Anyway. So far Typepad has only lost one post on me (that doesn’t include the one I stupidly lost myself with the help of iTunes) and I’ve reconstructed a lot of that… except for the part where I note that the Union Square Borders has started carrying some untranslated manga and Death Note had art that caught my interest, so much so that I’d probably pick up a translated version of this title just to find out what it’s about.

I’m gonna have to live up to that comment since Viz will be publishing Death Note in October. (Found via Coffee and Ink.)

Oh, I like it when Don Asmussen gets angry.

Today marks City of Heroes‘ first aniversary so I figure this is a good time to sing its praises.

Like many CoH players, I’ve never played a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game before. The monthly fee was a pretty big hurdle for me. However, those City of Heroes ads I’d frequently see stirred that bit of intuition that I get when I see something good (I trust that feeling, it brought me to pick up Electric Girl among other very cool comics) and I quickly started hearing good things about the game. I heard good things about Freedom Force, too, but I didn’t like the interface when I played the demo version and the Kirby style art was a big turn-off for me. Still, I was pretty cautious about CoH’s monthy fee, and ordered my copy of the game with a 2-month subscription card so I could start playing without giving them my credit card number. It’s been almost a year since then and I haven’t stuck with a game this long since The Sims.

City of Heroes looks like a first person shooter, but the lack of aiming and the use of tactics bring it into a different class of game. (Perhaps that’s my lack of gaming expertise speaking.) The game design amazes me for its depth and complexity… as well as its simplicity. The game’s five archetypes are similar to RPG character classes — they offer five roles for a hero to make use of
in crimefighting efforts (for example the blaster does high damage from
a distance, but can’t take a hit well, while a tanker can take a
beating at the sacrifice of damage). The path of each archetype isn’t strictly defined, however. Within each archetype there are different powersets that emphasise play out each archetype differently and the game’s character customization system, enhancements, allows for even more unique twists.

The roles of the archetypes can become really interesting, justifying the online aspect. When you form teams with other players, that’s when you run into some challenging dynamics. Unlike other MMO games where (from what I understand) you have to spend time trying to form that one ideal team, any mix of characters can make a good team if the players understand how their archetypes can synergize. Smart tactics can make unusual team formations more successful than a cookie cutter "ideal" team, an aspect of the game that heavily increases its replayability.

Another great aspect of the game’s design lies in how characters progress. When new powers are gained, they’re usually not more powerful versions of what you already have, but abilities that add more depth to the character’s arsenal. Starting powers often remain relevant throughout the game and in some cases they become more useful later in the game, when they can compliment later powers. It nicely resembles the way heroes learn new applications for their powers in the comics.

The game’s great design also shows up in the costume creation system, strong story and its intruiging villain groups. The game’s backstory is a well thought out one that doesn’t come off as a pastiche of other comic universes’ histories. The backstory nicely manages to pay homage to the genre’s history without turning into a game of spot the reference, similar to how the powersets recall character types but not particular charactrers. I feel similarly about the game’s villains, who get really interesting as the game progresses (the stories also get bigger as you level up).

The costume creator is often mentioned in reviews and it does stand out. As it’s often noted, you rarely see the character designs that look the same, except when done intentionally. Like much of the game, it uses a simple interface that allows for some very complex results.

The game has also soared in its development. Each new issues brings a plenty of new content to explore as well as improved interfaces and gameplay. The development team has shown themselves to be pretty attentive to player’s comments, which has helped make the game work better as it goes along. It was pretty breathtaking to look back at all of the changes made to the game in each new "issue" and how many of those "quality of life" changes I’ve incorporated into my game play.

Probably the game’s most winning accomplishment is how it’s avoided many of the pitfalls that are often said about MMOs. Parts of the game can be played solo, so there no need to login and wait to play. There is little "loot" to be found in the game, eliminating an avenue where bad behavior becomes tempting. Most importantly, the initial game started without player vs player play, eliminating another area that has made "greifing" a temptation in other MMOs. PVP will be introduced to the game soon and the development team seems to be treading carefully to make sure that abusive gameplay continues not to happen.

When it debuted a year ago, City of Heroes had plenty to offer to differentiate it from its MMO competition. It had a unique genre that had rarely been managed in computer RPGs, it did not require the kind of time commitments that happened with most MMOs and was, generally, more welcoming to players new to MMO gaming. Since its debut it’s also offered very responsive customer support, continuous development and

Ohboy, last night’s Daily Show’s "Gaywatch" segment had me howling with laughter. Crooks and Liars has a clip, check it out.

This week’s food section in the Chronicle looks at fish sauce. It’s an interesting article that teaches me a lot about the malodorous ingredient. I remember my first encounter with fish sauce — after opening the bottle I quickly closed it again and swore that something that smelled that bad wasn’t going into my food. I hadn’t thought much about the flavor degrading previously, and I’m realizing that I should probably toss out the bottle that I have in my pantry, as it’s been there for a couple of years now. It was also a surprise to learn that the process of making it has gradations of quality, much like olive oil. When I buy my new bottle I’ll make sure to check if the ingredients include hydrolyzed wheat protein.

