Reviving the Real-time Strategy Game in 2013

To be quite frank, my outlook on console gaming has been steadily declining over the past couple years. What was once a revolutionary form of digital recreation has now become something of a bore and a frustration in many cases. What I associate with console gaming on the Xbox 360 and PS3 nowadays is repetitive, run-of-the-mill modern war shooters and money-grabbing game developers trying to hoard every last penny through overpriced DLC’s (downloadable content).

Lately, I’ve wanted nothing more than to return to my PC gaming roots for a little while. In particular, I’ve been looking to delve back into a fun and currently underappreciated genre of video games: real-time strategy (RTS) games.

I remember spending countless hours of my time on Starcraft, Age of Empires, Warcraft III, and Command & Conquer. There was some real satisfaction to be had from commanding an entire swarm of Zerg bugs to wipe out a base full of Terran soldiers, or having a full-scale showdown online with my friend playing as the orcs and me playing as the humans.

With RTS, the style of gameplay forced you to really stay vigilant and on your toes at all times. You had to take calculated risks and make smart strategic decisions in order to destroy the enemy army. The generic Call of Duty first person shooter method of recklessly going lone wolf, taking out the entire enemy team on your own did not exist in this realm of gaming.

Over the past few years, with all the hype focused solely on first person shooters and RPG’s on the console, PC gaming – and thus RTS games – have largely disappeared. In fact, the last time I went into a local Gamestop, they only had a single shelf of PC games while the bulk of the store was comprised of Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games.

Music Review: Into Your Own - "That Mask You Call Yourself"

Music review written for EMURG.com.

 

 

When I listen to new music for the first time, a lasting factor for me is when a band’s gritty and powerful sound and lyrics are personal and from the heart. Into Your Own is no exception to this. Many of the songs concocted by these Niagara Falls, NY hard rockers on the album That Mask You Call Yourself reflect the town that the band grew up in and the conditions they faced along the way. The town that they hail from has a high crime rate that overshadows the idyllic beauty that the Falls themselves are known for having.  This truth resonates strongly with the band and makes the heavy and upbeat power of their music even more relevant and thought-provoking to us as listeners.

That Mask You Call Yourself opens up with the song “Now Or Never”. This is a good choice to open such a poignant and reverberating album because of how fluid yet thrashing it is instrumentally. The addition of turntables by DJ Six helps to give this song another dimension of awesome and I liked it because it stood out rather than getting lost in the background as some DJs in other bands seem to do. Paul’s vocals also reminded me somewhat of Hellyeah’s Chad Gray, being both rough around the edges at times yet clear and polished as well.
 

Missing in Action: Video Game Movies

For those of you who pay attention to news within the gaming industry and social media, do you ever notice how often developers seem to squeal with excitement when they announce that they’ve attained the rights to turn their video game into a film adaption. And while that’s all well and good to hear that some of our favorite games are supposedly going to make it to the big screen, we usually end up going a few years wondering…uh, ok, what’s the status on these movies?!

I can think of a few recent examples of how films were announced for some of the most popular video games out there and how years later, we haven’t heard an ounce of news about how far along into production these movies are. Gears of War was slated to begin production of a film through New Line Cinema back in 2007 but, to the best of my knowledge, we haven’t heard much else. Well, other than the fact that the director supposedly fronting the movie dropped out to focus on other things.

Blizzard Entertainment announced a Warcraft film (also in 2007…go figure) and initially established that the film would be set for a 2009 release date. Here we are three years after that supposed arrival time and Legendary Pictures hasn’t given us much to hope for quite yet, other than the fact that Sam Raimi (Spider-Man director) would be directing the film and that the movie had supposedly begun production. WoW fans can only hope that Raimi can shift gears toward the project now that Spider-Man 4 was flushed down the toilet in place of a recently-released reboot.

Part of me also can’t help but wonder if we all really want to see these wayward movies released eventually. Video game movies have an infamous reputation for sucking after all. I don’t think a single video game movie released in the last two decades passed a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Music Review: Throwing Gravity - "It's Not The End

Music review written for EMURG.com.

Throwing Gravity is:

Nick James - Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar

Jesse Triplett - Lead Guitar / Background Vocals

Sam Hindmarsh - Bass Guitar / Background Vocals

Chris Scott - Keys / Programming

Tom DuPree III – Drums

 

Rock quintet Throwing Gravity is a band based out of Nashville that undoubtedly will end up taking the mainstream rock scene by storm. As a band that has already begun to rack up and stellar stage presence by sharing stages with bands such as Second Hand Serenade, Parachute, Chevelle and Evans Blue. It seems only fitting that these Tennessee rockers would ultimately achieve the same level of acclaim as these other major players that they’ve jammed with live.

