales spin off mini-series, entitled Grimm Fairy Tales: No Tomorrow. The five part mini-series is a supernatural horror/thriller that could be the scariest comic the company has published since its spine-tingling comic book prequel to the film SE7EN back in 2007.

    Set in the not so far off future, the long fought battle between the forces of good and evil has finally come to an end, and now an ancient new horror has entered the Grimm Universe. Keres, the Goddess of the Death, has begun to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Earth, and one family man will feel the effects more than any other. Now this man must attempt to uncover the truth behind Keres and how to stop her before all is lost. But will his obsession with destroying “death” also prove to be his downfall?

    Drawn partially from the tragic loss of a close friend, writer Raven Gregory came up with the idea of a vengeful “Grimm Reaper” who needs to be stopped. “At its core, No Tomorrow is about a man who decides to fight the inevitable, regardless of the consequences,” says Gregory. “It’s horror in its purest form.”

    “I’ve wanted to do a story about an angel of death for a long time then Raven suddenly pitched this to Joe and I and we knew this was the right concept.” said Zenescpe Editor-in-Chief, Ralph Tedesco “It’s tragic, scary and thrilling. It has a great hook and fantastic characters. I’m very excited to be part of this series.”
    The first issue is available now for pre-order in Diamond’s May edition of PREVIEWS and hits stands in August. The issue also features four beautiful covers by Mike Krome, Harvey Tolibao, Stjepan Sejic, and Pasquale Qualano. For more information on No Tomorrow or any other Zenescope title, visit www.zenescope.com or follow their updates on Facebook.com/Zenescope and Twitter @Zenescope.

    GFT No Tomorrow 1C GFT No Tomorrow 1D
    GFT No Tomorrow1A GFT No Tomorrow1B
    ]]>
    EA E3 2013 Liveblog https://one-quest.com/blog/ea-e3-2013-liveblog/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:30:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14925 E3 - EA

    EA is next up after Microsoft on June 10, 2013. Their conference starts at 1pm PST, 4pm EST.

    You can watch the EA Press Conference live at EA.com

    You can also watch it over at Gametrailers.com for Spike TVs coverage.

    You can catch our reactions to the event here, live.

    04:59pm by Chris

    Welp, that’s it for the EA conference, Lots of cool stuff, Plants Vs Zombies Shooter, Star Wars Battlefront, Mirrors Edge 2, Need For Speed Rivals man I’m going to need a PS4 sooner than I expected!

    04:59pm by Drootin

    And that’s the show everyone. I for one was pretty impressed. I think the biggest reveal was the new Star Wars Battlefront

    04:58pm by Chris

    I’m alright with Coming When Ready as long as it’s actually ready when it comes out.

    04:57pm by Drootin

    Mirror’s Edge, coming…. when its ready. Taking the Blizzard approach with that one apparently.

    04:57pm by Chris

    Mirrors Edge didn’t get nearly enough credit, hopefully this one gets some more! Can’t wait to see more of that!

    04:56pm by Drootin

    Mirror’s Edge 2

    04:56pm by Shannon

    Mirrors Edge looks great!

    04:56pm by Chris

    Mirrors Edge 2!

    04:56pm by Drootin

    They just had an entire skyscraper get destroyed. That’s pretty epic.

    04:55pm by Shannon

    So far Need for Speed and Battlefield have features that use tablets. Don’t have one yet? Go get one!

    04:52pm by Drootin

    The destruction models are CRAZY now, they took out a tank by demolishing a support pillar for the road above

    04:49pm by Chris

    As usually Battlefield looks amazing.

    04:49pm by Drootin

    New feature, Commander Mode, gives a top down view and is accessible from Tablets

    04:48pm by Drootin

    64-players online on console this time around for Battlefield 4

    04:47pm by Chris

    Battlefield 4, hopefully this goes better than Microsoft did earlier!

    04:46pm by Chris

    If this were game play footage it would be amazing, a pre-rendered video, I’ve seen better.

    04:45pm by Drootin

    EA Sports UFC coming Spring 2014

    04:45pm by Chris

    I’d like to see game play rather than talking, I don’t know enough about UFC to care about talking

    04:42pm by Drootin

    ITS TIME! For the new EA UFC game.

    04:41pm by Shannon

    Lets get ready to rumble!

    04:40pm by Drootin

    I don’t know if the “Madden” name will still be around in 2025.

    04:39pm by Shannon

    I think for hardcore soccer fans, the crowds reacting might actually be a big deal. Though I agree, it looks like they didn’t do as much with the dynamics of the game this year.

    04:39pm by Chris

    On the topic of Madden, if they’re Madden 25 now, but they go back to year names and next year is Madden 15, what do they do in 2025? Will it be Madden 25-2?

    04:38pm by Drootin

    That looks pretty fantastic, I’ve kinda fallen off the Madden bandwagon in recent years, could be time for me to get back in

    04:38pm by Chris

    Nevermind for some reason Drake is the spokesperson for Fifa, because that’s going to make people want to play! Get a freaking Soccer/Football player out there!

    04:37pm by Chris

    Did Fifa really just get a trailer while NBA Live and Madden got all kinds of stuff?

    04:36pm by Shannon

    That one guy looked like Sylar…

    04:36pm by Chris

    Madden 25 gameplay trailer looks fantastic, everything is beautiful, but something still just looks slightly wrong.

    04:35pm by Drootin

    Finally focusing on making the linemen more accurately slide and block not just get stuck into animations.

    04:34pm by Shannon

    If you didn’t hear it, all this Madden footage is game play. It looks great, and the physics are crazy accurate.

    04:33pm by Chris

    All the features for Madden are cool, but it looks off to me, like it’s not really happening.

    04:33pm by Chris

    Madden time! Don’t know if I like that it’s Madden 25 and not Madden 2014

    04:32pm by Chris

    NBA Live looks nice, so all you basketball fans will have something good to play!

    04:31pm by Drootin

    The ball has been given its own physics for dribbling, similar to the ball in FIFA and puck in NHL

    04:31pm by Shannon

    Looks like the other guy is pretty tall. The player is 6’3″.

    04:30pm by Chris

    Bouncetek means the Ball is a separate part of the game, it’s no longer tied to the player, so game physics will control it. That’s pretty cool actually.

    04:30pm by Drootin

    Kyire Irving is 6’3″ acording to Wiki/NBA.com

    04:30pm by Shannon

    Lets hope their concentration on dribbling didn’t cause them to fall short in other aspects in the game.

    04:29pm by Chris

    So is the player short or is the other guy really tall? (totally not about games!)

    04:28pm by Drootin

    for the first time in I believe 3 years, EA Sports is bringing back the NBA Live franchise

    04:28pm by Chris

    I guess a video of a guy dribbling a basketball is cool. . .

    04:27pm by Chris

    Here comes the sports!

    04:27pm by Chris

    That trailer for Dragon Age looked pretty, I’ll need a PS4 for that.

    04:27pm by Drootin

    Here’s EA Sports to show the new “Ignite” Engine games.

    04:27pm by Shannon

    I don’t play sports games, but I do appreciate how far the graphics and game play has come through the years. Lets see what EA Sports has in store.

    04:24pm by Drootin

    Inquisition coming Fall 2014

    04:24pm by Chris

    Whoo Dragon Age Inquisition! I need to catch up on this series now!

    04:23pm by Chris

    A Need For Speed movie? Didn’t that happen already? I believe it was called The Fast and The Furious

    04:22pm by Chris

    Being able to go from single player to multi-player to single player in such a flawless way is amazing. And adding the ability to be a cop and chase down drivers is an even better element.

    04:22pm by Drootin

    Also players can call in a support helicopter via mobile device.

    04:21pm by Shannon

    The graphics for Need for Speed look really sleek and the new start single player, becomes multiplayer game play is an interesting idea. But you know what I want to see? A new Burnout.

    04:21pm by Drootin

    It is Criterion

    04:21pm by Chris

    Look at this game of course it’s Criterion

    04:21pm by Drootin

    This Need for Speed Demo is running on PS4, showing the All Drive, where you can start a race single player, then another player can dynamically jump in as a cop to try and track you down.

    04:20pm by Chris

    This is how all racing games should be, maybe with a little Burnout crash mode though?

    04:20pm by Eric

    I may have missed it, but is Criterion behind Need for Speed Rivals? Or is some one else on the project?

    04:20pm by Chris

    Being a cop should be a lot of fun!

    04:19pm by Chris

    I didn’t get into Need For Speed till Most Wanted, and god damn I think I might be getting the new one now too!

    04:18pm by Chris

    Yes, the audio is off even on TV

    04:18pm by Eric

    The last Need for Speed was fantastic! Can’t wait for Need for Speed Rivals!

    04:18pm by Drootin

    (Is anyone else having weird audio issues?? Static, background noise?)

    04:17pm by Chris

    A new Star Wars Battlefront eh? The original was fun, and it’s nice to see some new Star Wars games coming out. We need to see more for any sort of judgment though!

    04:16pm by Drootin

    STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT BY DICE HOLY SHIT!!!!!

    04:16pm by Eric

    STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT on Frosbite 3 Engine!!!!!!

    04:16pm by Eric

    Frostbite 3 is one of the nastiest game engines I’ve ever seen.

    04:14pm by Shannon

    Mech games are always pretty cool. I like the fact that you can pilot the mech and run around without it in Titanfall.

    04:14pm by Chris

    This seems a lot like what Steel Battalion should have been, except for the massive controller

    04:14pm by Eric

    I really like the look, and feel of Titanfall. I’ll probably be getting this for PC.

    04:13pm by Chris

    FPS isn’t generally my thing, but I do admit this looks pretty good.

    04:13pm by Drootin

    Time for Titanfall, it looked fantastic earlier during the MS presser, now seeing more from the individual devs at Respawn

    04:11pm by Drootin

    PEGGLE 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    04:11pm by Chris

    PEGGEL 2!

    04:10pm by Eric

    PEGGLE 2! ^_^

    04:10pm by Eric

    Ok, the little bit I saw of that was fantastic!

    04:09pm by Eric

    Apparently my stream is running a little behind. . . O.O Plants Vs Zombies Shooter! ^_^

    04:09pm by Drootin

    Cactus = Sniper, Peashooter = Assault, Chomper = Melee, Sunflower = Medic

    04:08pm by Chris

    This PVZ shooter looks like it’s going to be a blast to play!

    04:08pm by Drootin

    Showing the 4-player Survival co-op “hoard mode” style gameplay.

    04:07pm by Eric

    EA PressConference starting up now!

    04:07pm by Chris

    I have yet to play any form of Plants Vs. Zombies, this may finally be where I jump on board the bandwagon!

    04:06pm by Drootin

    Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, a 3rd Person Action game coming to Xbox One first then to 360.

    04:06pm by Shannon

    Are you kidding me? PvZ looks amazing. Not at all what I was thinking the next game would be like. I’ve been playing the facebook game and I finished the first PvZ. I have to say I’m pretty addicted to the franchise.

    04:04pm by Drootin

    Starting it off with the new Plants vs Zombies shooter!

    04:03pm by Drootin

    A new Dragon Age will be shown!

    04:03pm by Drootin

    All games shown are for PS4/Xbox One

    04:02pm by Drootin

    Titanfall, FIFA 14, and Plants vs Zombies were just a few of the games that popped up in the intro

    04:01pm by Shannon

    I saw Plants Vs. Zombies in that intro. I’m already excited!

    04:01pm by Drootin

    And we’re live!

    03:54pm by Drootin

    Its almost time for the EA E3 Press Conference, lets see what they have in store for us!

    ]]>
    Microsoft E3 2013 Liveblog https://one-quest.com/blog/microsoft-e3-2013-liveblog/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:50:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14911 E3 - Microsoft

    Microsoft kicks off E3 week with a press conference on Monday, June 10, 2013. The conference starts at 9am PST, 12noon EST.

    Stream the event live at xbox.com

    You can also catch Spike TVs footage over at Gametrailers.com

    You can catch our reactions to the event here.

    02:28pm by Eric

    That concludes the show! I feel like Microsoft came out with some big guns, but I’m not sure they made the explosions they wanted to make.

    Of the 13 exclusives shown off, only a handful were Triple A titles worth getting excited about. Of that handful most were only shown off in extremely limited quantities. Games like Quantum Break, Killer Instinct, and Halo are the types of games we want to see for longer periods of time. When you show me less than 30 seconds of prerendered footage, or cg cut scenes, I stop caring.

    I was pleasantly surprised with Ryse, Titanfall, and Dead Rising 3. Every one of these games showed off what next gen hardware is truly capable of. From the grisly wars of ancient Spartans, to the frighteningly overpopulated streets of the zombie apocalypse. These games showed us what it would really be like to own the Xbox One. The only downside to these games is that they’re exclusive to the console, when it would be really nice to get them out into everyone’s hands.

    I will also note that the segment in the middle of the conference about SmartGlass confused me. Microsoft has a vision of boasting controller free gaming, but instead shows us how SmartGlass can be used as an alternative controller. I like the technology behind it, but the fact of the matter is this is exactly what Nintendo had in mind for their console, yet developers swore they didn’t see the vision. Now they seem to be jumping on board to show how this application and Asymmetric gaming can do for the medium. . . not cool brah.

    Lastly the pricing. . . $ 499 seems steep to me. I’m not saying this isn’t obvious, I’ve been estimating that price all along, but I was really hoping I was wrong. A $ 399 price tag would have been a much easier sell on most consumers. But $ 499 is still a lot better than $ 599. So there’s that.

    That about does it! Stay tuned for EA’s Conference. It starts at 4pm EST! ^_^

    OH! I almost forgot, how ’bout that metal gear trailer?! O.O If that’s launch, I’m in.

    02:08pm by Eric

    Well, Titanfall looked amazing. Too bad it’s not multiplatform.

    02:00pm by Eric

    Yeah that looks awesome. . .

    01:59pm by Eric

    Respawn Entertainment, former employees of Infinity Ward, debut Titanfall for Xbox One!

    01:57pm by Drootin

    Not liking but not at all suprised by the $ 499 price point

    01:57pm by Eric

    $ 499! Called it!

    01:56pm by Drootin

    Halo at 60fps? I know thats the thing to do, but Halo is a 30fps game.

    01:54pm by Drootin

    New Halo next year from 343

    01:54pm by Eric

    New Halo 2014!

    01:48pm by Eric

    The detail in this game is outstanding. Everything looks so incredibly real.

    01:46pm by Eric

    This looks absurd!

    01:43pm by Drootin

    2nd time that there have been technical difficulties during the presentation

    01:42pm by Eric

    Battlefield 4, running at 60 frames per second on stage now.

    01:39pm by Drootin

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for XboxOne. The first open world game in the series

    01:38pm by Eric

    Next up is Witcher 3, gameplay footage oncoming.

    01:36pm by Eric

    Create and customize weapons anywhere, anytime.

    01:31pm by Drootin

    Dead Rising 3 for XboxOne up now

    01:31pm by Eric

    Dead Rising 3! ^_^

    01:30pm by Eric

    Prince and Dragon exclusive for Xbox One

    01:29pm by Eric

    No Microsoft points! Just real cash!

    01:29pm by Drootin

    Xbox has partnered with Twitch for live game streaming

    01:28pm by Eric

    Xbox One can broadcast games straight on twitch

    01:25pm by Eric

    Another SmartGlass game. Why didn’t you just build a screen into the flippin’ controllers?

    01:22pm by Eric

    This is project spark by the way, and it looks like it would be perfect on the Vita or Wii U.

    01:21pm by Chris

    Project Spark would be great on the Wii U

    01:20pm by Eric

    This looks like it’s played entirely using smartglass. It’s a shame that everyone in the planet thinks using a touchscreen whilst playing games on the tv is stupid. . .

    01:17pm by Chris

    Quantum Break looks interesting even if it was all just video

    01:16pm by Eric

    That looks interesting.

    01:15pm by Eric

    Gameplay footage now!

    01:14pm by Eric

    Sam Lake of Remedy Entertainment is here to talk about Quantum Break.

    01:13pm by Chris

    Again, is this really E3 worthy? I know Minecraft is crazy popular but come on, this could have been talked about later, give us NEW STUFF!

    01:13pm by Eric

    Mine Craft coming to Xbox One.

    01:12pm by Eric

    He’ll be talking about Indie games and smaller projects.

    01:11pm by Eric

    Phil Harrison is on stage now.

    01:10pm by Chris

    Drivatar? It’s nice that the AI doesn’t just drive the same way every time. Seems like Xboxone is all about the cloud character moving to other users systems. Similar to the Wii with the Mii’s going to your friends consoles. Only I don’t think they have to be friends for your Avatar to travel to the consoles. So that’s cool.

    01:09pm by Drootin

    And something called “Driveatar”, an adaptive AI that learns your style and habits and plays for you while your away earning you in-game credits

    01:07pm by Drootin

    Forza 5 puts some impressive detail on their cars

    01:07pm by Eric

    Forza 5 coming to Xbox One.

    01:07pm by Chris

    Forza is honestly pretty uninteresting, didn’t they have something better for freaking E3?

    01:05pm by Chris

    Ok this looks pretty cool. Like the child of Mirrors Edge and No More Heroes? I don’t know, it just looks fun.

    01:03pm by Eric

    Insomniac making exclusives for Xbox One?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    01:02pm by Eric

    Killer Instinct is back!

    01:00pm by Chris

    Too much quick time.

    12:59pm by Chris

    I keep waiting for someone to kick someone off a ledge and scream THIS IS ‘LOCATION HERE’!

    12:59pm by Eric

    300 Kick!

    12:57pm by Eric

    A lot of quick time events make up the combat. It looks like it plays very similarly to god of war.

    12:57pm by Chris

    I guess this is how the storming of Normandy would have went with Roman soldiers. Minus the Nazi’s of course.

    12:56pm by Eric

    It feels like the opening sequence from Saving Private Ryan.

    12:56pm by Chris

    God Of War meets Call of Duty?

    12:56pm by Eric

    Wow! This looks beautiful!

    12:55pm by Eric

    Interesting CG Trailer for Ryse. Onto some gameplay.

    12:53pm by Eric

    Ryse?

    12:53pm by Eric

    Phil Spencer on stage to talk! From this point on it’s Xbox One only.

    12:52pm by Eric

    The new trailer for Dark Souls 2 looks fantastic, however!

    12:51pm by Eric

    Some game and Dark Souls 2 round off this segment. Dark Souls 2 is NOT exclusive.

    12:48pm by Eric

    Exclusive to the Xbox 360, rather. No PS3/4 version incoming.

    12:47pm by Eric

    World of Tanks coming to Xbox One.

    12:46pm by Drootin

    Microsoft adopting the PS+ Free Games model for Xbox Live Gold. First 2 games are Assassins’ Creed 2 and Halo 3

    12:45pm by Chris

    Well Microsoft is taking a hint from Sony’s PS+, only limited it to two a month.

    12:45pm by Eric

    Microsoft is upgrading Xbox Gold into PlayStation+. 2 Free games per month for all Gold members.

    12:45pm by Drootin

    Available Now

    12:44pm by Chris

    Really a new Xbox 360 model? Come on guys. . .

    12:44pm by Eric

    New Xbox 360 model coming. . . do they want to confuse the audience?

    12:44pm by Drootin

    Another new 360 model

    12:44pm by Eric

    13 exclusive Xbox One titles will be shown off today.

    12:42pm by Eric

    That looks sooo good! Hideo Kojima takes the stage with Don Mattrick.

    12:41pm by Chris

    With the music and all I feel like this belongs to the 007 franchise, which isn’t a bad thing.

    12:41pm by Chris

    Jack Bauer is taking over Metal Gear, can we expect a lot of angry yelling a torture?

    12:40pm by Eric

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It is Keifer Sutherland!

    12:38pm by Eric

    Snake still hasn’t made a sound. Is Keifer Sutherland really doing the voice?

    12:38pm by Chris

    I’m not a Metal Gear player, but damn does this look amazing.

    12:38pm by Eric

    This is beautiful!

    12:37pm by Eric

    Oh my! This is in game!

    12:36pm by Drootin

    MGS 5 on Xbox

    12:36pm by Eric

    Conference starts off with Metal Gear Solid V trailer!

    12:36pm by Eric

    The event is starting! Here we go!

    11:28am by Eric

    Update! The Xbox press conference starts at 12:30 EST. So, we still have about an hour to go.

    10:12am by Eric

    We’re about two hours out from the Microsoft E3 press event! Stay tuned and we’ll update as soon as everything get’s rolling!

     

    ]]>
    E3 2013 Trailers & More. . . https://one-quest.com/blog/e3-2013-trailers/ Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:56:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14974 E3 2013 logo
     
    E3 technically starts off today(Monday)! Unfortunately we’re not cool enough to have access for all the cool live streams. Instead we have this nifty little place. We’ll be posting all of the coolest trailers and press events revealed at this year’s E3 right here! So come back often and we’ll have plenty more!

    Press Events

    Sony Press Event

    Microsoft Press Event

    EA Press Event

    Ubisoft Press Event

    Nintendo Direct Press Event (UK Version)

    Reggie Reveals Wii U games for Best Buy Event!

    Head to page 2 for trailers!

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    The Week In Gaming June 9, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/twig-6913/ Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:36:31 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14960 twig6913

    Its time for The Week In Gaming for the week of 6/9/2013. Its E3 week so lots of rumors are flying about what exactly we will be getting in the next-gen of gaming.

    The News:

    • Dark Souls 2 coming in 2014? A banner in L.A. set up in preparation for next weeks E3 says that the sequel to Dark Souls will be launching next March. We will have to wait and see if they officially announce it next week.
    • The Last Guardian at E3? Website E3Insider.com has listed that Team Ico’s next Sony exclusive The Last Guardian will be on display at e3 this year. Sony has said this is just “speculation”. Again we will have to wait and see. I think it may be true and may have jumped from PS3 to PS4.
    • Harmonix has announced Fantasia: Music Evolved coming this fall for the 360 and Xbox One. It’s a new Kinect controlled music game with a Disney tie-in. Right now only 5 artists have been confirmed: AVICII, Bruno Mars, Fun, Kimbra, and Queen. There is a trailer out now online for it and more details will be announced at E3 next week.
    • PopCap has announced Plants vs Zombies 2, launching July 18th and will be Free-to-Play. It will release on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch on that date with more platforms likely to be announced later.
    • Video game industry analyst Michael Patcher has released his prediction on the pricing for PS4 and XBox One and it’s suprising. He has predicted a $349 price for the PS4 and $399 for the Xbox One. I for one will be very happy if he is correct.
    • Sony has announced 3 Free-To-Play games for PS4. Warframe, DC Universe Online, and Planetside 2 will be releasing for free on the PS4, no word on dates for these games.
    • Microsoft did a massive info dump for the XboxOne on Thursday and it was well, I’ll go with interesting. Lets start with the “good”, The Kinect sensor can be turned off this alleviates some of the privacy concerns that were floating around the internet. Also good you can have 10 people in your “family” be linked to your account and they can access all of your games on any XboxOne. Now for the truly interesting news, you can share your disc based games once and maybe only once? While not something unprecedented in PC gaming this type of restriction would be new grounds for consoles. Also used games will only be available at “participating retailers” and 3rd parties have the option to completely disable used games or game sharing. And the biggest news is that the XboxOne will need to connect to the internet once every 24-hours. Theres alot to digest there and while its not really new news its still sort of stunning that they are going with these plans. This has added more intrigue to tomorrow’s press conferences.

    The New Releases:

    Naughty Dog’s next big game The Last Of Us is the headline title for this weeks releases with an abnormal (but awesome and appreciated) Friday release.

    • Animal Crossing: New Leaf (6/9) – 3DS
    • SimCity (6/11) – Mac
    • Yoshi (6/12) – WiiU
    • Mutant Mudds Delux (6/13) – WiiU
    • The Last Of Us (6/14) – PS3
    ]]>
    Friday Five – Favorite Fictional Jerks https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-fictional-jerks/ Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:47:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14863 the dog from duck hunt
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Fictional Jerks.
     
    We have a light list for everyone this week. I guess thinking about people you hate makes everyone uncomfortable. . . Regardless this is our tribute to those big jerks that just make you wanna punch them in the face. Their big stupid jerk faces!
     

    Chris

     

    1. Doctor Gregory House – House – This probably isn’t the most original of choices, but come on he was never a nice person, even when he saved people he did it with as much attitude as possible it was great.
    2. John Casey – Chuck – Casey did eventually warm up a bit towards some of the characters on the show, but he was still always kind of a jerk, especially to Morgan but in a fun loving kind of way.
    3. Tony Stark – Iron Man – Whether movie or comic, Tony Stark is a huge jerk. Sure he’ll get a dose of reality on occasion and be nice for a bit, but in the end it’s his personality and it’s usually not malicious, well not probably not anyway.
    4. The Gang – Always Sunny In Philadelphia – This is a bit of a cheat, and if I had to pick on, I’d probably go with Dennis, but really as a group they are by far the biggest jerks ever. Even when they’re trying to do something ‘nice’, they’re jerks.
    5. Ben Linus – Lost – Ben was such an ass from the time he was introduced till the final episode. Even when he was being a decent human being he was still a jerk, well I guess except in the flash sideways, but those don’t really count right?

     
    Special Mention – Danny McBride’s character in pretty much everything he’s ever in.
     
    Gregory House from House M.D.
     

    Eric

     

    1. Microsoft – I know it’s supposed to be fictional but I don’t care. Did you hear about the new Xbox One? Oh my goodness is this thing a load of crap! I was trying so hard to stay open to all of the new consoles, but I don’t see that happening this time. Screw you Microsoft!
    2. Shane (The Walking Dead) – Left his best friend for dead and then did the naughty with his wife. Yeah, that’s a grade A jerk right there.
    3. Bulk and Skull (Power Rangers) – I hated these guys growing up! Always picking on everyone else, and they had no reason for it other than bing big stupid jerks! Effin’ jerks!
    4. Tingle (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker) – This guy is pretty helpful throughout your adventures. He helps you find treasure, and dungeons, and you think to yourself “This is one nice strangely dressed man!” Then you realize, he was doing this all for himself. At the end of the game you find out that he’s the only person in the world that can read the Treasure Maps leading to the Triforce pieces needed to save the world and all. And instead of just doing it the guy charges you for each one! On top of that he charges you more than you can hold in the basic wallet! Now you gotta go get the bigger wallet and all kinds of money! He was just being nice so you could give him all your flippin’ rupees! Flippin’ jerk!
    5. Doctor Cox (Scrubs) – Literally the funniest character in Scrubs. He constantly berated and antagonized everyone he worked with just because he was wearing his mean pants. Every day.

     
    Doctor Cox from Scrubs

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – June 5, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-june-5-2013/ Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:30:56 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14802 takeitleaveit6513
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    I know, I know, I said two weeks ago we were back to business and then I go and miss the following week. In my defense though I was busy covering Wizard World Philadelphia most of last week. But you’re not here for excuses you’re here for comic book reviews! So lets get to this, the first week of June was a pretty good outing. Son Of Merlin and Winter Soldier both came to their ends, even if I wish they hadn’t. Zenescope released their newest series Screwed, and that’s just a few of the things out this week.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    greenlantern21

    Green Lantern #21

    It’s been just a couple of weeks now since Geoff John’s ended is 9 year Green Lantern run, it was a pretty emotional issue, and left plenty for the next creative team to explore. I’m not going to lie, I was skeptical about continue after John’s left, luckily for me I decided to give this issue a chance. Robert Venditti pretty much picks up right where John’s left off, Hal is back from the dead and is in a very different position in the corps. Not to mention the corps barely exist at this point, it’s pretty sad when you see the tubes of the suspended rings waiting to go find new wielders. Venditti gives us a view of what’s happening right in the beginning of the issue as we’re thrust into the near future and see that not all has gone well for the Lanterns in the aftermath of the Third Army and First Lantern. That’s probably what made this issue that much more interesting, we know the Corps are in a terrible place right now, and they don’t even get a little down time to regroup it’s right back to getting their asses kicked. And all this is tied to get great by Billy Tan’s artwork, it’s nice to know Green Lantern is going to continue to have some of the better art out there in comic book land.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By:Chris


    sonofmerlin05_cover

    Son of Merlin #5

    If you read Take It Or Leave It regularly than it’s no secret I’ve really enjoyed Son Of Merlin. I’m actually pretty disappointed that it’s ending, on the bright side it’s definitely left open for some possible continuations! Anyway, issue 5 picks up right where 4 left off, Gwen and Simon are trying to get the stone and stop Morgana. It’s pretty standard adventure movie, with a very Indiana Jones feel to it. A lot actually happens in a short amount of time, and Simon has obviously become pretty skilled at magic usage in a pretty short time. The final confrontation does leave a little to be desired, but it did fit the over all feel and speed of the book, so I’m alright with it. There’s just something about the dialogue and artwork that make this book really stand out. If you’ve missed this series, I highly recommend going back and picking up the issues, or grabbing it as soon as the trade is released.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ageofultron9

    Age of Ultron #9

    Age of Ultron started off so strong, but it’s slowly been getting weaker and weaker as the story drags on. At this point Ultron isn’t really even a problem any more, the huge paradox time travel stuff is the story now. I also feel like this issue just made an ending a little to easy to come by. Sure they keep saying how it’s a game changer, and it’s such a secret that only like 5 people in the world know what happens. But really that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good or unexpected now does it? Who’s to say it’s not a huge cop-out ending that they just fully setup in this issue. I’m hoping for at least one nice Ultron showdown with the Avengers, but with just one issue left I fear that’s not going to happen. It’s a shame too, with one issue left if you’re a completionist go a head and grab the book, otherwise I just don’t think it’s going to be worth it.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman11

    Superior Spider-Man #11

    Dan Slott and his team continue to make me love something I desperately want to hate. It’s infuriating to say the least. Issue 11 has our ‘new’ hero proving yet again, that he is in fact a Superior Spider-Man, well in some fascists anyway. Otto has some amazing ideas, and this issue more than many others goes to prove it. Having been a super villain for so long, and being a genius he really can out think just about every other bad guy. The problem still remains, while he’s got Pete’s sense of power and responsibility, his idea of how to handle problems is drastically different and much more violent. This current arc is probably going to end up being one of the better, with Otto facing previously defeated foes again for the first time since he pretty much destroyed them. We’ll see how he does with protecting the innocent at the same time too, something Pete was usually pretty good at. Now for all the good of this book, I do miss having Peter Parker as Spider-Man, between 616 and Ultimate we no longer have one and that’s pretty depressing. There’s none of that goofy banter and joking that people grew so accustomed to over 50 years, and that’s really something to be missed.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    theultimates25

    Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #25

    I used to really love The Ultimates, back before Ultimatium. Ever since it’s been hard to wrap my head around. Ultimate Avengers was . . . Interesting I suppose until they went and did the whole vampire thing that was just silly. Now we’re into this first true On-Going Ultimates series, and frankly it’s been a mess from day one. Sure there have been some good stories, and great issues, but honestly it’s so convoluted with it’s own back story now, no body knows what’s happening. This whole Infinite Gauntlet and Ultimates Disassembled story just screams “We ran out of cohesive ideas so here’s this”. I think maybe the original Ultimates was so good because they were limited series, Mark Millar didn’t have to worry about writing a new issues every month, he could come up with a story, work it out, and bam great limited series! As much as I would like to be enjoying this, I just can’t anymore. The villains aren’t interesting, the first time the Ultimate fault them sure it was cool, but now it’s just boring. There are decades of stories and characters that deserve an Ultimate makeover, so why are we already getting stories based on such recent material. At least Ultimate X-Men and Spider-Man are holding their own, I’ll stick with those for now and maybe Ultimates will get their stuff together soon. It is a new creative team, so maybe they deserve a shot to fix some of the damage that’s been done.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 3/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    wintersoldier19

    Winter Soldier #19

    It’s a shame we live in a world where number of sales dictate what gets made and what doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I get it, Winter Soldier probably wasn’t for everyone. And on top of that when Ed Brubaker left the book at the end of last year he probably took some people with him, even if that wasn’t his intentions. On the bright side, Jason Latour and Nic Klein gave Bucky’s solo adventures one hell of a final story. I’m not going to say I was always sure what was happening, but judging it as a whole, it was a really enjoyable ride. The last pages of this issue alone really summed everything up. Brubaker left Bucky in a pretty bad place emotionally, I think Latour was able to bring him away from that and give him a reason to keep on being a hero. Now I just want to know where the Winter Soldier goes from here, maybe a full time spot with the Secret Avengers? Back on track though, if you’re a Winter Soldier fan, definitely pick this story up, it’s a nice ending to this chapter.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Cover B

    Screwed #1

    Like a lot of Zenescope books Screwed is a reimagining of a classic story. This time it’s Frankenstein, and this is by no means the story you’re expecting. From the first pages it’s different, and the exact right kind of different. Everything is clouded in mystery and nothing but questions for delivered in this opening issue. If like me you think the DC and Marvel ideas regarding the Frankenstein lore are boring, than this is something you should be checking out. Who am I kidding, you should probably give it a shot regardless, not like it’s going to hurt. The book has a great blend of action and mystery to make pretty much any comic fan happy.

    Check out my full review of Screwed #1

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict, so enjoy!

    All-New X-Men #12

    Another book full of dialogue, but it’s some of the best dialogue out there. I do wish Jean Grey would control her self, but the reactions are usually pretty pricless.

    -Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Iron Man #11

    I wasn’t a big fan of the first few issues of Iron Man, but now I’m 100% behind it. This secret origin for Tony is just what this book needed, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

    – Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Wizard World Philadelphia 2013 Recap – Vendor POV Part 1 https://one-quest.com/blog/wizard-world-philadelphia-2013-recap-vendor-pov-part-1/ Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:42:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14716 onequestatwizardworld
    This is part one of our two part Wizard World Phildelphia Vendor point-of-view recap. We’re just covering Thursday and Friday here, but make sure to check back later for Saturday and Sunday coverage along with a lot more pictures! And Don’t forget to check out our Press Recap of the Convention!

    Well it was one crazy weekend, but Wizard World Philadelphia 2013 is over and I’m not even kidding it was probably one of the best years I’ve ever had there. The guests, artists, vendors, and attendees were all great. There were tons of awesome cosplayers, and the staff really seemed to be on their top of things. There were a few bumps along the way, but nothing to make me even consider not hitting up Wizard World again next year.

    Wizard World 2013 was a different kind of year for One-Quest. Even before we started the site, most of us attended conventions as fans pretty regularly, including Wizard World Philadelphia. This year though, on top of covering the convention as press we got ourselves setup in Artist Alley. We were there to meet people and get some more notice on this site, and we brought some fancy comic book canvas collages and grab bags to sell. Now let me tell you, if you’ve never worked at a convention before, it’s a completely different kind of monster than just heading out for a weekend of fun with a bunch of friends. You’re there before everything starts, and leave after the lights are down, then wait in lines that could potentially rival the celebrities of the convention just to pay for parking. It’s not bad though, not by any means, you get to meet people and see things that as a normal attendee you probably wouldn’t be privy to. And if you’re lucky you even make a little money back on your expenses. Because let’s face it, comics and art are really an industry of love, you don’t get into it expecting the big dollars, you get into because it’s what you enjoy doing.
    june2013 005
    Enough of that though, let’s get started talking about what transpired this year at Wizard World Philly. As I mentioned before, we were there in two different capacities, some of us were Press, and our standard Wizard World Recap is where you’ll find their experiences. Here though, in this article, this is what it was like for me manning a table all weekend. Don’t worry I did do more than just sit and say hello!
    june2013 002
    So from the beginning I suppose, anyone with a floor pass (artist, vendors, exhibitors) gets in quite a bit earlier than general admission or even VIP. Obviously they need time to setup and make sure they didn’t forget anything after all. I believe the earliest you could show up Thursday was 7:30 am, with the Convention not getting started till 3 pm that afternoon. JohnScott and I didn’t arrive till around 11, we didn’t need as much time as some of the more elaborate dealers. We also had a few detours as we missed the parking garage entrance the first time by, and proceeded to walk to the wrong end of the convention center. In our defense though, every other year the Convention is held at the opposite side of the Philadelphia Convention Center, and we certainly weren’t the only ones to expect it to be that way again. When we finally made it to the proper hall for the convention we checked in and got our badges. I have to say, it was quick and simple to pick up our passes, but I do wish someone would have been checking ID’s. It’s great that they were taking a firm stance on having to put the wrist bands on people, and that it had to go on your arm. But what good is that if some random person shows up and just says they’re here with a certain group. All the artist and vendors are listed on the website, it wouldn’t be hard to go up drop a name and get a free 4 day pass. I guess in the long run you’d really have to be a scumbag to do that, and I’m sure that upon proving yourself Wizard would get you setup with the proper badges, still a little disconcerting that someone could so easily get away with free passes. That’s just one minor bump, and based on the huge improvements Wizard seems to implement from year to year, I’m sure that will be solved come next June.

    june2013 028

    The rest of Thursday set up time was spent doing just that, it took us about 2 hours to get everything how we liked it and even after that it was a lot of rearranging things till we were satisfied. Oh and we can’t forget a stop for lunch and some of the best juice ever at Reading Terminal Market. Seriously folks, if you’re in Philly for any reason stop there. it’s right near the convention center on 12 and Arch and has some of the best food anywhere. But that’s not what this is about, so back to Wizard World stuff. After everything was setup it was almost time for the show to start so we spent some time resting getting prepared for the public. Granted it was Thursday so we didn’t expect a lot of people, and were pleasantly surprised by how many were there. John Cena definitely brought in a pretty big crowd for his one day in Philly. Outside of getting everything setup though, not much went down on Thursday. We got to meet some great people attending the convention, and get a feel for what the weekend had in store for us.

    June2013 481

    Friday was pretty similar to Thursday, it’s still one of the slower days for Wizard World, since not all the big names people want to meet are there yet. Once again it was just John and I as everyone else was working. Friday does get started a little earlier and runs longer, with the convention running from 12 pm till 7 pm. Anyone with a booth or table can get in early to setup though, so obviously we got there early, only our setup takes 5 minutes. We used the rest of the time to grab an early lunch and check out the convention. This was the first time either of us really walked around and while a lot of stuff wasn’t ready yet it was still cool, and frankly people are way nicer when they know you’re another vendor just checking out the floor. On more than one occasion people offered significant discounts if we wanted something. Particularly a booth that was selling a Lady Death snow globe John was interested in.

    Alas our time taking in the con had to end, with the start of the show we positioned ourselves back at our table prepared to meet the Friday attendee’s and try and get them interested in One-Quest. Like the previous day we talked to a ton of people, and were blown away by how much people liked the comic grab bags. I mean I get it, 4 comics for a dollar is cool, but people were way more into than we would have ever thought. And while our collages weren’t flying off the rack, they got a lot of interest to show us it was a good idea, we just needed more popular characters instead of Scarlet Spider and The Punisher (Both of which I actually happen to like!).

    june2013 025

    Those first two days of Wizard World are pretty tiring, even though we’re just hanging around a table all day you don’t really get breaks, and you want to make good impressions on people. On the bright side it wasn’t nearly as bad as working retail in a store since everyone there was a fan. If they were stopping to talk to you, odds are you had the same interests and that makes it a much better experience.

    That’s it for the first two days, not to exciting, but that is the life of those who decide to sell things at a convention. Saturday and Sunday were significantly more fun as our whole team was finally there and I at least got to spend some time walking the convention and meeting people. But that’s going to have to wait for part 2 next week!

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    Lighting Returns Has A Release Date https://one-quest.com/blog/lighting-returns-has-a-release-date/ Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:00:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14818 lightningreturns

    Square Enix has finally announced the release date for the final installment of Final Fantasy XIII’s Lightning Trilogy.

    Yep Lightning Returns officially on February 11, 2014 in North America, about 6 months later than originally expected. If you think back to last year when the game was announced in August it was expected for a Fall 2013 release. Hopefully it’s been delayed to improve it and not because it wasn’t good enough.

    I’m probably in the minority, but after watching the new trailer I’m actually looking forward to this game. The concept had put me off a bit, I’m not a fan of games where you have a limited time to complete it. Now though it actually looks like it should be pretty good, and I did enjoy Final Fantasy XIII-2, again probably in the minority for that.

    And don’t forget there’s still Versus XIII coming, someday, maybe. . .

    Enough of that though, here’s the trailer in case you can’t wait for E3!

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    Review – Screwed #1 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-screwed-1/ Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:18:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14756
    Cover B

    Cover B

    Screwed #1

    Story By Tyler Kirkham & Keith Thomas

    Art by Keith Thomas & David Miller

    Letters by Oracle

    Publisher Zenescope Entertainment

    Released: 6/5/2013

    Verdict: Take It – Great re-imagining of the classic Frankenstein story.

    Score: 9/10

    Marvel and DC both have their takes on the Frankenstein story, hell DC actually uses Frankenstein’s monster as a ‘hero’ in their universe. The problem is while they have tried to give this legendary tale a new 21st century vibe it falls short. Marvel’s recent Frankenstein Circus in Wolverine and the X-Men was especially uninteresting. Have no fear though classic horror fans, those who have been waiting for a good interpretation in comics, it’s finally here. The newest book out of the gates from Zenescope Entertainment and the apparently quite twisted mind of Tyler Kirkham, Screwed is just what you’d expect it to be, fun, gory, mysterious, and interesting.

    Screwed isn’t a generic rehash of some old story, it doesn’t start out with a mad scientist reanimating a sewn together corpse. Instead it picks up in a completely different way with a girl who’s forgotten everything being attacked by a large scary looking guy, telling her all kinds of nonsense. From there it quickly goes from kind of strange to crazy weird. As our main character gets away from her attacker revealing he is some kind of monster, and she’s even got a few tricks of her own. She quickly finds out that EVERYONE is out to get her, or are they? Seriously, that’s not one of those rhetorical questions I really don’t know. It’s one of the many mystery that makes this series interesting so far. This first issue was just what an opening chapter to a new story should be. It introduced us to characters and ideas, had some fun and gory action scenes, and left everyone who reads it wondering what the hell is going to happen next. As long as all the pieces of this story can stay together, and get us the answers we’re going to want I don’t see any reason not to keep picking this book up.

    Aside from the story, the other major selling point for Screwed is the artwork. Zenescope books generally have great covers, but interiors can be hit or miss, especially depending on your preferred style. For me Screwed had this awesome confused and dirty feel, but everything was very crisp and well defined. I wasn’t looking at it trying to determine what something was, or where one person ended and another began. Even though it was clear what was happening on panel, some of the subtle things done with panel arrangements and design gave the book this muddled confused feel which really helps with the concept of a main character who’s being put through hell and doesn’t know anything, including who she is.

    Basically if you’re heading out to the comic shop today and not quite sure what to pick up, give Screwed a chance. it’s something different, even in a world where a lot of companies are doing their own twist on classic stories, none of them have been quite this different. It’s a breath of fresh air from the overcrowded superhero market too, really there’s only so many times I can read about Superman punching something, we get it he’s super-strong, lets forget that stuff and get more books like this on the shelves.

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    Marvel Heroes Preview https://one-quest.com/blog/marvel-heroes-preview/ Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:23:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14755 Logo for Marvel Heroes by Gazillion Entertainment

    Marvel Heroes, the free to play Marvel MMO by Gazillion Entertainment, Directed by Diablo creator David Brevik, has finally gone live. I was entered in the beta fairly early on, and have seen this game evolve from it’s early stages to it’s current awesome state. Marvel Heroes is not perfect – borrowing from old, archaic feeling game mechanics, and brandishing absurd prices for simple things. However, in my experience, Marvel Heroes is a load of fun.

    I’ve just finished Chapter 3, in which the heroes were chasing after Madame Hydra, Gorgon, and Elektra in Madripoor to secure the Tablet of Life. I won’t get into much of the story, because for the most part it’s just a backdrop. I’ve seen Gazillion boast that the story is “Written by Brian Michael Bendis” a million times, but this so far doesn’t really show. Well, not when playing the game anyway. During the motion comic cinematics you can see that the team and BMB were trying to craft a one of a kind story, but the tone of the gameplay just doesn’t really follow through.

    Screen cap from Marvel Heroes

    Marvel Heroes plays like your average Isometric Action RPG, or Diablo. Apparently David Brevik doesn’t know how to make anything other than Diablo-esque games. It’s not a bad thing, I love Diablo, but it would be nice to see him take his talents somewhere else. Anyway, you roam the world of the Marvel Universe fighting bad guys in the Raft, Hells Kitchen, the Jersey Docks, Madripoor, and more. The mouse is used to move, and perform at least 1 basic attack. As Deadpool my left click is a sword melee combo. Much like Diablo 3, the left click can be any “basic” skill, essentially meaning any skill that needs to target an enemy to use. Deadpool’s default right click is a ranged pistol attack. It’s fast, strong, and my preferred method of combat.

    Much like any other MMO there exists a hot bar. The hotbar is used to quickly activate items and skills. Skills are learned as the heroes level up. Every hero has their own set of skills, focusing on 3 separate combat styles. Deadpool has Ranged, Melee, and Tricks. Ranged and Melee are fairly straightforward. Tricks focuses on healing, grenades, and other useful abilities. Every time you level up you gain 2 skill points. At this point you need to guess about which skills will be best for you and your style of play because placement is, for all intents and purposes, permanent. You can reset your selections, but that’ll cost you real money. Just like extra stash space, more heroes, costumes, and exp/drop boosters.

    Marvel Heroes Screen Cap 2

    This was to be expected. This is a Free to Play MMO, so there needs to be some give that will allow the company to make money. You can play the entirety of the game without spending a dime. You can even acquire new heroes and costumes, at incredibly low drop rates, without spending any money. However, if you log on expecting to play as Spider-Man for free, you will be disappointed. In game items cost anywhere from 100GP to 2000GP. GP is the ingame currency purchased with real money. I assume they went with a currency method to sort of hide the absurd cost of virtual items. The general ratio of GP to USD is 100GP to $1. So Spider-Man, who runs at 2000GP, is actually $20. Want to play as Spectacular Spider-Man? Well that costume, which is purely cosmetic by the way, will run you about $13. There are cheaper heroes, cheaper costumes, and a random $1 option. But it just seems odd that a costume for a hero, which does nothing more than look pretty, would cost almost as much as the heroes themselves.

    I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with the skill tree and currency if I could respec my skill selection for free. I’m sure the Retcon Devices, used to reset skill trees, will drop at some point, but like everything else, it’ll be incredibly rare.

    Marvel Heroes Screen Cap 3

    Problems with the methods aside, I do have a load of fun with Marvel Heroes. It feels just like a classic Diablo game, which is great. At the same time it all feels incredibly outdated, since games like Diablo III and Torchlight let you try out new build without making you feel like you’re trapped into the selections. The graphics are smooth, albeit simple. The music is BAD. So far there isn’t a single memorable tone within the game. Sounds for skills are also hit and miss. They somehow managed to make Cyclops lamer than he already is, and it’s mostly because his optic blast sound sooooooo lame. It’s not cool like the 90’s X-Men animated series sound.

    For now, I like the game. I’m about halfway through the main story and from there I’ll work on trying some of the End Game content, which to my knowledge actually exists unlike some other popular Action RPGs. Diablo III, I’m looking in your direction here. I’ll have a full review up as soon as I feel that i’ve experienced enough of the content to come to a full conclusion. Stay tuned!

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    The Day I Ran from the Green Ranger (true story) https://one-quest.com/blog/the-day-i-ran-from-the-green-ranger-true-story/ https://one-quest.com/blog/the-day-i-ran-from-the-green-ranger-true-story/#comments Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:32:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14699 Philadelphia Wizard World has outdone itself once again! So many faces were seen and fond memories were made. My objective was to get pictures with as many costumed con goers as I could. Little did I know what path that would lead me down.

    My pursuit of the best dressed brought me further into the main convention hall. That’s when I saw them. A full Power Rangers group, and I simply had to get a picture with them! But I definitely wasn’t the only one with that idea.

    After I asked to get a picture with the whole group, it took a minute to round everyone up. I noticed someone from staff telling them that they needed to back up closer to the curtain behind them. This didn’t make much sense to me seeing as how there was plenty of room within the walkway for people to get by. However, within the confusion of where they were to be positioned, bat girl sneaked in and started getting pictures with the group. So, I patiently waited my turn.

    Once bat girl was finished, some of the Power Rangers began to pick up there things, and prepared to move along. If it wasn’t for the Black and Red Rangers waving me forward, I would have lost my opportunity.

    There I was, incredibly excited for this shot, when I suddenly felt something move behind me… Then there came the screaming from the gathered crowd who were there taking pictures.

    The first thing that went through my mind was, “OH CRAP!! THE CURTAIN IS FALLING!!” So I book it, and run straight for my husband standing in the crowd. I get a hold of myself, finally turning around, and holy crap…

    …Freaking Jason David Frank is peeking out from behind the curtains, PHOTO BOMBING the Power Rangers photos!!! …The GREEN RANGER!!! (as well as white, black and red during his Ranger career)

    This is all happening in the span of a couple of seconds.

    I double back because I definitely want to be in this shot, but then take a step back toward the crowd because I know pictures of just the Power Rangers and Jason David Frank would be epic!!

    Knowing this was an opportunity not to be missed, I ran back toward Jason David Frank for a few memorable shots and then exited to let the Rangers get the rest.

    That short moment became my favorite of any con so far. Turns out that was his booth and that the rangers were in line to see him. That’s why the staff member was requesting they move closer to the curtain!

    If you ever get the option to see or meet Jason David Frank don’t pass it up. He is completely genuine, and very interactive. He could have easily stayed seated in his section, just signing and putting on fake smiles for all of his fans. But that is definitely not his style. He had fun and chatted it up with everyone that came to see him, even skipping a lunch to try and get to as many fans as possible.

    Thank you so much for making this year’s con one of a kind! Your energy and spirit was contagious and it did not go unnoticed.

    Please also accepting my apologizes for running from you, as it will never happen again. 😀

    (Of course there are photos of the whole silly fiasco.)

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    This Week In Gaming 6/2/13 https://one-quest.com/blog/this-week-in-gaming-6213/ Sun, 02 Jun 2013 12:18:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14656 Welcome to the first of post of One-Quest’s “This Week In Gaming”. We will be looking back at the news of the week in the gaming industry with our opinions (mostly mine but others may pop in from time to time as well), look forward to the new releases of the upcoming week, and maybe have a Did You Know? segment or something else at the end of the post each week depending on how much news there is. So with that said lets take a look at This Week In Gaming for the week of June 2nd, 2013!

    The News:
    -Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One will be region-locked. This isn’t very surprising news as both the original Xbox and the 360 were region locked.

    -Rayman Legends headed to PSVita. Originally a WiiU exclusive it will now be available on Vita, PS3, and 360. After the announcement that it was no longer WiiU exclusive this isn’t too much of a surprise either.

    -PS4 to have used games DRM? GTTV’s Geoff Keighley revealed that his sources say that the PS4 will have some sort of used games control. After the backlash Microsoft is getting for a similar strategy Sony may drop this strategy but publishers may not allow it. The debate over used games is too big to get into here but I can easily see both sides of the argument.

    -Sega and Nintendo announce Sonic: The Lost Worlds, a new 2D/3D platformer to release this fall exclusively for the WiiU and 3DS. The trailer was interesting, with both old school side-scrolling and Mario Galaxy levels. Could be an nice exclusive for Nintendo but the Sonic games have not had a good track record of late so we will have to wait and see. It’s worth noting that Sonic games have begun increasing in quality. Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations have been regarded as the best Sonic games in recent years. If the trend continues through to Sonic: The Lost Worlds, and it looks like it will, then we have ourselves a fantastic game coming. -E

    New releases: Its a fairly light week for game releases this week, lets take a look.
    Scrolls (6/3) – PC
    Gunslinger (6/3) – PC
    Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition (6/4) – 360, PS3
    Remember Me (6/4) – 360, PS3, PC
    Class of Heros 2 (6/4) – PSPDL
    Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Retail Disc (6/4) – 360
    Marvel Heroes (6/4) – PC
    Quell Memento (6/4) – Vita
    Limbo (6/4) – Vita DL

    Did You Know: Sonic the Hedgehog is the first ever Video Game Character to be featured as a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He debuted in 1993, and was updated with a new balloon in 2011.
    Sonic Parade Baloon

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    Friday Five – Heroes https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-heroes/ Fri, 31 May 2013 18:36:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14640 Marvel heroes
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Heroes.
     
    Last week we went over our favorite villains, so naturally we shift gears this week. Heroes can be defined by many aspects, but it looks like we focused on the “Fighting bad guys” one. Which is ok, but if you have some other heroes to add, for whatever reason, then feel free to drop a comments in the section below!
     

    Pisko

     

    1. Spider-Man – The eternally tormented teenager/ college boy. Even though every one of his arcs has been drama on top of drama the stories still show through making spiderman the relatable every person that people can relate to.
    2. Batman – Who doesn’t love a self made man? Minus the millions.
    3. Green Lantern (but only AFTER Rebirth storyline) – Green Lantern used to be a joke. His weakness was the color yellow. School Buses used to cause him pain. Since Geoff Johns took on GL and made him a serious force to reckon with in the DC universe.
    4. Mario Mario – I mean, he’s heroic, but, everyone thinks he does it for the princess. I think he does it for even less. Cake. Ever since the N64 version he’s gotten a little plumper every time. I doubt that he’s ever been with the Princess and after rescuing her finds a corner of a dark room and just cries into the cake.
    5. Stitch from Lilo and Stitch – He has the potential to destroy the universe and he has decided to live on Earth as a dog for a grade schooler. Good guy.

     
    Spider-Man in Rain
     

    Chris

     

    1. Batman – Who doesn’t like Batman? He hasn’t got any real super powers, but he’ll willingly go up against some of the craziest most powerful villains in the DC Universe.
    2. The Doctor – He travels all of space and time and saves people and worlds from terrible fates. And he does it all without a ton of violence. In fact his primary ‘weapon’ isn’t even a weapon!
    3. The Power Rangers – The Mighty Morphin variety anyway, I didn’t watch much of the later series’, but the original will always be the best, and these teenagers with attitude spent a long time saving the earth from aliens.
    4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – They’re not even human and they kick foot clan ass to protect people!
    5. Han Solo – While yes Luke’s more of the ‘hero’ in the movie I’d say Han is the better of the two. He doesn’t need any hokey religions or ancient weapons with a good blaster by his side.

     
    Batman, Catwoman, and Black Canary
     

    Eric

    If we need to pick comic book heroes, then it’s obvious Spider-Man tops my list. However, everyone else seems to have listed him. So, to avoid sounding like a broken record I’ll leave out the obvious characters of Spider-Man and Batman. Instead I’ll opt for a few other heroes I look up to.
     

    1. Solid Snake – My top villain was Big Boss. Obviously his counterpart, and his epic mullet/moustache combo, would have to take the lead in the top heroes list. Solid Snake is a clone of every dominant gene from Big Boss. Solid Snake has saved the world numerous times, and thusly deserves my top spot.
    2. Link – The Hero of Time. Destined to save the Princess from terrible darkness. Link is one of the most iconic heroes in modern history.
    3. Luigi Mario – Brother to Mario Mario, and the other half of the “Mario Bros.” ensemble, Luigi is often left behind. The fame of his older, yet shorter, brother generally leaves him in the background. However, Luigi has proven himself to be a true hero a number of times. Even going so far as rescuing his brother from evil by himself.
    4. Sora – Destined to be a Keyblade master, Sora has proven himself a true hero time and time again. His heart is so powerful that he has even come back from being turned into a Heartless, and defeated some truly evil beings.
    5. Desmond Miles – Altho the ending of Assassin’s Creed III was an absolute let down, it was wonderful to see just how much Desmond had grown since he was first introduced 5 games earlier in Assassin’s Creed. He went from douchey bartender, to top tier assassin, and his journey was a great one to follow. On top of that, he sacrificed himself so that we could continue living. That’s a true hero.

     
    Honorable Mention: Ratchet (and Clank) – This duo is one of the most lovable pair of heroes you could find. They’re hilarious, and they have some amazing firepower. Add a whole bunch of galaxy spanning adventures, which usually ends with them saving the universe, and you have one epic team.
     
    Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid 4

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    KickStarter Watch: Double Fine's Massive Chalice, and Pencil Test Studios' Armikrog. https://one-quest.com/blog/kickstarter-watch-double-fines-massive-chalice-and-pencil-test-studios-armikrog/ Fri, 31 May 2013 15:09:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14628 It’s no secret to anyone that KickStarter is a fantastic place to get your projects funded. In the past few years we’ve seen some massive projects get funded by the crowdfunding platform. Projects like Obsidian Entertainments Project Eternity, the Veronica Mars Movie, and one of the biggest kickstarters of all time – the Double Fine Adventure game, Broken Age.
     
    In the past few days a couple kickstarters have begun that really interest me. First we have a new Double Fine game, Massive Chalice. The second would be a new game from the creator of Earth Worm Jim and The Neverhood, Doug TenNapel of Pencil Test Studios, called Armikrog.
     
    Poster for Massive Chalice by Double Fine.
     
    Double Fine’s Massive Chalice is a turn based tactical strategy game for the PC. The player will control powerful warriors on the battlefield in a massive, generation spanning war. The heroes will come from different bloodlines, and gain strength as they participate in battles. They will also age, and eventually die. So you’re given options. Send the hero home to live out his life and have children to use in future generations? Or keep fighting to make him even stronger to decimate your foes. If your hero dies they will leave behind a relic that will give bonuses to other heroes of the same bloodline.
     
    There isn’t any in game footage, but they have a few concept photos over at the Massive Chalice kickstarter page. There is currently 27 days remaining for funding, and they’re about $200,000 away from their goal of $725,000.
     
    Concept art for ArmiKrog. By Pencil Test Studios.
     
    Armikrog. is a stop motion animation, point and click, adventure game by Doug TenNapel. We follow the journey of Tommynaut and his blind dog Beak-Beak after they crash land on a strange planet and get thrown into the fortress of Armikrog. All of the animation is being done with stop motion. Don’t believe me? Watch their video. It’s incredible! The detail so far looks fantastic. These guys are very passionate about the project, and have stated that most of the preliminary designs are done – including level and puzzle design. All that’s left is help from us so they can get the rest of the game animated!
     
    You can find a ton of concept art and even some in game footage of Armikrog. at their kickstarter page. There is currently 27 days remaining for funding, and they’re about $600,000 away from their $900,000 goal.
     
    In game screenshot of Armikrog. by Pencil Test Studios.
     
    These are some excellent projects to keep your eye on. Be sure to check them out, and let us know what you think of the projects in the comments below!
     

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    Meet One-Quest at Wizard World Philadelphia! https://one-quest.com/blog/meet-one-quest-at-wizard-world-philadelphia/ Thu, 30 May 2013 19:59:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14623 One-Quest booth at Wizard World Philadelphia 2013
     
    And not in a “We’re attending this con” kinda fashion. Nope! We’re here, and we have a sweet ass booth complete with Grab Bags, a couple caption contests, and some of JohnScotts new hobby – Canvas Comics!
     
    So, if you’re attending Wizard World Philadelphia this year stop by and say hi! We’ll be at booth 2362 in the Artist Alley all weekend! Hope to see you there!

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    Friday Five – Villains https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-villains/ Fri, 24 May 2013 19:02:07 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14512 Snidely Whiplash

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know a few of our writers with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Villains.

    Villains. . . Without them there’d be no heroes. No good guys. No proper stories. Mario would never exist if he didn’t need to save Panelope from Donkey Kong, or Princess Peach from Bowser. Sonic would just have all the Chaos emeralds and peace would thrive without Dr. Robotnik and Dr. Eggman. Samus wouldn’t have bounties to hunt without bad guys doing bad things. Spider-Man would just be a man with great power, and no responsibility if villains didn’t exist. Sometimes they’re lame. Sometimes they’re insane. Villains are, however, always one of the most important aspects of a hero. These are out favorite villains.

    Pisko

    1. Raʾs al-Ġūl most personifies the trait I think any great villain has. He thinks… HONESTLY BELIEVES… that he is doing the right thing to help the world. I mean, sure, his mind has been corrupted by years of exposure to the Lazarus Pits but he makes some very good points. The best is that he honestly believes that his methods will create a better and safer world. In the short term he is fine with genocide to achieve that goal because he lived thousands of lives and unlike most men, has lived to see the consequences of their actions. Men make short sighted decisions because they have short lives. Ra’s has lived long enough to know they only end up hurting the world and that no matter how many die in one of his crusades, more will always come.
    2. The Joker – Batman’s most well known villain. Unlike Ra’s, the Joker can’t be reasoned with. He cares not if he is right or wrong because he sees the absurdity of life. He knows the truth that Ra’s knows best. Because of our short life spans it’s all just build up to the punchline. We die. All of us. And no matter what we do; the legacy we leave (Especially “The Batman”) it’s only a few generations until we are ALL forgotten about. The Joker knows why Batman is Batman; but still laughs in his face because of all the good Batman will ever do, he is only a man and like any man will die and be forgotten about. All of this is reflected in his psyche and his crimes.
    3. Darkseid – The dude shoots Omega Beams out of his eyes and smacks around Superman like a rag-doll. The only reason he hasn’t killed everything in existence is because he’d be bored with no one to rule over. The only reason he doesn’t kill all of Earth’s heroes is because he focused on the Anti-Life Equation. Oh, and you can’t kill him.
    4. Venom – I don’t have a lot of good reasons to like Venom other than I love Todd McFarland and was born in the 80’s. His introduction is the perfect way to have Spider-Man go dark without changing who Peter Parker was and the resulting storylines set him up as a great antithesis to what Spider-Man stands for. Later on they flesh out the symbiote as it’s own character and we really see the evil that exists within. At one point, when Eddie Brock has cancer and the symbiote could EASILY cure him it simply sees him as a weak man and leaves him with no remorse despite the time they spent together. It then drops it’s next user mid web swing simply because it didn’t like him. It’s now neutered (maybe) and living on Flash Thompson who uses it to be a soldier of fortune. My guess is that we haven’t seen the last of the symbiote as force for evil.
    5. LRRR – RULER OF THE PLANET OMICRON PERSEI 8

     
    Ra's al Ghul in the Lazarus Pit

    Chris

    Villains tend to be jerks, and want to destory/take over/ or something else bad. The funny thing is sometimes you end up rooting for them, like Captain Jack in the Pirates movies. I don’t mention him though, I went a bit more tradition so here it goes.

    1. Shredder (Oroku Saki) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Growing up Shredder was actually kind of a frightening villain. Especially after seeing the movies, he was deadly and his armor had all kinds of blades on it. But like it should be the Turtles always triumphed, and Shredder was always left to plot for another day to take over the world and have him so turtle soup. The current version of Shredder in the IDW series is pretty badass, he’s way different that previous version, except maybe from the early 2000’s TMNT series.
    2. The Joker – Batman – Who doesn’t love the Joker, he’s been portrayed so many times in so many different ways. Every movie featuring the Joker gives you a different take on the Clown Prince of Crime. No matter what though he’s always crazy, and one of Batman’s greatest villains, especially in the comics where he does some truly terrible things, like cutting off his own face. And we can’t forget that he’s voiced by Luke Skywalker in Batman: The Animated Series along with several other things.
    3. Magneto – X-Men – The Master of Magnetism may not be a villain anymore, but he’ll always go down as one of the greatest comic bad guys ever. If you’re not familiar with his comic book biography, just look at the movies, he’s done some pretty terrible stuff.
    4. Green Goblin – Spider-Man – Green Goblin hasn’t been a spidey villain for a while, infact the original, and true goblin, Norman Osborn has moved on to be a major marvel villain without a mask in recent years. All that is changing soon though, check out my Take It Or Leave It from this week to see what I mean. Regardless he’s pretty much Marvel’s take on the Joker, he’s crazy, but brilliant and hell bent on destroying the life of his enemy. And I don’t mean killing, I mean really just ruining everything Spider-Man ever loved or cared about, even if it involves his own Son or the mother of his other illegitimate children.
    5. Shishio Makoto – Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) – I haven’t really watched Anime in a long time, but one thing that will always be true, it’s a media that has some of the best villains, and Shishio from Kenshin is definitely one of them. He’s like the opposite of Kenshin, they held the same job at one point, but had vastly different outcomes. Now Shishio just wants revenge and boy does he come close to getting it.

     
    Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

    Eric

    Villains can be the most compelling driver in a story. A true villain can make you feel for their cause, and question the heroics trying to stop them. But some villains just want to see the world burn, for no other reason than entertainment. There have been plenty of amazing villains over the years, so i’ll try my best to pick the ones that stood out above the rest for me.

    1. Big Boss – Big Boss is probably the greatest villain of all time. What makes him so compelling is that we witness his rise to heroism first hand. But as Harvey Dent said “You either die a hero, or see yourself live long enough to become the Villain.” Big Boss took the latter path. Not because he wanted to, because he needed to.
    2. Handsome Jack – Handsome Jack is one of the few villains that makes his presence known from the very beginning of the game. Literally as soon as you can move he’s taunting you on your ECHO device, and he doesn’t stop for the entire duration of the story. He’s brilliant, and ruthless. I found myself wanting nothing more than to see his corpse rotting on the ground by the end of the game. A fantastic villain.
    3. Diablo (Diablo series) – The Lord of Terror himself has been the final boss in games for over 15 years. He’s lead scores of minions against the world of Sanctuary all in his unending quest to destroy the high heavens.
    4. GlaDOS – This diabolical machine lives only to test. Even after the world has crumbled and fallen to shit she just creates tests to run. It may not sound terrible, but when you learn that within seconds of being activated she killed pretty much everyone in the Aperture Science Laboratories with a deadly neurotoxin, on Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, well. . . it becomes pretty apparent that you don’t want to mess with her.
    5. Dr. Nefarious – He’s sort of like a classic bond villain, but in space. He’s got a master plan to stop Captain Qwark, he has a rather. . . extravagant presentation, and Dr. Nefarious has a terrible temper. If he gets too upset he sometimes fries his circuits, freezes in place, and plays out scenes from an old romance movie. His sarcastic butler Lawrence fixes this with a smack to the head.

     
    Honorable Mention – Alduin: The World Eater. Sure Galactus has a similar title, the difference is that he’s not a giant Dragon. Nor does he have a massive mural depicting his prophecy. So ha! Wear you’re stupid purple helmet Galactus, Alduin is going to go breathe some fire and do other dragon-y shit.

    Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid 4

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    Take It Or Leave It – May 22, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-may-22-2013/ https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-may-22-2013/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 18:02:38 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13981 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week's newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf. And we're back!]]> tioli52213
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    And we’re back!

    It’s been a while, but finally Take It Or Leave It has returned. I’m a bit scaled back this week, haven’t had a lot of reading time of late. But don’t you worry we’ve got some big stuff coming soon along with our trip to Wizard World Philly next weekend then we be getting back to normal with your regularly scheduled weekly dose of comic reviews.

    Enough of that though, you’re not here for meta site stuff, you want to know how these weeks comics are. I don’t have a huge selection this week, but I tried to pick the most popular titles out of my pile to read first! So lets get going already.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Marvel Comics


    justiceleague20

    Justice League #20

    This issue, and last have been an interesting prelude for the upcoming Trinity War event. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing though. The battle of the issue on the Watchtower with the new league members didn’t feel all that important to the issue. Really the only important thing that happens is we know that Batman, like always, has plans to take down each of the league members should he need to. Except Wonder Woman, because she’s apparently without a weakness. . . So that’s cool. I do like the relationship between Batman and Superman and it makes me want to read the upcoming Batman/Superman book coming out. It was cool that even Bruce knows he’s a liability and could snap, and that he trusts Superman enough to give him his ‘Kryptonite’ just in case was a nice touch. I suppose as a lead up to a big event this was about as good as you could hope for in today’s market. And at least there was some nice character stuff going on. I don’t however know if the big reveal at the end was suppose to be surprising or not, I sort of saw it coming. But for all I know if you read the other Justice League titles maybe it was already common knowledge.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    teentitans20

    Teen Titans #20

    I’ve enjoyed Teen Titans for the most part, but lately it’s been getting a bit odd. I’m cool with the whole demon thing going on, but whatever is going on with Red Robin is getting old, especially since we know nothing! I know comic book covers shouldn’t always be taken at face value, but the last several have been playing up all this Red Robin stuff, and nothing ends up happening in the book. This issue particular I thought maybe something would happen, but ultimately we just got a lot of boring back story for Trigon and Raven. The ending at least left hope that next issue there may be some decent action, but I’ll be waiting to see that for myself.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    scarletspider17

    Scarlet Spider #17

    I really like Scarlet Spider, with a few exceptions it’s been a stellar book. And from what I’ve been seeing it’s just going to keep getting better with issue 17 as a kind of spring board for all kinds of problems. Kaine and Aracely having to infiltrate the Jean Grey School was pretty cool, and the fights were all a lot of fun. We’ve seen Spidey interact with the X-Men for years, but we’ve never seen someone with all his power and none of his history straight up fight them. I’ve also found myself becoming more and more a fan of Aracely, she’s a mystery but the things she does and says are usually pretty funny and awesome. Her powers are getting more interesting with each issue too, I hope we can find out more via the psychics of the X-Men. Well assuming they don’t all part on super bad terms.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman10

    Superior Spider-Man #10

    Oh Superior Spider-Man, you have so much going for you, but it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the story, but right now we’re living in a world where neither of the main Marvel Universes (616 and Ultimate) have a Peter Parker. Sure Miles is finally starting to warm up, and I’ve been enjoying watching Doc Ock evolve into what he deems a Superior Spider-Man, but I’m not sold yet, and I keep expecting them to put everything right. I even held out hope with the end of last issue that maybe the ‘Good’ side one, but issue 10 stomped those hopes out. Sure there’s still some possible solutions, but they become more and more far fetched as time goes on. I’m alright with Otto being around for the time being, like I said it’s enjoyable, but how long will it be fun to see this guy, who talks like an old school villain play the hero? I will say this issue had one of the coolest reveals I’ve seen in a while, and at this point I’m going to break away and start a new paragraph for the sake of spoilers, you’ve been warned.

    **SPOILERS**
    So The Green Goblin is back! We don’t know yet if it’s Osborn, but he’s back and it’s been far to long. Everything points to it being Norman, but at the same time it does feel a little small scale considering how he went out in Avengers. Slott has been planting seeds for the Goblin army for years now, with characters occasionally sporting Goblin tattoo’s and even more of them are on patrol in this issue. Green Goblin is definitely building and army and it’s going to be great to see him back in action. The big thing though he doesn’t have the same effect on Spidey anymore. That emotional reaction Peter would have had to Norman being back will be lost with the new Spider. Ock will probably thing it’s stupid and say something very curmudgeony. It should all still lead to a great story, and I feel like the Goblin, if it’s Norman should be the first one to out right claim something is wrong with the Spider. Much like Batman villains Two Face and Joker called out Dick Grayson when he wore the Cowl before the New 52 Reboot.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    uncannyxmen6

    Uncanny X-Men #6

    Uncanny X-Men 6 picks up right where 5 left off. Cyclops and his team are trapped in Limbo, having been pulled there against there will by some demons. It’s probably one of the less interesting issues of the book so far, but it had some decent moments too. I liked what Emma had the Cuckoo’s do, while it wasn’t the ‘good’ thing to do it was the ‘right’ thing. A lot of the build up with Hill outside of Limbo was fairly interesting too. But that leads me to the big complaints, and this goes for both X-Men books that Bendis is righting. It seems like he’s leaving each issue with a big reveal moment just to do it. I don’t want to get into what this one was, but it wasn’t even that great. Well unless you happen to be a hardcore fan of the character that I guess you’ll be excited. I kinda wish we could just get on with you know mutants trying to survive and saving the world again, or whatever it is these two drastically different teams are going to be doing. I feel like we get enough of the political stuff over in Ultimate X-Men I’d like just good old fashion super hero stuff in these books.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ]]>
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    Final Fantasy XIV – Return of the Scholar? https://one-quest.com/blog/final-fantasy-xiv-return-of-the-scholar/ Fri, 24 May 2013 14:54:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14501 blog who points out something interesting in the FFXIV box art. On the right hand side you'll notice a female Elezen rocking a mortarboard like a champ. This piece of equipment is distinct to the Scholar job as seen in FFXI.]]> Hello folks! Haven’t written in a while and figured I’d post about something I’ve been mildly obsessing over after reading Fernhalwes’s blog who points out something interesting in the FFXIV box art. On the right hand side you’ll notice a female Elezen rocking a mortarboard like a champ. This piece of equipment is distinct to the Scholar job as seen in FFXI.

     

    Scholar

     

    Scholars are adept at reading books which goes a long with with wielding magic (at least in FFXI). As a result they are able to utilize the two main schools of magic; black and white. Each Scholar could choose to focus on one magic school, thereby strengthening the chosen school and weakening the other. This makes a scholar a very versatile job and I feel is much needed considering the current jobs seem to allow only one role. With the release just around the corner it seems FFXIV will still have some welcoming surprises for us.

     

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    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Release Date and Pricing Announced https://one-quest.com/blog/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-release-date-and-pricing-announced/ Thu, 23 May 2013 19:13:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14472 Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn logo

    I was really hoping I wouldn’t be reporting this information this soon. . . I’ve been trying really hard to tell myself “NO! Don’t buy it!” when it comes to A Real Reborn, the fully remade version of the horrendous Final Fantasy XIV. Unfortunately, due to the fault of someone who shall not be named, *cough*Shahed*cough*, I’m not only interested in the title, I’m excited for it. I really didn’t want to be. I don’t have fun with MMOs. I spend way too much time working toward nothing. The next thing I know 2 years have passed and I’ve achieved. . . NOTHING. Ah well, maybe it’ll be different this time.

    I doubt it.

    Anyway, for those of you that came here for the actual information, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will hit shelves and go live on August 27th. YAY! >.< If you preorder the game you get early access (length of early access unspecified), a non-combat Cait Sith pet, and a Moogle Hat to wear in game. Those seem pretty cool for free.
    Final Fantasy XIV Cait Sith doll Final Fantasy XIV Mog Cap
    PREORDER BONUSES

    Pricing options vary based on desired console, and collectors or standard edition.
    Purchasing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on PlayStation 3 will set you back $40 for the standard edition, and $80 for the collectors. PC versions will run $30 standard, $50 digital collectors, and $70 physical collectors.

    Monthly costs starts at $12.99, and can range up to $14.99 based on the length of the purchase. 6 months at $12.99, 3 months at $13.99, and 1 month at $14.99. It also looks like there will be an entry level option of $12.99, but we’re unsure what that actually means.

    The collectors edition comes with your standard assortment of collectible items. You have an Audio CD, Behind The Scenes/Back Story DVD, an Art book, some art prints, the MMO standard security key, and some in game items.

    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Collectors Edition

    The in game items include a level 1 helmet, a level 20 coeurl mount, behemoth barding(Chocobo Armor), and a non-combat baby behemoth pet. Nothing really stand out here, but I’m sure collectors will salivate none the less.

    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Collectors Edition in game rewards

    Well, there you have it. Are you excited for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn? Or are you just hoping Square-Enix doesn’t falter again leaving us with more Final Fantasy XIII sequels? I’m sort of both. . . Tell us what you think in the comments below!

    One last thing! Here’s a video to give you a little taste of what to expect from the full release!

    ]]>
    X-Box A New Generation Revealed Live Blog https://one-quest.com/blog/x-box-a-new-generation-revealed-live-blog/ Tue, 21 May 2013 14:28:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14425 xbox announcement

    Hello questers!

    In a few short hours we will start our coverage of the revel of the new X-Box!

    There are a flood of rumors circulating about this device, and we’ll know which ones are true soon enough.

    Join us at 12 Noon Eastern Time for our live blog of the event.

    You can also follow us on twitter and facebook where we will also feature regular updates.

    -E

    02:21pm by Eric

    That was. . . well, short.

    I was expecting more. The event ran just over an hour long.

    We learned that the Xbox One is focusing on making everything about it’s system as simple as possible. It appears to also have a massive focus on sports and live TV, especially considering the new Fantasy Sports features.

    The presenters very briefly touched on the hardware specs, while shifting quickly to the device that sets the console apart from it’s competitors, the new Kinect.

    From what I was able to see the Xbox One will have 8GB ram, and 8 Core CPU, 500GB HDD, Bluray player and 5,000,000,000 transistors. The new Kinect can recognize players by voice, and load up their personal profiles simply by hearing them speak. Kinect can also capture 1080p vidoe, and transmit up to 2GB of data per second to the Xbox One.

    One other massive feature upgrade is Xbox Live. Altho, not much was spoken about what would change we were told there will be cloud support. To what extent I do not know. . . To accompany the upgrade in Live and the new features of the console Xbox Live will jump from 15,000 worldwide servers to over 300,000 worldwide servers! A massive jump, so there must be something big, like streaming videos and such, that wasn’t entirely touched on.

    When it comes to games we saw a short video from EA about their new Ignite technology. It sounds like it will change sports games as we know it, but we’ll have to wait and see. Also, we were teased with short CG trailer for Forza Motorsport 5 and Quantum Break. Not sure what Quantum Break really is, but the trailer showed some things breaking. . .

    And to cap it all off we were given a behind the scenes look at Call of Duty Ghosts, as well as a nice trailer and some hype. Also the news that all Call of Duty DLC will debut on the new Xbox One console before it hits anywhere else.

    All in all, it was ok. While the console was actually shown, something the Sony press conference took a lot of flack for, it was unimpressive. The console itself is little more then a black rectangle. It looks remarkably like a standard set-top box you’d get from your cable provider. Maybe that’s the point. On top of an unremarkable design, there was little shown off for the console besides it’s integration with Kinect. While the new kinect is impressive, it’s certainly not a system seller. Lastly the games shown off during the conference did not appeal to me in the least. I’m not a sporty person, never was, so the bulk of this show was actually boring to me. Of the other two games displayed Call of Duty Ghosts seems like it’s the most interesting, but even still not something I’d put at the top of my must have list. And Quantum Break. . . What the hell is it? I mean, teasers are cool. But when it comes to revealing your big new console, we need gameplay! Not a teaser.

    Ah well, still fairly unimpressed by anything revealed by Sony and MicroSoft. We’ll just have to wait till E3 to see more I suppose.

    Until then, keep your eyes on One-Quest and we’ll keep you up to date if anything interesting leaks!

    02:04pm by Eric

    And that concludes the show. . .

    02:04pm by Eric

    Beautiful scenery and a haunting soundtrack. Call of Duty Ghosts looks pretty cool.

    02:01pm by Eric

    Here comes the gameplay footage.

    01:57pm by Eric

    A brand new engine is ebing used for Call of Duty Ghosts.

    01:56pm by Eric

    Call of Duty Ghosts will have an epic, emotional story. And one of your Squad mates is a Dog.

    01:53pm by Eric

    All Call of Duty DLC will launch on 360 first. . .

    01:53pm by Eric

    Maybe some in game footage, and not a trailer.

    01:53pm by Eric

    Closing with a trailer for Call of Duty Ghosts.

    01:52pm by Eric

    Xbox One launching this year.

    01:47pm by Eric

    Halo TV series is inbound.

    01:46pm by Eric

    Stephen Speilberg on a video to talk about a Halo project.

    01:46pm by Eric

    Halo TV series?

    01:45pm by Eric

    Bonnie Ross of 343 industries on stage to talk Halo.

    01:44pm by Eric

    immersion?

    01:44pm by Eric

    Nany Tellam on stage to talk about TV and it’s immersiveness.

    01:42pm by Eric

    15 Exclusives published by Microsoft int he first year. 8 of which are new franchises.

    01:41pm by Eric

    This is by Remedy, the team behind Max Payne. Trailer shifted to in game footage showing things breaking. . .

    01:40pm by Eric

    Quantum Break is being debuted with a live trailer.

    01:38pm by Eric

    Forza 5 coming to Xbox One. No surprise here.

    01:36pm by Eric

    Sports over. Phil Specner on stage now.

    01:28pm by Eric

    Andrew Wilson of EA takes the stage to talk Sports.

    01:27pm by Eric

    Xbox One offers video uploads and streaming, like PS4.

    01:27pm by Eric

    300,000 Servers will power Xbox Live on Xbox One.

    01:25pm by Eric

    There’s an actual D-Pad! FINALLY!

    01:23pm by Eric

    New Kinect comes with every Xbox One. Can now read at 1080p.

    01:22pm by Eric

    Xbox One will run 3 different Operating Systems. Xbox, Windows, and a combo. . .(?)

    01:21pm by Eric

    Bluray player as well.

    01:21pm by Eric

    8GB of RAM, 8core CPU, etc. etc.

    01:20pm by Eric

    Marc Whitten takes the stage.

    01:17pm by Eric

    Xbox One will track your Fantasy sports leagues for you. It will even provide notifications when their stats update.

    01:14pm by Eric

    Xbox One can “Snap” multiple programs on screen at once. Example: Watch a movie, and open Internet Explorer.

    01:13pm by Eric

    Switching between TV, games, music, and over features of Xbox One is nearly seamless!

    01:12pm by Eric

    Kinect can swith to your television simply by stating “Xbox Live TV.” A nice way to get around switching inputs.

    01:11pm by Eric

    Kinect will always be on and able to activate the console at any point in time. Simply say “Xbox On” and the console will activate. It will also know who told the console to turn on and login to their personal account.

    01:10pm by Eric

    Yusef Medhi takes the stage to tell us about the device itself.

    01:09pm by Eric

    Plenty of straight lines in the design. It looks a lot like a standard Set-Top box for your TV.

    01:08pm by Eric

    It’s a black rectangle. . . Uh oh. . . Looks a lot like those blurry PS4 images we saw.

    01:07pm by Eric

    X-Box One. . . that’s the name.

    01:03pm by Eric

    Don Mattrick takes the stage to talk us up.

    01:02pm by Eric

    Start up with a hype trailer.

    12:57pm by Eric

    Less than 5 minutes remaining till the start of the event! Here we go!

    12:01pm by Eric

    Well. . . We’ve got about an hour till the event starts. Sorry, got our times a little mixed up. Check backs soon for the full set of updates.

     

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Science Fiction! https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-science-fiction/ Fri, 17 May 2013 18:05:46 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14407 sciencefiction
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Science Fiction.

    Been a while since I did a Friday Five, but with Eric busy guess it’s about time! We’ve got a small group this week to so lets hope all our picks are interesting enough to keep you reading. This week we’re going on about our favorite things from Science Fiction in anticipation for the new Star Trek movie opening today. And don’t worry we don’t skimp on the Star Trek here! Now check out our picks below.

    Pisko

    1. A tie between two Giant World Destroying Spheres; The Technodrome from the 80’s TMNT cartoons and The Death Star. Though the Death Star had more powerful weapons the Technodrome had a GIANT EYE ON TOP! I rest my case. (Shout out to the InfoSphere from Futurama for being cool but not particularly menacing and V-Giney the world censoring death sphere)
    2. Everything from Futurama minus the two aforementioned World Threatening Death Spheres.
    3. Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy for being a badass space doctor.
    4. The TARDIS. Time travel is cool but would get boring after a while, but Time AND SPACE? Yeah, now we’re set. Not only the history of your own planet then but EVERY PLANET EVER. Oh and also, it translates every known language and gives you breathable air and can change into anything to blend in. Also it’s a live “person” with its own feelings and motives.
    5. The Mass Relays from Mass Effect. If you can’t have a TARDIS than Mass Relays are your best way to hope around the galaxy in no time. Seriously, like, NO TIME. Because you’re in a Mass Relay Field.

     
    technodrome3

    Chris

    I love science fiction, whether it’s books, movies, shows pretty much anything. Granted I’m not a huge Star Trek fan which is what spawned this idea. Sure the 2009 movies was good, and I’m interested in the new one, but beyond that I’ve just never cared much. When it comes to things that start with Star I liked Star Wars better. That’s an argument for another time though.

    1. Aliens – Like a lot of mine, this is pretty broad, but really Aliens are usually pretty cool in sci fi movies. You’ve got Predator, ET, the things from Independence Day, and of course the Aliens from Alien(aka Xenomorphs), just to name a few. People have believed in beings from other planets forever, but sci fi movies make you wonder if you’d really want to meet them!
    2. Flying Things that Don’t normally Fly – I’m not talking about people, but rather cars, skateboards and the like. Hell if Doc Brown can make a Delorean fly why the hell don’t we have like a flying Audi or at least something that hovers a bit like a landspeeder from Star Wars.
    3. Teleportation/Faster than light travel – I don’t really like Star Trek, but I have to admit the idea of just teleporting to places is pretty cool and to my knowledge they were the first to think it up. On top of that being able to get other places faster than the speed of light would be pretty awesome.
    4. Ooze – Lots of movies have used Ooze like substances as a catalyst for the conflict or to get a story going. The best, and my favorite are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in pretty much all of their incarnations.
    5. The Force – John already picked this, but it really is pretty bad ass, you can influence others, move shit with your mind, and do all kinds of crazy superhero stuff pretty much by willing it to happen.

     
    predator

    ]]>
    Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. https://one-quest.com/blog/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d/ Tue, 14 May 2013 20:30:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14401 Agents of Shield promo shot

    COULSON LIVES!

    Welcome to Level 7.

    Agents of Shield is airing this Fall on ABC on Tuesday nights. It looks awesome!

    Check out the trailer below and start counting down the days. . .

    If someone could find a way to fast forward through summer for me, that’d be great.

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Fictional Moms https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-fictional-moms/ Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14370 Mothers Day Card

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Fictional Moms.

    Mothers Day is just a few days away, so to celebrate we thought we list our favorite fictional moms. It’s funny to think about how they moms in fictional TV shows can really ground the family in place. But, as evidenced by our selections, they’re mostly just as zany as any other characters on a show! Check out our choices below.

    Pisko

    1. Turanga Munda (Futurama)
    2. Amy Matthews (Boy Meets World)
    3. Mallory Archer (Archer)
    4. Linda Stotch (South Park)
    5. Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development) – Despite her and Mallory Archer having the same voice actor and being pretty much the same character.

     

    Lucile Bluth from Arrested Development

    Chris

    1. Sarah Connor (Terminator Series) – I don’t really know whether she was more concerned about her kid or the fact that in the future he was suppose to lead humans to victory over the machines, but she still kicked a lot of ass keeping him safe.
    2. Mary Cooper (The Big Bang Theory) – The only person on the show who even has a small amount of control over Sheldon. While the rest of the gang can sometimes get their way with him, when the situation gets dire they just call his mom.
    3. Daenerys Targaryen – A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) – While not a mother to people, she is a mother to Dragons, and if you haven’t read/watched this stuff you’re missing out.
    4. Kate McCallister (Home Alone) – Sure she left her kid at Home Alone while going on vacation during Christmas with the rest of her family, sure she let him get on the wrong plane while going on another vacation during Christmas. But I’ll be damned if she didn’t try really hard to find him afterwards!
    5. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Marvel Comics) – Okay yes Wanda is less of a mother than pretty much everyone else mentioned. The kids she had were subconscious constructs in reality from her chaos powers or something like that. But when she thought they got taken away from her she lost her mind and was ready to rip the world in half to find them.

     

    Sarah Connor from Terminator 2: Judgement Day

    Eric

    1. Marie Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond) – She reminds me of a certain mother I have in my life. . . :p
    2. Aunt May (Spider-Man) – While not technically a mom in the traditional sense, she is still the mother figure to Peter Benjamin Parker. He wouldn’t be the hero he was before ASM#700 without this awesome lady in his life.
    3. Lois (Malcolm in the Middle) – She was strict and didn’t take shit from any of her kids. Absolutely hilarious!
    4. Mrs. Wolowitz (Big Bang Theory) – While JohnScott used Mrs. Costanza as his favorite “jewish mom,” I’d have to go with Howards mom. She has no filter, and will generally shout whatever is necessary to embarrass Howard. She’s also never been seen on the show.
    5. Claire (Lost) – She had a baby on a deserted island. Then lost the baby. Of course she went insane after this. Tragic story, but an amazing character.

     

    Marie Barone and Ray Barone from Everbody Loves Raymond

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    May the 4th be with you! https://one-quest.com/blog/may-the-4th-be-with-you/ Sat, 04 May 2013 13:10:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14356 Big day for nerds!

    First of all, it’s free comic book day! The article says tomorrow, but it’s referencing today. So be sure you head out to your local comic shop to take part in the festivities (aka free books). 🙂

    Also, it’s May the 4th! For those of you that don’t know, it’s Star Wars day! Lots of Star Wars themed sales are going on, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled.

    To commemorate the day I’ve made a little image for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! ^_^

    Darth Vader celebrating May the 4th!

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    Friday Five – Lamest Super Powers https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-lamest-super-powers/ Fri, 03 May 2013 18:22:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14338 Aquaman Riding Dolphins

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a Top Five list. This weeks category: Lamest Super Powers!

    Look, every superhero can’t be Spider-Man and Wolverine. You have to have some of the not so awesome guys hanging around to take care of the lamer crimes. This is our tribute to those fools. The heroes who’s powers could only be useful in the most odd circumstances. Worst part is, some of these guys managed to make their way onto some major teams. Some even have their own books! Check it out.

    Pisko

    1. Dazzler (X-Men) – I also had Jubilee on this list but since she’s just the 90’s attempt to remake Dazzler I took her off.
    2. Booster Gold (Justice League) – He doesn’t have powers so much as a bunch of stolen technology from way in the future.
    3. Cypher (X-Men) – Seriously? He can read anything, so just get him on Skype when he is needed. He has NO purpose on a mission.
    4. Vibe – Not so much his powers, but more how he uses them to dance fight super lamely
    5. Hypno-Hustler – The only time he’s useful is in Spider-Man: Reign

     

    Dazzler from Marvel Comics

    Drootin

    1. The Thing – He turned into rocks? I mean he’s got strength and all but rocks? Really?
    2. Poison Ivy’s Plant Control – Plants may be the least scary thing on the planet so why should I be worried if someone can control them.
    3. Flight – If you ask most people what one super power they could have most people say flight. But you know what I think flight is pretty lame. It would be really cold up there. I’d rather just teleport everywhere.
    4. Aquaman – Aquaman sucks, he doesn’t have a single worthwhile power that I know of.
    5. Superman – Cause honestly, fuck Superman.

     

    The Thing from Marvel Comics

    I have to disagree with this one. . .

