The original Gears already had a violence filter, which retained the profanity but turned chainsawing a person into a kind of theraputic act, like shiatsu. The sequel takes this further, with what sounds like an alternate audio track - like a radio-gelded version of some raucous club banger. That's the first time I've ever heard of unique vocal content without a technical or geographical imperative, which is really interesting. To, um... me.

Goddamit, nobody tells me anything.

This is something I'm genuinely trying to figure out, and it's not the sort of conversation I can have with Gabriel unless I'm willing to say "BOOBS!" every ten minutes. Maybe I can have it here.

In response to this.

In what is easily the most inspired news story of the year, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John dishes up something truly savory.

In our continuing effort to establish an awesome indie boutique, Greenhouse is pleased to announce our game for August:  Eschalon, Book I.   

The quest to raise people worth knowing continues. Approaches differ.

That's closer than you think.

Soul Calibur is back in a big way, and as much as we like the local options, they do carry with them certain risks. This is why the online mode is such a boon - it allows us to play Soul Calibur together, minus the asphyxiation that was once core to the experience. There are those who still cleave to the old ways, but as long as my own windpipe remains unobstructed I'm prepared to call it progress.

I just finished up the cover for the PAX 2008 program. I tried some new stuff with the coloring on this one and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I think we may go ahead and turn this into a poster or print as well. I'll let you know when that happens.

PAX 2008 is just a month away and you only have one day left to pre-register for the show.

For my cohort, there was never really a choice in the matter: each version  of Soul Calibur had exclusive Star Wars content, which made owning it a necessity. The comic strip is only about the "choice" for a moment, though - a single line - and then it is about something else altogether.

Later than usual, but then, I'm more exhausted than usual. I've misplaced over fifty percent of my vocabulary. Every sentence is a Goddamned psychic expedition.

Gabriel would like to apologize for the quality of the photos in the sketch, as necessity required they be taken with his iPhone.  He would like to add, however, that the grainy nature of the photo does serve to reinforce the "found art" aesthetic inherent in the thesis.

San Diego Comic Con is upon us, which means (among other things) that we're writing and drawing Penny Arcade on any surface we can find and then photographing it.  Originally we did it this way because our laptop gave out, but now it's all we want to do whenever we go places.  Also, in order to get napkins to sketch on, I need to order drinks.  The elegance of this pristine mechanism is breathtaking.