In the never ending attempt to cut down cable costs I found a nice, and free, app called Boxee. It essentially aggregates all the video feeds (Netflix, Hulu, friends’ personal feeds) I’d typically watch in my browser and provide a platform to nicely display them on my TV.
A while back we broke news of Crunchyroll beginning to stream English subtitled anime shortly after airing in Japan. Now with an ever expanding lineup, Crunchyroll will be partnering with Boxee providing their feeds in the software. If you really like it, you can signup ($5/month) for the premium capability which will give you access to streams up to 720p with no advertisements. Try the 2 week trial.
Through Crunchyroll you are also able to access all the live action drama. I’ll also add you can save your favorite channels. So if one is, say in the mood for yaoi, you can get your fill with HD quality streams.
In the future you can expect to see armies of mechwarriors being piloted by mice. Princeton University neuroscientist, David Tank is training mice to navigate a rudimentary maze using Quake 2’s game engine for the purpose of studying individual neurons as they travel in the brain.
The real question is, when can I expect these little guys to appear in multiplayer?
You know the old saying: The head bone’s connected to the…uh… arm bone? Created by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, The Yōkai Daizukai is an illustrated guide to the pranksters, winter spirits and all around monsters that exist in the shadows, inhabiting the Japanese countryside. Whenever I see these little creatures they seem strangely reminiscent of Little Monsters.
[PinkTentacle]
Breathing new life in old designs, Ben Heck’s mods transform otherwise stationary consoles, making them portable. The newly released PS3 Slimline was the next beast to tackle. Combining the unit with a 17” widescreen HD Display and custom case with built-in sound controls, the PS3 laptop is a brilliant hybrid.
While a little bulky and I’m sure quite heavy; similar to the Xbox360 Laptop I can see myself taking the PS3 on a family trip. You get Blu-ray media center and gaming platform in a nice tight little package. My only changes would be to include a way to video/audio out.
In this featurette we learn all the resources it took to make the 1:30 live action commercial for ODST. True to form M$ and Bungie seemingly spent no expense at the creation of a fantasy world. You even get to see a cut firefight scene.
Self-described as a narrative paramedic, Rhianna Pratchett is most known for her work on the Overlord series with additional credits in Mirror’s Edge, Heavenly Sword, and Viking: Battle for Asgard. I had the opportunity to interview Rhianna about her creative approach to writing, general thoughts on videogame development, and emotive storytelling.
Featured on Gamasutra, level design director Josh Bridge describes key elements of creating memorable gameplay based upon solid level design:
Usually in a shooter, the core gameplay revolves around living long enough to kill what is threatening you or impeding your progress.
The challenge is to present this small amount of gameplay in new and exciting ways so that the player is compelled to sit through and play all the way to the end… and hopefully want to play the sequel.
What follows is a very detailed approach to understanding an integral part of the player experience: The Combat Zone. Behind all of this, there is a physiological thought process I wish more designers would apply.
Play Your Way
Players should be able to play the way THEY want to. Why? It allows for a more creative experience, something that players will likely want to come back to again. Limiting the player to one path and play style over and over again gets tiresome; variety is key to keeping the player engaged.
Further more is an immersion factor of letting the player sink into the role of the main character seeing the entire virtual world not just “the game”.
Everything has to make sense. When designing a Combat Zone, it is critical to use the fiction of the area to inspire what objects will be placed on the play floor, and how they can be used as cover. This needs to be a part of your napkin sketch plan, as it is symbiotic to the environment your level is within.
This is a must read for modders. It illustrates common pitfalls of poor design and helps layout basic rules in creating a functional level and fun experience.
Summing it All Up
Ask yourself: “What will players remember about this battle that is different than others?”
It’s the summer, schools are out and now is the time when flirtation kicks into high gear. The subtle hair flip, the cutey laugh, you ladies know how to pull out all the tricks. Although there are those times when your makeup goes a little too far. This is where I come in, I’ve scoured the net to bring you BubzBeauty. Ever wanted to get that anime eye look, but just not sure how to pull it off quite right? Bubz takes some of the guesswork out beautification and gives you some tips for the natural look rather than some other tutorials out there.
Knowing is half the battle. So go out, get dolled up, and get ready to show us those big beautiful round…
Similar to how the Army Experience Center is designed promote team building and leadership training for potential recruits, Firesabre’s metaverse meth lab aims to assist law enforcement in identifying and navigating these hostile environments. Built using photographic evidence from real meth labs, this simulation prepares police officers by including common items found in the field.
For those that play Second Life, here is the teleport link.
After the jump I’ve included some faces of meth to scare you straight.
Otaku (おたく/オタク): A Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly in the subcultural fields of anime, manga and videogames. While the term derives from the “Land of the Rising Sun” (Japan), Otaku knows no ethnicity or geographic region. You may find them young or old, male of female, and here for the Otaku Festival 2009, Romanian.
Held over 3 days in the capital city Bucharest, Otaku Festival 2009 has a number of offerings for budding artists, musicals, game programmers, and competitions for best costume troupe and AMV production. While it should come as no surprise that some Romanians love all things otaku, holding a well organized multi-day convention blows my mind. Otakuism: a common thread that stretches across the globe.
After the break I’ve included some select 8-bit games made available from the Maid Cafe that will be on site at Otaku Fest ‘09.
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Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte
David 'KidKobun' Bruno
Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano
Random J
