I've been playing video games for a long time. Since our family first got a household computer, my brother and I have been playing games on it. We never had a console until Christmas 2001 saw my parents give in and buy us (me) an Xbox. However, I will always look fondly back at those days spent playing those games on the computer, installed in blocks of anywhere from one to six floppy diskettes. Commander Keen, Treasure Mountain, Gizmos and Gadgets, Operation Neptune and many, many more.
Then there came the CD games. Wow. CD-ROM's. They were something else. The games got bigger, better, more intricate. One game that I will always treasure for its oddness and its beauty is the 1996 release The Neverhood, from the creator of Earthworm Jim, Doug TenNapel. This game was a claymation, point and click adventure game that was funny, bizarre, beautiful and difficult. It was a puzzle solver with as much humour and challenge as the first Portal installment. We spent hours on that game, playing it over and over again because the characters like Klaymen, Hoborg and Klogg were so much fun.
That is why I practically screamed with excitement when I saw that the creators of The Neverhood had started a Kickstarter campaign to make a "spiritual successor" to The Neverhood. As if Skullmonkeys hadn't happened.
If you watch the Kickstarter video - and I highly recommend you do - this game looks just as fun and even more bizarre, using the same wonderful claymation techniques that made The Neverhood so awesome. And the voice talent! Veronica Belmont! Jon Heder! ROB PAULSEN! COME ON!
There are some really great rewards on this one, including copies of the game, t-shirts, art books, comic books, soundtracks and - if you've got the dough - a credit in the game as either a thank you or "additional animation". Because they teach you how to animate and then let you animate on the game!
I've pledged and I hope you will, too. Let's get these guys up and rolling!
Mahalo.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Defiance: Welcome to the Fold
I just finished watching the series premiere of the new SciFi program Defiance that takes elements of Firefly and Farscape and pushes them together to make something just as awesome. The Farscape influence is not only clear but definitely not accidental as one of the developers was none other than Rockne S. O'Bannon.
The show is a nice mix of post-apocalyptic war, sci-fi and Western with Dexter veteran Julie Benz as the Mayor of the town of Defiance and Australian-grown Grant Bowler as Nolan, the Han Solo-style ex-marine turned lawman. The first episode introduces you to the new Earth in 2046 where alien races have arrived and, after a long war, a shaky peace has been established. In the new frontier-style world everyone must fight to survive where of course the races don't necessarily all get along. The world is very much a character in this show, too, which is wonderful.
The characters are full and, although not complete yet, I expect them to be people to be reckoned with. There is already a family feud, a sassy brothel-owner, a wise-cracking doctor, a traveling ex-marine and his alien daughter - it promises to be quite a ride. This pilot episode is even remnant of the first episode of Firefly with its fighting and Farscape in its creative alien make-up.
Most interestingly is the idea that there is a video game of Defiance which ties directly into the show and things in the show affect the game and vise versa, so it will be intriguing to see how the experiences mirror and change each other.
My only fear is that this will become another wonderful one season show if not enough people watch it - so please get out there and check it out!
Mahalo.
The show is a nice mix of post-apocalyptic war, sci-fi and Western with Dexter veteran Julie Benz as the Mayor of the town of Defiance and Australian-grown Grant Bowler as Nolan, the Han Solo-style ex-marine turned lawman. The first episode introduces you to the new Earth in 2046 where alien races have arrived and, after a long war, a shaky peace has been established. In the new frontier-style world everyone must fight to survive where of course the races don't necessarily all get along. The world is very much a character in this show, too, which is wonderful.
The characters are full and, although not complete yet, I expect them to be people to be reckoned with. There is already a family feud, a sassy brothel-owner, a wise-cracking doctor, a traveling ex-marine and his alien daughter - it promises to be quite a ride. This pilot episode is even remnant of the first episode of Firefly with its fighting and Farscape in its creative alien make-up.
Most interestingly is the idea that there is a video game of Defiance which ties directly into the show and things in the show affect the game and vise versa, so it will be intriguing to see how the experiences mirror and change each other.
My only fear is that this will become another wonderful one season show if not enough people watch it - so please get out there and check it out!
Mahalo.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Just a Recommendation
I wrote a rant not long ago about how video games don't cause gun violence. If you're still interested in the topic of gun violence and video games, I would highly recommend this article, also from Cracked, that illuminates some of the points I made and extends on them - especially the "video games as living out fantasies".
