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cartermarcian · 4 years

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4Kids Korner - Season 2 - Episode 3

I'm a bit late this week because I got caught up with work and school-related dread, but now I'm back to bring you more 4Kids products! This week we have an epic trifepic: Winx Club Magazine Issue one - the castle, Kirby Right Back at Ya - Ice Kirby (DVDouble-Shot) and Kirby Right Back at Ya - Kirby Comes to Cappy Town!

Let's start by getting the smallest one out of the way. Here's Kirby Right Back at Ya - Ice Kirby (2005)

There's something I oddly like about DVDouble-Shot. Starting In 2005, the DVDouble-Shot line was introduced featuring two-Episode DVDs of 4Kids most profitable shows as a way of promoting 4Kids TV. As for the consumer, the main selling point is that you could buy them for a low price, collect and possibly trade them with your friends, kind of like Pokémon cards. I like the idea of one kid saying to the other on the playground, "hey, wanna trade your Ninja Turtles for my YuGiOh?" How successful they were, I have no idea, but they're fun and easy to review on this show. Given their small portion size, practically every DVDouble-Shot is the same. This one had the episodes "The Chill Factor" and "DeDeDe's Snow Job," in accordance with the ice theme of the disc. It also features assorted promos for then-current and upcoming 4Kids shows identical to those seen in the 4Kids TV September demo disc (which I will hopefully review some time in the future.) Before we move on, though there's one little thing I want to point out about the box art. You can't see it in the photos I've provided, but the ice monster on the cover is far more pixelated than Kirby, if you look closely at it, so it appears to me that they lifted it right out of the episode and placed it on the cover. I guess that's just what happens when no official art of a character exists for your graphic designers to use...

Now that we have that one out of the way, let's talk about the stars of today's episode, which actually turned out to have much more historical value than most of the other stuff in my collection. So say hello to the Winx Club Magazine Premiere Issue, The Castle (2005)

This is a very special addition to my collection not only because it's part of what I consider to be 4Kids' absolute peak year, but since the book was presumably printed in January of 2005, it means this was one of the first pieces of of merchandise to feature the now-famous 4Kids TV logo. Heck it might have even been printed before then. As for the book itself, it's quite cute as it features everything an 8-11 year old girl wanting to be a hip and trendy 2000s teenager could want, and contains surprisingly few ads for Winx Club merch. And even more adorable, is the publisher's attempts to fit that description using words like "slammin'" in sentences. I call it a magazine, but it's really more dedicated to the comic included, "The Castle," which I would have read, but I needed to get some sleep the day I read it, so I skimmed the book's numerous activities, instead. But for those still interested, the comic is a retelling of Bloom's enrollment in Alfea, with original art that's pretty accurate to the actual show. But the book's real allure is the activities. Like the free trading card you'll see in the photo above. It even comes with a full-page description of what a trading card game is, making reference to YuGiOh in the process, which I thought was funny since 4Kids owned that, and also because it heavily implies that only boys play YuGiOh when the show itself has many female duelists. After that, you have a faux interview with Bloom taken from the perspective of a fellow Alfea Student. What I remember most clearly about that, is that Bloom says she listens to top 40's, which made me think "man, she's got some trash music taste," even though I, myself have said on multiple occasions off of tumblr that I listen to basically everything. Also included on the magazine are a paper fortune-telling toy, a best friend diary which includes a "secret crush" slot to fill in, a page for writing down predictions about the reader's future, and even a personality test which assigns your traits to a type of flower, as suggested by Flora on the page. The funny thing about this is that one question asks for the reader's favorite kind of movie, and one of the options is "anime everything," which I thought was funny since anime was just starting to get big at that time in America, and the online anime community was just starting to grow. Finally, on the last page, probably the most creative of all, is a step-by-step slumber party plan by Musa, which details inviting everyone over, having them show up dressed as their favorite popstar (like Brittany Spears, for example) and bring their favorite CD from said popstar, then taking turns playing them and talking about them. It sounds quite fun, and it made me smile imagining all the little kids who tried this. That's exactly what I think is awesome about children's entertainment: it makes them happy and builds their imagination. So that's the Winx Club Magazine, a really good buy, but I must admit they used the same art of the girls more than once on a few occasions, and also wrote in a plot hole in the interview with Bloom, where she says she discovered her powers as a child, but in the show she unlocks them at her current age when saving Stella from the first monsters of the series. So it may have a couple flukes, but still quite enjoyable.

And last, but never least, it's time for Kirby Right Back at Ya: Kirby Comes to Dream Land (2002)

This one is also historically significant for two reasons. One is that it was the very first release of one of the more famous non-Pokémon/YuGiOh shows 4Kids had to offer, but it also played a part in promoting the very launch of the Fox Box, as you'll see on the box art. This disc may only have the first three episodes of the show, but it super makes up for it with a plethora of special features, more than any of the DVDs I currently own, and that they strangely enough don't tell you about on the box. And speaking of the box, though you might not see it, the episode descriptions on the back are written entirely in comic sans. Yeah, it's clear to see 4Kids wasn't quite as sharp as they would be in the next few years... and the DVD menus are also written entirely in this font. But that doesn't take away from the outstanding value. much like the Fright to the Finish DVD, this one's special features are split between two menus. For this one, there's "More Kirby" and "Added Attractions," which is the far superior one, but more on that in a minute. The More Kirby menu features a character gallary telling you about the main cast, set to music from the show. Then there's "Kirbyoke," which is there to teach the kids the words to the theme song. And finally, we have a preview for the next DVD in the series, which at that point hadn't a proper name, so Mike Pollock's voice just refers to it as "Kirby Right Back at Ya Volume 2." Then, in the "Added Attractions" menu, we have a promo for Cubix - Robots for Everyone's first DVD release, a short promo for the newly-launched FoxBox.TV website, and the star of this review by far, "What's Inside The Fox Box?!" This incredible 14 minute long promo (which you can find on Youtube, by the way,) previews every single show in the Fox Box's initial lineup as a way of hyping up the network for it's September 2002 launch. Well, kind of... You see, 4Kids made multi-minute promos for their own productions, complete with plot synopses by Mike Pollock and others and theme songs for the shows. Meanwhile, Stargate Infinity, a third-party show, only got a promo featuring still images of the main cast, a paper-thin explanation of the plot and no opening, all clocking in at under a minute. So, yeah, pretty lame move on 4Kids part, but at least we get to see HD footage of 4Kids lost Ultraman Tiga dub. Ultimately, it's a really fun promo from 4Kids' very beginnings as a dedicated children's entertainment company, even though it uses some uncut clips of guns in Fighting Foodons since the dub wasn't finished at that point. One last thing to point out: the promo for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which hadn't even started production at the time,) features an unused theme song demo for the series which also made it's way onto the illusive Fox Box CD. So there you have it, one of the DVDs that started it all. Thanks for reading about it, as well as my other items this week. I will be back with more next week, so hang in there, and I'll see you all next time. Take care!

#4Kids #4Kids TV #4Kids Anime #4Kids Dub #4Kids Entertainment #Kirby #Kirby Right Back at Ya #Kirby of the Stars #Winx Club #Books #Fox Box #DVDs #Cartoons

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bltngames · 4 years

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SAGE 2020: Indie Games

SAGE may closed more than a day ago, but thankfully, the website remains up for those who still want to download its games. So even though this article is technically very late, nothing listed here is out of date. The event may be over, but the games live on! Which is honestly a relief, because I think doing ten games per article is taking its toll on me. Normally, when I’d write for TSSZ, I’d do somewhere in the realm of 5-7 games per article, and even that would eventually burn me out. After writing about 20 games this year, I was clearly starting to feel like I was running out of steam. Oh well. We live and learn. Here’s another ten games!

There’s one more article left after this, a sort of “honorable mentions” round-up that will feature much shorter blurbs as I blow through way more games way faster. If I didn’t talk about your game here in these three articles, now’s your chance to let me know so I can say something about it in the final article.

Anyway, onwards to our ten indie games.

Victory Heat Rally

I’m all for any game channeling the spirit of Sega’s old SuperScaler arcade technology, and Victory Heat Rally is all about that. Everything about this game seems so MY AESTHETIC that my only complaint is that I’m hungry for more. A lot more. This demo is a simple time trial on one race track and I’m itching to sink my teeth into literally anything else this game has to offer. There is an older demo from back in April with more content, but it’s running on a different version of the code base -- this newest demo is significantly improved both in terms of visuals and control. I really don’t have anything else to say about it. There’s not much here, but what’s here is charmingly retro in the style of Sega’s Power Drift, but cuter and even more colorful.

