tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361682664280656642024-03-13T10:01:40.376+00:00COREgaming, by dieubussyA PART OF THE <a href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/">COREGAMERS</a> NETWORKDieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-66407476592622774032010-05-05T11:16:00.042+01:002012-02-10T16:09:45.967+00:00Infinite/Undefined - an interview with Eurico Coelho<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUKhI0vUdNzRIiEQma9R1j6J5G3cxUUffY0P3ZiH7nwJyFX64HkU1CaZZ0vTPfhqg7L_8i6WBFKR1G3mAPjsHcAC9v9oC-BOo3X9znV-0tAvG0ovHUPGngWkYsN5WIb2q1hyphenhyphenMkS-b5_d_/s1600/ap1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUKhI0vUdNzRIiEQma9R1j6J5G3cxUUffY0P3ZiH7nwJyFX64HkU1CaZZ0vTPfhqg7L_8i6WBFKR1G3mAPjsHcAC9v9oC-BOo3X9znV-0tAvG0ovHUPGngWkYsN5WIb2q1hyphenhyphenMkS-b5_d_/s400/ap1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467857925842216786" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Seldom - if ever - was I given the pleasure of interviewing a fellow Portuguese personality whose efforts played a role of any relevance in the history of digital arts. Even if the subject of the present article is not diametrically associated with its genuinely interactive domains, there exists an unequivocal nexus binding this film to its contemporary game production. An object of quiet cult following such as the one revisited here today pairs with the most notable offspring of that same age of digital experiments in the quality of a film where every element is, invariably, composed from that common and celebrated basic unit we call <span style="font-style: italic; ">pixel</span>.<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Incited by the author's long held fascination for cinema and photography, the birth of <i>Apeiron </i>benefited sufficiently from a series of favorable conditions that graced Portugal during the mid and late nineties - a period during which the illusion of economic, cultural and technological development remained particularly convincing. From its very first exhibition at the Lisbon's Expo '98, namely in the Sony plaza’s striking Jumbotron screen, the film managed to conquer the attention of numerous guests of an event defined by pervasive grandeur and innovation. Following its subsequent exhibition at the VideoLisboa festival, whose atmosphere was far more suitable for its proper appreciation, <i>Apeiron </i>embarked on a final European tour.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><br />.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx-cGSvZTcnGvvHTH6FYWjfIxU088JrUiCii3Lt5uF3rsIARn3_f1NFsLp0SveVB6P5rb60D4fPyJDB2htFAmgCn-Wzqv2gVVjv2Y2SMVjkER5SWhHlhKmwioHdsPMs5WYyKFz1w_HWpw/s1600/ap6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUx-cGSvZTcnGvvHTH6FYWjfIxU088JrUiCii3Lt5uF3rsIARn3_f1NFsLp0SveVB6P5rb60D4fPyJDB2htFAmgCn-Wzqv2gVVjv2Y2SMVjkER5SWhHlhKmwioHdsPMs5WYyKFz1w_HWpw/s400/ap6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469009507195767090" border="0" /></a></p><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dp3sH0E-1UZfddHaKfsBXi4oX3n4EAjfkk3dXdSPoqgmEHXZweBchgLDBv3wJnH9KpFNOmTagy11RLDteCnUcgNIfvlOR1ZZXAQUILgNekkM3X95l7v7e-MCauijiwT3THtmhYkn4qvz/s1600/ap8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dp3sH0E-1UZfddHaKfsBXi4oX3n4EAjfkk3dXdSPoqgmEHXZweBchgLDBv3wJnH9KpFNOmTagy11RLDteCnUcgNIfvlOR1ZZXAQUILgNekkM3X95l7v7e-MCauijiwT3THtmhYkn4qvz/s400/ap8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469009519735103250" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of all the many venerable attributes it encloses, Coelho’s cult animation finds its greatest achievement in the combination of a technically challenging process – built, essentially, with the use of domestic tools – with an intellectual heritage that is of added significance to those best acquainted with Portuguese culture and its primary references. It is nevertheless evident that the director imprinted his work with the distinct signature of themes from Classical Antiquity, aptly weaved together with a fondness for sci-fi dystopias, surrealism and an array of popular culture allusions.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The interview that follows was conducted two years ago as a part of my own private research: the fact that it was not meant to be published should account for the terseness of some of its questions. It is my aim to shed some light on this otherwise obscure animation work and its author; while at the same time closing this chapter named <i>CoreGamers</i>.<br /></span></p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-center; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div style="font-size: 13px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; ">------------------------------------------</div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic; ">- Where does the desire to create a film using the computer originate from? Might it have been in some manner influenced by similar initiatives, namely from the international community of Amiga computer users?</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div>I was already involved in the making of "films" and animated photographic sequences using a HI-8 Sony camera - incipient experiences. The computer allowed me to improve and discover other technical and expressive possibilities so that I could manage my interest for moving pictures. I knew nothing about computers before purchasing the Amiga 4000, suggested to me by a friend that, knowing of my work, indicated me this machine for being more adequate to that I intended to explore. I also had access to the demos that were being divulged in my friend's game disks and found them rather curious due to their psychedelic nature and music interactions but those didn't constitute a decisive influence on my work.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYXRNmKTGptWmX_3KX3eW12GGvBpKm-PUehkHvmB8m4ubzXlvzpZaeRD3uIsv1130FCcMNA67c7qrkqAN6JVu5XUCfo9miz7mX07xiS448F0_lRwnCDaJ4pTMHjxJ2iINqASKaEA1eGIo/s1600/ap4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYXRNmKTGptWmX_3KX3eW12GGvBpKm-PUehkHvmB8m4ubzXlvzpZaeRD3uIsv1130FCcMNA67c7qrkqAN6JVu5XUCfo9miz7mX07xiS448F0_lRwnCDaJ4pTMHjxJ2iINqASKaEA1eGIo/s400/ap4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467857944873364226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Apeiron was exhibited internationally in different festivals and other events, namely Lisbon Expo 98. In what circumstances did an amateur film production become a part of such a momentous event?</span><br /><br />The animation department from Expo98 solicited some plastic artists and directors for original contents that could be shown during intermissions of spectacles scheduled to occur at the Sony plaza. I learned about this possibility and presented, like many others, some works to director Rui Simões who interested himself for <i>Apeiron</i>, granting a wage that allowed me to edit and produce the film in a professional studio.<br /><br />The video was exhibited several times throughout the event. I took the opportunity and sent the film to VideoLisboa, having been selected once again. The exhibition in this international festival opened other doors and I received more invitations that allowed an interesting divulgation of this work in exhibits that took place in several cities of Europe (Barcelona, Madrid, Pisa, Strasburg, Paris and Berlin).<div><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- Apart from its use and manipulation of computer graphics, Apeiron also employs photography and video. Which were the tools you used in order to create them - what were the most pressing limitations felt at the time?</span><br /><br />Photography and video were technologies that I knew best, the computer allowed me to organize them and expand them. I especially used the DeLuxePaint software and sporadically other photographic image capture applications that, in sequence, formed the small animated clips. I also tried rudimentary 3D graphics applications, morphing and audio, compiling these experiences in numerous archives. The volume of tests grew and at a given point I had the majority of the pieces necessary to the creation of a possible narrative. The film grew by itself, without an predetermined intention, the group of loose parts started to connect and that was my game: to find the connection gaps and fabricate the pieces there were missing for a coherent narrative.<br /><br />Technical difficulties were just the expected for a machine with a 120mb hard drive and a 4MB RAM memory that I expanded to the enormity of 8MB for the astronomical quantity of 40.000 escudos (200 euros) in 1996 - but these were not limitative to the creative development. I was dazzled by the operative possibilities and I had no near reference points, knew no one else doing this kind of approach, which led me to be carried away by the minuscule format in which I was allowed to work, without an exact technical notion of those limitations.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdNn3V57kS8K4N8E1t-JnSLbpFwVS-p-K6KkQHA3Lw3OCT0HENtFzxAsDEfdFOdVyXK0E8ZiUzV5g9Tqw1KX8Ulba4cg0Bf8M8rKvupIp4SHO8-_FVJei8N9_4kmuLqaygFiO_SfHU3pz/s1600/ap0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdNn3V57kS8K4N8E1t-JnSLbpFwVS-p-K6KkQHA3Lw3OCT0HENtFzxAsDEfdFOdVyXK0E8ZiUzV5g9Tqw1KX8Ulba4cg0Bf8M8rKvupIp4SHO8-_FVJei8N9_4kmuLqaygFiO_SfHU3pz/s400/ap0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467857922800199858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Observing the film today, there are evident similitudes in the manipulation of graphics with the visual standards of certain videogames. The background and bitmap characters dynamics evoke the point-and-click adventure genre; the sequences in which the protagonist drives his car on the way to the metropolis also remind the scaling techniques used in many a driving games. Are these but casual similarities or was there, in fact, some influence from videogames you might have played at the time?</span><br /><br />My references relate to animation cinema and musical videoclips, as the games failed to interest me, seen that the audiovisual experimentation constituted itself as my formal and semantic game/amusement. The Amiga computers were the most adequate machines to play and for that reason they offered improved operative possibilities for audiovisual creations - that was my interest. The formal similarity between my films and the interactive games is merely circumstantial, although I admit that the sequences and narrative model do have strong connections with that universe, seen that my working process is similar to a game, with puzzle pieces that might formulate or solve enigmas.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Do you recall any particular comments or reactions about the film from all of its national and international exhibitions?</span><br /><br />I never obtained an enthusiastic reaction to the public to this work, it is not a format or story with the conditions to please the great public; however, I got very positive and respectable opinions from some foreign directors of which I underline two that collaborated with artists that, for me, are very important as David Cronenberg (<i>The Fly</i>, <i>eXistenZ</i>, <i>Crash</i>) or Marc Caro (<i>Delicatessen</i>). I've also obtain some negative reactions that considered<i> Apeiron</i> to be cold, disenchanted and unpleasant for an animation movie.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0CZli79anXbTH7NYk5XDf1Yhgzk0uDYYld-uB2TaEYajDCe-laRELCxwGpxAPWsh_oO2W3YgB2iZqJVW_8CYFVEarzxo2Akqkp9Tm30DGM5i2bgzNqF6L0zN1zsARhq9DZhJZNh5sAsX/s1600/ap2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0CZli79anXbTH7NYk5XDf1Yhgzk0uDYYld-uB2TaEYajDCe-laRELCxwGpxAPWsh_oO2W3YgB2iZqJVW_8CYFVEarzxo2Akqkp9Tm30DGM5i2bgzNqF6L0zN1zsARhq9DZhJZNh5sAsX/s400/ap2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467857932127553186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- In spite of its short duration, Apeiron alludes to a plethora of different themes: what are the roots of its narrative and to what extent was it determined by the tools you employed during the creation of the film?</span><br /><br />The film began as a mere group of experimental sequences of cyclic movements or loops. As these pieces (anim-brushes/movie clips) multiplied, an imaginary began to emerge, demanding other pieces and details. The primary sense that began sketching itself pointed to a voyage, throughout which a little tin man (a sterilized action man) would be confronted with places and situations that would demand him to make decisions. Little by little, I felt the need to improve on his initial context, the group of obstacles and objectives to conquer. Thus I built him a house, gave him a wife (a real woman), a screen in front of him, a vehicle and a bird pet. In this trivial portrayal, I thought that the television in front of him could feed his dissatisfaction and beckon a group of trials that would provide importance to his self and to his ego, weakened by the commonplace quotidian.<br /><br />The voyage made him go through different stages of an initiation, cities filled with beings just like him (anonymous), labyrinths, ascetic temples, social gears, contests and finally the conquest of success - the confirmation of his place in History. The Empty that he found on the other side of success allowed him to grasp this sterile world in colors, where he came to see a primordial and feminine ocean in which he dove in the search for a place in the memory of times.<br /><br />The Well where he dove even further took him to the genetic and cultural roots of his dissatisfaction. His thousands of ancestors, trapped in an ENCYCLOPEDIA closed in Earth's archives revealed his destiny and the irrelevance of his quest. It was then that I found a similitude between his course and Plato's "The Allegory of the Cavern" and, therefore, I decided that he would return home but by doing it he could no longer occupy the place he had left - for that would be filled with the little color-blind man that saw television - a role to which he could not return to anymore. He had definitely entered the televised fiction with his example, to seduce the incomplete egos of others, like him, to search in life more than life has to offer.<br /><br />This ended up consolidating itself as a story of the defeat of primal wishes of all those who seek success and reach it, imposing ther example on others. Far from a pleasant story, or an easy one to tell, it was the one that was born from the process that I initiated and I accepted it for its accuracy and naturalism. The means that I used were decisive to characterize, through smaller cycles of movement, the great cycle of which <i>Apeiron</i> is constituted. The film ends where it had began and can repeat itself as a looping metaphor, a race without origin nor purpose, like the small cycles that form it and made it grow.<br /><br />It was never my intention to over impose or over illustrate that which the spectators ought to read from this film: this was my version because I thought for a long time and that constituted my safeguard interpretation; but I would like to leave others with the liberty and responsibility of interpreting it, according to their own sensibilities and subjective life experiences.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindNd6wapVOA2dl89cH6RQaAu5YEtOtPQk0qilX_14bDmnO9IQr2XGna6hzHJBUqWb8CHFhHAQDSG2uZJg958twJ7_iuIZnJoAxtphDnx-s8UsURtjHGdg_mffU8Sizzt2CrVm3ZNNPkqz/s1600/ap3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindNd6wapVOA2dl89cH6RQaAu5YEtOtPQk0qilX_14bDmnO9IQr2XGna6hzHJBUqWb8CHFhHAQDSG2uZJg958twJ7_iuIZnJoAxtphDnx-s8UsURtjHGdg_mffU8Sizzt2CrVm3ZNNPkqz/s400/ap3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467857934542989938" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- Bearing in mind the revivalism we observe today, as well as the internet phenomenon and its divulging potentialities, works like Apeiron were brought new life among the members of the nostalgic Amiga community and multimedia design or digital art aficionados. In Portugal, Apeiron still holds an almost unique status, which makes it the more rare and precious. How do you remember this your work in the light of the context in which it originated?</span><br /><br /><i>Apeiron</i> was, without doubt, my first great exploratory work. I dedicated it almost three years and learned much from it, but others followed with equal involvement: the L'Egoland process that followed it took me nearly two years of my time and never got to e concluded because the machine crashed and the technical assistance went broke. The standardized technology that succeeded the Amiga computers never matched the plasticity, performance and economy of resources that it possessed. I have nurtured the conviction that the technological progress is operated at the level of the immediacy and the speculative business and not the technical quality and design.<br /><br />In what concerns the rarity of that small movie, I feel naturally surprised and flattered. But I understand the curiosity that constitutes the existence of a film built throughout a period of three years by a lone madman who worked in absurd technical conditions in comparison to actual standards - only to obtain 15 minutes of animation that don't exceed 70 MB, that ended up premiering on the Jumbotron of the largest event in Portugal at the time, before an international crowd of thousands of spectators. Seems like a fairy-tale. On the other hand, the pixelization effect also grants it a vintage look, that today acquires a special statute on account of its genuinity, that adding to its archaeological interest.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7J8dFzCtYKxETDZQFXVOfSQn3HnC9TSOcSR4wLL4j1SL4rivCkFwJcWiODaWLpF1rlxwPu1U6EZUzmXl2q3XGFBYdEz5PkvWWRfeEctylXnMlpXX_8yrTKoXwOvaB9KHA_zS1lzO_hgp/s1600/ap5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7J8dFzCtYKxETDZQFXVOfSQn3HnC9TSOcSR4wLL4j1SL4rivCkFwJcWiODaWLpF1rlxwPu1U6EZUzmXl2q3XGFBYdEz5PkvWWRfeEctylXnMlpXX_8yrTKoXwOvaB9KHA_zS1lzO_hgp/s400/ap5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469009497139905330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />However I'm not one to indulge in remembrances or revivalisms since I keep on working in this sort of things with other challenges and limitations. I keep participating in festivals and shows and collaborating with other artists like the Teatro do Mar, the electronic publisher Thisco or the music band Moonspell in the animations projected during their shows. I also had the honor to participate in the presentation of the European Culture Capital 2012 in Guimarães with film projections mapped in architecture and my films have been shown across Europe and America, not to mention my activity as a multimedia professor in a high school. <i>Apeiron</i> marked the beginning of this course and the reason why I don't feel entirely realized with all this is because I find many faults in everything that I've done and I consider that I still have much to learn.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">[ Watch <i><a href="http://vimeo.com/11076466">APEIRON</a></i> ]</span><br /><br /></div></div></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-52995217892962551762010-04-08T16:45:00.021+01:002022-10-05T15:50:29.916+01:00My 2009 OST Selection - Interview with Tomáš "Floex" Dvořák<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGCAI_RDeHNnVfCG4TwSWbLQFXMRtCs1GbCtLJtz4bgn6SXhi2RtaDYyFsNMnb1JAQYQwVnwmOC8rqG4v0RLcOWC9DBAeofs1b1HWpLVVQHgK44D5a0HfuAof3asRSkMUYjVyRkQyDbjPmDKPKMT6y-pw604hBcckzAFjfomGP6Ic4k2-bO2vDL0G2A/s1600/1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGCAI_RDeHNnVfCG4TwSWbLQFXMRtCs1GbCtLJtz4bgn6SXhi2RtaDYyFsNMnb1JAQYQwVnwmOC8rqG4v0RLcOWC9DBAeofs1b1HWpLVVQHgK44D5a0HfuAof3asRSkMUYjVyRkQyDbjPmDKPKMT6y-pw604hBcckzAFjfomGP6Ic4k2-bO2vDL0G2A/s1600/1.jpg"/></a></div>
Videogame historians and researchers will look back to 2009 not as a year of emergence but as a year of consecration of the independent game movement. As the market of commercial game becomes increasingly bland in its infinite recurrence of what has already been reiterated for too long, the need for autonomous and liberating interactive designs has risen precipitously. And while the larger productions have moved the cogs of technical excellence forward another quarter of a measure, ultimately it was raw creativity that ushered in the images and sounds for which the turn of the decade shall be remembered.