Mahalo.
Mahalo.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Stop it! Stop. It. Stop.
This can't wait anymore. I've been trying to avoid writing this for a long time, having just sort of skirted around it in polite conversation, but now I can't. I just freaking can't and it's because of a tabloid article I found through Buzzfeed.
I'm going to say this and I'm going to say it once; video games do not cause people to become more violent. Gamers are not some horrible, sadistic group of murderers just waiting for their chance to spring into rage-murder action all over the nightly news. We just simply aren't.
This topic has been breached time and time again and I think it was best summed up by Cracked columnist Robert Brockway.
"Americans are, and always have been, an incredibly violent society," Brockway writes. The first school shooting in this country happened before there was a country."
After Sandy Hook, Joe Biden sat down with a council to try and work out gun legislation and the "role guns have in today's society" with a bunch of video game designers. And now, the New York Daily News is on that trolley. This argument was put forward after Columbine and Virginia Tech. Worse is that Anders Breivik said he used Call of Duty 2 and World of Warcraft to help train himself. Luckily, the rest of that article is condemning the use of video games as the reason for mass shooting is unfair and in fact is being called racist. I recommend checking it out.
Here's the inside scoop, people who don't understand video games: we like them because they are fun, not because they are training us to murder people. What they can do is provide an outlet for rage fantasies.
And don't jump all over me for that because we all do it in our heads. Everyone had had that fantasy of pushing the slow-walking person down the stairs or punching the annoying person so hard in the face that their skull explodes or any number of other ridiculously-over-violent-for-the-situation fantasies. And anyone who says they don't have them is a liar. Video games allow some of us to act out those rage-fantasies in the safe confines of non-reality. Many times after a long day have I said to my roommate, "Excuse me, but I have to go shoot some stuff for a while." And proceeded to kill many, many faceless bandits in Borderlands 2 or zombies in Left 4 Dead and after about an hour of that I feel so much better.
In this vein, you can't have it both ways, America. You can't use video games to help train/recruit for the armed forces and then turn around and say that video games are evil and are making people more violent. People said it of violent films and yet look at films today! They aren't making people more violent, we just appreciate the pretty explosions or stylized violence or excess of blood splatter. Do you know why? Because we know these are fantasy and not reality.
You can bet your ass that if we were to see something that violent in reality it would make us sick. It's one thing to fire a fake gun in a game, it's quite another to fire one in real life. It's one thing to beat up on dragons with your fists (thanks, Skyrim, for that opportunity!) but it's quite another to watch someone being actually bullied and beaten. The internet and the gaming world can sometimes be filled with jerks - like any other world such as sports or business or acting - but we're not full-fledged demon spawn.
Video games don't make us violent. Stop making us villains. Learn what correlation and causation is. Just because they played video games doesn't mean that that's why they did the things they did. It only alienates us and makes parents more worried for their "gamer kids". My folks' only worry for me was that I didn't play outside enough - but that's because my skin is so pasty that I burned so easily!
We're not aliens. We're not monsters. We play them in games but then we come back to reality. We will not become killers because we play video games. We are not violent. More often than not we're the kids who are bullied. And don't argue that this causes us to snap and take out our violence on innocents. While that has happened, doesn't make it a characteristic of all gamers.
Don't let one bad apple spoil our very interesting bunch. We have a lot to offer and we are no different from you except that we have a hobby you don't understand.
Mahalo.
I'm going to say this and I'm going to say it once; video games do not cause people to become more violent. Gamers are not some horrible, sadistic group of murderers just waiting for their chance to spring into rage-murder action all over the nightly news. We just simply aren't.
This topic has been breached time and time again and I think it was best summed up by Cracked columnist Robert Brockway.
"Americans are, and always have been, an incredibly violent society," Brockway writes. The first school shooting in this country happened before there was a country."
After Sandy Hook, Joe Biden sat down with a council to try and work out gun legislation and the "role guns have in today's society" with a bunch of video game designers. And now, the New York Daily News is on that trolley. This argument was put forward after Columbine and Virginia Tech. Worse is that Anders Breivik said he used Call of Duty 2 and World of Warcraft to help train himself. Luckily, the rest of that article is condemning the use of video games as the reason for mass shooting is unfair and in fact is being called racist. I recommend checking it out.
