Thursday, December 27, 2007

Cleaning Up

Today I am at work cleaning up my work space. It is an absolute mess of papers and toys and magazines and crap. I hope I can be a bit more productive in 2008 if I have a cleaner work area. While I was organizing/trashing, I found the scraps of a script idea that I had. This was supposed to remind me what the plot points were so I would not forget, because I clearly did not have enough time to get all my thoughts down. I reproduce it here verbatim:
truck - load, drive, girl
stops - stolen, shot, dumped
villain - pays guy, corn
broker - brewer, vibration, bees
camp - kids, cars
villain - returns
I'm sure this is absolutely brilliant, but I have no idea what it means. Actually, I think it might be the bullet points for my killer bee movie, entitled "Swarm". (I'm being totally serious. Tagline: "Bee Afraid.") Maybe one day it will come back to me.

Photo Updates

I spent the Christmas holiday uploading new photos of the kids. I also restored my albums from Seoul and Tokyo, complete with captions. (I'm really pleased that I was able to do this.) View it all right here.

Friday, December 21, 2007

New Netflix Record

So Netflix shipped the movie "Babel" to me on June 26, 2007. I finally got around to watching it last night. It only took about six months! (Note: Amitai arrived on July 14, 2007.) Anyway, I thought the movie was fantastic.

Some critics found the movie's message ("We're all connected!") to be too simplistic or straightforward. Sure, it's "a small world after all" but if that's all you take from the movie, I think you missed the point. I was impressed with the different levels of meaning to the intertwining stories, with the common theme of communication (or lack thereof) tying the whole thing together. The performances were excellent and it is always refreshing to see unique characters that don't step out of central casting. I can't think of another movie to feature a deaf-mute Japanese teenager, can you?

So, it was worth the wait. Now let's see when we get around to viewing "The Lives of Others".

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Great Gift Idea

I just gave some of my colleagues personalized storybooks from My Child Book, and they were a big hit! Aviella received one of these from a friend, and when I was thinking about what to do for work gifts, I decided this would be perfecto! I got a Justice League one, and a Marvel one, a Scooby Doo one, etc. You enter the recipient's name, their age, their hometown, a few friends, and this is the result: "John, age 32, from Atlanta, Georgia, was hanging out with Batman and Superman at the amusement park!" And so on. Great fun!

I was very tempted to get the horribly generic (and terribly illustrated) title called simply "Ninja" (pictured), but went with the licensed stuff instead. Recommended! And it won't break the bank, either.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Ben Gets a 10

Big news about the live-action Ben 10 movie, Race Against Time, which scored huge numbers (for Cartoon Network) when it aired the night before Thanksgiving.

BEN 10: RACE AGAINST TIME Scores as Cartoon Network’s
Most-Watched Telecast in Network History and #1 Show of the Day Among Boys
Live-Action Superhero Beats All Cartoon Network Programming Among Kids 6-11, Kids 2-11 Since January 2002
Cartoon Network Also Posts Its Most-Watched Total Day Ever with Kids 6-11, Kids 2-11


Young Ben Tennyson proved his supernatural delivery and ratings strength last Wednesday night when Cartoon Network premiered the original live-action movie special BEN 10: RACE AGAINST TIME (8:00 p.m., ET/PT), setting all-new records as the most-watched telecast in Cartoon Network history, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The 90-minute live-action film delivered 3,987,000 viewers age 2+, out-performing the network’s 2002 presentation of Dragon Ball Z, which previously held the #1 ranking. This outstanding performance propelled BEN 10: RACE AGAINST TIME to the #1 telecast of the day on all television—among both cable and broadcast—with boys 6-11 and boys 2-11. Moreover, Cartoon Network posted its most-watched day ever in total day delivery with kids 6-11 (785,000), kids 2-11 (1,101,000), boys 6-11 (615,000) and boys 2-11 (840,000).
My personal take: I thought the movie was really very good and delivered exactly what it set out to deliver: a live-action Ben 10 experience! The alien effects were better than I expected and the performances ranged from good (Lee Majors) to acceptable (the kids) to over-the-top (Eon). In fact, I have very little bad to say about the movie. It's really well done. The only thing that I'm still getting used to is the idea of the live-action cartoon movie as a general concept, and where it fits on the air. Something still feels "off" to me, but it's probably just something we need to get used to. I smell sequel!

Friday, November 09, 2007

I Wish I Had Thought of This

Legion of Rock Stars is a bunch of musicians that plays fantastic covers of your favorite tunes. From their site:

Legion of Rock Stars (LRS) pioneered Pure Pleasure, in which the band listens to original recordings of classic rock and pop songs on 30db noise-blocking headsets, and then plays along.

The results are downright hilarious. Thanks to Dave for sharing the awesome Danzig clip below.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

New Photo Albums

I have gotten with the times and created a Picasa web album -- finally! You can find it here and also with the handy-dandy link on the right.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Chowder Premieres Tonight

Cartoon Network's new show Chowder premieres this evening, and I'll be watching with Aviella (assuming she does good listening and cooperating and eats all her vegetables). Toon Zone has posted their review, which is pretty much on the mark. I found the first episode to be a nice mix of sweet and funny, with some really cool and unique visual touches. Here's hoping this is the breakout show we've been waiting for.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

New Blog!

In the wake of the Great Jilly Crash of 2007, I've decided to create a new blog devoted to games and work-related stuff. I started to notice that most of my posts here were about gaming, so in the interest of keeping this blog more "personal" I thought, "Why not start another blog about games?" (Because, lord knows, what the internet needs now is another game blog.)

Anyway, I hope you will check out Metroid Crossing and tell me what you think. It's geeky!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

We're Back

Jilly Boel went down, but just like some of Jilly's greatest songs, JB.com refuses to die. Hooray for technology! Hooray for KJ! Hooray for the forums! I'm happy that my blog is back up, but most of my images were lost -- so there are lots of broken links in the archives. You know, for all the people who read this thing.

Also, Aviella's album is down, in addition to all of my past image galleries. Fortunately, I have those all backed up, but I doubt I will re-post them. My image sharing software is horribly dated, and I want to start using Picasa. Also, I have two kids now, you know.

Sigh...

This gets me to thinking that I might need to start a new blog for gaming/work stuff and keep this one personal. There are just so many hours in the day, though.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Brutal Legend

The new Tim Schafer/Double Fine production is called Brutal Legend. It appears to be about a heavy metal roadie who goes to some alternate universe in which he cuts people in half with an axe and sprouts bat wings.

All to the tune of "The Mob Rules" -- which gets HUGE points from me.



Looks great!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

EA WTB Bioware/Pandemic

It's been about a week since the surprise announcement that EA is going to buy Bioware/Pandemic. Industry analysts weigh in on the subject, and all seem to agree it was a good move on EA's part. It will be very interesting to see the games that come out of this merger/partnership/buyout. The best point made in the above article, I think, is that the games that both Bioware and Pandemic make (RPGs, action-adventure) nicely complement the games that EA makes (sports, driving, movie licenses).

Friday, October 12, 2007

More FusionFall Q&A

RPG Vault, part of the IGN network, has posted a new interview with FusionFall exec. producer Chris Waldron. Very nice to read, though I can't believe people still make the mistake of using the term, "Powderpuff Girls". Sigh.

Monday, October 08, 2007

FusionFall Newsletter

Hey, the first FusionFall newsletter was released today. Check it out, or better yet, sign up at the official site.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Top 5 Consoles

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I started to think about the best gaming console systems EVAR. Why? Dunno.

1. SNES - The apex of 2D gaming and features some of Nintendo's finest first-party titles ever.
2. PLAYSTATION 2 - Seriously, how many games have been released for this thing? Something like 124,000? The best value bar none, and still going.
3. ATARI 2600 - Gaming in its purest form, when graphics didn't matter and it was all about gameplay. Not to mention the fond gaming memories.
4. DREAMCAST - Poor, poor Dreamcast. You were so much better than the PS1! And you had some great games! And a fine controller, too.
5. NES - Not only did the NES bring gaming back from the dead, it had River City Ransom. That alone puts it in the Top 5.

Creeping up: the Nintendo DS is my current favorite platform. It's so sassy!

Maple Story Ads

Some folks at work yesterday were talking about the new Maple Story TV ads which have been cropping up on cable. They are certainly attention-grabbing, although their effectiveness is debatable. (Hmmm, reminds me of an ad campaign for a certain all-you-can-eat games subscription service.)

