Here's another story through FiftyWordStories.com, this one has a bit of a sci-fi feel to it. As always, please read and rate on the site.
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/10/17/chris-griglack-homesick/
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Bioshock Infinite
I know I'm a little behind with this review as the game came out at the end of August, but I finally had the chance to play through Bioshock Infinite this weekend, and it is hands down my favorite shooter of the year. I loved the previous two installments of Bioshock for their gritty sci-fi/horror take on first person shooters, but this one blew the others out of the water in terms of story, depth, and gameplay.
Bioshock Infinite takes place in 1912 in the city of Columbia, which is the Heaven to Rapture's (the underwater city of the first two games) Hellish nightmare city. Columbia floats high above the clouds while Rapture is sunk deep beneath the ocean, and the society of Columbia is a virtual utopia founded on American patriotism and a cult-like sect of Christianity. While the first two installments had you fighting zombie-like junkies with guns and genetically modified powers you inject into yourself, in Infinite you'll be fighting more or less normal humans with twisted ambitions. You no longer inject yourself with plasmids to grant powers either, Columbia's technology allows you to drink a tonic which uses the salts in your character's body to power the genetic enhancements. The overall feel of Columbia is that it's a city which managed to pull off the utopia that Rapture was aiming for, but after spending about 5 minutes walking through its streets you'll get the feeling that the society is far too good to be true, even if you haven't played the other games.
The image of perfection shatters when you attend the Founder's Day raffle and are greeted with some old fashioned racism like a slap in the face, and when I say that I mean they don't slowly build up to it, the way it's introduced will make you say "Woah," when you get to it. At this point things turn sour very quickly for the main character, Booker DeWitt. He's labeled as the "False Prophet," the equivalent of "Enemy of the State" in this brainwashed community. From here you evade and kill the people coming after you until you meet up with Elizabeth, and things really start getting interesting. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Elizabeth may be the coolest support character ever to appear in a shooter game. She will find you money, open locked doors and safes, throw you health packs and salt when you are running low, and toss you fully loaded guns when you are running low on ammo, replenishing your ammo stock and removing the need for reload time every once in a while. You don't need to protect her from being killed, she's not just thrown in as fan service or eye candy, and she has some really cool abilities which I won't go into because they tie into the central story and I'm trying to avoid spoilers.
The actual gameplay is very similar to the previous Bioshock installments, but with the added bonus of a shield which recharges after taking cover for a few seconds, gear which adds abilities (don't worry no RPG type stats to manage) and the addition of Elizabeth which, as already mentioned, is awesome. All your weapons and powers are upgradable through the currency system used in Columbia: Silver Eagles, and your health, shield, and salt levels are upgraded by drinking Infusions found throughout the game, usually in the more secretive areas. Instead of farming Big Daddies and Little Sisters for ADAM the optional content of this game is found through exploring locked rooms which Elizabeth opens for you, code books and ciphers which she also decodes, and locked chests that you need to find keys for. There's enough optional content in the game to keep you entertained, and it's arranged in such a way that you won't need to backtrack for half an hour to get back to the actual mission.
The highlight of Bioshock Infinite is the amazingly beautiful and complex world through which the story is presented. Like its predecessors, Infinite is built on a world of duality which harkens back to the olden days of the early 20th century: men and women wear hats, the music is all done in styles which the majority of gamers are not going to hear anywhere except in games like this and Fallout (listen closely for some fantastic anachronistic versions of songs like "Tainted Love" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"), and nobody walks around staring at a handheld device. At the same time though, this is a flying city with automated "Patriots" and a giant mechanical bird to protect it, and they've developed a tonic that allows you to do things like shoot fire or lightning out of your hands or summon a flock of crows to attack. It's a world which appears to be a utopia, yet just a scratch at the surface shows the atrocities it's built upon, and the propaganda used to keep the people believing.
