Le Blender Nouveau est arrive!

The new version of Blender (namely 2.43) got released recently and while I missed the exact release date, I still find it new and interesting enough to write about it.

For those who don't know, Blender is a cross-platform open source software package for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production and even gaming. Open source (under GNU General Public License to be precise) means it is completely free and everything created using it is also free and belongs to you. The particularity of it all is that actually there was a time when Blender was not in fact free and the community struggled to raise 100,000 Euro to buy the rights to it, so that it remains available to everybody free of charge. That's pretty unusual story and if you are interested, you may read about it here.

Famous Blender interface

While not as powerful as commercially available 3DStudio MAX or Maya, it allows for creating some great images and animations, such as the world's first open source movie Elephant's Dream, which you can download for free. Also, Blender is constantly evolving and new features are popping up. Personally, I find it significantly more advanced than 3DStudio MAX at the time I was using it (meaning that current Blender has more stuff in it than 3DS used to be). And the possibilities/price ratio is practically infinite, since the cost of software is zero (or close to, if you take into account rather steep learning curve).

This great scene has been created in Blender (by lucky)

If you want to read about all the nifty new features, have a look at release notes and if you want to see some of the vision crafted using Blender, visit a gallery (be sure to check the archive, too).

High Definition Texture Pack

Deus Ex is probably one of the best games ever made for PC, if not the very best. I played it many times from the very beginning to one of three different endings. On my fourth replay I found a place and triggered events that I haven't seen during preceding three plays - such is the amount of content and story in the game.

Currently, however, the game incredible storyline and gameplay get clouded by its already ancient engine. Essentially it is based on Unreal Tournament's one, which means it is pretty blocky and textures are not of the highest quality. It is not a problem for me or true hardcore gamers, but many others will dismiss the game just because of the way it looks.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this and it's called HDTP, which in fact doesn't have anything to do with Handheld Device Transport Protocol that happens to have same abbreviation. HDTP actually stands for High Definition Texture Pack and it does more than the name suggests - not only its authors aim to totally retexture the game in high definition, but also change all models and their animations!

New version of Gunther Hermann, old model in the corner.

Also, have a look at a compilation of screenshots in a slideshow movie below :



The only downside to it is that it is not yet finished and there is still some time before it gets completed. I can barely contain my impatience!

Meanwhile, while we are waiting, I suggest to have a look at yet another rehashed version of Deus Ex. I do not mean its sequel, Invisible War, but Deus Ex : The Conspiracy, a PS2 version with renewed cutscenes.

You can see the original Deus Ex intro here (classic intro) and compare it to PS2 version here (new version).

Then have a look at all the three possible endings in the original version.

Personally, I just love those lines ("And... who are we? Who are we really?"). The quotes at the very end of each sequence are great as well. For those who have not played the game, there is the following choice of endings in function of players choices :

• fusing with artificial intelligence called Helios - basically "Ghost in the Shell" ending,
• destroying global communications network - inducing "New Dark Age", in which people will now live free of influence of global powers,
• joining the Illuminati conspiracy - which I personally didn't like, with its opportunistic down-to-earth scent of corruption, to be joining stronger faction, just like in real life .
  

Now you can have a look at all of them in alternative versions (I give them here in the respective order) :

• The barriers between us have fallen and we have become our own shadows.
• If you receive this, if you survive, then find us! Find us!
• In the end all sins are forgiven, even yours...
  

Feel free to share your opinions via comments.

Very subjective overview of Sega Genesis Collection for PSP

I have tried Sega Genesis Collection on PSP already some time ago, but due to sudden flood of activity in my life I didn't quite get to describe it as intended. I would like to rectify that right now.


Sega Genesis Collection is a tribute to Sega Megadrive (aka Genesis, hence the name of the compilation, duh), a cult console that is warmly remembered by many. I myself didnt't ever come in contact with it (it was practically non-existant in Poland at time), but I remember seeing the screens in foreign game magazines (remember Game Master, anyone?).

The list of titles in the compilation is long and their rendition is faithful (not that I would know, but that is the opinion of Megadrive owners). I have played them and, surprisingly, I have reached a conclusion that 16-bit era is already over.

As I mentioned, I haven't really come in contact with these titles in their due time, therefore the sentimental value was not a factor in my case. And most of the games didn't stand the test of time too well.

The only two titles that I have actually played long ago were Golden Axe, which I enjoyed in amber tone monocolor on my AT with Hercules graphic card, and Virtua Fighter II, which I was playing non-stop for about six months on my Pentium 200.

Golden Axe - I remember how much emotion this buttocks used to incite...

In the first case (Golden Axe), Sega version was slightly different than its PC couterpart, but still it felt surprisingly familiar to thread the same swamps and villages all these years later. Still, the game is as demanding and unforgiving as before, and I don't like to work on game progress that much, so I abandoned it pretty quickly. Its sequels were even less interesting.

As for the latter (Virtua Fighter 2), I was a little shocked to see this revolutionary 3D fighting game flattened to two-dimensional sprites. Together with its legendary fluidity taken away it made a sad impression. Definitely a disappointment, not even worth a screenshot.

Shinobi - "Operation : ninjaaaaaah"

Shinobi was enjoyable, but difficulty and limited amount of moves made it only okay in my book. Some nice touches here and there (leaves falling in the forrest, darkness in the caves slowly disappearing as if your sight adapted to it - I loved 16 bit games for such details), but I played it only for some time.

Ecco - very proeccological game (proeccological, get it?)

When I was a kid, I used to stare in awe at the screenshots from Ecco the Dolphin, but the game itself didn't really get to me too much now that I had the opportunity to play it. It is very pretty (for the possibilites of 16-bit console, that is) and stylish with trancey "Grand Bleu" feel to it, but the gameplay didn't draw me too much into the underwater worlds.

Sonic - nice, but is it really that good?

Sonic was fun, but I definitely prefer the new Sonic Rivals (which I wrote favourably about here and here and I still maintain that opinion). I know that the hardcore fans of the blue hedgehog will probably now go and hunt me, but I really didn't understand how this simple game acquired the "cult" status.

Altered Beast - or bestial alternative?

Altered Beast was nice, especially from the graphical point of view, but its extreme difficulty left me frustrated very quickly.

Comix Zone - the best game in the compilation

If I were to name one game that has impressed me very possitively, it would be Comix Zone. Frankly, I think this game alone is worth the price of admission. You'll find yourself as a comic (okay, okay, graphical novel) artist drawn into his own creation. You'll traverse comic strip frames (yes, you actually jump between them as you progress), battle some baddies with onomatopeias appearing over you as you fight (you know, big THUD when you smack evildoers - very rewarding) and eventually face the ultimate enemy. I was amazed at the quality of this game. A bit of graphical rehash and it could be sold nowadays.

As for the other games, you can check their list here or elsewhere over the internet, but the fact that I didn't even remeber their titles (which I can't check, writing this post at Washington airport) means that they totally failed to catch my attention.

All in all, although I sound rather critical about it, it is not a bad compilation. For me it wasn't hot (rather mildly warm), but I suppose that Sega fanboys will be on the cloud nine with it. It's retro charm was not enough to captivate me, even though I could appreciate how cool and graphically advanced these games were for their era. Comix Zone is excellent and for those that owned Megadrive, there are surely some of their ancient favourites available. To sum up - great thing for the nostalgic, but fresh gamers might want to think twice before buying it.

Status update

I know it has been relatively silent on this blog during a couple of last weeks and I am sorry for that. As I have mentioned earlier, I am on an extended business trip in the States, so apart from some serious amount of work to do, I try to profit from being here and visit as much as I can while I'm still around.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Fort Alamo in San Antonio, USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Stockyards in Fort Worth are just a selection of what I did here, therefore I didn't have too much time to write. I won't be going into much details, because it's not related to this blog main content. However, I can provide you with a photo that is geeky enough to deserve to be published here :

Barts in the control room of NASA Space Center in Houston

Yes, that's the very place where they've heard the words "Houston, we have a problem". And it fully satisfies my inner geek self.

As for the status update, though, I can only assure you that I have bought a ton of new games and accessories, so expect some reviews and impressions coming on. Just a little more patience.