Luke Plunkett

Harvey Smith, who has worked on stuff like Deus Ex and was most recently lead designer on Dishonored, has written a novel. You can check it out here

District 9’s Director Would Still Love To Make A Halo Film, But…

Hollywood director Neill Blomkamp was, back in the day, down to make a Halo movie. He even made a fantastic short, above, showing how it could be done. Sadly, it was not to be, and the South African went on to direct first the fantastic District 9, and nowthe looking-fantastic Elysium Speaking with IGN, though,…

Because Nothing Says KILL EM ALL Like Metallica Pinball

One Metallica gaming experience enters, another one leaves Stern has announced that it’ll be making an officially-licensed Metallica pinball table. There will be 30 years’ worth of Metallica songs, there’s a colour display, there will be animated representations of album art characters, there will be people complaining that there shouldn’t be any post-90s tracks on…

Devinity is what happens when you take Garry’s Mod and decide to make an epic space game out of it. (via RPS)

Nintendo Would, Sadly, Never Make A Handheld This Pink

Yes, Nintendo has made pink handhelds before. But not like this. Not with glitter. This fabulous Game Boy Micro was made by Matthew Wiggins, who runs a custom hardware business called Rose Colored Gaming. It’s Kirby-themed, with gummy-style buttons and a classy white back that’s got me thinking delicious strawberry ice-cream. I would buy this…

The One Man Who Influenced Mass Effect’s Look More Than Anyone Else

The Mass Effect series draws creatively, like all “new” universes do, from those which came before. You can see traces of Star Trek’s intergalactic politics. Star Wars’ “science magic”. The influence those properties had on Mass Effect, though, pales in comparison with the work of one man, a single artist whose 20th-century output defined the…

Please, Watch The First Trailer For Elysium, From The Man Who Directed District 9

This is the debut trailer for Elysium, the new movie by District 9 director Neill “I nearly directed the Halo movie” Blomkamp. If you think it looks like a modern video game come to life, right down to the lone super-soldier, you are not alone.

The Last Of Us’ World Isn’t Exactly Puppies And Rainbows

This is a developer diary, yes. But it’s a great one, because it’s with the creative team behind the design of The Last Of Us. Guys like Nate Wells, who you should thank for helping shape the visual identity of BioShock Infinite. Or Neil Druckman, the game’s lead designer, and also lead designer on Uncharted…

Would XCOM’s Designer Put Paid Power-Ups In The iOS Version Of The Game?

According tothis interview with Jake Solomon on IGN, that’s a no. A refreshing, enjoyable no.

Ten Of The Best Video Game Logos Of All Time

Designer Cory Schmitz, who has helped define the look of everything from video games to film companies, has listed his ten favourite gaming logos. It’s a subject dear to my heart, because I’m interested both in marketing and design, so it’s also one I latched onto thinking I’d love some and violently disagree with others.…

Here’s One Of The Guys To Thank For Mass Effect 3 Ending On A Brighter Note

Boy, at the time of release, you’d never have thought BioWare could dig their way out of Mass Effect 3’s ending. But some strong DLC and a revised closing sequence managed to do enough to, if not erase the memory of that original series of missteps, at least put a stop to the hate mail.…

You’ve Played Zombie Action Games. How About A Zombie Strategy Game?

War of the Zombie is an upcoming iPad game that, while involving zombies, isn’t like most other zombie games. Looking like it’s borrowing from a few places – most notably XCOM and The Last Man – this video gives you a good breakdown of how it all works. It also gives you a look at…

It’s Tough Getting Your AAA PS3 Blockbuster Tested By Humans Who Aren’t Dudes

Women play video games. All types of video games. Even the ones where you shoot cauliflower zombies. So it’s weird that it’s so hard for developers to get women to test them before they’re released. In an interview with The Escapist, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckman revealed that the company which handled focus testing for the…

There’s A Funny Side To Microsoft’s Next Xbox Rumors

Taiwanese news agency NMA TV, picking up on the internet’s growing dismay with Microsoft’s rumoured plans for the next Xbox, has done what it done best and make an animated video about it. It is incredible.

Rock Band Songs Are About To Start Disappearing. Get ‘Em While You Can.

Nothing lasts forever. That goes double for music licensed to appear in video games. Harmonix has had to make the sad, if not entirely unexpected announcement today that the first of their licensing agreements for Rock Band DLC is about to expire. The DLC in question is the Metallica pack, released in November 2007, that…

Awww, This Mario Wedding Is So Sweet I Want To Get Married All Over Again

Where 96% of video game weddings are tacky, horrid affairs, potentially awkward for many guests and with a high chance of regret decades down the line, this one gets the balance between “video game wedding” and “normal wedding” just right. The key is in the style and design, with every reference obvious enough to fans…

The Game of Thrones mod for Crusader Kings II, which I like very much, has been updated. More wars, more stuff, more good times. Get it here

Indie platformer The Other Brothers, which is pretty good, was quietly released on iOS last week. You should check it out (it’s coming to PC soon).

An Upsetting Collection Of Dead Nintendo Hardware

Writer and student Dennis Pham has, with a stomach of iron, catalogued a collection of images of Nintendo hardware – and games – that are dead. Broken. Torn. Smashed. Whatever, you name it, this batch of gore porn has it all. It is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, if you work in the tech industry…

Skyrim Gets 100 New (Unofficial) Achievements, For The Obsessive-Compulsive Among You

Achieve That! is a mod for Skyrim that, as you’ve probably picked up from the headline, adds 109 new achievements to the game, in case you’ve racked up all the existing ones already. What’s neat here is that they’re actually really cool; way cooler than Skyrim’s fairly boring official ones. Most of them reward you…