RJ's Retreat

Batman Beyond to Return in January

2010-10-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some quick news: Batman Beyond is going from mini to ongoing starting with a new release this January. Using the same creative team this is sure to be good - I absolutely love Batman Beyond. You can check out the full story here.

Stormrage

2010-10-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak, I was very excited. Longtime lore-junkie of the Warcraft universe, I couldn't wait to see what had become of Malfurion and get some answers to long held questions.

With that said, my excitement soon turned to disappointment while reading this book. Stormrage tells of Azeroth's struggle against the Emerald Nightmare, an area of corruption within the Emerald Dream, which has steadily been growing over centuries and will soon consume the entirety of the Emerald Dream and Azeroth itself. Behind the Emerald Nightmare, a Nightmare Lord stands, spreading its taint upon all that it can, even to the mightiest druid Azeroth has ever know, Malfurion Stormrage.

After being trapped by the Nightmare Lord in the Emerald Nightmare for years, Tyrande Whisperwind has taken it upon herself to find out just what has happened to her love. Accompanied by Broll Bearmantle, a mighty druid, Tyrande must enter the Emerald Dream to seek Malfurion and find a way to free him from his imprisonment. Upon entering the dream, Tyrande soon learns of the chaos that has ensued in this realm and finds that a war lead by the green dragonflight is underway against the Nightmare Lord. With the help of the green dragonflight and a few unlikely companions gained along the way, Tyrande is able to free her love; however, Yesera, leader of the green dragonflight, is captured by the Nightmare Lord, empowering him like never before.

In the wake of this newfound power, Malfurion must realize his own true power and lead Azeroth's inhabitants against this mighty threat, lest all of Azeroth will fall.

While fans of the Warcraft Universe might enjoy this book, most will not. I, being a huge far of Warcraft, found myself just wanting this book to end, but forced myself through it. Unlike most of the Warcraft books, this one was painfully long. Where I thought this book failed the most though, was that the book felt like it was written just to tie some loose ends for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm. Every other Warcraft book I've read so far felt like it truly was written as the backbone for the games, this book, however, felt dependent on World of Warcraft. If you were to change the names and setting of this book, I doubt anyone would give it so much as a second glance.

tl;dr crappy book, avoid unless you're a huge Warcraft fan (even then, I would suggest just spoiling yourself instead)

When They Cry

2010-10-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

From time to time I enjoy a good anime series. I tend to get obsessed with a different one every few months and spend waaaaay too much time in front of my computer watching it like the Otaku I am. Lately I've had bad luck in finding a new series to occupy my obsession so I decided to revisit what is probably my favorite anime series, When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku ni).

When They Cry is murder mystery series following Maebara Keiichi after having moved to the small town of Hinamizawa. As Maebara adjusts to his new life in Hinamizawa, he soon comes to find a close group of friends and everything seems well; that is until he comes upon news of a Murder in Hinamizawa. From that point on, disturbing, and often horrific, events begin to happen all around Maebara. Even worse, things start to lead Maebara to discovering that his friends might not be all that they seem to be.

The story is repeated throughout the series with different scenarios / developments that makes it quite unique. I've never encountered something like this before and it works. This series is quite horrific and disturbing, and doesn't pull the punches when it comes to the shock, blood, and beauty of it all. The first four episodes is one of the best experiences I've ever had with an anime. You owe it to yourself to at least watch those.

You can find links to season 1 here and season 2 here.

tl;dr Awesome anime - check out the first four episodes, you'll want more.

The Last Guardian

2010-10-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my coverage the the Warcraft series of books I'll be talking about one of, from what I believe to be, the more intriguing Warcraft books: The Last Guardian, by Jeff Grubb.

The Last Guardian follows a young mage, Khadgar, as he begins his apprenticeship to the most powerful magus in all of Azeroth, Medivh. Khadgar soon finds himself well in over his head as he tries to adjust to his new life in Medivh's tower.

As Khadgar continues his tutelage under Medivh, he comes to know the truth about Medivh and why he is so powerful. Guardian of the Tirisfalen, Medivh is a mortal champion empowered by an ancient council to wage a secret war upon the Burning Legion and demons wherever they may arise in Azeroth. While this truth behind Medivh is unbelievable, Khadgar soon comes upon an even more unbelievable truth about the Magus: an unsettling truth that will shape the future of Azeroth.

This book, unlike the majority of the Warcraft books, focuses more on back story than it does war; while this may turn off some of the fans of the Warcraft series, I found it to be very enjoyable and a great addition to the series. The book is a quick read and is quite the fan service to veterans of the Warcraft games, giving additional insight into the story of Khadgar and Medivh, yet accommodating to newcomers of the Warcraft universe at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

tl;dr: Awesome book, check it out

The Dangerous Dimension

2010-10-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight I found myself with some free time and decided to sit down with some books I've had for awhile, but never got around to reading. Of those books was a short story, The Dangerous Dimension, by L. Ron Hubbard.

I was skeptical when I started reading this. After hearing so much of the Scientology hoopla over the years I dismissed Hubbard as a crazy man and thought I would have no interest in his works, however, I was wrong. I absolutely loved this short story, and I can't wait to check out more of Hubbard's works.

