With every gaming generation that passes we continue to strive for better and better graphics, photorealism isn’t that far away from us, so perhaps it’s only natural that retro graphics are making a comeback. The folks at design group Alaskan Military School took it to the extreme though. They set out to represent classic games with just a 15 pixel grid. As ridiculous as it may seem, they achieved amazing results with a few, such as the video above which, if you haven’t deciphered it yet, is Street Fighter’s Ken Masters v. Blanka. Check out their website for the complete collection.

[Alaskan Military School / Via Boing Boing]

Back in 2006 Miyamoto let lose a few comments about how the next Zelda game after Twilight Princess would be completely different from any previous Zelda game. Allegedly they were aiming for some sort of first person Zelda game, which we kinda saw with that crossbow training minigame.

Now though, Miyamoto is saying the next Zelda will use the MotionPlus Wiimote accessory to “make you feel much more like you’re actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand”. Now at first this makes me think this might mean the next Zelda game will not be as different as previous ones since in the same Q&A session Miyamoto implied similarities in the game mechanics. However, as much as it’s been tried, even with Red Steel 2 using the MotionPlus, there’s yet to be a game that can adequately capture the act of waving a sword around in-game.

Also, knowing Nintendo, the MotionPlus will be a requirement for this next Zelda game, so you better get your hands on one as soon as you’re able, lest you be left swatting flies. Get it? Swatting flies? A reference to waggling the wiimote in games? Mario Paint? Ok, that was bad, I’m sorry.

[GameLife / Via Joystiq]

(Please excuse the  one-day-later post but this couldn’t wait another whole week). *Ahem*. . . Hello there, fellow Dark Diamond readers and friends, and welcome back to another one of my very well-received coverages about events that gather our one similar trait; that what makes us wake up early on a cloudy Saturday to be ready just in time to assist the one event you’ve been waiting all year long: The -anime- Halloween Party (because most of the other parties . . .just don’t cut it).

Read more!

I first got news of  ”shocking” footage from GamePolitics and felt the muted CNN iReport to be nothing more than people up in arms. Watching animated videogame footage of people being mowed down, even if they are unarmed civilians is, what some might say sadly, not new to me.

We’ve seen controversy play out like in Six Days of Fallujah; the player needing to make a moral decision on the battlefield with the media and non-gamers (and some gamers) saying games about terrorism in ultra-high-def-realism is too soon. So going back to COD: MW2 found by way of TheEscapist I saw the actual gameplay, with sound.

That’s where my attitude changes; maybe I’m getting grandpa old because once I heard what was going on in the background it became much harder to keep my belief people just need to get a grip. I hope I don’t now fall in that crazy crowd. I’m not going to say this goes too far, but I think it certainly comes close to the line.

You guys know I’m all against censorship, especially in games so you tell me what you think…

[RuTube]

UPDATE:

Activision responds:

From GamePolitics

Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.

Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older.

About the events taking place in the scene itself, Activision explained:

The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them.

Say, would you fancy a big bowl of GoldenEye? Ah, how about a remake/port of GoldenEye? No, not the dead Xbox one. How about, say, a Wii one.

Yes, that’s right, a GoldenEye remake/port for the Nintendo Wii, supposedly due in 2010. At least that’s what the Curriculum of a videogame animator by the name of Craig Peck has let us to believe. In his CV, which is now offline, he listed working as an animator for “GoldenEye 2010 (Wii)”. The CV was promptly taken down yesterday as soon as it started getting attention, however the damage was done.

There’s a big mystery here though, why do you need an animator if you’re just going to port a game? Could they be adding new features? Or is this maybe a remake rather than a simple port. In any case, the rumor mill for GoldenEye is back in full force and that’s what matters.

[CVG]

Left 4 Dead 2 is looming in the horizon just a little less than a month away and here at DDN we’re all excited! Yesterday an amazing new trailer was conveniently leaked online. Finally we get a better glimpse at the personalities of the survivors. I’m quite fond of Coach, who we see showing complete disregard for the new melee weapons in the game and simply punching a freaking zombie right in the face. You know, I’m fine with that, a man should need no better tool than his fists to end a zombie apocalypse.

Are you excited? Let us know!

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?

Full write-up of the research off Wired.

[Wired via Offworld/BoingBoing]

Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy from Hive Division on Vimeo.

What do you get when you mix ingenious film making, lots of passion, and a few brilliant minds: Metal Gear Solid Philanthropy. A three part saga made with a budget just under $15,000, fanmade Philanthropy gives videogame fans the melodrama in live action form. The history behind the production is just as dramatic, but gives birth to an amazing presentation and talent.

We’ve seen fan shorts before, but not full features. I’m sure we have a talent pool here at DarkDiamond capable of similar feats…

The OST of MGS: Philanthropy can be found here.

[Found by way of Fidgit]

And no Estelle, we will not make a yaoi film.

I had remembered seeing something from studio house Quantic Dream, about an Origami Killer. Aside from seeing the beautifully rendered screens and marketing buzzwords such as “innovative and experimental” it was easy to look over, much ado about nothing. Then comes the ingame footage and now, a developer diary of sorts.

It’s impressive. I don’t know much about upcoming game “Heavy Rain”, but Guillaume de Fondaumiere speaks above regarding the experience and focusing on the adult audience. Told via 4 playable characters Heavy Rain inputs every action into the overall storyline as you search for the killer. What I find most interesting are the statements of “game overs” being a thing of the past. This will clearly be a film like experience when playing, but I’m not sure how they will be able to pull it off in a neat package. I approach with cautious optimism.

Boasting an impressive 32 player experience, Section 8 would appear to be a shining light in the crowded multiplayer environments of tween squealing Halo or cheater saturated Call of Duty. However true to form, it leaves the single player campaign with something to be desired. It’s hard times when a videogamer can’t play with himself. Read more!