Aug 22

Ikea Adorably Recreated Its Catalog in Animal Crossing

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Brands have, like many of us, been pretty obsessed with Animal Crossing: New Horizons as the game has become an iconic aspect of quarantine life in 2020. That’s not to say every marketing tie-in or stunt has been a good fit, or that the integrations even made much sense. (Inclusive new avatar skin options from…

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Jun 15

Why Johnny Cash Was a Terrible Choice for the New Mass Effect Trailer

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I love Johnny Cash. I love Mass Effect. But man are those two great tastes that taste weird together.

The next iteration of the epic sci-fi video game series was announced today via a first-look trailer at E3, and there’s clearly a lot to look forward to with Mass Effect: Andromeda.

That said, let’s talk a bit about the soundtrack selection: Cash’s rendition of Western classic “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” Specifically, let’s talk about the fact that it was a dumb pick.

Joss Whedon’s Firefly may have sold us all on the mashup of interstellar travel and cowboy culture, but Mass Effect certainly isn’t Firefly.

The Mass Effect series’ cerebral tone and gravitas have largely been fueled by its music, from the original Vengelis-inspired score in 2007 to the more orchestral theme of the 2010 sequel to the Hans Zimmer-esque braaaaaaaaam of 2012’s Mass Effect 3.

You can revisit all three scores in this handy YouTube clip:

Personally, I was a bit sad to see the games move away from the minimalist, Blade Runner-reminiscent sound of the original, but it’s hard to deny that the shifting score reflected the increasingly high-stakes and galactically sprawling atmosphere of the game.

But now, on the eve of relaunching the series into a new galaxy (the titular Andromeda), our first audio experience with the new Mass Effect is a crunchy bit of rootin’ and tootin’ that creates the impression you’re not so much saving worlds as you are wandering around and starting gunfights over range disputes or whatever it is that makes gunslingers sling guns. 

To be clear, Johnny Cash’s music certainly can be used in dramatic and unexpected ways. My favorite example of this kind of masterful genre-blending is the opening credits of 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake:

So with Mass Effect: Andromeda, am I overthinking the choice of a soundtrack to an admittedly early teaser trailer? (The game won’t be out until late 2016.) Yes, probably, but I’m not nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Bioware and Electronic Arts have a lot of ground to regain with Mass Effect. The third installment left many of the series’ passionate fans baffled and frustrated by serving them up an ending that pleased almost literally no one. 

Thanks to a hastily revised and expanded finale that was later patched into the game, along with a few well-crafted bits of downloadable content (along with the passage of enough time for frustrations to fade), much of that fan backlash has dwindled. However, the series has to rebuild its goodwill anew, and every single piece of marketing matters between here and there.



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Aug 01

WWII Video Game Will Pause for 1 Minute Today to Remember the Warsaw Uprising

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A video game set amid the resistance to Adolf Hitler’s war machine and played globally 24/7 will pause for 60 seconds today to commemorate the 70th anniversary of World War II’s Warsaw Uprising.

Enemy Front, created by Polish game studio CI Games, will halt at 1 p.m. Eastern, coinciding with an annual minute of silent remembrance held in Polish cities. 

The Warsaw Uprising was a two-month effort by Polish freedom fighters to evict Nazi invaders, but the hard-fought rebellion suffered from a lack of support by the Soviet Union’s nearby Red Army. Thousands of Polish fighters were killed, as were more than 150,000 civilians, many of which were slaughtered in mass executions such as the Wola massacre.

The action in Enemy Front, a first-person shooter released a month ago, takes place among WWII resistance groups, with the Warsaw Uprising providing a major focus.

During the game’s freeze today, players will be directed to ItWasntAGame.com to learn more about the uprising. They will also be encouraged to share that knowledge on social media. The site will stream a two-minute film that shows footage of modern Warsaw’s automobile and pedestrian traffic coming to a standstill as sirens wail and the residents remember the sacrifices of the past. McCann Worldgroup in Poland devised the campaign.

“We hope that though this event, we can help the world understand the importance of that fateful day in Warsaw and why it is important to honor the memory of all those who fell in combat, helping us to achieve freedom,” explains CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski.

Some might criticize the maker of a violent video game for tying a promotion to an event with such deep significance. I find it refreshing, even brave, to give players historical context, reminding them of the title’s basis in history, when there was no reset button, and the stakes of the “game” were life and death.



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May 25

This Real-Time Game from Adventure Time's Creator Is the Best Thing on Twitter in Years

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Just as the doubters were writing Twitter’s obituary, animator and Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward had to go and show that the network can still have a few fun surprises after all.

On Tuesday, Ward tweeted a rough sketch of a prison cell, with this comment: “You wake up in a dungeon cell. What do you do?”

Fans who played along were rewarded with fun and laughably literal results to their suggested actions, such as “talk to the guard” or “kiss rat.” Ward found time to keep the game going today, changing the name on his account to Quest Attack.

