Burrowowl

Update your Goddamned computer. If you think that running automated updates is a pain, trying waiting on hold for a half hour to talk to your ISP’s tech support only to find out that they aren’t going to fix it for you. You see, when some script kiddy finds out about a system security problem in a popular operating system or software package, he will exploit it. In most cases, either the folks who made that software already know about and have made fixes to it, or the folks who make popular antivirus software already have their programs set up to defeat the damned thing. Oh yeah, and firewalls are good. You can get one for free, too.

</rant>

After setting it aside for a couple of weeks, I picked .Hack // Mutation back up today and something rather odd happened: I beat it. The first installment of this series was rather easy. Maybe even a little too easy. The second installment definately had its moments where things got a little touchy, and “ressurect” scrolls were being burned like Harry Potter books at a fundamentalist Christian bonfire. What turned out to be the final boss, Magus, was definately a thorn in my side. After trying unsuccessfully four or five times (and having to run through a rather large dungeon and cinematic sequence to restart the fight, no less), I had actually become frustrated enough with the fight to take a .Hack vacation for a little while. It turns out I just had to be cautious and patient, two virtues that were never simultaneously required elsewhere in the game. By diligently knocking down Magus’s spawn with Kite, while BlackRose chipped away at the big boss and Mistral hung back on healing duty (with the help of a Rig Geam spell effect), I was able to knock the bugger out without ever being seriously endangered by the bastard. Ok, I had to use a single ressurect scroll after I used Data Drain on the bugger, but my other two characters were in excellent condition at the time. As promised, the plotline has improved and is now genuinely intriguing (a big change for console RPGs), and I very much look forward to Outbreak, which should be on the shelves in early to mid September.

Matt Wilson, the captain of the good ship Privateer Press has made some recent gestures for the Iron Kingdoms fanbase late last week. In addition to some rather substantial contributions to the Iron Kingdoms Yahoo Group, he has pledged to place some more emphasis on keeping the ever-hungering IK fanbase sated through more frequent web updates.

His sacrificial offering before the rabid hordes of fandom is an early peek at the Gunmage character class. From earlier readings of WARMACHINE: Prime, I had guessed that the Gunmage would be a prestige class available for Cygnaran wizarsd, under the tutelage of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry (in conjunction with the Cygnar royal armed forces). This appears to be one of the minor differances between the d20 system Iron Kingdoms and the miniatures/skirmishing game. All is well however. The Gunmage information made available yesterday on the Iron Kingdoms website includes everything there is to know about the new class, with the notable exceptions of the spell list and the stats on their fabled magelock pistols. These stats will be available within the week, per Captain Wilson.

The new class is interesting in that is appears to have rather limited arcane spellcasting ability (how limited depends upon the spell list, of course), that basically acts as a very specialized Sorceror. They have Simple weapons and pistol proficiency, d6 hit points, two favorable saving throw progressions, and a rather poor amount of skill points per level. Their pistol-related class abilities are about as cool as it gets, though: this is definately a great “tough & cool” character class. If you want to make a PC that swaggers through town like his owns the place, smacks down fools that run off at the mouth at him, and generally oozes pimpness from every pore, the Gunmage may be worth a go. They will also make a great NPC class in urban encounters for player character parties who have self-confidence disproportionate to their abilities.

In the long list of fansubs I’ve been exposing myself to lately, Green Green stands out as a remarkably unremarkable one. It has individual qualities that would make any other anime rather memorable. It has the reasonably stalwart male protagonist, a variety of unappealing male supporting cast (including the longhaired guy that thinks he’s God’s gift to the ladies, a truely pathetic compulsive masturbator, etc.), and a variety of female leads.

The execution is lacking something I just can’t indentify. I’ve read other reviews criticizing the animation quality, but for a television series it’s really rather good. The character designs, though a trifle heavy on the fanservice, are well-conceived. For each, the appearance matches the voiceacting which matches the general idiom of the character. The tough & cool girl looks appropriately iconoclastic without looking goofy, the Genki girl is appropriately bouncy, the Reserved girl is appropriately delicate, and so forth.

There is some intangible quality about how the characters come together with the premise of the first episode (quickly summarized: an all-boys school hosts a busload of students from an all-girls school in preparation for both schools eventually going co-ed). That intangible quality sucks the life out of an otherwise silly, fanservicey romp. After one episode, I’m giving this one a pessimistic C-. It has quite a ways to go to redeem itself for me.

File under “cute.” Sure, that’s what we do with everything by Ken Akamatsu, creator of such as Love Hina and Love Don’t Stop, makes a lot of cute work. Itsudatte My Santa is a mild departure in that this story, unlike many of the “harem manga” stories about the “lovable dolt” archetype, this story is concise, straightforward, and finite. That’s right, it has an ending, and ends when it makes sense for it to.

I found this particular manga with the aid of the fine folks at Manga-Jouhou, as translated by Akatsuki-Manga. You can purchase it if you like, the art is quite good.