Sondro Gomez: A Sunova Story

I had been interested to revisit Sondro Gomez after playing the first demo last year, but I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right mood for it this year or what, but I kind of bounced off the game this time. To my memory, Sondro Gomez is a kinda-sorta side game in the Kyle & Lucy universe. You may remember Kyle & Lucy as one of a growing number of games coming out of the Sonic fan gaming community trying to break out as an original title. A while ago, the developers announced a partnership with Stealth to use the Headcannon engine to make the game with, something that extended to Sondro Gomez here. The problem is, it feels kind of weird now, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think it’s the little stuff -- you don’t get a lot of positive feedback when attacking using your whip (the sound is a bit quiet), and the difficulty balancing errs on the side of caution. I died a couple times in my time playing this newest demo, but I wouldn’t characterize Sondro Gomez as a game that feels challenging. Some of that probably has to do with the fact this is still just a demo, which means you spend a long time fighting the same four enemy types in every single level. There’s a lot of charm to the story and the characters it involves, but that only takes you so far when it feels like you’re doing the same things over and over in the actual levels, you know? Either way, the touched up visuals and the new boss fights are welcome. Interested in seeing what the full release looks like next year.

Delta Gal

In retrospect, a Mega Man Legends fan game seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Where Delta Gal has a leg up is in controls. Even considering the era Mega Man Legends was released in, it had very awkward controls. Delta Gal’s response is to embrace standard third person action game controls with a mouse and a keyboard. Now, there is controller support, but even once you get it set up, you have button layout presets like “Bad” and “Almost Good.” Honestly, if you can, just play it with a keyboard and mouse. The demo offers about 30-40 minutes of gameplay, with a bit of the town, a forest section, a cave, and one whole dungeon. Visuals nail the best parts of the Mega Man Legends low-fi aesthetic, colors are vibrant, and the pixel art textures look very good. The town is full of characters with lots of personality, too. A particular favorite being the guy who runs the junkyard who likes to show off by flexing his muscles but then ultimately chickens out when it comes to exploring the cave he discovers. The only downside I’d say is the sound design. The game sounds okay, but some of the music is a little bland, and certain sound effects lack the right kind of punch. Granted, this style of sound design isn’t easy, so I can empathize with the developers in that respect. Honestly, it doesn’t really detract from anything at all, so maybe it’s not even worth bringing up. Either way, good stuff, and I’m looking forward to the full release.

Bun n’ Gun

Here’s a cute little game about a bunny in the old west. I’m absolutely in love with the visuals and the music here, but the gameplay is… interesting. Bun isn’t a typical shooter or platformer, thanks to the fact that he appears to only have one arm, which is occupied by his gun. Now you wouldn’t think this would matter, as it’s pretty easy to design a game around only having to jump and shoot, and that’s fair enough. But there’s a strange heft to this character. It takes them a little bit to pick up speed, and it takes them a bit to slow down, and there’s an unmistakable, split-second delay between pushing the jump button and actually jumping. I know enough about this kind of game development that a delay between pushing a button and actually jumping has to be a deliberate design decision, and I split on whether or not I like it. I don’t think I hate it, because it’s pretty easy to get used to the way it feels, but it does mean you’re working with a handicap when it comes to split-second movements. Given the bunny seems to only have one arm, though, perhaps that’s the point. Either way, it’s cute. Give it a look.

Shield Cat

I feel like I’ve been over-using the word “charming” to describe games at SAGE this year, but you know what? Shield Cat is charming as heck. People also tend to think it’s reductive to describe things by comparing them to something that already exists, but I say nuts to that, too. Saying “It’s like…” is an easy shorthand, and besides, if somebody is saying your project is like one of their favorite games, it just means they’re giving you praise and might lack the words to accurately describe that praise. Thing is, that’s actually kind of hard to do with Shield Cat. The nearest relative to this game would be The Legend of Zelda, but Shield Cat honestly plays very little like Zelda, beyond having a top-down perspective. Secret of Mana, maybe, with the stamina meters? I don’t know. Regardless, this is a charming (!!!) top down action game where you roam around exploring an overworld and solve light puzzles. It controls well and the aesthetics are nice. Can’t really get much better than that, though I do have to wonder what it is you’re supposed to be doing in this game. It took me about 30 minutes to see everything available in this demo, but there’s no story setup and only the smallest pieces of what could be considered a dungeon. What’s on offer here is interesting enough that I find myself wanting to know more about this world. For example, it’s called Shield Cat, but clearly you’re some kind of ferret. What’s that about? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Prototype N

I’ve sat here staring into the void wondering what to write about for this game for a long time, because it’s one of those demos that’s just… a solid and fun game that nails exactly what it’s going for. I would say that Prototype N leans a little too far towards the easy side of things, but the third level provided in the demo ramps the challenge up enough to be just about perfect. And, really, that’s it. That’s the game. You get two softer introductory levels to get you acclimated to the controls (which are similar to Mega Man, but different enough not to be a direct clone) and one “real” level to actually give you a bit of a work out. There’s nothing else to really say. This has the vibe of a 1993 or 1994 Capcom game, or maybe something from Data East. Every single part of this game’s presentation is laser-focused on that aesthetic, and it pulls it off flawlessly. Sound design, music, visuals, it’s a bullseye. This game fell out of a time machine in the best way possible. Definitely give it a look.

Yan’s World

From a game that nails the SNES aesthetic to this, a game which pays tribute to the Virtual Boy… but not really? I actually became aware of Yan’s World many years ago through a mutual Discord, and it always looked interesting, but simultaneously a little confusing, something that still mostly holds true to this day. Per the game’s own Kickstarter sales pitch, Yan’s World is “stylized as a lost title for Nintendo's Virtual Boy.” I can get down with that, but the game almost instantly breaks its own rule because Yan’s primary method of attack is to shoot a missile from his head that can only be aimed using the mouse. As such, Yan’s World doesn’t have controller support, even though one of the stretch goals currently listed on their Kickstarter page is to make a version that can be played on real Virtual Boy hardware. And, honestly, what’s the deal with this game’s whole… everything else? Why is this kid an onion? Why are the platforms made out of clocks? Why does all of Yan’s dialog make him seem like he’s sort of pissed off when he’s got such a big happy smile? There’s a bit of a hand-wave to suggest the entire game takes place inside of a dream, and for once that actually means throwing logic out the window, I guess. Oh, the missile is a pillow? Fine, whatever. Use it to blast this demonic apple, and then threaten to kill an innocent NPC. It’s a dream! Despite how little sense that makes, it… kind of works? The sprites are big and lovely, the game controls well, and the level design is plenty creative. I can’t fault the game for that, it’s just trying to figure out everything wrapped around the game that feels so bizarre.

Cosmic Boll

I don’t know if I really understand what’s going on in Cosmic Boll, but I love to play it just the same. This plays like if Treasure made Dragon Ball Advance Adventure while strung out on cocaine. The end result is pure hyperactive chaos. There is a whole complicated combat system at play here, and a very lengthy in-depth tutorial when you first start the game, but you can figure out a lot of it by just skipping the tutorial and playing the game for real. You can get by pretty easily by just mashing buttons and seeing what happens, and that’s not a complaint, because a lot happens in this game. Like, constantly. It never stops, it never really slows down. You’re always zipping around, spinning and flipping and punching soldiers, explosions everywhere, collectibles everywhere, just utter madness. It’s Sonic the Hedgehog plus Devil May Cry plus Gunstar Heroes and all of it is mixed up in ways you probably don’t expect. All of this is to say that Cosmic Boll is messy and cool and fun and you should probably play it.

Brock Crocodile

This is a game I’ve seen a lot of around social media, and it’s nice to finally be able to try it. Weirdly enough, this is the first game all SAGE that has flat out refused to see my controller. For the last few years at SAGE, I’ve been using a Playstation DualShock 4, which typically causes me all kinds of headaches with games expecting an Xbox controller. This year, I’ve been using an 8bitdo SN30+. These things are designed primarily to be used on the Switch, but using a controller macro, you can change it to Xbox or Playstation modes. The “Xbox” mode has served me well so far, but Brock here fails to let me use the controller at all. Fortunately, with only three buttons, Brock manages to be mostly playable on a keyboard. That being said, a lot of this game feels a little bit off. The camera is kind of swimmy, as it's almost constantly in motion trying to get a better angle on what's around you. Brock himself doesn't have a smooth acceleration curve either -- it's more like shifting gears in a car, where you reach one top speed and then click up into the next highest speed. That can work, but Brock changes gears much too quickly and without much feedback, making it look like one jerky acceleration curve instead of two. And then there’s the visuals. Level art looks great, character portraits look great, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of the sprites I’ve seen in this game. Take Brock himself, for example: he’s got insanely thick thighs for some reason but the rest of his body looks thin and wispy, and he stands with kind of weird posture. The good news is, despite these complaints, Brock Crocodile is actually really fun to play. You eventually get used to the game’s control quirks, and the level design and included boss fight are excellent, striking that perfect balance where they aren’t too easy but don’t feel unfairly difficult, either. Plus, even though the cutscenes aren’t skippable (annoying as I was dealing with controller issues), the writing is snappy and the dialog is funny. It may not be perfect, but there’s still a lot to like here.

