Kotaku: simon carless

GameSetApparel Adds New Fine Wearables To Fantasy Line

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:30:00 MST

Former Kotaku guest editor and chronic workaholic Simon Carless let us know today that the GameSetApparel project has officially expanded, fulfilling the promise of four limited-edition t-shirts made in December. Rounding out the "Games That Never Were" series—and joining the already released Polybius tee are three fresh shirts. Hostage Negotiator II by Alien Hominid artist Dan Paladin, Grabungadung by Schadenfreude Interactive and Glorkian Warrior by comic artist James Kochalka comprise the remainder of fantasy games from creative minds.

Each are differing levels of snazzy and should go a long way to making your torso and shoulder area less naked. Details on each of the limited t-shirts are available at the official site, as are handy ordering instructions.

Game Set Apparel

The Totally Rad Influence of the Amiga

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:20:22 MDT

When my pre-teen eyeballs got visual access to the mind-blowing graphics of the Commodore Amiga, I had a hard time believing it. Seeing what I considered to be the pinnacle of gaming artistry, Psygnosis' Shadow of the Beast, for the first time nearly made me faint from the pure pixelated ecstasy.

Witnessing the arcade port of Dragon's Lair, which required multiple floppy disk swapping and loads of patience, was nearly enough to send my young mind reeling. But the Amiga was more than just a mid-eighties graphics showcase, it had some genuinely totally awesome games.

Wired's retrospective, edited by GameSetWatch overlord Simon Carless, highlights ten classic Amiga titles that made pre-Windows gaming memorable and, more importantly, innovative. From Lemmings to Speedball 2, the list of Commodore-era classics might be considered an old school education.

It's a good read, one that will make you want to find a copy of Defender of the Crown. Michael McWhertor

Top 10 Most Influential Amiga Games [Wired]

Oblivion's Double Data Blu-ray Kludge

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:20:39 MST

Supereditor Simon Carless points his court of GameSetWatch readers to an interesting bit of info on the PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion culled from this month's EGM. (For the record, I'm a subscriber—just haven't received my issue yet.) When following up on a comment from the game's executive producer on the PS3's slower Blu-ray drive, EGM reveals that:

The PS3 Oblivion team compensated for the slower drive by duplicating data across the Blu-ray disc, making it faster to find and load

Wow! How digitally MacGyverish of you, Bethesda!

Some of you might moan about the inclusion of a new, expensive, unrequested technology with little to no noticeable benefit driving up the price, but that's negative thinking. I prefer to look at it this way: I'm getting twice the game with my future Oblivion for PS3 purchase. Advantage: Sony! Michael McWhertor

PS3 Oblivion Seeing Double To Counteract Blu-Ray [GameSetWatch]

Simon Says: Read This

Brian Crecente — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:00:21 MDT

Simon's got a nice round-up on GameSetWatch of some of the interesting games-related stories you may have missed in the past day or so. And I don't just say that because he links both to Kotaku and one of my Rocky articles.

Some of the non-Brian content includes a story by the SJ Merc News about Dean Takahashi's story on Electronic Arts and original IP, Grand Text Auto's negative take on The Escapist's academic gaming story and Bizarre Creations decision to start cease-and-desisting PC clones of Geometry War.

There's also mention in there that Jack Thompson also sent him a nasty letter. I guess he likes to spread that sort of stuff around. Brian Crecente

GameSetLinks: Eno, Otakon, Geometry Wars [GSW]