Snails:


Fish:


Pig:


Despite the weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird vibe, I have to admit that there's a certain charm to the line, "Is that pig wearing a gentleman's hat?" But: the fact that we do not see even one image from the game in these ads -- to tie it back to the live-action silliness -- is a shocking creative error in my opinion.

The ads can also be found here, on the Nexon site that launched in conjunction with the ad campaign. Wish them luck!

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

YTMND <3 DTMB

A few weeks later, and this is still cracking me up. Thanks, YTMND.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Geek News

We get a brief news update every day from our research group here at the office. Today's email was chock-full of interesting nerd tidbits. Some of these items are probably old news, but these days, it's hard to keep up!

- Paul Dini is working on a new Gatchaman (G-Force) feature
- the same folks are also making an Astro Boy animated feature
- George Miller is going to direct the Justice League movie
- Tokyopop is doing a manga prequel of the Dark Crystal
- Genndy Tartakovsky is working on a new Dark Crystal animated feature

That's a lot of cool stuff!

Impossible Mission, Wii


Surfing the web this weekend, I came across the interesting news that Impossible Mission is being remade for the Wii! This is only one of the coolest old-school games of all time. Having played it again at some point in the last year or so on GameTap, it is definitely in need of a reface. Sad thing is, I'm not sure if it is going to be available in the US. The Amazon UK site has a boxed version for sale, though. Further inspection reveals that Impossible Mission may in fact come to the Wii's Virtual Console as a downloadable title. Is this true? Can a Lode Runner remake be too far behind? Seriously, this is all very exciting, but I can't imagine that there are too many gamers out there under the age of 30 who would be interested in something like this. Anyway, check out the screenshot:


I'll be keeping my eye on the Metacritic page. There appears to be DS, PSP and PS2 versions planned as well. I like this quote from a PSP review: "Retro platforming at its most hernia-inducingly painful." Talk about evil villainy. Mwa ha ha!

Halo 3 Psychologists

You probably saw last month's Wired cover story about the development of Halo 3. Microsoft's testing lab for the game studied an extraordinary number of gameplay elements to fine-tune the game for the largest number of players.

Today, NPR reports on the same thing, noting the "psychologists" that Microsoft employs to test Halo 3's playability. I've often scoffed at the mainstream media's insistence that game companies hire psycohologists to make their products "more addictive" -- but in this case, it appears to be the case.

Gee, I wonder if anyone is gonna buy this thing? Find out tonight at midnight!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Reviews = $$$?

Great article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about Metacritc and its relationship to game sales. Side note: I love Metacritic.

Some may think that paying a royalty to a licensor for a poor-quality game (or poorly-scored game) somewhat bullyish, but I really don't see it that way. Why are there so many craptacular licensed games? Because when developers and publishers know they can make a quick buck off of a licensed property, it's not necessarily in their best interest to make a GOOD GAME.

(Actually, I think it is, if you read my earlier thoughts on the matter.)

However, for the Time-Warners of the world, well, they would rather have a better game. As mentioned in the article, Time-Warner may take an additional royalty from a publisher who makes yet another stupendously bad Batman game.

If sites like Metacritic actually help us get good licensed games, then I'm all for it. What's interesting is, as the article points out, many games sell well despite bad scores, such as Spider-Man 3. Hell, if they didn't, there wouldn't be any Spider-Man 4 to look forward to, right?

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Metroid Manga

Hey, check out this pretty cool web comic about Samus Aran! I can't tell if it was authorized by Nintendo. Heck, I can't even understand it, because it's all in Japanese!


Fortunately, some of the nice people on the internet have a translation of the comic available, so check it out!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Zzz Hospital

You know, if I ever get down about the projects I work on, at least I can be satisfied knowing that I am not making a game like the creatively-named Zoo Hospital.


Sure, this game basically sounds like an animal version of Trauma Center, but seriously, look at that prone panda in the screenshot! "Help! I'm nearly extinct and trapped in this lousy game!"

Do I really want to "discover how best to calm stressed species through soothing touch" or "administer injections, apply ointment, pull teeth, remove deadly microbes, X Ray organs and much more"? There's even two-player co-op. Wow!

Space Plague!

Straight out of an episode of X-Files, a meteor strikes a remote Peruvian village and the locals come down with a strange disease. That's seriously weird!

Monday, September 17, 2007

MC Flow Update

Check out this piece on MC Flow in the San Diego Union-Tribune!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Genndy's Luke Cage

In case you hadn't heard (I hadn't), Genndy Tartakovsky is doing his take on Luke Cage/Power Man for Marvel:


Newsarama has a nice interview here.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Flash MMORPGs

Has anyone played Dragon Fable, a free massively-single player RPG for your web browser? I just signed up for an account to give it a try. It's a little clunky and ugly...but it's free! There's another one (from the same company, it seems) called Adventure Quest, which has to be the most generic game name ever. Why didn't they just call it "Hero Fight" or something like that?

Apparently, both of these games have something to do with Arch Knight -- the "Original Web RPG" that you probably never played.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Would You Like to Buy a House?

A charming bungalow in Oakhurst is for sale:


Click on the pic or follow the link here.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Indie game alert! Blogs have been pointing to Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, a game being made by the artist Michel Gagne. I felt bad because I never heard of the guy, but then Mario reminded me of the "Insanely Twisted Rabbits" -- which don't really look like this game at all. (Apparently, Michel Gagne also did some monster designs for CN's Juniper Lee.)

Anyway, the graphic design of the game is absolutely awesome and certainly something I would like to play. GameTap, are you picking up the phone?

The Difficulty With Games

Last week, GameSetWatch pointed to a really nice article about difficulty in games. Entitled "Game Design Essentials: 20 Difficult Games" the writer, John Harris, takes a designer's point of view when describing 20 of the most difficult games imaginable. This is really my favorite kind of videogame "think" piece. Taking an academic approach to some seriously difficult (and obscure) retro titles is both informative and fun to read. (And totally free of snark -- hooray!) If this were a mainstream piece, it would have been called "The Twenty Most Difficult Games of All Time." Instead, this is a carefully thought out list with some really good reflections on what designers can learn from the successes or mistakes of the past. I only wish the writer had carefully listed the platforms of each game!

In my humble opinion, the concept of "difficulty" is essentially the designer's balancing act between fun and challenge. Too much fun, and a game becomes a cakewalk -- unless that is the designer's intention. Too much challenge, and a game becomes deadly and too punishing. The key is to find the appropriate mixture of these elements so that the player enjoys the experience while also feeling a sense of accomplishment as a result of his/her actions. Creating a successful difficulty curve is one of the designer's toughest tasks. When factoring in the complex systems of modern titles, it is amazing to see when the difficulty tightrope is walked successfully.

Makes sense, then, that so many of the games on the list are older titles. With the rudimentary designs of yesteryear, it was probably easier for the designer to streamline the difficulty curve. Hell, you don't get much more "streamlined" than Kaboom!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the article, and I had some of my own games that I thought worthy of the list. Most of the games I thought of were lessons in what not to do, as opposed to being illustrative of good design. But then again, I'm the type of player that doesn't have much patience for difficulty, and will quickly give up and move on as opposed to banging my head against a pixelated brick wall.

Game: Battletoads
Platform: NES
Developer: Rare
Year: 1991
Description: This game is the stuff of legend. No one I know could ever beat it. The flying/racing levels, in particular, required such rote memorization of the obstacles that the fun ceased to exist. I have watched speedruns of this game just to see if it actually had an ending.
What We Learned: The guiding principle of "one mistake and you're toast" is not a good design conceit.

Game: F-Zero GX
Platform: GameCube
Developer: Amusement Vision
Year: 2003
Description: No surprsie that this game was developed by the same guys who made Super Monkey Ball (on the list of Gamasutra's 20). This game is T-O-U-G-H, and requires some of the highest "player skill" requirements this side of a monkey-filled sphere. Like Harris points out about Super Monkey Ball, F-Zero is totally fair. If you can't win, it's not the game's fault. You MUST have the driving skills. I actually adore this game...to a point. And I mean that quite literally: I got to a spot in this game and just COULD NOT PASS IT. Like Battletoads, there are some missions that require rote memorization of obstacles. I hate rote memorization of obstacles.
What We Learned: F-Zero GX had great graphics, awesome physics, a robust feature set, with impressive cut-scenes and scripting rarely seen on the GameCube. Too bad the game was TOO HARD to enjoy all the cool content. Deisngers: don't build an awesome theme park and then erect a 50-foot wall of rote memorization of obstacles around it.

