Get What You Need.

It's Friday afternoon. Why not get yourself geared up for the weekend with a music video.

OK Go are at it again. Their videos are always worth a watch but this one really stands out due to the amount of work that must have gone into it. In a change of pace, the video is actually a live performance. In a car, hurtling through a stretch of Californian desert, with none of the band holding an instrument. Instead, the car is doing all the playing.

It's probably best if you just watch it:

Yep, they've done it again.

Have a nice weekend!

Carface.

Do you like Pixar movies? Stupid question really. Everyone likes them, and with good reason. As a body of work, it's approaching flawless. Perhaps the closest thing to a low-point would be 2006's Cars and even that was still a lot better than most of their competitors' fare.

Anyway, there's a sequel coming soon so what better time to apply the Pixar anthropomorphising technique to some famous and iconic cars from film and tv.

Observe:



Pretty cool, huh? See the rest Here.

Carrion My Wayward Son.

Hello, sorry I haven't updated lately. These are busy times.

Today's plink is a game about some animals seeking vengeance on cars and other vehicles for their squished brethren. Essentially, you have a jet-propelled mechanical raccoon which you can launch into traffic with the aim of doing as much damage as possible.

And why not.

It's got a neat line in optional 'bonus challenges' that will keep you clicking the replay button and is generally some harmless, explodey fun.

Roadkill Revenge!

The Ascent Of Van.

I don't know quite how to explain today's offering. I've just found it and I am somewhat taken aback.

Put simply, it's a program someone has written which shows the realtime evolution of a car.

Now, I don't mean it shows the stages of a car being built, or how a certain model of car has changed over the years.

No. This is a genetic algorithm enabling the selective breeding of randomly generated vehicles. Each one is spawned and then its progress is recorded. The ones that get the furthest in the fastest times live on to 'reproduce' and pass on their strengths to a new generation.

This is one of the weirdest posts I've ever had to write. Thinking about it is making my head hurt. I think it is best if you just see for yourself. If you can handle it.

BoxCar 2D.

Let it run for a while. See how some are more successful than others? Through subsequent generations, you'll see tweaked versions of those cars as they literally evolve. It's strangely heart-warming. I found myself really rooting for certain scrappy little racers and being emotionally crushed (well, a bit) when one of them spawned upside down. Removing itself from the gene pool by dint of pure dumb luck.

I still don't fully understand the finer points of this program, but I am finding The FAQ pretty useful.

The theory of Evolution applied to cars. THAT is why I love the internet.

Too Little, Too Late?

Um, hey. I know I haven't been around much lately but I've been busy, y'know. Lot of irons in fires and balls in the air. I can change though. Honest I can. Hopefully before people start calling for balls in fires.

So consider this a peace offering. I'm showering you with games. Like an absent uncle finally remembering your birthday. Here's hoping you haven't given up on me already.

First, it's Pipol Smasher, and what it lacks in spelling, it makes up for in smashy, burny fun. The tagline is 'The Time Of Cars Has Come. All Humans Will Be Eliminated!' and the game boils down to a series of levels where you control some sentient cars in their efforts to take out all the 'Pipol' in each stage by running them over, knocking them off the stage, dropping heavy things on them or burning them. Fun times!

Hokay, next is more of a brief distraction than a fully fledged game but it is so compelling that I have to feature it. It's a neon hued point & click where you try and get your rabbit from one screen to the next. Play it here: Easy Joe.

Another physics game now. This one a sequel to the previously plinked Crush The Castle. Imaginatively titled Crush The Castle 2, this is a sequel that improves on its predecessor in every way. More castles, more projectiles, more *ahem* story. More more more, how do you like it?

Moving on, here's another innovative platform game from the brainiacs at Nitrome. This one's unique selling point is... folding. Yup, you fold the level to get to your objective. It's a lot more impressive when you see it in action. Check it out: Fault Line.

Lastly, for those of you that just aren't into murderous cars, neon rabbits, trebuchets or space-warping munchkins and would prefer a game about a sushi-chomping globular cat... well, you're in luck. Here's Sushi Cat: The Honeymoon. It's a sequel to the first Sushi Cat game which apparently I did not plink. It's a bit like pachinko, assuming you know what pachinko is like. You drop your chubby feline pal into the top of the level and hope he bounces in such a way as to gather enough sushi to progress. there's actually a pretty cute story to go with both games. give them a try.

And that's it!

I'm off to Latitude festival tomorrow so I'll catch up with you again when I get back. Bye!