I made this lot with mods. Its red, black and white which is why I call it ‘newspaper‘. This is one of my favorite ones that I have built/designed so far. I haven’t uploaded it to The Sims 3 site because I kept getting a network error and even if I could, people would have to download all the mods that I have to actually enjoy the house like I did.

Well I haven’t played the game since my save files have totally disappeared. I’m still trying to figure out why all of my save files just magically disappeared off my computer. Save file recovery programs couldn’t even find them either. Its like the save files never existed. All it left me was the ‘BACKUP’ files and I’m sure you can’t use those. What’s weird that it didn’t delete any of the lots that I’ve created, even all the Sims I created was still there, just the save files were gone for all of my games. If that isn’t a reason to stop playing The Sims 3, I don’t know what is.

Newspaper

I’m not much of a landscaper but I might open up the game and do a little landscaping around the house. It does look a bit plain but its not bad…I guess. The pink and white house that’s in some of the screen shots was made by me of course and you can go here to download it. Its not made with any mods so you shouldn’t have a problem downloading it. My boyfriend said the game reminded him of Mirror’s Edge because of the random places where there are red walls.

What’s black, white and ‘read’ all over? A newspaper….Lol.

Unreal是一個很有名的遊戲引擎，就我所知，下面這些遊戲都是用Unreal開發的：

• Mirror’s Edge
• Unreal Tournament 3
• Gears of Wars 2

這裡是新聞稿：http://www.epicgames.com/press_releases/udk.html

到這裡下載：http://www.udk.com/download.html

My GamerCrave feature has just gone live. It’s called “Breaking the Mold: Gaming’s Minority Stereotypes and Exceptions” and it details ten of the most prominent video game characters from ethnic minorities. Do check it out.

I really enjoyed writing this. Obviously it was a subject close to my heart, but beyond that I loved reading all the thoughts I cited in the piece, thoughts on such a contrasting range of characters. It was also a pleasure to work again with Jared Newman. I wrote a couple of pieces for Jared over at TGR just before he moved on, but despite that period’s brevity I still feel like I learnt a lot from his excellent advice.    

Should I have included Niko Bellic instead of Carl Johnson? It was a tough call. As for why there’s no Dhalsim or Tiger Woods, I deliberately steered clear of fighting games (with their huge international rosters) and anything relating to an outside license. Hopefully the characters I chose provide a tangible, interesting history – but you be the judge. I think there are some really interesting stories in it, regardless of my writing quality. Things like what happened with Faith over at Kotaku or Sheva’s introduction to Resident Evil 5 intrigued me when they were ongoing, so it was great to research them further.  

My favourite entry, however, has to be Yusuf Amir. His genesis is in itself interesting. He’s part of a game that’s homosexuality-focused, making his introduction seem far less noteworthy. Also, the choice of his voice actor, Omid Djalili, is also really interesting to me given Djalili’s brand of stand-up comedy. Like me, Djalili’s a Middle Eastern guy who’s lived his life in the UK, and I think there’s some astute observations in Amir’s character regards being part of an Arabic family who’s moved to the West. Hopefully there’ll be more writing on Amir in the future – maybe even some more from me.

—

Filme precum Banlieue 13, Yamakasi sau Casino Royale au adus sub privirile publicului un sport urban relativ neconvenţional: Parkour. Pe hârtie, scopul e simplu: să ajungi din punctul A în punctul B cât mai repede, folosind cea mai scurtă rută posibilă. Dacă am vorbi de o linie dreaptă, i-am putea spune atletism. Dar nu, cei care au văzut un franţuz sărind de pe o ţeavă pe alta la 200 de metri înălţime ştiu că nu e cazul. Rutele implică adeseori sărituri spectaculoase, alergat pe pereţi, rostogoliri, alunecări, totul fără oprire pentru cafea, tras sufletul sau fumat o ţigară.

În paralel, există şi acrobaţii cibernetice comparabile din punct de vedere al conceptului. Mă refer la comunitatea de speedrunning de pe Speed Demos Archive, a cărei scop declarat este să termine cât mai multe jocuri în cel mai scurt timp posibil. Folosind exploit-uri (fără cheat-uri însă), „clever use of game mechanics” şi punând în aplicare toate cunoştinţele despre modul cum e construită şi se comportă lumea unui joc, membrii acestei comunităţi au reuşit multe recorduri impresionante. Evident, scopul multora dintre jocurile pe calculator nu este să fie terminate cât mai repede… însă trucurile implicate şi execuţia lor este adeseori mai spectaculoasă decât parcurgerea „obişnuită” a titlului respectiv.

În cazul de faţă avem un produs care, intenţionat sau nu, aducând sportul din primul paragraf pe micile ecrane, serveşte ca un portal pentru oamenii de rând către lumea el337ismului. Un platformer first-person conceput şi executat dintr-un unghi nou şi cu elemente minore de shooter.

Oglindă-oglinjoară, cine-i cea mai ţopăitoare din ţară?

Intră în pielea lui Faith, cea mai cea dintre Runneri, curieri rebeli într-un viitor nu prea îndepărtat în care se pare că lumea şi-a pierdut cu totul încrederea în poşta tradiţională. Nu e deosebit de clar ce e atât de totalitar sau extrem în lumea ilustrată, poate doar paranoia vizavi de controlul guvernului asupra comunicării şi eventual serviciilor de livrare. În orice caz, aceşti curieri-acrobaţi sunt urmăriţi de sticleţi (şi companii private de securitate) cu o fervoare tangenţială cu fanatismul.

Povestea nu este vreo revelaţie în materie de naraţiuni interactive, urmărind o conspiraţie destul de subţire şi câteva clişee adolescentine, dar nici nu prea pare să încerce. Fiecare investigaţie, indiciu şi anunţ declarat în cut scene-uri sunt practic nişte scuze pentru a trece mai departe la alergătura propriu-zisă şi a te distra. Bine, există câteva picanterii legate de povestea de fundal, cum ar fi anunţuri şi articole care se derulează pe ecranele din lifturi, dar nu în toate, nu întotdeauna şi multe dintre ele nu fac vreo referire la intrigă.

Cut scene-urile dintre niveluri sunt parcă animaţii în Flash făcute de oameni pricepuţi la arta comercială, dar mie unul îmi plac. Alţii s-au plâns că acestea rup oarecum imersiunea, dar până la urmă e un joc pe niveluri; nu e o călătorie continuă, neîntreruptă, aşa că într-un fel sau altul cam asta rupe avântul. Dacă nu vă plac desenele animate probabil că n-o să vă placă cut scene-urile, dar e un risc asumat de Electronic Arts despre care, ştiind cum se creează un desen animat, pot să spun că nu au fost leneşi.

Dacă la început te caută doar Albăstrei, înceţi şi imprecişi, în a doua parte poliţiştii sunt eliminaţi din ecuaţie. Ar fi fost ridicol să fii urmărit permanent de armate şi elicoptere, aşa că pe măsura dezvelirii conspiraţiei, oamenii legii sunt înlocuiţi cu angajaţii unei corporaţii care se ocupă cu securitatea privată. Per total, povestea e un pretext pentru legarea nivelurilor între ele, dar am fost atât de ocupat să fug dintr-o parte în alta încât nici nu am ţinut cont că există o poveste.

Ceea ce face storyline-ul şi mai insipid e lungimea jocului, care pentru un veteran al genului cu puţină intuiţie va dura cam 4 ore, şi chiar şi pentru neiniţiaţi n-are cum să depăşească 8 ore. Ca să fiu mai clar, nu mă deranjează atât de mult faptul că jocul e scurt cât faptul că nu are timp să traseze şi să încheie o intrigă clară – Portal, la un preţ mult mai mic, cu jumătate din lungimea lui Mirror’s Edge, reuşeşte în acele două ore de prim contact să desfăşoare o istorioară despre romanţă şi trădare da capo al fine, în timp ce Mirror’s Edge stă mult mai superficial la capitolul narativ.

Există, ca să fim drepţi, multe momente încărcate de tensiune şi chiar spectaculoase, cum ar fi o secvenţă în care după ce ai sărit de pe un metrou pe altul trebuie să fugi şi să te arunci printr-o uşă înainte să fii strivit de un tren care vine din urmă. Sau o altă secvenţă în care trebuie să urmăreşti alt runner. Şi exemplele pot continua până la loc comanda, dar sunt mai interesant de trăit pe propria piele, însă chiar şi aşa nu pot să ţină locul unei poveşti mai solide şi mai mature.

