Marc Johnson's Blog, page 15

Opt-In Marketing

There's some kind of misconception authors have when it comes to marketing and advertising. They think that by buying one that they'll recoup their cost. That's not true. For example, they've seen others pay for sponsorship on Kindle Nation Daily and boost their sales dramatically. They'll wonder why it doesn't work for them when they do it.

I'm going to talk about why sites like Kindle Nation Daily and Pixel of Ink DO generally work and how.

KND and POI work not because of "magic," but because of a little thing called opt-in marketing. What makes opt-in marketing so powerful is that people choose to sign up to be notified of deals, discounts, and new arrivals.

A lot of the time you'll be forced into opt-in marketing if you don't uncheck the box to your online order or registration. Even if you buy something once, they'll continue to send you stuff. I'm still getting offers for Playboy subscriptions years later. You can easily unsubscribe to online opt-in emails, but there may be of things of interest to you. I haven't opted-out of Amazon's emails. Occasionally, I do buy things based on those emails.

KND and POI are different from your standard sites and in some ways, better. You're not buying anything from them. So say, unlike Amazon, that opted me in when I bought my first book from them and now recommends me things based on what I buy, KND and POI, do none of that. You have to specially sign up for them and do so because you're looking for books.

According to the two sites, there's approximately 55,000 people per site where your work will be exposed to the book buying public. In contrast, people pay over 2 million dollars for a Superbowl commercial because it has the most exposure. But the millions of people watching don't all drink beer, drive new cars, or even watch movies. Some people are there because it's just an event. Sponsoring KND or POI is significantly cheaper while having a more focused audience.

Now, all 55,000 people won't like your genre, but all 55,000 do read. Even if only 1% of those people buy your book, that's 550 people. That 1% figure is kind of high. I want to say it's a lot lower, but I'm not in advertising or marketing so I don't know the exact number. At the very least, that's a lot of exposure.

Another thing people have to consider is that despite how easy e-readers make it to buy books, not all people buy books right away. They may download the sample to remind them to buy it later. They may download the sample to read later. They may not buy it because they just read something like it. They may be interested in it, but may want to buy it later hence the reason why people need to be exposed to things seven times.

Because of those reasons, there's no point to check your sales or ranking that day or hourly. It's just going to drive you crazy. I've bought books because of those sponsorships, but never that day. Seeing why your sales go up or down is still just a guesstimate. Maybe it wasn't a sponsorship, maybe it was a good review or you got mentioned by a famous Tweeter. Maybe Amazon's algorithms picked you up.

What I just talked about were business reasons about why you should think about getting a KND or POI sponsorship. There are other things like calculating the costs, when it would go up, your budget, how many books you have, and so on. If you've reached this decision, think of it as a business decision. Don't think of it as a magical cure all because it worked for someone else. That's the wrong line of thinking.

Marc Johnson

Burned Out

NOTE: What was written below was before I got laid off.

[Sometimes you just feel burned out writing and in life, in general. I'm feeling that way right now. What sucks about writing is that you can't complain about it to anyone else except other writers. Only other writers will understand how you feel and what you're going through.

Not much of being a writer actually involves writing. There's things like research, editing, and promoting that all people know about, but there are other things too. Things that people don't think are important, or even think about it.

Writers have to let their creative juices flow. I let mine flow by watching bad horror movies, Friends, Star Trek, and the mediocre shows of today. I also play video games and shoot locust, build little armies in Majesty, or play Wordfeud. I can also be taking a walk, staring at a wall, or playing with my gum. All these things where they seem like I'm doing nothing, actually help me.

I'm currently editing my second manuscript now. I'm running into a couple of problems. I think about the questions my editor brings up and think about them while I'm doing something entirely different from writing. I'll come upon a solution more often than not. If I try to think about it too hard and stare at my screen and force it to come, often times, it won't. Or it won't be as good.

