Friday Night Escapade

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I just got back from Dominican University, and let me just say this: Broken Bride was a BLAST!

It was by no stretch of the imagination the best play I've ever seen. The singing was "meh" at best, due to frequent mistakes made by both the director and the actors, and many of the roles were cast poorly (i.e. having a female play "The Boy," assembling a group of primarily tone-deaf singers, etc.) And, while I recognize and appreciate the traditional, minimalist approach to scenery and props, I think the rock opera called for somewhat more than what the stage delivered.

But that's not what I want to focus on. Regardless of any technical errors, the play was not only enjoyable, but actually a really fun time! The zombies marching through the aisles, the dragon wheeling in from stage right, The Traveler spinning wildly in his time machine, even the spotlight pterodactyls made me smile! And I was also impressed by the Mayor's performance, albeit short, especially the part where he killed himself. The use of moveable, stackable cubes as scenery was also a good idea given the various fantastic locations of the play.

All in all, it was a great experience for myself and all the other Ludo fans who attended. It was really heartwarming to see that these people created something not for money or profit of any kind, but for the sheer love of creation and the desire to share that creation with others. Everyone in the audience loved hearing the zombies sing, and you could hear a pin drop when The Traveler was singing "Morning in May": the fans enjoyed every minute of the performance, and all of us had a really fantastic time... for no cost. We didn't have to pay to get in, it was the performers' treat to us! It was so nice to walk in, sit down, and feel like I'm watching something that someone else made because they really, really wanted to do it, not because they wanted to take my money and get on with the show.

Well, that and, "BROKEN BRIDE BROKEN BRIDE BROKEN BRIIIIIDE!!"

Everyone has their own vision of what Broken Bride is supposed to be... like whether "Save Our City" is a part of the plot or just an extra song added to the album, or what The Traveler and his wife are supposed to look like. I think when you get down to a really emotional level, those sort of things become very personal. I guess what made Broken Bride special was that, no matter who you are or where you're from, Ludo is giving you the story and the music, but the rest is up to the individual, and a lot of the appeal of this play is giving life to that aspect of Broken Bride.

Of course, giving life to the dragon was somewhat difficult, but I had a good laugh, so when all's said and done I had a fabulous evening! This is the perfect warm-up for the Chicago leg of the Broken Bride tour, coming to town on October 23rd! (Everyone got your tickets?)

I'd really like to personally thank the directors, Katie Moss and Ian Watts, for putting together such a great performance, and Anthony Patryn, for playing the best damn Traveler we'll ever see! I love what you did with the hair, by the way; channeling Andrew Volpe, I assume? (Of course, they're never going to read this... actually, I really only think 4 or 5 people will ever see this, and only one of them is a Ludo fan.) Anyway, great job!!

I Wish They Were All This Awesome...

BLUE ROGUES, ATTACK!!

Okay everyone, we're going to be doing things a little differently today.

So I made another Facebook quiz... based on my favorite turn-based fantasy RPG of all time: Skies of Arcadia!

The link to the quiz (as well as several other popular SoA themed quizzes I've made) can be found below.

What Moon Were You Born Under?
Which Admiral of the Valuan Armada Are You?
What Skies of Arcadia Character Are You?

I hope you enjoy them all, because I've spent a lot of time on each of them. The fans seem to like my quizzes, so I may just keep making them.

Anyway, as you are no doubt aware, I'm playing through SoA: Legends again... you know, the Skies of Arcadia remake for the Gamecube? (If you'd clicked the dancing link, you'd know by now that the original game was made for the Sega Dreamcast, and it wasn't until later that the remake, SoAL came out for the Gamecube). It's still just as phenomenal as the first time!

Alright, so the graphics are dated. They were dated when they came out on the Gamecube, too... they didn't do much to improve it there. But this is one of those games where it wins so hard that you don't notice. The music (although low sound quality in places) is beautifully arranged, simply moving at times. The story is pure awesomeness, the characters unforgettable. And the battle systems... that's right, TWO (monster fights and pirate ship fights)... keep the random battles from becoming too sluggish and repetitive. It is still a turn-based RPG, after all, but for a game of that genre it's surprisingly exciting and fresh, even by today's standards.

My favorite aspect of the game, however, is the in-game world. It's big... real big. Lots of room to explore and, the best part is, lots of stuff to do. Not only are there optional bounty encounters and side quests galore, but there is a "Discovery" system that I've fallen in love with all over again. Scattered across the map are hidden goodies... when you happen to come across one, your compass begins to spin wildly, and a quick press of the A button reveals what you've discovered. Of course you are rewarded for your finds, but there are just so many discoveries out there on this massive map, you've got hours of entertainment right there! I've always adored games that gave you this great big world with a big, fascinating history behind it, and just turned you loose to explore. Granted, some areas are off limits until you progress further in the story, but that keeps it balanced so that the player has some sort of guideline... otherwise, you'd easily get lost in the fantastic realm of Arcadia.

I'm striving for 100% completion, but I fear that may still be too much for me. 60 hours into a game that took me 100 hours to beat the first time through, and I've already found so many Discoveries and items and even characters that I'd never met before, and I still have so much more to go! My only regret is that there aren't more RPG's out there like this... it is as though SoA has ruined me for all the other nice young games on the market.

Nevertheless, I wait in joyful hope. Perhaps a sequel, Sega? It isn't like you don't have material... you left it wide open. Perhaps a second generation, with Marco as the lead character? Or even a prequel delving into the dark past of Ramirez and the rise of Admiral Galcian? You could even go as far back as the Old Ages... how did those Purple Civilization guys just disappear? And who called down the Rains of Destruction? I'm sure there's a fascinating story behind all that, as well.

Oh geez, sorry guys, I went on a great big rant.

Just stop me next time, okay?