firehose

Retro-bit's Super Retro Trio, a three-in-one console designed to play Sega Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, is slated to launch in "mid-to-late March 2014," according to a press release from distributer Innex.

The $69.99 system will include cartridge slots for each of the classic systems, six controller ports, two SNES-like "16-bit-style" controllers (pictured below), an AC adapter and an S-video/AV cable. The optional $44.99 Super Retro Adapter is available now and allows you to play Game Boy Advance cartridges on the Super Retro Trio, the original SNES and, according to Innex, "any other third-party 16-bit console."

The Super Retro Trio made its debut last year and was initially scheduled for a summer 2013 release. Innex revealed today that it discovered "some controller mapping concerns on the first few samples" of the console that delayed the release until this year.

"We stand behind our products," said Innex President Titi Ngoy. "There is no room for less than the highest level of satisfaction. Retro-bit is one of the elite brands that Innex distributes worldwide and this collaboration with the manufacturer will ensure a successful launch of this outstanding console."

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), center, has now become Congress' most outspoken opponent to the NSA's metadata program.

Talk Radio News Service

In a Congressional committee hearing, the author of the Patriot Act threatened to orchestrate a movement to not reauthorize the controversial post-9/11 law.

In a session of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr (R-WI) said that given the government’s muted response to the Snowden leaks—particularly regarding the bulk metadata collection authorized under Section 215—the White House needs to make further changes.

Speaking to Deputy Attorney General James Cole, who appeared before the committee, Sensenbrenner gave a stern warning.

Submitted by: Unknown

The legislation in Kansas that would have made it nearly impossible for cities and towns in that state to offer broadband service to residents was originally scheduled for debate in the Senate today.

That hearing ended up being canceled after public outcry forced the bill's author, the Kansas Cable Telecommunications Association (KCTA), to rethink its tactics.But that doesn't mean the bill is going away forever. Cox, a member of the cable lobby group, blamed the early struggle on "misinformation" but said there will be "continued discussion."

"Cox Communications was prepared to participate in Kansas legislative hearings regarding Government Owned Networks," the company said in a statement sent to Ars. "With approximately 22 other states having some type of restriction on the use of taxpayer dollars for these kinds of facilities, we thought it a relevant topic worthy of our involvement given our significant investment in the communities we serve and our public-private partnerships. There was enough misinformation regarding the legislation that made it appropriate for the committee to defer action at this time. We look forward to a continued discussion with all parties on this issue."

In the overwhelmingly male comic book industry, it has been a challenge for some editors and readers to see the ever growing number of talented women currently trying to make a name for themselves. With that in mind, ComicsAlliance offers Hire This Woman, a recurring feature designed for comics readers as well as editors and other professionals, where we shine the spotlight on a female comics pro on the ascendance. Some of these women will be at the very beginning of their careers, while others will be more experienced but not yet “household names.”

This time our spotlight falls on Allison Thomas. She does everything on her projects from writing to art to lettering.  This manga- and webcomic-inspired cartoonist is currentlyhard at work on a webcomic called Whisper.

ComicsAlliance: What’s your preferred form of creative output?

Allison Thomas: I would say it’s a fair balance between writing and drawing. My brain is always on and pumping out dialogue and characters, so writing is something I can do pretty much at any given moment until I am too tired or the sun starts coming up, whoops. And drawing is something I can do for hours on end, and shut off my brain. Both of them suck me in completely.

CA: Do you work on paper or digitally? 

AT: Both. They have their time and their place for me, though I’m not sure how to distinguish when and why. I think working digitally is something I can do spontaneously and finish in one or two (very long) sitting, while working on paper requires setting up my desk and pulling out supplies. I use it for projects I intend to commit multiple drawing sessions to.

CA: What’s your background/training?

AT: Some of the best training I got was in high school. Once we got past Art 1, our teacher took us seriously and all of our projects were projects he’d done in art school. I was 15 and doing studies in oil, acrylic, watercolor, scratch board, inking, and colored pencil. I learned to stretch my own canvas, compose my own still life’s, and mat my own work. Despite knowing I was an illustrator and wanted to make comics, I was trained to do it all and I love it.

After high school, I didn’t go to art school, I went to a normal university. I almost majored in art more than once, but changed my mind again and again until I decided I was tired of school and wanted to graduate, thanks. I ended up with a bachelor’s in Liberal Studies and a bunch of college art classes under my belt, including design, animation, photography, ceramics, drawing, and creative writing.

I consider my degree really helpful to my work, though. I took a lot of classes in a lot of fields. My basic knowledge is broad which is such a benefit to writing a variety of stories and settings.

CA: How would you describe your creative style?

AT: A love of details, fantasy, and sci-fi. All of my comics have an element of fantasy or sci-fi in them. My writing and my art pay attention to details that I doubt anyone else cares about. I work in multimedia a lot–to get the right lines, the right effects. Some stories are best told in black and white ink, while another is better in watercolor.

CA: What projects have you worked on in the past?

AT: Two years ago I was working on a comic I had written, but as I was starting to draw the third chapter, I had an art crisis, wanted to change my style, and realized the story was too big and based on a few weak ideas. It’s been in the works since then and I only began to make headway recently.

CA:  What are you currently working on?

AT: I’m currently working on rewriting that, editing another, and drawing a third. I’m sitting on a finished script, a story that is bare bones, and a google doc of 20 bullet point story ideas waiting to be explored or crossed out. I am always working on something, in some stage. I doubt I will ever run out of ideas.

CA: Approximately how long does it take you to create a 20-page issue?

AT: Geez, that’s tough. The longest bit of the process is the writing, since I tend to work on one script for a few months then shift gear to another and back and forth. I usually have two or three scripts in works at a time. My current project took about a year to get the script right — I’m a perfectionist in my writing, but I’m trying to get better at writing faster. Thumbnails took about a day. I can draw a page to completion in a day and a half, currently. I’m trying to speed that up.

Ignoring time it takes to write, a 20-page issue would take me about a month and a half, give or take.

CA: What is your dream project?

AT: There is no one dream project. I want to write and make my own work. I am excited about all of it. I suppose a dream project would be to draw a comic for a writer I admire, or to write for an artist I admire. I’d love to do a variant cover for BOOM! Studios. The dream is to have work that makes me giddy.

CA: Who are some comic creators that inspire you?

AT: Kazu Kibuishi, Becky Cloonan, Jake Wyatt, Megan lawton, Emi Muto, Ashley Cope, John Allison, Kate Beaton, Tom Siddell, Yuko Ota, Karl Kerschl, Evan Dahm, Bryan Lee O’Malley. A handful are good friends, most are webcomics, all are at least artists.

CA: What are some comics that have inspired you either growing up or as an adult?

AT: As a child, I grew up reading newspaper comics. I had no exposure to comics if it wasn’t Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, For Better or For Worse, Foxtrot, or Luann. I had no thought to make comics until middle school, when I read my first manga. I probably shouldn’t have been reading that particular manga at 12. I didn’t have any idea what kind of stories I wanted to tell until I read the online comic Reman Mythology in high school. That definitely changed me and inspired me for years. I also found a webcomic called The Way to Your Heart, and many years later became very good friends with the creator. Our work is very different, but she helped me find my footing with sharing comics online.
Ultimately I find almost all of my inspiring comics online: Unsounded, Gunnerkrigg Court, Bad Machinery, Johnny Wander, Necropolis, Rice Boy, and The Abominable Charles Christopher. Some non-digital comics would be the Flight anthologies, Scott Pilgrim, Amulet, and Bone.

CA: What’s your ideal professional environment?

AT: I love to be around other artists. A shared studio with some artists I admire would be the best. Our desks tucked in around the room, some bookshelves of art books and comics, a cabinet of supplies, a paint stained sink.. to be able to consult with each other, peek over shoulders and be motivated to do better. I thrive in that kind of a space, even if everyone else is gone. Just knowing it’s a special place to create.

CA: What do you most want our readers and industry professionals to know about your work?

AT: I don’t believe in half baked writing. The best art is nothing if the story is weak. A good story is crap if the ending is whack. I don’t start drawing a comic until I have the script done; too often major edits are needed. I do the research, collect reference, and I know my work is good because of it. I want to make comics, and I want them to be the best work I can do, not just “good enough.”

CA: How can editors and readers keep up with your work and find your contact information?

AT: I have a website with a sample of my art and contact info. I also have a twitter which is 99% insipid tweeting.

If there is a woman you’d like to recommend or if you’d like to be included in a future installment of this feature, drop us a line at comicsalliance-at-gmail-dot-com with “Hire This Woman” in the subject line.

A few weeks ago, Kyle Chandler joined an as-yet-unnamed Netflix series from the creators of Damages about a family of adult siblings, playing the married, responsible middle brother. Now Freaks And Geeks’ Linda Cardellini will follow her recent dramatic stint on Mad Men by signing on as “Meg, the youngest of four siblings, a skilled attorney who’s warm, caring, and fun.” The show is still looking for the black sheep brother who returns to stir up drama with his siblings, but landing an Emmy winner (Chandler) and another nominee (Cardellini) is a good start. Also, it allows us to imagine the kind of speech Coach Taylor would’ve given Lindsay Weir if she was his daughter, then giggle.

