[57] The Bench

console

< Piro >

"interview? us? why?"

Friday - December 22, 2000

Ugh. It's been a bad week. I'm sick again - some kind of blasted head cold complete with sinus blahs (I've been thru at least two boxes of Kleenex in two days). I've been trying to hit a Friday deadline at the office, and I feel like I've been working in slow motion because my head has basically been spinning since Monday. I've been trying to take care of last minute Christmas shopping, and all the other stuff that crops up around the holidays... well, quite honestly, i am beat. I really just wanna veg in front of the TV and play Bauble Puzzle. Really, that's all i think my brain should be doing right now.

Many of you will recognize today's comic as being the bench strip that we did back in October. I still consider it one of our funnier one-shots, and I really think that a lot of people haven't seen it. So, that combined with the fact that i totally fuqqed up Friday's strip (it wasn't very good. don't know how it slipped past quality control (looks pointedly at Largo)) we decided that it was a good time to put it in the rotation. So, if nothing else, please just laugh at it again, and think of how miserable i feel right now. ^^;;

Miserable only in the fact that my head feels like a bag full of those plastic peanuts. Otherwise i am feeling pretty good. I am absolutely shocked at the response to 'envelope'. I mean it. Shocked. I didn't think people would really like it much. I don't think I've received this many emails in so short a time ever before. I'm... kinda stunned. It also tells me that I'm moving in the right direction with things. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in... wait, that's the decongestant kicking in.

So. You liked envelope. Well, if that's the case, I got more where that came from. I guess i should start throwing some of the other little stories and fan fictions together. Anyone here ever read 'Brewery Panic'? Heheh. I need to resurrect that...

I just noticed this, but oddly enough, today's strip was done right after the last time I was sick as a dog. I rarely get sick, but this is the 2nd time this year. I think it has something to do with the goddamn snow and stuff we've had here. Remember when i was gushing poetic about 'oh look! it's snowing!! yay!'... I'd like to go back a few months and shoot the idiot dumbass me that said that. I am sick and tired of driving in the snow. Every damn day it's more snow, more ice, more rollover accidents on I-94. I just wanted to stay home all friggin week.

I really hope I kick this cold soon. I have too much to do over the weekend. (sigh)

This week's sketch - the sketch of the week over at fredart... ah, fredart, my poor neglected page... it needs work ^_^ is something i drew up after Poe of exploitation now showed me his Xmas strip featuring the totally cute/cool Jordan-chan wearing a 'ph33r the cute ones' t-shirt in this strip. Thanks poe.

Oh, and before I forget, for some idiotic reason, Largo and I have agreed to show up on Saturday (yes, tomorrow) at 1:00 EST (that's 12:00 noon CST] over at the IRC channel #megatokyo over on Undernet for a question and answer session. Honestly, I don't mind doing this one bit. Not sure if our answers will really be all that interesting, but if you are bored beyond belief on Saturday, come on by. I might even be fun, who knows. :P

Sleep is overtaking me. Thank you for your patience with me this week - i missed a rant, and today's comic is something akin to a re-run - I promise that thinks will keep motoring along next week.

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< Largo >

"alice"

Wednesday - December 20, 2000

[Largo] - 09:07:00 - [link here]

Well, It's been a long week, I'll start off with saying I've got almost two weeks of back email I need to go through, I ought to just stop mentioning my email backlog, as it's become a ever present problem for which I find the need to vehemently apologize to everyone about.

So, with that in mind, I'll try to address some of the emails I've gotten but been unable to discuss in detail this evening.

First off, I'd like to point out something really silly to you guys. Two weeks ago we started getting emails saying we were too 'game-ish' and were abandoning a story arc in favor of a gaming joke of the day style. Now we are getting emails saying we are not doing enough gamer oriented strips. Maybe I'm missing something, but hey guys - In a effort to reach out and appease all the people complaining, we'll try to do a better job of making sure our genuine blend of splicing the genres improves. We really haven't done much different; however, never let it be said we don't read our email.

Recently it was requested that Piro and I attend a fan Q&A session on IRC. So we'll be fielding questions and what not this weekend (12/23) at noon (CST) on undernet.org's #megatokyo. This is assuming people actually show up of course.

I would also like to announce that I've finally joined a cult. I purchased a handspring Visor, which has been a really sweet item for me. It's not what I expected, so far I've yet to figure out who is our enigmatic leader, but I'm certain that this is a cult. It has a cult feel, I walk around proudly displaying my new Visor Platinum, and other cult members give me a nod or end up approaching me, wishing to engage in some sort of religious ceremony known as 'beaming'. These people do scare me…

Speaking of scary things, I've had a chance finally checkout American Mcgee's Alice.If you haven't heard of this game, which should only include people living under rocks, like Montana, know that this game is amazing. It raises the bar in the 3D genre to a new height which for those of you keeping score means the next batch of 3D developers better be former Olympic pole vaulters if they want to out do American Mcgee's record jump.

I'm giving it my personal approval. I give this game, two handfuls of pills up, which I'll wash down with some trippy techno house music. I really think Lewis Carroll would approve of this game, let's face it - the book it's based on had more drug innuendo in it then all of Jim Morison's music combined. So my advice is checkout the game, dim the lights, and inhale to let the coolness flow into the vertebrae.

Alice bridges that fine line between game and art that I hear so much about. I look at this game and think, not only is this fun to play, but it's the product of some talented artists and designers who see this title as more then just another 3D game. Spending even just five minutes with this game ought to make even the most devote nay sayers of the 3D genre give their views a second and third thought.

Not to short change the rest of the game, the gameplay rocks, the soundtrack for it matches up with the art with a perfect fit, projecting just the right moods when needed. Calling this game a masterpiece of gaming would be an insult, it is something greater, something new. Whatever American Mcgee's Alice is, I hope that we see more of it.

Of course, people could disagree with my humble opinions, but those people should all be dragged into the street and shot.