Here's the inside scoop, people who don't understand video games: we like them because they are fun, not because they are training us to murder people. What they can do is provide an outlet for rage fantasies.
And don't jump all over me for that because we all do it in our heads. Everyone had had that fantasy of pushing the slow-walking person down the stairs or punching the annoying person so hard in the face that their skull explodes or any number of other ridiculously-over-violent-for-the-situation fantasies. And anyone who says they don't have them is a liar. Video games allow some of us to act out those rage-fantasies in the safe confines of non-reality. Many times after a long day have I said to my roommate, "Excuse me, but I have to go shoot some stuff for a while." And proceeded to kill many, many faceless bandits in Borderlands 2 or zombies in Left 4 Dead and after about an hour of that I feel so much better.
In this vein, you can't have it both ways, America. You can't use video games to help train/recruit for the armed forces and then turn around and say that video games are evil and are making people more violent. People said it of violent films and yet look at films today! They aren't making people more violent, we just appreciate the pretty explosions or stylized violence or excess of blood splatter. Do you know why? Because we know these are fantasy and not reality.
You can bet your ass that if we were to see something that violent in reality it would make us sick. It's one thing to fire a fake gun in a game, it's quite another to fire one in real life. It's one thing to beat up on dragons with your fists (thanks, Skyrim, for that opportunity!) but it's quite another to watch someone being actually bullied and beaten. The internet and the gaming world can sometimes be filled with jerks - like any other world such as sports or business or acting - but we're not full-fledged demon spawn.
Video games don't make us violent. Stop making us villains. Learn what correlation and causation is. Just because they played video games doesn't mean that that's why they did the things they did. It only alienates us and makes parents more worried for their "gamer kids". My folks' only worry for me was that I didn't play outside enough - but that's because my skin is so pasty that I burned so easily!
We're not aliens. We're not monsters. We play them in games but then we come back to reality. We will not become killers because we play video games. We are not violent. More often than not we're the kids who are bullied. And don't argue that this causes us to snap and take out our violence on innocents. While that has happened, doesn't make it a characteristic of all gamers.
Don't let one bad apple spoil our very interesting bunch. We have a lot to offer and we are no different from you except that we have a hobby you don't understand.
Mahalo.
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
In the week since it's release, I have seen surprisingly little from my friends about the new Zerg expansion to Starcraft 2, the Kerrigan-focused Heart of the Swarm. Probably because they're all so busy playing it. If you know any Starcraft franchise fans, you know that they're probably knee-deep in empty Coke cans whenever the newest game comes out - especially when this one has been so long in the making.
This new installment in the well-beloved series revolves around Sarah Kerrigan, freshly rescued from being the Queen of Blades by our well-known and lovable hero Jim Raynor. She wakes up alone in a cell under the scrutiny of Valerian Mengsk. They want to make sure she won't return to the Swarm. That she really has become human again.
First, let me just say that this game is beautiful. We've come to expect this from Blizzard - and games in general now - but still, it is definitely worth noting that this game is gorgeous to look at. I wish they made animated films that looked as wonderful as this. Dramas, action-thrillers, westerns - anything could look good with the animation they use in this game's cut-scenes.
What I also very much like is it creates more characters within the Zerg swarm, such as those on board Kerrigan's ship. Abathur, for example, who is the resident Swarm editor. He is terrifying and robotic and familiar and wonderful from his dialogue to the voice acting to the model.
And not to mention the veritable bevvy of named Hive Queens that Kerrigan meets.
What's even more interesting, is that by having these characters, it humanizes the Zerg somewhat, which I suppose was the point - especially in Kerrigan's "re-education" of a certain Hive Queen.
One thing that I fear is that the game will be all too short and perhaps even a little bit too easy, but then again I haven't reached the final missions yet, being too distracted with that time-consuming and money-providing endeavour called "work".
The price was also right for this game, set at a nice $44 (AUD) which marks it as an expansion in the same vein as the old Brood War. If you liked Wings of Liberty, you'll like this. The only bad part so far, is they haven't fixed the whole "we don't do LAN anymore" thing. And also, the annoying thing that buying the game in hard copy doesn't mean you get to install the game from the disc, it just has the downloader on there so you don't have to download it. It still installs the game by downloading it from online. You've been warned.