And if I can just go back to the music for a moment. Except in combat scenes, the music in this game is not at all background music. Every time you encounter a radio, phonograph, or the few "live" musical scenes it's a captivating event that reminds you just how similar this world is to our own. I know I just put a lot of time into telling you how different and unique the world of Infinite is, but when you stop to listen to the beautiful rendition of "Shake Sugaree" sung in Shantytown or this haunting version of "Fortunate Son" sung while a war rages all around, it gives you the feeling that the people of this world are not so different from those of our own. They have the same ambitions of greed, revenge, redemption, longing for freedom, love, and hope. (Video may have minor spoilers but if you haven't played through the game it's almost certainly not what you think)
Bioshock Infinite is an all-around stunning game, easily the best of the Bioshock games and easily the most original and entertaining shooter of the year. I recently bought it used for about half price, but I wish I had purchased it on release for full price because I was missing out. I highly recommend picking up a copy of your own, this is a game I definitely won't be trading in anytime soon.
Bioshock Infinite takes place in 1912 in the city of Columbia, which is the Heaven to Rapture's (the underwater city of the first two games) Hellish nightmare city. Columbia floats high above the clouds while Rapture is sunk deep beneath the ocean, and the society of Columbia is a virtual utopia founded on American patriotism and a cult-like sect of Christianity. While the first two installments had you fighting zombie-like junkies with guns and genetically modified powers you inject into yourself, in Infinite you'll be fighting more or less normal humans with twisted ambitions. You no longer inject yourself with plasmids to grant powers either, Columbia's technology allows you to drink a tonic which uses the salts in your character's body to power the genetic enhancements. The overall feel of Columbia is that it's a city which managed to pull off the utopia that Rapture was aiming for, but after spending about 5 minutes walking through its streets you'll get the feeling that the society is far too good to be true, even if you haven't played the other games.
The image of perfection shatters when you attend the Founder's Day raffle and are greeted with some old fashioned racism like a slap in the face, and when I say that I mean they don't slowly build up to it, the way it's introduced will make you say "Woah," when you get to it. At this point things turn sour very quickly for the main character, Booker DeWitt. He's labeled as the "False Prophet," the equivalent of "Enemy of the State" in this brainwashed community. From here you evade and kill the people coming after you until you meet up with Elizabeth, and things really start getting interesting. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Elizabeth may be the coolest support character ever to appear in a shooter game. She will find you money, open locked doors and safes, throw you health packs and salt when you are running low, and toss you fully loaded guns when you are running low on ammo, replenishing your ammo stock and removing the need for reload time every once in a while. You don't need to protect her from being killed, she's not just thrown in as fan service or eye candy, and she has some really cool abilities which I won't go into because they tie into the central story and I'm trying to avoid spoilers.
The actual gameplay is very similar to the previous Bioshock installments, but with the added bonus of a shield which recharges after taking cover for a few seconds, gear which adds abilities (don't worry no RPG type stats to manage) and the addition of Elizabeth which, as already mentioned, is awesome. All your weapons and powers are upgradable through the currency system used in Columbia: Silver Eagles, and your health, shield, and salt levels are upgraded by drinking Infusions found throughout the game, usually in the more secretive areas. Instead of farming Big Daddies and Little Sisters for ADAM the optional content of this game is found through exploring locked rooms which Elizabeth opens for you, code books and ciphers which she also decodes, and locked chests that you need to find keys for. There's enough optional content in the game to keep you entertained, and it's arranged in such a way that you won't need to backtrack for half an hour to get back to the actual mission.
The highlight of Bioshock Infinite is the amazingly beautiful and complex world through which the story is presented. Like its predecessors, Infinite is built on a world of duality which harkens back to the olden days of the early 20th century: men and women wear hats, the music is all done in styles which the majority of gamers are not going to hear anywhere except in games like this and Fallout (listen closely for some fantastic anachronistic versions of songs like "Tainted Love" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"), and nobody walks around staring at a handheld device. At the same time though, this is a flying city with automated "Patriots" and a giant mechanical bird to protect it, and they've developed a tonic that allows you to do things like shoot fire or lightning out of your hands or summon a flock of crows to attack. It's a world which appears to be a utopia, yet just a scratch at the surface shows the atrocities it's built upon, and the propaganda used to keep the people believing.