Metrics, frate!

De la primele priviri cu ochi mijiţi şi gura până la urechi m-am îndrăgostit de design-ul lui Mirror’s Edge. Lumea ilustrată este una sintetică, aseptică, un paradis al oamenilor la costum. Alergarea prin peisajul urban, pe sub ţevi şi peste radiatoare, are un iz puternic de Matrix, cu atât mai mult cu cât eşti mereu urmărit de curcani, aici numiţi „Blues”, sau cum îmi place să-i alint, „Albăstrei”. Goana pe acoperişuri, urmărit de poliţie, în timp ce ai la dispoziţie acrobaţii şi figuri de ju-jitsu dă un sentiment de alertă şi „metricsism” pe care jocurile derivate din cunoscuta franciză (Enter the Matrix, Path of Neo) nu l-au surprins nici măcar în parte.

Din când în când, Merc, analogul unui „operator” din Matrix, îţi dă indicii, sfaturi şi informaţii. Nu sunt prezente foarte multe detalii despre ceilalţi Runneri şi poate şi asta a contribuit la aplatizarea poveştii – când un personaj sau altul încearcă să surprindă prin dezvelirea vreunui plan diabolic, sfârşeşti prin a nu simţi nimic, pentru că nu ştii exact care e treaba cu personajul respectiv în primul rând.

Dar vorbeam de design. În cea mai mare parte a jocului, culorile sunt curate şi saturate, iar texturile îmbină fotorealismul cu un minimalism cromatic – texturile şi obiectele de jos sunt modelate foarte realist şi corporativ, şi atunci când nu te târăşti prin ţevi sau canale poţi obseva că birourile, staţiile de metrou sau acoperişurile sunt zugrăvite într-o singură culoare aprinsă, o glazură peste albul şi sticla imaculată din restul mediului. Alţii vor prefera în mod sigur alte decoruri, dar la nivel personal mi s-a părut un concept destul de original.

Şi ce e mai bun de-atât este că Mirror’s Edge nu e una din „portările alea eşuate care distrug controlul, sufletul şi dinamica unui joc de console”. Pe lângă controlul din tastatură şi mouse, care funcţionează la fel de fluent ca cel de pe PlayStation 3 pentru unul obişnuit cu un astfel de controller (dacă nu mai bine), ceea ce merită menţionat şi apreciat este că optimizarea este cam fără cusur.

Ecranele de încărcare care au generat nemulţumiri pe console abia sunt observabile pentru cineva care deţine chiar şi un calculator de rând, iar numărul de opţiuni grafice face posibilă experienţa Mirror’s Edge la tot felul de nivele de calitate vizuală. Iar cei cu plăci video nVidia de generaţie nouă pot să profite şi de o accelerare hardware a artificiilor engine-ului PhysX, engine care aduce un plus enorm realismului. Şi chiar şi aşa, consumul de resurse nu e exorbitant. Aş merge într-atât de departe încât să spun că băieţii ăştia ar trebui să le dea nişte lecţii indivizilor de la Rockstar Toronto.

Sunetul şi muzica sunt un pic mai mult decât decente. În afara melodiei centrale, cunoscută deja şi celor care n-au văzut decât trailer-ul jocului (Still Alive – Lisa Miskovski) şi remixurilor acesteia, prezente atât în meniul Extras, cât şi pe albumul omonim lansat, avem un ambient urban, accelerat pe ici-colo de câte un fir de trance zvârlit în părţile mai tensionate ale alergării. Actorii sunt şi ei pe undeva pe la etajul „mi-am făcut treaba”, însă nimic nu e absolut ieşit din comun, iar replicile sunt potrivite, dar nu strălucite.

„În viaţă există punctele A, B şi C. În Parkour, nu există Punctul B” – Anonim

Animaţiile din Mirror’s Edge ar face-o pe Lara Croft să se ascundă într-un colţişor şi să plângă câteva ore bune. Fluiditatea cu care se desfăşoară totul, lipsa unei interfeţe clasice şi apariţia membrelor în ecran sau vâjâituri în căşti atunci când prinzi viteză după o săritură executată bine sau un sprint în linie dreaptă te fac să te simţi acolo, în aer, sperând că n-o să cazi aiurea în gol.

Ocazional, câte o pereche de poliţişti sau agenţi de securitate (care se înmulţesc către final) vor încerca să te oprească. În aceste momente poţi alege să fugi mai departe, încercând pe cât posibil să eviţi rafalele trase după tine, sau te poţi lupta cu ei. Pumnii aruncaţi haotic nu sunt nici pe departe la fel de utili sau spectaculoşi precum manevrele de dezarmare, executate, practic, ca orice quick-time event din aproape toate action/adventure-urile contemporane.

După imobilizarea unui adversar, poţi să-i iei arma şi să tragi, dar aspectul de shooter e ca o lege matematică: necesar şi suficient. Nu poţi termina un nivel cu pistolul din două motive: numărul de gloanţe e foarte limitat şi nu poţi executa acrobaţii cu vreo armă în mâini. Şi într-un fel nici nu e necesar – armele îţi fac viaţa ceva mai uşoară, mai ales în secvenţele în care foloseşti puşca cu lunetă, dar numai câţiva inamici trebuie învinşi pentru a trece mai departe.

Pe nivelurile de dificultate accesibile iniţial, calea îţi va fi indicată prin diverse obiecte roşii – ceea ce în joc se numeşte Runner Vision (ajutor ce poate fi dezactivat). De cele mai multe ori acestea sar în ochi şi nu e nevoie să te opreşti din fugit atâta timp cât vezi, în mare, în ce direcţie trebuie să o iei. Iar în eventualitatea în care te pierzi, simpla apăsare a unei taste îţi va indica încotro trebuie s-o iei. Nu chiar mură-n gură, dar suficient încât să nu te blochezi prea mult într-un loc şi să îţi pierzi entuziasmul pentru jogging.

O altă unealtă, ceva mai importantă, este Reaction Time, care încetineşte timpul suficient de mult încât să nu prea ai cum să sari sau să porneşti o manevră de dezarmare prea devreme sau prea târziu (reîncărcarea acestei abilităţi se face prin păstrarea avântului câteva secunde).

„Nu fug ca să adaug zile vieţii mele, fug ca să adaug viaţă zilelor mele.” – Ronald Rook

După parcurgerea modului Story, se deblochează Speed Run, Time Trial şi dificultatea Hard. Speed Run înseamnă reluarea nivelurilor din modul Story cu scopul de a obţine recorduri de timp care sunt apoi încărcate în baza de date online. Abia acum, când începi să revezi nivelurile cu intenţia de a le parcurge cât mai repede, începi să observi şi căile alternative. Alergatul pe pereţi, întoarcerile la 180 de grade şi rostogolirile devin mult mai importante pentru a descoperi rute noi. Cumva ghidat de producători, intri în lumea magică a Speedrunnerilor şi ţi se schimbă întreaga perspectivă asupra obiectivului jocului.

De fapt, asta e şi esenţa Speed Run-urilor. Dacă la prima parcurgere ai urcat scările ca o domnişoară, acum începi să te foloseşti de pereţi, distanţe şi geometria nivelurilor pentru a scurta drumul. Începi să foloseşti mai des butonul Crouch pentru a lungi distanţele săriturilor, încerci mereu să găseşti o cale mai rapidă şi să nu ratezi sărituri la milimetru. Iar atunci când îţi iese totul ca pe roate, te simţi grozav.

Time Trial, pe de altă parte, este o cursă contracronometru prin trasee oferite de producători, bucăţi de nivele uşor de reţinut, dar reorganizate pentru a oferi un dram de varietate. Pe lângă timpii de calificare, care sunt relativ uşor de obţinut, prezenţi şi în modul Speed Run, există un top al celor mai buni Runneri din lume şi pot fi descărcate Ghost-urile lor pentru a concura cu cele mai rapide parcurgeri.

Ar fi fost binevenit un editor, mai ales având în vedere că traseele nu sunt deosebit de variate şi conceptul e demn de mai mult spaţiu de desfăşurare. Sau măcar, dacă Mirror’s Edge tot costă 50 de Euro, să putem aştepta liniştiţi update-uri gratuite, cum e cazul lui Left 4 Dead.

