Amalur Demo
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the single-player RPG from Big Huge Games and Studio 38, had it’s demo drop on the 17th. You create a character, run through the tutorial beginning, then are given 45 minutes to explore the world (with the clock pausing when you are on the character screen or in dialog cut scenes) and it let’s you get a feel for the basics combat system, crafting, conversations, quests, etc. Overall it neither excited nor bored me – it just wasn’t enough to get a full grasp of the game, overall, and I couldn’t completely invest myself in the character knowing that I’d have to start all over with the new game.
That said, if you have little to no idea how this game will play and are curious, you can get the demo on XBOX Live, on the PSN, on EA’s Origin or on Steam… for free! Go give it a whirl!
Underworld Weekend!
The fourth tale of vampire vs. lycans, Underworld Awakening, opens this weekend, with Kate Beckinsale back in the tight black-suited role of Selene. Selene is one of my favorite characters from film, especially genre film, so of course I’m going to see this movie! I know very little of what it’s about and I’m okay with that.
Quiltbag (spin-off of Penny & Aggie) moves to Keenspot
I’m not quite feeling this comic like I did Penny & Aggie, but it is still enjoyable and I’m going to keep following it for the time being. The characters of Sara and Lisa from P&A are now roommates in college, with Sara trying to reinvent herself after her reality-show experience and coming-out problems in the previous series, while Lisa is dealing with a long distance relationship with, of all people, Stan.
The art has moved on from mimicking departed Giselle’s style, current artist Jason Waltrip coming into this own style that is reminiscent of the majority of P&A’s run while still being it’s own thing.
Subject matter might not be for everyone (look up what quiltbag means before going to read the series, at least, if you don’t already know) but it also might be just the kind of story and theme you are looking for.
There’s a lot of “hmm” about any successful series moving TO Keenspot… but I’ll leave that editorializing alone for now.
Jim Yoho is the owner of In Genre, Wausau Comics, and JAY Entertainment and he maintains the site as well as adding the occasional article or review of his own. He often goes by Merin online, from way back in the BBS days of dial-up modems even.
Having enjoyed writing reviews and postings for other sites he decided to start his own where he combined his creative urges to write and create web comics (such as Episode Fun and Alistair & Arthur) with his long-held desire to bring together and organize talented people for joint projects. The end result is that you get the Wausau Comics site - articles and reviews of genre entertainment at In Genre plus some web comics and links to the works of other Contributors, too! 
Merin on 
Benton Sartore on 