After a tenuous first few years with a fair share of ups and downs, (including a name change and several album recording obstacles) Throwing Gravity has finally released the new album, It’s Not The End. Though I’ve drawn similarities to other favorite bands of mine, including Theory of a Deadman, Adelitas Way, and Shinedown.  I also have noted that the band has a fresh and unique sound all its own, with an album that is equal parts emotional ballads combined with energetic rock anthems.

Are Mass Effect Fans 'Greedy' and 'Entitled'?

Blog posted on Deadlymint.com.

Fans of the popular sci-fi and rpg trilogy were abuzz with excitement over the release of Mass Effect 3 in March. The third entry into the franchise concluded Commander Shepard’s space-faring story and brought multiplayer into the fray for the first time in the series. Since its release, the game has garnered universal praise from critics and social media and had sold nearly 4 million copies in March alone.

But, although the game has received critical acclaim and mostly good reviews, the majority of recent controversy primarily lies with the game’s endings. It would be an understatement to say that most fans were disappointed by how the game ended, despite the stellar performance of the overall game.

Mass Effect has always been a largely decision-based type of game. From the very beginning of the trilogy, you customize your Commander Shepard character and go through the game making pivotal choices as you interact with the main characters and move the plot forward. Concepts like morality come into play in this game in ways that I’ve scarcely seen before in other video games. For example, a choice that you make could save one character but get another character killed, or spare an entire species but completely annihilate another species.

Developers Bioware had promised and assured fans many times prior to the game’s release that the huge decisions that you made in previous games would come into play and effect how the ending plays out. In some ways, those decisions do affect some of the game, but they play almost no role in the ending as the developers promised.

Many fans banded together on the Bioware forums and through various social media outlets to protest the ending, demanding the developers to change or expand it. I would suspect that Bioware received a great deal of hate mail interlaced with the occasional death threat due to the endings of Mass Effect 3.

Finally, after weeks of Bioware producers seeing such positive response to the overall game and such negative response to the game’s endings, they announced that they would be releasing a free DLC (downloadable content) sometime over the Summer which would expand on the endings and provide players more closure to the storyline.

Because of this, others within the gaming community have retaliated against Mass Effects fans, saying that the fans are “greedy” and “feel entitled” because of them demanding that the ending be changed. Bioware was also partially criticized for spoonfeeding and catering to their fans by releasing expanded endings.

As far as this issue goes, I’m a bit conflicted. Part of me feels that it was a bit ridiculous and that fans did go a bit overboard by “demanding” that Bioware change the endings. But the “Mass Effect fanboy” part of me can’t help but agree that, yeah, the endings were pretty freakin crappy and that Bioware didn’t exactly tie up the trilogy the way they promised they were going to. As far as I’m concerned, the fans had every right to be angry over the endings because the company made certain claims about player decisions but then didn’t integrate them the way they said they would.

Personally, although I am a huge fan of the game and although I too hated the ending, I’m not among those people on the warpath demanding that Bioware release new content. I do think that those select few were a bit obsessed and that their demands did get a bit out of hand in some cases.

However, I also don’t necessarily agree that the fans are “greedy” or “entitled” merely because they were irritated about the ending.

I feel that critics are only calling Mass Effect fans greedy because Bioware is actually following through and doing something about it. Nobody literally held a gun to their head and forced them to add new content to the game. They chose to do that of their own accord. Bioware could have just done nothing and sat back to reap the rewards of their millions of game sales. Eventually, the fans that were fired up over the ending would have simmered down and gotten over it in time. Instead, Bioware chose to heed devoted fan response and add more to the game to make it more enjoyable. If Bioware hadn’t done anything about it, the fans would just be angry fans. But instead, because of Bioware’s decision to release expanded endings, they are considered “greedy” fans.

What do you all think? Are Mass Effect fans’ demands justified, or do these fans come off as winey and greedy?

Sell Your Digital “Loot” For Real Cash in Diablo 3

The game industry and gamers alike are abuzz over the recent launch of Blizzard Entertainment’s highly anticipated new game, Diablo 3. This third entry into the classic best-selling dark fantasy RPG has brought about a huge gathering of loyal fans and endless midnight launch lines. These avid gamers have long been awaiting the sequel’s release since the launch of Diablo 2 eleven years ago.

