Yearly Archives: 2009

Videogames

Videogames | My Favourite Game of 2009

By Aidan Moher December 23rd, 2009
Dragon Quest 5

The Winner

It may not be flashy, it may not be a blockbuster, but Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the Nintendo DS was my favourite game of the year. Last year, I absolutely adored Dragon Quest IV, and had to temper my hopes that its sequel would be able to recapture the magic. Imagine my surprise when Dragon Quest V not only met its predecessor head on, but surpassed it in every way. A charming little RPG that just reeks of old-school charm, Dragon Quest V encapsulated everything that’s wonderful about one of the genre’s premiere series: an epic multi-generational story (that never takes itself too seriously), a blazing fast battle system, and nostalgically muddy graphics. During a period in my life when my free time is devoted almost wholly to reading, writing and family, Dragon Quest V sucked me in for 40 hours and wouldn’t let me go. I wait eagerly for Dragon Quest VI, coming in 2010.

Runner-ups

Torchlight
I wrote about Torchlight a few months ago, when it was first released, and it hasn’t left my gaming rotation since. It’s like Diablo 2.5 and the absolute perfect thing to hold over gamers until the real Diablo 3 rolls around.

Machinarium
Machinarium is a cute adventure game in the vein of the old Monkey Island games, but set in a beautiful dystopia populated by robots. It’s great to see a revitalization of the genre after all these years.

A Boy and His Blob
Sense a theme? I’m a sucker for clean hand-drawn art, and A Boy and his Blob was on my radar from the moment I first saw screenshots. A great puzzle/platformer, it turned out to be more than just eye candy.

You can find my favourite games of 2008 HERE. So, after my decidedly retro list, what are some of your favourite games released in 2009?

Feature Article

Article | My 5 favourite blogs of 2009

By Aidan Moher December 22nd, 2009


Over at The Book Smugglers, I was invited to be part of their annual Smugglivus celebration. Yesterday, my contribution went up and I talked about some of my favourite things in 2009. On top of the typical list of books I loved, I also wanted to use the space to throw some exposure to some of the blogs that I really loved this year. I thought it would be fun to bring that list over here, also.

  • Stomping on Yeti is new to the blogosphere, but has quickly carved out a solid niche for itself with a terrific series of interviews called ‘Keeping an eye on…’ and it seems like every other day there’s another great author being interviewed and showcased. And hell, he even created an eye-gougingly bad cover for my recently completed novel, Through Bended Grass. I expect big things from Patrick in the year to come.
  • Jeff at Fantasy Book News & Reviews is one of the most honest and genuine bloggers out there. But the thing that’ll keep you coming back to his website time and again? His daily roundups of what’s going on in the blogosphere, and his exhaustive archive of all the Fantasy reviews to cross his path.
  • Many of your readers probably know The Wertzone, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. Adam seems to be an endless well of knowledge about anything related to Fantasy and Science Fiction. Movies, Books or Videogames? He’s got it covered. Sharp reviewer, too.
  • Possibly my favourite blog going, Speculative Horizons is witty, acidic and smart all at once. Editor James Long might not be the most prolific blogger, but every time he posts it’s always worth reading. He’s got great insight into the genre, writes solid reviews and isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers. There’s a lot to admire about Long and his blog.
  • Mark Charan Newton, best known as the author of 2009’s Nights of Villjamur (REVIEW), but he’s also made a name for himself through his intelligent, provoking arguments on his blog. His recent series of blog posts on the ‘death’ of Science Fiction set the blogosphere on fire and brought some of the biggest names in the industry out swinging. Newton might be new(ish) to the scene, but he’s certainly doing his best to be heard loud and clear.

These are some of my favourites, the bloggers that really keep me on my toes and get me inspired to keep on trucking with A Dribble of Ink (and also supply me with a near limitless amount of ideas to steal borrow), but they certainly aren’t the only ones out there. Who would be on your list (besides A Dribble of Ink, of course!) of favourite blogs in 2009?

Cover Art

Cover Art | Kraken by China Mieville

By Aidan Moher December 21st, 2009
Kraken by China Miville
US Edition

 

Kraken by China Mieville, UK Edition
UK Edition

 

The Natural History Museum’s prize exhibit – a giant squid – suddenly disappears. This audacious theft leads Clem, the research scientist who has recently finished preserving the exhibit, into a dark urban underworld of warring cults and surreal magic. It seems that for some, the squid represents a god and should be worshiped as such. Clem gradually comes to realise that someone may be attempting to use the squid to trigger an apocalypse. And so it is now up to him and a renegade squid-worshiper named Dean to find a way of stopping the destruction of the world as they know it whilst themselves surviving the all out-gang warfare that they have unwittingly been drawn into…

A couple of takes on the cover art for the upcoming Kraken by China Mieville. I really like ’em both, but if I had to choose I’d probably go towards the subtler look of the US Edition. Which one do you like better?

News

Cover Art | Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton (US Edition)

By Aidan Moher December 18th, 2009
Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton (US Edition)

The Mad Hatter, who has some uncanny ability to dig out Cover Art before it’s supposed to be revealed, posted the artwork for the US edition of Mark Charan Newton’s Nights of Villjamur.

Over all I think the cover is solid, but for one (major) caveat. I like that they’ve strayed away from the figure-centric cover that’s been plaguing the other releases of Newton’s novels, and I like the typhography (especially with the cool looking white stuff behind the title), but wow did they completely miss the tone of the novel. A bright sunny day? Is that supposed to be Villjamur? In any case, the novel’s bloody good, this is just a strange decision by the Bantam Spectra marketing team.

News

An Aside | New Dark Tower painting from SF great Michael Whelan

By Aidan Moher December 18th, 2009

The Long Road by Michael Whelan
Source

Michael Whelan is my favourite Fantasy/Science Fiction artist. It’s not even close. This painting, depicting Roland of Deschain and the long road he travels in his search for the Dark Tower, is another example of why. Whelan has stepped away from the cover art business in recent years, but is currently working on a painting for Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings, which is released next year. I can’t wait to see it.