Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the best movie ever made. Now, usually when you see the word "best" in a sentence, it indicates an opinion, but, no, that is fact. It is the perfect movie.
Today I learned that a new Turtles movie is in production, which I'll take as an excuse to write about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on NES, because how often can I write about a 23-year-old game and pretend I'm being timely?
This is also a fine opportunity to remind you that the attract mode music from that game is bodacious.
14 March 2012
13 March 2012
OBEY
Wario is your master. Bomberman is your enemy. Wha, ha, ha!
While writing this, I kept thinking about other series that could benefit from a Wariofication. There's probably another article in that idea just waiting to be written, but I'll give you a big hint about my number one choice: The main character already has a weirdo doppelgänger.
While writing this, I kept thinking about other series that could benefit from a Wariofication. There's probably another article in that idea just waiting to be written, but I'll give you a big hint about my number one choice: The main character already has a weirdo doppelgänger.
12 March 2012
For More Vibrancy
Remember on Friday when I said I was going to right some smaller, quicker material this weekend? This was supposed to be one of those small, quick pieces.
I'm not really satisfied with the end result, but I think there's promise in this format. We'll see if I can bring it all together a bit more cleanly next time, now that I know my goal.
In other news, Chairlift is pretty cool.
I'm not really satisfied with the end result, but I think there's promise in this format. We'll see if I can bring it all together a bit more cleanly next time, now that I know my goal.
In other news, Chairlift is pretty cool.
11 March 2012
Where Were They Going Without Ever Knowing?
Big congratulations to CoCo & Co for their win at this Independent Games Festival Student Showcase for Way! My praise is coming a little late, but don't read too much into that - this is a game that is very much worth a few of your precious Earth minutes.
I went into Way without really knowing anything about it, and I'd recommend you do the same. Don't read any descriptions, don't watch trailers; just play this super clever game.
Way was up against some serious competition, but of the dozens, maybe hundreds of IGF Student Showcase entrants I played this year, I don't think any other so deftly balanced enjoyable play mechanics with artsy subtext.
Chris, Cynthia, Walt, Hugo, Paulwei, and Katherine - I tip my hat to all of you.
I went into Way without really knowing anything about it, and I'd recommend you do the same. Don't read any descriptions, don't watch trailers; just play this super clever game.Way was up against some serious competition, but of the dozens, maybe hundreds of IGF Student Showcase entrants I played this year, I don't think any other so deftly balanced enjoyable play mechanics with artsy subtext.
Chris, Cynthia, Walt, Hugo, Paulwei, and Katherine - I tip my hat to all of you.
10 March 2012
Saturday Supplemental - A New Weekly Feature
You know who writes about video games on the Internet? A bunch of people. Here's are some highlights from the week:
Peter Molyneux Says Controllers Are So Over
If you follow video games, this isn't news to you. Ol' Pete has been ranting about the agony of having touch an icky plastic device since the prenatal days of Kinect. I'm pointing to this article less because I think it's necessary to drive ourselves into a tizzy every time Peter Molyneux makes a bold proclamation, and more because this quote marked a personal turning point. I read this, and it finally clicked that Molyneux is some new form of nudist. "How can you even touch a controller!? It's so constricting and unnatural!"
Yasuhiro Wada Recounts the Making of Harvest Moon
This year's GDC provided plenty of stellar post-mortems on games new and old, and I think this was the best of all, though I may be biased my my love of Harvest Moon. It's a tale of deeply personal gamemaking, struggling against a poorly run business, and fun facts. Who would have guessed that farming was added so late in development?
Jason VandenBerghe Gave a Presentation at GDC
And I'm happy for him. He's a developer who doesn't have the huge following of a Molyneux or a Wada, but every time he opens his mouth it's clear that he loves video games in a way few others can match. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to make it to GDC, so I didn't hear the presentation, but the conclusion presented in this recap is the perfect argument against every misguided and unfounded statement my instructors made in game design school.
SimCity Has Nothing to Hide
1UP has taken a new direction in the past few months, and the site is absolutely killing it. Almost every article is worth reading, but I'm tipping my cap the above coverage of the SimCity, as well as this second article, because in describing two different sides of the same game, they've gotten me excited for SimCity for the first time in well over a decade.
Peter Molyneux Says Controllers Are So Over
If you follow video games, this isn't news to you. Ol' Pete has been ranting about the agony of having touch an icky plastic device since the prenatal days of Kinect. I'm pointing to this article less because I think it's necessary to drive ourselves into a tizzy every time Peter Molyneux makes a bold proclamation, and more because this quote marked a personal turning point. I read this, and it finally clicked that Molyneux is some new form of nudist. "How can you even touch a controller!? It's so constricting and unnatural!"
Yasuhiro Wada Recounts the Making of Harvest Moon
This year's GDC provided plenty of stellar post-mortems on games new and old, and I think this was the best of all, though I may be biased my my love of Harvest Moon. It's a tale of deeply personal gamemaking, struggling against a poorly run business, and fun facts. Who would have guessed that farming was added so late in development?
Jason VandenBerghe Gave a Presentation at GDC
And I'm happy for him. He's a developer who doesn't have the huge following of a Molyneux or a Wada, but every time he opens his mouth it's clear that he loves video games in a way few others can match. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to make it to GDC, so I didn't hear the presentation, but the conclusion presented in this recap is the perfect argument against every misguided and unfounded statement my instructors made in game design school.
SimCity Has Nothing to Hide
1UP has taken a new direction in the past few months, and the site is absolutely killing it. Almost every article is worth reading, but I'm tipping my cap the above coverage of the SimCity, as well as this second article, because in describing two different sides of the same game, they've gotten me excited for SimCity for the first time in well over a decade.
09 March 2012
Wipe Away the Tears
It's over!
After spending four days in a row on a single subject, I'm going to try a different approach this weekend, with a collection of bite-sized chunks on a variety of subjects.
As if there's been a consistent approach thus far.
After spending four days in a row on a single subject, I'm going to try a different approach this weekend, with a collection of bite-sized chunks on a variety of subjects.
As if there's been a consistent approach thus far.
08 March 2012
Facepalm
As much as I'd like to pretend I'm an old pro when it comes to this Games Journalism stuff, I'm a beginner. Sometimes that manifests in my liberal use of non-descriptive terms like "stuff." Other times, the amateur part of my brain flips through an issue of an old magazine and thinks there might be a day's worth of content to squeeze out of it.
Three days later, and it looks like there's yet another day remaining after this. Whoops.
Three days later, and it looks like there's yet another day remaining after this. Whoops.
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