    Chris

    1. 3D Man – With the power of not 1 but 3 average men!
    2. Superman – Where John complains about his super face flexing, I have more problems with some of his other early powers. . . For instance: Super-Hypnotism, which Superman used to subconsciously make everyone see him as a weaker individual while dressed as Clark Kent. Obviously, this was after they stopped using the Super Face Flexing. There’s also Super-ventriloquism, Super-amnesia kiss (as seen in Superman II), and shooting a midget Superman from his palms. And yes that last one is real, not even slightly a joke.
    3. Goldstar (Ernest Widdle) – Good morals, harmonic “niceness vibes”. . .
    4. Color Kid – With the power to change somethings color!
    5. Arm Fall Off Boy – I wish I was making this shit up. . . Arm Fall Off Boy can remove body parts (HIS OWN!) and use them as melee weapons.

     

    3D Man from Marvel Comics

    Audra

    1. Meltman (Action League Now) – With the power to. . . melt.
    2. Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time) – Her power to know when someone is telling a lie. Everybody lies, and that’s a lame ‘super power’.
    3. Meg Griffin (Family Guy) – When the family develops super powers she has the power to grow her nails long.
    4. Captain Jack (Dr. Who/Torchwood) – A life changing event left him with the ability to never die. Except that he does, but then comes back to life. It sounds good except, why not have the ability to just not get yourself into a dying situation. Who wants to go through the procedure of dying all the time?
    5. Tap Man (Gus on Psych) – His superpower is rhythm.

     

    Meltman from Action League Now, Kablam

    Eric

    1. Being Blind (Daredevil) – I understand he had a really great run, and is one of the classic Marvel heroes. That doesn’t change the fact that his power is actually classified as a disability. Yeah, yeah, radioactive blah blah. He’s still blind. And he’s still incredibly lame.
    2. Communicating with fish (Aquaman) – I’m surprised this wasn’t up here more. . .
    3. Stretching (Mr.Fanstastic and Plastic Man) – It’s the ultimate in laziness. “I really want that bottle of soda, but I don’t feel like getting up. . . OH! I don’t have too!” You could argue that telekinesis is lazier, but that at least requires one to flex their mental muscles as opposed to just reaching really hard. . .
    4. Shrinking/Growing (Hank Pym and Ray Palmer) – I just don’t see the allure here. What’s the purpose of shrinking yourself down? It just makes you easier to squash? And Growing. . . It’s stupid. It didn’t stop Captain America from beating Hanks ass in the Ultimates, and it certainly won’t protect you from one of Dr. Dooms death rays. Just dumb.
    5. Punching things really hard AKA Super Strength (EVERY SUPERHERO EVER) – It’s the absolute most basic superpower of all. I’s practially handed out like candy. “Oh, you wanna be a hero? Here take super strength!” Luke Cage has unbreakable skin, apparently that means he can bench press a car. Wonder Woman is an Amazon, so I guess that means she can contend with Doomsday. Hank Pym has a form of Super Strength, and he makes himself smaller! Oh, and don’t forget, because Aquaman can swim really fast, he can punch things pretty hard too. . .

     

    Daredevil

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    Friday Five – Doctors https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-doctors/ https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-doctors/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:30:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14045 Dr. Mario

    Welcome the the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a bit better with the help of a top five list! This week;s category: Doctors.

    Doctors are pretty much in every form of media. Not necessarily a medical doctors, but scientists and even space aliens. It’s interesting when you think about it. Some of the greatest stories told begin with some type of doctor. Be it Dr. Frankensten and his Monster, or a certain schizophrenic, Doctor Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. They’re everywhere! Doctors are more common than Kevin Bacon! Seriously, try playing seven degrees of doctors and you’re more then likely to stop by the 3rd degree, or sooner! Well, anyway. . . here are our favorite Doctors. ^_^

    Chris

    1. 10th Doctor (Doctor Who) – David Tennant
    2. Dr. Christopher Turk (Scrubs)
    3. 11th Doctor (Doctor Who) – Matt Smith
    4. Dr. John “JD” Dorian (Scrubs)
    5. Dr. Gregory House (House M.D.)

     

    Matt Smith as Doctor Who

    Pisko

    1. 9th Doctor (Doctor Who)
    2. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Star Trek)
    3. Doctor Curt Connors (Marvel Comics/Spider-Man)
    4. That robot doctor from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back that gives Luke a new hand
    5. Dr. Horrible (Doctor Horrible’s Sing Along Blog)

     

    Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who

    Shannon

    1. Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory)
    2. The Doctor (EMH #1) (Star Trek Voyager)
    3. John Dorian (Scrubs)
    4. Zoidberg (Futurama)
    5. Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future)

     

    John "JD" Dorian from Scrubs

    Eric

    1. Doctor Gregory House (House M.D.) – House was, and still is, one of my favorite shows of all times. Easily the coolest doctor.
    2. The Doctor (Doctor Who) – I’m not picking one. The character as a whole is amazing.
    3. Doctor Strange (Marvel Comics) – The sorcerer supreme! He used to be a surgeon, so it counts.
    4. Doctor Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. (Indiana Jones) – The original tomb raider! ^_^
    5. Doctor Otto Octavious (Marvel Comics/Spider-Man) – He bested Spider-Man in issue #700 of Amazing Spider-Man. He’s been the lead man since the beginning of Superior Spider-Man, and it’s been great so far!

     

    Dr. Gregory House from House M.D.

    Audra

    1. Dr. Dana Scully (X-Files) – Her skepticism was annoying at first but built into something great later in the series.
    2. Gregory House (House M.D.) – He’s the asshole that you grow to love.
    3. The Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who) – of course. 😛
    4. Dr. River Song (Doctor Who) – first meeting her was annoying, since she already knew the future. But her story line is rather bad ass.
    5. Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper (Big Bang Theory) – everyone knows someone like this. Or maybe even 2.

     

    David Tennant as Doctor Who popping up out of a cubicle

    Drootin

    1. Dr. Gregory House (House M.D.) – House was a great show and that’s because the character House was such a sarcastic prick. He made the show great.
    2. Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario)
    3. Dr. Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)
    4. Dr. Light (Megaman)
    5. Dr. McGillicuddy (Liquor)

     

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    Injustice: Gods Among Us – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/injustice-gods-among-us-review/ Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:59:01 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14018 Injustice: Gods Among Us

    Injustice: Gods Among Us Injustice: Gods Among Us

    Developer NetherRealm Studios

    Publisher WB Games

    Platforms Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, iPad, iPhone

    Released: 04-16-2013(NA)

    Verdict: Amazing Fighting with Super Powered Superheroes!

    Score: 8/10

    I would have written this sooner, but, you have NO idea how hard it is to type properly with a controller in your hands.

    Where to start… I am HORRIBLE at fighting games. There are a lot of things in this beautiful package that can turn a player off. The fact that the game engine and fighting engine are essentially Mortal Kombat may turn off some players of fighting games who prefer more advanced controls and moves. The fact that it is only DC Characters may turn some people off (I suspect that with parent company WB owning both the developer and DC may have had some influence). If you are not at least aware of the Crisis on Infinite Earths/ Infinite Crisis storylines or the show Fringe then you may get turned off by the story. Some people may get turned off because it is decidedly focused on the single player Story Mode. You don’t have to play it though. My point is that there are a lot of things that Injustice could do or be that turn gamers off from ever picking up the game. This would be a grave error on their part because Injustice is a fantastic experience.

    Supes melts Grundy!

     

    Story Mode took me about 5 hours between bathroom breaks and more beer. I should say that I am just the worst at fighting games, and played through the story on medium to make sure I wouldn’t get stuck anywhere. The story is THAT good. I would put it on par with the DC Animated direct to video movies such as the upcoming Superman: Unbound and one of my favorites Justice League: New Frontier. DC and NetherRealm Studios have gone all out on this title even going so far to produce a comic series that explains the years leading up to the beginning on the game. DC has even said that the comic could have life past the games release window if the fans keep reading it. With or without reading the involved backstory the games Story Mode stands on it’s own legs and is well crafted. The story is played out akin to the last Mortal Kombat (9) games story mode. You play as one character and routinely change off after a few matches and continue onward filling in the blanks as different characters find out new information. I have to say that this really gives you a good feel for most of the 25 some characters in the game which will provide you not only a level boost, but an experience boost when you take your skills online. I would definitely recommend playing at least a little bit of the story before diving into the plethora of other modes on the disc.

     

    Also pretty much taken directly from the last Mortal Kombat is the STAR Labs Challenge area. This is just the Challenge Tower from MK9 with the added benefit of being able to skip a mission here or there; A feature which MK9 was sorely lacking and stopped me from going further into the tower at about 200. I also feel that STAR Labs varies the missions a lot better than MK9 did. One mission early on has you play as Catwoman’s Cat and tasks you with avoiding danger. Additionally any skin packs you may have gotten as a pre-order bonus comes with themed missions in STAR Labs.

     

    I've played as the actual cat more often than Catwoman

     

    Online multiplayer is sort of a mixed bag. Because the characters aren’t all perfectly balanced this leads to certain characters being used more and more as players figure out their moves and powers. I actually like as a comic nerd that the characters aren’t all balanced. While this will surely enrage fighting game purists and anyone who fights against Cyborg online (The current top 10 players in the world all play as Cyborg), it means that the attention to the DC universe is there. Even in the way the characters interact with the varied items in the environments. Batman for instance will see a car and throw some explosives on it to damage his opponent whereas Superman just picks the thing up over his head and chucks it. It just shows that while they could have pasted the same animation on every character NetherRealm took the time to think carefully about what each character could and could not do physically. Additionally if you are wondering how Batman can take a hit from Superman and live but can’t pick up a dumpster the game has an answer for that, in a quick one line “nanotech” explanation. It’s unfortunate because the line would almost be a throw away if it wasn’t crucial to believing the plot.

    Expect a LOT of this online

     

    The Graphics are standard Unreal 3 faire. Pretty similar to MK9 except as the fighters battle the world around them will crumble and break from the super powered hits they dole out. This is actually pretty refreshing to see and when not playing reminded me of watching an episode of the late 90’s DC cartoons. This is also aided by the fact that a majority of the voice actors from those shows have reprised their roles for this game. Bruce Timm the most notable but even characters like Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, and Lex have returned. Side note on graphics and Lex Luthor that I can’t escape… He looks EXACTLY like Bruce Willis. It’s really all I can see and has made every fight with him in it SUPER distracting. Otherwise the character models look like a combination of the Earth Two heroes and the 90’s Cartoons with the exception of Batman who looks like he crawled straight out of The Dark Knight.

    All in all this is a game I could not rave enough about despite it’s few issues. The roster is beyond solid and the voice acting and graphics are something to drool at. If you still have a sour taste in your mouth from DC vs. MK than this will be your palate cleanser. DC has lightened up about the use of their properties and the team at NetherRealm have put out a product that shows those characters are in excellent hands. I hope that DC continues to lighten up and takes more risks like this in the future, but I don’t ever expect to see ANY Superman rip someones spine out or perform fatalities. The prospect of DLC fighters further entices the package and I can’t help but wish that a complete edition comes to the Vita ala MK9, just so I can play more Injustice throughout the day.

    Joker is ALLOWED to shoot people now!

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    Microsoft teases Next-Gen Xbox announcement! https://one-quest.com/blog/microsoft-teases-next-gen-xbox-announcement/ Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:41:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14013 xbox announcement

    Whelp, we all knew it was coming sooner or later.

    Microsoft has revealed that they will announce the Next Generation of Xbox on May 21st, 2013.

    It’s only 19 days before E3 kicks off. Looks like they’re trying to muster the hype and avoid being overshadowed by other companies during the major industry event. But is it too close to E3?

    If you think about it, Sony gave us an ample tease in February. It was just enough to satisfy, but still not enough to fill us up. Take into account the 4 month wait until E3 for more info, and you have yourself a nice “tease and please” release schedule. Microsoft is going the same route, by only giving us a “taste” of whats to come while saving the bulk of the information for E3, in a much shorter timeline. I just seems. . . rushed? If you’re going to wait this long, you may as well “steal the show” and wow the E3 audience. Instead MS will be on level ground with the other hardware publishers going into the event.

    I feel like the timing is off. Regardless, we’ll be there and we’ll liveblog the entire event! ^_^

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    Image Teases Independence Day https://one-quest.com/blog/image-teases-independence-day/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:46:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=14007 independancedayfeatured

    Image Comics seems to love these cryptic teaser images, not quite as much as Marvel does, but that’s for another time.

    Last night we got an interesting one, as you’ll see below other than the Image logo, and some text there’s nothing to it. But what is interesting is the line about Independence Day. . . could this be a comic adaption/sequel of the 1996 action movie staring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum? Perhaps this could tie together the in-the-works film sequel(s)?

    Sure it could all just be something completely different, something to do with the american revolution perhaps? Not quite as cool as Will Smith punching aliens in the face, but cool nonetheless. I’m probably wrong all the way around, but it’s always fun to speculate! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see though, and judging from the text on the image we’ll be finding something out on July 2nd.

    Oh and lets not forget the teaser in question

    teaser-independence

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    The Wonderful World of Oz Is Getting A Zenescope Makeover. https://one-quest.com/blog/the-wonderful-world-of-oz-is-getting-a-zenescope-makeover/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:14:28 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13992 grimmozfeature

    It’s certainly safe to assume Dorthy ain’t in Kansas anymore.

    Yep, at long last Zenescope Entertainment is bringing the land of Oz into it’s Grimm Fairy Tales Universe. As you’ll see in the full press release below this is a long awaited adaption of a popular and well known franchise, and it’s due out this summer. It couldn’t come at a better time either with the recent release of Oz The Great and Powerful along with the future sequels. If you’ve read anything in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe before you know these books are great for putting, both expected and unexpected twists on stories we’ve all known since we were children.

    Oz has been hinted at from Zenescope for quite a while now, and it’s great to see it finally come to fruition, and we’ll only have to wait a few more months for it to hit comic shop shelves everywhere.

    Now check out the full press release below followed by all kinds of fancy covers, plus a little something else to old you all over.

    Zenescope Entertainment Announces OZ

    Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans to publish its newest Grimm Fairy Tales comic book spinoff entitled OZ. Fans of Zenescope’s comics have been looking forward to the company’s re-imagining of this classic story for quite a while as it’s been hinted at in numerous issues over the past two years. Oz will finally make its much-anticipated debut at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con and hit retailer shelves in late July.

    Zenescope’s President and co-founder, Joe Brusha, will be handling the writing for the new Oz series. “We’re very excited to finally reveal the fourth realm of the Grimm Fairy Tales Universe.” said Brusha “We’ve already introduced alternate versions of Neverland and Wonderland and have been planning Oz for such a long time and now we finally get to deliver something epic to our fans. I hope they enjoy reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.”

    This modern take on the Oz story retells the classic mythology with a fascinating blend of dark fantasy and action-packed adventure. It begins as the witches of Oz search for a lost weapon of power known as the Veridian Scepter. Their quest ultimately leads them to the unlikeliest of places – the farmlands of Kansas – and specifically to the home of a young woman named Dorothy Gale.

    The first issue features interior artwork by newcomer Rolando Neto and covers by superstar artists J Scott Campbell, Artgerm, Eric Basaldua and Ale Garza and is available now for pre-order in Diamond’s May edition of PREVIEWS for a July 2013 release. For more information on Oz or any other Zenescope title, visit www.zenescope.com or follow their updates on Facebook and Twitter.

    J. Scott Campbell Cover

    J. Scott Campbell Cover

    ArtGerm Cover

    ArtGerm Cover

    Eric 'EBAS' Basaldua Connecting Covers

    Eric ‘EBAS’ Basaldua Connecting Covers

    Ale Garza Cover

    Ale Garza Cover

    And finally two inked preview pages!

    OZp08ink OZp01ink
    ]]>
    Thor: The Dark World and Ratchet and Clank trailers https://one-quest.com/blog/thor-the-dark-world-and-ratchet-and-clank-trailers/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:46:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13988 Thor: The Dark World Logo

    Yeah, a strange combination. . . But this is awesome! On the very day we get the new Thor trailer we also get an announcement that Ratchet and Clank are coming to theaters in 2015! ^_^

    Shut up and take my money!

    Firstly here’s Thor: The Dark World. We get a lot out of this trailer. It looks like the bifrost is up and running again, and we get a much darker feel from this movie when compared to previous Marvel Studios films. Check it out below.

    Next up we have an announcement trailer for Ratchet and Clank. It doesn’t give any potential plot points away, but definitely nods at the series signature humor. Best of all: It’s actually coming to theaters, not straight to DVD/BluRay! It’s gonna be sweet!

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    Take It Or Leave It – April 17, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-april-17-2013/ Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:04:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13829 takeitorleaveit

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Last week was a bit of a bust sorry about that, this week though we’re back with all kind of comic booky goodness! Spider-Man is saving things, and Nightwing is saving things, and the Justice League are. . . having dates. Yeah so maybe not as epic but still a lot of great books hit the stands this week so lets see how many are actually worth your dollars.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    justiceleague19h

    Justice League #19

    Outside of Batman I’m not a big DC reader, lately though I’ve been trying to broaden reading by including some books that I’m frankly not all that familiar with. Now Justice League isn’t something totally new to me, I read the first 9 issues back when the New 52 started. I thought that opening arc where they all first came together was actually pretty cool at first, but by the end it just lost my attention. So fast forward about a year later and we’re up to issue 19. Throne of Atlantis is over and the League is looking to expand. . .that’s cool and all. They added a few members last issue, but this one is more about Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. And you know what, it was actually pretty good, the issue gets started right away with things going bad, and they just continue to not be awesome for anyone involved. This actually has me interested to see where they’re going with it, enough to keep reading even! I guess with Geoff Johns leaving Green Lantern, I have somewhere else to turn.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    nightwing19h

    Nightwing #19

    Well the big plus in this issue for me is that we’ve got another new artist on the book, who doesn’t draw faces all weird and old looking. On the downside Dick is no longer part of the Gotham Vigilante scene. Do you think they had a going away party for him and just didn’t invite Batman? Like when a character gets killed off The Walking Dead. That’s beside the point though, what I want to talk about is the fact that he moved to Chicago with apparently almost no money. Now I get it he doesn’t want to ask Bruce for help, but being that he is through adoption a Wayne, he should just have lots of money all over the place. Sure he spent a lot of it with the whole circus ordeal but when you’re that kind of rich it doesn’t matter. Tim Drake has tons of cash, look at his resources in Teen Titans he buys a Cruise Ship for the team! Now on top of that he’s got a roommate, and I’m sorry but how dumb is this guy going to have to be to not piece together that the guy renting the room from him and a masked vigilante, also from Gotham moved to town on the SAME DAY. Alright alright, all that aside it was a good issue, and at least started setting up some new supporting characters for Nightwing. I’m a little worried though that this whole Tony Zucco thing is going to drag out to long, because without that what other reason is there to stay in Chicago. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where Kyle Higgins takes the book.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    redhoodandtheoutlaws19h

    Red Hood and the Outlaws #19

    Red Hood and the Outlaws is a little hard for me to really give a full opinion on. I just started reading it and caught up in about a week so I could be ready for this issue. The problem with that is I got the entire story so far really fast, and that tends to blur your judgment a bit. Sure a book may be awesome when you know the whole thing, but how about when you waited a month for the next part and got let down by it? Outside of that, I have enjoyed it, Jason, Roy, and Kori are an interesting group, and while the story hasn’t always made a ton of sense, it’s been entertaining. That’s all you really need from a comic book though, decent entertainment. So how about this issue 19, well it’s a little strange as it opens up telling us to see what happened to lead Jason to this point in an issue of Batman and Red Hood that doesn’t come out till next month. So that’s a bit annoying right away, but it’s no different than a flash back I suppose. Really my biggest problem with this issue was the art, I think Tynion does an alright job with the script taking over from Lobdell, but Gopez just doesn’t do it for me. It’s very inconsistent and some of the way body parts are drawn just don’t look right. If you can get past the art though this sets up for what should be an interesting story arc that could cause some really major changes to this “Not-A-Team”.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score:6/10

    Reviewed By:Chris


    hoaxhunters09_cover

    Hoax Hunters #9

    Go back and read past Take It Or Leaves It’s and you’ll see I’m a fan of Hoax Hunters, it’s a fun series and definitely a different type of comic then we’re use to. Issue 9 added to that by giving us two different perspectives on the story. The “TV” version of what this fictional series would have aired, and then on the flip side what really went down. There’s quite a few subtle things that while you read part one may think is a mistake, but then you quickly find out it was all part of the real story. I really just can’t say enough good things about this book, if you haven’t read it yet, issue 9 is actually a great place to start! So get to it already!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ageofultron6

    Age Of Ulton #6

    Age of Ultron continues to move along with a very fast release schedule. Frankly if every event comic could get done this way I think I’d be a little more okay with them. Not that it’s been without faults, but 10 issues, shipped in just a few months, with limited tie-ins, has been a great way to do this. Really the big complain with it would be that the tie-in’s just don’t bring enough to the greater story, which I guess makes a bit of sense since no one but Bendis, and a few other Marvel bigwigs know what the hell this is leading to. Anyway, issue 6 has two different focus’ the primary is Wolverine and a ‘surprise’ partner in the past preparing to stop Henry Pym from ever making Ultron, no matter what. The other is the group from last issue going into the future to try and bring Ultron down for good. The whole time travel thing like this doesn’t always work, and while it’s not the best use of it here it does help to further the story along, well in the past anyway. Our future traveling heroes don’t really do much but comment on how everything isn’t how they expected. Wolverine and his PIC on the other hand track down Pym and have one hell of an emotionally charged struggle.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman8

    Superior Spider-Man #8

    Boy oh boy, Dan Slott just keeps piling it on with this book. One page I absolutely hate Doctor Spidey, and in the next I’m thinking he’s not such a bad dude after all. Come on he’s better than that little douche Alpha, sure he’s gone a little too far a few times, but that’s the learning curve when you’ve never had this kind of power. Pete’s had it for years, and had a way better upbringing and life and then Otto did. And then just when you’re like “Okay I’m alright with you again” He goes and does something else douchey and you have to hate him and want the real Pete back! This issue picks up right where issue 7 left off with Spidey confronting the Avengers and obviously not getting his way. I was hoping something more would come out of this, but in the end it wasn’t all that great. We did get a nice look at what Carly has been up to since she’s had her suspicions about who’s really in control of Spider-Man. The real ‘meat’ of the story though still revolves around Cardiac and the fact that Otto is a jerk and nearly let a scared little girl die just because he didn’t want to share. Granted in the end he did the right thing and actually did it for the right reasons. Next issue is the big one though, the one that’s going to make us angrier than Amazing Spider-Man 700 according to the Solicitations, so who’s putting money on Pete getting control again? Or maybe they get a Doctor Jekyll / Mister Hyde thing going and keep switching back and forth. Man the possibilities are endless, guess we’ll all have to wait for the next issue!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ultimatecomicswolverine3

    Ultimate Comics Wolverine #3

    I was really excited for this book, I liked Ultimate Wolverine, and I use to love the limited series that came out of the Ultimate Universe. Now though, it’s just a sad shadow of it’s former self. This book is bad, like super bad. The story isn’t good, characterization is bad, and we’re seeing characters that haven’t been used since Nick Spencer launched Ultimate Comics X-Men back in 2011. And on top of that the art is just terrible, I still can’t get over how bad it looks like Jimmy or Wolverine pop their claws it’s just bad. I could probably do better and I have trouble drawing stick figures. Man I don’t think I’ve been this disappointed and put off by a comic in. . . well ever, even Ultimate X wasn’t this bad and that was 5 issue and took a year to finish! There really isn’t any redeeming this title now, don’t even bother trying it out.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 1/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    wolverineandthexmen27au

    Wolverine And The X-Men #27AU

    I read some other reviews for this issue that weren’t to flattering. I feel like people were expecting something different from it and honestly I was too. The cover is super misleading, but what you do end up finding is a pretty good event comic tie-in. First things first though, if you’re reading this issue, and Age of Ultron 6, make sure to read this one second, meaning read Age of Ultron #6 first. This issue takes place between the pages of the other. Nothing from Age of Ultron 6 will spoil this book, but reading this one first could spoil some stuff in the other. Anyway, as you’ve probably guessed after reading that other book this one focus’ on Wolverine and Invisible Woman on their trip to the past. It’s the actually trip from Savage Land to NYC, since all we saw previous was them leaving Savage Land and then being in Manhattan. Now this doesn’t add a ton of stuff to the overall story, but it’s a nice way to show what’s happening on the journey, and how Sue and Logan both end up at the outcome they do. I love some of the time travely humor going on too. If you’ve been avoiding the tie-in’s to Age of Ultron I’d say give this one a shot, it’s probably the best so far.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    GFT84_coverA 1

    Grimm Fairy Tales #84

    I think I mentioned before I’m not a huge Grimm Fairy Tales ongoing fan, it’s not that it’s bad, it’s just I’m so far behind it’s hard to catch up. But I don’t mind giving it a shot now and then to see if I can find a good jumping on point. While last issue had what I’m assuming were references to earlier issues that I didn’t get, issue 84 is all it’s own. One of the things I do really like about the Grimm Fairy Tales series is the twists they throw on the actual stories that are told. This issue features Jack Frost, and quite an interesting history for the legend of this well known winter mischief maker. And boy is he not the slick Chris Pine voiced character from Rise of the Guardians. I did feel like the whole thing got wrapped up a little to fast though, but hopefully after the Unleashed crossover Sela will be back in her current role and we can get some more interesting, easy to follow stories!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict. So enjoy!

    Fanboys Vs. Zombies #13

    Fanboys Vs. Zombies continues to deliver helpings of comedy and zombie killing in just the right amounts. This issue didn’t have quite as many nerdy references, but that’s alright it was still a fun time!

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Ghostbusters #3

    Ghostbusters continues to be a bright spot in the comics releases each month. Keeping the feel of the previous series, while making these new characters feel like a welcome change.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Iron Man #8

    This second arc of the Marvel Now! Iron Man was a huge improvement over the first, but it still felt a bit flat. There was some great build up with the arena and how that could have ended, but nothing ever really came of it. On the bright side there was a nice “Oh Snap” ending, hopefully the next arc delivers more of that and less of the other stuff.

    Verdict – Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Nova #3

    Nova has been a fun ride so far, and I’m looking forward to see where Sam goes from here. And I can’t forget to mention that main Marvel Universe introduction of an Ultimate Universe villain. Let’s keep hope that Jeph Loeb doesn’t start bringing this book down like he has with so many others in recent years. . . I’m looking at you Ultimate X.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Savage Wolverine #4

    Just don’t even bother, if you wanted the book for Wolverine he’s not in it much. If you wanted it for something other than Wolverine than it gets ruined when he finally does show up. It’s sad to say that a book staring Wolverine is better without him.

    Verdict – Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris

    Venom #34

    FINALLY! A confrontation between Venom and Toxin! We’ve been seeing the buildup for this over the last several months and it’s finally here. While it was the greatest fight ever, it definitely got the job done and opened up a whole new can of worms for Flash to deal with.

    Verdict – Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Friday Five – Things to blow money on https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-things-to-blow-money-on/ Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:53:43 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13958 money

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This week’s category: Things you would blow money on(fictional or not).

    It’s crazy how many things exist in movies and comics that aren’t, and probably never will be, real. It’s also incredibly depressing. I mean, I would sell my left leg for the chance to visit a real Jurassic Park! Just as I would probably lose my left leg if I were given a Light Saber. . . Regardless, this shit is cool! Let’s see what everyone picked.

    Chris

    1. Hoverboard – I was never really into skateboarding, but who doesn’t want to float!
    2. Lightsaber – It may be a little cliche, probably more so than the Hoverboard above, but it’s versatile. It slices, dices, it even juliennes fries, but never dulls!
    3. Nokia Morph – As long as it runs Android.
    4. Sonic Screwdriver – “Doesn’t kill, doesn’t wound, doesn’t maim. But I’ll tell you what it does do: It is very good at opening doors.”
    5. Web-Shooters – While it would be pretty damn hard to use them properly without the reflexes and what not of a spider they’d still be fun to play with. Well until you ran out of web-fluid. . .

    Sonic Screwdriver

    Pisko

    1. Surrogates (from the Bruce Willis movie of the same name)
    2. Light Cycle from Tron
    3. Bat Cave
    4. Super Painful Adamantium Bone Implants
    5. Popplers (from Futurama)

    The Bat Cave

    Vogel

    Damn you Cobb, you stole all my ideas!

    1. Hoverboard – Back To The Future 2 – but not pink please.
    2. Lightsaber – Star Wars – If I still had to construct it myself, that’d be ok.
    3. Land Speeder – Star Wars Episode IV – The speeder bikes, not the convertible monstrosity Luke has on Tatooine.
    4. LucasArts – Just to get it running again
    5. X-Wing (as long as it comes with an R2 unit)- I know, Star Wars heavy. But this aircraft is good for transcontinental flight as well as space travel.
    Hoverboard

    Oh, you’re getting the pink one!

    Drootin

    1. Portal Gun – Portals are fun
    2. Any Tediore gun from Borderlands 2 – I think its pretty cool to be able to throw your gun it explodes and a new one appears in your hands.
    3. Nuka-Cola Quantum – Its a glowing, slightly radioactive energy drink why wouldn’t I at least try it? I’d try it just for the novelty of it making my pee glow.
    4. Phoenix Down – Would be nice to have around should anything tragic happen to me or a loved one.
    5. “Pasiv” dream machine – I loved Inception and like the thought of being able to control your dreams.

    Portal Gun

    Audra

    1. Sonic Screwdriver with a Red Setting – it has to be able to work on wood. …if you know what I mean 😉
    2. Wizard Wand (real wand) – I like the idea of making things happen by simply saying or thinking them.
    3. One Ring to Rule Them All – nah mean?
    4. Fairy in a Jar – I would be a hell of a lot more spontaneous, that’s for sure.
    5. Purchasing Experience – if it was as easy as it is in video games I would have no need for these BS college courses.

    The One Ring

    Eric

    1. Jurassic Park – Dangerous Investment? Sure. Worth it? Hell yeah!
    2. Lightsaber – I can’t pass this up. I’ve wanted on since I was a kid.
    3. T.A.R.D.I.S. – I was going to go with an Animus, but why go the whole “dream” route when you can actually go anywhere, and see anything. Yeah. The dream baby!
    4. The Bat Cave – Somewhere to store all of my awesome tools of justice!
    5. Millennium Falcon – The T.A.R.D.I.S. is the most powerful ship in the universe. Never bring it into battle! The Millennium Falcon would act as my general transport.

    lightsaber

    Walnut

    1. The Barbie Dream House!
    2. Like, all of the ponies!
    3. A prince charming to save me from the highest tower in a castle guarded by a dragon!
    4. I suppose I’ll need a castle with a high tower. . .
    5. And a dragon to protect me from ne’er do wells, and all potential prince charmings.

    My Little Pony

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    Big Dog Ink Goes All-Ages This June With Serusis https://one-quest.com/blog/big-dog-ink-goes-all-ages-this-june-with-serusis/ Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:44:32 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13912 serusisheader

    I don’t know how many of you have seen some of the recent cartoons that are out there. But there are some pretty terrible ones, not even close to the awesomeness of the cartoons from the ’80s and ’90s. Well there’s some good news, the new upcoming series Serusis from Big Dog Ink is going to harken back to those glories days in animated television adventures.

    We don’t have a ton of information about the book yet, but as you’ll see in the images and full press release below, the story definitely has one of those retro feels. Like the old Transformers or Biker Mice From Mars!

    Yep, just got to make a Biker Mice From Mars reference, day is now complete.

    But that’s not the point, for all you folks in your mid 20’s and up that miss those glory days, here’s something to help you remember. Or if you’re younger and have no clue what I’m talking about, and the only Transformers you know stared the kid from Even Stevens and Megan Fox, well shame on you and by all means pre-order Serusis. Then go to Amazon and buy ’80s Transformer dvd’s.

    On top of the fact that Serusis is going to be fun for people who grew up during the hey-day of cartoons, it’s also All Ages. And Big Dog Ink is promising to not have a watered down, boring story just to make it suitable for everyone to read.

    Without further rambling though here’s the full press release from Big Dog Ink, and keep reading afterwards for a preview of the covers!

    Big Dog Ink Slithers into All Ages Comics with Serusis

    This summer, comic book publisher Big Dog Ink brings you throwback goodness with our 80’s
    cartoon inspired all-ages comic book mini-series, Serusis! Can the Serusian’s convince a set of
    humans to help save their planet from the domineering Relitons? Will evil leader, Snoggard’s
    mighty army squash the Serusians once and for all? Can you love Big Dog Ink comics even
    more than you already do? Find out the answer to these nail-biting questions, and many more,
    starting June 2013!

    Out to prove that all-ages does not have to equal low quality or less entertaining, Big Dog Ink
    is bringing out the big guns to rock this comic book series. Powerhouse writer Tom Hutchison
    puts this homage to all things retro and FUN into fancy dialog and otherworldly scenes. As if
    the writer of Critter & Legend of Oz: The Wicked West wasn’t enough talent, Avengelyne artist
    Owen Gieni also joins the Big Dog Ink family with his gorgeous pencils and bright & beautiful
    colors. Issue #1 features three gorgeous covers by Owen that make a beautiful set to collect as
    well as a perfect introduction to the world of Serusis!

    While this series is great for the younger comic book readers in your life, it’s also got a story
    that will be appealing to fans of any and all persuasions. Issue #1 begins when the Serusian’s
    abduct a quartet of unwitting humans, and with Big Dog Ink as the publisher, who knows where
    it will end! Talking otherworldly snakes, mysterious magical devices, a prophecy waiting to be
    fulfilled and so much more. Don’t miss out on the newest story from the publisher that’s taking
    the comic book world by storm!

    Three Variant Covers for Serusis
    Serusis Cover A

    Serusis Cover A

    Serusis Cover B

    Serusis Cover B

    Serusis Cover C

    Serusis Cover C

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    The Art of Zenescope. . . Going to Amazon! https://one-quest.com/blog/the-art-of-zenescope-going-to-amazon/ Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:23:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13905 artofzenescopetop
    We’re a little late on this, but Yesterday we found out that Amazon will be exclusively selling a new Zenescope Art book due out later this year.

    Comic fans love art books, any time you can have a collection of some of the greatest covers, sketches, and various other works from your favorite artist is awesome. And Zenescope is known for having some of the best cover artist working on their books, so one can only assume this is going to be a high quality book and well worth the money, especially since pre-ordering it through Amazon is going to save your a few dollars!

    Read on to see the full announcement from Zenescope and a link to the Amazon Pre-Order page.


    Amazon Gets into the Comic Book Exclusive Marketplace with Zenescope Art Book

    Amazon, the #1 online retailer, is offering an exclusive Zenescope Art book to its customers, which is available for pre-order now. The art book, entitled The Art of Zenescope Limited Edition (Volume 1) will be released in September and will feature a plethora of the most sought after, limited edition, convention exclusives. The hardcover collection will also come with a limited edition print.

    Zenescope Entertainment is well known in the comic book industry for their popular, and valuable convention exclusives that feature pin-up style artwork from some of the finest cover artists in the industry, including J. Scott Campbell, Eric “Ebas” Basaldua, Greg Horn, Ale Garza, Jamie Tyndall, Anthony Spay, Franchesco and Nei Ruffino to name a few. These exclusives have a strong resale value on the secondary marketplace, and are very limited print runs, usually no higher than 500 copies. Zenescope’s horror twist has allowed them to publish many new artistic interpretations of the classic fairy tale characters.

    The art book will have a print run of 2500 copies. There will only be 1750 of this art book available through Amazon, as the other 750 of the print run will feature a different cover, and be made available through the direct market through distribution through Diamond.

    The Art of Zenescope Limited Edition (Volume 1) is available for pre-order through Amazon

    Oh, and here’s the cover from Amazon anyway.
    artofzenescope

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    New Trailer for Man Of Steel https://one-quest.com/blog/new-trailer-for-man-of-steel/ Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:43:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13901 Logo for Man of Steel

    The 3rd full length trailer for the upcoming Man of Steel hit the web yesterday, and it’s fantastic!

    At 3 minutes long, the trailer features some of Clark’s back story, plenty of Jor-El and Zod, and a load of intense action. Man of Steel is looking like one of this summers epic films!

    I can’t say I’m the biggest Superman fan, but I am incredibly excited for this movie.

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    BioShock Infinite – Review https://one-quest.com/blog/bioshock-infinite-review/ Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:03:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13827 Bioshock Infinite Logo

    Box art for BioShock Infinite BioShock Infinite

    Developer: Irrational Games

    Publisher: 2K Games

    Platforms: PS3, 360, PC

    Released: 03/26/2013

    Verdict: A masterful narrative coupled with excellent, albeit mainstream, gameplay.

    Score: 10

    For an in depth look at gameplay, and the first few hours of BioShock Infinite, see our First Look.

    Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt. This is all you’re given at the start of BioShock Infinite. One simple line, and your free. Free to explore the world laid out in front of you in as open a way as possible in a linear gaming experience. Free to experiment with weapons and powers, the likes we’ve never seen before. . . unless you count that time we used them in that other game. Free to take in this beautiful world at your own pace, while waging a one man war against everyone, and everything. Free to experience the story of Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth, Columbia, and it’s people, while simultaneously playing a new entry in Call of Duty. . . with magic. BioShock Infinite is a confused game. One that strives, and succeeds, at being a narrative masterpiece, while also falling into mainstream shooter territory. Still, it is a masterpiece none the less.

    BioShock Infinite knows it’s not BioShock. At least, not in terms of gameplay. It’s not slow, tactical, and well thought out. Combat in BioShock Infinite is fast, frantic, and often confusing. Enemies come at you from all sides. They’re relentless in their mission to stop you. The enemies in BioShock Infinite will use any means necessary to thwart Booker and Elizabeth. Except Vigors. Those are off limits to bad guys. Vigors? Oh, those are the special tonics distributed by Fink, MFG. that alter ones genes and give them special abilities. In a land that strives on purity and cleanliness, going so far as to enforce the segregation of blacks and irish from whites, we’re meant to believe gene altering tonics are advertised everywhere, and readily available to all. Yet, they’re used by none. . .

    The city of Columbia from BioShock Infinite.

    To help the players cope with the change of pace over previous BioShock games, Booker is given a self regenerating shield. This shield becomes the focal point of combat. After taking a few hits, all you have to do is hide for a couple seconds and, voila, Booker is completely unharmed and ready to advance. It almost makes you feel invincible. I found myself throwing ranged weaponry to the wayside in favor of punching people in the face with a skyhook. It just seemed more. . . practical, since all I had to do after punching people and snapping their necks was to hide behind a box and wait for my shield to replenish. While the regenerating shield takes the place of medkits from BioShock, it feels less like a natural progression for the series and more like a step away from the series roots in favor of mainstream gaming appeal.

    Despite the combat feeling borrowed, and partly out of place for the franchise, it still feels fresh and rewarding. Because of the frantic and confusing combat every encounter feels meaningful. There’s never a point in the game where Booker feels overly powerful, just more adept at handling the situation. There are always plenty of options on how to handle every different shootout. You can ride the skyrail to a nearby rooftop to grab a sniper rifle and pick every one off one at a time, or you could run in with guns blazing. Throw in Elizabeth’s ability to open tears and make cool things come out of thin air to assist you, and you have a plethora of decisions to make. Don’t forget the incredibly useful, yet unused by anyone else in the game, vigors. Bucking Bronco. ’nuff said. Seriously, the most useful ability, almost to the point of being over powered.

    Handyman from BioShock Infinite

    Columbia isn’t just filled with people trying to kill Booker and Elizabeth, although most of them are. There are a few areas where you slow down, and take it all in. The sights, the sounds, the people. It’s times like these where BioShock Infinite really shines above it’s predecessors, and most other games out there. The world inhabited by Columbia is beautiful. It’s a living, breathing city. You’ll feel as if you yourself are taking a stroll through the city in the clouds, so long as you don’t stop and admire too long. Many of the best set pieces involve the people of Columbia reacting to the turmoil surrounding them. It’s natural for you to want to sit back and watch as their scene plays out in full. The downside comes when you realize these areas are setup much like an attraction at Disney World. You know the ones that have the animatronic people moving a bit while lip synced to audio of some old movie. The reason all of these attractions are on tracks is generally because these machines run in loops. Sit back far enough and you’ll see the scene end and then immediately restart. It’s unnatural, and ruins the immersion of the attraction. This is sort of the effect found throughout BioShock Infinite. Early in the game, and I mean very very early, you can happen upon a couple hiding behind a trash can. The man is trying to make some advances, and the woman coyly pushes him away. It’s cute, and helps you solidify the “living, breathing” part of Columbia. But don’t stand around listening to their dialogue. After 15 seconds the same animation has played 3 times, and it just keeps looping. It’s moments like these, and the generality of the gun play, that remind you that BioShock Infinite isn’t a living world. It’s a beautifully designed amusement park attraction meant to be moved through, not meant to be admired in any form of longevity. This helps explain the increase in pace for the combat, to help you feel more immersed in the robotic world of Columbia, lest you be disconnected from it’s animatronic repetition.

    Motorized Patriot from BioShock Infinite

    Don’t let the animatronics fool you, however. The story they tell is one epic tale. A story of a man, a girl, and a city. The story of Booker DeWitt and his quest to save a princess from atop a tower in a city floating among the clouds. Remember, this isn’t BioShock. Don’t expect any massive twists, or big reveals at the mid point of the game. Or at least, none that you didn’t already call earlier. Instead, everything sort of hit’s you big at the end. There are moments where the narrative takes the center stage, and the gameplay sort of moves to the background. Areas like Comstock House, and the incredibly underused Boys of Silence. While these segments are few and far between, their impact an weight are felt throughout the entirety of the experience. In fact, if you pay close enough attention to the narrative you can actually see the ending coming. It’s practically spelled out to you at multiple points throughout, but somewhat difficult to piece together. While the execution of waiting until the final hours to reveal. . . everything is somewhat questionable, it’s this very tactic that helps to solidify BioShock Infinite as a masterpiece in not just video games, but in narrative as a whole. In all seriousness, the ending kept me from sleeping on the evening I completed it. I kept running everything I knew through my head, dissecting the meaning and the potential to come. Theories were bred from theories until I couldn’t bear it. I spent the next 2 days scouring the internet for more theories, and confirmation of my own. Much like Inception, there are multiple ways to view this one. It seems like it’s up to you to decide which you like best.

    Elizabeth dancing on the beach in BioShock Infinite

    By the time BioShock Infinite ends you’ll wish there was more. You’ll want to encounter another Motorized Patriot. You’ll wish you had encountered more than 3 Handymen throughout the entire game. You’ll wonder why “heavy hitters” were called heavy hitters when the most dangerous enemies in the game were the jerks with the flak cannons! You’ll wish you had more time to talk with Elizabeth. More time to tell her everything is going to be okay. You’ll wonder what the world of Columbia is going to be like after all of this ends. Most importantly, you won’t sleep for the next 3 days while you try to pick your brain up off the floor.

    BioShock Infinite is a masterpiece in every way. The gameplay, while seemingly out of place, fits like a shoe. The narrative and it’s characters will be in your thoughts for weeks to come. The incredible performances from voice acting, mocap, design, development, and audio all come together to create one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences in recent history. BioShock Infinite will stand as one of the greatest games of not only this year, but of all time.

    Booker and Elizabeth Art from the cover of BioShock Infininte

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    Friday Five – Pranks https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-pranks/ Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:34:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13512 mouse in jell-o

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This week’s category: Pranks!

    Pranks are great! If anyone ever tells you otherwise it’s because they’ve ended up on the “wrong” end of one and aren’t creative enough to retaliate. Those people are called cry babies! What they should do is seek assistance and do something awesome! Why not feed into a prank war? It’s not like it’ll end up with jackass level consequences.

    Chris

    1. Phonebook Prank #1
    2. Phonebook Prank #2
    3. Filling Walnut’s Room with Balloons – I’m sure I won’t be the only person to list this one, but this is probably the best prank I’ve ever been a prank of!
    4. Up-Side-Down Internet – Screw having a password secure your wireless, let your neighbors steal it but screw with it so it sucks for them!
    5. Wrapping Boss’ desk in shrink wrap (and everything else in the office) – This one was fun too, last few days while working at Circuit City before it closed we wrapped the store managers desk, everything on it, and around it, in shrink wrap. What a way to waste an hour at work!

     
    shrinkwrapeddesk

    Vogel

    1. Iced tea in a Coke bottle – When I was a kid I took an empty Diet Coke bottle from the recycling, rinsed it out and filled it with iced tea. About an hour later my dad went to get himself some soda, I heard him murmuring about how he just bought the bottle, how could it be flat. He spit it out and got so pissed. I was like 8, and it was hilarious.
    2. Water Pour – If I can find the video, I’ll post it. I saw it awhile ago. A group of guys pranking each other. The highlight of the video was one guy on the 2nd or 3rd story window, waiting for his roommate to leave the building, with a bucket of water. Before he has a chance to dump the bucket, another roommate dumps water on him from the roof.
    3. Jack-o-Lantern out the window – A bunch of kids attach a Jack-o-lantern to a dummy and drop it out a window as people walk by. The kids scream as the ‘body’ falls and the passerby thinks someone just jumped from the building.
    4. Brainiac Explosive Compound – Brainiac is/was a British Mythbusters. There was a recurring segment where one of the hosts/scientists explain that they’ve made an unstable compound that applies as a paste, but when it dries, if it’s agitated in any way, it explodes. I think my favorite one was when he put it on the toilet seat, under the lid, and when the next person lifts the lid, a loud popping/snapping sound and a small spark ensue.
    5. Inverted Desktop prank – Take a screenshot of the desktop, hide icons and start bar, flip the screen shot 180 degrees and set the wallpaper. Change orientation of monitor to rotate 180 degrees. Now the person won’t be able to click their ‘icons’ and the mouse will be inverted. And they’ll have to fix it ‘upside-down.’ Mega-prank, no. But it’s irritating enough that if you’re close by it’ll be fun to watch them fix it. (Tip for you if it happens to you, turn your mouse around)

     

    desktop flipped upside down prank

    Pisko

    1. I don’t know if it counts as a prank, but, Google’s “Do a barrel roll” search is pretty fantastic.
    2. The “buttered floor roommate” prank.
    3. Replacing all the AAA batteries in the house with Smarties Candy.
    4. Switching babies between families at hospitals
    5. The classic. The only. The Whoopie-Cushion.

     

    replace AAA batteries with smarties candy.

    Eric

    I love pranking my brother, Walnut. Mostly because he gets so mad about it! Every year I try to come up with something great, and it all started with Hannah Montana. I think Walnut feels like I’m out of ideas for good pranks. I’m not. I’m just out of money. . .

    1. Hannah Montana Birthday Surprise – This was the real start of it. I believe Walnut was turning 21 for this one. Small inside joke to preface it – our sister caught Walnut watching Hannah Montana one day. In all actuality he was probably playing a handheld and just let whatever she was watching on TV run. But, who cares?! I got everyone involved in it, all of our friends, our parents, everyone! I hung some nice Happy birthday balloons outside, just regular ones. Including an over the hill balloon, because it had Death on it, and he’s cool as shit! Inside the house we had Hannah Montana banners, balloons, plates, napkins, table cloths. Even all of his gifts were Hannah Montana related. What really set him off? My mom got him a Hannah Montana Birthday cake. It was classic!
    2. Room full of Balloons! – This was another awesome one. I think it was 2 – 3 years ago now. I knew he worked on April fools. So everyone got together and blew up TONS of balloons! Like. . . at least 500, easy! We blew them up at my house, and filled them all into plastic bags, and caravanned them over to my parents house. Dropped them in his room, along with a blow up sex doll, and reveled in it’s glory. But not too much, because we decided we needed more balloons! So we added another 300 or so! We then all hid in the balloons and waited for him to get home from work. It was phenomenal when we all popped out. Then he cried and made us help him clean it all up, like a bitch.
    3. The Sex Doll Returns! – Really, I don’t know why he got upset, but he did. Some backstory. When Walnut turned 21 I got him an “anime” blow up sex doll, along with the themed birthday. It was meant as a joke, nothing serious. I mean, I got him an xbox game too! But for some reason he got really emotional and upset about the sex doll. He was pissed all night. So I hid it in our room and it sat there forever. Later that year later Audra, Anthony, Walnut, and myself planned a trip to Florida. We had an awesome suite, with multiple rooms and a kitchen, it was bad ass. Quite a few hilarious stories came out of this one, but to top it off I packed the blow up doll in my suitcase. One night we went out, and Anthony and I snuck the blow up doll into Walnuts bathroom, blew it up and left it in the shower. We then forced Walnut to get a shower and when he saw it in there he got so pissed that he tried to stab it with a butter knife. Then locked himself in his room. Which he shared with Anthony. . . what a jerk!
    4. Jell-o Wake Up – This one had a lot of heart, but poor execution. I think it was last year, while Audra and Myself were deep into saving up for our wedding, so money was super tight. I got 3 alarm clocks, set them for various times, and stuck them in jell-o. Then snuck in his room at 2 am, and hid them throughout. He laughs this one off because the clocks didn’t go off. But I argue that they did, but they each cost $3, so we weren’t getting much sound out of them. I’d like to revisit this one some day.
    5. The Ring Call – This is one of the few pranks that wasn’t directly targeted at Walnut. My family decided to watch The Ring on DVD. None of us had seen it yet, but I knew the premise. There were some jumps and scares and what have you, but after it was over we were all pretty quiet. While everyone got up to get ready for bed the phone started ringing. My mom stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the phone. Everybody else was just stone faced, scared as hell. They all argued over who would answer it, and eventually the ringing stopped. After a sigh of relief, it rang again. Finally my mom answers and I pulled my cell phone up and said “GOTCHA!” Super lame, but still hilarious.

     

    Walnut in a room full of balloons.

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    Take It Or Leave It – April 3, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-april-3-2013/ Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:29:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13448 takeitorleaveit4313

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’re back with another Take It Or Leave It, this week is a little light on full reviews, but there are a few extra Quick Shots at the bottom! This week we’ve got reviews on books like Action Comics, All-New X-Men, and the first part of a BIG event, Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Unleashed #0! So lets get started already.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | Image Comics
    Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    actioncomics19

    Action Comics #19

    Creators
    Last week I tried out Superman, and was unimpressed and bored by it. I figured though, if I’m giving the Man of Steel a shot I might as well check out the book that started it all. Now this isn’t my first experience with Action Comics, I read the first 6 or 7 issues back when the New 52 first started and boy was that a bad time. I’ll probably be making some folks pretty angry, but I just don’t like Grant Morrison’s stuff, it’s overrated and way to convoluted for it’s own good, especially with a fresh start. So anyway, about Action Comics 19, I didn’t hate it. In fact it was kind of enjoyable. There was some decent ‘normal people’ stuff going on at the beginning with Clark and Lois, followed by plenty of Superman being super. If you’ve been wanting to read a Superman book, and don’t feel like waiting for Unchained this June, Action Comics looks like it’ll be the place to go. The downside is even with it being the better of the Superman books, it’s still not all that great. Sure it’s better than the self titled Superman book was, but it’s still just not a good time.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenarrow19

    Green Arrow #19

    Creators
    Green Arrow 18 was interesting, and 19 continues right where it left off. There’s a fun archer vs. archer . . .vs. archer showdown and Oliver is definitely not the best of the bunch. I don’t really know where it’s going, but I know it’s going to end up in the desert sooner or later, and I’m alright with that. I said it last month, and I’ll say it this month. If you want a book about an archer, read Hawkguy, if you want a second book about an archer than give this current run of Green Arrow a shot, Jeff Lemire seems to know what he’s doing!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    greenlantern19

    Green Lantern #19

    Creators
    Oh Green Lantern, how you continue to baffle me and make me wonder if I’m enjoying you or not. I really want this whole Wrath of the First Lantern story to finish up already, it seems like it’s been going on forever. BUT at the same time that will be the end of an era and I want to see Johns leave the book just yet. It’s a real pain in the ass. Aside from that I’ll admit issue 19 was pretty good, better than a lot of this Wrath stuff so far. Sinestro is such a flawed character, but even when he’s a huge asshole he’s still, in his mind, doing what’s right. Next month this all wraps up, and with all the build up this is going to be one everyone should read, all the more reason to pick up issue 19 while you’re waiting.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    sonofmerlin3

    Son of Merlin #3

    Creators
    We’re passing the half way point of Son of Merlin, and it’s definitely starting to heat up. I’ve made it no secret that I’ve enjoyed this series, and if you’re into the whole fantasy, magic, mythology thing that it’s got going on you’ll love it. Simon and Gwen were left in a pretty crappy situation last month. And boy do they have plenty more of those. This story has a lot of superhero elements going on, but it’s not a superhero book. I think that’s part of the appeal. If you’re one of those people who’s only ever read books about people running around in capes and tights than this is a perfect place to start to cross over into some other genre’s without being totally out of your comfort zone.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    allnewxmen10

    All-New X-Men #10

    Creators
    I wasn’t original going to talk about All-New X-Men, but than I read the issue and just had to! Cyclops, the crazy one that killed Professor X, and his group showed up at the Jean Grey School. We knew all that already, it happened last issue. This issue though he made his claim, and as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a compelling guy, like the Governor from The Walking Dead (the show anyway). Everything he says makes perfect sense, and the anger that all of the other ‘good guys’ have towards him is completely justifiable too. It’s tough, as fans we’re all about picking sides and cheering on who we feel is the hero. But what happens when that’s not a clear line. I felt like during AvX it was made pretty clear that Cyclops was in the wrong, but now that’s not such an clear line. Oh and what a cliffhanger, next issue can’t come soon enough!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    indestructiblehulk6

    Indestructible Hulk #6

    Creators
    This has been a book a lot of fans have been waiting for. Walter Simonson brings his classic artist style to what is probably one of the best Hulk runs since Planet Hulk. It’s a fun story, and I love how Waid was able to wrap the story around Simonson’s classic portrayals of these iconic heroes like the Hulk and Thor. And that’s not all there is to this, there’s still all the wonderful over arching plots that have been running through the series since the beginning, and each issue it feels like we’re getting a little closer to the big reveal. If you’ve been missing out on Indestructible Hulk now’s the time to knock that off and get on board, you won’t be sorry.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman7

    Superior Spider-Man #7

    Creators
    I feel like this may be the beginning of the end for our Superior Spider-Man. The Avengers have finally confronted him about his attitude change. . . at least someone is finally saying something. And they were frankly on the right track, wanting to run tests to determine if that really was Pete or not. Obviously Otto couldn’t let that happen and in his usually douchey self fights it. Oh and incase you think that’s all there is to this issue, we’ve also got the return of Cardiac, and ghost Pete actually makes some sense being there this time!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    RHVRRH01_coverA

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Vs. Red Riding Hood #1

    Creators
    This has been getting hyped for a while from Zenescope, and for good reason, it was a great way to bring two of their popular characters together. And it set up the sequel for Robyn Hood, titled Robyn Hood Wanted, perfectly. The issue spent most of it’s time jumping back and forth between Robyn whose on the run after the crimes she’s committed, and trying to blend in, and Red who has decided to use her. . . skills to make the world a better place. This one shot had just the right amount of humor, action, and drama. And made you frustrated during most of the confrontation in just the right ways. It was like watching a movie when two ‘good guys’ are fighting each other because of a misunderstanding. Well it’s not like that, it is that. Even without that bit though it was a solid issue and any fan of Red Riding Hood or Robyn Hood from the Grimm Universe shouldn’t miss out on this.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    unleashed0

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Unleashed #0

    Creators
    If the previous book was hyped for a while, than I don’t even know what to say about this one. Unleashed is the newest event coming out of Zenescope and it’s building up to be pretty awesome. Introducing a whole new element to the already crazy Grimm Universe, along with some new characters that are shopping up to be stellar additions to their roster. This 0 issue sets us up with a little history lesson before throwing us head first into the full event with issue #1. I know big crossover events usually aren’t that good, and they end up costing a lot to see the whole story. I’ve gotta say though everything I’ve read up till now about Unleashed and it’s tie-in’s has got me thinking it’ll be well worth the cover price to see how this adventure plays out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict. So enjoy!

    Bedlam #6

    I’m torn on this issue, so far I’ve really enjoyed Bedlam, but issue 6 just didn’t do it for me the way the rest have. The ‘conclusion’ just seemed a bit to simple, so you knew there was more, and it ended on a bit of a weird note.

    – Leave It

    6/10

    Witchblade #165

    Sara is dealing with a lot of. . . stuff right now, especially after what went down in the Progeny story line. We do get to see her back in NYC and what her life’s like without her past with Jackie.

    – Take It

    7/10

    Age of Ultron #4

    Age of Ultron is finally in full swing with all our heroes from the previous issues getting some face time, and not always in a good way. I’m genuinely looking forward to see where this goes next.

    – Take It

    7/10

    Ultimate Comics X-Men #25

    I’m still not liking the art in the book, it’s just not the same quality as previous issues, but the story is still moving along and keeping me interested. Especially with the more front and center role of a certain redhead, I can’t wait to see what Brian Wood does with all the threads he’s pulling on right now.

    – Take It

    8/10

    Venom #33

    Venom continues to be one of the better books out each month, and with the confrontation with Toxin getting closer and closer I can’t wait to see how Flash deals with not only his past, but with the Symbiot’s too.

    – Take It

    8/10

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Jungle Book Last of the Speicies #2

    This Jungle Book sequel continues on in issue two, and is still better than the sequel to the Disney film! A lot goes on here, and I definitely wouldn’t want to miss it if you’ve been following along so far!

    – Take It

    7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    BioShock Infinite – First Look https://one-quest.com/blog/bioshock-infinite-first-look/ Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:07:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13491 Logo for BioShock Infinite

    In 2007, Irrational Games led us to a light house in the middle of the ocean where we began our descent into Rapture. Rapture being the star of the first two BioShock games. Sure there was Frank Fontaine, Andrew Ryan, Subject Delta, and the splicers. However, none of them were as interesting, or intricate, as Rapture. This place had fallen apart. There was a history here, and you wanted nothing more than to know everything about it. BioShock Infinite takes that intrigue and flips it around. Instead of entering an old ruined wasteland, you find yourself among the living in a whole new land floating in the clouds.

    BioShock Infinite opens similarly to how BioShock did, with a light house, but with one hugely noticeable difference between the two games: Characterization. As soon as the game begins characters are chattering on screen. Even your character, Booker Dewitt, steps away from the silent protagonist parameters set by the previous BioShock games. He’ll interact with the people of Columbia, and even talk to himself much like any of us would when set out on a seemingly impossible task. It’s a far cry of a difference from previous BioShock titles, and one that works to its advantage.

    Booker interacting with the people of Columbia.

    The opening areas of Columbia act as a bit of a training ground, while also introducing you to the city. You spend some time in a church/monastery learning about the prophet, Father Comstock, and the religion that rules the city of Columbia. You’ll attend a fair and try out some weapons, and even a couple Vigors. There’s so much depth to the city: so many side streets, people to see, items to look at. So much of this city is here for you to explore, but all at your own pace. It took me about an hour and a half to get to the first confrontation in the game. AN HOUR AND A HALF! Keep in mind that I’m very meticulous when it comes to these types of games. By these types I mean large open environments, like Skyrim. While BioShock Infinite is infinitely (heh) more linear then Skyrim, its world is no less interesting. So I tend to spend a lot of time looking in all the nooks and crannies for every little item and reference. Hell, I’ve caught myself attending a barbershop quartet concert and enjoyed every second of it!

    Once you make it past these opening areas, and begin the whole “shooter” part, you quickly discover just how much the people of Columbia love their Prophet. The guards will do anything they can to ensure Booker doesn’t reach his destination and ruin the prophecy foretold by Father Comstock. Along the way you’ll pick up a series of weapons like a pistol, a carbine rifle, and a machine gun. Standard Shooter fare. The coolest weapon, by far, is the Skyhook. The Skyhook’s primary use is for traversing the Skyrails, but Booker has other uses for it, like melee combat. The first kill is brutal, and every one after that with the Skyhook is just as devastating. The only downside to using it over the ranged weapons is how squishy Booker is at the outset of the adventure. But that changes when you get some of the more useful Vigors and gear, as well as a self regenerating shield.

    Skyhook from BioShock Infinite

    Vigors are an interesting take on the Plasmids from BioShock. While they were originally intended to be a limited use power up, the final product has them work in similar fashion to Plasmids. Booker has a set amount of energy (salt) used to power the Vigors. When it runs out, he needs to find some items to replenish his salt. The Vigors themselves range from possessing enemies, to launching enemies in the air. Each Vigor also has upgrades to make them more useful in combat. Take Possession for instance. At first it just makes an enemy, turret or human, fight for you. With its first upgrade after the possession wears off, the possessed enemy kills them self, thus eliminating them from combat. Each Vigor also has a “trap” mode that can be deployed as well. The Trap versions are generally stronger then the standard, but harder to properly utilize.

    Booker can also find gear while exploring Columbia. Booker has 4 gear slots – hat, vest, pants, and boots. Each item adds a bonus to Booker’s abilities that generally augment his combat prowess, or his Vigor’s. Since I tend to gravitate toward melee combat, I have gear that increased my melee abilities by lighting enemies on fire, and sending them across the room. You’ll find some gear while just following the main path, but it really is worth exploring as much of Columbia as possible to find the best equipment you can.

    Bucking Bronco Vigor from BioShock Infinite

    Once you think everything is set, and you’ve unlocked every mechanic in the game, you meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth has the unique ability to open “tears” in Columbia. She describes them as windows to other worlds, but beyond that I don’t know how else they may play into the plot. All I know is that these things are incredi-useful! At one point I had the option to create a turret to fight my enemies, or some cranes to help Booker reach some higher ground. The best part about the tears is that you aren’t limited in your choices. In that instance I created the cranes, moved to higher ground, then activated the turret to assist me. Elizabeth can also spawn money, ammo, and even weapons out of nowhere. Sometimes she’ll shout to Booker saying she found something, and at the press of a button throws it his way. It’s this little inclusion that helps create a stronger bond between these characters.

    Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite

    So far I’m loving BioShock Infinite. Everything about Columbia and its people just keeps me wanting to come back to see more. I felt the same way about BioShock as I do with BioShock Infinite. There’s so much here. So much to do. And I want to do it all. It doesn’t hurt that the gameplay is flawless either. Check back for a full review later.

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    Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Review https://one-quest.com/blog/luigis-mansion-dark-moon-review/ Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:35:03 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13399 3DS_LMansionDM_0_logo_E3

    For some reason it’s only called “Dark Moon” in North America

    Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a fun and exciting ghost catching game that (finally) remembers Luigi is a frightened force to be reckoned with…

    luigis_mansion_dark_moon_box_art_large Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

    Developer Next Level Games

    Publisher Nintendo

    Platforms 3DS

    Released: 03/24/2013

    Verdict: An excellent sequel that hopefully turns into a new franchise.

    Score: 8.5

    I hope you’ve all thrown out your Chinese calendars because Nintendo has decided this is the Year of Luigi. An entire year of content aimed squarely at bringing the often forgotten Mario brother into the spotlight, starting with the release of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Simply called Luigi’s Mansion 2 elsewhere in the world). If this game is any indication of the love and attention Luigi will receive this year, than I’m happy to ditch the red hat for the green one.

    The game’s premise revolves around Professor E. Gadd calling in his old friend Luigi, top ghost hunting pal, to help him with the mystery of the Dark Moon. The plot should feel very familiar to any fan of Mario’s adventures, but that’s probably not why you’re interested in the game. See, the professor had been studying the Dark Moon in residential Evershade Valley and its power to pacify ghosts and make them friendly until the night when the Dark Moon simply falls from the sky and shatters into 5 parts which, you guessed it, fall into 5 different mansions for Luigi to explore. Each mansion has a subset of missions that will tour you around the ghost infested domicile collecting the baddies in Luigi’s newly upgraded Poltergust 5000.

    luigismansiondarkmoonscreen

    Very early on you gain a new ability for the Poltergust; The Dark Light. This special bulb reveals hidden items and boos throughout the 5 mansions, adding an extra dimension to the puzzles. There is a new wrestling mechanic also upgraded from the original that allows you to power up the vacuum and get rewarded with money after a successful capture. One thing about the controls that was a bit jarring was the fact that the game does NOT support the Circle Pad Pro which seems like an odd omission being that very few games utilize it currently. Without it, the controls are still some of the tightest on the system and within an hour in you won’t even pine for the option of a second stick. Still, the option would have been appreciated. It also helps to note that the 3D here is very well done and with the slider all the way up is the best way to experience the game. It truly gives the feel that you are looking into a shoebox diorama of each room as Luigi explores.

    The charm and polish really show here as Nintendo brings its forgotten brother to the foreground. It should also be noted that Charles Martinet does some of his finest work here as Luigi and really goes beyond the typical, “WaHOO!” to deliver a stellar performance that makes Luigi feel all his own. Overall though, if you’ve played the original then you will instantly want this game. If not, for $40 you get 5 times the amount of content as the previous title with plenty of upgrades and modern gaming sensibilities.

    Luigis-Mansion-Dark-Moon-Hunter-Mode-Screenshot

    *AUTHORS NOTE* As of this writing I’ve finished the main game but have not touched the multi player modes so I abstained from writing on that but didn’t want to wait longer to review the game.

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    Islands Officials needs your help funding Orion's Odyssey https://one-quest.com/blog/islands-officials-needs-your-help-funding-orions-odyssey/ Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:17:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13391 Orion's Odyssey

    By now we’re all fairly accustomed to crowd sourcing and funding sites like Kickstarter. It was recently announced that Kickstarter was responsible for raising $83,144,565 solely for video games, in 2012. Which is great news for any Indie studio looking to get their project out there. So great that there were over 2000 successfully funded gaming projects last year. And the trend is continuing into 2013 with a project by Island Officials called Orion’s Odyssey.

    Orion’s Odyssey is a pattern block puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. Players will follow Orion, an alien robot with the ability to crate anything he can think of, as he travels the world and helps people in any way he can with his friend Ryan. With 10 unique settings, plenty of puzzles to solve, a whole bunch of unlockables, Orion’s Odyssey looks like a large undertaking from such a small studio.

    Orion’s Odessey features beautifully detailed sprites and backgrounds. Each sprite was hand drawn, and every animation was acted out by members of the team to ensure that the personality and quirks of each character would stand out.

    Concept art for Orion's Odyssey by Island Officials

    The music for Orion’s Odyssey was composed by Wayne Strange. He’s worked with Island Officials in the past and has recently worked on AAA titles like God of War: Ascension and Star Trek: The Video Game. Obviously the music in Orion’s Odyssey is going to be top notch!

    The team at Island Officials have fully completed the game and lined up a publisher, but need some extra money to get the game to through Nintendo’s certification process and ESRB ratings board. They only need $85,412 to make their goal, and are offering some awesome rewards including the chance to attend a gaming industry event with Island Officials. Head on over to their Kickstarter and pledge some money their way! You’ll be glad you did, and I’m sure they will too!

    Rewards chart for Orion's Odyssey kickstarter by Island Officials

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    Finding Nemo sequel named and dated! https://one-quest.com/blog/finding-nemo-sequel-named-and-dated/ Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:26:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13387 Logo for Finding Dory

    Announced today on Disney’s Blog is the sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo, Finding Dory.

    I did scour the page to make sure it wasn’t an April fools joke, and it looks like this one is legit!

    Disney and Pixar will bring Finding Dory to theaters November 25, 2015, and they promise the return of our favorite characters like Marlin, Nemo, the Tank Gang, and, of course, Dory. It may be a long way away, but Disney urges fans to “Just keep swimming,” and it’ll be here before you know it!

    Now, where’s the sequel to The Incredibles?

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    Friday Five – Epic Moments https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-epic-moments/ https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-epic-moments/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:34:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13338 Luke and Vader battle on Cloud City

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Epic Moments!

    You know when you’re reading a book, watching a movie, or playing a game, and your significant other starts saying your name but you just can’t pull away from what you’re doing to pay attention? When you’re so immersed in the moment that nothing, literally nothing, can break your concentration. That’s an epic moment. It doesn’t need to specifically be a moment containing an epic action. For instance, while the battle between Luke and Darth Vader in Cloud City is most certainly an epic confrontation, one might find the revelation that Darth Vader is Luke’s father more of an epic moment simply due to the weight of the the narrative. There are plenty of these moments in media, and whittling it down to 5 was neigh impossible for some. But here we have it.

    I’d also like to take a moment to introduce you all to our newest writer, Dan. He’s as much a nerd as the rest of us, so expect to see more from him in the future.

    Chris

    1. The Avengers – When the team gets together at the end.
    2. The Dark Knight Rises – When Batman saves Gordon and lights up the bridge.
    3. Clerks 2 – Star Wars Vs. Lord of the Rings.
    4. The Princess Bride – Count Rugen Vs. Inigo Montoya.
    5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time & Link to the Past – Getting the Master Sword.

     

    The Avengers team up

    Eric

    1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – Luke and Vader face off in one epic flippin’ lightsaber battle which ends with the revelation that Darth Vader is the biological father of Luke Skywalker. BOOM! What a tweest!
    2. Assassin’s Creed II – The ending. While AC1 was pretty tame, it had a fairly intriguing cliffhanger ending. But there was literally nothing in the world that could prepare you for what was about to occur. I mean witnessing Ezio beat the hell out of the Pope was awesome, but when Minerva started speaking to Desmond through Ezio, I flipped shit.
    3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – While I could go on to pretty much make my whole list based off of this game, I’ll stick with just the train segment. Not only was it super tense, it’s one of the most technologically impressive moments in gaming.
    4. Final Fantasy X – The first battle with Sin. I think I’ve listed this before in another Friday Five, but it needs to be sad again. It’s just one of those moments that literally makes your eyes glaze over in awe. That’s the moment you realize you’ve gotten in over your head.
    5. Jurassic Park – Seeing the dinosaurs roaming the land for the first time gave me chills like no other movie has. It was beyond epic seeing that in the theaters not only the first time, but every time after that.

     

    Dinosaurs in a field and lake from Jurassic Park

    Dan

    1. The newspapers at the end of Bill and Ted 2 revealing they brought peace to the world with the EPIC power of Rock and Roll
    2. Watching Peter Parker “die” as Doc Ock in ASM #700
    3. Anything from the first 30mins of the new Tomb Raider
    4. Anakin getting his legs cut off and left to burn in Return of the Sith after clearly being told he was about to get his legs cut off.
    5. Anytime 5 pilotable robots come together to form a much larger robot. Best instance: Original Power Rangers and their Dino Zords. Runner Up: Voltron coming together with awesome narration.

     

    Audra

    There are too many epics to pick from.

    1. Inception – When Leonardo brings Juno into his dreams for the first time and everything blows up, the world curves in around itself and Juno starts to mess with reality.
    2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series – Book and movie. There were so many badass parts throughout the series. The one that most will remember is when Lisbeth’s guardian is planning to sadistically rape her, again, but she uses her taser gun to knock him unconscious. While he’s down, she ties him up and tattoos, “I’m a sadistic pig, and a rapist”, having never tattooed before in her life.
    3. Eragon – When you find out Murtaugh is Eragon’s half brother!!!
    4. The Avengers – Pretty much the entire movie, but for the sake of this list I’ll narrow it down to the interactions between the Hulk and Thor. Like when Thor smashes Hulk in the face with Mew Mew and when Hulk smashes Thor in the face with his fist.
    5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – At the very end, it pans back to when Link and Zelda both meet for the first time in the Castle garden as children. They lock eyes and the image freezes and ages.

     

    Ending of The legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 27, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-27-2013/ Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:45:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13270 takeitorleaveit32713
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Here we are once again, it’s time for a brand new Take It Or Leave It. March 27, 2013 saw some great books getting released, and plenty of stinkers too! So stop reading this and start checking out what we thought of this weeks releases!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing | Image Comics
    Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    batmaninc9

    Batman Incorporated #9

    Creators: Morrison | Burnham | Masters
    Batman Inc #9 directly follows last months tragic Batman Inc 8. Well parts of it do anyway, it’s one of only a handful of books with the ‘Requiem’ subtitle that did it well. Which makes sense since this is the book that caused it. It was nice to get to see the direct fallout of the death of Damian and not all this stuff taking places days or weeks after. If you’ve been following Batman Inc then you’ll definitely want to pick this up. Unfortunately for any new comers you’ll definitely be out in the dark alone and confused. And with the Grand Morrison’s run on Batman almost up it’s probably not the best time to jump on anyway.

    Verdict: New Readers – Leave It

    Score:7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superman18

    Superman #18

    Creators: Lobdell | Kuder | Kirkham | Rocha
    Superman is a pretty iconic character, and I really want to find him interesting. Every so often I grab a Superman comic and give it a shot. Maybe that time the story will be something that grabs my attention. Welp, Superman 18 certainly wasn’t that book. I was pretty disappointed with Action Comics, which I read issues 1-7 of, but even that was better than this issue. Nothing happens, well some stuff happens, but nothing interesting happens. Superman saves some people from jumping off a roof and destroys some DJ equipment. The big lead up for this was the whole hearing about his Fortress of Solitude, but that was only a few pages at the very beginning and frankly he was kind of a dick. There’s not much of a reason to read this story, so you probably shouldn’t.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 3/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    talon6

    Talon #6

    Creators: Snyder | Tynion IV | March
    Wow, the last few issues of Talon were feeling a little slow, not a lot was changing, each issue was basically following the “Talon of the week” format like a Scooby Doo cartoon or something. Boy did issue 6 fix that! Calvin is trapped with some nasty folks, and that’s not even the most intense part of this book. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re a fan of Talon you’ll be shocked by the end of this book, and things definitely aren’t ever going to be the same!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    teentitans18

    Teen Titans #18

    Creators: Lobdell | Barrows | Ferreira
    I picked up Teen Titans, both this month and last month because I like Eddy Barrows’ art. My first impression is I’m pretty confused. Sure they’re teens and they’re fighting the good fight. But what the hell is up with Tim Drake? Is this something that I’d have to read the entire series to understand or is it just poor characterization? If you’re new to Teen Titans, this is definitely not a good time to pick it up. Frankly at this point I’m not sure if there is a good time to pick it up. The random fight with the Suicide Squad, and the lying to his team, it makes for a decent mystery but that’s certainly not enough to save this book.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    doctorwho7

    Doctor Who #7

    Creators: Fialkov | Domingues | Ponce
    This is a great way to satiate your Doctor Who appetite while waiting for new episodes to come back on Saturday. The characterization is great and I feel like I’m watching an episode with Matt Smiths, Doctor. The issue revolves around the Doctor trying to help out a Russian spaceship in the 1960’s that’s orbiting earth. Unfortunately for those Russians, if the Doctor is there it’s certainly not a normal problem. I’ve only read 2 issue of this Doctor Who series so far, and both have been a lot of fun. And like the last issue they’re calling back to some elements from the David Tennant era, and I’m just not sure how I feel about it. For now though, I’m having fun on the ride, lets see how I feel next month after the series is back on TV!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    FIVE_WEAPONS_2

    Five Weapons #2

    Creators: Robinson
    Issue 1 of Five Weapons ended on quite a surprising reveal, and issue 2 continues to expand and intrigue with this school for assassin’s children. Tyler is probably the smartest person in the school next to the nurse, who is a biggest mystery of all. This issue has Tyler interacting, with all of the clubs, whether we see it or not we at least find out the outcomes. And like the last issue it ends with a challenge, only Tyler doesn’t seem quite as confidant for this one. This is looking to be a great series so far, and with 3 issue left to go I can’t wait to see how things turn out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    mornglories25_cover

    Morning Glories #25

    Creators: Spencer | Eisma | Esquejo
    I think we just got some answers, maybe. . . Well kinda not at all I think. Oh god I’m even more confused now than before! You know what though, it doesn’t matter I still want to see more. Ike and Abrham have a real ‘heart to heart’ while Ike holds people at gun point. It’s quite a nice father son moment that opens up all kinds of questions, as if we didn’t already have enough of those. The whole time Hunter has a totally different experience going on and that doesn’t help us readers at all. Season 2 of the series is coming to an end soon, so here’s hoping something goes resolved before than.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    savagesk01_covera

    Savage Skullkickers #1

    Creators: Zub | Huang | Coats
    Savage Skullkickers number one is actually Uncanny Skullkickers #2, which in turn is actually Skullkickers #20, and with that out of the way and you readers thoroughly confused I feel that I’ve done my job. Aside from that, the issue picks up where the last left off, with our heroes being attacked by crazy jungle apes. Only we didn’t have the wonderful Dwarf adventures at the bottom of the page, no our Dwarf buddy was busy with his own not quite death problems. I really can’t say enough just how much fun Skullkickers is, and I’m pretty disappointed with myself for waiting so long to get started with it. Even the covers are great, making fun of some of other popular series. This time it’s obviously Savage Wolverine, but don’t worry this one is way better than that book was.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    ageofultron3

    Age of Ultron #3

    Creators: Bendis | Hitch | Neary | Mounts
    Three issue into Age of Ultron and we still don’t really have any answers. Most of the time a Marvel event kicks off slow and almost immediately jams everything you need to know down your throat. Age of Ultron is going the absolute opposite way, little things are being revealed, with lots of talking, but no real information on how this all went down. The big selling point of this issue has to be the final page, if you’ve been waiting for some answers you’re going to get mad, but oh boy is it worth it! And no matter how frustrating this series may be, it’s leaps and bounds better than previous events. The frustration isn’t because there’s to many books getting derailed or poor storytelling, it’s frustrating because it’s being done so damn well.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    fantasticfour5au

    Fantastic Four #5AU

    Creators: Fraction | Araujo | Villarrubia
    I really hope the other AU tie-in’s don’t play out like this one. I’ve enjoyed Fraction run on Fantastic Four so far, but this issue just felt forced. And there are just too many openings that don’t make sense. Sue for instance is incredibly powerful, why couldn’t she have just blown up all the Ultron drones from the inside with a force field. Or you know her son, Franklin the most powerful freaking person in the universe. Sure he’s still a kid and doesn’t know his full potential, but I think he’s got a good enough grasp on his powers to stop a robot. Obviously that would ruin the big plans Bendis has in the main Age of Ultron series, but it’s just stuff like this that makes you wish they didn’t do the tie in books. Speaking of tie-in’s who else thinks that the whole AU thing doesn’t just stand for Age of Ultron, but maybe you know Alternate Universe. Perhaps this whole thing will end with the reveal that it’s a new earth in another universe like Age of Apocalypse, hell even the names are similar.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    guardiansofthegalaxy1

    Guardians of the Galaxy #1

    Creators: Bendis | Mcniven | Dell | Ponsor
    Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 was a great way to start a new series. It gave new and old readers a history lesson on our here Peter Quill aka Star Lord. Unfortunately the official first issue of Guardians of the Galaxy fell a little short. It was a pretty standard “Hey look here’s the cast of the book”. Sure it had to be done, but I feel like it would have felt more natural if there wasn’t a big battle going on around them with Tony Stark looking around and naming all the other heroes around him. I feel like that’s just not how it would go down in a real battle. It’s still shaping up to be a great series, and a lot of fun with Iron Man joining the team even if I didn’t enjoy the intros.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    superiorspiderman6au

    Superior Spider-Man #6AU

    Creators: Gage | Soy
    First lets point out that this book should be read BEFORE Age of Ultron 3. There aren’t any super spoilers or anything, but that’s chronologically how it falls, which I didn’t know when I read them. . . Now as for the issue, a big question was finally answered, this is in fact the Superior Spider-Man. Doctor Otto Octavius in Peter Parker’s body. Yes this really conflicts with how Bendis has been writing Spidey over in the main Age of Ultron books. That’s probably due to the fact that this stuff was written ages ago so Brian Hitch would have plenty of time to deliver on the awesome arts. Gage gives us a great view on how our current 616 Spidey is handling the situation, and as you’d expect he’s handling it like a big jerkface. While I didn’t much enjoy the Fantastic Four AU, Superior Spider-Man actually added something to the event and feels more more realistic, well as far as Superhero comics go anyway.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    WONDER09_coverA

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland #9

    Creators: Gregory | Morges | Goh | Grostieta
    Wonderland 9 has a lot of blood shed, like damn. Cali showed up just in time last issue, and this one it’s not her saving the day but Violet. It just goes to show the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Meanwhile in Wonderland shit really hits the fan as the Red Queen makes her stand, and we see that the power of love is just as important in the Grimm Universe as it is in a lot of other ‘fairy tale’ inspired stories. If you’ve been missing Wonderland, you should really stop doing that to yourself. Issue 9 isn’t the best jumping on place, but it ending definitely sets next issue up as a great start for anyone new to the series. And don’t worry everyone gets a little confused with what’s going on, that’s why it’s so much fun.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is exactly as it sounds, a quick review of a book. Just a quick couple sentence feel of the book and our verdict. So enjoy!

    Gambit #10

    This was one of the best issues of Gambit yet, which isn’t necessarily saying a lot about it. I finally feel like I’m reading a Gambit book and not just some random adventure book. I may regret this later on, but for now Gambit #10 is a . . .

    – Take It

    6/10

    Morbius The Living Vampire #3

    My god, 3 issues and I’m still into Morbius The Living Vampire. Who would have thought that possible. I honestly think I like Michael Morbius as the ‘hero’, a term I use very lightly, than I like Otto-Spidey.

    – Take It

    7/10

    Scarlet Spider #15

    I wasn’t thrilled with last issue, while I’m still not thrilled with it I’ll admit seeing Kaine fully embrace the monster in him was kinda cool, and maybe he’ll have all his spider powers back! I loved where Yost was taking this character since the .1 issue a few months ago, making him a hero rather than a guy just hiding out. Lets all hope we’re not losing that.

    – Take It

    8/10

    Ultimate Comics Wolverine #2

    This book is moving a little to slow for my taste. Two issues into a four issue series and we’ve got no clue what’s happening, and frankly nothing actually happened this issue until the last 2 pages. Sure it was an interesting reveal, but that wasn’t enough to save this book. Plus the art irked me, Wolverine and Jimmy both have terrible looking claws in this, they just don’t look right and are constantly at different angles and coming out of different parts of their hands.

    – Leave It

    3/10

    Uncanny Avengers #5

    That first arc for Uncanny Avengers was a rocky one, issue 5 is looking up though. For the most part it was a much more internal book dealing with the relationships, or lack of, between the Avengers and X-Men on the Unity Team. And it’s great to see Simon and Jan back on an Avengers team!

    – Take It

    8/10

    Wolverine and the X-Men #27

    I don’t know about this whole Savage Land trip, I like the idea that Wolverine talked to each of the students in turn. Giving them advice, trying to help them become better people, mutants, and X-Men. I don’t like Dog, or his whole Time Travel antics. This is a real toss up but for now lets call it a. . .

    – Leave It

    5/10

    Young Avengers #3

    I had higher hopes for this after the way last issue ended. It didn’t quite meet them, but at least we’re getting some more info, and the setup for a bigger confrontation next issue. And the Game of Thrones reference really sealed the deal for this one.

    – Take It

    6/10

    Grimm Fairy Tales #83

    I’m not super into the normal ongoing Grimm Fairy Tales, it’s just so many issue in I feel like I’m missing something by not having read them all. Even with those reservations, this was a good issue. I enjoyed the more normal every day feel it had, and even though it’s obvious something is supernaturally wrong we don’t know what until the very end.

    – Take It

    7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag gameplay trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-gameplay-trailer/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:50:35 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13250 Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag poster

    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hasn’t been a secret for a while now, but today we get to see our first look at the gameplay!

    It looks like they’re sticking with some of the combat basics laid out by Altair and Ezio, while adding some of the brutality that Connor loved so much. Put that mixture in to the body of a debonair pirate and you have some fancy footwork.

    It also looks like swimming, and sunken treasure will play into the game a bit. It won’t be all fun and leisure however, since the sharks look a bit territorial.

    And lastly, more naval combat! ^_^ ’nuff said. Watch it below! Drool! Tell us about the funny feelings you felt in your neater regions after it was over.

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    Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Announcement Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/final-fantasy-xx-2-hd-remaster-announcement-trailer/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:28:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13241 Logo for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on PlayStation 3

    These HD re-releases sure have some catch titles!

    Well, regardless of the name, it’s great to give some of the younger gamers a chance to experience some of the best games they would otherwise know nothing about. It’s also great to give me the opportunity to play some of my favorite games in HD.

    Now, I know most of you are lamenting this release while cursing Sqaure Enix for not making an HD version of your favorite Final Fantasy ever, FFVII. And you know what, that’s entirely your right. But here’s the thing: Final Fantasy X was superior in almost every way. So you may as well get over it now and just preorder your copy of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. Let’s face it, we all know you’re going to get it anyway despite your boycott of all Square Enix titles until the HD release of VII. It’s just not going to happen.

    Final Fantasy X turns 12 years old this year, and to celebrate Square Enix is giving us a chance to play it all again. Releasing as 1 game on the PlayStation 3, or 2 separate titles on the PSVita, Final Fantasy X and X-2 are receiving full HD makeovers. No release date set yet, but expect them to ship sometime this year! That could be anytime, so to help make your wait a little more bearable, here’s a trailer. Enjoy, and tell us how excited you are for the release of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster in the comments below!

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    Friday Five – Guilty Pleasure Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-guilty-pleasure-movies/ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:01:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13217 popcorn

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writters a bit better with the help of a top 5 list! This weeks category: Guilty Pleasure Movies.

    I’m starting to feel rehashed at this point. The past few weeks we’ve been bringing up lame movies like chick flicks, romantic comedies, and the like. It’s getting to the point where I’m having trouble finding decent options to list. But here we are, listing the 5 movies we’re embarrassed we like. The worst part about this: None of us are actually embarrassed we like these movies. No shame at One-Quest!

    Chris

    1. A Knights Tale – This really isn’t a terrible movie, but it’s by no means good either. Something about the setting and the mixture of all the classic rock just keeps you watching…
    2. Teen Wolf – This isn’t a good movie, but it’s a classic of the ‘80s regardless, and everyone that saw it wanted to surf on a moving van.
    3. Demolition Man – Stallone made some god awful movies in the ‘90s after Rocky and Rambo kinda of ran their course, well until he made more sequels 20 years later. As bad as Demolition Man is though I can’t help but watch it whenever I see it on somewhere. Come on, seashells.
    4. Power Rangers The Movie – Ivan Ooze
    5. Airborne – The ‘90s were an extreme decade and Airborne was part of that. Who wouldn’t love to be in an underground inline skating race down an incredible dangerous hill just because they have to prove that the public school kids are better than the preps! If this isn’t real life I don’t know what is!

    Power Rangers the Movie poster

    Eric

    I find making these choices difficult. The fact that I like something makes it difficult to see that is was actually a bad movie.

    1. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters – I like your booty, but I’m not gay.
    2. The Time Machine – I’ve sat through this movie a few times with the knowledge that the general consensus being that it’s a bad movie. I don’t see it. I find it enjoyable and exciting.
    3. Spider-Man 3 – This movie get’s a lot of flack for being to. . . extravagant. I get it, emo Pete dancing in the streets is hardly what we expect the venomed up Parker of the comics to act like, but this isn’t the comics. It’s the movie verse, and happens to be directed by Sam Raimi. If you were expecting a straight laced superhero story, you saw the wrong movie!
    4. Power Rangers The Movie – I watched this 2 years ago at Otakon, in a fairly large theater, with all of my friends. We fuckin’ loved that shit! But it’s sooooo bad!
    5. The Wild Wild West – Will Smith is my, and should be every god damned persons, hero! The fact that he was in a western fighting robots, and a robot spider man is outrageous and amazing. I found the movie hilarious, and enjoyable.

    Movie poster for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters

    Audra

    I don’t usually experience guilt, I wear my eccentricities on display for all to see. That said, I’m having a difficult time with this one.

    1. Ghost Rider – I actually really enjoyed this movie, however I was told that I shouldn’t have.
    2. George of the Jungle – because as a pre adolescent, Brendan Fraser made my jaw drop.
    3. Rocky Horror Picture Show – this movie makes no sense whatsoever, but it’s all those damn songs intertwined within that keep me watching. Plus it reminds me on my teens.
    4. Showgirls – yup, I’ll watch it.
    5. Paranormal Activity – I know the series is lame, but I can’t get enough!

    Leslie Mann and Brendan Frasier from George of the Jungle

    Drootin

    Sometimes in life, there are things you for whatever reason you just like even though it doesn’t fit in with the things you normally like and you’re kind of embarrassed for liking. These are guilty pleasures and that’s what we’re talking about this week. (Also, Happy Birthday Sara!)

    1. Mean Girls – You know what, Mean Girls is a funny movie. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows are great as a teacher and the school principal. Also this movie was the height of Lindsay Lohan’s career (and hotness), she has since become a total train wreck.
    2. Chicago – I don’t really know why but I really like this movie. I don’t know what it is about it but I enjoy the songs and the story and the setting. But yeah, I enjoy this movie.
    3. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus – So, I’m not sure if this really counts cause it was originally on the Sci-Fi channel but you can get it stand alone on DVD/Blu-Ray (which I have the Blu-Ray lol). But it’s such a cheesy piece of crap that it’s phenomenal.
    4. Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter: The Movie (the live action one) – These movies, I understand why they were made but DAMN they sucks. But, they are so good in how bad they are.
    5. Days of Thunder – I like NASCAR so for me this was a pretty fun movie. I enjoyed the racing scenes at least. Also I totally forgot Michael Rooker was in it until recently.