I don't think I'm doing enough editing. I don't think my second book won't be out until May 2012, which saddens me. I'm feeling burned out. I need time to let my creative juices flow and I feel like I'm being pulled in too many directions. I'm just mentally tired. That's why I haven't done a podcast in two months. Hell, even these blog posts that no one reads takes pieces out of me.

Then there's the normal things in life. I always hate the end of the year. Money's tight, being alone sucks, and another year has gone by where I don't feel like I made a difference.

I'm not going to stop writing these blog posts, but I do need a little more time by myself. I need to recuperate my energy and focus my chi. I can't wait to get away for a few days for that to happen.]

So now that I've got more than a few days to get away since I'm unemployed, I don't know what to do. I'm taking a week off before I begin my job searching. I'm going to continue to work on my book but I'm not sure when it will come out. I have sold enough books to pay for a second round of editing, but I'm not sure how long it'll take me to find a job, and I could use that money.

Anyways, sorry for the downer of the post, but sometimes real life gets in the way and gives you a kick in the nuts.

Marc Johnson

Why 1st Person?

Writing in first person is very tricky. You have to do everything you normally have to do in other books like paint a picture of the world, flesh out characters, make a tension filled book, but you have to do all of that from a very limited perspective. You can't bounce around from character or viewpoint. You're stuck. Because of that, people seem to forget it's harder to write in first person than they think it is.

In fact, my editor wanted me to completely rewrite my story in third person because of the above reasons. That was the biggest change she wanted. As much work as that would have been, I was tempted to. I would have been able to do some things I wanted to do. For example, I could have shown what was happening in Alexandria with Krystal and Premier. However, I stuck with my guns and kept it in first person.

When I first wrote Catalyst, I had to think about how I wanted to write it in. Second person was out because I really hate it. As confining as first person is, I chose it because I wanted to do something different, something I've never read before.

First person books aren't new, but here's the thing, I can't think of any epic fantasy books written in that perspective. Does being in first person perspective automatically take the epicness out of a book? Does the fact that you can't see the vastness of the world or the tumultuous times other characters are going through weaken it? Maybe.

I have no idea if my first book, Catalyst has that epic feel. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't nor would I expect it to. It's just the first book and things aren't ratcheted to the fullest. Catalyst is just an introduction to the world and while there are things at stake, the entire world's not at stake.

I recently heard an interview with an editor saying that he's heard many definitions of epic fantasy. He said they were all wrong and that there's only one definition, "the entire world's at stake." I like that definition, mainly because it's simple and gets right down to it.

I hope by the time I'm done with my Passage of Hellsfire series that people will feel that it's epic. If they feel something else, that's fine. I just hope my readers enjoy the ride, whatever it may be.

Marc Johnson

I Don't Like Pseudonyms

It seems as if everyone is going by a pseudonym, or what I like to call, a fake name these days. I don't like it. There are one or two valid reasons in doing so, but the majority of them are invalid. The reasons people write under one is for very egotistical and vain reasons. Such as thinking that the world cares about who you are or that people can't find out who you are in today's Information Age.

These days, I'm a dying breed. I'm a man of my word and I do what I'm going to say. Because of that and the way I'm made, I stand by what I say and do. That's primarily why I'll always write under my real name. I also believe that if you write under another name, you're changing your identity.

I've always believed that a person's name tells you a little bit about who they are. You may not like your name, but there's a reason you were named what you were. In some cultures, they wait to give a person's name. These days, it's instantaneous. Either way, I think you pick up some personality traits from your name. I was named after a Roman general and my name means "warlike," which if you know me is pretty accurate.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and I've learned from them. I also done some good things in my life. Both the good and bad, make me who I am. I believe I've grown as a person because of it.

By using another name, it's like you're hiding who you are. In some ways, you're lying to the world. You're not being truthful. You must stand by who you are for good or ill. Your name may play a part in some of your traits and personality, but it doesn't define who you are. Only your actions do.

