New trip by Gregory Weir

Magic: The Gathering meets Mad Max

I wrote about it on Blip, but I think it deserves a mention as a blog post. So Gregory Weir, author of some delightfully strange games, such as (I fell in love with) the Majesty of Colors and Bars of Black and White, has just released another one, called The Day - you can play it on Armor Games.


Graphics-wise, it is just ugly. Also, I find its story less powerful than two titles I listed earlier, but it is interesting nevertheless, reminding me Small Worlds in its tone and ambiance - and that is a good thing. There are two endings, totally perpendicular to each other - meaning you can get either, but not both on the same playthrough. Achieving them unlocks developer commentary, which doesn't explain much, but does give insight into Gregory's design process.

All in all, The Day is nowhere as great as (I fell in love with) the Majesty of Colors, but worth spending five minutes finishing it and then maybe another five pondering upon its tale. Anything that makes players think is worth attention, so go have a look at it here.

[ via IndieGames ]

Announcing TEDx Kraków

Texting the dragon

If you are reading this blog, the chances are that you are, in fact, a nerd, and therefore you are familiar with TED. Just in case you weren't, though, I will explain: TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a nonprofit that organizes conferences where brilliant people deliver short, condensed and extremely interesting presentations on their work, research and ideas from all domains. In order to give you a taste of what they are like, here are my favourite three TED Talks:
- Sir Ken Robinson on education system and creaticity,
- Joshua Klein on intelligence of representats of corvidae family,
- Hans Rosling on statistics and developing countries.

The gaming crowd can also find some interesting Talks on their favourite subject, delivered by Peter Molynyeux, Will Wright, Jane McGonigal or David Perry.

TEDx is TED's offspring: independent events, sharing the format (license-based), that reach more local audiences. They are organized by volunteers who are mostly TED fans, willing to invest their time into making it happen, so that ideas and knowledge can be freely shared with others. When I heard that TEDx is going to take place in my current city of Kraków, I immediately joined the team and am now proud to announce it here:


You can think of yours truly as a double agent of sort - from the very start I was thinking how I could sneak something gaming-related into the event. After all, there were some precedences in TEDx conferences, such as Seth Priebatsch talking about the game layer on top of the real world or Kellee Santiago arguing with Roger Ebert's claim that games cannot be art.

Initially, I was full of ideas of whom to invite: indie games' developers, such as Cactus, Adam Atomic or Ben304, people behind Polish AAA titles, such as Adrian Chmielarz or Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński, someone from Blender Foundation, such as Ton Roosendaal - and so on. Unfortunately, though, one does not simply walk into Mordor... I mean, one does not simply invite anyone, who gets approved is a result of quite a bit of diplomacy and barter within the Speakers Committee. I did, however, manage to succeed with one double candidature: namely the duo that brought us Witcher game and Good Old Games service - Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński. I think it will be very interesting to hear what they have to say about translating literature into the language of videogames.

The theme of TEDx Kraków will be "Texting the dragon", which makes reference to the statue of the mythical dragon that for a few years was breathing fire after a tourist sent a text message to a special number (you can see the statue behind Paul Klipp, one of the organizers, in this promo video). Combining modern technology and tradition, our slogan is also a symbol of Kraków, once the ancient capital of Poland, currently an active IT center with companies like Google, Motorola, Sabre Holdings, IBM and Delphi.

Other than Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński, TEDx Kraków will also feature Charles Crawford, British diplomat, Aron Solomon, head of Think Global School, Paul Mankiewicz of Gaia Institute, Mirosław Miller, president of interdisciplinary research center EiT+, as well as other interesting speakers from different domains - you can check the full list on TEDx Kraków website.

There are still a few days to register (until 1 October), but if you can't join us in Kraków, there will be live streaming provided and the presentation videos will be available after the event on our site and on Youtube. Check TEDx Kraków webpage for more information, add us on Facebook and be sure to have a look the presentations. I will share the best of TEDx Kraków on Barts News, too, so that you don't miss anything interesting, dear reader.

Sintel release date revealed

Durian has finally grown ripe

Just a short notice to let you know that open movie Sintel, which I have already mentioned on Barts News, will be available soon. Actually, very soon - the release date shared on Durian Open Movie Project blog is 30 September. Yes, that's next Thursday!


I am cautiously optimistic about this particular movie - it is true that some artwork shown so far was great, but it also true that some of 3D was, well, slightly underwhelming. I guess we'll all see on Thursday. So far, the Blender Foundation had a good track record of making open movies, hence me hoping they'll show something pretty this time too. Five more days to find out.

