Miscellany
Exciting news in the world of indie gaming! The IGF, hitting its 12th year of being the indie game equivalent of Sundance, has published its list of submissions for the 2010 competition. With an impressive three hundred and six games on the list this year, the variety of games on display range from ambient racing games to RTSes to tower defense titles; the games range from things put together by an individual on their own to titles that have already seen release on places like Steam or Xbox Live Arcade.
Many of the titles on the site have downloadable versions for the public to check out-- given how often these games go to commercial release it's a great opportunity to check out up and coming developers. Previous winners of the competition have included Darwinia and Crayon Physics Deluxe, for example.
Winners will be announced next March, giving you plenty of time to look at the shiny toys online now.
Well it looks like Tiny Dancer isn't the only one with a birthday recently. Some of you might remember that a year ago you went out and set down a nice chunk of change to adopt a lovable little Sackboy and let him make his way into your heart, even if you did change what he looked like 100 times in the process of learning to love him (not to mention all the fiery deaths those boys died to).
That's right, LittleBigPlanet has turned one year old, and Media Molecule is celebrating the best way they know how, by giving you free sackboy costumes to dress up your own sackboy for this momentous occasion. The first costume is one that proves that it is a piece of cake to bake a pretty Sackboy. That's right, in true birthday tradition, one of the costumes is that of a piece of pink frosted cake with a single candle on the head. The other outfit is the one that has a number of people excited, since it has been unavailable at the store for over a year now. That's right, spaceboy is making a comeback for one week only, which means that you can make your sackboy don this fantastic spacesuit anytime you wish.
The best part about this birthday celebration? These two outfits come at the lovely birthday price of "Free". So on Thursday, Nov. 5th, make sure to hop onto the LittleBigPlanet Store to get your two free costumes, and we'll keep our eyes peeled for the other upcoming specials coming from Media Molecule in the next couple of weeks.
Happy Birthday LittleBigPlanet! [Media Molecule]
For those that collect import figures the Revoltech line from Kaiyodo has always meant two things: incredible detail and remarkable articulation. Thanks to Andres Cerrato over at Tomopop, we got a glimpse of what the line's next round of figures the recent Revoltech Expo that took place in Japan this past weekend. There's tons of great figures on the horizon that include emo-goth icon Jack Skellington, the Dark Night version of Batman, Giant Robo, and a T-Rex, but the best announcement has to be Professor Layton from the incredible puzzle/mystery game series by Level 5.
As a prototype, the figure seen at the Expo wasn't painted or colored yet, but it's amazing to see just how well sculptors were able to bring the game's clean, but illustrative style into a 3d space. As if the figure wasn't enough, that table and tea cup set is the icing on the cake. Hopefully this mean that we can expect to see other Layton related figures somewhere down the road. I would love to have a miniaturized Professor and Luke on my desk enjoying a cup of tea. Head on over to the Tomopop article to check out all the goods from the show.
[Revoltech Expo shows off transformable Valkryie, also everything you possibly want] Tomopop
Milla Jovovich, everyone's favorite kickass heroine of the Resident Evil movie series and the perfect being from Fifth Element is also a loving mother with a 2 year-old girl named Ever. While working on the movie The Fourth Kind, Parade magazine decided to ask Milla some questions on her movies, her child, and her influence.
Some questions included asking why her Resident Evil movies do so well in Japan, and a movie (.45) that never made it to the big screen but with which Milla really conected; however, the most interesting question of the lot was Milla's advice to how parents should deal with their children seeing violence and sex in the media:
"I think parents need to take a lot more responsibility than they do about whether it's OK for their children to go to Resident Evil or any other movie with violence or sex or whatever. It's really easy to blame Hollywood for violence having an effect on kids, but movies would have no power if parents would just set their own standards. And it's the same with video games."
What a novel idea, parents actually taking an interest in what their children see and play. A good portion of what children interact with can be effected by talking to them about the standards you want in your house. Then again, all of that actually involves "parenting" your children, and I think sometimes it's just easier to let the videogames and the TV play the babysitter. In the end, I'm just glad she has what seems like a level head on her shoulders, maybe that's why all the zombies want it.
Milla Jovovich: 'It's Really Easy to Blame Hollywood For Violence' [Parade]
No, this isn't about gaming! But it's still pretty cool.
November, as some of you guys might be aware, is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. Put together ten years ago by the non-profit The Office of Letters and Light, NaNoWriMo is a month long challenge for amateur writers to take the plunge and put together their first novel.
The goal is to successfully complete 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th. A creative writing exercise that tries to pull you away from the instinctive desire to edit and edit and edit and never get anything completed, the objective of the project is to just write at break-neck speed until you hit the end of your book, leaving the editing to be done later.
