Echoes

I've realised something.

I've changed.

My first real attempt at world building was Broken Falcon, a love story in essence- set in a world where the Bad guys had already won.

Wayward is my upcoming story, one I plan to devote myself to entirely- a demonstration of everything my self discovery in art has taught me and a story I hope will mean something. It's got a spirit of adventure and a warm heart but it deals with ugly emotions and a quest driven by guilt. Above all else- in its darkest moments it is never incapable of shining a light. Because there is always hope.

Broken Falcon by contrast, was an angst filled tragedy about two lovers torn apart by a war, a hero fallen from grace and a life barely worth living. I was a teenager at the time, wouldn't you know.  It was a story I kept adding to for years, a story I kept intending to tell eventually. As such, it changed over time and without noticing it- so was I.

When I began to evolve Wayward from idea to story I realised I had a lot of shelved Broken Falcon lore I was probably never going to explore, so I reworked much of into Wayward- as you can see up top; a Young Zepher(Broken Falcons main character)depicted as a warrior of winds- an idea that would later become the foundation to the characters in Wayward.

It's only very recently that I realised how much I have changed as a person. See, I was toying with doing a Five-page Broken Falcon short comic for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and started to think about what might make an interesting glimpse into that world ten years on.

I drew up a lot of very crude doodles of Zepher as an old man, an example of his race in their Prime. I was interested in the idea of him being an exiled relic of a by-gone age and so I started to think about the lore that remained and how I could give such a short glimpse into that world and still make it interesting.

As it turns out- I not sure it's ever going to be that interesting.
I had a sudden moment of realising I'm not the same person I was, I no longer have a desire to share such a grim and bleak vision of a world. I'm not sure if this is a reflection of me- of some shift in ideals or perspective- I'm certainly not adverse to enjoying stories with similar themes. It was an odd moment for me.
I find the character compelling but perhaps him being the centre of the story is a mistake- it's hard to relate to a character that vile and bitter. I didn't see any way to reinvent him without distancing the story and the character from each other.

These very quick doodles were some of the exploration I had taken into entertaining a new Broken Falcon story before I realised the issue(I was happy I finally found a way to work White into his design, was a long standing goal for me.)

I feel like I've learnt something about myself now, that maybe it's time to focus on what I truly believe in and not entertain anything I do not. In the struggle to become better it's easy to over-think things or stop yourself from taking the scary steps. I think I can shelve Broken Falcon for good now though, there may come a time when things click into place- or I find myself wanting to explore those darker themes again but for now, the character remains a pillar of my journey so far- a friend who helped me a long the way and whose wisdom is still guiding me all these years later. Now unto brighter, more hopeful places.

-Adam

Cartooning!

Taking what we see and stripping it to its core.

One thing that I hear a lot is that cartoons are easy to draw.
It's a really interesting point of view because they are deceptively simple in appearance but study it for any length of time and you open up a deep well of secrets that wind on and on forever after. It's something I wanted to blog about as I've got some experience with it now. Before that though- wanted to blab a little about how much cartoons and comics mean to me.

In my short lifetime (I'm 25), I've often experienced people who look down their noses at Cartoons. I had a primary school teacher who would make fun of me because I wanted to be a cartoonist. His mocking taunts still stick with me, not as a reminder of failure but as fuel for the fire of success.

Some though, some that one would expect to be more informed, go even further, dismissing cartoons as some sort of juvenile form of art adding the same distaste towards Comics or Animation- two fields of creativity that are already looked down on and never given their full due credit.

Truth is, for me- cartooning is much more difficult than any other form of art I've explored and as extension of that, one of the most impressive. I've studied art at a 'fine art' level because when I left school to pursue art, my only option was to enroll in a class that examined and took all of the 'mediums' of Art on board, except digital mediums or ironically; anything I use now to earn a living.

As such, Instead of learning how to draw storyboards or crafting character designs, we were looking at Fine Art History and its influence on culture as well as questioning the true meaning behind Modern Art, the only class I enjoyed was our weekly life drawing class, because it was freedom to interpret the body as you see it. And interpretation is something I'd later learn is key to being a cartoonist. It was during these two years of study that I met so much of the negativity facing any piece of art requiring imagination.

As a result, I struggled to even pass my classes because I fought tooth and nail for comics to be considered worthy as 'Art', writing dissertations on their worth and impact on culture and examining the process behind them. I know now, it was certainly the wrong place to be vocal about the art of imagination but it is still something that upsets me to this day- the lack of respect for the heroes of the comic world.

