Video game soundtracks are awesome right? Well how about a fusion of video game OST's mixed with a mariachi band? Not what you'd consider a match made in heaven but it does work surprisingly well.
Mysterious Cities Of Gold Season 3 Premiere
I have a deep love for the Mysterious Cities of Gold and after an okay season 2 which picked up midway through the episodes it is with bated breath that I have waited for any announcements regarding the third season. Well at the 19th FIFEM Festival (Festivale International Du Film Pour Infants) in Montreal the new season is being kicked off with a premier of the first 3 episodes. Living in England I'm obviously not able to go but I hope that the new series arrives soon as I need closure after 2 cities of gold were found and now the hunt is on for the third in Japan.
Kaizo Trap
Guy Collins is a talented artist with an eye for nostalgia and brutal level design. His short animation, the Kaizo Trap is a wonderful animation that looks at what a girl will do to rescue the man she loves. Check it out!
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past Complete in Reverse Order
Awesome Games Done Quick 2016 was a great showcase of skill but in this video Andy and Superskulj race through A Link to the Past in reverse order by using glitches, level skips and pixel-perfect mirror warps to work backwards from Ganon to the Armos Knights. By the end the game is so glitched out that only a game reset will suffice. The skills required to achieve this by both players is incredible so if you have a couple of hours spare check out the pure skill of these players in this classic game.
Video Game Mandalas
''Mandala'' is a Sanskrit word meaning ''circle'', and they are usually complex abstract designs that are usually circular in form. Mandalas generally have one identifiable center point, from which emanates an array of symbols, shapes and forms.
Wanderweird has created his own mandalas but instead of being inspired by mythologies or sacred texts he has been inspired by video games. The mandalas are all painted acrylic on canvas and show a phenomenal amount of detail. In his own words:
SACRED MYTHOLOGIES is the title given to the series of video game mandalas I've been working on since 2013. Video Games were the mythology and meditation of my impressionable childhood, and I feel that these stories are just as deep and important as any Eastern or Western mythology. Each design is meant to entirely encompass one game, implementing all enemies, weapons, items, and bosses, usually set into a playable maze, complete with various hidden Easter eggs.
Here is an example of the work that can be purchased from Wanderweird, impressive eh? There are lots more examples available from his website.
The results are amazing and I highly recommend that you check them out.
Pocket Code
Pocket Code is a free app that allows you to create and share the games you make. The app uses Catrobat programming, which is similar to Scratch and the Hour of Code website. All Catrobat programs uploaded to the Pocket Code site can be downloaded by anyone under a free open source license to maximize learning, remixing and sharing them freely. I have been experimenting with the app myself and hope to integrate it into my Future Technologies club soon. Give it a try yourself, what do you have to lose?
Artcade- The Book of Classic Arcade Game Art
For people of a certain generation the arcades were a magical place full of noise, excitement and colourful art. Over the years with the dwindling of the arcade scene the marquee artwork and the arcade machines themselves have all but disappeared and their legacy has been left to fade away. However after being successfully backed on Kickstarter Tim Nicholls has worked diligently to scan and restore the artwork back to its former glory and will be releasing the book, Artcade- The Book of Classic Arcade Game Art, in April 2016. I for one am going to buy a copy and will hopefully review it here.
Telltale Games: Story Mode
Complex is a creative collective from America and they have created an insightful documentary looking into the life of Telltale. Since its startup in 2004 Telltale has gone from strength to strength and changed the conversation on what a game can be. The documentary is free to watch on YouTube and having just watched it I can say it is definitely worth it if you like Telltale's work or just have an interest in story telling in video games.
Bygone Behemoth
A new silent movie animation has been released on YouTube by creator Harry Chaskin and it is a sweet film about an aging movie monster who relives his glory days. The short is similar in theme to another short I recommended a while back, Titano; both look at what it is to be an old actor in the new modern era of film-making and both have plenty of emotion. Check it out, it's well worth the free price of admission and is a great way to spend 5 minutes.
House of Illustration Exhibition : Comix Creatrix 100 Women Making Comics
There was controversy recently when the top French comic award panel for Grand Prix d'Angouleme created a 30 strong list of nominees, all male. Now without being accused of being a Social Justice Warrior this seems very unusual, in a recent article I wrote how the top selling New York Times comic artist was a female, Raina Telgemeier. This fact seems to be forgotten in the public realm with many assuming it is the big names like Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Scott Snyder or Brian K. Vaughan. There are many females out there contributing greatly to comics and there always have been; Rumiko Takahashi, Posy Simmonds, Marjane Satrapi and Tove Jansson to name a few. To miss out so many talented comic creators and artists seems egregious to say the least. However, the House of Illustration is hosting an exciting exhibition looking at the role of women in the creation of comics as a medium. The exhibition will run from 5th Feb to 15th May and I will be heading down to give it a look. I'd recommend that you do too as I went for the Quentin Blake and Ladybird Books exhibitions and loved them. Every-time I've visited I've had a great time and I'm sure this time will be no different.
The Evolution of Robots in Movies and on TV
Robots are awesome, since they first appeared in mainstream movies like Metropolis and The Day The Earth Stood Still they have evolved over time. This video by Sploid looks at the evolution and even though it may have some noticeable omissions it is a fascinating look at the the mechanoid marvels.