Though I've considered it in the past this is the first year I've decided to buckle down and get it done myself. I've already got the first 4000 words completed so I'm ahead of the daily goal of 1666. If you've been considering doing it you definitely should-- it doesn't matter if what you write is garbage, it's the point of getting it done that's the awesome part of the experience.
I know that some of our forum members are doing it so if you haven't started there's still plenty of time to pick it up without worrying about falling behind. If you want to add me as a writing buddy my own profile is here, and join the forums so we can all revel in the experience (both its highs and lows) together. And if you're doing it leave a comment so I can friend you too!
- mixvio asked about your opinion regarding morality in videogames.
- Vorpal Bunny had something to say about reviews.
- Netflix announced that their instant queue streaming will soon be available on the PS3.
- We got another quick peek into the world of Bioshock 2.
- GayGamer podcast #41 discussed the all pertinent game news of the week. And gangbangs.
- Wootini said that Lips: Number 1 Hits was more like a number 8.
- Game Boy let you know if Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard was overlooked or rightly buried.
- A pair of lesbian gamers had an adorable, game-themed wedding.
- Dragon Age: Origins' gay love interest was explored, preliminarily.
- Nintendo introduced the DSi XL, an all-around larger version of the handheld they released earlier this year.
- We listed the history of Famitsu's perfect scores, and Game Boy shared his opinion on which ones were worthy.
- mixvio reviewed Earth Dragon for iPhone.
- Sony announced the God Of War III Ultimate Edition, featuring a bunch of downloads and a box that's perfect for keeping all of those evil souls you've got lying around.
- Wootini meets a big gay musclebird in this week's Animal Crossing Diary.
- Infinity Ward makes a poor choice in advertising Modern Warfare 2 online.
"A serious house on serious earth." The sub title of this symbolic tome speaks of what is to be found inside this version of the Asylum. You will find no camp here. While standing as the inspiration for Batman's recent visit to the Asylum on the console front, this source material takes the Dark Knight further into a selective kind of dementia. H.P Lovecraft once said of fear: We are afraid of what is unseen and unknown. Here you will see and be subject to injections of horrific and primal imagery that pulls together as a sort of personal nightmare. Writer Grant Morrison (New X-Men) and painter Dave McKean (The Sandman) masterfully pull you into the world of Arkam speaking to you as an individual perhaps coming to the island for treatment and even more so than the game, puts you in the shoes of Batman himself. If you loved the game as I did and have a stirring curiosity for the mythos created therein you may well enjoy another visit to Gotham's house of death and madness. This version is currently available at most comic stores and online for 17.99, includes an extensive forward and the original script.
Edgar Wright's (Spaced, Hot Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead) upcoming comic book adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs The World just finished filming about a month ago. The movie stars Michael Cera as the titular Scott Pilgrim (named after the song 'Scott Pilgrim' by Plumtree) a slacker mooching off his gay roommate in Toronto who must defeat his new girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to claim her heart. The movie is based on the comic book series, Scott Pilgrim, which is simultaneously grounded in reality and swaying in and out of video game-inspired fantasy. The story hinges on power ups, roommates, warp pipes, public transit, girlfriends and super powers.
The first rough cut of the movie was recently put together and privately screened. Among those in the audience was Juno director Jason Reitman who gave his first impressions via Twitter:
It is a game changer for Edgar and the genre. It moves the speed of light and carries more unadulterated joy than I've seen in recent cinema. Scott Pilgrim does what everyone our age has been dreaming about: Achieves the first all encompassing film of the joystick generation. I'm in awe of the sheer control in the filmmaking. It feels like a "Matrix" for love and how willing we are to fight for it.
That sounds pretty awesome! The movie is set to come out in summer of 2010, along with a video game adaptation to be made by Ubisoft, which makes so much sense it hurts my brain. The movie and video game adaptations encompass all 6 books in the series. The books are definitely worth
checking out for yourself, volumes 1 through 5 are already out, with volume 6 to be released next year.
Scott Pilgrim Hailed as First Film for 'Joystick Generation' [Wired]
You may have heard of Stephen Fry: got his start on the British tele in the early 80s, then went on to become famous for his voice and acting charm in various radio plays. He's won awards for his books, screenwriting, and success as a host on one of the UK's most popular game shows.
If you're not from that side of the Atlantic, though, you likely know him as the charming and helpful narrator in LittleBigPlanet. And if you're not from that side of the Great Console Divide, he also voiced a character in Fable II: Reaver, The Hero of Skill (a vain but amoral fellow who, incidentally, is believed to be bisexual).