It could be born out of a sense of duty to the cartoons and comics that raised me- As a kid, I would  read a comic book and it would inspire my imagination to a world beyond wonder, I saw cartoon shows and wanted with all my heart for them to be a real place I could explore. When I got older, practically every authority figure over me scolded me for drawing things that weren't real, for using imagination- this always made me fight harder for my right to do so.

This was probably because of the incredible base of confidence my parents established in me as a child, they believed in my dreams and supported my efforts- especially if I drew something that didn't exist. I come from a talented family of artists, both on my mothers side (My grandmother was a tremendous poet) and my fathers side (My Grandfather painted beautifully)and so art is something our family has always respected and admired, a respect I perhaps mirrored onto my love for everything comics and cartoons.

I don't really know why I was so stubborn about comics getting respect when I was younger. I got a B- in my Art GCSE exam, the lowest grade any one in my family ever got for Art class because the teacher and I locked horns from the moment we were together. Art at GCSE was basically projects that were centered around a single word and up to the student to produce work inspired by what that word meant to them. She never liked what I turned in because I'd always find some way to twist that word to my favour- to allow me to draw planets or animals or something other than a flowerpot on a table. I know now she was trying to guide me to getting the grade I deserved, by setting me particular tasks or dismissing my own ideas for hers but I never backed down.

Silly goat, I was.

I'm very happy to say I've long since eradicated that stubborn streak but I think it speaks volumes about how I feel about cartoons and comics and informs my own opinion on the matter.

Now that I've my first years under my belt, I think cartooning is so impressive to me because of the sheer challenge. Drawing is a skill, as is every aspect of what we consider 'art.' It all requires discipline and practice, studying everything we might otherwise take forgranted. With a cartoon though, I feel there's that added challenge- you can't just reference the object or person, you have to draw from your minds eye. It's about reconstructing what we all see and recognise then stripping that down to its bare core, it's essence, so you can reimagine it as something new. And it's in that process, that I marvel at the skill of others I admire, their ability to create imagery that awes and inspires because it's not real- but it's informed by reality and brought to life by their unique vision.  So maybe That's why I love comics and cartoons, that's why I fought in education to have them earn some respect- there's a whole world we can't see. With comics and cartoons- suddenly, we can.

-Adam

(SPOILERS) Wake up John, I need You.

((These is my thoughts on Halo 4s story, while I don't go into great detail about the inbetweens, I detail the start and the end. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED HALO 4 YET AND PLAN TO.))

Halo 4 could of been the most expensive failure in the history of gaming.

Its founding studio; Bungie, arguably gave Microsoft the fighting chance it needed to successfully launch a console in a competitive market and Halos legacy burned bright for over ten years. Nowadays the Master Chief is as recognisable to younger generations as Darth Vader and Halo is still considered by many to be a trend setting, genre defining example of FPS on console.

After such a long running success, Bungie had other worlds to forge and parted ways with Halo, handing duties to 343 Industries- an in house Microsoft founded studio made up of hardcore Halo fans and the best of the best in the industry.

Their first game was to be Halo 4.

Following in the footsteps of giants, with a million hearts hanging in the balance- 343 had decided to bring back the Master Chief and Cortana. They had exclaimed a new trilogy would begin. This quite rightfully caused concern amongst fans- Bungie had created this world and could any one else ever understand it as well as they could? Could the gameplay ever be as refined?

Halo 4 as it happens is a complete triumph.

The key to that triumph being, above all else, the story.

Whilst I have no doubt in my mind that had Bungie wanted one more go at the Halo franchise they would of made similar strides in polish and refinement it is with complete confidence that I feel 343 have taken the story in directions they'd have never dared go.

Halo has always had a vast interesting lore, lore that for unfortunate reasons appears always just under the surface of what the games give us. As each Halo game arrived from Bungie, that hidden lore bubbled a little further to the surface but never enough to take the helm. It's especially curious that Halo:Combat Evolved opens with very little in the way of introduction, simply throwing us into the boots of a Cyborg-like solider and told bad things are going down. This isn't necessarily a flaw- certainly, no one can deny Halo games have succeeded far beyond measure on the strength of such focused and realised gameplay.

What this design choice left was questions, questions about the bigger picture and although many of these questions were eventually answered, the way in which they were presented were so passive and easy to miss. There was a story told but never clearly enough to fully appreciate unless you had a second look. This lead to a lot of gamers, fans and otherwise, claiming Halo has no story. 

Once more- Halo has always had a story, just right under the surface.