Game: The Adventures of Bayou Billy
Platform: NES
Developer: Konami
Year: 1988
Decription: You're a guy that looks like Crocodile Dundee, and you have to save your girlfriend. To do this, you must get through fighting levels, driving levels and shooting levels. I remember bringing Bayou Billy home and being really excited to play it, but about 15 minutes in, I was like, "What the hell?!?" The game quickly demonstrates the concept of "unfair" design, in the sense that no amount of player skill will allow significant progress. The house's odds are simply stacked against Mr. Billy. He can't fight, it's hard to drive, lose all your ammo and you lose a life. When does the fun begin? Answer: it doesn't.
What We Learned: If anything, Bayou Billy reminds us to try to avoid mixing our gameplay styles. Only the most clever have been able to pull this off. (I'm thinking of games like Deus Ex, often called a "shooter/rpg" hybrid.) In other words, if you set out to make a fighter/driver/shooter, you will most likely do all of those things badly, instead of one thing really well.

Game: Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Platform: Various, Genesis
Developer: Capcom
Year: 1989
Description: Seriously, how could a game from the Ghosts 'n Goblins/Ghouls 'n Ghosts series NOT make the "most difficult" list? Only the leetest gamers have ever beat one of these games. I know I've never come close. But I did watch a friend of mine "beat" the Genesis version back in high school. When he defeated the last boss, we got to the end screen...and learned that the entire game was all a dream! Time to do the whole thing over for real this time. What?!? Oh, no you didn't...oh, yes you did. I think we gave his Genesis the finger, turned it off, and went outside.
What We Learned: This is true of almost any game, book or movie that isn't "The Wizard of Oz" or TV show that isn't "Newhart". Designers: don't tell us "it was all a dream" at the end, or we will feel cheated and hate you forever and then blog about you.

Game: Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Platform: PC
Developer: Digital Eel
Year: 2005
Description: Obscure game alert! I've written about this game before. It's actually a game of the hybrid variety mentioned above. Sort of a strategy sim meets space shooter. What's cool about it is that the galactic map is randomly generated each time you play, and there is enough variety in the types of enemies and resources and obstacles (and so on) that it feels like a new experience each time you play. Thing is, you won't get very far! I've never actually completed a mission in this game. I always die!
What We Learned: Sometimes, repetitive failure actually inspires the player to keep playing instead of just giving up. There are a number of other games that demonstrate this principle, but I like to think of Weird Worlds as a really good example. If you can make failure fun, you're not necessarily making the game too difficult. Failure simply becomes part of the experience. Despite never really succeeding at this game, I continued to want to play it. I wish I still had it installed on my machine!

Anyway, there were other games that I wanted to list above, such as Blaster Master (NES), Viewtiful Joe (GC, PS2), Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire (GBA), even GTA San Andreas (PS2, XB). But I need to get back to work!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Fun With Satan

Unholy crap! A totally rare Atari 2600 game has been unearthed from the bowels of Hell. I can't believe I never heard of this one. Check it out!


Ha, ha, ha. Did I fool you? That image was totally falsified using the super awesome Atari 2600 label maker. Oh, the fun we can have with teh internets...

Thanks, Atari Age! And thanks, person who made the label maker!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Thursday, August 02, 2007

It's A Small World, After All

Though it was previously reported that Sony was going to buy mini-MMO Club Penguin, turns out that the Mouse House got the goods. Disney may pay up to $700M! Okay, just how many original MMOs could you make with that kind of cash? We'll see if the audience was worth the sticker price.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

WTS Wolf Pee

Wolf Quest is a new free game coming later this year, which allows kids to go online with a wolf and form "packs" with other players. This game showed up on a number of the game blogs today. While the video is indeed terrible, and the environments staggeringly barren and ugly, the game is an interesting concept. (I'm not sure what it's going to teach, though, other than wolves like to howl, pee and kill elk.) Hey, at least it's not dwarves and orcs for the gabillionth time. The game trailer is also here on Gametrailers.com.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

CGE 2K7

Sure, some people go to Comic-Con, but the REAL nerds go to the Classic Gaming Expo, which was held this past weekend in Las Vegas. Wired's Chris Kohler has a collection of entertaining and informative entries on his blog. All the usual suspects were there, including David Crane, Garry Kitchen, Al Alcorn, et al. Bleep bloop bleep.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Haunted Memories

Every Comic-Con brings something totally unexpected and cool...like the guy a few years back who prefectly recreated the William Shakespeare statue that opens the Batcave from the original live-action show. This year, I caught a glimpse of Caveman Robot and dug through the best colleciton of He-Man/Filmation production cels that I've ever seen.

Even though I was only able to walk the floor for a couple of hours, tops on my list was Haunted Memories:


This artist takes real 18th century portraits and turns them into the creepiest lenticular art you've ever seen! For example, as you step past the photograph of a young mother holding her child, she turns into a vampire and looks at her baby with demonic hunger. Absolutely awesome!

A point of irony not lost on me: if I came home with one of these pictures, my wife would have killed me. So I bought a cel of Beastman instead!

More FusionFall

YouTube has the trailer up and running:


Fan reaction at Comic-Con was wildly positive! Everyone seems to be excited about the new look for the characters and the general creative direction. Kids had fun with the game, too. It really couldn't have gone better, actually.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

FusionFall Trailer

I can't figure out how to embed this, but check out the FusionFall trailer here on the Warcry Network.

FusionFall Press Release

Check out the official FusionFall website for the press release. See you at the panel!

FusionFall

It's out of the bag...I will be trolling the web today, but caught a glimpse on Kotaku this morning. Stay tuned for more hits from teh internets.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

What the--?

When I sent the Chore Wars link to my friend Katie, saying that I thought the game was gooftastic, she said, "Sure, but have you seen this?

Chore Wars

This is seriously awesome. Using Chore Wars, you can create RPG characters and level them up by doing chores in real life!! This is one of the kookiest gaming applications I've ever seen. What fun! "But daaad, if I don't get to wash the dishes tonight my dark mage can't equip his Eternal Fire staff!"

Destructoid brought us the link.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Amitai

Born: July 14, 2007 at 11:21 pm. 7 lbs, 13 oz.




Wednesday, July 11, 2007

1.18.08

The "Cloverfield trailer" is now available on the Apple trailers site, now dubbed "1.18.08". Thanks, Benjy!

FTWintendo

I just watched Nintendo's E3 press conference, and...wow. Who would have suspected that Nintendo would be in the position they are now, even as early as one year ago? I know it's a lot of PR song-and-dance, but Reggie's presentation was pretty awesome. Nintendo DS: 40 million units sold worldwide. Wii virtual console: 5.6 million game downloads. Super Mario Galaxy on November 12. Super Smash Bros. Brawl on December 3. Metroid Prime 3 just around the corner...will it come packed with the Wii Zapper? Or will it be with Umbrella Chronicles? Mario Kart for the Wii next year, with the Wii Wheel. Not to mention Zelda, Dragon Quest and so on and so forth.

Interestingly, Miyaomoto's big presenation at the end -- Wii Fit -- was sort of a dud. I can see what they are going for, but can real fitness people take those exercises seriously? All I'm seeing is a more interactive version of Wii Play, and a peripheral that will make awesome snowboard/skateboard/surfing games.

In any case, it's amazing and somewhat gratifying to see Nintendo on top of their game (no pun intended) yet again.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Faction of the Fox

This is an insanely entertaining video by some crazy bunch of Midwestern lunatics calling themselves Faction of the Fox. They wear bags on their heads and scream a lot. What are they so mad about?


The video was directed by a dude named Mike Alfini. Nice work! Thanks to Charles for showing this to me.

Gold Farming on Marketplace

Great story last night on public radio's "Marketplace" program: gold farming regulation in South Korea. Best part is the closing interview:

Gagliano: Do you ever stop and think, "There's all this money and all this time and effort — and now laws and trading associations — being built up over these items that don't exist?"

Park: I would say never.

Them Koreans love them some virtual commerce!

