"We're shitty people, Joel. It's been that way for a long time."
Developer: Naughty Dog
Creative Director: Neil Druckmann
Game Director: Bruce Straley
Lead Designer: Jacob Minkoff
There's not much to say about this thing that hasn't been said already. I'm only saying those things that everybody's been saying because you don't finish playing a game like this and have nothing to say about it.
That being said, the ending of this game left me pretty speechless.
Rightfully so. The folks that brought us the Uncharted series, with each installment pushing the "games as art" debate into more mixed, ambiguous and dangerously arguable territory with its state-of-the-art cinematic ability at the time.
No question here, that if Uncharted 1 through 3 were a testing grounds of how to push gaming technology towards untapped potential, The Last of Us is a product of that endeavor.
Game mechanics, level design, art, UI, AI, multiplayer, DLC, content distribution, back-end, front-end, and all that other crap - yes, that's the bones of any video game anybody's ever made, from Candy Crush Saga to Heavy Rain.
They're the innate bread and butter. Without one or the other, it's not a game. At least Metacritic won't say it's a good one. So what do players look for in a good game? What's missing from the bread and butter? It's not rocket science.
It's been three days since I finished the final episode, No Time Left, of the five-part episodic zombie survival series. Several times throughout those three days, I have become deeply troubled because I kept thinking about this game. I ate a clementine today, which only made it that much harder to swallow. I realized early on that this was the only game to forge such a strong connection with me, deeper than just a superficial desire to play it out of enjoyment. I kept playing this game not because of it's fun factor, because frankly there is no such instance in any of the five episodes out there where fun is ever factored in. You play it because you have to. Like finishing each episode, getting to the end, and sacrificing everything with the choices you make is the onlypossible thing you can do.
This is a game that will be discussed in online forums, lecture halls, and gaming websites for a long time. From a developer that's been in the down-low for quite some time, known for several sub-par games (Back to the Future? Wut?), and some memorable ones (Sam & Max), Telltale surprised absolutely everyone when the first few episodes rolled out. Because it just kept getting better. And rawer. And unbareably addicting. What this video game has done for the industry, it is not something to be ignored.
It is a revolutionary gaming experience. Here's why:
THE STORY
By far, the greatest virtue of The Walking Dead's offering to its players. This is a compelling, loyal story to the source material, and yet it offers something completely new -- it takes advantage of the medium that its produced on. The wise choice to make a new narrative set in the same universe opened up an entire new canvas of possibilities, and the writing team took advantage of it, by the spades.
Set right at Day 1 of the zombie epidemic, instead of watching Rick Grimes in comatose in a Georgia hospital, we follow Lee Everett, a college professor stuck in the back of a squad car, on his way out of the city. The slate is clean. We know nothing about this guy. But at the end of No Time Left, the tether between character and player, avatar and human, it's closer than most games can ever hope to achieve.
The second central character, Clementine, is the lifeblood of this
series. She is the core -- Lee might be the player's avatar, the main
influencing factor within the game's story, but Clementine is cleverly
constructed to be absolutely everything to the player -- the
core, the goal, the emotional center. From Episode 1 through to Episode
5, Telltale's story team has been able to strengthen and reinforce that
notion with each single dialogue choice for Lee. And her presence just
drives the motivation to finish the game, however you're playing it. The
amount of investment we put into this nine-year old girl is through the
roof. I furiously clicked my mouse button if any zombie or human went
anywhere near her -- I felt genuine anger when her life was threatened,
and I wanted to hug her to death myself whenever she was sad. One of
the best non-player characters in gaming history, and definitely the most
deftly-written, organic and complex child characters in any story I've
ever read, played, or watched.
Each episode deals with a chapter in Lee and Clemetine's trials for survival, from the original survivor group of Episode 1 in the drugstore, switching to the motor inn, down to the dairy and eventually into Savannah in the hopes of sustaining Clementine's search of her parents -- its a mirroring of the comics that works so ubiquitously that there is no detachment from the structure of the story. It takes the context of both the comics and the television show, and imparts its own elements, given by the nature of the video game medium, and molds those mechanics to serve the story. The separation of these chapters are natural, gripping cliffhangers. And The Walking Dead is nothing without character deaths -- and they come a-plenty. They are all left-field. They all made me gasp, sometimes yell. They are all heart-breaking in some way or another. There is no extra air being wasted -- all these characters have a part to play, and they're all essential to the story; of course, this being a game structured around player choices and their effects on characters, that's a necessity. And nicely done it was.
There was never a point in the game where I stepped out of the story. The immersion was deep and satisfying, emotionally draining because of the subject matter, and relentlessly manipulative. Players never get away with a story choice that won't have consequence later on. The 'hints' to notify the player that an NPC will 'remember' certain things -- that's the tease that gives the added tension of the gameplay mechanic. But story-wise, it's an incredible achievement for this amount of immersion to come from a point-and-click adventure, and I truly think its because every element of this game's development has always served the story. By the fourth and fifth episodes, Telltale had mastered that to the tee. And the result was an ending sequence that collectively punched every player right in the feels.
