Jason Sigler > Recent Status Updates

Here we go again! The surviving (thus far!) trio are moving on with a sense of solidarity and courage that they were still forming in Book One. I can't wait to see where Clementine (and maybe her traveling companions?) are at the end of this penultimate tale.

Having read Walden's On a Sunbeam for my former webcomics review podcast, I was so excited to read a new Walking Dead book about a character I'd grown near and dear to through the Telltale video games. This confluence of interests proves to be just what I was looking for, both in beauty and blemishes.

I appreciate that there are so many photos in this book, because it boosts my satisfaction in knowing I read so many pages in a day! It's also a lot of fun to read. I especially enjoyed the story about Judd meeting Steve Martin as a kid and how his refusal to take no for an answer led to some great memorabilia and a meeting he'll never forget.

This book is interesting because it's a charity-first endeavor, meaning there was very little editing involved and that makes it truly feel like a scrapbook of one of the most influential comedy minds of recent memory. Highlights for me thus far were the large sections on Freaks and Geeks and 40-Year Old Virgin, which are massive favorite works of mine.

The story behind Dragon Age: Inquisition feels like one on the razor's edge, teetering ever too close to a development hell that results in a failure that kills a franchise. It's amazing that they pulled it back and ended up with something that not only didn't fail but washed the bad taste of DA II out of everyone's mouths.

Going behind the scenes on a game I couldn't really care less about (Halo Wars) represents the thing I love the most about good writing that also just happens to be about or surrounding video games: making me care about something I'm not really interested in. Great insight, well-written reviews of games I'm not considering buying, it's all gravy.

I remember when the release of Diablo III was engulfed in controversy surrounding the auction house, so it's cool to hear about the BTS of that mess plus how the developers decided to smash their Diablo idols and envision a new path forward that could be better for the series.

I assumed that depression and other personal aspects of everyday life would come into play in the making of Stardew Valley given that it was created by one person, but it's also so good to hear the end result, that he made millions on the game and is at least satisfied with that part of the game. I also appreciate how honest the book and the creator are with the time that was simply wasted at some points.

After reading about AA and AAA games like Pillars of Eternity and Uncharted 4, it's good to read the other end of the game dev spectrum with the story behind Stardew Valley's one-man team.

Though I know the polish and quality of Naughty Dog games is very high in general, hearing the crunch that they go through towards the end of any game development and how it's just understood that it will be a part of the cycle is disheartening.

As I was hoping, while I don't care much about the game Pillars of Eternity itself, the story behind its creation is fascinating. I'm expecting more stories of the same ilk throughout the rest of the book.