Monday, July 09, 2007

My Daemon

I just went to the offial Golden Compass movie site and got my own personal daemon.

Her name is Aurora and she is a crow. A crow?!? Can't I get a badass leopard or something? This movie sucks! I want a leopard.

Cloverfield Trailer

Get it while you can...that awesome trailer for the unnamed J.J. Abrams project that ran before Transformers is popping up on teh internets, then disappearing just as quickly. Check it out and marvel at some amazing marketing that leaves audiences begging for more...clearly the best thing about going to see Transformers in theaters!

Friday, July 06, 2007

Guitar Zeroes

Awesome.


Thanks to Kellam for the link.

Remember this kid? He got outgeeked. PWND

Friday, June 29, 2007

More GTAIV

The new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer was posted yesterday. Why am I starting to get feelings of underwhelmitude?

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Clone Wars Returns

In case you missed Genndy Tartakovsky's brilliant take on Star Wars, the animated Clone Wars "micro-series" is now available for viewing once again on Toonami Jetstream. Sweet.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Thoughts on Game Writing

Fellow writer Richard Dansky offers some nice thoughts on game writing in this Gamasutra interview with Wendy Despain. Worth a read!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

More Spore

Oh, and in case you missed it, Spore has been delayed yet again. This column has some good speculation as to why.

Sonic RPG from BioWare

Straight from the "weirdest marriages ever" department comes the announcement that BioWare is making a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG for the DS:

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (June 21, 2007) -- SEGA® of America, Inc., SEGA® Europe, Ltd., and Canada-based developer studio BioWare® Corp. today announced a partnership to create a new video game based on the classic SEGA flagship icon Sonic The Hedgehog. The exact name of the game is undetermined, and it will ship in 2008.

Based on the fact that just about every Sonic release since the Dreamcast has been utter crap, it's no surprise that SEGA had to do something drastic or risk having to take Sonic out behind the barn. I don't know if cascading dialogue trees with Knuckles will actually solve the problem, but it certainly sounds...interesting.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Nervous Brickdown

So there's a new Breakout-styled puzzler coming later this month for the DS, and it's called Nervous Brickdown. I'm psyched for this one, as I adore the genre and love seeing what developers can do to make it interesting again. (Check out Real Arcade for some awesome examples.) Nervous Brickdown seems to have wild cartoony graphics and some real pizazz. From Eidos.

Calamity Game

This is very cool, though I don't really have time to play with it. It seems to be a black-box Flash physics tool, with a bunch of stuff to create your very own "kill the rag doll" movies. Sweet.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Hitler's Ultimate Downfall

omg lolz


Once again, props to R2 for this one.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Thundercats, Ho?

With the recent announcement of the Thundercats movie, I am happy to direct you to a wonderful PSA (thanks, YouTube) from the 80s in which Snarf and Lion-O remind you kids to stay off the liquor. Give me sobriety beyond sobriety!


Oh, and let's not forget that He-Man is also on the fast track to become a "major" motion picture. Can Silver Hawks be far behind? Or Crystar? How about Rock Lords? Oooh! Perhaps even Rainbow Brite Unleashed? Well, we can dream!

This trend speaks to my theory about cyclical cultural phenomena: as the "tastemakers" of our culture, AKA the entertainment executives, come of age and get into a position of influence, they quickly reach into the entertainment experiences of their collective childhoods for ideas. Hence: retread films from the 80s. Just you wait...in ten years, we'll be seeing Tamagochi: The Motion Picture, starring a craggy Shia LaBeouf.

Hollywood is really a creative wasteland, isn't it?

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Halo Clix

If you're like me, you're a geek. And if you're a geek, you might like comic books. And also board games. And maybe collectible minature games? Oh God, does that get too geeky for you? It does for me...sort of. See, I spent some time obsessed with HeroClix, the collectible miniatures game from Wizkids that lets you play as your favorite superheroes. Well, now...behold:


That's right, Wizkids is going to launch Halo ActionClix some time later this year. (I spotted a little blurb on Joystiq and then went right to the source.) So maybe you're a geek, and you like video games. And collectible miniatures. Then, boy howdy, are you in luck, Mr. Geek!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Awesome Ms. Pac Man Video

Fabulous.

Thanks to R2 for link.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Aviella: Hilton Head

This is a great picture of Aviella that I took during our recent trip to Hilton Head:

 

I have not posted pictures of her in almost six months! (Lazy, lazy, daddy.) So I am in the process of creating a new album, since her current one is so dated and crappy. I published this one picture using the new version of Picasa. More to come!
Posted by Picasa

Friday, May 25, 2007

New MMOG Nation

GSW's excellent "MMOG Nation" column has moved to a new home on the 1up network. Now entitled Massive Update, it contains a lot of choice news and interesting tidbits about the MMO multiverse. Such as: Mattel's new Barbie MMO!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Starcraft II Trailer

Now that's a trailer!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

An Endorsement of Licensed Games

Last week, I picked up a copy of the PS2 version of Peter Jackson's King Kong for the PS2, which is the "official game of the movie". I had recently watched the film again, which despite its faults, has some of the best action sequences ever put on celluloid. (Specifically, the battle in the insect pit is just about one of the coolest/scariest/awesomest things ever.) So when I saw the game for ten bucks at Best Buy, I decided to check it out. The game has a stellar pedigree, with both Peter Jackson and Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, etc.) directly involved in the design. Sounds great, but don't most "offical" movie tie-in games suck balls? Not always, rabbit. Try King Kong for yourself, I'm sure Best Buy still has copies. All I can say is: wow. Again, the low expectations thing wins again: the game totally blew me away. It's sort of a mish-mash of action, survival horror, FPS and beat-em-up. The atmospherics are amazing, the level design is clever, and just about every sequence has something that makes you lean forward in your chair. (The monsters are especially cool!) The game is basically a bunch of action setpieces strung together...in many ways, just like the movie. Though the story is a departure from the film narrative, it doesn't matter or take away from enjoyment of the game. In fact, it gives you a newfound appreciation of how carefully thought out Peter Jackson's film environments are, and how this attention to detail translates directly to the game world.

I thought to myself, how is this possible? This game came and went as quickly as the movie. And what did the critics have to say? (Turns out, they really loved it, much to my surprise.) When it comes to licensed games, the critics can't win...if they give a movie game a good score, I simply assume they are doing the mouthpiece work of the movie studio. If they give the game a bad score, well, they quickly reinforce what we already know: licensed games suck!

But do they? As King Kong proves, not always. In fact, I would wager that a good licensed game can stand head-and-shoulders above any original IP out there. The problem is that games featuring licensed characters are usually a quick cash-in for the game publisher, providing a low-risk opporunity to get a decent return on their investment. (Kids' titles are particulary guilty of this crime, probably because kids have even lower expectations than grown-ups.) If the profit is virtually guaranteed, what is the company's motivation to spend money on the front-end to make a good game? Unfortunately, not much...

But then again, look at King Kong. The game is excellent. I have no idea if this translated into sales, but I have to assume it did. Isn't cash the best motivator around? Make a good game, and the audience will come. Is it really that simple? The stigma associated with licensed games is unfortunate, as many people (myself included) will turn up their nose at an "officially licensed" product and move on to something else. But as franchise lovers, aren't we all dying to play a great Batman game, or Battlestar Galactica game, or Transformers game? Wouldn't we buy them by the truckloads if they were actually any good? I would say, without a doubt, YES. Audiences are already invested in the characters and settings of licensed properties, and for good reason: they are usually much more interesting than original IP. However, when the licensed games fail to live up audience expectations (as they so often do), players get used to the disappointment and quickly move on. Let me give a personal example: having really enjoyed the X-Men action RPGs from Activision, I finally checked out Marvel Ultimate Alliance recently. Though the opening cinematics are spectacular, the game under the hood is simply awful. Not only is the battle system repetitive, but the characters are remarkably interchangeable. And the story? Wait a minute...I'm fighting Winter Soldier and Radioactive Man on a SHIELD Heli-Carrier? You make no sense. Goodbye.

(Granted, I think Activision bit off a little more than they could chew with that game. All those characters!)