Regarding musical compositions, a feature present in most games that is seldom given due appraisal, 2009 was a year dominated by abrupt contrasts between the outsized investments that allowed for orchestras to gather and play some of the most sounding videogame soundtrack themes, as in the outstanding participation of the top-class Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer scoring a multi-million dollar war game design; and between the undersized amateur or semi-professional studio work led by lone music composers that have adorned the small budget enterprises with their suggestive themes. Such was the case of Tomáš "Floex" Dvořák's musical accompaniment for the most triumphant adventure game of recent memory, Machinarium.<br><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3qklcLAM1SDrD3CDHF0r_2Vc-8pzl2pkRrx9exb2H88DcgaquXxZsqFJFwQHrERvEnRTGWH8T6T-bgLsli5zDbtj0vw1UvGst2vy-6J6pfcLjTEeka_yLg72cvuJcsdminnaxm4nk9Se/s1600/dvorak5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3qklcLAM1SDrD3CDHF0r_2Vc-8pzl2pkRrx9exb2H88DcgaquXxZsqFJFwQHrERvEnRTGWH8T6T-bgLsli5zDbtj0vw1UvGst2vy-6J6pfcLjTEeka_yLg72cvuJcsdminnaxm4nk9Se/s400/dvorak5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457730230173101170" border="0" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">One of the most appealing environmental puzzles within Machinarium consists of returning these depressed street musicians their missing instruments so they can carry on enjoying their jam.</span><br><br>
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Using science fiction motives as a cloak to disguise irony and sporadic existential reflections, Machinarium speaks openly about human condition and technological progress without the use of a single word. Deriving from the minds of painters, designers and animators, its expressive qualities rely mostly on the universally interpretable gestures as depicted in each carefully crafted animation. Given the deliberate absence of voice, the metal cityscape of the game warranted a powerful aural milieu enabling a rare aesthetic balance between visuals and music.
The most desirable quality about Floex’s music derives from the intense personality he bestowed to his reverberating tune, each very distinct from the next: the rhythmic plurality is strikingly noticeable in between the themes <i style="">The Black Cap Brotherhood </i>or <i style="">Clockwise Operetta</i> and <i style="">The Bottom</i>, where the percussion instruments are most evident; contrariwise, Dvořák (pronounced <span style="font-style: italic;">DVOR-zhack</span>) also reduces the use of drumming to the point of nullity as can be verified in themes like <i style="">The Sea</i> and<i style=""> The Glasshouse with Butterflies. </i>Bearing the clear sound signature of digital instruments, Machinarium’s soundtrack reveals erratic patterns of analog instruments that are underhandedly used throughout the game, as if an audible supplement waiting to be unveiled.<br><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpbJ3pHtvAe3wD8t7ZoWm_IZMmmT1DtfBpsCEG4Ue5mNjSooHKpNCV7nTSTZWJkT8JuQeTsz67J-gt5K84N2luIbsNUxce-xUwUhsK_LaI6kuD_4JYSKtHDRjIGQu8-X8vDTZMg-7m2NX/s1600/dvorak6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpbJ3pHtvAe3wD8t7ZoWm_IZMmmT1DtfBpsCEG4Ue5mNjSooHKpNCV7nTSTZWJkT8JuQeTsz67J-gt5K84N2luIbsNUxce-xUwUhsK_LaI6kuD_4JYSKtHDRjIGQu8-X8vDTZMg-7m2NX/s400/dvorak6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457730237031270018" border="0" /></a>
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Excerpt from the theme "The Sea" that plays for the first time in the game when the first open venue of the city's interior is revealed.</span><br><br>
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Conscious of the quality of their work, Amanita Design has released this soundtrack to the public on several occasions, initially providing a selection of themes to customers who pre-ordered the game, later releasing it in Compact Disk quality together with the boxed version – released in only a few European countries. Recently, Minority Records has issued a limited edition of Floex’s defining work in the form of an autographed and hand-numbered LP (only 555 copies produced) that came both in classic black and transparent yellow vinyl. By no means an extravagance, this release was intended to be a celebration of Amanita’s crowning work, the spiritual successor to the SAMOROST series who had earned the studio a grand new status in the field of videogame creation.
As a celebration of my own to one of the most intrepid videogame experiences I’ve ever witnessed, I’ve invited Floex for a brief interview where, I hoped, he could help me understand the trials he faced during the composition of a soundtrack designed specifically for an independent game: this was, after all, one of the most electable musical moments of last year in my humble opinion.<br><br>
<p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;" align="center">------------------------------------------</p><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - Due to a large majority of English or North-American games that founded and supported point and click adventure genre through the years, it becomes very hard to evade those references when creating game outside those countries. One of the factors that seem distinguish Machinarium relate to references of its own, well outside the usual domains of adventure – almost as if the fact of being a Czech game design, not to undervalue the studio’s unbelievable talent, was at the root of its originality. How has your own cultural references influenced the composition of the music for Machinarium?</span><br><br>
TD: Yes I think reference is more local based and it is not in the game context. That's probably the source of the originality. I see it more in the Czech animation tradition context, which is believed to be taken as pretty strong here in Czech republic. Trnka, Bojar and so on... and in a way Machinarium could be taken more as kind of interactive animation movie also considering the fact how it was made.<br><br>
As for the music my influence is very wide. Most of the music comes from the electronic or electroacoustic scene and here I don't see any geographical reference. Lusine, Beaumont Hannant, Arve Henriksen, Apparat, Vladislav Delay, Fennesz, Clark, Jon Hopkins, Riyuichi Sakamoto, Grizzly Bear, OTK, Vladimir Vaclavek, Deerhoof, Thom York, Mark Hollis, Steve Reich, Portico Quartet, Hakon Kornstad. This is sort of music which for sure formed my own musical language beside endless chats with my musician friends.<br><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIs3pyH2V1d8dEZqlS4V_-zZQLLRFj3ZvTFLVKCkPRpngk2Uw4-r1mcIEkCVYJzHcAvmvmhujiKz3zgjnJnx8CWWtW3CE2hKVTvzrzP9GRqDUAbzEN4hbfeFG8ihTX0LmFe6jr4BY11bq/s1600/dvorak4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIs3pyH2V1d8dEZqlS4V_-zZQLLRFj3ZvTFLVKCkPRpngk2Uw4-r1mcIEkCVYJzHcAvmvmhujiKz3zgjnJnx8CWWtW3CE2hKVTvzrzP9GRqDUAbzEN4hbfeFG8ihTX0LmFe6jr4BY11bq/s400/dvorak4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457730230905310514" border="0" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The main character, Josef, was named for the sake of Josef Čapek (brother to Karel Čapek, creator of the play </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;">Rossum's Universal Robots</span><span style="font-size:85%;">) the original inventor of the word Robot.</span><br><br>
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<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - The soundtrack provides the listener several contrasts between lively and playful themes and others whose nature is certainly more stark and austere, made to match some of the greyer areas of the machine city. To what extent was the composition of the music affected by the design of the game and its visual expression? </span><br><br>
TD: I think I was just trying to catch the mood of the image. On the other hand it is true I don't like too straight emotions in the music I think I am looking for the certain level of the deepness.
<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - The Machinarium gameplay experience is based, among many different aspects, on puzzle solving. It seemed to me that whenever those hard abstract puzzles were presented, the music choice would fall on a theme that was less compelling and moody; somehow much more distant in space than when the game presented context puzzles involving character interaction, where the music themes are more poignant and discernible. Was this a conscious decision from your end? </span><br><br>
TD: Yes, we have been discussing several levels and the need to give space for the player's thoughts. But often it is compromise between the other aspects of the each particular game level - the meaning of the level in the whole, the mood, the action what takes place there.
<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - I was particularly enthralled by one of your compositions: the theme «The Sea», whose appearance in the game is a perfect complement to one of the first open venues from within the robot city, introducing the element of water. Please tell me more about the composition process and origins of this particular theme.</span><br><br>
TD: Before Josef comes into the "Sea level", story takes place underground and scenes are scarier. I was trying to give more melancholic and moody feeling to the music in these scenes. In contrast to this Sea was considered as kind of bright and caressing music. Like when you see sun after long time and you are happy for the beautiful day. I was trying to make the music floating like waves. It is based on the orchestral motives which are processed through some of my favorite effect patches - I was looking for this ambient electro-acoustic feel.<br><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DQ697aVzfbHHS92iqtqT2oJJFFov5xw456WDe25ILUiCbe-rVwHJABjLziA_KSmgTnRiztcysWB8x0Ur53tbPJaZOgna8ISK3sVMK5ISMHTI7dLGcFZnq6JbAGZoBCwBql4Gc7_tdOHz/s1600/dvorak2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DQ697aVzfbHHS92iqtqT2oJJFFov5xw456WDe25ILUiCbe-rVwHJABjLziA_KSmgTnRiztcysWB8x0Ur53tbPJaZOgna8ISK3sVMK5ISMHTI7dLGcFZnq6JbAGZoBCwBql4Gc7_tdOHz/s400/dvorak2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457730027687706962" border="0" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Picture of Floex's humble but extremely tidy studio.</span><br><br>
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<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - It is customary for the adventure game genre to reduce the importance of musical composition given the fact that most of those games rely on massive dialogues, often voiced, that supersede the music playing on the background. How has the absence of any voices or text in Machinarium increased your responsibility in the process of composition and design of the game?</span><br><br>
TD: This is for sure positive aspect for me because every new layer in the user perception takes some space for your own expression - image, music, sounds, speech, and interactivity. So I was freer with the music I could focus more on detail. Still trying to be more abstract and minimalist of course as the music doesn't stand on its own in the game. I have been carefully looking for the border to not to overcharge the image.<br><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xaZsE_mG9CQjl3jlWCCuJuVJ4n__Ol9JqI1tbfrcQY-lJWv6ZKX-5zty-4CJkoYrLUla7gbLun16UvTjm5bd2YlIY3sFEglbLsAkVJEm1BIpI7FOqjPzONwYeToCeRQ3-C85-jCVJn8o/s1600/dvorak3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xaZsE_mG9CQjl3jlWCCuJuVJ4n__Ol9JqI1tbfrcQY-lJWv6ZKX-5zty-4CJkoYrLUla7gbLun16UvTjm5bd2YlIY3sFEglbLsAkVJEm1BIpI7FOqjPzONwYeToCeRQ3-C85-jCVJn8o/s400/dvorak3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457730032099908738" border="0" /></a>
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">As illustrated by this picture, Dvořák went to lengths in order to acquire the distinct sonorities that made his work exceptional and worthy of such universal praise.</span><br><br>
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<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - It is often said that musicians, of all participants in the creative process, tend to take a passive stance during design – often given materials they can use to compose on their own time, desynchronized from the rest of the team. Your relation to Amanita and its team appears to be much tighter, and your participation much closer to the core of the game creation than usual. Please tell about your method of work during production.</span><br><br>
TD: Yes we have little bit different approach. On one hand we all work from our places, we don't share some office. Everything is solved by ICQ plus meetings which are more friendly-based. I mean we don't purely solve the gaming issues when we see each other. I am really thankful for the people who are in Amanita, they are simply cool, very interesting personalities. I guess that just describes Jakub's character and his sensitivity for the people, he has been putting us together for quite time...
As for the workflow on the daily basis: Jakub gave me freedom and his notices well mostly more like suggestions, he just believed to what I do and I have been trying to listen to his opinions carefully. I know it might sound like fairy tale but it really is like this in Amanita.<br><br>
<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - In the field of videogames, visuals often take the lead in comparison with other basilar aspects of the game such as narrative, controls, gameplay and even soundtrack. In the case of Machinarium, the game comes with a very powerful visual component due to its exquisite backgrounds and animations: to what extent was that an additional responsibility to you – to create music that would live up to the visible spectacle of the game?</span><br><br>
TD: Well I didn't definitely feel any pressure. I suppose all of this is just more inspiring and it stimulates my musical creativity.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg2DD6bUYyBlOEBMhtWXQkZfNeJ-8IMLL9Ok96-R97-l_w4Sm0JiG3Xu8q5rSo6mvs5QhXqdh8Vr-DME4USW0MTAG0XyGoCJ9GxbjyEJMDC0N-iObBPKX9nr_9o6AUgkx4KJ5buEJ5aQ2/s1600/dvorak7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg2DD6bUYyBlOEBMhtWXQkZfNeJ-8IMLL9Ok96-R97-l_w4Sm0JiG3Xu8q5rSo6mvs5QhXqdh8Vr-DME4USW0MTAG0XyGoCJ9GxbjyEJMDC0N-iObBPKX9nr_9o6AUgkx4KJ5buEJ5aQ2/s400/dvorak7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457764891021078754" border="0" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The yellow-tinted version of Machinarium's LP soundtack edtion.</span><br><br>
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<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> - First with the major success of the download-version of your soundtrack; and now with this special edition version in LP, it is safe to say that many people have not only taken notice of your work, they’ve also praised it with the highest remarks. How has this particular work influenced your career? </span><br><br>
TD: I would say it was invisibly super important for me. I am actually person who is quite critical to my and the others work too. It is good feature only to some extent. On one hand it can stimulate you for the best results - you have to see what can be improved but on the other hand it can destroy your playfulness and the enjoyment trough the creative process.