For children of the ’80s, it’s a fun flashback to early adventure games like Zork and its graphical successors like King’s Quest, all of which required you to carefully type out each command.

Check out the first two days of Quest Attack below, then be sure to follow Ward on Twitter to stay up to date. 

 

What will happen next in this epic adventure? Tune in to Twitter for the next exciting installment of QUEST ATTACK!

Via Joystiq.



Source

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May 21

This Real-Time Game from Adventure Time’s Creator Is the Best Thing on Twitter in Years

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Just as the doubters were writing Twitter's obituary, animator and Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward had to go and show that the network can still have a few fun surprises after all.

On Tuesday, Ward tweeted a rough sketch of a prison cell, with this comment: "You wake up in a dungeon cell. What do you do?"

Fans who played along were rewarded with fun and laughably literal results to their suggested actions, such as "talk to the guard" or "kiss rat." Ward found time to keep the game going today, changing the name on his account to Quest Attack.

For children of the '80s, it's a fun flashback to early adventure games like Zork and its graphical successors like King's Quest, all of which required you to carefully type out each command.

Check out the first two days of Quest Attack below, then be sure to follow Ward on Twitter to stay up to date. 

 

What will happen next in this epic adventure? Tune in to Twitter for the next exciting installment of QUEST ATTACK!

Via Joystiq.




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Apr 11

Europe in 8 Bits

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« Europe In 8 Bits » est une vidéo réalisée par Device qui explore le monde du chiptune (ou 8 bits-music) en Europe. Le concept de cette musique est de reprendre les sons de jeux vidéos de Game Boy, NES, Atari ST et Amiga pour en faire de la musique et un mouvement musical innovant.


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Apr 10

Microsoft Creates a Surprisingly Amusing Game to Help Wean Us Off Windows XP

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With millions of Windows XP users clinging desperately to the reliable but officially obsolete operating system, Microsoft has created a surprisingly fun new game to nudge us all into the future. Or present. Or at least recent past.

Escape From XP is an arcade-style video game in which you play as a developer who's been stuck supporting Windows XP and the antiquated Internet Explorer 6, your grandmother's favorite Web browser.  

Check out the entertaining little game here, brought to us by agency Bradley and Montgomery (a fun nod to the Kurt Russell masterpiece, Escape From New York) and our shot-by-shot GIF breakdown of Escape From XP below. 

First we are confronted with our old friend, "Bliss," which glitches out to the "blue screen of death."

Next we are transported to a terrible dystopia and tasked with escaping from XP:

Here in this wasteland our plucky developer traverses a graveyard of browser windows, battling recycling bins and the Internet Explorer logo. And watch out for the enormous Clippy in the background shooting LASERS FROM HIS EYES. 

Finally we are saved!

Now push the button. Clippy is there in case you're having problems executing.

BOOOOOOOOM!

RIP XP.




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Mar 28

This Trailer for Goat Simulator May Be the Weirdest Thing You Watch Today

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Self-described as a "small, broken and stupid game," Goat Simulator has already become a cult favorite of quirky gaming aficionados. And it isn't even out yet.

Launching April 1 (unless it's one of the most epic long cons in April Fool's history), the $9.99 video game now has an official launch trailer, and it is something else.

Largely a parody of the widely acclaimed announcement trailer for Dead Island, the Goat Simulator preview highlights just some of the chaos generated by the game's barnyard protagonist. Check it out for yourself, and if you're curious to see more of the game's rag-doll craziness in action, watch an older video after the jump.

Via Giant Bomb. 


    



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Oct 18

There’s Finally a Video Game for Font Geeks

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Most of us can spot Comic Sans a mile away (or at least in an email forward from Aunt Connie), but now there's a video game for those who truly get worked up about typography.

Essentially a puzzle platformer, Type:Rider takes players on a journey of fonts and beautiful graphics. Each level is designed thematically based on different typefaces. For example, the Gothic stage has a Gregorian soundtrack and stark backdrops. As you maneuver your colon (the punctuation mark, not the organ) through each level, you discover the history and legacy of each font. There's even talk of a secret level featuring the aforementioned, widely hated Comic Sans.

Although a feast for the aesthete, the game does not come without complaints. Several iTunes reviewers have criticized the app for frequently crashing, but others say occasional bugs shouldn't deter the graphic designer or history lover from dropping a few bucks on it ($2.99 for iOS devices, $3.64 on Android). Hat tip to Adverve.


    

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May 09

Wolfenstein Trailer Takes You Into the Gears of a New Nazi War Machine

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I'm not sure what I was expecting from a retro gaming remake about Nazi robot armies, but this trailer surely isn’t it. (And that's a good thing.) Agency AKQA and production house Psyop have created a slick, compelling and enigmatically dark preview of Wolfenstein: The New Order, scheduled for release later this year. Wolfenstein is one of the oldest franchises in gaming, dating back to Castle Wolfenstein in 1981. Its most famous installment, 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D, allowed you to kill Hitler while he stomped around in a robotic suit, which was about as enjoyable as it was ridiculous. In the trailer below, though, we see a much darker and more ominous take on the Nazi robot, which is apparently the Reich’s foot soldier of choice in this alternate history’s 1960. The 100-second teaser clip is definitely a fine piece of commercial cinematography, but I remain skeptical that the new Wolfenstein—or any game about a guy shooting giant, goose-stepping robots—can live up to this level of gravity.