This story follows a professor, Henry Mudge, who discovers an unbelievable equation which allows himself to teleport himself anywhere in the Universe. Mudge, however, cannot control his new ability and must work to fine tune his equation before he ends up teleporting himself into a situation which he cannot escape.

This is a very short read; if you find yourself with a spare moment I hope you check this story out, you won't regret it.

tl;dr good quick read, check it out.

Nintendogs Causes Dog Attack?

2010-09-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Last week a child was attacked, while playing Nintendogs, by a friend's dog. Hearing the barking of the virtual pet seems to have caused the dog to go berserk, pulling the child off her sofa, and then biting her lip off. Luckily, the child has been able to have her lip reattached, and the dog has been put down. You can read the full story here.

It's somewhat shocking that a game, such as Nintendogs, cause cause such a violent outburst. Is the fault really with the game, or could the attack just of been due to the poor judgment of leaving a child alone with a potentially dangerous animal?

Naked Pictures of Famous People

2010-09-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Don't get too excited by the title; this post is about a book: no nudity involved :s

Today I came upon my copy of one of my favorite books and thought I'd take a break from talking about the Warcraft books.

Naked Pictures of Famous People by the host of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart, is a collection of nineteen essays written by the comedian covering subjects ranging from Martha Stewart's vagina (yes, I'm serious here) to the death of the Taco Bell dog (does anyone still remember him? It hasn't been that long has it?)

These essays take a satirical stance on all subjects and are simply hilarious. I can't say how many times I've read through it, yet I find myself in tears, laughing out loud every time. If you're familiar with Stewart's comedy, you won't be disappointed, this book is just as funny as anything you'd expect from him.

The book is very short, and would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon; or, if you have ADD, the essays are short enough to split up when you find yourself with a few free moments. Whatever the case, it's well worth your time.

tl;dr Funny book, check it out

To live a dream...

2010-09-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've undertaken a new task; I've begun training myself to lucid dream.

For those of you who don't know what lucid dreaming is, it's simply a dream-state in which one is aware that he or she is dreaming, giving him or her control over it.

Having free reign over my dreams is something I've wanted for along time now, but never took the time to look into how to induce a lucid dream. After reading about it, however, I've found what seems like a simple way to do so, with a little work. Basically all one has to do is to find a common reoccurrence in his or her dream, and whenever you come across it, perform a reality check to determine whether you're sleeping or not.

Seems simple, right? Well over the last week I've tried to find a common reoccurrence in my dreams to start, but so far I've got nothing. I've not given up hope yet, hopefully I'll find something soon.

Anyways, has any of my followers happened to have mastered the art of lucid dreaming? Anyone even try? It's an interesting thing to read about in the very least.

I HATE FACEBOOK GAMES! /rant

2010-09-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

I hate facebook games -.-

Recently I've been playing Island Paradise; got a friend whose got me into it, and now I'm somewhat addicted to it. I hate these kinds of games so much, always have the need to min/max in whatever game I'm playing, and with games like these there's always more I can be doing. Always more fish to be catching, always more food to be cooking, always more crops I can be gathering.

These games are just a nightmare to someone with an addictive personality and a need to improve. It makes me rage just thinking about how much time I've spent in it so far.

/rant
anyways, what's your guy's take on Facebook games? Love 'em or loathe 'em?

blog claim

2010-09-27T18:50:00.001-07:00

don't mind this post, just claiming my blog on technorati and BC :)

6SEZXZHZD9ZS

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/entertainment/

The War of the Ancients

2010-09-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd continue my book suggestions with another selection from the warcraft universe. This time The War of the Ancients trilogy by Richard A. Knaak.

The War of the Ancients, consisting of The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul, and The Sundering details the first invasion of the Burning Legion in Azeroth. Brought to Azeroth by the hubris of the Night Elves, the mortal races of Azeroth must stand together under the leadership of a few familiar faces to prevent Sargeras from entering their world.

Having some previous knowledge of the warcraft universe will make this read more enjoyable, but don't let that hold you back. You might miss a reference or two from another book, but it is still worthwhile. I was unable to put these books down when I started to read them, it consumed me.

tl;dr: Awesome books, go read.

Nuzlocke!

2010-09-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

So today I've decided to torture myself and do a Nuzlocke run through Pokemon Soul Silver. For those of you unfamiliar with this, it's basically a set of rules to make the pokemon games actually difficult. I've decided to choose the most difficult of the options, so I'm probably going to end up throwing my DS across the room in anger several times in the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy my masochism.

DCUO

2010-09-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just over a month left - I have a feeling that this game will flop, but dammit I still can't wait!

Day of the Dragon

2010-09-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Been reading alot lately and thought I'd share a few good books over the next few day that you won't want to put down.

To start things off I'll start with the book that got me all caught up in reading again: Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak.

If you're familiar with the warcraft universe, you'll absolutely love this book. If not, don't let your lack of knowledge hold you back as Knaak does an excellent job of introducing the characters and lore in this rich world. The story follows a young, maverick mage who undertakes a seemingly impossible task to rescue a dragon with a few unlikely companions helping along the way, all the while, being manipulated by a malevolent force.

The book is fairly short and well worth your time. It will leave you wanting more, and luckily there are plenty more books set in this universe to fill your desire.

tl;dr: good book, go read