Fans of the franchise found lore a plenty in the expanded universe through books and comics, spin offs and even animations. Fall Of Reach told the story of the origin of the Master Chief, the story that perhaps one would of expected to be told at the beginning of Halo:Combat Evolved. It expands with great detail his life before and leading right up to those events and whilst it was by far the most interesting and fascinating element to the lore of Halo- it was never properly acknowledged in the games themselves. 343 have taken great strides to bridge this gap. It's both rewarding as a fan who has read the books to have that knowledge accepted and fascinating to new audiences to have a far better insight into the human element of the main character.

And the human element is quite the theme running through Halo 4. It's a heartbreaking story of the fragile nature of human existence, casting lights on the Master Chief and more importantly- Cortana, that reveal just how human they really are. While the story beats along at the familiar Halo clip, it offers so much more substance and context, rewarding progress with another glimpse into the complex relationship of a man who is treated like a machine and the only friend he has left.

Longtime fans are well aware of the importance of the character of Cortana, both in story and out. As a gamer she has always been your eyes and ears- feeding you information vital to your success, whether it be a warning of oncoming danger or a beacon to light the way. Cortana is an essential element to being in the boots of the Master Chief and a defining aspect of Halo. 

In story, she is his friend, his ally. She is all that keeps him human and whilst he is her caretaker we often see that she is not unlike a mother to him. They have a bond of trust that is unconditional- a bond born in the fires of war as they have earnt that understanding of each other through countless battles. 

Master Chief is a human made into a machine, Cortana is a machine made into a human. They were made for each other. 

What makes 343 such successful storytellers is their profound understanding of these two characters, using what has long since been established in the expanded universe- they tell the story of Cortanas rampancy. Essentially an illness all Artificial Intelligence endure beyond seven years of service, as Cortana herself explains- all AI will eventually "think themselves to death."

It's the perfect device to strip the Master Chief of his achievements. He is a hero through three games, he is a character who inspires awe from his comrades and fear from his enemies, we know his legacy- we've played his legacy. Yet none of that matters any more that Cortana is dying.

What must be commended is the emotion we see, for the first time ever, from the Chief throughout this Journey. We see the fear and doubt in Chief as the story progresses, his slow realisation that he may not be able to save the only person left who matters to him.  We see him fight to win yet another war but also all at the same time, lose a war in his mind. And we see Cortana herself, eventually lose her mind. We see her no longer the sharp witted, sassy AI and instead a frail, fragile and vulnerable woman scared for her life.

Cortanas confession of the fact is met with immediate action from Chief, who exclaims it's not the end, if they just find Cortana's creator, Doctor Hasley "She made you, she can fix you." Cortanas reaction to this is a very telling glimpse into the future of the story. "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it." The last time Cortana told us those words, Chief had to leave her behind at the end of Halo 2 and he kept his promise of coming back for her mid-way through Halo 3. 

However, this course of action laid out by the Chief at the very beginning of the story remains in our minds. Perhaps conditioned by the stories of Halo past- we believe that maybe eventually the story will take us back to earth and eventually we might find Hasley before this takes over. It's a very clever move to plant this seed to toy with our minds, making the eventual outcome of the story so much more meaningful and shocking.

The final scene of Halo 4 is what solidifies its story over Bungies, while the very pillars of the gameplay remain the same, polished and remastered from the genius that birthed them- the story is a very brave one. It's one that leaves very real emotions that play on the mind enough to write all of this.

Link, if you'd like to see it again.

The symbolic beauty that layers the scene is staggering, with the energy field around the characters creating what is clearly suggestive of rainfall; a common element brought through to highlight emotional scenes. Cortana approaches Chief in what appears to be an almost human form and she immediately silences the Chiefs confusion with harsh facts that are hard to hear.

The Master Chief never removes his helmet, nor is it possible to even have a hint of who he is underneath and yet in this scene his emotional delivery is heartbreaking. His words crack as he almost breaks his cold faceless persona, instead choosing words that paint the clearest picture of denial. "That's not- we, we go together!" And as Cortana shares a moment of physical contact, that has an incredible impact and meaning, The Master Chief says the word "Please" and in a single moment he is no longer a hero, he is just a man. Cortana shares nothing but a smile and says goodbye to not only the Master Chief but to us as players. And as she utters her last words "Welcome Home, John" the debris from around the energy field floats into view, crashing around him- symbolizing his world being destroyed as the only friend he has left leaves him.

It is a profound scene, a scene that tugs at the connection we have with the Chief- mirroring the impact of this moment. 343 set out with Halo 4 to humanise the Master Chief and they succeeded in that goal beyond measure. 