    Poster for Mean Girls with lindsay lohan

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 20, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-20-2013/ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:48:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13007 takeitorleaveit32013

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s Take It Or Leave It time everybody! I’m not going to bore you with a bunch useless babbling this week. I will let you know we added something a little different at the bottom. All the books that we just didn’t have time to talk about have a what we’re calling a Quick Shot. It’s just a real simple Take It Or Leave It so make sure you check that out at the end of the page!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Valiant Entertainment | Zenescope Entertainment | Quick Shots


    Fanboys Vs. Zombies #12

    Creators: Humphries | Houghton | Gaylord
    I don’t see Fanboys Vs. Zombies winning any awards, or ever being one of the seminal pieces in comic book history. What it is though, is a really fun ride through the zombie plagued world where your comrades are all geeks making (usually) great pop culture references. Generally speaking, if you read comic books on a regular basis than you are exactly the right person to read Fanboys Vs. Zombies. In today’s world where we’re quickly being overrun by zombies, in media anyway, it’s easy to miss such a silly fun ride like this and just write it off as another zombie story. Even with the sometimes cheesy dialogue the book still contains all the traditional points of a great horror story. Conflict, both external and internal to our group of ‘heroes’, romance, and obviously action, lots of zombie killing awesomeness! If you’re getting sick and tired of all the grim and gritty zombie crap going on right now and want something more lighthearted and fun Fanboys Vs. Zombies is exactly what you need to read.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Birds of Prey #18

    Creators: Marx | Molenaar | Cifuentes
    I’d heard good things about Duane Swierczynski run on Birds of Prey which ended last issue. Unfortunately I didn’t want to jump into the middle of it, but with the transition to Christy Marx this issue I figured why not give it a shot. It’s got Mr. Freeze I really enjoyed the revamped backstory for in the Batman Annual last summer. The book and plot this time around though doesn’t really do much to grab you. Maybe it’s got to do with not knowing what was going on prior to issue 18, but if that’s the case it’s still flawed. A new writer should really mean a good place for a new reader to jump on board. Totally not the case here though, and it’s a shame too, the characters could definitely be something likable. Well most of them anyway, as much as I enjoyed the Court of Owls story line from Batman, I can’t help but feel having Talon’s being ‘good’ all over the place is a little to much too soon. It’s like Deadpool he’s a fun character but not when he’s in 30 books a month. Lets hope DC doesn’t go to overboard and sticks to just this female Talon in Birds of Prey, which I admit makes sense, and Calvin over in Talon.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Constantine #1

    Creators: Lemire | Fawkes | Guedes
    Admittedly my only experience with the character John Constantine was that Keanu Reeves film back in 2005, which I hated. I found out after the fact that the character was the central ‘hero’ of the comic series Hellblazer, and that it was apparently a really good book, but I didn’t read it. I just like depriving myself of good things sometimes I guess. Then I heard they were starting a new book and thought why not give it a chance, I like magic and things of that nature after all. I’m pretty glad I gave it a shot too, I don’t want to call the book fun, because it’s pretty dark, but that’s how I’d describe it. Sure it doesn’t have what you’d call a happy ending, and there isn’t much joking going on but something about the way the story was told was just intriguing and fun. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing more of the character and hopefully some of his origins so I know exactly what’s going on. Plus being a number 1, if you wanted a new book to read you can’t do much better.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Nightwing #18

    Creators: Higgins | Ryp | Bonet | Albarran
    I read another review for this issue where they complained about how Dick dealt with the lose of Damian, and think that’s silly. Nightwing 18 is probably the second best of the books dealing with the death of Damian Wayne, the first being last weeks Batman and Robin 18. Last issue Robin confronted Dick about his recent behavior and pulling him out of a downward spiral. Now Dick is back on the course and he doesn’t have his young friend to help out. I started reading Batman and Robin with Dick and Damian as the Dynamic Duo, and that’s really where I started reading the Bat books in general. I thought their chemistry was great and honestly preferred it to the more recent Bruce and Damian run. Even their brief exchange in Batman Inc #8, just a few pages before Damian’s death referenced back to that and how in Damian’s mind, they always made the best team. All of that really weights down on Dick in this issue, and not just that but the lose of friends at the hands of the Joker before that. It’s been a rough time for Nightwing, and Kyle Higgins really nailed it. Even the way he had Dick characterize Damian while visiting his grave felt perfect. My biggest qualm is the art, I said it last month, it’s not that it’s bad but I just feel like the faces particularly are off and pull me out of the story. But that’s only a small problem with an otherwise great book, so many titles tried to display the grief over Damian’s death, but only a few actually managed to capture that emotion in a realistic way for those characters.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    G.I. Joe #2

    Creators: Van Lente | Kurth | Martinez | Lafuente
    The second issue of the new G.I. Joe series from IDW picks up where issue one left off, with the Joes in one crappy situation. With all the setup and introduction out of the way in issue one this one has a lot of action and character drama. A lot of things are still getting fleshed out and the team is still getting use to working with each other which is what really drives the issue. The confrontation with Cobra and the other combatants is pretty fast stuff and as fun as it was, just didn’t add much plot. It was the slower moments where the characters talked and tried to formulate a plan that was what made this worth reading. That and the scene with Duke and The Baroness was pretty cool too. Something I forgot to mention last month is ‘The REAL history of G.I. Joe’. These short segments at the beginning of the issue show us where the toy line started and where it ended up. Issue two’s segment brings us through the ’60s and ’70s leaving next issue to break into the parts I grew up with, the ’80s Joe. It may not sound like much, but if you grew up playing with these toys, especially those of us from the later half of the ’80s it’s fun to see where the toys started and how they ended up in their current form. Frankly when all is said and done, G.I. Joe is doing a great job of capturing something from so many of our childhoods and making it modern and interesting again, and it’s not a giant toy commercial like the old ’80s cartoon!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Judge Dredd Year One #1

    Creators: Smith | Coleby | O’Grady
    I’ve been hearing some good things about the current Judge Dredd ongoing series. And I have the newer Dredd film sitting at home waiting to be watched. Deep down though Judge Dredd will always be Sylvester Stallone, and I just don’t know if I hate it or love it. Regardless of that I decided to give this Year One #1 a shot and see how it went. Frankly there is a lot more to the Dredd universe than I realized, it’s also been over a decade since I’ve seen anything from this universe. Judge Dredd Year One isn’t as origin-y as you may think. I went into it expecting something along the lines of Batman Year One, where we see Dredd taking his first steps onto the streets as a new Judge. I was wrong, he’s already been on the beat for almost a year, and he’s already coming off as pretty bad ass. The thing that caught me off guard though was all the supernatural powers going on. I was expecting awesome action and people getting blown up with really big guns. Instead I got people getting torn to pieces psychically. If you’re into that stuff, which usually I am you might be down for this book. I just wasn’t feeling it though, it was actually a struggle to finish reading it and I’m not sure I want to go through that again for the next issue.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20

    Creators: Eastman | Waltz | Bates | Pattison
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just continues to be totally radical month after month. Issue 20 picks up where we left off with the Turtles and people of Neutrino battling Krangs army. There’s a certain point in the book where you can’t help but smile and get excited by what’s happening. Especially if you grew up with the cartoons and movies in the late ’80s / early ’90s. This issue is just full of action, and that’s something the turtles are always good at. But it’s also got some great character points especially between Honeycutt and Donatello discussing the real possibilities of whether the turtles and Splinter are really reincarnations. This also wraps up the Dimension X (which I don’t think they ever called it in the book) story line and sees the Turtles return home to much excitement from April, Casey, and Splinter. There was even almost some big character moments for Casey and April but that ended before it even started. While issue 20 may not be the best jumping on point for new readers it’s still a great read, and well worth picking up if you have even a small interest in this series.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Artifacts #26

    Creators: Marz | Turini | Troy
    The Progeny crossover comes to a close in this issue of Artifacts as Tom Judge and his team tries to fix the universe that Jackie Estacado went and screwed up. If you’ve been following the events in this story than it’s probably safe to say your invested enough to keep going with it. For those who aren’t quite sure what’s going on and is just looking to get started with this crazy Top Cow universe don’t worry about being out of the loop. You will be, there’s no doubt about it, but the story is so crazy and intriguing that it doesn’t really matter. This whole issue is just a giant showdown, there’s some action, and a lot of character drama. The twists and turns of how these characters deal with each other is what’s really been driving it. And the best part is that by the end of this book things are set in motion for some great comics to come, in all the series connected to Progeny. I’ve only been following these series (Witchblade, The Darkness, Artifacts) for a few months now, but so much has happened and so much history has been brought up that I feel like it’s been years. That’s probably one of the best compliments I can give this book, and it’s companion titles, they keep you informed you’re not left to guess at what happened before.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Five Ghosts The Haunting Of Fabian Gray #1

    Creators: Barbiere | Mooneyham
    I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into with Five Ghost. It’s got an interesting plot where our ‘hero’ Fabian Gray is possessed by five spirits with various skills he utilizes to ‘treasure hunt’. That doesn’t really seem to be the focus of the book though, which is where I get thrown a bit, I liked the idea of a supernatural treasure hunters. We’ve got people like Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, and Indiana Jones who deal with supernatural stuff while hunting for lost treasures. But I’ve never really come across someone with powers searching for those treasures. He’s able to call on the spirits of a cunning detective, a world class archer, a powerful magician, a skilled samurai, and a deadly vampire. Any one of those would be cool, but the all 5 could end up as overkill. The book already seems to be handling the fact that this could makes him nearly unstoppable which makes it that much more worth while. Fabian seems to be on a mission to save, who I believe is his sister. We don’t know what happened to her yet, but that certainly seems like something that will get brought up eventually. And with only 4 more issues it’ll probably be soon. This isn’t the best book to come out recently, but it’s got enough mystery to keep me interesting at least until issue 2 which is better than a lot of books out there today.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Saga #11

    Creators: Vaughan | Staples
    Oh Saga, how I miss you for those 30ish days between releases, and boy do I dread the time off you’ll be taking after issue 12. But that’s not why we’re here right now, it’s to talk about how amazing this book is. Vaughan and Staples are putting us through the emotional ringer, last issue ended on such a downer, and just when you think nothing could get any worse this issue just stabs you right in the feelings. But that’s not all there is, issue 11 has some great moments between Alana, Marko, and their strange family. Hazel’s narration is at an all time high in this issue, and the opening pages are both hilarious, touching, and disturbing, which makes absolutely no sense. The way this series keeps redefining itself from issue to issue is what really drives it, you never known what kind of book your getting with each new issue of Saga, you just know it’s going to be great.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    All-New X-Men #9

    Creators: Bendis | Immonen | Von Grawbadger | Gracia
    First off, the cover and solicitations for this issue are a little deceiving, I was expecting a little bit more confrontation then we actually go. After 9 issue, we’re still waiting for these young versions of the X-Men to take the fight to the bad guys, assuming that’s what they’re going to do. We’ve had a few bouts but nothing ground breaking. It’s kinda funny really, that a book about superheroes can be so boring, and still completely enthralling. I don’t care that the character don’t do anything exciting, the drama and interactions are so great it just doesn’t matter. Especially Jean who is really changing from what you’d expect her to be, her interactions with Kitty are especially good. While this hasn’t been a series full of action, it’s definitely heating up to something crazy made all the more evident by the final page. I’m super excited to see where issue 10 takes us, and you probably should be too!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Nova #2

    Creators: Loeb | Mcguinness | Vines | Gracia
    The first issue of Nova was kind of cool, getting to see the past missions that our new hero’s dad was on. And I liked how they were ‘just stories’ to Sam until well they came true. This second issue lost something along the way though, it started out pretty cool with Gamora and Rocket Racoon, but that’s about where it ended. The rest just didn’t feel like a Marvel book, and it wasn’t all that interesting. I know this book is happening pre-AvX and all so they have to keep the scope smaller and lead up to Nova showing up ahead of the Phoenix, but this was just dull. Lets see how next month goes. . .

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    X-Termination #1

    Creators: Lapham | Lopez | Lopez | Martinez | Mossa
    This book started off alright, but quickly started to feel very forced. The whole situation just doesn’t feel like it warrants all these different X-Teams to handle it. Sure it’s a possible universe shattering problem, but isn’t that what X-Treme X-Men has been dealing with all along? Why not just make this about them and have a few issues include some other teams as like cameos. We don’t need a full blown crossover with special books just to get the whole story. On top of that, this is the beginning of the end for two really interesting books, Age of Apocalypse and the aforementioned X-Treme X-Men. I guess this could have been a lot worse, but like most crossovers this story isn’t as good as any of it’s single parts. A normal issue of one of the associated books would probably be a lot better.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Harbinger #10

    Creators: Dysart | Clark | Gaudiano
    Harbinger gets some great reviews around the web, so it’s about time One-Quest took a look. Valiant has really been impressing me with the stuff it’s putting out, and Harbinger is no exception. It has a kind of x-men vibe to it, but without the whole super hero vs super villain thing. Sure there’s the good guys, and the bad guys but it’s not like Magneto is trying to take over the world and the X-Men have to stop it. It’s a group of people with powers running from the government that wants to use them and study them and you know, do mean things. I’m definitely going to have to read some more before I have a full blown opinion on this, but based on this issue, I’m down and willing to see how things go.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    X-O Manowar #11

    Creators: Venditti | Nord | Baumann
    While I really enjoyed and wanted more from Harbinger, I just wasn’t feeling X-O Manowar. There’s a lot going on here, and I just don’t know enough to care. I don’t know if I’m suppose to like this dude in a spacesuit or hate him. That’s what you get for starting something on issue 11 I suppose. There is a lot of history in this book, which does help to get a new reader caught up a bit, but not quite enough to understand anything. I’m going to reserve judgment on this until I’m a few more issue in, but issue 11 definitely isn’t new reader friendly and doesn’t seem to add much to the story. It’s still interesting and I want to know more, which is a huge plus in this books favor. I guess we’ll see how things go in the coming months!

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Madness Of Wonderland #2

    Creators: Wickline | Cichon | Embury
    I really like Madness of Wonderland, it’s like a cop drama but with a mystical element. Well there isn’t much of a mystical element in the book so far, but if you’re familiar with the universe you know it’s coming. It’s actually a lot easier to follow than some of the other Wonderland books. We don’t jump around much there’s two stories the present day with detective Legrasse and the history lesson from the journal belong to Mr. Lovecraft. There’s so much mystery going on, and I don’t even have a guess as to how this stuff is going to turn out which is what really keeps the book fresh. It’s hard to have things really big original and surprising today, but so far Madness of Wonderland is pulling it off perfectly.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Quick Shots is just a quick Yes or No, or in this case Take It or Leave It for some books that we didn’t get a chance to really talk about. So enjoy!

    Avengers #8

    – Leave It

    Captain Marvel #11

    – Take It

    Indestructible Hulk #5

    – Take It

    New Avengers #4

    – Leave It

    Savage Wolverine #3

    – Leave It

    Superior Spider-Man #6

    – Take It

    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #21

    – Take It

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix – PAX East Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/kingdom-hearts-hd-1-5-remix-pax-east-trailer/ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:23:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13152 Sora, Donald, and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix

    Debuting at this weekends PAX East convention in Boston is the first official US trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix.

    It’s amazing how incredible a 10 year old game can look after a bit of a make over! We even get to see a bit of the game play at work as well, and it looks great since it’s been fine tuned to better fit the series.

    My favorite take from the trailer is that the cutscenes also look to have been upconverted, which is generally not the case with HD remakes. If you take a look at God of War Collection, you’ll notice the pre-rendered cutscenes from God of War 1 and 2 generally look FAR worse than the actual gameplay. All this really means is that Square Enix isn’t just throwing out a cash cow here, they’ve invested in a real product.

    Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix contains full HD makeovers of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. It also features an HD upconversion of all of the cutscenes, which have also been fully vocalized, from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. This combines the entirety of the beginning of Soras’ story in 1 beautiful package.

    Check out the trailer, and tell us which part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix you can’t wait to see in HD in the comments below!

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    Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin go digital with The Private Eye https://one-quest.com/blog/brian-k-vaughan-and-marcos-martin-go-digital-with-the-private-eye/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:46:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=13109 Cover for The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente.

    Brian K. Vaughan, the technology challenged writer of Saga and Y: The Last Man, teams up with Marcos Martin, known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil, to bring you a new creator owned comic, The Private Eye. This new books is being brought to you, astoundingly for BKV, through a completely DRM free, pay what you want, digital distribution model located at www.panelsyndicate.com.

    The Private Eye takes place in a futuristic America that doesn’t use the internet. Privacy has become so important that everyone keeps their identity a complete secret, even going about their day to day activities in masks and costumes. Everyone’s lives are kept totally private, and no one is allowed to know your secrets without permission. Enter the Private Eye. If there’s something you need to know, or someone you need to find, he’s your guy, provided you have enough cash.

    It’s interesting to see this world of privacy when today you can’t check facebook without knowing that one of your friends just took a crap. Privacy is all but forgotten in our age, and it looks like the world of The Private Eye has paid a price for it. The plot runs smoothly, with BKVs dialogue as entertaining as ever. He really excels at making readers feel for his characters, even if this is just our first introduction to them. Marcos Martins’ art is also quite spectacular. It has a bit of a retro feel that helps sell the futuristic ideals. The colors by Muntsa Vicente are also perfect. Everything just sort of flows together and looks beautiful.

    The Private Eye is available solely in digital formats(.cbr, .cbz, and .pdf) from panelsyndicate.com. The hope is for a 10 issue “maxiseries” which is fully dependent on the success of the book and contributions from the readers. Also worth noting again, you can pay what you want. Starting as low as NOTHING! But I highly recommend you give them a little something, because it’s worth it.

    The Private Eye is an excellent read, and can literally fit anyone’s budget. You have, literally, no reason not to check it out.

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    Tomb Raider Review https://one-quest.com/blog/tomb-raider-review/ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:38:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12962

    Two weeks ago Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics brought us their re-imagining of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider Franchise. Since then I’ve taken the time to play through this new origin story of such a beloved character. With compelling story and terrific gameplay, I can fully understand why this game won 40+ E3 Awards. This new Tomb Raider follows a young Lara Croft on her first adventure. Out on an expedition to discover the ancient land of Yamatai, the home of the Sun Queen. A nasty storm causes her ship to wreck and leave the crew stranded on a mysterious island. The island is situated in the middle of the Dragon’s Triangle, a location, like the Bermuda Triangle, notorious for missing ships. Immediately on the island Lara gets into trouble with group known as the Solarii. These Solarii are other stranded survivors on the island from previous shipwrecks, that follow a crazy cult leader. The story keeps you guessing from the beginning to the end, with a few twists thrown in just when you think you have the answers. Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider helps you connect with Lara in a different way than ever before, as she becomes the hardened survivor that we all know her to be. The single player story doesn’t disappoint as you help Lara try to escape this terrible place.

    The gameplay and control scheme work really well with the style of game that Crystal Dynamics has made for us. It is a slow paced exploration game with a ton of stealth style action. When there are enemies nearby, Lara instantly gets down to a crouched position. This leaves you more time to figure out how to dispatch the enemies quietly rather than figuring out what buttons to hit. While the game utilizes the traditional Tomb Raider puzzle’s we’ve come to expect in the hidden tombs, the main puzzles are more about figuring out how to minimize confrontation with your enemies. The nice part is, you always have more than one way to complete those puzzles. You can sneak around and take out the guards and hostiles slowly and silently, or run in guns blazing and hope for the best.

    The entire game takes place on an open world map, where you can go back to previous areas and complete various challenges. Completing these challenges will give you experience, which allows you to unlock more abilities. Along with unlocking new abilities you find salvage that allows you to upgrade your weapons. These upgrades can be anything from a silencer for your pistol to grenade tipped arrows. As we’ve become accustomed in recent years with this kind of game, there are tons of hidden treasures to find in the form of artifacts, documents, and more. Which you’ll need to find all of if you want to get that elusive 100% game. All of these gameplay elements hold well with the single player, but unfortunately fall short with the multiplayer. Its not that the multiplayer is bad, it just doesn’t hold up to the standard the game set in single player. Having been done many times before, there is nothing memorable about the multiplayer except maybe it’s mediocrity, and I don’t see myself venturing back in. It just feels like it’s there as a filler to keep the player playing as new DLC areas get released.

    The amount of time that the Crystal Dynamics took to release Tomb Raider really shows, and that isn’t a dig at them. There are a few glitchy moments during the game, but there wasn’t anything that ruined the experience. The single player was really fun, and I cannot wait to explore any possible new DLC tombs that may be released. While the multiplayer falls short of what it could be, that shouldn’t hinder your single player experience or negatively influence your desire to play this game. Everyone should take the time to play Tomb Raider, and see why this game is part of such a beloved franchise. Tomb Raider is one of 2013’s must play games, I promise you will not be disappointed.


    Tomb Raider

     

    Developer: Crystal Dynamics

    Publisher: Square Enix

    Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

    Released: 03/05/2013

    Reviews On: Xbox 360

    Verdict: A fantastic new take on an old school beloved franchise.

    Score: 7

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    Friday Five – Movies We've Embarrassingly Never Seen https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-movies-weve-embarrassingly-never-seen-2/ Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:06:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12919 Friday Five - Movies we've embarrassingly never seen.
     
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This week’s category: Movies we’ve embarrassingly never seen.
     
    Lets face it, no matter how many movies you watch there’s always going to be that one that you pass up, or never got around to seeing, that surprises the hell out of someone else. That reaction of bewilderment on that person’s face is one of my favorite things to witness. Conversely, the idea that we’ve gone our entire lives of twenty-some odd years without seeing these movies is completely baffling. In some cases it can be down right obnoxious! The fact that we’ve gone so long without seeing some of these movies is absolutely unacceptable. OK! Gather up everyone! It’s time to plan a movie marathon!
     

    Chris

    I watch a lot of movies, I always have. Unfortunately I have some huge misses from my have seen films. Some are just goofy stuff that I never got around to seeing but wanted to. Others like the list below are stuff that almost everyone sees, but I somehow managed to miss even when they’re on TV all the damn time!
     

    1. The Wizard of Oz – You’d think a movie that’s on TV every freaking year would have at some point been watched, but nope. Maybe when I was really young before I can remember, but outside of that I’ve never seen the movie start to finish. I’ve tried a few times and have just gotten distracted or fallen asleep.
    2.  

    3. First Blood/Rambo Series – Whenever there’s a crazy action scene with one guy, they usually get referred to as Rambo, that’s how influential this series was on popcorn action movies, and I’ve never seen a single one.
    4.  

    5. The Goonies – This is probably the biggest hole in my movie watching life. I know how the movie goes, I know who’s in it, but I just never saw it. Someday I’ll fix that, hell maybe even someday soon!
    6.  

    7. Alien – I’ve seen some of the sequels, but never the original. It’s such a beloved scifi film that I’m almost scared to watch it for fear of it not living up to the hype.
    8.  

    9. Predator – Here’s another movie where I know what happens, I can even quote some of the more famous scenes but I’ve never seen it outside of some random clips.

     
    Special Mention: The Star Wars Holiday Special – As a fan of Star Wars I feel like I really should have seen this at some point no matter how bad it is.
     
    Poster for The Goonies
     

    Drootin

    Growing up I didn’t really watch lots of movies, so there’s probably more than 5 movies I’ve not seen that I should have, either from a “nerd cred” standpoint or just from a classic greatness standpoint. So I’m gonna try and make a mix of the 2 categories.
     

    1. The Godfather series – It’s a “classic” man type movie and (Parts I & II at least) are often referred to as some of the greatest movies ever made. I possess the DVDs of the series but have never really had the desire to watch them. Maybe I will some day because they are classics, but who knows.
    2.  

    3. Tron – Yup, never seen it. This is another movie I’ve just never really had the drive to watch. As a nerd it’s a movie that I probably should have seen by now, but I just haven’t. I don’t know why I’ve passed over it to this point but I have.
    4.  

    5. Alien franchise – I think the reason I’ve not seen these movies are the scare factor of them. I’m not a fan of scary/horror movies so that could be a full list of movies I’ve not seen that I maybe should have, at least according to some people.
    6.  

    7. The Rocky franchise – Being from the suburbs of Philadelphia and a fan of boxing this should be a no brainer for me to have watched, but when thinking about it I’m not positive that I’ve seen any of them beginning to end. I know I’ve seen bits and pieces of at least some of them and I may have even seen all of at least the first one different chunks at a time, but I can’t say for sure, so it’s here on my list.
    8.  

    9. Indiana Jones – OK get off my back already, I KNOW I SHOULD SEE THESE. But like I said, I didn’t watch lots of movies when I was younger so this franchise has just slipped through the cracks.

     
    Poster for the original Tron
     

    Eric

    I’m big into Sci-Fi and fantasy movies. But as a kid I was pretty much only allowed to watch Disney stuff, hence my love for Kingdom Hearts and everything plastered with Mickey Mouse. Since I’ve grown into adulthood, I’ve made a point to see anything that generally makes anyone react with “ O.O YOU HAVEN’T SEEN (Insert movie title here).” There are still a few that I’ve yet to get around to.
     

    1. Toy Story 2 and 3 – As I said, I’ve seen pretty much every Disney movie. I’m the oldest of 3, so I didn’t really have much of a choice in what to watch. Unfortunately, when you grow up watching only Disney, as soon as you’re old enough to not watch Disney, you stop entirely. At least until you grow up and realize that Disney was actually awesome the whole time. Then you go back and watch all the Disney. Only sometimes movies get overlooked, like Toy Story 2. I’ve never seen it, and I refuse to see 3 until I do. This will have to be placed on our list of “must sees” before our next trip to Disney World.
    2.  

    3. Spaceballs – The worst part about this one is that I actually own it. I know the standard jokes, and the parody of Star Wars and what not. I just never have the desire to stop everything else to sit down and watch this one. Maybe some day.
    4.  

    5. Superman (any) – There’s one exception, I did see Superman Returns and I wasn’t impressed. I’ve always wanted to see these though, especially Superman II because I hear it’s the best one.
    6.  

    7. Die Hard (any) – Well. . . this is just another victim of the Disney house. I’ve always heard these were fun movies to watch, and I really want to see the. I’ve just never gotten around to it.
    8.  

    9. Back to the Future – Yep. . . I know. . . Someone let me borrow the Blu-ray box set!

     
    Poster for Back to the Future
     

    Audra

    I only really started watching movies, like real movies that aren’t Disney, when I became a teenager. So this list isn’t very difficult for me.
     

    1. Bond movies before Daniel Craig – Weren’t we supposed to do a marathon prior to the newest movie?
    2.  

    3. Batman movies that aren’t Batman Forever (the one with Poison Ivy), and the new trilogy – I would like to see them now but I fear they are going to be corny compared to what we have now.
    4.  

    5. Star Wars Episodes V and VI – When did these come out!?
    6.  

    7. All of the Terminators – I even fell asleep during the ride in Universal. But it was a long day at the park.
    8.  

    9. Silence of the Lambs – I know the quotes, just never seen the movie.

     
    Poster for Goldfinger

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 13, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-13-2013/ Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:22:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12737

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This week’s Take It Or Leave It has a whole lot of emotion and a certain book will probably make you cry! But besides that there were a lot of solid releases and event 3 books to feature Wolverine in the title (though we only talk about 2). So now quit reading this and get onto the good stuff!

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Valiant Entertainment | Zenescope Entertainment


    Batgirl #18

    Creators: Fawkes – Sampere – Hunter
    This last two issue by Ray Fawkes have really been great. Barbara’s brother, James Jr. is one of the creepiest most fulfilling villains she’s had to face in the New 52. While The Joker was a serious threat and one that had previous left Barbara in a terrible place, nothing can trump a brother who is out of his mind, knows your secret, and wants you dead. The narration from James is one of the standout points of the story, he’s got this strange mixture of hatred and admiration for his big sister. He talks about her triumphs as if he’s proud, but you know he really just wants her to suffer, and he wants to be the catalyst. The biggest problem here is the lack of emotion regarding Robin, I know it wouldn’t have made much sense to spend half the book with her crying in the corner. This story was already underway, but why did they do the cover if they were only going to have 2 pages talking about it and really no emotional realization. That’s been the problem with the Bat-Family book since the death of Damian, they promote an emotional response in the covers, but there isn’t any in the books. I’m not holding that against Batgirl #18, it’s just a little disappointing. Hopefully that talk that she tries to have with Dick Grayson occurs and we get a little bit of payoff here. That however is going to have to wait as James Jr. has some other serious plans for Barbara and she’s not going to have time to chat with anyone till that’s taken care of.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Batman #18

    Creators: Snyder – Kubert – Hope
    Scott Snyder continues to rock the hell out of Batman, things are a little different this issue though. Much like after the Night of Owls Greg Capullo is taking an issue off so we’re treated to a guest appearance by Andy Kubert. Obviously this is not a problem, Kubert is a great artist and he really does justice to the pain and torment Batman deals with through this book. Batman #18 has so far been the second best book to deal with the outcome of Batman Incorporated #8. The funny thing about it though, the main character of the book had no ties to Robin. This issue brings us back to the character Harper Row, remember the girl who saved Batman during the Court of Owls problem, she was the star of issue 12 as well. Anyway she’s back, and since she helped Batman out she’s been training and going out on patrol following and watching the Dark Knight. That’s really what drives this book, her desire to help Batman, a figure that is more than any one person in her mind. And it’s because we’re seeing it through her eye’s that we really get to see the pain Bruce is going through, the anger that’s pushing him after losing yet another Robin and one with so much more connection to him than ever before. Part of me wants Harper to keep showing up, she’s a great dynamic to add to the book, but I’m nervous that they’ll try and fit her into the role of Robin as they’ve done in the past. Batman needs a Robin, we all know that, but after what just happened doing anything now would just be too soon.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Batman and Robin #18

    Creators: Tomasi – Gleason – Gray
    It’s rare to have any entertainment format go silent, but every so often we’ll get a comic book or TV show that forgoes any dialogue to have the story be completely visually. It doesn’t always work out though, sometimes the really emotion that they think will be displayed better visually then through words falls a little flat. Good thing that doesn’t happen here because holy crap was this amazing. By far the best Batman book out this week, hell it was the best book out this week period, probably even this month. Tomasi and Gleason deliver us a sad, grief stricken, and angry Batman in this book. From the opening pages you’ll find yourself holding back tears as you go through the emotions with Batman. Everything about this issue is sad, Alfred looking at the unfinished family portrait, with only Damian left undone, Titus the dog waiting for an owner that will never return, and Bruce not only losing another Robin but a son he had only just started to connect with. And all of this done without a word, or thought, or any words at all, until the final pages where we don’t just get any old dialogue but a letter written by Damian before leaving to help his father confront Leviathan, a battle he thought he’d return from, but knew he wouldn’t be able to express his feelings so he wrote them down. There were so many powerful scene’s in this book describing them couldn’t even begin to give them justice. The most powerful part of it all is that even recalling it to write this is making me pretty damn depressed. If only the other Bat-Family books could have had this kind of emotional impact.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 10/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Deathstroke #18

    Creators: Jordan – Salazar – Hanna – Gorder
    Deathstroke seems like an interesting enough character, a genetically enhanced assassin? Sure why not. Unfortunately the book just wasn’t all that interesting. The fight would have been awesome in a movie or on TV but it just didn’t translate well to the page. This was my first experience with Deathstroke outside of what I’ve seen on the show Arrow, and frankly I’m a little disappointed. Maybe I just picked up a bad issue, or at the wrong time, after all it’s definitely in the middle of something. There were a few cool parts at least, I liked the idea of them fighting on the side of the building even if it didn’t really feel as dangerous as it should have. There isn’t a whole lot else to say about Deathstroke #18 except it’s not really worth reading, maybe next month!

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Green Lantern Corps #18

    Creators: Tomasi – Chriscross- Hanna
    Tomasi completely rocked on Batman and Robin this week, so I figured why not how another book with his name was doing. Green Lantern Corps, like the other Lantern books is in the middle of the ‘Wrath of the First Lantern” story right now, and that whole thing has been confusing and kind of disappointing. But when a writer is good, they can turn even the most tedious of crossovers into something interesting. Tomasi manages to pull that off, at least a bit. Green Lantern Crops 18 isn’t the most exciting or thrilling comic, but it’s got some great character stuff going on with John Stewart. Not being a big Green Lantern reader I’m not familiar with Stewart’s history so this was an interesting read for me. The whole book is the First Lantern forcing John to see all the different possibilities his life could have went on, like a really screwed up Christmas Carol. It wasn’t totally original, but it was at least cool to see how different things could have gone in the various timelines that could have been.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Katana #2

    Creators: Ann Nocenti – Alex Sanchez – Claude St. Aubin
    So a Japanese ninja girl with a crazy magic sword is fighting a bunch of other sword wielding ninja’s. What the hell isn’t to love about that? Well a lot when it’s not very good. . . To be honest this is the first I’ve really seen of Katana, and it’s pretty disappointing. There isn’t much action, and when there is the artwork just doesn’t showcase how awesome it could be. On top of that the character is pretty boring, maybe that’s suppose to be the endearing part, or perhaps not reading anything prior I’m getting it all out of context, but regardless it doesn’t make for a good new reader. If you were hoping for an awesome book full of kung-fu fighting go look somewhere else, Katana just doesn’t deliver.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 3/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Ghostbusters #2

    Creators: Burnham – Schoening – Delgado
    The Ghostbuster comic is a lot like the other IDW title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They took a beloved ’80s property and brought it back to a generation that grew up on it. I read the first 8 or so issues of the first volume of Ghostbusters and it was actually really good and I enjoyed it I just kinda fell off the wagon with it. So when I heard that they were rebooting it with after the guys vanished I thought why not get back on board and I’m glad I did. This issue continues where the last one left off, Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters former receptionist, has put together a new group of Ghostbusters, mostly ladies this time around. The teams rounded out by FBI Agent Melanie Ortiz, Ray’s bookstore manager Kylie Griffin, and some dude named Ron Alexander who’s there new tech guy. While it’s really nothing like it this book is reminding me of the old Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon, it’s familiar story and setting with a mostly new cast. So far it’s really just getting set up, with NYC pretty much taking control over the new Ghostbusters and giving them the ultimatum of do it our way or go to jail. It’s pretty good though, and they have just the right amount of mystery going on with the original Ghostbusters being trapped, we see them occasionally but not much of the issue is spent on them. If you’re looking for a fun comic, and have soft spot for the ’80s this book is perfect for you.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    The Darkness #111

    Creators: Hine – Haun – Rauch
    The Progeny story continues here in The Darkness #111, focusing on the home of Jackie Estacado and his formerly dead wife and his daughter from another woman that was magically manipulated to actually be his wife’s daughter. Holy crap that’s insane just saying it! It’s story like that, which really draw you to see what the hell is going on with this crazy world. The issue features a lot of Tom Judge from Artifacts as he’s on his mission to try and fix the world that Jackie recreated. Judge along with his ally Tilly make their way to Estacado’s home to confront him and end up finding his mentally unstable wife Jenny and their daughter I spoke of before Hope. We also get a glimpse at just how powerful Hope is. If you’ve been following the Progeny story then you’ll definitely want to continue on with this issue of the Darkness, it sets up the next part which will happen in Artifacts 26 and you don’t want to be confused anymore than you already are.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Hoax Hunters #8

    Creators: Moreci – Seeley – Medellin
    This issue wraps up the Hauncheyville Gnome arch from the last few months. I’ve gotta say though it wasn’t nearly as good as the last 2 books. It may have just been because it starts after everything is said and done. I thought last month had a great cliffhanger and we start this book pretty much seeing how it turned out already. Sure we didn’t really know what happened yet, but a lot could be inferred by the opening. There just wasn’t a lot of closure, sure we see what the outcome was and get a little light shed on some things, but overall it felt kinda rushed. It wasn’t a bad issue compared to a lot of other books out there, it just didn’t grip me as much as the last two. On the brightside there was some interesting information about a few characters and the next arc should be pretty good! We also got the news last week that issue 9 will have 2 POV’s for the story so that’s something to look forward to.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Age of Ultron #2

    Creators: Bendis – Hitch – Neary – Mounts
    Bendis and Hitch continue to deliver the most exciting event comic in recently memory, and so far it doesn’t feel like an event at all. There wasn’t all that build up and prologue issues scattered throughout the Marvel U. We got thrown right into the desperate struggle our heroes have against the nearly unstoppable Ultron. With two issue in we still have no idea what happened, or how things got this bad. The few heroes left are scattered and in hiding. We find out Black Widow and Moon Knight are alive in San Francisco while our group from the first issue is still hiding out in tunnels under Central Park. Hopefully this series can stay solid even with Tie-In’s set to start releasing next week. It’s exciting not knowing the who’s, what’s, when’s, or how’s of what went wrong and if anyone can keep a story going it’s Bendis.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Fantastic Four #5

    Creators: Fraction – Bagley – Farmer – Mounts
    Fantastic Four continues to be a fun read, completely outside of the usual super hero drama. This month Marvel’s First Family heads into the past and has a meetup with Julius Caesar just before his assassination. Well, Johnny, Ben, and the kids do, Sue and Reed stay on the ship and discuss Reed’s issues and why he wanted to take this little family vacation. The Caesar stuff is actually a lot of fun and I love the way he refers to our heroes. And the FF aren’t the only time travels hanging around in Rome, adding a little more mystery to the events. As much as I’ve enjoyed this book so far I’m hesitant each month, but if Fraction, Bagley, and the rest of the team keep delivering stories like this, that apprehension won’t be around much longer.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Secret Avengers #2

    Creators: Spencer – Ross – Wilson
    Spencer continues to write the only Avengers title worth reading at the moment. Where Avengers and New Avengers fail, Secret Avengers seems to be shining. We’re still in the early stages of team building, and this issue focuses a lot on what looks to be the main enemy of the series so far, A.I.M. Nick Fury Jr. has some fun scenes with the mercenary Taskmaster, who if you read Battle Scars will remember tried to capture Nick back when he was called Marcus. If you didn’t read Battle Scars then I just confused you and I’m sorry. Anyway, we find out about a few new members of the team here, and what the major threat is. Spencer is great at the long form story stuff and keeping the reader totally in the dark, but his twists and turns are always well worth the wait

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Ultimate Comics Wolverine #1

    Creators: Bunn – Messina – Erskine – Taraglia
    Wolverine in the main Marvel Universe is pretty awesome, but he’s in almost every book you open. Ultimate Wolverine was just as awesome, but he’s been gone since Ultimatum. That’s one of the best and worst parts of the Ultimate books, if a character dies, they’re dead. We haven’t been completely without a rapidly healing snikting hero though as Ultimate Comics X-Men has been featuring the son Wolverines never got to know, Jimmy Hudson since it started. That’s really a driving force in this first issue, Jimmy is shown to listen over and over to the hologram recording Wolverine left him before he died, the one Kitty Pryde delivered way back in Ultimate X #1. We’re also gifted a visit to the past and get to see Wolverine proper in action something that’s long been missing from Ultimate Comics. Not a lot of explained in this issue, but it’s got a kind of feeling and scope to it that promises to give both old fans and new fans of the Ultimate comics something to get excited for, and just wait for the final reveal at the end!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By:


    Ultimate Comics X-Men #24

    Creators: Wood – Asrar – Vlasco – Bellaire
    For a superhero comic without any superhero-ing going on this book is amazing. Really for any book at all this is pretty great. There’s so much character drama along with the growth and development that you rarely really miss the big battles and super villain attacks. I do miss Carlo Barberi’s art. Asrar’s is good, but some of the characters just don’t look quote right. Like Kitty for instance I’ve grown so use to her look that this new artists rendition just doesn’t look right. That’s a pretty minor complaint though on a book this good, we get to find out so much about the world these young mutants have created much more so than recent issues with all the Tony Stark stuff going on. And I have to say I really hate Nomi and her group, which basically means Wood is doing his job with creating an antagonist to Kitty’s group. On top of everything the bits and pieces we get of Karen Grant just keep adding more and more mystery to the series and I can’t wait till we finally have some kind of meeting or confrontation between the two groups of mutants.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Uncanny X-Men #3

    Creators: Bendis – Bachalo – Townsend
    I’m really starting to hate Uncanny X-Men, and not because it’s bad. Quite the opposite, it’s great. The problem is I’m siding more and more with Cyclops and I hate it. Throughout AvX and even following it Scott Summers came off as a douche, like he is, but now he’s making sense. It’s now the Avengers that are being the instigators and the jerks and while he’s a criminal it really isn’t entirely his fault. This book just keeps changing things up and messing with character dynamics, but in a good way that makes it more compelling with each issue. This is one of those few books that I wish would ship more frequently just because it’s so good.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Wolverine #1

    Creators: Cornell – Davis – Farmer – Hollingsworth
    Wolverine has another book on the stands. I don’t know how this guy has the time for all this stuff. Wolverine is a great character, and I’m generally a fan. But I think there’s just a few too many books with him in it right now. Sure he’s the best there is at what he does, but that doesn’t mean he has to do it everywhere. The problem with Wolverine books is they’re either hit or miss. Wolverine and the X-Men is great, Savage Wolverine on the other hand is pretty much lacking in everything except the art. This new self titled series is falling somewhere in the middle with its first issue. It didn’t blow me away, but I was at least intrigued by what was going on. I can’t say this will be a buy every month, and I don’t think anyone should add it do their pull list just yet, but if next issue doesn’t do something exciting it’ll definitely be a leaver. For now I’m going to take the ride though and see where Logan takes me.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Archer and Armstrong #8

    Creators: Van Lente – Lupacchino
    If you remember, back in August in just our third ever Take It Or Leave It we talked about Archer and Armstrong #1. Now it’s 8 issue in and even though I liked it I pretty much forgot all about it. Not anymore though, Archer and Armstrong has regularly been getting great reviews from all over the place so why not give it another read right. Luckily having read the first issue I had an idea about the characters, and the handy recap on the first page is helpful. I have to say this was a really interesting book and I’m actually a little mad at myself for not continuing with it back when I read issue 1. There’s so much back story and character development going on. Valiant really has some great titles on the market right now and Archer and Armstrong is certainly one of them.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Grimm Fairy Tales St. Patrick’s Day Special

    Creators: Shand – Costa – Gaston
    The Grimm Fairy Tales St. Patrick’s Day Special follows the tried and true 3 stories method. Where in the course of the issue we’re presented with three different stories that all have a common denominator. And being St. Patty’s day it all takes place in a bar. Oh there’s also a leprechaun and some gold too. If you’re a fan of the on-going Zenescope stuff this, like other holiday specials is kind of out to the side. It’s just entertainment really. The over arching story is about Sela having a ‘girls night’, but ends up listening to the problems of some bar patrons. And boy do those patrons have some series problems. There’s even a moral to the story, which is basically don’t be a greedy jerk, and I’d have to agree with that. If you grew up watching stuff like Tales from the Crypt, or Are You Afraid of the Dark this book is probably perfect for you. Even if you didn’t it’s a fun read and what else do you have to do?

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Kick-Ass 2 Debut Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/kick-ass-2-debut-trailer/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:59:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12822 Cover for Kick-Ass 2 issue number 3

    Kick-Ass, which hit theaters in 2010, was based on the hit comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Immediately after the movie came out Mark Millar began working on a script for not only the sequel to the comic, but also the movie!

    We’re pretty big fans of the original Kick-Ass, both the comic and the movie. And while the second Kick-Ass seemed a little. . . lackluster, this trailer looks anything but. Kick-Ass 2 combines both the Kick-Ass 2 comics and Hit Girl, a spin off taking place between Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2 which details Mindy’s (Chole Grace Mortez) return to normal life.

    Kick-Ass 2 will see Kick-Ass(Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Hit Girl team up with other heroes like Colonel Stars and Stripes(Jim Carrey) as they patrol the city and fight crime. Not exaclty happy with the death of his father at the hands of Kick-Ass, Red Mist will return as the Mother Fucker (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to take his revenge on the new super hero, his family, and his team.

    Kick-Ass 2 hits theaters this summer, August 16th!

    Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think in the comments!

    Oh and. . . NSFW.

    http://youtu.be/iI4kw2aFUJU
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    Skullkickers Goes Dark This June https://one-quest.com/blog/skullkickers-goes-dark-this-june/ Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:17:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12766
    So this summer the Image Comics series Skullkickers, currently called Uncanny Skullkickers after being rebooted from just Skullkickers last month, will be getting darker. Like twice the dark, that’s two times more dark than it had before!

    You’re probably confused, and that’s good, it’s right where you should be, and as soon as you start to get your senses back go to Comixology or something and buy some Skullkickers it’s good, then you can keep reading this article.

    Okay did you buy them?. . .

    Do you promise?. . .

    Alright good. . .

    So I’m going to let the official press release from Image say the rest here we go!

    A DARKER SIDE OF SKULLKICKERS IN JUNE

    DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK #1 is dark, possibly gritty

    This June, Image Comics beats a horse to death and you’re all invited to watch! It’s a new comic that’s not new at all… but it is dark. “How dark?” you ask? It’s so dark we had to use the word twice – DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK!

    “This may be the worst thing we’ve ever done,” said Image PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman. “It’s a pale reflection of the industry’s need to spin rebooted series through endless hype, turning the crazed hamster wheel of entertainment promotion until it’s fallen apart. Good-bye, integrity.”

    DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK #1, written by old industry pariah Jim Zub and drawn by young pencil jockey Edwin Huang, wraps up the fourth story arc of SKULLKICKERS, the series people keep saying they’ve heard about but haven’t had a chance to try yet but, dangit, they will at some point if they see the collections on sale or something.

    “Fun comic books are a thing of days past,” said series creator Zub. “In order to grab a modern audience I’ve dipped into the darkness of my own heart and spilled my blood upon the pages of this sequential masterpiece. Oh yeah, there’s beer in it too.”

    If you’re one of the few and proud collectors of SKULLKICKERS irritated that you won’t have a SKULLKICKERS #23 to add to your collection, fret thee not. In addition to the regular “Dark Dark” cover we’re offering a special “issue #23 variant” B cover to keep your collection copasetic. We’re looking out for you, baby.

    We’ve dug as deep as we can go. We’ve entered the darkness. DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK #1 will be available in June wherever dark comics are sold. Pre-order it now from the April issue of Previews. Order the old trades too. They’re pretty good.

    Oh before I go, here’s covers A and B for the first issue!

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    Friday Five – Things That Make Us Cry https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-things-that-make-us-cry/ Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:08:18 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12697 Lie down, try not to cry, cry a lot.

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a bit with the help of a Top 5 list! This weeks category: Thinks that make us cry. . .
     
    You learned recently that we’re all secretly little girls that love to watch girly movies. This week we take it up a notch! This week we’re telling you what TV shows, books, movies, etc. make us act like whimpering fools. We aren’t ashamed to admit the truth that every now and then, something makes us a little emotional. No shame! But seriously. . . why do they have to do this crap to us?!
     
     
     

    Chris

    Tthere are just certain things that are givens, “Jurassic Bark”, A bunch of Pixar movies like Up and Toy Story 3, and who can forget the Pokemon episode “Pikachu’s Goodbye”. Most of my list are things that I’ve seen recently or at the very least was reminded of recently.
     

    1. Doctor Who – “The End of Time” – “I don’t want to go” is one of the saddest lines I’ve ever heard anywhere.
    2.  

    3. Doctor Who – “Journey’s End” – I didn’t much like Donna when I first got to season 4 of the new Doctor Who, but after a few episode she really grows on you, then BAM! She’s gone and it’s super depressing.
    4.  

    5. Doctor Who – “The Angels Take Manhattan” – Amy and Rory have been my favorite Companions in Doctor Who, and this is their swan song. . . I knew going in that this would be it, but god damn every time you pull yourself back together they just twist the knife a little more.
    6.  

    7. Serenity – “A Leaf On The Wind” – If “I don’t want to go!” isn’t one of the saddest lines out there, then “I’m a leaf on the wind” is!
    8.  

    9. Terminator 2 – When the T-800 sacrifices himself to protect the future – You know the whole movie there is no way it’s ending with Arnolds T-800 setting up a ‘life’ in the ‘90s. He was there to protect John Connor from the T-1000 and once that mission was done so was he. By the end though you don’t want the poor machine to go! Regardless of if a similar model shows up in Terminator 3, it’s just not the same.

     
    Wash from Firefly playing with Dinosaurs
     
     

    Shannon

    After having kids my hormones and views on life have changed, so I cry at just about everything. Here are some more profound moments that made me sob like a baby.
     

    1. Toy Story 3 – The end of the junkyard scene when they all hold hands, and the last scene.
    2.  

    3. Up – The beginning.
    4.  

    5. Bones – “The Friend in Need” – I’ve cried during many episodes of Bones, but this one was just a couple weeks ago. At the end of the episode there is a very emotional scene between a mother and daughter, and I just lost it. The episode the week before got me really good too.
    6.  

    7. 50 First Dates – The end when she’s watching the video he made and she comes out to see her daughter.
    8.  

    9. Faith in Humanity Restored Pictures – Ok, I sort of cheated on this one. Even though it’s real life stuff, it’s not my life, so it’s sort of like seeing clips from a show or movie.

     
    Andy holding Buzz Lightyear and Woody in Toy Story 3
     
     

    Walnut

    I’m a man, I don’t cry! Tear jerkers don’t get to me in the least bit. *Rips out chest hair* *whimper*. Hypothetically though if things like that really got to me these would be the top 5.
     

    1. How I Met Your Mother – To start off cheating, I could list many episodes in this category from this show. Of those I have to Say that “Bad News”, “The Final Page, Part Two (The Robin)”, and “Symphony of Illumination” are among the top three. “Bad News” is especially bad knowing what I know about the episode. They have all had me balled up *cough* sobbing *cough* I mean sitting there manly.
    2.  

    3. Naruto Shippuden – There are a lot of intense moments in that anime, but the episodes involving Naruto’s mother and father just down right were so depressing. These episodes show how they pass and what happened to them, and how much they loved Naruto.
    4.  

    5. Reality Competition/Skill Shows – Shows like “King of the Nerds”(yeah i watched it) and “So you think you can dance” when a contestant does something amazing or gets kicked off, its kinda sad sometimes. Tell me you cannot watch this without getting a little teary eyed. () I cannot even listen to this song without getting a little choked up.
    6.  

    7. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor – Finding out what happens to Penny, and how Phillip (The Governor) reacts. I put the book down for 2 weeks.
    8.  

    9. Assassins Creed: Embers – Learning what comes of Eizo. It’s just a downright sad animated short film.

     
    Now that I just let that out to you all I have to go do something manly.*grabs hammer*… *hammers thumb* *balls up on floor crying*
     
    Robin and Barney on the rooftop in How I Met Your Mother
     
     

    Eric

    Ok, I’ll admit that I’m a baby. I cry when things get sad, and my wife generally sits there emotionless. She’s pretty tough. Except for that one time that. . .
     

    1. Doctor Who – “The End of Time” – This episode is going to be up here a lot. I did my best to hold strong throughout the episode but, damnit it all to hell, I just couldn’t! The entire episode is just a stab in the heart that slowly twists until you reach your breaking point only for them to twist it even further! What really solidified it all was David Tennant’s last words – “I don’t wanna go!” We didn’t want you to go either!
    2.  

    3. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Movie) – At the end, when the war is won and Middle Earth is finally in peace, I lose it. As Frodo tells his friends that he has to leave, and says good bye, I well up and let it all out. After all he’s been through, Frodo deserves the rest, but his friends can’t come. It’s horrible.
    4.  

    5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) – I read the book when it came out, so I knew how the movie and the scenes were going to play out. However, none of that stopped me from tearing up and sniffling in the middle of the theater when Harry released the Resurrection Stone after accepting his fate to die at the hands of Voldemort. I just couldn’t handle it.
    6.  

    7. The Office – “Goodbye, Michael” – Michael Scott’s final episode. This is one of the greatest send offs for a character ever. I rank it up there with Doctor Who The End of Time. One final episode for Michael Scott to say goodbye, and still leave everyone guessing. We miss you Michael!
    8.  

    9. Lost – “The End” – I’m one of the people that truly loved the ending to Lost. I actually marathoned the entire series in the months before the ending, but ran a bit late. I ended up watching the finale about two weeks after it aired. I was hysterical. The ending to this show was so beyond perfect, it was exactly what it needed to be. A final closing for all of the characters, and a proper explanation for those that were willing to see it. Absolute perfection. Live together, die alone.

     

     
     

    Audra

    Well, hell! For being an emotionless hardass, Eric and I seem to have an incredibly similar list. But it is true, unless it involves a hurt or dying animal, I usually won’t turn on the water works. However, I also try to limit the things that do cause me to tear up.
     

    1. Almost every Disney movie, particularly the 90’s ones – What was it with the 90’s Disney people. They just assumed we could handle the weight of the world as toddlers! I definitely will never willing sit down to watch The Fox and the Hound. And then they have to kill off poor Simba’s daddy! Don’t get me started on Bambi! WTF Disney?
    2.  

    3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – book and movie – I lost it in the theater when he had his conversation with Dumbledore after he died. SPOILER ALERT! (hmmm.. Maybe that’s supposed to come before.)
    4.  

    5. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – I have an irrational love for this series, so when Frodo says goodbye to everyone at the end I lose it. 🙁
    6.  

    7. Doctor Who – The End of Time – I cried. I didn’t want to but I couldn’t help it. They dragged it out so long, with all of his farewells. Why did you have to say goodbye to everyone!!! 🙁 RIP Dr. Who-D. Tennant. You are greatly missed.
    8.  

    9. Homeward Bound – I was running out of options and remembered this one. I lost it when Shadow told Sassie and Chance to go on without him at the end after he injured himself.”You can’t leave him behind!!!”.

     
    Frodo and Samwise say goodbye in Lord of the Rings Return of the King

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    Take It Or Leave It – March 6, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-march-6-2013/ Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:54:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12610
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Here we are again, another Take It Or Leave It. We’re continuing with the sprucing up of the layout for the article but first and foremost we’re focusing on this weeks comics! There were a lot of really solid books this week like Fairy Quest, Son of Merlin, and Green Lantern. And some not so good ones like Detective Comics and Avengers. We also saw the start of the LONG awaited Age of Ultron, and just wait till you read what we though. So now lets get to it.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | Image Comics
    Marvel Comics | Valiant Entertainment | Zenescope Entertainment

    Fairy Quest #2

    Creators: Jenkins – Ramos – Olea
    Fairy Quest #2 picks up right where the first one left off, Red and Wolf are trapped in a cage by a certain boy who’s friends are all lost and hangs out with a fairy. Anyway like the first issue this was just a lot of fun, there are a ton of books putting a twist on classic fairy tales and stories right now. Some are better than others, but a lot of them go darker, like most of the source material. The fun part of Fairy Quest is that it’s dark, but still very childlike and fun. The way the characters interact and are portrayed is probably the best part about these books. The heroes aren’t always the good guys, and they don’t always have the relationship you’d expect. If you missed out on the first issue, do yourself a favor and go find it, and while you’re there get issue 2 as well. Just be prepared, it ends with a To Be Continued. . . and we don’t have any idea when that’ll happen, the sooner the better though!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Detective Comics #18

    Creators: Layman – Fabok
    The big death in Batman Incorporated #8 last week is all over the DC Universe, well it’s all over the Bat-Family books, which make up a good portion of the DC Universe so whatever. As is often the case, a cover for a comic book can be very misleading, and I’ll talk more about this later. By looking at this issue you’d think it dealt a lot with Bruce coming to terms with Damian’s demise. Nope, there’s a brief seen with him and Alfred at the grave and that’s it. You do at least get the feeling that he’s a bit more on age and angry as he’s taking down criminals which is good, that’s what you expect out of him. I would have liked more introspective though, hopefully that comes through in the next issues of Batman and Robin or Batman. So while Bruce’s feeling are a driving force for this issue, Mr. Cobblepots are. We see a lot of the Penguin in this issue, but not a lot really happens other than he’s screwed over by someone close to him. Probably the best part of the issue was the backup story featuring Zsasz, who we found out was released from Arkham during the Joker’s reign in Death of the Family. I can’t say this was really worth reading, it’s not nearly as good as some of the other Bat-Books out there that you should probably wait for.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Green Arrow #18

    Creators: Lemire – Sorrentino
    I’ve never read a Green Arrow comic before, never been a fan. He’s a poor man’s Hawkeye, which is ironic since he’s rich and debuted 20ish years before Clint hit comic books. That said, I have been watching the Arrow TV series and enjoy it a lot. So I heard Jeff Lemire was taking over on Green Arrow and giving it a bit of a revamp, what better time to check it out then now? Well really last issue was have been, but I’m late what can I say. Anyway while Oliver isn’t my go-to archer I did enjoy the book, it wasn’t over the top with crazy archery stuff or silly jokes. Oliver is in a bad place and he’s got to find his own way out, well with a little help. He’s no Hawkguy bro, but if this book is going to stay like this, I’m down for the ride.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Green Lantern #18

    Creators: Johns – Kudranski – Syaf – Irwin
    This has been the first issue of Green Lantern in months that I’ve enjoyed from start to finish. I liked that Simon was in the dead zone with Hal and Sinestro, and there interactions were exactly what you expect. The arguments between Hal and Sinestro about who should get the ring were funny. Topping that had to be the brief fight between Simon and Sinestro, it’s pretty obvious Simon doesn’t know his ring well enough to take on Sinestro with it, whether the later has one or not. The great part is he still manages to take him down, mid-gloat even! If you’ve been following Green Lantern for a while you kind of saw the outcome of this book coming from a mile away but it didn’t make it any less powerful. Johns is definitely bringing his story to a close and you know nothings going to be the same. . . “My name is Hal Jordon. . . You probably know the rest”

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Worlds Finest #10

    Creators: Levitz – Maguire
    Another book I’ve never read before, and another one I picked up to see how it tied in to the death of Damian Wayne last week. Like Dective Comics the issue features a cover promoting an emotional issue of characters grieving over a lost friend, or not-brother. The problem, like Detective Comics before it, there wasn’t really any of that. We got to see Power girl cause an earth quake, and Huntress break into a building before it detours to them at Damian’s grave with Huntress in tears. It’s a weird relationship there anyway, I guess Damian has appeared in this book at some point as they seemed to be familiar with him. But those few pages of grief that were quickly taken over by anxiety as Huntress didn’t want to meet her not-dad for the first time yet, then quickly crack a joke as Power Girl flies her away. Another disappointment in the light of the death last week, and I just can’t see this being a strong enough series to warrant buying every week. So for now I’d say leave it alone and pick up something better.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Bedlam #5

    Creators: Spencer – Rossmo – Irving
    I thought I understood this book, after the first issue it seemed kind of straight forward in a crooked kind of away. Now I just don’t know, nothing was revealed. Fillmore is helping the cops, and now he’s really helping, only he’s not. And in the past Madder Red is cured, at least I think it’s the past. I just don’t know anymore. I don’t even know if Fillmore is Madder Red or if he’s just a nut job. I really can’t wait to find out though. This book is Nick Spencer at his best, nothing makes a damn bit of sense, but I want to know more immediately! And Riley Rossmo’s art just helps to make me feel crazy as I’m reading it. If you want something psychological, and creepy, and confusing, and awesome get Bedlam!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Epic Kill #9

    Creators: Ienco
    The penultimate chapter of Epic Kill delivers quite a lot. As usual there’s a ton of action, but we also start to get a feel for just how Song has been able to do all of these crazy things. The issue jumps around a bit from her taking out her enemies to being trapped on a snowy mountain, still not wearing shoes. With so much being built up this issue, I hope it can all get wrapped up in the next. Not only that it ends on such a downer. With only one issue left if you’re just coming on board it’s a little late, I’d say wait for a trade. Otherwise it’s a good issue, and hopefully next month has a fitting ending.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Mara #3

    Creators: Wood – Doyle – Bellaire
    This book is really different, and I like it. Sure there are some super powers going on, but no superheroing. And the powers aren’t at all what we’re use to. Mara has a lot of social commentary going on though too, it shows just how obsessed the public gets with actors, athletes, musicians, pretty much anyone even remotely famous. Mara kind of embodies all of that and then some as she’s got these crazy powers going on and the world doesn’t know how to deal with it. This isn’t the book to read if you want a run book with witty banter and all that, but if you want something different and interesting definitely give it a shot.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Repossessed #3

    Creators: Ringuet
    I started out with issue 1 really liking this series, it’s kind of lost my interest though. The second issue just wasn’t as good, this third one started to pick back up, but whether they can keep it that way through the finish line is a definite maybe. The group is split up, but they’re both still on the trail of this demon, for different reason though. There are a lot of reveals though, and some crazy ones I didn’t see coming. The ending left a lot of questions to be answered and what should be a cool fight scene next month! I don’t think this series is quite right for individual issues, definitely wait and pick it up as a trade.

    Verdict: Leave It – Wait for the trade

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Son of Merlin #2

    Creators: Napton – Zid
    I said this last month, but I’m a sucker for this kind of book. Merlin is such a fun character, and while he’s not in it, this book is still a great read. If you’re into all the magic and mystery that you’d expect with Merlin in the title you’ll enjoy the ride as much as I have. The book picks up with Simon and Gwen running from Morgana’s goons and quickly transitions into a training issue. With Gwen teaching Simon just how to use the amazing powers he has and giving him a few history lessons along the way. There’s definitely going to be some kind of romance between those to, it’s pretty obvious, well unless they kill Gwen which wouldn’t be too far-fetched. Biggest complaint I have so far is it’s only a 5 issue series, hopefully it does well enough to get a sequel, or they just kill everything so nothing can continue. That’s good too.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Witchblade #164

    Creators: Seeley – Bernard – Benes – Prianto
    The Progeny story line continues here with part 2, following up from where Artifacts #25 left off last week. If you missed that issue, or just don’t read it you won’t miss a lot but it definitely helps to have the full story. The issue takes place over the span of a few hours as we jump back and forth a few times. And there is a great confrontation between Sara and Jackie feel right. I’m not a long time reader of these books, so I’m learning all this history as it goes and to find out such big revelations and have them almost immediately confront each other about them is pretty awesome. I’m usually not a big fan of cross overs that require you to read various books, especially if I don’t already read them. Progeny has been worth it so far and it’s making me a bigger fan of the Top Cow universe with each issue.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Age of Ultron #1

    Creators: Bendis – Hitch – Neary – Mounts
    This is how marvel should do event comics all the time. Give the creator like 3 years to plan and plot and all that, this is the first event I’ve read that didn’t start out slow and stay that way for the whole first issue. We get thrown right into a world ruled by Ultron, with our heroes outmatched and in hiding. The rules got thrown out, they do what they need to do to survive and that’s really what it should be like. I’m sure a lot of people are going to compare this to Age of Apocalypse, which is a far comparison, but don’t think it’s going to be the same. Ties that were severed during AvX appear to be mended, and the remaining heroes have been through so much that nothing is out of the question. One big glaring error in the book is Spider-Man, he appears to be the pre-700 Peter Parker, which while I’m not mad about could pose some problems if its’ not explained. Espeically with the Superior Spider-Man AU tie-in coming soon. Anyway if you’re one of those people who generally avoid the events Marvel does every year, this one might be worth checking out. Bryan Hitch doesn’t do nearly enough comics to miss out on this anyway his artwork alone is enough reason to pick this book up.

    Also just because it’s great here’s the full Scottie Young babies cover:

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    All-New X-Men #8

    Creators: Bendis – Marquez – Garcia
    Issue 8 is just as good as every other issue has been, and nothing really happened. Angel and Angel took out some Hydra goons, and the Cap had a conversation with Beast. Oh young Angel had a breakdown near the end, but who can blame him, aside from Jean he’s probably got the crappiest future. The highlight of this issue was the talk between Beast and Captain America as performed by Bobby Drake and Kitty Pryde. We don’t really see much of their actual conversation but the things that Kitty and Bobby come up with is just to good not to be considered the full conversation. It also showed how those two could end up having this relationship that’s been building for a while now they’re both kind of goofy. All-New X-Men is probably the best X-Book on the shelves right now so if you’ve been skipping it your doing yourself a disservice. Issue 8 is a fine place to pick up if you at least already know the gist of what’s happening so get to it!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Iron Man #7

    Creators: Gillen – Land – Leisten – Guru
    Finally Iron Man doesn’t suck anymore, those first 5 issue were painful. Issue 6 started to improve, but now that we see what’s going on, I’m fully on board for Tony Starks current adventures. Tony is being put on trial by this ancient alien race for pretty much every crime they can think of for his part in the destruction of the Phoenix. So what does he do? He invokes an old right that these aliens haven’t used in ages where he gets to fight his way to not guilty with his fists. And that’s it, there isn’t any armor to help him this time, for every charge he’s been brought up on a new opponent will step up to challenge him. It’s a pretty cool plot device and I’m looking forward to seeing how the next issue picks up after the final reveal at the end of issue 7. And I really want to know when Guardians of the Galaxy are going to turn up so we can get both their book and this one synced up!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Superior Spider-Man #5

    Creators: Slott – Camuncoli – Dell – Delgado – Fabela
    We’ve now 5 issue into the run of Otto Octavius as the Superior Spider-Man, at this point I’m a break record for saying how good it is, but seriously it is! All you naysayers who were up in arms and raging out after issue 700 should really give this a shot if you haven’t already. Some may not love it, but you’ll have to admit it’s not that bad, and it really works. Sure the whole ghost Pete thing gets a little tired, but it still makes sense, well as much sense as a ghost imprint of a dead spirit that has some weird connection to his old mind and body which is now inhabited by an enemy can make. It’s funny, Otto really is superior at the whole crime fighting thing, he thinks ahead of his enemies and comes up with plenty if inventions to help him along the way. The way he finishes the fight with Massacre just goes to show, he’s no Peter Parker. That said, he’s not a superior hero and really that’s what Spider-Man is, anyone can fight crime if they really wanted to, but not everyone has what it takes to be a hero.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #22

    Creators: Humphries – Bennet – Jose – Milla
    Just when I think I’m starting to like the Ultimates again this issue happens. God damn this is frustrating, all these ‘new’ heroes they introduce as the West Coast Ultimates aren’t all that new. I’ve thought this for a while, but ever since Ultimatum it’s like they just said ‘screw continuity’, everything that happened doesn’t really matter now. I think at this point I’m reading the Ultimates out of habit, I have almost no hope left for it. It’s not even like my problems with the continuity are it, the issue just wasn’t very good. The only highlight were the scenes with Tony and Anthony which still boggle my mind, but at least they’re good unlike the rest of the book.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Venom #32

    Creators: Bunn – Shalvey – Loughridge
    Venom has been a great book from the get-go, but now that he’s in Philly I’m liking it even more. It’s just nice to have a hero stationed in my neck of the woods. But that’s not it, they’re giving Flash a new life, he’s not getting cut entirly from his old one, we hear references to him mom and Peter Parker (who won’t return his calls. . . Some superior friend he is). Flash isn’t just running around being a hero, he’s still needs to work to afford rent and all, as he said early on, superheroes don’t make a great salary. It’s cool how much this character, who was once just a member of the Spidey supporting cast has grown and changed. Even him looking at the “Jock” of the high school he’s working for and thinking how ridiculous he must have been it’s great character growth. And lets not forget that Venom isn’t the only Symboite as we get to see some more Eddie Brock and his new BFF Toxin! Not a lot of action here, but a lot of great setup for what can only be an epic Symbiote Vs. Symbiote battle!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Winter Soldier #16

    Creators: Latour – Klein
    I love that even with his re-creator gone Bucky is still a great character! Ed Brubaker brought him back and gave him this new identity and really did wonders with it. Now with the second issue of Latour and Klein’s run I have no reservations, it’s still the sleek espionage thriller that it was before. But with a bit more emotion, a lot of that is brought on by the outcome of Brubakers last story and the end of the relationship between Bucky and Natasha. Bucky is in a bad place right now and he’s only got his work to keep him on track. There’s a lot of intrigue and stuff going on here and it’s definitely not new reader friendly but if you want a different kind of superhero book this is a great choice without going to far into left field. You get the familiar feel of the Marvel Universe but less of the Hulks, Gods, and multi-colored onesies.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Shadowman #5

    Creators: Jordan – Zircher – Reber
    Never read Shadowman before, and I’m kind of disappointed about that. Issue 5 didn’t have a ton of stuff happening, but there was enough going on that I’m interested. The character interactions were all really interesting and I want to know what the hell is going on here. It’sp only 5 issues in so I’m sure it won’t be hard to catch up as the months go on, so if you haven’t jumped on bored Shadowman yet now’s probably as good a time as any. It’s got super powers that are kind of dark and twisted, and diners, and weird bad guys with guns, and a chick who can talk to ghost through things they owned while alive. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you then why the hell are you reading comic books?

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


    Best of Zenescope Special Edition One Shot

    Creators: Brusha – Tedesco – Gregory – Wickline – Shand
    So right up front lets spell this book out. It’s not new, but it’s not old either, for the most part it’s reprints of some of the more popular first issues of Zenescope titles specifically Grimm Fairy Tales #8, Return To Wonderland #0, Sinbad #0, and Neverland #0. So if you’ve never read those and are interested to see what they were like before diving into trades or looking for issues here’s a great start!

    Now for the real draw of the issue, a special prequel story to the Unleased event starting soon. We get to find out a bit more about what The Being is up to, and just what characters this is really going to effect from the Grimm Universe. If your looking forward to Unleashed then this is a must have, regardless it’s a fun read for anyone wanting to delve into some of the great series in the Grimm Universe.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris


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    Zenescope presents OZ https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescope-presents-oz/ Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:26:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12685 Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West in a teaser for Zenescope's OZ

    While movie goers are enjoying Oz The Great and Powerful in theaters today, we’ve got a little something else to be excited about.

    This image appeared on Zenescope’s facebook timeline teasing a new series coming this summer to their already impressive lineup!

    No other details exist yet, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more!

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    Get Ready For Twice The Hoax Hunters In Issue 9 https://one-quest.com/blog/get-ready-for-twice-the-hoax-hunters-in-issue-9/ Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:23:46 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12655

    Fun stuff coming from Image Comics today, their popular series Hoax Hunters is going to be having a ‘flip’ issue in April. Yep that’s right, issue 9 is going to give you a look at the story from two different angles. Our normal behind-the-sences perspective as the Hoax Hunters cover up whatever crazy mystery they’ve stumbled upon and then you’ll flip the book over and read it again to see exactly what the ‘world’ saw when that episode of Hoax Hunters aired in comic book land.

    I’m actually a big fan of stuff like this, any time something different is done with a comic I’m all for it, not to mention it’s extra story!

    If you haven’t been following Hoax Hunters you’re missing out, the series follows a group of individuals who film a reality tv series where they disprove myths and stuff like that. More like Ghost Hunters though and less like Mythbusters. The catch though, all those myths are real and the Hoax Hunters are actually getting rid of the problem or covering it up all while showing their loyal viewers a slightly skewed version of the events. Well really skewed as they make people see nothing but a faked myth, or a Hoax. . . get it?

    Check out the full press release from Image Comics below and stick around from some art!

    HOAX HUNTERS “FLIP” OUT IN APRIL

    This April, the critically acclaimed Image Comics series HOAX HUNTERS presents a fun and unique issue that can be readily enjoyed by both current readers and new fans. Riffing on the hook of the series, where a group of “myth-busters” travel the world dispelling various lore on their reality TV show, issue #9 of HOAX HUNTERS presents both sides of their story. One half shows what happened on-air, what you’d see if you watched an episode; the other shows what happened behind the scenes, how the HOAX HUNTERS team manipulated everything—in this case, a haunted house confrontation—that happened to make it appear to be fake.

    “With issue #9 and the use of the flip book feature, we allowed ourselves a dynamic and uncharacteristic way to show what happens in front of and behind the camera to super fun effect,” said Steve Seeley, co-writer.

    The issue will literally have two opposing halves and thus two covers, each from Joe Eisma (MORNING GLORIES). Readers will be able to check out one half of the story then flip the comic over for the other half. Brent Schoonover (MR. MURDER IS DEAD) fills in as guest artist for this special issue.

    “This is, to me, a great representation of everything that Hoax Hunters is about—fun, inventive, and willing to take risks,” said co-writer Michael Moreci.

    HOAX HUNTERS has met with critical praise since its launch:

    “Fresh, exciting, and delightfully bizarre”—Ain’t It Cool News

    “10 of 10”—Newsarama

    “Out of all the new comics that debuted this year, none of them captured my imagination like Hoax Hunters.”—Horror Talk

    “A comic on the verge of greatness”—Read Comic Books

    “A-“—Weekly Comic Review

    “Worth the cover price each and every month”—IGN

    HOAX HUNTERS #9 will be in stores April 17 (Diamond Code FEB130447) and is available now for preorder. Readers who want to learn more can visit www.hoaxhunterscomic.blogspot.com.

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    IDW Publishing available on iBookstore https://one-quest.com/blog/idw-publishing-available-on-ibookstore/ Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:34:53 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12599
    All you Apple device users out there have something to look forward to. IDW Publishing is going to be releasing new books each Wednesday to the iBookstore. Even for all your anti-apple folks it’s a great sign that companies are continually making their products available on so many different platforms. Even if your a huge collector there’s still plenty of reason to be excited as this will help bring comics to a wider audience. After all almost everyone has iTunes, not everyone can get to a local comic shop every week. All of this along with the growing popularity of sites like Comixology are a great way to spread the hobby.

    Enough of that though, check out the full press release with details from IDW below.

    IDW Brings Single Issues to Apple’s iBookstore!

    New Issues of Transformers, My Little Pony, Star Trek, Doctor Who, G.I. JOE, Lock & Key, and many more available Every Week!

    San Diego, CA (March 6, 2013) – It was announced that beginning today and going forward, new weekly single-issue comic titles from IDW Publishing will go live every Wednesday on the iBookstore (iTunes.com/IDWComics). In addition to the 250 graphic novels and collections already available, fans can now look forward to grabbing their favorite new comics on the iBookstore every week, the same way they might have purchased from traditional comic shops or the IDW and Comics Apps (www.AppStore.com).

    “IDW has launched several series in the iBookstore—Star Trek/Doctor Who: Assimilation, Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic—and they have all been top sellers,” commented Jeff Webber, IDW’s Vice President of Digital Publishing. “Some single issues, especially our My Little Pony comics, have made it into the charts in the top 15 of all books, not just comics. IDW’s line is a great introduction to comics for fans of these iconic TV and movie brands, so we’re proud to make our entire catalog available to iBooks readers in this way that makes it convenient and immediate.”

    In addition to the timely availability of new comics, iBooks readers will also be able to enjoy the convenience of pre-ordering their favorite titles digitally to stay up on their favorite series. Pre-ordering titles allows iBookstore customers to be amongst the very first fans to receive new issues as they publish and comics download directly to their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

    Find all of IDW’s comics and comic collections on the iBookstore at iTunes.com/IDWComics.

    Well there you go, love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments below!

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    Alice & Calie Are Back In A New Trilogy From Zenescope https://one-quest.com/blog/alice-calie-are-back-in-a-new-trilogy-from-zenescope/ Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:18:45 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12594
    This isn’t exactly news anymore, and that’s my fault, I apparently can’t kept track of emails even when they’re filtered into folders. But that’s neither here nor there, this is about something more important, a new Wonderland Trilogy.

    If you’re fans of the original trilogy, the current ongoing series, or the various other stories taking place in Wonderland then this is some pretty fun news. The first new series is going to be “Down The Rabbit Hole” and as you’ll see below fills in some of those gaps from Calie’s first trip to Wonderland. The intriguing part is we’ll be seeing the story from other characters point of view not just a rehash of Calie’s adventure. The journey is going to be written by Wonderland writer extraordinaire Raven Gregory and the new star of Zenescope Pat Shand who’s responsible for Zenescopes take on Robyn Hood. With the level of quality these guys bring to their other books only good things can be on the horizon, or in this case down the rabbit hole.

    We don’t have much else on the series yet, but check out the full press release below!

    Zenescope Follows Alice and Calie Down the Rabbit Hole for new Trilogy

    Feb, 2013 — Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans for a new Wonderland prequel mini-series entitled Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole. The new five issue series will be penned by Wonderland writer and co-creator Raven Gregory and Zenescope’s “Robyn Hood” scribe, Pat Shand.

    This new series takes readers back to the original mini-series, RETURN TO WONDERLAND, which was first published in 2007. Zenescope’s “Down the Rabbit Hole” will fill in the blanks surrounding Calie’s first journey into the realm of madness. This time, readers will see things from other family members’ perspectives as Calie takes her first, life-altering, journey into Wonderland.

    As was announced in July 2012, Zenescope’s original Wonderland trilogy was purchased by Lionsgate TV and is being produced by Smallville’s Brian Robbins to be adapted as a live-action television series. This new mini-series will no doubt allow for additional story-lines and appease the die-hard Wonderland fans who can now delve deeper into the rich mythology that creators Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Raven Gregory have been publishing for the past six years.

    Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole will be available for preorder on the March edition of Diamond Previews or for preorder through Zenescope’s official web store: http://zenescope.pinnaclecart.com.

    Keep your eye’s on One-Quest for more information as it comes out, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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    New Iron Man 3 Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/new-iron-man-3-trailer/ Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:38:58 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12528 Iron Man 3 poster

    We’ve seen bits and pieces from Iron Man 3 in the past trailers. We know that Tony Stark is up against a menacing foe, the Mandarin. But what we don’t know is how bad are things going to get for Stark and friends?

    Based on the new trailer, I’d say pretty bad. On the bright side Rhodey is wearing the Iron Patriot armor. Oh, and it looks like the Hulk Buster armor is coming out to play!

    The trailer looks pretty wicked, so pop on over to Yahoo Movies to watch the new trailer for Iron Man 3.

    Tell us what you think of the new trailer in the comments below!

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    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Premiere Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-premiere-trailer/ Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:04:49 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12523 Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag poster

    It’s here!

    Following the standards of secret keeping in the gaming industry, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag saw a major leak and a couple minor reveals last week. Shortly afterward it was revealed that we’d see a full announcement today and we have it here, along with some other fun details!

    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag takes place in the Caribbean of 1715 AD. This is about 40 years prior to the beginning of Assassin’s Creed III. Black Flag will star a new protagonist, Edward Kenway. Fans of ACIII will recognize that surname as that of Connors father, Haytham Kenway. Meaning Edward is Haythams’ Father, and Connors grandfather. It seems fitting that Ubisoft is calling this run on the Assassin’s Creed franchise the “Kenway Saga.”

    Ubisoft is fully aware of the mistakes they’ve made with the series, primarily with Revelations and Assassin’s Creed III. They’ve decided to take this opportunity and make a, sort of, “best of” Assassin’s Creed game. Black Flag will borrow the best from each game in the series, and do away with the worst. Expect to see the return of open ended assassinations, like the first Assassin’s Creed, steadier unlocking of meaningful equipment, like in Assassin’s Creed II, and the openness of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Black Flag will do away with the notoriety system established in previous entries. They feel it doesn’t make sense, and doesn’t fit in with the open feel of the game.

    Borrowing the best of, and being a game about pirates, expect there to be plenty of naval combat and exploration. While in Assassin’s Creed III you could only pilot the Aquila when on a mission, in Black Flag it’s a little different. From the outset of the game Edward is a pirate with his own ship. At any point you can hop on the ship and explore the open ocean which connects the 3 major cities and 50 other locations. The other locations include plantations, Mayan ruins, jungles, and coconut islands.

    The three major cities included in the game will be Havana, Kingston, and Nassau. Each city is representative of a different style of layout seen in previous Assassin’s Creed games. Havana will be tall, and deep like Venice of Assassin’s Creed II. Kingston, is a British ruled city, which will feel similar to Boston, flat and busy, from Assassin’s Creed III. Nassau is the home of the pirates, so expect something similar to the hub cities from Assassin’s Creed II and III.

    Since the ocean is wide and open, and our hero can sail them at will, Edward will have his own ship. This ship is called the Jackdaw, and it will be used to explore and fight. While sailing freely Edward can use his spyglass to scout ahead and see what dangers, or booty, lie in wait. The spyglass will return meaningful information such as what type of ships are out there, and how though they might be to sink. Edward will have a little more freedom with naval combat than his grandson, Connor, had. Edward will be able to board any ship, to take out the captain and steal the treasures on board. He can use this treasure to purchase new crew members, and upgrade his ship with new cannons, armor, etc. The upgrades in Black Flag will be more in depth than they were in Assassin’s Creed III, offering new types of shots, and new abilities.

    1715 is a great year for piracy, and considered part of the Golden Age of Pirates. And all of the best pirate stories we know come from this era. The trailer shows us Blackbeard, but you can expect so see Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, and Anne Bonny as well. And don’t forget that this is Assassin’s Creed, where history and historical moments reign supreme. It has already been announced that we will see recreations of Bartholomew Roberts’ raid of 42 Portuguese ships, and the Marooning of Charles Vane. A fun take on the marooning will see Charles Vane cast on a deserted island with Edward Kenway. Together they’ll have one bottle of rum and a pistol.

    None of this really matters if the protagonist isn’t interesting. Just take a look at Assassin’s Creed III. Connor was as unlikable as they come, but Ubisoft looks to be fixing that with Edward. The brief trailer shows some great action shots, as well as some fun attitude. We get the sense that he takes more after Ezio then he does Connor. If not just in his ability to fight, then also is his ability to womanize. What else would you expect of a pirate carrying 4 pistols, and 2 swords?

    And don’t think that because Desmond’s story ended that we won’t be seeing any more of the current time line! Ubisoft has give little on the subject, but has said that the current timeline will feature an Abstergo employee using the Animus to research a pivotal moment in Desmond’s ancestry.

    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag sounds like a great effort from Ubisoft to right the wrongdoings of the Assassin’s Creed franchise’ past few offerings. They’re so intent on doing this right that many of the developers from Far Cry 3, which I consider a better Assassin’s Creed game than Assassin’s Creed III, are working on this project.

    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hits stores on October 29th for PS3, 360, and PC, as well as Next Gen consoles, Wii U and PS4. We’ll definitely pay attention to this story as more information is released. For now, feast your eyes on Black Beard who tells the story of Edward Kenway in the trailer below! Don’t forget to tell us what you think, and how you feel about another yearly entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

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    Take It Or Leave It – February 27, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-27-2013/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:10:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12300
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Boy are there a lot of comics this week, a good amount of new number 1’s too, some being reboots and some actually brand new runs! Including Guardians of the Galaxy which regardless of it’s 0.1 numbering is a damn number 1. You’ll notice we changed up the format a bit for Take It Or Leave It, everything is now in alphabetical order by the Publisher first no matter who wrote it, and we even included quick links to jump to the section you want! So lets get this weeks Take It Or Leave It started with some new releases from Boom! Studios.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Boom! Studios | DC Comics | IDW Publishing
    Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Zenescope Entertainment

    Deathmatch #3

    Jenkins – Magno
    Boom! Studios
    If you like team super hero books like Avengers and Justice League, but you don’t like The Avengers and Justice League, there may be a chance you’ll enjoy Deathmatch. I know that’s probably the worst promotion ever, but it’s true. If you’ve been bored with the current Avengers run and the Justice League just isn’t your thing because you don’t like Superman than Deathmatch gives an interesting look at a superhero team book. This was my first issue, so I don’t really have much to go on, but the book involves a bunch of heroes, and possibly villains having to battle thing out in an arena. It’s not the most original idea, but all the things that go down in the issue lead you to the conclusion(which they actually tell you), that there is something else going on than just making these super powers kill each other. Paul Jenkins is writing and if you’ve read his stuff before you know the guy is pretty good with heroes. I wasn’t familiar with Carlos Magno before this issue, but I think it worked really well for the book. Now I just want to see what’s really going on!

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Freelancer #4

    Esquivel – Covey
    Boom! Studios
    I picked Freelancer because the cover has guns, swords, guns, and girls. I flipped through the pages and was intrigued by the art. It’s got this cartoony feel that’s very different from the cover to the right, but still looks good and works. I read it pretty much entirely because of the art, sure the cover is cool but you have to like what you’re reading to keep going. I didn’t know what to expect being the 4th issue of the series, but I was pleasantly surprised. From the banter back and forth between characters to the random jump to a 1970’s style Blaxploitation film (literally they watched a VHS), this was just a fun book. There’s even a decent recap of what its’ about on the first page after a character asks how the other is doing. I don’t know if this has the long standing appeal that some other books have, but it’s enough to keep me reading. I would even say going back and reading the first 3 issues wouldn’t be a bad idea, if this issue is any indication those first 3 were probably really good too.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Batman Incorporated #8

    Morrison – Burnham – Masters
    DC Comics
    On DC you’ve completely given up trying to be subtle haven’t you? Unless you’ve been under a rock you know what this issue is about. We talked about it earlier this week, twice. So now just in case you have been under a rock, I’m not going to spoil it yet. I’m sure the cover art isn’t helping though. Anyway first let’s talk about the issues beginning, I haven’t been following Batman Inc. I read the first volume pre-New 52, and picked up the first issue of Volume 2 back last summer. Since than I haven’t heard much about the title though. Until this week anyway. So the issue opens up with a big fight going down, looks like Talia finally struck on Gotham, and has Batman held hostage while the rest of the family is trying to defeat her army and save the Dark Knight. We get to see Nightwing, Red Robin, and Robin battling in this issue, and a great call back to the pre-New 52 Batman and Robin title which featured Damian as Robin and Dick as Batman. That’s where I started reading the title so it was cool to see those two at it again and pretty much express there mutual respect for one another. The book takes a turn for the worse though, and this is where I’m going to segue into spoilers so go ahead and skip to the verdict if you don’t want to be spoiled.

    *SPOILER ALERT*
    So by this point Damian is fighting some kind of super ninja, I felt I was missing a lot having not read the rest of the series, but the outcome is the same no matter what. Damian dies, there’s no other way to say it he loses the fight, but does it heroically and I guess if you’re going to go out that’s how to do it. I did feel it was a little anti-climatic, with all the talk going on and spoilers straight from DC I just expected a little more. I think the big thing with this turn of events is going to be the fallout in coming issues of all the Bat-Family books. The death itself just kind of happened, Damian was alive one second pleading for his Mother to stop this madness, and the next he wasn’t anymore. There was a nice homage to the famous death of Jason Todd with batman knelling cradling Damian’s bloody and beaten body. I’ve to go say, even though I knew this was going to happen, it was still pretty emotional, delayed but emotional nonetheless.
    *END SPOILERS*

    Ok no more spoiling of things, so at this point you’re probably just wondering how the book was. It was good up till the end, I felt it was just rushed and came up out of no where, which is really impressive considering I knew it was going to happen. If you read any Batman title, this book was worth reading since it should have a big impact on all of them.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: .


    Talon #5

    Snyder – Tynion IV – March
    DC Comics
    After being a little disappointed with last months issue, it was nice to see something not so predictable. Granted nothing really happens at all in the issue, Calvin is still recovering from his fight with the Butcher last time and has moved back to Gotham with Casey and her daughter Sarah. I like that we’re actually getting a supporting cast for Calvin outside of Sebastian, and likewise it’s fun seeing Sebastian and Calvin enjoying this ‘family’ like environment they’ve got going on at the moment. Even the pages with the Butcher were better than last issue, he’s just a brutal killer which is really different from what the court has shown us so far. Oh, there’s also a nice cameo by some of Gotham’s other protectors. I’ve been waiting for someone in the Bat-Family to get wind of what’s happening with Calvin taking on the court hopefully the trail keeps growing and leading those characters to some kind of confrontation with Calvin.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Doctor Who #6

    Diggle – Adams
    IDW Publishing
    I’m a big Doctor Who fan, and since it’s been a while since a new episode airs I figured I would check out a comic. I’ve gotta say it feels like an episode of the show, the dialogue and characterization just fit. It was pretty cool to see a minor companion make an appearance with a Doctor she’s never seen before. My problem with the issue is everything seems to go wrong and get solved just to quickly. There wasn’t really any sense of dread or peril, and that’s part of what makes an adventure in the Tardis fun! You could do a lot worse getting a Doctor Who fix, but frankly I’m not won over by this. It’s only 30 days till new episodes anyway!

