Up late talking games & writing? You're...

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Book: Quick update on my upcoming Urban Fantasy novel, Speaking in Forked Tongues - the publisher sent over the contract this weekend, and just as I was about to print it out and sign... my printer is out of ink. Go figure, right? Anyway, the pieces are falling into place and I'm very happy that progress is happening.

More to come.

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Reviews: My review of Dokuro is now live. I guarantee it's the best game you didn't play this year... Expect it to figure quite prominently in my year-end top ten.

Other recent pieces at Gamecritics include @GC_Danny’s review of Mad Max wannabe Ravaged, and @CoreyMotley’s semi-epic examination of why Survival Horror sucks so much these days.

If you've got time, give them a click.

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Games: I've been asked a few times if I will be getting a Wii U, and what my plans are in regard to the system. Basically, my plans are... I have no immediate plans.

Nintendo will not be sending review hardware to Gamecritics (they never send us anything!) and discretionary spending on a new console is on hold right now. Apart from that, I’ve looked at the release list and as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to get excited about. Although what technically qualifies as the "release window" is a little squishy, the only things I'm even remotely interested in are Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, ZombiU, and Pikmin 3.

I'll definitely get hardware in the house in time to play Monster Hunter next year, but I don't really see any reason to pop for it right now. Pikmin will be more Pikmin (not a bad thing, but not a system-seller, either) and ZombiU is still an unknown quantity.

So, there you have it. Unless Nintendo has a change of heart and a unit shows up on my doorstep out of the blue, don't expect any Wii U coverage from me until March at the earliest.

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Games: I'm expecting to start my new review assignments this week, but in the meantime I took a couple of days to finish the Origin of Pain DLC for Trials Evolution on XBLA.

I didn't hear a lot about it at the time it was released, but I'm glad that I didn't miss it... the addition of a BMX bike is a lot of squirrelly fun, and some of the new tracks are atmospheric and full of personality. Be warned, though... the Magic Marker Extreme level was a serious pain in the ass to complete. It was perhaps not as difficult as some previous Extremes, but that's kind of like saying hitting concrete at 200MPH is less painful than hitting it at 300MPH.

Anyway, check out this video to see how easy the track looks when a top-class player does it, and then don't even think for a second that you'll be able to do the same without days of practice and an ulcer. Me? My best finishing run was around 6 minutes and 98 crashes...  

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Music: If you're in the Seattle area or will be on 11/15, Kirby Krackle will be playing a last-minute show with I Fight Dragons and MC Lars at El Corazon. Tickets are $12 in advance or $14 at the door!

Doors open at 7:30pm, the show is All-Ages, and will feature the full band!

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Experience a brand new chapter of the Devil May Cry adventure with Vergil’s Downfall, the untold story of Dante’s twin brother Vergil which will be downloadable from XBLA and PSN. Vergil’s Downfall offers fans the opportunity to play as one of the most wanted Devil May Cry characters, Vergil, in an all new storyline with fresh gameplay including new weapons, combos, enemies, and locations.

Vergil’s Downfall will be available shortly after launch for 720 MS points and $8.99 on PlayStation Network. North American consumers who pre-order Devil May Cry at GameStop or EB Canada will receive a redeemable code to access Vergil’s Downfall at no charge when the content becomes available.

DmC Devil May Cry arrives on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 15, 2013 across North America and Europe with a PC version shortly after.

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Award winning game developer and animator, Michel Gagné, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance the first four minutes of a proposed animated feature film based on his graphic novel, The Saga of Rex.

Gagné began his career as an animator in 1985, and went on to work on several high profile projects for studios such as Don Bluth Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Disney, Pixar, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and many more. In the mid nineties, he worked his way up to Head of Special Effects at Warner Brothers Feature Animation where he remained for six years. In 2001, he decided to leave the big studios behind in an effort to pursue a different goal.

Since becoming a full time independent artist, Gagné has done books, graphic novels, short films, a video game, live performances, etc., while at the same time, continuing his affiliation with the movie, television and game industries as a freelancer. Earlier this year, he was awarded a BAFTA (British Academy Award) and an Annie Award (Animation's Highest Honor) for Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, a video game he created with Seattle based game veteran, Joe Olson. The Saga of Rex: The Animated Film is his latest venture and he is confident that he can get the project off the ground through the crowd funding opportunity that Kickstarter offers.

The Saga of Rex was born when Gagné was approached by editor Kazu Kibuishi, about creating a story for the annual comics anthology, FLIGHT, published by Image Comics and Random House.

The Saga of Rex was serialized in six volumes of FLIGHT, from 2005 to 2010. All the chapters were then compiled and published as a single book by Image Comics in the Fall of 2010. The story features a little fox who gets abducted by a flying saucer and is transported to the planet Edernia, where he encounters the Blossoms, a race of shape shifters. One of the Blossoms, chooses Rex as a potential mate and so the adventure begins. Rex must prove his worth and Aven, the shape shifting Blossom, must conquer Rex’s heart. The Saga of Rex is a labor of love that reflects Gagné's deep enthusiasm for offbeat golden age science fiction and classical animation.

Find out more about The Saga of Rex's Kickstarter campaign, and Gagné's plan on how he intend to make the movie at the following links:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michelGagne/the-saga-of-rex-the-animated-film-project

Kickstarter Video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/A5M3ebgBL04

Michel Gagné's Official Website: http://www.gagneint.com/

Contact: gagneint@aol.com

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Today, BioWare is excited to announce that the global launch date of the Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-Play option will be November 15, 2012. This release will be simultaneous across all of the territories and countries where The Old Republic™ is available. The new Free-to-Play option allows gamers to experience all of the class storylines through to Level 50, the current level cap, at no charge and introduces the new Cartel Market!

Any paying subscribers at the launch of the Free-to-Play option on November 15th will be granted all of the Complimentary Cartel Coins currently listed on the Cartel Coin Ledger page, plus a one-time grant of 250 Complimentary Cartel Coins! Additionally, the Rewards Program has been extended! All former subscribers who reactivate their subscription by the new date of December 20, 2012 at 11:59am CDT will be granted Complimentary Cartel Coins for their prior paid months up to November 15, 2012.

As always, be sure to check StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com for latest updates and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. 

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Rising Star Games Inc. has released a new trailer for the arcade shooter Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition. The trailer features new gameplay footage of the remastered classic, and unveils the exclusive 'VKL6.02(A)P Chopper.' The exclusive helicopter features a unique design and a stockpile of powerful weapons.

Under Defeat HD is developed by Japanese arcade game powerhouse G.rev and will be released in North America for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Network on November 27 for $29.99. The retail version of Under Defeat HD will be available exclusively at Amazon.com.

In Under Defeat HD, players will take on the role of a helicopter pilot as they are caught in a struggle between the Empire and the Union. Along with additional upgrades and features, Under Defeat HD will include destructive realism, dual stick compatibility and the new 16:9 New Order Mode. In addition to the full game disc, Rising Star Games' Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition includes:

- Digital art book

- All current DLC and patches

- Soundtrack CD featuring tracks from the New Order Mode

For more information on Under Defeat HD, visit: http://www.risingstargames.com/game.aspx?sku=under-defeat-hd-deluxe-edition-ps3.