This 50th post is dedicated to American McGee.

Yes, that's right.  I'm spamming this signal bump.  Well, I don't know if "spamming" is the correct term or what, but... I'm writing yet another post extolling the virtues of American McGee, the Alice series, and why YOU SHOULD GIVE YOUR DAMN MONEY TO THIS KICKSTARTER:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/alice-otherlands

For the first, oh, two weeks of this, I wasn't worried.  People out there actually like games, right?  They want something awesome, yeah?  Looked like they did!  Shit was going strong as hell, past on-target... until like three days ago.  And now the money meter's moving at a crawl.  Hmm.  Okay, I know there's supposed to be some big rush in the last like, two-to-three days, but until we're up to 150k, I can't put myself at ease.

Overly-general bitching aside, here's something that really burns me.

Take a looksee at this petition, for Alice: Otherlands.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/372/809/248/make-american-mcgees-alice-in-otherland-a-reality/
Yes, it's for the game, not the films, but still, it shows that there are at least this many people that want the Alice series to keep going.  Over fourteen-goddamn-thousand.
Hop back to the Kickstarter.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/alice-otherlands
...A little over two-thousand.  Que pasa, folks?

I think I might know, maybe not what happened, but at least some of the thinking behind it.  "It's not a game, it's just a distraction, an offshoot."

Hmm.  Interesting point, definitely one that hasn't been beaten bloody.  Let me take this piece by piece.
WHY WOULD THEY MAKE THIS AND NOT A GAME
Seriously.  Dude's even said there will be a game, an Alice: Otherlands game, if the Alice: Otherlands films get funded and made.  That's not a "perhaps".
What you have to understand is, the entire purpose of this latest project is to renew interest in the Alice series, see who's still on board.  If you keep your nose turned up and only jump into the fray when it's a game, that's pretty damn selfish, considering what's at stake.  I mean, maybe Alice won't be over if this business doesn't get entirely funded, but shit, what if?  You'd really see the end of this franchise, something with such massive potential, such vision, just cuz it would mean having to shell out a couple bucks for a movie you don't want to (and don't have to) see?  BEFORE GETTING A GAME OUT OF IT ANYWAY?

Going back to my original point, with the petition: pretend all two thousand of these backers are also folks that signed that petition.  I'll bet both little toes that they're not, but for the sake of statistics jargon, let's pretend so.  That leaves twelve-thousand more people that haven't given a red cent.  If every single one of those twelve-thousand gave just five freaking dollars, that'd be 60k, add that to the 140k-ish that the Kickstarter looks frozen at, we make the goal.  Ten each?  120k, making goal and then 60k more.

Please, guys.  Don't let this series get swept under the rug.

AND WOULDJU LOOKADIS DAMN ART:

Wonder^2 or, Another Title Involving Lots of W's That I (Falsely) Think Is Witty

'Bout that time, eh chaps?  'Bout that time for another One Hit Wonder Wednesday, if I do say so myself I is I is wot wot.

That's what I was saying to myself earlier today over a spot of tea, behind my monocle and luxurious power-stache.

Okay, so it's not that luxurious, but seriously: who else can pull off the moustache-atory like that?  Yeah, you know what I mean by "moustache-atory".  That's right.  With your younger sister.

Oddly, I had some trouble thinking of a right proper inclusion to the One Hit Wonder Wednesday family.  This was (is?) ridiculous, because the 90s are more full of awesome one-hit wonders than Mike Tyson.

Woops, wrong picture.

Too soon?

(Correct answer: no)

So I put on my thinking cap.  My thinking cap turned out to be a live raccoon.

Several stitches later, I got myself thinking about the title of this feature, One Hit Wonder Wednesday, all the words in it, trying to trigger some kind of association in my coffeeless office-worm brain.

Where are you, shitty pun?!  WHERE ARE YOOUUUUuuuu...

Then I got it:

I know, I know; in the music world as a whole, Oasis is not a one-hit-wonder band.  They are very well-known, they go on big tours and shit, and you actually know the names of at least two of the members.

Well... since they're brothers and you had to memorize a total of three different names, so we'll count them as a 1.5.  Not like they make two complete people anyway.

But name another real hit by Oasis, as in something that crossed over into the world of pop, anything near the level of notoriety that makes you hum the word "Wonderwall" in Liam Gallagher's grating and nasal caterwaul as soon as you read it.

Anyone who says "Champagne Supernova" gets a kick in the teeth.

TL;DR: Not Supporting This Kickstarter Is Un-American

YO.  Listen defuq up.

So American McGee's kicked a starter.  Started a kick, whatever.  Yes, another one.  Oh, come on...  All right, yes, I know, the last one wasn't the most successful thing ever,

but American and the Spicy Horse Crew (why oh why is that not a band name) are back, with bigger ambition and a shitload more focus.  They're not just coming out of the gates swinging for the fences, putting haymakers left and right; ain't no Luke Skywalker trying to hit a drone blindfolded; these fuckers know their target now and they're gunning for it with timely and specially-skilled Liam Neeson punches.

+2 Taken Reference of Awesome

Not to say I wouldn't have loved to see an Oz thing.  But guize... Alice is coming back either way, and with a little bit of cash out of all our pockets, that way can be fucking major.

Check it, bitches:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/alice-otherlands?ref=recently_launched

"Waaaahhhh, it's not a game; it's not the exact same big chunk of painstakingly-crafted media that I would've made to fit all my bullshit fanboy/girl expectations," said every person who didn't read the freaking memo.  Guys, do you really think they're gonna bring Alice back with a one-two punch and NOT make another game?  As a freaking gaming company, do you really think they would do that?

American, in case you're reading this... that's not what's happening, right?

Btw, you look like you front a 90s industrial band in this picture.  Not a bad thing. #mancrush

But forreal, OF COURSE THEY'RE MAKING ANOTHER GAME, NINCOMPOOPS.  Again... they're a game company.  "They" being Spicy Horse.  It's what they do.  They know we want it; they'll deliver.

Back to the actual Kickstarter at hand.  Alice: Otherlands is to the Alice series as the Animatrix was to The Matrix.  What Halo Legends was to Halo.  And you know what those other two things were?  Those other analogous things that've already been made?  That's right, fucking awesome.  Seriously, if you A) don't think this is gonna be great or B) are seriously gonna sit up there pouting on your high horse, then you need to... to... I don't know.  To shut up and get me a beer.  Or something.

GOD DAMN WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS ART.

Tomorrow, when my newest paycheck's gone through, while I'm sitting at my desk at my safe little internship, know what I'm gonna do?  I'm gonna go online and donate 75 dollars of that bitch.  That's right... on my muthafuckin' lunch break.

Okay, seriously.  If you really love video games, if you really love the crazy minds of Lewis Carroll and American McGee, if you really want to see the advancement of video games as a storytelling medium and assist its crossover with other media, I strongly suggest donating to this new campaign.  There's a few handfuls of game developers out there that share a similar vision, that want what we want even more than we do, and those handfuls are growing and growing, but you know who was one of the first to join that fold?  One of the first front-line gaming visionaries, fighting for this medium's artistry, one of the first to be scooped up by Art's metaphorical hand and stare up into its face and show no goddamn fear?

That's American.

If anyone deserves our respect, our admiration, our support, and yes, our cash, it's American McGee.

So one more time:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/alice-otherlands

Thank you.