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret History of the Foot Clan #3

    Burnham – Santolouco
    IDW Publishing
    So far, with all the TMNT Micro Series I’ve managed to steer clear. I just didn’t want to overdo it and get bored of the Turtles. I finally cracked though and decided to give Secret History of the Foot Clan a shot, and now I’m mad at myself for waiting so long. I just thought these side stories would be filler and not really add anything. In this one issue, which isn’t even the first, I’ve seen the error of my ways. If you’re interested in what’s the Shredders deal, and how he’s still, well you know alive, than this is the perfect book for you. We’re treated to a current adventure with our heroes outside of the current one involving Dimension X, and cut throughout the book are flashes to Shredders past life. It’s a great look at the character for fans who haven’t really had much information of the notorious villain in the series so far. To add to it, I thought the art was actually a lot better than the normal ongoing. And that’s great since the ongoing is one pretty book already.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Artifacts #25

    Marz – Sejic
    Image Comics
    This whole Top Cow story line running through Artifacts, Witchblade, and The Darkness is really cool. I’m still not totally sure about everything going on as I’ve just jumped on these books, but I like where it’s going. The cover is a little misleading as Sara and her Witchblade powers don’t make an appearance here, but we get plenty of other Artifact holders. The fight scene was fun, and the realization that the good guys don’t stand a chance felt right. It’s got that action movie vibe going on and that’s great for readers, it’s not like reading it’s like watching a movie.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Five Weapons #1

    Robinson
    Image Comics
    There was a lot of hype for this series a few months back. Image spent a week or so releasing teaser for the various weapons finally ended with a full press release and reveal about the series. That was back in November, now here we are, the final week of February and the book is finally here. Since reading that initial press release I’ve been pretty interested in this book just waiting for it to come out. After reading it, I’m actually looking forward to see what comes next. The basic premise is about a school where the kids of assassins and other killing types go to learn. But they don’t just learn the usual school stuff, they learn how to fight. Each student picks a weapon from the five types offered and that’s they’re glass from then on. After reading this first issue it really has a feel like some Anime, notably Real Bout High School and Tenjho Tenge only the anime were well anime so there were a lot more girls with short skirts and large breasts. Anyway, while the series basic premise isn’t super original the way it’s being handled is pretty interesting. The main character Tyler has this great self confidence and ability to get through the problems the arise. And the twist at the end was unexpected and makes you want to read more, as any ending should.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Uncanny Skullkickers #1

    Zub – Huang – Coats
    Image Comics
    I had no idea this was a book before this week. I found out when I read the recap and introduction that this is actually issue 18 or 19 and the creators decided to poke fun at the Big Two by renumbering, adding an adjective, and doing a DC 0 issue inspired cover. Now I’m all for poking fun and stuff, but that’s not enough to make a book good, it’s enough to make me read it, but not keep coming back. Luckily this book has a lot more to it. It’s a really funny book with some nice little bits of action thrown in. And the dwarf story at the bottom of every page was the greatest thing I’ve read this week. Uncanny Skullkickers #1 is a great place to pick up this story, and gives you all the back story you need, not that you need much it’s such a fun ride you won’t care what you missed. Well actually you might care a little bit, but only because you want more.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Avenging Spider-Man #17

    Yost – Medina – Vlasco – Curiel
    Marvel Comics
    I mentioned a few issues ago, I have kind of a love/hate thing with Avenging Spider-Man. I love when it started with Zeb Wells and Joe Mad, but they left. I kept going but it just wasn’t the same so I dropped it. Then Superior happened and Yost and Medina jumped on board and I gave it another chance. The last few issues have been fun, the .1 was a great look into Doc Ock’s new status as Spider-Man, and the follow issue with the X-Men felt right. Thankfully we’re still being treated to a great look at how our ‘new’ hero is dealing with his usually group of friends and allies. Issue 17 has him babysitting the Future Foundation kids while the FF(not the Fantastic Four), are off saving something. It’s great to see Otto not really know how to deal with kids, especially Bentley 23 who like himself is very much an evil genius. It got a little weird with the time police showing up and all, but the way Otto handled it was priceless and definitely not a Peter Park play. I think one of the best things is that we’re not constantly reminded that Pete is still floating around his old body making witty remarks, we get to rely completely on Otto. With at least knowing Pete is probably there, but not seeing him, it lives us guessing with it was Pete pushing Otto to do the right thing or if the former villain is finally catching on. The final reveal was nice too, I’m looking forward to see what comes out of that.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Gambit #9

    Asmus – Mann – Mann – Martinez – Rosenberg
    Marvel Comics
    If you grew up in the ’90s watching X-Men The Animated Series and thought Gambit was awesome, then this issue will be a rush of nostalgia. Unfortunately it still falls short. There’s plenty of humor in the book as Gambit ‘infiltrates’ a super villain night club dressed in all his ’90s best. Even the villain was straight out of that Era with Tombstone(first appearance in ’88). The downfall of this issue was they tried to do to much, while nothing really happened. Sure Gambit had some nice interactions with people, sure there was a bit of action, but it all just felt like separate things rather than pieces of the same puzzle. I’ve had the same general complaint about Gambit since it started, it’s a good character but just not being done correctly. It’s a real shame too, Marvel has a great streak going with solo books like Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, and Morbius the Living Vampire, shame Gambit hasn’t caught on yet.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1

    Bendis – Mcniven – Dell – Ponsor
    Marvel Comics
    This was one of the highlights of this week. Going in I knew very little about Guardians of the Galaxy, in fact I only knew what was explained in the episode they appeared in of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I figured Nova was pretty good though, and Bendis is writing this so why the hell not give it a shot. It’s one of those issues that’s just a great origin story for a character that isn’t all over the place. We don’t need to see how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, or how the Fantastic Four go their powers. But these lesser known characters are great to see new twists or just updates put to them. So this issue deals with the origins of Star Lord, who I believe is the leader of The Guardians of the Galaxy. We find out who his father is, and how this human guy ended up on a team of alien heroes. Biggest complaint is this book is being called 0.1. I’ve gotten past my dislike for the Marvel Point One issues, regardless of what I think they keep coming. They’re suppose to be this great jumping on points for new readers, but to make the first issue of a series a point one is stupid, not only that but it’s a 0 issue which is generally connected with origins or stories taking place prior to the official present timeline. It’s basically saying this origin book that sets up a new series that starts next month is a great jumping on place like no s&%@, of course it is. Don’t let that influence your decision to pick this book up, it’s a great read, sets the stage for the series to follow and will give us all a bit more familiarity with the characters before the movie hits next year.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Hawkeye #8

    Fraction – Aja – Wu – Hollingsworth
    Marvel Comics
    Another stellar issues of Hawkguy as the red-headed stranger from issue 3 returns and needs Clint’s help to steal a safe. And bro, this is exactly why Hawkguy is at the top of my reading list bro. The art had a very retro feel to it, even the cloths the characters wore at the beginning just felt straight out of the ’60s, and to go along a bunch of old school looking comic covers broke up the pages of the book, and made you wonder what the hell they were for the whole time. It seems like issue 8 is just the start to the first real ‘story’ of this series, and the first real heroy problems Clint will have to deal with but not of an Avengers scale. We’ll just have to wait and see what craziness Fraction has in store for everyone’s favorite Archer. Oh and for all you Kate Bishop fans, even though I didn’t mention her, she is in it a bit and has a funny scene. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it if you’re not reading Hawkguy then get to it you’re missing out on easily one of the best books to hit the shelves in years!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Punisher War Zone #5

    Rucka – Di Giandomenico – Hollingsworth
    Marvel Comics
    Punisher War Zone comes to a close, after 5 issues Frank Castle has a full on confrontation with the Avengers. And well it was alright. This was easily the best of the 5 issue series, but still pretty low when compared to other books. The Greg Ruka run of Punisher got a ton of praise, and it’s a shame that this finale to that story didn’t live up to that. On the plus side there was some humor with Iron Man being his usually cocky self and Punisher not really having any of it. I did like the outcome of the book, but it leaves me a little confused as to how he’s with the Thunderbolts right now. I guess maybe they explain it in that book, but I’m at a loss. It’s also left open for some more story telling from the Punishers partner in crime Sergeant Rachel Cole-Alves. Can’t say I’m interested enough to want to see that, but I’m sure there are some fans with hopes of it happening.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Ultimate Comics X-Men #23

    Wood – Barberi – Ho – Aburtov
    Marvel Comics
    This was probably one of the better issues of Ultimate X-Men in the last couple of months. Sure the story of Ultimate Utopia has been interesting, but this look back and how Storm ended up with Kitty’s group is even more interesting. Last we saw Storm her and Colossus were prisoners at one of the camps, and Colossus was being tortured to the point he crushed a mans head between his hands. And that was it, it’s been months since that brutal scene and finally we find out what happened next. I liked Colossus back in Ultimate X-Men, he was a lot different form his 616 counter-part and that was nice since that’s what the Ultimate Universe was all about. Back on topic though, if you’ve been following Ultimate Comics X-Men since it relaunched than you’re going to be pleased with this issue, it sheds light on some early plots and brings us through Storms journey almost all the way to present.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Uncanny Avengers #4

    Remender – Cassaday – Martin
    Marvel Comics
    There were a lot of high hopes for Uncanny Avengers, and not just from me, check the internet everyone had them. For good reason to, there’s a great team behind it, and the cast had the right mix of characters. The first issue setup for what could have been an amazing opening arc, but it slowly went downhill from there. And unfortunatley issue 4 the downward slide didn’t give up. Scarlet Witch Vs. Thor was kind of interesting, but felt a little to easy also. And the Red Skull was just annoying by the end of everything, just when you thought this would be done and over it’s not. And on top of that the final interactions of heroes was a little forced, as much as I like Rogue she’s just a big jerk in this book. There’s still hope though, the final pages are definitely teaseing something crazy around the corner, and while I didn’t read Remenders run on Uncanny X-Force, I know crazy is what he does best.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Uncanny X-Men #2

    Bendis – Bachalo – Townsend
    Marvel Comics
    Two issue in and I’m still hesitant to fully embrace Uncanny X-Men. I like it, I like it a lot and that scares me a little. Cyclops is not a mutant I’m a fan of, and a book that’s primarily about him is not what I’d usually want to read. Bendis has been doing such a great job with the X-Books though that I can’t help but want to pick up each issue and see what’s going on. It helps that he’s not focusing solely on Scott either, this issue has a lot of Emma early on and plenty of the new students as it progresses. I’m actually really liking the new relationship between Scott and Emma too, I always found there actually romantic relationship a bit strange this kind of friends with a history seems to work more. Plus with Emma not being in control of her powers she’s not nearly the confident White Queen we once knew. I can’t wait to see what comes next for Cyclops team, and how their first encounter with teams like The Avengers, and Wolverines school will play out in coming issues.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Young Avengers #2

    Gillen – McKelvie – Norton – Wilson
    Marvel Comics
    The first issue of Young Avengers was great, it was a good first issue, introducing you to the main characters and all. Issue two feel a little flat for me though, it was still good but strange. I guess it wont really make sense until this opening arc finishes up, it could just be a case of not all the information makes it not as enjoyable. Regardless of that it was still a nice issue with appearances by some of the Avengers and all. I loved when Wiccan and Hulkling go the Avengers Mansion and comment how cool it is they can do that, even though things aren’t exactly going well at the moment. Loki was probably the highlight of this issue, and the dinner scene, much like last month was great. I’m looking forward to more of the Asgardian. I’ll say this though, while not as good as the first issue, this was still a fun read and it’s only the middle piece of a bigger story so it works.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents The Jungle Book Last of the Species #1

    Creators
    Publisher
    I missed out on most of the first Jungle Book series, only catching the last issue. I went into Last of the Speicies hoping I’d be able to follow along and not be to confused. Luckily that seems to be holding mostly true. I feel like I don’t quite know all the characters as well as I should, but it’s not enough to make the book bad. There are certainly several mentions to things that happened in the first series, but a lot of them are so minor that they aren’t going to impact the enjoyment of the book. Generally this plays out like a first issue, we get out (re)introduction to the characters and where they stand, and our first signs of the big conflict of the book. Granted the big conflict comes at the end and leads to a cliffhanger. That’ll be way funnier after you’ve read this. I like the direction it’s going in so far, but as is common place in comics, the first issue of a mini-series is great and the rest just go downhill. With the high praise that the first Jungle Book received I’ve got high hopes this one stays up.

    Verdict:Take It

    Score:8/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Madness of Wonderland #1

    Miller – Mercada – Buenaventura
    Zenescope Entertainment
    If you’ve seen me talk about the Wonderland ongoing, you know I like it, but that it can be pretty confusing. I bring that up because while this book is a sequel to Call of Wonderland, it’s most likely going to be tied to Wonderland at some point. Enough about that though, lets talk about Madness of Wonderland. So we’re following Detective Legrasse from Call of Wonderland. She’s still trying to figure out the case involving Salome and Julie (who are now the Queen of Hearts), and still solve some other murders. Like it’s predecessor this story looks like it’ll keep featuring those interesting bits from the past with Lovecraft. That was one of my favorite elements from the first series, so I’m glad to see it back. On top of all that as you’ve probably guessed by the name, it looks like the Mad Hatter is back, and has probably killed at least one nice coffee shop girl so far. The Wonderland books are generally a lot of fun, even if they get a little confusing and it’s better to get in on the ground floor and go for the full ride to the top.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score:7/10

    Reviewed By: Chris C.


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    Friday Five – Frustrating Games https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-frustrating-games/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:09:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12485 frustrated guy playing games

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers a little with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Frustrating Games.

    It’s no secret that we play a lot of games. And in general it’s said that gaming has gotten way easier then it was in the past. So of course we’ve all had that moment that led us to sort of. . . flip out and walk away. Or if, we’re being particularly stubborn, you keep going until you flip a table over. Well, this is our tribute to the games that caused us to lose it!

    Chris

    It seems to me that the older video games were way more frustrating to play. Now we’ve got games that will make you invincible if you die a couple times or that automatically targets an enemy. Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s we just had headaches. I mention some of the games that really get under my skin with this, but there are so many others, the Mega Man, ALL of the Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi games, and so many more. But below are the ones that really drove me insane.

    1. Contra (NES) – I’ve never gotten very far in Contra, even with The Code it’s hard as all hell and after a while it’s just so depressing you have to stop.
    2. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! (NES) – It’s all good till the end. . .
    3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) – I’ve gotta steal this one from Drootin, which you’ll read later on. But god damn was this game hard, The Dam level was one of the worst experiences of my life, and then there’s those top levels with the tanks! It’s making me angry just thinking about it, but I’d play it right now if I had it.
    4. Battletoads (NES) – Holy crap was this game hard. I think I only ever made it to like the third level. And for some reason I love it.
    5. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (SNES/SEGA) – I love this game, it’s great but it is really freaking hard. All those old school side scrolling beat ‘em ups usually were. But something about this game always felt worse, no matter who you went with it was just a lot of getting your ass kicked.

     
    Honorable Mention: Superman 64 & ET(Atari) – They didn’t make you want to throw your controller for the normal reason, they just plain sucked.

    Box art for Contra on NES

    Vogel

    1. Myst – I used to play this game a lot in middle school, they had it on the computers in the computer lab. I would always get stuck on the stupidest things. I don’t think I ever legitimately beat it without looking up the end code.
    2. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening– I loved this game. It came bundled with my Gameboy back in the day and I played it all the time. I got stuck in the second temple and got so frustrated that I stopped playing the game altogether and didn’t pick it back up for like 10 years. I finally realized what I was doing wrong and beat the game.
    3. Tron Evolution – I was playing this game on PC and the controls were horrible. I think I died trying to jump over a 3 foot gap 15 times before I finally plugged my 360 controller and it got a lot better, until the tank fight. I felt the learning curve was way off on this game, but I still like playing it for some reason.
    4. Darius Twin/Ikaruga – I had Darius Twin back in the day and when I played Ikaruga years later I felt like I was reliving the difficult horrors I endured as a child, only this time I had to worry about the colors of the enemy projectiles so that I wasn’t killed even more quickly.
    5. Super Mario RPG – This is probably my favorite SNES game of all time. I remember renting it from Blockbuster week after week so I didn’t have to start over, only to get stuck at the Power Rangers boss. I could never get the 100 super jumps for the hidden shirt. I unlocked the crystal boss but could never beat him. I play this game about once a year and I’m much better at it now, but I remember wasting my allowance every week renting a game that pissed me off to no end.

     

    Box art for Myst on PC

    Drootin

    Pretty much everyone who has been playing video games for any decent amount of time has thrown, slammed, or broken a controller and/or keyboard/mouse from pure frustration over a difficult or annoying video game and here are 5 of the games that have done this to me in some way. (Also my birthday is this following Sunday, happy birthday me!!!!!)

    1. NHL ’94 – A very easy game for me to play against the computer, my frustration comes from playing in leagues on NHL94.com and either getting demolished or blowing a lead somehow.
    2. Contra – Yeah, it’s hard, the friggin 1 hit kills suck, and it’s just, hard. It’s just unforgiving, the Konami code helps, but even then I’ve never beaten this game and likely never will.
    3. Ninja Gaiden (NES) – Sensing a theme yet??? I’m not sure I’ve met more than a small handful of people who have actually beaten this game. Effing birds…
    4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) – FUCKING ELECTRIC SEAWEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Old school games were way harder. . .
    5. Counter-Strike (PC) – This game is one of my all-time favorites and all its frustration comes from one of 2 things, either 1) people who are just so much better than you it’s infuriating or 2) hackers who make it unbearable to play.

     
    Box art for NHL '94 on Sega Genesis

    Eric

    Ok, we all know I love to play video games. What some of you may not know is that I’m a little OCD with my methodology. I can never just “beat” a game. I have to “complete” it. More often than not it means playing through a game a second or third time to get those last trophies, or unlock that cool new weapon. Occasionally it means that I cannot progress further until I complete some insanely impossible task before moving on. In these cases I tend to put the game down and generally don’t come back.

    1. Pokemon – (Series) – I love Pokemon! The simplistic rock-paper-scissor methodology to the RPG genre makes it incredibly accessible to everyone. Yet, it’s deep statistical mechanics and robust lineup of obtainable pocket monsters makes it impossible enough to master for the hardcore. While I’m probably considered a “core” gamer by the sheer number of games I play, I am by no means a Pokemon Master. I have this stupid rule set that I’ve established and can’t bring myself to break. . . 1) Use each Pokemon until evolves to it’s highest form, then box it and replace it with a new Pokemon. 2) DO NOT move on from an area until you have captured every type of Pokemon available in said area. *exceptions being water types and inaccessible areas* Yeah. . . I generally spend HOURS grinding, which isn’t fun. It was for that reason that I have yet to complete Pokemon Black 1, and I think I’m still at the 4th gym. . . maybe?
    2. Demon Souls – This is pretty much the same thing as Pokemon for me. . . I love it! The complexity in the combat and the difficulty just keep me wanting to come back to this one time and time again. But my method of play is what kills it for me. . . See that shiny object over there protected by a dragon? I need it. Like. . . NEED it. I don’t even know what it is! I can’t walk away. I have to try. And die. Then try again. . . and die again. And so on and so forth. After telling myself to give up and move on, I find a new shiny object that catches my eye, that happens to be at the bottom of a deep pit. . . “Geronimo!” The cycle continues.
    3. Final Fantasy Tactics – (PSOne, Vita, iOS) – This game has had one hell of a ride to my top 5 list. Of course it came out when I was young and naive. It had cartoony sprite graphics and they looked horrible, so I thought it was a terrible game. A couple years later I got a copy for $5 to use on my modded PSOne, and the fun began. It was a great game, but your first play though is incredibly frustrating! There was zero explanation on how to play the game, or how to advance properly through out. There was a tutorial, but it was damn near impossible to decipher the broken english. The entire game was trial and error. And the Dorter Slums. THE DORTER SLUMS! Gah! I broke at least 2 controllers, and damn near beat the shit out of my knee, a table, and my fist, on more than one occasion with this one. But I love it!
    4. Monster Hunter – (Series) – My first forray with Monster Hunter was on the PSP. I thought it was an interesting game, and certainly worth the $8 I spent on the clearance item at target. The fun I had with it quickly vanished after I reached the higher levels. I don’t mean end game, I mean like rank 3 or something. . . I really don’t remember. All I knew was I kept blaming the issues I had on the control scheme, when in reality it’s the games methods of “grind, advance, grind, advance” that drove me nuts. The controls were still really bad, but they were the best they could be on the PSP. The entire game felt like it was running at half speed too! Everyone moved slow, and your actions were unresponsive at best. And why in the hell would someone ever Flex the muscles after drinking a potion? It just leaves you open to get hit after just attempting to restore your life! I’ve headbutted my PSP countlessly with this game. I think I’ve even bitten it out of frustration. . . Can’t wait to get the new one on Wii U! When it drops down to $12. . .
    5. BATTLETOADS – Seriously! How is this not on this list 5 times already? I only ever put this game in my NES when I was in a particularly good mood and just wanted to kick myself down a couple notches. It wasn’t all bad. The first level was fun. But then you have to rappel into the depths of the earth whilst fighting off the angriest birds ever. If you happen to make it past there you get treated to the only level in gaming no one has ever beaten! If you say you have then you’re lying! No one has ever beaten it!

     
    Box art for Final Fantasy Tactics on PlayStation

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    MORE Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag https://one-quest.com/blog/more-assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/ Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:00:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12474 UbiSoft heard our cries for information! Or maybe they planed this all along. . . Who cares?! Ubisoft will be releasing information for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on March 4th at 6pm CET. For those of you that hate time conversion, that’s 12 Noon, EST.

    Guess I’ll be plastered to my computer at noon on Monday. Expect all of the details to follow. In the mean time, take a look at the new protagonist in this wonderful image!

    Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag poster

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    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag https://one-quest.com/blog/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/ Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:52:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12460 I don’t usually like to comment on rumors, and hearsay, but I’m willing to make an exception. Especially when it involves rumors about a new Assassin’s Creed game. Despite my. . . disappointment with the 3rd(5th?) entry in the series, I still can’t get enough of it. It’s one of those instances where you hate something so much but you can’t help but love it at the same time.

    Well, it was revealed that the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed saga would be released before Ubisofts next fiscal year, which means April 2014. Looks like they want to keep this series running annually, as opposed to giving it a much needed, and deserved, break. Furthermore, it appears as if some details have begun leaking for the next entry.

    The rumors come from a post on reddit, and an anonymous tipster. The reddit post stated that someone was spotted working on marketing materials for a game known as “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.” Other than having a “cool logo,” no other details were given. Just yesterday an anonymous tipster sent these images to Kotaku.

    Poster for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

    Map for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
    Images courtesy of Kotaku.com

    If these are legitimate then we could be looking at a Pirate themed Assassin’s Creed IV! Assassin’s Creed of the Caribbean? The naval missions were the only part of Assassin’s Creed III that were consistently fun, and also not broken, which means we may actually have something to look forward to!

    The poster is rumored to debut in retail locations on March 4th. There has also been no word from Ubisoft on this information.

    As disappointed as I was in ACIII, I’m certainly excited to see more from the series! Tell us what you think about these rumors in the comments below. We’ll keep you posted with any updates.

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    It's Coming. . . Robyn Hood: Wanted! https://one-quest.com/blog/its-coming-robyn-hood-wanted/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:34:27 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12442 Robyn Hood Wanted
    We’ve been teased for a while, but it’s finally official. Zenescope’s hit series Robyn Hood is getting a sequel with with Robyn Hood: Wanted. If you missed the first series, it was a great 5 issue mini-series bringing a new classic character into the Grimm Fairy Tales world.

    We’re not sure where this series fits with the soon to be released Robyn Hood Vs. Red Riding Hood One-Shot, regardless it should still be a fun ride. Last we saw Robyn she made it back to her world from Myst and set a few wrongs right, and opened up a whole jar of BS to deal with later on. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this series as we get closer to the release in May. For now check out the full press release from Zenescope below, and at the very bottom a special treat.


    Zenescope Entertainment Give Fans What They WANTED
    Feb, 2013 — Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans for a follow up mini-series to 2012’s critically acclaimed hit series Grimm Fairy Tales’ ROBYN HOOD. The new series entitled ROBYN HOOD: WANTED will hit shelves May 2013. The original Robyn Hood mini-series was announced last summer to a slew of excited fans, and the press took notice as well. After great reviews and fan support, the iconic new character brought Zenescope into the spotlight with industry-leading cosplayer, Jessica Nigri, portraying the character at New York Comic Con, and Wired.com doing featured interviews and retrospectives on the popular comic.

    Robyn Hood: Wanted picks up shortly after the first series ended. Robyn has found her way out of the realm of Myst and back into the modern world. Her unwavering pursuit of justice has taught her enemies not to cross her, and has shown her friends a new level of loyalty.

    Series writer Pat Shand had this to say:

    “I’m thrilled to return to this character. With “Wanted,” we are upping the stakes, introducing some new major threats, and really getting into what makes Robyn tick. I remember describing the series as “Veronica Mars” meets “Game of Thrones,” and I think that is truer in this sequel than ever before. Everything is on the line this time around. We’re going to see Robyn in a whole new situation which will redefine her in ways that readers will have never imagined.”

    Robyn Hood: Wanted will be available for order in Diamond’s March Previews on shelves next week.

    For those who may have missed its original release, the original Robyn Hood mini-series trade paperback will be available on store shelves February 27, 2013.


    Here’s that treat I promised. First some art from Stjepan Šejić, that’s probably going to be a variant cover. It’s courtesy of the Facebook page of series writer Pat Shand.

    And last we have an Artgerm cover courtesy of Ralph Tedesco’s Facebook page.

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    Tomasi Talks Plans for Batman and Robin https://one-quest.com/blog/tomasi-talks-plans-for-batman-and-robin/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:51:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12399 This article, and the links all contained some major Bat-Related Spoilers. You have been warned!

    ComicBookResources.com has an exclusive interview up with Batman and Robin writer Peter Tomasi. You probably saw yesterday the big news about Robin. . .]]>

    This article, and the links all contained some major Bat-Related Spoilers. You have been warned!

    ComicBookResources.com has an exclusive interview up with Batman and Robin writer Peter Tomasi.

    You probably saw yesterday the big news about Robin. . .

    That is, he’s going to die, again. Well not again, this time it’s a different Robin and all and the first one that died came back so I guess him dying in the first place doesn’t really count. Oh what the hell comic books stop being stupid!

    Anyway, Over on CBR Peter Tomasi has a pretty interesting interviews where he talks about his initial reactions to the news that Damian is going to be killed off very soon (next week in fact), and how it will play into his book Batman and Robin. It’s nice that he’ll be dealing with Bruce’s grief following Batman Inc #8. And I’m certainly glad the book is continuing with Tomasi, it’s one of the books I wait for every month.

    I am a little torn about the following stories though, they seem to be doing what Marvel did with Captain America after Bucky’s ‘death’ in Fear Itself. The book is going to continue on as a Batman and. . . series, with the first stories being Batman and Red Robin and Batman and The Red Hood. It’s cool that we’ll get to see Batman teamed up with ex-Robins, but as Tomasi said, they may not exactly be filling the role of sidekick as just a supporting cast member of that particular story.

    If you read Captain America and. . . You’ll know the problems this can have, the initial issues which focused on Cap and Bucky in the war were interesting, but they quickly ended and just became multiple issue team ups with various characters like Hawkguy and Black Widow, which weren’t all that interesting. I do have a little more faith in Tomasi, his run on Batman and Robin has been one of the best books on the stands each month so if anyone can make it work he’ll be able to.

    Not to mention, as I pointed out yesterday these are comic books, it’s only a matter of time before Damian is found out to be alive and well and back to operating as Robin.

    So head over to CBR and check out the full interview then let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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    More Diablo III – Offline play coming to console port https://one-quest.com/blog/more-diablo-iii-offline-play-coming-to-console-port/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:40:25 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12395 Diablo III

    We already know there won’t be any cross-play for the PC and Console versions of Diablo III, news which saddens me greatly. However, that’s not the only buzz surrounding the popular PC to console port.

    It’s been revealed that the console version of Diablo III will not require an “always online” connection to play. Of course, in standard fashion when anything is announced for Diablo III, the official forums are in uproar. The console version will support up to 4 player “couch” co-op, online co-op, and a fully offline mode. I assume the reasoning behind this is because there are a number of console owners that don’t have internet connections for them, and the fact that piracy and hacking is far less common in the console community. On top of that, there are general guidelines that make hacking and piracy a very bad idea in the console market, usually in the form of banning all online play through that console or account for all games. This is usually handled by the online agreement created by the console manufacturer, and can easily be enforced by them.

    Sadly, this type of security measure is not available for PCs, thus the reasoning for always online DRM methods. This ensures data is sent to the developers who monitor for suspicious activity, who then enforce their rules their own way. Unfortunately banning someone from a single game isn’t much of a punishment, when a PC can easily find a work around to grant access to the game once again.

    It’s not perfect, and there is evidence of hacking and piracy, but it’s one of the best ways to combat piracy on PCs. Blizzard has not made any statements on bringing the offline mode to PCs and many players have stated that they will be quitting Diablo III, and boycotting Blizzard games as a whole, unless this is changed. Personally, I wouldn’t hold my breath for this change to come. It just makes more sense not to. There has also been no word on the console version of Diablo III supporting Drop-in/Drop-out multi-player, much like how it is on PCs and in Borderlands 1 and 2.

    Are you peeved at the inclusion of an offline mode for the console port, and not the PC version? Or do you not care because you never made and played a character that wasn’t running on the Battle.net serves anyway? You know, like everyone should have been doing anyway. . . Tell us what you think in the comments below. Be sure to check One-Quest for any new information on Diablo III and it’s future console port!

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    No Cross-Play with PC and Playstation in Diablo III https://one-quest.com/blog/no-cross-play-with-pc-and-playstion-in-diablo-iii/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:24:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12385 Diablo III
    Welp. . . That sucks.

    Really it does, if you’ve ever read this site before you’ve probably noticed we’re Diablo fans, a good chunk of us actually took time off work last may to pick the game up at midnight and play through the night. Well really we played from about 5 am – on since the damn servers didn’t go up till 3 am and were almost impossible to get on. That’s a different story though.

    Anyway, like the title said it’s been officially revealed that the console port for Diablo III will not support any cross platform play. So if you’ve been holding out for the long rumored port and were hoping to play with your PC loving friends you’re unfortunately S.O.L.

    And boy does that suck hard. I have Diablo III for the PC, but my computer isn’t exactly top of the line, I don’t use it for much, Diablo is the only PC game I play (other than WoW, but I kicked that a long time ago). When I saw the announcement from Blizzard about this I thought, “FINALLY! Now I can play Diablo III with my friends and not lag out!” well guess that’s not coming true.

    On top of that news if you were hoping that with these console ports you’d be able to play with a USB mouse and keyboard you’re in for a bit more disappointment as they have no plans to include that kind of support. The same goes for PC users who want to use a controller, but frankly if you’re on a PC you shouldn’t want to use a controller that’s just dumb.

    It’s not all bad news though, while Blizzard has said the game won’t launch with Cross-Play, they did say it was an interesting feature and one that they like. That sounds to me like a “We just didn’t have time to launch with it, but we’re working on a patch/expansion for later on”.

    Shut up, I can dream can’t I?

    After all that bad news, let take a moment and look at something good, the screens that prove a PlayStation version of Diablo III really is coming and Blizzard isn’t just messing with us!

    New HUD for the PS version

    Revamped Menu screens to work better with PS Controllers

    Waypoint Selection!

    Make sure to let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below!

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    Batman Inc. #8 *Major Spoilers* https://one-quest.com/blog/batman-inc-8-major-spoilers/ Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:47:57 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12347 SPOILERS ahead, so if you don't want to know a major plot point in next weeks Batman Incorporated #8 than stop reading right now!]]>
    Now before we get to this, I want to clarify once again, there are going to be some SPOILERS ahead, so if you don’t want to know a major plot point in next weeks Batman Incorporated #8 than stop reading right now!

    Okay now that we’ve got that out of the way, it looks like even though Scott Snyder didn’t kill anyone off in Death of the Family, Grant Morrison is filling that void with next weeks (2/27/13) Batman Inc. #8 with the death of Damian Wayne. The son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, and the current Robin will be meeting his end in a story line that’s been building for most of Morrison run on the title.

    During the transition from old DC continuity to the New 52 the first volume of Batman Inc. came to an end with the One-Shot, Leviathan Strikes! which saw a bounty being placed on Damian by his own mother. While there aren’t any specific details on how the death goes down, I think it’s a safe bet that the bounty may finally catch up to Damian.

    Grant Morrison actually spoke with the New York Post and verified the rumors, so we know this isn’t just misguided information or assumptions based on the variant cover (seen below). Morrison said “He saves the world. He does his job as Robin, He dies an absolute hero.” Which seems to fit the story that’s been told between the various books featuring the character. He’s struggled with being a killer as he was raised by his mother, or being the hero like his father. Morrison also goes on to say that the book will deal with Bruce and Talia’s responsibility for the outcome.

    That’s the cover that started everyone on the Robin dies path, and well it sorta does say it right there doesn’t it. The cover is a homage to the Alex Ross cover from Batman #676 which was the first part of the Batman R.I.P. story line. I always find it funny when a company does a cover like this, I get that it probably isn’t a big secret they’re going to be killing the character, but still at least give us a little bit of surprise. As it goes with comics, and regardless of what Morrison has said, we won’t know for sure how, when, why or if Damian really dies until the issue comes out. I’m casting my vote for a clever ruse to make everyone think he’s dead, like they did with Bucky over in Marvel during Fear Itself.

    Alex Ross Batman RIP Cover

    Batman fans know this isn’t the first time a Robin has died, almost 25 years ago DC put out the call to fans to determine the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin, who ultimately perished at the hands of the Joker. We all know how that played out though as Jason is currently the star of Red Hood and the Outlaws.

    In the end, these are comic books, sure you can kill a character, doesn’t mean they’ll stay dead for long. And Batman needs a sidekick the same way The Doctor needs a companion. Not to mention it’s hard to have a book called Batman & Robin without a Robin.

    So let us know your thoughts in the comments, how long do you think it’s going to last? Will someone else take up the role as Robin?

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    Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix coming to the US! https://one-quest.com/blog/kingdom-hearts-hd-1-5-remix-coming-to-the-us/ Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:03:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12322 Logo for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix

    Kingdom Hearts is one of those “Love it or Hate it” kind of games. I’ve never met anyone that’s in between on this one. I’m in the “Love it” category myself. I’ve played every incarnation in the US since the day one release on September 17, 2002. The travesty here is that my wife has yet to play these games (and watch Star Wars, but we’ll address that one later). As much as I’d love to show her one of my most influential and beloved series of all times, it’s just not gonna happen. These older games just don’t hold up to today’s standards of gaming. It’s damn near impossible to play through this game without your eyes bursting into a bloody mess.

    Well. . . We’re in luck! Since this is the age of “nostalgia,” and cashing in on a quick buck, HD remakes are fairly abundant. And lo and behold, Kingdom Hearts is receiving one such treatment. It was announced a while back, but only for release in Japan. Today, Square Enix announced that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix will come to the US and Europe this fall, exclusively for the PlayStation 3!

    Kingdome Hearts HD 1.5 Remix will include fully playable versions of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories both featuring HD make overs. The game will also include HD cinematics from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Players will now have the chance to relive the origins of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, in beautiful HD for the PlayStation 3, this fall! A great opportunity for newcomers, and series veterans, alike!

    Fall is pretty far off still. . . so here’s a few screen shots to tie you over until then. We’ll keep you posted when an official release date is announced. Let us know how excited you are for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix in the comments below!

     

    Sora and Tinkerbell from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix Sora, Donald, and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix Sora and Genie from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix
     Axel, Roxas, and Xion from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix King Mickey from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix
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    Friday Five – Foreign Movies/TV Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-foreign-moviestv-shows/ Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:06:50 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12288
    Welcome the the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a Top Five list. This weeks category: Foreign Movies/TV Shows
     
    Well we screwed up a bit this week and missed the Friday Five by a day. So lets call this the Saturday Six and just say we all can’t count! Anyway enough about us messing up that’s not what’s important here. The thing to talk about is this weeks lists! We’re going on about our favorite foreign movies or TV shows. A lot of us grew up watching Anime, in fact we use to hit up Otakon in Baltimore Maryland every summer, and a good amount of us were actually responsible for the Katsucon video game room for several years. At this point we’ve started moving away from anime, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other foreign shows or movies that we love! So lets get to this.

    Chris

    I use to be a pretty big anime fan, spent a lot of time pirating that stuff, and going to conventions and all that. Over the years I just watched less and less and have recently started getting into those crazy UK shows like Doctor Who. I’m still waiting to start watching Merlin, Sherlock, Torchwood, and several others. Anyway here’s my list.

    1. Doctor Who – I haven’t been watching for very long, I caught up just before this years Christmas special and now I’m eagerly awaiting it’s return this spring! If you’ve never seen this show you’re really missing out on something special. I can’t think of any other show or movie that sends you through the emotional ringer like this. You’ll laugh, get angry, excited, and spend a lot of time curdled up in a ball crying. Remember don’t blink. Now ALONS-Y!
    2. Cowboy Bebop – This is one of those shows that even though it’s a cartoon it’s got a pretty wide appeal. Sure it’s set in space and all, but it’s got a ton of drama and action that can really entertain anyone.
    3. Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan – I loved Lost, and when I found out Charlie was going to be trudging through jungles and deserts looking for dangerous animals I thought why the hell not. After seeing a few episodes though it’s really good. Dominic seems to really know his shit, even if someone is off screen filling him in as they go. And he doesn’t back down from picking up some crazy snakes and various other deadly animals.
    4. Trigun – This show started out goofy, but ended up being crazy good by the end that’s all.
    5. Degrassi – It’s really hard to not get caught up in the lives of a bunch of Canadian teens with there oo’s and monopoly money. Plus you get to see Drake in a wheel chair.

     

    Anthony

    I thought really hard on this one. I didn’t want to just name 5 Anime series so I tried my best not to include them. For my #1 pick I just couldn’t avoid it. Sorry.

    1. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (Japan) – My favorite Anime series. It follows a group of guys that form a band with the desire to make it big. The songs were done by Japanese rock band The Beat Crusaders. All original music, all completely awesome. It’s also one of the only Animes I ever saw where the English Dub is just as good as the original Japanese voice acting, and it had a live action movie that didn’t suck.
    2. Battle Royale (Japan) – Way before Hunger Games this was the original book/movie that had kids killing each other. Each year a class of students is selected randomly by government mandate, and they are taken to an island where they are forced to battle to the death!
    3. The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (UK/US) – Alright, so this show was created by David Cross, who is an American, but, to my knowledge it was not aired on any major TV network in the US. It was filmed/aired in the UK and there are only like 3 Americans in the whole series. So this counts! I strongly suggest adding this to your instant queue on Netflix.
    4. Ong-bak (Thailand) – One of the best Martial Arts movies ever! Tony Jaa never really became as big as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, or Jet Li, probably due to lack of speaking English. His movies are awesome though. Also check out The Protector. I couldn’t decide which one to choose, they both kick ass.
    5. Enter the Dragon (Hong Kong) – Since I went martial arts I couldn’t shake this one. This is likely the absolute best martial arts film ever made. It had huge success in the US and all over the world but originally came out in Hong Kong. Bruce Lee’s crowning achievement.

     

    Shannon

    1. Merlin – I need to catch up, but I love this show. It follows the general story but puts some different twists on it.
    2. Sailor Moon – I haven’t seen this show in ages but it was what got me into anime originally and probably made me who I am today.
    3. Any Korean Soap Opera – These are sort of a guilty pleasure for me. They aren’t like the crazy American soaps, they’re much more real.
    4. Kiki’s Delivery Service – I mentioned this movie recently is another Friday Five. I really is one of my favorites.
    5. ReBoot – I had to look it up, but this show is Canadian. It’s another of my favorites from my childhood. I loved it so much that I name my daughter after one of the characters.

     

    Eric

      Well. . . I generally focus on american make TV shows and movies. While I’m not hugely into anime, there was a time that I was. Chances are most of this will be anime. . .

    1. Doctor Who – My wife and I recently began watching this one. Maybe a month ago. We’re only a season behind at this point. Fantastic show, wish I’d have watched it sooner.
    2. Full Metal Alchemist – This is another one that I watched with my wife. It’s a great show! We need to get around to watching the new series, Brotherhood.
    3. Dragon Ball Z – It’s not my favorite show, and I think I’ve spent more time making fun of it than actually watching it. Dragon Ball Z is, however, my first forray into anime, and as a result it holds a special place for me. It’s over the top, and hilarious.
    4. Degrassi -I don’t know what it is about this show, when it’s on I can’t turn it off. I don’t even like it that much, but I love it still. . . I think I need to sign up for cable again. . .
    5. Red Dwarf – I used to watch this show, along with Robot Wars, when it aired on PBS when I was younger. It was a hilarious show, but most of the humor went over my head for multiple reasons. For starters, it’s British, and I was 12. . . ish. Regardless, it was hilarious!

     

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    Take It Or Leave It – February 20, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-20-2013/ Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:03:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12020 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week's newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf. It's that time again, new comics came out on Wednesday and One-Quest is here to help you decide which ones are worth your time and hard earn cash.]]>
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s that time again, new comics came out on Wednesday and One-Quest is here to help you decide which ones are worth your time and hard earn cash. There were some new series starting this week like Nova and a new G.I. Joe along with the continuing adventures of some of the best heroes out there like Superior Spider-Man, Nightwing, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to name a few.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris

    I’m pretty conflicted this week, on one hand there were some books I really loved and I have been into them for a while. But there were also books that I loved that I really don’t want to! I know that probably makes little sense at this point, but you’ll see soon enough.


    Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Dark Watch #1
    Creators: Barker – Seifert – Garcia
    Boom! Studios
    This is a first, I’ve never read any of the Hellraiser books before, and to be honest I haven’t seen any of the films since I was a kid. I was kind of confused for a little while, but this opening issue was a nice setup if you only have a vague knowledge of the Hellraiser universe. It seems like a lot of the characters are from previous incarnations of the series, so there’s a lot of assumption as you read. Characters seem to know each other and have a history that isn’t fully explained. Hopefully the characters that are introduced are fairly stable, several things are introduced fairly quickly right up to the final page. It’s really enough to make a new reader weary of continuing. The funny thing is a lack of understanding actually works in the books favor, as long as you stay with it with an open mind. The mystery of who these people are and how they’re connected definitely keeps the reader invested, it may not be the best book on the stands, but I’m at least interested to see what happens next.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Fanboys Vs. Zombies #11
    Creators: Humphries – Houghton – Gaylord
    Boom! Studios
    This is a book that I’m sure plenty of people have scoffed at. Written it off as just some silly book full of geeky pop culture references and zombie fighting. A bunch of nerds that wouldn’t have lasted 2 minutes in The Walking Dead taking on hordes of the undead. Well you were totally right, but so incredibly wrong. Issue 11 of Fanboys Vs. Zombies is the first I’ve read and it started out with a Men In Black references and that’s where it hooked me. This isn’t a book for everyone, you know if you hate jokes, action, zombies, all the fun stuff. Sure there is a ton of zombie related material out there, but much like Zombieland this book seems to poke fun at it more than most of that other stuff. It’s not ground breaking, and you’re certainly going to see certain things coming, but it is a lot of fun. If you want a lighter book, but don’t want to forgo the action from the superhero worlds this may be just the right book for you. I’ll be going back and reading the first 10 issues soon, just to see where this book started, but even starting at issue 11 I was able to get mostly caught up by the end of the issue and it’s shocking final page!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Green Lantern #17
    Creators: Johns – Mahnke – Jurgens – Jimenez – Nguyen – Irwin
    DC Comics
    I’m lost, Green Lantern 17 proves exactly what’s wrong with crossovers. Where Death of the Family crossed over into the various Bat-Family books you could get the whole story while just reading Batman. This Rise of the Third Army / Wraith of the First Lantern thing is impossible to follow without reading all of the lantern books. Multiple times in this issue there were editor notes telling you to check a previous issues of another series for the full story and it ended with a “To Be Continued. . .” in a DIFFERENT SERIES! If you don’t read all of the lantern books this is terrible, it’s not that I’m against them, but like many others I just can’t afford to read that many books. Issue 17 of Green Lantern is 100% not new reader friendly, hell it’s not old reader friendly unless you’ve read every other Lantern book in the last few months. The issues picks up after the events of Green Lantern Corps Annual (I think), and drops a reader right into it not knowing how the characters got there. This would probably be a decent issue if I knew what was going on, but having to make assumptions and guesses just isn’t worth it.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Nightwing #17
    Creators: Higgins – Ryp – Bonet
    DC Comics
    Boy Dick is not handling the fallout from Death of the Family to well, regardless of how often he tells people he’s fine. I feel like Dick got wrecked the most during the Jokers plan. Sure Barbara had to confront her fears of the past, and Damien had to confront his fears of losing his father. I don’t really know what Tim or Jason dealt with but I’m sure it wasn’t a good time. Dick though lost a lot, people he promised to keep safe got killed, and the thing he was trying to build, the life he was trying to have just got ripped out from under him. As he says several times in issue 17, he’s suppose to be the rock of the group, if he’s hurting and having doubts what’s that say about everyone else’s situation. It really shows his character more so than we’ve seen in a while. In the end Robin came to the rescue, being wise beyond his years and giving his former partner a lot to think about. I don’t know why this issue was reviewed poorly on a few other sites, it was a solid outing for Nightwing and this post Death of the Family world that the Bat-Family now lives in. My biggest problem with this was actually the artist change, I’ve enjoyed Eddy Barrows on this book since the beginning, and actually considered getting Teen Titans just because he moved over to it. Now Ryp wasn’t bad, but the characters just looked weird, especially Damien he looked to tall and older. Don’t let that sway you though, Nightwing 17 was a good read and it’s definitely the first step to Dick taking his life in a different direction.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    G.I. Joe #1
    Creators: Van Lente – Kurth
    IDW Publishing
    Growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s who didn’t love G.I. Joe. Sure it was just another one of those Hasbro franchises they made a cartoon out of to push toys. But that didn’t matter because it was fun, and the toys were fun. So 20 some odd years later I’m reading my first Joe comic, and while I’m a little confused since it’s kind of a continuation of a previous series, but it was good. There was plenty of setup and character introductions for newcomers, and a good amount of humor. Action was a little lacking, but not missing altogether, it is a first issue after all. So basically if like me, you thought Rise of Cobra was actually a pretty entertaining movie, and you’re looking forward to Retaliation, you’ll probably enjoy this book. It’s as new reader friendly as you’ll get with a sequel, and I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of nostalgia in coming issues.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #19
    Creators: Eastman – Waltz – Bates – Pattison
    IDW Publishing
    Remember how I said something about Nostalgia like 2 seconds ago? Yeah you do, well here’s the biggest dose of nostalgia you’re going to get. TMNT has been a great run since it started, and issue 19 keeps it going. The series is fresh and fun with tons of throwbacks to the heyday of the ’80s and ’90s Turtlemania. If you’re one of the old school fans who got angry at the Michael Bay fiasco last year, you’re probably stewing even more with the announcement of Megan Fox as April. Well fear not, IDW’s ongoing will renew your faith and fill your need for heroes in the half shell. Hopefully that wasn’t to ridiculous to turn you off to this series. With turtles in Dimension X and all the crazy going on it’s as compelling a read as anything else. You want to turn the page and see what happens next, even when there’s no real action going on. Everything just feels like it’s building to a huge showdown with Turtles, the Foot, and Krangs army and if the pace and caliber keeps up it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Saga #10
    Creators: Vaughan – Staples
    Image Comics
    I really hate Saga, every month it comes out and I just get angry at it, because it’s just so good. I know, I know, that really doesn’t make sense, but it’s true. Every month this book just keeps getting better, and makes everything else feel weaker. There hasn’t been a bad issue yet, and for a series coming up on it’s first years worth of issues that’s pretty impressive. This weird combination of spacey Sci-Fi and family drama is so compelling and doesn’t make any sense. Everything that’s good is somehow part of this series. With issue 10, the family is back together and some of their not-fans are hot on their tails. We even get some more history between Alana and Marko, and just how they ended up on the run from two different armies. Oh and there’s a giant planet baby monster thing lets not forget that part.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Avengers #6
    Creators: Hickman – Kubert – Martin
    Marvel Comics
    It would be easy to just copy past what I said about issue 5 here and change a few names. This book just doesn’t feel like an Avengers book, it’s more like one of those old anthology series where every book featured a different hero. We just keep getting “Oh yea this guy you’ve never heard of before, yea he’s cool and here’s why he’s important to you” and well no, just no. I want to see Hulk smash, and Captain America punch people in the face. Yes I’m aware if I want that I could read Hulk or Cap’s solo titles. But why can’t I see them do that together? I’ve said it before, Avengers is Earths Mightiest Heroes, and while these new recruits are powerful (mostly) they’re not our Mightiest Heroes. Okay now that I’ve complained, lets look at the positives, the history for this new Captain Universe seems interesting. It’s not something I want to here about for an entire issues, but it was emotional and that’s always a positive. The Spider-Man pages were actually pretty good, and once again make you wonder, why the hell aren’t people realizing something’s wrong. Peter Parker LIVED with Tony stark, they were like BFF’s, I get he’s busy but how does he not see a problem with Pete’s behavior? Oh well, I feel like this was a nice setup for whatever that Fired! arc coming up is. Once again though, Avengers falls short, it seems like a lot of other sites are praising this book. It’s got to be a case of hero worship though. They see a guy who had a very acclaimed run on Fantastic Four, and a book that every comic fan should love and feel like it’s good no matter what. Shame that’s not the case.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Captain Marvel #10
    Creators: Deconnick – Andrade – Bellaire
    Marvel Comics
    Captain Marvel 10 is one of those character driven stories that just really work sometimes. Carol wasn’t time traveling or battling underwater monsters. She was living in denial! After last issues hectic schedule and the final reveal by her doctor Captain Marvel isn’t really doing so well. And she just wont admit to it at all. Her friends are all trying to help but as anyone would do in this situation she’s pushing them away. Carol is a strong character, fierce and stubborn so being told she can’t do something is like saying “I dare you to do this” and that’s what makes this story work. There was some great scenes with supporting characters, and a really interesting interaction with a neighbor. Of course we finish up the issue with action and the return of a villain that I’ve never seen before, but apparently has history with Carol. Marvel is doing great with giving their generally team oriented heroes this solo books. Captain Marvel, along with a few other solo books, is one of the best books Marvel is putting out right now and it just goes to prove we don’t need huge earth shattering events in every book to make a good super hero comic.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Indestructible Hulk #4
    Creators: Waid – Yu – Alanguilan – Gho
    Marvel Comics
    I can’t really explain why I like this book so much, nothing has really happened so far, but I keep coming back every month ready for more. Hulk was always one of those characters I steered away from, it’s not that I hated him, I just wasn’t interested. Then Mark Waid came along and screwed that all up! I’m enjoying this weird dynamic he’s created with Banner and the Hulk. They both get to do what they want without being a problem for the other. I do hope we get a few issues soon that are primarily Banner and we get to see exactly how he’s coping with his other half. Sure it’s cool to see Hulk wreck bad guys, but how’s Banner dealing with all this. His home is. . . Well barely a home. And we’ve yet to learn who is ‘partner’ is that’s got his back should things take a turn for the worse. This book is still early enough that’s it’s pretty easy to jump on and not be confused, if you wait any longer it’s definitely going to get tougher. The man cast seems to be decided, and the first real multi-issue story is just getting started.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Morbius The Living Vampire #2
    Creators: Keatinge – Elson – Fabela
    Marvel Comics
    I just don’t expect Morbius to be a good read, but it is! Issue 2 continues where the first left off. We get a lot more interaction with Michael and other people which is nice, and they’re not all assholes either. This his really an interesting concept. So far Michael isn’t a hero, but he’s not an anti-hero either. He’s not out there looking for justice, or trying to save the world. He just wants to be normal again. I’m sure as the series goes on he’s going to become more of that protector type of guy, looking out for the people around him. But for the time being his skewed perspective a actually kind of fresh.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10


    Nova #1
    Creators: Loeb – McGuinness – Vines – Garcia
    Marvel Comics
    Nova is a pretty cool character, well the Nova I knew in other stuff, this one is totally new. With Nova #1 we’re giving an origin for this new recruit. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but the framing is interesting for Nova fans. And there inclusion of Rocket Raccoon makes everything okay. The biggest hurdle this series is going to have is the unpredictable Jeph Loeb. Yes he’s a great writer, and has done some seriously influential stories but he’s pretty sporadic and suffers from really bad delays. Remember Ultimate X? If Marvel can keep a decent release schedule for this book, and we get through this origin story quick enough we’re looking a series that could be great. We got to see this Nova in AvX, and he was fun there now we get to see where he came from. And hopefully how he came to be involved in the Phoenix story, well without treading over old ground anyway. I’ll definitely be giving Nova a chance and see where Loeb and McGuinness take the character.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10


    Savage Wolverine #2
    Creators: Cho – Keith
    Marvel Comics
    This is a simple one, if you’re not a Frank Cho fan then there’s no reason to read this book. It’s really just another book for Wolverine to stab things, but without the depth and story you can get elsewhere. Sure it looks pretty, but there’s plenty of other lighter reads with just as impressive artwork. I actually stopped reading this issue, read something else, then went back to it. That’s how uninteresting it was, Wolverine is a fun character, but I think he’s got himself in enough titles right now.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Superior Spider-Man #4
    Creators: Slott – Camuncoli – Delgado
    Marvel Comics
    Man, Otto is a jerk and as much as he should be hated, I just can’t bring myself to it. It seems to be a running theme this week that my emotions are all kinds of conflicted over comics. So Superior Spider-Man keeps walking this weird line between being awesome and being the worst thing ever. The story is cool, and I love it, but I hate everything about it at the same time. I think that’s how it should be though, no matter how much he’s trying Otto is still a bad guy, he’s been a bad guy for as long as Spidey has been a hero. Issue 4 just keeps driving that home, and it’s getting series with the return of Massacre. This character creates a huge conflict to the oath Peter made against Otto wanting to stop a killer once and for all. If you happened to read the solicitations for the coming issues of Superior Spider-Man you know there is going to be some more status quo changes coming, whether it’s good or bad is yet to be seen. But this strong start that Otto is having, for better or worse, is going to have a huge impact on Spidey for a long time.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Ultimate Comics Ultimates #21
    Creators: Humphries – Eaton – Magyar – Hennessy – Milla
    Marvel Comics
    I’ve been pretty down on the Ultimate books for a while now, and while I wasn’t excited for this book by the time I sat down and read it I started to remember why I loved this world to begin with. Ultimate 21 isn’t the best of the series, and it still suffers from confusion and rushed conclusions but the hints that have been thrown around and the allusions to more 616 stories getting their ultimate twist makes me excited for the future of this line. If you’ve been bored with the recent Ultimates stuff, or haven’t read it in a while you’re in for a treat with this issue. Now lets see how they carry it out, and whether it can really deliver what this universe really needs.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland #8
    Creators: Gregory – Goh – Grostieta
    Zenescope Entertainment
    Wonderland is an interesting story, there’s so much jumping around and confusion that it makes you want to keep reading just to see what’s going on, and I like it. Issue 8 has nothing really happening at first in the ‘real world’ Violet and Harmony hit up a club and have some fun. Obviously Cali isn’t going to be happy about this, but that’s the whole point of having a teenager. Even if you are on the run from supernatural forces bent on making your lives a living hell. On the other side of the coin though is the Red Queen confronting the Queen of Spades in a fight for whether she gets to leave or has to stick around. I know that’s weird but it worked and adds that little bit of action the story needs. I wouldn’t say this was a great issue, and certainly not a good place to jump on. If you’ve been following for a while though it’s looking to be a great setup for the next issue just judging by the last few pages.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10



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    Watch_Dogs for Wii U? https://one-quest.com/blog/watch_dogs-for-wii-u/ Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:11:09 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12247 Alex Pearce using his cellphone to hack identities in Watch_Dogs

    So! At the eve of the announcement for Watch_Dogs release on the PS4, Ubsoft sent out a wonderful press release. It details the game and the nature of the announcement for PS4, but it’s not until the very last paragraph that I get a little excited. . . It looks like Watch_Dogs is coming to the Wii U! And I really can’t think of a better fit for this game. Imagine having access to Aiden Pearces’ cell phone on your GamePad at all times. The possibilities with this game centered around the use of technology and portable devices, just seems limitless with the use of the Wii Us GamePad!

    Let’s just hope it isn’t squandered on a mindless port. . .

    Full Press Release Below

    UBISOFT®’S GROUNDBREAKING NEW TITLE
    WATCH_DOGS™ TO DEBUT ON PLAYSTATION®4 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AT LAUNCH

    Ubisoft® Showcases Exclusive Live Demo at PlayStation® Meeting 2013

    NEW YORK – February 20, 2013 – Today, following the announcement of the PlayStation®4 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE), Ubisoft® revealed that its highly anticipated open world action-adventure game, Watch_Dogs™, will be available for the launch of the new system.

    As demonstrated onstage today at PlayStation Meeting 2013, Watch_Dogs’ ambitious scope illustrates that Ubisoft is once again at the forefront of new technologies, giving freedom to development teams to create unprecedented entertainment experiences. Development of Watch_Dogs is being led by Ubisoft Montreal, with support from Ubisoft’s Bucharest, Paris, Quebec and Reflections studios. Receiving more than 83 awards and nominations at E3 2012 where it was first announced, Watch_Dogs blends cutting-edge technologies and sophisticated game design into a realistic, living open world.

    In Watch_Dogs, players will experience the realities of living in our fully connected society, where individuals and corporations are at risk of exposure by our ever-increasing reliance on networks and technology.

    Players will assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a new type of vigilante who, with the help of his smartphone, will use his ability to hack into Chicago’s central operating system (ctOS) and control almost every element of the city. Aiden will be able to tap into the city’s omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control systems such as traffic lights or public transportation to stop a chase, and more. The city of Chicago is now the ultimate weapon.

    “Ubisoft has a strong history of supporting new technologies with unique and creative offerings,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer, Ubisoft. “The power and capability of the PS4 allows the Watch_Dogs team to further push the boundaries of what was previously thought possible in interactive entertainment.”

    Watch_Dogs will be available on PS4 at launch, along with its release on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii U™ system from Nintendo and Windows PC.

    Stay connected to Watch_Dogs by visiting the official website: http://www.watchdogsgame.com,
    Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/watchdogsgame
    and Twitter account: http://twitter.com/watchdogsgame

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    TheNewBoston – indiegogo https://one-quest.com/blog/thenewboston-indiegogo/ Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:43:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12060 TheNewBoston.org. From there I got into Javascript, Visual Basic and PHP...]]>
    I have a thirst for knowledge. Ever since I can remember I have loved learning new things. I have two much older sisters, 5 and 8 years older to be exact. Growing up with them I remember coming home from school and watching them do their homework, asking them questions about what they’re doing, what they’ve learned. I was especially interested in math and science. As I grew up, I was always looking outside the normal means of learning to, well, anything I could get my hands on. Once I really got into the internet anything I wanted to learn was at my fingertips.

    A couple of years ago, I decided I I finally wanted to get into programming. It had been something I was always interested in, really. Now that I was ready to start, I did what most people would do. I Googled programming tips and tutorials. As anyone would expect, thousands of  results popped up. I tried a few of them. I particularly liked Hackety Hack. It was set up in a side-by-side fashion teaching you Ruby. Someone suggested Codecademy.com. That went fairly well, but I have this issue with reading and retention and comprehension. Looking for an alternative to Ruby and and a more in depth look into Java, I turned to Youtube.

    I figured I could have the videos up on a second monitor so I wouldn’t have to snap the video, allowing me to snap the code and terminal so I don’t have to tab back and forth on my main monitor. On Youtube, I found a great video tutorial on Java from a guy named Bucky. Later, I would realize that he had a full site devoted to tutorials at TheNewBoston.org. From there I got into Javascript, Visual Basic and PHP. The thing that I found most useful on his videos is that he starts from the ground up. He’ll explain how and where to get whatever resources needed to perform the coding including utilities and environments. He walks you through installing things like Apache for PHP and MySQL, Microsoft Framework 4.0 for Visual Basic and even things like Eclipse or Notepad++/Programmers Notepad for writing the code.

    In every tutorial of his I’ve watched, you’re quickly taught basic code and eventually build up from there to create more complex, and useful, programs. You might be asking yourself why I’m talking about Bucky and TheNewBoston.org. Mainly I’d like to express my gratitude for all of his work. If you’ve thought about learning programming, or other things (the site has tutorials for basic math, biology, physics and more), check out the site. Another reason I took the time to talk about TheNewBoston is Bucky started an indiegogo for a project he’d like to get off the ground. It’s an open source social network geared toward techies. With all of the videos I’ve watched of his, and the amount he’s taught me about programming alone, I’m supporting his effort for the site. I want to get the word out as far as I can throw it, so check it out, tell a friend and if you’re interested enough, support his cause.

    Open Source Social Network IndieGoGo, By TheNewBoston.org

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    PlayStation 2013 Announcement LiveBlog https://one-quest.com/blog/playstation-2013-announcement-liveblog/ https://one-quest.com/blog/playstation-2013-announcement-liveblog/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:16:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=12042

    Today marks the day of future. Or something. . . We still aren’t 100% sure what Sony is doing tonight, but we’re expecting an announcement for the next new Sony home console, the PlayStation 4. Expectations are high for this machine. Rumors are rampant! We’re hearing leaks of pricing in the lower $400 range, release dates sometime this November, anti-used game measures, streaming game services, controllers with touch pads, cloud services, etc. It’s a lot to take in, but one thing is certain: We really have no idea what we’re going to hear tonight, but we’re flippin’ excited!

    Join us tonigt at 6PM EST as we liveblog our reactions to Sony’s big announcement. The future is here. Or so we’re being told. . .

    08:23pm by Eric

    The event has ended, and I must say I am impressed. Not by the pretty graphics, but by the creativity behind the console. It looks like Sony has finally gotten their act together and realized that to get ahead in this industry you need to be creative. They just also happened to pack in some monstrous hardware.

    Not much was shown off with the new controller, which was to be expected. Seriously, what are the devs going to do with a front facing touchpad in the middle of the controller?! I like the integration of Move, and the new Move camera too. It looked really awesome when Media Molecule showed off their new creative tools.

    Quite a few games were shown off/announced, but nothing that really makes me want to own a PS4 at launch. The few that did (Watch Dogs, Diablo III, and Destiny) are all available on the PS3, and, in Diablo’s case, PC! I did like the look of the new Infamous, and The Witness. My favorite had to be Capcoms “Deep Down.” I really want to see more from that one.

    The social features are interesting, but again, nothing really mind blowing. The shared videos is pretty cool, as is the ability to watch others play. I was a fan of the announced streaming services. I love the try it before you buy it mentality!

    Overall, I’m excited. Once a price is announced I’ll determine if I need one at launch, or if I should go on a nice vacation instead! Don’t forget to share your thought in the comments below!

    08:06pm by Walnut

    I may wait until the Microsoft announcement, but looks like if i have to choose from the PS4 and X-Box this holiday season, I’m probably going to go PS4. If Microsoft makes some changes to the live store then it will be a tough decision but right now I’m leaning toward PS4… Who am i kidding, I’m going to start saving now for both!

    08:05pm by Eric

    PlayStation 4 Coming Holiday 2013! ^_^

    08:05pm by Drootin

    Holiday 2013 that should say. Disappointed but not surprised to not learn the price point.

    08:02pm by Eric

    Destiny also available on the PS3 with exclusive content coming to both PlayStation consoles! Nice partnership Sony!

    07:59pm by Eric

    DESTINY by Bungie for PS4! ^_^ This game is going to be sweet!

    07:57pm by Eric

    Duke nukem Forever was NEVER, and I mean NEVER, canceled. Ever. Get your shit straight.

    07:56pm by Walnut

    So was Duke Nukem Forever and that was released

    07:56pm by Drootin

    WHY ARENT WE GOING TO PAX EAST!!!!!!!!!!!

    07:56pm by Eric

    StarCraft Ghost is canceled. It was canceled 5 years ago.

    07:54pm by Drootin

    And PS3!!!!!

    07:54pm by Eric

    DIABLO III for PS4!

    07:54pm by Drootin

    DIABLO ON PS4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    07:53pm by Walnut

    Blizzard title for PS4, what culd it be? Starcraft Ghost?

    07:52pm by Eric

    Diablo III for PS4? Or Titan?

    07:52pm by Drootin

    WHAT!? BLIZZARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    07:52pm by Eric

    BLIZZARD!

    07:51pm by Drootin

    Watch Dogs sure looks like a total must have

    07:43pm by Eric

    UbiSoft takes the stage! Watch Dogs!!!!

    07:43pm by Drootin

    Not true on the 360 with 1080p, not native anyway, but thats besides the point, now its time for Watch_Dogs

    07:42pm by Eric

    New Final Fantasy announcement at E3!

    07:41pm by Eric

    Shinji Hashimoto! Director of Final Fantasy! FFX HD?

    07:40pm by Eric

    It may not be Versus XIII, but it’s better then nothing! :p

    07:37pm by Eric

    is Agni’s Philosophy really FFXV?

    07:36pm by Eric

    A very small number on PS3 are 1080. In fact most third party titles are 1080 on 360. . .

    07:36pm by Walnut

    kingdom hearts 3?

    07:35pm by Eric

    Those don’t exist. Stop being dumb.

    07:35pm by Drootin

    Square-Enix on stage now

    07:35pm by Eric

    SQUARE ENIX!

    07:35pm by Drootin

    Maybe?? But keep in mind a very small number of games are native 1080p so there’s that

    07:35pm by Walnut

    yeah we are going to need 4D tvs lol

    07:33pm by Eric

    Ok, the big question, are we going to need new TVs to take advantage of this system? I mean, there’s just no way this is just 1080p!

    07:33pm by Walnut

    This is some crazy realtime Graphics!

    07:32pm by Drootin

    DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    07:29pm by Eric

    By the way, Capcom is in stage now.

    07:28pm by Eric

    Sorry, couldn’t say that with a straight face. . . :-p

    07:27pm by Eric

    NEW MEGAMAN?!

    07:27pm by Drootin

    Any guesses anyone???

    07:27pm by Drootin

    OOOO 3rd Party game time!!!!!

    07:26pm by Drootin

    That was cool. WAY more creative than I could ever be!

    07:25pm by Eric

    This is hilarious! Go Media molecule for being incredibly creative and unique!

    07:24pm by Walnut

    it’d be cool if they added a 3D printer too lol

    07:23pm by Eric

    Wow. . . using the PSMove controller to create 3D sculptures. That’s pretty cool!

    07:21pm by Drootin

    Cat Kratos lol

    07:20pm by Eric

    Media Molecule on stage now! ^_^

    07:19pm by Drootin

    Awwww no Beyond gameplay????

    07:19pm by Drootin

    JESUS H. CHRIST THAT IS DETAILED

    07:18pm by Eric

    Here comes the false promises with the graphics. . . Wait, this is Quantic Dreams? IT’S GOTTA BE TRUE!!!

    07:18pm by Walnut

    Anyone want to re-watch the Killzone 4 Demo? I just shared it on our Facebook check it out.

    07:16pm by Drootin

    Can’t wait to see what they have done with Beyond since e3

    07:15pm by Eric

    Quantic Dreams! ^_^ These guys know what gaming is all about!

    07:13pm by Walnut

    This guy puts so much into his games!

    07:12pm by Eric

    The Witness, by Johnathan Blow, is a PS4 exclusive!

    07:11pm by Walnut

    Sounds like an intense Puzzle game!!!

    07:09pm by Eric

    Self publishing for indie devs! Bodes well for us! Also, Johnathan Blow, creator of Braid, on stage.

    07:09pm by Drootin

    The one thing that has been working this whole stream is the counter of the number of people watching…

    07:08pm by Walnut

    i need to play infamous 2 to know wth is going on

    07:07pm by Eric

    Infamous: Second Son. interesting. . . Better get to Infamous 2!

    07:07pm by Drootin

    Eric wins!

    07:06pm by Eric

    This is sooooooo iNfamous 3!

    07:06pm by Drootin

    Nope, not Watch_Dogs, but it is a new Sucker Punch game Eric

    07:04pm by Walnut

    You think if you get a wide enough screen you don’t need to move the characters, just yours lol 🙂

    07:04pm by Eric

    New Infamous? I hope so!

    07:04pm by Drootin

    Watch_Dogs?

    07:04pm by Drootin

    The level of detail they put into the cars is outlandish

    07:01pm by Drootin

    I’m not big into racing games, but something like this with teams and group challenges might get me interested

    07:01pm by Walnut

    New Race wheel peripheral? maybe?

    07:00pm by Eric

    Driveclub is only playable in First Person, to get you as close as you can to the cars.

    07:00pm by Walnut

    User Created challenges, I like that!!!

    06:58pm by Eric

    Evolution Studio that is. They’re talking about Driveclub.

    06:58pm by Walnut

    if this is a team street racing game… im sold!!! otherwise, next!

    06:58pm by Eric

    This studio wanted to make the game for so long they trademarked the game 9 years ago!

    06:57pm by Walnut

    Nah not Gran Tourismo, it will be out in like 3 years.

    06:57pm by Eric

    Nope. . . DriveClub. Interesting.

    06:57pm by Eric

    HAHAHAHA! Agreed! Looks like a new Gran Turismo?

    06:56pm by Drootin

    Glad to know the Killzone devs remember what other colors look like =p

    06:56pm by Eric

    It’ll more then likely be available on the PSN soon.

    06:55pm by Drootin

    Its a shame the feed is only 480p, would love to know how this looks uncompressed

    06:54pm by Drootin

    This does look DAMN good.

    06:52pm by Eric

    Ok. . . This looks better then anything running on Frostbite!

    06:50pm by Eric

    In all seriousness, if this is real time, I’m going to cry. . .

    06:49pm by Eric

    These pre-rendered graphics look amazing!

    06:47pm by Eric

    KillZone 4? Take a shot! :-p

    06:47pm by Eric

    Michael Denny from Worldwide Studios is on stage. Here comes some games!

    06:45pm by Walnut

    Devs are more excited about the share button then the touchpad. It is a good idea!

    06:44pm by Eric

    That. . . Doesn’t make sense. . . Microsoft doesn’t allow you to play 360 and PC games anywhere. PSCloud will. Supposedly.

    06:42pm by Walnut

    Basically they are doing what Microsoft did to allow you to play Original Xbox GAmes on the 360 just on the cloud.

    06:41pm by Eric

    PlayStation Cloud will allow you to play everything everywhere. PSone, PS2, PS3 game all streaming to your PS4 and Vita. Interesting. . .

    06:39pm by Walnut

    What i want to see is the ability to play games and have say an app like pandora play in the backgrounnd of the system

    06:39pm by Eric

    No Backward Compatibility with even PS3 games.

    06:37pm by Eric

    Remote play lets you play full PS4 games over your Vita, similar to the Wii U GamePad.

    06:36pm by Walnut

    IGN SUCKS WITH THIS!!!!!

    06:36pm by Eric

    Remote Play with Vita, SmartPhones, and Tablets. Preferred Vita.

    06:35pm by Drootin

    This idea of allowing people to remotely jump in to help you is a crazy idea

    06:35pm by Eric

    Interact with them as they play, give them tips, or just jump into your own game and stay in contact.

    06:34pm by Eric

    Share button on the controller lets you share your videos and let your friends watch your games.

    06:34pm by Drootin

    There it is! Cross game chat

    06:33pm by Walnut

    EXACTLY!!!!

    06:33pm by Eric

    If there isn’t cross game chat, they aren’t doing it right.

    06:33pm by Walnut

    Live streaming demos and if you don’t like it you don’t buy it not bad

    06:33pm by Eric

    Stream the games instantly form PSN to try them out! No need to purchase untill you reach a certain point and decide you want the game.

    06:31pm by Walnut

    it looks like they are doing good with the online social network for psn but i cant remember if they said if there is going to be cross game chat?

    06:30pm by Eric

    So social stuff, a new controller, and a game that I would not have expected to be announced. What’s next? Cloud gaming with David Perry.

    06:29pm by Walnut

    im convinced Cerney is a machine that’s why he is so creepy

    06:29pm by Walnut

    The machines are taking over!!!!!!

    06:28pm by Eric

    PS4 can read your mind and DL games before you know you want them.

    06:28pm by Drootin

    PS4 is Skynet, it will buy games for you on its own

    06:28pm by Walnut

    so its faceb… psn mobile?

    06:27pm by Eric

    You can check friends list, watch their videos posted, and even chat.

    06:27pm by Walnut

    don’t forget to allow you to help your friends midfgame

    06:27pm by Eric

    SmartPhone app allows you to brows the new PSN anywhere.

    06:26pm by Eric

    New Social tolls that allow you to watch friends play games, and post videos from your current gaming session.

    06:25pm by Walnut

    Standby console feature, that will be nice until your power goes out

    06:25pm by Eric

    PS4 Dashboard anyone?

    06:25pm by Eric

    Suspend your game and switch to other “apps.” Then resume to the previous game or app without losing progress. . .

    06:23pm by Drootin

    THIS IS THE WORST FEED EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    06:23pm by Walnut

    he has MANY parts to him with separate movements and interactions. they are displaying the “millino piece” thing that was previously discuessed

    06:23pm by Eric

    I mean, it’s got some high quality effects going on, but seriously. . . You should start off with something explosive and beautiful like Agni’s Philosophy.

    06:22pm by Drootin

    Not at all what I would have thought the 1st game they would show for PS4 would look like

    06:22pm by Eric

    Ok. . . But what about this game can’t be accomplished on the current consoles? Obviously not the graphics. . .

    06:21pm by Walnut

    MARBLE MADNESS 2 AN EPIC ADVENTURE??? PLEASE!!!!!

    06:20pm by Eric

    New game!

    06:20pm by Walnut

    so the touch pad is for online mouse scrolling? i dont think it is necessary at all

    06:19pm by Eric

    GDDR5 being used in the PS4.

    06:19pm by Walnut

    Headphone jack to use a wired headset… ive had that on the Xbox 360 since launch. sorry

    06:19pm by Eric

    That’s not a screen. . . it’s a TouchPad walnut.

    06:18pm by Drootin

    Not a screen Walnut, its like the back touch pad of the Vita

    06:18pm by Drootin

    That light bar looks awful lot like the Kinect

    06:18pm by Eric

    Ok headphone jack and Light bar are pretty cool. And a new Move update. O.O

    06:18pm by Walnut

    8GB of ram… not bad, but i want to know what they plan with online… i guess they took note from nintendo and put a screen in the controller

    06:17pm by Eric

    DualShock 4 has the stupid touchpad. . .

    06:16pm by Walnut

    Mark Cerney is kinda creepy

    06:16pm by Eric

    Ok, tech stuff: PS3 Based off of PC Architecture to make programming easier. Also 8GB ram! ad Local HDD.

    06:15pm by Eric

    Those guys that think they know what they’re doing?

    06:15pm by Drootin

    They should have contacted us!!!! Don’t they know who we are???

    06:14pm by Eric

    Didn’t know who to contact.

    06:14pm by Drootin

    Ok good, and its only in NYC why didnt we?? =P

    06:13pm by Eric

    Oh it’s everyone. . . Guess we should have secured some passes to this one. :-p

    06:12pm by Walnut

    They making a Marble madness 2????

    06:11pm by Eric

    Mark Cerney on stage to talk PS4.

    06:11pm by Drootin

    Is it just me or is the feed REALLY choppy??

    06:11pm by Walnut

    Couple of hours?!?!?!

    06:10pm by Eric

    To bridge mobile and home gaming. Vita and PS4 should integrate flawlessly. Should. . .

    06:10pm by Walnut

    Here we go Playstation 4, what have you got for us sony?

    06:09pm by Eric

    There is it. PS4.

    06:08pm by Eric

    The future of play, and new things to come for PS Vita.

    06:06pm by Chris

    I think Sony and Nintendo might use stock footage for people having fun and just Photoshops their games in their hands

    06:04pm by Eric

    Andrew House on stage speaking British about how awesome PlayStation is.

    06:04pm by Eric

    Ooooooo! The old PlayStation start up music played. :p

    06:02pm by Eric

    PlayStation wants to win the war against reality. Hmmm…

    06:00pm by Eric

    Here we go! ^_^

    05:58pm by Eric

    The playstation link is a bit spotty. . . so if you can put up with Greg Miller you can head to ign for their coverage as well.

    05:56pm by Chris

    Rather than copy/pasting here’s a clickable link!

    https://us.playstation.com/meeting2013/

    05:50pm by Eric

    #PlayStationMemories has been trending on Twitter all day! Have any specific ones you want to share with @One_Quest?

    05:42pm by Eric

    We’re here, and ready for the big news! Have questions? Drop a comment here, send us a tweet @One_Quest, or ask us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OneQuestOnline ^_^

    05:38pm by Eric

    Whoops! Sony’s Event can be watched live at https://us.playstation.com/meeting2013/

    10:33am by Eric

    You should be able to watch the event live here: .

    If that doesn’t look like it’s working by 5:50PM I’ll drop a link to an alternative. ^_^

    10:18am by Eric

    LiveBlog starts at 6PM EST, right here! See you then!

     

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    PS4 – Will it be worth it? https://one-quest.com/blog/ps4-will-it-be-worth-it/ Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:27:03 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11976 PlayStation Logo

    We’re just 2 days away from Sony’s big New York event. Rumors circling this event have it pegged down to be the reveal of the Orbis, or PlayStation 4. Sony hasn’t denied these claims, and in fact has released 3 videos called the Evolution of PlayStation. One video for each of their major home consoles. They’re trying to build up the hype for their announcement, and it seems to be working. I’m just not certain I’m on board yet.

    You can ask anyone at One-Quest and they’ll tell you I was one of the biggest Sony Fanboys of all time. In high school I actually got into arguments over why the PS2 was superior to the original Xbox. Now, we all know that’s true, but it’s completely besides the point. What matters is that somewhere along the line I lost my irrefutable love for the PlayStation. Sure it has the exclusive titles I love, and the controller feels just right to me, but in the end I believe it has to do with the lack of innovation from the console that has sent me away.

    Current rumors flying about point to the PS4 running a 2GB Video card, with 8GB Ram, and an 8 Core CPU. Sounds pretty impressive and significantly more powerful then the PS3. Evidence has also pointed to an update to the long running DualShock series of controllers. This upgrade places a touch pad in the center of the device, in place of the start and select buttons. There’s also the Anti-Used game enforcement, and streaming game services. It sounds like a hefty upgrade, but is it enough?

    Is increasing the specs, and allowing higher definition gaming really the direction we need to move toward? In a time when I can load up Steam and 90% of my library is beautiful 2D Indie games that don’t require half of the PS3’s power, let alone everything the PS4 is rumored to be packed with. Gaming isn’t about who can make the pretties worlds, it’s who can make the most innovative ones. All I see when I look at this console is the false promises of yesteryear. The near photo realistic demos, with full heads of individual strands of hair being heralded as the next coming of the gaming Christ. The lies and bullet points used to sell a piece of hardware over it’s intended purpose. The purpose to sell entertainment, in new, and innovative forms. A purpose most console makers fail to keep mind of. Most, but not all.

    Nintendo would be the company to look toward for innovation, and proper advancement in gaming. The Wii U offers an experience no other console, besides a DS/3DS, can offer. The ability to play and interact with one game in two different instances. To do two entirely separate actions, while still playing one game. Sony and Microsoft see the value in this system, but have been unable to figure out how to properly market it to their followers. Microsoft offers an optional feature, Smartglass, that can only be taken advantage of by using a device that isn’t part of their console in anyway. The thought of putting my controller down to have access to special features on my phone, features that could easily be implemented on the Wii U without the need to separate oneself from their game, seems. . . half assed. It’s like MS wanted to be like the Wii U, but didn’t want to go the whole way. And Sony. . . dear god.

    Look at the prototype controller above. It’s disgusting. The only feature that looks useful here is the concave control sticks. A touch pad? Are you kidding me? This looks about as useful as the sixaxis tech in the current DualShock 3 controllers. A tech that even Sony’s first party titles tend to distance themselves from. I’m sure this touch pad will have it’s uses, for the first few months of gaming. But when it comes down to it, the pad will end up being used for navigation on the Home screen of the Orbis, and go otherwise forgotten. Gestures anyone?

    Prototype Controller for the PlayStation 4

    It looks to me like Sony and Microsoft are just trying to make progress for the sake of progress, without any actual cohesive vision behind their products. More particularly Sony is trying to cash in on the “touch” phenomenon without any idea why of it’s successful to begin with. Touch doesn’t work because it’s there, touch works because it gives players a new way to interact with what’s on screen. It works because we can immediately reach out and move objects, tap them, and push them along, directly. Swiping my finger along a generic surface, that gives me no visual stimulation or tactile response, is not the proper way to implement touch. How many Vita games utilize the rear touch pad? How many PC Gamers prefer the use of a laptop touch pad over a mouse? How many times have I, or anyone else, been compelled to swipe our fingers across our controller just to make Nathan Drake climb a ladder?

    Well. . . Regardless of how I feel the PS4 is coming. The announcement is scheduled for this Wednesday at 6PM EST, in New York. We’ll be live blogging the event, and have a full report after it. Let’s hope Sony has something big planned, because flashy graphics, and false promises won’t do it for me anymore. . . How about you?

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    Friday Five – Romantic Comedies/Chick Flicks https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-romantic-comedieschick-flicks/ Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:48:41 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11958 Multiple Romantic Comedies

    Welcome the the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a Top Five list. This weeks category: Chick Flicks and Romantic Comedies.

    Being primarily men, I figured we’d get a laugh at seeing who’s the lamest of us all by having the least man friendly list. As it turns out. . . we’re all pretty lame.

    Anywho, check out the list, and don’t forget to tell us your favorite chick flicks/romantic comedies in the comments below! Don’t worry, we won’t tell anybody what you pick.

    Chris

    1. The Princess Bride
    2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
    3. Say Anything
    4. Hitch
    5. Crazy, Stupid, Love

     

    The Princess Bride movie poster

    Anthony

    Sometimes a man needs to take a break from blood and gore and cuddle up with his woman. Or sometimes a man just needs a break from blood and gore…

    1. The Five Year Engagement – I feel this movie is extremely underrated. Likely because it is totally a chick flick. Jason Segel is awesome in this and he helped write it, so give it a chance.
    2. An Officer and a Gentlemen – Classic, nothing else to say.
    3. Easy A – Very entertaining movie, and Emma Stone is amazing in it.
    4. I Love You, Man – I understand that this is such a great movie, you probably don’t want to consider it a chick flick. However, the genre is Romantic Comedy so deal with it.
    5. Wedding Crashers – Like I said above, totally counts. Quick! Do something manly!

     

    Movie Poster for The Five Year Engagement

    Audra
    Despite being a female, I’m actually not a big fan of chick flicks. Spending an entire day sobbing into a bowl of ice cream, with an endless amount of snotty tissues by my side, is not exactly my cup of tea. But I suppose there are a few exceptions.

    1. A Knight’s Tale – Heath Ledger is amazing in this. And all of the classic rock songs incorporated in the movie get me pumped.
    2. He’s Just Not That Into You – I will admit that there is one part in this movie that made me swoon. It was the ending to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston’s story. If you dont know it, watch it. 😛
    3. 10 Things I Hate About You – Another Heath Ledger. Fun and cute.
    4. Aladdin – Jasmine is my favorite Disney princess (and yes, she is an actual princess).
    5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

     

    Movie Poster for A Knight's Tale

    Eric
    Chick Flicks aren’t exactly my thing, but I’m never against a touching story. I do have a preference to Romantic Comedies, this way I can feign that I was unaware of the romantic undertones.

    1. Hitch – I saw this one in theatres with a few of the guys from One-Quest. It was totally straight.
    2. Star Wars – In the end, Han get’s the girl. What about Luke? F**k Luke!
    3. I Love You, Man – A romantic comedy of friends, and my most quoted movie of all times. ALL TIMES!
    4. The 40 Year Old Virgin – Primarily a comedy, but it has a bit of that romance thing going for it. Everything about this movies is amazing.
    5. The Princess Bride – I only saw this for the first time about two years ago. It’s amazing, and I wish I’d have seen it sooner!

     

    Movie Poster for Hitch

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – February 13, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-13-2013/ Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:07:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11874

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Big week for comics, and a surprising one too. Death of the Family came to a spectacular end, Uncanny X-Men rebooted, and Cyber Force is still free. There were some big surprises in the books, and some of the books were just surprisingly good. If every week of comics could be this good I would be very happy.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris

    Wow. . .

    Seriously wow. . .

    What a week it has been for comics, not every book was stellar, but that good ones were so good that any bad just didn’t seem to matter anymore. On multiple occasions I found myself holding my breath in shock and fear, laughing a subtle or not so subtle jokes, and even picking up my jaw from the floor after some big reveals.


    Batgirl #17
    Creators: Fawkes – Sampere – Cifuentes
    DC Comics
    ***SPOILER ALERT DON’T READ THIS OR THE COMIC UNTIL AFTER BATMAN #17
    Batgirl 17 is a transition in more than one way. It’s the first issue outside of Death of the Family (which finished up in Batman 17 this week), but it’s also the first issue after what was suppose to be Gail Simone’s last. So we’ve got a ‘guest’ writer in the form of Fawkes for a couple issues than Simone will be back on regular duty. It’s always interesting to see another writers take on a character, and how they see them. As far as Batgirl goes, this wasn’t the best issue of the series so far, but Fawkes did a great job nonetheless. As you can tell by the cover, the book is about James Jr. and Barbara who are both coming out of their respective interactions with The Joker. While a normal issues has the internal conversations coming from Barbara this issue is actually James talking. He’s filling us in on just how crazy obsessed he is with ruining his dear sisters life. If you have a general idea of the Gordon family’s history this is a great jumping on point. If you didn’t realize our favorite Gotham City Police Commissioner had a son, then it’s going to get confusing.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Batman #17
    Creators: Snyder – Capullo – Glapion
    DC Comics
    This is going to be really hard to write without spoilers, in fact I fully intend to fully spoil the hell out of this book later on. For now though lets talk about the issue in as generalized a way as I possibly can. . . It was f’ing awesome! I, like many other comic fans tend to be bitter when it comes to crossovers and such that force you to buy 10 extra books you don’t care about to get the full story. And yes while I have been reading other Death of the Family titles, I by no means read them all. And you know what, I don’t feel like I missed a thing. The main story running through Batman hit every point you really needed, all those other books just showed you how issue 17 really came together. It’s like watching the deleted scenes on a dvd, sure they’re cool and can add to the movie, but if you don’t watch them you still know what happened in the movie.

    This book was as much a psychological attack on the family as a physical one with so many twists and turns I thought I was going to pass out from holding my breath between page turns. Snyder writes the Joker perfectly, every line he speaks I can hear Mark Hamill’s voice in my head and it brings back childhood. There are a few fun nods to past stories and encounters throughout the issue and the final pages really drove home that the Bat-Family is a very different dynamic than it was before. If you’ve been following this story, don’t hesitate to finish it. Death of the Family is easily going to become one of the quintessential books for Batman and Joker fans.

    For every amazing bit of story Scott Snyder has written, Greg Capullo has brought it to life. There are a ton of amazing artists out there, I’m not even going to start to name my favorite. But seriously the life and emotion that Capullo pours into this book month after month is incredible. I mentioned it before in a Batgirl issue, but the Joker alone is something that only he pulls off. This deranged, twisted, mutilated version of an already deranged, twisted, mutilated character takes someone who truly invested in his work. I could probably go on about this for a while so lets just cut it here and make things really simple. Go buy this book, if you have to skip something else you’d normal get to buy it do it and then buy a second copy and give it to a friend, a family member, or hell a complete stranger.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 10/10


    Batman & Robin #17
    Creators: Tomasi – Gleason – Gray
    DC Comics
    ***SPOILER ALERT DON’T READ THIS OR THE COMIC UNTIL AFTER BATMAN #17
    Like Batgirl, Batman and Robin is finished with Death of the Family and starting a new tale away from the terrors of The Joker. This is a really interesting issue as nothing really happens. I kid you not, the whole issue is Bruce, Damien, and Alfred sleeping. Granted while they sleep they dream, but this isn’t like a big Dallas-esq dream sequence or something. These are very obviously dreams and show the inner demons that these characters struggle with. Whether it’s Damien’s desire to be a Wayne before an Al Gul and to prove to his father that he’s truly worthy. Or Bruce’s fears of letting his loved ones down. The best though was Alfred’s, man that guy is awesome! This wasn’t quite as good as the annual that just came out it was still a great issue of Batman and Robin considering there was no real villainous threat. The fact that Tomasi is weaving a lot more emotion into the characters is really helping to define the bond that Bruce and Damien do have.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    America’s Got Powers #5
    Creators: Ross – Hitch
    Image Comics
    I love Bryan Hitch’s artwork, but who doesn’t? But man is there a price to way for such high quality work. Issue one of this series came out last spring. At this point I barely remember what’s happened in the last issue let alone almost a year ago. It’s a real shame too because I feel like this should be a great series, maybe after issue 6 comes out and they release a trade it’ll be more worth buying for now though chapters are to far apart to make a cohesive story for people to follow. If you have been picking it up each. . . time it comes out, then it’s a good issue and you’ll probably enjoy it as much as the previous. You should also probably re-read the last issue so you’re not lost. This is probably one of those rare times where a good book gets a bad verdict. . .

    As a comic goes the story has shifted pretty dramatically, the first issues made it seem like this was going to focus on the reality TV aspect of it all with these evil people pulling the strings from being the curtain. Now though the book has taken a much more political twist and whether that’s a good or bad thing isn’t quite clear yet. I read somewhere else that it feel like this story could either end easily next issue or just open up a whole new can of worms and that really said it perfectly, wish I would have thought of it. The outcome of this issue was kind of predictable after the first few pages, but still had a pretty hard emotional impact which I guess speaks pretty well for the story itself.

    Verdict: Leave It. . . Get the trade

    Score: 7/10


    Bedlam #4
    Creators: Spencer – Rossmo – Irving
    Image Comics
    The first in a trilogy of Nick Spencer books this week is Bedlam #4. I’ve had some pretty good things to say about this series so far and issue 4 keeps delivering. This book hits on a lot of ‘controversial’ topics. Things like religion, death, chronic illness, insanity, pedophilia. This is in no way a book for someone looking to have a good time, if you want that go read Archie. Bedlam makes you think and wonder and cring and think some more. If you’ve ever read something from Spencer before you’ll know it’s something he does well setting up the long game with little pay offs over time. I can’t wait to see what the next issue brings and how/when/if the biggest reveal of all will ever come. And lets not forget the artwork, it’s detailed but chaotic at the same time and makes you feel like you’re actually in a crazy mans head which is the perfect setting for this book!.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Cyber Force #3
    Creators: Silvestri – Pham – Troy – Reglas – Sejic
    Image Comics
    Reading this really makes me wish I would have read the original Cyber Force stuff back in the day. This time around it’s a clean slate and a reboot as part of Top Cows Rebirth. So basically if you’re like me and don’t know much, or anything about Cyber Force you can still read and follow along. The futuristic semi-apocalyptic setting is really interesting and the story behind what’s happening is slowly be revealed, and as it is becomes that much more interesting. On top of that, thanks to a sucessful Kickstater the first 5 issues are free, you can get 1-3 on Comixology right now even.

    I actually read the first 3 issue this time, all to be able to talk about issue 3 today. So since the series is free lets talk about it as a whole. So far each issue has shed a little more light on what the hell is going on and who these characters are. I’m sure old fans will follow along better than new ones, but that doesn’t really matter. If you like alternate timeline X-Men stories this is a great alternative. It’s a weird kind of future setting with weird technological upgrades being done to people and dogs that are also telepathic. But on top of that there’s some fun banter and dialogue plus a number off pop culture references to things like The Walking Dead. Right now there really isn’t any reason not to buy this book it’s free. There’s going to need to be a lot more development and explanation though before this book hits issue 6 (assuming it keeps going) and starts costing money.

    Verdict: Take It (It’s free!)

    Score: 6/10


    Hoax Hunters #7
    Creators: Moreci – Seeley – Medellin
    Image Comics
    Hoax Hunters 6 was my first issue of the series and it intrigued me enough to want to read another issue. So here I am reading another issue, and I must say I’m still intrigued. The story of the Gnomes continue after issue 6 with the guy getting ripped in half and all. And being that I haven’t read anything pre-issue 6 some of the things may be old news, but the characters. . . ability to deal with these situations made this series that much more interesting. I thought it was just some ordinary folks disproving myths, more like Ghost Hunters less like MythBusters. It turns out there is a whole other level of stuff going on and I like that. Some of the reveals in the issue were just the right amount of shock and confusion, and I don’t know what’s with the weird astronaut crow deal but it reminds me of Doctor Who which makes the issue that much better. I can’t say for sure if this is something worth reading from the beginning, or if it’ll even be worth reading in a few more issues but for now I’m looking forward to seeing what came before and what’s coming next.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Morning Glories #24
    Creators: Spencer – Eisma – Esquejo
    Image Comics
    And here we are at part two of the Spencer trilogy. Oh Morning Glories how you keep me confused, angry, and wanting more all at the same time. I think I understand this book, but much like Lost or Doctor Who, trying to explain it would hurt both you and me. So lets do this, lets assume you’ve read the first 23 issues of the series. Obviously Morning Glories Academy is a pretty crappy place to go to school. Everything you could not want to happen in a school seems to happen. And after those last few issues plenty of bad stuff has happened. So now it’s Ike and Jade being interrogated basically. Every ‘present’ scene provides great segues into the flashbacks which focus on Ike and Abraham. We get to actually see what kind of relationship they had and more or less why Ike is such a douche all the time. Jade didn’t have much to do, but she did at least show she’s not totally useless when she quickly thought up her lie to clear her and Ike of doing anything wrong. Well wrong by this schools standards since what they claimed to be doing wouldn’t have flown in my high school.