Regardless of where you're from or where you've heard him, Stephen Fry's performances are usually fun and nuanced - which is why, when GoOnline pointed out the following Tweet from Mr. Fry, I was all atwitter:
"Voiced a game character today. Can't say any more, I'm afraid. NDA and all that. I say, though - isn't it dark? I mean golly, eh? Sheesh."
Sheesh, indeed! At least tell us for which platform it's releasing!
Could it be another Perfect Dark? Alone in the Dark? Or maybe the clue is a bit more referential, and we'll plan on hearing Fry's voice in Alan Wake or even Epic Mickey. I mean, that's pretty dark.
Tell us, dear readers! What are your speculations/hopes on the mystery game?
A 12-year old Canadian lad was ordered to give up his Wii as bail after repeated run-ins with the law and infractions that include smashing school windows, pool cue head-beatings and punching classmates.
So Judge Marvin Garfinkle allowed the kid to go free as long as he keeps his court appearances and adheres to other release conditions like living with his meemaw - but the judge claimed the boy's prized Wii as bail.
The lil rascal's lawyer, Serena Puranen, insists that her colicky client isn't a bad egg, he's just "repeatedly finds himself in the middle of sticky situations."
"I know it doesn't look good," Serena Puranen said. "I've never seen him enraged, I've never seen him upset. He's a 12-year-old who is generally quite scared."
Listen, if some funny-named Canadian judge took away a game system every time I found myself in the middle of a sticky situation, I'd be playing Gears of Coconuts with my bestie Wilson the volleyball. Then again, this could be a wake-up to Nintendo to further reduce the price of the Wii: when your system becomes collateral for nefarious criminals like the Winnipeg Bandit here, you've gotta rethink your value strategy.
Wii Bails Out Felonious Juvenile [GamePolitics]
I'm not sure there are many people that actually look forward to shopping around the holiday season. The crowds are just mean, you can never find what you're looking for, and the stores are packed. This year at GameStop they may be a little fuller than they have been in years past, but at least it'll be for the best reasons possible. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the biggest game retailer around is looking to increase its seasonal staff by approximately 15,000 people nationwide. That's an average of 3.5 more people helping operate the each of the chain's 4,300 stores and is set to bump up the companies staff by 46 percent.
Side note: Jebus bless all you brave souls that work there during this time of year. Nobody wants to be the person to tell an angered parent that they're all out of Wiis on Christmas Eve. I'm just glad that it's not me.
[GameStop to hire 15,000 for holidays] Tampa Bay Business Journal
Bonnie Ruberg, of Heroine Sheik, recently posited some of her thoughts concerning Beatles: Rock Band and some differences that struck her. Namely, that of not being able to select a female avatar and clad her in suggestive, skimpy clothing, and that of the audience:
The audience, at least in the early gigs before concert venues melt into studio recording sessions, has transformed from a gyrating mass of coed music lovers to a swarm of screaming, swooning young girls -- each with identical faces and dark, glossy eyes. We watch The Fab Four sing to us about love, and along with us peers a female gaze full of longing several thousand strong.
It is noted in the comments that there are male audience members, but they are almost a backdrop, rather than any strong presence. While admitting that the focus of the game is on the notes, and that the background often flies by without much notice (though I have found myself watching how my avatars in the previous games act quite frequently), she ponders some more:
Where does this leave the presumed player? Does his male gaze become a female one as his viewing of these four attractive men gets elided with that of the all-girl audience? At the same time the game links him to the Beatles themselves as he -- or she -- plays the same notes as Paul or John. On the one hand we're back at the old transvestitism debate. On the other, we have a new way of regarding Beatles: Rock Band, with its feminine aesthetic and cross-gender appeal: as a distinctly female game that challenges the male gaze at the same time it presents us with a stereotypical division between the musical talent of men and the historical fandom of women who can do little more than scream along.
Her thoughts seem focused on in-game avatars, rather than the player and his or her perceived sexuality, which brings to mind what happens when attempting to create an historically accurate depiction of the past. I am sure many of us have seen the videos or photos of female fans swooning over The Beatles, but at the same time, as Ruberg notes, we are not wholly in the shoes of the observers, being active participants.
In many ways, it calls into question as to whom you identify when playing the game. In Rock Band 2, I played myself, creating an avatar modeling me. Here that option is not included, but does that mean I am trying to transpose myself into the shoes of The Beatles (I have not, as of yet, played the game), or does the instrument serve as my primary entry into the game? Then again, I am a male player, and the default for many games is for me to fill in that role. For many this may not matter, the music being the essential focus of the game, but as it highlights the historicism of The Beatles themselves, it also seems like there would be room for further investigation of the interaction that occurred not only between this band and their fans, but that of those interacting with their music to this day.
And girls who like girls who like rumble packs!
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