Spook Country Review
By Flames | March 3, 2008
I’m a Gibson fan. I came up through the whole Cyberpunk thing - part of the reason I embraced the internet so readily - and followed onwards through the rest of his books as he became a publicly acceptable ‘important author’ rather than ‘just’ a science fiction author. Aside from a few short stories and things here and there I’ve read everything he’s put out from Burning Chrome to this, Spook Country.
Spook Country follows several different threads of stories and picks up on and carries along with a few bits and pieces from his previous novel, Pattern Recognition, which I loved and which suggests this may be part of a loose ‘trilogy’ much like his Cyberpunk trilogy (Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive) and his near-future trilogy (Virtual Light/Idoru/All Tomorrow’s Parties). This would seem to follow several patterns you can see in Gibson’s work…
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
Topics: Fiction Reviews | No Comments »
Mass Effect Video Game Review
By Flames | February 23, 2008
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year you’ve probably heard of Mass Effect and, since I’m always late doing these reviews odds are you’ve already played it, or - lacking the luxury I have of spending more time playing games - are still playing it. A brief summation then at the start of this review is ‘buy it, it is good’. Above and beyond Bioware’s existing reputation for creating good computer game RPGs this shows they’re masters of it and, until they perfect freeform AI for running roleplaying games this is about as good as the genre gets.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
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The Dreaming Void Fiction Review
By Flames | February 18, 2008
I am an unabashed Peter F Hamilton fan. I was initially introduced to his work by my great friend (and co-writer on The Munchkin’s Guide to Powergaming) Steve Mortimer through his Mindstar series (a bio-modified psychic detective of sorts in a post-warming, post flood, post ’socialist’ Britain) and then followed on through the brick-like Night’s Dawn series and on into Pandora’s Star. Most of his books I have liked I great deal (apart from Misspent Youth) to the point where I even negotiated, and held for a year, the RPG rights to Mindstar and Night’s Dawn - but nobody was interested in pursuing it.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
Topics: Fiction Reviews | No Comments »
Flash Fire Mini-Reviews! (Contest Edition)
By Matt-M-McElroy | February 15, 2008
Welcome to another collection of Mini-Reviews here on Flames Rising!
This week we are going to focus on some of the cool products published by some of the sponsors of the “Favorite Horror Game Contest” and the creative games they have released. Next week will be a few more of sponsors’ products. Including amazing art and funny cards.
So sit back and enjoy this collection of zombies, cannibals, strange creatures and nightmare cities…
Topics: Contest, Flash Fire Mini-Reviews | 1 Comment »
The Cylon Centurion
By Matt-M-McElroy | February 3, 2008
Ok, I’m getting excited about the upcoming Battlestar Galactica Season Four. I’ve watched the Teasers and I’ve got the Razor DVD.
What I don’t have is the Life Size Cylon.
“Each Cylon is hand-made using only the finest materials and overseen by the ‘Robot Man’ himself, Fred Barton.”
Can you imagine that thing sitting here in the Flames Rising office staring at us as we write reviews?
Topics: Resources | No Comments »
Bioshock Review
By Flames | January 30, 2008
Bioshock tells the tale of a fallen utopia, I’ll try not to give too much away but you play jack, a survivor of a plane wreck in the mid-atlantic (actually the North Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland where the main plane route is if the coordinates given for Rapture’s location are right) who discovers this rotting vision and plays a key role in breaking a stalemate between two opposing forces there.
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
Topics: Reviews, Video Game Reviews | No Comments »
Those Sneaky Rogues
By Matt-M-McElroy | January 30, 2008
The guys over at Rogue Games have made a couple of interesting announcements recently that are good news for fans of Sci-fi and Horror games.
First up is the announcement that the sci-fi RPG Thousand Suns is available for pre-order at IPR. If you are curious about this game, take a look at the Design Notes and Downloads for a sneak peek. James has put together one hell of a cool game. Classic Sci-fi with plenty of options for customization. I’m thinking I might use it to run the Space: Above & Beyond idea that I’ve been thinking about for some time…
The other big announcement from Rogue Games is Colonial Gothic: Secrets. This is the next book of the horror game set during the American Revolution, Colonial Gothic. Secrets picks up where the core book left off, adding new content and expanding the setting. You may not be aware, but Monica and I were contributors to the Colonial Gothic Rulebook, which was a very cool project to work on with the Rogues. This new book is written entirely by Richard Iorio II and will be available in May with plenty of new antagonists and intrigues to scare some characters with.
Topics: Horror News | No Comments »
Orbit RPG Review
By Flames | September 20, 2007
Orbit is an older game, 2003, but we picked up a copy on the bring-and-buy table at Gencon UK so I thought I might as well review it. Some shops seem to still have copies for sale and you can, apparently, still get copies from the creator.
What the game is, or at least what it tries to be, is a sort of ‘Heavy Metal’ (the film) in game form, intermingled with some psychobilly retro-fifties styling. The book is soft back, reasonably well printed and weighs in at 258 pages all told. I had high expectations for this game as I sensed a kindred spirit to ‘45: Psychobilly Retropocalypse but these expectations weren’t particularly fulfilled.