    The suspense and cliffhangers this series delivers on a regular basis is amazing. Like I mentioned earlier Spencer is really great with long form stories and small pay offs. Usually that kind of thing would drive someone crazy, but his stuff it usually just works and Morning Glories is no exception. Between the crazy story, with no answers and 1,001 questions and the compelling art of Joe Eisma this book just doesn’t do anything wrong. If you’re looking for a different kind of comic that’s not all super heroes or spaceships, but still has that supernatural twist Morning Glories is your new drug of choice.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Fantastic Four #4
    Creators: Fraction – Bagley – Farmer – Mounts
    Marvel Comics
    Fantastic Four certainly isn’t my favorite book, it never has been. I keep coming back month after month and consistently get pleasantly surprised. Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley are redefining Marvel’s first family even after the acclaimed run by Hickman. While the first 2 issues weren’t awesome they were great at setting up the series. Now 4 issues in the FF are off in space meeting aliens and trying to be a family, all while Reed lies to them while searching for a cure to whatever is probably killing them all. Issue 4 was a slow issue with no action, but it was actually a pretty touching story especially since it released on Valentines Day week. The overarching narration is Reed writing what I’m assuming is a letter to Sue explaining his love from the day they met to the present and then way back to prehistoric lands on alien planets and back again. . . Ok that got confusing but while the actual plot to the issue involving a civilization of aliens with a similar world to Earths interacting on a friendly basis with our heroes was kind of boring. Reeds history and such was actually what really mattered and the final pages and his big decision feel like the jump start for this series to really get into full stride. It’s funny to think that this issue is really worth reading, but the plot is kind of lame it’s completely contradictory to itself.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10


    Scarlet Spider #14
    Creators: Yost – Pham – Palmer
    Marvel Comics
    So Kaine is dead again. We knew that already he died last issue so no big surprise there. Now Aracely is running from werewolves on the streets of Houston. Boy was this a weird issue, and not always in a good way. You know how I said Kaine was dead? Yea that was kind of a lie, but you knew that already. He’s definitely dying, and for his part this issue is all in his head and it hints at a fairly well known storyline from a few years ago I’ll let you figure out which one. Anyway his part is the not so good part of this issue. I love Scarlet Spider and Kaine is a great hero, but what they do to him in this issue really kind of aggravates me, I just hope these changes aren’t long lasting. The other part of this issue featuring the wolves and Aracely was a lot better even though it was really just a chase. We got some hints at what her origin or powers may really be. And the fight between the Werewolves and Sharks was pretty cool. This is a hard one to call, while I wasn’t a big fan of the issue I still feel like it’s necessary to read if you’re a fan of the series. Plus if you skip this issue you can’t really read the following one without being confused. This is by far the lowest rated issue in the series which I guess is a pretty good track record, and I have a lot of faith that it’ll be back on track in no time. Hopefully that will lead us right into the return of Kraven!

    Verdict: Take It if you read #13 Leave It if you’re just starting wait a few issues

    Score: 5/10


    Secret Avengers #1
    Creators: Spencer – Ross – Wilson
    Marvel Comics
    And with Secret Avengers our trilogy comes to a close. The final book Nick Spencer had published this week is the second volume of Secret Avengers. If you’ve been reading this site for a while you know that I felt like the last volume of Secret Avengers really had it’s ups and downs. It started out great but quickly lost it’s way. Now with this second volume we’re getting a totally different mission statement. This is more inline with the movie Avengers as our teams is S.H.I.E.L.D. based and has Nick Fury (Jr.), Agent Coulson, Black Widow, Hawkguy(eye), and Maria Hill. It’s exactly what you expect when you’re told this is an underground Avengers operation, in fact it’s not even Avengers sanctioned. Widow and Hawkguy are recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. outside of their Avengers duties.

    The book has a very secret agent feel to it which helps with this being undercover ops and all and a lot of the dialogue was fun with a lot of comparisons and such. Not to mention a great twist at the end. This is exactly the kind of Avengers book I want to read and I hope as time goes on other heroes are brought in, but not the big guys like Cap or Thor. Your less in the spotlight heroes like Bucky or even Flash(Venom) could potentially make a good addition if handled right. If you’re like me and have been pretty disappointed with Avengers and New Avengers then this is just the book to help you out of the Avengers funk.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Ultimate Comics X-Men #22
    Creators: Wood – Edmondson – Barberi – Vlasco – Aburtov
    Marvel Comics
    Wood’s Ultimate X-Men is such a crazy departure from what I expect and was use to. The formation of Utopia seems to be complete, well the story of the formation anyway. All kinds of things happen in this issue, a familiar face shows up looking for help, america(?) attempts an attack, things blow up, and Bobby Drake shocks the hell out of me. Ever since the remaining Mutants have made their home Utopia there’s been a rift, half the group trusting Kitty and half the group following Nomi. Some of these issues have been a struggle, but this one really feels like we’re getting somewhere. It looks like the X-Men are finally going to have to put their abilities to use, not just to start a home but to protect it too. Hopefully we even get some real X-Villains soon! Either way this was a good issue with quite a few twists, even if not all of them were surprising.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Uncanny X-Men #1
    Creators: Bendis – Bachalo – Townsend
    Marvel Comics
    This was by far the most unexpected of the books I read this week. I only bought it because it was a number 1 and my local shop Fat Jacks Comic Crypt (in Jersey not Philly) transferred my old Uncanny subscription to this new one. I’ve never been shy to admit that I don’t like Cyclops, a lot of people don’t. He’s kind of a douche regardless of how ‘great’ of a leader he may have been once. So when I found out this book was about his team of X-Men I figured it would suck. Boy was I wrong, if this series continues like the first issue it’s going to be a must have for any X-Men fan. If you’ve been following Bendis’ other book All-New X-Men then you already know what’s going on for the most part. Cyclops has gone rogue and is setting up his own team/school with Magneto, Magik, and Emma. They’ve already recruited a few new mutants and are going pretty strong. Oh they also don’t really have control of their powers. Well Magik does but she’s kind of freaky anyway. If you missed it in All-New, for some reason the prolonged exposure they got to the Phoenix Force screwed up there powers, and it effected Magneto too because he was around them the whole time. It’s a bit silly, but it works for the story and helps to limit how powerful this team is. I mean full power Emma and Magneto could wreck house without moving a finger.

    On top of the story there is some awesome artwork by Chris Bachalo who has a very anime/manga style to it that is really fresh in this industry. And frankly the new costumes for the team is freaking awesome. Magneto looks like a knight and Magik looks way more badass than before. Emma’s look is weird, her costume is cool and all but she looks like a teenager and it’s actually not 100% apparent it’s her until they flat out say it. That’s really not a problem though because the art is so much fun.

    So we’ve got a great story, killer art, and a great sister title in All-New X-Men. If you’re a fan of X-Men books, and you don’t mind the very ’90s like team split with the twist that they’re now on opposing sides this is a great addition to your monthly pile. And lets not overlook the shocking reveal at the end, I’m not going to spoil it but god damn I did not see that coming and it solidified this book as a must read for me

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Wolverine and the X-Men #25
    Creators: Aaron – Perez – Martin
    Marvel Comics
    I actually don’t have a lot of put about Wolverine and the X-Men #25. The story was a fun trip to the savage land and shows that a lot of this young mutants aren’t ready to be heroes. It also demonstrates just how much Wolverine has to learn about being a teacher. The opening and closing of the book were really interesting and I’m actually looking forward to see where it’s going. There were some problems though, I didn’t like the artwork at all, the characters just looked sloppy and rushed. Wolverine and the X-Men has had unique artists on it’s entire run, Ramon Perez just isn’t my cup of tea I guess. The other thing was the treatment of Broo, last issue ended with a bit of a shock and it was just explained away in this issue leaving the lovable Brood as a savage monster/pet that only Idie can control. The weird treatment of characters and the poor art makes me hesitant to recommend this issue, but here’s hoping next time is better!

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Godstorm #4
    Creators: Shand – Johnson – Sawyer
    Zenescope Entertainment
    Godstorm was an interesting book, not just this issues, but the series as a whole. It was definitely a series where the whole was better than it’s individual parts. I had a lot of fun reading it, but at times felt confused by what exactly was going on. The opening issue featuring Zeus was pretty cool and it got me really excited, then we got into this story of Julian and I just didn’t see how it was going to fit into the cool Greek gods that were setup previously. Obviously as the issues went on it became more and more clear and I became more and more interested in the outcome. This final issues was all over the place but in a good way. We got to see Julians past, a cool battle with Zeus, and why Venus is such a jerk. Plus on the final pages not only is there a pretty major death, but the unviel of The Being, the upcoming force behind Unleashed. If you haven’t been following Godstorm it’s a terrible time to start as you won’t know what’s going on. On the bright side Zenescope is great at quick turn around on trades so it won’t be long till a collected edition is available. To be honest that’s probably the best way to read this story. Getting everything at once is way better than month by month with this kind of tale, it’s like a movie you just don’t want to wait for the next part.

    Verdict: Leave It – Totally worth picking up in trade!

    Score: 8/10


    Grimm Universe #3
    Creators: Franchini – Gregory – Amat – Balke
    Zenescope Entertainment
    Grimm Universe is an interesting series, every issues has highlighted a character that will have a prominent role in things to come. This time around we get to see the origins of the Goblin Queen, and it’s a pretty crazy origin. She wasn’t always a heartless murdering monster. Other than her origin there isn’t a whole lot else to say. It was one of the more interest back stories I’ve read lately, and the end sets up some interesting possibilities for the future of the green haired queen. If you’re not a big Zenescope fan there’s not a lot of reason to read this. Like I said before it tends to tie into stories that will happen later. But obviously if you’re a fan it’s well worth reading as it’s a good read and sheds light on one of the more prominent villains in the Grimm universe.

    Verdict: Take It – If you’re a Grimm fan

    Score: 8/10



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    One-Quest Now Included on ComicBookRoundup.com https://one-quest.com/blog/one-quest-now-included-on-comicbookroundup-com/ Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:14:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11867 Comic Book Roundup! So make sure you go check it out and look for One-Quest!]]>

    Yep, you read that right! Our reviews are now going to be part of the review roundup site Comic Book Roundup! So make sure you go check it out and look for One-Quest!

    In case you’re not familiar with the site, Comic Book Roundup gathers reviews on comics from around the web and averages out there scores. This way if you want to know what all the sites are saying about your favorite comic you can get to each site with a single click to read the review!

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    DC Changing Up Lantern Creative Teams https://one-quest.com/blog/dc-changing-up-lantern-creative-teams/ Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:41:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11851

    News broke yesterday that long time Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns was stepping down from corps this May to focus on his duties with the Justice League. This was pretty big news for DC fans, Johns has been writing the series since 2004 has covered the biggest story lines in those 9 years.

    The thing that hasn’t made as much of an impact is that Johns departure has started a bit of a domino effect, with every Lantern Corp related book changing teams. May will see the release of the final issues for Peter Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin on Green Lantern Corps, Tony Bedard on New Gardians, and Peter Milligan on Red Lanterns. DC has not yet released who will be taking over these books. This could just be the beginning of a Marvel NOW! type situation, with other series to follow with creative changes. Obviously that’s just speculation, but you never know. It’s fairly certain to say Johns will still be doing Justice League and at least for the time being he’s sticking with Aquaman too. As a Batman fan I just hope Tomasi doesn’t leave Batman and Robin too.

    Here are the official Solicitations for the issues, all due out in May.

    GREEN LANTERN #20
    Written by GEOFF JOHNS
    Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
    Wraparound cover by DOUG MAHNKE
    1:25 B&W Variant wraparound cover by DOUG MAHNKE
    On sale MAY 1 • 64 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T
    Combo pack edition: $8.99 US
    It’s the final battle against the First Lantern and the Guardians in this, the extra-sized finale of Geoff Johns’ historic run on the title! Plus, don’t miss a special retrospective on Geoff’s run on GL!
    Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
    This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

    GREEN LANTERN CORPS #20
    Written by PETER J. TOMASI
    Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and SCOTT HANNA
    Cover by ANDY KUBERT
    1:25 B&W Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT
    On sale MAY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
    “WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN” epilogue! In the aftermath of their battle against the First Lantern and the Guardians, it’s up to Guy Gardner, John Stewart and the other survivors to try to put the Corps back together, or decide if there should even BE a Corps anymore. Join Peter Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin for the epic conclusion of their run!
    Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

    GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #20
    Written by TONY BEDARD
    Art by ANDRES GUINALDO
    Cover by AARON KUDER
    1:25 B&W Variant cover by AARON KUDER
    On sale MAY 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
    “WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN” epilogue! As a White Lantern, Kyle played a crucial role in the battle against the First Lantern and the Guardians. But a loss they suffered in the battle has left Kyle devastated, throwing off the control he had over the entire emotional spectrum. Has his time as a White Lantern ended before it’s truly begun? Find out in the conclusion of Tony Bedard’s run!
    Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

    RED LANTERNS #20
    Written by PETER MILLIGAN
    Art by WILL CONRAD
    Cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
    1:25 B&W Variant cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
    On sale MAY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
    “WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN” epilogue! Following the battle against the First Lantern and the Guardians, for the first time in centuries Atrocitus feels peace. What could possibly calm his legendary rage? And more importantly, what does that mean for the Red Lanterns? A surprising turning point for Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns in this, the conclusion of Peter Milligan’s run!
    Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

    So who do you think will take over these books? Let us know in the comments!

    Oh and here are the covers to the final issues for these creators, but view with discretion there are some spoilers on the covers.

    Green Lantern #20

    Green Lantern New Guardians #20

    Green Lantern Corps #20

    Red Lantern #20

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    Friday Five – Movie Franchises https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-movie-franchises/ Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:57:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11783 Casino Royale, Avengers, Wrath of Kahn, Lord of the RIngs, Spy Kids movie posters

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writes a bit better with the help of a top five list! This week’s category: Movie Franchises!

    Of course there are plenty of awesome movie franchises out there. Many of which have some absurd cult following that keeps them mildly relevant, and a few squeaking by with near blockbuster success. Unfortunately, most franchises blow. Not for any reason other then the movie studio running the idea dry. Examples: Final Destination, Scary Movie, Scream, etc. The first was great, but did we really need 8 more? Generally no. . . Well, we’ve picked a few franchises that we’ve grown rather fond of, for better or worse. Here’s our picks!

    Chris

    1. Marvel Cinematic Universe
    2. Star Wars
    3. Harry Potter
    4. Indiana Jones
    5. Die Hard

     
    Marvel Phase 1 Box Set

    Anthony

    These are not necessarily my most favorite franchises of all time, as they have been mentioned by other Questers, but these are definitely up there.

    1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Yeah, 3 was lame, but watching Casey Jones teach ancient Japanese men hockey is pretty badass.
    2. Rambo – These movies are for men! I can never get enough of them. This is one of the greatest action franchises ever made. The over the top gore and absolutely ridiculous amount of kills he gets is just too good.
    3. Back to the Future – I think the first one is one of the greatest movies ever made. The other two definitely had their moments. Although I already own the trilogy, I often consider buying the new version that was released. Simply because it includes the video from the Back to the Future Ride which was in Universal Studios Orlando FL. The ride was changed into a Simpsons ride in September 2007. I rode it last time I visited, still cool, but no more DeLorean…
    4. Underworld – You want vampires and werewolves, this is the jam. None of that True Blood/Twilight stuff. This franchise is the real deal.
    5. Terminator – First of all, T2 is one of the greatest movies of all time. Now, I know 3 was pretty stupid, Arnold had one foot out the door at the time as he was trying to be Governor. I found it entertaining enough. I also thought Salvation was pretty great. I’ve yet to see the short lived TV series, I heard good things though. Definitely a solid franchise.

     
    Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael dancing in the sewers.

    Audra

    1. Harry Potter – Read the whole series and saw every movie. While the first 3 were pretty lame, they were true to the books. I’m not ashamed to say I cried when it ended.
    2. Lord of the Rings – I was an addict when they were first released. I have all three on dvd, extended dvd, and extended blu ray.
    3. The Mummy – I love Brendan Fraser and watched it over and over.
    4. The Pirates of the Caribbean – This is a one of a kind, and I love the humor. However, the last one takes on a dark feel.
    5. Marvel Franchise – All of these movies make me happy. It’s kind of like watching a knight in shiny nerdy armor.

     

    Ron, Ginnie, Harry, Luna, Neville, and Hermoine from Harry potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

    Eric

    Um. . . Movies! Yeah!

    1. Tron – Only 2 movies in here, but there are also a few games and even a cartoon spinoff. While none of the movies in the franchise are amazing, I would have to say that they are pretty amazing. The writing and plots are usually sub par, but the special effects set the bar for their respective times. Think about it: The original Tron came out before I was born and looks superb! Also: DAFT PUNK!
    2. Marvel Cinematic Universe – I mean. . . who doesn’t love this stuff?
    3. Jurassic Park – Sure 2 and 3 were pretty bad. But it’s all still about dinosaurs! Also, Jurassic Park coming to the big screen again in 3D! Count me in!
    4. Star Wars – Another no brainer here. I could watch these movies forever!
    5. 007 – Spies, Villains, International Men of Mystery, and Pussy Galore! What other franchise offers all of this? None!

     
    Daft Punk in Tron Legacy attire.

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    Take It Or Leave It – February 6, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-february-6-2013/ Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:06:35 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11726

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s the first week of February, and boy did this month start out with some great comic releases! Today we’re covering some interesting titles like Son of Merlin, Superior Spider-Man, and the final issues of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood, along with so many more now lets get started.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris
    This was a DC-less week for me, all the usually books have the week off. Luckily there were plenty of other titles from some other publishers, including a few that surprised me with how good they were. Probably the best book I read this week was All-New X-Men, Bendis has been doing one hell of a job with that book. That’s to be expected though, as the guy definitely knows how to write a comic.

    Fairy Quest #1
    Creators: Jenkins – Ramos – Olea
    Boom! Studios
    To be honest, I didn’t actually read Fairy Quest #1. What I did read was the hard cover trade from the Kickstater which covered both of the single issues. Enough about that though, on with the book!

    There are a lot of fairy tale inspired things out right now. Each one doing a different variation on these famous stories. You’ve got shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time, comics like the Grimm Fairy Tale books by Zenescope, Fables from Vertigo, along with several others. Let’s not even talk about the movies, of which there are several. So what makes Fairy Quest any different? Why bother reading this when there’s so much other material on the same subject? Well for starters it’s a really well done story. Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos are two top names in comics, and they definitely deliver. Sure the market for fairy tale related series is a bit over saturated at the moment, but when one is done right it still stands out. The general theme and the plot of the book feel right, and the twist of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf being friends is actually kind of reminiscent of The Fox and the Hound. . . or that might just be me. Basically it’s a fun book and definitely worth checking out, especially if that means volume 2 will come out sooner!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #18
    Creators: Eastman – Waltz – Bates – Pattison
    IDW
    At the end of issue 17 our heroes on the half shell made their first trip to Dimension X in this series. And issue 18 picks up right from there with the Turtles stuck in a battle between two ‘alien’ species and not really knowing what’s going on. This book has such a nostalgia factor for my age group, it’s easy to think that we’re all viewing this book with some pretty strong rose colored glasses. Thankfully that’s not the case, it’s really being well done. We’re getting an original take on these classic heroes (is it okay to call them classic or am I jumping the gun?), but there’s still plenty of crowd pleasers thrown in. And now that the book is finally getting all of it’s major players introduced to each other. It’s only a matter of time before Shredder and the Foot meets up with Krang, whether it’s an alliance or a three way battle between The Foot, Krang’s men, and the Turtles is yet to be seen but it’s definitely going to be fun. This issue probably isn’t the greatest jumping on point, but if you’re familiar with the turtles and you can deal with a bit of confusion I’m sure you can get caught up in no time.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Epic Kill #8
    Creators: Ienco
    Image Comics
    Epic Kill isn’t a good book to jump on in the middle. After 8 issues I still find I’m a little confused from time to time. It’s a fun book though, lots of action and some really weird supernatural dream things too. The action is all kind of ridiculous and over the top and that’s probably what makes it fun. Just looking at the cover you’re probably thinking Kill Bill, and you really wouldn’t be all that far off. It’s revenge, and martial arts, and a girl killing lots of people. Not a lot wrong with that, definitely worth tracking down the first 7 issues before jumping into 8 though, just so you know what’s going on.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Repossessed #2
    Creators: Ringuet
    Image Comics
    The first issue of Repossessed really piqued my interest, after all who doesn’t like demon killers? The second issue just didn’t feel like it moved the story along enough. Issue 2 just seems to be more of the characters running around pulling demons out of people and killing. I know, I know, that doesn’t really sound like a bad thing, but it kind of is. The story that got setup in the first one had a lot of mystery to it, trying to figure out what’s going on with this girl they’re looking for. That still sorta exists in issue two but it was pushed to the side a lot more. This could still end up being a really good series, but I just didn’t feel this second installment the way I did with the first.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    Son of Merlin #1
    Creators: Napton – Zid – Peteri
    Image Comics
    I’m a sucker for stuff like this. I always loved movies and stuff about King Author and Merlin when I was a kid, but who didn’t it was a King and his wizard friend. So when I saw this book I decided I would have to give it a try. Now the general plot isn’t all that original, a powerful characters long lost son must learn his birth right and save the world sort of deal. It’s been done before, but something about it still felt fresh and interesting. There were famous character from the Author legends, along with the new characters made up for the book. It’s got this kind of fantasy spy thriller feel going on. The first issue does what any first issue does, it sets up the main character and gives us an idea of what’s going on. It’s nothing groundbreaking but still enough to keep a reader interested and wanting more. It’s hard to tell if this series is going to pay off in the end, but the first issue was good enough to stick around for a few more and find out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    All-New X-Men #7
    Creators: Bendis – Marquez – Gracia
    Marvel Comics
    Oh Bendis you and your books always get me! All-New X-Men has been a fun ride so far, and as it continues we get a Cyclops-centric issue, young Cyclops that is not the uber-douche that is present day Scott Summers. Even though I generally don’t Cyclops no matter what time period he’s from, this was a really good read. Mystic’s interaction with the young X-Man was fun, and really makes you wonder how much of what she said was her true feelings and how much was just to start a war. If this book keeps delivering the way it has it will easily be staying at the top of my read pile each month. So far every issue has had a different feel to it, this one wasn’t nearly as emotional as the last but still managed to make you feel bad for these young mutants torn from there lives and brought to a world that may hate them more than it ever did before.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Avengers #5
    Creators: Hickman – Kubert – Martin
    Marvel Comics
    Just last week I was talking about the potential Avengers had and how I just didn’t see it. I was bored with the Hyperion story they were telling and the 3 issues before that really weren’t all that much better. Issue 5 started to redeem it a bit. With the last two issues we’ve had heroes that aren’t as well known as we’re use to being spotlighted. And while the Hyperion issues just didn’t flow and was pretty boring, this Smasher issue actually had some heart and felt like more of a connection to the Avengers. At this point I’m assuming we’ve got several more of these pseudo one shots coming detailing the rise of these lesser known heroes. That’s really not such a bad thing, but lets hope they’re not all left with these slight cliffhangers, or in the case of issue 4 major ones. At least this issue feel like it’s worth buying, even if it’s a stand alone one in your collection it’s a decent read. With a twice monthly shipping schedule these ‘origin’ books should go by quick enough and hopefully Hickman will start to hit his stride after that and we’ll see why these guys are being considered the Earths Mightiest Heroes.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Iron Man #6
    Creators: Gillen – Land – Leisten – Guru
    Marvel Comics
    To me, issue 6 is where Iron Man should have started. Matt Fraction ended his run with Tony taking off in a fancy new suit and heading for space. Gillen started his run with Tony having a fancy new suit and facing down a bunch of earth threats for 5 issues. That 5th issue ended almost identical to Fractions though, with Tony taking off to explore the universe and in a sense, get back to his roots. It’ll also be helping to setup the new Guardians of the Galaxy book but that’s a different story. This was a huge improvement over the first 5 issues of Iron Man, and while it’s still not perfect it’s still better. Not much action happens in this issue, but we see where Tony is and what he’s doing. It’s also the setup for this whole Godkiller story arc, and while I’m a bit tired of the Phoenix at this point I’m going to stick around and see how this plays out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    New Avengers #3
    Creators: Hickman – Epting – Magyar – D’Armata
    Marvel Comics
    Is it weird that I really miss Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Iron Fist? I’ve got the same problems with this book that I’ve had since the first issue it’s not really the New Avengers, there’s nothing really new about this. While issue 3 has probably been the best out of the bunch it’s just enough to make me care. I like the introduction of Beast to the group, and the way they handle the Infinity Gems and what not. It’s still just not fun, and the Avengers should be fun to read.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Secret Avengers #37 (Final Issue Kinda)
    Creators: Remender – Scalera – Wilson
    Marvel Comics
    The final issue of the first volume of Secret Avengers is here folks. It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride with a lot of different takes on this series. I loved how it started, but it definitely wasn’t a smooth ride to this issue. Rick Remender had an interesting take on this book and it was very supernaturally which wasn’t my favorite part, but it was still interesting. Overall this final story seemed to drag on just a bit to long. This issue jumped around a bit more than I would have liked too, and the while a lot of things got wrapped up, I would have liked a bit more closure on some of the plot points. Or at least a better explanation, it just sorta ends, and it’s terrible when that happens. . .

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    Superior Spider-Man #3
    Creators: Slott – Stegman – Delgado
    Marvel Comics
    Superior Spider-Man 3 was the first issue since Otto became Spidey that I feel like he’s coming into his own. Issue 2 ended on kind of a downer, but with a big revelation about his character too. Issue 3 continues to develop Otto has this unlikely hero. Yes he’s different then Pete, and he may not truly be a superior Spider-Man, but he’s been far more heroic, and human than the character ever was in the past. We get to see some of Otto’s past and see that even while he was a villain he kinda had a heart and to an extent even had friends…well kinda. It hurts a bit to say this, but this issue could have been even better if ghost Pete wasn’t involved. His part in this issue at least wasn’t as intrusive into the story and actually helped shed light on Otto’s past both as Doc Ock, and as a child. I’m really looking forward to seeing the consequences finally catching up to Otto who even himself realizes he’s taking things to far and not acting like Peter Parker.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #20
    Creators: Bendis – Pichelli – Ponsor
    Marvel Comics
    I’m a little shocked to say that I’m really started to like Ultimate Comics Spider-Man again. I haven’t loved this series since Ultimatium, and since Miles took over as the Ultimate Spider-Man I just haven’t been feeling it. The issues were missing something important that I was never able to put a word to. Miles wasn’t an unlikable character, he just wasn’t likable either. . . Really he just didn’t have much character, he did the same thing over and over, and his origin was a little to similar to Peter Parker’s. With the past few issues this series is finally starting to feel like it use to. Yea it’s got a different supporting cast and that’s just fine, I’m hoping we get more character actually because Ganke is kind of annoying.

    Now about this issue, it picks up where 19 left off with Venom showing up. Obviously Miles fights him and that’s kinda fun. Venom is such an iconic Spider-Man villain and it’s been a long time since we properly saw him in the Ultimate Universe that this is a good way to push Miles fully into this world. That said, I’ve got to complain a bit and throw up a spoiler alert, so if you don’t want anything ruined skip to the Verdict.

    **SPOILER**
    I’m getting pretty tired of the venom sting thing being the be all end all attack when Miles is in a bind. At this point he seems to have a pretty good grasp of his powers and I really don’t see him forgetting he has it like it was stated in this issue. If it’s that strong just use the damn thing right away, I know this is a bit nit picky but it’s just silly at this point too.
    **END SPOILER**

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Venom #31
    Creators: Bunn – Shalvey – Loughridge
    Marvel Comics
    Flash is 100% in Philly now, and it actually led to a pretty good issue. The last arc wasn’t all that great, but this issue which had Flash actually making the move to Philly was mostly a good break from all the super hero-ing he’s been doing lately. His goodbyes to friends and family in New York were a nice addition to show us this isn’t just a super hero trying to protect people. It’s Flash trying to get his life together and do good at the same time. His Patrol scenes were actually pretty funny too, I hope to see more of those in future issues. And as a great setup for coming issues we had two interesting reveals near the end. One directly effected by Flash, the other by another character we recently saw was doing. . . Alright? If you haven’t been reading Venom this issue is as good as any to start. It’s a fresh start for the main character so why not jump aboard now before the shit hits the fan as it’s bound to do.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Winter Soldier #15
    Creators: Latour – Klein
    Marvel Comics
    I was a bit nervous that Winter Soldier would lose it’s edge with the creative team switch. It’s a normal thing, when books change writers and even artists there can be a lull while the new guys try to find the voice of the character. Well that wasn’t really what happened in Winter Solider, issue 15 continues in a pretty similar fashion to the previous ones. That’s not such a bad thing, but it also means this new team doesn’t know how they want to write Bucky which may end up being a problem. It’s definitely a tough character, Ed Brubaker brought him back from the dead and has pretty much had a monopoly on him for almost a decade. I’m ok if we have a few transition issues while Latour gets his feet wet, but he needs to find his own groove for this character or the book is going to start suffering. I know this all sounds negative, and that’s unfortunate because it was actually a decent issue. Bucky is in a pretty bad place since last issue and in classic Marvel fashion Nick Fury shows up to set him straight. Or at least set him on the path to doing some good instead of being self destructive.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #5
    Creators: Shand – Watts – Filardi – Metcalfe
    Zenescope Entertainment
    All 5 issues of Robyn Hood have been a spectacular read. The story was interesting and kept you wanting more right up to the end of issue 5, and even after! The pacing was great too, so many limited series like this have a weird time keeping itself interesting and fitting all the necessary plot into so few issues. Robyn certainly didn’t suffer from any of those problems. This final issue of her Zenescope debut sees the heroine finish her journey in mist, for now anyway, and make her way back home. There’s action, and some comedy, and a whole lot of revenge! Obviously it would be silly to pick up this issue if you haven’t read it yet, so go pick them all up and read the whole series it’s worth it.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10



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    Broadband Connection Required – Xbox 720 Rumor https://one-quest.com/blog/broadband-connection-required-xbox-720-rumor/ Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:04:52 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11751 Logo for the Xbox 360

    Online connection requirements aren’t new, but they’re starting to become increasingly more common. In most cases the requirement was to enforce a DRM that was put in place to eliminate video game piracy. In other cases it’s simply stated for the obvious reasons: it’s needed to be able to access online features of a console or game. Regardless of the reason when the terms “Broadband connection required” get’s thrown about, nerds tend to. . . overreact. The recent rumor that’s been circulating has pinned this term on the new Xbox 720(Durango) and has been met with quite a bit of cynicism. Maybe we can help put everyone at ease. . . Maybe not.

    Take a look at some of the old Diablo III forum posts. In fact, there are still complaints about it today. Check the 1.0.7 patch notes and you’ll see at least one post that says something along the lines of “I still don’t see anything about the internet requirement being removed.” Some go more extreme, threatening to never purchase and/or play any Blizzard games unless this is fixed. But is there really anything to fix? It’s an internet connection. Something that has become such a constant in our lives that developers and publishers can now use this connection to help keep their products safe and in check. As a consumer this only makes things “difficult” for you, but you know what? It’s time to get over it. Requiring internet connections is a way of the future of not just PC gaming, but console gaming.

    If this type of requirement were made 10 years ago, then I could certainly understand everyone having a hard time with this. Think about it, in 2003 if you reached in your pocket and pulled out a cell phone, it more then likely had a green and black screen similar to the original GameBoy. It could play Snake, and call Grandma at the press of a couple buttons. But that was 10 years ago. Now we have cell phone more powerful then the computers powering rovers on mars. And those cell phones have a constant connection to the internet. We are always, always connected to the world around us through these small devices yet the second we’re told we need to always be online to play a game we raise hell.

    I bet you’re online right now reading this. Think about it. Do you surf to a web page then power off your internet modem while you read the new article? Nope. You’re connected online the entire time. Checking facebook and twitter, means you’ve got a constant connection. Browsing through the steam store? Guess what? You’re online! I once saw someone argue that he shouldn’t be required to play online because he always activates his steam games to play offline. It was revealed later that he always keeps his connection running so he can chat with his friends in steam and join their games. So he still had his connection on at all times, regardless of whether he was playing the game online or not.

    I do fully understand the arguments that a proper and stable broadband connection may not be available to all users. I understand that sometimes a connection drops out and that we may not be able to play our games until it comes back on. And sure this all sounds like nails in the coffin for any console willing to require broadband connections at all times. However, this is Microsoft. The company that requires everyone to pay $60 for access to features available on every other console for free. I’m sure they did the research and decided that if 70% of their users have an active online connection, then surely they can go forward and require everyone to have a connection with their new console.

    I don’t disagree with always online, because I am always online. I don’t have any issues with this system, because I have no reason to be afraid. If my connection is out I just play something else. Hell, if you disagree with it that much there are 2 other next gen consoles available without an always online requirement. I’m sorry for those of you that are against this for whatever reason.But, maybe it’s time to start looking for a new ISP? The digital revolution isn’t going to wait for you to catch up.

    What do you think about the always online requirement rumored to come along with the new Xbox? Tell us in the comments below!

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    Take It Or Leave It – January 30, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-30-2013/ Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:18:32 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11654
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This week’s Take It Or Leave It is a bit smaller than usual, but we’ve got some great variety. Books like Batman and Robin Annual, Mara, and Superior Spider-Man are only some of the titles that are getting covered, so what are you waiting for stop reading this and start reading about the books!
    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris
    There weren’t a ton of titles on the shelves this week that I was to interested in, and unfortunately a good portion of the ones I did buy were a let down. I guess that’s always the chance you take with comics, even the best series have a bad issues every now and then.

    Batman & Robin Annual #1
    DC Comics
    This is probably one of the best Annuals I’ve read in a long time. It was a great breather from the intensity of Death of the Family. And while Damien had his ulterior motives to getting Bruce and Alfred out of town for a bit it was pretty touching. There was some nice mirroring of Bruce and Damien in the issue too and overall it was just a great read. Not the best jumping on point, but if you’re a Batman fan and want to read something a little lighter than Death of the Family and don’t mind the slightly higher cover price this is well worth your time.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Talon #4
    DC Comics
    Talon has been a pretty cool read so far. I haven’t hid that either, it’s been a good read each month. Issue four ends the first real story arc and finishes establishing the core of Calvin’s supporting cast. I don’t think this was the best issue so far though, it felt to predictable, right up to the last reveal. It doesn’t make this a bad issue, but it’s also not as good as this series has been in it’s short history. Hopefully the coming months will develop more story and turn Calvin into more of a hero and start to veer away from Talon of the Month enemies.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    The Darkness #110
    Image Comics
    The Darkness is an interesting book, this was my first issue and I must say it’s pretty weird. Image Comics has this interesting story going on between three books, The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts all tie together into one big story and it’s really interesting. So after reading a few issues of Witchblade and Artifacts it only made sense to check out The Darkness. Issue 110 probably wasn’t the best jumping on point, but really who knows when a good point would have been. There’s a lot of story going on in this book, if you’re easily intimated by continuity it’s probably not for you. If you’re not worried definitely give it a shot, this whole universe is one of the more interesting in comics right now.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Mara #2
    Image Comics
    Do you like futuristic stories in worlds torn apart by war? Are you favorite comics filled with attractive females and super powers? Have you longed to read a book about volleyball? Well I think you may have just struck gold here. Mara is a story about a girl who plays professional volleyball in what I’m assuming is the near future after we’ve been through a lot of wars. It’s not quite post-apocalyptic, but it doesn’t seem like the best place. The city reminds me of the Capital in the Hunger Games movie and everyone puts a ton of emphasis on sports and athletes. It’s definitely not your generic super hero book, but there’s something special going on with Mara and it’s more than enough to keep someone interested.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Avengers #4
    Marvel Comics
    Poor Avengers, you had so much potential. Hickman was coming off a highly praised run on Fantastic Four, but so far it’s you’ve been falling short. Issue 4 feels the dullest so far, with all the Avengers back on earth searching for these plant things that were sent to earth to remake it in the opening issues. To be completely honest I don’t even remember the name of the ‘villain’ from those opening issues. Hickman is known for big elaborate stories so this could just be the setup for something amazing. Is it really worth the wait though? For now I’d have to say this issue is just filler and doesn’t do much to keep the story flowing.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Hawkeye #7
    Marvel Comics
    There are a few books that every month are at the top of my list. Hawkeye is 100% one of them, since issue one I’ve loved this book. Now we’re up to issue 7, and it’s a bit of a different story. Issue 7 takes place during Hurricane Sandy that hit the New York/New Jersey area pretty hard in October. Matt Fraction decided he wanted to write a story about that and what it would have been like for Clint and Kate. If you read the letters page you’ll find out that this was pushed out pretty fast and a lot was juggled around to make it happen. So basically you don’t have to read this issue if you don’t want to. But why the hell wouldn’t you want to? The book while it could be a little depressing especially for people who lived through the worst of this storm, is still a great book. The One-Quest team is from South Jersey and luckily we didn’t get hit hard during the storm, but a few of our team were without power for days and many people we know were hit even harder. So a book like this so soon after the storm is a great way to show how people really came together and what the mentality was. Plus being awesome Matt Fraction has said he’s donating a portion of his commissions on the book to the Red Cross. So not only do you get a good book, but you’ll kinda be helping people out too!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Punisher War Zone #4
    Marvel Comics
    Issue 4 has been the best so far, unfortunately that’s not saying much. Rather than continuing with the single Avenger vs Punisher theme it was a team effort this time. Overall this was a much better issue, and actually pretty enjoyable, the problem is the rest of the series has been pretty disappointing so it’s hard to get behind it. With just a single issue left if you’re still reading the book you’re going to finish, otherwise definitely don’t bother wait for a trade or something.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    Superior Spider-Man #2
    Marvel Comics
    **SPOILERS** If you have not read Superior Spider-Man #1 or Amazing Spider-Man #700 you might not want to read this**

    A lot of people were pissed off about the whole Pete dying and Ock becoming Spidey thing that happened in ASM 700. I was alright with it though, I’ve got a lot of faith in Dan Slott. Then issue 1 of Superior Spider-Man hit the stands and I’ve said this before, but I wasn’t really feeling it. Ock was just too different of a Spidey and it just wasn’t sitting right. Then the big reveal hit at the end of that book, ghost Pete or whatever he is, is still there determined to get his body back. This set off even more nerd rage as to be expected, but as Slott said on a CBR interview people were waiting for something like that to happen. They were saying it would go down in a year, or so many issues so why not throw it right out in the beginning. And that makes sense, and frankly I enjoyed it. What comes next though in issue 2 feels like to much. It was a great issue don’t get me wrong, I feel like Ock is actually starting to realize what this power means. The problem was there was too much ghost Pete, we get it he’s there but we don’t need him on every page. It’s funny at first I was into it, I liked it because he was playing out the reaction that us readers would be having at Ock’s behavior. But after a while it started to sink in and it just felt like to much. Like I said before, I have faith in Dan Slott, I just hope this whole ghost thing fades a bit, I don’t mind having Pete around like that just not on every damn page.

    Aside from that, this was a good book, and the relationship between MJ and Pete/Ock is definitely never going to be the same.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #4
    Zenescope Entertainment
    For months I’ve been saying how much I want to like Sleepy Hollow. The Headless Horseman is such a great story and if anyone could give it a great twist it would be Zenescope. Well with the final issue I have to say I’m a little disappointed. There was so much setup in the first 3 books that the final ‘justice’ of this book felt way to fast. If you read all the issues you know that there was a ton of promise in this series, I think it needed more than just 4 issues to get that across. On the bright side it’s always open for a sequel. As far as the story in issue 4 goes, it’s got a pretty surprising twist that if you haven’t been reading to closely you won’t see coming. I can’t recommend getting this issue by itself, but this series is worth picking up when it’s released as a trade.

    Verdict: Leave It – Wait for a trade

    Score: 7/10



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    Friday Five – Video Game Franchises https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-video-game-franchises/ Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:48:39 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11657
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Video Game Franchises.

    It’s Friday once again, and while the site has been slow for news recently you can always rely on your weekly dose of top five lists from One-Quest. Now before we get into this weeks list we’ve got another order of business to take care of. Today is Audra’s birthday, as she mentions in her list, so make sure to wish her one in the comments or on our Facebook page!

    Anyway with that out of the way this week we’re delving into our general love of gaming, and what better way then to list out our top five favorite video game franchises. It’s crazy to think that some of the most iconic games are closing in on their 30th anniversaries soon. On top of that in the last decade so many amazing games of come out and started not only new franchises but new ways to play games. So lets get this started, and don’t forget to let us know your favorites in the comments!

    Chris

    I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember, I’ve owned just about every major console release in the last 25 years. Through all that time I’ve stayed pretty true to a a few groups of games, Mario’s, Zelda’s, Pokemon’s. These franchises have dominated my life since childhood, and even thought I may not always finish them to completion whenever a new entry comes out I find myself buying it. Hell I own every main Pokemon game since Red and Blue, I’ve purchased the original Mario half a dozen times on different consoles over the years, not to mention all the original releases. It’s pretty safe to say when I find a series I like, I stick with it. For my list I tried to mix it up a bit, I have some of the standards you’d expect, but there are a few curve balls thrown in too.

    1. Pokemon – I’ve been playing Pokemon games since 7th grade. That’s when the game got big in America. Like a lot of people in my generation I started with Red and Blue and just never stopped. Now 15 years later the games are still coming and I’m still buying them. And you know what I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
    2. Kingdom Hearts – I forgot how much I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts until I started playing Kingdom Hearts 3D. It’s got a crazy story mixing so many iconic characters and they’re up to like 6 games. For anyone who grew up with Disney movies and loves to play role playing games, this is the perfect series. It’s not as difficult as some role playing games or as goofy as some Disney movie games. It has just the right mix of everything and so much original story that you’ll find yourself pouring over Wikipedia pages long into the night to see everything that’s gone on with these games since 2002.
    3. Final Fantasy – This isn’t a franchise that I love every game of. I’m not going to lie, there have been a few that just didn’t keep my interest like 12. And There’s plenty of older entries that I haven’t play all the way through. At the same time there aren’t many games I can say I would spend 60+ hours replaying over and over again like Final Fantasy VII – IX. Those were the 3 games that got me hooked on this series and I’ll spend months replying them any time! Oh and lets not forget about the original Tactics for PS1, you just can’t go wrong with that game.
    4. Ace Attorney– This is a bit of a weird entry for me, I don’t own all of the games, and I haven’t actually finished all of the ones I have. But Every time I sit down and start a new case, I’m sucked in for hours. For me this isn’t a handheld game that I play when I need to kill some time, this could end up being an all day affair.
    5. Castlevania– I’m surprised nobody else mentioned Castlevania, it’s got such a legacy and so many Iconic games. I’ve got to confess though, the games that everyone thinks of and loves in this series, I’ve probably never played. I got hooked to Castlevania on the DS games. I would spend all kinds of time playing them and loving every second. Some day I’ll get around to playing the original and Symphony of the Night and maybe all the others too.

    Anthony

    I suck when it comes to finishing games. So I feel I don’t have a right to say certain series are my favorites because, well, I never beat the games! At least I feel like I never do, but when I think hard about it, I realize the reason why. Sports games. If I’m in the middle of Mass Effect 2 and I’m super stoked, but the Hockey Playoffs just began, I get so into Hockey I need to play it myself. This happens several times with several sports each year.

    1. NHL – These are my favorite sports games of all time, I know Drootin will list this, but I don’t care. It sucked for several years in the late 90’s early 2000’s, but starting with NHL 08 it easily became the best sports franchise in existence on consoles. Be a Pro mode gives you the ability to control just one player which you can create or use an existing, real pro. You take shifts like you’re actually in a hockey game. Its awesome. If you see my lack of trophies on PS3, I blame this series. Its not that they didn’t have trophies, its just impossible to get them all. Believe me I spent a lot of time playing these games, and don’t have much to show for it.
    2. MLB The Show – I’m a huge fan of sports, and my whole life one of the greatest things about video games has been that it give me the ability to simulate being a professional athlete or be part of a professional team without possessing any actual athletic talent whatsoever. The Show gives you the ability to play what I call “Baseball the RPG”. You play Road to the Show mode and you create yourself and work your way up from the Minor leagues all the way to the Majors. You get to “level up” as you see fit, as you progress you get dealt in trades and get contract offers and all just like you’re really in the sport. Very much like Be a Pro mode in NHL, but I feel road to the show is a more complete experience.
    3. Sonic the Hedgehog – I still consider this one of the greatest franchises in video game history. During the Sega Genesis era, this was the best series out. 1,2,3, and Sonic and Knuckles were amazing games. They were revolutionary at the time, the sprite work was phenomenal. I guess I have no choice but to mention how, in the 2000’s, Sega pretty much flushed Sonic’s reputation down the toilet. I must say Sonic Generations(2011) is a great game though.
    4. Mortal Kombat – Ever since the first one came out, I’ve loved this series. They had a difficult transition trying to go full 3D, which games like SoulCalibur were doing well at the time. Also, Sub-Zero Mythologies was ridiculous. I never played the Shaolin Monks game, but that seemed ridiculous too. I think the series rebounded with Mortal Kombat Armageddon for PS2 and Xbox, that game had like every character ever! The most current title, named “Mortal Kombat” for PS3 and 360 was absolutely amazing. I loved every second of it.
    5. Little Big Planet – I’m a huge fan of CO-OP games and not only are these games super fun, but they are super silly and super cute. The customization of everything is amazing. The ability to create levels and have people all over the world jump in and play them is such a cool concept. Not to mention, chicks dig Sackboy. Just be sure if you play these games with your girlfriend, don’t smack her sackboy/girl around too much, she might get the wrong message about your idea of fun…

    Drootin

    So, video games guys, how bout them. It seems now pretty much any remotely successful game gets a sequel but only the truly great ones get to become a “franchise” and get to a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 14th or whatever. Some of which I’m a fan of, others, maybe should have stopped at 1. But in any case here are my Top 5 video game Franchises:

    1. Diablo – Is there any question that this would have ended up at #1 on my list? Diablo 2 was in my top 5 games and may still be (I’d have to think about it a lot though), and Diablo 3 has definitely earned its spot in my top 5 games, if not top 3. All 3 games are great and as any good franchise should they have progressed and evolved as the years have passed.
    2. Final Fantasy – Yeah, it’s a bit cliché, but there’s a reason that there are 14 numbered games with a couple sequels and a few spin-off franchises. Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite of the franchise; I also loved 7, and very much enjoyed 8 and 10. I’ve finished FF1, and I’d strongly like to go back and play more of the ones from 2-6, I should give 9 and 12 another chance, and need to get around to 13.
    3. Uncharted – Uncharted will likely go down as the major franchise of the PS3 era. They were very Indiana Jones like, with adventuring in jungles and caves and everywhere else with a little sci-fi/mysticism thrown in for good measure. If you have a PS3 and somehow have not played these games, get on it.
    4. EA Sports NHL – I love hockey, and EA Sports has done the best recreation of the sport in the video game realm. They have evolved the games as the system generations have gone on, but many still call NHL ’94 the best (and to an extent that includes me, I love ’94 for some things and I love the newest NHL ’13, for others).
    5. Pokemon – Man, I feel kinda awkward putting this on my list, but, honestly, I’m not sure how I couldn’t. I’ve played almost all of them, I’m playing Black 2 right now, and I’m angry (but not surprised) that the ones recently announced (X/Y) are going to be on the 3DS.

    Eric

    AAAAAAAGH! This is absolutely one of the hardest lists I’ve ever had to write. I play far too many games! And I love way too many franchises! I want to give some shout outs to the legendary titles that have shaped gaming, but there are so many other games that I would rank up here too. Ugh. . . Here it goes.

    1. Ratchet and Clank – I fell in love with this game by accident. I purchased it because at 16 I was working full time, thanks mom, and had a ton of money to waste on shit. Ratchet and Clank reviewed well, so I picked it up. I traded it in 2 days later because I didn’t like it. A few years later I checked out the newest entry, which was going commando, and then decided to pick up the rest. I’ve been unable to put these games down ever since. Ratchet and Clank is the absolute best series of games I have ever played. Each game get’s better than the previous, and they’re all amazing on their own. Tons of humor, excellent gameplay, wonderful character, beautiful worlds to explore, and the weapons! So many awesome weapons! This is an absolute must play for platformer fans.
    2. The Legend of Zelda – Link and his adventures to save Princess Zelda have shaped the industry like few other franchises have. It has a deep, 25 year history, and a timeline that’s more confusing than the entirety of Lost.
    3. Final Fantasy – I have played every official numbered Final Fantasy title ever. I have beaten them all as well. The only exceptions are XI, because I thought WoW was far better, and XIII-2, because I have yet to unwrap it. My absolute favorite Final Fantasy game is Final Fantasy Tactics. From the numbered series I would toss it up between IV, VIII, and IX. Each of these introduced some excellent mechanics not seen in previous games, and their stories were phenomenal. X would be right behind those, with everything about it being top notch. VII and VI are over rated, but still amazing games. II is horrendous. The original FF is great just for starting the franchise. III and V are commended for introducing the ability to change classes in the Job system. XII is misunderstood, an excellent game with a poor story. XIII was beautiful in every way, except Lightning. She was too one dimensional.
    4. Command and Conquer – I’m a huge RTS fan. And while I think WarCraft III and StarCraft II are better games, Command and Conquer was the one that started my love for the genre. I was introduced to this series around the time Tiberian Sun was released. My friend brought his copy over and I fell in love with it! Especially the Brotherhood of Nod. I’ve played every C&C game including the FPS, Renegade(it was horrible). The series sort of went downhill after Westwood was purchased from EA, but I still consider this one of my favorite gaming franchises.
    5. Assassin’s Creed – Yeah, I ranted about 3. I complained about it’s numerous glitches and poor designs. But this is easily one of my favorite series of games I have ever played. Everything about it’s conspiracy theory driven plot line just sucks me in! Although I was disappointed in 3, I can’t ignore the series high points at II and Brotherhood. I can not wait to see what UbiSoft has in store for their next Assassin’s Creed release.

    Honorable mentions: Super Mario Bros, gaming wouldn’t be the same without this series. Kingdom Hearts, I have a heartless tattoo. Diablo, DII was my go to for years, and now it’s DIII. Pokemon, can’t wait to get X and Y!

    Shannon

    I’m with Anthony about never beating games. I think I’ve finished maybe 3 video games in my lifetime, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them.

    1. Monster Hunter – I’m really excited about the new one coming out on the WiiU… now I just have to get the system.
    2. Final Fantasy – I haven’t played one in a while, but it’s an amazing franchise and there are a couple I’d play again.
    3. Pokemon – Haven’t played this recently either, but I’m sure I’ll be getting a 3DS and the new ones when they’re out.
    4. Halo – This is the only shooter I play. I suck at it… really bad, but it’s so much fun.
    5. Lego – Ok, I don’t actually play these, but I love to watch Rob and our son play them. Lego Marvel Heroes is going to be amazing, yet another game I’m looking forward to.

    Audra

    First off, happy birthday to me. Second off, this is a excitable Friday Five. 🙂

    1. The Legend of Zelda – The series brings a tear to my heart! My first zelda that I ever played was Ocarina of Time. I saw my brother playing it and stole over control of the game. You know, just like little sisters do. I have yet to play every zelda but I have time.
    2. Mario Kart – I remember climbing over fences in our back yard to get to my friends house just to play the hell out of the original. Then I became quite the force to be reckoned with when the N64 version was releases.
    3. Dance Dance Revolution – I learned about this game through a friend that wasn’t much of a gamer. I was 15 at the time, and my life slowly started to evolve around coming home and becoming better at the game then my friend and cousin. I also succeeded in hitting 1000 calories burned during one night of game play.
    4. God of War – Kratos is definitely one of my favorite video game characters ever. The story line is awesome and he just has so much brute strength and anger.
    5. Donkey Kong – I love Donkey Kong! My cousins, aunt and I used to take turns trying to get through all the stages in Donkey Kong Country. I have the newest one for Wii, its fabulous!

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    Take It Or Leave It – January 23, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-23-2013/ Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:56:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11590
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This week we’ve got books like Young Avengers, Bedlam, and Green Lantern along with some crazy titles like Mars Attacks The Transformers, so really there’s a little something for everyone!

    Alphabetical by Publisher!

    Chris
    Another week of comics is here, there were a lot of great reads this week and some huge disappointments. I have a feeling my buy pile is going to be shrinking in the coming weeks as I weed out these poor players.

    Green Lantern #16
    Simon Baz has been pretty popular with reviewers since his debut last year. Unfortunately I just can’t get myself to really care about him. It’s not that he’s a bad character or anything it’s just they cut to him after such a crazy series of events with Hal and Sinestro that I’d rather see what’s going on with them. I’ve been saying this for a while now, but if the book doesn’t get my interest come next month it’s probably going to be time to drop it. This has probably been one of the better issues since Simon got his ring, he learned a bit about the ring and all, and showed us that him having it really does make some sense. It just wasn’t enough to really pull me in and make me care. If you’re a Green Lantern fan, and have been enjoying Simon so far it’s a good read the art is as good as ever and who doesn’t like Geoff Johns’ writing? Ultimately though I can’t recommend this book since it just doesn’t feel right.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7/10


    Nightwing #16
    I like Nightwing, it’s no secret I generally give it a pretty good review. The problem we may face is right now it’s deep in the dreaded crossover territory. So far Death of the Family hasn’t torn any series down, well none that I read anyway. Luckily Nightwing keeps true to this, and other than Batman is probably the best that’s come out. After Batman, Dick would ‘know’ the Joker best and by extension be known the best. While the whole crossover is a bit hard to keep straight since Joker seems to be doing a lot of things all at once it’s still fun. And really if you ever try and keep track of New 52 Batman continuity that doesn’t make any sense anyway. Joker really doesn’t pull any punches going up against Dick, I felt like he went easier on Damien and Barbara but with Dick he made it known that it was far more personal. That and Nightwing’s art team has been one of the few to give Greg Capullo’s Joker the right amount of crazy and scary.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Bedlam #3
    I had some apprehensions with Bedlam, while the first 2 issues were interesting and enjoyable I felt like they were missing something. Issue 3 really fixed that though, the character interaction and story progression were fun, but still creepy. There’s not a whole lot I can say here as I really don’t want to spoil anything but this was a fun read and definitely worth checking out.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Witchblade #163
    So far 2 issues in, Witchblade seems pretty interesting. I’m liking how it’s so tied to The Darkness and Artifacts, two other books from Image. Unlike last issue we got to see Sara use her powers and threaten some people. It also helps to close up the cliffhanger from last issues rather than drawing it out over several more issues. I’m looking forward to reading more of this universe and will probably be grabbing some older issues via trade sometime soon. In the meantime if you didn’t read issue 162 this may be a hard spot to jump on, but next issue looks to be starting a new arc so that’s probably as good a place as any. Otherwise give it a shot you just might be pleasantly surprised.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Avengers #3
    While I haven’t been a huge fan of the Marvel NOW! take on Avengers, the first 2 issues had some promise. With the third we get the closing of the first story and it was pretty disappointing. The only part that was enjoyable was when Cap showed up, everything before and after was slightly confusing and fairly uninteresting. Maybe if it was a longer story and we got to see more about these villains. You know, not just 2 issues of them talking about what they’re going to do while some Avengers are tied up and others are teaming up. Along with that the resolution felt to easy and not really knowing who a lot of the Avengers are just by looking at them hurts it too. Hickman’s idea for this series is great but the execution just feels flawed. This series has a lot of potential and I really hope I find more interest in it soon. I’m going to give this one more arc and see how it goes for now though I’d have to say leave this one on the shelves there’s plenty of other team books out there to check out. Hell some of them are further down this list!

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Deadpool #4
    Deadpool isn’t the best book out, it’s really not even in the top 10 books you could be buying. There are books with way better writing, plot, art, etc. But I can’t think of many that are nearly as fun as this book. The Merc With A Mouth is re-killing zombie/ghost presidents. There’s really nothing bad about this concept. Sure the execution isn’t always the best, but it fits Deadpool because he’s such a ridiculous character. This issue as plenty of him breaking the fourth wall and being goofy. At times it does feel like the plot, or what you’d call the plot is being forced in to fit around jokes but it still works. Hopefully the coming issues continue this trend but also bring Deadpool into contact with more mainstream characters that he’s already got established relationships with like Wolverine and the Jean Grey School or the Avengers.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Gambit #8
    I feel like I keep repeating myself every time I review Gambit, I want to like it, there’s just something about it that doesn’t feel right. Gambit is a fun character, and like a lot of X-Men he doesn’t get much spot light because there’s so many of them. His current solo books don’t really do him much justice and frankly you could probably sub him out for just about any character and it wouldn’t really feel any different. Hopefully with the coming arc we see more of the Remy we know and love and less of this generic thief with a heroic streak. On the bright side if you’re looking for something light and fairly entertaining this book fits well, just don’t expect to much depth.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #20
    There was a time where the top of my pile was always whatever Ultimate book came out that week. That’s not the case anymore, those books are slowly trickling further back on the list. As for The Ultimates I had to convince myself to read it this week, I just wasn’t feeling it at all. It’s not that this was a bad book, it just doesn’t have the “I need to read this” thing going for it. Everything just feels out of focus and random. On top of that it’s really not new reader friendly at all, the Ultimate Universe was suppose to not be as complicated as the 50-70+ year history of the main Marvel U, but now I feel like it’s even harder to follow.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Uncanny Avengers #3
    The first 2 issues of Uncanny Avengers were fun and a good way to start a series. This issue fell short a bit though, it was way to wordy and kind of hard to follow. Plus the art just didn’t convey the action that was going on, it was rushed. There were only a few panels that you could look at and go “Yea that’s badass”. This series still has a lot of promise though and one bad issue isn’t going to break it. Still I can’t say this one was worth reading, so if you’re new to the series just skip it, hell skip it if you read the first two just to save yourself the disappointment.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10


    Winter Soldier #14
    Winter Solider is a great book, even when the issue isn’t all that appealing the overall story is still a great read. A lot of that has to do with the main who brought Bucky back as Winter Soldier, Ed Brubaker. Issue 14 was his final issue, he’s done with the Captain America related books, and I’m fairly sure he’s not doing any other Marvel books and that’s a shame. He brought a different kind of perspective to these hero books and made them more than just guys and girls jumping around in footy pajama’s. So issue 14, while being Brubaker’s last issue also wraps up the story arc trying to find Black Widow. It’s been going on for a while, and it’s had it’s ups and downs but in the end I think it was pretty good. Definitely finishes on a huge downer though, but that’s going to add to the next issue, well hopefully we’ll have to see how the next creative team goes.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Wolverine And The X-Men #24
    The Murder Circus story that wrapped up last issue was kinda lame and pulled away from the problems and character development going on at the school. Issue 24 brings that back around, we get 3 different perspectives. Wolverine is on babysitting duty as the rest of the staff takes a night off, lucky for him Storm is still around to keep him company. Meanwhile Bobby and Kitty are out on their first date and Idie is at Broo’s bedside trying to help her friend get better. Oh and a special appearance by Sabertooth. There wasn’t really any action or villains in the issue, just a lot of good compelling character interaction. If you haven’t read any of this series yet issue 24 is a great place to start and it’s definitely worth checking out. It renewed my interest in the series after the last several issues had been fairly boring.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Young Avengers #1
    I’ve never really read any of the Young Avengers stuff before so I was going into this fresh. The only character I’m really familiar with is Kate Bishop due to her co-starring in the Hawkeye ongoing by Matt Fraction. Anyway while not the greatest first issue I’ve ever read, Young Avengers 1 does a good job of setting the stage and letting you know who the characters are. That said, I thought some of it felt a little forced, but over all it was enjoyable and it should be an interesting series.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland #7
    Wonderland is a strange book, it jumps around a lot and can be a little hard to follow if you aren’t familiar with the characters. But it’s compelling even the rather dull stuff with Violet where it’s really just teenage girls being teenage girls is interesting because you know at some point it’s going to come crashing down around them. If you’re new to the series it’s definitely worth at least picking up the trade of the first few issues so you can catch up.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10



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    StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Opening Cinematic https://one-quest.com/blog/starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm-opening-cinematic/ Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:50:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11553 Logo for StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm

    StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty launched worldwide in July of 2010 to some mixed reception. Critically it was reviewed well, but fans of the series couldn’t help feeling that it was only part of a game. Wings of Liberty contained a fully supported multiplayer mode, that pretty much replaced the original StarCraft and it’s expansion, Brood War, in the professional gaming circuit, as well as a 30 mission single player campaign. Although the single player campaign was longer then the previous two entries in the series, it followed only Jim Raynor and his Terra(human) forces. This was a major change in the series because the previous iterations contained campaigns for all three major races: Terran, Zerg, and Protoss. It was announced that the Zerg and Protoss would each be receiving their own full releases with enhancements to multiplayer and all new single player campaigns.

    It may have struck a negative cord with a few players, and I was one of them, but the reality of it is that StarCraft II was an expertly crafted experience. Knowing that and how much time and effort Blizzard puts into all of their games, I can’t help being excited to pay 3 times the amount I normally would for a single game. With that said we’re just 2 months away from StartCraft II-2, or StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. To whet our appetites, or just to tease us a bit and get us excited, Blizzard has released the opening cinematic for Heart of the Swarm. Give it a watch. Drool a bit. Watch it again, and drool some more. It’s going to be a wild ride following the Queen of Blades on her quest to regain her power and watch the universe burn.

    Don’t forget to tell us what you’re most excited for in Heart of the Swarm in the comments below!

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    Friday Five: Horror/Monster Movies https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-horrormonster-movies/ Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:22:36 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11540 Janet Leigh shower scene from Psycho

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us a little better with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks category: Horror/Monster movies!

    A good horror movie and monster movie are two very different categories. While one throws you into a situation where nothing but chaos and destruction seek the main protagonists, the other looks to freak you out so bad that you have trouble sleeping at night. That doesn’t mean you can’t still be a bit nervous that Godzilla could come stomping down the street! While both genres are fairly different, they have something in common. The intention to scare you. I dare you to watch some of these without being afraid of what may be lying in wait in the dark corners of your home. . .

    Chris

    1. A Nightmare on Elm Street
    2. Sinister
    3. Alien
    4. Evil Dead II
    5. Candyman

     
    Honorable Mention for Cabin In The Woods – While not a real monster movie, it plays off that genre so freaking well.

    Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street

    Audra

    I don’t like slasher movies. This of course comes with a few exceptions.

    1. Silent Hill – The first one. I still have to catch the newest one.
    2. Paranormal Activities – I know, I know. It’s pretty lame, but yet soo good at the sameime.
    3. Blair Witch Project – I was 12 when this came out. I saw this movie for the first time in a camp ground down in Maryland and the company I was with fell asleep through it. Leaving me wide eyed and frightened to finish the movie late at night. (side note – the movie took place in the Maryland woods.)
    4. The Ring – I was a teen when this came out. My cousin and I were soo excited to watch it. Within 30 minutes into the movie I was out cold. Boy oh boy was my cousin mad at me for leaving her to watch that movie by herself.
    5. Saw – I think this was my first legal “R” movie that I got to see in theaters. I really did enjoy it and the twist ending blew my mind.

     
    Nurses from Silent Hill

    Eric

    The Horror/Slasher genre isn’t really my cup of tea. I tend to get really tense and immersed in this crap. Next thing you know my dog barks and I nearly shit my pants. Yeah. . . Here’s my preferences in no particular order.

    1. Paranormal Activity – Like my wife said, we know it’s corny. But for super low budgets these movies make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, and it’s totally worth it.
    2. The Ring – I first watched this with my family. We rented it. Of course everyone knew the premise: Watch a movie, get a phone call, die 7 days later. Of course I couldn’t pass this one up, so after the movie ended I called the home phone with my cell. Just imagine the hilarity.
    3. Tremors – I don’t think this is classified as a horror movie, but it freaked me out as a kid. I remember my friend and I being afraid to walk on dirt and grass for a week after seeing this one.
    4. 28 Days Later – Not really a horror movie, but a really bad ass zombie movie. This one pretty much started the movement of the quick moving zombies seen in a lot of our current games, tv shows, and movies.
    5. Dead Space – Not a movie. Deal with it. Hands down the creepiest, scariest game I have ever played. Try playing in broad daylight, with the surround sound cranked up, and not freaking out whenever anything happens!

     
    Honorable Mention: Amnesia: The Dark Descent – A Horror/Adventure game available on Steam. Audra, Shahid, and myself spent the better part of a night playing this one and dear god is it freaky! If you think Slender is bad, then stay away from this one.

    Isaac from Dead Space staring out into space

    Anthony

    Monster movies, or Beast movies, as I like to call them, are some of my favorite! I really like the old, terrible claymation style stuff. The fact that just about everything on my list has been remade shows that these were important films.

    1. King Kong – 1933 original- Merian C. Cooper is my hero.
    2. Gojira – The original Japanese version of Godzilla. If you never saw this then you don’t know the real story! Although I find it amazing the way they edited it to make the US version. People don’t like to read, so instead of subtitles they added an actor to experience the whole thing and narrate what was going on in English.
    3. Clash of the Titans – 1981 Original – When Pegasus takes flight it’s remarkable! I know this movie wasn’t really meant to be scary, but it’s got monsters!
    4. The Howling – 1981 Original – I’m a big fan of non-computer generated special effects and the Werewolf transformation in this movie is amazing. Or was..
    5. Predator – Way too badass to not make this list. Tell me you don’t have nightmares of being hunted by one of these!

     
    Honorable Mentions: Jurassic Park and Gremlins, when you think scary you don’t usually think of these two. So I didn’t include them in my 5, but they are still monster movies, think about it.

    King Kong from 1933

    Did anyone not notice the giant woman he’s holding?

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    Skyrim DLC finally coming to PS3! https://one-quest.com/blog/skyrim-dlc-finally-coming-to-ps3/ Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:30:05 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11530 The First Dragonborn from Skyrim

    Well, it’s been a while. Skyrim hit shelves in November of 2011. It’s first DLC, Dawnguard, officially launched back in June of 2012. . . for the Xbox 360 and PC. Since then 2 other content packs have been released, Hearthfire and Dragonborn, both to the Xbox360 and PC, with not release in sight for PS3.

    Now, nearly 8 months after it’s release, Bethesda has confirmed that all DLC for Skyrim will launch on the PS3 this February! No specific date has been mentioned, but Dragonborn will be the first to hit the PlayStation Store. Each week following the other two will be released, Hearthfire next, then Dawnguard.

    If finally being able to explore the new areas and quests in Skyrim on your PS3 wasn’t enough, Bethesda has also announced that each DLC will launch at a 50% discount! The sale only lasts for the first week the content hits the PlayStation Store, so make sure you grab it then.

    Official announcement located at the Bethesda Blog.

    As you can tell, we’re stoked about this. Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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    Take It Or Leave It – January 16, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-16-2013/ Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:47:02 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11504
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It for January 16, 2013, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.
    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris
    I read a lot of comics this week, and enjoyed most of them! There were a few less than stellar issues out there, but I think as a whole it was a pretty damn good week for comics especially with the next chapter in Death of the Family hitting shelves.

    Batgirl #16
    This issue starts out a little slow, well not slow but not fun. There’s been so much talk about Batgirls hatred of the Joker in the last few issues it’s hard to pay attention to everything else going on with her. Meanwhile the Joker is continuing with her crazy plan to destroy the Bat-Family. I’ve gotta say some of the dialogue for him was great, going on and on about the wedding and telling Barbra he was going to cut off her arms and legs. The chainsaw was a nice feature that plays into Batman 16 too. This issue really started to get interesting when James Gordon Jr. showed up, if you’re not familiar he’s a sociopath. He’s pretty much out to make his sisters life a living hell, or is he? He is one of the few characters to actually come into a situation with the Joker and play the game on his level. . . or as close as anyone could get to his level. This issue really had a lot of good points and the ending was a great cliffhanger to be wrapped up in in Batman 17. If you’ve been following Death of the Family or Batgirl or both this is a must have. It’s really a pretty good read no matter what, but you’ll bit left out on the punchline if you haven’t been keeping up.

    Verdict: Take It – Regular Readers

    Score: 8/10


    Batman #16
    If you search for Batman review right now you will find nothing but praise for Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and the rest of team Batman. There is a damn good reason for that, this series has been a stand out success since the New 52 started, out of 15 issues there wasn’t a single dud. And 16 doesn’t change that one bit, Batman has finally reached Arkham Asylum and the Joker has a huge welcome home party for him. The issue, more than any other in Death of the Family has shown the lengths the Joker has gone, it’s shown the history and amazing dynamic between Batman and the Joker. This issue isn’t just Batman fighting goons, this is a love letter from the Joker to his greatest enemy and best friend. There’s so many nods and winks to the history between these two characters, whether it’s something said, seen, or alluded to, it’s a long history and it’s definitely not over yet. The reveal of the Bat-Kings court was well timed and felt right. For someone who doesn’t read all of the Batman books it was fun to see some of the other key characters from Batman’s rogues gallery. To sum this up, if you’re a Batman fan, or a comic book fan you should be reading this book whether it’s the middle of a story or not.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 10/10


    Batman & Robin #16
    If you go back through the months you’ll see I have a lot of praise for this book, which tends to be over shadowed by some of the other New 52 books. Tomasi has been telling a great story about father and son learning to exist together, even when these crossovers pop-up it doesn’t slow that down, he still keeps the character dynamic and evolution going. issue 15 was good, it was nice to see Robin take on the Joker, and while 16 isn’t a bad issue I don’t feel like it was quite as good. It was a little to predictable, which maybe it was suppose to be. The ending was of the fight was a nice touch and really shed a lot of light on Damien’s current feelings towards his father and his mission. So while this isn’t the best in the series, it’s still a solid book and fits really well with Death of the Family. And I’m still looking forward to see where the characters will go after the crossover finishes up next month.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Hoax Hunters #6
    I’ve never read Hoax Hunters before, lucky issue 6 was the start of a new story. It’s a comic about a reality show that goes around debunking myths and legends. But apparently they’re actually covering them up? I’m not sure, but I know that the urban legends definitely appear to be real. This was a fairly interesting book and I’m probably going to be picking up the volume 1 trade to see how it started out. It’s probably not for everyone, but if you want something supernatural that isn’t superhero this may be a great spot to start, and like I said issue 6 was the start of a new story so it was fairly easy to follow without any prior knowledge. Like a lot of books there’s even a little recap at the beginning, I love it when books have those.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Saga #9
    I’m not actually going to tell you anything about this book at all. If you’re not already reading it you’re doing something wrong that’s all. There’s a trade for volume one available you should go read it and then read everything else you’ll come back and thank me I promise.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    All-New X-Men #6
    X-Men books are known to be ridiculously complicated. Like how Cable is Cyclops’ son with Madelyne Pryor who is a clone of Jean Grey, he got sent to the future and then came back to the past as an adult. And on the other side you have Rachel Grey who is the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey from an alternate future. I understand it and I’m confused. So when they said that a new X-Men book was coming out with the original 5 X-Men from the past coming to the future to see what Scott did and try and prevent it, well my head almost exploded. But if you’ve been keeping track, so far this has been a great book, Bendis hasn’t made the continuity to ridiculous to follow, and overall it’s been pretty fun. In the current issue the originals are just beginning to realize what their lives in the future are going to be like, and Scott’s looks the worst. There was a nice scene where he’s trying to buy a map and a magazine at a convenience store. The girl asks if his phone has a map as she plays on a smart phone and he’s then baffled by the price of the magazine. It’s one of those things that in the next few years wouldn’t have worked anymore, but going back 16ish years ago cell phones weren’t very prominent at all or useful, and things were much cheaper. For anyone who doesn’t know the general rule of thumb is for every 3 real world years about a year passes in comics so while X-Men have been around for 50 years, the characters are only about 16 years older. But that’s off topic, this book just keeps getting better and better. The interactions of our normal characters with these younger version of their friends is interesting. And Angel finally seeing how he was nice, though I’m sure he’ll soon see that he’s a very different person.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Alpha Big Time 0.1
    So this is a bit of a cheat, I didn’t actually read Alpha it wasn’t worth it. This is a reprint of his story from Amazing Spider-Man that started back in the summer. If you read those books, which honestly if you were interested in Alpha you probably did, you don’t need this. The story itself wasn’t a very good one either, Alpha wasn’t an interesting character and his ‘final’ outcome wasn’t all that interesting either. It’s probably best to save your money on this one.

    Verdict: 4/10

    Score: Leave It


    Avenging Spider-Man 16
    Like a lot of people when Avenging Spider-Man started last year I was excited. Joe Mad was coming back to comics, this book was going to be great. Then he left after the first arc and while the book was alright, it was still just a team up book. I stuck it out till about June and then dropped it, but after reading last months 15.1 which continued the introduction of Superior Spider-Man I decided to give it another shot. Chris Yost writing was a plus too as his Scarlet Spider book has been one of my favorites. Anyway I feel that this book is going to be great for seeing our new Spidey interact with characters he’s known for years. The scenes in this issue with Wolverine were a lot of fun. I still don’t know how I feel about the switch, but if this book keeps going the way this issue did I may start picking it up again.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Captain Marvel #9
    The previous arc of Captain Marvel was good, but I found myself getting bored with it. The character interaction that makes this book fun was there, but the enemy and plot just lacked something. Issue 9 didn’t really have a lot of ‘plot’ it was almost a random series of planned out events, if that makes any sense at all. Carol has a busy day all scheduled out, and super-heroics get in the way. The final pages with her friends all gathered around were nice, and the final page was pretty powerful. If you’ve been enjoying the new Captain Marvel so far you’ll keep on doing it, and if you’re thinking of testing it out this is a great place to start.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Indestructible Hulk #3
    A lot of reviews are saying this is one of the best of the series so far. While it’s definitely good and a fun read, I think issue 2 still wins. The story is continuing with Banner trying to assemble his team of scientists to help him change the world between him being S.H.I.E.L.D’s private one main army. Everything just seemed so crammed together, this was one of those issues that probably would have benefited from being stretched out and turned into a full arc or something. The end was a lot of fun though, I liked the introductions to the fifth member of Banners team and his reaction to it. If you’ve been reading Indestructible Hulk so far this is a great way to continue, if it’s going to be your first issue it’s probably worth holding off till next month.

    Verdict: Leave It – If you’re a first time reader

    Score: 6/10


    Ultimate Comics Iron Man #4
    Poor Ultimate Tony Stark, the guy just can’t get a good solo book. This book has really been kind of a struggle to get through, it’s a great concept and I was excited to see Mandarin get brought into the Ultimate universe but it fell short. The final issue did pick up a lot more than the previous 3 but it just wasn’t enough to save it. I still have hope though, they tease a continuation at the end and if that can pick up where this one left off and keep improving it could be pretty good. Oh there’s also the teaser for Ultimate Comics Wolverine at the end so that’s good news.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 3/10


    New Avengers #2
    New Avengers was one of my favorite books, I saw was because so far this book isn’t really New Avengers. It’s Illuminati, which while cool doesn’t work for a whole book. It’s just another reason to use the infinity gems. I don’t really have much else to say about this book, it was A LOT of text though so if you are going to pick it up be ready for a very explanatory book with lots of text.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Savage Wolverine #1
    Other than Old Man Logan I’ve never actually read a Wolverine solo title before. It’s not like I’ve got anything about the character just never picked up his books. Well I decided to fix that and pick up Savage Wolverine this week, and while it wasn’t the greatest story every I think it’s doing exactly what Marvel wanted it to do. It’s a very pulp kinda book with Wolverine finding himself in the Savage Land. So obviously there’s dinosaurs and cavemen and half naked women to go along with it. If one or more of those things sounds good to you, give the book a shot.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Venom #30
    Finally Venom’s first story in Philly got better! Shame it was the end of this opening arc. The whole issue was flash recalling the fight with the Ufoes after he blacked out. Well not really recalling, but talking about it while we got to see the Symboite or Demon take over and kick some ass. The final pages with Flash up on the roof were probably the best and really drove home what this guy is going through. This is the first time in a number of issues that I’m geuninly excited to see what comes next for Flash.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    GrimmFairyTales81 Grimm Fairy Tales #81
    Zenescope’s books are generally pretty fun to read and have interesting stories. I’ve never actually gotten into their flagship book Grimm Fairy Tales though. I have read the last few issues and they were interesting enough even if I don’t really know what’s happening. Issue 81 just felt to easy and predictable, it wasn’t bad it just wasn’t as good as everything else. It was pretty easy from the beginning to see where it was going, and on top of that being the last issue in a story arc isn’t really new reader friendly. If you’re not really concerned about the outcome I would wait till next issue.

    Verdict: Leave It – Wait for next issue

    Score: 6/10



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    Zenescope UNLEASHED – Epic Crossover Event https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescope-unleashed-epic-crossover-event/ Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:01:38 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11490

    Zenescope Entertainment has been teasing us with the prospect of something big coming. Well they’ve finally shed some light and it is pretty big. This Spring the popular publisher is going to be bringing a whole slew of new books in a huge crossover event called Unleashed. While it looks like we can expect some familiar faces to show up, this is shaping up to be a way to display a whole new batch of characters. As you’ll notice if you check the image above the we’re going to be getting a lot of horror characters out of this, and there aren’t many publishers that could do this as much justice as Zenescope. They’ve done a lot of really imaginative stuff with fairy tales in the past making them darker than most of us are really use to. Now taking a turn at what’s already dark who knows what we’ll get.

    The creative teams are going to be released later on, but for now the writers are going to be Patrick Shand, Raven Gregory, Mark L Miller, and Troy Brownfield.

    Oh they’re doing their twist on Van Helsing too. The whole thing is going to take up about 24 issues and starts in April, running till September. Check out the official press release from Zenescope after the images.

    Zenescope Entertainment to Unleash epic Grimm Fairy Tales Event

    Jan, 2013 — Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans for a major Spring/Summer event entitled UNLEASHED. The massive release will include six separate mini-series and a total of 24 issues (some being oversized issues) that tie directly into the Grimm Fairy Tales Universe. The epic comic book event will delve directly into the world of horror monsters while following those with the skills to hunt them. Grimm Fairy Tales UNLEASHED is the main seven issue mini-series that begins when hundreds of formerly trapped vampires, werewolves, demons and zombies are all released on Earth by a very powerful entity known as “The Being.” Now, four separate monster hunters (who fans will get to know in separate “Unleashed” mini-series), must join forces along with Grimm’s kick-ass heroine Sela Mathers in order to stop them.

    The five other mini-series will lead directly into UNLEASHED and follow the terrifying stories of the monsters that exist within the Grimm Universe. These series are The Eternal (Vampires), The Unseen (Demons), The Hunger (Werewolves) and The Cursed (Zombies). The fifth series entitled “The Hunters: Shadowlands” will follow those who are chosen to hunt these wretched creatures, including Zenescope’s reimagined Van Helsing.

    “UNLEASHED crosses several genres with a blend of horror, fantasy and action,” states Zenescope’s EIC, Ralph Tedesco. “We’ve wanted to bring classic but updated horror monsters into the Grimm Universe for a while and we came up with an all-encompassing event that would allow us to introduce a lot of great new characters in a captivating way. A couple of examples include a reinvented female version of the classic Van Helsing character and Elijah, a freed slave from the 19th century who kicks zombie ass. Fans are in for something they never would have expected to see in Grimm and they’re going to absolutely love it!”

    The entire Unleashed event will run from April 2013 through September 2013 with the first issues available for order in the February edition of Diamond Previews coming out this week.

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    Friday Five – Long Running TV Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-long-running-tv-shows/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:23:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11473

    For this weeks topic, we picked our favorite shows that made it through 100 episodes and into syndication, or continued all the way through their seventh season.

    Chris

    1. Psych – I’m a little preemptive with this one, but Psych is starting season 7 in February which includes the 100th episode, and it’s already been renewed for an 8th season which will probably be it’s last.
    2. House MD – It’s gone, but not forgotten. Even though the last season or two weren’t as good as some of the earlier stuff it was still always fun to tune in and watch Dr. House berate someone and be a genius at the same time.
    3. Dr. Who – I only just started watching this recently, but already caught up on the current series which started back in 2005. They’re on series 7 now, but the shows been on since the ‘60s, except for a 15/16 year hiatus.
    4. How I Met Your Mother – Pretty much everyone watches this show now, and everyone wants to know who the god damn mother is.
    5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 Cartoon) – I didn’t realize until recently just how long this show was on for, while my childhood interest in the turtles declined they were always up there, and this show was part of the reason!

     
    Special Mention: The first 273 episode of Pokemon, particularly 1-80 and Dragonball-Z, the first. They are both really long drawn out plots, and they both fucked with us as children restarting from the beginning every few months for years!
     

    Shannon

    I could probably list at least 10 for this one, but I contained myself.

    1. Bones
    2. Psych
    3. How I Met Your Mother
    4. Good Eats
    5. Dexter

     

    Vogel

    1. Dexter
    2. Star Trek: The Next Generation
    3. Pawn Stars– I’m such a pack rat.and shows like this help me legitimize it.
    4. The Simpsons – I don’t watch it anymore, but up until the 10th season or so it was awesome.
    5. Big Bang Theory – Never have I recorded a show weekly and watched every single episode until TBBT came out.

     

    Drootin

    This week we’re talking about shows that had a strong run so here’s my list of my top 5 long running TV shows, I don’t really have much of an intro for this topic so, here’s my list

    1. Mythbusters (Sept. 2003-Present) – The super fun science show has already been on for 10 seasons with no signs of slowing down. I don’t know how you would not know what this show is about, the title is pretty straight forward, the Mythbusters use science to either prove or bust myths and urban legends (and blow lots of things up).
    2. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Nov 1989-May 1996) – Again, another show that I would think most people who read this site are well aware of. A man and his robots make fun of bad movies to stay sane while trapped on a space station.
    3. Good Eats (July 1999-Feb 2012) – One of the early Food Network shows, Chef Alton Brown gives a recipe or occasionally a few recipes on a given topic and also goes into some of the science of food chemistry and also the history of some foods. It is fun and informative, and also has some good looking food.
    4. Jeopardy (Sept 1984-Present) – So we weren’t really supposed to include game shows, but honestly this is one of my top TV shows in general and look how long it’s been on, 28 years is a hell of a run and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It’s a staple of my childhood and I try and watch it as much as I can.
    5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Sept 1999-Present) – Easily my favorite of all the Law & Order versions, SVU is in its 14th season this year. It has had a very solid cast and I just really enjoy it. It’s definitely one of those shows I could sit down and watch a marathon of whenever.

     

    Eric

    1. Lost – (September 2004 – May 2010) – It’s Lost. There really isn’t anything to say that hasn’t already been said. This show was, and still is, brilliant. Also, the ending was perfect! If you hated it, you’re an idiot.
    2. The Office – (March 2005 – Present) – This was one of the first things I watched straight through when I signed up for Netflix. It’s an amazing show with tons of hilarious moments. The past 2 seasons have indeed been lacking without Steve Carell, but it hasn’t been nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I still find it to be consistently hilarious.
    3. House M.D. – (November 2004 – May 2012) – My wife and I couldn’t get enough of this show. We own every season on DVD up to season 6. We marathoned the entire series before the final season aired on TV. While it wasn’t the best season, the final episode was an excellent send off for the character.
    4. Futurama – (March 1999 – August 2003, March 2010 – Present) – I was so upset when Futurama originally got canceled. When it was picked up by Comedy Central I was ecstatic! Only downside, I canceled cable permanently that year, so I can’t watch it as it airs. . . >.<
    5. Power Rangers – (August 1993 – Present) – This was the only reason I would wake up early every morning as a kid. Power Rangers ruled my life like nothing else ever had, except for maybe WoW. Sadly, my parents bullied me away from liking the show when I was in 5th grade because I was too old to like this kid stuff. But this is probably going to be my next Netflix Marathon.

     
    Honorable Mention: Pokemon – I always wanted to grow up to be the very best, like no one ever was! To be better than Ash Ketchum in every way. The Superior Ash Ketchum. Also, TMNT Cartoon rocked my childhood!
     

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    Take It Or Leave – January 9, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-january-9-2013/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:52:37 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11428
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    This week is a bit small, wasn’t a lot released that really caught my attention but, their were a few big names dropping this week like the first issue of Superior Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Fantastic Four. But we’ve got some books to talk about so lets get started!

    As always, the list is alphabetical by publisher.

    Chris
    Frankly this wasn’t a great week for comics, not a lot that I was interested in came out, and while my list is pretty split with likes and dislikes, I felt like I was more disappointed than usual. All is not lost though, next week has some pretty big releases like Batman and Saga so one bad week followed by those kind of books I can deal with!

    Repossessed #1
    I read this on a whim, didn’t really know what it was or anything. It was a pretty pleasant surprise though. It’s kinda got like an Angel or Supernatural feel to it where a group of people are going around solving paranormal problems. In this case possessions, and it’s not all “The power of Christ compels you” crap either they get pretty brutal with these demons. I wasn’t a huge fan of the art at first, but it definitely grows on you as the issue continues. Plus it’s only a 4 issue series so no long term commitment necessary, but definitely worth checking out if you want something interesting and new to read.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Fantastic Four #3
    So far I haven’t read any of FF, I’ve been sticking with just Fantastic Four. The first two issues really make you feel like you’re missing out on something not reading the other book. Finally in issue 3 we start getting a separate adventure. It wasn’t the best issue by far, but Fraction does a really good job of plotting things out over time. This is really one of those books where I’d prefer longer stories and less one-shots so hopefully that’s what we start getting. Until then nothing really important happens here, so it’s really not an important read. It’s a good book, but for the money you’re better off leaving it at the store

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7/10


    Punisher War Zone #3
    I heard a lot of really good things about Greg Ruka’s Punisher run, and I liked the opening issue of War Zone. Since then though it’s been a disappointment. Last issue was at least more interesting and we got to see Black Widow use her skills to track down Frank, but once she found him it ended with him leading her to his target so she could deal with it. Issue 3 plays pretty much the same way only with Thor and less chasing because he’s Thor. And the weird buddy’s drinking a few beers thing just didn’t seem to flow right. Hopefully this can get tied up well but I’m not holding my breath. If you’re super interested in this story wait till the trade, otherwise it’s probably worth skipping all together.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Scarlet Spider #13
    I’ve I told you how much I love Scarlet Spider? Sure it’s had it’s up’s and downs but what book doesn’t? Overall it’s been great and it’s usually the first or second book I read each time it comes out. We’re back to a more ‘normal’ story now, the wolves are in town and we’re starting to learn more about this people trafficking and how Aracely is connected to it. Kaine also appears to be trying harder to be a good guy, which is kinda cool especially with the recent changes over in Amazing Spider-Man/Superior Spider-man. The issue ends on a fun cliffhanger and the next issue just can’t come out soon enough.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Secret Avengers #36
    Secret Avengers started out as a really good book, then it went down hill, then it went back up. It’s been a roller coaster ride it’s entire existence. The current, and final arc by Rick Remender has been really hit or miss. This issue for instant was a miss for me. At this point it’s been going on to long and I just don’t care anymore. I’m not even sure if I care enough to pick up this title after the relaunch it’s just fluxuates in quality to much.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Superior Spider-Man #1
    Oh boy was this a highly anticipated issue or what. After the world altering events of Amazing Spider-Man 700 people were either excited to buy this and see where the story went or disgruntled and angry and full of hate but still bought it because they’re compulsive and can’t not own it. Regardless that doesn’t really speak much about the issue itself. Superior Spider-Man is a very different book from Amazing Spider-Man, the wall-crawler is no longer the witty Peter Parker. We don’t get a hero making jokes about his opponent, we get a ‘hero’ who straight tells them they’re stupid. Overall I enjoyed the book, but it’s definitely one you have to read start to finish before making a judgment. Personally I liked the ending, a lot of people are going to immediately jump on the hate wagon though, that’s just how this stuff goes. I’m looking forward to see where Slott takes this book, I do hope he gets the supporting cast back into a more. . . stable mindset. They all seem to be looking past the character flaws a lot more than they should and that won’t fly with fans for very long.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Ultimate Comics X-Men #21
    I’ve made it clear that I’m a fan of Ultimate X-Men, since the original run of it in the early 2000’s it’s been a good book. And usually easier to follow than the 616 mutants are. With Ultimate Comics X-Men things started out good, then got a little to hard to follow. With the switch in creators that was changed and it became more focused. While I like what Brian Wood is doing with the book, I just feel that it’s moving a little to slow, this issue especially. Nothing happens till the last couple of pages and it’s not really that impressive. Hopefully this is just setup for something bigger, but right now this setup that reminds me of a reality show where all the mutants are stuck in the desert and have to survive is only going to hold people’s attention so long. Don’t get me wrong, there’s great character drama going on right now, but the action and adventure you expect from an X book is sorely missing. Still if you’ve been reading from the beginning it’s worth picking up just to see what the world things of the things that went down in the previous issue. We also get a very brief bit of Jean Grey and a few other familiar faces

    Verdict: Take It – If you’ve been reading

    Score: 6/10


    Wolverine And The X-Men #23
    This Frankenstein’s Circus story has bored me a bit, when Wolverine and the X-Men started I was really liking, recently though it’s losing that interest. The story with Idie feels like it’s been going on for just to long, same with the kids of the Hellfire Club. If the book doesn’t start moving again it’s probably not going to be something I keep following.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10



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    Where they went wrong with Diablo III AND Torchlight II https://one-quest.com/blog/where-they-went-wrong-with-diablo-iii-and-torchlight-ii/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:45:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11383 Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2 logos

    2012 was pretty awesome for Action RPG Fans. Not only did we get the release of Diablo III, but also Torchlight II! I, like many at One-Quest, picked up Diablo III at midnight and played, non-stop, well into the weekend. Even to this day I feel that Diablo III is a damn near perfect predecessor to Diablo II in every way. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t get some things wrong. I’m not the only one that feels this way. In fact, there are many out there that would argue against my point of view with every ounce of their being, as is their right. A lot of their feelings are just, but most of them are unfounded. Check out the Diablo Forums for yourself and tell me how silly some of these claims sound.

    The eventual release of Torchlight II pulled a mass of hate directed at Diablo III away. It was nice to be able to breathe on the forums and enjoy the game for what it is. That being a sequel to one of my most beloved games of all time, not a remake. After the forum chatter died down, and numerous “THORCHLIGHT II IZ FAR BETTERS THEN DIABLO-STOOPID FAGGOTS-3” posts, I decided to give the game a shot. I wasn’t jumping in blind, I had played the original Torchlight and found it charming enough. There were some interesting visuals, and some design decisions I felt that were better made 10 years ago, but otherwise a fun game. I was quite anxious to jump in and see what all of the fuss was about.

