Circuit Boards.

Evening.

Latitude was a blast. I will give you the full scoop once there are some pictures I can sprinkle through the post.

For now though, here's a video called Gnarcade. It's a music video which doubles as a skateboarder/snowboarder showcase. More importantly, it uses iconic imagery from some classic videogames and the editing is pretty amazing. Not a lot else I can say about it, really. Just watch it yourself.

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!

Review - The Karate Kid.

Hi there.
This here is my first film review. Some folks were kind enough to send me to a premiere of the new reboot of The Karate Kid so I am going to stick my two cents about it on here for you to read. Incidentally, instead of furnishing you with the actor names for all characters mentioned, check them out yourself on the film's IMDb page.

So... yeah. It's pretty good! To be honest, I have never seen the original, but I'm familiar enough with the legacy it has to know the storyline and some of the iconic moments. One of these (the using chopsticks to catch a fly scene) is mined for a great visual gag early in the film. The storyline loosely follows that of the original with some key differences. Daniel-san has become Xiao Dre, this film is set in China rather than LA, the age of the 'kid' and his rivals is several years younger (resulting in some surprisingly shocking child-on-child violence) and most importantly, in a move that has caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth on forums across the internet, the film isn't about Karate, but Kung Fu. To be fair, this is acknowledged in the film, and the title remains out of a sense of nostalgia and to illustrate the fact that most people don't know the difference, including Dre's mother.

I wasn't too sure about Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith (the producers of this movie) to start with, but without noticing, I warmed to him. He's not one of the truly great child actors, but he did enough to make me believe he wasn't only chosen due to nepotism. All the other performers did a solid job. Jackie Chan is forever reliable, here playing Mr Han, the Miyagi-equilvalent ass-kicking handyman who saves Dre from the bullies he manages to enrage by talking to pretty fellow student Mei Ying, resulting in a stand-out sequence where Mr Han takes on 6 children in spectacular fashion. He then goes on to coach Dre to the point where he is able to enter a Kung Fu tournament, the two of them inevitably bonding along the way. As with the original, Dre is taught the fundamentals of the martial art using a series of seemingly-mundane actions (picking up a dropped jacket and hanging it on a peg) and then an obligatory training montage. This pulls out enough new ideas though to stay fresh. Chan's comic timing is as precise as his movements and Smith seems to have inherited his father's skill in goofy charm.

One strength this reboot has is the fact that due to the film being set in China, many characters use faltering English, which leads to some incredible economy of language. One such moment is the upsettingly bleak farewell given to Dre from Mei Ying when she is told by her father not to consort with him anymore. This, despite the faintly silly plot, gives the film an air of authenticity that only rarely spills over into sickly sentiment.

Obviously, the film culminates with the tournament and enough about the film is different to ensure you won't know whether the script will follow the original to the letter or not. I'm not going to spoil it here, obviously.

Anyway, I'd recommend seeing this. It won't change your life, but it might make your day.

Pew Pew Pew!

Hello.
I'm not sure where you stand on graffiti. I think that it can either be a wonderful art form or senseless vandalism for the sake of letting people know that 'gary woz ere'.
One of the main arguments against it is the 'defacement of property' angle and yeah, that's fair enough. You might not like a sprawling mural depicting anti-capitalism if it was sprayed on the side of your bungalow. However, this is not a criticism that can be levelled at 'light graffiti'. However, the capacity to make impressive works of art is still there. It's by no means a new idea. People have been doing it for a while. It was the basis of a pretty sweet Music Video back in 2003, for example. But people are still finding new ways to dazzle us with its possibilities.

Case in point, the work of Freddie Wong who has used the technique to make this short film: Light Warfare. As you can probably tell from the screenshot below, it's pretty spectacular.



Watch to the end for a link to a 'behind the scenes' video as well. Sweet!

Planet Plate.

Afternoon. In honour of the official start of the World Cup, have a football themed phuzzle game. It's called Soccer Balls and the link to real football is nice 'n' tenuous.

Basically, kick the football at the ref. Pass it between team-mates where neccessary. It's good fun and won't tax the grey matter too much but it is oddly compelling. Mainly because the refs get so angry that their heads pop off and bounce about. Anyway, enjoy!

Soccer Balls.

It's All Happening Now.

Hello, remember a while ago when I plinked about Thomas Truax's Album Launch Campaign? Well it worked! The album has been released and I have the warm glow of satisfaction that comes with making a tangible difference, albeit a small one. It's really good by the way, I advise you to get hold of it if you haven't already.

Anyway, now it's time for phase two. Here's the plan as laid out by the man himself:

"We're going to upload 'It's All Happening Now' to Youtube on TUESDAY,and we're hoping you'll watch it! We're also going to try and get all our friends, supporters, dogs, kittens, goldfish and, of course, zombies to go on youtube to watch it and comment on it and try to boost it into a 'most viewed' category on that day. With a little luck and some concentrated effort, we hope it will take flight and find a larger audience. Aside from my own selfish agenda, Keith and all the talented people he brought in for the project really deserve to get noticed. Loads of time and energy went into making this little film, and it was all done for love...(and, of course, BRAIIINNNNS!!!)"

If you're wondering about the 'brains' comment, it relates to the presence of zombies in the video. A while back, when it was being made there was an open casting call for people to be in the video dressed as a zombie and as much as I'd like to tell you I was there, I wasn't able to make it.

However, it's still a truly excellent video for a truly excellent song. Check it out, click on 'like', help me to help him. Again!



Thank you.

Caught By The Fuzz.

If you're reading this blog, you almost certainly know me. If you know me, then presumably you know that I am pretty great and that you could stand to be more like me. It just makes sense.