Anyway as I sometimes doubt about my musical qualities and for sure the Machinarium gave me more self-confidence to continue my musical journey. I was also happy for the personal people responses and linkage with the other musicians who wrote me.<br><br>
<span style="font-size:85%;">[ Read Also: <a href="http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/previews/529/">Machinarium Preview article @ Adventure Classic Gaming</a> / <a href="http://pixelsatanexhibition.blogspot.com/2010/03/clockwise-operetta.html">Machinarium LP & Machinarium Collector's Edition Pictures</a> / <a href="http://pixelsatanexhibition.blogspot.com/2009/09/automated-dystopia.html">Unreleased Jakub Dvorský & Adolf Lachman Machinarium Artwork</a> / <a href="http://dieubussy.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post.html">My 2009 OST Selection: Interview with Vasily Kashnikov</a> ]</span>
<p></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-55742944176535749582010-03-24T11:37:00.019+00:002010-03-27T10:49:00.708+00:00The beginning of a beautiful friendship: Des Pixels a Hollywood<br><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T9oKmebkCDlBZLcgkrZFpZvQJQWjGLJG78g72ie4sDzEwBk1kw3masc1OQ0QE0NDMIyxOMTxQ1Dtsx885gn9O5YpwfxAodBopZfychyphenhyphenJQWZulefEr3Ima-QJGhHfb699VFC7miFXsxu2/s1600/PixelsHollywood_PreviewLivre.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T9oKmebkCDlBZLcgkrZFpZvQJQWjGLJG78g72ie4sDzEwBk1kw3masc1OQ0QE0NDMIyxOMTxQ1Dtsx885gn9O5YpwfxAodBopZfychyphenhyphenJQWZulefEr3Ima-QJGhHfb699VFC7miFXsxu2/s400/PixelsHollywood_PreviewLivre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452168599712950946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">In the premature days of console and arcade game entertainment, the greatest entrepreneurs of the newfound industry sought the support of the motion picture industry in an attempt to promote their products. During the late 1970's, Atari was one of the fastest growing companies in the world on account of their pioneering home entertainment products. One of the most crucial factors originating this synergy between film and electronic games came from Atari's decision to accept the famed Warner Communications deal - said to have generated around 30 million dollars at the time, a shocking figure considering the company had been founded not ten years before with less than 1500 dollars.<br /><br />As Warner eventually took over the company, firing the original founder Nolan Bushnell, the Atari VCS - then the most successful console world over - was used as a launch pad for the release of numerous <span style="font-style: italic;">movie to home videogame</span> adaptations. With the success of coin operated<span style="font-style: italic;"></span> games like STAR WARS ARCADE<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>the tie-in between Warner group movies and Atari console games implied no further investment as all was originating from the one and all-encompassing corporation. Often deriving from particular scenes from the original film, these game adaptations were greatly successful during the 1980s up until today. And while they've earned their reputation as minor games, generally created only for the purpose of feeding the commercial machine, such adaptations exist today in larger and more profitable figures than ever anticipated.<br /><br />In his debut book entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Des Pixels a Hollywood</span>, scheduled for release next month, Alexis Blanchet discusses this long lasting and thriving partnership between the Cinema and interactive digital media with admirable depth. In his examination of common inspirations, Blanchet produces a comprehensive academic study concerning the different interpretations of similar themes from contemporaneous fiction. Apart from the historical background of how the two industries came to be jovial companions, the author also retraces some of the most enlightening examples of how videogames, regardless of its country of origin, possess such an umbilical bond to Hollywood film and its inescapable references. At a time when technology appears to be opening a new road where both will be able to converge like never before, </span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Des Pixels a Hollywood </span><span>comes as an essential reading - perhaps regrettably, at the risk of denouncing the frail creative structures u</span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">pon which the majority of popular videogames are based.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Purchase this book from the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://editionspixnlove.fr/collectiondetail.php?ID=37">Pix'N Love online store</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-54220918355954749902010-02-11T23:25:00.099+00:002010-02-26T16:26:49.731+00:00My 2009 OST Selection - Interview with Wasily Kashnikov<br><img style="font-family: georgia;" src="http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7721/47468302.jpg" width="389" height="585" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Few videogames, if any, ever felt as lugubrious and inauspicious as Ice-Pick Lodge’s THE VOID. Upon its original release in Russia in 2008, when and where it was known as Тургор (<span style="font-style:italic;">Turgor</span>, meaning <span style="font-style:italic;">Tension</span>) this subjective journey of anguish was released on selected European countries before finally becoming available for download at Steam - the single most popular content delivery platform in the world. Moving from its initial obscurity into the limelight of independent computer game press, the game was well-received to the point of earning some of the most favorable reviews in the whole of 2009. The game was also praised for its bold new tone, gameplay mechanics and its themes - seldom featured in popular videogame titles - as the German television channel 3Sat so brilliantly </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrTwJ99nASA">indicated</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Yet, to a large extent, THE VOID still retains its cult game status notwithstanding of the short-lived exposure in the media.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />I’ve made it a habit to emphasize one single work among the several propositions presented each year in the field of music created as a complement to videogames. Far from an award or the proclamation of a superior example among the many, this is essentially an attempt to draw some attention towards compositions that, in spite of their intrinsic quality and importance, have been overlooked for various motives. This year I’ve had the rare chance to contact the author of the soundtrack of my selection, as well as exchanging various impressions about his work, while questioning him about the thousand things. In his debut as a videogame score composer, Wasily Kashnikov (a.k.a. </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.mushroomer.net/">Mushroomer</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">) has teamed with </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.myspace.com/andriesh">Andriesh</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> – a fellow Moskvitch DJ who had participated in the making of PATHOLOGIC.<br /><br /></span><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; font-family: georgia;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAwxaTLC_sZNT2x8wex8LeTXOrJwiBWVtiz0wqNKyd54PXo_q4EzNLrEYD8-y3pRdzDo9dCLirrb-Z3OFAETVI-bw_cuJXvk98bF_vXaH1BdB2GEhQIFDpJEyr5FfpF_Qn7bLVXkgd694/s400/m6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440656572069875458" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">In The Void, the player must explore different locations in search for Lympha, a natural source for the production of color.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This partnership has resulted in a very substantial soundtrack album, first released in 2008 together with the game, subsequently re-edited with additional themes and re-mastered versions. If THE VOID is an erudite reflection on the complexities of life and death, Kashnikov’s fascinating personality and musical talent are are a valuable contribution to this achievement: enigmatic and brooding, his soundscapes and montages are highly reminiscent of the work of some of the British electronic music pioneers like the early Aphex Twin's <span style="font-style: italic;">Ambient Works</span> or FSOL's <span style="font-style: italic;">Lifeforms</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">ISDN</span> period.<br /><br />To match the diversity of abstruse contexts presented throughout the game, the young musician applied different instruments and sonorities from the soft chords of a resonating piano to the sharp-sounding wooden flute and guitar, blending them together using VST software generated effects and using the KORG Electribe EM-1 to produce the different drum beats. Self-portrayed as a <span style="font-style:italic;">do it yourself </span> musician, Mushroomer has adorned THE VOID with a plethora of organic sounds that expand the depth to an already intricate and challenging experience. In spite of the limited tools and resources available to Kashnikov, his work has raised the standards for <span style="font-style: italic;">indie </span>game music production and is thus worthy of all my praise and admiration.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- There seems to be no doubt that the worldwide release of The Void has contributed immensely in divulging of your music. Was this your first experience in the field and how did you acquaint yourself with the Ice-Pick Lodge studio founders? </span><br /><br />WK : My first experience with the game development industry was long before I met Dybowskiy and the Ice-pick Lodge studio. We had a team of enthusiasts called Temporal Games, in which I took part in the development of a fantasy RPG, as a coordinator, sound producer and game designer. You know, the kind of teams, where each member does everything he can. in However, the project was never finished, as it often happens.<br /><br />But my participation in the project allowed me to visit the KRI Conference (Russian analog of GDC) and meet a lot of wonderful people, who later helped me a lot. So, by the time I began discussing with Nikolay the possibility of working on the new Ice-Pick Lodge studio project, I was already well acquainted with the process of creating games. Nikolay then game me a test task, explained the concept of music and sound and in a few months, having successfully passed the test, I began to work in the studio. Now I can say without exaggerating, that this was the most comfortable, interesting work in my life so far. We’ll see, if something beats the record.<br /><br /><p align="center"><object width="350" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="window"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212269&style=metal&p=0"> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212269&style=metal&p=0" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="window" width="350" height="40"></embed></object><br /></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Girls and Hunters </em>can be considered to be the hallmark of the soundtrack and, according to Kashnikov himself, the most laborious theme of all.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- Apart from your work, the soundtrack also features several themes from Andriesh, who had already collaborated with the studio on the production of Pathologic. How was the work assigned to both?</span><br /><br />WK : When I began working, the first thing I did was listen to all the material, that Andriesh has written. Then I asked Nikolay to select the tracks that fit the Void conception best, and started to look for the sound that would work well with what was already written; that wouldn’t contrast with it too much. Besides that, I immediately took most of the sound design and special effect work. We didn’t work together in the traditional sense – I wrote music while sitting at the Ice-pick office, and he worked from home.<br /><br />There isn’t a single track in the Void which we would’ve written together, though I think it would have been an interesting experience, but alas it never happened. Speaking of Andriesh’s music, I’d like to note, that I was very impressed by his Pathologic soundtrack, but I don’t like his solo projects as much. I’m not much of a dance music fan, I guess.<br /><br /><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQryxIdCfbCWVQClQ5MLrra_xsIyX5UatwsJJjHhyphenhyphenlG9Uby-3cJki6MlvTQPgI6ITI90lvRYTv6dk9MMu5i9zYCzTPr1-toDkgJJL75OQWWE1VIaXNTImcYFm3NqDjLP-INsN8R83CT6h/s400/m2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440653698812287634" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Mushroomer during a live performance.</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Tallying up the themes from all the different versions, the soundtrack spans over an impressive four disc collection. Tell me about the greatest challenges and difficulties related to the process of creating this vast enterprise.</span><br /><br />WK : The greatest difficulty in writing the music was to find the right sound: the types of instruments, harmony of how everything sounds. It was hard to achieve the integrity of the entire soundtrack. When I finally found the right sound – everything became a lot easier. More than half of the tracks were written in mere months – 2 or 3 to be precise. And finally, when mentioning the large volume of the final product, don’t forget, that the 3rd disk simply contains poems, and the 4th disk contains not only new tracks written for the English release, but also re-mastered original tracks. And writing and re-mastering music – are definitely not the same in terms of time spent.<br /><br />So, the main result of work on the Void is the first disk. The second disk is more like an alternative version of the soundtrack – what it might have been, and half of the tracks from disk 2 are unreleased material written by Andriesh. It was also difficult to remake tracks, the sound of which seemed almost perfect, but that didn’t suit Nikolay for some reason. For example, the main menu theme exists in 3 or 4 variations. “Strange Creatures” from disk 2 – is one of the unapproved variations of the main menu theme.<br /><br /><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9smeigPKq4WRxWR8hVpa3M7hPSdOB3Ab15zJV8IepF_Z1ZeKmUR109oFuVj7P4wv4BOtBDdW6XjFm4Jum2naGcM42hbWuzeBMs3pA0mk-3N7cumVuZhleuSPqzfiZsbhWbx4iOabyszC/s400/m4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440653712666839666" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Regardless of its independent roots, the team has worked to exhaustion in the creation of large and splendorous and veritably exquisite locations.</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- The Void is an unconventional game by design. Its unique environment creates a sensation of emptiness and oppression that is impossible to evade. Every location is a mystery in itself; and even characters are mystifying and ambiguous. What is your interpretation of the game and how has that influenced your work?</span><br /><br />WK : That’s a good question. I based my view on the description Nikolay gave me way back at the first test task – this was a dying world, this was the wait for the birth of something new, the theme of famine, and finally the theme of being able to create something seemed to be the stem of the entire game. Anyhow – for me the Void was a metaphor of art, as a battle of the dying old with the upcoming to change it new, and the realization of a dream. I guess it sounds confusing – but there aren’t enough words to describe it – personally, I think that all of us realized a dream in this game. At least, I did.<br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><object width="350" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="window"><br /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212661&style=metal&p=0"> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212661&style=metal&p=0" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="window" width="350" height="40"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Declamation in Russian of the poem "Mudam-se os tempos, mudam-se as vontades" by Luís Vaz de Camões concerning the passage of time, memory and evolution.</span></span><br /></div></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Because I'm Portugese, I was very surprised to see how the game opened with a feminine voice’s declamation of a poem by Luís de Camões. Do you know how did this idea come about?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">WK : To be honest – I don’t have a clue. I didn’t take part in selecting the poems for the game, but I can assume, that this poem was meant to fully describe, what should be happening in the consciousness of the player during the game, and it’s a great way to introduce the players with the poetry, they otherwise might have never heard</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- The game’s soundtrack – your themes in particular – reflect a great passion for different styles of electronic and IDM music. What where the greatest influences and inspirations when you were creating the music?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">WK : If you’re asking about what I was listening at the time, then… From electronic music it’s Boards of Canada, Bonobo and Carbon Based Lifeforms. From others I enjoyed Tom Waits, the Dresden Dolls, Nervous Cabaret – either way, its mastery and beauty in case of electronic tracks, and emotions in case of the ones with voice. And the result of this insane mix is what you have to “tolerate” the entire game -if you don’t choose to turn off the music, of course.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- Did you feel, somehow, restricted by the fact that you were creating music for an interactive game?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Speaking of the technical side of my work – I always kept in mind that I’m not just writing music, but an addition to an experience. My task was, beside all, to merge music and game play so that there’s no dissonance that would concentrate the player’s attention on either parts of the experience risking to damage several elements of the game. For example, the battle with the Triumphator brother is interactive – all his actions are reflected in the music themes, which sound during combat. Literally, you’re fighting the music that you hear! It’s a human orchestra after all!</span><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><p align="center"><object width="350" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="window"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212302&style=metal&p=0"> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=20212302&style=metal&p=0" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="window" width="350" height="40"></embed></object><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Music from the battle against one of the brothers, the Triumphator: different variations were created in order to accord with the different stages of the conflict.</span></span><br /></div></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">- There seems to be an interesting anecdote behind the choice of your artistic name "Mushroomer"? Why are mushrooms so fascinating to you?