What magnifies this moment is how much more we heard from the Chief throughout the course of the story. Not only did he speak his mind much more but he stood up for Cortana on multiple occasions- disobeying direct orders from his superiors for her safety. He began to show sides of his character that suggested we may begin to see more of John and less of Master Chief. Cortana's death resigns this almost immediately, with the final epilogue scenes showing that the Master Chief is back to his man-of-no-words routine, symbolizing that he has lost all of that humanity she inspired in him and whilst this is a disappointing development- it's a bitter sweet commentary on their relationship and it makes perfect sense.

The heroes journey is a core concept that has been applied to almost every story, from origins of defeat, to overcoming great peril to eventually becoming a Hero. Halo was interesting because we were the Hero right from the start, Chief never went on a Heroes journey- in Halo 4 he begins one.

Bravo, 343!

-Adam

Freelancing Thoughts.

Mass Effect 3 : Raise the stakes.

Mass Effect 3 is a big deal for me.

As I'm sat typing this, a week from today I will be a few hours into my adventure to somehow stop the Reapers from destroying the galaxy. And I can't wait. I wanted to talk about thoughts I've had on what will create a great end to my Shepards story.

My Choices. Mainly; Punish them.

I Role-played alot throughout Mass Effect 1 & 2. We have a lot of games today that give us the option of moral choices and decisions, as well as the option to create an avatar but I have always preferred to create a character and make the choices that make sense for them, as opposed to creating myself and choosing what I would feel or think. For me, Commander Shepard is a spacer; she was born on a ship and has spent more time aboard vessels than on solid ground. Her parents have been with the Alliance all her life so she spent her life growing up around warfare. It makes sense to me that she'd have joined the Alliance given her history and that she'd be a capable solider- capable enough to have survived the Skyllian Blitz, becoming a war hero prior the the events of Mass Effect 1.

Now!

As an extension, I figured; no one would climb to the rank of Commander by being a dick. So I played Paragon. I always tried my best to save as many lives as I could, to be diplomatic and to solve problems without pulling a gun on my enemies. It just made sense for my character.

For ME3, I don't want every one of those 'Paragon' decisions to have been the right one in the longrun. If I let a murderer go to prison instead of shooting him- let it come back and bite me in the ass, make him escape and hurt more people because of what I did. I want to know that there's no good decision that makes everything alright. This is the final game with no going back, having tough story elements hit Shepard would be great for the future decisions I have to make in ME3, I'd feel more pressure to see the bigger picture.

Kill someone we Love.

One of the highlights in Dragon Age 2 for me was the moment my sister Bethany was taken from me. To explain; She was my little sister, I protected her through various encounters and events, I had been through a lot with her in the earliest parts of the game. She was a mage and I was a warrior, I had built her stats into healing and she was a vital part of my attack strategy. I couldn't get through fights without her.

As the story progressed we were about to set off on a dangerous mission when our mother, having just lost our father and brother, pleaded with me not to take Bethany with me. She grew upset and desperately begged me to listen, not wanting to lose the only loved ones she had left. I truly felt emotionally connected at this moment- I didn't want to upset my mother because her reasons were completely justified, however I knew without Bethany my own chances of survival were slim. In the end I forced Bethany to stay behind and carried on without her.

It was a horrendously tough mission, I emerged hours later barely holding together but pleased with the spoils we'd found. I returned to find Templars surrounding my house. This was immediately worrying as Mages in the world of Dragon Age are hunted for basically being, crimes against God- for having magical abilities. In the game up until this point we have learned that mages forced into 'The Circle' are reduced to nothing but vacant bodies, void of emotion and functioning only as a slave to Templars will. I immediately thought of Bethany.

When I entered my home the game presented me with a choice, my sister was being dragged away by Templars to join 'the Circle'; to await a fate worse than death. I chose the option to fight the Templars, I chose the option to keep my promise to protect my sister but she wouldn't let me. I was forced to let her go and lost her participation in the game from that point onward.

This was incredible for a lot of reasons, yes, I admit a big one was the fact I had no dedicated healer(which from a gameplay point of view made the game much more challenging)but throughout the game to follow, I felt my blood boil when I encountered any Templars. Every one I killed was one more for Bethany. I changed my point of view on events, I chose a side- the Mages, I freed every Mage the game would allow me to and I destroyed any one who opposed Mages.

ME3 should do this aswell. Alot of us care greatly about the characters in Mass Effect and we've had two games to get to know some of them. My Shepard romanced no one in ME1 and Garrus in ME2. He's one of her oldest friends, they've been through alot and he was a permanent choice of Squadmate for me in both games- it made sense for me that she'd choose him.

Now if Garrus were to die in ME3? And I don't mean die like they could in ME2 right at the end, I mean early game- he's dead. You can't save him, he dies in your arms.