Additionally, while everyone is waiting, there's a full poster available for grabs and in the post there's very interesting insight into the creative process behind it. Personally, I preferred the first iteration, but then again, I am not an artist.

[ via BlenderNation ]

rComplex

Eaten too much octopus sushi lately?

I almost wrote about indie game rComplex when it first appeared in November 2009, but as with many other things, this has slipped further and further and finally I decided there was no point. However, recently a short movie has been made, acting both as a reminder and an excuse to try to mention it once again.


Actually, the game is okay-ish and the short movie is rather so-so. Why bother writing about them, then? The reason is that I tend to often overlook game's problems, if I find something unique about them, especially if it turns out to be ambiance or story. While rComplex is both simple (in terms of graphics and gameplay) and hard (in terms of difficulty), it certainly has the atmosphere, which is why I bring it up here.

I won't claim that rComplex is an excellent game - it isn't. But it has got the backstory, the ambiance and is an interesting, if short, experience, which all in all isn't bad for something put together in about a week. There's a chance it might strike a chord with some of you, which for me is enough to warrant a short blog post on the game. Download rComplex from its author's blog and if you struggle with the gameplay, watch a complete run through on Vimeo.

Shitting Icarus

Poo Poo Rocket

Today I ask for your patience, dear reader. Bear with me for a while, because there is a game I would like to show you that will at first cause you to give me this particular long look ("are you feeling completely well, my friend?"). Yet despite making initial impression of being based on one rather lame joke, the game in question is worth taking note of. Are you ready? Then we shall begin.

The elevator statement for Icarus Proudbottom in: The Curse of the Chocolate Fountain (yes, that is a full title) is "a game about a boy who is flying on an endless stream of excrement spouting from his bottom". There, I said it. But even though the game seems to be based on lame defecation joke, not unlike good portion of US comedies, it has so much more going on.


First of all, Icarus Proudbottom is fun to play - something that many games forget in trying too hard to be funny forget. Secondly, there's a shitload (pardon my bad pun) of absurd humour in it. As one commenter wrote on IndieGames:

This game is a laugh riot. Don't discount it because it's literally based on potty humor. The author has an awesome sense of humor.

Indeed, there's a lot of absurd Monty-Pythonesque jokes in there, although it may not seem obvious at the first glance. I'll give you an example: at one point the game protagonist asks himself how it is physiologically possible to go on shitting for such extended time, which results in "LEVEL UP! Existentialism +1" achievement. Say what you may, but I find this hilarious.

The whole background story told between the levels is also one big joke, but it also is a joke that is quite well delivered. People who don't laugh at the scene with Gypsy granma might have had their sense of humour surgically removed. The dialogues are quite funny, too - I sort of smiled at the owl and crocodile "Sup" part. The pixel art and music are rather well done, which is actually quite a feat, because it's been all created by just two people. As a bonus, upon reaching the end of Icarus Proudbottom player will be treated to a music video and a song, which is a nice finishing touch.

I would say that if you don't want to play it, that's fine, but at least watch the first playthrough movie on Indiegames - it will give you an idea of how smart Icarus Proudbottom actually is. And if you happen to like it, download the game from here. You can also check its authors' website - there are some free chiptunes for grabs in there, too.

[ via IndieGames ]

Half-Life 2 Movie(s)

A very fitting post for a blog with Gordon Freeman in the header

Long time ago I wrote about a brilliant short movie called Escape From City 17. Unfortunately, the first episode never saw a continuation. The authors, Purchase Brothers, did put out a teaser preview for the second episode and a re-cut version of the original one. Sadly, the sequel never arrived.


Recently, though, Half-Life fans were treated to a CG trailer to a fictional Half-Life movie, created by Marco Spitoni. While I didn't like the depiction of our favourite mute, Gordon Freeman, the overall tone and pacing of the trailer were really good. You can download the video from Spitoni's website or watch it on Kotaku.

And if Half-Life movie ever gets made, then I hope it uses this quasi-Drew-Struzan's poster. It would be so awesome!

Sombreros

Sergio Leone would be proud

The Action 52 remake project that I mentioned in the post on Illuminator spawns more good things - this time spaghetti western themed arcade shooter called Sombreros. Truth be told, the game is not entirely finished yet, but a good chunk of it (two levels out of three) is already playable and its author says he is working on completing it. The top-down graphics are neat, the music is appropriately western-ish and there is a bullet time of sorts available every now and then when things get really hectic. Also, there are pinatas. I effin' love pinatas!


