Sunday Photo Spot 8 - Tetris lamp, rejected Mario power-ups and more.

::: Where is this? I must visit.

courtesy of geekosystem

::: I would probably put these lamps all over my house.

courtesy of geekosystem

::: My birthday is coming up; anyone want to get this for me?

courtesy of geekosystem

::: Paperbeatsscissors makes the best character illustrations. Observe.

courtesy of dueling analogs

::: This adorable little crying Link breaks my heart, as well as my pots!

courtesy of omocat

::: Snake has his snake in a box.

courtesy of society6

::: Yes, yes and more yes.

courtesy of zerochan

::: Just in case you've run out of uses for your portal gun.

courtesy of society6

-MJ

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Saturday Link Spectacular 8 - Community, cupcakes, oceans.

::: Some dad out there tell me they're going to buy one of these.

::: The most accurate clock in all of existence.

::: Chrome is more secure because of a Google sponsored hacking contest.

::: Google UNDERWATER "STREET" VIEW!

::: A watch functioning on belts instead of gears and cogs.

::: Community returns March 15th! Hang onto your pants!

::: The 24 hour cupcake ATM in action! Delicious, delicious action.

-MJ

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All hail the little guy! Praise for stabyourself.net

You'd think that I'd be upset if someone took the beautiful, sleek and familiar equation of Tetris and jumbled it up. If you thought that, then you'd be wrong! I apologize for your wrongness. ahem. The two talented fellows over at stabyourself.net have busied themselves with creating amazing little games since early 2011. Some of them are spin-offs/built from classic, beloved games.

For example:

Tetris with physics. INSANITY.

I watched the video with my jaw gaping, cringing as the pieces bounced around and slid out of their places. Each time a square didn't land perfectly I winced while thinking of all the lines that could be disappearing, but weren't. 

'Not Tetris 2', as they're calling it, works just like the Tetris that we all know and love, but there are more ways to complete a line. As you can see from the image above there are little shards of pieces in there. 

You know what, I'm not explaining this right. Let me fix that.

There we go.

And they have more. So much more.

Earlier this week the internet was drooling over their collective self because of Mari0, a truly astounding creation combining the original Mario Bros. with Portal. Yes, that Portal.

Um. I... I don't want to play that.

Personal feelings aside, that looks incredible and I am thrilled for the population at large that it's a free download. Free! These guys are making gold and then tossing it to interested passersby.

I'm sorry, but I have to take a moment to say that their site name makes me sad. Stab yourself? Really? I have a difficult time telling people to go to a url titled "stab yourself dot net". It sounds like I don't like you all, but I do, I truly do!

Just had to get that off my chest. 

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Video games as history lessons: Assassin's Creed III

The world is bouncing with news about Assassin's Creed III, and the huge reveal (that was leaked early) is that our newest protagonist will be running around during the American Revolution. Accuracy and immersion have become of the utmost importance to game developers nowadays, so I'm thinking that there will be some great little history lessons woven into this installment.

What would happen if they lost their tripoint hats? I hope this is covered.

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It's clear that the main goal of the games is not a history lesson, but someone who plays them in their entirety can't help but glean some information on ancient Rome and 1400s Florence. With such an expansive area to explore, and the main focus being in story and gameplay, some historical facts are sure to slip through the proverbial cracks and I'm sure that inaccuracies run rampant.

But! If one so chose, they could forego missions for a time and simply explore the city. That person would then experience clothing and architecture of places so far removed from modernity; they would have immersion into a world lost to today. So cool!

I know that someone could also pick up a book or watch a documentary, but that's boring, right?

Kidding.

Sort of.

IMHO, text books make history highly unpleasant in spite of the fact that history is incredible. Having these opportunities to play history, live it and experience it fully (albeit a little inflated for obvious reasons) brings a whole new level of awesome to the gaming world.

The majority of historically set video games are first person shooters and they are highly likely to be set during World War II. It's not just shooters though, but really any type of war game. Tank simulators, real time strategies, flight simulators, turn based strategies, tactical games... The war gaming developers just freakin' love World War II. I have yet to find a straight answer as to why. (Geekosystem made a great point for why the American Revolution isn't really a popular setting though, so at least there's that)

I think that's even the same guy on each cover!

My point here (I think?) is that die-hard Call of Duty fans probably know a lot more about World War II than the average person.

Can anyone confirm or deny this? I'll be waiting.

I find myself wanting to play this newest Assassin's Creed in an effort to "see" more of the American Revolution. I'll be the first to say that I have a horrible memory for history (and it is embarrassing). However, if I am introduced to the information in a way that I find fun, interesting and engaging then I am much more likely to retain it and, more importantly, dedicate time to researching the subject on my own once my appetite has been whetted.