But how?

Well, here's a good start. Beard Beanies. Yup, it's a beanie, with a beard attached. Check it out:



That guy is automatically rendered 400% cooler and more attractive. Be like him by being like me.

Beard Beanies!

You'd Batter Believe It.

Evening. How are we all? Splendid.

Got a photoblog effort for you today. It's called Jim's Pancakes and it's about a dude called Jim who makes pancakes. However, in a similar vein to the previously-plinked Tiny Art Director (well worth checking in on again if you haven't seen it in a while), things are improved by the inclusion of a demanding little girl calling the shots.

When it comes to pancakes, I'm happy enough if I can make one that comes out round, but that's not good enough for Jim, or more specifically, Jim's daughter Allie. She'd rather have a Plane:



or a Cheeseburger:



or a... Ferris Wheel?



Yeah, he's a talented guy. Read the rest of the Jim's Pancakes blog to see Sushi, a Crane, a Necklace and many more.

Save The Beeb.

Simple one, this. There are currently some cuts of BBC services being proposed, including some neutering of the website and the abandonment of BBC 6music.

Protests have been underway for a while but this seems to be the final push, so if you have a minute and care about the issue (which you really should), please sign the Petition.

Thanks.

LittleBigPlanet 2.

The title should tell you everything you need to know. If you were reading my blog back in October of 2008, firstly thanks for sticking around. Secondly, you may remember me getting overly excited about the release of LittleBigPlanet!

Well, guess what. The sequel has been announced, and it looks fantastic of course. An evolution of the first game in every way. No longer 'just' a platform game, the strapline for this one is "a platform for games." My head is already spinning with the possibilities. I'm ready to get excited all over again.

Who's with me?

LittleBigPlanet 2.

Plumbing New Depths.

Hiya. I am currently too ill to go out so I'm going to stay in and furnish you sickeningly healthy types with some games.

Who is the most famous video game character ever? That's right, it is This Guy.

In polls he has proven to be more recognisable than Mickey Mouse. As a result, he appears everywhere and as well as appearing in over 200 official video games over the last 30 years, he has been the subject of more fan made games than it is possible to keep track of. Todays plinx brings you two of the latest, greatest examples.

Firstly, we have Super Mario Crossover. This one takes the entirety of the original Super Mario Bros and allows you to play through the game as either Mario or one of several other classic videogame stars. I'm going to run through them now, the further you get through this list and still know what I'm talking about, the nerdier you are. Ready?
Link. Mega Man. Samus Aran. Simon Belmont. Bill Rizer.
If any of that rang any bells, you should give this game a go. It's making a mockery of my childhood memories in the best possible way!

Secondly, a much more abstract offering. This is actually a brain-twisting puzzler disguised as a platform game. It's called Enough Plumbers and to beat each level, you just have to direct a plumber to the exit. However, things are complicated by the fact that every time you collect a coin, a clone of yourself appears. As the difficulty ramps up, you have to use and abuse this power in ever more complicated ways. It's difficult to describe but not difficult to enjoy. So play it!

Alright, I'm going back to feeling sorry for myself. Bye.

Full Moon Over Wowtown.

Hey there.
I know you're accustomed to me just heaping free entertainment in your laps every couple of days but today is different. Like with the Indie Love Bundle, today's episode of plinx calls on you to dig deep in those pockets. As always, however, I don't do this without good reason. Today is no exception.

Thomas Truax is a man who deserves to be on your radar. He is a songwriter, a performer and an inventor and he puts on a heck of a live show involving instruments that he has designed and built himself. His music sounds like nothing else and he is starting to see some success. It's impossible to capture the spirit of a live show in any useful form but there are some tracks on His Myspace and you can watch a video of Thomas introducing his 'band' of fantastical instruments right here:



Now, he has a new album that, to quote the man himself "sits smoking on the pad, ready for launch, yet sadly just short of the fuel it needs for a proper lift-off" and is asking for help from the music community. If you have any interest at all in the man or his music, you can take part in a program called 'pledgemusic' which allows fans to directly influence the release of the music they love, enabling them to be a part of the process and in this case, get rewarded for it!

Y'see, all you have to do is 'pledge' to buy the album (for 8 measly pounds!) and, should it get enough supporters to reach the amount required, you get the album. However, if you wish to help even more, you can pay slightly (or not so slightly, depending on your inclination) more and get a 'reward'. Anything from a signed limited edition poster, to a private gig in your house!

Anyway, I think this is a great idea and am very much looking forward to receiving my album and poster, as well as the feeling that I have played a part in the release of something amazing. If you want in, have a look at the pledge site Here.

Pixellent.

Evening.
I have a video for you. It's footage of New York City as it is beset by a plague of pixels! Taking the form of classic retro videogame sprites, they lay waste to the city. This video is amazing and well worth a watch even if you aren't a total geek. But if you are, then you get the added bonus of spotting all the references to different games and their makers.

Anyway, enjoy!


PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Discover more animation and arts videos.

The embedded video is a little small. If you'd prefer to see it in glorious big screen, click the link.

You'll Like This. Not Alot, But You'll Like It.

This tickled me. Partly because I am a spelling and grammar pedant, but mostly because it's funny!

It's an article containing advice on how to cope with the piss-poor writing standards of 90% of the people online, and it stars this li'l critter:



Give It A Read.

Haha, having read a bit more of the blog this is from, I have found some other great stuff. Check out 7 Games To Play With A Brick and A Thesis On The Tyranny Of Sandwiches.

Skol!

I don't like to resort to cliches but...

*ahem*

If you only click on one link this year. Make sure it's this one.

Turns out I'm pretty Big In Sweden!