What I keep returning to is: quality control. To make licensed games better, bring the production in-house. As the mighty "old media" entertainment companies become bigger and bigger, with more pronounced interest in digital media (read: games), I think we will see this happening more in the future. LucasArts is a great example: though I know many of their Star Wars titles are licensed out to third-party development houses, they keep a clampdown on the quality of the games. By and large, this works. Generally speaking, the majority of Star Wars games are pretty good, with the occasional clunker here and there -- but some are real winners. (No one can hit it out of the park all the time, and sometimes a base hit on the PSP is all you really need.) Audiences love a good game based on their favorite comic/movie/TV show, so why can't the publishers see that delivering on this promise equals a win-win situation for all?

On a personal note, our Cartoon Network game is being produced internally (but being developed in Korea). We can give it the kind of attention that no third-party ever could, and I think players will see this when the game releases. And hopefully, we will all reap the rewards!

(Damn, that was a ramble.)

Friday, May 18, 2007

Black Temple

Here's a new WoW something-or-other with orcs and stuff. I guess a few people will be interested!


Thanks to Katie for the head's up.

Sony to Buy Club Penguin?

Many online sources are reporting that Sony is looking to purchase Club Penguin for as much as $500M. Yes, that's 500 MILLION DOLLARS.

Gasp!

Friday, May 11, 2007

Lara Croft Meets GameTap

GameTap is doing some pretty cool stuff for the upcoming Tomb Raider Anniversary release, including offering Tomb Raider Legend as part of their service. Check out this trailer for an upcoming documentary:

Exclusive GameTap Tomb Raider Documentary Trailer

And here's further proof that sex sells: "The first time in history when all the Laras have been gathered together." Hallelujah.

Exclusive - GameTap Tomb Raider Models Trailer

There are also some animated shorts in the works, and other cool stuff, so stay tuned. Thanks to Gideon for the links.

Friday, May 04, 2007

NYT <3 LOTRO

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times loves Lord of the Rings Online. Seriously? Turbine should be creaming their jeans over this review...it's about as gushing as it gets.

I just installed my copy this evening after work and intend to take a spin through Middle-earth some time this weekend. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Gamefly Totally Sucks

Let's just get this straight right now: Gamefly, the "Netflix for games" rental service, is terrible. I've been a subscriber for a number of years, and amazingly, Gamefly has actually gotten WORSE over time. Yes, they have always had slow turnaround on shipping. But when I first joined, you could pretty much always get the games you wanted, even if you had to wait a while. These days, I wait 2-3 weeks for a game to be registered as a return, and about as long for a game to arrive. Plus, their sale selection, which used to be pretty good, is now remarkably limited. (Madden '06 for $7, people!) And the new releases, which used to be fairly easy to get, are now impossible to obtain. God of War II? Forget it. Super Paper Mario? Keep dreaming.

Here are some stats: Diddy Kong Racing DS returned and reported missing after 2 weeks. (They miraculously found it.) Disney's Meet the Robinsons shipped 4/14, still not yet arrived. (And this game was my fourth choice.) Flatout 2 purchased for $12 a few weeks ago, still hasn't arrived. Oh, and last I checked, there was a "short wait" for just about every game in my rental queue. Wow, that's really worth the $28/month. Looking forward to getting the Pokemon DS games some time in July...

(If you don't know me and think my taste in games is questionable, keep in mind that I'm checking out kids' titles on purpose.)

Put it this way, I don't even pay for Gamefly out of my own pocket (it's a work expense), and I still want to cancel. The enthusiasm couldn't be lower, people.

New Beastie Boys

Good news/bad news: New Beastie Boys album coming soon! It's called THE MIX-UP. It's all-instrumental. So forgive me if I remain skeptical...


Tracks:

1. B For My Name
2. 14th St. Break
3. Suco De Tangerina
4. The Gala Event
5. Electric Worm
6. Freaky Hijiki
7. Off The Grid
8. The Rat Cage
9. The Melee
10. Dramastically Different
11. The Cousin Of Death
12. The Kangaroo Rat

Word to your mommy.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Roll Out

Hey, so Activision just launched the Transformers game website. It certainly looks badass. Just like the movie, of course, which promises to bite your nuts (and bolts) off!

Activision does really good "epic" stuff with these licenses...I just started playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the Wii and the production value is certainly there. Whether the game has much substance is up for debate...I assume the same will be true for Mr. Prime and friends.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

We Are 8-Bit

Joystiq has very kindly posted images from the gallery opening of this year's "I Am 8-Bit" installation. Some great stuff in there. Love Karnov!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Guild Wars Expansion and Sequel

NCSoft announces a new Guild Wars expansion for later this year, and a full-on sequel soon after. Wowzers, I had no idea a free MMO could do so well and get so much content in the pipeline. Then again, Guild Wars is really the only MMO I ever truly enjoyed. And I guess they are selling copies! Nice work.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Player Haters

So I just saw a post on GameSetWatch about the Acclaim MMO import, Dance Online. As I previously posted, these Acclaim MMO titles have clearly gone the "cheapie" route when it comes to localization and, more specifically, culturalization. See below:

Black is an EXTRA feature. It makes your person look unique, so that is an EXTRA feature. Therefore, you having to PAY for it. (Or ask a friend to pay for it).

Typos aside, this goes a long way toward proving my point: culturalization is the sleeping dragon when it comes to importing games from Asia. Culturalizing, in terms of a definition, is the process of making content changes above-and-beyond the basic relanguaging of a game for other territories. For example, some Asian countries are -- shall we say -- a little more "liberal" with reagrd to low camera angles and teenage undergarments. Therefore, a little sensitivity (and work) is required when bringing an Asian game to a more "prudish" land such as the United States.

Sure, it seems so easy! Grab some games from Korea! They make so much money! They are so awesome! Until you realize..uh-oh! There are not a lot of black people living in Korea, and therefore, black skin is considered an "extra feature" in their games. Whoops!

In all fairness, the story goes on to say that Acclaim is offering the "African-American upgrade" for next-to-nothing in the item shop. C'mon, guys. If you're gonna import these titles without understanding their content, and then try to prop them up with limited changes in order to make a quick buck, you're gonna have to deal with the raminfications of your laziness. Boo on Acclaim!

Monday, April 16, 2007

ATHF on XBL

To celebrate the launch of their movie, the Aqua Teens will be on Xbox Live playing Uno with fans. Uh...okay!

Who: Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Time: 7-8:30 P.M. ET/ 4-5:30 P.M. PT
Game: UNO
Gamertag: ATHFGWF

Be warned: the milkshake cheats.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

My Mii

Speaking of Miis, here's a handy web device that repurposes the Mii character creator!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Many Miis

Miis of all different shapes and sizes (Howard Diin, anyone?) can be found here. Thanks to R2 for link!

God of Bore?

I might as well jump on the bandwagon and post a link to actionbutton.net's no-star God of War II review. Take it for what you will...attention-grabbing negativity or a fanboy call-to-arms. At least it is intelligently written and has no spelling errors. Make sure to read the comments.

(I haven't played the game, yet, so I choose to remain neutral.)

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Zombies On The Brain

I can't stop thinking about zombies...I'm reading World War Z, I've just subscribed to Image's Walking Dead, zombies haunt my dreams...and I cant get 28 Days Later out of my head.


Well, 28 Weeks Later is coming out soon, and there's a Resident Evil sequel on the way as well. (Let's hope it is better than the above.) And I just heard about a new version of "The Plague" starring James Van Der Beek! Whee! Brains!

2 Moons

Open the bloodgates...Acclaim's Korean import 2Moons promises to be spilling lots of the red stuff.


I tried Bots and I thought it was a big snoozefest. Maybe 2Moons or their martial arts MMO 9Dragons will fare better. As soon as I have some free time (yeah, right) I'll try them both.

I think Acclaim has done quickie localization and virtually no culturalization, so it will be interesting to see if these products can compete in the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of MMOGs. Check out the Gods & Heroes trailer Kotaku posted here if you don't believe me.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Don't Meet the Robinsons

Despite Toonzone's positive review of Disney's Meet the Robinsons, I found the movie to be pretty hard to stomach. Yes, the animation was nice and YES, the production design and general visual direction were both quite amazing. However, the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. Wait, you mean SEVEN writers couldn't get this thing off the ground? Nope...I guess they needed to hire a few more -- seriously, if Disney aimed to suck out all that which was cool and beautiful and quirky about William Joyce's book and replace it with a whole lot of noise, well, they did a bang-up job. (Not sure if Mr. Joyce was involved in the film, but I'd be pretty PO'd if I were him.) The unusual characters and retro designs are sidelined by a mundane plot and a stupid "twisteroo" ending, not to mention the ADD-theater aspect to the proceedings once the movie (finally) arrives at the Robinson abode. Poop!