Mahalo.
This new installment in the well-beloved series revolves around Sarah Kerrigan, freshly rescued from being the Queen of Blades by our well-known and lovable hero Jim Raynor. She wakes up alone in a cell under the scrutiny of Valerian Mengsk. They want to make sure she won't return to the Swarm. That she really has become human again.
First, let me just say that this game is beautiful. We've come to expect this from Blizzard - and games in general now - but still, it is definitely worth noting that this game is gorgeous to look at. I wish they made animated films that looked as wonderful as this. Dramas, action-thrillers, westerns - anything could look good with the animation they use in this game's cut-scenes.
What I also very much like is it creates more characters within the Zerg swarm, such as those on board Kerrigan's ship. Abathur, for example, who is the resident Swarm editor. He is terrifying and robotic and familiar and wonderful from his dialogue to the voice acting to the model.
And not to mention the veritable bevvy of named Hive Queens that Kerrigan meets.
What's even more interesting, is that by having these characters, it humanizes the Zerg somewhat, which I suppose was the point - especially in Kerrigan's "re-education" of a certain Hive Queen.
One thing that I fear is that the game will be all too short and perhaps even a little bit too easy, but then again I haven't reached the final missions yet, being too distracted with that time-consuming and money-providing endeavour called "work".
The price was also right for this game, set at a nice $44 (AUD) which marks it as an expansion in the same vein as the old Brood War. If you liked Wings of Liberty, you'll like this. The only bad part so far, is they haven't fixed the whole "we don't do LAN anymore" thing. And also, the annoying thing that buying the game in hard copy doesn't mean you get to install the game from the disc, it just has the downloader on there so you don't have to download it. It still installs the game by downloading it from online. You've been warned.
Mahalo.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Are You Freaking Kidding Me?
Microsoft and really the whole gaming anti-piracy thing has finally crossed a very creepy, very 1984-y line. For a while, the story on everyone's lips was that the next Playstation and Xbox consoles would block used games but it seems that this may have been thrown out; which I'm thankful for because it just made already greedy-appearing companies appear even greedier.
I'm a dedicated gamer. I buy the games I want, used or new. I buy DVDs, too, rarely going in for downloads due to an obsession with physical copies of things lest the Internet collapse in on itself and my computer simultaneously explodes - at least I know I'll always have the hard copy.
And like anyone who owns a console, I use mine to watch films. Sometimes - shock! horror! - with more people than just myself and my girlfriend.
Well, looks like Microsoft is putting out a new patent which is going to make viewing films with 'too many' people more or less impossible, without buying an extra license. Yeah, that's right. In case you didn't click on that there link (you should), the article basically informs us that, well, here's a quote:
On top of the legal mumbo-jumbo that's involved in this - which would make someone buy numerous licenses for one film/game/whatever as if it were a highly guarded piece of software like AVID or Adobe Creative Suite - I just simply don't like the idea of Microsoft having a direct camera into my living room without me knowing if anyone is watching at any given time.
Also, what's to prevent me from unplugging the damn thing when I watch a film? Will it not work? Will it be compulsory? Even worse. If it is, they sure won't be getting my business.
Mahalo.
I'm a dedicated gamer. I buy the games I want, used or new. I buy DVDs, too, rarely going in for downloads due to an obsession with physical copies of things lest the Internet collapse in on itself and my computer simultaneously explodes - at least I know I'll always have the hard copy.
And like anyone who owns a console, I use mine to watch films. Sometimes - shock! horror! - with more people than just myself and my girlfriend.
Well, looks like Microsoft is putting out a new patent which is going to make viewing films with 'too many' people more or less impossible, without buying an extra license. Yeah, that's right. In case you didn't click on that there link (you should), the article basically informs us that, well, here's a quote:
The abstract describes a camera-based system that would monitor the number of viewers in a room and check to see if the number of occupants exceeded a certain threshold set by the content provider. If there are too many warm bodies present, the device owner would be prompted to purchase a license for a greater number of viewers.From the abstract: “The users consuming the content on a display device are monitored so that if the number of user-views licensed is exceeded, remedial action may be taken.”This. Is. Ridiculous. While I may understand that copyright states I can't show a DVD on a jumbo screen in the middle of the city center, it is a whole different matter for it to tell me that I can't have a big group of over to watch it for a movie night. Now, admittedly, it doesn't say how many people is "too many" but still, I can't help but feel that this is just further shoving down our throats that we do not own the content we buy, we are merely renting it from the copyright owner, despite spending the money and being given a physical copy of the product.