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">WK : I have a degree in biology, an agronomist, to be precise; and mushrooms are a very interesting life form even if not consumed. ;o) They are neither plants nor animals – they exist on their own, and nevertheless, have a great influence on our everyday. For example, alcohol (and even the Bible notes Jesus Christ turned water into wine) – is the result of work of yeast fungus – a form of mushrooms; many diseases that plagued humanity are the result of proximity to mould, and last but not least – mushrooms are tasty. So, I haven’t chosen this nickname for nothing – it’s best to be friends with such a mighty power of nature, rather than ignore it or be enemies.</span><br /><br /><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJZu9WrqqmWhjvTLkJLFhqZjA77WZuD1RQdoL4Ug2QkJ5o38WBYw1zpiQi9wdFZjfINsU-z-ZLDn5HHdZXIkcLKOP3hoZXsPJ4VZfVRfFnXPaQnt43Hmkbda3MU3j0ZbzGMx-3tdDj9dv/s400/m3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440653704030173954" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">It was my dream - mixing of live and synthetic voices...</span> - Wasily Kashnikov</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- With only two games released, Ice-Pick Lodge has won different prizes as well as the recognition from players. How have reactions to your work been, so far?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">WK : Generally, the reactions are quite positive. Well, of course, I’ve met reactions like “where the hell did Andriesh go, and who the hell is this Mushroomer dude?”, I’ve seen people who think that there’s no actual artist named Mushroomer and all the music was written by Andriesh. But these are rare. Mostly people agreed that I did a wonderful job, and that’s twice as pleasant since I think so, too!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">- Will you be working with the Ice-Pick Lodge studio in other projects? (Are there any plans for future collaborations?)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">WK : Personally, I’m not working on anything now, when it comes to working on the new studio projects. But I suppose, as soon as it comes to sound – I’ll start working immediately.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(All the sound clips and and excerpts from The Void OST are used on this page with the permission of its authors).</span><br /><br /></div></div></div></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-29147994649518910962010-02-06T23:34:00.019+00:002010-02-07T08:05:48.234+00:00Q&A with Koji Ueno - Resonances of Gadget<div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3as55sVAwZwl7AtbacRfyqg6Gfw4bZGW1vkkxcqdXwYvTEqkYCd8JuTNheyjqKWm5cmx0C6JUTUGT6eL3OgZeyBgoaVpvGvYOYtU3nvhcXkFu-SDT_aSmkLt4m6QssiJUzlhM7dx7pL8/s1600-h/gadgad.jpg"><br /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3as55sVAwZwl7AtbacRfyqg6Gfw4bZGW1vkkxcqdXwYvTEqkYCd8JuTNheyjqKWm5cmx0C6JUTUGT6eL3OgZeyBgoaVpvGvYOYtU3nvhcXkFu-SDT_aSmkLt4m6QssiJUzlhM7dx7pL8/s400/gadgad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435282322935230818" border="0" /></span></span> </div><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br />Since the beginning of his career in 1978, Koji Ueno has been composing music that encompasses multiple styles and genres from pop to new age, from orchestral to electronic and dance oriented. Having achieved a reputation as one of Japan’s most promising musicians after joining the Guernica ensemble, he has worked with some of the best musicians in his country such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, with whom he authored the soundtracks for the major motion pictures <i style="">Oneamise no Tsubasa</i> and <i style="">The Last Emperor</i>.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />In one of his most singular musical moments, Ueno participated with Haruhiko Shono and the Synergy studio for the creation of the music score for the best-selling CD-ROM experience GADGET: INVENTION, TRAVEL & ADVENTURE. As an addendum to the results of my research, already presented in last year's <a href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/shono.htm">interview with Haruhiko Shono</a>, I now publish a brief interview where this gifted and erudite musician discusses a few interesting subjects regarding his valuable contribution to the game - later resulting in that rare album entitled <i style="">Resonances of Gadget: Quasisymphonic Movements and Noise Montages</i>.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > I was also surprised to learn that some of his influences when composing this soundtrack were musical masterpieces of my own personal predilection.<br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM1b1IBtVWjT7me3VnOuLimo-w9At6OvS7HMZFVxgr58DBzazcBCmJYbzmkyxy4YvMA2cKLyPKuJWrMdPw2NJ4g4nRxIjHsNE22TiY4E0BjvcCMJ1zLdjNmq3es95LhAk3kudeJyRNU_e/s1600-h/gadget3.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pwD6QfK_CM2JbevgpgYQMYkYBKyllK0uf2fQVZbpMZSkRZAlN3kro2-_FGG2stpeOnI-nox4vJkAdDTHR2Aiie70H6WqT3MwmE_6eLFSxByZOWr5MnBmxass9j8ClQ9Bp2ZjhDHMX7vF/s1600-h/gad.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pwD6QfK_CM2JbevgpgYQMYkYBKyllK0uf2fQVZbpMZSkRZAlN3kro2-_FGG2stpeOnI-nox4vJkAdDTHR2Aiie70H6WqT3MwmE_6eLFSxByZOWr5MnBmxass9j8ClQ9Bp2ZjhDHMX7vF/s400/gad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435281515516477042" border="0" /></a></span></p> <span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br />CG: As a composer, you have a reputation of someone who is constantly looking for new challenges. In what circumstances did you enter the project of creating this soundtrack?</span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Ueno: I was the first composer choice of Mr. Shono and his office. They knew about my admiration for the art of the pre-war/war time, Russian avant-garde and machine age which were also of special reference to that locomotive he designed for the game.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />When Mr. Shono was a university student he was a fan of my band Guernica, whose concept was the combination of pre-war avant-garde and pre-war popular music.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />One of his university friends who was also a Guernica fan asked me to make music for his graduation art work and introduced him to me around 1983 or 1984.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">CG: </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Some years after the original release of GADGET, Synergy produced a renewed version. Was the same soundtrack used or did you create new themes for "Past as Future"?</span><o:p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></o:p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Ueno: I can’t remember exactly. During the production of that project I handed my works to Mr. Shono directly who later edited and overdubbed them – a process in which I had no participation. I do remember, however, that in "Gadget Trips/Mindscapes" I made a lot of new material.<br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM1b1IBtVWjT7me3VnOuLimo-w9At6OvS7HMZFVxgr58DBzazcBCmJYbzmkyxy4YvMA2cKLyPKuJWrMdPw2NJ4g4nRxIjHsNE22TiY4E0BjvcCMJ1zLdjNmq3es95LhAk3kudeJyRNU_e/s1600-h/gadget3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM1b1IBtVWjT7me3VnOuLimo-w9At6OvS7HMZFVxgr58DBzazcBCmJYbzmkyxy4YvMA2cKLyPKuJWrMdPw2NJ4g4nRxIjHsNE22TiY4E0BjvcCMJ1zLdjNmq3es95LhAk3kudeJyRNU_e/s400/gadget3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435395009018065634" border="0" /></a></span></p><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br />CG: What did you base your music on - were you given game materials or simply Images, sketches, ideas?</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Firstly I was asked to made music for the trailer of Gadget for its promotion. That trailer already had many designed materials such as the locomotive, some of the characters and locations. I selected suitable digital sampling data as several timbres of that trailer music and then I constructed music to fit into the timing of the scene changes of the video.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Eventually, that material became the theme "Overture: Invention, Travel and Adventure". Many materials later used in the game and the movie were reductions of that. The following variations were made using a method similar to film scoring techniques, based on scene images and the story itself. I remember that the tracks <i style="">Overture</i>, <i style="">Tranquility</i>, <i style="">Contradictions</i> and <i style="">A Recollection of the Future</i>, from the soundtrack album, were the first themes I composed.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br />CG: <span style=""> </span>What motivated you to create the music? You focused heavily on the industrial and engineering part of that universe; but also on the deep psychological trance with eerie noise montages: what did you intend to make the players feel by listening to the music?</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Ueno: I think "Gadget" has something like a feeling of oppression throughout the whole game.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />And has what we may call <i style="">industrial mysticism</i>, as well as the feeling of <i style="">destin sans issue</i>. Maybe those themes were the most inspiring.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Anyway Mr. Shono's designs were of great artistic beauty, so I was keeping those in mind when I was composing.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >I’ve also tried to make music that wouldn’t weary the player.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /><br />CG: </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">What are your thoughts on GADGET and your interpretation of it?</span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Ueno: Nightmare of 20th Century?</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Do the retro-chic machines dream of autocratic brainwashing?</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJ5mf6B0aXsFDEYc5mrG6g0w_jXM-ZVIiZvI63jJpUgOWqsYxaxn9AJ42y7VKn9MO3J2PCdIeBQmNPj77F5-cpU4nEZtH9i1ENpQTw0PpnA7ogDae2xsuFxQ8GWm9u5S2vnckV3-SFTh1/s1600-h/gadget7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJ5mf6B0aXsFDEYc5mrG6g0w_jXM-ZVIiZvI63jJpUgOWqsYxaxn9AJ42y7VKn9MO3J2PCdIeBQmNPj77F5-cpU4nEZtH9i1ENpQTw0PpnA7ogDae2xsuFxQ8GWm9u5S2vnckV3-SFTh1/s400/gadget7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435395011924608354" border="0" /></a></span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br />CG: <span style=""> </span>The train theme is possibly the most emblematic of all: its beat pattern being so contagious. Tell me more about the conception of this theme in particular.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Ueno: When I saw the train sequences for the first time I felt that they required some like constant beat and that it needed to suit the tempo of the scene – while not evoking any memory of a dance music or techno beat!</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > So I selected sampling material by classical percussion instruments bearing in mind that the time of the music should be cross rhythm, not just a simple 4/4 or 3/4.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Later</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >, I tried to play some of samplings on keyboard. There, sampling material can be played slow to fast combining different rhythm (tempo) by playing more than a single note. This is how I found the exact material and tempo.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />Anyway it's important to read the exact tempo of the scenes.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > Maybe that is also one of film music techniques.</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />CG: Finally: in terms of musical composition, what were your references to the creation of this soundtrack?</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br />My greatest influences were: Edgard Varèse</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Arthur Honegger’s <i style="">Pacific 231</i>, Sergei Prokofiev (Symphony No.2), Bernard Herrmann</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Jerry Goldsmith’s <i style="">The Planet of Apes</i>, Béla Bartók, John Cage</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Louis and Bebe Baron’s <i style="">Forbidden Planet</i>,</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Charles Ives, Leoš Janaček’s <i style="">Glagolitic Mass</i></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Frank Martin’s <i style="">Petite Symphonie Concertante</i>, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><span style=""> </span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Pauline Oliveros’ <i style="">Deep Listening</i> and</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Aaron Copland.<br /><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Given its extreme rarity, I converted the soundtrack to a suitable MP3 quality that is now <a href="http://www.teradepot.com/j6lub5upf7t3/Resonances_of_Gadget_Soundtrack.rar.html">available for download</a>.<br /><br /></span>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-69977085651559611522010-02-04T12:22:00.014+00:002010-02-04T13:34:50.776+00:00A digital Carpe Diem<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEQYtcH3TQPXOc62IhGxCuQiXhTm2oQCTUtZJTgM62ybd0MGTwwgdWeD34UfB100Cgx_5JyWpEAmCekEH3h8F3Nckvw71q6_wM9yaLXFrX9y5d7pbLjSmJdoz7tjDV90Don36jMiBz5Un/s1600-h/van.jpg"><br /><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEQYtcH3TQPXOc62IhGxCuQiXhTm2oQCTUtZJTgM62ybd0MGTwwgdWeD34UfB100Cgx_5JyWpEAmCekEH3h8F3Nckvw71q6_wM9yaLXFrX9y5d7pbLjSmJdoz7tjDV90Don36jMiBz5Un/s400/van.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434364523891376130" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Tale of Tale's new iPhone and iPod touch application was officially released today and while the Apple platforms are surely not to my personal liking I couldn't miss the opportunity to mention this strange new form of interaction that they have prepared. As tiresome as the last year might have been for the studio, Michaël Samyn and Auriea Harvey keep working with determination in search for new grounds. VANITAS was commissioned by John Sharp and Ian Bogost as a part of the Art History of Games symposium taking place in Atlanta, which includes games from other known independent authors such as Jason Rohrer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Priced at one single dollar, VANITAS evokes the concept of mortality by arranging loose objects inside a wooden box, not unlike the use of deliberate symbols and icons in pre-modern Flemish art. Inspired by the famous biblical passage </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">(vanity of vanities, all is vanity, from the book of Ecclesiastes) Tale of Tales has conceived a meditative space without rules or concise objectives - highly reminiscent of the same philosophy which is present, although in an entirely different format, in Japanese garden models. The deep soul-searching experience about the futility of materialism is enhanced by the cello moods of this project's invited artist, none other than the talented Zoe Keating.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">More information can be found at the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://tale-of-tales.com/Vanitas/">official website</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.<br /><br /></span>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-79886725422466397202009-12-30T09:37:00.015+00:002010-01-07T23:51:11.575+00:00Takayoshi Sato's character design master class<div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia;"><br /><object style="width: 399px; height: 424px;"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&documentId=100107232913-fc43a8619c68495ebeaa8ab570f9b5a7&docName=satogdm&username=dieubussy&loadingInfoText=The%20dust%20of%20everyday%20life&et=1262907686359&er=11"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="menu" value="false"><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width: 399px; height: 424px;" flashvars="mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&documentId=100107232913-fc43a8619c68495ebeaa8ab570f9b5a7&docName=satogdm&username=dieubussy&loadingInfoText=The%20dust%20of%20everyday%20life&et=1262907686359&er=11"></embed></object><br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Last month's issue of Game Developer magazine contains a highly informative piece by Takayoshi Sato regarding his approach to videogame character design. A recommended read to anyone interested in becoming acquainted with the details behind Sato's work, as well as valuable advice and essential details: in short, a <span style="font-weight: bold;">must read.</span><br /><br />The pages included in the document above are scanned reproductions from the magazine. You may find this and many other issues in high quality downloads available at <a href="http://www.gdmag.com/archive/dec09.htm">GDM's website</a>.<br /><br /></div></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-90673045282220335472009-12-16T18:13:00.015+00:002009-12-21T12:26:29.238+00:00CoreGamers presents: The Making of FATALE<br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/fatale.htm"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu5NYOd4-Rjz7InCNCRZciR2xD4KQncl-XBwoEVHmCEcEddA6gJWX_88lWiBaRIeBglV68XtUQosA1ZZ6T0CC2LppnVHgfFWv5SGErsGJhBTZ-Q717jI_0RK07fMAyDgqbxMCLIVbIvDw/s400/mak.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415899089899401570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">FATALE was one the most surprising releases of this year that now nears its end. Like an encore to the same brilliant approach to the discipline of interactive arts as essayed before in THE PATH, it was a unique portrayal of the biblical icon Salome as seen from the perspective of Oscar Wilde's play of the same name. If its irreverence has caused much doubt among the videogame playing community, its value has already been underlined by popular videogame critics from all over the world. Not only was it completed in a record-breaking time, it also provided a fascinating series of challenges to the Tale of Tales studio and invited colaborators. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/fatale.htm">Making Of FATALE</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> article I now present contains detailed information concerning the origins of the project, the development stage, as well as the ever enlightening perspective from both Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn concerning their work.<br><br /></span></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-1999111573554297052009-12-06T14:04:00.024+00:002010-01-18T18:48:40.949+00:00Portrait of videogames as a young industry: Q&A with Leonard Herman<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04ZIFvEKf4d6b4H0bfmzW7pgTZqnGP4EAwQ6ugqx5L3uMk_v-ZJR0AHATXFkhWylmZtnHGy80vsPkr_Ydo69V2DnCpxIZnP5tIDYqymw5yj2uwdo7S93VQ7di7BVRpZ_WuxnFZ2G5G3Ay/s1600-h/fenix.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412125434548061058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04ZIFvEKf4d6b4H0bfmzW7pgTZqnGP4EAwQ6ugqx5L3uMk_v-ZJR0AHATXFkhWylmZtnHGy80vsPkr_Ydo69V2DnCpxIZnP5tIDYqymw5yj2uwdo7S93VQ7di7BVRpZ_WuxnFZ2G5G3Ay/s400/fenix.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><blockquote><i><span lang="EN-US">And so a new industry was born. It has had its ups and downs but it has mostly kept on roaring ahead in step with technology. It has done its share of contributing to great technical advancements in the art of displaying complex graphics on a display. Most importantly, it has put imaginative, interactive gaming within reach of everybody.