CREDITS

Client: Bethesda Softworks
Agency: AKQA
Michael Powell – Creative Director
Akira Takahashi – Creative Director
Ed Davis – Account Director
Paul Chang – Senior Account Executive
Andy Haynes – Senior Motion Designer

Production Company: Psyop
Jon Saunders – Creative Director
Lucia Grillo – Executive Producer
Jen Cadic – Producer
Jon Saunders – Designer
Edward Laag – Designer
Kenesha Sneed – Designer
Ram Bhat – Designer
Cass Vanini – Editor
Robin Nishio – Storyboard Artist
Eban Byrne – Lead Technical Director
Pat Porter – Animation
Kitty Lin – Animation
Eric Chou – Animation
Dan Fine – Modeling
Bryan Eck – Modeling
Jordan Harvey – Modeling
Zed Bennett – Rigging
Eban Byrne – VFX
Fabio Piparo – VFX
Jonah Friedman – Lighting
Andy Gilbert – Lighting
Keith Kim – Lighting
Oliver Castle – Lighting
Andy Hara – Lighting
Brandi Diminio – Lighting
Michelle Ko – Lighting
Nick Tanner – Lead Compositor
Bo Kim – Compositing
Tim Regan – Compositing
Tobey Lindback – Compositing
Nick Tanner – Flame Artist

Music Production Company:
COPILOT Strategic Music + Sound
Jason Menkes – Music Producer
Ravi Krishnaswami – Music Arranger

Sound Design Company: Defacto Sound
Dallas Taylor – Sound Designer
Ken McGill – Sound Designer
Samson Neslund – Sound Designer

Music Licensing: Brandracket
Chris Parker

    

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Feb 21

10 Trailers Sony Hopes Will Make You Ravenous for a PlayStation 4

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Christmas may be 10 months away, but Sony knows it’s never too early to start building buzz for its long-awaited holiday release, the PlayStation 4. Beating rival Microsoft in the race to announce the new generation of game consoles, Sony today unveiled the first legitimate details of the PS4, including some of the launch titles that could be crucial in making the device a sales success right out of the gate (unlike the PS3, which initially saw sluggish adoption due to its combination of high sticker price and low game selection). What will the PS4 cost? No idea. What does the console look like? Good question. For now, Sony would rather focus on showing you how amazing these new games are going to look. So why disappoint them? After the jump, we’ve gathered up the 10 trailers that are supposed to leave you panting for a PlayStation 4. Even if you don’t plan to wait in line for one, you’re going to want to watch these:

Sony PlayStation 4 Announcement Trailer

Here's a quick wrapup video from Sony's announcement event, with highlights of several games and features:

Destiny

A sneak peek of the new project from Bungie, creators of the Halo franchise. Destiny will be available on current consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but is also being developed for the new PS4:

DriveClub

Sony describes DriveClub for the PS4 as a "next-generation, socially connected racing game that captures the heart and soul of car culture." The realism of the gameplay footage is pretty staggering:

Deep Down (Working Title)

Fantasy RPGs are a staple of video gaming, so it's no surprise that Sony has one lined up for the PS4 (even if it doesn't have an official name yet). In this trailer, you get to see some hot, hot man-on-dragon action:

Infamous: Second Son

Popular anti-hero game series Infamous returns on the PS4. Notice that the security camera footage show's the date of Sony's announcement event, Feb. 20, 2013:

Killzone: Shadow Fall

Another longstanding PlayStation franchise that's set to return on the PlayStation 4:

The Witness

Indie game icon Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid, has created a colorful and intriguing new title for the PlayStation 4:

Watch Dogs

Trailers for this open-world epic have been around for a few months, but here's some pretty incredible footage from the PlayStation 4, with narration from the game's lead designer:

Knack

Just so you don't think the PS4 will be all murder and mayhem, here's a trailer for a clever game with younger players in mind:

PlayStation 4: See the Future

This five-minute clip featuring the brains behind the PlayStation 4 is probably a bit too geeky for most casual gamers, but if you're curious to hear about the philosophical changes that will separate the console from its predecessors, it's worth a watch:

So what do you think? Assuming the price is right, are you intrigued enough to consider picking up a PlayStation 4 this holiday season?

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Jul 03

Nike – Game On, World

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Voici la nouvelle campagne de Nike autour du dernier produit Fuelband et Nike+. Un spot imaginé comme un réel jeu vidéo, se déroulant dans les rues d’une ville. Avec de nombreux clin d’oeils aux personnages et jeux Mario Bros, Donkey Kong ou encore NBA Jam. La bande son est signée The Seeds – Pushing Too Hard.

Continue Reading…

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