Clodhop.com To Give Away The Pizzazz Awards, Free Games
The majority of movies, TV shows, and movies may prove otherwise, but on the Web, it pays to be original. Starting on January 1, Clodhop (run by our bud Kerry of Project D fame) will present The Pizzazz Award, which will be handed out on a monthly basis to “the person who has created the most unique piece of gaming related content.”
Besides nifty recognition of a job well done, the winner will also receive a game of their choosing on Steam (up to a $50 value). Bloggers, vloggers, chiptuners, and other assorted gaming geeks, start the insanity by checking out the guidelines.
Interview: Philippe Rapin, co-founder Press Start Studio
Twin Blades: The Reaping Vanguard has hacked and slashed its way into Xbox Live Indie Games to give gamers a taste of nun-with-gun action. The impressive anime-style visuals have gathered attention both here and abroad, so I thought it time to chat it up with Press Start Studio to discuss the creation of this eye-catching game.
Press Start Studio was founded in 2009, so your team is still relatively fresh. Tell us a bit about how your team came together.
Although Press Start Studio was founded in 2009 the team has actually been working together for quite a while: we are all ex-employees of The Mighty Troglodytes, a mobile game developer which bankrupted in 2008. When TMT shut down we decided to try our luck with the promise to set ourselves free from two things: J2ME and publishers’ ludicrous constraints.
Twin Blades is one of those games that instantly pulls you in thanks to the amazing 2D, anime-inspired character designs. Why did you decide to go that route–are you fans of the Japanese style?
Japanime is a big thing in France, and we’re no exception. We particularly liked Samurai Champloo because it mixed contemporary hip-hop music with a traditional medieval environment and we wanted the same kind of punchy feeling. We also liked Odin Sphere and Muramasa so when Doc our animator told us he could use the same animation technique we all jumped in and told him: “by all means please do!”
Mako our concept artist happens to be a comic book illustrator, as he particularly excels in the manga style and we’re all fans of his work there was no debate as to which route we should go –it pretty much came naturally as the artists had the freedom to express their talent and the whole team backed them up.
Virtual Vox Pop: What’s Your Most Anticipated 2D Game of 2010?
Pictured: Hope.
Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s the 2D games of 2010.
2009 proved an absolutely amazing year for 2D games with strong showings in virtually every genre conducive to the style of play. However, the calendar is poised to flip, and with that happening will come a new year filled with a slew of fresh titles designed to dazzle the gamingverse. A quick run down of some of the early standouts:
- 8-bit Left 4 Dead
- B-Boy Brawl
- Dark Void Zero
- Final Fight: Double Impact
- Glory of Heracles
- Matt Hazard: Blood, Bath, and Beyond
- Sands of Destruction
- Super Street Fighter IV
- Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Personally, SEGA’s Project Needlemouse has my joystick ready to rock thanks to a teaser video that hints of a new, 2D Sonic game. Anyone who’s familiar with my gaming history knows of my sorted love affair with the hedgehog (and my desire to see the heartbreak come to an end), so 2010 is already shining bright.
What are you most looking forward to playing in 2010?
Patent filing reveals Google’s gaming plans
Would you game with Google? The search giant, according to data sussed out by bnet, filed for a patent back in February that would allow “interactive video annotations enabling control of video playback locations and creation of interactive games.” Hmm.
On the surface, this sounds as though flash games may be embedded directly into YouTube clips of skateboarders taking nut shots, but probing a bit deeper reveals an eyebrow-raising section:
Some annotations, e.g. a graphical annotation (such as a text box annotation) comprising a link to a particular portion of a target video, are associated with a time of the target video, which can be either the video with which the annotation is associated, or a separate video. Selecting such annotations causes playback of the target video to begin at the associated time. Such annotations can be used to construct interactive games using videos, such as a game in which clicking on different portions of a video leads to different outcomes.
What do you think? A choose-your-own-adventure game, or something with animated sequences like Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace? It would certainly bring a new element to the popular video repository, and may be, just may birth a new wave of video game creation; imagine being able to create a popular diversion using just wit and a web cam.
[Hat tip: bnet]
Rumored Apple iPad release may improve games, lure developers to Cupertino’s platform
2009 was the coming out party for the iPhone/iPod touch gaming. There were certainly quality games in the App Store in 2008, but excellent releases like Alive 4 Ever, Bookworm, iDracula, Magical Drop Touch, Skee Ball, and Strikers 1945 Plus showcased the variety and quality of titles available on Apple’s handhelds. The games were immensely entertaining, visually dynamic, and for the most part, sonically satisfying. The only gripe? The controls.
I hate to divide our brothers and sisters in the gamingverse into separate camps drawn by superficial lines, but I’m going to do just that. Casual gamers, in my experience, are far more acceptable of the flaws of the virtual D-pad. They play in brief spurts during their commutes, doctor visits, and post office waits, so some of the movement issues may not seem as pronounced. The more hardcore (or as one of my former editors would say, “The Nerds”) have to deal with inconsistent input detection during our marathon sessions. Those of us that are continually frustrated in battling the virtual D-pad need a solution, and it may come in the form of Apple’s rumored iPad.
Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril invites you to dust off your NES for 2D, 8-bit action
Filed under: Action, Emulation, Homebrew, and Modding
The NES lives! Sort of.
A group of retro-minded dudes at Sivak Games plan to release Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril on a real Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge. Yep, a homebrewed NES game on a real cart, which will be available at website RetroZone. Starring a green-suited floaty kid name Timmy, Battle Kid resembles the Mega Man series, complete with disappearing blocks, rooms full of insta-death spikes, and giant snake bosses.
Review: Strikers 1945 Plus (iPhone/iPod touch)
Strikers 1945 Plus, Psikyo’s classic World War II vertical shooter, is now available in the Apps Store, and I am smiling from ear to ear. The 2D shmup devoured huge chunks of my meager Funcoland paychecks when I was in my early to mid 20s, which is remarkably depressing in retrospect when you ponder the fact that I worked in a game store only to blow my very meager scraps on the dying arcade scene.
But now I’m all grownsed up, and boarding the nostalgia train coutresy of WindySoft. The seats are familiar and comfortable, but wonky controls prevent this iPhone/iPod touch port from equalizing the arcade’s joystick/button perfection.
The Greatest 2D Sports Video Game Athletes: QB Eagles Edition
Let’s get it out of the way right now without any setup: QB Eagles is the single greatest sports video game athletes of all time. Unquestionably, there are some who will question the very validity of this final post in the series as this regulates the twin faces of outstanding sports video game athletes, Bo Jackson and Jeremy Roenick, to roles of second bests. It’s understandable; Bo carves up defenses and Roe owns on both sides of the puck. I propose, however, that once QB Eagles’ game is carefully analyzed, many will come to see that he is indeed the Gamebreaker of Gamebreakers.
QB Eagles, in all of his 8-bit glory, is the prototype for broken, scrambling quarterbacks who can kill you with the cannon or wheels; think Warren Moon with the legs of Barry Sanders.
Take A Sip of Player 1, The Wine For Gamers
When one says the word “gamer” what comes to mind? A basement-dwelling loner who spends the majority of his waking hours leveling up? A testosterone-filled jock who high fives the brahs with each successful touchdown? A potential axe-murderer who has let the devil’s playthings consume his soul? All of these stereotypes have hovered over the hobby for some time now, but Mike James looks to add a new one: smooth operator.
A self-professed nerd and wine lover, Mr. James combined his two passions into Player 1, a wine designed for “anyone who spent time trying to save a princess or fit odd shaped blocks together.” His liquid magic comes from fruit grown in choice vineyards within Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley, and is aged in a selection of fine cooperage. I’m not quite sure what that means, but it sounds undeniably pimp.
Priced at a reasonable $18 a pop, the bottles feature 8-bit style labels that recall systems of days past. A bottle of Player 1 may not turn you into this, but you can at least pull off this.
4chan Features The Most Epic Pokemon Artwork Ever
As a 22 year old guy, Pokemon really became big when I was around 13 years old: part of it was just how cool the creatures looked. I still know of college students that play the game for the sheer fun of i,t and the franchise is still going on strong after of this time.
While browsing through /b/ on 4chan (LINK NSFW) the other night, I came across a thread with awesome Pokemon artwork and photos that I thought I’d share. If there were an actual game using this artwork, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
Props to the artists, whoever you are. Unfortunately, no one gives us the “sauce” on 4chan unless asked for it.
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- Interview: Ray Murakawa, Producer, Tecmo NBA Unrivaled
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