So much good here, but so much wasted...just further proof of my theory that a film's quality is indirectly proportional to the number of its writers.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Lord of the Puffs?

The Internet reports that Peter Jackson is making the live-action PPG movie. Riiiiight...thanks to Mario for the tip!

Cultural Currency

This recent Gamasutra feature discusses the use of brands as "cultural currency" as they relate to the issue of in-game advertising. The author suggests that designers can in fact think of brands as tools in their toolkit. As he writes in his conclusion:

You can use advertising to exploit cultural preconceptions about known items that then serve as a kind of shorthand for aspects of your game world. And that sort of attitude turns the tables on in-game advertisers, making advertising a tool in the hands of the designer, rather than one in the hands of the brand, agency, or network.

While this sounds great in theory, in practice I am relatively confident that players will still view in-game advertising as exactly what it is: something to enhance the bottom line, not something to enhance gameplay.

However, I do think there are creative ways to bring advertisers to your game, and this is a point of discussion for our team as you read this!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Penguins FTW!

Per my earlier post about Club Penguin and Webkinz, see the latest edition of MMOG Nation on Game Set Watch for a more gamer-centric perspective on massive games for kids.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Pong 2.0

A great Flash game called Curveball makes 3D Pong fun again. Check it!

What What?

Friday, March 30, 2007

GTA NYC

Oh, yeah...Rockstar posted a teaser trailer for GTA IV. I'm not the biggest GTA fan in the world, though I did love most of the 40 hours I put into San Andreas before I got totally frustrated and bored. However, this new one -- the first one on next-gen consoles and taking place in a seemingly real NYC -- has me totally stoked!!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Ultimate Ultima Blog

Joystiq reports this totally awesome blog project. One man, nine games, and a single quest: play through all the original Ultima games from start to finish, and blog about it. Amazing! Even better? The blogger's name is Ophidian Dragon...and he's unemployed! But, as Mr. Dragon notes in his introduction, he is not trying to get through the games as fast as possible or play more than 6-12 hours/week. Mr. Dragon is nothing if not a sensible dragon. (And presumably with a few other responsibilities in life, like finding a job.)

Seriously: I poke fun. But props to you, Ophidian! I'm going to try and follow your exploits and live vicariously through your adventures in Britannia. I, myself, only completed Ultima III back in the day...and just barely. (Hell, I've only ever touched Ultimas III-V.) If you can make it through all of these games and live to blog about it, you will have my highest geek respect. Good journey, sir, and watch out for the orcs.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Holy LEGO Game!

Sweet...a LEGO Batman game is coming from the same guys who brought us the LEGO Star Wars games.


Via Cynopsis:

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games have inked a deal that will result in the release of LEGO Batman: The Videogame for next generation/current game console platforms and PCs in 2008. Under the deal Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will serve as the North America publisher for the game title, including all sales and distribution functions as well. In the game, player will be able to explore the interactive LEGO version of DC Comic's Gotham City as its characters Batman and Robin, while fighting and capturing evildoers of course.

I actually can't recall a good Batman videogame since the old Genesis days. (Unless you count the "Rise of Sin Tzu" -- which wasn't technically "bad" or "good" but rather simply "blah".) Funny that it takes the LEGO version to make Batman interesting again. We'll see, we'll see. I have high hopes. Been playing "LEGO Star Wars II" and it's damn fun.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

OMG Steampunk Star Wars

Dave's Long Box points us to one of the coolest Star Wars things I've seen in quite some time: Steampunk Star Wars!


Who's up for some Gothic Vampire Star Wars next? That would be a hoot! Darth Vader sucks your blood and turns you into a stormtrooper.

Monday, March 26, 2007

More MMO

A few choice articles in the mainstream press worth looking at:


CNN Money talks Webkinz and Club Penguin and why stuffed animals and flightless waterfowl are both stickier than YouTube. (See chart.)

BusinessWeek profiles Maple Story and mentions Sony Home while still falling upon the journalistic cliche of "Hey, they met in the game and got married in real life! And then they got married in the game!"

Nerds!

What I'm Watching, Playing, Hearing, Reading

As an avid consumer of all things media en masse, I am pleased to report that I have recently had a lot on my plate to enjoy. Sure, there are always good TV shows to watch, movies to see, games to play, etc. -- but there's also a lot of crap out there, making it challenging to find the good stuff. Since I don't have all the free time I used to have, getting stuck with a stinker is often a big disappointment. Fortunately, the last few weeks have been host to a parade of fun happy goodtimes, and I've been itching to report my findings here:

Movie: 300 -- Oh, you would be a fool indeed if you missed this one in the theater. I'm not saying it was Shakespeare or anything (even though Frank Miller would probably like you to think so), but what a spectacle! Really just one of the best recent examples of pure cinematic entertainment. The director (Zach Snyder?) uses the medium to its full advantage here...might I say that it is one of the finest comic-to-film translations ever? I might, rabbit. I might. Oh, and the giant rampaging rhino is totally historically accurate, too!

Movie: The Illusionist -- Where did the filmmakers go wrong? I ask this question because somehow this movie was ignored as a "best of 2006" entry. Was it even noiminated for any awards? I haven't a clue, but it should have. Another fine piece of entertainment...great cast, beautiful production design and cinematography, an airtight script, I could go on. Even the gimmicky ending was brilliant! And Jessica Biel is hawt! Seriously, this was like a little character play/mystery starring four actors, a old theater and the city of Vienna. Just perfect. What happened?

Game: Titan Quest -- Kill. Loot. Repeat. An action RPG of the finest order. The developer, Iron Lore, (I believe) was the toast of GDC, receiving kudos from their fellow developers at the "choice" awards. Deservedly so. What a great game. The item management is fun, not tedious. The voice acting is good, not annoying. The weapons and powers are familiar, yet original. And it's like playing in your very own Harryhausen movie. What could be better?

Game: Rogue Galaxy -- Okay, I just don't have the time to slog through a Japanese RPG. But this one is worth the effort. It was a little slow to get going, and the learning curve is rather steep. But I'm having a lot of fun with it. And the storyline, characters and cut-scenes are actually entertaining! Gadzooks! If anything, the co-op AI of your party members is pretty weak, making the real-time battles a little unfair at times. But I am enjoying the weapons and abilities and switching between characters. And the graphics! Why buy a PS3? Seriously.

Television: Battlestar Galactica -- I stayed up past my bedtime to watch the final two episodes of season three last night. This is a damn fine show. and the producers really know how to leave us hanging! Season four can't come fast enough. I'm reading the blogs...everyone thinks we've seen four of the "final five" Cylons, but I'm not convinced. Theories from clever viewers suggest that our "watchtower" friends are not Cylons at all. Seriously, could Tigh be a Cylon and keep his dignity? Doubtful. Starbuck's return was also welcome, and expected. Hopefully the rumor of a mid-break summer movie will help with the agony of waiting...

Movie: Idiocracy -- Okay, the movie doesn't really live up to the brilliance of its premise, but there are so many LOL moments here. "Excape!" The House of Representin'. Law degrees from COSTCO. And so on and so forth. Mike Judge should make more movies.

Comic: The Walking Dead -- Chris lent me the first five trades, and I am hooked. You know how like at the end of a zombie movie, you want to know what happens next? This comic tells you.

MC: Royce the 5'9" -- So I got the album "Death Is Certain" when I was in San Fran, and I can't stop listening to it. This guy is criminally overlooked, but then again, maybe he should stay underground. I think his busted friendship with Eminem might have actually been a good thing. Cold raps, indeed!

Book: Cartoon Modern -- An amazing overview of 1950s animation, when people started smoking dope and listening to jazz and getting all freaked out, man!

Movie: Monsters, Inc. -- Okay, an older movie, but Aviella can't stop watching it. (And as a result, neither can I.) Having now seen the thing about a dozen times, I can say without a doubt that it is tied with "The Incredibles" as PIXAR's finest hour.

Okay, I'm done. I really have to get to work now.

Friday, March 23, 2007

GDC Best Of

The CMP Games Group has been kind enough to post a sizzle reel highlighting the "best moments" of GDC. Not much there, but riding the escalators was definitely awesome! I'll never forget you, escalators.