And if I can just go back to the music for a moment. Except in combat scenes, the music in this game is not at all background music. Every time you encounter a radio, phonograph, or the few "live" musical scenes it's a captivating event that reminds you just how similar this world is to our own. I know I just put a lot of time into telling you how different and unique the world of Infinite is, but when you stop to listen to the beautiful rendition of "Shake Sugaree" sung in Shantytown or this haunting version of "Fortunate Son" sung while a war rages all around, it gives you the feeling that the people of this world are not so different from those of our own. They have the same ambitions of greed, revenge, redemption, longing for freedom, love, and hope. (Video may have minor spoilers but if you haven't played through the game it's almost certainly not what you think)
Bioshock Infinite is an all-around stunning game, easily the best of the Bioshock games and easily the most original and entertaining shooter of the year. I recently bought it used for about half price, but I wish I had purchased it on release for full price because I was missing out. I highly recommend picking up a copy of your own, this is a game I definitely won't be trading in anytime soon.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Shattered
New 50 word original fiction on FiftyWordStories.com entitled "Shattered." Feel free to read and rate using the stars below the story.
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/10/02/chris-griglack-shattered/
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/10/02/chris-griglack-shattered/
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Love At Last Sight
Here's an original 50 word story published through FiftyWordStories.com. Please read and rate using the tool on their site.
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/08/30/chris-griglack-love-at-last-sight/
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/08/30/chris-griglack-love-at-last-sight/
Monday, August 19, 2013
Magic!
Some authors are very good at explaining the workings of their magical systems, others are good at leaving an impression of a very powerful force that is not fully understood even by those who dare to use it, and others are just downright terrible at providing any insight as to what the hell is going on. That's why I've composed these categories to give fans a better understanding of how the most common magic systems work in fantasy literature. They're by no means official or set in stone as the only types of magic which are effectively used, in fact, they're not even mutually exclusive. Hopefully there will be more categories to come as I continue to expand my fantasy repertoire, but for now I give you the four categories of fantasy magic.
Like For Like Magic
This is a type of magic usually associated more with darker worlds or characters. It requires sacrifice or payment to accomplish. This can be through the methods more traditionally associated with sacrifice, or simply through conversion of materials or forces into other materials or forces. For instance, alchemy or magics involving consumption of particular ingredients (potions, tonics, etc). This may also apply to magics drawn from a source if the source has limited power. For example, a magic stone or talisman infused with power which is channeled until consumed. Of course, this category also includes demonic pacts, bargaining or trading something for power, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Magic of Will
Magic that is determined by the mental strength of the user. This is the most classically associated form of magic, and is often found in high fantasy. Whenever magic is an art that requires studying and practice to apply it is generally magic that is determined by the will of the user. A novice will never be as adept in any of these schools of magic as an expert unless they are meant to be some sort of prodigy. This could also include forms of magic which are powered through divine sources, in other words, magics which are temporarily granted to the highly devout based on the strength of their conviction. A priest or cleric whose powers may no longer work if they were to stop believing, or whose powers may be granted by a different benefactor if they were to convert, though these users may also be considered magical by association depending on the circumstances.
Innate Magic
This is magic that is best thought of in terms of an inherited trait. Much like some people are born more athletic than others, some may be born with higher aptitude for magic than others. It may be something that can be balanced out by practice, knowledge, and experience, but this type of magic is largely defined by its users potential at birth, whether this be an inherited genetic trait or random selection. A great example of this would be the Aes Sedai in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. While even the weakest Aes Sedai are able to train and learn how to better use their power, they will never be able to draw in as much of the power as those born with stronger gifts. In some cases this may even be a racial distinction, eg. all elves are born magic users, some humans, and no dwarves.
Magic By Association
Usually the worst kind of magic. This is when the magic user themselves does not possess any particular ability for magic, but may wield an item that allows them access to it. A staff that allows its wielder to ignite fires is a magical staff, but the person who uses it is only magical by association. Even cases where a character is in an event that triggers powers they otherwise would not have had. In some cases, the magical item/area/event may only be accessible by some, due to any of the things mentioned above, but until they can use magic without its aid they are not generally considered to be magical.