The best part about this story? It wouldn't work in any other medium. It is distinctly a product of its constraints and its opportunities set by the nature of the video game. The interactive storytelling, the branching character outcomes, the poignancy of player choice -- all gone if you transpose or adapt it into another environment. Like the comic takes advantage of the ever-lasting storyline, or the show takes advantage of the power moving images can do for a story, the game puts all its cards on the table.
THE GAMEPLAY
The technical aspects is where a lot of critics would have had parts to nit-pick, but it all becomes moot by the further episodes, where Telltale really figured out how to handle their limitations in an effective and terse way. Using the repertoire they had, they turned simplicity into a complex player-centered experience. The playing of a point-and-click adventure has that level of nostalgia that early gamers in the 90's love, but there was never a Walking Dead kind of brooding storyline to accompany it. What do you do to mesh the two together?
A lot of the studies coming in about why exactly the game is just so good keeps coming back to the decision mechanics of the player. The dialogue options, and the dialogue itself, is the core of the gameplay here. The adventure elements of searching for interactive parts of the levels, or the short action sequences are always there as effects of the initial choices that players make, through these instances where they must make a choice to decide the direction that Lee and Clementine should take.
Rooting them in the themes of the game, instead of the progression towards a goal, is how Telltale solved the point-and-click risks. Each dialogue option represents a way to respond to characters that would change their disposition or attitudes towards Lee. The player being in control of these decisions places a unique kind of responsibility in their hands -- not like an sandbox shooter, or a platformer, where the level of detachment is clear and accepted. The Walking Dead is an intimate, personal experience. The detachment instead comes in the form of control. The pre-ordained selections for dialogue are going to be Lee's thoughts, players choose the kind of Lee they feel is the right one for the job. So, players maybe aren't in the shoes of Lee Everett, but are responsible for constructing his attitudes. That sense of responsibility towards a character drives the gameplay.
Everything branches from the choices. The emphasis on full-circle, karmatic foreshadowing help hammer that down for the player. And without a doubt, it becomes one of its central themes - and also it's one of the themes of both comic and television show. Gameplay serving story.
Most of all, it's simple. Icons to represent points of interaction. Four directions of movement within an environment. Optional hints. Everything designed to minimize the focus of the player's attention on what they're doing, but rather, why they should do something.
THE DESIGN
Aesthetically, the stylized, comic-book art design of the game is the best choice Telltale made right from the starting gate. Importing that connection with the comic book universe not only settled down antsy comic book fans, but it aided the construction of that universe tenfold. It just looks straight out f the pages. Immersion factor multiplies quickly. The gore is so prevalent, but it's never over-the-top, never kitschy or silly. The raw and the grit is there, not in the detail, but the atmospheres and the soundtracks and the colours. Complexity hidden under simplicity is a running visual theme here. The faces emote so well for stylized faces, but the expressions are heightened by the weight of everything that's going on.
The sound design obviously gives the dimension it needs. Jared Emerson-Johnson's sombre and ominous background score punctuates just about every major decision with a melody that, on cue, will bring you back to those fateful decision in a heartbeat. By Episode 5, it's a cue for waterworks.
The locations are fittingly TWD-esque. The drugstore - enclosed, encapsulated, a boiling pot for tension, waiting to fall down. The motel is wider, but way more dreadful. Dilapidated and tired - just like its characters. The dairy farm's idyllic falsehood represents just that -- there is no safe haven from what they're experiencing. The train is a much more direct thematic connection to the story, and it has a lot of good story moments. Pushing forward to the end, full steam. Until Savannah, with the sewer system, Crawford, and the mansion, it's a variety of locations to evoke a variety of moods and feelings, with all the characters running amok between them, the sense of evolution and emotional progression is supported by steel-thick design and aesthetics that augment just about everything.
THE VERDICT.
Game of the Year for 2012, it should win all the awards. Just the context of having a second-rate, pseudo-indie developer come out with this gem, it's a direct display of story overpowering flare, sales revenues, marketing prowess, or franchise profitability. Just tell a fucking good story, and keep that goal with every artistic, technical or gameplay choice, and you'll have an amazing game. In a way, this is the best fan-fiction in the world. The collaborative nature is undeniable - players themselves get to impart their own thinking into the outcome, sort of, of how Lee and Clementine end up. The developers took everything they knew about The Walking Dead, and kept their vision sound and loyal.
Buy this game, if you've never played games before. It's simple to understand and unbelievably addicting from the first 10 minutes in. If you're gamer, play this game because it's not like any other game you've ever played. If you're a person, play this game because having the chance to feel this kind of emotion from fake people gives you a refreshing break from the simplicity of real life.
The Walking Dead will make you feel alive with conviction and motivation. Play it, and you'll know why.
Welcome back to another day of E3 in the wraps! You excited?
Well, being the responsible games industry journalist I've suddenly set out to be for this week, I've done nothing but marathon Season 5 of Mad Men for the entire day. So I only caught about three quarters of the Nintendo Conference (but really they have like two more other ones) and there was a whole lot of this:
My body was ready.
Lots of Wii U stuff. Sweet. Scroll down for a picture of what it looks like. It's just a bulky tablet with bumper buttons and analog sticks. And then this:
And the actual game:
This 3D roaming-camera-stillshot-style trailer trend is really taking off, eh? And surprise, surprise, who's at the development of this zombie game? UBISOFT.