And in case you didn't make it to the conference, these were the top-rated sessions from the show, as determined by attendee evaluations.

1. Writing Great Design Documents, Damion Schubert (Lead Combat Designer, BioWare Corp.)

2. Exploration: From Systems to Spaces to Self, Clint Hocking (Creative Director, Ubisoft Divertissements)

3. Painting an Interactive Musical Landscape, Koji Kondo (Manager of Sound Group, Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

4. High-Def Outdoor Environments, Michael Khaimzon (Crytek)

5. Rethinking Challenges in Games and Stories, Ernest Adams

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Putting the "Comic" in "Comic Books"

Merrill directed me to this funny article entitled "Top 15 Unintentionally Funny Comic Book Panels".


While not technically a panel, this Superman cover was always one of my unpolitically correct faves:


Oh, comic books! You were so racist!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

PR Blunders

Not sure where I found this, but Games Radar has posted a very entertaining article about recent PR goofs coming out of the games industry.

Now, if someone could cause a major metropolitan city to fold under the threat of a supposed bomb scare, that would be a real gem.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Imagical

Hilarious. Just after posting "Look Around You" I stumble upon this awesome video, thanks to the wonderful Atari Age website. It's a television program called "Enterprise" from the early 80s, and it's all about the making of the game "Atlantis" for the Atari 2600:


Not a bad game, by the way. Part 2:


What's so hysterical is that everything that "Look Around You" satirizes is right here...for realz! Part 3:

Look Around You

Chrissie recommends a hilarious British comedy series entitled "Look Around You" -- a fake, 70s-style late night magazine show that plays it straighter than a frat boy on spring break.

This one happens to be about computers, games and inventions, but there are quite a few others:


I love the vegetable orchestra system!

Monday, March 12, 2007

LEGO MMO

So I'm back from GDC. Still gathering my thoughts, while putting together business cards in little piles on my desk. One thing I will say: them game nerds like to hear themselves talk. A lot.

Surprise of the conference? Sony keynote beats Nintendo keynote in a photo finish!

Anyway, while we were out in San Fran, Chris sent us a note that LEGO has announced an MMO, to launch some time next year. Schwing.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Penguin Dreams

Check out this hilarious column about Club Penguin from this month's Wired. Once again, a mother of two entertains with her article about online games! Will wonders never cease?

Best quote: "Why is there a black puffle named Fax Machine in my igloo?"

I don't know, dear. I don't know.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

POTCO A-Go-Go

Very interesting preview of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online that is certainly worth a look. Sounds like Disney is doing a lot of things right, but it remains to be seen how the fully-featured game is really going to play. I still wonder if people (kids, especially) truly like pirates enough to want to play in a world completely dedicated to their antics...even if Voodoo is involved. And what's the deal with gambling mini-games in a kid's title?

On a side note, the article is written by a woman. And not just any woman, but a MOM. How often do you see THAT?

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Gahhh

How does one go from relaxed and happy to be back at work to completely overwhelmed and stressed within a 24-hour time span? Crap. Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Ahhh

So I just got back from a very relaxing week on the beach, and even though it sucks when vacation is over, I'm pretty psyched to be back in the office today. My job is pretty awesome, I think!

Anyway, you need to check out the new "Gadget Game" called Loco Motion, which uses your webcam as an input device (not unlike the PS2 EyeToy). Nice work, Brad and games team!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

We're On It

Cartoon Network has posted a bunch of information about its 2007 upfront presentation here. The new shows look great, although I must admit that I'm most excited for the MMOG!

Friday, February 09, 2007

Ubi to Make Movies

I get a lot of PR updates from game publishers, but most of them are boring game announcements. This one from Ubisoft, however, was really interesting!

Today at a press conference in Montreal, Canada, Ubisoft is announcing that it will create a new CGI movie production house within its Montreal studio and it will significantly expand its video game development operations in the region. In partnership with the local government, Ubisoft will create 1,000 additional positions by 2013, 500 of those positions will be within the new CGI studio.

The new CGI studio's mission will be to produce short digital films based on Ubisoft's video game properties. Work on an eight-minute short film inspired by Assassin's Creed is already underway.

This takes game makers right into the realm of film makers. Though it is similar to what we've seen from the CGI Final Fantasy flicks, this seems on a much grander scale. Wow! It will be cool to see what comes out of this studio. Assassin's Creed looks like dynamite on a plate.

Virtual Coinage

In the words of Cyndi Lauper, "Money changes everything." If you have any interest at all in virtual economies or world design, check out this great column on GameSetWatch.

Yes, buying virtual goods is big business, but how big seems rather nebulous. From a designer perspective, it's annoying to think that people want to simply use cash to get higher level characters and loot as opposed to playing your game. From the column:

I know a lot of folks are rushing through Burning Crusade to get to 70 ... but aren't these games supposed to be about having fun? Isn't the time and hard work of these developers something to be enjoyed rather than circumvented?

Ultimately, for me it's about third parties (who had nothing to do with your game) making hay off of your hard work. Why can't game publishers set up their own RMT businesses and undercut the gold farmers? From what I've been reading, some companies might be gearing up to do just that.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Voice Actors <3 Video Games

Check out the super talented voice cast from Billy & Mandy discuss making the game. Actually pretty interesting if you like the show!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Ukulele!

Check out this cool profile of pal Flynn DeMarco, creator of the fab-u-lous Gay Gamer website.

(And no, I'm not gay...but I play one on teh internets.)

Friday, February 02, 2007

ZOMG

This is truly unreal! What a country!

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

G4: Brilliant or Just Pandering?

How about this promo for an upcoming episode of G4TV's "The Block" --

You know things are gonna get snow-meltingly hot when the Vivid Girls check into The Block! Check out the no-holds barred action as porn stars Kayden Kross, Brea Lynn and Cassidey visit the snowboarders' hotel for a steamy photo shoot.

But it's not all snowboarding, hot-tubbing, partying, and posing for the Vivid Girls: Things go off the rails quick when an adult-video vixen falls for Michael! The sparks are gonna fly, homie.

As always, we're steezin' for no reason up on The Block. Don't miss it.

Actually, I believe G4 is, in fact, steezin' for a reason. They need viewers. Bad.

Monday, January 29, 2007

For Whom the Phone Rings

Sad, funny or both? Check out these Metallica ringtones for some truly hilarious (and downright depressing) examples of exactly what a band sounds like when it exchanges the final vestiges of its dignity for cold, hard, cash. Yes, the guys who brought you "Battery" and "The Four Horsemen" now bring you, "Hey, this is James from Metallica. I'm in your purse. Answer the phone!"

(Thanks to all the Jillies for the laughs!)

Tyra on WoW

Incredible video here of a segment from the so-bad-it's-good Tyra Banks talk show. Watch as a young man chooses his young bride and infant daughter over his World of Warcraft account. Good choice, dude!

What's so amazing is that there is no talk of moderation. Gee, maybe 40 hours a week is not what a young father should be spending with ANY activity, much less an evil video game? But games are so stigmatized, it's time to shred the CDs! Take that, video games!

(Of course, they should have had the poor guy ceremoniously uninstall the game from his hard drive instead of shred the discs. But that wouldn't have been good TV, now would it?)

In my favorite episode of Tyra's show, she takes some people who have irrational phobias (clowns, ovens, styrofoam) and makes them face their fears in the most seriously straightfaced manner possible. When clowns arrive to prance around the stage to the tune of scary, scary music, I nearly fell out of my chair. Now THAT'S good TV.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Target Targets Gamers

In case you don't play Maple Story (and Dear Lord, why wouldn't you?), there's some pretty sweet in-game advertising to be found in the little burb of Kerning City:


I guess Target is interested in going after potty-mouthed prepubescent cosplayers. Makes total sense. When one gamer saw me (in screenshot, above) standing next to that nifty Target kiosk, he proclaimed, "hahahahah he wants noob lewtlololol!"

Justify My Love

A kindly gentleman (and game designer) by the name of Chris Avellone has done a very good job of sorta explaining what exactly it is that I do on a daily basis. Perhaps I cannot, in good faith, debate the merits of the Battlestar Pegasus over those of the Nostromo*, but I can tell you which member of the Ponypuff Princess club is Asian, and which one is African-American.** As Avellone so succinctly puts it:

So my advice for any aspiring members of game development is pretty simple. If you’re a nerd, keep being a nerd.