That would properly upset me but I kind of want that to happen. No part of me wants Shepard to lose the war or for the Reapers to win but sacrifices have to be made. I can only imagine the pain my Shepard would feel becoming an immense power for the battles ahead. It would really rub a lot of people up the wrong way but I've seen it done so right in Dragon Age 2, It'd be a bittersweet moment for me if I had to watch a character I truly love die. You have to ask yourself why Shepard is even fighting the war against the Reapers, a war they can't win. Is it for Humanity? Or the Galaxy? Or so they can spend their life with that one person?

Ultimately, I can't see what ME3 has instore until I play it. I won't be disappointed if all my choices were the right ones and if Garrus and Shepard live happily ever after but I feel like the stakes need to be so high, it needs to get personal and Shepard needs to grow as a person as they fight the fight. I think it'd be a fitting end to have the galaxy saved(somehow!)but with a lot of wounds left to heal.

-Rant Out!

One hour with Skyward Sword.

When I meet a new friend who isn't familiar with the Legend Of Zelda I always explain what it is the exact same way. I tell them that Zelda is adventure. They sometimes ask me, so it's like Fable or Elder Scrolls? I twist my lips and move my shoulders alittle; uncomfortable with the comparison, I eventually agree to some extent but elaborate. Adventure, as in, you start off small and you end up big. It's all about that Journey. They usually ask me at this point- what the game part of the game is actually like, not the story. I tell them again. Adventure, the game intertwines itself with the story to create the grand pilgrim of a hero; it blurs the lines, your experiences while in control are as memorable as your experiences watching 'the story'. No games take you on an adventure like Zelda. That's why it's so special, it's not breaking the boundries of gaming, it's not pushing the limits of our expectations. It's taking us by the hand and pointing at the evil around us, giving us a sword and telling us only we can change the fate of the universe, only we have that power. That's Zelda.

That's not to say they're perfect, even as a devoted son of the Triforce, I will make no claims to each Zelda being flawless gems of delight. There is an impression in my mind that tells me, historically, Nintendo have never really tried that hard with presenting their stories in Zelda games but also that it hasn't ever mattered- their sweeping masterstrokes speak for themselves and resinate through what has mostly been poorly animated characters with Gerry Anderson puppet-mouths.

Skyward Sword is a Phoenix Wright OBJECTION to that, showcasing what I cannot express enough, is by far amoungst the best looking Zelda games ever made. The care in the animation is unmatched by any entry in the franchise; everything from ear-rings to individual feathers move and react as the lavishly, lovingly animated characters come to life before our eyes. Not only that but character designs that are memorable and envy-enducingly perfect, locations that ooze with years of presence, life and personality. If Miyazaki made a Zelda game, this is it.

As I previously mentioned, the animation is a personal delight for me, from rolling pots to stretching with a yawn; every part of this world animates in a frenzy of colour, so alive and vivid.

It came to a head for me when Link and Zelda communicated as convincing a romance as I've ever seen in games, and they did so without ever outrightly expressing it. This is huge, I mean huge.

I'm someone who is fascinated with body language and expression, trying to learn and improve my own understanding. I tell stories with pictures and to be able to convey emotions in characters I need to be able to translate the language of the body into my art. Mastering subtle emotions is nothing short of astonishing and certainly something I've yet to come close to. Skyward Sword has done it, not only capturing the tiniest of quirks, winks and smiles but a very real emotion between what is essentially two masses of polygons on your television screen.

In ten to maybe twenty minutes, it could not be any more convincing. When coupled with the most serene scores making an entrance at precisely the right moment, it doesn't just impress to see the two on screen but invokes memories of school days, of seeing someone you liked everyday and never being able to express whatever it was you felt inside. It invokes the true feeling of love, how it makes you feel. It was incredibly powerful to me to see such a display of storytelling. I was blown away. It's so commendable to see on screen emotion be as brave to let us get what we want from it, to not have it arbitrarily forced on us with the confirmation that 'These two love eachother so you should care about that'.

It's no secret that you fly a bird in this game. It might not seem immediately obvious but I'm personally a great admirer of birds, I have bird iconography throughout a lot of my personal artwork and characters. Link not only gets a bird in this game but it's a Crimson one, not only my favourite colour but a word that has grown to have some importance in my life. I realise that won't count as much for many people but that feels like Nintendo have rolled out the red carpet just for me.

An hour into Skyward Sword and it's very fair to say I haven't scratched the surface, maybe even fair to say I've barely played the game but first impressions matter when it comes to Zelda and I'm ready to commit to whatever the game has in store.

It's really the finer details that impress me, details that I'm sure aren't vastly important to many gamers but I came away stunned by the effort and skill on display, there's a huge adventure ahead across the horizon and I'm ready and willing to face whatever evil is ahead. Already, this is Zelda. This is Adventure.

-Adam

Why Sonic Generations is a Big deal.

If you're a gamer, possibly in your Twenties- you'll be aware of Sonic The Hedgehog. You might also be aware of Sonic Generations- the latest game that is hitting stores early in November. You might not be planning on buying it though and who could blame you- Sonic has had more bad eggs than any other video game character imaginable, to the point where it begs the question "Why is he still around and relevant today?"

Well the answer is because he deserves to be. Sonic games still come out because he deserves one last Hurrah. So let's begin with a quick history recap-

The Nineties in video games was a very different world to the console-fanboy invested, DLC plagued, graphics race of gaming today.

In the Nineties the world of Gaming had given birth to two of its greatest Icons. One of which had quite the head start in the eighties; debuting with a smash hit and going on to be more recognisable world-wide than Micky Mouse. The other, was his competition- and he was everything the plump plumber wasn't. In this case, Sega really did DO what NintenDON'T- and if Mario was famous for his Jumping, Sonic The Hedgehog was famous for his Speed.

Sonic was designed to embody everything cool in the Nineties, he had a sassy attitude, he didn't take no guff from anybody and he was a rebel who had the freedom to make his own choices. And for many years- he was exactly what he was destined to be. He was cool.

Going head to head with Mario was taking on Goliath but Sonic had the edge to share the spotlight and soon became the established mascot for SEGA, selling system after system on the promise of a mind-bendingly crazy roller-coaster ride as the furry blue git.

As a Gamer you made your choice; SEGA or Nintendo. Sonic or Mario. You chose a side. And for the Era of 2D in gaming, Sonic and Mario were the undisputed champions.

Until everything changed.

In 1994 Sony revealed their new Disc-based system; the Playstation- a force not to be reckoned with and a legacy that would continue to burn brighter as time marched on. With it was the concept of moving through fully realised 3d spaces and in 1996 everything changed when Sonics rival- made the leap to that new found land in Super Mario 64.

Hailed today as one of the finest games ever created and one of the 'Pillars' of Modern Gaming, Mario could not have made a better effort, his place in the new age of gaming was forever solidified. But what of his competition?

Unfortunately for Sonic, his introductions into the world of 3D were to be just the start of a long struggle. After a string of bizarrely disastrous games on various failed SEGA consoles, The SEGA Dreamcast launched in 1998 and with it; Sonics salvation, his 'Super Mario 64'. Sonic Adventure.

It boasted blistering speeds, the best graphics ever seen on a home console at the time and a scale and presentation not yet matched. However, it was plagued with problems, falling victim to the now demanding expectation of Gamers, it had been too long since the dawn of 3D for Sonic to get away with mistakes now addressed in many rival games.

Ultimately, the game did well but criticism spread and cut deep, governing over opinions and choices for games to follow. Sonic Adventure 2 released in 2001 and sought to improve on the many problems of its predecessor. In many fans opinions it was the last good attempt at 3D for Sonic and fondly remembered as his adventures that followed only spiralled deeper into bizarre attempts to stand out.

In the meantime, SEGA fell apart- forced to abandon attempts to create competitive hardware and becoming a software developer- publishing games on existing platforms. It paved the way for the least likely thought ever imaginable in the early Nineties- a Sonic game on a Nintendo platform. Not only that but a Sonic game WITH Mario in it.

Even in this new age for SEGA, Sonic continued to suffer with each new game tarnishing his reputation. Seemingly unaware of the problems with 3D Sonic games at their core, Sonic Team(The group formed and responsible for all the games)continued to try new gimmicks with Sonic to freshen the forumla. They tried making more characters, they tried complicated stories, they gave him a sword(!?), all the while ignoring the glaring basic problems with how the games functioned.

He was a Werehog. That's how bad it got.

However, with no game fully without merit and with the whiniest fan-base imaginable, demands for a classic outing not wrapped in the pretence of a complicated real-world story, or bundled with a pointless stand-out gimmick were HEARD.

No doubt inspired by Sonics new found alliance with his old Rival, Sonic Team created Sonic Colours in 2010. To thunderous applause. Here was a Sonic game with the same spirit as that cheeky scamp we first fell in love with in 1991.

It had no endless sea of annoying characters, it had no stupidly over-done story, it had no stand out gimmicks. Just speed, fun and some platforming for good measure. It was the Super Mario 64 that Sonic Adventure should have been and it was the natural evolution of gameplay to welcome Sonic, arms open, into the world of 3D.

