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CultureTotal RecallThat Time a Porn Star Appeared in a Video Game About Giant Space Cats
Like anyone else who played PC games in the early 1990s, I was, and still am, madly in love with Wing Commander III, perhaps the finest moment of the period’s fixation with using real actors. One thing always seemed a little weird to me though: why was there a porn star on the ship? Yes,…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 25, 2012 -
Culture
Kids Build Their Own Tiny Worlds of Warcraft
Last year, World of Warcraft developers Blizzard asked university students to “submit an original 3D environment piece fit for World of Warcraft”. Basically, a digital diorama of a new WoW setting. After compiling entries for a few months, Blizzard has now revealed the Grand Prize winners, who each receive one hell of a prize package.…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 25, 2012 -
Culture
Action is His Reward
The adaptation of the new Amazing Spider-Man movie swings onto shelves this week, joined by the brooding military drama Spec Ops: The Line In downloadables, Skyrim‘s first expansion debuts on the Xbox 360. Monday • Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 (360) • Dungeons & Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark (PC)…
By Owen Good Published June 24, 2012 -
Culture
New Skylanders “Sidekicks” Arriving in Frito Bags in Two Weeks?
This rumor has bubbled on enthusiast sites and message boards since about April, but an official-looking PowerPoint floating out there in the wild suggests a promotion this July will combine Mike Fahey’s two greatest loves: Skylanders and snack foods. The four Sidekicks, pictured above, appear to be in-game characters only (no figurines). They’ll be claimed…
By Owen Good Published June 24, 2012 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Honoris Causa
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 June 18.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published June 22.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good Published June 24, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallHave You Ever Broken A Controller In Anger? I Have.
It’s OK to get frustrated by a video game. They’re often designed to do just that. But there’s a line you cross once you get past frustration, and once you get to the other side, you’re in angytown. That’s usually not OK. It’s a sign you should maybe put the controller down, take a step…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
Culture
Now This is How You Design Aliens: Actually Make Them Look Alien
Aussie artist Alex Ries used to work for THQ, until THQ decided it couldn’t afford an Australian studio anymore. Since then, he’s been doing other stuff. What’s great about Alex’s work is that, unlike most other artists we feature here, he has an interest in zoology and biology, and an ability to create new species…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallSuch a Pretty Video, Such a Terrible Game
Ah, Bleeping Relics, we meet again. The Beligan retro crew with a taste for rad hardware (and a very nice camera) are this episode sitting down with Puck Monster, a rather crude Pac-Man clone. Which should be a recipe for five minutes of boredom, but this isn’t about game reviews, or judging companies who choose…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 20, 2012 -
Culture
One Does Not Simply Draw Into Mordor
Ilya Nazarov works as an artist and illustrator at Bethesda. Before that, he’s worked at places like Warner Bros. and Nintendo, and has provided art for series like Metroid Prime, Donkey Kong, Tribes and, as you may have guessed by that headline, Lord of the Rings (in this case, War in the North). Ilya’s fantasy…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 20, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall1981 Video Explains Activision’s “Overnight Success”
Activision may be heralded/hated as one of the world’s biggest video game companies today, but in 1981, it was a much smaller company. A very different company, in a very different time. Which is the only reason I can think of to explain this bizarrely wonderful promo video the company put together in 1981, which…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 19, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Serve the Public Trust. Protect the Innocent. Smash up Old Arcade Games.
Hey, RoboCop, you’ve got mechanical arms and a gun in your leg. Why’d you have to go and smash a perfectly good arcade game? And it was pretty good. If you couldn’t make it out beneath all the broken glass and criminal hair, it’s Sly Spy, Data East’s 1989 side-scroller that took more than a…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 19, 2012 -
Culture
The Future is Either Clean and Glorious, or Dead and Busted…
Artist Dan Blomberg has worked with just about everyone who’s anyone at the top of the concept art food chain, at least as far as video games are concerned. From studios with a history of investing heavily in their own internal talent (Eidos) to firms who do nothing but concept art (Massive Black), Blomberg has…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 19, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Atari’s Awesome Arcade Prototypes
Companies like Sega and Namco tend to get all the credit when it comes to weird and wonderful arcade cabinets, but even all the way back in the 1970s, Atari was trying its hardest to be different. To that end, it came up with a number of prototypes for cabinets that went a little further…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallMicrosoft Already Has a Computer Called “Surface”, and it Makes Board Games Look Awesome
The unveiling earlier today of Microsoft’s new “Surface” tablets was a strange one for me. Not because of the nature of the product, but for its name. It’s one Microsoft has been using for years, only, for an entirely different device. One that, for a while there, we thought could change the way we played…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2012 -
Culture
Gods and Heroes
Two heavy-hitters step up on Tuesday—Civilization V and LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Others of note include the Avengers Chronicles suite of four Marvel-themed tables in Pinball FX2 and Marvel Pinball, and Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Monday • Pokemon Conquest (DS) Tuesday • Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles (PSN) • Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods…
By Owen Good Published June 17, 2012 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Chews Your Poison
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 June 12.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published June 14.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good Published June 17, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallBefore Journey, There Was A Game About The Rock Band Journey
Ha, ha, Journey reviewer. You think you’re so clever, inserting Journey lyrics into your game review. Well as it turns out, there once was an arcade game based on the band Journey. Well, it was something of a minigame collection, telling a somewhat awesome story of the band reuniting with their instruments, do a show,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 16, 2012