Like For Like Magic
This is a type of magic usually associated more with darker worlds or characters. It requires sacrifice or payment to accomplish. This can be through the methods more traditionally associated with sacrifice, or simply through conversion of materials or forces into other materials or forces. For instance, alchemy or magics involving consumption of particular ingredients (potions, tonics, etc). This may also apply to magics drawn from a source if the source has limited power. For example, a magic stone or talisman infused with power which is channeled until consumed. Of course, this category also includes demonic pacts, bargaining or trading something for power, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Magic of Will
Magic that is determined by the mental strength of the user. This is the most classically associated form of magic, and is often found in high fantasy. Whenever magic is an art that requires studying and practice to apply it is generally magic that is determined by the will of the user. A novice will never be as adept in any of these schools of magic as an expert unless they are meant to be some sort of prodigy. This could also include forms of magic which are powered through divine sources, in other words, magics which are temporarily granted to the highly devout based on the strength of their conviction. A priest or cleric whose powers may no longer work if they were to stop believing, or whose powers may be granted by a different benefactor if they were to convert, though these users may also be considered magical by association depending on the circumstances.
Innate Magic
This is magic that is best thought of in terms of an inherited trait. Much like some people are born more athletic than others, some may be born with higher aptitude for magic than others. It may be something that can be balanced out by practice, knowledge, and experience, but this type of magic is largely defined by its users potential at birth, whether this be an inherited genetic trait or random selection. A great example of this would be the Aes Sedai in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. While even the weakest Aes Sedai are able to train and learn how to better use their power, they will never be able to draw in as much of the power as those born with stronger gifts. In some cases this may even be a racial distinction, eg. all elves are born magic users, some humans, and no dwarves.
Magic By Association
Usually the worst kind of magic. This is when the magic user themselves does not possess any particular ability for magic, but may wield an item that allows them access to it. A staff that allows its wielder to ignite fires is a magical staff, but the person who uses it is only magical by association. Even cases where a character is in an event that triggers powers they otherwise would not have had. In some cases, the magical item/area/event may only be accessible by some, due to any of the things mentioned above, but until they can use magic without its aid they are not generally considered to be magical.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Rainmaker
Original prose poetry flash fiction "Rainmaker" is now available on LinguisticErosion.com.
http://www.linguisticerosion.com/2013/06/rainmaker.html
http://www.linguisticerosion.com/2013/06/rainmaker.html
Woof!
One of my original micro fiction pieces has been republished by FiftyWordStories.com. Check out "Woof!" for free, and be sure to leave a rating.
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/06/13/chris-griglack-woof/
http://fiftywordstories.com/2013/06/13/chris-griglack-woof/
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Consume Some Knowledge
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children with strong reading comprehension skills. I return briefly to the real world today after an extended stay in my preferred fantasy realms to attempt to dissuade you from your rampant consumerism. I know it's been done a million times before in a million different ways, but I'd like to do it through promoting a different set of values which can replace the emptiness of body image and ownership obsessions. I'm here today to tell you why intelligence and strong, self-realized ethical values are vastly superior.
So here it is: You are not your possessions. The clothes you wear, cars you drive, homes that you don't really own are not a part of you. Not even your effortless weight loss, miraculous hair growth, or discreet penis length increase is you. You're not who you vote for, or how many Facebook friends you have. There is only one thing which can accurately be labeled as "you," and that is your mind.
Your personality, your experiences, and how you interact with the world around you is what defines you. You could be the richest most attractive person in the world and still be a terrible person. In fact, most of the richest and most attractive people are also the worst people. When all is said and done, your money and your possessions and your physical image will be gone, but the person you were will still live on. That's what a legacy is.
Kings, queens, presidents, and dictators are ultimately judged in the same light as poor, nameless peasants: for their actions. The only difference is the level of influence each life has, but influence is not always measured in power, wealth, and fame. Every one of us is shaped by those that came before, be they our teachers, family, or communities, we our all constantly pushed and pulled in all directions by countless influences. Some are naturally stronger than others. Family supersedes most influences, especially early in life, and we live in an age of tremendous monetary, media, and societal influences, but strongest, most lasting influences are those of free thought and self-realization.
If society were to collapse overnight and it was left to a handful of survivors to rebuild the world, the civilizations that their efforts would create would bear little resemblance to ours. Except in one aspect: their principles of science, logic, reason, and discovery would be nearly identical to our own if left unchecked. These are things which cannot truly be forgotten because they are not truly taught, they are discovered, invented, innovated. The sun will set tomorrow for the same reason it set yesterday, and if this reason is ever forgotten, it can be rediscovered.
