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Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge scenes modeled in CryEngine

I think that Hannes Appell's work to re-create a couple of scenes from Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge in CryEngine is relatively impressive given the trickiness of translating the atmosphere of rich pixelated environments into a 3D space. His technique specifically takes this into consideration:

A camera mapping method is used to create higher image fidelity and detail from the original 2D concept art. The technique is normally used to produce 2, 5D or 3D matte paintings out of a 2D or photo source and to speed up the production process. But hey! There is no rule against using it to enhance a normal 2D background. The original art is projected onto simple 3d geometry that is built with the original viewpoint in mind.

Very cool, and something maybe Telltale should consider while keeping the Monkey Island legacy alive. Be sure to watch the video in HD (preferrably in larger, long-screen format) and check out the before and after screens on Appell's site.

via Chris Dowling

VVVVVV - A Zero Gravity Indie Game

Distractionware's upcoming game VVVVVV debuted a colorful gameplay trailer a few days ago, showcasing the game's swell zero gravity mechanics and simple design. I don't know much about VVVVVV other than there are some 140+ rooms to solve, but I really love the quirky enemy designs and am looking forward to playing it in a few weeks!

distractionware via Destructoid

Otamatone - The all singing, all tadpole instrument

Nobumichi Tosa (of Maywa Denki, and most familiar to me by virtue of his Knockman Family toys) introduces and demonstrates his newest instrument, the Otamatone. While I think I could do without the beepy-like melodies, I love that you open the instrument's mouth while playing. Fast-forward to 1:14 in the video to see what I'm talking about!

via Tokyo Mango

Journalist thinks Monkey Island Grog ingredients are real

A fun post for the weekend, Brother Chow showed me this news video in which an Argentinian journalist likely did some misleading google research on the real ingredients for grog, and instead, found the ingredients for grog that are outlined in The Secret of Monkey Island.

To think that anyone would drink kerosene for fun! Laffs!

Sportpong - Pong with a sporty, laser beam flair

3 vs 2 Rorschach kids… from Sportpong on Vimeo.

Bring out the Sportpong for your kid's next birthday party and have the most rockin'est soccer-laser-beam-pong party on the block! Developed in Switzerland, Sportpong works by projecting the playing field on the floor while players run around and move their feet to hit balls or defend their goal. Awfully neat, but needs more Q-Zar techno and smoke machines, methinks.

Harrison Ford -"My Wife! My Family!"

I'm brain dead and in meetings until three with but a cup of coffee, a cup of noodles, and a Tokyo Banana to keep me afloat. Thanks to Gingeranyhow, I also have this Harrison Ford video to keep me entertained between the five-minute-meeting-transition periods, along with some fond memories of seeing Inglorious Basterds this weekend (which you should surely see, not for Brad Pitt, but for Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who plays one helluva Nazi villain.) Good luck on your respective Mondays, troops.

Ready 2 Friday - This Must Be The Place

Miles Fisher - This Must Be The Place (Cover) from Miles Fisher on Vimeo.

It's been a long week of Avatar trailers, but the weekend is finally here. A few Friday afternoon notes:

• For my gamer folk out there, if you haven't heard anything about the controversy going on around about Shadow Complex, a game derived from a work written by Orson Scott Card, Christian Nutt of Gamasutra provides a really thoughtful opinion piece summarizing some of the "meta-issues" that arise now that gaming is mature medium. A terrific read.
• Mr. Brandon Boyer of Offworld fame will be visiting San Francisco for the next week. If you want to bask in all of his awesomeness, come join us at the Anamanaguchi show at the DNA Lounge next weekend. Wear a Pikachu-party-hat and we'll know you're looking for us.
• While Amy isn't getting knee-deep in Media Studies again (jealous jealous jealous), she's sending me songs like Miles Fisher's cover of David Byrnes' "This Must Be The Place". The entire music video is a reference to American Psycho, which is fitting since Fisher seems to be Christian Bale's singing clone. Download Fisher's EP here!

Have a good wun, folks!

Bootleg trailer of James Cameron's film Avatar is incredible

Snagged from Filmdrunk, watch this bootleg trailer of James Cameron's much anticipated film Avatar before it get's removed! After seeing a sneak peek of all the effects in motion, I can finally understand what all the hype is about. Don't forget to watch it with HD on!

Found via @electrolemon via @dtoidgrim

Update: In other news, the non-bootleg trailer looks like it came straight out of Halo.

Update 2: Looks like they took the bootleg trailer down. Shucks.

Update 3: Well, since the bootleg trailer is no longer with us, I've replaced it with Hitler's reaction to the Avatar trailer (thanks Brandonnn)

CO-OP Review - The Secret of Monkey Island (SE) & Tales of Monkey Island

For the record, I like to post these reviews a week or so after they're released because A. I'm lazy and B. I'd like to think it gives the CO-OP team a second boost of views in case folks missed the original debut of the episode. More views = more happy and well-paid Area 5 folk doing the thing they love most. That's something I can certainly support!

In this episode the CO-OP kids not only tour some of the best eateries in the San Francisco Mission district (St. Francis is one of my favorite breakfast spots in the city, next to the brunch at Suppenküche and Nopalito), but they also give me my first (and probably only) opportunity to talk about probably my favorite game of all time, LucasArt's The Secret of Monkey Island. Adventure games like Monkey Island, Kings Quest, and Willy Beamish were my heart and soul growing up gaming, so I'm absolutely gushing with excitement in the segment that clever games like this are making a comeback in this generation. It's an incredibly terrific happening, and I hope that the industry and gaming public comes to embrace and encourage this trend.

So enjoy watching me get all flabbergasted and dorky about LeChuck, Gov. Marley, and my favorite fine-leather-vest-selling-pirate, Guybrush Threepwood. Thanks, as always, to Area 5 for having me on the show!

P.S. Oh, and if you ever see me in public, even if I'm not wearing the Ask Me About LOOM™ button, please, ask me about LOOM™.

Mega64 spins scary stories about the PS3 Slim

My buddies over at Mega64 give a rats off to ya to Nickelodeon's scary show favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark in their newest sketch, "Are You Afraid of the PS3 Slim?" Worth watching through until the credits, since AYAOTD fans will get a hearty laugh-on-line from the obscure French-Canadian names that appear near the end.

I hope this post doesn't turn out to have an effect like The Ring. You know, where you post about the video about the PS3 Slim and you have 7-days before your blog spirals down into a mess of scary Sony PR. Probably not... right?

via GameSetWatch