A very controversial new feature for the role-playing juggernaut is the addition of the online Auction House. This feature (not yet implemented into the game) allows players to collect digital armor, weapons and other “loot” that they in the game and buy, sell, and trade them with real players online. What sets this apart from other online games? The consolation prize for these transactions is real life money, not digital gold coins.

What does this say about the growing economic legitimacy of online video games? It certainly shows that social media enterprise has extended to the point that even incorporeal, digital products (in-game items) can now be bought and sold for value online just as much as real products and services.

This phenomenon can be related to the growing concern over many video game producers trying to exploit players for more money through online service fees and expensive DLC (downloadable content). Furthermore, there are a number of fans who are irked at the idea of spending their hard earned real money to purchase digital items that hold no actual value. In the past, there had been illegitimate websites known for scamming video gamers out of their money by promising to sell them rare in game items or video game currency. The only difference now is that this Auction House system is sponsored and maintained by Blizzard Entertainment.

The Auction House system is due to be released via Diablo 3 beginning May 29. It should be interesting to see how effective this method of online digital commerce will be or how players will react to a growing emphasis of marketization within their beloved video games. 

Music Review: Our Waking Hour - "Seconds to Save Her"

Music review written for EMURG.com.

Our Waking Hour is:

Vocals – Blaine Beckman

Drums – Aaron Harvey

Guitars/vocals – Erik Seime

Bass – Joey Villefranca

Too often, many modern hard rock and metal bands just use sheer, pointless anger and screaming as their main focal point through their music. It’s good that there are still new rock bands that preserve real moral fiber and emotion balanced with a sound brimming with adrenaline and energy.

San Antonio rockers, Our Waking Hour, is one such example of an alternative/hard rock band that doesn’t need to conform to a “scream blindly and angrily at the world” kind of mentality with their music. Their message, as portrayed in many songs on Seconds to Save Her, is one of inspiration and hope. Furthermore, it is delivered in a way that is pulse-pounding, cutting edge, and thought provoking.

The album starts off with a short “Intro” that begins with eerie chimes before gradually picking up pace to segway into the first actual song of the album, “Seconds to Save Her”. This song got me hooked on the dazzling and emotional sound that Our Waking Hour weaves throughout the rest of the album. They achieve this sound by blending energetic drumming and guitar vibes, sprinkled on with just the right amount of dramatic emotion and rich vocals. From this track, I found that Our Waking Hour’s overall sound was most reminiscent of the band Red. However, they do have their own original sound that, in some ways, has a more soul-searching aura about it.

Music Review: Edisun - "Edisun"

Edisun is:

Ethan Isaac – vocals

Jonathan Svec – guitar

Joel Kelley – guitar

Todd Budich – drums

James Cruz – bass

Going into this review I had already heard Edisun’s single, “Wide Awake”. It quickly became a song that I listened to on my IPod repeatedly. I was eager to explore the rest of Edisun’s debut album more thoroughly, and found that it still exceeded my expectations. One of the things that blew me away about this quintet from Connecticut was that they are able to blend together classic and modern rock and make it sound amazing. Their jazzy sound stems from blues rock and classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, and U2, while adding in an energy and modern flare found in recent hard rock and alternative rock bands like Stone Sour. It is this clever blending of the old and new that gives Edisun an original sound to be appreciated and craved.

The self-titled album opens up with the song, “Wide Awake”, which starts the album off on an energetic note. This song is not only the one that is most familiar to me, but is also the one that I still find the most addicting. From the opening guitar line, this song gives off the vibe of a lively party song that kicks the door down with its signature chorus and vocals “Riot in this Town!” The guitar riffs, stylish drum beats, and Isaac’s versatile vocals work well in this single and highlight Edisun’s unique sound in this opening track. Regardless of how good the rest of the album and the band’s future work may be, this will likely be one of the songs that define Edisun later on.

Music Review: Concordia - "Clarity of Perception"

Concordia is a fresh, new five-piece hard/alternative rock band that originated in Cleveland, Ohio in late 2011. Concordia is a testament to just how varied and innovative bands in the hard rock spectrum can be. In one sense, this band is a pure driving force of melodic sounds and instrumentals, but they do so in a way that is powerful and adrenaline pumping all the same. I consider them to be a soft, melodic band with the energy and vigor of a metal band. It can be so rare nowadays to find a band with that uplifting “feel good” melodic sound, but with backing edginess and adrenaline that gets your blood flowing in the process.