On top of the legal mumbo-jumbo that's involved in this - which would make someone buy numerous licenses for one film/game/whatever as if it were a highly guarded piece of software like AVID or Adobe Creative Suite - I just simply don't like the idea of Microsoft having a direct camera into my living room without me knowing if anyone is watching at any given time.
Also, what's to prevent me from unplugging the damn thing when I watch a film? Will it not work? Will it be compulsory? Even worse. If it is, they sure won't be getting my business.
Mahalo.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Another Soundtrack Rant
If I may, I'd like to return to the blog-verse with another rant about how awesome some soundtracks are. As I've discussed before I think that the soundtrack people are unsung heroes of video games. Well, I'm going to say it again.
While I'm back at a job that I hate - even more than I remember! - it's been made more bearable by some pretty great music. Admittedly, I've also been listening to the outstanding William Elliott Whitmore as well as video game soundtracks, but there's one in particular I'd like to mention here.
The Skyrim soundtrack is a goddamn masterpiece. Composed by the amazing Jeremy Soule, it's the right mix of relaxing, exciting and passionate. Ranging from the thundering highs of action chanting in true Norse form to very delicate ballad-like pieces designed for wandering about nature, the soundtrack makes working a menial job a lot more bearable.
Mahalo.
While I'm back at a job that I hate - even more than I remember! - it's been made more bearable by some pretty great music. Admittedly, I've also been listening to the outstanding William Elliott Whitmore as well as video game soundtracks, but there's one in particular I'd like to mention here.
The Skyrim soundtrack is a goddamn masterpiece. Composed by the amazing Jeremy Soule, it's the right mix of relaxing, exciting and passionate. Ranging from the thundering highs of action chanting in true Norse form to very delicate ballad-like pieces designed for wandering about nature, the soundtrack makes working a menial job a lot more bearable.
Mahalo.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
OK GO - New Undisputed Masters of the Video Clip
It's likely that a lot of you have not heard of the band OK GO. What is likely, however, is that you have seen their video clips. No, really. Trust me, you have seen this video clip for their song "Here it Goes Again". I'll give you a hint, it has treadmills in it.
If you haven't seen that one, odds are you've probably seen this one for the song "This too Shall Pass" with the Rube Goldberg machine. Or maybe you've even seen their version of the Muppet Show theme!
If you haven't seen any of those, it's still possible that you've seen this clip, for their new song "Needing/Getting".
And really, if you haven't seen any of those, where have you been the past few years? Clearly not on YouTube.
The beauty of OK GO's video clips is clear and I want to go so far as to say that they are the new masters of the video clip art-form, surpassing the previous masters Green Day - who kind of dropped the ball with "Wake Me Up When September Ends". Don't get me wrong, I love the band, but that clip was not very good.
OK GO have taken the video clip back to its origins as a piece of video art. There is nary a sign of the band playing their songs because we as an audience know that they have to lipsync anyway, so why bother? They have created performance pieces with their videos that eclipse most others, doing something newer instead of story clips or overly post-modern jobs.
I congratulate this band on not only some incredibly catchy and awesome tunes, but for their constant construction of intricate and fantastic video clips. Now, okay, go! Watch!
Mahalo.
If you haven't seen that one, odds are you've probably seen this one for the song "This too Shall Pass" with the Rube Goldberg machine. Or maybe you've even seen their version of the Muppet Show theme!
If you haven't seen any of those, it's still possible that you've seen this clip, for their new song "Needing/Getting".
And really, if you haven't seen any of those, where have you been the past few years? Clearly not on YouTube.
The beauty of OK GO's video clips is clear and I want to go so far as to say that they are the new masters of the video clip art-form, surpassing the previous masters Green Day - who kind of dropped the ball with "Wake Me Up When September Ends". Don't get me wrong, I love the band, but that clip was not very good.