Don't know how the hell they're pulling off what they're pulling off but they should keep doing it.
Otherwise, I'm too lazy to cover what else happened at the Nintendo conference, lots of Mario titles, some Pikmin 3 for those of you to care...and a lot of awkward scripted stage banter. Gives me the shakes when I have to witness that comfort mutilation in my living room.
And living room integration seems to be what Nintendo's pushing with their new console and peripherals. I'm cautiously stoked. Seeing as I haven't touched my Wii for a good year and a half, hopefully I get some spark in my life to pick up Super Smash Bros. and suck my wayto the next generation of gaming as Nintendo so confidently totes.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Developers are releasing game trailers for their upcoming releases
Sony is using two flagship comapnies to support their entire arsenal
Black Ops II still deserves attention (fucking really?)
Walking Dead: Episode 2 -- the first one actually does not suck.
People love their sequels.
Go check IGN, Kotaku, The Verge, TDW Geek, or any other related blog for some other news.
I'm lazy. This is hard.
THINGS I MISSED YESTERDAY:
Yesssssss......so looking forward to this. Storytelling, while it's sophisticated and the best games always employ the best tactics at combining interaction with it, it seems to get a backseat from both audience and developers (most, anyways) when it comes to creating really good games. Games are stories, when we're put into the story, maybe it takes away from some of the glamour of being a spectator--not affecting the outcome. The lure of voyeurism, of non-consequence.
Shove a controller in your hand and a faceless protagonist to move around, and you get ultimate power and control over the story being told. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you. But it definetly changes how we tell stories. Quantic Dream understands that balance.
Beyond: Two Souls looks crafted. Like an artisan's work. Handled with precision, care, and a deliberacy (not a word but fuck it) not found in, let's say, the Call of Duty franchise. Heavy-handed comparison, I know, but fuck those guys. Facial recognition technology and motion capture, new game engines starting to get showcased (Square Enix I heard has unveiled one in preparation for some more Final Fantasy goodness), new IPs being released--E3 is turning out not so bad.
Right now, Spike’s 2011 Video Game Awards are in full swing, and a slough of awards have already been won, with Portal 2 rightfully taking many of them, including sweeping the voice performance category, as well as Minecraft snatching a well deserved indie game victory.
Pretty happy with what’s been shown so far, save for the uber-casual vibes I keep getting from both host (though he was great in Tangled) and audience—the way they say ‘graphics’ just irks me, maybe it’s just my elitist geek showing through—but one of the greatest things about gaming award shows is that I can see the trailers live as well. Conventions are lame in that you have to be there to see them.
Despite the fact that I just saw Charlie Sheen onstage and Modern Warfare 3 win an award, it’s still a good feeling when you feast your eyes upon something like this:
Naughty Dog Inc. are the guys behind the Uncharted franchise. Three games in, they’ve established themselves as one of the most innovative game developers when it comes to interactive storytelling. They did the games industry a huge favour, if you already didn’t know.
They’re developing this. So hopes are high, and that’s helped well along by this amazing cinematic trailer above. What’s wrong with that zombie-or-whatever’s head in that trailer? Well, it’s not science fiction.
It’s just science.
Okay, not fully just science, but damn it, this concept is outstandingly cool for a post-apocalyptic game, and there’s already been a huge surge in recent years, we’re hoping for a fresh take. Could this be it?
Naughty Dog has yet to fail its fans, or its industry. Or its console. If this is a PS3 exclusive, Microsoft might finally have a run for its money. Console-war pointlessness aside, this trailer is a definite reminder for me of how far video games have come artistically as a form of more than just cheap entertainment.
It’s a medium that’s like no other, and should stay that way. It should be the next step. If this lives up to what this trailer is teasing, lets hope games like this push that notion forward.
UPDATE: Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim takes Game of the Year, along with Best Role-Playing Game. Bethesda Game Studios takes developer. This makes me happy, and makes up for Charlie Sheen / MW3 combo (a fitting one, actually).
AMC is known for their badass series. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Killing. Yeah I only watch one of those series, but fuck it, we all know they’re sick shows. A while back, I did a post on The Walking Dead, the first season, like two fucking years ago (Holy shit, why I have blogged for so long?), and since then I’ve been following it lazily since last Comic-Con and eventually when it aired…
…You can imagine my reaction.
Point is, season one is worth watching. Honestly, it is a great series, probably not on par with long-running critical and commercial successes like Mad Men and to a lesser extent Breaking Bad, there is a lot of really good material here. And I don’t need to tell you how ambitious this is. This is horror drama, with zombies. Instead of period suits, there’s hours of grimy dead person make-up and sweltering on-location heat. Instead of drug deals, there’s guns and blades and crossbows and trust issues.
This series takes a lot to make. Check out the behind-the-scenes production featurettes at amctv.com to see how much goes into making this series.
If you need more reassurance: this isn’t a summer horror blockbuster. This isn’t a satire. This isn’t a B-movie with a budget.
It’s a drama. It has characters, it has conflicts, and it has writing.