The hardcore difficulty kept me from progressing very far, but there's something about this game that doesn't allow player to let go. All in all, it's an interesting little thing to keep you amused for a while, definitely worth seeing.

[ via IndieGames ]

L'Abbaye des Morts

Retro Spectrum goodness

All right, there's been enough of AAA titles and big consoles on Barts News recently, time to see what's cooking in the Indie Community. Other than very pretty Legend of Iya (check this blip for image and links), I had a very pleasant surprise in the form of L'Abbaye des Morts, a game so retro that it looks like taken straight back from the past. Were it not for the lack of colour clash (this is actually a good thing), I would have sworn it was a ZX Spectrum title. As it is, it looks more like a very faithful port.


L'Abbaye des Morts comes from Locomalito, the talented developer behind Hydorah (excellent retro shoot'em up, which I admit not having played, since I suck at shmups, especially hardcore ones) and 8-bit Killer (fun little 3D shooter). Here's what the author has to say about his creation:

• A style close to Spectrum ZX
• Very simple controls (Left, right and jump)
• 23 screens to explore
• 16 colors palette, 1 color per sprite
• 1 channel monophonic music,
  using only squarewave form
• Secrets and hints to collect items
• About 40 minutes of gameplay,
  or 10 minutes if you know what to do

Additionally, I may add that the ending is very smart and as thought-provoking as such simple quasi-8bit game can get. In order to see how the game plays, have a look at the short preview below:

Locomalito scores additional bonus points for providing retro game cover and game soundtrack together with L'Abbaye des Morts. It's little things like this that separate great indie developers from merely good ones. I sincerely recommend that you check the game page and give it a try, as well browse Locomalito's website and maybe throw him a penny or two via PayPal.

Also, if you get lost in the game, you can check this pretty map - it made me recall the old days when we had to resort to maps printed in now vintage computer magazines. Additionally, you can use it as a retro-themed wallpaper.

[ via IndieGames ]

Tokyo Game Show Special

Ohayo Nippon

The Business Days of Tokyo Game Show 2010 are already behind us, so it is time for the first wrap-up. This year I was unable to join other game journalists in Makuhari Messe, unlike 2005 and 2007. In 2009 it was close, as I was in Japan one week after the event - but could not arrive earlier due to various reasons. Nevertheless, I am still maintaining my schedule of traveling to the land of the rising sun every odd year, so there are chances of 2011 coverage. For now, though, let me quickly summarize what caught my attention this time.

No Nintendo 3DS nor PSP2 in sight

While it is typical for Nintendo to skip Tokyo Game Show and for Sony to jump the gun and show unfinished product (case of PS3 display in 2005), neither console was showcased. Instead, we were treated to a rumour from PAX 2011 that PSP2 dev kits are already in developers' hands (which reminds me to write a post on what we know so far about the successor to PSP).

Team Ico Collection

I have only played Shadow of the Colossys about five minutes and never touched ICO. A shame, really, but you all know I didn't even have PS2. I was itching to play these two titles for quite a while now and it seems that I will have a chance to do that on PS3 - Team Ico Collection has officially been confirmed and boy, does it look pretty in HD at 30fps. You can watch the trailer here.

The Last Guardian

Together with the above bundle, the other incoming Team ICO game adds yet another reason to buy PS3 - it looks gorgeous and emanates incredible ambiance (see the trailer on Youtube or on Gametrailers). Unfortunate remark of its creators concerning the choice of male protagonist set Border House, my favourite LGBT gaming blog, on fire, but I think the author of that post exaggerates a little (sadly, my comment expressing this opinion didn't get published).

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

I mentioned this game from the team behind Heavenly Sword in my post-E3 wrap-up and it seems it is coming along nicely. The story is promising and the new trailer looks okay, but I remain cautious - somehow I am getting vibes of "great idea, mediocre game" from Enslaved, not sure why. I'll patiently wait 'till it's finished and thoroughly reviewed, before I even consider buying it.


As you see, there's no need for crying we were not there this year: not that many interesting things were shown, no dramatic reveals happened during keynotes. I would be curious to hear what caught your interest - let me know via comments. Maybe I missed something important?

Badass Fantasy Trailers Time

Finally a little less of white-knights-in-shiny-armors kind of fantasy

I am catching up with gaming news (and there are oh so many of them recently, argh). Before Tokyo Game Show rolls in (holy shizzles, it starts tomorrow!), here is a bunch of links to trailers that I have meant to share ever since GamesCon. Each of them presents different dark fantasy game and they all do it great, so sit down and have a look.

