Journal
I haven’t done any reviews in a while, then today I got asked to do one for GameGum a Flash gaming website (this is a paid review). It’s nice to get some games related reviews to do so I had to say yes.
Competition
Currently GameGum are running a referral contest in which you can potentially win $100 and 1000 GameGum points (more on those in a bit) - with a total of $250 worth of prizes. I am now wondering if I could win the contest by getting people to sign up. I guess I’ll find out in a couple of weeks 
About Game Gum
GameGum is a site that let’s you play a vast array of Flash (browser based) games. However where it differs from sites like Miniclip (where I work) is that it also let’s you submit your own games, rate other people games, and post comment …
The recent shooting at Virginia Tech has affected, and shocked, many people and it’s a terrible tragedy that something so awful could happen. My thoughts go out to all those involved and I hope they can get back to some semblance of normality as soon as possible.
Video Games
As tragic as this event was video games are yet again being blamed for the issue. Within hours of the incident Jack Thompson had managed to get onto the television, under the guise of an “expert”, and tell people exactly what had happened, despite having no direct knowledge of the incident, and the name of the shooter being unknown. A few hours after the show Kotaku posted a dissection of Jacks ravings showing that the things he said have little basis in fact and are pure sensationalism.
Since then Jack has blamed Bill Gates for the atrocity (a person who …
I went to see 300 at the Imax cinema in London recently and it is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. I like powerful films and, whilst the story was a little thin, this film was VERY powerful.
Nobody goes to see a film like 300 for the story, but what there was of it was done more than well enough. For those who aren’t aware (and I’m late to the party so you must have read about it elsewhere) 300 covers the battle of Thermapolae in which 300 Spartans stood again the millions of the Persian army.
This film is pure popcorn fantasy - it’s wonderful to look at and, like Sin City before it, follows it’s source material, a comic book by Frank Miller, very closely. Also like Sin City the movie was filmed largely on Blue Screen with the …
Arstechnica have put together the three rules of effective cutscenes as taught by God of War 2.
The rules are…
Keep it Short, Stupid
I shouldn’t be Superman in a cut scene but Clark Kent in the game
If your engine is good enough for the game, it’s good enough for cut scenes
Obviously they go into more detail, but the points themselves are very valid.
My own opinion is basically that cutscenes are boring. It’s well known that a lot of video game artists would love to work in movies, and when cd’s were first used as a storage medium they decided to fill them up with movie clips showing off their talent. The problem was that, whilst technically impressive, the movies just weren’t enjoyable. One of the most important things I have learnt about animation (and I am far from an expert here) is to keep it short and sweet - keep the …
March 14, 2007 | Movies
I was recently contacted by a very nice lady at Warner Bros. asking whether I would like to run a competition to promote a film. Normally I just ignore this sort of thing but (not that it happens very often!) but being that it’s for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, I just had to say yes.
Like 300 (also from Warner Brothers) I have been excited about this film for some time now. I have loved the Ninja Turtles cartoon and toys, and now the new film is announced and it looks like it will be great fun. There is also a game to accompany the film which, based upon the limited time I’ve played it, is equally cool.
Unlike the first movie (technically there were 3, but the sequels don’t really count) the latest Ninja Turtles film is entirely computer generated which has given the producers …
March 4, 2007 | Movies
I went to see the new British comedy, Hot Fuzz, the other day - and it was absolutely great.
I haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead, despite hearing that it’s really rather good, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to see this film. From what I have heard the humor and the style of the two films are fairly similar and having now seen Hot Fuzz I think I will give it a go.
I was very surprised by the levels of blood and gore in the film but it was all suitably b movie style with plenty of comic over the topness that stops you from taking it all too seriously - and to cut this post incredibly short I loved it!
Simon Pegg isn’t the sort of actor you would normally associate with an action hero role but he plays his role, as Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Angle?), …
Binary Moon
Rocket Boards
ExGen
Gun Wing
Bubble Bomb