    Outlander from Torchlight II

    Pizzadog, you look odd. . .

    Barbarian from Diablo III

    Real barbarians wear pink under armor.

    So we started, Shahed and I. I created Clint, the Outlander, and his dog, Pizzadog. Shahed made Hugo Von Borne, the Engineer, and his badger, Mushroom. As we traveled across the land of. . . something, searching for the evil. . . someone, we battled hordes of generic goblins and bats of both the standard and champion varieties. We found crap loads, and I mean CRAP LOADS, of loot in all corners of the world. I’m not kidding when I say crap loads. There’s a counter that shows that in the entirety of our first play through to stop the evil something-or-other I sold over 2000 items. Quick breakdown: I played for a total of 20 hours, and sold over 2000 items. This doesn’t count items I use, ie. potions and other consumables, or spells. Just items sold. So 2000 items in 20 hours amounts to 100 items per hour. That’s 1.6, repeating, items for every minute I played. AND THAT’S NOT COUNTING THINGS THAT WERE USED!

    It’s an absurd amount of stuff, but what matters here is the game play, and as soon as we started the game up we both had the same feeling. Torchlight II is a lot faster then Diablo III. I mean this in that your character moves insanely fast across the screen, almost to the point that it makes Diablo III look like it’s trying to re-enact every beach scene in Baywatch at the same time. On top of that you level up insanely fast! By the end of all 4 acts I was pushing level 60, and I only played for 20 hours. That averages out to be about 3 levels per hour, which is crazy when you think about how slowly those last 3-5 levels come your way in Diablo III. Throw that in with a crap load of loot and plenty of generic champion and standard enemy types, and you have plenty to gawk at. But these aren’t the primary reasons the Diablo III forum users love Torchlight. Nope. The main reason is the stat and skill point systems.

    So, in Diablo III, when a player levels up they are given a new skill, or skill modifier, and some stat points that are allocated according to their class. The player has no choices to make in terms of what skill to learn, or what points to focus on. They get to decide which skills to use at any given time, without any penalties. This was a basis for the rage induced by the release of Diablo III. In Torchlight II when the player gains a level of experience they gain 5 stat points and 1 skill point to allocate as they see fit. There are 4 stats to choose from, which help determine damage, defense, health, mana, and gauge when the player can equip certain items. There are 39 skills to choose from for each character. 9 are passives and when selected provide bonuses to damage with specific weapons, add heath steal to attacks, summon creatures when hit, etc. The other 30 are active skills and abilities used to deal damage, or defend oneself during combat. Each skill has 15 levels that allow you to unlock special bonuses for skills after every 5 points are placed into a skill.

    Outlander Skill Tree from Torchlight II

    The Lonely Skill

    Both of these games are excellent, but neither one is perfect. Where did they go wrong?

    First and foremost, Diablo III is SLOW. It’ll still take you about 15-20 hours to complete the campaign from start to finish, but the entire time you’ll feel like your’re running through molasses. In Torchlight II you’ll fly through the game at an amazing pace. If the characters were slowed down the campaign would easily last an extra 10 hours, and that’s time a lot of players don’t have. Some would argue that item drop rates are too low in Diablo III, and that it should be more like Torchlight II. I’d have to disagree. It is awesome to get so many items in Torchlight II. Every time you fight a champion, or open a big chest, it’s light Christmas. The downside here is that Christmas happens every 5 minutes, and you eventually become desensitized to it. The feeling of excitement you get when an orange item drops fades away after you realize your character is decked out in all orange items. Diablo III makes you work for your equipment. It makes you put time into the game. You want a shiny new sword, you’re going to have to play for a few hours! Neither method is perfect, and while both need enhancements, they both work well for their respective games.


    You might want to turn the volume down on this one. . .

    Face it, the skills and stats need a lot of work in BOTH games. When I started playing Diablo II I was in Highschool. I had all the time in the world to start a new character and run through the game picking random stats and skills based on what I thought was coolest, and re-starting when I realized some of those skill points were better saved for other skills. I don’t have that kind of time anymore. Free time is precious, I can’t justify spending 30 hours starting a new character just to see how cool a different skill is. I need to know the best possible route now, so I can be as awesome as possible come endgame. Diablo III lets me do this properly, while Torchlight sits around like a stubborn old man who refuses to eat at IHOP because he only eats breakfast at Denny’s! Sure these skill points and stats are cool, sure I can customize my character to be exactly the way I want, but at what cost? Want to know what Clints Skills looked like by the end of my first game? 3 active skills were learned, and 7 passives were learned. I was too afraid to put points into skills I was unsure about, so I never did. Instead I knew I could make myself stronger by placing skill points into passives that benefited his main attack, and I knew what that was like. In fairness you can respec, undo 3 skill points back. You can’t wipe your tree clean and start again, but you can put a point in a skill, test it, and remove it if you hate it. But why limit me then? Why not give me every skill and bonus so I can try them all out at the end of the game when I need to be strongest? Instead if I realize Skill X is better than Skill Y, which I have 15 point in already, there’s nothing I can do. I just have to go on with the knowledge that I made a mistake, and I can’t fix it without starting from scratch. It’s an old archaic system that Diablo III did away with, and they had some extraordinary results! But nerds rage! Diablo III isn’t without flaw, however. Without the need to make choices that are somewhat permanent, like a talent tree, the player feels like they’re being guided too much. We don’t need our hand held this much, but it would be nice to be given a little more flexibility than what is allowed in Torchlight II.

    Average Chest loot from Torchlight II

    Make it rain!

    Average Champion loot in Diablo III

    Make it rain . . . significantly less.

    Lastly, ENDGAME. Yeah, Diablo II didn’t have one. Nor did Torchlight. Nor does Diablo III or Torchlight II. That doesn’t mean one can’t be made. I will give credit where credit is due. At the end of Diablo III you start over on a higher difficulty with the promise of finding better loot, or encountering scarier, stronger enemies. That’s the endgame. It’s not a bad goal. It has me interested in playing more, but it’s not enough to keep me interested for more than a few hours a week. Torchlight II offers the same New Game + mentality, but on top of that there’s the “Mapworks.” The player can find, or purchase, maps with random locations and properties (like 25% more fire damage dealt, +5% exp received, -30% defense, etc.) to encourage the players to explore new areas. Most of the locaton types are reused from other sections of the game, some are unique to the Mapworks, but they’re all exciting. It’s not perfect, but it gives the player the option to play through new content, with new threats, as opposed to playing through the same area, fighting the same enemies for the umpteenth time only to not get any benefit.

    Diablo III End Screen

    YAY! . . . now what?

    Both of these games offer vastly different experiences, and neither should be chosen over the other in favor of branding. Instead, play them both. Take in the best, and worst, of their design decisions. Your opinions might differ from mine, but the truth of it is, both of these games are flawed and cannot possibly survive without the other. At the same time, both of these games are incredible in their own right and both deserve the chance to grow and evolve in their own way. Let’s just hope they evolve in the right directions next time.

    Played Torchlight II and Diablo III? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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    Pokemon X and Y Coming To Your 3DS This October https://one-quest.com/blog/pokemon-x-and-y-coming-to-your-3ds-this-october/ Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:52:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11407
    Non-Japanese fans of Pokemon have spent the last 15 years obsessing over catching them all, Japanese fans an extra 2 year. We’ve been through the strange monotone colors of the original Gameboy with Red and Blue. The half colors in Yellow, Gold, and Silver. And finally the fully color version with Crystal. Every generation got a little prettier with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald the backgrounds became more detailed. When the games finally reached the DS with Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 it was almost perfect, the worlds were fully realized they had depth to them. The characters weren’t just heads with feet while you walked around. It’s exactly what you want in a handheld game, that’s not even going into all the side games, and updated re-releases like the Mystery Dungeon series, Fire Red and Leaf Green.

    Now we’ve got the next progression for Pokemon, with the first 3DS adventure Pokemon X and Y we get our favorite handheld obsession in 3 dimensions. Even better it’s a legit entry into the Pokemon franchise, you’ll play a new trainer on their quest to become the very best, the best there ever was. Lets not stop there though, it’s even better, fans outside of Japan have spent long months waiting for these games to release after their Japanese counter parts have already come out. Well we wait no longer! Pokemon X and Y looks to be releasing WORLDWIDE in October. Yea crazy right? Only a year after Black 2 and White 2 the first official sequel to a main Pokemon entry comes out we get our first 3DS game, released everywhere at once.

    Here is the official annoucment from earlier this morning, which includes an nice little history on game releases and what not.

    And here is just the trailer if you don’t want to wait that whole video!

    So this is pretty cool news for anyone who plays Pokemon. We get a peak at some of the new Pokemon for this game like our new starters, obviously following the tradition of 3 cute monsters. The fire type fox Fennekin, the grass type chipmunk looking thing with a hat Chespin, and last but not least the frog looking Pokemon Froakie who, you guessed it is our water type. We also got some nice images of past Pokemon that will be featured in this new game. The one thing I did notice that was a little disappointing it appears that you’ll be able to catch Pokemon from all of the various generations early on. That could just be the way the video was cut together. One of the best features in Black and White was that it was only new Pokemon until after you got the National Dex later in the game. It made it feel new and fresh and you had to learn all these new Pokemon just like back in the late ’90s when we all started on this adventure.

    Fire Starter

    Grass Starter

    Water Starter

    I’m sure over the coming months we’ll see plenty more on the release of these games like always with new monster being unveiled as we get closer to the release. What’s your take on this? Excited, upset, disappointed, couldn’t care less, let us know in the comments below!

    The New Female Player

    The New Male Player

    Now I’ve got to go finish Black and White 2 so I’ll be ready come October.

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    My Quest for a Paper Replacement https://one-quest.com/blog/my-quest-for-a-paper-replacement/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:23:34 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11373 Over the past year I have been struggling to find a tablet device that I could use to make my school, work, and personal life more organized.

    Nexus 7

    My First Attempt – The Nexus 7

    When the Nexus 7 was announced, I thought “Man, this is it! I can use this to take notes in school and keep up to date with everything I need.” Although the Nexus 7 is a brilliant device with a strong processor and GPU, I found it only to be worthwhile when playing games, web browsing, and other media entertainment purposes. I purchased a Bluetooth keyboard thinking it would help out with the note taking, but given the size of the Nexus 7 and my large hands (yeah that’s right ladies ;D) it wasn’t comfortable. It was also limiting having only 16GB of space (which was only available at the time).

    Samsung Chromebook

    My Second Attempt – Samsung Chromebook

    Next to be released was the new Samsung Chromebook. Of course I was the first to jump on that being the Google fanboy that I am. At a mere $250 I thought it was a great deal…and to be honest, it has served me well. It’s important to note that the Chromebook is just that, a mini-laptop equipped with the Chrome operating system that grants access to the chrome browser and everything associated with it (that’s supported). It sports a 15GB solid state drive, 100GB of free storage for 2 years on Google Drive, and has an 11” and is super thin and light. Perfect for on-the-go word processing and web browsing, and the keyboard is surprisingly comfortable. I had no issues with it until I started using it in my networking class. There would be times where I would need to write down lengthy equations or draw a picture and the Chromebook didn’t make that easy. It also is missing extensive game support and the android app market which isn’t a deal breaker as that wasn’t my intention with it, but it would be nice.

    With the announcement of the Nexus 10 I thought, “Finally! I think I found my paper replacement.” But after checking out specs I realized it was just a bigger, more powerful version of the Nexus 7. So from a gaming and media standpoint, for the price it is a worthwhile device. The Nexus 10 doesn’t suit my purposes however. I needed that special “something.” I didn’t realize what that was until I saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in-store.

    Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

    We have a winner! – Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

    The Note comes equip with the S-Pen, a remarkable pressure-sensitive stylus. It is capable of differentiating between both your hand and stylus, which allows you to be able to write or draw while resting your palm on the device itself. Along with this, it can have a base storage capacity of either 16GB or 32GB, and can be expanded via a microSD card (up to 32GB)…not to mention it has 50GB of free storage for 2 years on Dropbox! I picked up the Galaxy Note 10.1 and I must say, it doesn’t disappoint one bit! It comes stock with several interesting application, the most being S-Note. S-Note is probably one of the best note taking applications I have used (and I have tried many including the coveted Evernote). I was also pleasantly surprised with a mobile Photoshop that allows one to make awesome creations. I have to mention I am the least artistic person I know, but the stuff I have done with this  tablet so far makes me feel like I actually paid attention to my art class in 3rd grade (that’s honestly saying a lot). At any rate, if you want to replace paper and have an awesome Tablet that can integrate pretty much every aspect of your life, then The Galaxy Note 10.1 is for you!

    Writing out a mathematical function is made easy in S-Note.

    You might be wondering, what did I do with the Nexus 7 and the Chromebook? Are they Worthless? Well to be honest, I gave away my Nexus 7 as a gift because I can certainly do everything that the 7 could. Not that the Nexus 7 is a bad device, but I prefer the 10.1” screen to the 7”. As for the Chromebook, I consistently use that to this day for note taking, writing,  and bed-side web browsing. It’s a fantastic device and certainly worth having.

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    Sony and the Used Game Market https://one-quest.com/blog/sony-and-the-used-game-market/ https://one-quest.com/blog/sony-and-the-used-game-market/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:54:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11316 Used games from the game store.

    By this point most of you have heard about the newest patent filed by Sony Japan. This patent was placed to prevent games from being resold after their initial use. Essentially this prevents one from purchasing a used game and playing it on their console. Is this really a bad thing? Is this really something to worry about?

    Truthfully, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. The gaming industry as a whole is rampant with piracy, and is continually losing money to the used market. Piracy is a separate beast, and sadly every attempt to thwart it is met with an onslaught of nerd rage. Used games is something the industry hasn’t been able to deal with, but has recently started trying. Online Passes have been packaged with numerous games. The online passes, when used, give the player access to a specific aspect of a game that would otherwise be locked. If the Online Pass has already been used, the player is prompted to pay for the access to the locked material through the consoles online store. Generally this costs about $10.

    The idea with the Online Pass is to encourage the players to purchase new copies of games from their local retailer, instead of purchasing the used copy. Since the used copies sell for about $5 less then the new copies, then buying new and using the free online pass can save the player about $5. It’s a neat trick, but I’ve noticed that GameStop, my primary source for used games, started offering a free code for the Online Pass with the purchase of a used copy of a game. Since their profit margin on a used game is so high they can afford to do this for most major releases, and still make a ton of money. It’s sad, because all this does is takes money out of the hands of the Developers and Publishers we love.

    Sony plans to do away with the Online Passes with the use of an RFID stamp and reader built into their next console. When a disc is places into the “Orbis” the RFID reader will read the stamp on the disc. It will then register this disc to this specific console. The game will start up and all will be fine. If this disc is brought over to a friends house, or traded in and sold to someone else at GameStop, the RFID will read the stamp and. . . well we aren’t sure. In fact no one knows at this time what type of measures will be taken with the device and this new technology. Most speculate that it will prevent the game from being played at all. I’m in less of an extreme, and I think that Sony will block certain features, like multiplayer modes, and force the player to purchase access to those features. Then the Orbis could re-write the information on the RFID stamp, and allow the player to use it in their console permanently.

    However, this could create issues with lending a friend your game. You don’t want them erasing your console from the RFID, which then forces you to pay for an aspect of the game you already had access too. I could see it permanently locking that game to your console, and when lending the game to a friend they just won’t have access to certain aspects of the game unless they pay for a new copy entirely. One other thing I could see happening, is that if a game is placed in a console that it was not originally registered with, the Orbis plays the game without any restrictions but, for just 1 hour. Sony does have the 1 Hour Trials on their store, and when the hour is up you’re given the option to turn the game off, or pay for the game to continue. It would be a nice way to let your friend borrow the game, and check it out, while also preventing Used Game Retailers from selling the games.

    There is one item worth mentioning. Someone asked me, “What if I buy used games because I don’t have enough money to buy games at the “new” premium price?” Answer, with Devs and Publishers no longer worrying about trying to make a profit and competing with used game retailers, they’ll be left to just compete with themselves. A new game debuts at $60. In 6 months that game is down to $30 because sales have gone down due to used game retailers selling used copies at $45. Instead of worrying about what the used retailers are selling the game for, publishers will need to worry about what other games are being released at the same time. “Oh! We’re competing with Halo and Call of Duty this year?! Hmm. . . let’s drop our debut price by $10 to encourage some extra sales.” And you know what? That will work. We’ll see games starting at lower prices since overall sales will be just as important, if not more so, then the current launch sales. Currently, if a game sells 8 million in 6 months, but half are used sales, then only 4 million count for the devs and publisher. But with Orbis if 8 million sell in 6 months, all of it goes to the devs and publishers, but they’ll still need to compete with all of the other games on the market. And a competitive price point is going to be the best way to do that.

    Face it, lower prices with more DLC is the direction the industry is heading anyway. This is just a safeguard to ensure the initial purchase of the game goes to the developers and publishers too.

    Regardless of what Sony does with it’s new RFID/Anti-Used tech, it’s going to be exciting for the industry as a whole. The more money these devs make, the better quality product we’ll see from them!

    Tell us what you think about this controversial new tech from Sony in the comments below!

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    Sports Fans, We’re Just Another Kind of Nerd https://one-quest.com/blog/sports-fans-were-just-another-kind-of-nerd/ https://one-quest.com/blog/sports-fans-were-just-another-kind-of-nerd/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:45:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11341
    So if I told you I played a game where I got to create a character, rolled dice that corresponded to a chart, and that the outcome of my dice roll lead me closer to my goal you might think I’m referring to some sort of D&D style game. However, what I’m referring to is what we call the PFL, which is a spin-off of the 60s-70s Sports Illustrated Pro Football game also known as Paydirt Football. It’s a very fun and strategic football game that I’ve grown up playing. I obsess over it, I have a pretty strong knowledge of almost every team’s chart that we have (and there are probably close to 50 different teams). My team in the PFL this year is the Birmingham Metallics and my roster is made up entirely of my friends and includes everyone who writes for us here at One-Quest (except for Audra and Shannon). We went 8-4 in the regular season, I was likely the leading rusher (with around 1,800 yards in 12 games), and we are the #2 seed in the upcoming playoffs. I obsess over my fantasy football teams every year. I spend almost a month studying the teams for the drafts of all my leagues. I obsess over the stats of each player on all 32 NFL teams as I try and win my game each week. I obsess over lacrosse where I purchase season tickets for the Philadelphia Wings every year and get visibly upset when they play poorly and comment on the games on the official message board for the league’s fans. I still get goose bumps when I watch the Flyers-Bruins Game 7 from a few years ago, even though I know the Flyers are going to come back and win. I listen to 4 sports focused podcasts to get more insight on my favorite sports. I’ve even been called in to help out in quizzo with Eric, JohnScott, and Anthony based mostly on my nerd-like knowledge of sports trivia. As both a major sports fan and someone who is pretty obsessed with video games and that kind of stuff I am proud to be called a sports nerd.

    Why is this ‘Cool’

    And this is ‘Nerdy’?

    All this leads me to what I believe is the root of all things “nerd”, and that is obsession. If you are not obsessed with a thing you’re not really nerdy for it. If you don’t get upset when someone doesn’t agree with your opinion on a thing, you’re not really nerdy for it. Most sports fans will not consider themselves “nerds” for their sport or their favorite team, but honestly, sports fans do a lot of the more nerdy things that you would think the “traditional” nerd would do. Sports fans cosplay by wearing jerseys of the teams we love instead of a costume. Sports fans wear t-shirts with their favorite teams logos printed on them. Sports fans study the games and stats so we can know all we want about the sport/team so we can argue why our team/player is better. Sports fans buy the video games based on the sports they love. Sports fans can watch the same game many times and still feel the same emotions they felt the first time watching the game. Sports fans will also go back and watch the same games to try and see if they can find out what went wrong or what went right. Sports fans call local radio stations and complain when their team is bad or boast when their team is good (and sometimes still complain when their team is good). People have even gone so far as create new stats for sports to have more ways to compare player X to player Y, and honestly I don’t even understand how they figure some of them, and if that’s not nerdy I’m not really sure what is. Sports fans compare their favorite sport or team to one another like nerds compare Star Trek and Star Wars. Sports fans put their favorite players or teams pictures as their phone and computer wallpapers. Truly loyal and dedicated sports fans are really big nerds when you break it all down.

    With this all said, can “jocks” and “nerds” (as one of my co-workers from my day job put it very nicely) use the fact that there’s not that much different between the two groups bury the hatchet and just get along? The two groups are just so passionate for their things that some shun the other group’s things without understanding it. So jocks stop picking on nerds because they don’t like sports, instead try to find a way to get them to just sit down and find a sport they like, maybe try watching a few shows like Dr. Who or Firefly, and play a game other than Madden or Call of Duty try something like Final Fantasy, Half-Life or Skyrim. And nerds don’t hate sports because liking sports is “cool” once you understand the game you get in intrigue and fun of it, find someone knowledgeable about whatever one sparks any interest in you and watch a game with them, ask questions, learn why things happen in a game or try the video game version of the sport which does a pretty good job of introducing you to the rules, introduce jocks to a show or a game or a comic you like, find the best things and open the doorway for them. So, let’s try some new things guys, step out side of your comfort zone and maybe you’ll find something you like, because whether you like it or not no matter which side you are on jocks are just nerds for sports.

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    Friday Five – Top For 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-top-for-2013/ https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-top-for-2013/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:55:20 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11320 Friday Five Top 5 2013
    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list the top 5 things we’re looking forward to in 2013!

    Well Questers, todays Friday Five is actually something pretty special. One-Quest.com turned a year old yesterday, our official launch date was January 3, 2012. We spent time before we ever went live working on ideas, but our first article was publish on January 3, 2012 by founder Eric. It wasn’t anything special just a welcome message, but it was quickly followed up by a more thoughtful article, and by quickly I mean a minute later. It’s been one hell of a ride in the last year, and it’s only going to get more exciting. Expect a lot more out of this site in the coming months as we start to get our games, videos, and podcasts rolling!

    Here’s a special uh. . . treat. Some images of the original Photoshop mock ups we worked with and our original layout before we had someone who knows what they were doing fix it.

    Anyway enough about that, it’s time for this weeks Friday Five, and much like our very first Friday Five from January 20, 2012 we’re doing a Top 5 for 2013. So anything that’s expected this year is fair game as you’ll see in a minute. And make sure to come back on December 27, 2013 to see if our top fives from now are what we loved the most in 2013! As always let us know what your top five are in the comments below, and make sure to spread the word with Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, E-Mail, Smoke Signals, Carrier Pigeon whatever you’ve got access to!

    Shannon

    1. Disney World trip (as long as we can afford it)
    2. Both my kids hitting milestone birthdays
    3. My 25th birthday
    4. Getting taxes back, this will hopefully fund the Disney trip
    5. Bigger and better things. I might be getting a small promotion soon, Rob is going back to school. I’m looking forward to moving forward.

    Shahid

    1. Graduating and getting my Master’s degree. Mmm!
    2. Monster Hunter – I must love punishing myself.
    3. The start of our next game. It’ll be a goodin’ I promise.
    4. Bacon
    5. Assassin’s Creed 4

    Chris

    1. Expanding One-Quest – One-Quest has been going strong for a year now, and this year there’s a lot to accomplish this year. From attending more conventions, making games, and doing videos and podcasts. Now that the basics are out of the way it’s definitely time One-Quest started to expand!
    2. New York Comic Con – The plan now is to attend New York Comic Con this fall even if it kills me. I’ve missed this show to many years, it’s just not right. Even though I hear it’s over crowded it’s just one of those things a comic nerd needs to experience. . . especially with San Diego being a little too extravagant to afford right now.
    3. The Last of Us – This is one of those games I’m really looking forward to. There are a few others, but this is the big one that I just can’t wait to play!
    4. Movies – Just in general I’m really looking forward to what Hollywood has in store for us this year, there isn’t one single movie that I’m particularly looking forward to I just think this is a year with a lot of original movies coming out. . .Well maybe not original, but not AS MANY sequels as recent years.
    5. Batman & Spider-Man – Not that we’re getting a book starring the two, though that would be awesome. But these are two books I cannot wait to keep reading. Dan Slott is going to be doing some crazy stuff in Superior Spider-Man and he’s got two of my top 5 artists working on it with Ryan Stegman and Humberto Ramos. Then you’ve got Scott Snyder and another one of those top 5 guys, Greg Capullo working on Batman and their continuing story Death of the Family. This is going to be a great year for those books.

    Drootin

    Well we made it past the Mayan Apocalypse and have reached 2013. This is an exciting year for me as I will be the next One-Quester to get married this coming October. Also we have some pretty darn interesting things to look forward to in gaming, movies, and all other things we care about here at One-Quest. (and look it’s a Friday 5 from me and there’s no sports!)

    1. Diablo 3 Expansion???? -There’s no conformation of this being a 2013 release, but its existence has been made known in an earnings conference call back in November. If it doesn’t release in 2013 I won’t be disappointed, it will just reappear on my 2014 list!
    2. The Last Of Us – Possibly the last major PS3 exclusive release is scheduled for (this year). This is another Naughty Dog game and has been in development for awhile now and looks great. Look this game up if you have a PS3 and somehow have not seen this game
    3. Watch_Dogs – First announced at last year’s E3 by Ubisoft this open-world game has some very interesting ideas going on. Find the debut video for this game if you haven’t heard about it yet, but know that the word is as good as it looks in the video online it apparently looks FAR better in person. This looks to be lining up as a PS4/XBOX3 launch title, and possibly also releasing on the PS3/360. This game looks very promising.
    4. PSOrbis(PS4)/Xbox3 launches – There has been no formal announcement for either of these systems just yet but all signs point to at least 1 (the new Xbox) if not both of these new consoles launching later this year.
    5. The Movies of 2013 – There are too many big movies coming out this year to single out any ones in particular, so here’s a short list of a few that I’m really looking forward to: Iron Man 3, World War Z, The Wolverine, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Thor 2: The Dark World, and there will surely be a few surprise hits along the way as well.

    Eric

    Whelp. . . A new year is upon us, and with it a shit load of awesome shit to look forward to. From new comics, and new movies, to the release of long delayed games, this year is going to be big. I just hope my wallet is big enough to handle it. . .

    1. “Project iSmash” – We’ve been throwing around ideas for games for a while, and we’ve finally landed on one we really like. It’s going to be a lot of work, and it’s going to beat the hell out of us, but we will get it done. 2013 will be the year we release our first game to the public!
    2. NYCC – The last 2 years it’s been impossible for me to make it to this con. First because of financial constraints, and saving for a wedding. Then because it started the day of my wedding! This year it’s happening. Not just because I want to go, but because I need to punch Dan Slott in the face for what he did to Spider-Man last week!
    3. Superior Spider-Man – As much as I hate where the story went last week. I’m still excited to see where it goes from here.
    4. Video Games – God damn, I hate taking the cop out answer. I really can’t pick just 1 or two games to mention here though. Fire Emblem, The Last of Us, The Phantom Pain/MGSV and MGS Ground Zeroes, Tomb Raider, Watch Dogs, BioShock Infinite, etc. This is going to be another one of those huge years.
    5. Next Gen Gaming Announcements – While I’m still really behind on my current gen gaming, I can’t wait to hear what Sony and MS have in store for their next consoles. If it’s anything like this Gen they’re going to be powerhouses, with last gen tech (Move and Kinect) upgraded and tacked on. Also, expect to see Sony unveil a “revolutionary” new controller that is primarily touchscreen with dual analog sticks and some shoulder buttons, and the PSVita will be able to be used as a controller for the console as well. While MS sticks with the Core players and enhances their standard controller, because Core gamers hate change, while pushing tablet support (because everyone loves putting their controller down to navigate menus with a different controller. . .).

    *Honorable Mention* Not paying for a wedding! – Seriously, that was a TON of money spent on 1 day. It was an awesome day, but now I get to save money and pay off debt! Super stoked about that. On top of that, I get to plan a bachelor party for my good friend Drootin. It’s gonna be off the hook! Strippers, booze, and blow for all!

    Audra

    1. Having PTO Again – Sometimes it’s just necessary to take a day off from work.
    2. Not planning a wedding – Last year was so stressful with saving money, keeping up with school work, and work work, all while hand sewing almost 200 fabric flowers!
    3. Cool Ranch Tacos at Taco Bell – The regular Doritos Locos Tacos wreak havoc on my stomach, but I’m still excited to give these ones a try.
    4. Red Robin opening in the Deptford Mall – What was once a 45 minute drive will now be condensed to a few short trip down the road! And we have gift cards!
    5. Putting more inventory up on Etsy – I didn’t have time last year because of the wedding. I love crafting, and getting paid to do it is just an added bonus.

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    Take it or Leave it – January 2, 2013 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-january-2-2013/ Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:24:51 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11297 Take It Or Leave It January 2, 2013
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s just me, Chris, this week as JohnScott is down in Maryland at Magfest 11 which you can be sure he’ll write about when he gets back. This week sees a lot of great books like Talon, All-New X-Men and Grimm Universe continue on, while other books like Iron Man keep on struggling, and we can’t forget some new number 1’s with New Avengers and Morbius The Living Vampire. Let lets get started with the reviews already.

    Alphabetical by Publisher

    Chris
    This weeks books were all pretty solid, I’m not sure if they’re something I’m going to want to continue to buy but at least for what they were I enjoyed them.

    Talon #3 Talon #3
    The more of Talon I read the more I like, it’s not Batman but it’s set in that world and that’s fun. Calvin isn’t an ally of the Bat he’s got his own problems going on in Gotham, and with this issue New York. So far the issues has been following a sort of monster of the month setup. Each issue while having a lot going on ends with Calvin fighting or at the very least being confronted by another of the Court of Owls Talons. James Tynion IV is doing an awesome job with this book and as much as I love Scott Snyder’s writing, I think it’s about time Tynion got top billing on the cover! This book is still early enough in it’s run that you should be able to pick it up and not have to much confusing, as long as you read the Court of Owls story line over in Batman.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    All-New X-Men #5 All-New X-Men #5
    I’ve said it before, this book had me nervous. I’m not a huge X-Fan, well 616 anyway I only started reading Uncanny just before it ended around issue 544 so and continued on for the following year. With that ending I figured I may as well pick up it’s sucessor and luckily enough I’m a big fan of the creative team. Bendis and Immonen have been doing everything right in this book. The time travel and reasons for it are being handled well, and the characters are being balanced really well, especially considering that we’ve got two of several characters. The younger and older Scott’s are obviously the same person, but with completely different views on life. If you’re an X-Men fan you should be reading this book. And if you’re not a fan, you should still give it a shot. This issue had a lot of Jean Grey which I’m sure will make many a fan happy. She’s probably having on of the hardest times in the future, for obvious reason, but she’s taking it really well I guess. . . We should be seeing more action and story progression in the next issues as this opening is drawing to a close and we know who our main players are going to be. This is probably the only Marvel book outside of Spider-Man that I’m not aggravated at for shipping more than once a month, and that says something.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Iron Man #5 Iron Man #5
    I had such high hopes at first for Iron Man, and Gillen is really a good writer, but so far Iron Man just hasn’t caught my interest. The only thing keeping it in my buy pile is hope and the fact that they slowed down the shipping to once a month, at least for now. Issue 5 closes out the first story arc, with Stark retrieving the last of the Extremis kits. I’m a little confused by the ending though, was this whole arc happening between him finishing with the Mandarin and the end of Matt Fractions run? The last issue from Fraction and the end of this issue seem fairly similar and it just makes it more confusing. The teaser you see in other books looks interest as Tony is going to be dealing with the outcome of helping to destroy a cosmic entity. That could be cool I guess, or it could just throw more things that don’t make sense. I’m going to give this series one more Arc to get it’s stuff together, if it hasn’t’ by then, it’s probably beyond saving. For now I’d hold on to your dollars and wait to see how 6 turns out. From the look of it you can start with issue 6 from the end of Fractions run and not miss a beat.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4/10


    Morbius The Living Vampire #1 Morbius The Living Vampire #1
    I had pretty much no interest in this title. I’ve been telling people for months that it’s such a weird a pointless move, Marvel has so many other characters I’d rather see in their own book. More characters that deserve a run like Hawkeye has been getting. Then I read The Amazing Spider-Man 699.1, and while it didn’t totally change my tune, I started to see the draw of Dr. Micheal Morbius. I’ve only ever known him as a villain or awkward ally of Spidey, mostly from the ’90s cartoon. Dan Slott had a pretty interesting take on him during most of the Big Time run, he wasn’t prominent most of it but his presence definitely added to the stories. Now The Living Vampire is out on his own after the events of Amazing Spider-Man 699 and 699.1. I like the story telling, and the elements they’re bringing to the book so far. Morbius isn’t a villain, he’s not a vampire, he’s a sick man, and he’s a genius with some incredible powers which cost him a terrible price. I don’t know if I’m going to keep reading this book, but for a first issue it’s got my attention. And frankly if you’re looking for something a little different, you could do a lot worse.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10


    New Avengers #1 New Avengers #1
    I enjoyed New Avengers a lot when Bendis was writing it, and when I heard Hickman was taking over the two main Avengerr books I figured we’d get some crazy story telling with long plots. I was happy about that, I thought it was a great direction for the series to take. Then I found out that New Avengers was going to focus on the Illuminati of the Marvel Universe. That group of super heroes who took it upon themselves to get together and decide how the world should work. It’s a great concept when used sparingly, but I’m not to thrilled about it as an entire series. The highlight of this issue was the focus on the Black Panther. I haven’t been a big fan of his very long, but from watching Avengers: Earths Mightest Heroes I’ve gained a lot more interest in the character. It’s nice that Hickman appears to be continuing some of the things he started back in Fantastic Four and FF with T’Challa also. I don’t see myself buying this book on a regular basis, but it was good regardless and I’m sure plenty of people will find it enjoyable. And on last thing, I love that T’Challa refers to a certain someone as “the devil himself”.

    Verdict: Take It if your a Marvel Illuminati fan

    Score: 6/10


    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #19 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #19
    Once again I’m pleasantly surprised by an issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. I’ve made it no secret that I haven’t been to interested in this book since the Death of Spider-Man story arc. Thankfully last issue wasn’t the beging and end of this book getting better. Issue 19 once again had enough going for it that I’m actually interested to see what’s going to happen next. Miles’ dad is a big factor, and of course Venom is the other. Any Spider-Man fan can’t help but get excited when Venom comes out to play, and there are so many questions about this version of Ultimate Venom that we’ll need to get answered. It was also nice that Miles ran out of webbing and can’t magically make more, he’s gonna have to work at that stuff!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Venom #29 Venom #29
    I wasn’t a big fan of last issue, I thought it was pretty boring. This issue has gotten a lot better, but it did seem to be trying to cram Philly down our throats. I love Philly, but frankly we don’t need all the name dropping, though I did like the Fat Jacks reference as their Jersey store is where most of One-Quest gets their comics. As far as the story goes though Flash got a little real with himself, and did some detective work which was nice. And he was even smart enough to bring in some back up. This definitely isn’t the strongest arc in the series, but it’s getting better and hopefully once Flash is fully stationed in Philly it’ll be a consistent level of great stories again.

    Verdict: Take It – If you got issue 28

    Score: 6/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Grimm Universe #2 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Grimm Universe #2
    This was a pretty cool story, though the cover is a bit deceiving. If you’re reading expecting a book full of Red Riding Hood, then you’re gonna be disappointed. Though once you’re finished you’ll be more than happy you picked it up. The first half features your average nice guy, and a serial killer. By the second half Red has joined the party and things get real very fast. Patrick Shand has been cranking out some really high quality stories, and this is definitely one of them. This is a hard book to talk about as I don’t want to give anything away, but make sure you read the headline on the paper at the end of the book, it looks like a nice little setup for Red Riding Hood Vs. Robyn Hood. The issue also looks to be setting up Red as a hero, of the street level variety like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, or Daredevil. Only you know, better looking and a sometimes Avenger. I’m looking forward to see what happens next with Red after the battle of the Hoods, and that’s all thanks to this issue. This is definitely worth picking up if you’re a Zenescope fan. And for those who aren’t sure if they like these books, it’s a good place to get your feet wet.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #3 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #3
    Finally! Sleep Hollow is getting good! This issue finally features the Headless Horsemen we’ve all been waiting to see. And we got a bit more of Craig’s life before getting punched in the face by a train. This still isn’t the hit I was hoping for, but I feel a lot better about it than I did after the second issue. Now with only one more left to go I don’t know what to think. There’s a lot left to explain and do, and I don’t know if that’s something that can be done in one book. But you know what I’m certainly looking forward to find out. For any problems I’ve had with this story so far, every time a new issue hits I’m ready to read it so that definitely says something about it.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10



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    Friday Five Best and Worst of 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-and-worst-of-2012/ https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-and-worst-of-2012/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:51:13 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11257
    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our top five best and top five worst things to come out of 2012!

    Whelp. . . We have another year behind us. A ton of awesome things went down this year, but it was equally balanced out with some terrible tragedies. We’re here to commemorate the year, for better or worse. Read on, and don’t forget to let us know what your top five best and worst of 2012 is in the comments below.

    I also want to take a moment and thank everyone involved with One-Quest for their work, dedication, criticisms, and most of all readership. Without any of you this site wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be typing this up today. Nope. Instead, I’d be playing Borderlands 2, and having a good time. But I’m stuck doing this crap for the umpteenth time. Thanks.

    No, really. Thank you, and we all look forward to 2013 being even better! Not just for One-Quest, but for everyone!

    Happy New Year everyone!

    -Eric and the rest of the One-Quest crew

    Chris

      The Bad

    1. Shahed – He’s just too awesome
    2. Haters – People hating stuff like the Wii U for no reason other than to hate it.
    3. NHL Lockout – This is ridiculous
    4. Finding out How I Met Your Mother got renewed for another season – Now we probably won’t find out who the mother is until 2014. . .
    5. Delays – So many things got pushed back this year, games, movies, shows etc. It’s been the year of delays. Hopefully 2013 will finally see them, things like Tomb Raider, Bioshock, Man of Steel, and even G.I. Joe.

      The Good

    1. The Avengers – This was the best movie I saw this year, I know Batman got a lot of credit and stuff and while it was good, The Avengers were just too close to perfect
    2. Roger Waters Concert – Back in July I got to see Roger Waters perform The Wall and it was one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. I would gladly pay to see it again.
    3. The Wii U – This is the first system I ever got a launch, and I was not even slightly disappointed with it. A lot of people hate on it but Nintendo knows what they’re doing and this thing is only going to get better.
    4. Disney’s Star Wars – Star Wars is great, even the sequels aren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be, but the one thing that will make the series better is a juggernaut like Disney owning the franchise and doing whatever they hell they want. Look at the Marvel movies. Disney owns them and those movies have been fantastic!
    5. Comic Books – This has been an awesome year for comic books in general, some great books like Saga and Hawkeye started. Some long runs came to an end like Hickman on Fantastic Four and Bendis on Avengers and just so many great stories. . .Hopefully 2013 can keep it up!
    6. *special mention* I’m going to also say One-Quest has been an awesome part of 2012 and has opened up a lot of things for us that wouldn’t have been possible without it. Here’s hoping 2013 gets even better.

    Shannon

    I want to start off by saying my husband is a dick, now here’s my list.

      The Bad

    1. Debt – We kind of dug ourselves into a hole, just with basic expenses, but we should get enough back from taxes to help a little.
    2. All the tragedies of the year – I have to group this all together because there have been so many horrible events this past year.
    3. Still in this apartment – and we probably will be for at least another year.
    4. Dental work – although getting a root canal wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, that and all the dental work that Rob got done added a lot to our debt.
    5. Not enough us/me time – Having two kids is a lot, especially when you have to stay up until past 3 am with one and then get woken up at 7 by the other. I wish Rob and I had gotten more date nights or I had more time to just relax and get things done for me.

      The Good

    1. The birth of my daughter – painful, of course, but so worth it.
    2. Getting married – after being together for 5 years and having two kids we finally gave in and threw our dreams of a nice wedding out the window.
    3. New furniture – Our tax return from last year got me some new living room furniture as well as a new computer. Our old furniture was hand me down and took a beating from having a small child.
    4. Awesome movies – The Avengers, Wreck It Ralph, Dark Knight and many more.
    5. Rob registering for classes – it’s official, my husband is back in school starting next month. That’s one step closer to a more stable life.

    Eric

    2012 has been a great year. We launched our website, slacked a whole lot on the webcomics, and finally have a solid plan for a game. But there were plenty of upsets too. . .

      The Bad

    1. BioShock Infinite delay(s) – Multiple delays! Some have compared this title to Duke Nukem Forever because of it’s numerous postponements. I laugh at those people, then cry at night because I still have another 3 months to wait for BioShock Infinite.
    2. Tomb Raider delay – Pushed from 3rd quarter 2012 to March 2013. Not much different than BioShock Infinite’s delay, but I was really looking forward to this one.
    3. Diablo III – I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m not saying I hate it. But after playing Torchlight II, I now see where Blizzard went wrong. They’ve spent a ton of time trying to fix it, and they’ve made some great enhancements. It just needs to be. . . more open. Less restrictive. And the action needs to be faster.
    4. Amazing Spider-Man 700 – No spoilers, but I’m not stoked about the outcome. It was an awesome arc to read, and a really great send off for the series. But I can’t help being upset for our hero. I’m still looking forward to what comes next, if only to see when what was done in this story is reversed.
    5. Assassin’s Creed III – A huge let down. It was fun, sometimes. It was awesome, sometimes. It was downright awful most of the time. I still loved it, but I’m disappointed in it as well. There’s no reason something this high budget, with as big of a team working on it, should have been this. . . mediocre.

      The Good

    1. THE AVENGERS – Seriously, This was everything I was hoping it’d be and more! If there’s a bad thing about this movie, it’s that I only saw it 4 times during the opening weekend.
    2. Diablo III – Despite it being in my bad list for being too limited, it also earns a spot in my good list for advancing the genre beyond its traditional “If you get this wrong, you’re screwed” mentality. I love that I can change my entire skill loadout whenever I want without the need to start over from the beginning of the game. If they don’t work out, I can just swap them back.
    3. Wii U – I love the system. Is it a little rough around the edges? Sure. But what console launch isn’t? Let’s face it, PS3 and 360 aren’t perfect either, and they’re coming up on 6 years old. What I can say is that everytime I turn the Wii U on my friends and I have a blast! And the GamePad is an awesome addition to my living room. It is my Universal TV remote control. My only problem with the system is that there’s no optical audio out, so I can’t connect it to my surround sound setup. Oh well, it’s still awesome!
    4. My Wedding – My wife and I were married on October 11, 2012 or 10/11/12. It was an awesome time, and the only complaint I heard from anyone was that there was too much food. On top of that we left for Disney World the day after for our honeymoon and we got to experience some of the additions to New Fantasyland before they were announced open to the public!
    5. Saga – Literally the best series I have read this year, and quite possibly one of my favorites of all time. Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples make this world (universe?) come to life on the pages before you. Do not miss the one!

    Drootin

    It’s hard to narrow down a year’s worth of stuff into 2 little top 5 lists, but I will do my best. It’s also hard for me to pick 5 things I hated because I do my best to not torture myself with things I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like. So that said here are my top 5 favorite and 5 most hated things in the past year.

      The Bad

    1. The Wii U hype: Ok, so the WiiU kinda appears in my hated list, but it’s nothing to do with the system itself. What I hated was all the hype around the console and all the Nintendo fanboyism that couldn’t accept that the system is very flawed and in a very bad position.
    2. The NHL Lockout: For the second time in eight years the NHL has locked out the players causing a lengthy delay in the start of the season. This delay was made all the more aggravating considering how awful the Eagles have been this season.
    3. The Eagles 2012 season: It’s been awful, but fortunately it means Andy Reid will likely be fired at the end of this dreadful season.
    4. THQ Bankruptcy: I may not have been the biggest THQ fan but to have one of the oldest publishers file for bankruptcy at the end of this year kinda sucks. The future of games like South Park: The Stick of Truth, Metro: Last Light, and Company of Heroes 2, among others now is in question along with the futures of all the development studios under the THQ Umbrella.
    5. Diablo III Haters: Honestly, this may have been one of the more infuriating things for me this entire year. I don’t understand why some people hated on Diablo III so much and it’s mainly the reasons they hated it that pissed me off. People were complaining about its lack of an “end game” DIABLO II HAS NO END GAME EITHER! Like, seriously, all you did was replay the game on the next difficulty or replay the same difficulty to grind for gear, and guess what, that’s what you do in Diablo III. But you all loved doing the same thing over and over and being stuck in your skill trees in Diablo II, but apparently having all the skills available to you to swap in and out at any time made Diablo III awful.

      The Good

    1. Diablo III: I wasn’t writing for the site yet when the “Top 5 Anticipated Things for 2012” was posted, but this would have easily been my #1 and it did not disappoint. I loved everything that Blizzard did with this game and I’m looking forward to more.
    2. The Avengers: It was a friggin awesome movie and sucks that we have to wait until 2015 for the sequel. On the bright side, between then and now we will get Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, and Thor 2 to hold us over until then.
    3. The Dark Knight Rises: Great end to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. One has to wonder if his original vision was to have The Joker return for this movie or if it was always supposed to be Bane as the main villain of the movie.
    4. Borderlands 2: I loved the first one and have been really enjoying the second. Tiny Tina is one of the most amusing NPC’s ever. The Mecromancer is a little overpowered but makes it pretty fun.
    5. Diekembe Mutombo’s 4 ½ Weeks to Save the World: This flash game came out of nowhere thanks to Old Spice in late November and was just a very pleasant surprise. It’s just so very silly that it’s amazing.

    Shahid

      The Bad

    1. I don’t think I’d like to mention them individually, but there have been a lot of tragedies this year. Lots of people who can’t reflect on what they did this year, it’s quite sad.
    2. Drootin – You ass tickler, you have no reason to hate the Wii U other than the sake of hating it g-dammit! Here’s hoping you stop hating it and just accept the fact that it exists. You don’t have to like it or play it, ignore that shit. Everything all developers do is absolutely amazing, you know how difficult shit is to make? They spent years on it and develop good/decent products and then people just hate on it for the sake of hating without legitimate reason. GOD! You’re a hypocrite if you’re gonna come at the people who hate Diablo III. People hating just to hate!
    3. Cobb – Fck you Cobb. 😀

      The Good

    1. Wii U – I was pleasantly surprised by the system. Not that I was expecting it to be terrible, but I had lots of enjoyment playing it and can’t wait to see what games the next year has to offer.
    2. Fall Semester Ending – Probably the worst semester of my life…and I’m doing one more in Spring. I am not excited at all…but glad it’s over.
    3. All The Bacon and Jack day – Much needed gaming and drinkage after the semester ended.
    4. Interning at NASA – I’ve definitely enjoyed my time in Mountain View in the summer and am glad I’ve been able to continue my work while going to school. It has been an amazing experience and I have learned tons.
    5. Great movies this year! – Dark Knight, Avengers, Brave, Hobbit, I’ve had a good time watching ‘em.
    6. This year has been great! Can’t wait to see what next year brings.

    Anthony

      The Bad

    1. I’ll take a page out of Drootin’s book and talk sports for a second. Without a doubt the most disappointing thing for me in 2012 was the NHL Lockout, shame on those rich assholes.
    2. Also, the Eagles
    3. And the Phillies
    4. Presidential Election – Not because Obama won, but because it exists. I hate politics and I can’t stand all the people that come out of the woodwork to talk, and get in heated debates about all the shit they don’t pay any attention to normally. I’m talking, no interest whatsoever for the better part of half a decade. All of a sudden, OMG PRESIDENT!!!! BLAH BLAH!!! AND DID YOU KNOW?BLAH BLAH BLAH! AND HE’S GONNA BLAH BLAH!!!! If you are one of these people, I hope you can feel the middle finger I’m extending your way, I don’t look forward to dealing with you again in 4 years.
    5. Last but not least, The most expensive left turn I’ve ever taken. I took an improper left turn at like 3AM one day because I just wanted to get home and sleep. Oops, Smokey got me and the State/Town took all my money right before Christmas.

      The Good

    1. Trip to Disney World – This was my third time going, first since the mid-90s, and it was my girlfriends first time there since she was a baby. It was awesome! We’re going back next year, so expect to see this again on my 2013 list.
    2. New Car – I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you’d be hard pressed to find a person with worse car luck than me. No need to go into detail, but feel free to challenge me on it through email if you’d like. In any event, I now have a 2012 Honda Civic, which, aside from people crashing into me, which has already happened once with this new car, I should have no mechanical problems for awhile… *fingers crossed*
    3. TV Shows – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dexter, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead.
    4. Movies – The Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-man, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Wreck-It-Ralph, Brave, Dredd, The Hobbit.
    5. Games – Borderlands 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Nintendoland, God of War Saga Collection (All 5 games in one)

    Walnuts

      The Bad

    1. The Senseless shootings – Yet again another crazy person does another senseless shooting, and it leads the media suggesting that the person did the terrible act because they either played video games, or is trying to reference a character in a part of geek culture. Followed by the onslaught of gun control arguments all over every form of media. It’s all BS and needs to stop, can’t we all just get along?!?!
    2. Philadelphia Sports Teams- Both the Eagles and the Phillies should have been top caliber, champion teams but just couldn’t perform.
    3. Spoiler Wars – We all understand the concept that a spoiler is a spoiler whether intentional or not, but honestly not everyone can have a full understanding on all other aspects of someone (everyone) else’s life. If you wish to keep a spoiler away from you, keep in mind to not use the primary medium of the fans of said event. I.E. If I were to not want to find out the winner of the Super Bowl until after I watch it the day later, I know to keep away from Newspapers, News Shows, Sports Shows, and the internet.
    4. All of the Haters – Haters gonna hate, but for what reason? Haters that don’t have a proper reason to hate drive me the most crazy. If you cant explain your stance and why you feel such hatred, you have no reason to hate.
    5. 2012 – Overall 2012 was a major let down. There were few redeeming events that happened this year, and they were far and few between. With the constant financial hardships, fighting/arguing, and just flat out disappointment I can not wait to see 2012 go and 2013 come. 2013 you don’t have much to live up to please come in with a bang.

      The Good

    1. Diekembe Mutombo’s 4 ½ Weeks to Save the World – From the beginning flute solo to the end song this game is all of the epic. All the pop culture references, and adding 15 months to the worlds timeline.
    2. The Blockbuster movies – The Dark Knight Rises, Wreck-it Ralph, The Hobbit, and The Avengers. There are more that deserve to be in here that I didn’t mention, either because I didn’t see them or I’m afraid no one else liked them, but this year was the year of movies.
    3. Winning A Free iPad – I’ve only been at my new job for 3 months and I won a free 32GB iPad Mini at my office Holiday party.
    4. Paintball – Nearing the end of the year I have gotten into Paintball. It’s pretty great.
    5. Honestly thats about it, like I said 2012 was quite lame for me, so bring it on 2013!

    Vogel

    Although years are relatively long, I have an equally short memory. A lot of shit happened this year, but I probably don’t remember half of it. Here it goes:

      The Bad

    1. Mists of Pandaria: That being said, there were a lot of things that made me leave the game for the umpteenth time. Dailies. Oh my god, fucking dailies. They removed the 25 per day cap on dailies and made it pretty much necessary to do upwards to 50+ dailies a day to get gear tokens to become “Raid Ready.”
    2. My Wife: She gets upset when the toaster burns her toast and that I didn’t put her in my top 5 best things list.
    3. Kids, They cost so much goddamned money.
    4. My job: The landlord of our building decided to sell the building from under us (we were renting on a month to month lease.) So as of December 30th, I will be unemployed. On the plus side this will give me more time to focus on school so I can get a real job.
    5. Hurricane Sandy: We lost power for 3 days and cable/internet for 4. We spent pretty much that whole week in Jersey with family because they had power, even though they didn’t have heat. It was Halloween week so Trick-or-Treating was thrown off and I was driving back and forth from Jersey for work and whatnot.

      The Good

    1. Andraia: My daughter. She was born early May, and I had to leave a raid early (SWTOR) to take my wife (then fiancée) to the hospital. It was a long ass day, but in the end it was totally worth it.
    2. School: I finally kicked myself in the lazy ass and got my shit together and registered for school. MC3 made it increasingly difficult to get everything I needed to register for classes, but I did it. I also placed college level in English and Reading which I didn’t do out of Highschool so I’m super proud of myself. No remedial courses for me.
    3. Movies: Having kids I don’t really have the money to see every movie we’d like to, but we try and make it to the “Super Hero” movies. They’re usually worth the theatre price for the sounds and picture and whatnot. We made it to Dark Knight Rises and the Avengers. We were able to sneak Wreck it Ralph in there too which was an awesome bonus.
    4. Coffee: I got a Keurig Vue. I drink more than a gallon a day of coffee, so getting the vue was pretty cool. We had the deluxe version of the base model of the standard Keurig, so the Vue was a major upgrade.
    5. Mists of Pandaria: I know anybody on this list would disagree, but I was really happy with this xpac. The Pandaren race and Monk class were very well done, and the lore behind them was flawless. Pandaria was fun to explore and I took my time through it to enjoy the scenery and characters along the way.

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    Take it or Leave it Giant Sized – December 26, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-december-26-2012/ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:38:03 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=11193 SPOILERS.]]> Take It Or Leave It December 26, 2012
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’ve got a special Giant Sized edition of Take It Or Leave It for you this week with last weeks books and this weeks all being reviewed in one big page of comic book goodness! First see our thoughts on last weeks books like All-New-X-Men 4, Saga 8, Nightwing 15, and so many others.

    Then keep reading to see what we thought of Amazing Spider-Man #700 and Avenging Spider-Man 15.1, but be warned those two contain SPOILERS. And as a special addition we’ve got a new opinion joining in to talk the end of the Amazing era. Joining Chris is none other than Eric, the only other guy on the site who reads Spidey, who also happens to be the only other guy who writes for the website!

    Jump to December 26, 2012

    Comics from December 19, 2012

    Chris
    There were a number of good books that came out last week, Unfortunately between work and getting my wisdom teeth out I never had a chance to talk about them. Well now’s my chance, with this week being so light on reading material, what better time than to catch up! So below you’ll find my thoughts on last weeks books, if you’re just here for the new stuff scroll down we get to that too.

    Nightwing 15 Nightwing #15
    I read some bad review of Nightwing 15, but I thought it was a pretty good book and a strong tie in to Death of the Family. The Joker is doing a great job of making shit personal for the family, and is showing more and more that he probably does know exactly who each and every one of them are. I was a little sad about some of the deaths in the book, they weren’t major characters, but characters that I would have liked to see more. That probably isn’t going to be happening though. I look forward to seeing where they take Nightwing with these crossover, and thankfully Eddy Barrows does the Jokers look justice!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Saga #8 Saga #8
    I don’t even know why we put Saga in here anymore, if you’re not already buying this book you shouldn’t even be allowed to read comics, or go on the internet, or well do anything but cry in the corner. In issue 8 we get more interaction with Marko’s parents, and they are definitely an interesting pair. His dad can make some nice cloths and take care of babies, and his mom. . . well she can nag like any good mother can. The world Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples are crafting here is starting to revival any of the big Scifi universes. There’s all these interesting species and worlds and traditions that we haven’t even scratched the surface on yet. Most of the time, in any medium when the parents get introduced to the “forbidden” couple it’s the same shtick every time. And while it starts out like that the story quickly takes a turn with humor and drama flowing back and forth with each other perfectly. If you’re still hesitant about Saga get over it and go read this damn book!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Witchblade #162 Witchblade #162
    I’ve never read Witchblade before, I honestly barely knew anything about it before reading. My only real exposure was seeing the first episode of the anime at a convention several years ago. I’ve got to admit though, it’s a pretty interesting concept and I think I’ll be sticking around for a bit. This issue didn’t really have much happening, there was a date to a baseball game and some criminals looking for magic that ends up getting them in lots of trouble. It doesn’t sound like much but there was a lot of suspense and it seemed to setup a lot for the following issues. With 161 issues before it, I don’t think you’re going to be finding an awesome jumping on point, but this issue seems to at least be the opening of a new arc and as good a place as any to jump in.

    Verdict: Take It

    n

    Score: 6/10


    All-New-X-Men #4 All-New-X-Men #4
    Like the current run of Iron Man, this book has been coming out far to frequently. I’m enjoying it a lot, but if it keeps coming out this much I’m going to have to drop it just to save the money. That sad, Bendis definitely knows how to write the X-Men, and douchey Scott Summers is having quite the crisis right now. After the first 3 issues, we finally get the first interaction between the original 5 X-Men and the Cyclops of the present. It was a very well done scene, and I’m really interested to see what’s happening with Jean’s powers, and whether similar things will start happening to the rest of them. This series has a ton of potential, I just hope Marvel slows it down and stops shoving issues and issue out on the shelves without any breathing room.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Avengers #2 Avengers #2
    I wasn’t to thrilled with this book, and from what I’ve gathered this is a book with very little middle ground. You either love it or hate it. Hickman is known for long stories and plotting things out over time for a big payoff. With the Avengers that just might not be the way to go. I’m going to give him a few more issues, but so far it’s a little unimpressive. Plus a handful of the heroes he picked just don’t interest me, I guess it’s just one of those situations where if you’re a fan of the character you may enjoy it more. I do find the villains interesting, and I hope they aren’t just dispatched by the end of this arc, and can make a bigger impact for years to come. It’s been a while since we got a really good new villain that can stand the test of time, I think we’re ready for one though.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Hawkeye #6 Hawkeye #6
    Hawkguy is awesome bro, you should really be reading it. This issue was confusing at first and I found myself jumping back and forth between pages to see what happened when but it was a lot of fun. I’ve got nothing else to say except buy Hawkeye and never stop.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Scarlet Spider #12.1 Scarlet Spider 12.1
    Ever since Marvel started this Point One thing I’ve been disappointed by the releases. They’re suppose to be these good jumping on points, sometimes they’re to setup a new book like Morbius or Venom. Well Scarlet Spider 12.1 is the first issue that didn’t make me cringe. It was just as good as any other Scarlet Spider book, and didn’t try and crame a bunch of future plot points into the book. Kaine’s past actions are coming back to bite him, by not in the way you’re thinking. He’s finally got a conscience and he’s guilty especially when he see’s other people doing exactly what he use to do. My favorite part of this book was the line “With great power also comes the ability to rain down hell on those who prey on the weak people who couldn’t fight the monsters. . .to stop people like me” that whole page had some great dialogue and it was a good setting, but that line just made the book. It summed up everything since issue 1, and it does a perfect job showing a new reader what they can expect from Kaine going forward.

    Verdict: Take It

    s

    Score: 8/10


    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #18 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #18
    I’ve made no effort to hide my disappointment with Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, ever since the death of Peter Parker it just hasn’t been the same. While the rest of the world applauds the character of Miles Morales, I’ve been left waiting for him to do something worth that applause. He’s been a pretty flat character with pretty boring interactions and almost no supporting cast. His best friend is annoying and he goes to a private school so whenever it’s convenient his parents aren’t around. I feel like issue 18 really changed that though, this is the first book where I can see Miles finally starting to get his own character development. I really want to see more interaction with him and Spider-Woman, and obviously his parents. If this book can keep it up I may finally look forward to reading it again, but only time will tell.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Venom #28 Venom #28
    I’ve been a pretty big fan of Venom since it started, and I loved the idea of him moving to Philly since the staff of One-Quest reside just outside of the City of Brotherly Love. I was unfortunately not really feeling Flashes first adventures in Philadelphia. He’s not a street level super hero, he’s a government agent. For him to be calling Venom down to help out a random reporter doesn’t make sense. I can see him wanting to help her out and all, but the Avengers have to be wondering what in the hell he’s doing. Ever series has the occasional bad issue though, and they had to find a way to get Flash down here so I guess we’ll be dealing with a silly story arc for now, hopefully things pick back up once he’s settled in.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 5/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #4 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #4
    I’ve had nothing but good things to say about Robyn Hood so far. It’s been a fun book with just enough classic elements dangling around the original ideas in the story. Issue 4 finally sees Robyn come face to face with King John, and take place in the tournament that’s being thrown just to draw her out. It was fun to see that she’s not just this super warrior, she’s a tough girl with a great eye for archery. But when it comes down to the Kings ringer and her she’s left wanting a bit. Robyn doesn’t freak out or get scared she goes at it with everything and that’s why it’s fun to read. She’s not a hero, she doesn’t have some great responsibility or obligation to protect people. She got pulled into this world and now she’s trying to do right while she tries to find a way back to hers. With only one issue left in this series I’ve got a feeling we’re in for a pretty kickass finale.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland #6 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland #6
    Wonderland is a really interesting book, it’s kind of all over the place, which fits its style and theme. I’m not totally versed in the back story though so I’m left a little confused by some of it. And this issue particularly had me lost and confused. It was interesting and I’m interested in seeing what’s going to come over it, but if this is your first issue, you may want to hold off. There were just two many open holes with it and not enough explanation. I’m all for long form story, but at least give us an idea about what’s happening before the issue is over.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6/10



    Comics for December 26, 2012

    ***SPOILERS***

    Chris (Again. . .)
    I read Spider-Man regularly. I’ve been reading Amazing for about 2 years now, but I spent 4 months hunting down every issue from Brand New Day up. Eric can verify it was a hard time finding some of those issues, and there were times when I thought it would just be easier to do trades, which I have for Civil War, Back in Black, and One More Day. But when I decided I wanted to read Amazing on a regular basis I decided it was worth it to jump on at issue 546 and work my way up. There have been some amazing stories in this era of the book, and even more spread out over it’s 50 year history. I read these books as a kid in the ’90s without knowing what I was reading and picking it back up as adult makes you realize just how much time and thought these creators put into the characters. Especially when the creator is one of the biggest fans, as is the case with Dan Slott.

    Spidey has been my favorite hero since I was a kid watching the cartoon. I’ve said it on the site before, the first comic I started reading, after recommendations from Eric was the original Ultimate Spider-Man and I’ve been hooked on the comics ever since. Now, yesterday a legacy came to an end, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it but I know I can’t wait to see what comes in the next 50 years for Spider-Man, whether he’s Peter Park or not.


    Amazing Spider-Man #700 Variant Cover Amazing Spider-Man #700
    I managed to stay spoiler free for these last 3 issues of Amazing Spider-Man. So many others had things ruined for them, including this book. There’s been a ton of hate going on, Dan Slott was getting death threats, it’s ridiculous. I’m not going to lie to you and say I read this book and thought it was awesome and was totally okay with how things went down. I was pretty upset with it, Peter Parker has spent most of his life trying to do right and protect people. He didn’t care if they were friends, family, strangers, or even bad guys. If they were people he was there to protect them. And what does he get in return? Nothing he lost his first love because of one of his greatest foes, he lost his wife and best friend because a rich crime lord wanted him dead and hit his Aunt May instead. And of course he lost his Uncle Ben, the closest thing to a father Peter Parker ever knew. He didn’t always make the best choices but he almost always came out on top, people died but that’s life. He tried with ever ounce of his being to never let the bad guys win though.

    Dan Slott was finally turning his life around though, he had a good job as a scientist, his friends and family were happy. And things with Mary Jane were slowing getting better. Then all of that was torn away by one of his oldest foes. Doctor Otto Octavius was dying, so he switched bodies and decided to live his life as Peter Parker. And what does Pete do? He tries his hardest to get his body back and make things right. Only he doesn’t. . .This book doesn’t have a happy ending. We’ve known for months that Peter Parker wasn’t going to be Spider-Man any more, and deep down we knew it meant he had to die. But when the moments finally came I just wasn’t expecting it to happen like it did. It makes sense how it happened, I get it Pete pretty much forced Otto to relive every moment that made him the man he was. He made Otto feel that he needed to do good, to use his powers to protect people. That’s cool and all, but to let Peter Parker go out like that just seems like a giant F.U. to the character.

    I still look forward to see where this book goes, I may not be happy with the status quo change, but that’s why it was done. To evoke emotions in the readers, whether you love it or hate it you’ll want to see what happens. Dan Slott has made some huge moves and I look forward to seeing more. And like Stan Lee himself said in the letters, it’s a comic book, people don’t stay dead. I’m going with 50 issues before we see Pete again, there are plenty of ways to bring him back and I just hope it’s Slott that gets to do it!

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9/10


    Avenging Spider-Man 15.1 Avenging Spider-Man #15.1
    I’ve been back and forth with this book, like a lot of people I was stoked when it first started with a team like Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira who wouldn’t be. Then they started switching the some of the stories were just boring, it’s your average team up book. This issue, definitely isn’t like any of those, this sheds so much more light on our new Spider-Man and shows us the thoughts and everything of Otto as he creates his new Spider-Man suit. I’m still sad about Pete, and worried about how certain things will play out, but this book made me feel better about it. I do have a problem though, other than intelligence, what’s the difference now between Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man. Part of the reason Kaine is such a fun character is because he’s got the Spider powers, but not the same attitude, he’s tougher and is willing to take thing further. That’s the same feeling I’m getting from Otto as Spidey, yes he’s out to do good, but it seems like he’s going to be doing it on his terms. That tag line from Scarlet Spider almost seems to fit here too. . . All of the Power, None of the Responsibility. It’s just going to take time to see what the real difference is, but at least this book sets us up to know what kind of hero we’re going to be seeing.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8/10



    Eric
    Overall this week was wicked awesome! But I’m not happy. . . I jumped into Amazing Spider-Man a few years back. I’ve collected and read every issue, every side story, every spin off since issue 546, Brand New Day. I’ve been longing for the day Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson get back together, and when I found out they were I was ecstatic. Until I found out that it wasn’t Peter at all. I understand the goal of these books is to sell, but this is the second time a Peter Parker has bit it in just over a year(I miss you Ultimate Pete!). Couldn’t we just give the man a vacation instead?


    J Scott Campbell Variant of Amazing Spider-Man #700 Amazing Spider-Man #700

    So. . . The Amazing Spider-Man has come to an end with one final epic battle between Spider-Man and one of his greatest foes, Doctor Octopus. Oh, and their minds are swapped to make things a bit more interesting. Throughout the book Peter Parker tries desperately to scramble together a plan to put his mind in his own body, but as the pages go on you as the reader begin to realize there’s no way it’s going to happen. Even at 53 pages, there just isn’t enough time for Parker to set things right and still introduce a new Spider-Man. The feeling slowly sets in and then it dawns on you, Doctor Octopus is not only going to be Spider-Man, he’s going to be Peter Parker as well. He’s going to get all the perks that go with being an Avenger, a scientist for Horizon Labs, and the one person Mary Jane Watson just can’t be without, and Peter Parker is going to die. Shit on once again by the one reliable constant in his life, the Parker luck. It’s depressing. It’s sad. It’s highly upsetting. Evil prevails. They try to make Pete’s death mean something to someone by forcing all of Pete’s life to flash before Doctor Octopus’ eyes as he lie their dying. Doc Ock then swears that he will live up to the example laid before him as Peter Parker. That he will do so in a Superior way. I just don’t feel it. This issue, while exciting, left a really bad taste in my mouth. I will say that I am certainly excited to see where the story goes from here, but more so to find out when Peter is going to get his body back.

    My favorite part of the issue is when Stan Lee says, in the letter column, not to worry “In comicbookland, no one stays dead forever.”

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7/10


    Avenging Spider-Man 15.1 Avenging Spider-Man #15.1

    The direct follow up to Amazing Spider-Man 700 focuses on our new “hero.” Doctor Octopus has sworn to live the life of Peter Parker, and to not take his second chance at life for granted. To do so he will use his superior intellect, along with Pete’s body, to become the Superior Spider-Man. We see the first 5 days of Ocks new life. He spends it being rude. Being a crotchety old man in a young man’s body. Working on new evil looking gadgets for his new Superior costume. And we see him almost make the same mistake Pete made as a young man, the one that cost Uncle Ben his life.

    Doctor Octopus knows that with great power must also come great responsibility, but he just doesn’t seem to want to shoulder this burden as much a Peter did. Nor does he show the same compassion he held for Peter as he did in his final moments at the end of ASM 700. I just felt that this book was a little inconsistent with what happened at the end of ASM700, but is still valuable in understanding the motivation that will drive Doctor Octopus to be Superior.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 6/10



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    Friday Five – Apocalypse Survival Team Members https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-apocalypse-survival-team-members/ Thu, 20 Dec 2012 18:33:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10718

    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our five Apocalypse Survival Team Members.

    With the possible apocalypse tomorrow, we’re doing this list early.

    Anthony

    Aside from the people I would already be with in such trying times, I would desperately seek out the following team of men below, regardless of their old age. All these guys know how to survive when the world is gonna end and/or when everyone else is dead and/or impossible to reach.

    1. Bruce Willis
    2. Will Smith
    3. John Cusack
    4. Tom Hanks
    5. Morgan Freeman

     

    Shannon

    I’m going to be pretty lame on this one, sorry guys.

    1. My husband (Vogel)
    2. My son, Aiden
    3. My daughter, Andraia
    4. My dad
    5. Deadpool (as long as he stays on my side we’re good)

     

    Eric

    Obviously we all want our families with us. So in addition to my lovely wife Audra, I would add the following people to my party of awesome.

    1. Desmond Miles – *ACIII Spoilers* If the world comes to an end, then Desmond has failed to prevent the end from coming. Which means he’s alive! Who better to follow then the prophet of Those Who Came Before?
    2. ClapTrap – He’ll act as our comic humor, entertainment (wub wub wub wub wub wub DROP wub wub wub), and be the general screw up of the group. An excellent addition to the team.
    3. Nathan Drake – If there’s one man that can get through insurmountable odds, it’s Nathan Drake. He’s been shipwrecked, lost out at the desert, and managed to find a boat load of treasure (literally)!
    4. Lara Croft – Why bring one tomb raider, when you can have both? Lara seems to be better with her money then Nathan, so she’d probably be better at rationing supplies then he would. She also has an unlimited supply of 9mm ammo. That could be useful.
    5. The X-men – They’ve stopped Apocalypse before. . .

     

    Chris

    It goes without saying, family is already included in your group. To keep us alive and thriving though we’d need a good mix of skills.

    1. Tony Stark – He built a robotic suit of armor in a cave with scraps!
    2. Batman – He’s the goddamn Batman, he’s probably got hideouts all over the world that he uses when he’s got to help out the Justice League.
    3. Ultimate Jean Grey – She can read people’s thoughts, so we’ll know if someone is gonna be raiding our group. Plus Ultimate Universe Jean doesn’t die all the time and cause the world to nearly end.
    4. The Doctor – He’s a Time Lord, I’m sure he could figure something out!
    5. Jack Bauer – This guy has no conscience when it comes to protecting friends and family…that could be handy if he’s on your side

     

    Vogel

    1. Rick Grimes- Trained in armed combat and has a distinct leadership quality. Also he’s a bit crazy and that always helps.
    2. Wolverine – He can’t die unless you obliterate every last cell in his body. Also if the apocalypse turns out to be a zombie viral outbreak we could purposely infect him so that his healing ability creates the antibodies to cure the virus.
    3. Big Daddy (Kick-Ass)- The dude was awesome. He also has an armory in his safe house so that would be helpful.
    4. A mayan – Just so we can get the true story behind their calendar.
    5. And this one is cheating but I don’t care – My Wife and kids.

     

    Audra

    1. Bill Murray – (Comedy) – He seemed to do well for himself in Zombieland. . . that is, until he tried to play a joke on fake Michael Cera. We’ll just have to make some new rules.
    2. Chuck Norris’ Beard – (Strength) Don’t really see the need to have a whole other person taking up valuable resources. The strength of his beard alone should be plenty.
    3. The Psych Boys – (fun) – If there isn’t going to be TV then they will have to come with me to keep me entertained.
    4. Iron Man – (protection) – He can fight, fly, and he’s a pretty smart dude.
    5. Taco Bell – (noms) – Life wouldn’t be worth living without Taco Bell!

    Bill Murray in zombie makeup from Zombieland

    Drootin

    So the Mayans have doomed us all. According to their calendar the last day the world as we know it will exist is tomorrow, December 21st 2012. (Granted they had no concept of leap years so technically the calendar ended somewhere around 4 years ago. Also there’s a Mayan calendar that goes for 63 million years so, there’s that.) All that said, some of us may survive this apocalypse, so here’s my list of the people I hope survive with me if I do (outside of the friends/family).

    1. Robert Irvine – It always helps to have a good cook around, and it also helps if that person is also ex-military. Enter Robert Irvine, host of Restaurant Impossible and Dinner Impossible, celebrity chef, and he served in the British Royal Navy. He would be a very valuable asset after the apocalypse.
    2. Bear Grylls – The former host of Man vs. Wild seemingly knows how to keep someone alive in any situation and that’s a skill that would be absolutely crucial to have in a post-apocalyptic scenario. And like Robert Irvine, he’s ex-military, so he could help teach me and our group how to use weapons to defend ourselves.
    3. Louie C.K. – Being able to laugh is never a bad thing, so it couldn’t hurt to have a super-funny comedian with you in this type of scenario. I can’t walk past a Cinnabon store without thinking about his bit about them.
    4. Christina Hendricks/Kat Dennings – As mentioned in a previous Friday Five, I love Christina Hendricks. Also, Kat Dennings is almost on par in hotness to me. And if we’re gonna have to repopulate the Earth, ya know. . . anyway. . .
    5. Chuck Norris – He’s Chuck effing Norris, you know he’s gonna survive the apocalypse and I would want him to be on my side fighting off the hoards of zombies, or other people, or dinosaur zombies, or whatever the hell is going to happen!

    Robert Irvine in a restaurant

    And that’s it! If the world doesn’t end we’ll be back next week, and if it does end watch your backs!

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    Diekembe Mutombo Saves the World! https://one-quest.com/blog/diekembe-mutombo-saves-the-world/ https://one-quest.com/blog/diekembe-mutombo-saves-the-world/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:00:35 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10371

    So the fine folks over at Old Spice have created the greatest browser game of all-time, Dikembe Mutombo’s 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World. If you don’t know Mutombo is a 7 ft. tall retired NBA player from Congo, and yes, he is the voice for his character. You must play this, levels 1 and 2 are unlocked now and the last 2 will unlock each of the next 2 weeks. The game is posted after the jump! Go play it, its totally worth it.

    Here it is, enjoy!

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    ILR – Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep https://one-quest.com/blog/ilr-kingdom-hearts-birth-by-sleep/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:27:29 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10693 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Logo

    Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Boxart for the Sony PSP Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

    Developer: Square Enix Product Development Division 5

    Publisher: Square Enix

    Platforms: PSP

    Released: 9/10/2010

    Verdict: Incredible!

    Not every game can be at the top of our priorities list, and unfortunately that means some get passed up for a long while. These games aren’t necessarily bad, there’s just something about them that causes us to move on to other games. But these games still deserve their chance in the spotlight, even if it is incredibly late. The newest installment of the Incredibly Late Review brings us to the 5th release in the Kingdom Hearts saga, Birth By Sleep.

    Like 356/2 Days, Birth By Sleep seeks to fill in some back story. Birth By Sleep takes place 10 years before the events of Kingdom Hearts, which makes this the first game in the series chronologically. Yeah, Kingdom Hearts is the Zelda of Sony in terms of it’s canonical timeline, but I’d have to rank it higher in the game play department.

    Ventus, Terra, and Aqua from the Opening of Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

    Furthering the development of the back story is where the similarities end with BBS and 356-2 Days. BBS enhances the old combat system with some new flourishes, brings back traditional experience and level ups, and introduces the Panel System for equipping and using skills and abilities. The removal of missions and a mission hub in favor of a narrative driven quest is a very welcome return from previous entries in the series. A mix of old and new combine with 3 playable characters, with 3 different stories, to make the best Kingdom Hearts game I have played yet.

    The Panel System feels like a pseudo upgrade of the slot system used in 356/2 Days, but the changes here are so drastic that you may not even notice the similarities. Panels are skills, abilities, items, magic, etc. that the player finds or purchases throughout their travels. These can be equipped in limited active slots, starting with 3 and capping at 8, which allow their use during combat. There is also a subset of skills used for adding special commands like guard, double jump, and glide to your characters arsenal. These Panels are separate from your active panels, and do not count toward your total of combat abilities. Lastly there’s the Shot Lock Command that let’s you charge an ability and unleash a devastating attack on the field. There are multiple abilities to place here, each with their own charge time, lock on count, hit count, and addition attack quirks.

    Aqua from Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep using Bubble Blaster

    Every panel has it’s own level and experience. Most cap out at 3, some go as high as 6. Once they are capped out you can combine panels with others to make new panels with new skills and passive abilities. Once the new panel is mastered the passive ability is then permanently learned and forever equipped. So on top of gaining exp and levels up to get stronger, you want to make sure you’re combining panels to produce the most useful combat and passive abilities. It’s a quick way to make your character feel stronger a lot faster then allowed in previous titles. If you’re looking for a challenge you can deactivate any passive skills you learn at any time from the menu.

    If the panels and shot lock commands weren’t enough to keep combat interesting then you’re in luck! Two more key systems help keep combat fresh, and engaging at all times. The D-Link system let’s you form a link with key characters you meet in the game. They could be enemies like Maleficent, or friends like Peter Pan. Once you activate the link you gain combat abilities this character has available. They may not always be unique, but they are often useful. During my play through as Terra, I found my self linking with Aqua a lot in order to heal myself. Until I found healing spells after the 3rd world.

    Ventus fight the Unversed in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

    Lastly we have the Style/Finish system. You build up a style meter as you attack enemies. If you meet certain requirements then your hero might break off into a new combat style. For instance, if you use a couple fire based attacks then you could break into a Fire Style that allows you to blast fireballs at enemies, and send waves of fire at everyone around you. There are many different styles, each with their own unique uses. If you don’t manage to meet the requirements for a style, you will instead use a finishing move. One finish can be equipped at a time, and once the finisher is leveled up it will unlock another. These usually add a nice AOE or ranged attack, allowing more flexibility in combat.

    It all sounds a little overwhelming, and it sort of is. It took me till my play through with Ventus, second play through, to realize that Shot Lock is a saving grace, not just a cheap gimmick. Once you learn the intricacies of each move, and when they best serve you, then everything just sort of flows. It’s a really well balanced, well developed, system. The only flaw I noticed was in the targeting. If the target charges you, and moves off screen, the lock breaks. This lead to a lot of confusion, considering the whole point of a lock is to keep the target on screen.

    Terra, Ventus, and Aqua fight together in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

    At the outset of the game you’re given the option to choose to play as one of 3 heroes: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. Each one brings something different to the table, but the basic break down is that Terra is the heavy hitter, Ventus is fastest, and Aqua is a master of magic. Each one has their own story to follow, although all 3 visit the same worlds in roughly the same order. By the 3rd play through everything will feel repetitive, but the pay off is worth it! Primarily because the end of the 3 campaigns can barely be considered an end. It’s the final episode that really makes the story of this game, and the entire series, shine! Literally everything ever is explained. It’s like reading the wiki without actually reading!

    There is a multiplayer mode within the game. It pretty much amounts to a co-operative monster combat arena. I didn’t get to experience it with friends, but running through it alone seemed fun enough.

    Master Xehanort trying to turn Terra to the Darkness in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

    All in all, I’d have to say this is hands down the best Kingdom Hearts game to date. There are an incredible amount of combat and character development changes in this game that make it stand out as one of the best purchases in the franchise, and on the PSP. There’s plenty of replay value with leveling up Panels, playing multiplayer, and multiple play throughs required to unlock the ending. If you have any interest in the Kingdom Hearts series, this is certainly worth checking out!

    Tell us what you thought in the comments below!

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    Friday Five – Holiday Traditions https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-holiday-traditions/ Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:20:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10676 Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our five favorite holiday traditions. Unfortunately only a few of us are festive enough to actually create traditions in our lives. . . so it's a rather short list.]]> Friday Five December 14, 2012 Holiday Traditions

    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our five favorite holiday traditions.

    I got a lot of flack from the group for this category. Apparently few of us have traditions or things we consider traditions in our holiday lives. I stuck to my guns, and here we have it. Just one small list of things a few of us like most about the holidays. As for everyone else, you suck. Enjoy!

    Shannon

    1. Making Gingerbread houses, or this year, a train.
    2. The Christmas celebration with my dad’s family. This year it’s probably going to be skipped though because my aunt is getting surgery just a few days before.
    3. Baking. Obviously I like to bake and cook, but during the holidays I don’t have to eat it all myself.

    Christmas Cookies

    Eric

    1. 24 Hours of A Christmas Story – Like I said last week, I love this movie! I actually turned my cable back on last year to watch this on TBS. I think I’ll do that again this year. . .
    2. Hiding gifts from my wife – We’ve lived in our house for almost 3 years now, and we’ve celebrated just as many Christmases here. We don’t have too many hiding spots, so we have to get a little creative. I still get nervous when she get’s too close to the hiding places I choose.
    3. Decorating – Every year I dread it. Primarily because I’m lazy and would rather sit around and do nothing. But when all is said and done, I feel a certain sense of pride which I look forward to every year.
    4. Cookies!!! – Not baking them. Nope! I’m more of the chef type, not much of a baker. But, eating cookies is where it’s at!
    5. Pranking my brother – Walnuts and I have an. . . interesting relationship. I like to do something every year that messes with his head a bit. I think it’s payback for the 7 straight years he got me Jacks for christmas. Or I’m just a terrible person. Either way, I get immense enjoyment out of it.

    A Christmas Story

    Chris

    1. Watching Movies – I usually get at least one movie for Christmas every year, so I always love to spent a couple hours watching it! It’s one of the few times I actually watch the movies right after I get them.
    2. Not Traveling – When I was little I use to love getting to go to my families various houses and get presents, now not so much, luckily we’re doing that on Christmas Eve this year so Christmas Day will be spent at home having a good time!
    3. Decorations – I’m not really a big fan of doing the decorating, but I really like when you’re out at night and all the crazy people with too much free time have these really elaborate displays of lights going on.
    4. Extra Time Off Work – Christmas was pretty much the only Holiday I ever got off when I worked retail, and now that I’m out of that terrible business I get 2 days off no matter where Christmas Falls it’s awesome!
    5. Gifts – I’ve always actually enjoyed giving my immediate family there gifts. More so after I was able to afford to buy them more than like 15 dollar gift cards.

    House lite up for Christmas

    Audra

    1. All the Christmas movies- which I have yet too see this year. A christmas story is the best background noise on christmas day. Also LOVE Home Alone 1 and 2. Screw 3.
    2. COOKIES! – Of course Toll house is always the go to, but I’m starting to try new recipes each year. Have to keep my quality control, Eric, on his toes.
    3. Christmas Eve picky foods in our jams while watching christmas movies.
    4. Driving around on christmas eve to see all the pretty christmas lights. However, I think we need a new route this year, our more creative neighbors.
    5. Goofing around with Eric while putting up decorations. He’s trying to get it done in a timely matter to get more game time in. And here I am, getting in the way and prolonging the activity.

    Muppet Christmas Carol BluRay

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    Take It Or Leave It – December 12, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-december-12-2012/ Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:35:44 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10567 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week's newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf. We're back, and a little late, after some website troubles and a whole lot of business going on otherwise. This week there were a lot of books to look forward to, and below you'll find a few of them!]]> Take It Or Leave It December 12, 2012

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    We’re back, and a little late, after some website troubles and a whole lot of business going on otherwise. This week there were a lot of books to look forward to, and below you’ll find a few of them!

    Chris
    We had some great comics come out this week, I can’t get over how good Death of the Family is going. And Scarlet Spider is back to Houston and being awesome. It’s a shame all the books couldn’t be this good. . . I’m looking at you Iron Man.


    Batman 15 Batman #15
    Every issue of Death of the Family seems to get better, Court of Owls really showed us how awesome new ideas can be in a comic when done correctly. Death of the Family is showing us that even old ideas can be re-imagined into something fantastic. The issue picks up right where issue 14 left off, with Batman confronting Joker on a bridge. We get some great exchanges between the two. We also get a great scene between Batman and the rest of the family where he shares a Joker story and we see just how on edge the others are with the Jokers revelation from last issue.

    If you haven’t read the last few issues than this definitely isn’t the right place to jump on. But that doesn’t mean you should skip it, go find issues 13 and 14 it shouldn’t be hard they’re not that old. You won’t be disappointed.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 9 of 10


    Batgirl 15 Batgirl #15
    So Batgirl has had a bit of news lately with current writer Gail Simone being fired and what not. Hopefully her last issues are as good as the first 15. So if you read last issue you know that Barbra is in a bad spot, she’s just been proposed to by The Joker. Without ruining last issue, in case you missed issue 14 this isn’t exactly something she can turn down. Granted being a clever girl she at least tried to take care of the situation, and gave the Joker a could couple of punches. In the end though, there wasn’t much she could do and she’s on her way to do Joker’s bidding or whatever you’d like to call it. Two things that really stood out about this issue didn’t actually involve Babs at all, it was the flashbacks showing how the Joker had planned this ‘wedding’ for quite some time. The other was the inclusion of James Gordon Jr, possibly the only person in Gotham that can go toe-to-toe with the Joker’s sociopath-ness.

    This is well worth buying, but like the other Bat-Family books right now, you’ve got to at least buy the previous issue or you won’t know what’s going on.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7 of 10


    Artifacts 23 cover Artifacts #23
    I’ve never read Artifacts before this week, I decided to give it a shot though. While I have no clue what was going on, the recap at least gave me an idea of the story. I’ve got to say this was a really interesting concept, really unexpected too. It reminded me of like a Devil May Cry where you have this sort of outcasted guy who has some crazy abilities. It had some fun action, and I enjoyed the interaction of the characters. There was a lot of ‘downtime’ in this book though. It’s that downtime that may make this a not for everyone kind of book. A good portion of the issue was an exorcism and not the cool kind in the movies, literally a guy reading a bible telling a demon to go away. For as interested as I am in it, I don’t think this is the right issue to pick up, go back and read some trades see how it fits you. I’ll be keeping an eye on it for the time being.

    Verdict: Leave It for Trades

    Score: 6 of 10


    Amazing Spider-Man #699.1
    I’ve been scoffing at the idea of a Morbius book since I heard about it. Really who’s going to pick up a book about a boring Spider-Man villain? Well I’ve got to say, after reading this my thinking is definitely a little different. Personally I’m still not interested in Morbius, maybe I’ll pick up a trade though. Spider-Man 699.1 did a great job of making me interested enough though. I didn’t know much about Morbius before this, everything I knew I learned from the 90’s cartoon. The issue picks up where 699 left off, at the Raft with everyone escaping. There’s some interesting exchanges between Morbius and the Lizard followed by the flash back to how Morbius became the living vampire he is today. This was as good of a setup as the 654.1 that setup Venom, but at least we got a feel for what Morbius will be like. Whether this book is worth buying is a little harder to decide. The writing and art aren’t awesome, but it’s hard to be awesome with a retelling of a characters backstory. It’s a passable issue, so if you’re interested in Morbius go for it, this will either solidify if you’re buying that book or not.

    Verdict: Leave It unless you want Morbius

    Score: 6 of 10


    Fantastic Four #2
    JohnScott is the big Fantastic Four fan around One-Quest, I’ve always been a little unimpressed with the Worlds Greatest Comic Magazine. I’ve mentioned before that I followed the end of Hickman’s run just because I’d heard such good things. And Then when Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley were announced as the next team to tackle the book I knew I’d be picking up the first few issues at least. Well two issues in and I’m not in love, but I’m also not totally disappointed. Nothing has really happened yet, these first two issues just setup what the run is going to be. And it’s promising at the very least. If you read issue one, and don’t care about reading FF you can probably skip this one and not miss anything in issue 3. That’s where the story should really get pumping. The Richards have just taken off to explore space and time for a year, and hopefully find a cure for Reed’s problem. While the setup was a little boring I’ve got pretty high hopes for what’s to come so I’ll be sticking around for at least a little while longer.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 7 of 10


    Iron Man #4
    I’m starting to get annoyed with Iron Man, it only restarted a month ago and we’re already up to issue 4. That is a little ridiculous, I wish Marvel would cut back with all these multiple shippings it’s to expensive to follow. It doesn’t help that while the dialogue and characterization are good, the story is kinda lacking. I know Kieron Gillen said he wanted to do single issue stories for the first arc with an overall goal. And so far he’s stuck to that, Tony is on a mission and he’s wrapping each segment up in a single issue. I wouldn’t suggest buying this book, especially if you’re on a budget.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 4 of 10


    Scarlet Spider #12
    I was disappointed with the last few issues of Scarlet Spider, Minimum Carnage just wasn’t everything I hoped it would be. Luckily we’re back in Houston and Kaine is back to kicking ass. There isn’t a lot of actual ass kicking in this issue, it’s a good reintroduction to Kaine’s supporting cast. He’s getting ready to leave, and they’re trying to stop him. He then gets drunk off like two drinks and passes out. Meanwhile things are going down, and Scarlet Spider is the only one who can stop them. It was a fun ride, and I can’t wait for the next issue to come out. Hopefully we’ll get to see more of Kaine interacting with these people who have becomes his first real friends.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 8 of 10


    Ultimate Comics X-Men #20
    Brian Wood has been doing a great job with this book. This book is so different than any other X-Men book in any universe. There’s only a few mutants left and they’re split on who they want to follow. They’re stuck in pretty much the least habitable place in America, but they’re making the best of it. It’s a survivors tale, these mutants are survivors and that’s not something you get a lot of in comics. Over in 616 Utopia was a cool island off the coast of San Francisco. In the Ultimate Universe it’s a god damn desert that use to have all kinds of terrible military testings done on it. If I had to drop all the other Ultimate Books just to keep reading this one I’d do it in an instant. While not a lot happened in this issue, it continued the plot, and setup a lot of interesting situations for future issues. Even if you’re not an X-Men fan I would recommend giving this book a shot.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7 of 10


    Winter Soldier #13
    This current story arc has been dragging on for a while. It’s enjoyable, but I’d like them to just come to a solution already. There’s also just to many characters finding out Bucky is still alive, it was cool when it was just a handful of people and SHIELD agents. Now we’ve got Hawkeye, Wolverine, and Daredevil all know he’s alive and well. I did enjoy how Cap took part in this issue, and the fight between Winter Soldier and Daredevil was actually pretty cool though. I wouldn’t really recommend this issue as nothing really happened to help conclude the story, but I’m still looking forward to what comes next.