The Witcher 2

Let us start with the sequel to what has probably become the most recognized Polish game of the decade - The Witcher. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Witcher, partially because it is based on one of my favourite author's writing (Andrzej Sapkowski), partially because I wholeheartedly support CD-Projekt Red in their constant struggles to make epic videogames.


Truth be told, the original debut trailer for The Witcher 2 goes back to march this year, but it's so dark, gritty and stylish that I just had to put it in this post. Before GamesCon, another trailer was shown, presenting more of the actual gameplay featuring witcher in shackles, apparently tortured. These game fragments come from these four game presentation videos, should you be interested.

You can read more about this ambitious project on The Witcher 2 website and see more videos, including dev diaries and different language versions, on game's official Dailymation channel (there's also a sweet retro trailer, be sure not to skip it). I also wrote a few words on The Witcher 2 after E3, so you can check it too.

Dragon Age II

The second dark fantasy trailer for today comes from a sequel as well (and to a role playing game, too). I have yet to play the original Dragon Age - at first, I didn't have strong PC to play it, now I have appropriately powerful machine at hand, but don't have time. Still, the universal acclaim the game has gained suggests it might be worth to check it.


The news about the incoming sequel cause quite a stir in the community, as there are numerous voices that it will be dumbed down. To quote one of them: "sounds like your Dragon Age combat just got Oblivioned". We'll see about that, but for now the trailer is quite impressive - watch it on Vimeo or Dailymotion.

Castlevania - Lords of Shadow

The last dark fantasy trailer for today borders on the horror genre, but I find it extremely cool, perhaps for that very reason. I know that for some the idea of 3D Castlevania is a heresy, as the series has always been 2D, yet the overall tone and atmosphere of the video in question rub me the right way. I do hope the authors won't screw this up, since for now it is very promising. Have a look at it on Gametrailers or alternatively here or here on Youtube - unfortunately, all these links will force you to sit through idiotic commercials, but I have been unable to find any more decent option.


There is one conclusion to draw from these trailers - if you are into dark fantasy, then good times are coming for you.

Games I would play if I had PS3

You never saw this one coming

This is going to be a sad note, but there's a reason for it, don't you fret. Sad because I am going to describe the games I would like to play, had I had Playstation3, which, despite my initial feelings after Tokyo Game Show 2005, has grown to be the console of the current generation that I would like to buy. Writing about games one would like to play is sad like a wanker fantasizing about what he would do to an imaginary woman that would agree to have sex with him, but like I said, there's an excuse for me to do it: my buddy Braineater asked me to recommend him a bunch of games for his newly bought PS3, despite the fact I don't own one. And since he tickled my ego ("I trust your choices in gaming"), I have no choice but to delve into my PS3 fantasies right here, right now.

First of all, let me get some of higher ranked titles from the Metacritic out of the way: Grand Theft Auto IV, Oblivion, The Orange Box, Bioshock, Call of Duty, Fallout 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Unreal Tournament and other PC titles should be played the way they were intended to - on a PC. I'm sorry, but playing these without mouse and keyboard is a blasphemy. I just can't do it and therefore I am warning you against it. What's more, some of these have not been ported well: framerate issues, lower texture resolution, lack of mods, add-ons and other extra content do take away some of the fun. There is one exception to this, which I will list later on (well, maybe two).

And with that out of the way, here are the first five titles I will buy bundled with my imaginary future PS3:

- God of War 3 and God of War Collection -

Okay, I am cheating here a bit, these are two games (three actually), but it's one complete thing in my head. I didn't think this series was so good, until I played Chains of Olympus on my PSP and got hooked. I then played the first two titles on a borrowed PS2, but didn't manage to finish them in the short time window. If you have not experienced these titles before, dear reader, you owe it to yourself to play their refreshed versions (Collection). I admit that gameplay-wise the first God of War feels a little dated nowadays, but the second one is still as epic as ever. And they serve as a great introduction to the awesomeness incarnated that is the third part.

- Wipeout HD and Fury -

Once again a bit of a cheat, but I want the complete package (you can actually buy them both bundled in one box). I just love the adrenaline-pumping futuristic races of the Wipeout series and this almost-full-HD at 60 fps version it's the best way to enjoy it. Sol2 is my favourite racing track ever, by the way.

- Uncharted 2 -

I have not played the first part, which supposedly was good too, but somehow I don't feel compelled to. Life is to short to dance with fat chicks and every reviewer so far affirmed that you don't need to know what the first part was about in order to enjoy the sequel in all its cinematic beauty.