</span></i><br /></blockquote><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:85%;">Ralph H. Baer ( in the Preface to Phoenix)</span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US"><br />Upon confirming the indefinite delay of a fourth edition whose creation is <a href="http://dieubussy.blogspot.com/2009/07/2010-year-of-phoenix.html">still in progress</a>, Leonard Herman has decided to reprint the third edition of his milestone <span style="font-style: italic;">Phoenix The Fall & Rise of Videogames</span>, previously released in 2001. While a decade has passed since its original publication, this last existing edition of his original 1994 book continues to be one of the most valuable resources on the subject of videogame history, covering the events of a time line that starts in 1970 (with a comprehensive introduction on computer history starting in the early days of Pascal) up until 2001 and the emerging 128-Bit console systems.<br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Phoenix</span><span lang="EN-US"> has warranted strong reactions in what relates to its particular style of writing: whereas some are very keen and enthusiastic on its impassive chronicle, others have discredited the book for being an unpleasant and far from compelling read. As soon as I got my hands on the book I immediately began to understand how Herman’s scientific and largely unbiased writing method may be perceived as expressionless. Notwithstanding, this is a book regarding the History of videogames: and one so impartial and scientific in the way it addresses the subject at hand that one can't help but recommend it and vouch for it.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhZ4xCJZXVTSoR-s2uzd7SKkWwDvEPwo4Kfz9SwMzD2dV5MXOofbQuHmoxrm02TZ_6EZ65VtqkkKdnxCRpuaze8Gefy4lXDWJqQI6Wz_kVh3pjgoBtJJLmvyCuUjq7I1cB1To10S0fcMU/s1600-h/fenix3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412125428336017346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhZ4xCJZXVTSoR-s2uzd7SKkWwDvEPwo4Kfz9SwMzD2dV5MXOofbQuHmoxrm02TZ_6EZ65VtqkkKdnxCRpuaze8Gefy4lXDWJqQI6Wz_kVh3pjgoBtJJLmvyCuUjq7I1cB1To10S0fcMU/s400/fenix3.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Not unlike other popular publications that succeeded it, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Phoenix</span> should only expect to find the history of how videogames became a leading form of entertainment in North-America – the cradle of the early industry models – but also the critical stage for Japan’s rush for global home console market domination. </span><span lang="EN-US">In truth, the composition of a book concerning the global history of the videogame business could not happen without the active collaboration of several experts around the world performing a cooperative research. Ambitions of an ideal and all-encompassing </span><span lang="EN-US">volume on the history of videogames apart, there is no denying that Herman’s solo research has gathered enough data to make any of his book editions a complete guide to help the reader build an accurate mental picture of the home console chronology (computer games not being an actual priority to this work); or to simply be used as a reference in studies or mere fact checking.<br /><br /></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbDKWovK4DvwXMvL71iH-J3sOT0ZmljrkjqChsKlnGR38wYhzTUfKDKBhRdYGOLBASILU_kvEHa8_QqjIe-Bjx6etEvIKxddTRbVQpxY2VCaDR57uPI8VRF7eUL3keuW5ARUMa6eybbXm/s1600-h/fenix4.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412125442034268450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbDKWovK4DvwXMvL71iH-J3sOT0ZmljrkjqChsKlnGR38wYhzTUfKDKBhRdYGOLBASILU_kvEHa8_QqjIe-Bjx6etEvIKxddTRbVQpxY2VCaDR57uPI8VRF7eUL3keuW5ARUMa6eybbXm/s400/fenix4.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><br /><br />The origins of this compilation of the videogame reality date back to several years before its actual release. I first understood the difficulties implied in the publication of a book of this kind so early in the 1990’s decade after contacting the author about that matter. I was surprised to learn that while the videogame industry had risen from its complete inexistence to one of the most profitable businesses on a global scale in a matter of a few decades, no book publisher was willing to risk the sponsoring of Herman’s book. Even today, Phoenix Fall and Rise and its publisher, Rolenta Press, remain an epitome of independent book publishing - its presentation simple and humble unlike that of most game-related books. And hardly ever has the expression <span style="font-style: italic;">do not judge a book by its cover</span> been so appropriate: Phoenix is unquestionably one of the most important studies ever made on the subject of videogame History.<br /><br /></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1brpadjm4P1pRRN4ySa3f6EzslIuFwsdbDCqnH85SLCqEr0ui-Jgr4TF2Wt5gVMh_eYaKhw_5rjupS-hJvAmCU7qNaXurE6espqjC1rpQrmS4It1tIv1oWAweJYCkcARc7xnd0qP_AkqX/s1600-h/fenix5.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412134405832711506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1brpadjm4P1pRRN4ySa3f6EzslIuFwsdbDCqnH85SLCqEr0ui-Jgr4TF2Wt5gVMh_eYaKhw_5rjupS-hJvAmCU7qNaXurE6espqjC1rpQrmS4It1tIv1oWAweJYCkcARc7xnd0qP_AkqX/s400/fenix5.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Mr. Herman was kind enough to answer a few of my questions regarding this object of his pursuit, a dynamic and sporadically revised information resource that continues to renew itself with every new inprint.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CoreGaming</span> : Phoenix is often presented as the first true account of the videogame history. Please tell me a little more about its origins and the difficulties implied in the publication of this sort of book given th the year of its original release.</span><br><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leonard Herman</span> : In 1982 I began writing a book called ABC To The VCS, which was a directory of all of the games that were available for the Atari 2600. After the crash, I realized that there would be very little demand for such a book so I scrapped it. Around 1986, I thought about writing a similar book about the NES, but I really didn’t relish the thought of doing it, especially since at the time I wasn’t a fan of Nintendo and didn’t even own an NES! However I didn’t want to give up the idea about writing a book about videogames.<br /><br />For a while I began writing a book about each of the videogame companies, such as Atari, and Mattel. But a lot of the information overlapped. So that was when I got the idea of writing a chronological history of videogames, since such a book didn’t exist.<br /><br />I spent the four years writing the book, using my large collection of magazines and press kits as source (since the Internet as we know it didn’t exist yet). My goal was to get the book published in 1992, which was the 20th anniversary of the release of the Odyssey and Pong. Unfortunately, No publishers were interested. Prima, which eventually published Steve Kent’s book in 2001, wrote to me in an August 1993 letter: “…we believe there is not enough interest in the general history of video games at this time.”<br /><br />In 1994 I learned about self-publishing so I founded Rolenta Press and published Phoenix that way.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CoreGaming</span> : Sometime ago you presented the fourth edition of Phoenix as a book containing information about the last years in the industry of videogames. However you decided not to move forward with the fourth edition for now and publish the 3rd once again. What originated that decision and how actual (or up-to-date) do you think this book today?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leonard Herman</span> : Well I am moving forward with the fourth edition, however the work is not progressing as quickly as I would like. In addition to adding new chapters, I have also decided to update the entire book, and fix any errors that have been in there that I’m aware of. I’m also including Japanese system prior to the Famicom so that is additional research that has to be done. And sometimes I get held up for stupid little reasons.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For example, in 1989 View-Master released the Interactive Vision. I found information from several places citing that this system was awarded “Game of the Year”. The only problem was I couldn’t find who gave it that award! I contacted the Toy Industry of America, but they’re records only went back to 2001. I even contacted one of the designers of the console, and while he remembered the system getting the prize, he couldn’t remember who it got the prize from. I spent over a month looking for this information and finally had to give up on it.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CoreGaming</span> : Since you first decided to research the subject of videogame history, many other authors and researchers have been publishing their own books regarding the history of videogames: either focusing on specific contents, like David Sheff and his Game Over History of Nintendo; or more broad and wide-randing like Kent's Ultimate History of Videogames and Russel deMaria's High Score. What do you think that Phoenix offers to readers today that none of these books does?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leonard Herman</span> : Actually, the first edition of David Sheff’s book came out before mine. Anyway, one of my best supporters is Steve Kent, who tells everyone that our books complement each other. While his book tells the story of videogames through the words of the actual participants, mine is an encyclopedia of all the little details that aren’t covered anywhere else.<br /><br />One of the main criticisms of the book is that the writing is dry and not entertaining. This was done by design. The book was written to educate, not to entertain.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CoreGamer</span> : As a researcher, you must have spent thousands of hours going through different sources of information regarding videogames. Of all the interesting episodes in the history of videogames, which one do you think is the most enticing?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leonard Herman</span> : One of my favorite stories is the story of Tetris. In fact, for the 4th edition I’m removing it from the main body of the book and inserting it into a Focus On section where it stands out by itself.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CoreGaming </span>: Finally, as someone who has been particularly close to videogame issues and debates since their dawn, how do you see the industry today? Were there such dramatic changes or are things closely the same as to what they were two or three decades ago, in spite of the drastic popularity increase?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leonard Herman</span> : Well three decades ago everything was new, so any change was a dramatic one! But we are still seeing new things today. The Wii changed forever how humans interact with videogames (although Nintendo wasn’t the first to do it). The only difference between now and 30 years ago was that the dramatic changes took place a lot more often back then.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-5234155974524268072009-11-01T03:54:00.026+00:002009-11-09T11:17:17.113+00:00Amusement magazine, issue 6: BUG!<p style="font-family: georgia;" align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2801/4073579282_366ddb1da3_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXkstb5ITp0j5xgVaEwgTp3Z0iYw6PjmLSnAGpMjVfRv53kFnc0dYGgtX3nCxSDl2UspQvoDy1S4HQ2-lbOYEa4imUA_NwRdk9KioCD1443W9Yie0l3w2WxmzQzOq56WkQIB655KSl1jo/s400/amuse8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398773920032828178" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" align="left">There was a time, long before the arrival of the Internet, when videogame players celebrated the inclusion of game-related topics in the smallest of columns of everyday newspapers. In time, the small footnotes became single and double-page features about fresh game releases, hints, pokes and cheats. As a consequence of the sudden growth of the computer and console business, a few dedicated publications appeared in the United States of America, the epicenter of the videogame industry revolution; yet firstly in the United Kingdom. Countless magazines were edited during the 1980's and 90's throughout the globe; some of them vanished in a matter of months; others were successful for a short while; only a few kept alive until this day.<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" align="left">But just as the format of the printer paper slowly capitulated to the emerging HTML format, so did the videogame magazines become a secondary choice to game players who needn't wait for the end of the month to read the latest news, now updated every second in the windows of their internet browsers. In order to oppose the costless information supply of game sites, magazines were forced to improve and to become more exclusive than ever in order to survive. <a href="http://amusement.fr/">AMUSEMENT</a> magazine, a fairly recent French trimestral publication, addresses some of the larger problems of the games journalism sphere, providing the sort of educated reading that is still light-years away from the common videogame website.<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" align="left">A first look at any of the existing issues of AMUSEMENT is sure to cause shock and awe: apparently, even after a quick browsing through the pages, this magazine is hard to identify as being related to the subject of games. Its discerning design easily evokes the flair and elegance seen in the visual presentation of a <em>Vogue</em> or <em>Vanity Fair</em> magazines. There are no game previews, reviews or even news articles proper; each piece has an identity of its own. This radical perspective has made this magazine a new and inspiring reference in the treatment of videogame subjects, something which is clear not only in its daring imagery, but also in the selection of themes.<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" align="left">The latest issue of the magazine, entitled BUG, is dedicated to concept of game program <span style="font-style: italic;">bug</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">glitch</span>. Through different articles, the authors provide unique assessments on how these program errors have characterized videogames for long and will continue to do so in the future. The following are some of the highlights of this sixth edition (please click the images for larger views).<br /><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4072820183_076fe42840_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNKZrPqNevyjRMbkbNWRS0HJaVnNwbfo331OrmW_EDf_o9EIWqDNZNUm_BOlP4tiKrXU2FKlYynCpFKnBbM7ZGu3GM799EU_G0z_xtAhDF0VXSc-vb4_LBmrS6da_CnMld5eRVujDVJjK/s400/amuse9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398773923190580306" border="0" /></a></p><em style="font-family: georgia;">Not a Game, Just a Digital Amusement</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > is a joint venture between the magazine and the artist Pierre Vanni on the subject of game </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">bugs</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >. Scheduled for release on the iPhone on the 25th of December, this </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">non-game</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > will make use of elemental volumes and shapes. Theplayer must use the touch screen to create visual motives which can only be interpreted at a distance in an exercise that relates to the true nature of digital images - the pixels -, very much like a new aged version of Plato's cavern.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/4073592764_cf27c8aec3_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEKgjK77HeAPqbYJxiT7DdUGXTTFz9O0wtS4VxxM7LJbo240uuCkh04EDgNl5izMXEjKy57KqNHAnIkIN5LNoMp4kYArn3H0lcPQcTxM9qZDgEOuA7uid5ussrBcb6W2nq-lObJ-kU2Bl/s400/amuse11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398773929349057618" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >A fine example of this magazine's focus on subjects of interest to videogame players that are not directly related to the industry; this is an interview article with Xavier Veilhan, a vanguardist French artist whose recent work consists of presenting flat polygon sculptures near historical locations. This contrast between old and new architectural and scultpural techniques is well illustrated by the image above, where a purple geometric chariot being pulled by horses is placed on front of the Versailles Palace.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/4073581486_2461bbca4f_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyHF2Tv3kTJEh65KX-m_w8ZofwBeT2sua4pyQ6z2b37vcnaCLGIEe3B3mECS76cdRpD77t9aGJ0zcimKiCvTpYE65LagHpO7jdtVHW5a0yKOoxBuRHfzV49bDjHX7s3nHNRZbrsdAGoJL/s400/amuse10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398773926133090050" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;">The celebrated creator of Konami's DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION, Naoki, is briefly enquired about his vision of the music games industry where his title played a central role in the last years.<br /><br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2682/4072824633_304873efdd_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQY7gyH6POpwTwJAYtUHvjhuGMgd7bYSBymYuiSkfQ1ZMf8WTLx08L65hsjsEtbuy5rocNbhjDfgg0ZedTKR5yTYqXkO-6JHG8Xg0kD1Y-8L213P6zNhLUMHO1DmQQsSxD3HqgkYolw3im/s400/amuse19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398774749438293250" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/4072825359_85a765cb87_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjburD53Oicb6ZvclWQCylNqBhqNDapDAoLflApTP6bwQcqOYuc_v9Yp6FUMNXEPMRGwUduyEvmsVMyejM-LoEabwytZajO-1auItpcdjHCt8KKou8g79luQMSBHEpsxVcQhLuel72YB0T/s400/amuse20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398774758014551506" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >One of the best photo shoots of this volume, </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Overheating </em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >depicts several objects being thrown through a wall, namely the red DS Lite, in a visually pleasing manner.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/4073582746_29db7e419b_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJ1x_qIiqtg2vNBLQFXtEubnjkgYIQDfuKYEm4BfDHQ0uwKdyshHktPjDHKzlv6JW6mYYq041ndiIeXhu8RxBqhBALK6e5N_IZ2a_5G7PSIBKLLoMQCj_jnt8U3nC2ClvlSmh9VhRWtN2/s400/amuse13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398774740521127826" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Another great visual feature, </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Dérapages</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >, blends models with polygonal compositions to suggest everyday life accidents: on the picture, the suspended waiter accidentally drops the digital serving dish.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4073583558_ae38576b9c_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfVmxVE4cJsZLApjeEj-D_WVZ1WpzEpoVdIIW1a9vvX01u56At0HoRAMsjlaEQIRLtHmzoQGUJO3MH28PYOPt6ILbFGOcsJHdEkRPqp4BEK2t6hkxbneoslBluKeM217lF61w7vMtFgfv/s400/amuse15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398774741704755586" border="0" /></a></p><em style="font-family: georgia;">Glitchography</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > is a small but very interesting piece on the important role of the bug hunters and game testers in the development of each new game.