The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault

Harry really needs to get himself a hat like that

I recently read Side Jobs, an anthology of short stories by Jim Butcher based on his series The Dresden Files. All but one of the stories have previously appeared elsewhere, and thus, they weren't all new to me. The stories cover the span of the books thus far (12 novels and counting), with the first story taking place before the first novel, and the last (the previously unpublished one) taking place about an hour after the most recent novel.

All of the books take place from the perspective of the eponymous character of the series, Harry Dresden. The Dresden Files are dark/urban fantasy. Harry Dresden is a wizard living in modern day Chicago (my hometown), working as a private investigator. As such, the series also has elements of crime novels, with a heavy noir influence. Think Phillip Marlowe with access to magic. Dresden generally makes his pay by finding lost objects and other trivial matters, but every now and then he gets pulled into something bigger and darker, which of course is what the novels are about.

Each of the stories in Side Jobs takes place in between two of the novels, which are broadly spaced a year apart each. Basically, they're tales of jobs Harry took that go above his normal "find my lost keys" job, but don't directly tie into the main plot arc of the series. Like the novels, the stories are written from Harry's perspective, except for "Backup," which follows Thomas Raith, another character from the novels, and "Aftermath," which follows Karin Murphy, a Chicago Police Officer and good friend of Harry's.

"Aftermath" is the afore mentioned final story in the anthology, and was the one I was most eager to read. It was both what I expected it to be and different. Changes ends on a major cliffhanger (or possibly not, depending on how it turns out when Ghost Story comes out), and while I knew the story wouldn't resolve anything, I hoped it would address the ending of the novel, show people's reactions to what happened. It did that, interwoven within a story that would have been compelling even without that hook. That was the part I hadn't expected. I had thought it would be contemplative character piece, which in some ways it was, as it lets the reader into the mind of Murphy, when previously we only had Dresden's point of view to consider. But within that inner conflict was an outer one just as interesting; both in its own right and because it gives the reader a glimpse into the reaction of the supernatural community to the events of Changes.

I had gotten into The Dresden Files a few years ago when a friend loaned me Storm Front, the first novel in the series. But I'd only gotten about as far as the fourth book, until two of my friends ordered advanced copies of The Dresden Files RPG. I'd had reservations about it, I'm generally wary of games based on books or movies. I never even picked up a copy of the Babylon 5 RPG, and that's based off what's probably my all-time favorite TV show.

But I have to say that Dresden Files makes for a nifty setting, and the rules system complements it well. It uses the FATE System, one of those rule systems that favors Roleplaying over Roll-Playing. Systems like that can be real hit-or-miss, especially if you've got a gaming group that wants everything neatly determined by the random chance of a 20-sider, but FATE handles it pretty well. Most RPGs stress that a character isn't just a set of stats on a piece of paper, and with FATE that's literally true. Your character doesn't have any attributes or the normal stuff, his or her capabilities are determined solely by skills and the like.

Ghost Story, the 13th book, comes out in April of 2011. I have to say I'm really itching to read it. Jim Butcher has really hones his craft with these books, you can see him mature as an author as you progress through the series. These are the kind of stories I want to tell. I don't mean urban fantasy, but the scope and the sheer "can't put it down" nature of these novels. Those following my other blog will know that I've been working on short stories and looking for places to submit them, but deep down I feel I am a novelist. It's my earnest hope that one day I'll have a series of books like The Dresden Files to point to in my old age and say "I was here." In the meantime, I can appreciate the fruits of others' labors.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights

Ace Attorney

I Object to the sky.

This year for Halloween I was Phoenix Wright, of the Ace Attorney series of Nintendo DS games produced by Capcom. There were about two people who recognized my costume without having prior knowledge of my costume, which is about what I'd expected. The Ace Attorney games have a pretty good following, but they're not exactly pop culture. I thought I'd discuss the games here, because I think they're awesome.

Currently, the series consists of five games: the first three starring Phoenix Wright, the fourth following Phoenix's protegee Apollo Justice, and the latest is about Phoenix's childhood friend and sometime antagonist Miles Edgeworth. This latest installment is notable in that it is the only one where Phoenix does not make a personal appearance, though he is alluded to several times in the game.

Phoenix Wright is a rookie defense attorney (at least, he is in the first game) who defends clients who for some reason are always alleged murderers. As you can imagine, these are not your classic run around killing people kind of games. Instead, they're very heavily story-based. Each case is roughly divided into two parts: Phoenix running around investigating the crime, and then cross-examining witnesses and presenting evidence in court. Even though the American translations of the games suggest that it's all taking place in America, it's plainly obvious to anyone paying attention that you're actually in Japan. I don't know how trials are run in Japan, but I'm going to guess that it's not like what's shown in these games.

To call the courthouse scenes chaotic would be an understatement. The games run very much on Rule of Funny, with ridiculous antics and quirky characters all around. Each manual for the game includes a disclaimer that these games are not an accurate representation of any court of law, and I don't doubt it. For instance, I doubt very much that any legal system would allow a prosecutor to carry around a whip, let alone stand idly by while she uses it to thrash witnesses, Phoenix, and the Judge. Miscarriage of justice is also a very common theme in these games. For instance, if Japan has such laws, I imagine the courts in this game would be filled to the brim with people up on perjury charges. If you were to bet someone every time a witness appeared on the stand that they were going to lie about something, you wouldn't win every bet, but I guarantee you'd come out well ahead.

Lay the legal smack-down on this guy.

The main weapon in Phoenix's arsenal during court scenes is the evidence he has acquired throughout the game. Each time a witness gives testimony, Phoenix is allowed to cross-examine, and the player has to carefully examine each part of the witnesses testimony and find a contradiction in that testimony (often a flat-out lie, but sometimes an honest mistake). Expect the Idiot Ball to get passed around a lot in these situations. When the player finds a contradiction in the testimony, he has to locate the piece of evidence that proves the contradiction, which is when the drama starts. When the player presents the right piece of evidence, the music stops, and Phoenix (or whoever else the player is controlling depending on the game) shouts his most memed line: OBJECTION! Then you get to sit back and smirk as you watch the witness sweats in the light of his exposed lie. Even when the contradiction is plain as day, it is very satisfying to see the accusatory finger of Phoenix extended triumphantly.

Of course, no courtroom drama would be complete without a slimeball lawyer. In a lot of movies and books, it's the defense attorney who takes this mantle, as they're often shown to be money-grubbing liars who are more interested in an acquittal than the truth. Since that wouldn't work in a game were you are the defense attorney, the dirtbag job goes to the prosecutor. Most prosecutors in the games have a very cut-and-dry view of the law. Namely, their job is to get the defendant declared guilty. Is it possible he's innocent? Who cares? All that matters to these guys is a conviction. The actual guilt or innocence of the defendant is someone else's problem.

These games are proof that video games don't have to be about blood and body counts to be a hell of a lot of fun. With all the wacky characterizations, convoluted cases, and mixture of humor and high drama, they're more than enough to keep you entertained for hours. And they're now out for the Wii, so even people who don't own a DS can try them out.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights