A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Tag Archives: video games

Jan 27 2013
Mark Twain, probably

Eight Women, Eight Responses, and One Dead Island Riptide Statue

Eight Women, Eight Responses, and One Dead Island Riptide Statue

Did you hear about the torso fiasco of Dead Island: Riptide? If not, consider yourself lucky, because it was just a total disaster reinforcing how poorly women are treated in video games and video game culture.

Patrick Klepek put together an article for Giant Bomb explaining the situation, but more importantly, he reached out to eight women in the video game industry for their thoughts on this whole mess. Elizabeth DeLoria probably had the best quote:

We’re angered and heartbroken when women are violently murdered (and that’s just the cases we hear about.) The news of Jill Meagher, as an example, was devastating to thousands that didn’t even know her. Yet at the same time, we’re sent these messages that sexualize, glamorize and exploit a woman’s decapitated torso. That use violent murder for the purpose of sex appeal and thus profit.

Highly recommended reading.

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Jan 24 2013
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nbRZB-xqvs

Here’s a demonstration video of the unreleased Virtual Boy game Niko-Chan Battle, a version of MIDI Maze / Faceball 2000.

Finding a prototype of the game had been one of the longstanding goals of the Virtual Boy scene, to the extent that a Virtual Boy scene can be said to exist. A mysterious Japanese person by the name “Mr. G” started posting screenshots and videos on the Planet Virtual Boy forums, and everyone there went bananas. “bigmak,” a member of the forums, later acquired the prototype for over $10,000 and released the ROM for free, which is pretty stupefying, but then these collectors are pretty serious about what they do.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jan 21 2013
Mark Twain, probably

It is time for Cello Fortress, a very silly game by Joost van Dongen:

Cello Fortress is a unique combination of a game and a live music performance. A cellist defends a fortress by improvising on his cello. Melodies control the guns, dissonant notes activate the flamethrowers. Players from the audience use game controllers to steer their tanks and attack the fortress.

You can’t download or buy this game; you literally book the author for a performance at your art gallery or concert or whatever, and he brings the gear and plays the cello while attendees get to try to blow him up.

Video games are cool.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jan 18 2013
Mark Twain, probably

YouTube user brutallillfjomp:

A not that well known easter egg in MGS. To do this, go to the option menu and change your sound from stereo to monaural. During the fight against Liquid in his Hind D, call Campbell two times.

Players openly mocked by Konami. Excellent.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jan 14 2013
Mark Twain, probably

And now, for no particularly good reason, here’s Paul of LastLevelTech sending the video output of the Wii U into a Game Gear TV Tuner.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Dec 31 2012
Mark Twain, probably

I think that we here at Nullary Sources could stand to post one more piece of music before the new year. So here’s a guy dressed up as Scorpion from Mortal Kombat playing the film’s theme on accordion.

I have yet to find a version of the theme performed with a slide whistle. I’ll keep you posted.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Dec 16 2012
Mark Twain, probably

BREAK THE DAAMM

RELEASE THE RIVEERRR

THE RIVEEEERRRRRRR

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Dec 14 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Let’s talk about how Assassin’s Creed 3 depicts the American Revolution

Let’s talk about how Assassin’s Creed 3 depicts the American Revolution

Nice post on Nightmare Mode:

We thought it might be interesting to compare how the American Revolution was taught to an American vs a Canadian in light of Assassin’s Creed 3 (made by a Canadian studio!) So we got two NM contributors to examine what the game depicts.

There aren’t too many places that would post a lengthy conversation between two guys about the teaching of history and how that affects history’s portrayal in video games. Nightmare Mode is one of them. Check it out.

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Dec 06 2012
Mark Twain, probably

Portal’s physics engine rebuilt on a graphing calculator

Portal’s physics engine rebuilt on a graphing calculator

Casey Johnston, Ars Technica:

A 20-year-old college student has rebuilt Portal, Valve’s 2007 space-bending game, from the ground up, on—wait for it—a graphing calculator. In a display that puts the old calculator versions of Mario and Tetris to shame, Alex Marcolina posted to a gaming forum and reddit on Sunday about his re-engineered version of Portal. It took three years to build and cannot, due to resource constraints on TI-83/84 calculators, execute more than 16 kilobytes of code.

Don’t miss the brief code listing. You’ll flip your wig.

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Dec 02 2012
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS74k9p2_GQ

Two weeks ago, I posted a bit about the new game Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. I was not planning on mentioning anything else about this game here, especially since I don’t have it.

Then I learned that in this game you can shoot bees. This can be seen at 3:34 in the attached video. Bees are a weapon in this game.

So Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is somehow part of our continuing coverage of bees.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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