Marble Launcher

Here’s one of those games where you can tell the creator is just starting out making games. And that’s great! These sorts of endlessly complex, winding mazes are exactly the kind of levels I started making when I first got into game development when I was 16 or 17 years old. One could spend hours searching every nook and cranny in these levels, which is simultaneously awesome and exhausting. Thankfully, near as I can tell, nothing FORCES you to go exploring, so if you’d rather just finish the game, it’s easy enough to head straight for the goal. Gameplay is extremely simple, otherwise. You’re a marble, you can attack enemies by bouncing off of their heads, and you have a slam move. That’s it. You might think that with this being a marble game, you’d get real rolling ball physics, but all you get is simple platformer controls. They’re good enough, especially considering how esoteric the shape of the levels can get, but it’s hard not to be a little disappointed. Still, it’s not a bad little game for what it is. Controls a bit better than some of my earliest attempts at game development, too.

Thirty games total! That’s a lot of games to talk about. And there’s still more to come, so stay tuned for that.

#sage #sonic amateur games expo #writing #review slew #indie games #victory heat rally #sondro gomez #delta gal #bun n' gun #shield cat #prototype n #yan's world #cosmic boll #brock crocodile #marble launcher

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bramblescrossing · 4 years

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#askbram !

A whole bunch of asks answered below the cut!

warning, it’s really long! ♡

Uploading Designs After Using My Tutorials!

Hey! I don’t mind if you upload them to your creator code, but if possible I would really love a reference/tag to my accounts if you post them anywhere! Mostly because I want to see how you end up using them! ♡

I’m @bramblescrossing here (lol) and instagram @ BramsDesigns on twitter!

@cherrixing

Would you post grids for your designs?

Hey! I would be down for that! I’m thinking I’m going to do a once a month poll where you guys get to vote on which one get’s the pixels posted! The only reason I’m a bit adverse to posting all of them is because it takes a bunch more work, especially with posting all the info for the color palettes! But I’m willing to put in the work if people are wanting this!

Can you do ____ Tutorial?

I haven’t made one yet, but I’ll work on one for you right now! I’ll post it ASAP!

@vennitrii

First, sdjghsalkdg you’re gonna make me cry, non!

Second, oh man, I haven’t even tried yet! Both are now on my list of future tutorials!

@acupofblackcoffeeonesugar

Could you be more specific? Like a whole top? Or? Send me some reference pictures! :)

Adding it to my list! I’ll do some pixel letter tutorials, but in the mean time, you can google search pixel letters and get some help if ya want! I’m by no means the first or the only!

Wildewisp Weekly Updates!

Hey nonnies! Abosultey! I made the template myself using photoshop (took forever lol!) The whole picture is 540x900 pixels and I cut it into 3 pictures that are 540x300! That is the standard tumblr picture size I believe!

Design Limit Stuff

I believe that character would be able to post 130 more, which I am considering doing. However, I am hesitant because of having another creator-code and having to remember which design goes with which character when making edits. But Bramble (as a character) is likely to make a reappearance soon and join Murmur so I can create more!

I have heard that! That you share you design slots! Such an incredible bummer for families who share! I am so sorry :( I wonder if that means each character would have editing rights over a design created by someone on the island? My guess is not? But if it is, it could solve some of my issues with starting another character (see above).

@snailienz

I think design packs would be such a great idea! Or the option to rearrange the codes on your creator portal? I totally get that Nintendo has a server and limits, etc etc, that thy have to consider, but I don’t think there is NO way the limit/way designs are shared won’t change! I think there’s lots of options. I’m pretty sure the Infrared sensor on the joycons could even read a qr code? Lot’s of options, @nintendo!!

“Not Active” Designs

You are so so welcome! I’ll be adding that image to the top of each original post, and adding the tag #notactive so you can check that as well! It helps me to keep things straight on my end, too!

Inspiration?

Hey nonny, don’t get discouraged! The wonderful thing about all of this is you can change it pretty much at will! And taking inspiration from others is great! That’s how ideas grow! I would say, in regards to appreciating your island, find little spots here and there that are filled with your favorite things! And don’t be afraid to join a community here on tumblr or via a discord! There’s lots of them out there!

Honestly, that’s why I love taking requests! People have so many different and wonderful ideas, it always tests my skills! Other than that, pinterest and tumblr are great places to find cute outfits!

I’ve always been an artist in my spare time and have really loved pixel art since ACNL! Honestly, practice makes progress! I go in to more details about specific stuff for AC designing here!

@buunnypriince

#happiness

@morgrenth sdgjasdhgkjl thank you so so much!! I really have fun with it!

sdhgkjsadg thank you both so much! I really really really appreciate it. Seriously, saving these asks so I can read them again and again!! <3

@gaiamoth

@sanuas kdsjhgksjad Ily too!!! <3 <3

djhaskdljg thank you so so much. thank you for the encouragement! <3 <3

@whisperel jkdsghalskdg thank you so so much, truly. I needed this love, today!

@elizawritescrap <3 hugs to you tooo!!!

Other!

Hey island name anon! First, thank you for telling me! I did spend a loooooonngggg time coming up with that name haha, but I also get it! it’s not copyrighted or anything! I hope the name is bringing you and your island as much joy as it is bringing me!!

I do some of the css stuff to tweak things, as many of the theme blogs are inactive and not taking requests! But all the theme designers credit can be found on each individual page! I did not make any of the actual themes!

#ask bram #bramblesrambles

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hellotinywonder · 6 years

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(re)Generation 2018: meet your heroes.

DAY THE FIRST, Wednesday:

Snow. Darnit. I’m going delay my trip a day.

DAY TWO, Thursday:

I got up at 5:30a, trekked down to my conveniently already-packed car through the snow, but the streets were clear, and I began my drive westward and northward. Dawn over snowy mountains is spectacular.

I visited with puppeteer friends in Richmond, saw their local makerspace, and hung out with an old friend from my touring days and her new dog, Dave, a rescued sweetheart from Puerto Rico.

DAY THREE, Friday:

Off to DC, with literally NO traffic. I had brunch with the incredible JoJo (Burlesque Poetess), who is a Doctor Who nerd of equal or greater value, and extended bandfamily from ten years ago. It’s been so great to reconnect and talk art and ideas and nerdy references. And how we engage with the universe, and how sometimes the universe engages right back.

After brunch I headed to visit my friend Matt and his wife. It was great. I met Matt a few years ago at a convention, all because I had PuppetCapaldi with me, Matt used to write and draw for Doctor Who comics, and has since become one of my closest art friends and advisors and person to send random texts to in a crisis. Good people, but this is the first time we’ve hung out in person since our initial meeting. It was great. A few hours later I was off to Baltimore.

It took 3 hours. Which didn’t mean much to me, as I don’t drive DC to Baltimore often. But yes… I later learned it should be a 45 min trip. I parked eventually and made my way to the hotel for ReGen. I knew only one person going in, and I promptly sought him out: Drew Meyer. I snuck into the back of his panel (it’s worth mentioning that I met Drew the same day I met Matt, and PuppetCapaldi did those introductions too) and tried to use context clues to make out what it was about. I got as far as Drew referring to the Tardis as “sort of like a windowless van”, when I abandoned that notion and decided I’d just make a note of it, so I could mock him in my end of trip summary… like… now.

After touching base, and handing off my puppet suitcase (Drew was storing it onsite so I could attend the March for Our Lives the next day without needing to worry about a giant rolly-bag and crowds) I caught Irene Richard coming out of the panel she had just hosted with Rachel Talalay. I feel like I’ve known Irene for years, I think it’s how decidedly New Yorker she is, but this was our first time actually meeting. We hit it off, as I knew we would, and then by some twist of awkwardness and fate, I was standing at a table with Rachel Talalay admiring a scribbled storyboard movement sketch. I love things like that. Process-peeks. I realized I didn’t have anything to say to Rachel (aside from the whole: You’re awesome, inspiring, and your eye is fantastic), which is bothersome, because I’m a fairly interesting person at times, and I want to learn so much from her, she’s a powerhouse in the industry I am just starting to dabble in, and am always keeping an eye on. I didn’t have any puppets with me to reinforce that I make stuff, etc. That’s fine, there was a whole weekend ahead.

I skipped out to dinner with Drew and his friend Brent, and shortly after went home to my friend’s house, where there was a party.

The party, I won’t get into too much, but I walked in and it was like knowing everyone. They were activists, peers, they had a prison letter writing campaign going on in the dining room. I had such a wonderful time meeting everyone, it was a completely unexpected bonus. I miss my punkrock anarcho activist friends. Good to see organization like that in Baltimore. I slept in a room with multiple accordions. Perfection. Thank you Jonathan for your hospitality and your excellence.

DAY what is it now? Four? FOUR, Saturday:

I got up early, mostly because I had been and would be antsy about giving my panel on puppet and prop-making that night. No one else in the house is up, and I need coffee and to get to the March.