Pentru colecţionari există câte trei genţi per nivel, care deblochează conţinut în meniul Extras, dar nu există nivele bonus sau un mod multiplayer tradiţional care să adauge dinamism uman aventurii. Cum zicea un individ zilele trecute „Ori dai 50 de euro şi te mulţumeşti cu ce ai, ori o fugăreşti pe una prin oraş până iese cu tine la o prăjitură şi mai rămâi şi cu bani de adidaşi.”

Pur şi simplu raportul preţ/conţinut brut nu este deloc echilibrat şi cei care se aşteaptă ca ME să-i ţină în priză luni întregi o să ia o ţeapă de proporţii. Din punct de vedere al conceptului, prezentării şi execuţiei, Mirror’s Edge îşi merită cu prisosinţă banii, dar e ca e ca o felie de tort arătos, încununat cu frişcă şi cireaşa obligatorie şi se termină un pic dezamăgitor când îţi dai seama că n-ai de unde să mai ceri o porţie.

Aşa că orice gamer care şi-a cheltuit banii de ţigări pe Mirror’s Edge o să dea cu tacâmurile în masă şi o să răcnească asemeni unui copil râzgâiat: „Mamaaaaaaa, mai vreaaaaau!”. Ceea ce e atât un compliment, cât şi o bătaie subtilă a obrazului adresată DICE şi EA.

Electronic Arts was a powerhouse of great gaming during my formative gaming years. Classics such as Road Rash, Desert Strike, FIFA, the Mutant League series, PGA Tour Golf and James Pond to name a few, were always innovative and a delight to play.

But somehow over time EA became the ‘bad guy’ – the heartless corporation who were happy to churn out yearly updates of average games, often with little or no improvement.

Suddenly we had Burnout, Need For Speed, Harry Potter, SSX, the Def Jam fighting games and a host of annual sports updates. The difference being that these games (possibly excluding a few Burnout titles) were just not that great.

They started buying smaller, rival studios and created big rifts in the industry by often closing the studios down and taking their best talent.

And then all of a sudden things changed a few years ago – as well as the usual updates they announced two games which turned people’s impressions of EA on their head: Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge.

Two games which were highly polished, innovative, produced to an extremely high level… and were original ideas. Not a sequel or prequal – or even a film tie in. Just cleverly made great games.

Now I’m the first to admit that maybe Mirror’s Edge had it’s faults but that isn’t the issue here – what I’m talking about is EA’s willingness to take a shot at launching a new brand, based on something no-one had tried before.

Brutal Legend is another fine example – while the game appears to have tanked at retail, which is a shame, EA backed it all the way with marketing and promo. Not all of their new ideas come off so to speak.

The other shift was that the year updates, sporting especially, got good again. The Fight Night series was a serious return to form, culminating in Round 4’s superb simulation of the sport. Likewise FIFA – which has now overtaken long standing champion PES as the best football game around.

With Rock Band they are looking to take on Activision (the new ‘bad guys’ apparently) and Guitar Hero, a battle which will rage for years to come.

The standard of games forthcoming as well looks really positive with Army Of Two: 40th Day, Dante’s Inferno, Mass Effect 2 (not for us PS3 folks… yet ) and Battlefield Bad Company 2 (the Beta of which is truly stunning) all arriving in the first quarter of 2010!

When I think back to 5 or 6 years ago it seems insane that EA of all people would be pushing the envelope and delivering top quality, fresh and innovative titles – long may it continue!

ANOTHER FABULOUS ALBUM!

On October 27th 2009 Mike released his second free album, his sophomore album entitled “One Foot Out The Door.” It is his second album released in 9 months and thats a good sign for listeners that he is working at a quick pace to come up with new tracks. If this is your first time hearing of Mike, read the review below on his debut album.

His album opens with the title song “One Foot Out the Door” which is more of an intro than a real song. Not a huge fan of this one because of the strong vocal affects being used, but still a good song none the less. The second track “I Don’t Trust Myself” is my favorite Mike Posner song. It has good, catchy lyrics that are easy to memorize and has an impressive beat that includes some pretty strong bass for Mike. The refrain is simple but effective, and the interlude in the song after the chorus is brilliant, and a nice use of the stutter affect. Other highlights from the album include “Dont Trust Me” featuring Kid Cudi which is a 3OH!3 song with a verse from Cudi and from Mike. An interesting mash up of sounds, not sure how to take it, but its growing on me. The album also includes a good cover to Soulja Boy’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” which was surprisingly well done. “Mirrors Edge” is probably one of his most famous songs and is probably his most heavy rap song. “Cooler Than Me” and “Speed of Sound” rap up the best songs on the album.

This album was a great sophomore album and had a lot of hype to live up to after his great debut album and it did just that. If you didn’t like the first album don’t even bother listening to this because it sounds the same for the most part.

Overall:        8.5/10        A MUST HAVE ON YOUR IPOD!!!

Similar Artists: Mr. Hudson (hard to name similar artists)

Best Songs: “I Dont Trust Myself” “Mirrors Edge” “Dont Trust Me” “Cooler Than Me” “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” “Speed of Sound”

One Down Fall: Once again, the vocal affect can get quite irritating

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE ON ITUNES!!!!!

For the last twenty years, Prince of Persia has been the innovative Father of platform games. Now Mirror’s Edge, a stunning new entry into the genre, adds its own niche, by making a platform game in the first person.

Set in a city run by a totalitarian government, you play as Faith, a runner who transports information for non-conformists by running along rooftops, parkour-style. Parkour, according to founder David Belle, is “getting over all the obstacles in your path as you would in an emergency situation.” Mirror’s Edge embodies this concept; the majority of the game is Faith running away from police, treating rooftops, walls, and flagpoles as obstacles to utilize in escaping faster.

This a refreshing game experience from Electronic Arts, which challenges both genre standards and company history. Most of the team behind the game worked together on a couple of games, like the drab, unimpressive, Battlefield 2. However, nothing that is a worthy predecessor to this visual masterpiece. The opening hits the ground running… literally. Faith tells us the city was once “alive and wonderful.” She must be referring to the political climate, because cityscape is both vibrant and captivating white and sky blue metropolis.

The gameplay is simple and appropriate. Since you will be running for your life along rooftops, it’s good that the opening has a thorough training mode. Not only do you get the feel for running and bouncing along walls, (which isn’t that difficult) but you get examples of what kinds of walls you can utilize. To make things easy, most things you’re supposed to use are crimson red; like doors you can open, wires you can swing down, and canopies on which you can safely land.

Faith’s move repertoire is similar to Prince of Persia: wall-running, ledge grabbing, leaping off walls, and pole swinging. What makes this game different is its focus on avoiding combat. When combat does occur, Faith can disarm or attack police hand-to-gun. There is also a limited-use, slow-motion mode, which makes disarming police (which is a little tricky) and large jumps a little easier. Faith has a few punches and a jump kick, but they aren’t always effective. Since there is an achievement for beating the game without firing a gun, it seems like EA wants you to disarm and evade.

Since there is no gun on the screen, there isn’t a central focal point for the player, which might make some players dizzy. However, EA has cleverly made up for this by adding a tiny recital to the centre of the screen. One thing you should probably ignore is the odd building architecture. Occasionally, you will find yourself in a room that serves no purpose, but has half-finished steel platform, a flagpole, and an open duct. In-between chapters and leading the story, is a Samurai-Jack-esque animation that compliments the game’s comic book style art. While the bulk of the game looks great, the movements of the characters using the Unreal 3 Engine are not as fluid, nor are the characters faces as expressive.

The story itself is weak. The foundation of a great story rests on its characters, but the focus of this game is the city; Faith seems more like an afterthought. The basic outline is that Faith’s sister (who is a cop) has been setup for murder. Our hero Faith promises to discover the truth, and fortunately has the skills and support to do so. You don’t get any insight into the sister’s relationship, or any of Faith’s for that matter, you must take the names of their relationships “sister,” “handler,” and make assumptions on what these connections mean. That being said, the story servers well enough since it provides a constant driving force to run.

Missing the timing on a jump, redoing the same thing over, and over can get a little frustrating. This is a problem for almost all platformers, but at least the checkpoints in this game are fairly well placed. However, a word of advice – if you’re trying to go somewhere and finding it too difficult, you’re probably going the wrong way. This game is not hard. If you are stuck, there are some great Youtube walkthroughs.