I’ve been wanting to come up with a dinner menu that would end well with a dish of anmitsu… I’m thinking I’ve got some good inspiration here.

Just after I say it’s been a slow week for TV, ABC announces their summer schedule. The summer season looks fairly week, including making a big deal out of rerunning Lost as well as a summer run for Supernanny and Wife Swap. The network will also introduce four new reality TV series during the summer:

• Dancing with the Stars, where six celebrities train for a ballroom dancing competition.
• The Scholar, an academically-themed reality competition show. The prize is a full scholarship at USC, which would have to make things very awkward when the winner starts attending classes.
• Brat Camp, another family docu-soap where six families send their out-of-control children to a therapy camp.
• Welcome to the Neighborhood, another competition show where seven families compete for a house. The winner is determined by their future neighbors, a touch that reminds me of the underrated The Family.

Overall, I remind myself how badly ABC’s done with reality competition shows. I may give Neighborhood a sample, though it could easily turn out as badly executed as The Benefactor. The most interesting series to me is Dancing with the Stars because a glimpse into the competitive ballroom dancing scene could be very fun.

A mini-series, Empire, will also run during the summer. Empire’s six week run will "blend history with fiction" (am I the only one who gets his alarms set off by those words?) to dramatize the Roman empire after the death of Julius Caesar. Cool idea, but I’m initially queasy about the execution.

I’m working on a bigger TV post for the future and this has been a slow week, so this week gets a short TV post.

Oh, boy, I caught Stacked this week. I normally hate watching shows after they started, but this didn’t seem like the kind of show where context would matter much. Wow, what an amazingly dull and unfunny show. This was seriously bad, why am I watching this bad. I’m not surprised, really, that’s why I was willing to tune in ten minutes after the start time.

On the other hand, if you haven’t checked out the new Americanized Office, you’re missing out on the rare, truly great TV comedy. Since Desperate Housewives was a rerun, I tuned in to CNBC’s marathon of its sister network’s version. I’m starting to see a compelling reason for Americanization, as this version deals with office dealings that feels a little more American than the original (with the diversity training falling top of mind).

Lastly, I haven’t been too into Enterprise ever, but cancellation seems to agree with this show. It seems like they’re now pushing through every nostalgia-laden idea that they’ve held back until now. Returning from hiatus with an episode concerning the ancestors of classic Trek’s famous "Green Girl" the show is in the midst of a fun "Mirror, Mirror" revisitation. So far neither episode has played heavily on continuity (at the least, I’ve been able to follow these episodes) but both have invoked the fun parts of the original tales.

Oh, look, here’s some good news: Will & Grace may be heading into its last season. The bad news? That should be obvious. Sigh, I remember when that show was funny and had promise.

Update: Well it seems like, once again, I accidentally published an entry that was still in draft stage. Sigh.

See, here’s the thing, for me most superhero franchises are like a soap opera that slipped out of its prime. Once I realized that the effect of Santa Barbara losing its edgy creators Bridget and Jerome Dobson, I found I just couldn’t connect with the show any more, even after Jill Faren Phelps (who leaves a major mess behind her every time) left it. Same for the other show we loved in high school, As the World Turns. Last I checked, it had found its voice again, but the show couldn’t overcome the shadow of left by the days when the late Doug Marland wrote it. I can see when its good, but that quality just doesn’t translate into any enthusiasm for me.

I suspect that’s why I’ve been struggling to say something about certain superhero titles I’ve been reading. I enjoy a number of them, but don’t feel any excitement about that quality.

The title that’s caused the most ambivalence is Marvel’s Young Avengers, which in all honesty, I only picked up to get an idea of the fuss over Asgardian and Hulkling. Looking at it objectively, I see that Young Avengers manages much of what I enjoy in Runaways — the characters, so far, have my interest and it’s done serial storytelling well with compelling little cliffhangers to pull me to the next issue and answers that only bring up more questions. My problem with the title is that it brings up so much stuff I’ve stopped caring about. I don’t care about The Avengers anymore, I used to have a fondness for the franchise (especially the B-list characters like the Scarlet Witch, Jan and Hank and Monica Rambeaux) but nowadays that blip on my radar barely registers (even Jessica Drew can’t draw enough interest out of me to thumb through an issue of New Avengers)… so the young Avengers part of Young Avengers is a big stumbling block with me. Worse, the series immediately played upon a part of Marvel continuity that usually gets me to run screaming from a title… I suppose it says a lot about how well this series is executed that I haven’t run screaming yet.

So. I suppose my judgment of Young Avengers is that I’m still enjoying the ride and noting all the reasons why I shouldn’t be enjoying it. If this series had a cleaner slate (like say if it were, I dunno, Young Champions) I probably wouldn’t be asking myself how I could be enjoying the series.