The kicker—and probably the best kicker in all of modern television history—is that there are zombies thrown in.
There is not a logical way that something like that could be bad.
Season 1, while hyped to oblivion, didn’t capture as many of the audience’s hearts as I imagined Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile—he’s legit), executive producer along with Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator) may have wanted, but shit, the fanbase is so huge now, I don’t see this stopping anytime soon.
Talks of a third season were well underway before Comic-Con. Put it in the bag.
God, I fucking love zombies.
Oh yeah, read the graphic novel series. Still ongoing. Started nine years ago. Award-winning and best-selling since then. You’re dumb if you don’t read it.
Can’t wait till Book Seven comes out, but I’m running out of shelf space. I have more graphic novels than actual novels. Does that make me uncultured?
This is another try at Lomo style photoshopping, but I took it straight from an online tutorial that didn’t really explain much, so, uh, I don’t know, don’t judge it too harshly?
Still, original content, be happy. Break from the EPIC-OTW’s.
Cause, you know, nothing about exam week is epic.
Also, the watermark is the kiddy version. Don’t steal my stuff, cause it’s so good. I’ll use my awesome (beginner/intermediate level) Illustrator prowess to whip up some sleek and sexy watermark with lines and twisty morphing letters and a catchphrase. Watch out, 2011.
Listening to Adele makes me artsy. Might go on a midnight photo-taking sesh ‘round the neighbourhood with Adele wailing about heartbreak to accompany me.
You’re welcome to join in with me and Remembering Sunday when she’s not too lazy to accompany us.
Insane design for this trailer. Teases the story, the gameplay, the setting—what the hell doesn’t it do?
It doesn’t suck, for starters.
It starts off with a (un)dead girl, which is ballsy. You see zombie games now, you don’t see zombie children. But this trailer thrusts it in front of you and says ‘take it in, bitch, we’re not fucking around.’
And then it forms into a backwards narrative which kept me on my toes as the visuals pieced together what happened for me, all with that haunting piano melody to creep me out. Then the two survivors battling off fat zombies, skinny zombies, bikini zombies—shit, just a fuckload of zombies.
Cutting back to jarring scenes of the girl, alive again, running away—you start to get the feeling of what this game is supposed to be. Serious. Espiecally that added effect at the end.
From an artistic standpoint, HOLY SHIT.
The music, the slo-mo, the feeling and the characters—by God, if this isn’t quality zombie awesomeness, then you don’t know shit about zombies.
Really, this has become my only consistent television update, but whatever.
Dexter’s back, Glee’s back, Community’s back (I’ve missed the first two episodes, sadface).
But The Walking Dead is yet to come, and you bet your ass I will not being handing out, or receiving any candy on Halloween night because that series premiere will not be missed. By God, if I do, I am taking this blog down. I can’t handle the shame.
So, without further delay, here is the newest trailer;
As the article Techland wrote has already stated, the series is going to shy away from the default, every-day high adrenaline and fast-paced gory goodness of a regular cinematic or televised zombie experience. Instead, to stay true to the comics, The Walking Dead is going to go the sophisticated path and focus on the drama and the characters of the story.
Applause, because that’s what The Walking Dead is about anyways. And the producers of the show know a lot of about drama, and a lot about action, and once again I needlessly say my complete faith in their ability to adapt the graphic novel in a thematically honest, and visually compelling manner.
When you see those other failed undead-themed series a few years back; there was one specific one I forgot the name of (go figure), I have to notice that the hype this show is getting is really legitimate. I mean, it’s channel is AMC, and that alone gives it automatic credibility, and the graphic novel its adapting is already renowned in its medium. Really, what can go wrong? The worst I get is a zombie television show—that ain’t a bad deal at all.
Saying that, this series will still be fucking awesome despite a measly six episodes, but the second season’s already been greenlit, which makes me happy inside.
Michonne, I await your brutal, psychopathic arrival.
Get your machetes out people, the zombies are coming back, and coming fast.
Someone posted a cam-cap of the first The Walking Dead trailer, centering on the main character, Rick Grimes, as he wakes to a world full of dead, decaying, brainthirsty zombie goodness!
Helmed by Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd, maestros in their trade, the first press release that The Walking Dead had been greenlit gave me reason to smile enough. And this trailer proves that their expertise is probably going to show in this series.
Shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men on AMC’S ‘Original Series’ roster give a lot of legitimacy and expectation to come from this series. As the trailer shows, it’s character based, not environment based, and seeing Rick Grimes for the first time as a live-action character is quite the sight. Played by Andrew Lincoln, Rick Grimes’ character development throughout the graphic novel series is what drives most of the narrative and emotional greatness of the comic. I’m hoping Darabont and Hurd can adapt that the best they can through live-action, by staying true to the writing of Robert Kirkman, and keeping the feel of the comic series alive.
From the production stills, it seems like that’s exactly what’s happening. The zombie extras go through zombie camp, the traditional way to train zombie extras, and the effects and makeup look like they came straight out of the comics. Blood-caked mouths, gray skin, beared broken teeth, and the iconic pupil-less eyes (but some appear reddish, which is even better) make this a fanboy’s dream.