It doesn't matter if you're a teacher, a woman, or write erotica. No one's going to like everything you do or write. If you stand by what you do, people will respect you more and it'll be easier to live with yourself. You won't have to worry about people finding out who you are. Even if people get upset over what you write, they still won't know you. They'll only know a piece.

Because of my common name, I have no idea if people will remember it or me. If you Google it now, a skateboarder will come up first. But to those few that do, tell my tale to those who ask. Tell the truly evil deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly. The rest is silence.

Marc Johnson

Strong Woman Protagonists and Horror Movies

Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's because of the candy, sexy costumes, candy, horror movies, candy, and the Garfield Halloween Special, which still remains to this day, the scariest thing I've ever seen. Creepy, old man. It also has the exact same plot as the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Anyways, I watch a lot of horror movies and they're shown a lot more during this time. Horror movies get a bad rap. Out of all the forms of media: comics, video games, TV shows, and other types of movies, in horror, you'll find the one thing that's sorely lacking–an overabundance of strong, female protagonists.

Here, let me list some classics that may sound familiar to you:

Those are some of the best horror movies and they all star strong women. Of course, there are tons of generic B and C list ones. They ripoff of the really good movies. Netflix Instant is great at having those movies, but even those also have strong women.

People may hate horror movies because of the nudity and violence. But even if they do, the leading lady does not get naked. They don't even have sex in the movie. More importantly, they live and defeat the monster.

Why are women featured so much in horror movies? I'm not sure, but Hollywood has no problems casting a leading lady to star in it. It may have to do with the fact that a woman has a more dynamic change than a man, and the characters show major growth. Whether they start out as a babysitter, student or whatever Ripley's job was, they no longer end up as that. Women are physically weak, but some people mistake that as being weak in other areas. Make no mistake. Women are exceptionally strong.

In the movies, they can defeat a killer who's physically stronger than them, survive the rigors of peer pressure, resist temptations, and use their brains to solve the mystery. They may start out weak, confused, and fearful of the world, but they end up strong. They take control of their life. And that's saying something.

If you look past the nudity, blood, sex, death, and violence, you'll find all this there. It's a shame most people don't look past the superficial stuff because there aren't enough strong women in any of the other forms of media. They're all damsels in distress or eye candy, but here, they're the hero. Luckily for me, I like nudity, blood, sex, deaths, and violence, and more importantly, I love strong women.

Happy Halloween!

Marc Johnson

Disturbing Trend in Ebook Covers

Over the past few months, I've noticed that there are starting to be more and more books with the same cover in their respective series. I can't help but wonder why?

While I still stand by in what I said about what makes a good ebook cover, using the same cover feels like a big ripoff. It's also uninspired, boring, and confusing especially if you're looking at covers in black and white. I understand wanting to create a brand or uniform feel when it comes to a series, but to me it just feels lazy. Sure, they change the title and the coloring, but that's it.

Below are a couple of series I've come across that have done it. I wish I could ask the authors why they used the exact same covers.

DISCLAIMER: I've not read any of the books. I don't know if they're good or if they're selling well. I just needed an example or two.

There are far more than just two series that got me to notice this trend. I really like the first cover, but by the time I get to the second one, I'm confused. The second one tells me NOTHING about the book. Whatever the cover originally portrayed loses meaning when it's repeated. The only thing I have to rely on is the blurb and my memory.

Since I read books through my Kindle, when I browse, I see everything in grayscale. If I was a fan of one of these authors and saw a new book with the exact same cover, I would be lost. They might be selling well, but they still lack the name recognition of a "known" author. That means, I'm going to forget about their books unless I'm browsing, read a post, someone recommends me the book, read a review, or something triggers my memory about the next book like it does for 99.9% of authors. And that, of course, assumes I like the first book and am curious to see where it goes.

If I was browsing and new to their work, I would be baffled when I saw they used the exact same cover more than once. It would probably scream out indie or self-published, but it'd also scream lazy. I would wonder why a company or a person, couldn't or wouldn't, come up with another idea.

