::: Middle Earth re-imagined over the U.S.
courtesy of nerd approved
courtesy of gameranx
courtesy of geekologie
courtesy of geekologie
courtesy of geeksaresexy
courtesy of geekologie
-MJ
An interview with Adam Harum of Transolar Galactica.
They achieved their Kickstarter goal, and now the world gets more of their award winning sci-fi comedy!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday Photo Spot 9 - Lots of shoes, oddly enough.
-MJ
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saturday Link Spectacular 9 - How YOU can bypass TSA, why squids have huge eyes, and more.
::: Your cat is better at iPad games than you are.
::: Is the end of wasted paper upon us?! A copy machine that can 'erase' printed paper.
::: You can be the best teacher that ever was with this Pokemon stamp.
::: This week's International House of Geek clothing inspirations are Donkey Kong and Vault Boy!
::: A positively fantastic article on being more creative. I think everyone could benefit from it!
::: Frequent fliers can now bypass all the TSA security with $100. Hm.
::: Quantic Dream made an amazing tech demo, and here is a list of how their unbelievable human face stacks up to the competition. (hint: there's not much of a competition)
::: Have you ever wondered why squids have such huge eyes?
::: A great article on the science of making hair in animated films à la Pixar's Brave.
::: Universal is redoing The Cat in the Hat as a 3D animated film! I hope it'll be good.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
-MJ
Friday, March 16, 2012
Giant Bomb acquired by GameSpot. Wait, what?
Giant GameSpot? GameSpot Bomb?
In a very strange bit of news, Giant Bomb has announced that they'll be working under GameSpot. If you're not sure why this is weird, then I'll provide a little synopsis. Or, I'll just quote this chunk of text from Neoseeker:
"The largest reason this news comes as a surprise is Gerstmann's dramatic history with Gamespot. Gerstmann was fired from the site in late 2007. It was rumored that Eidos Interactive pressured GameSpot to remove him after he gave Kane & Lynch: Dead Men a "Fair" rating, a game which Eidos had heavily advertised on the site. It was this termination that led to a number of GameSpot staff leaving to start Giant Bomb." - March 15, 2012
A more beautiful summation than I could have come up with, truly.
Gerstmann was a journalist at GameSpot, as you can see, and after he was fired he formed Giant Bomb. The site has enjoyed popularity over the past four to five years, and many loyal fans of his work were outraged by his extermination. Giant Bomb has been known for its comedy and ridiculosity (a word that isn't a word, but really should be a word. I may submit it to the dictionary Lords at the end of the year).
The announcement has been met by cries of outrage from readers of Giant Bomb, and some commenters have even speculated that the whole situation has been a five year long publicity stunt.
Nabbed from the Neoseeker article.
A five year stunt seems excessive to me; I mean, that would take a whole lot of forethought. Of course, Radiohead did it, so I suppose anything is possible.
Gerstmann states that the decision made sense for the website and the financial backing will allow the team to go even farther with their crazy, fun antics. I can see validity in this. However! He was fired under completely BS pretenses, and I find it difficult to believe that anyone would want to go back to a company who would do that sort of thing.
But! It has been five years, so maybe he's over it and only cares about better things for his own reviewing empire.
Could it all have been a stunt though?
Sorry. I'm going back and forth. This is what it's like in my mind all the time. Exhausting.
What do you think? Publicity stunt? Or a mature guy letting go of the past and doing what's best for his company?
I still can't come to a decision. I'll decide someday. Maybe.
-MJ
Thursday, March 15, 2012
It's a great year for movies, and Wondercon has all the previews!
I'm feeling incredibly jazzed right now because tomorrow I'm going to Wondercon! I'll be attending all three days, and this is my first time going.
First Gallifrey One and now Wondercon! This year is really shaping up to be fantastic for conventions!
I had never heard of Wondercon before, but after looking at the schedule I found at least seven panels a day that I'm incredibly psyched to attend! Aside from insider information on writing, breaking into the industry and general interesting information, every day has movie previews for some of the year's biggest hits!