So am I excited? Yes.
And you should be too.
The first season is slated for six episodes, and premieres with AMC’s Fearfest in October this year. They are filming right now, so expect more updates hopefully.
So be grateful. Since I’ve been pretty much AWOL for the whole month because I’ve been doing things not involving a sore back from surfing the internet, getting an almost 1 to 1 kill-death ratio on Modern Warfare, doing school stuff (I KNOW, RIGHT?) and contemplating the potentially disastrous yet profoundly liberating thought of graduating from four years of hell—uh, high school, I can’t seem to put aside time to hit up the old Live Writer, and write some shit.
Along with that, my Photoblog is gathering as much virtual dust as my dSLR is physically.
Plus, it’s Wednesday. Who blogs on Wednesday?
Whatever, I’m a loser.
So, I’ll break it down for you in a concise, understandable manner. Because you’re all idiots. I’m not being curt, like someone who apparently knows how to blog too. I’ll skip the posting of clothing I’ll never own and dreams I’ll never fulfill. But I’ll fill you in one some key points going on right now.
First off, thanks for reading this. Over the course of almost a year, I’ve gathered more readers than I thought I would. Low standards equates high satisfaction. Foolproof.
Secondly, brobguy will no longer be the main YouTube channel link. If you’ve read my previous blog postings below, you’ll notice I’ve started a new channel with kg, that has most of our Grade 12 videos for CommTech, and possibly some extras to come. A new video (I KNOW, RIGHT?) will be up soon. Hopefully. Click HERE.
Thirdly, there is actually a lot of relevant content I could post on here that I’ve recently found out about and been following, but I am a lazy motherfucker. Get to know me, and you’ll realize that. Hey, I want to be your friend. Too bad this Live Writer doesn’t have a bullet poi—oh wait, it does. Awesome.
Remember that really old post about The Walking Dead live action series?
If you’ve been following io9’s coverage, it has been greenlighted, signed, sealed and filming right now. Zombie extras with makeup and all. On AMC. Alongside Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Series I have yet to watch but will agree are good because I want to be cool too.
Plus Frank Darabont is directing. How awesome is that?
I thought Piranha 3D was a joke. I guess I was wrong.
YES, I am getting all this information from my io9, and basically reblogging it.
Green Lantern; casted Ryan Reynolds? Fuck yes.
Captain America: casted Chris Evans? Rad.
Hugo Weaving as Red Skull? Fuck yes.
Gary Coleman’s dead.
Wait, how’d that get in there? Disregard that.
But he’s actually dead. Sadface.
Iron Man 2: Have not watched it yet. I want money.
I watched How To Train Your Dragon, however.
If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. It is awesome. Now. Do it.
Scott Pilgrim v. The World: Michael Cera being likeable (I KNOW, RIGHT?). Comic action. Geek references. Fight scenes. Onomatopeia. I should pick up the graphic novel. So out of it.
I am having too much fun with these bullet lists to stop, you know.
I use this system for exam study notes.
There are tons of online videos I’d like to show you, but I wont. Because the fun in online videos is finding them. Then its sharing them with friends. But none of you are my friends. How can you be my friend if I can’t even see your face? It’s ridiculous.
But they include tit-slapping, big booties, JS+RWJ, t-shirts, avatars, a guild, and lots of other things you should learn about. Actually, you probably already know about them. In that case, get to know them again?
Wong Fu Productions made a new short film. It’s cute.
Dennis Hopper is died—died? Dead. He was in a lot of movies. He had cancer. Sadface :(
That was an actual typo with ‘died’, but I decided to run with it. If you can figure out what I’m referring to, then you can be my friend. If not, then you’re not my friend.
I went to Canada’s Wonderland with some people you may know, to celebrate graduating. The demographic there was alarming, to say the least. Then it was annoying. Then it was terrifying. And then it was annoying again. More on that later, maybe.
I’ve been peer-pressured into wearing various things for various events, mainly a very important one this Friday. I spent money I probably shouldn’t have. It was not at all a great feeling.
I make it back by tutoring English for my classmate’s aunt. One of the kids is in Grade 7, and he thinks he’s the shit. I’m too passive, cause now he really thinks he’s the shit. I should hit him.
…Nah.
I love Fraser…or do I?
More on that later.
Which means the next bullet point! Damn!
I am a mediocre hip-hop artist.
I now have amateur experience with audio mixing and recording.
Final Cut is now comprehensible to me.
I feel pro-er. Feels good, man.
AND MATHEMATICS.
The Behemoth’s first dip is so steep, that if you were in the front car, you wouldn’t see the tracks when you first dip over the peak. I brought Gravol with me. It helped.
I’m wearing out this list, I can tell. Who’s to stop me though?
I just read The Kite Runner for English class. Surprisingly good novel. Never thought I’d read it, nor did I plan to or want to. But it gave me chills at the intended times, and left me thinking about it after I closed the back cover. Good books—hell, good anything does that. Check it out if you haven’t already. It’s easy to follow even if you’re not a reader.
I’ve started listening to Major Lazer, This Will Destroy You, The End of the Ocean, Prince, Passion Pit, The Temper Trap, El Ten Eleven, Adele, a bit of Kanye West, but he’s still douchey as fuck, Mates of State and old songs I’ve found love again in that are far too numerous to name.