And now, we have different expectations of Sonic Generations- a game that promises to build purely on the merits of Sonic Colours(of which there were many)whilst at the same time, paying tribute to the long turbulent history of the SEGA Mascot.

So why should you care?

Maybe you didn't play Sonic Colours- maybe you still think there's no such thing as a strong 3D Sonic game but I'd ask you to remember the admiration and fond memories you have of what a GOOD Sonic game is.

And to think of the downfall of a Hero who meant a great deal to so many. This story is the story of a Heroes retribution- the fanfare of the Heroes return. Taking his rightful place amoung legends with an adventure that does him justice.

Because crappy games or not- Sonic is an icon of gaming, a symbol forever associated with the hobby that we spend huge fractions of our lives on and if he's to die- let him die with honour. Sonic Generations is such a big deal because this is his return to form, this is putting him back on the map. And that's well overdue and well deserved.

Welcome back old friend!

-Adam.

The Fate of Felicity.

Felicity was supposed to have seen a third Issue as early as Summer '09 and yet here we are, closing the year '11 and no sign of the elusive third part to the ongoing adventures of Team Crimson.

So where is it?

Well I'll tell you! It's a long tale of what I hope has been evolution and learning.

To begin with the simplest answer- Issue 3 is right here on the computer I type this on, in a folder, labelled FELICITY ISSUE 3. It's a complete comic, coming in at 105 pages. Those pages are inconsistent in terms of polish and attention- some in black and white, some in colour. Some are as old as January 2010, some are newish- with my hand having revisited them in June of this year but overall it's a totally readable- complete visual representation of my Issue 3 script.

So why isn't it online? Because it isn't finished. Issue 1 and 2 are full colour adventures, coming in at a fraction of the scale but never-the-less a complete 'polished' outing. I'm a stickler for consisentancy and reason one for Issue 3 not seeing the light of day just yet is that it isn't finished to the same degree.

Reason two is the kicker- Over the past two years I have begun to really involve myself in the world I wish to go into, career wise. I've taken on more Freelance work and explored more options open to me than I have in my life previously. What this boils down to is a lack of free-time. And Felicity exists because of Free-time- my choice to spend my time off to create and tell a story. Now, I still have free-time but when you're working Freelance jobs between working in a go-out-the-door job for half of your week, sometimes your free-time needs to be exactly that, free time.

Reason three is my standards. In 2009 I finished Issue 1 of Felicity, which was the first comic I've ever made. That wasn't a long time ago- and the amount of learning I've had to do since then has been astonishing. Comics is a craft whose many intricacies go deeper and deeper- as soon as you think you understand what you're doing you realise there's a whole other world you're suddenly involved in- and guess what? You've no idea where to go. There's no rule book to comics but there is also a million things you can do wrong.

Since creating Issue 1 I have studied the craft of comics in many different areas, from basics like timing and story-telling, to how far you can push the boundries of layout and composition. Really addressing the flaws in my own work for Issue 3- laser focusing on what I've done wrong and working to fix it with my next effort. And while this is a natural thing that all craftsmen and artists go through(learning and evolving)it's also a process that takes a lot of time and patience- it's a process that creates tension and stress. It's a process of building walls that we eventually need to smash through and sometimes our journey to get to those walls are creatively draining and test the very limits of what we are capable of. That in of itself isn't good fuel for a comic journey- and can seriously hinder your progress(That said though, it isn't what I'd call Artists Block, it's more so a coming of higher standard, and feeling that your work no longer reaches it.)

My standards have been raised considerably from when I first started out on Felicity, I know I'm a better artist than I was back then so I want to make sure that my work now reflects that- what that means for production on Issue 3 is a self-critique of each page and each panel, which upon reflection can sometimes seem completely uncalled for but mostly is a necessary part of getting better.

Reason Four is time. Relating somewhat to what I've said previously on why Free-time is involved, time itself is an issue. I've reached the point now where I have to carefully manage my time to allow me access to various things I deem important in my life. I need to prioritise work I'm going to be paid for over work I'm not, that's basic common sense. But what it means for personal projects like Felicity is a queue for my time and my attention- despite the fact I may not want it that way, that's the way it is beginning to be and that is the way it will now continue to be. There is only so much time in a day and I need more than a day to really make any progress on Felicity.

HOWEVER!

Time and thought has presented a solution.

Felicity Issue 3 will be released, and it was never an intention to cancel it. I admit that I have been idiotic with my tight-lipped approach to its fate, having now pretty much destroyed the following I worked really hard to build. I trust that there are some folks who can understand that life gets in the way of these things and who believe I really have done everything I can to get as far as I have without going mad in the process.

So the solution?

It won't be a colour comic.

