GDC 2012 - DYAD Racing PS3 PSN GDC PLAY

DYAD - Through the wormhole. 
Among the many games showcased at GDC Play, DYAD had to be my favorite. For one, I'm a sucker for audio-centric 'art' games. I'm a big fan of Jeff Minter's Tempest 2000, and the Atari Jaguar's VLM. I'm also a big fan of Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Rez, and Dylan Fitterer's Audiosurf (and soon to be released Audiosurf Air). And let's not forget TRON the movie, which stylistically seems to permeate through all of these games and has defined the visual style for all things retro digital, and futuristic cool. 
Over the years there has been quite a few indie developers creating unique music based gaming experiences that pulse, ripple, and echo in euphoric psychedelia, where the gameplay is very much part of the soundtrack. DYAD is the latest entry into this category.
From Toronto based developer Shawn McGrath, the objective is to propel yourself forward through a visually stunning wormhole by attaching, or 'hooking' yourself to enemies (particles), while avoiding them. The more strategic connections you make, the faster you go. The game is described as an abstract racing game, though I don't think there is a multi-player competitive mode.
Playing the demo at GDC Play, there were several tracks to choose from. I was able to get a hang of the game, after hitting several particles which slowed me down. The player can rotate around the tunnel, much like Tempest to find the best line. Once I got into the rhythm of the game, it was pretty entertaining and I could see myself getting hooked. Despite comparisons to other games, DYAD is an experience unto its own.
The game had been submitted to festivals, but seems to not have won over any of the juries. However, I'm sure that gamers will enjoy the combination of sounds, eye melting visuals, and gameplay.
DYAD is set for PS3/PSN, with possible PC release.
Looking forward to it!
http://www.dyadgame.com 

GDC 2012 Sample Sumo Music Technology GDC Play

GDC PLAY 2012 - SAMPLE SUMO AUDIO RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

So it's been a few weeks since GDC 2012, and I'm finally getting around to going through all the business cards I've accumulated over the week at the conference. With so many social events, it's easy to forget where certain cards came from, but in the case of Sample Sumo a Belgium based tech company, I immediately recalled it was from GDC Play.

GDC Play is a separate area from the the main Exhibit Hall, and Conference area. it is the equivalent of a convention's 'Artist Alley' but for independent developers who wish to display their games and products. Sample Sumo's audio technology demonstration was pretty memorable. Using sounds to trigger gameplay behaviour, the user could either tap, pots and pans, or wood blocks to get the correct sound effect, which the microphone would then pick up.

Being demoed at GDC Play was Cows 'n' Order.

It's a neat technology that could be applied to something like Microsoft Kinect, or Sony Move, or even without a camera, or controller. Seems like all you need is a microphone, and well, sound! Would work well with handheld gaming on smartphones or PS Vita, and Nintendo DS.

Read more about Sample Sumo at GDC http://www.samplesumo.com/node/48


Sample Sumo
http://www.samplesumo.com/

Day 3 Tokyo Japan - Seedy Shinjuku, Placenta Drink, 8-Bit Cafe, 16Shots

*Delayed blog, posted on Tuesday night Japan time.

Monday - I had no idea what Shinjuku was all about until Keito mentioned that Shinjuku was the entertainment district (as if everything in Tokyo wasn't entertaining enough), specifically for the Salarymen, (and salarywomen), adults seeking company, and tourists looking to ahem, 'experience' what the locals are providing.

All I knew about Shinjuku was that the 8-Bit Cafe, and 16Shots Otaku spots, were somewhere in the area, as well as several Vinyl toy urban art shops I wanted to see.

I had written down the addresses on my iPhone, but we had no leads on where to start. So we stopped by a police mini-station outside of the Shinjuku east exit of the station to ask for directions.

Pointed in the right direction, we proceeded to make our way through the brightly lit streets of Shinjuku. Toys, and videogame themed bars, were the priority in Shinjuku. FewMany was on my list of places to hit up, so we headed on over after getting directions. This Toy store had a pretty varied selection of toys, that were more geared towards the cute stuff, Sanrio-esque toys, and not high-end anime figurines. We also needed directions to the 8-Bit Cafe, and 16 Shots, and other other toy stores too and thanks to the dude at FewMany, he helped us out and printed out some google maps for us.

