Metric - Speed of Collapse
Metric have let slip another track from their fifth studio album Synthetica. ‘Speed of Collapse’ has an air of calm to it, but don’t be fooled, there’s still some barbs in the glitter, and in that widescreen pool of glistening guitars you’ll find something sinister… scatter what remains!
Watch: Our interview with Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw discussing the new album.
First thing’s first - I’m an unabashed Max Payne fan. I have been for over a decade, since I played the first game on the release day of the original Xbox*. I remember blitzing through the second game in two sittings one Xmas day and being slightly disappointed in the length but then not caring when I went back to it about ten more times in the following year. I have been patiently awaiting Max Payne 3 since it was first announced to be released in 2009. With that in mind, this is a fair warning - if this reviews ends up being imbalanced, it’s because of my sincere love affair with the original games. Plus I’m not getting paid to do the opposite so, y’know, you can’t expect too much.
The basic setup to MP3 is that Max is a has-been. After all his escapades with the DEA and the NYPD, he’s become a drug-abusing alcoholic wallowing in his own self pity. Eventually, an ‘old friend’ shows up and offers him a job in Brazil as a personal bodyguard for a powerful and rich family. From there, it’s time for some shit to go down and for Max to face hordes upon hordes of enemies and be framed for something he didn’t do and blahblahblah. Again.
Spoilers after the break.
There’s been a lot of talk lately (including my own) about the used games market, and its affect on the overall games industry, but this may be the best piece I’ve seen yet. It’s thorough, balanced, and backed up with data, which I almost never see in these discussions. Anyone who is interested in this topic should give this article a look.
Interesting. I’d be curious to see how these correlate with British figures and, in particular, GAME Group - especially considering the severe issues they’ve had for the past half year or so.
Paul’s Boutique Would Be Impossible Today
The death on Friday of Adam Yauch, best known as the Beastie Boys’ MCA, surely sent many of us back to old albums we may not have heard for a while. And anyone who threw on Paul’s Boutique, the Boys’ best album, was surely struck by the sense that they don’t make records like that anymore. That’s not just because tastes and styles have changed. The entire album is based on lavish sampling of other recordings. “Shake Your Rump,” which leads Slate’s #MCATracks playlist, features samples of 14 songs by 12 separate artists. In all, the album is thought to have as many as 300 total samples. The sampling gave Paul’s Boutique a sound that remains almost as distinctive today as it was when it was released in 1989.
Perhaps the main reason-and certainly the saddest reason-that it still sounds distinctive is that a rapidly shifting legal and economic landscape made it essentially impossible to repeat.
(Source: kottke.org)
Just a quick note to say that I’m not inactive (unlike those few months where I was). I’m currently working on a couple of pieces - one on Braid and another on L.A. Noire, because I’m nothing if not timely.
There may be something about the 360 version of The Witcher 2 as well…I’m undecided.
But yeah…I’ll be back soon for those who are interested.
Anonymous asked: are you planning to go see 'the beatles: the lost concert' film?
Firstly, sorry for the slight delay in replying. Busy weekend.
Secondly, I can’t honestly say I’d heard of it. This makes me feel guilty, as I do generally consider myself a Beatles fan (Abbey Road will never leave my top five albums. Never ever.) However, thank god for the internet.
After a quick Google search, it seems that it’s only getting a US release for the time being. Still, if it makes its way over to the UK, I will most probably check it out…after Indie Game: The Movie, of course.
This is basically a short piece on game studies and how we talk about games. It sounds a bit academic, but it’s really pretty accessible and simple. Here’s a quote:
By showing alternative theoretical (and sometimes practical/tangible) model through which to interpret specific games, we are able to make changes, even if they are slight, in how people play/interpret/see games and the impact games have on our culture.
Cabal
Don’t let the pornstache fool you, this is fantastic
It’s fair to say at this point that Fez has been instantly recognised for the brilliant game it is. There are a multitude of reasons for that, not least of which being the way its core mechanics are simultaneously simple and and potentially confusing.
What I find particularly interesting about Fez though is just how thorough it is in its use of perception, and the way it forces the player to interact with the game-world.
(Yeah, probably some spoilers after the break, if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing…)
...shouldn't this be on Wordpress?
Delirium
So gorgeous! Death, Dream and Delirium are my favorites. Death because she’s so awesome,...
haven’t uploaded on here in a while :)
Gwyn from Dark Souls!
This is sick!
Shawn writes:
This seemed appropriate to post until the song got stuck in my head. Now I have my regrets.
Alduin’s Wall. Constructed in the Bethesda offices to commemorate Adam Adamowicz, who was the lead artist for Skyrim and the Fallout games, and...
“She’s dead. Wrapped in plastic.”
Twin Peaks; Pilot.