I get a Lyft to town, remembering seeing a Starbucks a block or two away from the hotel. I’m traveling with just a little backpack and my travel mug as my puppets are stored at Drew’s so I get out and head off to it. *Normally I’d avoid Starbucks and hit up a local cafe, but the Baltimore Harbour is rather commercialized I couldn’t find an indie place to scope out. I was not alone in this…

I walk in, an amalgamation of bleary-eyes and nerves, and to my left I see a familiar figure and hear a voice, and at first I dismiss it, as I don’t quite place it- holy damnit. It’s Peter Capaldi. ***Now, I am going to stop you here. Peter Capaldi is a big deal to me. I met him last year, PuppetCapaldi in tow, and some friends got me to make a 24 hour comic about it. (It’s here https://tinyurl.com/y9cfma2t) worth a read, and it’s flipping cute, and I might reference it once or twice more.***

He’s talking with Rachel. I make my way past them, because they are having a conversation and the day is young, and I am about to go shake my fist at government, and I need coffee and… While I’m waiting in line, they finish their conversation and get up. Fine, universe, I might as well, I wanted to reconnect with Rachel anyway, so I do. I say hello, I explain that this is a very bizarre and rather delightful start to my day at least. Rachel introduces me, Peter shakes my hand. “I’m Peter.” “Valerie.” We talk for a short while. Peter grabs my travel mug and inquires about my Scottish flag sticker with EU stars super-imposed. I explain that, while I am not from the UK, I’ve kept up on Brexit and I talk about meeting with the remainers outside of Westminster, and when I was in Glasgow- Glasgow? Oh yes, and then I point to the sticker next to it, which is a map of one of my favourite cities in the world: Glasgow (my travel mug is adorned in stickers from places I’ve been recently, namely Glasgow and Berlin, and Tokyo…) Peter doesn’t quite recognize it, so I point out The Clyde, and it clicks. “Oh!” He says, then we start to talk about Glasgow. It’s brilliant. He points to a place on the map and shows us: “I have a flat right around here.” I show him where I stayed, across from Kelvingrove. “Oh, that’s the West Side.” He’s right, but I act jokingly incensed. Glasgow, Glasgow, Glasgow, and then it’s time to go. We say our goodbyes. And they are on their way and I will see them later and…. I need coffee.

I walk back to the hotel a few minutes later (to set eyes on puppets, make sure everyone’s all set, and tuck them away at the Pixel Who booth, who have lovingly adopted us for the weekend), glowing. It occurs to me I just got to talk to Peter Capaldi about Glasgow. Not Doctor Who, not The Thick of It, not Puppets, just Glasgow, a city we have a mutual fondness for. This is somehow the best thing ever.

Okay, get your head together, Valerie. It’s time to go to the March. So I do, it’s about 4 blocks away, an easy walk and the whole time I’m overwhelmed with what today might end up being like. The March is indescribable. I went to the local Baltimore version, knowing DC would be too much to contend with if I am to teach a puppet workshop that evening, but I believe it was worth stepping out wherever and being counted in the hundreds of thousands of people demanding better gun control in the US. Kids are on the microphone, empowered by their peers, and finding their voice, and demanding their safety, and I’m already just emotionally dilated and I begin to cry. It was such a powerful morning.

After a couple hours, I’m starting to fade. I leave the March, return to the hotel, get some food and grab my date, a 3 year old, beat to hell, semi-retired PuppetCapaldi. He is the goshdarn belle of the ball when it comes to conventions like these, especially when Peter is present. We go to a panel interview of Peter. As he’s my aforementioned ArtHero, I am terribly interested in what he has to say, but I don’t care as much about meta Doctor Who information unless it’s fun anecdotes of monsters and puppetry, of which there are a couple. The only thing I am interested in him answering related to Doctor Who is what was it like to make something like this in the world of Brexit or Trump, or how does Doctor Who intersect with our current reality, because sometimes it seems to offer direct commentary, and Saturday (with the March) was just a particularly important day. A sort of: did Doctor Who, the franchise, feel it has a duty of care, with how it couches its viewpoint in media, etc. I never got to ask that question, but someone asked one similar. His answer was lovely, talking about how ultimately Doctor Who is being made for kids, and giving them the globalist (universalist) perspective of The Doctor will help shape their thinking and the world as they inherit it. That world leaders should be afraid, because Doctor Who is communicating with the generations that will replace them. It wasn’t quite the question I had, but it was close enough. Thank you, whoever asked it. I looked for her after (she had blue wristlets), but never found her.

I ran into Rachel again after this, and donated to WhoAgainstGuns and got a lovely postcard of the (now dismantled) Tardis interior, which I love, a set I desperately wish I could have seen, could have been on, and I did try. She signed it to me. “To Valerie from Starbucks” and we talked about how we both ended up there that morning for lack of other options. I apologized for bothering them, but there was no need. It also caught me offguard to be remembered. That’s a long time problem for myself. I’ve written about it many times before. I am getting accustomed to the concept that people do in fact have object permanence when dealing with me. It’s nice to be remembered.

I’m about to go get our little family photo taken, when Michelle Gomez passes by and sees PuppetCapaldi she makes “the face” as I have come to call it. “Whaaaaarghourgh!” She yells as she’s rushed by. I make a note to find her later. She made the “I know that guy!” face, and I think she wants a picture with it.

I am currently, in present as-I-write-this day, realizing how darn wordy I am. I’ll try to condense. We have our photo taken. Peter puts together that I am me. The woman from this morning, but also that we have met before, once he sees the puppets. I let him play with the finger puppet, and before I know it we’re looking into the monitor (THEY HAVE A MONITOR, BLESS YOU!) and I’m talking about finding focus, etc. A photo is taken of me adjusting Peter’s arm while he stares down the camera, and then one where I look at the camera but he, and all puppets present, are focused on the monitor. Both are super adorable.

We’re removing puppets, etc and Peter says “You made all these, yes?” Oh yes. Someone prompts me and I mention the puppet I brought that is loosely based on Armando Iannucci, not that anyone would recognize it. “I would recognize him” Peter says. “Bring him by and show me.” So, that’s that. I’m off. A bit thrilled that I’m getting a reputation as the puppet lady. I mean, I’m certainly working at it, but attaining it is an altogether different feeling.

I’m sitting outside in the hallway playing with two little girls who were there for photos and talking to them about puppets and Sesame Street, and that sort of thing, when Peter and his folks pass us. The girls and I (and PuppetCapaldi) wave at them, and I continue to pack my photo into my Spacejunk sketchbook and then I’m alone in the hall. I head for the elevators and as I turn the corner I walk into the most wonderful scene:

Young Theo Tidemann (who I did not know at the time) has just started playing ukulele at Peter’s request, while we’re all waiting for elevators. Theo starts “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” It’s wonderful. It’s sweet. It’s about to get even better. Peter starts to sing along, then slowly we all do. A bunch of strangers, singing in impromptu harmony. It’s so magical. Singalongs are like my religion. That metaphysical energy of communion through song? It’s transcendent to me. Early on I realized that I was in a perfect moment, and I thought of this kid I was about to meet, and he deserved a video of this. So I juggled my puppets a bit and took some poor quality video with my phone, it pans up and fades out, and it doesn’t matter. It’s the perfect moment, and we can rewatch it anytime. (It’s on @hellotinywonder’s instagram… https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgt7jO8Ar25/ and BBC-A put it in an article about Doctor Who’s Day recently) Other things happen that day. I get a moment with Michelle, she takes a photo with PuppetCapaldi, but I’ve never seen it since. I am still looking for it. It’s a great exchange, though. Showing someone your art because they are excited about it. I’m pretty proud of that. I play ukulele in a room of other ukulele people… it’s ukubiquitous!

I sit in a dark corner and just breath a bit. I end up talking about puppets with the custodial staff, and it’s one of the most delightful conversations of the weekend. Throughout, I am adrift.

PUPPET PANEL! It went WELL! Kathy O’Shea David helped out and brought her army of puppets as well, I would go on, but really, it was mostly just me talking about puppets, how to build, what to use, asking questions, answering questions, and corralling a puppet petting zoo. Unexpected hit of the posse was Kyle the Fish! Everyone loves Kyle, I demonstrated my feelings on ventriloquism with him (when using a puppet, in my opinion, moving your mouth doesn’t matter, if your focus on the puppet is correct, and your manipulation is believable and you hit your lipsync, people will just accept it.) As I started to put puppets away, when my panel was over I looked up and saw Kyle, some kid was manipulating his mouth, and it was so moving. I make reference puppets like I do fanart, to expose people to the other stuff I do. Do you like PuppetCapaldi? He’s a portrait puppet, a skill I possess, and can do for anyone! Do you like this Rick from Rick and Morty? He has moving eyes, a mech I designed, and also use over here… People fell in love with Kyle, who is my very own intellectual property, and that meant the world to me.

At some point, I and my puppet rolly-bag float away to bed.

DAY I FORGET, IT’S THE LAST ONE, Sunday

I drive myself in this time, so I can scoot off when I’m done. Puppets stay in the car, with the exception of PuppetCapaldi, my date, and Armando, who I debate quietly… I mean, he’s janky, he’s not quite right, he’s not a portrait puppet, he’s just *based* on Armando Iannucci… do I want to show a piece to Peter that I don’t fully stand behind? I’ll decide later. I stuff him into my travel tote which I realize then is my tote from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. I sigh. I am the biggest nerd ever, even when I don’t mean to be.

I have Coffee with the Creators. This is delightful. I get to pick some people’s brains, and let others just tell me about what they do. I am thrilled to get to speak more with Simon Fraser, a comic book artist for Doctor Who, I swear, I do collect them as friends, it seems. I also get to meet Steve Gostelow whose table I’d been eyeing throughout, but we missed eachother. He was a monster maker, and sculptor, and having a materials and process geekout was fantastic.

There’s a moment when Rachel is about to come to our table, and she has to get up and leave, we make this brief sort of eye contact and I realize as she’s headed out, that it’s fine. We’ll catch up later, that is such a strange and wonderful feeling. She tells me later she had to run up and get her photo taken with the three Doctors. Adorable. Flipping Adorable. I will see her again in a little over a month, and that is spectacular.

I am walking around the con, taking it all in and Peter and his small group walk by, I’m talking with my new fellow blue-haired early 30’s lady friend Gale at Nightengale Needles, and I look up and see him. I have nothing to say to him so I resort to my clown communication skills and make a friendly, but decidedly silly face.

It is returned.

This is a professional milestone, in my book.

Later I am in the vendor area, and I meet up with Simon Fraser and his family. We talk a bit more, he likes PuppetCapaldi (really, that puppet handled nearly all my introductions, it’s great). I am looking through his portfolio of work for sale, mostly because what he is selling is traditional blue pencil and ink, and I like just looking at people’s work, understanding how they develop a peice. Then I see the page. It’s 4 vertical panels of Osgood throwing her scarf to a falling Twelfth Doctor. She saves him. He is appreciative and grumpy. She looks like me. I’ve seen this page, I’m told it’s from a Free Comic Book Day issue, from Titan, I assume. I was eyeing a wallet made out of it on Etsy, I love it. I love the composition, the dynamics, the SHELOOKSLIKEMEness of it all. And here it is. Waiting for me.

I rarely buy things at conventions, but this page has been in my mind for almost a year? And I love it, and now it’s mine. And in some strange cosmic organization, it was always mine.

On my way out I touched base again with Steve Gostelow. I show him my “Celastic: Do It Old School!” button. While he didn’t use Celastic, he still appreciates it. We talk a bit more maker shop and it’s wonderful.

Okay, the last line for meet and greet and autographs. As I said in my comic, these are the people PuppetCapaldi was made for. We had time, and I struck up conversations with all the lovely people around me, especially this woman, Michelle, who gave me a clif bar. Smart folks. I showed her the comic, which gave her a bit of context into what was about to happen.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting an 8x10 glossy photo signed, but that is not where I am at. When people set down what they would like to have signed, I pulled out my do-not-lose-me-orange A4 #Spacejunk notebook and open to a random page. That is what I want signed.

When I’m about to meet Peter, again, I take off PuppetCapaldi, that’s not what this is about. The woman in front of me is having her Missing DoSAC Files book (one of my favourite books ever) signed “by Malcolm”. Peter pens a short, furious, and F-laden diatribe for her. She thanks him and wishes him a happy birthday. “Ah yes!” He says. “Thank you.” He goes on to sign a photo she had in her collection of signables. “You know, I’ll be 60,” he starts, “and when you’re 60 the government gives you a little pass. And I can take all the buses and trains for free.” The public transit junkie in me is thrilled. It’s always nice to have common geekery with the people you look up to.

Oh, then it’s my turn. Okay, then. I try to briefly and calmly (everything is madness around me) explain that I am here to ask him for some advice, or encouragement, that I, and many like-minded friends of mine are all at these weird professional empasses, and I look up to him, and have for some time, even this puppet has gotten me work out in the big crazy world of TV and Film. He smiles and grabs a blue sharpie (which I realize I had secretly hoped he’d use blue, despite the several black, silver, and gold sharpies on the table).

“Shall I make it out to you?” “Sure.” I say, (I mean, fair is fair, I’ll share the advice, but this is my letter, sorry kids.) “...I’m Valerie.” I continue. “I know.” He says and continues to write.

I’m again caught off guard at this display of object permanence. This hero of mine knows me. Knows my work…

He is writing, but stops. “Have you got your Armando with you?”

Ulp. More object permanence.

“Well, I mean, yes, but it’s not quite-” “I want to see it!” He puts the pen down. He’s written something about stars aligning.

I dig Armando out, explaining that he’s only *based* on him, for a show I’m building… I slip my hand through the secret hole in the sleeve, and lift the puppet’s head.

Peter makes what I have described earlier as “the face”.

He gasps, giggles, then buries his face in his hands. Armando looks around a little frantic, and a little jangly, scratches his head. Peter lifts his head, locks eyes with me, locks eyes with the puppet, and devolves into laughing. “It’s *so* like him!” he says. “I need to show this to him.” His handler takes our photo together. Peter explains “this one is special, this is for a friend of mine.” A woman who I guess knows Iannucci’s likeness also gets it and now she’s laughing.

“I’m going to send this to him!” Peter tells me while his friend takes the photo, “He’ll love it!”

Peter sits back down, again telling me how much Puppet Armando is like Proper Armando and recomences writing. He just keeps going, we’ve stopped talking, and it’s rather quiet, surrounded by the din of the convention. Sharpie on paper, scratching.

Someone behind me taps me on the shoulder and checks to see if I am doing okay. I tell them I am fine, and I am. I am perfect.

He’s stopped mid-sentence, and is just writing “work” over and over in the margins.

He finishes. Having filled the page, which is adorable. “There. Is that alright?” He asks. I tell him it is. And I thank him. “Good luck.” he says, handing it up to me. “And have fun.” (I will.)

“You are very talented.”

All of this means so incredibly much to me, I don’t think I can properly explain. I thank him again and look up. The rest of the world races back into my consciousness. Michelle, my new friend from the line, is only a little bit crying. “Are you crying?” I ask. “Maybe!” She says. And I realize she is, because she gets it. Because she read a silly little comic about this weirdo art girl who is just collecting advice, inspiration, and encouragement from the people she looks up to, and somehow today it’s coming together perfectly.

Empathy Abounds.

Peter and I say good-bye, and I’m off to put Armando away more properly.

(Oh, I also scurry back to the table to pick up Armando’s eyebrow which fell off. Peter looks up and I hold the eyebrow up to my own and it all registers. Such a puppeteer move, you guys.)

After that it’s just a farewell fanfare finale. I say goodbye to everyone and then I am off. Completely rejuvenated artistically, emotionally, professionally… I can’t describe it all, and I’ve been doing nothing but describing it all for seven pages of a google doc!

I drive through the evening and end up in Staunton, VA, just as the sunset turns to night, to stay with my friend before heading home the next day. We order Chinese, as she’s also just come back from performing and we are prolevel ladies that deserve a night in. We’re talking about art, and Fringe festivals, my weekend, and hers, it’s great to continue this creative thread outside of my Baltimore adventure. I open my fortune cookie, which says: “Watch for a stranger to soon become a friend.” That’s sort of how I’ve been living my life, as of late. We make more tea.

Pan Up.

Fade Out.

#doctorwho #peter capaldi #rachel talalay #regeneration who #baltimore #adventure #puppetcapaldi #fingerpuppetcapaldi #tinywonder #puppets

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enterinit · 4 years

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New Xbox One Games for February 11 to 14

New Xbox One Games for February 11 to 14.

AO Tennis 2 (February 11)

A PLAYING FIELD MADE FOR YOU, BY YOU Use the comprehensive Academy editing suite to create a player just like YOU as well as your own courts, or you can download thousands of community creations. THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD See how you compare to the big names on the ATP & WTA circuits, including Rafael Nadal, Ash Barty, Angelique Kerber and many more. A COMPLETELY REDESIGNED CAREER MODE Set out to conquer the world rankings in a singles career or in doubles with a friend. Manage your Reputation, sponsors and performance to reach the top. NEW GAME MODES Relive legendary matches or create new challenges using the scenario editor.

Reed Remastered February 12)

Reed is the last creation of an old supercomputer that has started to break down and lose its information cubes. To help calibrate the cubes to reboot the system, it created Reed to save the world. Can you help Reed and save the world? Everything depends on you and your platforming skills!

Project Starship (February 12)

Take the role of Garret or Gwen, pilots charged with saving their world from an ancient evil. Evade, adapt and survive randomly generated challenges that are never the same. Take down gods and demons alike in unpredictable bullet hell shoot ’em up action and dive deeper to confront the hidden eye that watches over all.

Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo (February 12)

It's 2051. Earth is all but dead, an almost uninhabitable polluted mess of smog and tar. Remotely control space blasters from a dying Earth. Fight in epic space battles against all kinds of weird alien spacecraft. Rescue cute 'blastronauts' from alien capture. Wipe-out the alien forces and take-over their planet to give humanity a new home. Time is running out. Do you have what it takes to become the ultimate space blaster pilot and the saviour of the human race? A modern take on the retro arcade shoot 'em up (shmup). Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo is an addictive, fast-paced space shooter with bullet hell elements, loads of unlockables, and leaderboards to climb. The ‘Turbo’ edition of Super Mega Space Blaster Special is the definitive edition giving you more ships, more game modes, more unlockables, more challenges, and more space blasting fun than any ever before. Blast your way through 5 unique game modes including 2 new Turbo edition modes. Save cute astronauts and destroy the boss to claim victory in ‘Save The Colony’ mode. Manage your fuel and ammo to survive to the big-boss in 'Survival' mode. Protect your mothership from damage for as long as you can in 'Protect Mother' mode. Blast your friends into space dust in local competitive multiplayer modes 'To The Death' mode and the new ‘One Shot’ mode. Play alone in single player, or with a friend in local co-op to take out the aliens. Collect coins to unlock more space blasters (ships), upgrade your weapons and power-ups, and explore the shop for extra perks. Complete over 40 fun challenges to get those extra coins. Use each space blaster's strengths to your advantage; from turrets that allow twin stick control, to fast manoeuvrable ships that can outrun your foes. Arm yourself to the teeth with awesome power-ups like big-bombs, homing missiles and lasers. Destroy the alien boss and continue the endless gameplay to rack up a massive score and become the ultimate space blaster pilot and top the leaderboards. Features: Fast-paced addictive shmup gameplay with bullet hell elements.5 play modes give varied gameplay and replay-ability.Play alone in single player or with a friend in local cooperative or local competitive multiplayer.Collect coins to unlock all 15 space blasters (ships) each with their own perks. From fast ships for darting around to slower ships that allow precision aiming.Exclusive space blaster called 'X-Blaster' only for Xbox and Windows platforms.Some space blasters have turrets, turning the game into a twin-stick shooter.Loads of awesome power-up weapons to help you take down your enemies including lasers, homing missiles, and multi-shot.Use your coins in the shop to upgrade weapons and unlock more perks.Collectables to aid you in your mission. Big-bombs wipe-out nearby enemies, shields help you survive longer, and magnets drag fuel and ammo towards you.Endless high-score chasing gameplay with over 15 enemies and a boss for those who can survive long enough (gameplay continues after the boss). Over 40 in-game challenges to help you gain coins and develop your space blaster piloting skills.Simple hand-drawn art-style allows you to easily pick out the foes amongst the asteroids. Compete to be the greatest space blaster pilot in the leaderboards.Play along to the pumping 80s inspired synth-pop original soundtrack by Electric Fan Death.

Outbreak: Epidemic (February 12)

The infection goes nation-wide in Outbreak: Epidemic, an action-focused survival horror adventure. Featuring the great Outbreak series gameplay with greater mobility, crushing difficulty and more camera options than ever before. You'll fight through the Campaign story mode, the wave-based Onslaught Mode and all new Experiments Mode scenarios. Choose your survivor, class and level up to unlock new buffs for your survivor as you face the nightmare. You'll need to manage your inventory and supplies carefully, so make every bullet count! Hardcore Survival Horror: You only have one life, make it count! OTS: Claustrophobic over-the-shoulder gameplay brings the nightmare alive. Defense: Utilize numerous firearm and melee weapons against the undead. Limited Inventory: Manage your inventory and supplies carefully! Explore: In Campaign Mode search areas, read logs, find keys and solve puzzles to survive. Difficult: Play across multiple difficulty modes. Story Mode: Experience the epidemic first hand as you fight through the story. Onslaught Mode: Take out hordes of the undead with limited supplies. Experiments Mode: Bonus modes with a unique spin on survival horror.

The Adventures of 00 Dilly – (February 12)

Get ready to shoot crash test dummy 00 Dilly as far as you can across the Grand Canyon with the weirdest and whackiest devices. Collect points, find treasure, and soar upward to the highest scores with Dilly as you aim for the giant bullseye.

Darksiders Genesis (February 13)

Get Rampage (for War) and Despair (for Strife), two different in-game horse skins for both playable characters plus the standard version of Darksiders Genesis, plus 24 hours early access to the game. Ride Rampage and Despair for the first time in Darksiders Genesis. Strife and War can mount their siblings' apocalyptic warhorses. Fury and Death gladly lent their steeds to support their 2 brethren in their endeavour to "restore the balance" (read: kick some filthy Demon's butt). DARKSIDERS: GENESIS is an action/adventure that tears its way through Hell and back with guns blazing and swords swinging. Genesis gives players their first look at the world of DARKSIDERS before the events of the original game. Furthermore, it introduces the fourth and last horseman STRIFE, as well as Co-op gameplay for the first time in the history of the franchise. https://youtu.be/Vyo1uG6ljBM

Galaxy Control (February 14)

Join with friends in a free-to-play, real-time PvP multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). Collect and upgrade an ever-growing number of cards featuring the sci-fi troops, perks, and defenses. Destroy enemy Spacecruiser Towers with your army to defeat your opponents and win Fame, Stars and glory in the Arena.

UnderHero (February 14)

Underhero is an RPG-platformer where the chosen hero has failed, and an underling of the evil king reluctantly takes his place as the new hero. Use timing-based combat to defeat enemies as you venture across the land, face off against quirky bosses, and save the Chestnut Kingdom from your own evil boss, Mr Stitches. Features: A side-scrolling RPG adventure, complete with lush pixel art and cartoony aestheticsJump, slash, evade, talk, and bribe your way through a fantasy adventure with a satirical twistTurn-based combat… without the turns! Precisely timed actions are your most powerful weaponsLevel up, solve puzzles, find secrets in a world full of friends, foes, and weird inhabitantsA wonderful original soundtrack composed by Stijn van WakerenA story full of humor and mysteries awaits! https://youtu.be/-xS2XRP6ups

Tony Stewart’s Sprint Car Racing (February 14)

Feel the rush of over 900 horsepower as you slide through the turns in a 410 Winged Sprint Car. Tony Stewart’s Sprint Car Racing puts you in the heat of the action and the mud will fly as you hit the track in a dirt racing experience featuring all the drama of Saturday night short track racing. Race your way in quick race, a championship season, head-to-head split-screen, and 25-player online multiplayer action.

Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions (February 14)

A dreamlike collection of artistic jigsaw puzzles to piece together at your own relaxed pace. Dive into the rabbit hole of the abstract and the fantastical, putting together stained-glass fragments to solve dreams and riddles. Enjoy baroque depictions of 20th century imagination, in puzzles more intricate and complex than the original.

Spaceland (February 14)

It is probably the most dynamic turn-based strategy in the spirit of the old school. Less covers, more action! Land on a lost planet and show the mutants what you are made of. Shoot, kick, blow up and destroy. You will put together the most reckless team of fighters and unravel the mysteries of the mystical planet following the best traditions of science fiction. Features: The game is inspired by the best turn-based strategies of the old school A unique system of dynamic turn-based battles lasting 10–15 minutes A squad of space rangers made up of 7 fighters with a unique fighting style A story about the mysterious planet in the spirit of the golden age of science fiction A hand-drawn map of the game world Assault rifles, machine guns, plasma guns, grenade launchers and a lot of other equipment to make your fighters even stronger More than 20 different enemies from alien animals to dangerous monsters Futuristic upgradable equipment which gives your fighters unique abilities Intense dialogs between team members, which reveal unexpected plot twists Colorful special effects that transform a turn-based combat into an exciting action movie And, of course, the party headliners are dangerous bosses that show up at the end of each chapter of the adventure https://youtu.be/F0E-AUwnvJ8 Read the full article

#Games #XboxOne

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geekade · 7 years

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PAX East is Fun

The beginning of “Convention season” always gets me excited for PAX East which fortunately for me, is in the first quarter of the year. PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) started out west in Bellevue, Washington for their first show in 2004. Then in 2010, it expanded to Boston for PAX East, and it has been growing ever since. What makes this special for me is that it’s a convention focused only on games, but not just video games. From hardcore D&D to casual tabletop games & card games, they have it all covered. Many of these truly wonderful tabletop game creators even allow you and your friends can try out whole games before you even buy them in a special section of the convention designated for that purpose. The people of PAX are a very friendly community and it is always an enjoyable experience.

PAX East is a much smaller convention than the ones I’m used to, which is a breath of fresh air. I only purchased a Saturday pass because I can normally get through the whole show floor in a day. This year there was a much larger indie gaming presence and while I couldn’t have been happier, it did present me with a challenge. Being the completionist that I am, I had to attempt to get to each booth and find something that would leave a lasting impression on me.

As soon as you get onto the escalator to the show floor, you immediately know where all the big-name studios are. What surprised me was that Twitch had a much larger presence this year than in 2016. They had a lounge where you could network with Twitch streamers and relax. It was a nice addition because all they did last year was hand out deodorant (which I certainly didn’t mind. It sometimes gets a little stinky at the convention) and pamphlets to let people know about Twitch. Then there was also a see-through box with a single streamer inside playing a game. People would press their hands and faces against the glass and watch them like they were in a human exhibit at the zoo. There was also an area where an interviewer would talk to people and developers from the stow floor, but I was more interested in the indie games.