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/4073587068_8f8a1f597c_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShXEiTHj8L6p2X_x1gq52MV0fGui-mczBYKNotkaztg5KzbVnXOVBsYce2wbVcOwqLeApa6r3yDhUoHRXkAFrQdHAVtsTs99sibzxxDIXVVZtkcqyZjCHXYQ_zmPcTXP-pDN6qaYsq-26/s400/amuse22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398775798541481810" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Bugs come in different forms and shapes. Léo Bourdin assumes the role of </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Bug Hunter</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > and catalogues them in different classes from the Fatalist to the Pathologic according to their level of threat to the game experience.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/4072826143_60d84e5287_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6xg2_4YLewlD5COhYisrWFX-JVp_4ViOnVgHdd61V-k-pUHSeyK8jxNSUGaZ_GufdobaIrV_MmiIsxjKCygJKF9qhIeLAZeEo3N6DtjSFDsduUGTyi1O_1CZhcYoMIQPJKo0_qHAaYv6/s400/amuse21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398775794846856130" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Bugs are a unique property of hardware and software systems. In Cinema, however, the absence of these errors is compensated by different occasions where fictional computers display abnormal behaviors that play an important role. Listed movies include famous computer gremlins from </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">2001 A Space Odyssey</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >, </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Electric Dreams</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > or </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Alphaville</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2539/4073588096_9466261610_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEzI5RmQI1RzeCmqz_XlFF0pXzOBjzqxtt8lhiFojA_-3MC4NBQNDzzus-XByFTL51yW9NDJ9gH5TDGj3tqXRQaXcftW260zyVw5mmCYscTZMwyAuPBU7-gBvPBwHhYWOhyphenhyphenSNcNrckpX0/s400/amuse23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398775800656289682" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/4072828659_b37dc8e1e8_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSP9sRDD1vD7fCK5j-guzBY_V3zETZGDztmgNoUfLwW-rv0Q4Vi87cvSbgzbErTc-fIpDzobbCHYe0X2up0GVpifZfveMZ5AnC7TdyiDq98u9hfJZqexh7F93jT1TxYmJ2JDtOT0A3f7K/s400/amuse25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398775807899312690" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Reminiscent of the film </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">District 9</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >, this visual article combines the chaos of technology on the foreground with the superimposed CGI insects alluding to the original circumstances in which the computer term </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">bug </em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >came to be.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/4072824101_573ba094e2_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vYrr9hb0yyVincvxWZlMkqNPWVOjkzn7PL7mVXobwcfOBkWmEhKJ_FoeqUmRE-wukCig7brtKCfvRutwIg1WNC4gLjA8h1qkyaeU1UG2Eg9_w_Agot98pheuTP_BZTpz7CZcSKdwg3lv/s400/amuse16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398774746693744834" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >A one-page mention to the game MACHINARIUM, by Brice Roy, underlines the exquisite aesthetics of Jakub Dvorský's game.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/4072829457_17f99c20d8_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiQh_F3pqfXO7AgvADB99nlRt1Vep1ZRWElXfpXQhIoHT_Ps4OycCwiEtwO-hJGEJlWebr3HKzlItEQlIvb3mvCSGji9vZs7YvNKMLNnrCapqIIOwXKZc3yoNp3QMK_FJrsEz6OuGyrJD/s400/amuse28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398791221310350146" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Possibly the most important article of this edition: a multi-paged interview with Tetsuya Mizuguchi in which he speaks openly about his early days at SEGA and the several experiences that motivated him to seek new grounds in game design when founding UGA or his recent studio Q? Entertainment.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2602/4072830891_b78cac1777_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjOjrFjYx7PN35B2nH8pxuQ9t5c0_h64uNox5qVW0MTSQ6t7FTfNUT7q9P1iGHzvgOtEIOBedkc1NbDFMZ_VRJHe5q98QmuXlABGkmkMTTVxcQmza2r8_dj6pFYX2we4LTzRCaBENLPs0/s400/amuse30a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398791231578823010" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Like many other Japanese game designers often credited as being artists because of their exquisite work - including Ueda or Kojima - Mizuguchi speaks honestly about his definition of what videogames are. The page highlight reads: </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">To me videogames aren't art, they're entertainment</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/4072830029_020102f972_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKgqYWlK2eE8y9cvkdMx3DtyT1FRrU0ATW0s_S1MiNtrh7Hk9NHeOZMVw9q9KwxGEqCsBenuIgGH6AMfiGJv0fb3BSD3s3gdnEnNfz1w07k0Tp59eDlod8sH454QEr147_0CfJGzmcmZE/s400/amuse29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398791225728762978" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >In his career, Mizuguchi has developed a mastery in blending audio and video. The inclusion of the concept of synaesthesia in his games, particularly REZ, originated in Paris when visited the Kandinsky painting gallery. The highlight reads: </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">Everything will merge in the future: Videogames, Music, Cinema.<br /></em><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/4072831889_b89dfc0ba6_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTruTuHcNIFxuRJ31RESYjjXH5whonC-OJNgzPS5VzcEpzWpIln9mFj5YBTmgT4Qymd4UmmiWdkWQy8_HD4FvrQcE5WgpXarXsB8yN-INeT5ASymM4cWR8gkk2gHGBaRmSYp1LZ06ORxyI/s400/amuse33.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398791522485661106" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >The author speaks openly about his ambitions: </span><em style="font-family: georgia;">I see myself as still being young. And that which interests me is what comes next, the next day, the </em><em style="font-family: georgia;">next project</em><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/4073591290_e615842df7_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9xnLTe6If8gp4JjcFU7K8_NNKwXHMauqP_oAgvjFGWEvRPxqyXwUR5MbKtoS3cS4LXpxywftNpHpqNwrfVRTjA8VlVUIrc7gM5HvQMyjzSSTbYZ10GVZm_6L867B_R1AWmH5FcjEt1n7/s400/amuse31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398791231216621170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Surprisingly, the final pages are printed in a different kind of paper. One of them shows a very amusing article about an inevitable ludic reference, given this specific issue's main theme: BUG, the Sega Saturn game, is recognized here as one of the most important chapters in the history of 3D games.<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;">More information about this issue at the <a href="http://amusement.fr/index.php?/magazine/now--amusement-6/">Amusement mag official site</a>.</p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-3750825570893438482009-10-30T10:01:00.015+00:002009-10-30T22:05:19.414+00:00Without further ado: Haruhiko Shono<br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/shono.htm"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnj_hmKDkrArkRaYYwzKWsJNUlYxhq6QeSfcf6OPlOjN3iAdMYjDGf15qDqGbMfL0LV_wtH-T68HVb-P3oQrcUBVqPUppMdRgV-zWLR3Q2tEJga2lnrCHiMw5KyjdIVjD1GXYtGD3Lbjy/s400/ahahha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398338269579524274" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />How hard it is to manage a website - a network of internet contents - on one's own. CoreGamers begun as a project where different sorts of articles could be inserted, from modern to retro gaming, from purely nonsensical delirium to the rigor of profile and interview articles. Of all the plans and expectations I deposited in that site, together with the absent co-founder, I have only been able to carry out the one which I think to be most important; the one where I am able to contribute with a small amount of information about creators who, in spite of their importance to the field of videogames, are not usually taken into consideration by mainstream media.<br /><br />Some months ago, I advertised the rare chance I was given to interview Haruhiko Shono. As mentioned in the <a href="http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/shono.htm">Profile and Interview</a> article I publish today, his name might not be of importance to the witless videogame players of the current generation. I'm sure that even older generation players will have a certain difficulty in associating his name with an actual game title. But one single word, as if by magic, might help telling apart those who truly admire the art that exists in videogames and those who claim to the industry from inside out: and that word is GADGET.<br /><br />Other relics from times past make their appearance in the article; the ethereal ALICE, one of the first interactive works to appeal to the love for Arts; and L-ZONE, in which the author expresses his matured admiration for video art, machinery and the coming of the digital age. Exceptionally, I've also prepared a long gallery of media to support the article: apart from the unreleased projects, published in the parent visual blog Pixels At An Exhibition, and the several materials I've been publishing for the last months, there will be high quality videos documenting his major creations. Given the fact that the Internet has been rather useless in the research for information concerning this admirable videogame designer, I felt the necessity to bridge the gaps and provide a substantial - while not definite - account of his career and the creations that define it.<br /><br />This was by far the hardest research project I've dealt with in the last months, although it is extremely rewarding to receive such a positive reaction to the article from Shono himself. And it is at times like these that I understand more clearly that all this work is not in vain: it is an opportunity to learn and to pass that knowledge to others. Lastly, I would like to renew my acknowledgement to Sorrel Tilley whose help in the translation department has proved essential to the fulfilment of this personal goal - and to the many others, friends and strangers who have supported me in the completion of this piece.<br /><br /></span>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-30352237807178749622009-10-12T10:29:00.012+01:002009-10-12T13:05:03.237+01:00Leaps of Faith - Eric Viennot interview with Jordan Mechner and Eric Chahi<br><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoX3VCsOQmkva15VQrnLaPeAZjUUMKOXbH5L8vI9kdd0RsNeuqI4TR4BNI0MeZesHgYbaKZtCqtB6UV20r9OXvxk8tzqmq_AaduNFbu95Wbk_BHJedBVcxX4rLPSUFOM31cHpmNAaEG8Qk/s1600-h/leap.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoX3VCsOQmkva15VQrnLaPeAZjUUMKOXbH5L8vI9kdd0RsNeuqI4TR4BNI0MeZesHgYbaKZtCqtB6UV20r9OXvxk8tzqmq_AaduNFbu95Wbk_BHJedBVcxX4rLPSUFOM31cHpmNAaEG8Qk/s400/leap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391648238522511666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span> <p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span lang="EN-US">One of the most fascinating aspects of videogame history concerns the spiritual nexus that unites Jordan Mechner and Eric Chahi. Working in completely different rhythms and proportions, not to mention in opposite sides of the Atlantic, their creative stance has resulted in fairly similar works given the context of their release, especially with the case of PRINCE OF PERSIA and ANOTHER WORLD. While Mechner's game was published two years earlier, Chahi has recently claimed that, at the time he created his masterpiece, he wasn't aware of his North-American counterpart's work. Considering Chahi's answer to this old question as a truthful retortion - and there is no plausible reason to question its integrity - then we are in the presence of a true videogame phenomenon.</span></span><p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US">The idea of uniting Mechner and Chahi was suggested on several occasions as the critical solution to this ancient conundrum that would confront and dispel all of the enduring myths. Making this long-held daydream a reality, the two creators were <a href="http://ericviennot.blogs.liberation.fr/ericviennot/2009/10/chahimechner-linterview-des-l%C3%A9gendes-1.html">interviewed</a> by Eric Viennot, the co-founder of the French studio Lexis Numérique and the creator of the cult classic IN MEMORIAM (see <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/viennotpt.html&ei=pxDTSoPSIoHJ_gb3oeHZAg&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&ved=0CA8Q7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://coregamer.web.simplesnet.pt/viennotpt.html%26hl%253">profile and interview</a> by CoreGamers on February 2007).</span></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;">An authority among France's most prodigious adepts of digital arts, Viennot is also very keen on videogame culture. Surprisingly, as explained in the introduction to this first part of the entire dialogue, the interview resulted from Jordan Mechner's initial request for help in establishing contact with Chahi. Seizing this exceptional opportunity in the role of an intermediate, Eric Viennot has drafted a number of stimulating enquiries regarding each of the interviewees’ perspectives and motivations through the course of their careers. Apart from providing a definite confirmation that Eric Chahi is involved in the creation of a new project, this </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://ericviennot.blogs.liberation.fr/ericviennot/2009/10/chahimechner-linterview-des-l%C3%A9gendes-1.html">interview</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> is unquestionably one of the most important documents related to this peculiar chapter of videogame history.</span><br /></span></span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-842123884458365802009-09-30T12:44:00.014+01:002010-01-18T10:35:55.391+00:00L'Histoire de Nintendo #2 - The birth of Yokoi's Micro Game legacy<br><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaJvzu2lD1mjmphGhjL8d_VuDLRZZosRACkoa8YBRFZkxzjx74v2cnQHDfDdybqoRau-qtRB9VLIx2tXjx3I_JosH69tw9MajRpquSElwGFuyrW22tlEtoyNyF2ZO6Nc5TAV3hXH-tKgh/s1600-h/hist.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaJvzu2lD1mjmphGhjL8d_VuDLRZZosRACkoa8YBRFZkxzjx74v2cnQHDfDdybqoRau-qtRB9VLIx2tXjx3I_JosH69tw9MajRpquSElwGFuyrW22tlEtoyNyF2ZO6Nc5TAV3hXH-tKgh/s400/hist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387226929821782690" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://editionspixnlove.fr/">Pix'N Love Editions</a> is a French publisher specialized in creating and editing videogame books. Among dozens of issued works, concerning different companies and systems, <i>L'Histoire de Nintendo</i> is without a doubt their largest and most admirable endeavor. The two existing volumes of the series consist of the unmistakable result of a thorough and obsessive investigation, possible only on account of a great investment, as well as the unofficial participation of Nintendo personalities, interviewed during the course of the project. Whereas the first tome provided an absorbing account of the earliest roots of the Kyoto based company, #2, as hinted by its title <i>1980-1991 L'étonannte invention: les Game & Watch</i>, explores the rise and expansion of Nintendo's first handheld system, envisioned by the late Gunpei Yokoi.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQI-8CxlATUJjeDzBzzGY6hF_AIyeUIbljNflMLUVtil8SOA0TouJhaQ6V1OgB2tY74Ur5fbu71zqJPHPG0NPskfBHl3GXHSpQzN70s73iI4gKqkmH_Eyfz1pykhPveNqByvfG_Fto0Xs/s1600-h/hist2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQI-8CxlATUJjeDzBzzGY6hF_AIyeUIbljNflMLUVtil8SOA0TouJhaQ6V1OgB2tY74Ur5fbu71zqJPHPG0NPskfBHl3GXHSpQzN70s73iI4gKqkmH_Eyfz1pykhPveNqByvfG_Fto0Xs/s400/hist2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387226934020753602" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst_8Bl54DoXJq4_4pNng2td5fmv1fXpDWWEf6TfVLuvL_RWDhPqKcNTmFrx1aNNP6816EucGOJprgRselTceK1wQvlXYxkeOVjtq-1AutPuk2IwhjNm3kyQNvBhtuzV1g1UAiCS1FPRq_/s1600-h/hist3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst_8Bl54DoXJq4_4pNng2td5fmv1fXpDWWEf6TfVLuvL_RWDhPqKcNTmFrx1aNNP6816EucGOJprgRselTceK1wQvlXYxkeOVjtq-1AutPuk2IwhjNm3kyQNvBhtuzV1g1UAiCS1FPRq_/s400/hist3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387260365614154914" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><span lang="EN-US"> Codenamed <i>Micro Game</i> during its prototype phase, the Game & Watch system used a technology similar to that of <i>dentaku</i> (Japanese pocket calculators). Unlike its best-selling successor, the Game Boy, the G&W did not work with interchangeable cartridges and so the creation of each new game resulted in 59 unique systems released within a period of almost ten years. The Japanese phenomenon was later brought to different countries around the world, waging a battle against the predictable appearance of numerous replicas and clones – surprisingly featured in the book - that sought to cash in the portable LCD game vogue. In spite of the earlier efforts led by North-American companies such as Atari and Milton Bradley in the foundation of a handheld console market, it was Nintendo’s name that would become the universal epitome of portable gaming, a tradition that endured until this day.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpn-72JxKHrlybp6XSnwwV-sNudX9BWB2n3p0mEVw6qoSIAdpjB6mX0jOvpF8nGPr5yvvDYYUb_A5nSR2-OV3lEzrOFdELlJhPc5S4ILYCicyYmA9vDyim-Tpnqjkvifxx7BtqyX1tcL8q/s1600-h/hist4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpn-72JxKHrlybp6XSnwwV-sNudX9BWB2n3p0mEVw6qoSIAdpjB6mX0jOvpF8nGPr5yvvDYYUb_A5nSR2-OV3lEzrOFdELlJhPc5S4ILYCicyYmA9vDyim-Tpnqjkvifxx7BtqyX1tcL8q/s400/hist4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387260496739563362" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN-US">With this second volume, author Fiorent Gorges and his aid in Japanese territories, Isao Yamazaki, have composed an overwhelming and wide-ranging document: not the smallest detail was disregarded in this compilation, including Yokoi's first experiments, unseen sketches of early models, detailed information of every Game & Watch series, advertising materials, official variations, byproducts and recent re-releases. Each of the 194 pages, printed in full color and extensively illustrated with the highest quality, is a heart-felt homage to one of the supreme geniuses of the industry whose tragic death resulted in the premature conclusion of a notable career. Written in an objective and passionate style, the latest volume of this succession is, to the lack of a better expression, the ultimate resource on the history of Nintendo and a paradigm of videogame publications.</span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">More information on how to purchase this book can be found at the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://editionspixnlove.fr/collectiondetail.php?ID=16">official website</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. For non-French users, please consult this </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaUyNNfOsrE">brief tutorial</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> on how to order.