Lots of walking called for some energy, so we stopped by a Pharmacy to get an energy drink I've been meaning to try. The Placenta drink... For all genders, not for the weak stomachs, this promises to give a healthy boost in energy with Pig Placenta. The Pharmasist (Salesmen) was very helpful in describing it's affects, which included better alertness, and overall better health. The small bottle retailed for 10bucks!

On a completely unrelated side note... We were kicked out of a sex shop. You see I have some friends back home who wanted me to bring them back some adult gifts, so I've been looking into possibly doing just that. In Shinjuku I had an opportunity to browse a store, which was owned by an elderly woman. She welcomed us in, and showed us some of the items, speaking no english. Luckily Keito was translating. The lady all of a sudden said that if we buy an item for a minimum of 3,00 Yen, she'd through in a special gift... we were curious. As we looked for a cheap item to buy, the lady suddenly became inpatient, and started pushing us towards the door all the while speaking gibberish Japanese, literally. We found ourselves on the doorstep, stunned by what just happened, we walked away trying to figure out what the fuck we did wrong. Wierd.

Sorry no pictures of the rest of the cafe. The best way to describe 8-Bit Cafe is that it feels like your dream bedroom growing up, packed with toys, and classic videogames. I have to go back here before I leave to buy a t-shirt.

We ordered up lots of drinks, and mixed in the Placenta drink, which alone tastes very salty, and kinda gross. I also did some sketching in sketchbook that guests typically doodle in during their visit, and played some NES and SNES games, like Mother 2, Mario Kart, Mario Paint, Street Fight II, Final Fight II, and more. I really wanted to test the knowledge of the people at 8-Bit Cafe, so I asked them if they had the Super Scope 6, since they seemed to have everything else, even the Virtual Boy... surprisingly he didn't know what the Super Scope 6 was... WTF? Another observation about this place is that many of the older games didn't work, or take a while to work. Blowing on cartridges is a must.

16Shots, friends of the folks at the 8-Bit Cafe is more like a bar, and not a bedroom. It's pretty tiny, and a bit of a walk from 8-Bit. There was an arcade machine that guests use as a table, and a TV setup with a mess of game consoles, and controller wires. I popped in Mario Kart. The 'button press' hit-counter was also being passed around, and we all tested our skills to see if we could compete with Takahashi Meijin - Master Higgins' 16Shots a second.

The biggest surprise at the 16Shots was the owner, and his excellent library of videogame music, at his finger tips. From Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, to REZ, and even Portal, I was fucking stunned. We were all happily surprised. No other bar, would ever play those songs back to back, that alone is reason to go to 16shots just to see how extensive his music collection is. Even a specific stage in Virtua Fighter 2 (Shun Di remix), the DJ knew and played. Awesome. Best DJ in Tokyo.

When I asked him what type of people come to 16Shots, he said mostly employees of game companies like SEGA, and KONAMI. I also asked him what the Japanese think of the XBOX 360, and he said that many are growing a liking to the XBLA, it's game distribution, and content, though of course, the PS3 remains most popular.

Also at 16Shots was an artist who has done work for Konami, and Bandai, check out his amazing stuff!

Sleepy, drunk, and tired, heading back to Shibuya was somewhat tough, when I kept falling in and out of sleep. Damn bright lights... solution... shades.

I am going to Tokyo, I repeat I am going to effing Tokyo.

Ready, Set, Go, Tokyooo! - Arributo Art

I once walked into a house party severely drunk, yelling "Tokyo Mutha fucka!!!" as soon as the front door opened up to a surprised bunch of party goers, who were just as drunk as me. The girl I was dating at the time just so happened to be Japanese and from Tokyo, and so it was only appropriate we make a loud entrance, reppin' her hometown. There was another time when a group of us yelled out "Tokyoooo!!", after seeing a few Japanese fans with a large flag of their home country after an amazing Kanye West Concert. The energy of the concert and being aware of Kanye's love for the Japanese made use go crazy. Flash forward to now, and I finally have the opportunity to yell Tokyo from the heart, because I'm actually going there.