I don't understand why people can't come up with an equally good, second cover. Yes, I know it's hard. I'm currently trying to do the same thing myself and have no idea what I'm going to do for books 3-6. But a good cover is just as important as the book itself.

While I only used two examples, there's starting to be more and more. Am I the only one who notices these things or does it also bother other people?

Marc Johnson

Saving Money

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that writers are cheap. We don't want to spend money when it comes to editors, cover art, websites, ISBNs, etc. We try to get it done for the cheapest way possible and a lot of us do it ourselves. If we do spend money, price will be the most important factor in our decisions. It's disappointing really.

I'm still pretty cheap, but I used to be a lot cheaper. When I first moved out on my own, I used to buy the cheapest soda, dishwashing soap, mac & cheese, cereal, everything. What I learned then is that there is value in price. I was able to taste the difference in things. So unless it's bleach, I don't buy the cheapest brand anymore.

Because of that mindset, I didn't hire the cheapest editor I could have. I hired one that I thought would not only do a good job, but be a good fit. And she is. I spent a mint on her.

It's funny. Writers think that spending a few grand or even a few hundred is a ton of money. They don't look at their book as a business, whether they publish it themselves or not. Damn near all businesses cost way more than a few grand to start up. We're talking at least five figures, if you do it out of your home. Six figures if you need space.

I live in the Bay Area, CA, one of the most expensive places in the world. Plus, I live on my own instead of having roommates like most people my age do, nor do I have a girlfriend or wife I don't beg or ask for money because I have far too much pride. I live in a small, cramped apartment. I barely make that much yet am extremely good with money. Despite all that, I knew I had to save up to afford a good editor.

We're all writers. This is our dream. To reach it, we have to be willing to give up things. No one's forcing you to be a writer. If you want to chase your dream, you have to decide what's more important to you. Below are some of the ways I saved my money and they can apply to more than just writers.

We spend money on things we don't want, need, or last. While it makes for fascinating TV, all it does it clutter our space. We waste money because we tend to not use what we bought anyway. To save money, you're going to have to cut back on all that crap. And it is crap if you don't regularly use it.

You also don't need to keep up with the Joneses. There's no reason to buy a new car, new laptop, or new phone if there's nothing wrong with yours. Moore's Law or the shiny new toy your friend or neighbor has, doesn't have to influence you.

There are plenty of ways to save money. One of the biggest things to do is to stop going on vacations. I don't understand how people go on vacations every year. I'm not saying that your job has to be that important either. Now if you must go, take a vacation within a reasonable driving distance or have a staycation.

Those are the biggies. Believe it or not, cutting out the big expenses is far easier to do as you only do them once a year or every few months. In life, it's the smaller things that matter as they tend to add up and are seen and done way more frequently.

Going out to eat or drink multiple times a week is probably the most cash consuming thing that people do. Dining in and bringing your lunch to work saves a ton of money. If you have to have a coffee or beer then have it at home. Learn how to cook. It's fun and healthier. Cleaning up your mess, not so much.

Another thing I don't do is go out every weekend, and I'm young. That's probably also why I'm single. You can stay home and do the housework you said you were going to do and watch the movies you haven't watched. Play those video games you bought and never touched. Also, staying home and playing board games with the family, reading, or painting models is very relaxing. Seeing friends every week can drive you and them crazy.

There's plenty of other things you can do to save money, but no matter what you choose, you will have to sacrifice. You don't have to give up everything, but going indie means you're going to pay for a lot of your costs yourself. That money has to come from somewhere. You can't half-ass it.

It's all or nothing. There is no in between.

