REVIEW DAY

It's been a very long time since I last posted a review of anything on this blog... I miss writing reviews. I may not be an expert on the stuff I rate, but I do love sharing with the people the things that I like. Even if alot of my dear readers can't relate to the things I like. What can I say, I'm a fanboy.

And since I haven't done alot of this lately, I thought I'd just do it one time big time. Review everyhing of interest I've played or read the past few weeks. So bear with me this is going to be a VERY LONG POST!!

MASS EFFECT 2
Of course I'll start with this one. Bioware's magnum opus. Xbox's first big title for 2010. The sequel to one of the best RPG titles of all time. Commander Shepard's penultimate adventure.

Okay, I know it's still too early to tell, but this is in the forefront for my game of the year. I know Final Fantasy's still a couple of months away, but everything about this game for me is just perfect.

The story picks up a few years after the Alliance stopped the Geths from taking over the galaxy. Saren was defeated, Sovereign was destroyed but the threats to the galaxy never stops. Good luck with that. This time alien beings called the Collectors have been harvesting human colonies all over the universe. So John Shepard must form a team to stop these evil from taking over.

And forming the team's basically what the game is all about. Not the Final Fantasy or Suikoden kind wherein you just add those people up and won't give a damn about them. In Mass Effect 2, each character has a backstory and it is your job to get to know these people better. Not for the sake of moving the story, but the success of your mission depends on how loyal these people will be to you. I'm only 20 hours into this game, but I feel I've already invested too much on all of them.

This is a beautiful game. I swear the first 30 minutes of the game my jaw was literally on the floor. The graphics are some of the best I've seen in a video game. The voice acting is brilliant. The gameplay is superb (I love scanning the planets... people say it's the most boring part of the game but that's how you improve on your weapons and tech so I don't care). Oh and it also helps that your saved data from the first game leaves a mark here. Every decision you've made in the first game will impact the story here.

If it isn't obvious yet, I LOVE THIS GAME!!!

RATING: 10 out of 10 stars

THE UNWRITTEN
I don't really know how to describe this book in words. But all I can say is that this is one of the most intriguing, most brilliant, most intelligently written comic books I've read in a very long while.

No this is not about superheroics. No vigilantes, no masked heroes, no apocalypse, zombies with black rings, or supervillains taking over the world. This is the story of Tom Taylor, the son of a J K Rowling-esque writer who created a character based on the boy. Only that he's a wizard with great powers. I know it may sound boring, but it does get interesting, because the world of Tommy Taylor the boy wizard starts unraveling in Tom's world.

I know it might sound as if only geeks would be interested or would enjoy this book. But I beg to disagree. This is a smart comic book. Mike Carey created a very intelligent tale that will be enjoyed by people who loves books, historical fiction, Harry Potter or just well-written stories.

The good thing about this title is that it's published by DC's Vertigo line. Meaning, we don't have to be worried of this title being cancelled because of low sales. I will be able to finish the whole story as planned by it's creators without any interventions by the editors or whoever's in charge of running the title. Mike Carey and Peter Gross have complete freedom over their created world.

This is not for everyone, but if you'd like to feel smart. I recommend for you to read this title.

RATING: 9 out of 10 stars

CHEW
This is the story of Agent Tony Chu. He is a federal agent working for the US Food and Drug Administration (or at least that's what I think FDA means). If you think that's boring, yeah it probably is. But here's the catch... Agent Chu's a cibopath. That means every time he eats a particular food, he gets visions as to where that food came from. What kind of fertilizers were used to grow the fruit, how the cow a beef came from was butchered, and how someone was murdered.

Say what?!

Yeah, Agent Chu eats people to find out their backstory. It might sound disgusting, well it really is... but that's the fun part of this comic. Chu eats any and everything to find out their back story. Dead dogs. Fingers. Nothing's sacred in this comic book. This one's really a riot.

This is my first time reading John Layman's work, and I can say I'm not really disappointed. I only read this because this is really hyped up when I read comics reviews. And I think the hype was with good reason.

It's not only funny, but it is a lot of fun to read. I was reading the first trade paperback of this title in a bus, and I know people were looking at me because I was snickering most of the time. It's really good.

This year I've found the joy in reading independent comics, and I must say these titles are way better than half of my super hero pull list.

I'm considering dropping most of my comics in favor of brilliantly written independent titles.

RATING: 8.9 out of 10 stars.

More review days in the next few weeks.