I can honestly say that this is going to be one of the strangest most exciting trips that I've ever been on, to date. And though I've entertained the idea of going to Japan for a while now, it has all come together so fast within the last couple weeks, that it still feels unreal. Shit, I'm going to Japan?

My family keeps asking me if I'm going to visit the temples, and all that historical stuff, my reply to them is NO. Shit there's more important stuff to see. Like awesome chiptune parties, sex dolls, and stuff. Thanks to Bit Shifter who tipped me off on some good spots. LoL

As for my level of preparedness, I'm not really prepared at all. Sure the general plans are in order, the plane tickets are locked in, and the rooms booked, but in terms of psychological preparedness, culture-shock, and just the shear awesomeness of being in Japan, Tokyo specifically, I think I'm gonna (for a lack of a better expression) 'bust a nut.'

Just to be clear though, I am not a 'Japanophile', and I don't even consider myself an 'Otaku,' though I am a geek, and somewhat of a nerd, just not as extreme as other die-hard fans out there. I don't read manga in their traditional format, I don't even read manga. I stopped watching anime in high school, and only see anime films these days based on recommendations from friends. I never made my own Japanese-sounding alias for online use, nor did I ever bother studying the language to translate imported anime, or videogames. I don't use anime-mannerisms in conversations or modify my speech to sound like a character from a show. I most definitely don't lust after Japanese girls only. (Actually I think Korean women are hotter and taller.) I've never taken a traditional Japanese sword fighting class, nor have I taught English to ESL students in hopes of picking up a girlfriend. Vancouver's full of those predators, and that's just not me.

I did however go through a phase of drawing Japanese animation styled art in my teens, but when I studied animation in post-secondary, my taste for the anime style lessened as my eyes were open to the other art and artists out there.

Though it may sound like I don't care for the stereotypical things that us westerners (foreigners) identify Japan with, I still love Japan. My interests always seem to lead back to Japan. Videogames and Japan are inherently inseparable, western animation definitely owes a lot to anime, so does film, even vinyl toys and artists who draw inspiration from Japanese influences, as well as, music, technology, urban and pop-culture. Japan's direct and indirect influence on North America, Europe, and Asia is all over the place.

I may not be a hardcore fan of Japan with every geek destination planned out, but that doesn't mean my trip to Japan will be any less awesome. I will be trying to get around to as much as possible and discovering things along the way. Totally checking out Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjiku, Kichijoji is a must. Videogames are a high priority, but so are the toys, animation, art, and FOOD. I fucking love Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, Miso Ramen, Beef Sashimi, sushi, Japanese hot pot.

I definitely HAVE to see the bizarre Japanese things that have appeared online. The girlfriend pillow, those life-sized sex dolls with anime faces, strange Placenta drinks, capsule hotels, and whatever else. I haven't been going out of my way to learn the language, so lets see how far pointing, and broken English/Japanese will take me.

As much as this is a selfish trip to just have fun and explore, I will also be reconnecting with old friends who used to live in Vancouver. It's gonna be good. So good I can taste it. I only wish my brother were here to enjoy it as well, as we had planned on going together. Shit, after all the painful and depressing stuff that's happened to my family and I the last few months, I fucking deserve this trip. My sister and I deserve it.

I will be taking JAL direct to Narita, so hopefully, I'll be fully relaxed by the time I get there. Their website offers some tips to deal with some stressful scenarios which I found pretty funny. Will be staying in Shibuya the first couple days too starting on Oct.4th. Jet Set Radioooo! I'd be cool if I saw some extreme inline skating. Then headed to Chiba-City for the Tokyo Game Show, then after that, a few more days in Japan, who knows where I'll end up!

First timer to Asia, totally intimidated. If you know of any favorite spots that you have been to or would like to see, let me know, and perhaps I can check it out.