If my years at PAX have taught me anything, then I know I'll spend a lot of time standing in lines and first come first serve is vicious at a highly anticipated panel. It'd be wonderful if I saw everything I wanted to, but that may not happen.
Here are the movie previews I'm excited for!
-The Hobbit!!
-Prometheus and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
-Snow White and the Huntsmen
I'm pretty sure there's a preview for The Hobbit and it's not just insider information (which would still be cool). Hopefully I'll have an answer for you next week! There's also a whole panel segment dedicated to showing trailers for even more films, and I don't know what to expect from that!
There are panels on Spider-man and writing and creativity and just... ugh, I'm so excited!
I'm so fortunate that Wondercon is being held in Anaheim this year! Normally it's in San Francisco, but that convention center is being renovated. I'll be able to drive myself to and fro each day, which will save me a lot of money. The three day badge is only forty dollars. What a deal!
Is anyone else going? Would you like to meet up? Do you have a con schedule?! Here's mine!
Has anyone gone before? Do you have any advice for me? The Doctor Who convention was a lot different from PAX, so I can't even guess what Wondercon will be like!
-MJ
Creative professionals?! That's me!
First Gallifrey One and now Wondercon! This year is really shaping up to be fantastic for conventions!
I had never heard of Wondercon before, but after looking at the schedule I found at least seven panels a day that I'm incredibly psyched to attend! Aside from insider information on writing, breaking into the industry and general interesting information, every day has movie previews for some of the year's biggest hits!
If my years at PAX have taught me anything, then I know I'll spend a lot of time standing in lines and first come first serve is vicious at a highly anticipated panel. It'd be wonderful if I saw everything I wanted to, but that may not happen.
Here are the movie previews I'm excited for!
-The Hobbit!!
-Prometheus and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
-Snow White and the Huntsmen
So pumped to visit The Shire again.
I'm pretty sure there's a preview for The Hobbit and it's not just insider information (which would still be cool). Hopefully I'll have an answer for you next week! There's also a whole panel segment dedicated to showing trailers for even more films, and I don't know what to expect from that!
There are panels on Spider-man and writing and creativity and just... ugh, I'm so excited!
I'm so fortunate that Wondercon is being held in Anaheim this year! Normally it's in San Francisco, but that convention center is being renovated. I'll be able to drive myself to and fro each day, which will save me a lot of money. The three day badge is only forty dollars. What a deal!
Is anyone else going? Would you like to meet up? Do you have a con schedule?! Here's mine!
Has anyone gone before? Do you have any advice for me? The Doctor Who convention was a lot different from PAX, so I can't even guess what Wondercon will be like!
-MJ
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Panzer Dragoon Orta - a story of misunderstanding
In another world, in another time, in the age of wonder..
No, sorry, that's 'The Dark Crystal'.
Let me start over.
Thirteen years ago when the current gen of consoles meant the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, I owned two of the three. Can you guess which ones? I'll give you a hint: how often have I said favorable things of Microsoft?
For my fifteen birthday I received both a Gamecube and a PS2. That brought all the boys to my yard. Only not. They had their own systems to play.
I was perfectly content without an Xbox, because there wasn't a single game for the console that I was interested in. Their killer apps were Halo and Fable and... they just didn't interest me. Fable does now, but I have never liked Halo. I think I have a video of myself drunkenly screaming about how much I hate the series...
Being a gamer with ever expanding interests I made sure to keep an eye out for potential reasons to purchase an Xbox, but they never came. The only game I ever wanted was Panzer Dragoon Orta.
The ads for the game caught my eye from day one and I couldn't get the images of the young girl riding a powerful dragon out of my head. "I love dragons!" I thought to myself, "That game must be so. awesome."
One day (back when I was working at GameStop) a perfect copy came into the store via trade-in. I bit the bullet and purchased it, even though I lacked an Xbox to play it on. I was simply that determined to own the game.