- Heavy Rain -

I am not that thrilled about this one, but since everyone in the world seems to recommend to try it, I will. It comes from the creators of Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy and promises to take the good parts out of that game (interaction, choices) and leave shitty ones behind (Mayan computer Matrix thingy). And since I love storytelling and multiple endings and Heavy Rain promises all that, I am willing to give it a chance.

- Valkyria Chronicles -

Hell, just look at its graphic style - I was sold already after seeing the images and trailer. Supposedly there's a story in there, too, as well as likeable characters and a good dose of strategy. I really want to try this one, but I admit - contrary to other games on the list, I have never touched Valkyria Chronicles.


Earlier on I mentioned one or two exception to "no PC games on my console" rule, I think now would be a good time to share them. These two titles would be Batman: Arkham Asylum and Dead Space - if you have not played them on PC before, catching up with them on Playstation 3 is definitely a good idea. They look very well, they don't have annoying framerate issues (not immersion-breaking, at the very least) and, what's important, the transition to PS3 controls is a smooth one. As much as I am a PC nerd, I have to give credit where due - both games play equally well on both systems and since they are both very good, be sure not to overlook them.


Another point to touch ground on is digital distribution. While there's a fair number of titles I would like to try from Xbox Live!, the Playstation Network (PSN) has a lot going on for me and this is another reason why I would actually chose PS3 over Xbox360 - simply because there's quite a lot of games I would like to play. Limiting the list to just five was hard, but here goes:

- Pixeljunk Eden - I just love its aesthetics and minimalist charm.
- Super Stardust HD - on the contrary, hectic shootout at its best. Ka-BOOM!
- Critter Crunch - it's just so cuuuute! Plus there's decent logic game in it.
- Flower - I am petal in the wind... I am petal in the wind...
- Scott Pilgrim vs The World - Paul Robertson plus Anamanaguchi plus retro beat-em'up equals must buy.


Braineater (remember, the guy that started this post) also specifically asked about Playstation 1 (PsOne, PS1, whatever) games available on PSN. While I am not an expert on that console either, I would recommend checking the first Silent Hill game. I still think it is one of the best horror games ever made, despite dated graphics. Other than that, Vagrant Story and The Last Blade deserve a mention, as well as Final Fantasy series, Metal Slug series, both Oddworld games, Samurai Shodown series and King of Fighters series - that's quite a lot of gaming right there.


Another category of games that I have a soft spot for, but don't get to play as often as I would love to are fighting games. I will just list my top five "do want" titles without going into too much detail: King of Fighters XIII, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Virtua Fighter 5, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

And speaking of fighting games, there are two of those that are a bit of guilty pleasure for me, but I will list them nevertheless. Bayonetta, over-the-top version of Devil May Cry starring sexy witch and crazy monsters, and Heavenly Sword, one of the first PS3 titles, almost completely forgotten. Now, I know that Bayonetta is the embodiment of teen fantasies, caters to lowest male instincts and PS3 version is inferior to Xbox 360 one - but I still want to play this game. On the contrary, Heavenly Sword is nowhere near as sexist, but is told to have limited amount of moves and boring gameplay - however, when I played it on TGS 2007, I kind of enjoyed it, and would like to spend some more time with the game.


Phew, we have finally reached the end of this post. If you were curious what my PS3 recommendations would be, now you know. Consequently, you also know why my girlfriend objects very strongly against me buying Playstation 3, despite being a gamer herself. Simply, it's because there's slightly too many games that I have mentally queued for playing. She is afraid that I will completely lose my grip on reality, stop going to work, exercising, eating and having sex with her, all in favour of PS3. Knowing myself, I can't dismiss her arguments, which is the main reason why I still have not bought the console and am left out in cold writing sad posts like this one, but at least I hope it might prove useful to someone and not end up being a futile exercise in mental masturbation.

Too Many Ninjas

There's no such thing as too many ninjas

It's been rather quiet here on Barts News recently, due to real life claiming my whole time and resources for some reason or other, as well as general lack of proper internet infrastructure in the mountainside where I was dwelling for a while. I have already apologized and let everyone know that I am alive via this Blip thingy that you can see on the right, as well as here and mirrored on Twitter, now it's time to do something about it.


There's a bunch of posts in making and I will be publishing them soon-ish, but to keep you busy in the meantime, here's a small flash game that I came across some time ago. Too Many Ninjas is a little retro arcade thingy that is A) extremely simple, B) punishingly difficult and C) sports sweet old-school graphics that reminds me of Amstrad games. Its creator is Ryan Chisholm, whom you might remember from the indie scene as the author of such titles as QWOP and Evacuation (which I have written about here).

So for now have a look at Too Many Ninjas and Barts News will be back before you know it!