It looks like Sony might be narrowing its focus a bit — according to a Nikkei report, the company is contemplating selling its personal computer division to a Japanese investment fund, though it sounds like the Vaio brand would live on in a limited fashion.. Sony would reportedly keep a small stake in a new venture built from the sale and continue to operate in markets where the brand is well-known — but otherwise it would exit the market in most countries. However, the Vaio business would continue to operate in Sony's come country of Japan, with a specific focus on the business market.

While the sale to Japan Industrial Partners (estimated to be between $391 million and $489 million) isn't a done deal yet, it sounds like it could be official by the end of March — which would result in the company losing money on its fiscal year for the first time in two years. As for the staff of 1,000 currently dedicated to the Vaio business, most would either be absorbed by the buyer or transferred to other parts of Sony; it doesn't sound like a major round of layoffs would immediately accompany this sale.

This comes at a time when Sony is trying to recapture the swagger and reputation for innovation it had during the 1990s — the company was an even bigger presence at CES 2014 than usual, with a number of innovative and unusual products on display. While Sony has been making a lot of noise with the PlayStation 4 and a renewed focus on mobile phones, things have been quieter with the Vaio business. Nikkei reports that the company wants to continue putting more focus towards smartphones and that shedding the PC business, which is said to be a money-loser, would help facilitate that initiative.

As Jay Leno’s tenure draws to a close at the Tonight Show, his years there will soon be left to the historians—those duty-bound to ensure humanity remembers it has seen this, that it has heard about this. And now researchers at the Center for Media and Public Affairs have gotten an early jump on immortality by compiling a list of the most frequent targets of Leno’s satirical barbs during his two decades as host, up through his January 24 show. Sadly, it seems that under those constraints, Jay Leno was only able to make 4,607 jokes about Bill Clinton—even after NBC wisely reinstated him, knowing his work was not done. Fortunately, Leno still has until Thursday, and Bill Clinton still got a blowjob that time. 

The list:

1. Bill Clinton — 4,607 jokes
2. George W. Bush — 3,239 jokes
3. Al Gore — 1,026 ...

The Humble Sid Meier Bundle is live, corralling games from the veteran strategy designer at a price of your choosing for the next two weeks.

The bundle includes codes for the following games, which you can also see in the video above:

• Sid Meier's Ace Patrol
• Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
• Sid Meier's Civilization 3 Complete
• Sid Meier's Civilization 4: The Complete Edition
• Sid Meier's Railroads!

Pay more than the average price ($4.84 as of this writing) and you'll also receive Sid Meier's Civilization 5 and its Gods and Kings expansion pack. Pay more than $15 and you'll receive the strategy game's Brave New World expansion.

For $1 or more, you can access the games on Steam for Windows. Civilization 4, Civilization 5 and its expansions are available for Mac. You can check out each game's system requirements on a page devoted to them.

As usual, you can split your payment as you see fit. The Humble Sid Meier Bundle allows you to choose between publisher 2K Games, the Action Against Hunger charity and the Humble Bundle organizers.

When Doom programmer John Carmack left the company he founded to go work on the Oculus Rift, the assumption was that Carmack had traded a stale job for an opportunity to pursue his hobby — virtual reality — instead. His former studio, id Software, suggested as much in a statement at the time he left, saying that Carmack had "become interested in focusing on things other than game development at id."

Apparently, that's not quite true. The real reason that Carmack left id, he tells USA Today, was because he couldn't work on virtual reality games while he remained at the studio. Originally, Carmack had championed virtual reality while still at id, going so far as to promise that Doom 4 would support the technology. However, it now sounds like id Software parent company Zenimax Media had other ideas, and wouldn't agree to devote the resources to make Doom and Wolfenstein: The New Order into virtual reality games.

"When it became clear that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to do any work on VR ... I decided to not renew my contract."

"[T]hey couldn't come together on that which made me really sad. It was just unfortunate," Carmack told the publication. "When it became clear that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to do any work on VR while at id software, I decided to not renew my contract."

From a business perspective, it's not hard to see why Zenimax might have been unwilling to take the plunge. While winning accolades from many a technology journalist, the Oculus Rift is still an unproven, unreleased platform with a number of missing pieces. While virtual reality games are compelling, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is the first to admit that they really need to be built for virtual reality from the ground up.

