Indie Game: The Movie

A film that came out recently on a number of electronic mediums including Steam and the like that gave me an interesting perspective into the world of video game development was Indie Game: The Movie. This film, from Canadian directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky provides insight into the interesting world of video game development - namely indie games.
For those of you are unfamiliar with what exactly an "indie game" is, do not be alarmed for it is not a racial slur of any kind:) It is, in fact, a video game title whose artistic direction and vision are sole properties of a group of individuals (most often team sizes range from 1 to 5 members) that exclusively handle the  burdens of financing and developing their projects entirely on their own. A task that seems daunting at best.
The film highlights the creative exploits of three developers (Team Meat, Polytron, and Jonathan Blow) ( known for the games they have created (the titles being Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid respectively).
The film not only highlights the rises and falls of game development cycle but also provides insight into the lives that these game developers and their families lead. It provides a level of characterization not often seen inside the many hacks and saws common to popular titles such as Super Meat Boy.

A Mario-esque platformer in which you, a "skinless" boy
must  save your "bandaged" girlfriend from impending doom

A level of intimacy is heavily encouraged from the film's directors for the stress-intensive periods of time that indie game developers have to endure in light of deadlines and important dates that occur during any game's development. These aforementioned elements come together to make for an interesting take on what many consumers may not consider when ingesting the newest independent title released for the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) or the Playstation Network (PSN).

Furthermore, the film goes into a brief history of independent game development especially emphasizing the advent of modern-day digital download services such as the aforementioned XBLA and PSN whose purveyors (namely Microsoft and Sony respectively) have allowed for lower budget titles to receive their fair share of the spotlight in light of mega titles like the Call of Duty Franchise and Halo series alike.

Polytron's Fez's artistic style is rivalled by few

In addition, a portion of the film is devoted to allowing the viewer to become acquainted with these fantastic titles. From the wall-to-wall platforming of Super Meat Boy; to the cleverly designed three-dimensional opus that is Fez; to the time-reversing adventure gameplay of Braid, gamers will have a blast rolling through hours and hours of beautifully designed titles that come from a group of individual's combined artistic vision rather than corporate grunts whose vision is all too often skewed by the needs and desires of their owners. The former statement truly encompasses the scope of this film's focus specifically the trials, pain, and infrequent success of independently developed game titles that share not only the burden of their creator's time but, in addition, their artistic vision as well.

Until next time... so long.

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Bioshock - 2K Did it right!

I recently went back and purchased Bioshock from Steam and was humbly reminded of the incredible game that 2K Boston had developed. If you have not sat down and given that game a run through I heavily encourage you to reconsider your decision not to do so.

A Big Daddy. A new villain to add to the great halls of the video game  hall of fame.

To give you a rundown of what the game is: you play a character who was in a plane that crashed in an unknown location - of course! You find your way into a city that is submerged underwater - Rapture. The game grabs you right from the get go by presenting the player with a story that is not told by other characters perse but, rather, through the heavy use of imagery and sound (specifically the voice recordings that are found throughout the game that illuminate certain portions of the story as you go along). A strange, Orwellian world that seems so mysterious yet so very intriguing during the first run through. Overall, a must buy!

Until next time... so long.

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"The Beginning" of Futuristic Gaming

Remember this gem?
Right around the Sony's Playstation 2 launch, their ad campaign included a strange yet awe-inspiring video depicting a gamer in the year 2078 who recently gained ownership of a palm-sized sphere with the logo "PS9" embedded on it.
As a 7 year old at the time, images of futuristic games that included holograms and the like was, as I said before, awe-inspiring and resulted in me begging my parents for a PS2 for years to come.
Anyways, enjoy, I recently stumbled upon it on Youtube.

PS9 Commercial

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E3

It is that time of the year again: E3!!!!
For those of you who have stumbled upon this new, infrequently updated blog and are unfamiliar with the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), it is one of the largest electronics shows in the world with thousands of people flying to California's Bay Area once a year to partake in an epic display of nerd-dom. Not to mention the millions of others who watch the event online (myself included) Of course, the term nerd being used subjectively and not in a negative context. The truth is that I am a nerd and to all my fellow nerds out there who chose to hide behind the social mores of life in order to appear more acceptable by peers, coworkers, et cetera: Fear not! For you are not alone. You are but one of a large multitude of individuals who enjoy, consume, live, and breath the entertainment industry. Believe it or not but without nerds, entertainment would be a different world entirely. Until next time.... so long.