My first stop of the day was at a gaming booth dedicated to Polish game studios. The publisher of the following games was 11 Bit Studios:

Digital Sun is the developer of a game by the name of Moonlighter, an Action RPG with rogue-like elements. You play as Will, a shopkeeper that dreams of becoming a hero. This was my favorite game at the booth. You’re told a story of how the village you live in was once a profitable merchant town and shop owners would venture into the caves and bring back supplies to fill their shop, but soon the caves became too dangerous and the merchants began to leave. You are a brave young hero who dreams of becoming a hero and vanquishing the monsters in these caves. It's a dungeon crawling game, bit it's also a shopkeeper simulator. When you get back from exploring caves you can put the items you find on sale.

Pixel Crow is the developer of Beat Cop, a game where you play as Jack Kelly, a former detective framed for murder. You are reassigned to a new precinct where you are stuck writing tickets. Yes, you read that right. This is a text-heavy, story-driven game with multiple endings and sadly I didn’t get enough time it. I’d love to sit down with this one some more and read every bit of the text I can find. Lucky for me and other fans of the game, it releases in Spring of 2017.

The final game in this booth was Tower 57, a top-down twin stick shooter with 16-bit-inspired pixel art, destructible environments, and a heavy focus on co-op. This game was a lot of fun, and the way the “display” was set up was very cute. There was a couch at the very end of the booth. I was handed a controller and taken to the character select screen. There are 7 different characters you can choose from with different abilities. I obviously picked a female scientist, steampunk Abraham Lincoln, and a detective. You pick these 3 character and they act as your lives. If your first character dies you switch to the 2nd one, and so on. This game took me back to my childhood where I’d play these types of games with my little brother. I loved the couch setup which made it seem like you were in a living room playing with friends.

My next stop of the day was the Shovel Knight booth which was oddly tucked into the back corner of the convention. There were only a few show-goers there so I decided to try out the new co-op mode. If you weren’t aware, like myself, Shovel Knight and all of its related DLC are available now on Nintendo Switch, including Specter of Torment, which is currently only available on Switch, and hitting all other platforms in April. Playing it on the Nintendo Switch wasn’t really my cup of tea because the Joycon controllers were a bit too small to work with. After beating the first boss, the trial was over and I left to pick up a Shovel Knight keychain.

My next destination was the Raw Fury booth. The games they had were GoNNER; a cute 2-d platformer with an award winning soundtrack, Tormenter X Punisher; a top-down twin stick shooter where the goal is to survive and you only get 1 life, Kingdom; a kingdom-building simulation game where you control a king or queen and spend your coins expanding your kingdom, and finally Dandara; a metroidvania gravity bending game based on an Afro-Brazilian woman in the colonial period of Brazil.

Across the way was an elaborate set-up of booths for Melbourne International Games Week, Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration featuring conferences, events and activities for the games industry, game enthusiasts and the general public. The game that stuck out most was a beautiful water-colored mobile game called Paperbark.

“Paperbark is a game that tells a playful short story of the bush, a wombat and a very hot Australian Summer. It presents a sincere representation of Australian bushland, which has been inspired by iconic historical and contemporary landscape Artists and Australian children’s literature. The player follows a sleepy wombat; who spends it’s day exploring, solving problems and foraging for interesting things. As the story unfolds and new locations are discovered, the adventure builds with the heat of the day. The game has been created as a love letter to wandering through the bush and can resonate with anyone who grew up in Australia, or is interested in it.”

It was a cute whimsical game where you would swipe the screen to make the wombat walk around and if you swipe over the white space that uncovered more of the area around you.

Afterwards I decided to switch gears and try out some VR games. My friend had been deciding between getting VR or the Nintendo Switch and this was a perfect place to try both. Unfortunately for her, she hates horror games which is the biggest genre in VR right now but, we were able to find a few games that were safe for her. The first one we found was called The Lab, a mini-game collection created by Valve. After putting on the headset I was told by the woman at the booth to select the “Longbow” mini-game which is a bow and arrow “shooter”. This game was pretty straightforward. You are perched on top of a wall in your fort and you must shoot at the stick-figure people who are trying to break down your fort’s gate to enter it. When you shoot the stick-figures they release balloons you can shoot to regain your health. It was a silly game but it did a pretty great job of introducing you to the VR world.

We moved onto another VR shooter called Dick Wilde on the Oculus Home. In this particular game you must shoot mutated alligators and other giant swamp creatures while actively dodging projectiles being shot at you. This one was a bit more involved than the other VR shooter, but also more difficult because you have to remember to move around shoot. At the end of each round your score is tallied up according to how many creatures you shot and how many projectiles you were able to dodge.

The Cartoon Network booth was my next stop. Grumpyface Studios, which brought us the critically acclaimed Steven Universe game Attack the Light, is releasing their sequel Save the Light on consoles this summer. I never played Attack the Light, but had heard nothing but good things about the game. It is a blend of turn-based and real-time combat, sort of like Paper Mario, featuring the main characters of the Steven Universe show. The game will still be co-written by the shows creator Rebecca Sugar and it looks like it will further explore the lore in the Steven Universe universe. The only other game at the Cartoon Network booth was OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo based on an upcoming Cartoon Network show OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes. This game is a beat-em-up featuring characters from the show. The portion of the game I played had rhythm elements to it almost like DDR or Stepmania which I enjoyed.

My final destination of the day was the IndieBox booth. I had been excited about this for weeks because there was a rumor they would have Jotun, an action exploration game where you play as a viking warrior who must prove herself to the Gods so that she may enter Valhalla. I grabbed the box and was on my way to purchase the game when a sales rep at the booth informed me that they were having a special deal that day. If I spent another $20 I would get one IndieBox for the following month and 5 game codes. Typoman is their game for the next month and after receiving such high praise I thought it was an amazing deal.

As I headed up the escalator to leave the convention I couldn’t help but feel a little sad leaving my favorite convention. It’s wonderful to be able to get through a whole convention in a day, but I always think about the games I had missed out on playing or the people I never got a chance to talk to. All in all this is a great way to start the convention season and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

#Video Games #Tabletop #articles

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georgiapickupfutureworks-blog · 6 years

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Tabletop RPG

For our assignment, we was informed that we would be creating a tabletop game in the RPG genre. I had to do research into the genre, and see what was already out there, after all; I feel like most games on the market probably all are similar to Dungeons and Dragons in some way. I for one have never played it, and I also had no idea how it played out, but I found a nice handy rulebook online and an overview, and it give me an idea how the game plays out. I wanted to take the idea of having a Dungeon Master role, (a storyteller?) and having one in my game too. I didn’t really understand how else a tabletop rpg would play out.

I don’t know why, but I am that 1% of the population that comes up with the name first (even if I do change it a bit,) just to come up with an idea. My end name was Planet Hoppers. Others I thought of was Planet Invaders, Space Magic, Attack on the Planets, Galaxy Wizards. I knew I wanted something along the lines of Space, and Magic, the character breeds I was willing for anything. I wanted to make the game as wacky as possible, so when I thought of the name, it went up from there! I feel like name first is important to me, then I can make a pun-derful idea that I will enjoy making.

As I wanted to make this crazy idea into a playable one. I needed to figure out why on earth Frogs would be in space. Here are the basic themes I wanted to expand on in creating the game;

Frogs and maybe other strange similar animals.

A wizard on Earth (main storyteller?)

Necromancers wanting to learn animal training

Each player owns their own planet and companion

You defend/attack each others bases?

As of coming back to this blog, my ideas have changed completely, I decided not to re-write anything, as it gave me something to look back on. I feel like I was over complicating the idea, and I could of made it more simple whilst still keeping to the aesthetic I wanted. I scrapped basically most of the initial mechanics, and come up with something that anyone can easily pick up and play.

As the art style of pixel evolved within my game, I wanted to make sure the gameplay really represented that. I decided it would be some wacky game that makes no sense and requires no real storyline. It’s simple, you start on the moon, travel through planets, kill things, collect things, finish on Earth to be taught a spell of a Wizard. Simple right? No, the Game Master throws all these bosses in your face that you must defeat, before you can collect Spirit Animals of him. That 10 health you had at the start of the game? Bam, you are now on five.

At the moment I have done no play testing, the Game Master will have some limitations as to how many of what he can spawn and how many overall he can spawn. The gameplay is designed to be fast paced and not take long. I can’t wait to do some playtesting and see the evil boss spawns game masters out their decide. As for me, I know I would spawn 20 buzzy bees if the game allowed it, to see the mages cry themselves to sleep.

Currently, my blog is all over the place, when I am writing my ideas are just on some sort of broken plane, and I can’t write in a logical A-Z space. My work is a mixed up alphabet, that could be a game idea in the future, I’ll note that down. I’m not the best artist, but I really enjoyed creating all the little bits of art in my game (also why I chosen pixel art.) Pixel art is hard to be bad but I made it bad, not purposely, of course.