Another complaint you’ve undoubtedly heard is that the game only takes six or eight hours to complete, and doesn’t offer much in the way of replay value, other than collecting hidden bags, or playing the time trials. Consider yourself warned. If you’re not one to buy a lot of games, you might choose this for a rental instead, or borrow it from a friend. It doesn’t change the bottom-line, this is a must-play. Mirror’s Edge is fantasy candy. If you were a fan of the opening scene in The Matrix where Trinity is escaping the police, and thought, “Whoa,” then this is definitely a game you should try.

Olá, queridos leitores. Aqui estou eu mais  uma vez, para dizer que quem quiser ler a mais nova análise de Mirror’s Edge pode encontrá-la aqui.

Muitos de você podem estar se perguntando “Mas o Mirror’s Edge não ia vir em forma de videoanálise?” Bem, meus amigos, acontece que, pelo que eu descobri a duras penas, videoanálises ainda estão um pouco acima da minha capacidade (leia-se tempo livre). Além disso, pelo que eu reparei, as análises em texto passam todas as mensagens que eu quero sem o menor problema. Então, para que se preocupar com o vídeo? Logo, façamos um acordo, querido leitor: quando eu tiver mais tempo disponível, e se por acaso eu achar necessário para passar a mensagem que eu quiser, as videoanálises terão início. Combinado? Ótimo então.

Sabe, eu realmente gostei do Mirror’s Edge, porque é um jogo de Le Parkour. E eu gosto de Le Parkour. O que, você não sabe o que é isso? Bem:

Parkour (por vezes abreviado como PK) ou l’art du déplacement (em português: arte do deslocamento) é uma atividade cujo princípio é mover-se de um ponto a outro o mais rápida e eficientemente possível, usando principalmente as habilidades do corpo humano. Criado para ajudar a superar obstáculos de qualquer natureza no ambiente circundante — desde galhos e pedras até grades e paredes de concreto — e pode ser praticado em áreas rurais e urbanas. Homens que praticam parkour são reconhecidos como traceur e mulheres como traceuses. O parkour foi fundado pelo francês David Belle.

Enfim, eu encontrei esse vídeo na Internet, pra exemplificar bastante:

Também tem esse aqui:

Seria muito legal eu fazer isso, mas precisa de mais preparo físico do que eu tenho no momento. Quem sabe num futuro não muito distante. Até mais!

Gamers Forcing EA To Return To Old Ways

by dkpatriarch

© 2009 David Hilton

Remember the bad old EA so many of us gamers spent oodles of time criticising?

EA was the big time publisher that made huge amounts of cash off only releasing games from their pre-existing IPs (Intellectual Properties) like Medal Of Honor, Battlefield, and Burnout, their yearly sports ‘updates’, and off movie licenses like James Bond and Lord Of The Rings.

Most of the games were good, and some of them were bad, but what annoyed many of us the most was that they were being safe and not bothering to try and bring creative new gaming experiences, especially to consoles.  They had the money and the clout to try and be fresh and innovative, but they were just sitting back because they could.

Then they changed.  But now huge financial losses and a layoff of 1,500 staff may herald the end of their positive experiment into new IPs and innovation and a return to the old EA business model.

And it’s our fault.

While EA Games were changing their attitude and creating new IP games like Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Brutal Legend, and The Saboteur, the other big publishers like Microsoft (Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Halo 3, Halo: ODST), Ubisoft (Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Avatar), and Activision (Wolfenstein, Modern Warfare 2, Shrek, Spider Man, X-Men) seem to have adopted EA’s previous philosophy particularly this year after the financial crisis.

Sure there are exceptions like Endwar by Ubisoft and Prototype by Activision, but on the whole the games have been sequels or film tie-ins.

But this problem is not just due to the financial crisis.

As I wrote last year, EA didn’t sell enough of either Dead Space or Mirror’s Edge, despite both games being critically acclaimed by the gaming media.  At the time I argued that their releasing the games during the busy end of year rush was to blame, with new IPs not getting a look in next to the better known titles.

While I still agree with that statement, with some exceptions like the original Assassin’s Creed, a lot of new IPs haven’t done so well this generation next to their sequel or movie tie-in counterparts.  And it hasn’t always been a question of quality.

The top selling Xbox 360 games so far are:

1. Halo 3 (8.1 million)

Big name sequels sell

2. Gears of War (5 million)

3. Gears of War 2 (5 million)

4. Grand Theft Auto IV (4 million)

5. Call Of Duty 4 (3.77 million)

6. Call Of Duty: World At War (3.35 million)

7. Forza 2 (2.6 million)

8. Fable 2 (2.6 million)

9. Halo: ODST (2.5 million)

10. Assassin’s Creed (2.28 million)

Of those titles, only the original Gears of War and Assassin’s Creed were new IPs.  The story is only slightly different for the 360’s major competitor, Sony’s PS3, which has Motorstorm, the original Uncharted, the original Resistance, and Heavenly Sword in their top 1o.

While many gamers demand innovation and new IPs, the reality is that it is a hit or miss risk for the publishers.  Ubisoft last generation released the wacky but highly praised Beyond Good & Evil, only to see the gamers shun it.

And this is why I say it is our fault.  We will happily fork out extra cash over usual retail price for Modern Warfare 2, but Dead Space, despite great reviews and price cuts soon after, was not attractive enough.  Mirror’s Edge, despite giving us the innovation many craved, scared off many gamers who instead forked out for Gears of War 2.

What chance has Brutal Legend got against MW 2?

Brutal Legend, also highly regarded by most critics, as of October 24 apparently has sold 370,710 copies on both consoles.

EA went out on a limb and tried to change its image and corporate strategy to expand its gaming philosophy beyond sequels, sports title rehashes, and movie tie-ins, and did we support that after all our winging?  No.

The situation is that the average gamer has limited funds and may not play as many games as the hardcore.  The casual gamer will buy whatever they know will give them the fix of fun they are after and don’t follow the updates and innovations of new IPs.  They see Mirror’s Edge or Dead Space and think- never heard of it.

The Call of Duty or Halo series on the other hand is not only well known, but is in a genre that is easy to identify and play and their friends are likely to also have it.

This gives big publishers who have the funds to create strong new innovative games less incentive to do so.  Creatively, I’m sure their staff would love to try new things, but the risk outweighs the potential benefits, especially now.  They are more likely to try mini new things within an existing franchise, like the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction is.

Which brings me back to EA going back to what they were before.

In January EA CEO John Riccitiello said:

I also believe that there is no inherent conflict between great creativity and achieving strong profitability – I believe they go hand in hand.

This is a business and much of our success will be measured with a calculator – sales, revenue, profit and improving shareholder value. There is also a qualitative aspect of our industry. Making games we can be proud of. Pushing boundaries. I believe the quantitative and the qualitative measures go well together.

However, he now looks to be saying that EA will be concentrating on known franchises, some to be released twice a year:

Electronic Arts has a core slate of games label and sports franchises that we will iterate on a either annual or bi-annual basis. And I think you know what those major titles are – all of them are selling or have sold in their most recent edition 2m units or more.

What does this mean for innovation in the gaming industry?  Well to me it looks like innovation will now be mostly focused within existing franchises and, increasingly, in the casual market where the big publishers expect bigger returns for less cost.

Innovation Future?

So for example Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s motion controller will seem to publishers as a safer investment in finding ways to innovate for a larger gamer and casual market.

Innovation will also come to gamers in smaller form like downloaded Xbox Live Arcade or Sony PSN games, and the even portable gaming like the Iphone and DSi.  Some of these might make a big enough name for themselves to get a bigger budget version for the consoles, but they would be sequels.

If it turns out to be true that EA and the other publishers shy away from new IPs in the future and we are still playing Call of Duty 15, really we only have ourselves to blame.

But then it seems most gamers are quite happy with their sequels, and so perhaps that’s fair enough.  For me, though, new upcoming IP games like Alan Wake and Heavy Rain seem more interesting, even if I’m still staying fairly cautious about them.

What do you think? Comment below.

© 2009 David Hilton

Looking back through some old articles I came across this list of the best single player games on PS3: Linkage.

This list was only written in April and yet the time since has probably been the best 6 months of my gaming ‘career.’

Not only have some fantastic solo player campaigns been released but I have also caught up on some single player epics I missed when they came out.

I knew the list needed to be extended and improved, as too many great single player games were missing.

So here you go – the top 10 is now a top 20 and any game from the initial list has it’s original chart position in brackets. You can also check out my full reviews (where possible) by clicking the title of each game:

20. PROTOTYPE

In Prototype you take on the role of Alex Mercer as he awakens during his autopsy ,wondering what the hell is going on. He quickly escapes, realising he now has various superpowers.

Mercer needs to find out what the hell has happened to him and why New York is infected with a virus that has turned half the population into zombies.

Prototype is definitely a game worth playing despite it’s various faults – it was a blast to play through if a little frustrating at times.

19. RESISTANCE 2

After saving England in the previous installment Hale is back in business to rescue the U S of A – since his incapacitation the Chimera have launched a full attack on America and Hale, as part of the Sentinal squad (made up of soldiers injected with the Chimera virus but kept under control), have to step in and stop them in their tracks.

A hard hitting but fun first person shooter.

18. MIRROR’S EDGE (10)

Mirror’s Edge wowed everyone with it’s crisp, clean graphics and it’s unique first person perspective.

The view takes a while to get used to and it had a few really annoying parts where it was difficult to time jumps etc because of the view but Mirror’s Edge is certainly worth playing through as it offers a style of gameplay that is totally unique in the current games market.

17. RAINBOW SIX VEGAS (9)

If you like your first person shooters with a bit of brain behind the brawn then Rainbow Six Vegas may be the game for you.

With a good old fashioned SAS vs Terrorists style plot and lots of fun set pieces Rainbow Six Vegas is definitely worth a shot.

16. RESIDENT EVIL 5

For all it’s faults Resident Evil 5, taken as a whole, is a brilliant game and one that I would recommend. Graphically it’s stunning and while it isn’t a hugely difficult game you’ll enjoy playing through and unravelling the story.

It survives the huge expectation of following Resident Evil 4… just. This is a game that everyone should play as Resi comes to the new generation of consoles.

15. KANE AND LYNCH (8) 

You take control of Adam ‘Kane’ Marcus, a criminal on his way to death row for crimes committed in Venezeula. Kane is busted out of his prison van by a mysterious group called The7 who he worked with previously. They think Kane stole the money from their last job and stashed it somewhere.

If he doesn’t get them the money back in three weeks his wife and daughter will be killed. Kane claims he doesn’t know where it is but he does know who took the cash and will hunt them down. And so begins a thoroughly enjoyable ride into the desperate life of Kane…

14. BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY

Chock full of explosions and with some really impressive destruction of buildings etc, Battlefield: Bad Company is like a huge big budget Hollywood blockbuster.

It’s a great, mindless blast of a game. Add some memorable characters into the mix and you’ve got yourself a very enjoyable, and playable, package.

13. HEAVENLY SWORD (7)

Another game that didn’t garner the respect it deserves, primarily because it didn’t live up to the pre-release hype.

If you like God Of War you will like this game as it’s similar in style but it looks gorgeous in HD and I believe did a few bits (combos/blocking etc) better than the first two God Of War games.

12. ASSASSIN’S CREED (6)

In Assassin’s Creed you play through Desmond Mile’s repressed ancestrial memories as Altair in the Medieval Holy Land (with brief interludes as Desmond struggling to find out what is going on in the present day).

You will need to research targets and carry out assassinations using a variety of options – sword, hidden blade, knife etc.

This game is great fun and I’m looking forward to the sequel which is on it’s way shortly.

11. GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME

Ghostbusters: The Video Game’s plot is essentially the third movie – set in 1991 you’re a rookie who’s been drafted in to help with the ever increasing ghost workload. A huge paranormal blast sets off a chain of events that only one group of guys can deal with…

For me Ghostbusters was a short (5 hour) game that had me chuckling and geeking out despite it’s flaws – it won’t be to everyone’s tastes but it has a good single player storyline.

10. KILLZONE 2 (5)

Killzone 2’s biggest achievement is, possibly because of the brilliant graphics, sound and AI, that you feel involved and become embedded in the Killzone universal whenever you pick up the pad.

It’s not perfect by any means but it’s easily the best first person shooter I’ve played and I recommend anyone with a remote interest in this genre to check this out immediately!

9. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

With some wonderful voice acting from the cast of the animated series, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s story moves at a good pace and familiar enemies are used to good effect throughout.

With such a vivid setting and a memorable selection of bad guys from Batman’s career it’s no surprise that Arkham Asylum is such a great game.

Despite the odds being stacked against it, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a quality title that has had a lot of care put into making it. I’d recommend this to anyone.

8. INFAMOUS

So good it’s the only game this generation I’ve played through twice (seeing it’s rating bumped from 8/10 to 9/10), Infamous is a great game.

You control Cole McGrath, a courier who just happens to be carrying a package containing an electronic bomb when it goes off, devasting the city. Somehow Cole survives and, after coming out of a coma, realises the explosion has given him electrical superpowers.

From there on out the city is your oyster and there is plenty to do as you try to track down the people behind the explosion.

7. BIOSHOCK

Bioshock has a great story to tell and it does it well with some interesting objectives and brilliantly designed levels.

There are several twists and turns in the plot, most of which are not obvious and it’s no surprise to me that a film version is in the works (although I believe currently suspended due to budget concerns).

Dark worlds like Rapture aren’t to everyone’s tastes but you really would be missing out on an awesome story if you decided not to book a trip to the underwater city.

6. GRAND THEFT AUTO IV  (4)

One the biggest selling games of this generation GTA IV features the fortunes (and lack therof) of Niko Bellic – an immigrant arriving in the US at Liberty City to find empty promises and broken dreams from his cousin Roman.

As you work your way up the criminal ladder you’ll encounter all sort of dodgy characters and befriend even more.

Liberty City is a wonderful, if run down, place and Niko Bellic’s story is one you will enjoy playing through so make sure you pick this game up as soon as possible.

5. FALLOUT 3

After a tough few hours at the start you will find yourself rewarded greatly for sticking with this awesome FPS / RPG.

The story line sprawls across the world depending on your actions and you’ll find yourself taking a break from main missions to explore the wasteland or help out other characters.

I could go on and on about various things that happened and how cool it was, how great the story was or whatever.

But Fallout 3 is a game that needs to be experienced first hand and your story will no doubt play out differently to mine.

4. METAL GEAR SOLID 4  (3)

Hideo Kojima’s tale of Solid Snake’s final mission is a brilliant showcase of the Playstation 3’s power.

This is a game that often gives you three or four different ways of approaching things – whether you realise it or not.

Metal Gear Solid 4 rewards those patient enough to stick with it by giving them a great gaming experience, with some memorable boss battles, that they won’t forget.

3. DEAD SPACE (2)

Coming on somewhere between Event Horizon and Aliens, Dead Space is a third person survival horror game.

You take on the role of Isaac Clarke, a ship engineer who finds himself trapped onboard a stricken spaceship infested with an alien outbreak which is threatening to take over the ship.

This was one of the best games I played last year, it’s use of sound is immense and the fear of the unexpected they create is awesome.

I am not a big fan of horror movies or being made to jump all the time but Dead Space kept on the right side of all that by being unpredictable enough to be enjoyable as a ‘horror’ experience.

2. UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE (1)

Uncharted maps the  journey of Nathan Drake as he tries to find the lost treasure of El Dorado encountering, among other things, rival treasure hunters and mercenaries.

The graphics are unbelievable and the gameplay is well paced and well thought out. The characters and story and really well conceived and Nolan North, who voices Drake, is absolutely spot on with his irreverent humour and wisecracks.

At its heart Uncharted is an action adventure game much in the vein of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider but, and I say this as a fan of both of these, it is better than either of them.

1. UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES

Uncharted 2 is a complete gaming package. There is plenty of taking out bad guys, lots of puzzles and some wonderful dialogue.

Naughty Dog really have done a great job on the voice acting and the expressiveness of the character models. It is easily the best I’ve come across (though Heavenly Sword was a close second).

I won’t spoil the story but for those who don’t know, Nathan Drake gets pulled back into that murky world of treasure hunting for hire. I loved the story of this game – with a few twists I saw coming and a few I didn’t.

If you own a PS3 there is no reason not to own this game – if you only have an XBox 360 or Wii then get yourself a PS3 Slim and enjoy one of the most finely crafted games I’ve ever experienced.

—————————————————————————————————————

So it’s a double for Nathan Drake as he takes the top two spots with his exploration adventures.

With 5 new games in the top ten it’s great to see the wide variety of game styles on offer to PS3 owners these days.

Hopefully people out there will find this list helpful – feel free to drop me some comments below on the games or if you’d have put anything else in the list?

Mike Posner brought me out as a surprise guest for his CMJ showcase at S.O.B’s in NYC to perform the Mirror’s Edge (Remix). I reached out to Bun B and he said he would’ve made it if I hit him earlier. Crazy!!!

Next time.

Am Donnerstag, dem 29.10.2009, wurden auf der animago CONFERENCE die Gewinner des wichtigsten Wettbewerbs für Digital Content Creation (DCC) mit dem animago AWARD ausgezeichnet.

Der animago AWARD wurde in diesem Jahr zum 13. Mal vom Fachmagazin DIGITAL PRODUCTION – mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Medienboards Berlin Brandenburg und den Sponsoren AVID, Chaos Group, eyeon, Maxon, Mackevision, PNY, 3Dconnexion – veranstaltet. Unter den Einsendungen für den animago AWARD 2009 befanden sich sowohl nationale als auch internationale Beiträge. Insgesamt sind über 1000 Beiträge aus mehr als Ländern eingegangen. Aus allen Beiträgen wurden von einer Jury aus Spezialisten der DCC-Branche die Gewinnerbeiträge ausgewählt. Zudem wurde der Leserpreis der DIGITAL PRODUCTION an die beste internationale Kinoproduktion, den Pixar-Film „Oben“, vergeben.

Die diesjährige Preisverleihung fand im Rahmen der animago AWARD & CONFERENCE statt. Die animago CONFERENCE wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit Lichtblick 4D ausgerichtet. Die Neukonzeption des animago AWARD hat voll überzeugt. Die Veranstaltung hat gezeigt, welchen Stellenwert die 3D-Branche in der Gesellschaft hat. Alles ist digital. Die Artists der animago-Beiträge sind Kreative auf höchstem technischen und künstlerischem Niveau, die eine Anerkennung verdienen.

Die Preisträger sind:

animago AWARD – Beste Film- und TV-Produktion

Produktion „Die Chroniken von Narnia, Prinz Kaspian“ (Wassereffekte)

Artists: Scanline

Primäre 3D-Software: 3ds Max, solidThinking

Ein komplett aus Wasser bestehender „Rivergod“ erhebt sich aus einem Fluss und zerstört eine Holzbrücke, die gerade von einer Armee überquert wird. Der Rivergod sowie die Wassersimulation des Flusses wurden mit dem Scanline-eigenen Fluidsystem „Flowline“ realisiert. CG-Comparsen auf der Brücke incl. Reiter, die Brücke nebst Distruction-Set wurden mit 3ds Max und VRay sowie diversen externen und hauseigenen Rigid Body Simulationssystemen realisiert.

animago AWARD – Bester Kurzfilm

Produktion „The Kinematographer“

Artist: Tomek Baginski, Platige Image

Primäre 3D-Software: 3ds Max, VIZ, Lightwave, Maya, solidThinking

Inhalt: Der Kurzfilm spielt in einem kleinen englischen Dorf in der viktorianischen Zeit. Erfinder Francis bastelt erfolglos an seinem Kinematographen herum. Sein großes Ziel ist es dabei, die Welt durch die Erfindung des Films zu reformieren. Unglücklicherweise fokussiert er sich viel zu sehr auf sein Projekt, dass er darüber sein ganzes Umfeld, vor allem seine Beziehung, vergisst. Als schließlich sein Kinematograph tadellos funktioniert, verstirbt seine geliebte Ehefrau an Tuberkulose. Gebrochen erstarrt Francis in Trauer und veröffentlicht seine Erfindung nicht – bis die Bruder Lumiere im Jahr 1895 ihm zuvorkommen.

animago AWARD – Bestes Game-Design

Produktion „ Mirror’s Edge“

Artist: Electronic Arts GmbH, Dice

Inhalt: In einer Stadt, in der sämtliche Kommunikation strengstens überwacht wird, transportieren flinke Kuriere, die „Runner“, sensible Daten an neugierigen Blicken vorbei. In diesem scheinbar utopischen Paradies wurde ein Verbrechen begangen, deine Schwester wurde hintergangen und jetzt wirst du gejagt. Du bist die Runnerin Faith und dieses innovative Action-Adventure in der Ego-Perspektive erzählt deine Geschichte. In Mirror’s Edge schlüpfst du in die Haut dieser einzigartigen Heldin, während sie die Stadt in schwindelerregenden Höhen durchquert, atemberaubende Kämpfe führt und sich rasante Verfolgungsjagden mit ihren Gegnern liefert. Durch das unvergleichliche Bewegungsgefühl und die einzigartig intensive Perspektive wirst du mitten in Faiths Welt hineingezogen – eine Welt, die intuitiv, unmittelbar und extrem gefährlich ist.

animago AWARD – Beste Werbeproduktion

Produktion: AUDI TDI „Filter“

Artist: Henrik von Müller, INFECTED Postproduction GmbH

Primäre 3D-Software: Softimage

Inhalt: Mit dem „TDI Clean Diesel-System“ hat Audi den saubersten Dieselmotor der Welt entwickelt. Die Aufgabe bestand darin, diesen technisch komplizierten Prozess im Katalysator einfach und dramatisch zu erzählen und dafür eine völlig neue visuelle Sprache zu finden. Die Grundidee für den Spot war einfach: Aus einem Alphabet werden 97 % aller Buchstaben gefiltert, 3 % kommen am Ende durch und zwar T, D und I. Wichtig war es den Filter an sich – nicht als ein technisch, abstraktes Gerät darzustellen, sondern viel mehr seine Funktion mit Hilfe einer außergewöhnlich Bildsprache sichtbar zu machen.

animago AWARD – Beste Mobil-Produktion

Produktion „iKitty“

Artist: Thorsten Rauser, the binary family

Inhalt: Sie schnurrt, sie faucht, sie frisst – iKitty erinnert ein wenig an Garfield, der vierpfotige Schnurrbartträger lebt aber auf dem iPhone. Der virtuelle Katzenhalter hat verschiedene Möglichkeiten, das Kätzchen bei Laune zu halten. Tut man das nicht und setzt iKitty zum Beispiel einem Schleudertrauma aus, beendet das derart malträtierte Kätzchen einfach das Programm – eine halbe Stunde muss man warten, bis sich iKitty wieder streicheln und füttern lässt.

animago AWARD – Beste Nachwuchsproduktion

Produktion „Trickster“

Artists: Alexander Pohl

Primäre 3D-Software: VIZ, Maya

Der Zirkusclown, als digitaler Charakter zu einer Kunstfigur stilisiert, die bereits Fellini in seinem Film „The Clowns“ begraben hat, ist Ausgangspunkt dieses Animationsfilmes. Das Duo Dummer August und Weißer Clown tritt getrennt auf, repräsentativ für eine zunehmend polarisierte Welt, die durchsetzt ist von Normen und Regeln. Als unfreiwilliger Clown auf die Leinwand eines Kinos projiziert und von einem ahnungslosen Publikum auf voyeuristische Art und Weise beobachtet und gedemütigt, findet er schließlich zu sich selbst und seinem Archetyp, dem sogenannten Trickster.

animago AWARD – Beste Interaktive Produktion

Produktion: MINI Cabrio: Weltpremiere in Ihren Händen!

Artists: BUZZIN MONKEY: Stefan Becker

die agentour GmbH: Peter Linke

AR-Umsetzung: metaio GmbH

Primäre 3D-Software: metaio Unifeye Viewer

Inhalt: Noch weit vor offiziellem Handelsstart des neuen MINI Cabrio, zum offiziellen Kommunikationsstart, feiert das Fahrzeug seine Weltpremiere – dieses Mal an einem ganz besonderen Ort: Direkt in den Händen der Menschen! Mithilfe der Technik Augmented Reality wurde die Verbindung zwischen Print und 3D-Content geschaffen. Als Träger diente eine spezielle Anzeige. Hält der User diese Anzeige unter mini.de/webcam in die Webcam, erscheint das MINI Cabrio als virtuelles Modell. Der Clou: Die 3D-Daten sind mit dem Live-Bild verknüpft. Der User kann das Fahrzeug also selbst drehen, Details ansehen, wie er es möchte. Live und in Echtzeit!

animago AWARD – Beste Postproduktion

Produktion „ Assassin’s Creed 2 Game Cinematic“

Artists: Digic Pictures

Primäre 3D-Software: VIZ, Maya

Assassin’s Creed II ist der Nachfolger des Titels, der als schnellst verkaufte neue Marke in die Videospiel-Geschichte einging. Der mit Spannung erwartete Nachfolger präsentiert einen neuen Helden namens Ezio Auditore da Firenze, einen jungen italienischen Adligen, und eine neue Ära – die italienische Renaissance, mit all ihren kulturellen Errungenschaften und dunklen Seiten. Assassin’s Creed II erzählt eine epische Geschichte über Familie, Rache und Verschwörung. Schauplatz ist das Italien der Renaissance, eine Epoche, die Meilensteine der Kunst hervorbrachte, aber auch Schattenseiten voller Korruption und Habgier beinhaltete. Ezio freundet sich mit Leonardo da Vinci an, bekommt es mit den mächtigsten Familien in Florenz zu tun und wandelt durch die Kanäle Venedigs, wo er alles lernt, um ein Meister-Assassine zu werden.

animago AWARD – Beste Visualisierung

Produktion „Porsche Museum »Porsche 917«“

Artists: Ingo Zirngibl, Jörg Stierle, Marcos Zervallos, Olivier Passemard, jangled nerves gmbh

Primäre 3D-Software: Maya, solidThinking

Der Höhepunkt in der Porsche Rennsportgeschichte stellt die 917-Ära dar. Innerhalb eines kurzen Zeitraums Anfang der siebziger Jahre wurde unter höchster Geheimhaltung eine Rennsportlegende kreiert, die die Marke binnen kurzer Zeit vom David zum unbesiegbaren Goliath der 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans wie auch der amerikanischen Canam-Rennserie machte.

animago AWARD – Sonderpreis der Jury

Produktion „Engel zu Fuß“

Artists: Jakob Schuh, Saschka Unseld, Studio Soi GmbH & Co.KG

Primäre 3D-Software: Maya

„Engel zu Fuß“ beschreibt die Geschichte des Engels Waltraud, der vom Himmel gefallen ist, weil ihre Flügel zu klein geraten sind.

animago AWARD – Bestes virtuelles Foto/Still

Produktion: Hausnummer 42

Artist: Verdi Voß

Primäre 3D-Software: Cinema 4D

Inhalt: „42“ ist laut Autor Douglas Adams die Antwort auf die Frage nach dem Universum, dem Leben und allem. Ob wir über das 3D-Still von Verdi Voß mehr Auskunft zu diesem philosophischen Ansatz finden, ist fraglich. Klar ist jedoch: „Hausnummer 42“ ist ein perfekter Spiegel der Wirklichkeit, der allerdings nicht affektiert aufpoliert wurde, sondern seine natürlichen und alltäglichen Schlieren des urbanen Lebens trägt. Damit reflektiert das digitale Werk dem Auge des Betrachtes eine herausragende Authentizität.

This game is so fucking pretty yet so fucking shittily designed that it makes me want to shoot up the EA offices for the umpteenth time. Watch the video. At least you can get some laughs out of my misery.

This song is my jam. Nuff said.

Sometimes it’s difficult to stay angry with someone, despite all the shit they pulled because you realize they’re complete morons. And it’s impossible to argue with them because they’ll never admit wrong, and they’ll never change, and they’ll keep thinking they’re right till a few years later when they grow up and see the mistakes now as the stupidity it really is.

I’ve just completed Mirror’s Edge a few days back. Looking over the screenshots I took now I can almost hear the theme music, over the rushing wind, and I’m reminded again of how absolutely sublime the game, as an experience, was.

It’s extremely hard to explain what grabs you about the game. The plot is laughably weak. It’s short. And yet in between the short bursts of fluid movement where I jumped over fences in a tight sweep, slid below pipes and ran up walls; that hanging pause when I twist back and jump off a wall to a safe ledge it’s a moment where I feel like I’m there, being Faith. And all the acrobatics are me, me speeding through the buildings to the red end.It is in these moments where the game really becomes more than a series of interactive pictures on the screen, and everything in it feels real beneath your fingers.

There are times where I play the game and I pause to take stock of my settings because they were absolutely gorgeous. The game has the best use of colors I’ve seen in any game thus far, and every time I’m playing it it’s still able to blow me away with just clean corridors and simple office decor.

I’m back.

I really enjoyed playing through Mirror’s Edge.  It’s a fairly typical story of a fallen utopian future but I found it engrossing enough, the focus is on the action though.  Not combat like most games, but simply movement, and lots of it.  Some of the level design is a little off, but visually it is very impressive.

What I wanted to write a little about today was Mirror’s Edge’s art-style.  Primary colours (plus two secondary) contrasted with white form the very simple, yet striking colour palette.  These colours form the objects, but it’s the black that creates the detail.  The grain of metal pipes, the stippling on the ceiling tiles and general tarnish, no surface is completely clear.  Lots of rough, uneven concrete surfaces help add to the intimation of an industrial society, they might have some clever architects but when it comes to the actual construction it’s all about cost, long-term durability and simplicity.  And the scaffolding that is dotted all around shows a city on the move, constantly developing and changing.

Some games manage great outdoor environments but falter indoor, or vice-versa, but Mirror’s Edge handles both very well.  They are very different, outdoor it’s about scale and expansiveness whereas the indoors are tight and claustrophobic.  The transition can be a slight shock as you come crashing through a door, whether this is a good shock or a bad shock is down to your personal perspective.

One exception to this opposing situation is the shopping hall, although it has it’s tight sections the main thoroughfare feels more like the outdoor sections.  It is deceptively grand however, your movement is constricted, it uses vertical height and high ceilings to make you think it’s much bigger.  This isn’t a criticism, it’s positive.  Games will always be restrictive in one way or another, and anything that creates an illusion as to otherwise is doing a good job.  (What people don’t like is where you can make it less restrictive but choose to trick the player instead.)

I’ve read various comments about design, some people hate it, but personally I like it.  It’s not often a game makes you stop and take in your surroundings, Mirror’s Edge was one of them for me though.  The beautiful blue sky, the crisp clean buildings, the scale and height, they all come together very well.  I suppose it could be a little over designed for some people, it’s pretty obvious the developers wanted to make the game pretty and sometimes you can try a little too hard.

There was something about the red environments that doesn’t look quite as good to me though.  I’m not sure what it is but  It could be to do with the brightness of the colours, Yellow, Orange and the Green used are bright colours and Blue is a much more calming colour, Red is much more provocative.  It might also have something to do with the Runner vision that highlights your way, previously in the game you were keeping an eye out for any red, so when you encounter a room full of it there is a sensory overload.

Mirror’s Edge could have had much more realistic visuals, but I don’t think the game would have been as impressive.  For a lot of the game the only challenge you face comes from the environments, so it is right that they should have a personality of their own.  Sometimes this comes from complexity, other times from simplicity.  With the latter there is always the danger that things will become too simple, and it will all blur together losing its focus.  I do think Mirror’s Edge has a few level design issues, but when it comes to the art-style I think they did a fantastic job.

I shall close with a few comments about the game itself.  As I said at the start I really enjoyed playing through Mirror’s Edge.  I played in a very relaxed way, working through a couple of chapters per day and was slightly sad when it ended, although the timing did feel right.  There are very few games about parkour, and I think Mirror’s Edge is possibly the only one to get it right.  You might think this kind of game would work better with a third-person perspective (there is actually a hack for that) but first-person does have its advantages, it keeps you focused on where you’re going rather than moving through the environment.  There is a startling amount of freedom in how you perform these actions, there is very little in the code that restricts what you can perform, where.  You might not be able to go anywhere once you climb on that little roof, but you still have the freedom to do it.  Which brings me onto my first criticism, linearity.  Freedom is an illusion, this mantra used in many films such as The Matrix and Instinct applies to Mirror’s Edge, you are locked to a fairly strict path through the levels.  There are areas where you have an element of choice but for the most part you’re stuck on the path.  This all comes down to your perspective on linear games, many hail the Half-Life series as the epitome of gaming, but many others hate the lack of choice.  For myself, I like experiencing linear games, having a route set that guarantees (mostly) you will encounter something fun.  I like being swept along with the story, I just can’t play them over and over the same as I am with books.