Amen, brother. Now back to more cartoons and TV and things. What was Samurai Jack's first cousin's name, again?

*I know some dudes at Comic-Con who can probably settle this debate
**Lee Lee is Asian and Mee Mee is African-American

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

8-Bit Operator of Pocket Calculator

My nerdometer went into overdrive upon seeing the news of this upcoming album from Astralwerks. Chiptune covers of Kraftwerk? It's like music geeks and game geeks made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sign me up! Releases on Feb 6.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Top 5 Retro

The dudes over at Hardcore Gamer bring us a special retro issue this month! (As of this post, it's not up on their site yet, but I'm sure it will be soon.) Thankfully, the editors eschew the predictable accolades for their "Top" lists, instead asking their contributors to each pick five of their favorite games that don't usually make those "Best Of" issues. Some great examples include Impossible Mission for the C64, The Adventures of Lolo on the NES, and even Night Driver for the Atari 2600! These were just some of my faves, and if you're a classic gamer, probably some of yours, too.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to choose my obscure "Top 5" -- so here they are, in no particular order...

1. Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (Apple IIe) - This game didn't just have an amazing objective (kill Hitler) but incredible gameplay, too. Sneaking into Hitler's base, stealing uniforms and passes, bribing guards...this was sophisticated stuff on an Apple IIe, and made for a tense experience way beyond anything available at the time. Not to mention randomly generated maps and synthesized speech: "Halt! Vassus pass!" (German for, "Stop! Let me see your pass!") And when you shoot the guys at the desks, they fall down dead in such definitive fashion, you feel like a total badass. Sam Fisher could learn a thing or two from this game!

2. Super Dodgeball (NES) - From the same crazy Japanese dudes that brought us River City Ransom, another game that might as well be on this list. But for now, let's look at Super Dodgeball, a game that is still fun to play today and has yet to be duplicated. Sure, they put out an upgraded version for the GBA, but it just didn't capture the magic of running up to the line, jumping high in the air, and pelting your enemies with a ball that moves so fast it turns into a frisbee. And at the end, fight shadow versions of yourselves! What could be better than that?

3. Elevator Action (arcade) - This game ate so many of my quarters. At the time, when most arcade games were simply about "clearing levels" Elevator Action crafted a simple scenario that any young kid could truly get behind: You're a spy. Break into the office. Steal the files. Kill the bad guys. Escape. Agent 17 (Codename: Otto) had very limited animation, but just crouching down and firing your gun felt so cool that you could do it all day long. Marvel as the enemy bullets just graze the top of your skull! Man, it's cool to be a secret agent. I'm so glad the pharmacy next to the shoe store had this game, because I could play it while my little sister looked for new Mary Janes with my mom.

4. Pressure Cooker (Atari 2600) - I try not to miss any opportunity to extol the virtues of this Activision classic. Objective: build the burgers to order. Ingredients are as follows: onions, lettuce, tomotatoes, cheese. Once properly constructed, deliver burger to appropriate conveyer belt. Repeat. The game starts out simple and gets pretty crazy. The music is awesome. And it was designed by Garry KITCHEN! How appropriate is that? I think this gem was overlooked as a Burgertime clone, but it's really so much more than that. Fire up Stella (or GameTap) and give it a go. And check this out: when you get an ingedient you don't want, send it back by bouncing it off your belly!

5. Diddy Kong Racing (N64) - My controversial point of view is that this racer was actually superior to Mario Kart 64, at least as far as single player goes. I poured hours and hours into this title, and never actually defeated the final race. As I recall, it was excrutiatingly difficult...you had to make an impeccable run and make not one mistake. In any event, the game was really well done. Nice graphics, funny characters, awesome music, unlockables, and a feature that was truly a design feat: once beating the tracks with the default vehicle, you could go back and race them with another vehicle, such as a plane or a hovercraft. This opened up new pathways and items. How Rare managed to balance this, and still make it fun, I have no idea. I recently noticed that a DS version of this game is coming out soon, so maybe it will get its overdue props.

Top Five Runners-Up: Wacky Races (Dreamcast), Double Dragon II (NES), Ice Climber (NES), Archon (Apple IIe), Gorf (arcade).

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Super Deluxe

Out in the world of broadband entertainment, Super Deluxe has quietly planted its comedy flag between the buttcheeks of online America -- having launched just yesterday. I don't know if it is funny, yet. But it sure is live! Check it out.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Wowee

Here is a great little think piece on the positives and pitfalls of WoW. Oh, and by the way, Joystiq reports that some dude in France already reached the new level cap of 70, a mere 28 hours after the release of the Burning Crusade expansion. Wow, indeed.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

This Rox

My friend Kellam sent this link to me. The developers call it a "virtual toy" and the description is apt. Click the dudes and the objects and watch them fly. Have fun!

Borat Bunnies

Staying fairly topical, the Starz bunnies have just done Borat with some pretty ticklish results. You know, it's not like the funniest thing ever or anything, but the bunnies consistently make me laugh every time. It must be the squeaky voices.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

When In Rome

Katie recommends this excellent Gamasutra article about localizing popular brands for different areas of the world. Frankly, it's somewhat terrifying!

Q: Do you know what they call Darth Vader in France?
A: Dark Vador (with Cheese)


Also found while reading above: Acclaim is pulling a phoenix act, and they're developing free MMOs (supported by ad revenue). Gamasutra has this interview with Howard Marks, new chief of Acclaim Games.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Game Trailers

Speaking of Apple, did you know that you can watch game trailers on Apple's site, in addition to the movie trailers? I had no idea.

It's-a Me, Moneybags!

Joystiq reports that Nintendo has raised its 2007 profit estimates to $1.5B, an increase of 28% (!!!) over previous estimates. That is a lot of gold coins, my friends.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

iWant

Meet the iPhone!

Finetune Playlist

I made a Finetune playlist! Check it out here, or in the sidebar of my blog page.

Monday, January 08, 2007

College Saga

This is an absolutely hilarious live-action spoof of Final Fantasy. Well done, Mark Leung!

Wii Music Player

Many game sites have been reporting on the Finetune Music Player built specifically for the Wii Opera browser. With big, dumb buttons and a Wii-friendly interface, the app is extremely smart. (I'm listening to it at work right now, and it works pretty good in Explorer, too.) It will be interesting to see how many online businesses create Wii-enabled portals for their content. I know the porn sites are all over it...at least that's what I hear. No, really.

The "radio" feature is currently down due to high demand, but you can check out their "Best of 2006" playlists in a number of different genres.

Turner Online

Last week, the Wall Street Journal offered a pretty comprehensive report on Turner's online strategies. Why GameTap was not worth a mention is somewhat confusing, but overall, an interesting read.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Dark Tower Flash Game

Holy crap. For all the fogeys out there, you will be amazed by this Flash version of 80s electronic board game Dark Tower. Kudos to whoever made this! The only thing missing is the whirring of the Dark Tower's internal motor...but who's complaining?

Friday, January 05, 2007

More Rogue Galaxy

First off, the official US site for Rogue Galaxy is pretty lame, but there's a silly little Flash game to play that, once completed, allows you to sign up for a Rogue Galaxy demo disc and a shot at some other prizes. Whee! I wasted at least 45 minutes playing the stupid thing. Sony Marketing: 1, Matt: 0.


More interestingly, IGN has posted a new promo video with information on the characters in the game. I predict that "jungle queen" Lilika (pictured above) will be a big hit with the cosplayers! You should also check out Hardcore Gamer's cover story about Rogue Galaxy, which whets my appetite even further. I want this game!

Games in 2007

Dean Takahashi has a very nice (and extensive) blog post about what to expect from games in the coming year. One word: Spore!

More Retro

My friend Jason is hunting for a handheld game he used to have when he was a kid in the 80s. I am trying to help him figure out what it was called. During my search, I found another awesome retro site called Handheld Museum that has pics and info about nearly every obscure electronic toy from the 1970s and 80s. Remember Hit and Missile? That was my shit, yo!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Go, Go Gadget Retro!

I stumbled upon a really cool blog today called Retro Thing, which features an assortment of old and out-of-date gadgets, including (but not limited to) toys, video games and a random hodegpodge of trinkets from days gone by.