Concordia’s debut release, Clarity of Perception, opens up with the track “Spoon-fed Sheep.” This was rightly chosen to be the opening track because it is easily one of the best if not the best on the album and it will likely be one of the defining landmarks for the band. This is my favorite track due not only to its harmonious vocals and a sound not all that dissimilar to Linkin Park (particularly vocalist Eric Emery’s striking similarity to Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington), but also because of the lyrics and the song’s overall pronouncing message.

The song, as evidenced by the lyrics, is largely political. The song deals with the idea of our government’s controlling, manipulating and lying to us while covering up their own vices. After a good keyboard opening, the song soon delves into the first set of lyrics that had my hooked on the song from the start. “Details of the crimes are never found. Secrets, all the lies are disavowed. Photos burned to hide the protected. While our freedom’s rejected.” I can really level with and understand these lyrics and this, along with the fluid instrumentals, really get me fired up and ready to rally behind the band’s beliefs. This opening song did an exemplary job at showing listeners what the band is capable of and how they use their melody blended with raw power to express impacting topics and emotions through their lyrics.

Sci-fi Excerpt: "Incognito"

This is a stand-alone chapter for my sci-fi novel and, again, from the POV of Areya.

Areya watched the various people of the neighborhood go about their business, frowning and muttering words of condemnation for each of their seemingly trivial actions and behaviors as she crossed her arms and meekly observed. None of what these human beings were doing seemed to make sense to her.

She thought back to such occurrences that she’d witnessed since she’d landed here forty-eight lunar rotations earlier…

“Why throw the orange ball into the hoop? Why park the wheeled vehicle between the white lines? Why settle down in huddled groups to watch such preposterous images play across a televised screen? Why gather around the table to eat meals as a family unit rather than doing so of one’s own accord?” she pondered to herself.

It all seemed so utterly pointless. Why did such actions encompass their entire lives when these humans could potentially be invaded by enemies at any given moment?!

Many years ago, as a youngling, Areya had asked her mother and father –two of Clan Varsoloth’s finest military dignitaries- why her own species chose to reject intimate family gatherings. At the time, they had scolded her for spouting such blasphemous notions and showed her the error of her thinking by giving her ten lashes across her olive-skinned face. Afterward, they had then sternly explained to her that their species prided themselves on strength. Family togetherness only increased a youngling’s dependency for its parents; it was a sign of weakness and personal instability.  

Ralph the Central Park Unicorn

“Taxi! Hey, taxi!”

Richard Samson stepped out precariously into the road, waving his hand over his head in an attempt to hail the flashing yellow forms of the cabs zooming by him. He suddenly stepped out precariously close to one of the passing taxi cabs. The cabbie blared his horn and shouted an obscenity out his window as the hurried businessman clipped his right mirror with his briefcase.

Richard cursed and jumped back onto the sidewalk as his black briefcase rebounded off the side of the taxi like rubber, flinging into a nearby puddle of water. His flustered, mustached face looked back in the direction of the fleeing taxi cab. At the last second before it rounded the corner, the cabbie’s hairy arm rose from the window, pronouncing his unceremonious farewell with a middle finger pointed in Richard’s direction.

He rubbed his veiny temples, muttering disdainful words about his job, New York City traffic, the colorful and wonderful cabby that had nearly taken his arm off, and other things that annoyed him in that moment. He gave a grimace as his nimble fingers grasped the handle of his fallen briefcase. He spastically shook the excess mucky water from its leather surface like a dog shaking water out of its fur.

Richard took a deep breath and saw ever more taxis passing by him like a yellow bull rush, obviously oblivious to this working man’s need to hitch a ride home. Across from him, on the other side of the street, something else caught his eye amid the rushing traffic and various street vendors boisterously soliciting their wares.

Music Review: Nine Lashes - "World We View"

Although I am a huge fan of many top-runner Christian rock bands such as Switchfoot, Skillet, and Red, I occasionally find myself skeptical when exploring new Christian rock bands out of fear that they may not live up to the hype of other rock genres. Luckily, with the case of the up-and-coming five-piece band Nine Lashes, I found myself astounded by what I’ve heard and pleased with the views that they present and the sound that they’ve weaved. The band’s core message centers around their faith, as evidenced by their name; “Nine Lashes” being a tribute to the wounds that Christ took before his sacrifice. However, the band’s central creeds presented in their music are also ones of inspiration and hope that fans of all types and backgrounds can rally behind.