OK GO have taken the video clip back to its origins as a piece of video art. There is nary a sign of the band playing their songs because we as an audience know that they have to lipsync anyway, so why bother? They have created performance pieces with their videos that eclipse most others, doing something newer instead of story clips or overly post-modern jobs.
I congratulate this band on not only some incredibly catchy and awesome tunes, but for their constant construction of intricate and fantastic video clips. Now, okay, go! Watch!
Mahalo.
Monday, January 30, 2012
A Quick Note on Video Game Music
In "Unsung Heroes" - and once more in this post - I noted some excellent soundtracks and how fun it is to listen to them even outside of the gaming atmosphere.
I just want to take the time to note two more soundtracks that are totally worth noticing and giving a listen to. And they're both from Rockstar Games.
The first is the slightly eerie and intriguing soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, a zombies and cowboys epic. The music is the right mix of western and zombie movie and worth giving a listen - especially since the soundtrack is a huge part of both of those cinematic genres.
The second is L.A. Noire, a visually stunning and fun game set in 1947. So, as you can imagine, the music is jazzy-noir and very of the time. Noir, too, is a genre wherein the music is a radically important part of the cinema, so this faithful soundtrack is definitely worth it for lovers of jazz, noir and video-gaming.
Mahalo.
I just want to take the time to note two more soundtracks that are totally worth noticing and giving a listen to. And they're both from Rockstar Games.
The first is the slightly eerie and intriguing soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, a zombies and cowboys epic. The music is the right mix of western and zombie movie and worth giving a listen - especially since the soundtrack is a huge part of both of those cinematic genres.
The second is L.A. Noire, a visually stunning and fun game set in 1947. So, as you can imagine, the music is jazzy-noir and very of the time. Noir, too, is a genre wherein the music is a radically important part of the cinema, so this faithful soundtrack is definitely worth it for lovers of jazz, noir and video-gaming.
Mahalo.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Borderlands 2? Yes F#$%ing Please!
When I play a video game, there are certain experiences that I look for. I want to be greeted with something visually enticing, preferably something new and, in its own way, beautiful. There needs to be a decent storyline, or at the very least, if its a mission-based game, the concepts behind each mission needs to be decent. Clever characters, well-written dialogue and encapsulating atmosphere need to abound. Borderlands was the perfect offering on that alter of pretty high expectations. It exceeded every single one of my expectations for both first person shooters and role-playing games.
The original Borderlands "trailers" were short films featuring one of our little robot friends from the original Borderlands, the Claptrap. He is acting as a director and host for little informative videos on the making of Borderlands. Here are two of them. Not really kid-appropriate, but highly entertaining and very much in the feel of the original.
So, when I tell you I'm excited about Borderlands 2, you know this is serious.
Besides the official world premiere teaser, there is some leaked gameplay footage from what appears to be the E3 official premiere announcement. The game promises to bring back the vicious insanity of the enemies, the same comic-like cel-shading graphic style and the same dark variety of violent humour. Though, the enemies - and NPCs (non-player characters) - are apparently going to be smarter, with the ability to flank and work as a team. The Psychos, Gearbox vice president Steve Gibson says, will still have the same attitude, "Wow that's a gun! I want my face in front of it."
The links provided have all the information I could find that is currently available about the upcoming title, which is rumoured to be released in September this year.
Oh, and if you are so inclined, the game can be pre-ordered from the official website. You're welcome.
Mahalo.
The original Borderlands "trailers" were short films featuring one of our little robot friends from the original Borderlands, the Claptrap. He is acting as a director and host for little informative videos on the making of Borderlands. Here are two of them. Not really kid-appropriate, but highly entertaining and very much in the feel of the original.
So, when I tell you I'm excited about Borderlands 2, you know this is serious.
Besides the official world premiere teaser, there is some leaked gameplay footage from what appears to be the E3 official premiere announcement. The game promises to bring back the vicious insanity of the enemies, the same comic-like cel-shading graphic style and the same dark variety of violent humour. Though, the enemies - and NPCs (non-player characters) - are apparently going to be smarter, with the ability to flank and work as a team. The Psychos, Gearbox vice president Steve Gibson says, will still have the same attitude, "Wow that's a gun! I want my face in front of it."
The links provided have all the information I could find that is currently available about the upcoming title, which is rumoured to be released in September this year.
Oh, and if you are so inclined, the game can be pre-ordered from the official website. You're welcome.
