La Pucelle has a number of systems for accomplishing various things, and young students at the eponymous demon hunting academy must face foes which frequently exceed Potterian standards. Primary among these mechanisms is Purification, which not only allows you to close dark portals but can also bring an enemy around to your way of thinking. Once converted you can train them up to improve their skills, or you may simply hurl them into battle against impossible odds. It's really up to you. Us, we go through about twenty bats a week.

At least, if your heart is within reach of warmth.

I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of La Pucelle yesterday. It’s totally fucking awesome just like I had hoped. The purification system is a real treat to play around with. Essentially there are flowing paths of energy that crisscross a given map. They emanate from dark portals and they come in varying colors, each of which has an elemental alignment. By “purifying” the square from which these paths of energy flow you can destroy the entire path. Any creature on the path will then take damage as the path he’s on explodes. A creature resting on a yellow square for example will take lighting damage if you purify the point at which the yellow path begins. That’s pretty fucking cool but that’s just the beginning. You can divert the paths and re-direct them towards enemies. Enemies can block the paths. Different colors of paths can be combined to create new colors with all new effects. Oh, and if you create a huge circle that surrounds a group of enemies and then you destroy it, you will cause a “miracle”. That’s when a huge God comes down and destroys your enemies with a screen filling super move.

So we are already giving away the ultimate videogame collection, and we're doing it at what is sure to be the ultimate gaming convention. For some people that might be enough, not for us though. We have decided that in order to win the OMEGA Collection you must first win the ultimate gaming contest. We have devised a grueling two day competition to take place during PAX. It will test your mind, your body and your… mind. I give you, the OMEGATHON!

I'm reposting the coloring contest - deadline is midnight tonight, the hour of BLOOD.

I don't even need to ask if most of you field calls at all hours of the day or night from family members perplexed that their desktop is "gone." I assume it.

My constant badgering convinced Gabriel to draw a more elaborate version of Dr. Raven Darktalon Blood for your enjoyment - feel free to click the picture itself for a larger version. I've also, just now, decided to hold a coloring contest based on the image - just send the picture in .jpeg format to yours truly. I'll find something cool around here to give you, I've got some Painkiller, some Pandora Tomorrow, might be able to scare up a little La Pucelle. Whatever. I'll make sure you're taken care of.

I just wanted to give you some more details about our E3 signing. The big surprise we mentioned is actually comic books. Ubi Soft will be hading out printed versions of all our Ubi comics to date. Here’s all the info:

You should get a bucket or something because what I am about to tell you might make you throw up with excitement.

My local EB didn’t have La Pucelle and the baby wouldn’t cooperate. So I’ve got no quirky tactical strategy game, and no clue if we’re having a boy or a girl. The doctor said she saw a foot in the crotch…I’m hoping that clears up.

I mentioned Disgaea yesterday and gave it credit for getting me into the tactical strategy genre. I wanted to mention that the follow up to Disgaea, La Pucelle: Tactics (which is actually more of a prequel than a sequel) is available now in stores. Disgaea was one of those games that stores didn’t order enough of and it was extremely hard to find after word got around that is was totally fucking awesonahadnwtl wanted to give you aycteorrds up on La Pucelle. I’m actually heading out this afternoon to pick up my copy so I’ll try and get some impressions up tomorrow.

Reader Brendan Keough writes in with the following:

There is a Pandora Tomorrow Xbox 2v2 Tournament advertised over at Clan World Network. I've actually never heard of the site bepore and the rules for the tournament make it seem like they have no idea what the fuck they are doing. This is from their website:

Square Enix had an offer for a free demo of Front Mission 4 they would mail right to your home, which is great because that's where I live. We've played it. Even when fully cognizant of the dangers inherent in Time Travel, it is easy to see why one might brave the chaotic realms outside linear time to snare a copy before the June release.

I've been hearing strange things lately to this effect - and from more than just this source. I have not arrived at a conclusion about whether or not this would be a good thing.

Stormy sent me a new Hook-Up a couple weeks ago, and I put into a page and upoaded it, but going back over the posts on the front page I can't see any mention of it. There could be any number of culprits - as a post near the time I got the article states, I was pretty sick and not a little delirious. But the news system has also been eating updates lately, reverting to old updates, doing all kinds of crazy crap, so who knows. Let's just say it's my fault.