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Highlander Movie Review
By Flames | February 14, 2007
The movie gets right to it with an action packed wrestling match and swordfight. Antique dealer Russell Nash (Christopher Lambert) lives a quiet life in modern-day New York. Unbeknownst to the world, The Gathering of Immortals has come, and Nash is really Connor MacLeod, a five hundred year-old highlander who must fight for The Prize. Connor and the other remaining immortals must battle to the death. The victor cuts off his enemy’s head and absorbs his lifeforce, called the Quickening. Clancy Brown plays the evil and powerful Viktor Kurgan, an ancient Immortal who has a history with the Highlander.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Cold Space Review
By Flames | August 14, 2006
In short, Cold Space has the benefit of a setting which promotes instantly understandable motivations for action and this should at least help players and GM alike structure a campaign and anticipate what kinds of scenarios are likely to be played out. The game is not likely to promote a richer appreciation of the reality of recent history than one of basic confrontation but, then, that is not really its purpose. My immediate response is to conceive of campaigns or characters who would subvert what seem to be the premises of the historical background but then I am nearly always an outlier when it comes to these things.
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
False Gods Review
By Flames | July 20, 2006
The fleet of the Warmaster’s 63rd Expeditionary Force have departed the shattered system of the interex en route to Davin at the behest of First Chaplain Erebus of the Word Bearers Legion. Expecting to find a world left under control and compliance of the Imperium of Mankind, the newly christened Sons of Horus Legion instead finds treason. The occupational forces left behind by the Warmaster Horus himself have turned against the Emperor and the ideals of the Imperium’s Great Crusade, and Horus vows revenge against those he once trusted who have betrayed him.
Topics: Fiction Reviews | 1 Comment »
Horus Rising Fiction Review
By Flames | July 12, 2006
The fictional universe represented by Warhammer 40,000 is intricate and full of no small amount of intrigue. There are hundreds of factions at work and in motion, set against one another. Plans within plans, mechanizations and motivations that prop up the grim darkness of the war without end in the 41st Century of the Imperium of Mankind. Within the pages of the Horus Heresy, a trilogy-in-progress, what can be described as the single most important chain of events in the history of humanity are brought to light and out into the open in colored detail rather than objective narration from the Imperial point of view; the civil war that befell the Imperium after the spiritual corruption of the Warmaster Horus, mightiest of the Primarchs.
Topics: Fiction Reviews | No Comments »
4400 Season One Review
By Flames | June 14, 2006
When USA Network’s limited series The 4400 premiered in the summer of 2004, the opening teaser said a lot. A little girl abducted; a soldier in Korea disappears; 4,400 abductees get dropped off by a comety ball of light. The Seattle branch of Homeland Security had its hands full, and over 7 million fans tuned in-setting records as the highest-rated and most-watched original cable series premiere to date.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
V Mini-Series Review
By Flames | June 14, 2006
Need some old-fashioned special effects in your sc-fi? Forget that opus opening to Independence Day, today’s genre filmmakers grew up V. The groundbreaking four hour 1983 miniseries may look hokey today, but the story, characters, and drama are top-notch. The all-star cast helps, too.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Serenity Movie Review
By Flames | June 11, 2006
Even though I’ve seen the Firefly series, I don’t think you need to have a background in this part of the ‘verse because of the way the film was constructed. This is a well done balls-on space western that has a tight storyline that keeps you entertained. For the people not familiar with the ‘verse, the film has a great visual introduction into this stark future. Overpopulation used up the earth, so humans sought life elsewhere. Through the miracle of terraforming, we humans pioneered the great unknown into something manageable and majestic. Just like a true Western, there are places that are “civilized” beyond belief, and there are those that are the last of the space cowboys—won’t adhere to Alliance rule, so they’re outlaws.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Interview with Toren Atkinson
By Flames | November 22, 2004
In this interview Toren tells us about his work as an artist on several RPGs and gives us the scoop on his band, Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.
Topics: Interviews | No Comments »
Legends: The Orion Project Review
By Flames | October 14, 2004
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Available at Noble Knight Games
The Orion Corporation had only good intentions. However, when it sent the relays into the wastelands to explore and record the hostile territories, unspeakable horrors were uncovered and legendary secrets revealed…
Legends: the Orion Project is a supplement fiction to Obsidian: Age of Judgment. It introduces several new characters, as well as showing ways to have characters be multiple Ethos. Further then character information, they also have several new Daemon types, abilities, and convocations, new Mystic Rituals, and Kultist Convokations and weapons. The story itself is the first of a promised series of supplements about the Orion Corporation and of Callarius Montague, a Spiritual Essence Kultist.
Topics: Fiction Reviews, Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Inside the Zone Supplement Review
By Flames | September 25, 2004
To play within the Zone, players must first understand the design of the setting. Inside the Zone does a great job of describing its highly efficient structure. But the book does more than describe its physical setting. Layers of religions, Kults and politics intertwine with one another throughout the book. It is almost as if you are a god watching the inner workings of Zone society. The book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to play in the Zone.
Topics: Reviews, Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Aliens vs. Predator Movie Review
By Flames | September 24, 2004
This was one of the biggest let downs ever. The funny thing is that it starts off so well…interesting, new concept. Then half way through the movie it takes a turn for the worst and our “hero lady” (who’s acting leaves much to be desired with her foul one liners and fake conviction) runs beside the Predator…with an actual scene that looks like Batman and Robin. They made the Predator look so weak as he needs the help of this human. Another big Hollywood destruction of characters created by individuals with originality.
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Obsidian: the Age of Judgement Review
By Flames | September 24, 2004
So Obsidian begins its underlying premise, written as if it were a great, literary work. The philosophy is blunt and unrepentant. Humans are born as parasites in the universe of “The Sheol.” Daemons, pre-humanity, originate as harmless creatures. Greed, perversion, hate and corruption, all byproducts of human evolution, warp a delicate balance of co-existence within the “The Sheol.” These negative energies turn the daemons into the archetypes we think of today. God, or “The Divinity” in Obsidian’s universe, then separates the warped plane from Earth into nine Circles in an attempt to prevent the darkness from spreading.
Topics: Reviews, Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »