Mafro

Make Games: How to Tell When You Gave Artists Too Much Control Over Design

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:49:58 +0100

Make Games: How to Tell When You Gave Artists Too Much Control Over Design:

A half hour into Earthworm Jim on SNES, and three things became painfully clear to Andy (Hull) and me: 1. wow, Earthworm Jim is a worse game than we remembered, 2. Earthworm Jim was designed by visual artists with little experience in game design, and 3. modern studios haven’t learned from…

Couldn’t have said it better myself. The gameplay in Earthworm Jim was pretty bad, but back then when it first came out I was too won over by the visuals and animation to realise.

gameandgraphics: Captain America and The Avengers. Intro...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:26:24 +0100

gameandgraphics:

Captain America and The Avengers.

Intro screens (Arcade, Super Nintendo, Genesis/Mega Drive) and pixel art (Arcade).

I remember renting this game for the Mega Drive from Global Video back in the day.

totalfilm: 15 Marvel Comics That Should Be Movies

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:13:31 +0100

totalfilm:

15 Marvel Comics That Should Be Movies

eachwildidea: descroissants: Derweze, also known as the door...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:50:26 +0100

eachwildidea:

descroissants:

Derweze, also known as the door to hell, is a 70 meter wide hole in the middle of the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan. The hole was formed in 1971 when a team of soviet geologists had their drilling rig collapse when they hit a cavern filled with natural gas. In an attempt to avoid poisonous discharge, they decided to burn it off, thinking that the gas would be depleted in only a few days. Derweze is still burning today

minimalmovieposters: Marley by Viktor Hertz Official...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:08:04 +0100

minimalmovieposters:

Marley by Viktor Hertz

Official promotional piece for the new (and first official) documentary about Bob Marley

I need this.

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:54:37 +0100

I need this.

Why Penny Arcade Should Not Be Trusted

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 22:25:00 +0100

Why Penny Arcade Should Not Be Trusted:

It’s a conspiracy!

gamejournosblog: kierand: oestranhomundodek: Pokémon Thunder...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:12:42 +0100

gamejournosblog:

kierand:

oestranhomundodek:

Pokémon Thunder Yellow

Check out my other Poké gifs here

Why isn’t this a legit game? I would buy the shit out of a Pokémon game based directly on the characters from the cartoon. One talking Slowking and I am there.

Didn’t you ever play Pokémon Yellow on the Game Boy?

Grenade (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:26:20 +0100

Grenade (Taken with instagram)

thisistheverge: On The Verge episode 004: Dr. Neil degrasse...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:23:12 +0100

thisistheverge:

On The Verge episode 004: Dr. Neil degrasse Tyson

Get your GIFs ready

UFC 147: Silva vs. Sonnen II Headed to Engenhao Stadium on June 23

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:49:16 +0100

UFC 147: Silva vs. Sonnen II Headed to Engenhao Stadium on June 23

"I read one recent blog post where the writer basically said “the ending was awesome because it..."

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:32:57 +0100

“

I read one recent blog post where the writer basically said “the ending was awesome because it was just like a movie” and I think she was missing the point.

It is a game. Not a movie.

And more specifically, its a role-playing game. The players are *part* of the game. Part of the process of building and experiencing the game, much more so than with most other forms of entertainment.

Entitlement is really a right, for the gamer, because they have participated, actively, in the game itself.

Again, I can’t speak to the actual ending myself, because I have not played it but in generally I’d say a Role-Playing Video Game Trilogy Ending should (try to) do the following:

1. Reward the player’s choices throughout the series. The big stuff they did should be noted. They should *feel* like they had a unique impact on the world.

2. End on a positive note. This is really important for video games… life in general is full of shitty stuff happening all the time. When I invest a hundred hours into a game I need to walk away feeling like a hero.

When you waste a couple hours of a person’s life with an artsy/depressing movie or short story or even a novel, it is more forgivable because the time spent is less. And presumably the consumer knew what they were going into when they started. Certain directors create certain styles of movie. Certain writers write specific types of fiction.

On the other hand somebody playing an epic role-playing video-game trilogy is going to *expect* to be the hero and save the universe. That’s why they are playing the game. When expectations don’t match reality, disappointment is created.

It might be an artistic/creative move to go with a different style of ending but I feel its the wrong choice, especially for a videogame *trilogy*. Make your middle game bleak if you want to, but end the series on a high note.

”

- Brent Knowles, lead designer of Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins comments on the dreadful Mass Effect 3 ending.

Who needs mobile games when you have this? MD.emu Mega Drive...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Who needs mobile games when you have this? MD.emu Mega Drive emulator for Android running Toe Jam & Earl on my Galaxy Nexus.

mmaweeklynews: Japanese UFC 144 poster featuring Quinton...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:34:35 +0000

mmaweeklynews:

Japanese UFC 144 poster featuring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

androidniceties: Chrome Beta for Ice Cream Sandwich | Android...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:33:00 +0000

androidniceties:

Chrome Beta for Ice Cream Sandwich | Android Market

So much better than the stock Android browser.

laughingsquid: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Illustrations Inspired by...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:56:14 +0000

laughingsquid:

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Illustrations Inspired by Classic Works of Art

poptech: Northern Lights and erupting Icelandic volcano produce...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:15:47 +0000

poptech:

Northern Lights and erupting Icelandic volcano produce stunning photographs by James Appleton.

Photographer James Appleton, 23, from Cambridge, risked his life trekking solo to the area and captured these incredible shots. The Cambridge University graduate spent five days observing the first phase of the eruption from a shack in nearby Fimmvorouhals mountain pass. He spent seven hours battling biting wind and freezing temperatures to get as close to the eruption as possible, against the advice of local guides. Despite being trapped inside a shack there for 48 hours, Mr Appleton managed to trek within 100ft of the volcano.

Photo

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:16:06 +0000

atheistium: Seriously. When was the last time there was a decent, unique and interesting 1st party...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:53:08 +0000

atheistium:

Seriously. When was the last time there was a decent, unique and interesting 1st party Nintendo game that didn’t rely on Mario, Zelda, Kirby or any other of its existing IPs?

Pullblox on 3DS. Came out at the end of last year and is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played in ages.

atheistium:

Nintendo might have taken a risk with their hardware but they sure don’t with their software.

Metroid: Other M is a perfect example of them taking a risk with their software.

thisistheverge: via FFFFOUND! | BIG BAD WULF

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:50:33 +0000

thisistheverge:

via FFFFOUND! | BIG BAD WULF