Copyright © 2011 Jason Wigley

This is how Zombie Movies Start

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

It first came to me on SyFy Blaster: That Jerk who raged at you on the road today was probably a gamer. Fox News trumpeted,  “Study Says Video Gamers Make Dangerous Drivers.” MSNBC came up with, “No, Driving Games do not Make you Better Drivers.” I was intrigued, and so I ferreted out the original press release at Continental Tires.  Here are just a few highlights:

Drivers who DO  PLAY/DON’T PLAY

% stopped by police  — 22/13
% ever made a claim for an accident–30/15
% run a red light in last 12mnths — 1/14
% take risks (accelerate too quickly, overtake) — 44/21
% suffer road rage  — 45/22
% who speed –  25 /13
% scare others with their driving-26/11

This study only refers to Driving Video Gamers.  It might be easy to miss that with blazing headlines.

Does this UK based information actually have much applicability in the US?  I hope to have a “Part II” to this article, as I sent an email to the listed PR folks at the global Continental Tire site asking for the study criteria and some other clarifications.  Meanwhile, let’s just take a look at what’s actually there and what’s absent:

Item 1:   Where’s the criteria?  Where’s the link to the study? The “study” is self reporting.  It’s like a survey on Family Feud or those pesky consumer product surveys where you name which detergents you like best.

Item 2:  The study is conducted in the U.K. among 17-39 year olds. According to theaveragegamer.com, the average age of UK gamers is 23+.   The average game player age in the US is 35 years old.  Ahem.

Roughly 27% of gamers in the UK are women.  40% of women in the US are gamers.   25% of the US population over the age of 50 play video games.

Item 3:  How much of the sample was 17-25 year olds? This is a significant missing fact as that age group is arguably the highest risk for auto insurers in the US: 

This is because statistics show that men under the age of 25 have more accidents and moving violations than women. Not only do they tend to spend more time driving, but they drive in a more reckless fashion, as a rule. Additionally, they may select sports cars and other vehicles deemed “high-risk”, raising their premiums…  Regardless of gender, new drivers under the age of 18 face the highest insurance rates. For both men and women, rates drop when they reach the age of 18. For women, they drop again at 21, while men have to wait until they are 25 to enjoy lower car insurance rates.  (from carinsurance.com)

Item 4:   Chicken or egg? Is playing a video game actually causing bad driving?   No.  Before video games, there was drag racing, street rodding, etc.  In my opinion, Individuals who did these activities in some locations are now  playing driving games instead, and yes, they are still experimenting with their cars when they get in them and yes, it can and will always be dangerous.

Continental Tires Tim Bailey (so called Safety Expert)  would have us believe this apparently junk science study, and apparently a lot of us have bought into it and the news outlets love it, of course.

When I was a child, comic books, rock and roll music and television was going to bring about the end of the world, then Dungeons and Dragons was going to send us all to hell after it turned us all into killers.   Music videos were going to corrupt us all and kill music and imagination.  Then video games were going to bring about the end of the world, send us all to hell after it turned us into killers, corrupt us all and kill imagination.   Now, we can add that playing video games makes you a bad driver.  Here is your  auto insurance questionnaire:  Do you play video games?  If yes, please check all that apply: __ Grand Theft Auto   __Gran Torino     __Cars    I sincerely hope that the insurance industry opts out of this madness.

But here’s where they rubber meets the road. You don’t have to buy Continental Tires the next time you need tires. Buy something else.  Buy anything else.  But don’t buy into Continental Tires junk science.  If I hear from the PR Department at Continental Tires global site, I’ll update you with what I hear in Part II.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

The Robot’s Pajamas is an interesting read. It’s a bit hard to define though. I’d call it Pop Culture Nostalgia, but you’ll have to form your own opinion. Posts about toys and games, both old and new, with some unique commentary makes this site worth checking out.

Watch out for the NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content though. You’re likely to see anything over there!

