-
Culture
Sunday Comics: Assassin’s Critters
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. ActionTrip by Borislav Grabovic and Ure Paul published Nov. 5.—Read more of ActionTrip Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Nov. 5.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!!…
By Owen Good Published November 11, 2012 -
Culture
At McDonald’s Japan, these Special Burgers Sure Are…Creamy
If you’ve been to McDonald’s while visiting other countries, you know that things can be a little different. McDonald’s Japan, for example, has two “new” burgers—probably the likes of which you’ve never seen. That is, unless you’ve been to Japan. In winter. These are the “Gracoro Burgers”, with “gracoro” (“gurakoro” or グラコロ) being short for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 10, 2012 -
Culture
Got a Giant Headcrab Problem? You’ll Need More Than a Pitchfork
“Regent”, a painting by artist Sergey Kolesov, was a winner at this year’s Into the Pixel, an annual competition which “brings together experts from the traditional fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry to display and discuss the art of the video game”. It’s from Dishonored, and we’ve featured it here before as part…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 9, 2012 -
CultureGrand Theft Auto V? Ha! Here’s GTA III Played to 100% Completion in Less Than Seven Hours.
The news that GTA V will be bigger than Red Dead Redemption, San Andreas, and GTA IV combined is impressive. It makes on think back to the vast expanses of GTA III, the game that pioneered huge open-world experiences. People spent weeks on that game, trying to complete every last side quest and find every…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 8, 2012 -
Culture
Halo 4’s Cortana Could Have Looked a Little Crazier
So much of Halo 4, like the rest of the series, is busy. Lots of action, lots of colours, lots of stuff all over the screen. So this concept art from the game is a refreshing break, stripping things back to let us see the game’s enemies and locations on nothing but a field of…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 7, 2012 -
Culture
The Art of Assassin’s Creed III
I haven’t had a chance to really sink my teeth into Assassin’s Creed III yet, but it seems there’s a little conjecture over whether it’s a step forwards or a step backwards for the series. Which is an argument for reviews. Fine Art is all about the pretty stuff, and I doubt you’ll find many…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 5, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallThe Presidential Election Video Game, Made in Japan
As Americans prepare to head to the polls, it’s worth noting that one of the most important events on the planet is barely represented in the world of video games. Sure, you get the odd social or joke game released every four years to cash in on the hype surrounding a Presidential election, but on…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 5, 2012 -
CultureThe Atari 2600 E.T. Video Game Is Still Terrible, Even When It’s Finished in Less than 30 Seconds
You know the story. Almost everyone who wielded a joystick in the 1980s does: the tie-in game for Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was so unplayably bad that it almost single-handedly sank the first wave of video game infatuation. An experience like that needs to be put in its place. That’s exactly what speedrunners Adelikat…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 5, 2012 -
Culture
The Week in Games: Wake Up, John …
Halo 4 isn’t the only one coming out of hibernation this week. It’s the biggest video game doing so, as you can see by the fact the only other first-run console release is NASCAR The Game: Inside Line Also of note: anthologies for Saints Row: The Third (comprising all DLC) and Mass Effect (all three…
By Owen Good Published November 4, 2012 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Dressed to Kill Yourself
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Virtual Shackles by Jeremy Vinar and Mike Fahmie published Oct. 31.—Read more of Virtual Shackles Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Oct. 29.—Read more of Awkward Zombie…
By Owen Good Published November 4, 2012 -
Culture
This Week in the Business ‘PS3 has a Great Future Ahead of It Over the Next Few Years.’
What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “PS3 has a great future ahead of it over the next few years.”-John Koller, Sony VP, talking about the holiday season and future prospects for the PS3, as well as how it’s a “marathon, not a sprint” for Vita. QUOTE |…
By Steve Peterson Published November 3, 2012 -
Culture
The Week in Games: Assassin Nation
If Hurricane Sandy doesn’t wipe out their releases in the American northeast, Tuesday will see two heavily anticipated arrivals on retail shelves: Assassin’s Creed III and the reboot of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. There’s also Assassin’s Creed: Liberation on the Vita, starring a completely different protagonist. For pro wrestling fans, WWE 13 brings the…
By Owen Good Published October 28, 2012 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Hit Me, Dealer.
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Oct. 22.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published Oct. 24.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good Published October 28, 2012 -
Culture
Forget Wallpaper, This Art Deserves a Good Frame and a Spot on Your Wall
It’s all just so…beautiful. Where most game artists have a palette that starts at “violent” and ends at “dark”, Theo Prins’ work here has a warmth and colour to it that’s as refreshing as it is a pleasure to look at. Theo works at Guild Wars 2 developers ArenaNet, on whose site you can read…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 26, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
One Child’s Dream Day Inside Nintendo’s Japanese Headquarters
Nintendo is notoriously guarded when it comes to corporate visits. While companies like Namco Bandai and Sony are only too happy to throw open their studio doors to the press, getting inside Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters when you don’t work there is almost impossible Oh, unless you’re Gareth Bailey, a British kid who in 1994 won…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 25, 2012 -
Culture
XCOM Could Have Let The Aliens Win
Did you like that XCOM art we posted yesterday? Well, one of the artists behind it was Piero Macgowan, and tonight we’re going to taking a closer look at his work. Mexican-born Macgowan works at Civilization and (duh) XCOM studio Firaxis as a Senior Concept Artist, which means in addition to the alien-fighting pics you’ll…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 25, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Capturing the Coolness of California Arcades in the Early 80s
Between 1981 and 1982, renowned photographer Ira Nowinski hiked all over the Bay Area, taking hundreds of photos of arcades. In all, he snapped around 700 images, and in awesome news for retro gaming fans many of them are now available for viewing, courtesy of their acquisition by Stanford University’s library (and Edge). Once you’re…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 24, 2012 -
Culture
Get a First Look at XCOM’s Fantastic Concept Art
While a few pieces were shown here and there in the lead-up to the game’s release, what you’re about to see is a collection of mostly never-before-seen concept art from the production of one of the year’s surprise hits. Drawing in works from all over the place, from mood-setting paintings to gun designs to ideas…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 23, 2012