But if we all do our parts there's no need for society to crumble. This isn't done through supporting your local economies through consumerism, it's achievable simply by being ethical and passing this idea along. And I don't mean ethical in a religious or governmental sense. I mean the strong kind of ethics that come from seeing a good deed have a good effect on a person. The type of ethics which come from feeling bad and not wanting others to feel the same. No threats of damnation, imprisonment, or even death can replace these ethics if properly passed along. Nothing can take away your ability to do a good deed, to see it's effect, and to feel it in your heart, just as nothing can stop the force of discovery and progress. These things can only be halted for a time, for they are universal.
So where are your efforts in life truly best spent? In building knowledge, character, empathy, and understanding, and then passing these things along to others. If you put your time to these, people will remember you and how you affected their lives and they will do the same. Your legacy could burn bright then fade out, or consume the lives of others, but the best legacies are those which spark in others and lead them to their own understanding. This is the unstoppable force greater than economy and government combined.
So here it is: You are not your possessions. The clothes you wear, cars you drive, homes that you don't really own are not a part of you. Not even your effortless weight loss, miraculous hair growth, or discreet penis length increase is you. You're not who you vote for, or how many Facebook friends you have. There is only one thing which can accurately be labeled as "you," and that is your mind.
Your personality, your experiences, and how you interact with the world around you is what defines you. You could be the richest most attractive person in the world and still be a terrible person. In fact, most of the richest and most attractive people are also the worst people. When all is said and done, your money and your possessions and your physical image will be gone, but the person you were will still live on. That's what a legacy is.
Kings, queens, presidents, and dictators are ultimately judged in the same light as poor, nameless peasants: for their actions. The only difference is the level of influence each life has, but influence is not always measured in power, wealth, and fame. Every one of us is shaped by those that came before, be they our teachers, family, or communities, we our all constantly pushed and pulled in all directions by countless influences. Some are naturally stronger than others. Family supersedes most influences, especially early in life, and we live in an age of tremendous monetary, media, and societal influences, but strongest, most lasting influences are those of free thought and self-realization.
If society were to collapse overnight and it was left to a handful of survivors to rebuild the world, the civilizations that their efforts would create would bear little resemblance to ours. Except in one aspect: their principles of science, logic, reason, and discovery would be nearly identical to our own if left unchecked. These are things which cannot truly be forgotten because they are not truly taught, they are discovered, invented, innovated. The sun will set tomorrow for the same reason it set yesterday, and if this reason is ever forgotten, it can be rediscovered.
But if we all do our parts there's no need for society to crumble. This isn't done through supporting your local economies through consumerism, it's achievable simply by being ethical and passing this idea along. And I don't mean ethical in a religious or governmental sense. I mean the strong kind of ethics that come from seeing a good deed have a good effect on a person. The type of ethics which come from feeling bad and not wanting others to feel the same. No threats of damnation, imprisonment, or even death can replace these ethics if properly passed along. Nothing can take away your ability to do a good deed, to see it's effect, and to feel it in your heart, just as nothing can stop the force of discovery and progress. These things can only be halted for a time, for they are universal.
So where are your efforts in life truly best spent? In building knowledge, character, empathy, and understanding, and then passing these things along to others. If you put your time to these, people will remember you and how you affected their lives and they will do the same. Your legacy could burn bright then fade out, or consume the lives of others, but the best legacies are those which spark in others and lead them to their own understanding. This is the unstoppable force greater than economy and government combined.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Hellfire
So thoroughly they burn,
Stilling, killing, willing
All to ashes filling urns.
The flames so bright
They stir the dead,
And frighten souls interred.
And each one has its turn.
Stilling, killing, willing
All to ashes filling urns.
The flames so bright
They stir the dead,
And frighten souls interred.
And each one has its turn.
None
Solitary, I
Watch the duality
Of the Triumvirate play
Out before my weary eyes,
Their pent up rage boiling over
As if hexed. How they fall to
Pieces like trees in September, though with less
Height, the simplest of breezes able to break them
Like a flimsy set of nine pins. Fools! Only the
Rarest of men may bask in the decadence of power uncorrupted.
Watch the duality
Of the Triumvirate play
Out before my weary eyes,
Their pent up rage boiling over
As if hexed. How they fall to
Pieces like trees in September, though with less
Height, the simplest of breezes able to break them
Like a flimsy set of nine pins. Fools! Only the
Rarest of men may bask in the decadence of power uncorrupted.
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