Marc Johnson

Reviewing Other Writers

I've learned that there's some kind of unwritten rule about writers reviewing other writers. People say you shouldn't review them more or less because it's common courtesy and they're your peers. Then they'll throw out a cliche saying, "Reviews aren't for writers. They're for readers," which seems to contradict not reviewing others. Some people have also said that they do review other writers, but won't leave anything less than a 3 star. It's all very weird, and I don't really understand it.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with reviewing other writers. In fact, I do so all the time and you can read my reviews at Goodreadsor listen to the wacky reviews on my podcast. I read, finish, and review all of what I read. I'm surprised more writers don't read. They wanted to become a writer because of reading. Now, just because I have no problem doing reviews, I don't cross post them on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

One of the reasons I'm able to review other writers is that I'm not friends with any of them. I'm neither Internet friends nor real life friends with them. I have met a couple of them in real life, eaten with them, even had a drink with them, but I wouldn't consider them friends. That's probably for the best as my friends would say I'm really hard on them and I'm a pain in the ass. They don't understand that I'm way harder on myself, but that's beside the point. The point is I'm not friends with these other writers so I don't feel bad leaving a one or two star review. Not that I'm vindictive, jealous, or petty and purposefully leave low scores. I would also have no problem being friends with them.

I think I leave good reviews. What I mean by that is they're fair and balanced unlike FOX News. It doesn't mean that they're necessarily positive. Because of the way I am, I tend to see both sides of things. Even when I read a bad book, at the very least, I'll have thought the idea will have grabbed me enough to pick it up or I enjoyed the previous book. In no way, will I slam the author or be upset that it should have been something else unless I felt the book mislead me.

Since I don't have a popular blog; a million Facebook fans, Goodreads friends, or Twitter follower, my meager words get lost in the shuffle. The authors might not even know I've left them a bad review. If I ever do get popular, my bad reviews might come back to bite me.

Just like my previous post about being an "unknown" author, no one will care that you've written a review, much less a bad one. Even if only one or two people read your review, I believe you should write one how you would want one written about you. No, that doesn't mean give it a favorable review if you don't want to. It just means be professional.

Here are my guidelines:

1. I never attack the author. I don't know them nor do I see what they have to do with their fiction work. I also can't assume what they were trying to do with their book. The only thing I can judge is the work itself. It's a book review, not an author review.

2. I point out both the good AND bad in books. Even if I love a book, I can find bad stuff in it. Like I said before, even in a bad book, I'll find something good about it. There's no such thing as a perfect book and if I love a book, it'll have some flaws.

3. I don't spoil. It really bugs me that no one can talk about things these days without spoiling them. Whether you love or hate a book, there's no reason to spoil it for anyone else.

While these are how I view and do things, I would love to know how other people write reviews especially book bloggers. I would think there's a huge difference between reviewing a book you thought sounded interesting or a friend recommended as opposed to reviewing a book because you run a site. It can't be too different, can it?

I would also like to know why other writers have no problem reviewing and critizing the more successful authors in a harsher tone, but if it's other indie authors; writers in their genre; their friends on forums, Twitter, or in real life, they wouldn't do anything like that.

Marc Johnson

Being an "Unknown" Author

If there's one thing I find strange, it's that some writers constantly use being an unknown author as a reason. Whether it's because they don't have their books edited, lower their price to $.99 or give it away. What they're actually doing is justifying and defending their position and making excuses of why their book isn't selling. The fact is 99.9% of us are unknown and always will be. As someone who has a HUGE ego and a lot of pride, that's a little difficult to admit.

In the business of writing and publishing, there are only about half a dozen writers that all people, especially the non-readers, actually know. Let me list them.

In no particular order:

1. Stephen King

2. Stephanie Meyer

3. Nora Roberts

4. JK Rowling

5. James Patterson

6. Dan Brown

I know I'm forgetting others and it's killing me that I'll remember them later. What's interesting is that the list of dead famous writers outweighs the living ones. And because the list of known authors that people know is so small, it's why reality stars, celebrities, and the like all get book deals. They have a built in audience and millions of people know them.

I'm going to compare being an unknown author to sports, specifically basketball, but really it can be compared to any field whether it be acting, music, medical, comedy, or whatever your day job is.

In the NBA, you have your top players such as Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and LeBron James. Those guys are the superstars. They're at the top of the game. Those would be the equivelant of the known writers that I just listed.