(Update: Edited for Spelling. Learn from my mistakes people. Proofread!)

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

Tiger Eye Part 1: Curse of the Riddle Box, based on the novel by Marjorie M. Liu, is aimed squarely at casual gamers. No cutting edge graphics, simple (but fun) game play, fairly short game time, but it can be bought for under $15.

Read on for screen shots and a more detailed review.

(Ed. Note: I received a copy of this game for review at no cost to me. )

Graphics

The graphics are in a comic book style, which fits the game, but it’s looks dated. Don’t expect anything too fancy in the artwork. Gameplay screens are nice, the cut scenes kind of fall short. It’s not a big deal, but some of Marjorie M. Liu’s comic book fans may be disappointed by the style.

Game Play

The game consists of the casual/web game staples, hidden objects and puzzles. Most of them are a pretty entertaining way to kill some time. You’ll probably wind up using a couple of hints tracking down the hard to find pieces. Or maybe that’s just me.

The biggest problem with the gameplay is the complete lack of replay value. The puzzles are the same every time, there is no random element to them at all. It will be the same the second, third or fourth time through as it was the first time you played it.

That can be a good thing though…

You can jot down the solutions to the puzzles you needed hints on the first time and unlock the extras on your second time around. ( If you don’t want to use one of the walkthoughs found on the internet)

Price

For around $7, the price of the most basic package that only includes the game, it’s worth it. There are some decent puzzles and an interesting story. Fans can get a bit more than the game if they’re willing to shell out a little more money. Even the platinum package, which includes the full soundtrack and a few other nice perks, only costs $12.99. It’s not going to break anyone’s bank.

There’s even a free demo, at the top of the passionfruit games Download page, that lets you play a few levels and decide if you want to buy it.

Random Giggles

I did find it pretty funny that ancient Chinese were-genies only grant 2 wishes…

Death,

or Sweet, Sweet Lovin’.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

Tiger Eye Crosses Over To PC

Paranormal romance has gained a solid foothold in the world of books and TV. I know a few people who are fans of the stuff and chances are you know someone like that yourself. That’s why I decided to share with you a few tidbits from a press release I received.

New gaming company, PassionFruit Games, launches with first of its kind romance casual game based on bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu’s Tiger Eye novel.”

PassionFruit Games acknowledges the challenges of turning a popular book into digital entertainment and of adhering closely to the book’s storyline. In their quest to stay true to the novel, all members of the team—from artist to programmer—read Tiger Eye, as well as other novels in the Dirk & Steele universe, to get a feel for the “essence” of the game. The producer and lead designer held regular video conferences with Marjorie to go over the latest design ideas and Marjorie herself wrote the script for the game and is involved with the game every step of the way, giving input on scene art, character design, and voice actor selection.

Advance Screenshot from Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box

Romance Games Aren’t New

Fans of anime and manga are well aware that romance games are pretty popular overseas. Several anime shows have been based on Dating Sims. Unfortunately, it seems like most of the games that get translated into English and imported to the U.S. are hentai games.

I’d like to see PassionFruit succeed for my own selfish reasons. I want to see a wider range of games available in the U.S. market.

Can paranormal romance do as well in games as it does in books and TV?

I think paranormal romance has a better shot at opening gaming up to these kinds of games than any other type of romance. The best time for it is now. Paranormal romance has become familiar to a wider audience thanks to TV shows like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and, more recently, True Blood. Even movies and books have paved the way to mainstream success with titles like Twilight.

I believe paranormal romance has a very strong chance at gaming success.

I’d love to see an Anita Blake:Vampire Hunter game, but I’m afraid it would be a First Person Shooter.

Info on Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box

The game is scheduled to be released in April 2010. A $6.99 standard package will be available as well as a $9.99 premium package with extra goodies.

You can pre-order the game, send holiday e-cards and get more info from the PassionFruit Games Web Site.