</span></span><br /><br /></div>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-17177252668594097122009-09-28T20:04:00.014+01:002009-09-29T10:37:47.213+01:00It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2443/3963397162_98658302b0_o.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPYii80dW-OjdjfTw6H9OLT0YZqUntlQxqHBwUs-rWmjLOWe33eIxOqIusyM91Q2vEiuFp63OohRYPuAkglOZK8KNKhTxEoaklM-VqRvqbFjfGzcsNZWLG-jkfOLc2DgomzAgkYsfbbq8/s400/fat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386607843558131090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">One week away from its release, FATALE remains a great mystery. While briefly described by its creators as an <span style="font-style: italic;">interactive vignette</span>, no detailed information concerning its interactive system, scheme or genre was provided yet. Presented as a project of a similar scale to their previous avant-garde 2008 work, THE GRAVEYARD, FATALE has already summoned the attention of many a videogame enthusiast after Tale of Tales announced the official participation of Takayoshi Sato, of SILENT HILL fame, in the role of Character Designer.</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: georgia;" height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6795995&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6795995&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p style="font-family: georgia;">All efforts have been made so far in order to conceal vital information regarding this upcoming title: the release of an audio trailer today is a clear statement that Tale of Tales wishes to preserve such secrecy until the fifth of October. As a follower of the official blog and an avid reader of all posts, it seems rather suitable that the promotion is being handled in this particularly awkward fashion, given the game designer's interest of late for sound novels and other alternative game designs. Already it is possible to verify the quality of the exotic soundtrack, aptly created by Gerry de Mol, of the vibrant sound effects, designed by Kris Force, as well as the sensuous voice acting and unique musical talent of Jarboe.<br /></p><span style="font-family:georgia;">Based on<span style="font-style: italic;"> Salome</span><span>, the 1891 Oscar Wilde play </span>depicting the events that lead to the beheading of John the Baptist at the request of the dancing temptress, FATALE should be regarded as one of most important <span style="font-style: italic;">indie</span> events of this year for several plausible reasons: not only it is the first work after the release of the sensational THE PATH, selected as finalist in different game award festivals, as it is a rare gathering of specialists in different areas of digital content production. What is more, the selection of such an erudite theme - a direct consequence of Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn's desire to explore mature contents in the field of digital games - altogether with the exquisite artistic skills shown in the past by the studio, will surely to bring about a controversial and equally memorable experience.<br /><br />More information can be found at the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.tale-of-tales.com/">official site</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.<br /><br /></span>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-13517149063254837902009-09-18T12:47:00.015+01:002009-09-18T14:16:00.493+01:00Machinarium sneak preview @ ACG<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtYmYRgJqEUGUHhpWk8-1P10WSNYY6L_-w0H367Iq5HmhFR3rLsUR2a69WQJzxvug37KWVmUoWR4gk53a0Mu_2AeQuXnCCp8ARnVu2hPv03Cn1q67LMFC-v4vLwZ13vYNnniIoH78Qo3G/s1600-h/machimachine.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtYmYRgJqEUGUHhpWk8-1P10WSNYY6L_-w0H367Iq5HmhFR3rLsUR2a69WQJzxvug37KWVmUoWR4gk53a0Mu_2AeQuXnCCp8ARnVu2hPv03Cn1q67LMFC-v4vLwZ13vYNnniIoH78Qo3G/s400/machimachine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382789230742591490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >Quite the masterpiece. As MACHINARIUM is nearing its completion, I've written a <a href="http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/previews/529/">thorough preview article</a> for Adventure Classic Gaming based on my personal experience with two different builds of the game. This should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with SAMOROST: Amanita Design, an exceptionally talented ensemble, has managed to create one of the single best adventure titles of all time in what is their first attempt at a full-sized production.<br /><br />The regal aesthetic sensbility and exquisite visual design, undeniably</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" > one of the Czech studio's staples, are merely the first of many accomplishments: its storytelling methods confront years of adventure game design canons; Thomas Dvořák, making justice to his own name, has composed a transcending, expressive and highly atmospheric soundtrack that succeeds in intensifying the unique experience; additionally, there is something of an unprecedented poetic beauty to the very act of puzzle solving.</span><br /><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> Contrasting with the tedious and mind-numbing spiral of reiteration and recycling that defines the recent history of the adventure genre, Amanita Design led the project with unusual creative vigor and maturity. By carefully managing its own references and inspirations, MACHINARIUM achieves a rare state of equilibrium between an alternative legacy of videogames, eastern European animation, science fiction literature, silent cinema and twentieth century plastic art. All this will become available for <a href="http://www.machinarium.com/">download</a> somewhere in the fall of this year.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Also be sure to take a look at the exclusive </span><a href="http://pixelsatanexhibition.blogspot.com/2009/09/automated-dystopia.html">sketches and artworks gallery</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">, authored by Jakub Dvorsky and Adolf Lachman, that I published in the parent blog </span><a href="http://pixelsatanexhibition.blogspot.com/">Pixels at an Exhibition</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">.</span><br /></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-88082232503386886612009-09-17T19:33:00.014+01:002009-09-17T22:00:13.785+01:00Trip like I do<br><object height="319" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BX-q-GUUAbo&hl=pt-br&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BX-q-GUUAbo&hl=pt-br&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="319" width="400"></embed></object><br /><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">DETUNED was released just moments ago in the PlayStation Store. Sold for a symbolic price, this is the best and only existing alternative to Q-Games' GAIA in the category of dynamic music visualizers. The main difference resides in the larger amount of interactive features, namely a series of modifications that can be made to the on-screen elements in real time.</span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Developed by </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.theprodukkt.com/theprodukkt"><span style="">.theprodukkt</span></a></span><span style="" lang="EN-US">, a team related to the demoscene community, DETUNED's magnificent visual presentation is located halfway between a psychedelic delirium and an Aphex Twin videoclip. This small application, following Plastic's LINGER IN SHADOWS, may very well bring new impetus to the creation of similar demos depending on its reception: if nothing else, it has already brought me new and uncanny reasons for listening to music on the PS3.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-52031452860174338922009-09-04T10:58:00.005+01:002009-09-04T11:09:17.654+01:00Otocky @ HG101<br><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe8eLUcN6SgU0NSbyDy7hm8ZsA24rOxhKJiOwd59iUSsF_k33Yq_HN79SC-tUM0Z92YP7PzgwQWp2ruTOCYBe3fjuUZk_YJ4gzWTxDCVjxMNvNb2laTrx6bw5AvRXZrj5V6S6SCFS0U5Z/s1600-h/OTOCKYCOVER.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe8eLUcN6SgU0NSbyDy7hm8ZsA24rOxhKJiOwd59iUSsF_k33Yq_HN79SC-tUM0Z92YP7PzgwQWp2ruTOCYBe3fjuUZk_YJ4gzWTxDCVjxMNvNb2laTrx6bw5AvRXZrj5V6S6SCFS0U5Z/s400/OTOCKYCOVER.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377549822926959698" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Motivated by the impressive technology of the Disk System, young multimedia artist and visionary Toshio Iwai, later responsible for SimTunes and Electroplankton, was the first to envision a dynamic and reactive use of music as the central element of a genuine videogame. His project, designed along with SEDIC and published by ASCII Corporation, was given a strange albeit contagious presentation for that which is easily one of the most singular and innovative games of all time. Named after its congenial robot protagonist, this stroke of genius came to be known as Otocky. </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">(</span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://hardcoregaming101.net/otocky/otocky.htm">read full article</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">)<br /></span><p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-60231957552725080622009-09-03T00:03:00.008+01:002009-09-03T00:48:06.291+01:00Keeping it unreal<object height="344" width="399"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mqNpm86_y7Y&hl=pt-br&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mqNpm86_y7Y&hl=pt-br&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="399"></embed></object><br /><span lang="EN-US"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Fila C has </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://filac.blogspot.com/&ei=hvmeSqTnNp3GnAP74oi-Ag&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfilac.blogspot.com%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:pt-PT:official%26hs%3D5Gz%26sa%3DX">posted the full series</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> of the branded PlayStation 2 TV commercials directed by David Lynch, one of the most daring publicity initiatives of recent videogame history - well within the same line as Cunningham's ads for the original PlayStation. Seeing it in perspective does make one wonder about the exact circumstances in which one of the most influential film directors of our time got involved in a project of this nature: financial reasons have undoubtedly played a vital role, notwithstanding.</span><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span lang="EN-US">Altogether, these short clips provide a very definite notion of the mature audience that the Japanese company so wanted to captivate, in a rather refreshing deviation from the recurrent puerile advertising campaigns proposed by other companies in the same branch. As works of surreal marketing that originate from the depths of Lynch’s twisted sense of imagination, their viewing (or reviewing) is by all means indispensable.</span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-90502501257307446132009-08-28T13:55:00.011+01:002009-08-30T15:34:10.260+01:00FYI - CoreGamers Blog Structure<br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh166d6cvvDQw2y1WTGue7esfoeT1r7IaHFS65g8vE3nc8Om9_Jw-3edzaIZmyoiECj3dqjxhFp1EkP3JL5dMiG8qLX1YIjYO8GB2JMcGToe54W5WUY_FuGMLp_cFx71C7ccN7n2iswVXHS/s1600-h/stuct.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh166d6cvvDQw2y1WTGue7esfoeT1r7IaHFS65g8vE3nc8Om9_Jw-3edzaIZmyoiECj3dqjxhFp1EkP3JL5dMiG8qLX1YIjYO8GB2JMcGToe54W5WUY_FuGMLp_cFx71C7ccN7n2iswVXHS/s400/stuct.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374998810820684130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">While I agree it could have been possible to cram all my work into one single space, I enjoy having several blogs as each one of them provides me a new impetus to keep on writing and creating these contents. Each one expresses a different part of my videogame researcher persona, possibly the reason why I ended up creating different pages where to accomodate my thoughts. In case you take any pleasure from reading my texts, please bear in mind that there is always something new and hopefully of interest in the other blogs, placed at the mere distance of a click. Thank you all for visiting.</span><br /><p></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-1901453072632512002009-08-27T11:34:00.011+01:002009-08-27T14:23:26.222+01:00Chronicles of a cosmophobic sleuth<span class="style3"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ0JpFifgI4HssTdU9oK0LMX-TPYcrc0NRJvCxKuAhu8TXTHVfcH0NShzPwr4xuEmi3L8ctErNET23t8-Z0upCb5nPpORDUv99osUZZJvb6kj3CVmgkXc9N4XIIT6LAYoxqSqlkoHxjjc/s1600-h/nauts1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ0JpFifgI4HssTdU9oK0LMX-TPYcrc0NRJvCxKuAhu8TXTHVfcH0NShzPwr4xuEmi3L8ctErNET23t8-Z0upCb5nPpORDUv99osUZZJvb6kj3CVmgkXc9N4XIIT6LAYoxqSqlkoHxjjc/s400/nauts1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374585524982163570" border="0" /></a></span><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><span style="" lang="EN-US">It's been 15 years - yes, that long. In my case 13 full years. It has been that long, in fact, little more than a decade since I first read about POLICENAUTS on JapanMania, namely the 1996 re-release of the game for the Playstation and Saturn consoles, an improved version of an already redesigned port from the old PC-9821 to the CD-Rom age and the impressive hardware of 3D0. And yet the first glance at that newly translated start menu - whose theme will sound vaguely intriguing, at least, for those more familiar with the original METAL GEAR SOLID - was enough to make me feel like I finally had gotten there: now I can once and for all put away the Japanese dictionary, close the Kanji translating applications because of Marc Laidlaw and Artemio Urbina, to whom I shall be eternally grateful.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3HgJMUDYvJdxNZz2EdMqAr48TbmObP6OmunIh3K0nTTqqBCEThDAaHKAvY7e5BAb73nOAW5LvcPcswu3gnwx6AzhlIYwihk3YbUEU-q3baP4JSBepszoXsf4tu35II141OkdcZWak4KK/s1600-h/nauts2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3HgJMUDYvJdxNZz2EdMqAr48TbmObP6OmunIh3K0nTTqqBCEThDAaHKAvY7e5BAb73nOAW5LvcPcswu3gnwx6AzhlIYwihk3YbUEU-q3baP4JSBepszoXsf4tu35II141OkdcZWak4KK/s400/nauts2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374585534352033074" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><span style="" lang="EN-US">And what is the appeal of a game such as POLICENAUTS in mid-2009? Upon hearing about the newly released <a href="http://policenauts.net/english/">English translation patch</a> for the Playstation version I feared that the appeal of the age-old game had somehow worn-off, vanished as did the interest for so many games wane with the passage of time. Yet not for POLICENAUTS. A few minutes in that redolent, messy dim-lit office were more than sufficient to remind me of how pleasurable this unique adventure classic was and still is. Without any control over my emotions I found myself invaded with strong returning memories of anime-style cyber city landscapes and rare depictions of Kindred Dick <i>noire </i>futures - truly rejoicing for having lived this long to see <i style="">the day when they translated Policenauts</i>.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G_Udeqim1Lx0S8LbnPFkAoXWKEHUJlbyKXF11XkXIxmKfWtXTC10AtwG9tbx08c-AVyoIMqwJ6UcRYx0R1rWSBW8sxrdkTzIuQDnaCTv5V-f9FuXihfAS27xYHkXfuPaff6gv9sbMOne/s1600-h/nauts3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G_Udeqim1Lx0S8LbnPFkAoXWKEHUJlbyKXF11XkXIxmKfWtXTC10AtwG9tbx08c-AVyoIMqwJ6UcRYx0R1rWSBW8sxrdkTzIuQDnaCTv5V-f9FuXihfAS27xYHkXfuPaff6gv9sbMOne/s400/nauts3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374585539181435906" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><span style="" lang="EN-US">There is also a strange appeal to this particular translation, emanating from its will to single-handedly reunite East with West. Having learned a little more about Kojima's unique mindset in the meantime, it seems rather natural to me, if not relieving, that such conversion appears after so many announces and failed attempts. His games, for reasons that may defy rational explanation, have always seemed to belong to the universe of that particular dialect: contrary to what can be verified in so many other distinguished titles from Japan, they conform and excel in it.<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal style1"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Additionally, I've come to believe that Kojima stands quite possibly as the one Japanese game author whose close references to the Hollywood imaginary of action and science fiction films seem to require the employment of English names and terms beyond the already frequent Japanese neologisms. And how beautifully captured is this lone gumshoe’s soliloquy, blended imperceptibly into the game with such an allusive roman alphabetic font type. At last - officially or not, the devil may care -, POLICENAUTS was <i style="">released</i> on this our side of the world.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal style1"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Mr. Ingram, Mr. Brown: we’ve been expecting you.</span></i><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /><o:p style="font-family: georgia;"></o:p><br /></span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-76929237354933218202009-08-19T13:32:00.027+01:002009-08-19T17:00:15.047+01:00PlayStation Store Presents: Game Diggin'<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6172423&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6172423&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Game Diggin is a new Playstation Network video feature that is freely downloadable from the Japanese Playstation Store, apparently in an effort to generate more interest for the Playstation classics, as well as to boost up the sales of that catalogue. The hilarious show is hosted by none other than Teppei, a famous personality in Japan, along with the director of Famitsu PS3+PSP, Araji Yatsuka. In every show, a new guest is invited to demonstrate or simply play the selected game. In this first episode the show revisits, with the help of a gamer under the nickname </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Bunbunmaru</i><span style="font-family:georgia;">, the first episode of the legendary AZITO series: a highly popular strategy game designed by Astec 21 and published by Hamster (before the sequels were given out by Banpresto). The game consists of an underground terrain where the player must create a solid shelter in order to protect people from the attacks of the vicious demons - given the programme's title, no other game could have been a better choice for its dazzling premiere.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Due to the great popularity of the re-release of FINAL FANTASY VII, Teppei and Araji, along with Eri Kawai, revisit the first moments of the game and discuss why Cloud was considered the top character of this Squaresoft mega-hit, according to a fondly-remembered Famitsu article from the time. Araji also mentions the Phantom Train from FINAL FANTASY VI as a possible inspiration for the use of trains in the seventh episode. Apart from this section, certainly inspired by another very famous videogame-related TV show, there is a weekly top 5 of the best sold and most popular PSX downloads on the store.