World We View, the debut album for this Birmingham, Alabama quintet, opens up with the song “Anthem Of The Lonely.” The track, also the band’s first single, is aptly the most powerful song on the album in my opinion, and is the song that will likely be Nine Lashes’ trump card as they launch themselves to new heights with the release of World We View. This song is an ample reflection of what raw power the band brings through its pulsing, elemental guitar riffs, emotional and motivating lyrics, and an overall sound that gives me newfound respect for Christian rock bands and the intensity that they can bring to their music as Nine Lashes does.

 

The song’s title was spot on for the lyrical message of not only the song, but the whole album. This message being that one must take a stand for what they believe in, even if doing so makes you a loner. Throughout the debut track, I found myself enjoying multiple sounds all at once; the adrenaline-pumping riffs throughout, vocalist Jeremy Dunn’s smooth yet pronouncing vocals, and the overall instrumental sound that is uplifting and inspirational while possessing enough raw energy to send you into a frenzy. “Anthem Of The Lonely” may well become my personal anthem as I explore this album (and the band’s future music) further.

Sheltering the Helpless and Forgotten

The Issue at Hand

As the holidays draw ever closer, families of people come home from long days of work and school to shelter themselves indoors from the winter chill. As they take to their cozy domestic sanctuaries, so too do they bask in the warming ambiance of festive holiday music whilst lighting their menorahs or stringing their Christmas trees with a collage of dazzling decorations or preparing freshly cooked ham or turkey dinners. And, not only do the human residents rejoice in the wake of spirit-lifting season, but so too do their pets as well. Happy, contented cats and dogs take to the warmth and safety and security of their respective houses and the caring owners that provide for them. They look upon the ensemble of dazzling holiday decorations with captivation as the smell ham and turkey wafts over their noses or the strange melodies of “White Christmas” fills their ears as they bask in the serene warmth of a radiant fireplace hearth. In this scenario, pets raised in a stable, living background enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of the holiday season along with their human owners. For many household pets, this seemingly happy-go-lucky dream is in fact a reality.

 

Others however, are not so fortunate. Many pets who could otherwise enjoy the simple pleasures and luxuries of a warm home in full holiday turnover as well as a human owner to enjoy it with them lack both of these amenities. Here on Long Island, New York, let alone in countless other areas across the United States and the world, there are dogs and cats who, because of an unfortunate twist of time and circumstance, now have to spend their cold holidays out on the street or gradually become rehabilitated in a pet shelter or adoption center. These poor, forsaken souls, many of whom were forced to leave the loving care of their previous owners while others have a history of abandonment, negligence and abuse at the hands of less-than-responsible owners, sit idly by within their chain-link cages in their respective animal shelters as they take the long and tedious road to normalcy. For example, Zaz, a hefty grey tabby cat, sits in solitude within his cage at the Town of Smithtown Pet Shelter with a demeanor of dejection and sorrow, clearly distraught over the fact that he had to be parted from his beloved owner. Zaz’s previous owner, an elderly woman, was forced to part with the cat under threat of eviction by her landlord.

The Cat's Captives: How Felines Manipulate Their Owners

The predator lined up its target prey within its sights. The creature’s keen, almost supernatural senses had detected with unmistakable accuracy, the prey’s movements. With calculated, subliminal cleverness, the predator prepped itself for an ambush, ready at any moment to spring a trap upon its unsuspecting quarry.

With delicate, dexterous movements, the predator sauntered over into an adequate hiding spot on its four limbs. When it had positioned itself according to where its prey would surely arrive, it waited with inhuman patience for the opportune moment to spring upon the creature unfortunate enough to cross his path. Its dazzling and terrifying golden eyes twinkled with malice and its grey tail swished behind it with its eagerness.

Suddenly, the predator’s grey pointed ears perk up and twitch like radar dishes as its prey’s movements signal its impending arrival. It hears and detects step after step that the prey takes toward it; its advanced senses and its natural intuition as a tactician and a hunter allowing it to pinpoint exactly when and where the prey will reveal itself. As the prey’s obvious movements grow louder and it blatantly enters the watchful beast’s line of sight, then that is when the predator finally strikes.