    Verdict: Leave It

    Score: 6 of 10


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Bad Girls #5
    Bad Girls is over, my biggest problem with the early issues was the lack of bad girls. Luckily by the end they were more prominent and there was a pretty cool final showdown. The problem though, this book didn’t feel all that different from this weeks other Grimm Fairy Tales release. . .Myths & Legends 24. A group of female villains are trying to control the realms, a group of heroes try to stop them. Granted that’s incredibly lacking in any detail but you get the idea. Even though the book was similar to Myths & Legends it was an enjoyable ending and if you’ve been reading the series it’s definitely worth finishing it up.

    Verdict: Take It

    Score: 7 of 10



    ]]>
    Phantom Pain or Metal Gear? https://one-quest.com/blog/phantom-pain-or-metal-gear/ Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:48:10 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10554 The Phantom Pain Logo

    The Spike VGAs just passed this weekend, and as usual we were treated to a fairly large number of excellent trailers. However, one of the most exciting reveals is Phantom Pain.

    By itself, this is a very intense trailer for a new IP by a new studio, Moby Dick Studios. We see a patient/soldier wake up from a coma and try to escape the hospital he’s being held in while it’s under attack from soldier and some. . . supernatural source. Wait what? Yeah, we have guys walking around on fire, people floating, a flaming unicorn(Rapidash?), and a giant whale that swallows a helicopter! The trailer is tense, and visually appealing. One thing that will stick out in your mind is the fact that you don’t get a clear image of the protagonists face, until the end of the trailer. Or the Big reveal as it would seem. An enemy soldier flips over the body of the man we’ve followed throughout the trailer and we’re given a nice look at his face. Which happens to look a lot like Big Boss.

    Soldiers in Phantom Pain

    Lens Flare!

    That’s where things get weird. Upon re-watching the trailer you’ll see a few queues to the MGS series. First and foremost is the trademark look of the amputated patient. He’s thin, and has an eye patch over his right eye, much like big boss. He has the classic Snake mullet going on. The only thing going against this theory, is the amputated left arm. ***Spoilers*** Big Boss is depicted with both arms at the end of MGS4. He uses his left arm to smoke a cigarette, so it doesn’t appear to be a prosthetic. However in this world of clones and cyborgs it wouldn’t be too far fetched for Big Boss to have acquired a replacement.

    Big Boss in Phantom Pain

    Hey. . . Do I know you from somewhere?

    Big Boss in MGS Ground Zeroes

    Oh! Now I remember!

    There’s also the man on fire. He has a very. . . metal gear style. He also happens to have some visual similarities to Colonel Volgin in his rubber combat suit. It’s not much of a stretch for Volgin’s powers to evolve beyond electricity, and focus more on fire.

    Volgin from Phantom Pain

    Fired up Volgin?

    Colonel Volgin in rubber combat suit

    You just look kinda silly without the fire, huh?

    There aren’t any other stand out characters, but there is one other clue in the trailer. This one Has to do with the logo. It seems if you use the exact same font, you can fit the words Metal Gear Solid V in the spaces above the word Phantom Pain.

    Phantom Pain is Metal Gear Solid V

    I’m still not convinced. . .

    And if none of that was enough for you, how about this? Moby Dick Studio, referred to as “MDS” on their website, was founded by Joakim Mogren. Joakim. Kojima. Nice one!

    Joakim Mogren aka Hideo Kojima

    He kinda looks like Hideo Kojima. . .

    Check out the awesome trailer below, courtesy of IGN, and tell us what you think in out sweet ass new comments section below that!

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    Zenescope's Jungle Book gets a sequel in Jungle Book: Last of the Species https://one-quest.com/blog/zenescopes-jungle-book-gets-a-sequel-in-jungle-book-last-of-the-species/ Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:16:26 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10544 Earlier this year, Zenescope released their take on a class, The Jungle Book. I grew up watching the Disney cartoon, it was one of my favorite. So obviously the first series was an easy decision to buy. It did not disappoint, the story followed and introduced just the right amount of character I was familiar with. But did something completely different with them, the way Zenescope has become famous for.

    So with that a new book has been revealed, Jungle Book: Last of the Species. It’s first issue will be hitting shelves on February 27, 2013, with Mark L Miller returning to pen the continuing adventures of Mowglii. The story looks to be picking up right where the first one left off. Mowglii has recovered from her last battle, but new problems arise like any good tale.

    So make sure when you go pick up comics this week, to let your local shops know you want a copy!

    Februrary isn’t to far away, so to hold you over we’ve got some great artwork and the full press release from Zenescope!

    Zenescope Entertainment to Unveil Jungle Book Sequel

    Dec. 7, 2012 — Zenescope Entertainment has announced a sequel to its hit mini-series The Jungle Book, which was first published in March, 2012. The #1 issue of Jungle Book: Last of the Species will hit shelves February 27th, 2013. Zenescope is best known for its dark and provocative re-imaginings of literary classics such as Wonderland, Sinbad and Neverland. After receiving strong sales and critic reviews for The Jungle Book, the top 10 publisher has green-lit another go around.

    Writer Mark L Miller and will continue writing the epic and beautifully illustrated story that takes place on the mysterious but dangerous Kipling Isle.

    In this five part series, the strong-willed and beautiful Mowglii has just recently recovered from her wounds after defeating a ferocious foe, but her peace will not last as she finds herself in a battle for survival as a new threat arises.

    “Mark Miller and Carlos Granda did such an amazing job in the first series by creating this intense, brutal but also visually stunning world. We were so proud of both the fan support and the positive reviews we received.” said Zenescope’s EIC Ralph Tedesco, “But we’ve raised the bar for the sequel and we’re hoping that even more readers catch on to this intelligently written, epic series because I highly doubt they’ll be disappointed.”
    Jungle Book: Last of the Species is currently available for pre-order through Diamond Previews.

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    Friday Five – Favorite Holiday Specials https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-favorite-holiday-specials/ Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:00:16 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10525 Friday Five Holiday Specials
    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our five favorite holiday specials.

    We’re here for your weekly dose of top 5’s, it’s a little light this time. We’ve been pretty busy over here at One-Quest with various things, but we’ll be back to regular updates in no time! So we’re talking favorite Holiday Specials, whether they’re TV, movies, whatever. It’s pretty obvious we grew up with the Grinch Cartoon, and don’t have much faith in the live action from a while back. Otherwise, we’ve got a pretty diverse list going, so stop reading this and get to the lists already!

    Chris

    1. Gremlins – I still know a lot of people that don’t realize this is a Christmas movie. And what better Christmas story than the one Phoebe Cates tells about the year her dad dressed up as Santa
    2. A Flintstones Christmas Carol – I’m a bigger fan of the Flintstones version.
    3. Rugrats Christmas Special – That damn brat Angelica gets her Coal in the end!
    4. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York – Home Alone 1 was pretty awesome, but 2 was always my favorite and it’s a pretty touching Christmas story too!
    5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas(cartoon) – To hell with the Jim Carey version, while I don’t have the hate for it that many others have, the cartoon is the classic and shall never be overshadowed.

    Special mention has to go to the Star Wars Holiday Special for being ridiculous and forbidden by George Lucas, but with Disney now owning Star Wars it’s only a matter of time before it comes out of the Vault.

    Anthony

    1. Bad Santa – Without a doubt the funniest/overall best Christmas movie ever made. For adults.
    2. Futurama – Particularly the first one, Xmas Story, Robot Santa is badass!
    3. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas – If you appreciate the ridiculousness of this show normally, there’s no question you’ll love this special.
    4. Hey Arnold: Arnold’s Christmas – Reminds me of that night, before the last day of school before the winter break. So much to look forward to, just one last stupid half day and then freedom!
    5. The Year Without Santa Claus – Mr. Snow Miser and Mr. Heat miser, these are easily the best songs out of any of the classic christmas specials.

    Walnuts

    I love Christmas!!!!!! The movies are the best, presents, and at least for a day most people are cheerful(I said most not all).

    1. Elf – One of the best Christmas movies ever released OF ALL TIME! There is nothing better then this movie.
      A Year Without A Santa Claus – I Agree with Anthony on this one, the Heat Miser and Freeze Meiser turn this one into a classic.
    2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas – The cartoon takes all over the live action movie.
    3. Santa Claus is coming to Town – When I think Christmas this movie and the “one foot in front of the other” song with the Winter Wizard always come to mind first.
    4. 24 hours of “A Christmas Story” – No Christmas is complete without at least 3 airings of A Christmas Story, and someone non-stop quoting that movie “you’ll shoot your eye out!” Good times, good times.

    Audra

    1. Muppets Christmas Carol
    2. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
    3. A Christmas Story
    4. Home Alone 1 and 2
    5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    Eric

    The classics take the win here.

    1. A Charlie Brown Christmas – My all time favorite Christmas special. I make it a point to try to watch this one every year.
    2. A Christmas Story – Every year I tune into TBS for the 24 hours of A Christmas Story marathon, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the movie in it’s entirety! Regardless, it makes me laugh every time i watch it, and for that it takes the number 1 favorite Christmas movie spot.
    3. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – The animation is terrible at it’s best. The voice actors, aside from the snowman narrator, are all pretty bad. But a story about an underdog saving christmas and getting the girl. That’s a story I can get behind! Also, Yukon Cornelius. ’nuff said.
    4. ELF – Ok, the story of Buddy the elf is the most recent addition to my top 5. One of the best Christmas movies in recent years!
    5. Psych: Christmas Joy – This show is generally hilarious, but throw in a bit of Christmas and you have one excellent episode!

    A Christmas Story

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Worst. Endings. Ever. https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-worst-endings-ever/ Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:04:59 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10493

    Welcome to the Friday Five. Each week we help you get acquainted with our writers with the help of a top five list. This week we list our five most disappointing endings.

    The end of a show, series, or movie is just as important as the beginning. The things that got the viewers hooked in the first place needs to be properly addressed in the finale, no matter what it is. If the prospect of two character hooking up was alluded to early on, it needs to either come to fruition or be turned town entirely by the end. If a hero is chosen to help stop the impending doom that shall befall the world, all the while battling ancient enemies of his ancestors, then he needs to stop the end of the world and his ancient enemies. If an enemy miraculously steps out of the shadows at the end of a movie and shouts “Hey! I’m the bad guy you were looking for the whole time, despite not really having any conflict with me throughout the duration of this adventure! Let’s do battle to determine the fate of the world!”, that’s a BAD ENDING!!! When we’re about to witness the final climax and instead we watch as our our main protagonists bite the dust without any proper closure, it’s called bad writing.

    This crap happens too often, and one game in particular is really bugging me right now! Read on to see what games, movies, books, and TV shows you may not want to reconsider investing time in. Don’t forget to tell us your most disappointing endings in the comments below.

    Chris

    For the most part, the worst kinds of endings for me are cliffhangers. I don’t mind when it gets solved in the following movie, book, game, or TV show. Unfortunately that’s not always the case.

    1. Heroes – This show had a lot of ups and downs during it’s four seasons, and while the third season wasn’t that good the fourth was improving each week. Then it got canceled with a cliffhanger ending and we’ll never know what happens.
    2. Alcatraz – I thought this was a really interesting show, sure it got a little boring for some of the middle episodes, but the overall plot was cool. Unfortunately like Heroes it was canceled with a cliffhanger ending that we’ll never known the outcome of.
      Matrix Revolution – This was a pretty bad movie in all regards, but the ending was just terrible.
    3. Lost In Space – The movie had a terrible ending, because it ended with them jumping to lightspeed or something like that and that’s it. They weren’t sure if they were going to survive and find their destination or not. And now neither are we.
    4. The Golden Compass – The movie was pretty good, and stayed true enough to the book, until the end. It ended like half an hour too soon, and we end up missing out on some big plot points that would have led directly into the next movie. At this point we can’t expect to ever see a sequel either.

    Special Mentions goes to last years show The River, which was a really good show that ABC decided not to pick up for a second season, but almost got picked up on Netflix. It’s ending wasn’t terrible, but it was obvious the writers and producers were expecting a second season.

    Cast of Heroes

    Vogel

    1. King Kong (2005) – I’ve always held myself as a movie buff. Throughout this entire movie they play out the romance of Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts’ characters with the ‘agreement’ that it wouldn’t be love. For the entire last third of the movie Brody realizes that he should’ve told her he loves her, chases after her and finds out she’d been carried off by the beast, follows them to the top of the Empire State Building where he saves the girl, King Kong falls and all is well. They embrace each other and roll credits. This may not sound problematic to most people, but the whole point of him tracking her down was to tell her he loved her, which he didn’t do. Bad writing/directing in my opinion.
    2. Roseanne (TV Series) – Not as bad as St. Elsewhere, but it felt like they just didn’t know how to finish the show. “How should we end this show?” “What if we make it so that the entire series was a lie and the last two seasons were made up entirely?” “I like it!”
    3. K-Pax (2001) – The ending of this movie never sat well with me. First he’s an alien, then he’s just a guy who’d gone crazy, then he tells people he’ll take one of them back to his home planet. The winner disappeared and then he went pseudo-lobotomized. I guess my main issue is what happened. Was he an alien possessing the body of a human? If not what happened to the chick from the psyche-ward? Inception reminded me of the ending of this movie but I felt Inception gave enough information to draw your own conclusions but still have enough to discuss with others.
    4. Alan Wake (Game) – I beat this game in about 3 days. Not because it was short, but because my wife had to take it back to work (GameStop game borrowing policy). I really enjoyed the game up until the end. I thought that it was on the whole well written and kept me going. Usually if a game doesn’t grab my attention enough I’ll just stop playing. When it got to the end (and I’m going from memory here which is mostly hazy) the game was like a dream sequence and you don’t know what really happened to his wife but it could have just been the book he was writing the whole time. Like I said, I don’t 100% remember the details but I do remember being entirely disappointed.
    5. Batman Arkham City (Game) – The ending to the game was actually really good as far as story and plot go. But the final boss was a complete let down. Way too easy, way too quick.

    angry king kong

    Walnut

    In my day I have completed many many things and seen a few terrible endings. When they pretty much raise more questions than they ask, THAT’S BULLSHIT!!!!!!

    1. Infinite Undiscovery – The game was ok, it wasn’t the best but had some good features and gameplay elements. I should have expected a bad ending, but not as bad as it was. They forced a happy ending.
    2. Assassins Creed 3 – All I have to say is screw that ending! All the hype, all the deception, 5 damn games, and that’s what they do with the series. BAD UBISOFT. BAD!
    3. Dead Nation – This was one of the best top down shooters I’ve ever played. The story was pretty good, but spending all that time to get that cop-out of an ending just infuriates me! I still play it every now and again though.
    4. Heroes – They should have at least made a movie to finish off the series. The way they ended it made you want more, but the writers weren’t expecting to get cancelled, so they didn’t write a proper ending.
    5. Zombie Powder – This is a manga written by Tite Kubo, the writer of Bleach. This manga was started around the same time as he started writing Bleach, but Bleach got too big so he had to stop. In the last issue he writes that he has interest in continuing. My hope is that he does bring it back, now that Bleach is over. Every time I’m in a bookstore I look for a new issue.

    four dudes from infinite undiscovery

    Eric

    Ending a long running show, or game series, can be hard. There’s always that chance you’re going to piss someone off by not telling the story they wanted to see. Instead of taking a chance and telling a story they want to tell while bringing some meaning and closure to their work, we continue to see creators finishing their tales with the death of the main character. Sure this incites shock, but the feelings that arise after this initial reaction are generally negative. Anyone remember that Mass Effect outcry?

    1. Assassin’s Creed III – I’ve been hooked since I turned the first game on during the christmas of 2007. It was startling to see this game, marketed as a historical assassination game, take a sci-fi twist right as the game loaded up! I have 100% completed every game in the series. Read the comics. Even purchased the Encyclopedia meant to define every element of this series! And in the end, Ubisoft moves for the classic cop out ending. I guess the DLC could fix it. . . but do I really want to spend more time with the wooden Connor just to see if the Desmond story takes a better turn? Probably.
    2. Uncharted 3 – I love this series. It’s by far one of the better games of this current generation. Each game got subsequently bigger and better than the last. There was one downside to the games tho, with the exception to the original, they all had bad finales. While Uncharted 2 had a bad final boss fight, Uncharted 3 had a bad ending overall. It was a general let down, and the primary villain just sorta died right before the end of the game took place. There wasn’t even an epic confrontation! Very anticlimactic.
    3. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – You pretty much find out the entire game didn’t matter. Even Birth By Sleep, which literally explained EVERYTHING in Kingdom Hearts, glanced over this one.
    4. Borderlands – I’m a sucker for roguelikes, dungeon crawlers, and loot fests. Borderlands took everything I loved about these games, turned it into a first person shooter, and god damn was it good! Sure the levels were a bit repetitive, but the loot was great! The story was hilarious, but the ending. . . wow. That was a let down! No treasure in the coveted vault. . . just some japanese tentacle porn.
    5. Dragon Age II – This is more about BioWare then directly related to Dragon Age II, but since it’s the game I was most invested in when I started to notice their trend I’ve decided to use it as the example. BioWare has this awesome ability to craft incredible stories and worlds, with amazing detail. Everything they do is filled with rich histories, and different cultures. It’s amazing. Their only problem is creating proper stories worth paying attention to. Dragon Age II focused on the Champion of Kirkwall, and the events that surrounded the destruction of the city. Through 3 acts you face random challenges, enemies, and other series of disconnected events all the while. . . nothing happens in the background. There’s literally no over arching story blending it all together. Just you, in a city, doing random stuff. Eventually some conflict comes to a head involving 2 characters you’ve NEVER MET, and this forces you to choose who to side with. It doesn’t matter though, since you fight the same final bosses, and the story plays out the same no matter what. This isn’t the first BioWare game to do this, but it is the most offensive.

    Connor stabbing a redcoat.

    Drootin

    It always sucks for something to have a good beginning and middle just to fall apart at the end. When that takes place it can easily take something that was good and completely make it do a 180. So here’s my list of the 5 most disappointing endings that I can remember.

    1. The 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers Season: SPORTS! The Flyers had a rough regular season but snuck into the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs however the team stepped up their game. They dominated the #2 seed Devils 4 games to 1 in the first round. Then the Flyers had one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports history, trailing 3-0 in the series vs. the Bruins, they came all the way back to force a game 7, then falling behind 3-0 in the 1st period of that game, just to come back again and win the game 4-3 and the series 4-3. They then again dominated a series over the Canadiens to get to the Stanley Cup Final. It was a back and forth series, Flyers trail 3-2 going into Game 6 at home, the game goes to overtime and then the Flyers allow the weakest Stanley Cup series clinching goal that likely will ever be scored. It was confusingly disappointing, it seemed like only the player who took the shot knew it went in. It was depressing how soft that goal was and how that season ended.
    2. The Matrix Revolutions: The Matrix is one of my favorite all time movies. Reloaded and Revolutions were bad, they were VERY bad. It seemed like the more money in the budget they had the worse the movies got. These movies are almost bad enough to ruin the original.
    3. The 2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles Season: Yup, MORE SPORTS! Bet you didn’t see that coming! This is the only time during my life that the Eagles have gotten to the Super Bowl and it did not go well. The Eagles went 13-3 that year and made it to the Super Bowl despite some major injuries in the playoffs. The Eagles scored a TD with 1:48 left to cut the deficit down to only 3 points but couldn’t finish the comeback.
    4. Batman: Arkham Asylum: This is more the final boss fight than the actual ending of the game although I don’t really remember much of the ending. The final boss fight, to me anyway, took all the fun of the combat of the game out and just was a very repetitive gimmicky battle and just really soured the game for me.
    5. 2012 Philadelphia Wings Season: The Wings had a rough season last year but had seemed to get things turned around in time for a playoff run. They came out very flat in their playoff game vs Rochester and mounted a comeback late in the 4th Quarter but it fell just short.

    angry eagles fan

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – November 28, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-28-2012/ Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:33:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10410 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week's newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf. It's just me this week, we've still got a pretty good collection of books below. From Talon to Bedlam, along with the final New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis, and a lot of others. ]]> Take It Or Leave It November 28, 2012

    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    It’s just me this week, we’ve still got a pretty good collection of books below. From Talon to Bedlam, along with the final New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis, and a lot of others.

    Chris
    This week had a lot of books I was really looking forward to, unfortunately a bunch of them really let me down. On the bright side there were still a ton of really great books out!

    Talon issue 2 Talon #2
    I really liked the first two issues of Talon (0 and 1), but I wasn’t totally feeling this one. I really don’t like Sebastian Clark very much either, he’s pretty much a jerk. Calvin on the other hand, is growing on me more each issue. He’s got a sense of right and wrong, with the skills of super assassins. At this point he’s fought a different Talon from the Court of Owl’s in each issue, which after the events of Night of Owls, makes me wonder how many remain. If this issue did nothing else, it gave us a good lead up for next issue, which is the first of a two part story. That’s something to look forward to, along with the, hopeful, addition of some likable supporting characters for Calvin. Over all I feel like this issue didn’t really add much other then to let us know that Calvin is good at what he does, and Clark is kind of a dick and doesn’t know how to do anything physical.

    Verdict: Leave It – Wait for issue 3


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 16 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #16p
    I grew up on TMNT, I’ve said that before, and I’ll probably say it again. For anyone in my generation reading this book you probably didn’t know how to react to some of the crazy revelations early on. I felt the same way, but since the book started it’s been a great addition to the turtles story. It may not fall in line with the older stuff, it’s a new beginning after all, but it’s just what this franchise needed. One of the best parts is the inclusion of classics villains, but with new twists. Shredder was fun, Krang is cool, Stockman is so far kind of unimpressive. But this issue has the conclusion of a fight with Slash, which is awesome. He’s a big mean turtles that wants to do nothing but destroy the turtles so that maybe his pain will stop. This definitely isn’t a book for new readers, but if you’re a turtles fan do yourself a favor and at least pick up issue 15 and 16 and give it a shot.

    Verdict: Take It


    Bedlam issue 2 cover Bedlam #2
    Bedlam is a pretty insane story so far, it’s got a lot of jumping around, and killing, and crazy folks. So basically it’s an awesome story. We primarily follow Fillmore who has quite a sorted past, and is pretty much insane. He’s got a good heart though, kind of, I think anyway. There are some pretty nasty killings going on in the city Bedlam, and Fillmore tried to help out, probably not the wisest idea. Being that this is a Nick Spencer book I don’t expect to find out much to soon, he’ll give us bits and pieces of the story to keep us coming back. He’s kind of a jerk like that, but a talented one so I keep buying his books. This series really isn’t for children, but it’s a good read either way. Being only the second issue, you’ll actually be fairly confused if you didn’t read the first one, but you should be able to pick them both up without to much problem. And just remember this book has serial killers, like that show Dexter, and that’s popular right?

    If you want more, check out our full review of Bedlam #2.

    Verdict: Take It


    Morning Glories 23 Morning Glories #23
    I haven’t been reading Morning Glories for long, I picked up the first trade back in September at Balitmore Comic Con from series artist Joe Eisma. He was a really cool guy, and I liked his art, plus I had met Nick Spencer the year before and had been enjoying his work over at Marvel. It only made sense to see what this book was all about. I got hooked right away, and quickly purchased the next two volumes, and proceeded on to single issues. If you’re not familiar with the book, you probably don’t want to start with issue 23. Grab the first three volumes, that will get you up to issue 19, from there you only have a handful to pick up to catch up.

    Issue 23 continues the mystery. Jun. . . I mean Hisao’s friends/family whatever they are aren’t really being to nice right now. There seems to be so much double crossing going on I don’t know who’s good and who’s bad anymore. We don’t know what’s going on with Hunter, or how Casey is doing. We know that Hisao is on a mission to save his brother and new friends after he realizes his old ones are kind of crazy. You should probably just read this, because I don’t think I’m doing it any justice at all.

    Also I think next issue is going to be about Jade and Ike which is cool, I was wondering how they were going to fit into things.

    Verdict: Take It


    New Avengers 34 New Avengers #34
    The end of an Era, last week we reviewed the final issue of Avengers written by Brian Michael Bendis. This week we talk about the final issue of New Avengers. This final story arc mostly focused on Dr. Strange, and Daniel Drumm wanting revenge or something similar for his brothers death. Only he’s dead too, so he was like possessing people and using them to fight Dr. Strange. We also get to see Dr. Strange be a pretty big bad ass, and have the story end on a pretty awesome note for him. It was fun, and the books art was done in a jam session style where a ton of different artists took turns drawing. It really was great a farewell book in a lot of ways, Bendis brought in characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, etc. And now with his leaving, two of his Avengers leave the team too. If you’ve been reading New Avengers, there is no reason to not finish, if this was going to be your first issue you’re going to be a little lost. Best for those new comers to wait a bit and pick up New Avengers #1.

    Also, what the hell is with Hellstorm? He’s evil and all in Venom but he’s not in New Avengers? If you’ve got an answer let me know in the comments!

    Verdict: Take It


    Ultimate Comics Iron Man 2 Ultimate Comics Iron Man #2
    Like I said back in October, the first issue of Ultimate Comics Iron-Man was so-so, it wasn’t a bad story and it laid a pretty good ground work for where it was going. It finally introduced a popular Iron Man villain too which was nice. I feel like issue 2 is where this book starts to actually get better. I read some other reviews that didn’t have the same opinion, but frankly this felt more like Tony. I’m a little confused about how exactly certain elements of Tony’s past fit. For instance where he and Rhodey, who is featured in this issue, fall as far as friendship is concerned. The original Ultimate Iron Man books establish that, but those aren’t canon anymore so who knows. Either way this has an interesting story going on, and I want to see where it goes which is something the Ultimate Universe needs.

    Verdict: Take It


    Ultimate Comics X-Men 19 Ultimate Comics X-Men #19
    I’ve been enjoying Ultimate Comics X-Men so far, issue 18.1 was one of the better .1 issues I’ve seen so far. Issue 19 not so much, I’m not sure how I feel about the mutants being such a small group. I’m fine with there only being a few X-Men, but for there to, as far as we know, be only a handful of mutants left on earth is a bit to much like House of M. Only less mutants, and no magic. I hope they get past this arc quickly, let them setup there home base or whatever you want to call it, on this plot of land the US government gave them and then go be heroes again, or something that gets them out of the desert. It’s cool that we’re seeing some new mutants too like Warpath, along with some new mutants I’m not familiar with.

    There are some interesting dynamics going in the group, with most of them behind Kitty, but several siding with the extreme childish Mach Two. I have a feeling she’s going to end up being a super villain at some point, hell she’s got similar powers to Magneto so it only makes sense. Even though this wasn’t the best issue, if you’re following the series it’s definitely a must read just to know what’s going on. If you haven’t started yet, you might want to wait till next time, hopefully issue 20 is a little more exciting.

    Verdict: Return readers Take It. New readers, Leave It


    Uncanny Avengers issue 2 Uncanny Avengers #2
    I thought the first issue of this was really well done, and issue 2 follows suit. So far we’re primarily focusing on Rogue and Scarlet Witch which is a fun paring so it works. I wish they’d show a bit more of the other characters like Havoc, Cap, Thor, etc. We get a brief scene with them, then the rest is Rogue and Wanda being captured and things. I’ll admit I was nervous about the Red Skull being the villain, but in his introduction in this issue, it really works. It was nice how he brainwashed Wanda in no time flat and had her willing to do whatever he wanted. Rogue showed a lot of skill too, I never read X-Men Legacy, or anything really with Rogue before so I wasn’t sure what kind of character she was. So far I’m liking her though and I think she’ll end up adding a lot to this team book.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood issue 3 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #3
    I just can’t say enough good things about Robyn Hood, it’s a fun fantasy story about a familiar character. Only she’s not familiar at all, you know how Robin Hood acts, and what he does. Robyn on the other hand is a bag full of surprises. This issue introduced the Merry Men, and showed us exactly what kind of mindset Robyn has, and what she’s prepared to do if need be. Basically go buy it, you won’t be sorry.

    If you want more, check out our full review of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #3.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Sleepy Hollow Cover Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #2
    I was really excited for this book, the Headless Horseman has always been a story I really loved. The first issue was great, it did a really good job setting everything up. The second issue, slowed down a bit to much and pretty much had nothing happen. The redeeming factor was the history lesson about the ‘true’ story of the Headless Horseman presented by fan favorite character Sela Mathers. It was a great twist on the story, but the present day stuff just lacked anything interesting until the final page.

    On the bright side of things, issue 3 should be a blast, and I’m still really looking forward to it. For the sake of reading the whole story it’s probably worth buying this issue. If you haven’t read any of it yet though, I’d recommend waiting for the trade in a few months.

    If you want more, check out our full review of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #2.

    Verdict:Leave It – Wait for the trade



    ]]>
    Review – Wii U https://one-quest.com/blog/wii-u-review/ Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:10:09 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10332 Wii U Logo

    The Wii U has been on store shelves for a week, and since then most of us at One-Quest have been spending our free time playing with the new console. But, we aren’t the only ones! It’s been announced that in it’s first week the Wii U has sold more then 400,000 units! These are some strong numbers, and with the holiday shopping season upon us, that number will continue to climb.

    From stomping goombas, to smashing zombies the Wii U has something for everyone. Read on to see how some of us feel about this powerful little console.

    Eric

    I’ve used the Wii U every single day since I’ve brought it home. One of my favorite uses for it, besides playing the amazing launch line-up, is using the GamePad to watch Netflix or Hulu while I blast random psychos in Borderland 2 on my PS3! Multi-tasking at it’s purest form! The games are a load of fun, even the Deluxe pack in NintendoLand. In fact I think I’ve had more fun with NintendoLand than with any of the games I’ve purchased. That’s not to say they aren’t fun, but NintendoLand was designed as the launch showcase, and it really succeeds in defining what this system is capable of! NintendoLand is filled with exciting single player experiences like F-Zero, that show off how the GamePad can help further immerse you into the games, and epic multi-player games that show off how using the 2 completely different controllers can create an experience not available anywhere else! Seriously, Metroid in NintendoLand is one of the coolest games I’ve ever played, and it’s just a mini game!

    New Super Mario Bros. U is nothing short of a blast either! My wife and I have developed a strong liking to Boost Mode, not to be confused with Boost Rush. Boost Mode allows up to 4 players to run around on screen using Wii Remotes, and 1 player to place helpful stepping blocks using the GamePad. It sounds weird, but this allows you to access otherwise unreachable areas and be saved from an untimely demise. Being the GamePad player isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds either, especially when there are 4 players running around and all hoping for that miraculous block to save their lives! It’s chaotic fun at it’s finest.

    Wii U GamePad

    ZombiU is a different story. While NintendoLand and NSMBU are all about fast paced action and fun, ZombiU goes in an incredibly different direction. It’s a First-Person Survival/Horror game. Being First-Person my original tactics were to run in and shoot, or whack, everything in sight. I soon learned that this game requires a slower, more thought out approach to dealing with the zombie hoards. 1 hour and 5 deaths later, I finally started to figure it out. You have to take your time, much like in the early Resident Evil games. You have to plan ahead, make sure you’re prepared for the unexpected, but save enough space in your limited inventory for new finds during your exploration. ZombiU is very tense, and terribly unforgiving. This game is HARD. But I love it! I welcome the challenge. I welcome the return of the survival/horror genre. Especially if more games play like this one.

    The MiiVerse is also a load of fun. Once you log into the WiiU you’ll notice that everyone is posting their thoughts on certain games. It’s kind of like pictochat from the Nintendo DS, but each game has it’s own message board. The most popular games and apps are displayed on the Wii U home screen, with Miis wandering around them. Periodically displaying a message showing their love, or frustration, with that particular software. It also looks like everyone on using the Wii Us MiiVerse is a professional artist. Some of the drawings popping up are insanely detailed! I just hope Nintendo adds a color option soon! From the MiiVerse you can manage a freinds list, see what games they’re playing, send messages back and forth. You can even send screen shots from in the game to your friends! It’s an amazing social media tool, and I can’t wait for MiiVerse to be made available on smartphones and PCs!

    Overall, I love the Wii U. It is every bit worth the money I paid for it. The only downside is that WiiTVii isn’t available yet, but it’s something I can’t wait for! It’s going to be nice to be able to see what shows are available on whichever streaming service, without the need to open and close each one just to find out it was on another. The controller is light, and insanely responsive. The TV and GamePad screens sync flawlessly. Battery Life is absurd! I have only been warned of a dying GamePad once, and that was toward the middle of a large 8 hour multiplayer gaming session. All we did was plug in the charging wire, and we were good to go!

    ZombiU number pad

    Chris

    I picked up the Wii U on day one, like many others. This is the first console I’ve had the confidence in to pick up at launch. Usually they lack solid launch games, and the prices are usually a bit ridiculous. The Nintendo Wii proved that Nintendo is great at thinking outside the box, and while I didn’t use it as much as my PS3 or 360, the games I got for it were of a degree that you wanted to play over and over again. Now we’ve got the Wii U, the next step for Nintendo is trying to make a console that brings in the casual family gamer, and the core hardcore gamer. They’re definitely closing that gap too, I’m not sure if they’ve quite made it or not though. The system still uses the Wiimote and Nunchuck for some games, or game modes, while it utilizes the new Gamepad for others. There’s also the Pro Controller that looks like an Xbox 360 controller with the right analog on the top instead of bottom. Regardless of that though, I’ve been having a lot of fun with the system, the Gamepad is a lot of fun to use, even when you’re just messing around with the Miiverse.

    I’ve only really spent time with New Super Mario Brothers U, and it’s been a lot of fun. I have two games going right now, a single player, and a multiplayer with my girlfriend. We’ve been switching between controlling Mario with the Wiimote and helping out with the Gamepad. While it’s not really needed to enjoy the game, that second person helping out really makes the game a lot of fun and adds a new layer of strategy to the game. Like most of the Mario games it’s got replay value, trying to get all the hidden doors, star coins, star road, etc it’s definitely worth the money.

    I have two other Wii U games at the moment, ZombiU and Nintendo Land. I’ve only played a bit of ZombiU and I’m not sure I really like it, that was the game I was most excited to play, and unfortunately got a bit let down. That’s not to say it’s a bad game, it’s just not my type of game. It got a lot of bad reviews initially, but I think if people actually take the time and give it a chance they’ll find something that is enjoyable, especially for people who like to beat their high score. Now as far as Nintendo Land goes, I’ve heard all kinds of amazing things about it, but I haven’t actually played it yet. Sometime this week that will be remedied though, I’ll be sure to include an update when that happens.

    The last thing I want to touch on is the Wii integration, Nintendo was smart in allowing you to sync all of your saved games, and Virtual Console purchases over to the Wii U from your old Wii. It’s a fairly easy process, and all you need is an SD card and internet connection for both consoles. I’m not going to get into the details about the transfer, but it was fairly quick and painless. The problem I have is, you end up just running a Wii emulator, you can’t just pop a Wii game in and play it, or pick your VC game from the main menu. You have to pick the Wii channel and wait for it to load, and then you get your old standard definition Wii. It’s great that you can do it, but why not integrate it into the new console better, you don’t have to run an emulator on the PS3 or 360, well on the ones that still play old games anyway.

    Overall I’m really pleased with the purchase, and can’t wait for more of the big franchise games Nintendo is known for. Plus there are quite a few third party games that are shaping up to be a good edition to any game collection. Nintendo says they’ll be in better availability than the Wii was, so if you’re holding off I suggest not waiting and just going for it!

    New Super Mario Bros. U title screen

    There you have it folks, two rave reviews for the Wii U! It looks like the rest of the staff were too busy playing theirs, or hiding under a bridge, to drop and opinion. I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon enough.

    Now go buy a Wii U!

    Don’t forget to tell us what you think about the Wii U in the comments below!

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    Review – Bedlam #2 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-bedlam-2/ Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:30:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10405 Bedlam issue 2 cover Bedlam #2

    Story By Nick Spencer

    Art by Riley Rossmo

    Covers by Frazer Irving

    Publisher Image Comics

    Released: 11/28/12

    Verdict: While it’s not as good as issue one, this is still a good book and shaping up to be a great series. It’s well worth your time to read this and see what unfolds.

    The first issue of Bedlam was really good, a little long, but it worked. It did exactly what an opening issue should do, make you want to know what the hell is going on. I’ve read that first issue twice, and I’m still not 100% sure I know what happened. The same thing goes for issue two, while not quite as gripping as issue one, it kept me wondering. Pieces in the story started to make more sense, and the timeline became more clear. The issue was lacking a certain something though. The first issue was pretty full, lots of things going on, lots of jumping around. This issue, not so much it was much more linear.

    It’s hard to believe that a book suffered for being easier to follow, but I think what made the first issue so good was that you had to really think about it, and maybe read it twice to pick up on what was happening. The opening of Bedlam #2 started introducing new characters, and I wasn’t really sure if this was in the past the way the first issue started, before Madder Red went on that killing spree. Or if it was happening in the present, or what I’m assuming is the present anyway. It honestly played out like a horror movie, two friends meet have some coffee and then things go horrible. The funny thing is, while I say it played out like a horror movie, I didn’t expect anything to happen. Well I didn’t expect what happened to happen. . .

    But that’s just the opening of the issue, the meat of this one is about Fillmore, the crazy guy who’s on some kind of medication and licks guns that are pointed at him. We know he wasn’t in the best condition when the last issue ended, he’d been shot twice, though he egged it on to presumably save a kid. And he made a call to the police telling them he could help solve a murder. This issue picks up from there, Fillmore traveling with two gunshot wounds and eventually passing out. He wakes up in a bed, having been bandaged up, and we proceed to learn he’s not just crazy, he’s cult crazy. Not that he’s in a cult, not that we’ve been privy to yet anyway, but he’s that caliber of insane. He’s ‘taken care of’ by a doctor, who appears to have some kind desire to see Fillmore not be dead, I think.

    I’m not sure why it’s so interesting but it is, that’s not even the whole story. I want to know what’s Fillmore’s deal, If you started with issue one you know part of it, but I need the details man. This is shaping up to be a story for people who like mysteries and trying to piece things together. I’ve read a lot of books that Nick Spencer has written, and he’s great at the long form story. He sets up so many things at the beginning and just leaves them dangling, waiting till just the right time to drop a bomb on the whole story. I love that kind of story telling, it’s what made me want to read Bedlam, I know who Spencer tends to write and it keeps me coming back for more. One thing I wasn’t expecting to really like was the art. I’d seen the promo stuff and it looked interesting, but Riley Rossmo does a great job when you’re reading the whole story. The use of color, or lack thereof, helps to give you the idea that a lot of people in the book are completely unhinged. And the use of the color Red, especially in those black and white pages is great.

    One big problem with the issue though, we don’t see any more Madder Red stuff, we see him in brief flashes, but no more history on him. I think that’s one of the best parts of the first issue, we see this monster, and what happens to him. But we don’t see how he got to that level, or any of the in between from the theater to the. . .well I don’t want to say, but if you’ve read the books you’ll know what I’m talking about. Hopefully this won’t be one of those bits of story Spencer leaves dangling for a dozen issues before finally telling us, I think I may end up as crazy as Fillmore if that happens.

    With the big scene at the end of Bedlam #2, things are not looking so good for Fillmore. Issue 3 will hopefully pick up where this one left off, and we’ll be able to see what the hell he was thinking. In the meantime, if you’re not reading Bedlam yet, get out there and start, I’m sure you can find the first two issues. One thing to keep in mind, this is definitely not for children, lots of graphic stuff happening that would probably freak them out. Adults though, you should be able to handle this, and if not you probably shouldn’t be reading comics anyway.

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    Review – Assassin's Creed III https://one-quest.com/blog/assassins-creed-iii-review/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:45:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10334 Connor running through a battle.

    Assassins Creed III Assassin’s Creed III

    Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

    Publisher: Ubisoft

    Platforms: PS3, 360, PC, Wii U

    Released: 10/30/12

    Verdict: A resounding. . . meh.

    It’s been 5 years since the release of Assassin’s Creed on the PS3 and XBox 360. The series has spawned a total of 5 major releases. We’ve followed 4 major characters from as far back as the Crusades, to present day 2012. The most recent release follows series protagonist Desmond Miles as he enters the Animus in a last effort to stop Abstergo, and prevent the end of the world! To do so Desmond must travel back to the futu… err, his ancestors past to take part in the American Revolution to discover a way forward! An epic tale has been unfolding, and the end is nigh. But how does this offering stand up against the others? Does Ubisoft deliver the epic tale they’ve promised with the use of the American Revolution?

    In short, no. The American Revolution is full of epic battles, and a wide cast of historic personalities. However it all quickly fades into the background as Connor, who’s actual name has no real pronunciation (I promise you, it’s impossible), pushes forth in his unending battle to get revenge on the Templar. Revenge for what? I’ll let you figure that out becasue Connor’s origin is actually the most interesting part of the story, beyond that it all pretty much falls flat. You progress through the life of Connor, taking part in (read: witnessing) some battles and notable historical moments throughout the American Revolution. You talk to George Washington. Go for a ride with Paul Revere. Have a beer with Sam Adams. However, it’s made very evident that these people have their own agenda, and they they’re only using Connor to achieve their goals. Connor, is doing the same. Neither group works together, they both just use each other. It really hurts the narrative. It keeps you from feeling for these characters, any of them, like we did for Ezio. Ezio worked with people. Ezio included everyone in on his plans. Ezio shared his success. Ezio had friends. Connor. . . is boring and distant.

    Connor on the battlefield!

    What’s really upsetting is that the series, even this game, set itself up for greatness only to fall flat in it’s final moments. We’ve come out of the ending of Revelations with the knowledge that there are multiple Apples. We know that this tech is hidden in vaults around the world. We know the world is ending in a short period of time. We know that Desmond is the one that can save us all. Moving forward Desmond learns more about his ancestors. Sequence 3 drops a HUGE bomb on the character, and the players. Desmond finally show’s off he’s capable of doing more then climbing on shit and complaining. For those that have paid attention to the expanded offerings of the AC universe from UbiSoft, you’re expecting an epic showdown with High Templar/One Time Assassin, Daniel Cross. You explore a labyrinthine temple left behind by those who came before. You learn, from Juno, of the attempts made to stop the impending doom that fell upon their people and that will soon consume ours. The story shines until the 4th and final Desmond sequence. When the end finally does arrive you’re left with little more then a brief scene meant to insight on what is to come, but instead leaves you baffled as to why the story went in the direction it did.

    I’d like to say the game plays flawlessly, and that the missions are incredibly varied and fun. I would love to say it. . . but I can’t. The new AnvilNext Engine is beautiful. Character models have never been more detailed. Faces look world better then they did in the previous games. Animations look great. The amount of glitches this game has are not. I fell through areas of the wilderness more times then I’d like to count. Trying to show off the tree running mechanics to friends and I witness myself fall through a long branch while running along it. As I kept running forward Connor eventually transported back to the spot he fell through! On more then one occasion I died while jumping from my horse onto another to assassinate someone because the games camera decided I was still moving forward and traveled along the path I had meant to run. When the camera decided to fix itself on me once more, after traveling across half of New York, I was in the process of being torn to shreds by some red coats. OH! One time I picked up a gunpowder barrel and my entire screen went white, except my mini map, and my speaker emitted a loud shrill much like that of the Slenderman. Having only played the game a week prior and still scared out of my mind from it, I decided to take this one as a sign and quit for the night. It’s a shame, because when the game runs smooth it’s great.

    Connor and George Washington riding on horseback.

    Combat has been improved, but still suffers from being far too inconsistent in difficulty. Instead of holding R1 and pressing Square when and enemy attacks, you wait until an enemy attacks and hit circle. This enters a “Bullet time” counter mode. Choices from here are: Circle, to throw, X to disarm, and Square to kill. Easy enough. Certain foes can be killed instantly, others need to be disarmed before being killed, others need to be thrown into environmental objects to be killed. That last one isn’t taught to you until the second to last Sequence in the game, so enjoy getting your ass kicked by a bunch of guys for no reason until they teach you about environment kills.

    Weapons and Armor are practically non-existent. While Ezio had a few different upgrades to his offensive and defensive capabilities, Connor has next to none. You can change the color of Connors robes, and unlock some other robes for him to wear, but these are all cosmetic. They provide no benefits beside looking different. On the weapon side of things there’s some more diversity, but none of it matters. When Connor finally dons his robes he comes automatically equipped with an ax that has very average stats. You can buy, find, and craft other weapons, like daggers, swords, and guns. Equipping them provides that same cosmetic appeal, but other then that there’s little change to combat. You could weild a sword with max stats in damage, or a dagger with nothing special going for it, and still score a 1 hit kill on any enemy so long as you know what pattern to parry/block/throw/stab in. Ezio had to whittle his enemies health down a bit before gaining the ability to start his kill chain. Connor just walks in with whatever weapon and dominates.

    Connor is brutal. His kills are NASTY. If you’re lucky you’ll get a closeup during a final strike and see the look on his face as he forces his ax into his enemies chest. It’s crazy fun to watch, and for that the ease is a blessing. But the lack of a viable upgrade system creates a lack of progression for the character. One of the One-Questers went through the entire game without purchasing any weapons or upgrades. I purchased and created everything I could. I had dual pistols, 30 arrows, almost 80 pistol rounds, but none of that mattered because all I ever needed was the damn ax.

    Connor stabbing a redcoat.

    The main missions are a segmented series of mini games with insane restrictions for obtaining 100% sync. I dare you to sink 2 ships, each with at least 8 crewman, without being noticed while air assassinating 1 specific enemy. The games glitches don’t help with this, unless you count the instance in which I was able to pull a soldier off the boat through the guard rail. I swear, I was seen by the remaining two members of this crew from the opposite end of the ship, while they were facing out to sea, on my 8th attempt to get 100% sync. This game will try your patience, but not because it means to be difficult.

    The shining feature in the single player campaign is the Naval Combat. These missions must have received a ton of attention, because they’re epic! Each mission takes you to a different area of the coast of the new world and has you battling countless numbers of other ships. It seems a but unrealistic that my one ship has sunk more then 100 ships during the revolution, but it’s fun so I’ll take it. You can upgrade the ship in a series of ways. From new hulls, to a battering ram on the front, this ship get’s intensely powerful. However, like most of Connors equipment, it’s all unnecessary. While I spent time upgrading everything, one of our other writers didn’t bother and had no trouble completing the game. I still recommend investing the time, and in game currency on these missions, since they were my favorite part of the game.

    Connor steering his ship, the Aquila

    The multi-player mode is a significant improvement from the previous games. As you perform certain tasks and kills you slowly unlock videos that give you a behind the scenes look at the creation of the Animus. The story with mp this time is that Abstergo has released the Animus to the public to let them use it as a gaming device. Of course Erudito won’t let that happen without interfering at all. He pops in now and again after you achieve certain goals to show you the truth behind the company. He also provides an unfair advantage for those willing to pay real cash for in game credits to unlock skills, skins, and weapons before they’re normally available for your characters. It hurts those playing the game from scratch, but it hurts the experience of those who buy into it even more. As of yet I haven’t had a chance to play Wolfpack, which is a co-op mode. If it plays anything like the multi-player mode, then I’m excited. While the ACIII multi-player isn’t as popular as Call of Duty, or Halo, it’s still excellent and worth checking out for anyone that has the game.

    Overall Assassin’s Creed III is decent entry into the series. The lands you explore are huge, the story spans the duration of the most historic event in US history, and the combat is refreshingly brutal. On the downside, the game is highly unpolished and full of glitches, the characters are very uninteresting, and the story – which starts out strong – falls flat in it’s final hours. This was a valiant effort from UbiSoft, involving every studio they have working over the last 3 years to complete and perfect this game. It just feels like the could have used another year to further flesh out their narrative, and clean up the game world.

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    Review – Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #2 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-grimm-fairy-tales-presents-sleepy-hollow-2/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:47:12 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10394 Grimm Fairy Tales Sleepy Hollow Cover Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow

    Story By Dan Wickline

    Art by Alberto Cortes and Erick Arciniega

    Letters by Jim Campbell

    Covers by Marat Mychaels & Ivan Nunes and Ale Garza & Linda Luksic Sejic

    Publisher Zenescope Entertainment

    Released: 11/28/12

    Verdict: This issue is a bit of a decline from the first, but the ending is strong enough that faith should still be had for a strong finish.

    I was really excited for Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow, and the first issue was a good opening chapter. It set up the characters, and showed us what the catalyst for the story was probably going to be. Unfortunately this second issue just didn’t deliver the way I wanted it to. The whole ‘present’ part of the issue was the characters dealing with what they’d done in the previous issue. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but this is only a four issue mini-series, so it may be detrimental to the flow of the story. For that we’ll have to wait till all four issues have been released and see how it goes. I’ve still got high hopes for Sleep Hollow, it ended on a pretty good note and issues three and four have a really good chance of being awesome.

    The highlight of issue two, was the cameo by Grimm Fairy Tales vet, Sela Mathers. In a very classic Grimm Fairy Tales fashion she shows up as a professor at the university and tells the real story of the Headless Horseman. That’s where the storytelling really held it’s on this issue, for all the problems I had with the present part of the story, the history lesson was a lot of fun and really interesting. It brought you back to the beginning of the first issue, and shows you how those circumstance came to be.

    It might just be that I enjoy history, and historical setting, but I would have been alright with a full issue of just that. I feel like there was more to that story, then to the current day stuff right now. That’s not to say I want it to stay in the past, like I said, this story still has promise and the final page shows exactly how much it has. And really in the long run, it’s probably for the best to have a slow issue that delves a little more into the side characters that we don’t’ know much about. The first issue was all about Craig, others were introduced but not really developed. This was their chance, and while I wasn’t enthralled by it, better to get it out of the way so the story can move forward.

    Dan Wickline has done a lot of books that are in the horror comic genre, along with several other Zenescope books. That means, he’s one of the better qualified people to be doing a story about the legends of Sleepy Hollow. You’ve probably already gathered that I’m a fan of his interpretation of the history behind the Headless Horseman, so I’m not going to get into that. But even the parts of the story I wasn’t really into he did a solid job of getting the feel of a bunch of people in a tragic situation. This was helped by some solid art by Alberto Cortes and Erick Arciniega. This is the second team to work on Sleepy Hollow, and they did a great job of keeping things consistent. Every artist and colorist has a their own style, so it’s always nice when you have a mini-series that the art styles are close enough that the book still feels like the same book.

    You’ve probably gathered that I’m a little torn over this book, parts of it were really enjoyable, other parts I felt were a little longer than they needed to be. We’re also left with a lot of unanswered questions between the first two issues. We found out what the letter was that Craig found, but we don’t know what Katie was actually going to be doing. We also haven’t found out what that voice was talking to Craig, hopefully both of those get brought up more in the next issue.

    I really think this book still has enough going for it, that even with a lull for a second issue, that it’s going to finish strong. And at only four issues, it’s not a huge investment of time or money to see how it plays out, Zenescope is also pretty fast with the trade releases, so that’s also a viable solution too. I’d say if you’re not sure about the first issue, hold out and pick up the trade in a few months, otherwise pick this up and wait for things to pick up in the penultimate issue of Sleepy Hollow.

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    Review – Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Robyn Hood #3 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-grimm-fairy-tales-presents-robyn-hood-3/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:42:32 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10337 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood 3 Cover Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Robyn Hood #3

    Story By Pat Shand

    Art by Rob Dumo & Adam Metcalfe

    Covers by Stjepan Sejic, and Giuseppe Cafaro & Ylenia Dinapoli

    Publisher Zenescope Entertainment

    Released: 11/28/12

    Verdict: This story continues to get better with every issue, if you weren’t sure about this book put your doubts aside already.

    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood from Zenescope has been a pretty interesting book. Right now there are a lot of popular archer characters in media, we’ve got Hawkeye from the Avengers, Green Arrow in the surprisingly good CW show Arrow, and we’ve got this take on the original archer/hero. If you’ve missed the first couple of issues, then you’re definitely doing yourself a disservice. Robyn isn’t your classic dude in the woods fighting the sheriff and King John. She’s a teenage girl stuck in a realm of magic, fighting King John. Robyn’s not really what you’d expect her to be, she isn’t all about stealing from the rich to give to the poor, she’s about revenge. And because of that she actually ends up objecting to the treatment of people under King John’s rule.

    That was all before though, issue 3 picks up about a year after Robyn made quite an impression on the villagers, soldiers, and by extension the King himself. She’s been hiding out in Sherwood forest, lying low, waiting for a chance to strike and take down the King. In the process of that she hopes to get a way home so she can repay a certain high school douche that wronged her. One of the best parts about this character is she’s likeable, but for all the wrong reasons. She’s not funny, and charming, making witty banter with her would be attackers. She’s a loner, quiet, and fairly straight forward. But she’s got a lot of tragedy so you can see why, and that makes you like her, and want to see her win.

    We’re finally getting some supporting characters too, we’ve had a handful of friendly characters, but they’re either gone within a page, or dead within a page of meeting Robyn. Now though, Robyn has people she can rely on, whether she does or not, in the form of the Merry Men. Little John, Friar Tuck, Much, and Will Scarlet, the rebels of Sherwood forest who want nothing more than to bring down King John. The introduction of Little John is probably the best, it was just a fun way to start a book that hasn’t had a ton of action yet. Other than that though, we don’t get a ton of information about the other Merry Men, I’m interested to see where Will goes though. He’s been setup as a mystery player, maybe he’s actually a double agent!

    Basically what I’ve been trying to get at is, with every issue of Robyn Hood it just keeps getting better. Pat Shand is doing a superb job with this book, and I can only hope it leads to some sequels. This is just one of those books that shines on a lot of different levels, it’s funny, tragic, violent, and sad without being heavy handed or ridiculously predictable. And the art this issue by Rob Dumo and Adam Metcalfe is great. Each issue so far as had different artists so here’s hoping next time is just a good too.

    I am a little curious how a girl, who has no experience in this world, and is wanted dead or alive was able to get new clothes though. You’ll notice the issue starts out with Robyn wearing what she’s had on the covers since issue one. I know she’s been out there a year, so I guess maybe she got enough coin together to buy it? Either way it was interesting, as was the fact that her PJ’s were her jeans and hoodie from when she first arrived. This book was a lot of fun to read, as I’ve already mentioned, and well worth picking it up.

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    Friday Five: Best Black Friday Purchases https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-best-black-friday-purchases/ Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:36:15 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10302
    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us a little better with the help of a top five list. This week’s category: Black Friday Purchases.

    If you do your research, you can get a lot of great deals dirt cheap. For this week’s Friday Five, we all relate our best Black Friday Purchases.

    Chris

    1. Laptop – I don’t remember the exact year, either 2008 or 2009 Best Buy had a sale for a decent laptop that was usually about $700 dollars for $250. I still have that laptop.
    2. Nintendo DS Legend of Zelda version – Back in 2007 while working at Gamestop we got golden DS Lites with Phantom Hourglass, I got one.
    3. Nintendo 3DS Legend of Zelda version – Last year I got the Zelda 3DS, it was cheaper than the 3DS was usually priced at that time, and came with Ocarina Of Time 3D.
    4. Garmin GPS – At the time my GPS was close to $200, Best Buy had it on sale in like 2008 for around $100.
    5. Comics – StormWatch Comics in Berlin NJ does a Midnight sale every year, I bought a lot of stuff really cheap, most of it in retrospect I didn’t need.

     

    Vogel

    1. A few years ago I waited outside Target and got a 23’ computer monitor, a crock pot and 2 seasons of the Office for under $250. At the time that was a steal for the monitor alone, let alone the other items.
    2. I went to a movie store on my way home from MD Thanksgiving weekend and we ended up buying the boxset of all 8 Harry Potter films for like $80 on blu-ray. We got a few other movies too, but you can’t beat 8 blu-rays for under $100.
    3. This year GameStop is having double trade-in value on consoles. I’m considering trading in my Wii for this deal so I can save up for the WiiU.
    4. It’s not so much that the deal is awesome, but that it fits into the plans this year. Walmart is having a bunch of games for only $10 that my son wants.
    5. This last one might be just for the fact that I really want a Tablet but a bunch of places are having tablets on sale this year. $100 off Samsung Galaxy 10.1, $70 off Samsung Galaxy tab 2 and so one. I mean a lot of places: Best Buy; Walmart; Target; Costco. . .

     

    Eric

    I love Black Friday! However, I’m a little underwhelmed with this one though. . . Sure there are some excellent deals, but nothing really stands out to me as an “OMG, MUST HAVE” besides that $180 40” LCD TV from Best Buy. Considering there are already people camping outside my local Best Buy, obtaining this one seems highly unlikely.

    1. Dragon Quest IX(DS) – This was on sale in 2010 at Target for $10. Still normally $40 at GameStop at the time, this was an awesome deal. My friend and I grabbed one each, and I took the last copy the store had as a Christmas Gift. I played this game for more than a year and a half, totally got my money’s worth!
    2. God of War Saga – If you haven’t played God of War and own a PS3 then you’re doing yourself a serious disservice by not picking this up this year. It’s as low as $15 and includes FIVE GODDAMNED GAMES. FIVE. Each running about 6-10 hours gives you upwards of 50 hours of gameplay for $15. That’s not a deal, it’s a steal.
    3. 19” Flatscreen TV – By today’s standards it’s a piece of crap. It’s small, flat screen tube TV by some off brand. I had never heard of Black Friday, I just knew the grocery store I was working at had it on sale for mad cheap so I picked one up as gift for my, at the time, girlfriend because her 10” TV wasn’t cutting it.
    4. House Seasons 1-5 on DVD – My wife and I picked these up two years ago for $10 each! We were caught up to airing series within a month.
    5. T-Mobile G2 – I’m beginning to think I didn’t get anything on sale during last year’s Black Friday Sale. . . In 2010 T-Mobile ran a Buy One Get One deal on all smart phones. We got 2 T-Mobile G2s, at the time the best Android phone on the market, for only $200. Still use the phone today, and it’s awesome. Can’t wait to upgrade to the Nexus 4 though!

     

    Shannon

    I don’t normally go out for Black Friday, but the couple times I have I got some decent stuff. I’m hoping to get some presents for cheap this year instead of getting things for ourselves.

    1. Telescope – Walmart had a telescope up near the front of the store last year. It was really cheap and not a bad one at all. I’ve been able to see the stripes on Jupiter with it.
    2. LeapFrog TAG Jr. – Got this book reader for my son a couple years ago. I can’t remember what else I got, but I’m sure Toy’s R Us was having other good deals.
    3. Movies – We try to go to MovieStop when we’re on our way home from Maryland. It’s not actually on Friday, but they still have good sales.
    4. Video Games – This year we already know what games we want to get for our son. That’ll knock him off the list and we’ll just have to worry about our daughter and the other kids in the family.
    5. Makeup – Sephora is having $10 deals as soon as midnight hits. I love makeup so it’s a shame I’m not spending money on myself this year.

     

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    Take It Or Leave It – November 21, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-21-2012/ Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:00:55 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10255 Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    Death of the Family continues in Nightwing, Amazing Spider-Man gets closer to the end, and long time Avengers writer bids the book farewell, a trip to the final frontier, along with recaps of some of the best or worst books on the shelves this week in Take It Or Leave It for November 21, 2012.

    And to everyone in the US, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Chris
    The Marvel NOW! books are in full swing, and so far they’ve been pretty good. We’re still getting some final issues though, and you’ll just have to keep reading to see if they were any good.

    Nightwing Issue 14 Nightwing 14
    I like Nightwing, I think he’s a fun character more. I’ve enjoyed most of the last 14 issues too, but this one just feels like it should be happening somewhere else. Like a few of the other Death of the Family tie-in’s this one doesn’t quite fit. There’s a handful of Joker references, but the book is about Dick tracking down Lady Shiva. Frankly considering as soon as Joker showed up he caused a lot of problems (read Batman 13 and 14) I think Lady Shiva would probably be a minor blip on Nightwing’s map. Most likly this story was setup pre-DOTF and DC just rolled it into it, but honestly this would have been better after all of that, it would have made a good callback to the zero issue a few months later too. While it was a decent issue, it’s really not a necessary edition to the story, so if you’re around for DOTF, you can definitely skip it.

    Verdict: Probably Leave It


    Retrovirus Hardcover Retrovirus
    I did a longer review of this that went up on Tuesday, this isn’t a single issue, but a 70+ page graphic novel. The story is really interesting focusing on a scientist that specializes in viruses, who gets the job offer of a lifetime to study a prehistoric virus in Antarctica. I had a great time reading this book, and if you’ve got the extra 13 dollars to spare it’s definitely worth adding to your bookshelf.

    Obviously if you want to know more, check out our full review of Retrovirus.

    Verdict: Take It


    Amazing Spider-Man 698 Amazing Spider-Man 698
    HOLY $#!&, that pretty much sums of 698 of Amazing Spider-Man. We’ve only got 2 issues left till our worlds are rocked, and Dan Slott is already getting started. The majority of this book is pretty straight forward Spider-Man. A lot happens though that fans will be pretty excited to see, but if you’ve been following news, you’ll also be weary since we know something is going to happen to Pete before issue 700 is over. The real payoff in this issue is the last couple of pages, I actually had my draw drop, it was the last thing I expected to happen and anyone who says they saw it coming is a damn liar. If you’re going to start reading Spider-Man make it this issue. You may be a little confused but with a prelude to the final story like this, we’re going to have one hell of a finale next month, and no one should miss it!

    Verdict: Take It


    Avengers Issue 34 Avengers 34
    Brian Michael Bendis has been writing the Avengers in one form or another since 2004, he is the longest run in the history of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Issue 34 is a really great way to close off a fantastic run. After over 200 issues this was less of a story arc and more of a farewell. In the last year or so of the book we’ve had some fan favorite characters return, and Bendis ends by bringing one last one back to the team. Issue 34 finishes off the story of finding and rescuing the Wasp, who’s been trapped in the microverse since she ‘died’ during Secret Invasion. There are some great moments in the book as the Avengers fight their final foe under Bendis’ pen. It probably won’t go down as the best issue ever, but I can’t think of a better way to end one run, and begin another. Oh and make sure to stick around and read the farewell page, it’s a pretty nice story about a young writer getting a big chance.

    Verdict: Take It


    Hawkeye Issue 4 Hawkeye 4
    I think I’ve mentioned before how awesome the book is, Hawkeye is one of the best books on the shelves right now. That’s certainly not something you expect to be saying. I’ve always liked Clint, but his solo adventures haven’t always been well received. I guess we’re lucky to have Fraction working his magic on everyone’s favorite archers. This is the first multiple issue story for the series so far, as Hawkeye heads for Madripoor to try and win an auction, but Clint isn’t the super spy that Natasha is. Obviously things go wrong, he gets into some bad situations and it’s a great time the whole way through. The last scene is a really great one too, but I don’t want to spoil anything so just go buy this damn book and enjoy it!

    Verdict: Take It


    Indestructible Hulk Issue 1 Indestructible Hulk 1
    The Hulk generally wasn’t a character that interested me. I liked the Edward Norton film, hated the Eric Bana one, and loved the Hulk of The Avengers. That said, I’ve never really read his books before, I’ve seen him in other books but that’s it. I probably would have skipped the book completely too, but while attending Baltimore Comic Con in September I heard Mark Waid talk about this book during the Marvel NOW! panel. It’s funny how a guy talking about something can sway you, but he was really into it and it made me want to see what it was about. Boy am I glad I did, this was actually really interesting play on Hulk and Banner. Bruce is finally getting over his alter ego and is ready to do some good. He’s a smart guy, right up there with Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Beats, and Peter Parker, but like Spidey before him hasn’t gotten much credit for that. Looks like that’s about to change though, and I’m probably going to be sticking around for the ride. Oh, and ignore the silly armor that he has in the promo stuff, I’ve heard that might not last long.

    Verdict: Take It


    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man issue 17 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man 17
    A few things I read for this issue listed it as more or less a heart to heart between Miles and Jessica Drew, the Ultimate Spider-Woman. It isn’t though, it’s just the battle from the last couple issue of The Ultimates from the Wall crawlers side of things. The only part of this story that I enjoyed was back in New York with Miles’ parents, it has me curious as to what exactly is going to happen with them. Otherwise nothing really happens, hopefully they actually get around to having some good interaction between Miles and Jess soon, but this wasn’t it.

    Verdict: Leave It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Godstorm Issue 2 Godstorm 2
    I really liked the 0 issue for Godstorm, was a little bored with issue 1 though. There wasn’t to much God stuff going on till the end. This issue, while it still didn’t have a lot of that stuff happening was still really good. Some great references were in there, and we got to see Julian display some pretty cool powers. If the story keeps up like this it’s going to be at the top of the Zenescope list in no time. The only problem I had was it was a bit to much of the same thing from last issue, Tony beating up on the guy who could probably eat him for breakfast and still be hungry. And believe me I do get it, that’s how it goes, the little guy with the ideas will push and boss everyone else around and use them. I just wish it didn’t last so long and the story got to the juicy stuff a little quicker. In the end it was worth the wait and I’m looking forward to next issue a lot, and so should you.

    Verdict: Take It



    ]]>
    Black Friday 2012 Deals https://one-quest.com/blog/black-friday-2012-deals/ https://one-quest.com/blog/black-friday-2012-deals/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:30:40 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10076 Black Friday Crowd

    ARE YOU READY TO SHOP!!!!!

    Black Friday, and its ever growing stretch into Thanksgiving, is rapidly approaching. This of course means its time for AWESOME SALES! And thanks to the internet we can find out what is going to be on sale ahead of time thanks to spying eyes getting scans of the ads posted online. After the jump is the list of all the video game deals that we can find. Platforms listed are the ones that are confirmed by the ad. Games may or may not be available for systems other than the ones pictured in each store’s ad. Special thanks to bfads.net and cheapassgamer.com for supplying the information.

    You can jump to the deals at a specific store using the links below. Otherwise, read on!

    Best Buy | Gamestop | Kmart | Radio Shack | Sams’ Club | Sears | Target | Toys R Us | Walmart
     



    Best Buy

    Doorbusters (Doors open at 12AM Friday. No mention of if there is an end time on Doorbuster prices)

    System Bundle:

    • Sony PlayStation 3 250GB System w/ Uncharted & Infamous Collections & Wireless Controller – $199.99

     

    Controllers

    • PS3 Dualshock 3- $34.99
    • Xbox 360 Wireless Controller- $34.99

     

    $29.99

    • Wii Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
    • 360/PS3 Medal of Honor: Warfighter
    • 360/PS3 Darksiders II
    • 360/PS3 Battlefield 3 Premium Edition
    • 360/PS3 The Amazing Spider-Man
    • 360/PS3 Need for Speed: Most Wanted

     

    Online Only Deal (No price currently listed)

    • PS3 Ultimate Combo Pack: Killzone Trilogy & DUALSHOCK 3 Wireless Controller

     

    Black Friday Deals (Non-Doorbusters)

    • PSVita Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified Limited Edition PS Vita Wi-Fi Bundle – $199.99
    • Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle (includes Forza Motorsport 4 and Skyrim) – $199.99
    • Nintendo 3DS Holiday Bundle (includes Flame Red 3DS and Super Mario Land 3D) – $149.99
    • Wii Skylanders Giants Starter Pack (mentions other platforms are available, but unclear if the price applies to them) – $49.99
    • Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures Single Characters (these are the figures from the first game) – $2.99

     

    $34.99:

    • 360/PS3 Assassin’s Creed III
    • 360/PS3 Madden NFL 13
    • 360 Forza Horizon
    • 360/PS3 Borderlands 2
    • 360/PS3 FIFA Soccer 13
    • PC Diablo III
    • Sony Dualshock 3 Controller
    • Turtle Beach – Ear Force P11 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset for PlayStation 3
    • Xbox 360 Wireless Controller – Black
    • Turtle Beach – Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset for Xbox 360

     

    $24.99 (Note all are Kinect only):

    • 360 Wipeout 3
    • 360 Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
    • 360 Dance Central 3: Best Buy Exclusive Edition with 2 Bonus Tracks
    • 360 Kinect Sports: Ultimate Collection
    • 360 Dragon Ball Z for Kinect
    • 360 Just Dance 4

     

    $14.99:

    • 360/PS3 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
    • 360 Halo: Reach
    • 3DS Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
    • 360/PS3 Sniper Elite V2
    • 360/PS3 UFC Undisputed 3
    • PSVita Mortal Kombat Vita

     

    $7.99:

    • 360/PS3 Dead Island Game of the Year
    • 360/PS3 Call of Juarez: The Cartel
    • Wii Just Dance 3
    • 360 Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
    • 360/PS3 Grand Slam Tennis 2
    • PC The Sims 3

     



    GameStop

    Friday Only

    • XBOX 360 250GB Holiday System Bundle with 3 Free Games (Skyrim, Forza 4 and Call of Duty Black Ops 2) – $249.99
    • PlayStation 3 250GB System with 5 Free Games (Infamous, Infamous 2, Infamous Festival of Blood, Uncharted Drake’s Fortune, and Uncharted 2 Among Thieves) – $199.97
    • PS Vita White Assassin’s Creed III Liberation System Bundle – $199.99
    • XBOX 360 3 Month Gold Membership – $12.49
    • Turtle Beach X12 Headset – $39.99
    • Forza Horizon – $39.99
    • Kinect Sports Collection – $29.99
    • Dance Central 3 – $29.99
    • Fable Kinect Journey – $29.99
    • Battlefield 3 Premium Edition – $29.99 (PS3/360/PC)
    • Medal of Honor Warfighter – $29.99 (PS3/360/PC)
    • Need For Speed Most Wanted (2012) $29.99 (PS3/360)
    • Sniper Elite – $19.99 (PS3/360)
    • Playstation All Star Battle Royale – $39.99 with new PlayStation 3 system purchase
    • Little Big Planet Karting – $29.99
    • Ratchet and Clank Collection – $19.99
    • Jak and Daxter Collection – $14.99
    • PS3 Gold Dual Shock Controller – $39.99
    • Turtle Beach P11 Headset – $39.99
    • Lego Lord of The Rings – $19.99 (3DS/Vita) $14.99 (DS)
    • Lego Batman 2 – $19.99 (3DS) $14.99 (DS/Vita)
    • Army Corps of Hell – $19.99 (Vita)
    • Mortal Kombat – $14.99 (Vita)
    • World of Warcraft Mist of Pandaria – $19.99
    • Sophix 7″ Tablet – $79.99

     

    Other Deals

    • Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS Bundle (Super Mario 3D Land Pre-Installed Digital Version) + your Choice of any ONE copy of the three different Nintendogs Game – $169.99
    • Xbox 360 Kinect Star Wars bundle – $349.99
    • Buy 2 Get 1 Free on all Pre-owned accessories and games
    • $39.99 Pre-Owned Kinect Sensor with Free Kinect Adventures Game
    • $79.99 Pre-Owned DSi XL
    • Double Trade Credit for Game System Trades
    • 25% Extra Credit when you trade 2 or more games
    • 25% off All Pre-Owned Electronics (iDevices etc.)
    • 25% extra credit when you trade in your pre-owned electronics (iDevices etc.)

     

    PS3/360/Wii

    • Skylanders Giant Starter Kit – $54.99
    • Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 w/Gun – $39.99 (Wii only)
    • Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 w/Gun – $59.99 (360, PS3)
    • Buy Just Dance 4, get Just Dance 3 free

     

    PS3/360

    • Angry Birds Trilogy – $24.99
    • Dishonored – $29.99
    • Dead or Alive 5 – $29.99
    • Assassin Creed III – $49.99
    • Batman Arkhamy City GOTY – $19.99
    • DOOM BFG – $19.99
    • Fallout New Vegas GOTY – $19.99
    • Max Payne 3 – $19.99
    • Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 – $19.99
    • Dragon’s Dogma – $39.99
    • Rocksmith Guitar plus Bass – $49.99
    • Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition – $19.99
    • Ghost Recon Future Solider – $24.99
    • Elder Scrolls Skyrim – $29.99
    • Borderlands 2 – $39.99
    • FIFA 13 – $39.99
    • Madden 13 – $39.99
    • NHL 13 – $39.99
    • NCAA Football – $39.99
    • Sleeping Dogs – $29.99
    • Call of Duty MW3 – $34.99
    • Call of Duty Black Ops – $24.99
    • Dead Space 2 – $14.99
    • Crysis 2 – $14.99
    • Midnight Club LA Complete Edition – $9.99

     

    PS3

    • Sports Champion 2 – $19.99
    • Book of Spells Game Only – $19.99

     

    3DS

    • Angry Birds Trilogy – $24.99
    • Kingdom Hearts DDD – $19.99
    • Theatrhythm Final Fantasy – $19.99
    • Heroes of Ruin – $19.99
    • (DS) Cooking Mama Dual Packs- $19.99

     

    Wii U

    • Batman Arkham City Armored Edition – $49.99
    • Fifa Soccer 13 – $49.99
    • Scribblenauts Unlimited – $49.99
    • Game Party – $29.99

     

    PC

    • World of Warcraft Battlechest – $4.99
    • Diablo III – $29.99
    • Starcraft II – $29.99
    • World of Warcraft Cataclysm – $9.99
    • Select Sims 3 Expansions – $19.99

     



    K Mart

    Thursday (6AM-4PM)

    • Xbox 360 4GB w/Kinect – $199.99
    • 360/PS3 LA Noire – $8.99
    • 360/PS3 Max Payne 3 – $8.99
    • 360/PS3 FIFA 13 – $39.99
    • 360/PS3 Madden 13 – $39.99
    • 360/PS3 Medal of Honor: Warfighter – $39.99
    • 360/PS3 Need for Speed: Most Wanted – $39.99
    • 360/PS3 GTA 4: The Complete Edition – $17.99
    • 360/PS3 Batman: Arkham City – $19.99
    • 360/PS3 Borderlands 2 – $34.99
    • 360 Forza 4: Horizon – $39.99

     

    Thursday Night (8PM-3AM Friday)

    • Nintendo DSi $79.99 – Shop your way members save $20, non-members sale price $94.99
    • Nintendo Wii (Black console) w/$30 coupon for Shop your way members $129.99
    • 360/Wii/DS LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 – $14.99
    • Wii/DS LEGO Batman $14.99
    • Wii/DS LEGO Batman 2 $14.99
    • DS LEGO Battles $14.99
    • DS LEGO Battles Ninjago $14.99
    • DS LEGO Lord of the Rings $14.99
    • DS Super Scribblenauts $14.99

     

    Friday (5AM-11AM) 

    • Nintendo 3DS (flame red includes Super Mario 3D Land) $169.99 + $30 coupon for SYW members
    • 360 Assassin’s Creed II – $14.99
    • 360 Fallout 3 GOTY – $14.99
    • 360 Sonic Generations – $14.99
    • 3DS Mario Kart 7 – $29.99
    • 3DS New Super Mario Bros. 2 – $29.99
    • 3DS Super Mario 3D Land – $29.99

     

    Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

    • 360 Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY – $14.99
    • 360 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – $29.99
    • 360 Dance Central 3 – $29.99
    • 360 Dishonored – $29.99
    • 360 Fable The Journey – $29.99
    • 360 Kinect Sports Ultimate Collection – $29.99
    • 360 Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe – $9.99
    • Wii/360/PS3/3DS Skylanders Giants Starter pack – $49.99
    • Wii/360/PS3/3DS Skylanders Giants triple pack – $19.99
    • Wii/360/PS3/3DS Skylanders Giants Lightcore Characters – $9.99
    • Xbox 360 wireless Controller -$39.99
    • Xbox Live 3-month card – $12.99

     



    Radio Shack

    • Get $10 in coupons back for ever $50 spent
    • Wii 2-Remote Recharging Station – $7.97
    • Sony DualShock Wireless Controller – $39.99
    • Xbox 360 4GB Slim Console w/ Free headset – $169.99
    • Sony PlayStation 3 250GB System w/ Uncharted & Infamous Collections & Wireless Controller – $219.99

     



    Sam’s Club

    • Nintendo Wii Console Bundle White – $89
    • Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle – $199
    • Playstation 3 250GB Bundle (includes Infamous and Uncharted Collections) plus 2nd controller – $249

     



    Sears

    Thursday 8PM Doorbusters

    • Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect – $219.99
    • Flame Red 3DS with Super Mario 3D land – $169.99
    • $20 back in points when you purchase 3DS bundle (for SYWR members)
    • Buy an xbox 360 and save 50% on featured games (Assassin’s creed III and Epic Mickey 2)
    • Nintendo Wii Black console (includes Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort) – $99.99

     



    Target

    Thursday 9PM

    • Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle with Kinect Adventures & Kinect Disneyland – $199.99
    • Sony PlayStation 3 250GB System w/ Uncharted & Infamous Collections & Wireless Controller – $199.99
    • Nintendo Wii Black System with Sports Resort Bundle and free Just Dance Kids 2 – $119.00
    • Sony PS Vita Wi-Fi Bundle with free LEGO Batman 2 – $199.99
    • Nintendo 3DS Red Console with Super Mario 3D Land – $149.99
    • Microsoft Wireless 360 Controller – $39
    • Sony PS3 Dual Shock Controller – $39
    • Nintendo Wii Play Motion with Wii Motion Plus Controller – $39

     

    Gift Card Deals

    • Wii Just Dance 4 $39.99 with free $10 gift card
    • 360 Assassin’s Creed III $59.99 with free $20 gift card
    • 360 Halo 4 $59.99 with free $20 gift card
    • 360 Forza Horizon $59.99 with free $20 gift card

     

    $10 Games (Ad indicates there are more than shown)

    • 1600 Microsoft Points
    • 360 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
    • Wii Wheel of Fortune
    • DS SpongeBob’s Boating Bash
    • DS Brave

     

    $15 Games (Ad indicates there are more than shown)

    • Wii Just Dance 3
    • 360 Call of Duty: Black Ops
    • DS Plants vs. Zombies
    • DS LEGO Battles Ninjago
    • DS Wreck-It Ralph

     

    $25 Games (Ad indicates there are more than shown)

    • 360 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    • 360 Max Payne 3
    • PS3 LittleBigPlanet Karting
    • Wii Just Dance Disney
    • Wii LEGO Batman 2

     

    $35 Games (Ad indicates there are more than shown)

    • 360 Madden NFL 13
    • 360 Medal of Honor Warfighter
    • 360 Need for Speed: Most Wanted
    • 360 Borderlands 2
    • Wii Epic Mickey 2

     



    Toys R Us
    Thursday 8pm to Saturday close

    • Buy 1 Get 1 40% on all Wii U video games
    • 360/PS3/Wii/3DS Skylanders Giants Starter Pack – $49.99
    • Save $5 on any one Skylanders Giants Triple Pack when you buy Exclusive Legendary Stealth Elf figure. Triple packs are $24.99 and Legendary Stealth Elf is – $9.99.
    • Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure single character packs. (These are the figures that were released with the first game.)
    • Free Skylanders Coliseum Display ($19.99 value) with the purchase of Skylanders Battle Arena ($39.99).
    • Atari Flashback 4 Console – $24.99
    • Sega Genesis Classic Game Console – $24.99
    • Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle with free Air Flo Controller and 50% off 3 months of Xbox Live – $249.99
    • Sony PlayStation 3 250GB System w/ Uncharted & Infamous Collections & Wireless Controller plus free Air Flo Controller – $199.99
    • Nintendo Wii Black System with Sports Resort Bundle and free LEGO Remote – $129.99
    • Sony Vita Call of Duty Bundle with free 10-in-1 PS Vita Essential Pack – $199.99
    • Microsoft Xbox 360 Black Wireless Controller – $29.99
    • Xbox 360 Afterglow Controller – $17.99
    • Xbox 360 Madcatz Wired Gamepad – $16.19
    • Sony PS3 Dual Shock Controller in Blue or Black – $32.99
    • Radium PS3 Black Wireless Controller – $20.99
    • 3DS/DS Nerf Armor – $9.99
    • 3DS Carry All Case Kit – $14.99
    • 3DS Universal Home & Car Charging Set – $9.99

     

    Buy 1 Get 1 For $1 on Select Video Games – Games featured in the ad are listed below. Item discounted must be of equal or lesser value to lowest purchased item.

    $19.99

    • DS Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
    • DS Bejeweled 3
    • DS Carnival Games
    • DS Cooking Mama
    • DS Dagedar
    • DS Hello Kitty & Friends
    • DS Hello Kitty Party
    • DS I Spy
    • DS LEGO Battles Ninjago
    • DS LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
    • DS LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
    • DS Monster High: Ghoul Spirit
    • DS Monster Jam: Path of Destruction
    • DS Pinkalicious
    • DS Plants vs. Zombies
    • DS Silverlicious: Sweet Adventure
    • DS Sonic Rush Adventure
    • DS SpongeBob’s Boating Bash
    • DS SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis SquarePantis
    • DS SpongeBob: Truth or Square
    • DS Super Scribblenauts

     

    $29.99

    • DS Wappy Dog

     

    $39.99

    • 360/PS3 Angry Birds Trilogy
    • 360/PS3 LEGO Batman 2

     

    $59.99

    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    • 360/PS3 Dishonored
    • 3DS LittleBigPlanet Karting
    • 360/PS3 Madden NFL 13
    • 360/PS3 Medal of Honor Warfighter
    • 360/PS3 Need for Speed: Most Wanted
    • 360/PS3 Sleeping Dogs

     

    $19.99 – $29.99 each (Will update with known prices, but this is how the ad lists them)

    • 3DS/DS Amazing Spider-Man
    • 3DS/DS Bratz: Fashion Boutique
    • 3DS/DS Lalaloopsy: Carnival of Friends
    • DS/Wii LEGO Batman
    • DS/Wii Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Samurai
    • 3DS/DS Moshi Monsters: Moshling Theme Park
    • 3DS/DS The Trash Pack

     

    $19.99 – $39.99 each (Will update with known prices, but this is how the ad lists them)

    • Wii 90 Great Games Party Pack
    • 3DS Angry Birds Trilogy
    • 360/PS3 Batman: Arkham City
    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty: Black Ops
    • 360/PS3 Dead Island
    • Wii Disney Universe
    • 3DS Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
    • 3DS/DS/Wii LEGO Batman 2
    • 3DS/DS/Wii LEGO Lord of the Rings
    • Wii Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
    • Wii Monster Jam: Path of Destruction
    • 360/PS3 Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
    • 3DS SpongeBob SquarePants: SquigglePants 3D
    • Wii SpongeBob: Truth or Square
    • Wii Tangled
    • 3DS/DS/Wii Transformers Prime
    • 3DS/Wii Wipeout 3
    • 3DS/DS/Wii Wreck-It Ralph
    • 3DS WWE All-Stars

     

    $19.99 – $49.99 each (Will update with known prices, but this is how the ad lists them)

    • 360 Avengers: Battle for Earth
    • 360 Batman: Arkham Asylum
    • 360 LEGO Star Wars III
    • 360 Plants vs. Zombies
    • 360 Wipeout 3

     



    Wal-Mart

    Confirmed $25 Games: (Over 45 titles)

    • 360/PS3 Amazing Spiderman
    • 360 Battlefield 3: Premium Edition
    • 360/PS3 Borderlands 2
    • 360 Call of Duty: MW3
    • 360 Dishonored
    • 360 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    • 360 FIFA Soccer 13
    • 360/Wii Just Dance 4
    • 360 Kinect Star Wars
    • PS3 LittleBigPlanet Karting
    • 360/PS3 Madden 13
    • PS3 Medal of Honor Warfighter
    • 360 NBA 2K13
    • 360 NCAA Football 13
    • 360 Need for Speed: Most Wanted- A Criterion Game
    • Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl
    • 360/PS3 Tekken Tag Tournament 2
    • 360/PS3 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
    • 360 Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
    • PS3 Twisted Metal
    • 360/Wii Wipeout 3
    • 360/PS3 WWE 13
    • 360/PS3 XCOM: Enemy Unknown
    • Wii Zumba Games (needs confirmation)

     

    Confirmed $15 Games: (Over 30 titles)

    • PS3 Angry Birds Trilogy
    • PS3 Borderlands GOTY Edition
    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty: Black Ops
    • Wii Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    • 360 Dance Central 3
    • 360 Fable: The Journey
    • 360 Forza Horizon
    • PS3 God of War Saga
    • 360/PS3 Grand Theft Auto IV Complete Edition
    • Wii Just Dance 3
    • PS3 Killzone 3
    • 360 Kinect Sports: Ultimate Collection
    • 360/PS3/Wii Lego Batman 2: DC Heroes
    • Wii Mario Power Tennis
    • Wii Mario Super Sluggers
    • 360 Max Payne 3
    • PS3 MLB 12: The Show
    • Wii Pikmin 2
    • PS3 Ratchet and Clank HD Collection
    • 360/PS3 Red Dead Redemption GOTY Edition
    • 360/PS3 Spec Ops: The Line
    • Wii Super Mario Galaxy
    • Wii Super Paper Mario
    • PS3 Uncharted 3 (non-GOTY)
    • Wii Wii Play Motion
    • Wii Wii Sports
    • Wii Wipeout 2

     

    Confirmed $10 Games: (Over 25 titles)

    • PS3 Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY
    • 360 Batman: Arkham City (non-GOTY pictured)
    • 360/PS3 Cabela’s Survival
    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty: World at War
    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
    • 360/PS3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “GOTY”
    • PS3 Darksiders
    • 360/PS3 Dead Island
    • 360 Game Party in Motion
    • PS3 Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition
    • 360/PS3 L.A. Noire Complete Collection
    • 360 Lego Batman
    • 360 Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4
    • PS3 LittleBigPlanet 2
    • PS3 Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
    • 360 Saints Row 2
    • PS3 Sly Collection
    • PS3 SOCOM 4
    • 360 UFC Trainer

     

    Confirmed $30 Nintendo DS Games

    • DS Mario Kart DS
    • DS New Super Mario Bros.
    • DS Pokemon Black Version 2
    • DS Pokemon White Version 2

     

    Other Video Game Deals:

    Consoles/Handhelds:

    • Xbox 360 4GB White Skylanders Bundle- $149
    • PS3 160GB Superslim Bundle w/ Infamous + Uncharted Dual Packs- $199
    • Wii Console- $89 (white model is shown, needs confirmation on if it’s backwards compatible)
    • DSi XL $99.96 (Blue/Pink are pictured, ad mentions colors may vary by store)

     

    Games/Accessories

    • 360 Assassin’s Creed III- $38.96
    • Wii Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two- $24.96
    • 360 Modern Warfare 3 Wireless Headset- $25
    • PS3 Dualshock 3 Controllers- $39.96 (transparent black/blue pictured)
    • Wii Skylanders Starter Pack- $38.96
    • Wii uDraw- $10
    • Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (White)- $39.96
    • Xbox Live 3-Month Subscription- $11.96

     

    Best Buy | Gamestop | Kmart | Radio Shack | Sams’ Club | Sears | Target | Toys R Us | Walmart
    ]]>https://one-quest.com/blog/black-friday-2012-deals/feed/2 Five Weapon's New Mini-Series From Image Comics https://one-quest.com/blog/five-weapons-new-mini-series-from-image-comics/ Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:48:54 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10238

    Image Comics and Shadowline have a new 5 issue mini-series coming out in the new year, Jimmie Robinson’s Five Weapons. It’s your usually story of high school kids trying to figure out life, and make it to the next class. Only well it’s a school full of future assassins. And every one of them works at a specific skill set in one of the 5 clubs, which just happen to be clubs based around 5 unique weapons. You’ve got your knives club, staves club, archery club, exotic club, and gun club. Other than archery these are definitely not what you’d find in your normal high school, I even doubt it’s the same kind of archery you’d be learning in your gym class.

    The story is about a new student, with a rather famous name who becomes the desire of all of the clubs. He’s got to figure out where exactly he fits into this school though, and I’m sure it’s not going to be easy on him, no matter who his family may be.

    From the promotional art, and preview over at CBR it looks like this is going to be pretty interesting. Plenty of action, but a lot of comedy too which is always a good mix. The first issue is due to hit shelves on February 27, 2013 so make sure to tell your local comic shop to order you a copy.

    Below is the promo art, and the full press release from Image Comics

    Five Weapons Staves Five Weapons Guns Five Weapons Exotic
    Five Weapons Blade Five Weapons Arrow Five Weapons Issue 1
    Five Weapons Issue 2 Five Weapons Issue 3

    FIVE ISSUES ABOUT FIVE WEAPONS

    Education for assassins in new Shadowline mini-series

    When the world’s deadliest, stealthiest, and most infamous assassins need a place to educate their children, an institution that respects and upholds their values, they turn to the prestigious School of Five Weapons. At the setting of the new Image Comics/Shadowline mini-series by Jimmie Robinson (BOMB QUEEN), FIVE WEAPONS, students train in the martial arts, pledging their loyalty to one “club”: Knives, Staves, Archery, Exotics, and Guns.

    The School of Five Weapons is turned upside down when a new student arrives, one carrying a name that all the students and teachers know: Shainline. The clubs vie for Tyler’s loyalty, but it becomes apparent very quickly that this kid isn’t someone who is easy to pin down. Tyler has just the edge he needs to succeed at Five Weapons — a razor-sharp mind!

    Robinson writes and draws FIVE WEAPONS, and his clean, lively art is colored by Paul Little. The mini-series has the same mischievous tone as Robinson’s series BOMB QUEEN but was created for a wider audience, as the “T” (teen) rating indicates.

    “I wanted fun with an edge, but I also wanted Five Weapons to be smart and challenge the reader,” said Robinson. “While there are plenty of weapons to be found in the pages, there is also an invisible sixth weapon between the panels: the skill of the human mind.”

    Comic Book Resources featured a four-page preview of the first issue of the series.

    The showdowns are epic, the secrets are dark, and FIVE WEAPONS is insanely fun. The first, 32-page issue can be pre-ordered from the December issue of Previews and will be in stores on February 27.

    ]]>
    Geek Bites: Blackberry Lemon Cupcakes https://one-quest.com/blog/geek-bites-blackberry-lemon-cupcakes/ Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:11:03 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10226 With the Holidays coming up I’ve decided to take a break from the geeky recipes. For the next few weeks I’ll be giving you some recipes for my favorite baked goods. To start off I’m making my favorite cupcake that I’ve come up with so far, blackberry lemon cupcakes.

    Blackberry Lemon Cupcakes

    Here are the ingredients you will need and the instructions for the cupcakes:

    1/2 cup butter, room temperature

    2/3 cup granulated white sugar

    3 large eggs

    Juice of 1 lemon

    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    Zest of 2 lemons

    1/4 cup milk

    Frozen, Halved Blackberries

     

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your pan with paper or foil liners.