Eventually the Xbox fell steeply in price and so I grabbed one for myself. I popped the game in, aflutter with excitement over interacting with the dragon and discovered... that the game was a rail shooter.
I kind of hate rail shooters. And yes, that includes Starfox. Please don't be mad at me.
But I played it anyway. I played it as much as I could stand. I had waited so long to experience the girl and her dragon that I wasn't about to give up even though I... didn't enjoy the game. ???
Has this ever happened to anyone else? I'm not sure why I never bothered to look up what type of game it was; I thought the commercial made it look like an action/adventure game. Damn them!
Eventually I sold both the game and the system. Oh well.
-MJ
No, sorry, that's 'The Dark Crystal'.
Let me start over.
Thirteen years ago when the current gen of consoles meant the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, I owned two of the three. Can you guess which ones? I'll give you a hint: how often have I said favorable things of Microsoft?
For my fifteen birthday I received both a Gamecube and a PS2. That brought all the boys to my yard. Only not. They had their own systems to play.
I was perfectly content without an Xbox, because there wasn't a single game for the console that I was interested in. Their killer apps were Halo and Fable and... they just didn't interest me. Fable does now, but I have never liked Halo. I think I have a video of myself drunkenly screaming about how much I hate the series...
I don't want to say anything too mean about it, so here's a funny picture instead.
Being a gamer with ever expanding interests I made sure to keep an eye out for potential reasons to purchase an Xbox, but they never came. The only game I ever wanted was Panzer Dragoon Orta.
The ads for the game caught my eye from day one and I couldn't get the images of the young girl riding a powerful dragon out of my head. "I love dragons!" I thought to myself, "That game must be so. awesome."
So awesome.
One day (back when I was working at GameStop) a perfect copy came into the store via trade-in. I bit the bullet and purchased it, even though I lacked an Xbox to play it on. I was simply that determined to own the game.
Eventually the Xbox fell steeply in price and so I grabbed one for myself. I popped the game in, aflutter with excitement over interacting with the dragon and discovered... that the game was a rail shooter.
I kind of hate rail shooters. And yes, that includes Starfox. Please don't be mad at me.
But I played it anyway. I played it as much as I could stand. I had waited so long to experience the girl and her dragon that I wasn't about to give up even though I... didn't enjoy the game. ???
Has this ever happened to anyone else? I'm not sure why I never bothered to look up what type of game it was; I thought the commercial made it look like an action/adventure game. Damn them!
Why did I think this? I guess I wasn't paying attention.
Eventually I sold both the game and the system. Oh well.
-MJ
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Point and click - Putt Putt Goes to the Moon!
All of the excitement with Double Fine's Kickstarter project for a new point and click adventure game has me thinking about my experiences with the genre. I decided to become a backer (my first time backing a Kickstarter project!), and now I am itching to get my hands on a point and click game.
My gaming career has brought me to a few offerings, like Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island, but by far my most extensive point and click gaming took place via Putt Putt Goes to the Moon.
Um. Yeah.
Putt Putt was a series of educational games for kids, and my cousin had a copy. I freaking loved this game. It was ridiculously fun, as are all point and click games. You can watch this short play-thru, if you'd like more information.
As of right now, I don't own any. That is so sad. What are the most recent point and click games? Where can I find them? Which ones will play on my Mac? A lot of great, older computer games require emulators to play on current systems, and who uses emulators anymore?
..... >.>
And why doesn't the DS have more point and click games? It seems like the perfect vessel for such a thing. I know Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was pretty much a point and click, and that game was positively amazing. I traded in my copy, something I regret very badly.
My gaming career has brought me to a few offerings, like Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island, but by far my most extensive point and click gaming took place via Putt Putt Goes to the Moon.
An extremely adventurous talking car.
Um. Yeah.
Putt Putt was a series of educational games for kids, and my cousin had a copy. I freaking loved this game. It was ridiculously fun, as are all point and click games. You can watch this short play-thru, if you'd like more information.