Mahalo.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Unsung Heroes
After listening to them on repeat for the past few days of work, I think it needs to be said that - and a shout out given to - the unsung heroes of the gaming industry are its music composers, without whom the atmosphere, tension and emotion would not be felt in the games we love so much.
I have been listening to the Starcraft 2, Bioshock, Oblivion and Red Dead Redemption soundtracks as I trawl away at my job and I have to say, it makes working feel more epic. It also adds some serious atmosphere.
You don't realize, while you're in a game, how important the music is - not like when you're in a movie. Sure, we can all whistle the Tetris or Mario Bros theme song, but how many of you can do that for the theme of your favourite modern game? Okay, anything outside of Halo. I thought so.
It's amazing how much the screeching violin makes Bioshock such a terrifying game. You just feel naturally pumped or on a mission when you hear the twangy slide acoustic guitar, ripping electric solos and chugging drums of the Starcraft 2 soundtrack. The peace you feel at the wonderfully composed, classic-sounding Oblivion score. How motivated or soothed or pushed to action do you feel when you hear the Western-styled mostly-acoustic music of Red Dead Redemption? For me, extremely.
If you want some music to relax, work, work out, write, read or do anything to, I highly recommend any of your favourite game soundtracks. You will not be disappointed.
Mahalo.
I have been listening to the Starcraft 2, Bioshock, Oblivion and Red Dead Redemption soundtracks as I trawl away at my job and I have to say, it makes working feel more epic. It also adds some serious atmosphere.
You don't realize, while you're in a game, how important the music is - not like when you're in a movie. Sure, we can all whistle the Tetris or Mario Bros theme song, but how many of you can do that for the theme of your favourite modern game? Okay, anything outside of Halo. I thought so.
It's amazing how much the screeching violin makes Bioshock such a terrifying game. You just feel naturally pumped or on a mission when you hear the twangy slide acoustic guitar, ripping electric solos and chugging drums of the Starcraft 2 soundtrack. The peace you feel at the wonderfully composed, classic-sounding Oblivion score. How motivated or soothed or pushed to action do you feel when you hear the Western-styled mostly-acoustic music of Red Dead Redemption? For me, extremely.
If you want some music to relax, work, work out, write, read or do anything to, I highly recommend any of your favourite game soundtracks. You will not be disappointed.
Mahalo.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Looking forward to 2012? I am.
Hey all!
In a departure from my more recent (and very sparse) posts, I want to take a minute, as a gamer, to tell you why 2012 makes me excited to be such.
With the exciting year that was 2011 that saw the release of Dead Island, Skyrim, Dead Space 2, Dragon Age 2, Portal 2, L.A. Noire, Duke Nukem Forever, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Gears of War 3, Rage, Batman: Arkham City and Halo: Combat Evolved 10th Anniversary Edition, among many, many others, it's hard to see how 2012 will beat that. Well, here are some of my - and the world's! - most anticipated titles.
1) Diablo III:
Need I say any more? Gamers across the globe are looking forward to this tremendous release. Though the release date has been repeatedly, a recent article has shown that that is no longer because of the South Korean Game Ratings Board, but now because Blizzard are still fiddling with the core systems. The various trailers being released make it look as if this game will be an epic return to the world of the first two Diablo titles and I, for one, am desperately looking forward to it. Especially because, hey, let's face it, when has a Blizzard game ever - really - been sub-par?
2) Bioshock: Infinite:
After the sleeper hit, perfectly crafted Bioshock release in 2007, I was hooked. The game's atmosphere and writing were unmatched in most games I had played up until that point - with the notable exclusions being Half-Life 2 (2004) and Portal (2007) - and it created a first person shooter with a seriously intense and well-crafted storyline, which is hard to come by.
Though the sequel, Bioshock 2 (2010), was somewhat less amazing than its predecessor, it was still an en-RAPTURE-ing game (god I am sorry for that).
Now, the third installment in the series - which is neither a direct sequel or prequel, but merely set in the same sort of world - is being released this year. Bioshock: Infinite features similar gameplay concepts in a world seemingly as well crafted and equally as horrifying. With trailers and gameplay footage abounding, this game has shown us that 2K is back with something far more enticing and exciting than Bioshock 2 and one which I am incredibly looking forward to.