It'll be purely black and white and available in exactly the same format as its older sisters- online in a flash-flip book. Which leads me to the last point concerning it. Felicity will also be released as an APP on iOS devices sometime in the new year- aswell as that; shorter iOS device only stories set in the same universe are due to come in the next year. That's an exciting prospect that I really look forward to seeing realized with the help of my friends.

And on that note I want to thank a few people-

Firstly Paul J Holden who has mentored me on many of the aspects of being a comic artist, earlier in the year called me on Skype to be frank about his concerns with me and the directions I was taking with my art. He raised some difficult points to hear about whether or not it was really worth my time to be working on a comic that has no publisher, no money and not a great deal of a following when I could(and should)be working for money, on all kinds of books that are going places with writers who can help push me up the ladder.

At time I found it offensive and disappointing, something I've come to realise is the exact reason why I need to take a step back from Felicity. There are a whole host of reasons I could(and don't worry, won't)go into as to why I created the comic and continue to draw it, some of which I feel are hugely key to me being where I am with my current ability. But these kinds of things are what they are; personal stories. And no matter what your grand ideal is for said personal stories- the reality is that they aren't going to be understood or accepted in the same way you understand or accept them. That the reality is, you shouldn't get too attached or you'll not have the perspective to understand where next to go and potentially, as PJ highlighted to me, be caught in a inward spiral of just creating story after story for 'yourself' and never achieving anything in the process with your talent.

I could list PJ as one of the reasons Issue 3 isn't online(as his comments put me off my stride on it for a good few months)but ultimately I have to thank him for helping me get my head screwed on about things, working on Felicity is a labour of love and it can always continue to be that but I can't expect it to solve my problems of being stuck in a dead end job that has nothing to do with my abilities.

Secondly Sonira, a friend and huge supporter of Felicity, I probably owe more to her than she realises. She's behind the Character selection sprites you see on the Felicity Website. She also made and mailed me a 99 Plush, which sits proudly on my desk as a reminder of the support behind me when I can't seem to get the standard I want. She has done countless fanart to voice her support and excitement for further installments and has even created a parody comic 'FALICKITY' which above all else makes me feel like I can't ever let her down by slacking on Felicity.

It is an immensely powerful force when someone takes time to create something in tribute to you or your work, out of the blue, out of the nowhere a hand signalling that someone out there loves what's happening and has got your back. I thank her for that, I'm not sure I ever properly have. Her continuing fanfare for all things Felicity doesn't go unnoticed and is certainly the voice of encouragement when I feel alone with where I'm headed.

There are so many supporters on DeviantART who question the whereabouts of this next Issue, who are the folks I feel like I've let down the most with this delay- it's a hugely amazing thing for me to have anyone read my comic and want to read more, you tend to expect the worst and folks have been extremely accepting and kind to what I've created. Also I've been so lucky to have received more-than-I-should amounts of Fan-art and been able to see so many takes on my characters through art-trades. Anyone who has ever drawn one of my characters is so to blame for me caring so much about these books and I need to thank them as well.

Lastly to thank Tracy Deines and Darryl Walker- two people the closest to my heart who have shared in so much of my struggle to complete Issue 3. Darryl is solely responsible for the fact Felicity has an on line presence at all, taking my designs and making them work on anyones computer screen- he also sprinkles the magic dust that turns my pages into a digital comic book that readers can flick through and browse. Thats a huge weight off me, it's also an impossible barrier that alone I couldn't achieve- to know that when I finish a comic, I can pass it to him and have that magical moment of seeing it 'finished' without it being spoilt is something I look forward to. Tracy by comparison has been around since the beginning and is one of the earliest voices of support- her voice now literally being the loudest. She knows what she has done for Felicity and how she continues to help it to rock on. Before this blogpost gets any LONGER or Smuushy, I wanna end on my plan for 2011.

You might have seen in previous blogposts that I've been working on a short story(Don't worry, this one is ACTUALLY short, and PJ- it has a start middle and an END!)called THE JOURNEY. Ideally, I want it to release sometime around Christmas Eve. MID to late December.

That's a goal I don't really want to compromise, so I doubt Issue 3 will see a 2011 release, which makes me feel abit pathedic actually, however! With the new black and white goal kicking off, I can rest assured that I'm not only halfing my production time but probably shaving 2/3 of the time per page(Colours takes me forever)so I can expect to finish it to a polished standard very early in the new year.

As for the fate of Felicity beyond that, we'll have to see. I need to take my time away from it for awhile after I complete Issue 3, there are things I need to get out of my system and goals I need to achieve, I will not stop with Felicity until I finish the story- I just might take a lot longer to get there.

-Adam.