Results tagged “gaming”

I know we don’t talk about games as much as we could here, but I came across this game, by way of the Totally Rad Show, and had to share. Lately I’ve been addicted to my iPod games - Reversie, Klondike (or solitaire, for those who haven’t played the apple version), Tetris, and Vortex have become favorite things for me to do while listening to Book Radio. So, I’m into puzzle games. And if you are too, then I’ve got a great new game to kill off whatever productivity is left in your day for you to try.

The game is Auditorium and if you’re looking to kill time without even know you’re doing it, then this is your game. And guess what? It’s free to play.

So what’s it all about? Good question. This is a puzzle game that has the player using directional “lenses” to alter the path of light particles in order to fill up volume meters. You complete each level by filling up all the meters at the same time. By doing so, you also complete the melody that is playing. As I mentioned, the lenses are directional and you can grow and shrink them to alter the way that they reflect the light.

Gradually, color coded meters and more lenses are introduced. The color coded mirrors require you to filter the light through a similarly colored ring before you fill the meter, adding a layer of complexity to the proceedings. I haven’t played through the whole puzzle game, so I don’t know how many variations there are, but I have found a lens that swirls the light, allowing you to fill color coded meters that would otherwise be next to impossible to fill.

[more after the jump]

World of Warcraft. It is a massive multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG). The chances are good you have either played it yourself or you know someone who does. But are you as into it as this guy??

Prepared to be Prepared?

I can’t believe Prepared’s set up! Look at all of those keyboards and mice! And I’m sure he’ll be spending many sleepless nights when WoW releases the new expansion game, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, set to come out on November 13, 2008!

I’d rather go yachting, I think… haha

When Lucas Arts revealed they would be creating a new game that would allow you to be Vader, I already could not wait. Then we learned more about the story and many of the cool force-related techniques we’d be able to employ while playing and that just made it all the more cool!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is now unleashed upon us all!

Now, I haven’t played the game—waiting for a long weekend to fully immerse myself into it. But someone I trust has played it and reviewed it: Quint at Ain’t It Cool News. Quint and I see eye-to-eye when it comes to the Star Wars universe and gaming, so I have a feeling I am going to enjoy The Force Unleashed as much as he did!

And don’t forget about the book! Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was novelized by the very talented Sean Williams, out in bookstores now!

You’ve probably hearing a lot about Spore lately and all its awesomeness. From articles all over the gaming world to even hitting the NY Times recently, Spore is in the spotlight. It’s a fantastic evolutionary game from the mind of the great Will Wright and gives the power of species advancement to the hands on you, the lowly gamer. The Creature Creator is available online now for download to get your hands Amoeba deep into some early gameplay before the full game comes out on the 7th of this month. You can also check out the Prima Creature Creator Guide here to help you out and check out some of the crazy stuff we’ve made.

We interviewed Haden Blackman, the Project Lead for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game from Lucasfilm. He told us what it’s like to write the screenplay for a game and how his vision translated into novel format—all from a gamer engineer’s perspective.

Question: Can you first tell us a little bit about your role in the creation of the FORCE UNLEASHED video game?

Haden Blackman: I was the project lead, which is basically a hybrid between creative director and executive producer. I was responsible for setting the overall vision for the game, and rallying and managing the team throughout the development. I directly managed all of the leads, worked very closely with the design staff, and wrote the “shooting script” for the cinematics.

Q: As the lead writer of the game story, how much input were you able to give Sean Williams while he was writing the book?

Haden Blackman: He was on a pretty tight schedule, and I was deep in crunch on the game, so we only had a few opportunities to talk and exchange notes. Fortunately, he was able to use the game’s shooting script as his starting point, which I think gave him a strong foundation. After he finished his first draft, I was able to take a few days reading it and providing notes, most of which he incorporated into the final draft. A great deal of my feedback was centered on keeping the characters true to the way they are portrayed in the game. This was really important because, in the game, we can’t get into the characters’ heads the same way a novel can, and there were thoughts and feelings expressed by the characters in the first draft that weren’t always true to our vision of the characters. Juno was probably the toughest character in this regard: The novel spends a lot of time exploring her character, and I really wanted to make sure that it was aligned with our take on her personality, motivations and psychology, even in areas that aren’t explored in depth in the game.

If you’re a Stephenie Meyer fan looking for a way to pass the time between the final book release in the saga last week (Breaking Dawn) and the Twilight movie in December (although it’s never too early to grab that sleeping bag and start forming a line outside the theater), check out the Breaking Dawn game that was hooked up to celebrate the latest release.

I have very fond memories of playing the original Nintendo when I was growing up. Those memories lasted until my second year in college when I bought the brand new Nintendo 64 with the Mario 64 game. The Mario 64 blew all things before it away. My last year in the dormitory at the University of Washington was mostly spent having all the guys on my floor—and many of the girls—stopping by to play the new system and keeping me up at night!

After that, I lost interest. And even in recent years with great advancements in gaming technology I still don’t hold much interest. I’d rather be reading or going to the movies or writing on my book. But the film adaptation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has me glued to the internet for developments.

Why, might you ask?

Mike Newell, the director of Prince of Persia, has also been chosen to helm the director’s seat for the live-action film adaptation of The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks!

While all of us at Suvudu (and many of you, we suspect) have our eyes turned resolutely and eagerly toward San Diego and the prodigiously attended Comic-Con West (over 100,000 of us, apparently), it’s worth noting that comics’ kissing cousin, the gaming industry, held its annual E3 Conference last weekend in LA.

Alas, Suvudu wasn’t in attendance but Seth Schiesel of the New York Times provides excellent coverage of the “10 coming games that most impressed at E3”.

An ancient Tibetan form of meditation? The name of a new hybrid vehicle? A new nightclub in the heart of Manhattan? The middle name of an astronaut? These were some of the interesting answers people gave to this question:

“What is Suvudu?”

If the answer is none of those given, then what is the answer?

Suvudu is a new website catering to news from all sci-fi and fantasy creative media—books, audiobooks, gaming, manga, comic books and movies! Content will include podcasts, videos, reviews, interviews and original blog posts, all brought to you by some of the best talents in the sci-fi, fantasy, graphic novel and gaming industries.

Imagine the San Diego Comic Con—but on a website all year round!

Sounds great, right?

That’s just the beginning. Sci-fi and fantasy fans will also play a role in Suvudu. Visitors are encouraged to comment on the posted content, contribute information they deem pertinent, and send in suggestions to make Suvudu the best it can be. Links to offsite blog and website content will be highlighted. As a community sharing and growing with one another, every relevant bit of news will have benefit—given voice on Suvudu for those who would hear it.

Suvudu will grow over time. In the coming months Suvudu will not only be a news blog but will evolve to include a library of free science fiction and fantasy books, advanced reads of forthcoming projects, exclusive looks inside the creative process of the publishing world, and incorporate a forum for like-minded fans to converse with one another.

So what is Suvudu, you ask? It is many things. But it is also a beginning—thrusters given life for the launch!

Welcome to Suvudu!