To the Skies!

I know I don't write journal entries very often but I decided to now because I have 'Good News Everyone', of sorts.

As far as submissions and random comments my profile is about to go quiet for a few weeks (Yes I know, you're crushed) but the reason for this is because at the end of the week I shall be departing on my first trip to the United States. As some of you know I've been training as an Aircraft Pilot and so now I'm heading to Michigan to train with the air school in Traverse City. Any locals will recognize me as the brit student in a brown bomber jacket who seems way too interested in aircraft and engineering for most people. Anyone who suspects they may have encountered me may utter the phrase 'The Black Wolf from Soviet Russia' to identify themselves as someone who has read this posting. If you receive the response 'Only in winter 1986' rather than the traditional response of 'What the bloody hell are you talking about?' then you'll know you've found the right person.

However before I leave I've got two more chapters to review before I submit them. The first is the next chapter of Soulstorm- Spirits of the Wasteland, in which the Tau finally make contact with the elusive Eldar of Kaurava. The second is the continuation of Photo Op- Maktar Resort or Bust, the continuing saga of Ratchet and companions on the run from the Galactic President for daring to seduce his daughter. After I finish reading over them again I'll submit them into the gallery by the end of the week.

I know that while this is rather late to most PS3 gamers but since I've only just recently acquired one myself I finally managed to complete the PS3 exclusive Valkyria Chronicles. Any of you who have yet to play it I highly recommend it as another instalment from the studio that created Skies of Arcadia (Another of my all time favourites). The two games are rather similar except with VC focusing more on tactical shooting and SoA more towards world exploration but they're both rather like Final Fantasy but actually understandable in what's going on!

Anyone who's been read some of my works will know I hold a love of the video game Mass Effect and the TV show Avatar the Last Airbender. As such it's been an enjoyable time recently which saw the release of Mass Effect 3 and Legend of Korra. Ever since their releases I have been hunting for inspiration to write something on both of them. I don't know whether it was simply a massive case of writers block but it's taken me quite a while to come up with any inspiration sufficient to write about. Finally though the spirit of non-profit writing has smiled upon me and I have finally come up with sufficient inspiration to start writing. Hopefully I'll have something worth showing by the time I return so stay tuned.

I know it's pretty much a mortal sin now to mention Mass Effect 3 without referring to the much debated 'Ending'. (Please note some may consider what I'm about to say spoilerish so take that into consideration). I can kind of see why people would be angry about how it turned out but personally I wasn't surprised. Rather than being annoyed about the ending I think most people are simply bummed that finally most of the mystery has been revealed. Back in Mass Effect you learn the Reapers are an Advanced Machine Race out to kill you, Mass Effect 2 you learn the Collectors are the Protheans, Mass Effect 3 you find out the whole cycle of destruction is to preserve order through mass slaughter. Much like with 'What the Quarians look like' I think most people preferred it when they could let their imaginations go nuts and each had their own personal theories, once the series has given the 'True answer' all that speculation evaporates. I was expecting something along the lines of either the Reapers were pre-programmed from some previous war and after their creators got killed they simply repeated their previous orders or it was their method of growth/development, as suggested by the Human Reaper in the Collector Base.

Personally I don't think the line 'We kill you all to preserve order on the command of another higher being' seems a bit defunct to me but I guess since they've got to have some other mystery to solve in the next instalment otherwise where are they goanna go next?