<br /></span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:16;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(100, 95, 94);font-family:verdana;font-size:10;" ><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6172459&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6172459&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;">The second part of the first episode follows exactly the same approach. The well-known Taito shooter RAYSTORM is played in the company of guest Saji Kikuo in a two player match. The highlight of this episode (and of the whole show so far, in my opinion) was the choice of TAIL OF THE SUN for the next section, to which the author of the game Kazutoshi Iida was invited. Showing some of the game's most amazing and hidden features, Iida, whom I mentioned recently in an <a href="http://easternmind.tumblr.com/post/161221633/crimeandpunishment">EasternMind article</a> about his upcoming WiiWare game, provides a few minutes of sheer laughter in his own unique style.<br /></p></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">A new episode has already been released, highlighting titles such as build your own arcade strategy game </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/PSPteam/videos/331/">DEKIRU! GAME CENTER</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, the branded </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/PSPteam/videos/332/">FIRE PRO WRESTLING</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">, the single Playstation episode of the famous fishing RPG</span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/PSPteam/videos/333/"> KAWA NO NUSHI TSURI</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> series (RIVER KING) and finally, coinciding with the first four PC Engine re-releases on the PS3, Hudson's hit platformer </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/PSPteam/videos/334/">ADVENTURE ISLAND</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (video uploads via PSPTeam on Viddler).</span><br /></span></span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-49158252935986783552009-08-14T13:00:00.027+01:002009-08-23T22:31:12.168+01:00Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Interview with Joseph Olson (Fuelcell Games) and Michel Gagné<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmaYIOr2N_sYY41bAmWUC0RSbRfnekIF-l7K1MwPo5JZ511FVJy8LZrd6jUx3RijJWCaLRN4hahmvA1TflsAxDkoWxRlyEtZl3m-49Wvpl72GESNd325R8j32BAZLGi1_1rpEd_SDM7a4/s1600-h/itsp1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmaYIOr2N_sYY41bAmWUC0RSbRfnekIF-l7K1MwPo5JZ511FVJy8LZrd6jUx3RijJWCaLRN4hahmvA1TflsAxDkoWxRlyEtZl3m-49Wvpl72GESNd325R8j32BAZLGi1_1rpEd_SDM7a4/s400/itsp1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369774917687061874" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">INSANELY TWISTED SHADOW PLANET is an independent <a href="http://www.fuelcellgames.com/">Fuelcell Games</a> project being produced with the collaboration of the renowned cartoonist and animator <a href="http://www.gagneint.com/index.html">Michel Gagné</a>. In spite of his previous work in the field, this is the first venture where the Canadian artist is actively participating in the process of game design. The Seattle based studio is working on a very peculiar adaptation his series of interstitials entitled <em><span style=""><a href="http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/insanelytwisted.com/main.htm">Insanely Twisted Shadow Puppets</a></span></em>, consisting of brief, dark-humored segments of high-quality digital animation.</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">ITSP presents an incredibly smooth vector graphics environment - as seen in the recent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=975Zw8BJ3Vg">HD trailer</a> - where the player controls a vintage 1950’s flying saucer in the battle against an oppressive force of bizarre creatures inhabiting the obscure planet. Both Michel Gagné and Joe Olson, from Fuelcell studios, were kind enough to answer some of my questions for a brief interview regarding the production of this highly original reinvention of the old <i style="">shoot'em up</i> game genre.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDrZOqenX564QnzMHKK1Tedyo2tHwOwidzonry8LxsJSt2LLd1qsz2nvDNMp0Po8RxRhqPLsmaxAi0ehg0WSJkuOOFnYBZRf_lWUjmiSi4quySVJjpOBOHO1J3bVGTXZ5MrlgEdqILHfD/s1600-h/itsp4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDrZOqenX564QnzMHKK1Tedyo2tHwOwidzonry8LxsJSt2LLd1qsz2nvDNMp0Po8RxRhqPLsmaxAi0ehg0WSJkuOOFnYBZRf_lWUjmiSi4quySVJjpOBOHO1J3bVGTXZ5MrlgEdqILHfD/s400/itsp4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369774938394286082" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">CoreGaming</span> |</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> Mr. Gagné, given your wide experience in the fields of cartoons, comics, concept art, animation, cinema and television, it was rather surprising to learn that you had never participated directly in the creation of a videogame: how did the idea to adapt one of your animated features to this new format originate?<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Michel GAGNÉ</span> </span>|</span> About three years ago, I met Joe Olson at an FX workshop I was giving in Seattle. Shortly after, Joe emailed me and said that he’d love to do a videogame project with me. We met for lunch and started brainstorming about some ideas. I told him I had virtually no experience working in games, and to my surprise, he replied that it was a good thing. His thought was that the game industry was in need of fresh ideas and an industry outsider who has a strong artistic style could bring something unique to the table. I didn’t know much about the game process so it became a new challenge that I embraced with great enthusiasm.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><br /><o:p></o:p><br />Joe mentioned to me that we should do a game based on the design of a series of interstitials called <span style="">Insanely Twisted Shadow Puppets</span> I created in 2005. That was the starting point.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nIJ0j85B9hN1pn5FWJoIUtS7u7bO-78WpyZvhVkKi-3gjgM5GGuDmZWB7e38htO2O47xbwF6c51wpb5ebqnXkdV5IIGveGkBS3D8PbCJWzbqh1wu0vM7UjnXVH6r9EI01sM7B7lFWOeA/s1600-h/itsp0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nIJ0j85B9hN1pn5FWJoIUtS7u7bO-78WpyZvhVkKi-3gjgM5GGuDmZWB7e38htO2O47xbwF6c51wpb5ebqnXkdV5IIGveGkBS3D8PbCJWzbqh1wu0vM7UjnXVH6r9EI01sM7B7lFWOeA/s400/itsp0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369774911381244946" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span> </a><span style="text-align: center;font-size:78%;" ><span lang="EN-US">Joseph Olson at the Fuelcell studio space.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="style1" lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">CoreGaming</span> |</span></span><span class="style1"> Judging by the video presentations, ITSP seems to be a very ambitious project. Could you tell me more about the production team and the sort of technologies you're currently using?<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="style1" lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Joseph OLSON</span> |</span></span><span class="style1" lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> We started with Torque Game Builder, mainly because it was geared towards 2D game creation, allowed us to mix 3D assets in with the 2D in a convincing way, and most importantly it is fairly cheap for a source code license. Over the course of preproduction we’ve made various improvements and alterations in order to increase productivity and get the desired results.<br /><br /></span></p><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-ZjQyocQvhq9NHDvm4-L3R4YlUyvmhTiuFwdexnSBmo5x7HVY9rr_D-UU5cPPgJFV_8uzjbmdnTyieaB7MTcoCPRhtHH89U1k8cKg_exAHc2WElcKHis-RyXODJkkREvG4do_WIEGwer/s1600-h/itsp3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-ZjQyocQvhq9NHDvm4-L3R4YlUyvmhTiuFwdexnSBmo5x7HVY9rr_D-UU5cPPgJFV_8uzjbmdnTyieaB7MTcoCPRhtHH89U1k8cKg_exAHc2WElcKHis-RyXODJkkREvG4do_WIEGwer/s400/itsp3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369774928822658946" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">The team here at Fuelcell is comprised of a handful of industry veterans - myself being in the industry for about 12 years now. Basically a bunch of guys in the Seattle area I've worked with over the years, as well as some newer folks brought in especially for this project. A good portion of us come from the special FX side of things, which is why creating a game with Michel made so much sense. Like most small independent studios these days we have taken on a lot of contract work for other games to keep the money flowing and the team together.</span><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidix0GQhlWl2cP96p5m1PnDqlcHN-lXomqMHSetzBUz_02wD5uh2gLzTISNQoCh_b5E-rCXBJP4ZHGiYToS4guCeCsebknzcAIjG2Mlg7nzg8k24XH0jHmfw-gFpzjpBm-7XloMTC7_8E8/s1600-h/itsp2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidix0GQhlWl2cP96p5m1PnDqlcHN-lXomqMHSetzBUz_02wD5uh2gLzTISNQoCh_b5E-rCXBJP4ZHGiYToS4guCeCsebknzcAIjG2Mlg7nzg8k24XH0jHmfw-gFpzjpBm-7XloMTC7_8E8/s400/itsp2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369774924533210722" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="trebuchet ms" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">CoreGaming</span> |</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> I've read that the game is planned for release in multiple platforms: how is it like negotiating the game with different manufacturers? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Joseph OLSON</span> |</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> As we're still in negotiations, it's tough to answer this question. We're talking with a lot of different publishers right now and they all have slightly different visions for which platforms our game would appear on. We do wish to put this on as many platforms as makes sense, with the HD platforms (360 and PS3) being the main focus.</span><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMoNZ380uXbHzfRiA6i4Hrvvn8p53-tm1eJs4rhE5AXyJ4ogisppf4Z6LIgONvE00icJazoA7BKVG-rJHg_x1niWLkVLLumGmNN1KyN0c7btmXMkPeJinoNqnDRcp1Cl-AxcFvgPIfArk/s1600-h/itsp6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMoNZ380uXbHzfRiA6i4Hrvvn8p53-tm1eJs4rhE5AXyJ4ogisppf4Z6LIgONvE00icJazoA7BKVG-rJHg_x1niWLkVLLumGmNN1KyN0c7btmXMkPeJinoNqnDRcp1Cl-AxcFvgPIfArk/s400/itsp6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369776331606307906" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">CoreGaming</span> |</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> Independent games abound at present. Everyday we witness the release of yet another independent title: some of them based on uprecedented concepts, whereas others are essentially modern-day homages to classic videogame titles. What do you think are the most innovative and interesting features in ITSP and to what audience are you aiming at?<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Joseph OLSON</span> |</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">While the biggest feature is obviously Michel’s style and fluid feature quality animation at HD resolution, we’re very excited about our zoom technology, which allows us to zoom in or out in a given environment while keeping the resolution sharp. We first used it in our splash screen menu but have since started experimenting with using it in gameplay. One example I can give at this time is a viral attack game. Your UFO is attacked by a cloud of viral entities, at which point the camera zooms incredibly far in on the surface of your hull, where you then take control of a white blood cell type craft and have to frantically sweep up the virals before they infect your UFO. The transitions to and from this nano game and realtime are really quite impressive.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">We're lucky to have a wide ranging audience for this game. Michel's stark art style appeals across age groups, casual and core gamers, as well as internationally. It's not often a western artist is so well received in the east, so we're fortunate in that respect. The development team grew up playing classic arcade and console games, so the gameplay is heavily influenced by games like MEGA MAN, R-TYPE, and the like.<br /></span><br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKXyU1fOG0v2NlvYr9IkaMrACFiTpEfH7h1wn9NLlhTgaNHE4TSpzYcSfxLlFZgCiVpXu_ZWERhvonfPazVoj0Du3JdcjDIMhctroxeD_eP2dS5pmatMJwSo47UCAVwUl1abG5yau_QiJ/s1600-h/itsp5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKXyU1fOG0v2NlvYr9IkaMrACFiTpEfH7h1wn9NLlhTgaNHE4TSpzYcSfxLlFZgCiVpXu_ZWERhvonfPazVoj0Du3JdcjDIMhctroxeD_eP2dS5pmatMJwSo47UCAVwUl1abG5yau_QiJ/s400/itsp5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369777834878257698" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal" ><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">CoreGaming</span> |</span> Is there a release date in your mind at the moment? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Joseph OLSON</span> |</span> </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;" >No release date as of yet, stay tuned to the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://michelgagne.blogspot.com/">official blog</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family: trebuchet ms;" > for more news on that front in the coming months!</span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="left"> </p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-39500428568115213102009-08-01T19:24:00.017+01:002009-08-03T00:19:17.898+01:00NES Revival: Rendezvous with Zeus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYu1rejdyae0skt0MgiHBI-f07uP3TF8r51jPY-B5CqpnrU5qm1KAhyphenhyphen-pPbsdvVS8sG-9tWPRGX2TEFVCwODOrpl5ettCht6qj2rGl4mUtZLG4R4T_JlOQ_RsQTWfPXuK_MnGK45FZ1Xk/s1600-h/holly.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYu1rejdyae0skt0MgiHBI-f07uP3TF8r51jPY-B5CqpnrU5qm1KAhyphenhyphen-pPbsdvVS8sG-9tWPRGX2TEFVCwODOrpl5ettCht6qj2rGl4mUtZLG4R4T_JlOQ_RsQTWfPXuK_MnGK45FZ1Xk/s400/holly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364990785073180850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Long before TITAN QUEST or GOD OF WAR, Greek Mythology already bore a substantial appeal to the videogame playing audience. Infinity's THE BATTLE OF OLYMPUS was without a doubt one of the most impressive titles in its time, more so than its thematic predecessor HERAKLES NO EIKOU: TOUJIN MAKYOU, also released for the Famicom. In the role of Orpheus, the player must travel across the Greek peninsula and islands in order to save his beloved Eurydice from the underworld of Hades - the original Japanese title refers to the game as LEGEND OF LOVE. In order to reach the final enemy, the player must meet with the gods, earn new powers while recollecting items, weapons and the crucial fragments of love that will enable Orpheus to travel to Tartarus.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I learned about this NES title long before I got the chance to try it in a French version of Super Power, the Official Nintendo Magazine. In that particular issue there was a guide with several pictures showing the different locations of the game that captivated me deeply. In spite of how similar it looked to LEGEND OF ZELDA II: LINK'S ADVENTURE, I've always recognized this game's merit in the portrayal of Greek </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >mythos - </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">a task</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> in which the game was quite exceptional bearing its context in mind. As a post-METROID production, it came to include a non-linear exploration of the maps that provided, perhaps for the first time in the history of videogames, a small but authentic taste of a virtual </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Hellas</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">: an alluring invitation to enter <span style="font-style: italic;">another world</span> where the legendary cities, temples, divinities and monsters have come to life once more after centuries of slumber.<br /><br />I sat down a few days ago not only to renew my acquaintance with the NES, but also to play this game more extensively. As expected from a 1988 title, the level of skill required to play it is very demandind from the get-go. The experience itself, nevertheless, is as charming and beguiling as it ever was.<br /></span><br /><object height="320" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5868284&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5868284&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="320" width="400"></embed></object><p></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-2310586245419887752009-07-29T22:41:00.010+01:002009-07-30T02:25:44.186+01:00What lies beneath<div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.edge-online.com/files/imagecache/article_content_360x270/wada.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://www.edge-online.com/files/imagecache/article_content_360x270/wada.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" class="MsoNormal" ><span style="" lang="EN-US">Edge Online published a <a href="http://www.edge-online.com/features/interview-yasuhiro-wada">rather interesting interview</a> with Yasuhiro Wada, the former Natsume prodigy who created HARVEST MOON, now chief officer in Marvelous Entertainment. Some days ago, Wada has posted a highly controversial message in the company blog stating how the Japanese gaming market is shrinking and has lost touch with the demand for quality and originality. In spite of the negative responses to this statement, the fact remains that for the first time in years, an agent of the industry has recognized that the current lack of innovation in games has driven away many of the passionate players from older generations.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Marvelous Entertainment has been responsible, among others, for some of the best Wii and DS releases of recent memory, from NO MORE HEROES to OBORO MURAMASA YŌTŌDEN, including LITTLE KING'S STORY and LOL (ARCHIME DS): additionally it has developed intimate relationships with some of Japan's most notable studios like Grasshopper Manufacture, skip, Cing, Town Factory or Arte Piazza.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;" >However the company still struggles with financial drawbacks which often come as a surprise in light of the positive reception from critics. As an expert in his field and a person who seems to be aware of the subtleties leading to the actual state of gaming in Japan, Wada presents a rather challenging series of opinions: furthermore, judging by his company’s clean record and increasing relevance in the actual market, this is a rare case where the theory about exploring new fields of game design is effectively backed up by practice.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936168266428065664.post-75038606094515734752009-07-21T13:06:00.004+01:002009-07-21T13:16:09.875+01:00Like ripples in a pond...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsfyRA28HvURoGt654LKFM94AeYLeKXZLjK_rH5BHMIpuPOJ0bo4CW-57ajh8PbjIb7vxanjMP6tQEvKXlDunptOCFsPM8tCtdWb5ybm-pWxmkPX6SAA0BgePlihPfYGa5oFWE3RPyphD/s1600-h/core.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsfyRA28HvURoGt654LKFM94AeYLeKXZLjK_rH5BHMIpuPOJ0bo4CW-57ajh8PbjIb7vxanjMP6tQEvKXlDunptOCFsPM8tCtdWb5ybm-pWxmkPX6SAA0BgePlihPfYGa5oFWE3RPyphD/s400/core.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360885820637964274" border="0" /></a><br /><br>Dieubussyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075900612337102151noreply@blogger.com2