Here’s some info on the story…

The Tiger Eye novel, which Publishers Weekly praised as a “first-rate debut” and “a striking paranormal romance,” tells the story of Dela, a woman with psychic abilities who buys a riddle box in Beijing’s Dirt Market and opens it to find an ancient warrior, Hari, bound to serve as a slave to the person who has opened the box. The action moves between China and the U.S. and PassionFruit Games will mirror this international scope through two games, the first to take place in China and the second in the U.S. PassionFruit games also plans to involve readers in the release of Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box with the chance for a select few fans to be Beta testers and with fan voting on looks for the character, Long Nu.

Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box Concept Art

The face of the warrior, Hari, is hidden in this image. The complete image will be revealed to those who pre-order the game.

About The Creators

Marjorie M. Liu is an attorney, and the New York Times bestselling author of short stories, novellas, and two ongoing series: Dirk & Steele novels of paranormal romance, and the Hunter Kiss urban fantasy series. She wrote NYX: No Way Home, for Marvel Comics, and is co-writing the ongoing bestselling Dark Wolverine series. Marjorie divides her time between the American Midwest, and Beijing/Shanghai, China. For a complete listing of all her work, please visit her website at: www.marjoriemliu.com

PassionFruit Games was founded by a group of individuals who had created several critically-acclaimed casual games together before establishing their own independent studio. Their mission is to bring stories and characters to life through lushly-painted interactive environments and captivating cinematics, while providing engaging, entertaining gameplay. The PassionFruit Games team members also worked on the critically acclaimed Nancy Drew Dossier game when they were at Her Interactive; the game was just chosen as the “Best Hidden Object Game of 2009” by Yahoo! Games.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

Not too long ago I wrote a review of Masques, an anthology from the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild. I’ve been lucky enough to receive a copy of the book, as well as an autographed poster, to share with FanaticSpace.com readers. So it’s time for a book giveaway.

Prize

1 copy of Masques and 1 small, laminated poster signed by a few of the authors.

How to enter

Leave a comment telling me about your favorite short story.

Earn Extra Entries!

Other ways to enter include…

Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter = 1 Extra Entry. (per Public Tweet)

Link to this giveaway on Twitter = 2 Extra Entries. (per Public Tweet)

Add me (2xKnight) as a friend on Myspace, with a pm about the contest = 3 Extra Entries.

Write a post on your blog = 5 Extra Entries.

Rules

This giveaway is open to residents of U.S.A. and Canada.

You must use a real e-mail address when leaving a comment. (If I can’t contact you to let you know that you’ve won, then you can’t win.)

Entry Deadline is 11:59 pm E.S.T. Wednesday August 5th 2009.

Winner will be chosen by random drawing Thursday August 6th.

Good Luck!

This is a very nice collection of stories. I’m sure that whoever gets the book will enjoy it quite a bit.

I’m trying out something new with the Twitter, Myspace and blog entry methods. I wanted to give you a reason to tell your friends. Extra chances to win seem like a good way to do that. Cross your fingers that it works. If it does, then you’ll have more ways to win in future FanaticSpace giveaways.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

(Spoiler Warning. Some parts of this post can be considered spoilers. It’s an episode recap after all. — 2xKnight)

The big news in Eureka is not the jazzed up song and dance sendup of Mister Rogers Neighborhood theme,
it’s Eva Thorne.  She flies in on her broomstick in the Season 3 premiere just in time to see an anti-missile test of the Viper vs. Martha go wrong.  Eva is known as “The Fixer” — a corporate maven and master manipulator. She’s got the power (from the Department of Defense), and she attempts to use it.  Her stated goal?  To make Global Dynamics pay for itself.  The only person Eva seems to have regard for is Stark, but even he isn’t falling for it…yet.  Allison, however, seems to be falling for him…again.