On the other hand, Birds of Prey is a series I keep asking myself why I’m not enjoying more. I do like the characters and nothing (yet) has been brought upon them to make me lose interest in the franchise (unlike The Titans — oh, look a shocking plot point is being undone shortly after it happened. That’s why I didn’t even bother getting upset in the first place.)

Gail Simone has put together a great series with BoP. The characters are interesting, the cliffhangers tantalizing, the long term storytelling intriguing and the one-off adventures are compelling tales that don’t feel like filler. Still, my of enjoyment of this series still hasn’t been more than academic. I see the quality and I coldly note what it does well, but there’s little enthusiasm behind picking up another issue. I still haven’t figured out why that is the case, except possibly that perhaps I’m more detached from the DC universe nowadays.

On a similar note, I’m still picking up and enjoying Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. Both are franchises I tend to avoid (I’ve always avoided Spider-Man in the past, I don’t know why but he always seemed boring) but all the aspects that have chased me away from the "regular" versions haven’t bothered me so far in their Ultimate incarnation. That’s not to say that the whole Ultimate line has me, Ultimate Fantastic Four didn’t manage to make me re-think my disinterest in that franchise, The Ultimates went flat on me quickly and Ultimate War gave me an instant aversion to Ultimate mini-series. The only other Ultimate series that have worked for me were the Daredevil stories written by the likes of Greg Rucka and Mike Carey. So who knows what the formula to winning me back to a franchise really is?

While I’m not a fan of the SF Chronicle, it does have a few great things that I love about it. Namely:

• An amazing food section that often puts many magazines to shame and has given me a lot of inspiration.
• Tim Goodman’s column, the most interesting and insightful TV writer I’ve encountered.
• Don Asmussen’s The Bad Reporter, the best topical comic strip in existence.
• Jon Carroll’s smart and often hilarious observations about current events and daily life. When Carroll writes about politics it’s often better stuff than most op-ed writers.
• David Lazarus‘ investigations into corporate conduct and consumer protection.

Unfortunately, their news coverage is somewhat unsatisfying… so much good stuff none of it in the front two sections.

I’m feeling lazy today and can’t get myself to finish one of the many old posts I have so instead I’ll point out some interesting bits from reading the paper at work this week.

Lazarus notes that trackers found in some tax accounting software may be breaking California state law.

He also looks at a damn, scary website.

Carroll mocks trend reporting hilariously. (I tried to look for my all-time favorite Carroll column, where he mocks spam and starts out by noting how it seems like many people are concerned about the size of his penis, but my google-fu has failed me.)

That’s it for today. Hopefully I’ll be more wordy later…

So, I followed up on Dorian’s advice yesterday and decided to check out Comic Relief’s new location.

Overall, it’s a nice spot, though I would certainly be willing to give up some of that roomy aisle space for another shelf or two. Of course that’ll increase inventory costs, so I’m really saying that I’d like it better if it were even more of a comic book reader’s utopia.

I didn’t pick up much, unfortunately, because they didn’t have the items at the top of my list (Milligan’s first X-Men issue — at this point I think I’m stuck hoping for a trade, Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast, Sticky and the Identity Crisis Manhunter issue) and I started feeling guilty over the amount of money I’ve spent on comics I’ve still yet to read.

So I mostly looked around. Their manga section is pretty big. I was debating about making a trip to the Kinokuniya Bookstore (with their huge manga section) but looking at Comic Relief’s manga shelves I didn’t feel like I missed a lot by going to Berkeley instead. The selection is best with older works, I picked up a copy of Junji Ito’s Flesh Colored Horror, which I’ve had a hard time finding elsewhere and paused over copies of Mai the Psychic Girl. Unfortunately, I was in the mood to walk out of the store with something gay themed and after not finding Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast I also didn’t find any shounen-ai (or YAOI) titles save for Passion (ick) and Banana Fish volumes I’ve already read in flipped form.

My one big complaint about the store is their organization. Comic Relief’s shelves are organized in a mix of methods. It’s all alphabetical but by two criteria at once  –  popular writers have their books shelved together while everything else is organized by title. Hence, I found a copy of J Torres’ The Copybook Tales next to DePhillipis and Weir’s Three Strikes (see, Copybook was under T for Torres while Three Strikes was under T for Three). It’s a pretty confusing way to look for a book, especially if you’re not sure if the writer (not artist… Wounded Man and Crying Freeman was K for Kazuo Koike while Ryoichi Ikegami’s work without Koike, Mai, was under M) is big enough to have his books filed under his name. Sometimes that’s not done consistently, either (Flesh Colored Horror was under F, while Uzumaki and Gyo were under I).

I walked out with Flesh Colored Horror, Birds of Prey #79 (which I’ve been unable to find in San Francisco stores ever since my shop forgot to hold me a copy), Birds of Prey #81 (which I refused to buy from my regular shop until I found #79) and Runaways #3 (which, also, my shop is supposed to pull for me, but forgot to and sold out). Not a big haul, but I also had another stack from my comic shop and my APE pile is still mostly unread. When I’ve cleared the shelp space and have more money to spend, I’m going to have to go back for some Mai.