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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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.

You might know that I also write an anime blog for 451 Press called Anime Fans Online. I thought I’d let you know that I’m starting a game up over there. If it works ok, I might bring the idea over to FanaticSpace too.

The Game

The idea of the anime casting call game is simple. I give an anime and a list of the characters, readers leave comments casting the live action movie. You can cast any character from the anime that you want to, but there’s a good reason to cast everyone on the list.

Free Manga

I’ll be giving out manga grab bags to a few of the people that cast the list in the manner that I request. The manga I’ll be giving away are those that I’ve read and for one reason or another don’t want to keep. Most of them I’ve reviewed on AFO, so take a look at the manga reviewed over there to get an idea of what could be given away. It’ll be randomly chosen.

Come Play With Us

The first anime casting call is Bleach. So come let us know who you’d like to see battling hollows on the big screen.

: Fandoms, Fun Stuff, Anime, Opinions, Anime Fans Online, 451 Press, Contests, Manga, Free Stuff, Free Manga, Free, Live Action Anime, Casting, Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue, Sado “Chad” Yasutora, Uryu Ishida, Kenpachi Zaraki

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.

Do You Want ‘Possums with That?

Having just returned from two weeks in splendid [self imposed] isolation, I’m tempted to declare that I was on a spiritual retreat, or writing the next Great American Novel.

The truth is that a dear friend of mine found herself in the dilemma of her adopted dad about to shuffle off this proverbial mortal coil(e), and her property caretaker unable to delay personal business.

I’d planned to write my next blog entry on Eureka at that time. I was instead thrust into a remote homestead in the Arkansas Ozarks, careening about spiraled mountain roads, channeling Shakespeare snippets. “Once more into the breach, dear friends!” Melodramatic? Perhaps. But it was, at least, a metaphorical breach.

Wrenched from the epitome of a relatively modern South Carolina dwelling into a land where the closest gas station was 10 miles distant, I was hauling firewood up a hill to stay warm. And I was in a quandary: How to get into Eureka mode? Even the Rube Goldberg style woodstove, reminiscent of some Eurekan failed experiments, didn’t inspire me.

Wild Pigs [sic] Couldn’t Drag Me Awayyyyy

Then it happened. I was hiking across a ridge with my digital camera and saw some strange tracks. I took photos of them that day, and matched some with online deer and wild pig tracks (duh, I was in razorback country), as well as a very large canine track. The next night, after an all day frog strangler complete with dense fog, something ran into the side of the house. The crowd of dogs in the kitchen went wild. All the miscellaneous tough outdoor cats that usually keep the outbuildings rat-free slept on the upper porch for several nights after that. Even the dog-sized opossums couldn’t have shaken the upper porch. Rumors abound of Ozark phenomenon. A thorough examination the next morning revealed no evidence. I never solved the mystery. Errant nearsighted wild pig? I found myself wondering, “WWTD?” (What Would Taggart Do?) And in that moment, I had the subject of this post on Eureka. James Taggart is Eureka’s resident “biological containment specialist.” Some have lovingly referred to him as Eureka’s dogcatcher. Indeed he does occasionally play dogcatcher, such as when LoJack — early described by Frewer as Taggart’s Moby Dick — is on the loose. He apparently doubles as the local veterinarian as well. When LoJack is injured, Taggart nurses him like a child.

Taggart, Man & Myth

But like many of the folks in Eureka, there’s more to Taggart than we see in any given episode. He’s another Global Dynamics mystery. He has an array of smart cages, weaponry, and yes, even “smart cheese to catch smart mice. Taggart is a man of many talents, notwithstanding his mediocre paintball playing. He’s like Tarzan with a larger vocabulary and less hair. Some have said that Taggart is just “useless comic relief.” Yet Taggart enacts a nearly archetypal Trickster role in Eureka.

He’s often portrayed as the Fool, the Coyote, the buffoon, however comic allusions to a darker side of his transformative nature are revealed in the webisodes of Hide and Seek, with his Bigfoot meets Jekyll & Hyde style “missing link” experiments. What is Taggart’s story?

He’s Too Sexy for his Shirt

Let’s face it; Taggart is also sexy in a romanticized Wild Man of Borneo style.

Of course, the “real” Wild Man of Borneo is actually an orangutan, mistaken by some for a wild jungle man. Taggart is no orangutan. He’s that wild guy who’s crazy and brilliant…the one you’d definitely want to take with you to the island on Survivor. My friend, Rinda, the anime queen, said, “I’ve always thought Taggart was crazy and oddly sexy but I’m attracted to the odd, crazy, violent and anti-social ones!” (Ed. Mature readers and fans of Bleach can confirm this by reading her Zaraki fanfic)

I’m not sure how I feel about that particular sentiment, but attraction to Taggart, like many other things in Eureka, is complicated. He can be the slightly scary storytelling uncle, as in the opening scenes of Phoenix Rising. Naturally, he then morphs into mad scientist mode with the “human bits” and the unidirectional particle emitter. He may even have a nuclear bomb. But we all have our faults. He loves animals, perhaps most especially cybernetic ones.

Sentiment for AI (artificial intelligence) may be genetic or behavioral. In my own case, just last month my elderly mother spent hours walking behind my IRobot made Roomba vacuum, encouraging it to greater suction and tenderly correcting it when it missed a spot. Ah well, Birds of a feather, as they say…

 Being a master plumber’s daughter, I was oddly fascinated with the Taggart and Jo during the H.O.U.S.E. Rules episode. Taking a seminal groping scene from a movie such as From Here to Eternity, and lampooning it in the bowels of SARAH’s bunker was en-grossing. My mind was a riot of wild sensory extrapolations right after Taggart said to Jo, “Good on ya, mate,” and I washed my hands with anti-bacterial soap as soon as the scene was over.

Last but not least, in his favor as a romantic barbarian sort, Taggart even cleans up fairly well, and he can dance. I ask you…What’s not to love?

Some have said that Taggart’s bad Aussie accent grates on the psyche. I don’t know, since nearly everyone where I come from has a bad accent of some description. One thing I can say with certainty:

James Taggart, aka the former Max Headroom, is always entertaining, if eccentric. He can p-p-p-p-ark his b-b-b-boots in my laboratory any time.

Shiny1 is sometimes known as Patricia deVarennes

: Max Headroom, Eureka, sci-fi, fan, Taggart, Matt Frewer

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FanaticSpace - Everyone loves something.