That's what happened as I read the Outlander books; they are set in 18th century Scotland and are fantastically historically accurate. My Wikipedia history was full of names, dates and locations after I finished those books.

Assassin's Creed III is due out October of this year, so I have plenty of time to decide if I want to make a purchase. Of course, I could skip the sixty dollar price tag and just do some research on my own.

We'll see.

-MJ

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Developers in the dark - the importance of secrets.

The future brings constant connectivity and access. Answers are around every corner, even the gross dark ones. We're never more than a fingertip away from digging up dirt and cackling in the face of discovering private information, especially in the gaming sector. I'm not a developer, yet I can feel that stab of frustration and annoyance as they struggle to keep a secret and announce something that will actually surprise the masses.

Ken Levine, the team head for Bioshock Infinite, has revealed that he keeps his development team in the dark with respect to the game's story; there are whole chunks that they simply don't know.

It's really best that they don't.

source

I completely respect this mind set. I am currently hard pressed to think of a major company announcement in the last five years that was actually a surprise to its intended audience.

Do you know of one? Do tell!

How often do I see a news site with a cellphone snapshot courtesy of a GameStop or Best Buy employee? The most recent news leak circulated around Assassin's Creed III; in January, promotional posters for display (that gave previously unreleased information regarding the game's setting) were photographed and put online, and Ubisoft didn't make any official announcements regarding the game until this month.

The companies work so hard to create new things and bring exciting plates to the table, so to have that thunder stolen from them must... just really suck.

Imagine that really rude person you knew from school, and your entire graduating class is staging a potluck reunion. You have a prize winning macaroni salad that you've been secretly planning on bringing, and that little shit finds out, steals your recipe, makes the food and then gets to the party before you. What a bitch.

"So it wasn't a dream that you broke into my house last week."

source

OK, maybe that's not exactly the same thing, but I know I'd certainly feel angry and indignant. Thunder has been stolen.

Who out there is anxious for Bioshock Infinite? I'd probably give it a try if someone lent it to me but I don't think I'll buy it. The first Bioshock was too creepy for me.

-MJ

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No replacement for old fashioned exercise.

Is anyone particularly surprised to hear that research shows Wii Fit doesn't actually provide adequate exercise? I know I'm not. Who out there has played Wii Fit? I have and, while it was fun and moderately entertaining, I certainly didn't feel... exercised.

It's admirable that game and hardware developers want to attempt to maintain their audiences and also try to keep the masses healthy and active. But really, which game aside from Dance Dance Revolution on Heavy can provide any real physical activity? Enough to get the heart pumping long enough to start burning calories, anyway. None that I'm aware of, although admittedly I haven't been looking.

DDR Mario Mix for the Gamecube was awesome, but didn't get too intensive.

source

I enjoy a bike ride or some jump rope. Call me old fashioned. Plus, I believe that my game time is for gaming. I know from playing Wii motion plus games that all of the swinging can become tiring and intrusive to the experience.

Could it be that Microsoft and Nintendo are actually trying to deter people from playing games? Are they rallying passively aggressively to make the gamers a healthier breed? Do they care more about health and well-being than they do about the bottom line?

...

Nah.

They're trying to be responsible, I believe that much, but they really can't do enough. In order to make a difference they'd have to campaign for not gaming, or put funding into sponsoring physical events. I dunno, I'm not a marketing person.

I continue to be bothered by the Kinect and the Wii talking about how they'll help people lose weight. I know that it has worked for some, but results do vary. If motion gaming has helped you to lose weight then that's awesome, and I am genuinely glad to hear it!

I am clearly rambling now. My point is that no one should be shocked to hear that, in general, children aren't losing weight from playing Wii Fit. In order to lose weight, real exercise is needed. Oh, and proper eating. Cheers!

-MJ

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Sunday Photo Spot 7

::: Yet another version of Monopoly

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::: An interesting breakdown of the various dishes available at McDonald's.

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::: Even more Star Wars to fill up your life!

These are crayons, by the way. source

::: Disney princesses drawn as Pokemon trainers! Who else is in love!?

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::: This picture of Notch just makes me so happy.

source

::: Pre-order your Back to the Future hoverboard today!

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::: This beautiful and fun LEGO recreation of the war ship in the original Mario Bros.

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::: I love all of the DS designs. This one is so cute!

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::: Beautiful beautiful beautiful!!!

I hope you enjoyed all that I had to share today, especially the closing video! Such dedication to the costumes, and those harps are just gorgeous.

-MJ

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