    Cream the butter and sugar together until well mixed.

    Butter and Sugar

    Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Squeeze lemon juice into a separate bowl to make sure you don’t get any seeds in the mix. Add in lemon juice and beat well.

    In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.

    Dry Ingredients

    With the mixer on low, add the flour and milk, alternating in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gently fold in the blackberries.

    Cupcake Batter

    Evenly fill the cups with batter and bake for about 17 – 20 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. The cupcakes should be a golden yellow color. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

    Cupcakes

    I fill these cupcakes with lemon curd and I also leave some without filling for Rob; blackberry jam would also make a great filling. I buy it from the store, but you can find recipes elsewhere if you’d rather make it yourself. You can core the cupcakes and fill them, then put the core back in. You can also Pipe the filling in, which is what I do.

    Lemon Curd

    Instead of frosting I make a simple lemon glaze, but you can do any type of glaze or frosting that you want. To make the glaze just mix the juice of one or two lemons, the zest of one lemon, and powdered sugar until the glaze is the consistency of white glue.

    Glaze

    Spoon  the glaze over the cupcakes or dip them. Let the glaze dry, and enjoy!

    Finished Cupcakes

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    Review – RETROVIRUS https://one-quest.com/blog/review-retrovirus/ https://one-quest.com/blog/review-retrovirus/#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:49:48 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10216 Retrovirus Hardcover RETROVIRUS

    Story By Justin Gray & Jimmy Paliotti

    Art by Norberto Fernandez

    Covers by Amanda Conner

    Publisher Image Comics

    Released: November 21, 2012

    Verdict: Fun story, good deal, definitely worth it.

    When I initially started to see things about this book, it was being called a cross between Jurassic Park and Encino Man. Frankly I don’t see that, but I’m going to let you make up your own mind about that. RETROVIRUS is very much in the vein of Jurassic Park, there are prehistoric things found, studied, and they even make a JP reference to it. Dr. Zoe Wallace is our heroine in this tale. She’s an expert in viruses, and their evolution, so Zoe is our Dr. Grant.

    When the story picks up, Zoe isn’t having the best of days, but from the very beginning we see she’s not a woman to be messed with. Zoe is offered a job with one of those big name pharmaceutical companies, they want to pay her a ton of money to fly to Antarctica and study something they found. Obviously she accepts the job and heads to the coldest freaking place on earth, from there things get bad very fast. Nothing is really what it seems at the research facility, and it all plays out very much like a sci-fi thriller movie.

    Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray really came up with an interesting twist on a pretty common plot device. Don’t go into RETROVIRUS expecting to have your mind blown, go into it expecting to have a good time and be a little on edge waiting for the next bit of bad news to hit. Oh and we can’t forget the ‘WTF’ moments all over the place. If you’re one of those people that yells at the TV during a movie, you may find yourself yelling at this book, which is really pretty cool when you think about it. The fact you can get so invested in a story, that when someone in it is doing something dumb you can’t help but want to yell at them.

    The artwork from Norberto Fernandez is top notch as well, there are some pretty violent scenes that are just done beautifully. Character designs are also done really well, and everyone has their own distinct feel to them. Emotional scenes are a little hit or miss, some of them are spot on, others seem a little over the top. It works for the story though and that’s what really matters in the long run.

    As much fun as RETROVIRUS was to read, its got a few problems, there are some scenes about halfway through where it just doesn’t make sense. The character development for certain people is sorta thrown out the window for a few pages. There is also a fair bit of fanservice in the story, along with some harsh language and violence which isn’t bad, but definitely not for everyone.

    At this point you may be trying to fit some pieces together as to what this story is actually about. Maybe you’re thinking that they find some extinct virus that devolve people till they’re nothing more than neanderthals. That would be wrong though, this book is a lot of fun though, and well worth reading. I’ve actually been through it twice so far, once for this review and a second time just because it was good the first time. RETROVIRUS is a fun ride, and won’t eat up all your time or money to read it either. At just a little over 70 pages and only $12.99 this would make a great holiday gift for comic fans, or as a little gift for yourself.

    Now here’s hoping there’s a sequel in the works. . .

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    Teaser – Game of Thrones Season 3 https://one-quest.com/blog/teaser-game-of-thrones-season-3/ Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:36:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10155 Game of Thrones Season 3

    Well it’s finally happening, season 3 teaser for Game of Thrones are starting to pop up. While the video is pretty much nothing, it gives us some interesting voice over and cements the release date. Now March can’t come soon enough, and make sure if you’re not caught up on the hit HBO series you catch up soon. They’re only 10 episode seasons, and last I checked HBO has both season up OnDemand.

    Game of Thrones season 3 starts on March 31, 2013 and from what I’ve read in book 3 so far, it’s going to be a pretty awesome season!

    Oh, here’s the video too.

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to reading the books.

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    Friday Five – TV Parents https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-tv-parents/ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:56:23 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10132 The Huxtable Family

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us a little better with the help of a top five list. This week’s category: TV Parents.

    Since we were all pretty much raised by TV we’ve decided to tribute this week to the parents that help shaped our childhood. Take a look at our picks, and list your own in the comments below!

    Vogel

    I always have a hard time remembering names so I’m just going to list them by show.

    1. Cow and Chicken – Ma and Pa – I don’t know, I always found the parents on that show funny. and the oddity of having a cow and a chicken as kids was enough humor.
    2. Home Improvement – Jill and Tim Taylor – Always kinda reminded me of my dad. I also think on an acting standpoint they were right for each other.
    3. Rugrats – Didi and Stu Pickles – The never grow up attitude of the toy maker father was a fun idea, I kinda wished I could be the kid of a toy inventor.
    4. Powerpuff Girls: The Professor – Yeah, I watched it, what of it?
    5. Everybody Hates Chris -Rochelle and Julius – She was such a bitch, but in a super loving way, and Julius just wanted to sleep, which I can totally appreciate.

    Mom and Dad's legs from Cow and Chicken

    Chris

    1. Jack Bauer – 24
    2. Frank Reynolds – Always Sunny In Philadelphia
    3. Peter Griffin – Family Guy
    4. Randy Marsh – South Park
    5. Anthony Cooper(Locke’s Dad) – Lost

    Jack Bauer holding a gun

    Shannon

    1. Earl & Fran Sinclair – Dinosaurs
    2. Homer & Marge Simpson – The Simpsons
    3. Al & Peggy Bundy – Married with Children
    4. Booth & Brennan – Bones
    5. Phil & Vivian – Fresh Prince of Bel Air

    Earl and Fran Sinclair

    Eric

    1. Red Forman – That 70’s Show – Be it a swift kick to the knee, or calling someone a dumbass, Red knew how to handle any situation.
    2. Nigel Thornberry – The Wild Thornberrys – So, your dad is a nature show host and you live with him, and the rest of your family, in an RV while exploring the wild for clips for said show. Yeah, that’s just awesome.
    3. Zeus – Hercules: The Legendary Journeys – HE’S THE GOD OF GODS!
    4. Michael Bluth – Arrested Development – He had a rough time trying to balance the families problems, while raising his son alone. It made for quite a bit of hilarity.
    5. Ron Swanson – Parks and Recreation – I broke the rules with this one. . . He’s not a parent at all, but he damn well should be.

    Red Forman reading a news paper

    Audra

    1. Fry – Futurama – He’s the youngest great great great great great great. . . great grand father ever.
    2. Red Foreman – That 70’s Show – Wasn’t afraid to call someone a dumbass.
    3. Henry Spencer – He compliments the show very well.
    4. Splinter – TMNT – The most badass adoptive father ever.
    5. Sophia – The Golden Girls – She’s missing that filter, like most old people, and is always telling her daughter Dorothy how it is.

    Fry with a guy and bubble gum

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – November 14, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-14-2012/ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:38:22 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10108 November 14, 2012 Take It Or Leave It
    Welcome to Take It Or Leave It, where each week we pick out some of that week’s newest comics and give you our opinion on whether it was worth the price and you should take it, or if it was better left sitting on the shelf.

    In this week’s Take It Or Leave It we’ve got some Bat-Family books, that are currently in the grasp of the Joker, the return of Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples hit book Saga, and a slue of other books from all over the comic shops shelves!

    Books are alphabetical by publisher

    Chris
    Holy shit some of the stuff I read this week was intense. It’s a shame though because no all of them were a good kind of intense.

    Batgirl 14
    This wasn’t the best issue of Batgirl in the New 52, but it was pretty solid. I liked seeing Barbara be incredibly vulnerable but then realize it wasn’t time for that and switch to 100% intense. The big problem is it’s tied into Death of the Family, and it just didn’t compare to Batman 14. If you’re a fan of this book, and you’ve been reading it for a while you’ll probably want to get it just for some of the twists. On the other hand if this is just so you can follow all of Death of the Family I’d honestly skip this one, it doesn’t add all that much. I would like to talk about the art for a second though, it’s good and I enjoy it. But the Joker just didn’t look right, if you’ve read the last couple issues of Batman then you know right now he’s probably one of the creepiest looking things in comic books, in Batgirl though he looked more comedic which took away from the overall apprehension of “Oh shit the Joker is back!”

    This is definitely a tough choice, but overall it was a fun book even with a few minor issues.

    Verdict: Take It


    Batman And Robin 14
    I’ve really enjoyed Batman and Robin lately, it’s had a really solid story and even the Night of Owls tie-in was a good read. Unfortunately they decided to do a ‘zombie’ story and I’m just not feeling it. I love zombies in movies, and stuff like the Walking Dead, but this is god damn Batman the only undead character I want to see is Solomon Grundy. Now I get that these aren’t really your normal zombies, but I’m not going to get into that. I just don’t think it worked, and even if it did that final page, just ruined the whole book it felt so uncharacteristic for both of them. I’m still a fan of the series, and I look forward to next month, but this one was just a total miss for me.

    Verdict: Leave It


    Saga 7
    It’s pretty much unanimous around the internet, if you’re a comic fan and you don’t read Saga you’re doing it so wrong it hurts everyone. After a 2 month break I can’t even put into words how excited I was to read this book and as always it delivered. I’m not going to say anything else about the story, just go pick up the first trade if you haven’t read any of it yet that’ll get you covered up to issue 6 then pick up issue 7 and don’t ever stop.

    Verdict: Take It


    All-New X-Men 1
    There are a lot of X-Books on the shelves these days, and after AvX I was a little apprehensive about this book. It just seemed silly the younger, original X-Men coming forward in time to talk some sense into Cyclops seemed more like a story arc than an entire series. But Brian Michael Bendis doesn’t usually write a bad story, so I thought I would give it a shot. And I was honestly pleasantly surprised by it. This isn’t just a time travel book where we see how these young characters deal with being in a future where they’re all pretty screwed up. . . or dead. A lot is going on here, between the characters at the school and Cyclops’ team looking for new mutants. I’m looking forward to seeing where this book goes and I’ll definitely be picking up issue 2.

    Verdict: Take It


    Amazing Spider-Man 697
    With every new issue of Amazing Spider-Man and get more and more terrified for what’s going to happen. Something drastic is going to be changing the status quo in spidey soon. We already know Pete isn’t going to be in the suit after issue 700, but we don’t know who it will be or why. 697 definitely helps to build on that tension and we see a lot of terrible things start to play out. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but at this rate if you think Pete is going to get through 700 alive, it might be wise to start rethinking. At least the battle with the Goblins is out of the way, and Pete can actually be Spidey for the last few issues of the series. I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing more Kingsley / Urich Hobgoblin interactions in the future too.

    Verdict: Take It


    Fantastic Four 1
    I’ve honestly never been a huge Fantastic Four fan, I read a portion of Hickman’s run and was actually pretty surprised at how much I liked it. Then I heard Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley would be taking over and that pretty much decided that I would be picking this title up. The press info for this book had it sounded more like a family vacation in space then what this book is really going to be. If you were expecting a happy go luck romp to other planets you’re probably in for a surprise. In just one issue Fraction set the stage for a series story that has the possibility to truely impact the Fantastic Four and it’s future. Well as much as Marvel would let someone impact the future anyway.

    Verdict: Take It


    Venom 27
    Venom has been a fantastic book since it launched, but like the last issue of Scarlet Spider I just wasn’t feeling it. This is the side effect of a crossover, it’s something that no team has ever really been able to cure. The book had enough high points that it’s still worth reading, but as an event I’m pretty disappointed with Minimum Carnage. Hopefully if they do another Carnage vs. Venom story later on it more centered on those two characters. Even though Flash wasn’t the host for the symbiote when Carnage was born, through his bond he has that responsibility to take care of his flash offspring, and not in a nurturing way.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Myths And Legends 23
    Part 2 of The Summoning story arc was better than the previous issue, more action, more characters, more awesome. With only 2 issues left in this arc I feel like it’s moving a bit to slowly. We’re getting a lot of different things thrown at us, but only little bits of it are sending the story forward. I hope in the end the story rolls into the next arc rather than trying to cram everything else into this next two issues. All of that aside though it was a really fun issue, villains fighting villains, heroes fighting villains, pretty much everyone fighting villains! The teaser for next issue at the end also leaves a lot to look forward to, if these first two issues were just some build up, next issue should be what sets this arc apart of any others.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland 5
    I’m pretty new when it comes to the Wonderland books, I have a basic idea of the back story, but I haven’t had the chance to read all of it yet. Wonderland the ongoing has be good enough to not require me to really know what was going on. Issue 5 steers away from the Callie and Violet problems of last issues and shows us what’s going on in Wonderland. You’ll know that two characters from Call of Wonderland show up too, and they’re pretty much the stars of this issue. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s confusing as hell if you haven’t been keeping up with all these stories. If you can get past that though it’s a lot of fun to read, there’s plenty of banter between characters and a good dose of action. This book is really starting to hit it’s stride and it’s better to get on board now before you’re way behind.

    Verdict: Take It



    ]]>
    Kickstarter – The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp https://one-quest.com/blog/kickstarter-the-further-travels-of-wyatt-earp/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:46:30 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10082 The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp

    Every so often an interesting Kickstarter crosses our browsers, whether they’re for shows, comics, or games doesn’t matter. There are some seriously talented individuals out there just trying to achieve something, that at another time wouldn’t have been possible. Recently via Twitter I came across the Kickstarter for a digital new comic called The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp. I was immedately intrigued by the concept, I love history and the wild west is such a crazy piece of America history. Even if you don’t know a single thing about Wyatt Earp you know the name and that’s more than enough. It’s like Batman, or Spider-Man you may not know anything past they’re names and that they’re hero’s but if you wanted to read their books that all that really matters.

    The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp follows Earp’s life after his most famous of adventures, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The movies, and other entertainment mediums that follow Wyatt Earp usually end after the Gunfight, but that’s not where this mans journey ends. He went on to do some interesting jobs as he traveled the country, but that’s something you’ll have to find out more about by checking the Kickstarter page!

    The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp Cover Artwork from The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp

    You may be wondering who’s responsible for this little take on history, and if you’re a fan of comic books you should know these guys names. The writer is Joe Caramagna, who is responsible for the lettering in just about every awesome Marvel comic out right now. The art is being handled by Scott Koblish who recently has been handling inks for DC’s book World’s Finest, but he too has done a slue of other books.

    The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp look to have a ton of potential, but it needs some help, with funding. It’s a few hundred shy of the half way mark with only 9 days left, and need another 4,006 dollars as of November 14, 2012 at 11:00am EST. The funding is only going to happen if they can make that money and hit their 7,500 dollar goal. So why not take a minute, check out the Kickstarter page and donate a dollar. They’ve got some cool incentives especially if you’re looking to make your own comic or get into the comic business!

    So enough of reading this page, head over and get all the details now.

    Funding ends on Saturday Nov 24, 12:00am EST.
    Help spread the word!
    The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp Kickstarter

    The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp Worst Enemy

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    GTA V Trailer #2 https://one-quest.com/blog/gta-v-trailer-2/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:40:58 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10085

    I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Grand Theft Auto series. I picked up 3 because everyone else had it. Vice City wasn’t that enthralling to me. I skipped San Andreas all together. GTA IV was a rehash of the last 3 games with upgraded graphics. The character models still looked like crap though.

    To me it just seemed. . . poorly executed it. At the time Oblivion was bigger, and looked a lot better the GTA IV did. The only difference was that GTA let you do everything with mediocrity, while Oblivion kept it’s vision a little more focused, brilliantly.

    With that said, I’m pretty damned excited for GTA V! It looks beautiful! And knowing Rockstar, they don’t like to use pre-rendered cutscenes, so we can expect the same level of detail in real time. Downside, no indication of gameplay. Sure, we see the main characters doing a bunch of cool things, but how many of those things can you actually do? My guess. All of them. It’s just a matter of seeing how well they control.

    There’s a ton of crap going on in this trailer, so don’t blink! Or just watch it a few times. Either way, tell us what you think in the comments below, and stick with One-Quest for the latest and greatest on GTA V!

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    Child's Play 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/childs-play-2012/ Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:31:19 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10053 It’s November, and that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Fall is in full swing, Thanksgiving is just around the corner(for the US anyway), and stores are already selling Christmas merchandise. There’s another November tradition, the start of the fundraising season for Penny Arcade’s children’s hospital charity, Child’s Play.

    For the past 9 years gamers around the world have come together to raise outstanding amounts of games, toys, money and other things to help make a sick child’s holiday season a little brighter. So with that said, we here at One-Quest highly encourage everyone to go check out the Child’s Play 2012 website and consider making a donation, every dollar really does help.

    Child's Play 2012 Logo

    We’ll be keeping a banner at the top of all pages through the Holidays, so if you forget where to go, just check back here!

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    Elder Scrolls Online Introduction https://one-quest.com/blog/elder-scrolls-online-introduction/ Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:35:14 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10047 The Elder Scrolls Online - Daedroth Battle

    It’s been a few months since the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online. Since then we’ve been given hints of detail, and a few screen shots here and there, but nothing substantial. Until now.

    Yesterday Bethesda uploaded a 10 minute introduction to The Elder Scrolls Online, and I couldn’t be happier with anything that was introduced in this video. For starters: No worrying about starting a character on a different server then the rest of your friends, because there’s only one MEGA-SERVER! That right there is a huge leap forward in MMOs, but there’s more. Character customization is based on YOU, not a chosen class. You wanna be a wizard wearing heavy Daedric armor? Go for it! Combat is all in real time! Left click, attack. Right click, raise shield. No auto attacks. No hotbar. Just awesome!

    There’s a whole bunch of really cool features coming to The Elder Scrolls Online but I don’t want to give them all away. Watch the intro video and tell us what you think in the comments below!

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    World War Z Trailer https://one-quest.com/blog/world-war-z-trailer/ Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:21:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10035 World War Z poster

    Whelp. . . Things have been pretty quiet at One-Quest for a while. We’ve been pretty busy with weddings, hurricanes, and an early snow storm in the form of a nor’easter. But it’s time to get back into the swing of things, and we’re going to start off with the very highly anticipated trailer for World War Z, starring Brad Pitt.

    I haven’t read the book but, from what the rest of the web is saying, this trailer doesn’t seem to pull a whole lot from its source. I guess time will tell.

    Anyway, have a look at the destructive force of the Z in the trailer for World War Z!

    World War Z is due to be released on June 21, 2013.

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    Take It Or Leave It – November 7, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-november-7-2012/ Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:34:42 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10023 Take It Or Leave It

    We’re back, last week was a bust for comics, Hurricane Sandy swept through the east coast, doing a ton of damage and delaying all kinds of things. Luckily things are getting back together, there’s still a ton of fixing to do and it’s not going to get better overnight. So now would be the best time to get some enjoyment in and read some comics. Since all the books were delayed last week we’ve got a mix of stuff from October 31, 2012 and November 7, 2012.

    Chris
    I had a lot of comics to try and get through this week, since it was two weeks worth of books. I enjoyed a lot of them, but unfortunately the two biggest let downs were the two new Marvel NOW! titles, hopefully that isn’t an ongoing thing.

    AvX Consequences 4 AvX Consequences 4
    These event epilogue books usually don’t have much to them, last year we had The Fearless which went on far longer than it needed to. Consequences is different though, it works, it’s interesting, and it’s setting up Cyclops and his remaining allies to do something in the new era of Marvel NOW! This has primarily been a Cyclops book, we’ve seen Iron Man, Hope, Namor, Wolverine, Captain America, and several others dealing with the fallout of AvX but not nearly as much as we’ve seen Scott Summers deal with his consequences. Even if you didn’t read AvX this would be an interesting read. Confusing as hell, but interesting. I know a lot of people are pretty jaded on event comics, and the aftermath books that follow but for once Marvel is getting it right.

    Verdict: Take It


    Ultimate Comics Spider-Man 16.1 Ultimate Comics Spider-Man 16.1
    I don’t think it’s any secret that I haven’t really liked Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Miles just isn’t my Spider-Man. I know right now he’s super popular and everyone loves him, but I just don’t see it. He’s definitely improved in recent issues but not enough to compare to Peter Parker. His entire ‘career’ so far has been trying to live up to a person he never met, and hasn’t been all that original. Maybe it’s his lack of a decent supporting cast, but the only issues I’ve enjoyed are the ones with familiar characters like Captain America, Aunt May and Gwen, or this point one issue featuring Betty Brant. It’s definitely not a required read, like all the point one issues, it’s fun to see some characters that haven’t had their faces on a page in some time. If you’re looking for a Spider-Man book, this isn’t for you, no wall crawling here. If you want some old characters showing up, and some decent reporter scenes then this is a decent book. Oh yea, there is a pretty awesome reveal in the book too so if nothing else check out the last page.

    Verdict: Take It


    Ultimate Comics X-Men 18 Ultimate Comics X-Men 18
    I’ve enjoyed Ultimate Comics X-Men since the beginning, Nick Spencer had a really large slow moving story going that went all over the world covering pretty much every mutant character we currently knew. While it was interesting and I would have kept reading it, it was getting hard to remember what was going on with who. By the time his run ended we were left with a ton of unanswered questions, questions that Brian Wood said he would get to eventually. So instead of continuing with what Spencer started Wood brought things back around to focus on Kitty Pryde and her friends. And it’s been a pretty awesome ride. This past issue was a mix, like many of the recent issues, of Kitty talk about the events in a manor that suggests for her it’s already happened, and action fun sentinel killing action. Oh President America was there to make Kitty an offer too. If you haven’t been reading Ultimate Comics X-Men start, this issue might not be a great jumping on point but Wood’s story is easy enough to follow and I’m sure anyone would be able to catch up.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Myths and Legends 22 Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends 22
    The last few issues of Myths & Legends were about a brother and sister filming a tv series and getting all of their friends killed by a witch in the process. Oh they ended up finding out they had special powers too. Now we’re getting into a bigger story. I back on issue 20 that I had just started reading Myths & Legends so I don’t really know all the characters yet, but from the looks this is going to be the book to read in coming months. Things are in motion that are going to get crazy very quickly. If you haven’t tried one of the Grimm Fairy Tale books yet, this should be the one to get you hooked

    Verdict: Take It


    Deadpool 1 Deadpool 1
    I like Deadpool, he’s not my favorite character but he’s fun. That said I’ve never actually read one of his ongoing series before. He’s great in guest spots in other books and all but from what I hear gets a little stale if you read him in big doses. That said, I’ve heard some great things about what Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn had planning for Wade. I feel like it fell a little short though, it lacked something and I just can’t put my finger on it. It could have to do with it being an issue 1, but then again it may be the curse of Deadpool to not work in a solo series. If you’re a big fan give the book a shot, otherwise I’d said leave it maybe pick up the first story in trade in a few months and see if it’s worth it after that.

    Verdict: Leave It


    Iron Man 1 Iron Man 1
    Matt Fraction had a super popular run on Iron Man, I read a good portion of it, and it was a great book and a very slow book. Now Kieron Gillen is stepping in to write Tony and his friends, I’ve got a lot of hope for this book. Gillen did a great job on Uncanny X-Men even with a good chunk of this last year being stuck in event tie-in hell. And as you read earlier I’m enjoying his AvX epilogue Consequences. This first issue was kinda stale though, with how Fraction ended his story, and the news from a couple months back that the first several issues were going to be one shots or very short stories left me hoping we’d seen Tony Stark out on his own doing a super hero soul search. Unfortunately we’re thrown into a book where Tony is back Pepper is there too, and he’s hitting on some blonde who was using him as much as he was trying to use her. That part of the story was actually interesting, it was Tony Stark being witty and Pepper trying to look out for him. Then he gets a call and the new story stops there. We’ve given another tale about something he’s already dealt with. I do think I like the new armor gold and black just looks kinda cool. I doubt it’ll last to long though the gold and red is what makes Iron Man after all. I’m going to be giving this book a little time to get going, and you probably should too.

    Verdict: Probably Take It


    Scarlet Spider 11
    We’re in full swing of Minimum Carnage now, and while it started out strong I feel it sagging a bit in this issue. There just seems to be a little to much going on and not enough Venom, Scarlet Spider, and Carnage all engaged with one another. We’ve got a few issues left so I’m hoping for the best, Venom and Scarlet are two of the best books on the shelves right now, so if Yost and Bunn can bring the focus around to the characters we care about a little more this will go out on a super high note. All that said, it’s not a terrible comic, it’s fun and a lot does happen just at times it feels like to much. We’re getting a lot thrown at us with not always enough time to process. If you’ve been reading since the crossover started it’s definitely worth continuing.

    Verdict: Take It



    ]]>
    Geek Bites: A Little Bite of My Life Pt. 2 https://one-quest.com/blog/geek-bites-a-little-bite-of-my-life-pt-2/ Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:01:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=10014 My apologies for this not being up last week, we lost power due to the hurricane and had to stay with family all week. If you missed part one of the story, it’s right here.

    So to continue my story, my dad had been working in PA for a while and when my brother graduated he wanted to move closer to his job. Since we were living together at the time we planned on moving out there with him. We started making arrangements and found an apartment. Rob was able to transfer and I was going to as well, but I got fired from GameStop a month before we moved for ridiculous/untrue reasons (New DM had been cleaning house). At the end of September 2010 we moved into our new apartment. For the next year things were going very well. The amount of gaming we did started to increase again since Aiden didn’t need attention 24/7.

    Rob and I still played WoW on and off, we went through various PS3 games. Aiden got better at games as well. He currently plays Rayman Origins, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, and various other games and demos. He’s also better than I am at practically any console game, but back to my story. I was really excited for Star Wars the Old Republic to come out. It released in December of last year…. But wait, something happened before that. Another pregnancy!

    Pregnant Shannon

    I got pregnant in August 2011 and this time around my body was not happy. I had morning sickness all the time for the first trimester. This hindered my game playing since I stayed in bed most of the day, but luckily it ended in time to start playing SWTOR. Rob and I played a lot together and it was also a game I could play on my own at any time. With WoW I get bored pretty easily, but I just found SWTOR easier and more entertaining. Time passed, I got my main to level 50 and I started to play less. That was probably a good thing though, because May 6th of 2012 our baby girl Andraia “Andi” was born.

    Baby Andraia

    I tried to keep playing but I pretty much had to stop any gaming after she was born. Between feeding the baby, changing diapers, healing up and doing housework there wasn’t much time to do anything else. I went back to work in the middle of July and things got a little easier with Andi getting a little older, though I still didn’t really have any time to play games, plus there wasn’t anything I was interested in at the time. Now Andi is just short of 6 months. She’s almost crawling and she can sit up so it’s easier for her to keep entertained. I can leave her on the floor to play while Aiden plays video games or with his toys. I can now play games again occasionally. Rob and I got back into WoW but I might have to stop soon for financial reasons. We’ll be getting Halo 4 at some point. I’ve also been exercising my brain with lumosity.com, they aren’t the video games you guys would probably like, but I feel like I have a clearer mind. We’re also looking into the Wii U because Aiden loved the demo unit at the mall. Speaking of Aiden and games, the potty training has gotten a lot better thanks to my method.

    Andi & Aiden

    As you can see, video games have been a huge part of my life. They sparked my relationship, helped me through two pregnancies, and helped me potty train my son. I will continue to play games and let my children play games. You should think about what video games have gotten you through or how big of an impact they are in your life; I’d like to hear your stories too.

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    Friday Five – Rainy Day Activities https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-rainy-day-activities/ Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:30:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9988 Rain on the ground

     

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know us better with the help of a top five list. This weeks category: Rainy Day Activities.

    Honestly, I would have gone with “Favorite Halloween Costumes” over our category, considering that Halloween is way cooler than rain, but  Chris made the decision this week. I mean, there really is only so many ways to say “Sit around and play games, much like every other day. . .” I guess you’ll just have to stick around for our favorite Halloween costumes next year. The worst part about this one? A bunch of us couldn’t partake in our activities with the power being out. My power just turned back on in the middle of the night, and JohnScott is still waiting for his. Well, without further adieu, the worst category we’ve ever chosen:

     

    Chris

    1. Watch the storm
    2. Play Final Fantasy
    3. Play an MMO
    4. Watch History Channel
    5. Watch Indiana Jones Series
    Rain in Final Fantasy Tactics

    Final Fantasy Rain

    Shannon
    I usually spend my time at home playing with the kids, doing housework and spacing on the computer. When it’s stormy I tend to do a lot less housework, but everything else is pretty much the same.

    1. Board Games – if the power is out, otherwise I have my technology.
    2. Bake – it’s nice to have comforting smells throughout your home on a rainy day.
    3. Catch up on recorded shows – if I’ve watched everything on the DVR I just flip channels.
    4. Waste time online – This isn’t any different than a normal day, but it consumes a lot of my free time, so it works here.
    5. Other stuffs
    Raining Cakes

    Cake Rain

    Vogel
    I honestly don’t really treat rainy days any differently than any other day. I play WoW and D3 a lot as it is, so rain or shine it’s pretty much the same. I do have a few things that seem to happen more often when it’s rainy outside so here they are:

    1. Run out in the rain- I tend to leave the car windows open, this happens more in the summer.
    2. Sleep- this is a special one, like for hurricane Sandy I got called out of work so I just went back to bed
    3. Movies/Video Games- I tend to do these simultaneously, and I do them even if it’s not raining but like I described, more than when it’s nice out.
    4. Swim- In the summer, if it’s not thundering, I like to go swimming in the cooler temp water. It’s more relaxing on the muscles imo.
    5. Card/Board Games- having kids is a big part of this. My son doesn’t really get out as much as I would like, but when it rains he seems to want to play more of his board games.

    Eric
    I’m with Vogel on this one. A rainy day is no different than a sunny day. If the power goes out well… that’s a different story.

    1. Play Video Games –  Very self explanatory. There’s no one game I want to play when it rains. Just whatever I was in the middle of before I guess. The worst part about today’s storm is that it may impede the midnight launch of Assassin’s Creed III. If this happens. . . Sandy. Will. Pay.
    2. Watch Movies – All kinds of movies. Nothing in particular.
    3. Read Comics – I’m half hoping I lose power today so I have no excuse to not read my excessively large pile of comics I’m behind on.  Only half hoping tho.
    4. Board Games – Always a good time, but only if other people are stuck at my house with Audra and I. We can get pretty competitive with each other.
    5. Storm Watch – Primarily thunderstorms, but particularly windy storms are fun too.
    Spider-Man in Rain

    Spider-Man Rain

    Drootin

    1. Play football – This was more when I was younger but it was always fun to play a game of football out in the rain and mud.
    2. Watch sports – If it’s too rainy to go out and play sports I will gladly stay inside and watch sports, this is best on Sundays from September to January.
    3. Play video games – It shouldn’t surprise anyone that this is the running theme of this week’s Friday 5. I used the 2 days off due to the storm this week to play a lot of Diablo III but I could have easily played Borderlands 2, NHL 13, or really anything else I currently have.
    4. Watch movies – Rainy days are great for just hanging on the couch and watching movies, I prefer a good comedy on a dreary day.
    5. Play board/card games – another popular answer this week but its hard to not include it. A few of my favorites are Risk, Munchkin, Mille Bornes, and Cards Against Humanity.
    Fans in Ponchos

    Sports Rain

    Audra
    I’m with Eric. A rainy day can be awesome, but 3-4 days afterward without power, in the cold, because of a tree branch on a wire, that the power company doesn’t want to come out to fix, even though the branch has been cleared away, and now the power company is pushing back their ‘done by’ date, all the while having your newly wed husband all grumps because the new Assassins creed game just came out and he can’t play it, is not my first choice of awesome.
    Anywho, let’s say it’s your average rainy day with all of the luxuries still in tact…

    1. Get on my fluffiest jammies, wrap myself in my fluffiest throw and cuddle with my fluffiest kitty (which usually last 2 minutes at most, then I let them go cause I’m tired of the battle.) Then watch a movie or Eric play video games.
    2. Can I say ‘watch Eric play games’ again? Well I’m going to. But this time I’ll cuddle up next to him while he plays God of War, or something scarrrry.
    3. Sit by a rainy winder, get a hot cup of chocolate or coffee, cuddle up in a blanket with a good book. Big fantasy reader, however I’m on ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ now.
    4. Sew something, I can’t wait to start my next project. Have to get more nerdy things up on my etsy shop.
    5. Now I REALLY hate to admit this. Facebook. But to be honest, there are a lot of people who I love but live an hour or more away, and sometimes its just fun to be silly over the facebooks. I find myself in giggle fits sometimes.
    Kitten staring out at rain

    Kitten Rain

    Walnuts

    1. Watch “The Notebook.”
    2. Read Romance Novels, only ones with Fabio on the cover.
    3. Play with dolls.
    4. Write poetry.
    5. Bedazzle my wardrobe!
    The Notebook and rain.

    The Notebook Rain

    ]]>
    Friday Five – Dream Vacations https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-dream-vacations/ Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:48:08 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9961 Rialta Bridge

    Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we help you get to know our writers with the help of a top 5 list. This weeks topic: Dream Vacations!

    Vacations. The chance to get away from it all. They’re great, and horrible at the same time. There’s no depression like coming home from a really great vacation only to realize you have work tomorrow. . . Well, at any rate, let’s read on to find out why everyone wants to visit Japan and Italy so bad.

    Chris

    1. Disney World – I’ve actually been to Disney once before, I was about 5 years old and don’t remember anything though! I’ve already had the chance to hit up Universal and Busch Gardens in Florida during my High School Senior Trip, but they’re not Disney. . .
    2. San Diego Comic-Con – So much awesome stuff goes down at SDCC every year, and I just want to get a chance to experience it. Plus being in San Diego I’d also get to explore and see some of the west coast which I’ve never done. Probably even take extra days over there and explore California a bit.
    3. PAX Prime – Yea I know we have one closer, and I do want to check out PAX East too, but Prime is the original. It’s got the DEV day before it all begins, and is out in Seattle. Much like SDCC I would use a chance to hit up PAX Prime as a chance to see Washington state as well.
    4. England/Scotland – I had the chance to travel outside of the country once before a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. I have a huge list of countries I want to visit but one of the first has to be England and Scotland they have so much crazy history there.
    5. Italy – Really who doesn’t want to go to Italy, the food, the architecture, the landscapes it’s got to be amazing there.

    Pax Logo

    Shannon

    This has been one of my hardest Friday Five posts. I love to explore and see new and beautiful things, so I basically want to go all over the world; but I’ve tried to limit my choices to where I’d like to hit first.

    1. RTX in Austin, TX – if you don’t know Red vs. Blue/Rooster Teeth Productions go check them out right now! They’ve gotten so big over the years and they have their own expo. I’d really like to meet the cast & crew of Rooster Teeth, they seem like an awesome group of people.
    2. US road trip – I’d love to go on a big long road trip someday and cross a bunch of states. The farthest west I’ve been is Wisconsin, and I’ve been from NY to FL on the east, but that’s it.
    3. Japan – I struggled with putting this one on here. I used to be very into the Japanese culture, but I don’t watch anime anymore and I stopped trying to learn Japanese. It would still be cool to see such a different culture, and a lot of the people in Japan speak English, so that’s a plus.
    4. Ireland – I struggle with getting good landscape photographs with what I have to work with here. I think this would be a great place to get better. Plus I can dump my husband at a bar at any time of day and the locals will take care of him.
    5. Italy – This last one was a toss up between Italy and Greece. I think authentic Italian food in general outweighs the baklava.

    Rooster Teeth Logo

    Anthony

    Well the world is really big and I’ve really gone nowhere thus far in my life. Been to Florida several times, Disney World/Universal Studios is hard to beat for an affordable vacation. My next couple vacations will probably be back to Orlando because its just too awesome. However, I would love to actually leave the United States at some point, or at least the East Coast! So without any further fk ado:

    1. Jamaica – I’m talking all inclusive resort! Honestly I’d like to go to any island where I can stay at an all inclusive resort I just picked this one because of Cool Runnings. I just want beautiful water, unlimited food and drink, and my money to actually be worth something.
    2. Italy – I feel its like my destiny to one day visit the land of my ancestors. Not to mention the food and the lack of governmental structure.
    3. Scotland – I’m only made up of two nationalities, Italian and Scottish, so I’d love to visit here as well. Maybe do something wild like go golfing on an impossibly difficult golf course with my Dad. Visit some castles, check out Loch Ness, and be cold.
    4. The Rest of Europe – I’d love to take a Mediterranean cruise and hit up all the big named countries, see what its all about. I don’t think I’d mind only spending a day or so in each. Italy needs its own trip though.
    5. Hawaii – As I mentioned above, I never left the effin’ East Coast of these United States. There’s so much to see in our own damn country. If I can’t leave I want to at least see the Pacific Ocean.

    Colosseum in Rome, Italy

    Shahid

    1. Disney World – Hang out with Donald and Goofy outside of Kingdom Hearts.
    2. Tokyo Game Show – Invited as a guest *flex*.
    3. Italy – For the noms.
    4. New Zealand – To destroy the One Ring.
    5. Deserted Tropical Island – Pretty much just escape from civilization and chill with several awesome individuals, fishing for food (also having several coolers of sustenance handy…don’t want to to work toooooo hard)
    Wilson from Cast Away

    WILSOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!

    Vogel

    1. Europe: I’ve always wanted to take a backpacking tour of Europe. I’d land in Ireland, ferry to England, chunnel to France and then make my way through Germany down to Italy and fly home.
    2. Japan: Japan is one of those places where I would love to go but I realistically could probably never afford.
    3. Disney World: I went there once when I was younger and hopefully will be going back next year.
    4. Egypt: I can ride a camel at the Philadelphia Zoo but I’d love to see the sites. Pyramids and such.
    5. San Diego Comic-Con: I’ve never been west of Texas/Wisconsin so going to california would be fun. I’ve also only been to anime conventions and a very shitty comic convention so going to one with decent celebrities and panels would probably be a lot of fun.

    Drootin

    Drootin don’t do vacations! – Eric

    Walnut

    Man if they had left this open to anywhere in general I would have had an endless list of Hyrules and Mushroom Kingdoms, but nnnnoooo these places have to be real. . . -_-

    1. Japan – I’m sure we all want to go there (I havent read yhe draft idk), to see our favorite game creators office. I on the other hand would like to see the sites. I would love to see Heroshima and Nagasaki
    2. China – I would like to go and vacation in China, see the buildings and other sites. Mostly though I would love to see the great wall.
    3. Italy – I’m mostly Italian and would love to go visit there. See the sites (the birth place of Ezio). Visit places like Venice, Rome, and The Vatican.
    4. Chernobyl

    Eric

    Whelp. . . Vacations suck. They give you a taste of the sweet life, and quickly pull you away and shove you back into the daily grind. Having just come off of my honeymoon with my lovely wife, Audra, I’ve been suffering from the post vacation depression. This topic isn’t helping. “Oh hey, you were just living it up and now you’re back working again, so tell us places you’d rather be than where you are now.” Answer – ANYWHERE!

    1. San Diego Comic Con – I’ve only known about this convention for a few years, but it sounds like a dream come true. Everything I like about E3 with the addition of Comic Books. Yeah, I need to go here!
    2. Italy – The history, the architecture. Everything is awesome. And like Drootin said, it’s the birthplace of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
    3. Egypt – The pyramids astound me. I need to see those in person at some point in my life. And that Sphynx. . . He’s hiding something. I just know it!
    4. Central/South America – Again, the history and architecture has me here. The Incan and Mayan ruins would be the primary destination for this trip.
    5. Skywalker Ranch – Nerd heaven! ’nuff said.

    Yoda Statue

    Audra

    1. Cruise in the Caribbean
    2. Hawaii
    3. Australia
    4. New Zealand
    5. France
    New Zealand

    Hobbiton?

    ]]>
    Take It Or Leave It – October 24, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-october-24-2012/ Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:10:33 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9929 Take It Or Leave It October 24, 2012
    This weeks Take It Or Leave It sees some of the final issues of Marvel’s big titles prior to Marvel NOW, the return of an icon, and an issue one for a new DC hero.

    Chris
    This was a pretty awesome week, I didn’t read anything bad! Not to say there weren’t some less than stellar books out there just not in my pile. Marvel is wrapping up a lot of their books this week in preparation for Marvel NOW next month. You’ve got people that have been doing some of these books for years, and now it’s time for them to say their goodbyes and move over to the next project. Every ‘Final Issue’ I read this week was superb and showcased what made the runs these guys did so much fun. I don’t talk about all of them below, but you’ll get the idea of it.

    Talon number 1 Talon 1
    Like pretty much every other person who read it, I loved the Night Of Owls event in the Batman comics. The Court of Owls and their Talon assassins are just an ingenious addition to the ranks of Batman’s rogues gallery. They’ve got such a huge history to be expanded upon and an even more gripping future. So enter James Tynion IV, who was the responsible for the really interesting backup tales in during Night of Owls in Batman. Tynion is now writing a book all about a former Talon and his desire to be free from the hunting Court. Last months’ issue 0 was decent, but I felt it left something to be desired. It was a good way to introduce us to this character and learn why he was chosen by The Court, but now with issue 1 we’re seeing where this story is going. From here on out this is the story of Calvin Rose, chosen to be a Talon, but deciding that humanity was more important for him. This issue gives us fun little fight with one of The Courts Talon’s and we get our first supporting character. A true enemy of The Court of Owls, someone who like Batman wants to see them become just a piece of history. Plus I can’t wait to see the first confrontation between Batman and Calvin that should be pretty awesome.

    Verdict: Take It


    The Amazing Spider-Man 696 Amazing Spider-Man 696
    I thought last issue was pretty good, Pete having his Spider-Sense going nuts, seeing some of the old supporting characters at the Bugle, it was just a good setup for a new story arc. Issue 696, while good, wasn’t really anything special. It was fun seeing Max get to do something and show his smarts, and it was a little exciting seeing Kingsley slip on the goblin mask again. But nothing really went down, it was all just Pete tied to a chair trying to come up with a way out followed by a Hobgoblin vs. Hobgoblin battle. I believe issue 697 is the end of this story, as after that it’s time for the final story of The Amazing Spider-Man. So hopefully we see an awesome closing chapter, since this story does have a lot of potential.

    The funny thing is you’ll probably expect me to give this one a Leave It, but in fact it’s worth picking up if you’ve read the previous issues, and especially if you’re reading the future ones. This is exactly what you could expect from the middle of any story, I’ve just grown to expect a little more from our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

    Verdict: Take It


    The Avengers 32 Avengers 32
    Oh man, there are going to be some really happy people, and some really angry people after reading Avengers 32. Brian Bendis is pulling out some big guns for his final Avengers issues. If you read last issue, you know that we followed a unknown person through an alien world and at the end she got a hold of an Avengers id card and sent out a distress signal with it. So this issue we finally find out who the mystery person is, and I can bet a lot of people will have already guessed it. Actually during Baltimore Comic-Con a question during the Marvel NOW! panel was about this character making a return to comics and was given a positive response. So good to know they were just blowing smoke up our asses during that Q&A.

    Anyway, it’s not a super exciting issue as far as action goes, but in traditional Bendis style the dialogue is great, he’s been writing these characters so long that nothing he puts down ever really seems out of character for them. Obviously though the big draw for the issue is the reveal, and though it wasn’t a huge surprise for the reader or the Avengers it was still a really great upbeat moment met almost immediately after with destruction and turmoil, because that’s how you do it!

    Verdict: Take It


    Captain America 19 (Final Issue)
    Ed Brubaker has done an amazing job on Captain America, I’ve mentioned before that I started reading Cap back during The Trail of Captain America story arc and have been following it ever since. I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s my favorite book, or the best book on the rack. But it has been probably the most consistently good book I’ve read in a long time. Even if I wasn’t totally into the story being told in a particular issue the writing and art were at such a level that I wanted to see how it played out regardless. Now as far as this issue goes, not a whole lot happens, last issue was the conclusion to the big fighting and action this issue was just a good bye. Steve goes to visit one of the men who took up the mantel of Captain America while he was frozen. This former cap was laid up in the hospital, had been for a while. I don’t want to say who it was, but the story Steve tells, looking back on his past and what keeps him going as Captain America was great and I loved the reference to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Honestly whether you read any of the recent Captain America book or not, this is one worth getting, you don’t need any back story for it it’s just a good book.

    Verdict: Take It


    The Invincible Iron Man 527 Invincible Iron Man 527
    Matt Fraction is one hell of a writer, and his run on Invicible Iron Man has been an interesting one. It was a slow read I’ll give you that, ever issue building upon a bigger plot and usually ending on a down note for Tony. And Salvador Larroca was there the whole time giving 120% on every issue. Like most of these ‘Final Issues’ the real story wrapped up last issue, this is the farewell. And that’s exactly what this is, a farewell for the characters and the creators. Considering the book will be picking back up next month with a new creative team, this is probably one of the better ways to end it. We won’t go in having these crazy expectation of what may or may not happen, and just enough is left unfinished that maybe we’ll see resolved later on down the line but if not, no big deal..

    Verdict: Take It


    The Punisher War Zone 1 Punisher War Zone 1
    I’m really not a Punisher fan, it’s not that I dislike the character or anything I just never got it his books. I’ve heard amazing things about the recent Greg Ruka run though and I’ll probably check that out sometime in trade, but for now I’ve decided to see just what’s going on with Punisher War Zone. For an opening issue it was pretty good, Ruka did a great job of sorta filling the reader in on what I’m assuming happened in the final issues of Punisher. That said, I’m not sure if this is the best book to read without going back and seeing what all the build up was. I have no connection or sympathy for Frank, and this is obviously something the reader should have. He’s in a bad place hunted by the authorities for something he may not have done. It’s right out of an action movie. . . Only you know, the Avengers are looking for him too. Still I had fun reading it, and I’ll probably pick up issue 2 and see if it keeps going well.

    Verdict: Take It


    Grimm Fairy Tales Myths and Legends 21 Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends 21
    The first issue of Grimm Fairy Tales Myths & Legends I read was issue 20, so I figured I should follow it up with 21. This is the final part of the Hansel and Grettel story and it was actually a lot of fun. Last issue everyone pretty much died, this issue we get some magic, a witch, a devil, an angry mob, and death by fire. Seriously what else could you want from a story? Obviously being the final issue of the story arc means it’s probably not a good jumping on point but if you read the rest of them it’s a fun read and leave a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.

    Verdict: Take It



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    RETROVIRUS – A New Graphic Novel https://one-quest.com/blog/retrovirus-a-new-graphic-novel/ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:21:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9945 RETROVIRUS
    Image Comics has been releasing some really interesting books lately, or at the very least promoting upcoming releases. We’ve got another one today, from the team of Jimmy Palmiotti’s and Justin Gray with art by Norberto Fernandez called RETROVIRUS. This is the first I’ve heard of this book, but they ran a successful Kickstater back in the spring.

    According to the press release, and the Kickstater the story is about a young scientist working for a company in Antarctica studying a pre-historic virus. Oh yeah the company, they found a damn caveman (to be correct it was a perfectly preserved frozen Neanderthal). And that’s just what’s getting it started, from the sounds of it this book is going to have a lot more going for it. With tons of sci-fi and drama and fun stuff going on I’m really excited to see what it’s really all about. For those of you who have limited funds it’s a graphic novel so you won’t have to dish out 3-5 dollars a month, you’ll get a nice chunk of story right off the bat with this 72 page full color book for $12.99.

    I love science fiction, and history or in this case pre-history so this has a ton of factors going in it’s favor. I’ve seen it referenced as a Encino Man meets Jurassic Park by CBR and seriously what isn’t cool about that? Well so long as Brendan Fraser doesn’t make any cameo’s. Admittedly this book isn’t for everyone, if you want to see superhero’s punching people out of existence or something avoid RETROVIRUS, otherwise give it a shot it’s 72 pages for 13 bucks.

    Oh if you’re curious about what a retrovirus is, look not further:
    A retrovirus is an RNA virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome. The DNA is then incorporated into the host’s genome by an integrase enzyme. The virus thereafter replicates as part of the host cell’s DNA. Retroviruses are enveloped viruses that belong to the viral family Retroviridae.(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

    RETROVIRUS will be available on November 21, 2012 for the above mentioned $12.99. You can pre-order it from your local comic shop now. And if you’d like to check out some of the art, I suggesting looking at the video from the Kickstater.

    And lets not forget the full Amanda Connor cover:
    Retrovirus Hardcover

    Here is the full press release from Image Comics:


    THE SURVIVAL OF SPECIES IN RETROVIRUS
    Graphic novel by Palmiotti and Gray plumbs prehistory in sci-fi thriller

    Dr. Zoe Wallace, the protagonist of Jimmy Palmiotti’s and Justin Gray’s new graphic novella RETROVIRUS, is one of the best in the field of viral evolution, a brilliant young scientist who attracts the attention of one of the world’s largest and most powerful bio-pharmaceutical corporations. Zoe doesn’t usually use her expertise for profit, but when Bio-Pharm gives her the chance to research a prehistoric virus, she can’t pass up the chance. However, once Zoe is in their Antarctic compound, face-to-face with a perfectly preserved Neanderthal, Bio-Pharm’s secrets may ensure that she never sees the outside world again.

    And Zoe has a secret of her own—one that turns her research from theoretical to deeply personal.

    “The fun of working on a project like this is looking at the set-up from a point of view like our character Zoe and putting all the pieces, together with her along the way,” said Palmiotti. “With every turn the story gets deeper and deeper and more out of control, and like most of the work Justin and I do together, the challenge is to always keep the characters grounded in the madness around them so the reader can relate to every twist and turn.”

    “I always feel the best fiction is propelled by themes, and with Retrovirus there are a number of personal themes that arose in and around the time we began working on this project,” added Gray. “Zoe represents motherhood, survival, determination and our core humanity when presented with terrifying situations. We wanted not only to create a story full of big scary action, but also something people could relate to.”

    A science fiction thriller that reaches all the way back to human prehistory and pulls the struggle for existence into the twenty-first century, RETROVIRUS is written by the team that has brought the comics industry CREATOR-OWNED HEROES and QUEEN CRAB and carries on the legacy of comics great Tony DeZuniga with Jonah Hex. Gorgeously rendered by Norberto Fernandez (The Tattered Man) and featuring a cover by Amanda Connor, RETROVIRUS blends human drama with science fiction and action in a story that will make readers think about the survival of our species in a new—and frightening—light.

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    Geek Bites: It's a minty weed wonderland! https://one-quest.com/blog/geek-bites-its-a-minty-weed-wonderland-2/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:48:09 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9914 Now I’ve never actually watched Weeds, but I’ve heard good things about it. I also wanted to do something simple, so we’ve taken our favorite brownie recipe at home and bumped it up a bit. So today you get a play on pot brownies, which is fitting for the show since there’s drugs and a bakery!

    There are various ways you can make these brownies. They are incredibly delicious if you do them the original way, or if you add things, or change the way you make them. I’m going to tell you exactly what we did, shown in the pictures below, and at the end I’ll give you the instructions for the original recipe.

    Ingredients and instructions for the brownies:

    ½ cup butter

    1 cup white sugar

    2 eggs

    1 teaspoon vanilla OR mint extract (depending if you want them to actually taste like mint)

    1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    ½ cup all-purpose flour

    ¼ teaspoon salt

    ¼ teaspoon baking powder

    1 ½ tsp. dried mint

    Ingredients

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan (you can use your butter wrapper for this).

    Melt the butter and in a larger bowl add together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla/mint extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir. Add the rest once the batter starts to come together and finish stirring.

    Mixing Ingredients

    Add the mint and fully incorporate into the batter. The dried mint adds a little bit of an earthy flavor, but not the strong mint flavor you would usually have with chocolate. The dried mint is only to mimic the pot, so this is why you can add mint extract if you want mint brownies or vanilla extract if you just want chocolate.

    Dried Mint

    Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, checking with a toothpick at about 20 minutes.

    Batter

    Ingredients for the icing:

    3 tablespoons butter, softened

    3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 tablespoon honey

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1 cup confectioners’ sugar

    Mix all of the icing ingredients together at once. Don’t worry; it’s supposed to look like a big blob.

    Icing

    Immediately after you remove the brownies from the oven start to gently spread the icing. It will start to melt on its own from the heat, so no need to press too hard and squash your brownies.

    And finally, a powdered sugar pot leaf. You can make your own stencil by just cutting out a picture on a piece of paper and placing it on top of the brownies.

    Powdered Sugar Pot Leaf

     

    The other way of doing it limits the amount of dishes you dirty. It also wields slightly fudgier brownies. All you have to do is change the way you mix the ingredients, the rest is the same.

    In a large saucepan, melt ½ cup of butter. Remove from the heat, and stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla/mint extract. Beat cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking powder and dried mint. Pour batter into the pan, and continue with the rest of the recipe.

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    Todd McFarlane's Art Book and Biography Coming In November https://one-quest.com/blog/todd-mcfarlanes-art-book-and-biography-coming-in-november/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:03:24 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9829 The Art of Todd McFarlane The Devil's In The Details

    Yep, you read that title right the iconic artist, writer, toy maker, and co-founder of Image Comics Todd McFarlane has a book coming out soon. “The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil’s in the Details” is going to be a monster with 400 pages of artwork from McFarlane’s entire career. Oh and lets not forget the biography part too, mingling with all the artwork will be the history of how some 23 year old kid broke into the comic book industry and proceeded to change it forever.

    I’ve never purchased an art book before, I tend to just buy the books my favorite artists work on or prints from conventions. This book is going to be breaking the tradition though, it just sounds to cool to pass up. Expect a review after the book is released

    Todd even recorded a little video to let everyone know what the book is all about

    If the name on the book wasn’t enough to make you pre-order it, how about a sneak preview of what’s you can expect to see?

    Cover for The Art of Todd McFarlane Pages 18 and 19 from The Art Of Todd McFarlane Page 217 The Art Of Todd McFarlane
    Page 315 The Art Of Todd McFarlane Page 329 The Art Of Todd McFarlane Pages 232-233 The Art Of Todd McFarlane
    Click to Enlarge



    Check out the full press release below

    HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ART BOOK SURE TO BECOME MOST COVETED ITEM OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

    Todd McFarlane Productions and Image Comics to release Todd McFarlane’s
    long awaited visual biography

    Tempe, Ariz.— October 18, 2012 – At long last, The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil’s in the Details, Todd McFarlane’s first and only art book, is scheduled to hit shelves nationwide Wednesday, November 21, 2012.

    A visual biography celebrating almost 30 years of artwork from one of the comic industry’s most popular and iconic artist personalities, The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil’s in the Details, is not just another art book. It follows McFarlane’s journey from a young comic book fan mimicking his favorite artists, to his subsequent rise to comic book stardom. McFarlane, himself, provides hundreds of anecdotes throughout the 400-page book, walking the fans through his groundbreaking career.

    “I broke into this industry when I was 23 years-old. The only way to put a book like this together is to have actually spent more than two decades creating the art within it,” said McFarlane.

    “The passage of time allows you to build up a body of work, that as you step back, has meaning, and can be an inspiration for other artists along the way. I’m happy to be able to collect my autobiography in both a written and visual format. I hope the wait has been worth it!”

    Fans will receive an up close and personal look at McFarlane’s creative take on beloved characters from both DC and Marvel Comics, and learn more about his history making move in helping to form Image Comics, where he published his brainchild, Spawn. With copious amounts of rarely seen black and white original pieces of his most famous work, and numerous drawings of the comic book industry’s most popular characters, this is a book that can’t be missed. In addition, fans get an exclusive peek at McFarlane’s first forays into various media (toys, film, animation, music videos, video games), where he put his creative stamp on everything through his signature eye-catching imagery.

    Available just in time for Black Friday, The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil’s in the Details will be available nationwide Wednesday, November 21st. The oversized hard cover book (9×12) is limited to 5000 copies, with 700 signed and numbered editions available. Each book retails at $64.99 and $100, respectively, and would make the perfect gift for any art fan!

    # # #

    About Todd McFarlane Productions
    Todd McFarlane Productions (TMP) is the company behind the monthly comic book Spawn. Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn debuted in May 1992, selling 1.7 million copies, making it the bestselling independent comic book of all time. Spawn is published in nine languages and distributed in more than 32 countries. Currently, TMP releases the long-running Spawn monthly comic now in its 20th year. Other TMP titles include Haunt, Hellspawn, and Sam & Twitch. For complete information, visit www.McFarlane.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liketoddmcfarlane; Twitter: http://twitter.com/Todd_McFarlane (Todd_McFarlane) and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/McFarlaneCompanies

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    Matt Fraction's New Book Sex Criminals https://one-quest.com/blog/matt-fractions-new-book-sex-criminals/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:00:47 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9816 Partial Cover of Sex Criminal from Image Comics

    If you read this weeks Take It Or Leave It you’ll see that I really like what Matt Fraction can do with a comic book. So when news hit that he’d be starting a new creator owned title over at Image Comics it obviously got me excited. Creator Owned stuff is really hit or miss, but it’s almost always full of the passion the creators have for comics. Books like The Walking Dead, Morning Glories, Powers, and Kickass show us that you don’t need to be writing about Batman or Spider-Man to have a hit book. From the sounds of it, Fraction and his partner in crime Chip Zdarsky both seem extra pumped for this series and that makes me want to check it even more.

    I will admit, I’m not familiar with Zdarsky’s work, but after seeing the announcement I did some Googleing and I really like what I see and I think his style is going to compliment Fractions writing pretty damn well.

    So without anymore chit chat here’s the official press release from Image Comics, The quotes from Fraction and Zdarsky near the end are the best part! So many puns. . .


    SEX CRIMINALS UNLEASHED AT NEW YORK COMIC CON
    New series by Fraction and Zdarsky to be released in 2013

    Comic book creators Matt Fraction (CASANOVA, Avengers vs. X-Men, The Invincible Iron Man) and Chip Zdarsky (Prison Funnies, Monster Cops) invite you to come with them as they release SEX CRIMINALS through Image Comics in 2013. This brand-spanking new sex comedy follows two young lovers as they go on a lust-fueled crime spree with a twist — when they have sex, time itself seems to stop. Set in a world where the laws of time and space are as dubious and mutable as the laws of man and society, SEX CRIMINALS promises to scandalize, titillate, and provoke when it bursts onto the comics scene next year.

    “Not to toot our own horns, but there’s never been a comic book like Sex Criminals before,” Fraction tossed off. “There’ve been comedy books with sex, or sex comics with comedic moments, but no book with ‘sex comedy’ as its narrative thrust. Hard to imagine, but comedy and sex, which fit together so naturally literally everywhere else in the entertainment world, don’t get done in comic books. Chip and I are thrilled to be the first ones in there to plant our seed.”

    Zdarsky, legendary cartoonist for National Post and impish Canadian prankster, topped that statement: “This project brings together my two loves: crime and an in-depth exploration of the Western banking system and its ill-effects on society. I’ve spent years working for newspapers and magazines and am looking forward to completing my ‘dying industry trifecta’ and give comic books my all while holding back the tears.”

    Fraction and Zdarsky, having searched long and hard for the perfect collaboration, knew they were destined for each other if only the right project came along. “Chip is a singular creator in the world of comics: he’s smart, he’s talented, he has an eye unlike any other, and he makes me laugh like a jackal,” Fraction spewed forth. “He’s like a smutty Day-Glo Will Elder that spells words with u’s where they don’t belong and uses the metric system. I’m excited to think the words ‘SEX CRIMINALS’ will now appear in his obituary later this year.”

    Zdarsky gushed “There’s a very short list of people who I would want to work with on a comic project and Matt Fraction is at the top of that list. I love the humour he brings to his projects and always thought he should do something all-out funny, because, frankly, there aren’t enough funny books out there since Identity Crisis. No wait. Was Blankets before or after Identity Crisis?”

    Image Comics was unavailable for comment.

    An ongoing comic series that puts the comic back in comics, and the sexy back into sex crime, SEX CRIMINALS comes in 32 full-color pages for a cover price of $3.50.

    Oh if that’s not enough, here’s the full promo art that came with the press release:

    Click to enlarge. . . Hahaha more puns

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    Take It Or Leave It – October 17, 2012 https://one-quest.com/blog/take-it-or-leave-it-october-03-2012-2/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:08:11 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9772 Take It Or Leave It October 17, 2012

    Have no fear loyal readers, Take It Or Leave It is back! Last week was a pretty big loss for the whole site, as we didn’t get much of anything posted sorry about that. If you follow us on Facebook, and if you don’t you should start, you’ll know that we had a pretty big event in the form of a Wedding. Our very own Eric and Audra tied the knot last Thursday and it threw all of our schedules out of whack, but that was last week and this week we are back to bring you a dose of reality, well more like a dose of criticism. We’ve got a great list of comics this week, but are they really all that great? Guess you’ll just have to read on and see what we thought of some of this weeks new releases.

    Chris
    I actually had quite a few books to pick up this week, they were mostly good too. Well I at least didn’t feel like I wasted my money. The problem is a good number of them weren’t new reader friendly at all, and frankly could easily be skipped and not miss a beat.

    Nightwing issue 13 Nightwing 13
    I actually really like what DC has done with Nightwing since The New 52 started. They’re keeping him tied to members of the bat-family, but at the same time he’s his own hero serving Gotham in his own way. We haven’t really gotten a great supporting cast yet, but we’re only a year in and these things can take some time. Issue 13 is something of a continuation of the zero issue from last month with the return of a character from Dicks past as Robin. I thought it was a good story to help start bringing Nightwing into Death of the Family without making it a direct tie-in yet. There are several mentions of the Jokers return, but that’s not the centerpiece of this tale.

    A nice little treat is the writer of this issue, Mr. Tom Deflaco. I’ve enjoyed Kyle Higgins run, and as far as I know he’ll be continuing his run which I’m happy about. It’s cool to see someone with such an awesome history in the business on a book like this though.

    Verdict: Take It


    AvX Consequences 2 AvX Consequences 2
    With Fear Itself we had the 12 issue series The Fearless, which was kind of interesting but overall unnecessary. With Avengers Vs. X-Men we’re getting something a bit better though, AvX Consequences. I wasn’t thrilled with the first issue, but this second one really started to make things look interesting. I’ve always loved interactions between Wolverine and Cyclops and that’s a decent chunk of this book. We also get to see once again what a huge asshat Scott Summers really is. I know this whole Cyclops in prison thing won’t last forever, but while it does I’m going to keep on enjoying it. That said, if you didn’t follow AvX there really is no reason to buy this book.

    Verdict:Take It, if you read AvX


    Issue 5 of Captain Marvel Captain Marvel 5
    So far Captain Marvel has been a pretty solid book story wise. I’m usually not a big fan of Time Travel arcs because they tend to be a little forced and nothing ever really happens. It’s actually been a lot of fun in this book though because Carol Danvers isn’t exactly the best time traveler. She tends to do the opposite of what you’d expect in a time travel tale. I must say I’m not a huge fan of the art though, especially in this issue. It’s not bad by any means, just not my personal tastes. I’ve really got very little else I can say other than you should give the book a shot if you haven’t already!

    Verdict: Take It


    Hawkeye number 3 Hawkeye 3
    Bro, you have got to be reading Hawkeye bro. This book is probably one of the best on the racks. It’s completely unconventional, but it works and it works perfectly. The story jumps around, the characters are crazy, the writing is down right ridiculous and it’s all just perfect. I’m not even going to say anything else, just go out and by this book immediately!

    Verdict:Take it bro!


    Ultimate Comics Iron Man 1 Ultimate Comics Iron Man 1
    Ultimate Iron Man has a pretty interesting history of solo books. At one point Tony Stark was apparently covered in a see-through coating that started out blue because his whole body was actually his brain, or something like that. It was absolutely ridiculous but still a fun read. Then it was retconned during Ultimate Avengers while Nick Furry sat in a bar watching a ‘Fictional’ version of Iron Man on TV, turned out that the whole original story was like a movie or something in the Ultimate Universe. We also got the Ultimate version of Armor Wars and a little quality Tony/Hulk time with Ultimate Human.

    Now we’re getting another Iron Man limited series, the first issue was so-so though. Jumping back and forth between teenage Tony and present day Tony. The big reveal at the end has me hopeful for the rest of the issues though. I would honestly probably skip this if not for that, so if you aren’t a huge Iron Man fan already don’t even bother with this. Otherwise pick it up for the setup more than the story itself.

    Verdict:Take It – Only if you already like Iron Man


    Uncanny X-Men 20 Final Issue Uncanny X-Men 20 (The Final Issue. . .)
    Just last year we had the final issue of Uncanny X-Men, then it rebooted and now it’s ending again. I really enjoyed the series since it rebooted up to AvX. It’s a shame there won’t be more time to give this title the proper send off since it’s being replaced with All New X-Men. This final issue does tie up some of the open plot lines from the last 19 issues, including some of the AvX stuff. It doesn’t do a great job of it though, and really just leaves more openings for things to come than closing things off. It’s definitely not a book to pick up if you haven’t been following Uncanny X-Men already, and honestly you could probably skip it either way.

    Verdict:Leave It


    Godstorm 1 - Cover A Godstorm 1
    I really enjoyed Godstorm 0, the twist it gave to the Greek/Roman Gods was pretty cool and I was excited to see what happened next. Issue one felt like a completely different book though, it was a mob tale of two friends who grew up together. Usually this wouldn’t be my kind of things, but the story and dialogue were fun and the end set us up for what should be a really interesting story that continued from issue 0 more. If you’re going to read this book, which I recommend you do definitely get issue 0 also. It’s not required reading, but it will make you want to know what happens more!

    Verdict: Take It



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    Review – Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Sleepy Hollow 1 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-grimm-fairy-tales-presents-sleepy-hollow-1/ Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:15:06 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9785 Sleepy Hollow 1 Cover A Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Sleepy Hollow 1

    Story By Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Raven Gregory

    Written By Dan Wickline

    Art by AC Osorio, Chandran Ponnusamy, Jim Campbell

    Covers by Stjepan Sejic, Matt Triano, and Ylenia Dinapoli

    Released: October 17, 2012

    Verdict: Definitely worth picking up especially with Halloween just around the corner

    I’m sure you’ve heard the tales of Sleepy Hollow before, odds are you grew up with it. Personally I’ve always loved the story, from the cartoons, to the movies, even the takes shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark would do to it. Really who doesn’t enjoy the tales of a ghostly monster riding down unsuspecting travelers and stealing their heads? You’re probably most familiar with the basic story, a young schoolmaster in a small village in New York gets run down by the ‘Ghost’ of a Hessian soldier who lost his head during the Revolutionary War. Well in their usual fashion Zenescope Entertainment has taken that classic tale, and wrapped it up with some modern twists and turns.

    We’re not following the usual Ichabod Crane, no this time we’re following a modern day Student Aid named Craig Marsters. Craig attends Tarrytown University in New York, which for literature buffs was the town where the secluded glen of Sleepy Hollow was based. He’s your normal driven college student, well as normal as it is to have a driven college student anyway. He puts school work before parties and has some pretty strict morals about said school work. He’s got himself a beautiful and caring girlfriend, and a pretty big passion for American history. Like most college students, he seems to be consistently late also but that’s no surprise.

    So now you’re probably thinking that it’s going to be heading in the standard Headless Horseman lore, maybe some other guy shows up and starts making moves for his girlfriend. Perhaps it’s followed up with some kind of dare involving the legend of the Headless Horseman and they somehow wake up the spirit. Or maybe that ‘other guy’ sets up a trap just to make Craig look like a wimp in front of his girlfriend. That’s a completely reasonable assumption if this were an after school special, do they even make after school specials anymore? Regardless, you’ve got to remember this is a Grimm Fairy Tales book, and nothing is going to be that simple.

    The story in this first issue is 100% set up, and it does a fantastic job of that. It’s hard to introduce a character and have you actually give a damn about them in a single issue. Dan Wickline pulled it off though, Craig becomes a likeable character pretty quickly. He stands up for himself, has a purpose, and can crack a joke. That’s what you want in a main character for a story. And by the end of the issue you actually start to feel for the guy, you want to know what happens next in his story. And obviously no matter how happy and shiny things may seem on the surface, like I said before, this is a Grimm Fairy Tales book from Zenescope, and it’s based on a pretty dark story. So I’d wager it’s going to become pretty unhinged, and make you tremble with disgust and delight in some absurd union of the two.

    In this first issue alone we see how Craigs life may already have problems brewing just below the surface. Just enough for us to want to see how they play out, while still adding more character development to Craig to keep us caring whether life decides to crap on him. For me this is the perfect tale for the Halloween season, just taking the source material it’s fantastic and now we’re getting it with modern twists and turns and probably some truly screwed up revelations in future issues.

    I do hope though that the final page is just a cliffhanger and not how the story is really going to continue. Not that it will be bad, just that I don’t want it to be that way, it’s really strictly a selfish request. Unfortunately for the sake of not spoiling anything I can’t go into anymore detail, and even though I wish it wouldn’t happen the ending is definitely unexpected and can lead to some great story in later issues. I guess we’ll be waiting till next month to find out though.

    Let’s finish this up with a talk about the artwork, the art in a comic book can really make or break it. Too much detail and people can start looking ridiculous not enough and they all look the same it’s a tough job to draw a comic, having to get the characters the same panel after panel. I’ve gotta say though AC Osorio did a great job with this issue, there are flaws, but it’s quality work. And after looking him up and seeing some of his other works I think his style is going to be a fantastic fit for Sleepy Hollow. If you don’t believe me check out his site, he’s got some pretty cool artwork up there. There’s a chance you’re wondering what flaws I was talking about, and they’re minor, but near the end of the book because of the panel layout it gets harder to really tell who is who. It’s not impossible and it’s not like you’re going to keep turning the page trying to figure it out it’s enough to distract though and one thing you never want is for the art to distract from the story it’s telling.

    In the end Sleepy Hollow is a solid story, and I’m really looking forward to see what happens next. It may not be for everyone, but when you head to the store this week, or next week, or whenever you end up going pick up a copy give it a shot. And obviously if you’re a Zenescope fan, and you already follow the Grimm Fairy Tale books don’t neglect this one, next issue you’ll even get a guest star from another part of the Grimm Universe.

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    Rumors Fly About Skyrim DLC 'Dragonborn' https://one-quest.com/blog/rumors-fly-about-skyrim-dlc-dragonborn/ Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:48:03 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9767 The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

    There is rampant rumor flying around the Internet about what the next Skyrim DLC titled “Dragonborn” will contain. The information has been all pulled from the patch notes of the recent 1.8 patch for the PC version of the game and here are the two major pieces of information that people have tracked down. First, it looks like players will be making a return to Solstheim, the Nord colony from the Bloodmoon expansion of Morrowind, and surrounding locations from the game. And the other piece of information pulled is that players may soon be able to RIDE DRAGONS!!!! No details of a release date or price have been made available nor has a conformation of either of these details but rumors for the 1st two DLC’s that were snooped out similarly have been spot on so keep an eye here on one-quest.com for more news on these rumors.

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    Geek Bites: Sweet Macros https://one-quest.com/blog/geek-bites-sweet-macros/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:34:28 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9734 First off, I have to apologize for not having a post last Monday. This has been a very busy and stressful month, and I’m sure as we get closer to the major holidays it wont be much better. I’ll try to keep up with my posts throughout the next few months. Next week I should be able to get a recipe for you, and the week after will be the conclusion of my article from the beginning of the month.

    This week you’re going to get a closer look at my photography, and some sweets! Macro photography is a form of close up photography that shows details you might not normally see. The subject is usually small, with popular subjects being insects and plants. Today I’ve grabbed all the candy I could find in my home and taken photos for your viewing pleasure. I’m still trying to get a lot of practice with macro photography. To see more of my work check out my facebook page. You guys are the first to see my brand new work, so please click to enlarge and enjoy!

     

    Ghiradelli Chocolate Twizzlers Ghiradelli Chocolate
    Salt Water Taffy Green Tea Candies Sourpatch Watermelons
    Candy Corn and Pumpkins Turkish Paste Caramel Chocolate
    Sprinkles Rootbeer Barrels Chocolate Straws
    Starlight Mints Dove Chocolates Starlight Mints
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    Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series Premiere https://one-quest.com/blog/grimm-fairy-tales-animated-series-premiere/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:23:17 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9728 Zenescope Entertainment threw a party. The party was a celebration of the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series they successfully Kickstarter-ed back in the spring. The event was held at Times Scare, a year round haunted house and bar just down the street from the legendary Times Square.]]> Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series Logo

    Chris

    Late night on Saturday October 13, 2012, Zenescope Entertainment threw a party. The party was a celebration of the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series they successfully Kickstarter-ed back in the spring. The event was held at Times Scare, a year round haunted house and bar just down the street from the legendary Times Square. The party was open to the public if they purchased tickets from Zenescope, but it was all full of staff and friends of the comic book publisher and Titmouse Studios who did the animated series. Oh, and let’s not forget the fans in attendance all got a limited edition print and a Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series one-shot comic with an exclusive cover.

    The evening started at 10pm with an open bar, which was only suppose to last for an hour, but due to some delays I believe lasted for closer to 2 hours. We were there a little early, so when we first got into the bar it wasn’t too crowded. By the time 10 rolled around though it was wall to wall people. It was a great opportunity for the fans to interact with the people behind the Grimm Fairy Tales comic. I could run through the list of the creators that were there, but that seems a little silly. Overall everyone seemed to have a great time, and I’m fairly certain there was a second group in the bar for some kind of concert and book signing taking place in the next room over.

    Print and Comic for Grimm Fairy Tales Animated Series

    A picture of the print and comic given out to fans at the premiere party


    The original timeline had a burlesque with Ink & Paint Club Burlesque starting at 11pm but things got a little pushed back and it didn’t end up starting to closer to midnight. The delay obviously gave people more time to drink the free alcohol which no one was going to be complaining about. After a little bit of confusion people were finally allowed to go into the theater room where the show was going to happen. And as you’d expect in a room full of drunk people silly things started happening. Raven Gregory of Zenescope did a mild strip tease for everyone, and even walked away with a dollar for it. Jon Schnepp of Titmouse also did one, and ended up eating his dollar which was pretty hilarious.

    Now it was time for the Burlesque show to start, the girls put on a fun show, and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. Only two problems really seemed to arise during it, one being the lack of a microphone. There was introductions between acts letting us know who the next performer was and things like that, unfortunately they had to yell just to be heard. And during one of the acts they had a singer who was completely drowned out by the music. That’s really no ones fault, just the venue lacking audio equipment. The other downfall was having a burlesque show after a 2 hour open bar. I know the whole idea is to be a little rowdy and what not, but some of the fans were getting out of hand. One guy climbed up three rows of seats into our row just to yell things at the stage. He then shoved out of the isle spilling most of my girlfriend / photographer Erica’s drink on her without so much as a word.

    I know we weren’t the only ones a bit annoyed with how they were acting, at a few points Erica made it clear they should knock it off and was promptly encouraged by the woman in front of us who worked for Zenescope. You really can’t let a few drunk people ruin things though, and as the Burlesque show ended we got a slightly drunken speech from some of the guys behind the Animated Series. Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Jon Schnepp just gave a short introduction to the series and thanked everyone for helping make it a reality and for coming out to the party.

    And now at long last the pilot episode of Grimm Fairy Tales The Animated Series was about to begin. I’m obviously not going to be spoiling anything here, but it opens up with some pretty awesome action and funny banter and transitions into a plot set more around the true Grimm Fairy Tales. The episode was fun to watch and if you’ve ever followed the comics you’ll know what’s going on. I’m a little worried for it though, there are a few scenes with some animated nudity that is going to be hard to sell to a network. Hopefully those scenes are primarily for the DVD and they’ll just be editing them down to be implied to give them a better chance of getting picked up into a fully series. Overall it was a pretty fun episode, so if you pledged for the kickstater just wait till you get your hands on this, you won’t be disappointed.

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    Friday Five – Pop Culture Weddings https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-pop-culture-weddings/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:30:43 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9695

    You’ll notice we’ve been a little light on content this week. That’s because Eric and Audra’s wedding was yesterday. We’re all still all hung over as a group, so here’s an automated post of this week’s Friday Five in their honor: Pop Culture Weddings!

    Shannon

    1. Bernadette and Howard – The idea of getting married on their roof when the Google Earth camera would be taking a photo was great. I love the zoom out at the end of the episode.
    2. Angela and Hodgins – The marriage of these two in a jail cell was a great scene between two of the main characters. Everybody is still waiting to see if Bones and Booth will get married though.
    3. Princess Maker 2 – I used to play this game all the time. There were a lot of outcomes and in the end there were different men the princess would end up marrying.
    4. Carole and Burt – As I stated last week, I watch Glee, and I’m not ashamed. The wedding of Finn’s mom and Kurt’s dad was so cute.
    5. Star Trek Weddings – There’s at least one in each series, I’m not going to pick one because I love Star Trek too much to pick favorites.

     

    Vogel

    1. Bernadette and Howard on TBBT – I thought the whole idea behind the Google satellite passing capturing the moment from space, while Howard was about to leave for the space station, was a great touch.
    2. Leon and Scott – Roseanne. I know I was fairly young when this happened but I remember it being the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.
    3. Lady and Glen – I was never really big on Scrubs, I would catch the reruns now and again. I got a real kick out of the idea of inviting people to a wedding in the Bahamas at short notice just so they’d give you presents and not come to the wedding.
    4. Victor and Emily – Corpse Bride.
    5. Lydia and Betelgeuse – I know they got interrupted, but it was a wedding none-the-less.

     

    Eric

    Um. . . Yeah, about this one. . .

    1. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson – Amazing Spider-man Annual #21 – I love the Spider-man, he’s Amazing! And his redheaded supermodel wife reminds me a bit of my own beautiful bride to be, or as of the day before this posting my wife! Here’s hoping Dan Slott fixes the damage done to this marriage 7 years ago during the Brand New Day before the series re-numbering/relaunch/whatever the hell they’re doing after #700.
    2. Jim and Pam – The Office – I only saw this one a few months ago on Netflix. It was super cute, and a really great episode.
    3. George Michael and Maeby – Arrested Development – This was one of the funniest bits do the show, especially because it was George Michael’s dream come true!
    4. Apu and Manjula – The Simpsons – A silly wedding that resulted in a mildly happy marriage between the two. The Nahasapeemapetilon’s currently have 8 children, and have starred in a few episodes centering around their lives.
    5. Anakin and Padme – Star Wars Episode II – If this hadn’t occurred then the original trilogy would never exist. For this, I am thankful. Otherwise, Hayden Christensen is a loser.

     

    Walnut

    WOOOO WEDDINGS!!!!! I don’t know much so I’m kinda leaching off people on this topic.

    1. Wolowitz and Bernadette – Big Bang Theory – That is the most recent I can think of… who would have thought he got married?
    2. Reed Richards and Susan Storm – Fantastic Four Annual #3 – That’s about all I am in for comic book references.
    3. Jim and Pam – The Office – The Office is a great show, who didn’t see that coming.
    4. Lily and Marshall – How I Met Your Mother – Everything went wrong and yet it seemed so right.
    5. Eric and Audra: One-Quest – Well if you guys read this site you know who they are which kinda of makes them a part of pop-culture. You may not follow what they say or want to be them but you like what they post. Congratulations!!!

     

    Chris

    1. Marshall and Lily – How I Met Your Mother
    2. Uncle Jesse and Becky – Full House

     

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    Friday Five – Appointment TV Shows https://one-quest.com/blog/friday-five-appointment-tv-shows/ Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:12:21 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9682 Friday Five Appointment TV Shows

    With all the new shows, and season premieres happening we decided this week’s Friday Five would be all about what shows we just can’t miss. You know the ones you watch religiously from week to week. Doesn’t matter if you watch them as they air, or 2 days later OnDemand, or from your DVR that same night. Like a weekly appointment. These are our favorite Appointment TV Shows, and make sure to tell us yours in the comments!

    Chris

    This season has a ton of new shows that are actually really interesting, at least so far. And I have a lot of them setup to record on my DVR. Even with that DVR though I still have some shows that I try to be around for when they air, most of them haven’t been around that long either only a season or two in.

    1. Grimm – I’ve liked this show since it debuted last year, I’m always nervious for it though it’s already on one of the least watched networks according to ratings (NBC), and it’s on Friday nights. So far it’s been doing well though and got picked up for it’s second season which is always a good sign.
    2. Dr. Who – I only recently started watching this on Netflix, but I watch it fairly regularly, usually an episode or two after work, I’ll be caught up in no time.
    3. Once Upon A Time – This just had an interesting premise, and some of the creative staff came over from LOST which is one of my favorite shows.
    4. Revolution – We’re only about 3 episodes in and already this is one of the best new shows of the year. It’s got a lot of big names behind it though so it makes sense. Hopefully they can keep it going and it doesn’t get canceled after one season like so many other shows do.
    5. How I Met Your Mother – I really just want to know who the mother is already!

    Revolution Season 1

    Drootin

    This is a tough 5 for me because I’m really not a big TV watcher. To be perfectly honest I’d say between 75 and 80% of my TV viewing (if not more) is sports related stuff be it highlight shows or live games. Now throw in the fact the 1 of the shows that would have been on my list is canceled (House) coming up with 5 is a tough task.

    1. WWE Monday Night Raw – Yeah, its pro-wrestling but I’ve made no bones about being a huge fan of pro-wrestling so I’m not ashamed to have this on my list (if you follow me on twitter I often tweet during RAW)
    2. The Walking Dead – I missed watching the first season as it aired but just kept hearing how good it was. So as the second season was coming around my fiance and I watched the first season on Netflix and we were hooked and I can’t wait for it to come back.
    3. Philadelphia Eagles football games – So I’m totally gonna cheat this week for the 5 cause honestly I don’t have many shows I feel are must watch. I do however feel I must watch every Eagles game. I love football and the Eagles are my favorite team and I always look forward to Sundays from September to January to watch football and football previews from like 11am-11pm each week.
    4. Any lacrosse game – Like I said I’m sportsing it up this week. Lacrosse is hands down my favorite sport and I will watch every game I can. I don’t care if it’s NCAA, pro indoor (NLL), or pro outdoor (MLL), if it’s on TV I’ll watch it.
    5. Around the Horn/Pardon the Interruption – ESPN’s 5 ‘o clock hour shows have been about as close to can’t miss as TV gets for me since these 2 shows came on the air in 2001 and 2002.

    The Walking Dead

    Shannon

    I work an evening shift so I have to record most of my shows. Luckily I only work 3 days a week and I do get to watch some shows live if the tv isn’t being hogged.

    1. Bones – I’m actually home for this show, so I try to catch it while it’s airing or within a couple hours afterwards.
    2. Face Off – We’ve watched both previous seasons and this one is the best. There is far less drama between the contestants (with the exception of episode 1), and as always there is some amazing makeup and special effects work.
    3. The Big Bang Theory – Been watching this since the beginning.
    4. Elementary – I’ll be watching this one religiously now.
    5. Glee – Yes, I watch Glee, what of it?

    Big Bang Theory

    Vogel

    Since my wife works nights I usually have to wait until she gets home to watch the shows that I want to watch so that we can “spend time together.” There’s a show or two that I watch that she doesn’t so I can usually watch them live.

    1. The Big Bang Theory
    2. Bones- I’m going to have to wait til they bring back Pelant, I think he’s my favorite part of the show.
    3. Fringe- I caught on to Fringe in the second season when I worked at MovieStop. I borrowed the first season on bluray and power watched it in 3 or 4 sittings and I’ve been watching it live ever since.
    4. Elementary- I know the series just started but if you read my article about the show you’d know I already love it. I’ll be watching every week.
    5. The Walking Dead- I got into this show in a big way when they put the first season on Netflix. It was only 6 episodes but I couldn’t stop watching it. I got ahold of the second season and watched that almost as quickly.

    Elementary

    Walnut

    I watch an insane amount of television, and I know some of what I will say here I don’t watch on tv but, I make sure to keep up every week. The fall premier season is always hard on me, especially this year since EVERYTHING is on on Thursdays. I do my best to watch every new episode(and since the Phillies aren’t in the playoffs I have more time to watch new shows)

    1. Walking Dead – I am a huge zombie buff and I love this show. I just wish they wouldn’t do the mid season break.
    2. LOST – I know it isn’t on any more, but every Wednesday I watched it and looked forward to it
      The new shows: Last Resort and Revolution – Yeah I know I cheated but they are only 2 or 3 episodes in, can we really count them? They are only appointment because they are new.
    3. How I Met Your Mother – It’s just a great show and relatable to many aspects to everyday life. I’ve actually used this show as reference points to help some friends through emotional times.
    4. Naruto Shippuden – Every Thursday I make sure that I am caught up to the most recent episode that aired in Japan earlier in the day. Thats all I have set to watch on my Thursdays (Throw in Last Resort for thursdays)

    How I Met Your Mother Season 8

    Eric

    Well… I don’t have time for TV. I have far too many video games to play, and wedding planning has consumed my life(JUST 1 WEEK TO GO!). When I watch TV it’s usually through netflix and hulu, and I’m generally watching old seasons of canceled shows, or a few that are still running. There’s really only 1 show on TV right now that I’m current with, and most of the others I’m either a few seasons behind on or haven’t started airing yet. Oh well, here’s my dumb list. And Drootin, I miss House too!

    1. Grimm – The only show that’s currently running that I watch. I don’t see it the night it airs, but usually the weekend that follow.
    2. The Walking Dead – Like everyone else, I love this show. It’s excellent, and luckily I’ll be in florida next sunday when it premieres.
    3. Parks and Recreation – I just started watching this one on netflix, and I can’t stop. I should be caught up with the current season by the end of the month at the latest!
    4. Boardwalk Empire – I couldn’t stop watching this show last season. Everything about it was awesome! Until the finale. . . The ending left me a little upset, and while I haven’t managed to watch any of the current season yet, I have every intention of catching up after the wedding.
    5. The Office – I watched the first six season in just a few months on netflix. It was hilarious. With the departure of Steve Carrell, and the shows amazingly fast decline into mediocrity afterward, I decided to move on. Knowing the current season is the last has given me the drive to catch up and watch the finale as it airs. I’ll blast through season 7, and the missed parts of season 8 after I’ve caught up with Parks and Rec.

    Grimm

    Audra

    So we dropped our cable and now I only really watch the wide assortment on Netfix. However, there are still a couple of shows that I will make sure I’m around to watch on what cable we do have.

    1. Psych – Turns out there is a pineapple in every single episode they do. This season they are having a musical 2 hour special, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” spoof. Be there!
    2. Grimm – I was nervous when this season started up again, what with the lame new introduction (his retelling of what the show is about over the beginning song), but they ditched the voice over and now just have the music. Looking forward to a good season.
    3. Last Man Standing – The mirror image of Home Improvement only with 3 girls instead of the 3 boys. Still stars Tim Allen but the humor is updated and they leave out the “end moral” in their episodes.
    4. Walking Dead – I know, seems everyone already picked this one, but I’m right there watching it too.
    5. True Blood – So the last season hit the shitter. I can’t say that I didn’t watch every episode though. Having read every Sookie Stackhouse novel (with the exeception of the very last one) I feel its kind of my duty to stick with it.

    Psych

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    Review – Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Robyn Hood 1 https://one-quest.com/blog/review-grimm-fairy-tales-presents-robyn-hood/ Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:34:00 +0000 https://one-quest.com/?p=9675 Grim Fairy Tales Presents: Robyn Hood 1 Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Robyn Hood 1

    Story By Joe Brusha, Raven Gregory, Ralph Tedesco, Pat Shand

    Written by Pat Shand

    Art by Dan Glasl, Tom Mullin, Jason Embury & Jim Campbell

    Covers by Eric Basaldua, Nei Ruffino, Greg Horn, & Stjepan Sejic

    Released: October 3, 2012

    There are a handful of comics I’ve been waiting for, most of them I’ve known about for months, eagerly anticipating their releases. This is a good week for that, as they’re finally starting to get released. And as luck would have it, the one I was looking forward to the most is the first one to release, Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood. I’ve been a fan of the Robin Hood stories since I was a kid. I grew up watching the Disney movie, and as I got a little older saw other takes like Mel Brooks Robin Hood Men In Tights. So when I originally saw Zenescope was planning on doing their take on Robyn Hood I knew it was going to be a book I’d be reading.

    The story falls into the same universe as the rest of the Grimm Fairy Tale books, switching from our world to one of the parallel universes that’s full of magic and monsters, and things like that called Myst. If you’re unfamiliar with the Grimm Fairy Tale universe fear not, the first page is a nice little introduction into the world so you get an idea of what’s going on. Being the opening chapter to this story we’re only just learning how the characters are. We watch as Robyn goes from a baby with a very interesting origin, to an angry teen that doesn’t like to deal with anyone’s crap.

    A nice touch was the whole thief thing, we see Robyn stealing to help her family throughout most of the book, and if you pay attention you’ll notice at one point she steals from the rotten and helps out the poor. I thought that was great, and really helped connect it to what we all know about Robin Hood. We don’t get to see her as any kind of sharpshooter yet, but I’m sure that’ll come up soon. At one point she is carrying a lacrosse stick which I’m assuming means she has good aim.

    The artwork carried the story niclessly, with Robyn having a pretty irritated look through most of it. And I found myself cringing near the end. The book never got overly graphic which is good, but it showed just enough to make you feel bad for the characters. It’s a sign of a great story and artist that with just the art you can get such deep emotions. The final page with Robyn standing defiantly against her would be attackers was a fantastic closing to the first issue.

    As an opening chapter this issue does a great job, if the rest of the book stays on this course we’re set up for a solid 5 issues. I didn’t really like how quickly it glanced over Robyns actual life. I know her real story is only beginning, but I would have liked to see a little more of what made her the way she is. Also maybe a little more of the classic ‘Robin Hood’ attributes. We don’t have a grading system here at One-Quest, but I even without one I have to say this is looking to be a great series, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t jump on now.

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