With claws bared and terrifying roar being belched, the grey beast lunges from its secluded hiding spot and attacks.

The well-planned ambush set by the predator led to an attack that lasted all of two seconds. There was no biting or gnarling or unadulterated bloody violence like seen on National Geographic as a lion takes down a gazelle. Rather, this was an attack of a different sorts; the outcome of which was equivalent to that of a predator taking down prey in the wild: food.

In this particular scenario, the grey-furred “predator” was not a feral panther or a deadly cheetah, but was none other than a quirky little Russian Blue feline named Charlie. His prey: the blond-haired human woman that feeds him every day. His mission: snag at her sleeve as she walks by so that she’ll give up some cat treats. His well-planned hiding spot: the kitchen counter.

Those Eyes

It was four years ago that I had taken my first pet, Belle, to the veterinary hospital to be put to sleep. Furthermore, it was the first time of my brief existence that I had ever watched something, someone, very dear to me die right before my eyes.

I expected that day to just be like any other for me; cereal, shower, school, dinner, and bed. I had no prior conception that I would be standing next to a cold metal veterinary table watching the syringe go into my eldest cat’s front paw. Shortly after eating breakfast, my mother broke the news to me with a heavy heart that today was the last day for Belle.

“She spent the entire night throwing up. She doesn’t even seem happy anymore,” my mom explained to me dejectedly. “I don’t want to see her go on suffering like this.”

I sat over my breakfast idly, clearing a lump from my throat and trying to sift through the foggy haze in my mind. Was it really that time already? I was expecting it to be another year, or a few more months at least. Maybe that’s just what I wanted to believe though. Maybe in all my youthful naïveté I subconsciously thought that all of us, human, feline or otherwise, would just keep on going.

Untitled Sci-fi Novel Excerpt: Chapter 4- "Natural Born Killers"

This is another chapter of my untitled sci-fi novel. It is a flashback sequence from one of the main characters, Areya.

            833 days before arrival on Earth

The memory was as vivid and clear as Lictor’s face had been only minutes before. In this distasteful recollection, Areya, the young recruit merely five Varsolothian orbits old, stood in line amongst an eager yet firm battalion of green-skinned troops.

            The leader of the battalion, Force Commander Ackron, shouted out various names to the ensemble for roll call.

            “Septis, shock; Meegan, vanguard; Vicero, shock; Civilin, shock; Rhegon, scout; Necro, vanguard; Areya,” the commander recited. Time had seemed to stop as Areya’s name had been finally been called. “Scout.”

            Areya grimaced, gritting her teeth as she reluctantly saluted to the Force Commander Archon. “Scout duty…for her?!” she had thought at the time. She, like any trainee, knew full well that the shock and vanguard troops always had the up-close-and-personal blunt of the action while scouts were generally reduced to spotting targets and shooting out enemies from afar.

            Foolish spawn of an Orug! I am the most efficient combatant in this entire band of witless recruits and here I am being limited to killing Terestroicans from a thousand yards away…like a coward?! I want to go charging in with blade swinging and pistol blazing! I want to see the fear seep out of my enemies just before my blade meets their throat! I want those cowards, in their last moments, to know that they’ve just been slain by Areya, daughter of Veger, faithful servant of Varsoloth!

            After her battalion had been given their frontline duties for the coming battle, Ackron stood at the front of the battle-ready Varsolothian horde. In perfect unison, the unit clicked their heels together and gave the traditional military salute of crossing their right arm to their left shoulder-blade. The tall, muscled, green-skinned officer with a collage of battle ribbons pinned to his black armor plating began to speak to his loyal underlings.

Moonchaser Prologue: "Moonlight Ultimatum"

This is the prologue and an excerpt from my first sci-fi/fantasy novel called "Moonchaser"

Victor Carnassus bounded through the darkest vestiges of the forest, belching a hoarse pant as each thud upon a stick or a patch of dirt sapped more of his energy.

A short distance behind him, the shouts of his pursuers rang through the trees. This seemed to immediately quicken his pace and put a broadening gap between himself and the bloodthirsty huntsmen grasping at his heels. The miles of endless running through the trees was beginning to take its toll on Carnassus and even the strenuous breathing and throbbing pressure in his head failed to drown out the voices of his pursuers.

Finally, the frantic flight across miles of thicket became too much for him and with a burst of air from his lungs, he dove headfirst into a nearby tree trunk to grab a needed drink of air from the atmosphere.