Eva is a bad ass, but I was disappointed with the two dimensional nature of her character.  Even when we discover that she has an agenda of her own, my first impression is that she’s boringly, unremittingly vile.  Sigh. I spent many years in corporate America working for people like that every day…do I really want to tune into Eureka and see the same thing?  Thus far, the writers have given Eva no finesse…all she needs is a Snidely Whiplash mustache!  Beverly, the Shrink Spy, was wicked…but she did it with horrific class.  Remember, Eva, “these things must be done delicately.”

Just first impressions.  I’ll wait to see what happens…

The brightest light in this episode is Martha. ” She” is an adolescent drone with an accelerated learning curve, and she’s almost downright lovable.  She bonds with Zoe, wreaks havoc, and in the end, comes home, just like Lassie.   Okay, maybe Martha’s bite is a little worse than her bark, but she means well.

All in all, not a bad opener for Season 3.  There was some resolution to “A Night at Global Dynamics.” I will be tuning in again and either documenting the demise or rise of another season of Eureka.

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Sorry I didn’t get this to you yesterday, but we were actually traveling, and then when I tried to log into the doctorhorrible.com website to watch Act 1 of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, the site was continually down. Very frustrating. So after messing around with that for an hour or two, I just went to iTunes and purchased the whole thing for $3.99 (it was $1.99 per Act and I know I’m gonna want them all). Its so worth it, if the first installment is anything to go by.

I loved it!! So my advice to you is to forget dealing with trying to watch for free. Just go buy it. You’re gonna want to anyway. I just bought it last night and I’ve probably only seen it like a dozen times, is all.

Oh, and look what I found? This fun Gawker interview of Joss Whedon. It’s not your father’s interview, if you know what I mean. Here’s a sample of the type of questions and answers to expect:

Q. Any surprise cameos we can look forward to in “Dr. Horrible”? I know I could use a fix of some Anthony Head or Emma Caulfield about now. I’m dying!

A. Two words, true believer: no. Ah, there was no second word. Sorry.

Go check it out. Right after you see Act 1 of Dr. Horrible.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

I know I keep going on and on about Dr. Horrible, but I’m just so excited about a new Whedon project and Dollhouse is still in the future. First of all, here’s a link to the official myspace. But more importantly, the dates are here!!!! I’m so amazingly thrilled about this, I can’t stand it.  The first part will air on Tuesday, July 15, the second part on Thursday, July 17, and the third part on Saturday, July 19.  All three parts will remain up until Sunday, July 20.  All to be viewed free!   After that, Dr. Horrible will be available for download. 

In honor of the dates being revealed, I’m going to repost some of what Joss had to say over at Whedonesque.

Dear Friends,

At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read. ‘Kay?

It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, “It’s Show Business – not Show Friends”? Well now it’s Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business. (Also, there are now other businesses like it.)

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:

ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

 

(If you want to read the rest of the post, and I strongly suggest that you do, then head on over to Whedonesque with this link.)

So now that we are armed with this information, I want to urge everyone out there to tell your family, tell your neighbors, tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the guy who bags your groceries and pumps your gas (ha!), the lady at the dry cleaners, your attorney, your banker, your baker, your candlestick maker, and even your Indian Chiefs. In short, tell every one you come into contact with between now and July 15. Dr. Horrible is coming.

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

I was getting some pictures ready for a review of The Host and I got sidetracked. The good news is I got sidetracked making wallpaper. Even better news, I tweaked it and saved it in a few different sizes.

Updated: 4 more wallpapers.

The Host, Hope

The Host, Hope Wallpaper 800×600




The Host, Hope Wallpaper 1024×768

The Host, Hope Wallpaper 1280×800

The Host, Hope Wallpaper 1280×1024

The Host, Home

No text on this one, except for a site credit. Just pictures.

The Host, Home Wallpaper 800×600

The Host, Home Wallpaper 1024×768

The Host, Home Wallpaper 1280×800

The Host, Home Wallpaper 1280×1024

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.