Tokyo here I come! Follow me on Twitter, will be updating my blogs as well.

Comic-Con 08 - EW's Visionary Filmmakers - Kevin Smith, Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Judd Apatow

Power Panel

Not too long after Frank Miller gave Comic-Con audiences a look at his upcoming movie 'The Spirit', the graphic novel god turned director, took part in a panel hosted by Entertainment Weekly a few hours later that was equally as popular, if not more so than as his own. Featuring fellow filmmakers Zack Snyder, Kevin Smith, and Judd Apatow the eclectic group of established filmmakers brought out some hilarious moments, that not only shed light on how each director feels about the others work, but also reminded the audience of their distinct filmmaking styles.

As expected Kevin Smith was his usual self amid the other filmmakers, and didn't hesitate to poke fun at his career or that of his peers. He joked about not being as commercially successful as Apatow or Snyder, in terms of box office numbers, he also did a great reenactment of the opening scene to Star Trek The Motion Picture aka "The Bald Chick Adventures," which absolutely cracked me up.,/p>

Recorded in several parts, you can view them on my youtube.com/rez2cool page.

Vancouver International Game Summit 2008

The 2nd annual Vancouver International Game Summit, organized by Reboot Communications Ltd. proved to be a solid 2-day experience (leading into Vidfest) featuring a mix of eclectic speakers, that not only inspired conference goers but educated them as well. Whether a professional or student, animator or game designer, the VIGS agenda offered sessions that kept attendees genuinely engaged.

It's getting there, it definitely getting there. As someone who has in the past attended such high-profile events like the Game Developers Conference, and the Electronic Entertainment Expo, I can say with certainty that VIGS, is well on it's way to establishing itself as a major industry conference. The smaller atmosphere may lack the lights, bells, and whistles, of those larger shows, but I think we can all benefit from it's much less chaotic feel. I personally wouldn't want this local event ballooning into a GDC-esque mega-conference, but with the much respected SIGGRAPH coming to town in 2011, and with the new Convention center getting closer to completion, the summit, might need to step it up with a larger presence and more sponsors in the future.

Even though the Vancouver International Game Summit, (which is often times referred to as the Vancouver Game Summit), claims to be an 'international' forum, the speakers weren't so much as international as one would expect. I have yet to see game developers from Asia or Europe speaking at the show. Jason Rubin, and Shane Kim, are not good examples of internationalism. Opening up to a more international community would definitely draw more interest, which I think the summit needs more of.

Reboot Communications should definitely take cues from CMP Group, and the success of GDC to help with the planning and organizing of future VIGS. One aspect of GDC that I think everyone can recognize as being integral to a conference, is the availability of lectures, via an audio recording for purchase, or complimentary for attendees. These are most important for journalists writing articles, as well as educators, to gain access to information they can utilize in their curriculum. I found myself recording these sessions for work, and being able to refer back to them was a great asset.

Jason Rubin gave a fantastic but some what disorganized keynote, recounting his long career as former president of Naughty Dog, and now as a game industry outsider/ consultant in a very talky informal lecture. He offered inspiration for those thinking of becoming entrepreneurs, and discussed the industries diversity. Propaganda Games, also discussed a 5-day mini-game competition they had at their studio, which brought out some very creative projects within a very short amount of time. They found that this was a great team-building experience, that required quick prototyping. The technology panel, New Frontiers in Animation, featured art directors and technical leads from local game studios, who talked about animation getting overshadowed by next-gen graphics, middleware, and the uses of mocap vs. keyframe animation. "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - The Business and Game Design behind the 2007 Game of the Year", and Fostering the Leaders of Tomorrow were also great panels.

Though the Press facilities were next to nonexistent -- no private press room, where we could charge laptops, and type up papers, and the lack of internet access, with locked wi-fi that the Hotel Hyatt was offering for a fee, which I had to go out of my way to request the code for -- despite those inconveniences, I hope to see the summit continue to grow as a must attend industry event, in the epicenter of Canada's game industry that is Vancouver.