They have the money and the fame and their work is good, no matter how jealous you are of them. In fact, people being jealous of them and making jokes is a good indicator.

Next, you have great players such as Deron Williams, Dirk Newovitski, Chris Bosh. The writer equivalent of that would be JA Konrath, Amanda Hocking, John Locke for the indies, or those known in the top of their field or a specific genre such as Jim Butcher, Steven Pressfield, Brandon Sanderson, Harry Turtledove.

Those people still make a lot of money and have a good career. They're very successful, but they can still leave their house. However, if they go to a convention dealing with their genre, they will be known and mobbed.

It's the next part that gets really tricky. Most of us aren't going to be like the above mentioned names. That doesn't mean we can't be successful, sell a lot of books, or a make a decent living at it. We can be like top players on really bad teams such as Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors or Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves. But odds are, we won't be that either. Not that we have to be.

It's hard to say what the equivalent of those people would be. One of the reasons for that is sales numbers for the publishing industry are so secretive and the majority of writers don't get any press. I would probably say a person that falls into this category would be Michael Stackpole. He's successful, he writes for a living, he's known in the industry, and he's known for his Star Wars books even though he hasn't written a Star Wars book in years. I don't know how well he's known outside of non-franchised books, but I would still love to have his career. Another person, would probably be Peter David.

Again, most of us won't even reach that level of success. However, we can still eke out a nice living by being a rotation player. According to my sales, I'm a bench player. I'm not a Jason Terry type where I'm the next man in nor do I close games. I'm probably the 8th-9th player to come off the bench where the coach puts me in here and there, but I'm not a regular rotation player. I'm in the league, but no one knows who I am. I'm like a journeyman bouncing from team to team but still playing and getting signed.

While I'm not selling like hotcakes, I'm happy with my sales now. However, I would love to improve and I have a lot of room for growth. I will not being an unknown get to me. I will not let that justify why I may or may not be selling. I will not let the fact that I'm not selling thousands, hundreds, or even dozens of books a day bother me.

This might have been a terrible analogy. I could have used Hollywood or musicians, but I miss my basketball right now. I'm sure a lot of things I talked about were off a bit. These are just my observations and thoughts. While I do have a book out, I don't have any contacts or friends within the industry and my own experience is sorely limited.

Do you all agree with me or are your levels of tiers different from mine? Or am I just talking out of my arse like I've been known to do?

Marc Johnson

Top 5 Video Games to Bring to a Deserted Island

This is going to be one of those fun posts that shows a slight insight into me and what I like. It's also nice to take a break from business, writing, editing, marketing, and the like.

Below is my top five video games I would take with me if I was stuck on a deserted island. They're not necessarily my top five games although there is some overlap. The games could be from any console and any time period. The only major rule was that there would be no online play. So no playing Call of Duty or Halo with other people all day. However, both the updates and the downloadable content would count. That stuff should have been in the game in the first place.

5. DRAGON AGE ORIGINS

Dragon Age Origins was my first Bioware game and I must say, I was blown away. It's a shame the sequel was terrible and I couldn't even finish Mass Effect. But I'm not here to talk about those games. DAO had its problems too. It was buggy, the graphics were dated, the story was cliched, and it took me 20 hours before I completely understood the combat. But the good far outweighed the bad.

There were so many different paths to take. Now while everyone in the world chose to play as a rogue elf, me and one of my friends didn't. You could be a dwarf, human, or elf and mage, rogue, or warrior with deviations in their backstory. What you started off with impacted your choices in the game and there were many choices. With each dungeon or new town, there were always at least two ways to go. And choosing one way impacted your play later. That's what I loved most about it.

DAO was probably the only game where I constantly immed my friend to compare what he was doing since we started around the same time. I don't think I've ever talked about a game so much as this one. Sadly, I've only played it once, but I will be going through it again and choose different paths. If I was trapped on a deserted island, I would have time to play all of the outcomes.

4. SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II

Of course, I'd have to bring a long a puzzle game to occupy my mind. While there is Tetris, it's nowhere near as fun as Super Puzzle Fighter II.

Puzzle Fighter's great because of all the different colored gems. Everything's so shiny and colorful. Each opponent you fight utilizes the little gems in different ways. Plus, I love the humor in this game. While it looks childish as it has the kiddy versions of the lovable Street Fighter characters, it can actually be pretty hard especially when the computer starts to chain things. Before you know it, you've lost.

I would probably go with the Game Boy Advance or Playstation 1 version. For some reason the Xbox Live version is lacking all the extras like Sakura's song.

3. VIEWTIFUL JOE

Viewtiful Joe was made very much in vein of the old school side-scrollers like Contra. While I could beat Contra without using the code, VJ was one of the hardest games I've ever played. There was a 'Kids" and 'Adults' mode. 'Kids' meant hard and 'Adults' meant EXTREME! In fact, I had to help my friends beat a couple of the bosses.

What made VJ so great was its humor and the cell-shaded style art that still holds up today. What I loved the most is that out of all the video games I've ever played, VJ had the best combat of them all.

Because you could speed up and slow down time, every move you did was different. There were your basic punch, kick, and item buttons, but doing them fast or slow drastically altered them. You could control whether you wanted to do a straight punch, uppercut, spinning kick, etc., and it was all relatively simple. There were no complex combos or moves to memorize. However, if you chained things together in a combo, you would get more points. And things would look cool because of the moves and the fire that appeared when you just took out all those enemies.

Capcom please bring Viewtiful Joe instead of throwing him in fighting games.

Henshin-a-go-go baby!

2. SHINING FORCE II

I have bought Shining Force II for every console it's come out on. I love it that much! It still holds up every few years I play it.

It's probably the best tactical RPG I've ever played. It drew me into that type of RPG. Strangely enough, this 16 bit Sega Genesis game is still better than the tactical RPGs of today.

Most tactical RPGs these days are just walls of text even my favorite, Fire Emblem. While all of them use grids, the stages in SFII don't feel as confined as those in the Final Fantasy Tactics model. There's also exploration in SFII, a thing which for some reason, they've taken away. The exploring has been replaced by walls of text and telling instead of showing.

The design of the characters and levels were great. They had personality. There was humor, excitement, and danger. The music kicked ass as it was performed by an orchestra. There was even a little surprise past the credits.

It's a shame they've not released a proper Shining Force game in years. Shining Force III was excellent, but incomplete as they never released Parts 2 & 3 in the States. After a long hiatus, they brought it back with Zelda clones, and those all sucked. There was the recent Shining Force Feather, but that hasn't made it to the States either. But no matter what, I will always have Shining Force II. They can never take that from me.

1. SUPER MARIO WORLD

Even though Mario isn't my favorite character from the Nintendo trinity, Super Mario World is my favorite game ever.

Like all of the games on my list, this one also had well designed levels, charming characters, and a sense of humor, but it's the gameplay that really shines. While Super Mario 3 may have the most unique and best upgrades for everyone's favorite Italian plumber, the upgrades here allow you to explore the vastness of the levels. In fact, Super Mario World has a lot of deviations much like Dragon Age Origins in the way you can beat the red levels. It also introduced everyone's favorite dinosaur–Yoshi!

I have played Super Mario World so many times that I have achieved 100%, and this was before sites like GameFAQs existed. Like Shining Force II, Super Mario World had a surprise. Everything becomes chocolatelity and the bad guys turn into Mario heads. Really weird, but still inventive.

As great as Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy are, I still think Super Mario World outshines them all.

Honorable Mentions: Contra, Final Fantasy VII, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Pocket Fighter, Resident Evil 2, Silent Service, X-Men: Children of the Atom

These are my top 5 games I would take with me on a deserted island that would keep me entertained for hours in between making coconut phones and playing volleyball. What games would you bring?

Marc Johnson