Not really, just lazy.
I am really closing that gap between me and hipster. It’s all thanks to this girl who likes weird things like GO buses, and Peter Pan. Ew.
Pudding dongle.
I stole that last one from a webcomic. Forgot the name. I’ll remember it and forget to blog about it. And then that’s that. Pretty much how things go around here.
There’s your summary of what you missed, or what I missed and can recall at this very moment.
I should be more active the closer it comes to exam weeks. Wait, what?
Picked up from io9. The full article can be seen on the news feed under Geek News.
But damn, this animation style blew me away. I haven’t watched 9, but it reminds of that movie's trailer, and it also reminds me zombie comic books like The Walking Dead. Saying that, I absolutely love this style of animation, and it’s done so flawlessly it literally takes my breath away.
And replaces it with zombie killing awesomeness. It really is a teaser.
Give me more! I hear it will be a feature film someday; here’s to hoping.
A little while ago, in the vague and fuzzy memory of this year’s E3, Valve pulled a fast one on us leetle and puny fans. They announced Left 4 Dead 2 to be released almost exactly a year after the original. Surprised, shocked, doubtful, appalled; the fans expressed all these emotions after learning of this fascinating new news.
Then the boycott started, and it all went to shit. No, the fans were not happy that one of PC gaming’s most revolutionary and loved zombie-themed shooters was getting an early sequel. ‘No!’ they said, ‘we don’t want a sequel! We want more of Left 4 Dead! Give me maps! Give me weapons! Give me game modes!’ So we wept as puny, leetle fans, and Valve could do nothing but cackle at our sorrow and bask in bathtubs of gold from their undeserved fortunes made off of a few PC games.
‘DLC!’ we cried, ‘Down with the system! It’s our God-given right!’ Us PC Gamers really are a spoiled bunch. It seems to me that we just want to see the bad side of things. We’re never pleased. We’re just a bunch of lazy, anti-social elitists who want nothing more than to be aggravated at everything because being happy is something we’ve stopped enjoying a long time ago.
But now, I’m happy again. And I’ll tell you why.
Because of this:
…and this:
…and especially this:
So guess what? I am going to pay $50 for this game. You know why? Because I just played the demo, and from the looks of it, I’d say it ranks somewhere between completely fucking awesome and a god damn once-in-a-lifetimeexperience.
Let me inform you of why it deserves to be bought and kept close to your heart for eternity. The moment I load up the game the whole feeling of it is different from the original Left 4 Dead. This is due to the modified soundtrack, adaptable weather settings, new characters and the sort. Not DLC material. DLC should keep the same feeling of the game. This is another feeling, or atmosphere, or whatever you call it; it deserves its own game.
Not convinced? Alright, I’ll be frank. The only reason I wanted this game was the new gore effects. And guess what? They’re fucking sick. You shoot the crotch, the crotch obliterates into little bits. You shoot the neck, blood flies everywhere and the poor zombie’s throat is missing. Shoot the stomach and all that viscera is pleasantly displayed. Throw a pipe bomb, wait a view seconds, and then witness godly zombie-exploding goodness.
Still not convinced? How bout some weapons? Which one are you privy to? Want to go back to classics? Then there’s your original L4D weapons: pump-action, auto shotty, M-16, Hunting rifle, Uzi, and don’t forget your trusty sidearms, the M1911 and Glock. Bit boring for your taste? Don’t worry. There’s always the main differentiating factor between L4D1 and L4D2 to humour you. Here’s some pots, axes, baseball bats, guitars, batons, machetes and other bludgeoning/slicing weapons to get all that boiled up hate against Valve released onto willing zombified participants. Oh, you like big guns? Well, there’s always mounted machine guns, grenade launchers, AK-47’s, a fucking Desert Eagle, and the enjoyment incendiary ammo to complement it.
Look how big that paragraph is. Do you think that’d fit into L4D1 DLC? Smarten up. DLC shouldn’t introduce features in a game that would end up being almost as large, as large, or larger than the original game. Same mechanics, same gameplay style, but c’mon, really?
For the infinitesimal amount of people that actually fall under the category of L4D2 boycotter or critic who actually reads my blog, this should convince you. Otherwise I’m just rambling on about how fucking awesome the demo of Left 4 Dead 2 that I just played was, and plan to play again shortly.
Left 4 Dead 2 officially releases November 17th. Pre-order on Steam or in-store and you get a free in-game baseball bat to abuse zombies with.
If you’re any kind of respectable zombie-killer, this is a no-brainer.
Coach wants his chocolate, and they’re gonna give it to him.
You know why I’m happy? Because beside this video on YouTube, in the video’s description, the date displays October 22, 2009. That’s today. So therefore…
Wait, does that mean it’s now a sexilogy? Sounds kinky.
I’ll search up on the proper terminology, but right now I’ll settle on a trilogical sequel to a previous trilogy. Sounds good.