Carl Sagan Idea for a Contact Video Game
Astronomer Carl Sagan, beloved and renown for bringing space to the masses, came up with an idea for a video game in 1983. The manuscript, which was recently released by Library of Congress in Washington, outlines his idea for a game in which the player explores the galaxy by flying through a virtual representation of it. Elite, the space exploration game by David Braben and Ian Bell was released the next year but it is sad to think that he never got the chance to see his dream come to fruition with games like No Man's Sky and Elite: Dangerous. It is a fascinating read and an interesting insight into a man who wanted to encourage a love for space and exploration.
Jean Michel Jarre Back With Electronica Vol. 1
The new album from electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre recently dropped and after an 8 year gap since this album has been eagerly awaited. The album, Electronica Vol 1, is a collaborative piece of work with various luminaries in the electronic music medium working with Jarre to create an album which is a celebration of electronic music in all its forms. The album features artists such as Vincent Clark (of Erasure fame), Armin Van Buurin, John Carpenter, Moby and Tangerine Dream; all amazing electronic music artists in their own right.
It's been a while but it has definitely been worth the wait!
Reading some of the reviews on Amazon a lot of Jarre fans have been down on the album saying that it doesn't have the 'Jarre sound' and that he's 'sold out', however they should understand the as a collaborative album; Jarre is working with different people and so his influence is there but not as prevalent as in his solo work. I like the album, especially the track with Little Boots 'If', 'Automatic parts 1 and 2' with Vincent Clark and 'Close Your Eyes' with Air. There are a couple of tracks that don't sit with me, like the ones with Pete Townshend and Laurie Anderson but maybe these are growers.
Overall, its no Oxygene (but then what is) however it's also no Teo and Tea and we can thank the Lord for that! Would I recommend it? Yes! Now I'm excited to see who he works with for the follow-up album, fingers crossed for Burial, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and Aphex Twin.
Streets of Rage Soundtrack on Vinyl
Over Christmas I was lucky enough to receive the Streets of Rage soundtrack on vinyl from my wife. None more hipster maybe but the idea of playing a remastered album from a 1991 Sega video game on an outdated piece of analogue music technology in a time of pervading digital media appeals to me.
The classic soundtrack is by Yuzo Koshiro and at the time was totally different to anything heard in video games, it was a time of trance and dance, when The Orb, The Prodigy and Orbital were getting into the charts. This soundtrack stood out among its contemporaries as it was not the usual bleeps and bloops of video games at the time... It spoke to many youths at the time, it was zeitgiesty and hearing the vinyl now it still feels special.
I've heard the music hundreds of times before, playing the game for months on end but I've never heard it like this. Now I'm no vinyl snob and I don't know which format of audio sounds better but I will say that on vinyl it does sounds different, but in a good way.
I would definitely recommend getting this album and hope DataDiscs continue to release more video game music soundtracks, Sonic 3 and Thunderforce 3 and 4 would be nice but beggars can't be choosers!
Peanutise Me
With the Charlie Brown Movie doing the rounds at the cinema now is the perfect opportunity to turn yourself into a character that fits into the world. This is a picture of my wife and I think it looks a lot like her!
Christmas Morning With Sega 1991- 1998
Ah Christmas, the time of year which every child dreams about. Santa is busy doing his rounds and if you've been good you'll get a whole load of swag. Share Tyler Esposito's enthusiasm as he opens his presents on Christmas morn from 1991 to 1998.
Twin Peaks Now in Production
Showtime has just released the production trailer for Twin Peaks and oh my is it awesome. Watching it for the first time my heart was beating furiously and then when they unveiled the iconic sign I got goosebumps all over. I CANNOT WAIT for this formative series.... just a couple of years to go!
The critically-acclaimed, ground breaking television phenomenon TWIN PEAKS returns as a limited series to SHOWTIME in 2017. Currently in production, TWIN PEAKS is written and produced by series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost and is directed entirely by David Lynch. While the full mystery awaits, fans can expect many familiar faces, including Golden Globe® winner and Emmy® Award nominee Kyle MacLachlan, who reprises his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper.
Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential broadcast series of all time, TWIN PEAKS followed the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town who were stunned after their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. The town's sheriff welcomed the help of FBI agent Dale Cooper, who came to town to investigate the case. As Cooper conducted his search for Laura's killer, the town's secrets were gradually exposed. The mystery that ensued set off an eerie chain of events that plunged the inhabitants of Twin Peaks into a darker examination of their very existence. Twenty-five years later, the story continues...
Gustavo Viselner, Pixel Artist Extraordinaire
Gustavo Viselner is a pixel artist who is working through the films of the latter half of the 20th century and turning them into pixel arr, reminiscent in style to the point and click adventure games of the 90's. Among the many films he has created pieces of work from are The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, Star Wars and Aliens. I would definitely recommend that you check out his awesome work.
70s, 80s and 90s Computer Hacking Supercut
Back in the old days computers were the Deus Ex Machina, able to solve and cause many of the worlds problems. YouTuber elsafrickey has created a supercut of some of Hollywood's best hacking scenes and it is great. In her own words:
The experimental film 'copy complete' focuses the cinematic presentations of the computer in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Sequences with computers are accompanied by split screens together into a collage as a journey back to the origin of the digital era.
Rocky IV vs Punchout
Rocky and Punchout are both iconic media set in the world of boxing. Both were classics in the 80's and so a mash-up of both is a no-brainer now that you think about it. RetroSFX.com has created a cool mash-up so I'd recommend that you check it out!