Either way, Carmack is now working at Oculus, where he allegedly has a number of projects under his belt. The company has told us that he's heading up efforts to build an Android version of the software, and CEO Brendan Iribe has hinted that he may now be building games — or at least tech demos — for the Oculus Rift as well.

By Robert Florence on February 4th, 2014 at 9:00 pm.

Hello youse.

As we build up to my historic announcement of the best board game of 2013, I think it’s worth taking a break to talk about an exciting new edition of a great game. I’m really pumped about how good this game is. Are you sitting down? Do you like dice? Do you like games with lots of replayability?

Okay then.

BATTLELORE 2ND EDITION

Oh shit, son.

This game system, this Richard Borg game system, this Command and Colors game system, this game system.

This game system.

When I got back into board games in a big way, many years ago now, Memoir 44 was one of the first games I picked up. It operated under Mr Borg’s incredible Command and Colors game system, and it was fantastic. In the years that followed, I picked up Command and Colors itself, and many other games that used the same basic ruleset. Games like Battles of Westeros and Abaddon and Battlelore. I loved them all.

Here’s a basic explanation of how the game system works. You have a board representing a battle map, laid out with hexagons. That board is split into three sections. Left flank, right flank, centre. You have units on your side of the board, and you draw cards from a deck. Those cards allow you to command your troops. A card might say “ORDER TWO UNITS ON THE LEFT”. Or it might say “ORDER ONE UNIT FROM EACH SECTION”. Then you move your troops and roll some dice to attack. The game system is, at its core, about managing your hand of command cards to get the best out of your troops. Essentially, this system only lets you command some of your troops some of the time, so you better get thinking about what you’re going to do next.

(The different versions of the game introduced different elements. Abaddon is more chaotic, with you rolling command dice to activate your robots. Battles of Westeros ties commands to the influence area of generals in your army.)

Battlelore introduced something else – Lore cards. Lore cards were cards with magical effects, or power boosts, or – look, put simply, Lore cards were “cool shit” cards. It was a great game.

But then – THEN…. A whole mess happened. Days of Wonder sold Battlelore to Fantasy Flight and then Fantasy Flight said it was too expensive to produce so no more printings came to light and then they introduced Battles of Westeros as a Battlore game and I have no idea why they did that and everyone got really angry because everyone really wanted more Battlelore and it looked like Battlelore was dead and the original edition got really expensive on the second hand market and everyone was pretty much totally pissed off at this point it was really horrible and I don’t like it when people fight.

But the dark days are over. Battlelore 2nd Edition is out. And it’s pretty much a slam dunk. And I don’t even know anything about baseball!

Okay, so those old game mechanics? Left flank, right flank, centre? Present and correct. Two armies in beautiful plastic. One red, one blue. Archers, dudes on horses, big monsters. Lots of tiles representing hills and forests and rivers and villages. A deck of command cards and a deck of lore cards for each army. All. Present. And. Correct.

Here’s something cool – when you are about to play a game, each player selects a scenario card that covers their side of the board. When two players put those cards together, it shows the full map, and how to set it up, and what special conditions are in play. This means you never really know what kind of battle you’ll be fighting until that stuff is revealed. It adds a lot of variety. There’s a “fog of war” mechanic too. When you set up your units at the start of the game, you’ll also place decoy units on the board. Your true placements are hidden. All of this stuff gives a real sense of drama to the start of a battle, and helps stop stuff sliding into predictability.

Battlelore, like all the Command and Colors games, is easy to learn and play. I think it flows so smoothly because you can only think about a few things at any one time. Because you are limited in your commands from moment to moment, it feels like you are zooming into different areas of battle. “I will think about this now” and then “I will deal with this now”. It’s always tense, but never overwhelming. There’s dice-chucking, sure, and every game under this game system will throw up a few moments of being horribly unlucky with the dice. But your opponent will have those moments too, and it’s your job to try to lessen the impact of your freak events.

The units are brilliant. There are these crazy barbarian fellas who get stronger the more hurt they get. So, if you attack them, you better hope you wipe them out. Otherwise, you’ve just pissed them off. There are archers with poisonous arrows. There’s a big giant bird thing with a guy riding on it. There’s flavour dripping everywhere. The two armies in the box, and those modular scenario cards you lock together, ensure you can play this thing forever.

But wait. There’s something else.

This just recently popped up on the Fantasy Flight site -

So, what do we have here? A brilliant edition of a brilliant version of one of the most brilliant game systems ever devised. A massive amount of variety in the box, and now a scenario builder that just kicks the whole thing open.

I’m sure I don’t have to say anything else. This shit is tried and tested. The safest of safe bets. Buy it.