So, the basics of my idea, I researched about looking at rules of other games, I didn’t want to look at anything other than rules or mechanics because otherwise I get too much into other people's ideas and i’m like, I want to do that! Before I know it I have made almost a carbon copy, so mechanics research is where it's at. Look at the rules, and look no further. When playing Escape the Castle, I learned better about how role playing tabletops play out. As I have never played one before. I have played a lot of rpgs in the past, but never a tabletop, it was a fun experience! From games I have played in the past (Mostly Everquest 2,) I like to think I have a large knowledge of fantasy characters and abilities, and I feel as though I can balance a game well.

As for inspiration, I was inspired by the idea of quirky art style, and a bunch of fun normal bugs and made up animals. I was gutted that I couldn’t make the museum trip as wondering a museum and looking at all the weird and cool things of life is always a fun experience. To make up for it, I looked deep into the world of pinterest, my second home. Inspiration is the life of me there. Inspiration, mostly my nights awake, insomnia comes in to use a lot for having ideas, the notebook at the side of my bed is full of crazy ideas. This is one of them. I used to be the type of person so shy to write down ideas I had, because I was ashamed they was too weird, but now I aspire to be that designer who makes the strangest things possible. I added a screenshot of the art I was working on.

I had some very basic rough handbooks in powerpoint as my game was developing, now I know what I want to go for, I have created a house style in photoshop. Graphic Design is my jam so I was super excited to get into creating a player handbook. I went for a very cute and quirky style that really represented the game, lots of bright colours involved!

I thought heavily about the mechanics in my game, I enjoy number crunching, mages are my favourite out of all four archetypes. My idea evolved very quickly, and I decided that I wanted to make it cooperative mages that must defeat the game. (After suggestion later on, they must defeat the Game Master instead.) (And I love that idea.) I gave each mage their own ability. Each boss have their own abilities too. I loved being able to balance the game, I always love a good logic puzzle to make a game balanced. I wanted to make each Mage special in their own way, and make each boss special in their own way. Testing the game was a way I could find a balance in everyone's abilities. There is only so far you can test as a Game Master will never be certain. Below is a screenshot of the Mage Page in the handbook.

I never intended to have a Game Master, I considered it, scraped it, and now after it being suggested I can really see one fitting in the game well. Game Masters can make a game way more creative, bringing mechanics into players hands! I made a guideline page for the Game Master so they can’t go over the top, will work out the specifics during testing.

As of coming back to this, I have created a house style in Photoshop and worked on how I want my player handbook to look. I am so happy with the visuals, I spent a lot of time working on the art for the game and then doing the graphics for the handbook, but I love it! I wanted it to be super colourful and fun, and I feel like the handbook represents the game perfectly. At this point I am happy where I am with the game, and I am ready to test!

Having people read over the rules made a massive difference to how they are written, I am awful at communicating across my point so having multiple people read was very important for me. A couple of typos were picked up for me which was helpful. As my game is meant to be great for children new to RPG Tabletops, I needed it to be easy to understand, after all, the game is a simple concept in itself. Another suggestion I got is that the Game Master should be encouraged to create more of a storyline, to make it more fun for children. So I added that into my Game Master Guide.

I also did all the math of playtesting to make sure the Game Master can’t fully control the game and make it unbeatable. The math made me realise some things needed to be adjusted. E.g I adjusted the mages health from 10, to 15, the mages was too easy to kill if the Game Master was feeling up to it. I also decided to add a revive to one of the less skillful mages. Meaning if someone does die, you can try again. You can only use it once. I will add a screenshot of the math I did, it is in a weird format where I understand what is going on. If you understand my brain, enjoy the spreadsheet!

Overall I feel like my game come together really well. This was an enjoyable assignment that introduced me to a new genre in games. As an aspiring game designer I feel it is very important to have some knowledge in all genres, to be able to reach maximum creativity. I hope for anyone who plays my game enjoys it as much as I had fun making it!

#xb1101

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behindwaterfallsart · 7 years

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How I Made It : Alfador, Janus, and Schala Shadow Box

If you’re plugged into the retro gaming world, you know that Chrono Trigger is not just a fantastic video game, but a work of art. Some of my favorite components of this game, and RPGs, in general, is the masterfully crafted story and character development. This scene is a great example of character development and it compelled me to make a shadow box piece to honor it! Here’s how I made it.

The Scene

In this part of the story, we find ourselves in a land called “The Kingdom of Zeal” several millennia in the past. As we explore and talk to people, we discover that this kingdom plays a huge part of how the plot unfolds. The leaders of this Kingdom have vast magic knowledge and power. You learn that Schala, daughter of Queen Zeal (ruler of the Kingdom of Zeal) is beckoned to do her mother’s evil bidding and must leave her brother Janus behind in their palace home.

Schala has always been Janus’ protector, so the idea of her leaving did not sit well with Janus. In her final act as his guardian, she gives her brother a magic amulet that will protect him from harm.

My vision

I loved this scene so much that I wanted to recreate it in a shadow box! Here’s how I started.

Materials and Workflow

I decided to use Perler Beads to recreate this scene. I went with Perler because they are vibrant and provide a large spectrum of color options. I also knew that layering would be much easier with Perler beads than with glass tiles.

Tip: I typically go to https://www.spriters-resource.com/ to find the sprite/pixel guides I need.

Visual Pixel Grid Technique

I bring the image into Photoshop, zoom in very close which forces the pixel grid to come into view. Once the pixel grid is activated, I take a screenshot.

The reason I do this? When I’m creating the design, I want to be able to clearly see each pixel. This is especially important when crafting larger, 16-bit designs. This technique is definitely a time-saver if you’re looking to have your sprite on a grid!

“Implicit” and “Completion” techniques

One thing I appreciated about the art in this scene was how the artists used “completion” and “implicit” principles to get around the limitations of the medium.

It would have a been a challenge to realistically depict a 16-bit character handing another character an amulet! Regarding scale, the only option would have been to make it a few pixels wide and tall! Which of course would be too small and would not communicate the importance of the item in this scene.

The way they got around this was to create a visual “shimmer” as a way to implicitly represent the amulet. Brilliant!

Creating a “layered” effect

I knew from the start that I wanted the “shimmer” element to be layered in a way that it felt “above” the surrounding elements. In my view, the amulet was the focal point of this particular moment and scene. I wanted the “shimmer” from the amulet to have some visual weight, so I created it separately.

To create the depth I was envisioning, I had to create a base that elevated the sparkle element above the surrounding shapes.

Layout Considerations

My vision of this scene included Alfador (Janus’ cat, an important character to add since he was always by Janus’ side), Schala, and the "shimmer” representing the amulet. Once I made all the pieces, I knew I would have to experiment with the layout.

Whitespace: should there be a wide gutter around the shapes to let the design breathe?

To Include Alfador, or not: Alfador sitting in the same position as in the original scene made the layout feel a bit too crowded and unbalanced.

In this design, I liked how the “shimmer” touched both Janus and Schala, unifying them as one art element. This reinforced their close, loving dynamic depicted in the story.

The composition didn’t feel right without Alfador, so I knew that I had to find a way to include him. Aside from being insanely cute, Alfador is always by Janus’ side as his loyal companion. To address the aforementioned balance issue, I decided to move him closer to Janus, as well as layered above.

Measuring

The next step was to measure the gutters evenly and mark them with painter’s tape. I use painter’s tape because it is easy to remove and is the least destructive to surfaces.

Compromise

You may notice that Alfador is overlapping the gutter marks. The reason for this was that I didn’t want to cover too much of Janus just for the sake of keeping all the elements within the gutter lines. Thankfully, the visual weight is not impacted negatively with Alfador being offset. I experimented with his positioning and ended up with this compromise.

Mounting With Velcro

I try to avoid using glue as much as possible. With glass, it is required to ensure the design stays attached. In the case of using Perler, I was able to use custom cut strips of heavy duty Velcro. I use Velcro to mount because it is low profile, easy to customize (cut into shapes), and requires the least amount of clean up.

With Alfador, I was able to stack a couple of strips of Velcro to achieve the depth I was envisioning!

Clean Up

Once the shapes are mounted, I needed to clean up the dust and various particles on the mounting surface and the shadow box. I used regular masking tape to clean the shadow box mounting surface. Masking tape seems to be the best balance between being sticky enough to pull up visual particles, while not damaging the surface.

To clean the shadow box, I used standard glass cleaner with a soft cloth to avoid scratching the glass and the shadow box frame.

Thank you

Thank you for reading about how I made this piece! A lot goes into producing this type of shadow box art with depth and layers. I had so much fun figuring out how to pull off my vision! This was my first experiment with layering Perler beads. I have no doubt that there are many ways to achieve layering and depth effect! I’d love to hear about your stories and techniques with this beautiful art form. Make sure to check us out on the socials! And if you’re in the market for a retro gaming art goodie, make sure to visit our Etsy shop!

Etsy Store: http://behindwaterfalls.com Product Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/behindwaterfalls/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behindwaterfalls/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindwaterfall Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindwaterfalls/

Finished Product

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