Something new. .


Hey folks,

As you know, the main objective behind Pat's Fantasy Hotlist has always been to help spread the word about all that's good in the SFF genres. And that goal has never changed after nearly five years of existence.

These last two years I've attempted to mix it up even more by reviewing titles from various speculative fiction subgenres. Recently, I've decided to give Neil Gaiman's Sandman another shot, which means that reviewing other comic books and graphic novels could well be a possibility as we move forward.

Based on my friend's Émilie's recommendations, I returned to the world of Japanese animated features following a long hiatus and discovered the wonderful body of work of the genius Hayao Miyazaki. Based on you guys's suggestions I've watched and enjoyed animated films by Makoto Shinkai. And there's plenty more where that came from!

I'm well aware that the overall SFF fandom is fragmented in a panoply of disparate groups that may or may not share the same interests. And yet, I do know for a fact that those various audiences overlap to a certain degree. Which is why I'm always happy to use the Hotlist as a venue meant to help people broaden their SFF horizons. Just like some people helped me broaden my own SFF horizons.

Understandably, not everyone will appreciate the effort. I'm persuaded that some people couldn't care less about comic books or Japanese animated movies. But many do. And many other are curious and might be enticed to give those other media a shot. Based solely on the emails I've received from people who rented some Miyazaki DVDs in the last two weeks due to my glowing reviews, I'd say that quite a lot of people who hang around these parts are open-minded and like to try new things. Provided they're good, of course.

With that in mind, I have just reached an agreement with John Smedley and the cool folks at Sony Online Entertainment. Can't fill you in on the details just yet, but let's just say that we wish to try to bring the SFF gamers into the fold. After all, the more the merrier, right!?!

We'll be testing these waters soon, so stay tuned for that. And if this works as well as we think it will, well there might be more to come, with bigger and better things. I also have a contact at Ubisoft, and I'm trying to put something together in collaboration with them.

Don't expect to see giveaways for video games such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Canada, USA, Europe), Halo 3: ODST (Canada, USA, Europe), Demon's Soul Deluxe Edition (Canada, USA), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Canada, USA, Europe), Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Canada, USA, Europe), Brutal Legend (Canada, USA, Europe), God of War: Collection (USA), Assassin's Creed II (Canada, USA, Europe), or other such titles soon. But in the future, if we can get the gamer community into the mix, then maybe all of that will be within the realm of possibilities.=)

The SFF fandom is too fragmented to ever become one big, happy family. Still, I see no reason why we couldn't get this party started! Keep your eyes peeled. . .;-)

13 commentaires:

SmokinDan said...

Excellent. I love Adam over at Wertzone doing a mix of books, movies and games and I'd love you to get into it, Pat.

If I can make one recommendation.

Planescape Torment.

Dweomer said...

I would hesitate diversifying too much. The reason I love this blog is because it follows SFF literature in great detail. If you start covering everything, your blog might not cover any other these topics well enough to stand out. There are already many sites/blogs that cover video games, anime, and music in great detail. Just a warning.

Anonymous said...

Ah hah! Awesome - I love the idea. As an advocate for diversifying, books are going to e-format, DVD's go to blue ray, etc. Eventually, having pigeon-holed themselves, many blogs will become anachronisms. Not so with the Hotlist. Moreover, if the work load ever becomes too much, Pat has been around long enough to have developed enough relationships to bring aboard some junior "Pat"s to assist with keeping the site fully updated and current.

-PW

Dave said...

Sounds good as long as you still keep covering SFF novels, they are what i'm most interested in

Patrick said...

No worries, guys.

SFF novels will always be what this blog is all about!

But it doesn't hurt to explore what's good in various other media.=)

Cecrow said...

Sounds good to me - although if you have a deal inked with a particular company, won't we become suspicious of your reviews for that company's products?

Anonymous said...

Are we talking about you actually playing/reviewing games or just giving away free stuff?

Because the latter one is totally not interesting.

Asylumgirl said...

Sounds good. It's definely worth a try.

Deidre

Joe said...

Great to bring in Games, it's a big market with plenty of SF and Fantasy content.

It would be great to get first impressions and some video's of games that are on their way.

Unknown said...

Cecrow makes a good point. I welcome game reviews as long as they are objective.

Patrick said...

I'm not going to review anything for now. We're just talking about promoting stuff and see how many asses we can put in the seats.

And unless studios start sending me video games (fat chance), I have no plan to start reviewing them...

Unknown said...

Oh! Consider my hesitation squashed!

Matthew said...

Well, this is somewhat understandable, since games are a much more expensive hobby than books. It might also take literally hundreds of hours of playing several classics to acquire credibility...