Now onto official business. Yes, slowpoke is in order, but I hardly think it matters anymore at the pace I’m going with this stuff. The popular Resident Evil franchise of games and movies has stemmed from Japanese stardom to the echelons of zombie pop culture in the past decade or so, and I’m not complaining. Even with the first Resident Evil movie, which was so long ago that I can’t even remember most of it, the transcription of game to screen struck home with much of the zombie fanbase in North America and overseas. The result?
This guy.
Proceeds go to charity.
Now, with three movies under his wing, Paul Anderson and the Resident Evil team have decided that this is far from beating a dead horse, and that if there was a horse being beat, it’s a zombie horse and ready to be beat some more. That’s my kind of thinking.
This new instalment, titled Resident Evil: Afterlife was originally in talks starting from 2005, and accumulated into the announcements prior and during the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con (slowwwwwpoke). All cast members had been signed, scripts have been drafted, and Paul Anderson is heading this right up until its release date slated for August 27, 2010.
I’ll get to more exciting news. Afterlife is currently being filmed in none other than the wondrous urban utopia of downtown Toronto, where zombies will most likely meet their match in hardened, ruthless Canadian yuppies. So If you’re in the area, or in the GTA, head down there to catch a glimpse of the cool zombie makeup or Milla Jovovich running down the side of city hall. Boy, that looks fun.
This time Anderson won’t be directing, but honestly I don’t see the impact in that. Who really watches zombie flicks for directing? Chumps, that’s who. So take that, snobby film critics. I’ll take my zombies fast or slow, infected or deceased, rabid or shambling. Who gives a crap? People are being eaten, that’s all we’ll ever need.
Anderson also states that he considers Afterlife to be a start of a ‘brand new trilogy’ for the franchise. He also says he’s excited. Zombies are always exciting. Zombiesssss. Yay. =D
They come fast. Running like rabid dogs toward the small shed. The grumbling has disappeared among the crazed screams and rabid growls of dozens of dark figures rushing towards them. Dried blood caked on their mouths. Limbs missing. Teeth broken and rotting. Eyes blank. No pupils. No life.
Bill rushes towards Francis and attempts to pull the slithering tongue from around his chest.
"Thing's too tight."
"Fuck, Bill, it's digging into my skin! Shit! AGH!"
A crack of bone. Bill looks around. Not enough time. The trees are bare. A coughing sound is close. Bill rushes towards the trees and sees a grotesque figure, face disfigured and mutated, smoke leaking though its mouth. Three shots. A dying cough.
The tongue loosens on Francis. Getting up fast, he takes the molotav and runs towards the shed, crowded with the undead.
"Throw it!" Zoey's voice can hardly be heard over the rapid gunfire. Several heads explode. Louis breaks the side window and shoves the glass out. "Come on, crawl in!"
Francis flicks a lighter and the damp rag grows into a small flame. One of them rushes at him, broken teeth bared and hands clawing at the air. Francis lays a right hook to the side of its face. A distinct snap can be heard as the zombie's head jolts to one side.
"Time to burn." Bill heads towards the window. Francis follows closely, chucking the molotav a few feet in front of the door. Several screams. Crackling of dead flesh. They do not stop.
Francis and Bill crawl through the open window and fall down to the cold ground. Francis holds his side. "Fuck, it's cracked."
"Here." Bill pulls a first aid kit from around his back.
The fire burns bright and illuminates the night. They see nothing but death. Cars lay along the road, some empty, some with bodies. More of the undead further along. Shambling aimlessly; no thought. No mind to speak of. Still, they have a purpose. One they have fulfilled.
The four of them sit against the walls of the shed, panting. Another battle won. Countless others to come. Trying to win a war that never ends.
"There, can you move your side?" Bill cuts a final piece of wrapping and pats Francis. "Yeah, I'm good."
Zoey gets up and peers through the window once more. "Where'd the Boomer go?"
Louis looks at the roof of the shed. "And the Hunter."
The fire dies. Corpses litter the outside of the shed. The door remains half open. The four get up and stare outside. Zoey and Louis crouch and edge out the sides of the door. "Clear."
They stare down the empty road. A faint growling in the far distance. Bill starts walking. "They'll be back."
The moon shines through the trees. Barren wilderness. The three others follow him. More will come.
If you don’t understand the context of which this story originates, you will not enjoy this story. See how I put this disclaimer after the end? Yeah, you just wasted your time. Don’t judge me.
The room is black. Dim naked lights overhead flicker on and off. A cold breeze from a cracked window wafts in bringing the dead scent into the damp air of the shed. Someone coughs.
"Are they out there?" Louis speaks softly, almost a whisper, as not to wake what awaits them outside.
"What do you think?" Francis picks up a molotov and hangs it on his belt. 'Let's get this show on the road.'
"Hold on." Bill raises his hand wearily.
"What is it?" Zoey peers out from the small front window, only to see darkness and the darkness that smothers it.
"I hear it. A Boomer."
Francis joins Zoey at the window. A faint rumbling sound. Sloshing of bile and vomit. A gurgling and grumbling draws nearer.
"Fuck."
"Shit, what the hell are we still doing here then? The next safe room's only down the road!" Louis buries his head into his arms, clutching his rifle close to him. "Shit, shit, shit!"
