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?