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Child Soldier Goons are Being Undone by Video Games
The thugs in charge of recruiting kids for use in bloody African wars are finding their efforts are being hampered in Somalia. Not through the direct actions of the government or the UN, but because kids now have enough things to do in their spare time to keep them off the streets. A report in…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Binding of Isaac is Getting an Expansion
No joke, it really is! It’s called Wrath of the Lamb, and for $3 you’ll get new chapters, new enemies, new achievements, new bosses, new room types and even a “new final (final) chapter and boss with new endings”. It’s out on Steam on May 28.
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
The Avengers Spelled a Game Company’s Name Wrong, Reveals the Worst Job in Hollywood
If you’ve seen The Avengers, you’ll know there’s a mildly awkward moment where, of all games, Galaga is mentioned, then actually shown. Aside from coming across as an advertisement, it’s short, and it’s relatively harmless. Thing is, because it needs to be officially mentioned, Galaga and its publishers Namco Bandai are then listed in the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Culture
Have a Lollipop, Batman. You’ve Earned it.
Leonid “leopardsnow” Enin is currently working as a concept artist with mobile gaming powerhouse Gameloft. He’s also done work for other video game companies like Sidhe and Realtime Worlds. Say what you will about Gameloft’s games, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this artwork. On the contrary. It’s fantastic, even if a lot of it is…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Video Games are Coming to Life and Destroying (or at Least Confusing) San Francisco
Kenny Kong is an artist who, for the past three years, has been working with Zenimax on The Elder Scrolls Online. Having since chucked that in to pursue a Masters at California College of the Arts, he’s been able to do things a little more interesting. He’s working on a series of sculptures where video-game…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Mr. Potato Head Goes to Rapture
Thank Ginger Troll for this custom Mr. Potato Head figure, swapping out his standard attire for something a little more nautical, from the underwater world of BioShock. In the spirit of recent Mr. Potato Head licensing efforts, though, he needs a stupid nickname. I’m looking at my shelf right now and seeing things like “Optimash…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Well, at Least GlaDOS Won’t Drink a Jar of Piss
We of course have a ton of inspiring video game cosplay to get through this morning in our weekly roundup. But before we begin, in case you were wondering what the redhead above was doing, well. She’s Firefox. You know. Browser cosplay Most others this week, you’ll spot straight off the bat, including a wonderful…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
Fez’s Village in Minecraft is an Amazing Thing
Yup, people are still making other people’s stuff in Minecraft. Like this village, modelled after the starting point of Fez, and which thanks to the use of a custom texture pack looks terrific. While the creator admits its not pixel perfect – he built the “front” perspective first then moved on from there – it’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2012 -
When Internet Memes Become Art
Nerd stronghold Gallery 1988 is currently holding quite the exhibition, showcasing a ton of works done by artists all inspired by the one thing: internet memes. The memier the better. So be warned: while there are awesome pictures to follow, there are also a lot of rainbows, cats and keyboards. The show runs until May…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2012 -
The Avengers’ Wonderful Weapons are Made From LEGO
To celebrate last week’s release of The Avengers, LEGO builder Ken Robichaud has gone to town building a range of weapons and props from the film out of little plastic bricks. He’s built Thor’s hammer (and brace), Captain America’s shield, Hawkeye’s bow and a set of arrows and some of Black Widow’s equipment. Sadly, he…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2012 -
Pretty Mugshots of Mass Effect’s Bad Guys
Indonesian artist Machine56 has come up with these pictures of Cerberus troops from the Mass Effect series, making them available as some rather fetching wallpaper fodder. He’s also looking to get them printed up as shirts (the “order form” in this gallery is just a mock-up), which would be great; the same artist came up…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2012 -
Drug Smuggler Hides Cocaine in Xbox 360, Fails Miserably
Carlos Valenzuela was driving around Texas the other day, minding his own business, when he forgot to signal a turn at an intersection. For this oversight, he was pulled over, and probably would have got off with a warning/ticket if he hadn’t, you know, had three enormous bricks of cocaine inside his car. Two of…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2012 -
Elegant Star Wars Cosplay, For a More Civilized Age
Victoria “Scruffy Rebel” Schmidt is a cosplayer who, most of the time, devotes her time to dressing up as characters from the Star Wars universe. And she does a damn fine job of it. X-Wing pilots, prequel jedi, “set to stun” Leia, Han Solo’s kids, she covers all three eras of the Star Wars universe…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
These Video Game Shootings Might Gross You Out a Little
The recently-released Sniper Elite V2 is, for want of a more in-depth review, a pretty lacklustre third-person stealth/action game punctuated by moments of extreme excitement. Those are the times you actually get to do some proper sniping. And, as you can see in this video (be sure to click the “HD” button first to see…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
One Man’s Quest to Redesign a Video Game
Jet Moto, aka Jet Rider, is a bit of a cult classic from the PlayStation days. It did well enough to get a bunch of sequels, but even then, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new game in the series. Which has upset designer Ian Galvin, enough to drive him to imagine…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
Today is “International Day Against DRM”
DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is the system whereby restrictions are placed upon the use of your content by the people who made or sold you said content. It affects all mediums, from e-books to movies, but it’s especially important/hated in the video game industry for the way it’s implemented on certain games, especially those…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
Culture
From EVE Online to…Deadwood?
Andrei Cristea is a lead character artist at CCP, the developers behind EVE Online. You know those awesome human face screenshots we showed you the other day? That’s the team Andrei is on, with work pioneered by guys like Jeff Miller and Vigfus Omarsson. But pretty faces and hair aren’t all Andrei can do. So…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
First Elder Scrolls Online Details Make it Sound Like Just Another Fantasy MMO
The issue of Game Informer packed with info on the newly-announced Elder Scrolls MMO is already in some people’s hands and, well, if you were hoping for a game that was basically Skyrim only with real people, you’re in for one hell of a disappointment. From everything contained in the article, it sounds like “Elder…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
You’re Now Drawing Ads in Draw Something
Once was a time there were just normal ads in Draw Something. Now, thanks to research by the game’s new owners Zynga, you’re actually drawing advertisements. Having quietly tested the idea with more iconic brands like Nike, KFC and Doritos – “People loved to draw the Colonel and bags of Doritos”, says Zynga’s Dan Porter…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 -
Asshole Sims Won’t Let Fish Babies Sleep
When Stephen said an eye needed to be kept out on the “Sims Gone Wrong” tumblr – showing the wonderful ways one of the biggest games on the planet can break – he wasn’t kidding. Hey, buddy. The fish baby is just trying to get some sleep. Don’t be a jerk. Just gonna sit here…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012
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