The rumbling gets closer. The lights flicker. The breath of the four is the only sound for a brief moment.
A sudden jolt catches them off-gaurd. They crouch and look upwards. A light bursts.
"What the FUCK was that?" Louis raises his rifle towards the roof of the shed. A growling dominates the air. Soft pounds as whatever is above them stalks and waits. Bill's hand on Louis' shoulder eases his anxiety.
"Hold on, Louis. It's waiting for one of us to peek out."
"No, man. This is fucked. Just shoot it through the—"
"NO! You idiot! You wanna wake up half of them from the treeline?" Zoey points angrily towards the dark window. Faint movement past the other side of the road. A shambling of feet. The growling above them grows. The soft pounds stop. Grumbling in the distance.
"Well, what the hell do we do?!"
"Lure em'. One of us goes out, draws em' in, and three of us waste the assholes and then run."
"I assume you're the bait then, Francis?"
"Ah, these pussies? I can take em'."
The four glare at each other. The grumbling and growling seems to eminate from all sides, filling the air. Louis draws his sleeve and wipes sweat from his head.
"Ready?" Zoey sticks the barrel of the rifle through the small window. Bill grabs the door with cold, dry, trembling hands.
"From what I can tell, Boomer's hiding in the trees. That bastard above us is gonna come fast, hit you hard and knock you off your feet. Stay close to the door. Zoey'll get a shot off, and get the hell up fast before the Boomer knows what we're doing."
Francis gives a stern nod. Bill turns the knob at a painfully slow pace. Zoey keeps her sights at the empty road. Louis watches the roof. No more pounds. Just the haunting of growls and ambience of grumbling in the distance.
The door edges open. Francis rushes out.
"Hey, you motherfucker! Yeah, that's right! Fuckin' sneaky piece of shi--AH FUCK!'
A tongue shoots out of nowhere. Wrapping around. Fast as a snake. Francis starts dragging across the ground. "FUCKING HELP!"
"I'm too old for this shit!" Bill storms outside. "COVER ME!" The bullets start flying.
The horde come out. The grumbling gets louder. The growls grow stronger. The fight begins.
BBC News has released an eye-opening and disturbing new article on a study that the University of Ottawa in Canada had formed to challenge the most pressing question that plagues the minds of a concerned global population.
Are the zombies going to kill us all?
Their conclusion was frightening, to say the least. “If zombies actually existed, an attack by them would lead to the collapse of civilisation unless dealt with quickly and aggressively.”
Balls.
While the article is supposedly “hypothetical,” we all know deep down inside what the real story is. They’re coming, I can smell it. Might as well sharpen the ol’ machete. I’ll be ready. I’LL ALWAYS BE READY.
Click on the standard-issue zombie defence utensil for the BBC News article.
My God, these picture effects are so fun. =D
(Thanks also goes to John who hails from Woodside for informing me of this devastating news. Yeah, thanks John.)
If you’re a fan of zombies, a fan of comic books, and a fan of horror, chances are you’ve heard of Robert Kirkman’s never-ending zombie apocalypse survival epoch, The Walking Dead, now over sixty issues and six years in. The ongoing comic series has reached Geek Hall of Fame and has become one of the most awesome pieces of zombie culture. Sitting alongside Max Brook’s works, The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, and George A. Romero’s The Living Dead series of films. Within the past decade, it could be considered the best piece of zombie horror literature to hit bookshelves across the world.
Like any piece of pop culture growing fast, it’ll get attention. Being something zombie, a lot of hands will be wanting to grab at it to expand its fame. The time has come for The Walking Dead to expand its influence past word bubbles and panels. The Channel formally know as American Movie Classics, where a lot of great movies have had their chance to appear in living rooms, has obtained the rights to the franchise to create a television adaptation of the comic book series.
Great news as that is, even greater news overtops that great news. It’s like a big fluffy layer cake of greatness, iced with chocolaty zombie goodness all around. Yum. The designer of this zombie layer cake is none other than Frank Darabont, the Stephen King novel-adapter maestro. Coming off dramatic masterpieces The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, you’d suspect a hint of drama, or some eerily real atmospheres to be present in this coming television adaptation. One thing’s for sure, this cake of greatness will taste of fleshy, bloody awesome. My favourite flavour.
Joining Darabont, it’s rumoured that Gale Anne Hurd will be involved in the production. Producer and writer of many action greats like The Terminator series, my hopes are high that the two will combine compelling drama and non-stop action to the already marketable franchise that Kirkman and zombie culture has provided to fans. Still in production however, a set date has not been released as to when a pilot may be seen on the channel. Still, among Mad Men and Breaking Bad marathons, we can’t help but to stay hungry for some imminent zombie chaos.
This guy.
Great news as that is, even greater news overtops that great news. It’s like a big fluffy layer cake of greatness, iced with chocolaty zombie goodness all around. Yum. The designer of this zombie layer cake is none other than Frank Darabont, the Stephen King novel-adapter maestro. Coming off dramatic masterpieces The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, you’d suspect a hint of drama, or some eerily real atmospheres to be present in this coming television adaptation. One thing’s for sure, this cake of greatness will taste of fleshy, bloody awesome. My favourite flavour.