3) Halo 4:
I know, I'm full of franchises today, aren't I? Halo, for me, is one of the most important games of my teenage years - barring, of course, Starcraft and Diablo II. I don't know what it is about the game, but it's like my Star Wars. I find every aspect of the world and its characters fun and interesting. I've read the novels, the comics, watched the fan films, seen the short animated films, kept up with a lot of the extra promotional stuff, I have the soundtracks and I've even learned to play the main theme on guitar. What I'm saying is, I like this game. I like the world. It's also the only four-players-on-one-console game that Xbox really has at the moment, and it's killer and the blurb for the new one really says it all.
It's a game franchise that means a lot to me even though I know the story is somewhat lame and cliched. I don't care. I want this game.
These along with films like The Devil Inside, Red Tails, The Grey, Man on a Ledge, Safe House, The Raven, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avenger, Rock of Ages, Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Dark Knight Rises, Frankenweenie, The Hobbit, World War Z, Django Unchained and, despite being in 3D, The Great Gatsby, this is going to be a pretty good year.
Mahalo.
In a departure from my more recent (and very sparse) posts, I want to take a minute, as a gamer, to tell you why 2012 makes me excited to be such.
With the exciting year that was 2011 that saw the release of Dead Island, Skyrim, Dead Space 2, Dragon Age 2, Portal 2, L.A. Noire, Duke Nukem Forever, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Gears of War 3, Rage, Batman: Arkham City and Halo: Combat Evolved 10th Anniversary Edition, among many, many others, it's hard to see how 2012 will beat that. Well, here are some of my - and the world's! - most anticipated titles.
1) Diablo III:
Need I say any more? Gamers across the globe are looking forward to this tremendous release. Though the release date has been repeatedly, a recent article has shown that that is no longer because of the South Korean Game Ratings Board, but now because Blizzard are still fiddling with the core systems. The various trailers being released make it look as if this game will be an epic return to the world of the first two Diablo titles and I, for one, am desperately looking forward to it. Especially because, hey, let's face it, when has a Blizzard game ever - really - been sub-par?
2) Bioshock: Infinite:
After the sleeper hit, perfectly crafted Bioshock release in 2007, I was hooked. The game's atmosphere and writing were unmatched in most games I had played up until that point - with the notable exclusions being Half-Life 2 (2004) and Portal (2007) - and it created a first person shooter with a seriously intense and well-crafted storyline, which is hard to come by.
Though the sequel, Bioshock 2 (2010), was somewhat less amazing than its predecessor, it was still an en-RAPTURE-ing game (god I am sorry for that).
Now, the third installment in the series - which is neither a direct sequel or prequel, but merely set in the same sort of world - is being released this year. Bioshock: Infinite features similar gameplay concepts in a world seemingly as well crafted and equally as horrifying. With trailers and gameplay footage abounding, this game has shown us that 2K is back with something far more enticing and exciting than Bioshock 2 and one which I am incredibly looking forward to.
3) Halo 4:
I know, I'm full of franchises today, aren't I? Halo, for me, is one of the most important games of my teenage years - barring, of course, Starcraft and Diablo II. I don't know what it is about the game, but it's like my Star Wars. I find every aspect of the world and its characters fun and interesting. I've read the novels, the comics, watched the fan films, seen the short animated films, kept up with a lot of the extra promotional stuff, I have the soundtracks and I've even learned to play the main theme on guitar. What I'm saying is, I like this game. I like the world. It's also the only four-players-on-one-console game that Xbox really has at the moment, and it's killer and the blurb for the new one really says it all.
It's a game franchise that means a lot to me even though I know the story is somewhat lame and cliched. I don't care. I want this game.
These along with films like The Devil Inside, Red Tails, The Grey, Man on a Ledge, Safe House, The Raven, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avenger, Rock of Ages, Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Dark Knight Rises, Frankenweenie, The Hobbit, World War Z, Django Unchained and, despite being in 3D, The Great Gatsby, this is going to be a pretty good year.
Mahalo.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Jesse Parent
Just a small note to inform you all about a folk/acoustic musician I found through Facebook who really is something worthwhile from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada!
This is his new video from the song "Blood Red Skies" and I recommend you all check it out!
Mahalo.
This is his new video from the song "Blood Red Skies" and I recommend you all check it out!
Mahalo.
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