Hunching his back against the tree, he made a quick dab of his fingers to the trails of minor flesh wounds darting over his skin from the countless whipping of tree vines and branches against his torso. He made a series of glances between the row of trees that he just ran through and the path which would lead him further away from the huntsmen. As he stared off behind him he began to see the blurred fluorescence of torchlight drawing nearer to the tree that he rested against.

The renewed sound of voices and the ever-nearing presence of torchlight shook Carnassus from his sitting position and got his feet moving in the opposite direction of the huntsmen once again. One of the hunters shouted out something incomprehensible to his ears; making it clear that he had finally been spotted.

Carnassus knew now based on his growing lethargy combined with the quickened pace of his pursuers that it would eventually come down to direct confrontation with the hunters very soon. He quickly banked to the right and darted for a small exposed area of the woods with which to lure the hunters to. Carnassus stood in the center of the circle of trees, alone and weaponless. He sluggishly reared to face his outnumbering foes as they quickly converged on the clearing.

Music Review: Echoes the Fall - "Bloodline"

Another review for EMURG.com music blog

Echoes the Fall is:

Jeromy Moorehead- Vocals (Current)

Mike Gable- Guitars

Mitch Gable- Drums

Trevor Keeling- Bass

Myles Byrum- Guitar

Former:

David Mackey- Vocals (Bloodline)

Bloodline, the debut full-length album by the five-man band Echoes the Fall, is a record that blends an original powerful sound with familiar styles trail-blazed by other popular bands of the last decade such as Trapt and Staind. The alternative rock quintet from Phoenix, Arizona manages to establish itself amongst other modern rock juggernauts with an album that doesn’t hesitate to make use of thumping, heavy instrumentals, satisfying choruses and opening verses, edgy and pulse-pounding riffs and others surprising amenities that will surely bring in a plethora of new rock and metal fans.

The album is kicked off with the opening track, “Break Away.” I was instantly hooked on this song

Untitled Sci-fi Novel Excerpt: Chapter 1- "Souvenirs"

This is the first chapter of my ongoing sci-fi novel (I do not yet have a title for the novel). The chapter is called, "Souvenirs."

1 day after arrival on Earth

Areya sifted through the dumpster, tossing aside broken electronic devices, half-eaten food scraps and other mundane objects as she sought out clothing in particular. Lictor’s alert grey eyes scanned both ends of the alleyway for unwelcome guests; fists clenched as if he were readying himself for combat. Neither of them wanted that to happen however; the last thing they needed was to have their cover blown after having only just landed several hours before.

            Areya suddenly gasped as she made a discovery. Lictor grew alert and narrowed himself out as he approached the dumpster warily.

            “What is it, cousin?” he asked mildly, although he was eager to see what his older cousin had found.

            She raised her arm up from inside the dumpster, revealing a small item hooked between her long thumb and forefinger. “It’s a headpiece! For little brother!” she exclaimed gleefully. Dangling from her fingers was a winter wool cap, small enough for a toddler to wear. Areya glanced past Lictor and to the miniature green form huddled in his makeshift basket. “Look little brother, a headpiece!” she repeated, this time to the green infant.

            The child didn’t hear her as his little chest continued to rise and fall in calm insentience. Areya threw the small article of clothing to Lictor who abruptly caught it and began to study it incredulously.

Music Review: Incura - "The Lost EP"

Music review I wrote for EMURG.com, the music blog I wrote for:

Incura is:

Kyle Gruninger - Vocals

Jim McLaren - Keys

Jon Olson - Bass

Gatlin Fitzgerald - Guitar

Phil Gardner - Drums

I was a bit incredulous going into this review due to having admittedly never heard of the band Incura, let alone listened to their music. However, this hesitation was short lived after one clean sweep of listening to the latest album by these Vancouver, Canada-based rockers. Perhaps the fact that I went into this with no expectations and no prior knowledge of the band is what contributed to my immense surprise when I heard a band with fluid instrumentals, clever and emotional lyrics, blended musicals styles and genres, and an overall revolutionary sound that will likely keep me and many other listeners coming back for more.

The 7-track album, The Lost EP, opens up with the song “The Greatest Con,” which I believe to be a wonderful opening to the album due to its fluidity, fast-paced instrumentals, powerful lyrics and entertaining chorus. From this opening track, you really get the package of everything that is to be loved and appreciated about this band. Vocalist Kyle Gruninger’s smooth yet edgy voice never seems