As of right now, I don't own any. That is so sad. What are the most recent point and click games? Where can I find them? Which ones will play on my Mac? A lot of great, older computer games require emulators to play on current systems, and who uses emulators anymore?
..... >.>
And why doesn't the DS have more point and click games? It seems like the perfect vessel for such a thing. I know Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was pretty much a point and click, and that game was positively amazing. I traded in my copy, something I regret very badly.
The graphics were so unique, and quite pretty.
I really hope that Double Fine starts a gaming revolution and the aisles of game stores flood with point and click games, spilling into the streets and into the eager hands and minds of gamers everywhere!
What was your favorite point and click game?
-MJ
Monday, March 12, 2012
Blurring the lines: Gaming in a single genre is a thing of the past.
Gaming as a hobby offers practically unending possibilities. One may choose to stick within genres and dedicate their time solely to racing games, and the complete dominance thereof, for instance. Most gamers have a type of game that they prefer above all else, be it FPS, RTS, platformer, puzzle, action/adventure, etc. But the real joy of the hobby comes from our ability to seamlessly shift into a new area.
Steam is an amazing service that whole-heartedly encourages new and unique experiences to all gamers. In addition to offering triple A big hitter titles, it's also an avenue for indie games to break into the scene. After making a free account, users can browse all that Steam has to offer and click to purchase and download games on the spot.
Digital distribution may create a disadvantage for traditional distributers, but it's certainly a blessing for gamers. Steam allows users access to gameplay trailers and, most of the time, a downloadable demo for each game. With this business model it seems likely that gamers will soon forget the days of purchasing a game on a whim, only to be left disappointed and lighter in the wallet.
Many of the games available for purchase on Steam exist under twenty dollars, and even more of them hover at ten. The accessible prices, combined with available demos, eliminates almost all uncertainty and ultimately leads to new gaming experiences. This encouragement (and assistance via a 'Recommended' section) to branch out is a welcome change from my usual method; assuming that I'll like a game because I'm partial to its genre.
There are a plethora of fresh games awaiting my eager exploration, and I am so thankful for the technological advancements that make such a situation possible. My Steam account is far from robust, but it's serving as an important gathering center for games that I hope to play in the very near future. I believe I'll be starting with Orcs Must Die, an amalgamation of tower defense and third person shooter. How unusual, and certainly not my normal fare.
It's time to change lanes from Mario and Zelda and explore the realm of indie, spooky side-scrollers and titles off the beaten trail.
-MJ
This was written in part for the blog carnival hosted by Into Geek!
Super Mario World and Limbo are both side-scrolling platformers.
You're halfway to a whole new game!
Steam is an amazing service that whole-heartedly encourages new and unique experiences to all gamers. In addition to offering triple A big hitter titles, it's also an avenue for indie games to break into the scene. After making a free account, users can browse all that Steam has to offer and click to purchase and download games on the spot.
Digital distribution may create a disadvantage for traditional distributers, but it's certainly a blessing for gamers. Steam allows users access to gameplay trailers and, most of the time, a downloadable demo for each game. With this business model it seems likely that gamers will soon forget the days of purchasing a game on a whim, only to be left disappointed and lighter in the wallet.
Many of the games available for purchase on Steam exist under twenty dollars, and even more of them hover at ten. The accessible prices, combined with available demos, eliminates almost all uncertainty and ultimately leads to new gaming experiences. This encouragement (and assistance via a 'Recommended' section) to branch out is a welcome change from my usual method; assuming that I'll like a game because I'm partial to its genre.
There are a plethora of fresh games awaiting my eager exploration, and I am so thankful for the technological advancements that make such a situation possible. My Steam account is far from robust, but it's serving as an important gathering center for games that I hope to play in the very near future. I believe I'll be starting with Orcs Must Die, an amalgamation of tower defense and third person shooter. How unusual, and certainly not my normal fare.
It's time to change lanes from Mario and Zelda and explore the realm of indie, spooky side-scrollers and titles off the beaten trail.
-MJ
This was written in part for the blog carnival hosted by Into Geek!