The second criticism I have is with the combat, now for a mostly non-violent game about running across roof-tops you could understand they would want to make fighting difficult to discourage you.  It’s nice to have some conflict though, rather than unassailable enemies, so there are some combat options, but I could never get the hang of immobilising an opponent.  In order to correctly disarm an opponent you have to press the right mouse button when the weapon turns red.  I’m not sure if this might be some kind of lag at my end (possibly in my brain…) but it never seemed to register, I tried pressing as soon as it turned red, just before and right at the last minute and nothing seemed to work consistently.  Which is a shame because I thought the weapons were pretty good, this is not an FPS and that’s the way the weapons are designed, provided you get a weapon quickly it’s possible to take out a small group but anything larger is intentionally difficult.  I don’t remember ever being in a situation where I couldn’t run, I simply chose not too. 

I do agree with what I read in several reviews about the animated cut-scenes, on their own they would be very nice, but it was a strange contrast to the rest of the game.  It might have something to do with the character models, the environments were stunning but something didn’t quite feel right about the people.  There was a similar situation with some of the characters in Crysis.  But that’s being very picky, and most of your time is spent on the run anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised with the ending (SPOILERS AHEAD – skip this paragraph), when you step out onto the roof-top and see Jacknife holding Kate alarm bells started going off in my head.  Something about his position and the layout of the roof tingled my gaming sense, I had been in similar situations before and could sense an overly-complicated Boss fight was on it’s way.  But happily I was proven wrong, it was simple and very quick but still managed to feel like a conclusion.

So, what about a sequel?  One has been confirmed.  The ending was definitely open enough for the story to continue, however I don’t know if I want there to be a sequel.  I’m not sure if it was just the way I played it through, but to me it felt complete, there’s always more to tell but sometimes you shouldn’t.  From a ‘did I enjoy the first’ perspective I’d love there to be more, so I think I’ll just wait for reviews.  If they are very positive then I probably will play it, but if it’s just average or slightly positive I might give it a miss, to preserve the feeling of the original.

The outstanding Kilchurn Sessions by Todos, just keep coming. We’re at number 7 and disappointment isn’t a word this guy knows. Once again the tracklisting reads like a dream festival line-up. A heavy dose of Sigur Ros / Jonsi & Alex, a classic from FSOL, one of my favourite M83 tracks, all ending on a great edit of Orbital’s Halcyon.

View the original source to download.

1. Sigur Ros – Ba Ba
2. Helios – First Dream Called Ocean
3. Apparat – Negro Modelo
4. Tycho – Adrift Edit
5. Helios – Vargtimme
6. Jonsi & Alex – Happiness
7. M83- You Appearing
8. Slam – Subject Invisible
9. Glen McArdle – Miller & Rollnick
10. Abdomen Burst – Syntagma (Negative Neutron Mix)
11. Jonsi & Alex – Boy 1904
12. Ekkehard Ehlers – John Cassavetes (2)
13. Alla Farmer – Elektike Sunrize
14. Alva Noto- Xerrox Tek (Part 1)
15. 2562 – Redux
16. Mirrors Edge – Ropeburn
17. Gianluca Angelini – E
18. The Future Sound Of London – Lizzard Crawl
19. RJD2 – Chicken-Bone Circuit / Orbital – Halcyon+On+On Edit

See here for Kilchurn Sessions 1-4, here for session 5 & 6, (Session 6 link is in the comments).

Mirror’s Edge 2: Faith’s Redemption

EXT. ROOFTOP – NIGHT

FAITH and her sister KATE are still hugging, behind them the helicopter spinning out of control, heading for the streets below.

FAITH
I’m so glad I rescued you, my sister Kate.

KATE
Thank you Faith. You’ve shown me how evil and corrupt THE SYSTEM is. And together we can take it down.

Below them, the helicopter crashes into an orphanage.

FAITH
Look at their disregard for human life. They make me sick.

KATE
Will it even make the news?

FAITH
If you can hear it through all that EVIL ADVERTISING.

A COP runs up to them.

COP
Excuse me, was it you who caused that helicopter accident?

KATE
My God, did I used to sound so misguided?

COP
I’m going to have to arrest you, I’m afraid.

Faith attacks the Cop, beating him over the head with a bit of pipe repeatedly while he screams. The Cop’s wife and children watch, crying. Eventually the Cop stops moving.

FAITH
THE SYSTEM is corrupt and we have to stop it. Come on, Kate. I’ll teach you how to Run. Because only by Running can we uncover the evil secrets behind those EVIL CORPORATIONS.

KATE
Show me.

They leap off the building together, into the first level.

I don’t really play video games all that often, and when I do its usually just the occasional CoD4 on Xbox Live.  I got a chance to try out a new game since i’ve had so much free time lately, along with the weather being extremely crappy.  I’d heard alot about the game “Mirror’s Edge”, but i didnt really know much about it.  All i heard was compliments on it, and that it won Game Of The Year from E3.  Short version of the story, this game got me hooked.  It’s not your traditional cookie-cutter action game, and it’s got a game-plot that I’ve never really seen before.  The story was awesome, and its a relatively uncomplicated game to play (but still fun). Best game i’ve played in quite a while. If you have time on your hands, check this one out. Here’s a little trailer for it.

Sunday is an odd day for me. I almost use it as a gutter for all the work I said I was going to do mid-week. Its my one last chance to review that game or write this gaming feature before the week starts again, when I will most certainly feel guilty about not doing it. Most times I’ll turn on my laptop with the best of intentions and wind up playing games instead.

Well no more. I’ve decided to make this routine work via a little series I’d like to call ‘Lazy Sundays’, where I blog about the wonderous games I’ve unearthed during my procrastination, so that you have a chance to whittle your Sundays away with them as well. The debut game is the superbly crafted Flash title Canabalt by Adam Atonic and Danny B, which recently saw an iPhone release and is slowly rising up the App Store 100.

I stumbled across this brilliant game while browsing through the App Store and, reminding myself that my current phone contract isn’t up until next month (iPhone here I come!) decided to check out the flash original. It’s a simple ‘one button’ title, but at the same time it’s oddly engaging.

The aim is to flee what appears to be a city under attack, by leaping across rooftops, through offices and over precarious cranes. You play as a blue collar office worker who leaps out of a window and makes a break for the city limits to evade the destruction going on around him. You don’t control running speed or direction, you simply need to time your jumps correctly by hitting either X or C. Your little breakaway runs automatically, making this incredibly simply and all the more appealing for it.

What strikes most about this game is the grey colour palette that gives the game a solemn tone. You really do feel like the world is being torn apart around you as the silhouettes of giant, presumably alien robots rip the cityscape to pieces behind you and alien ships thunder across the sky, shaking the screen and causing buildings to crumble as they pass. It’s a neat setting for what should have been a very basic title. But while the city is falling to pieces, it’s civilians assumedly zapped by alien death rays or trampled by hulking mechas, one man struggles in his own personal fight against gravity.

The runner himself is superbly animated, leaping around like a 64k version of Faith from Mirror’s Edge, tumbling and rolling to soften each leap as he goes. The nicest touch is when you disturb a flock of birds and they scatter in a flourish with no slowdown or graphical let up. It looks lovely but be mindful that death is frequent, not that you will have any trouble hitting the replay button mind you. Consider yourself warned!

Play Adam Atonic and Danny B’s Canabalt here (big shout to the lovely folk at Armor Games)

HELLo MothafuckErs e MothafuckArs

para ofender publico masculino e feminino \o/

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Hoje eu, LionHeart, trago o BakaTube até vocês…

Tentando me redimir da minha falta no PlayZ semana passada \o/

E trago nada mais, nada menos que… 12 vídeos, mas garanto que nem todo mundo vai gostar de todos.

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Clique aqui no Link do Ryu para ver os Videos Pornograficos

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Gordo of War

Dedos Ninja – Pen Spinning

Apenas um Vídeo Psicodélico

Famosa “Cloud’s Song”

Hitman – O Filme

300 – Lego

Poop BR – Yu-Gi-Oh!

Mirror’s Edge em FPS

Divorcio

José e a Masturbação

Pastor Possuído pelo Zangief

Street Fighter – Quem vs Ryu

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Como faz um tempão que eu não atualizo essa parada aqui, neste post eu falo dos games que joguei mais no começo do ano e no próximo eu comento os mais recentes.

Atualmente o PH está
Jogando: Muramasa (Wii)
Ouvindo: Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
Assistindo: Being Erica – Segunda Temporada
Querendo: transmitir a Nerd TV ao vivo da Liberdade
Arrumando: meu Xbox 360 zuado.