Albert Art : gdc2012

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Monday, March 26, 2012

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

Monday, March 12, 2012

FOODIE EATS TU LAN VIETNAMESE SAN FRANCISCO

FOODIE EATS! - SAN FRANCISCO - TU LAN VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

I had a chance to try this little local favorite, Vietnamese restaurant when I was in town for GDC. A local friend suggested Tu Lan (thx momop!). The area isn't so great around the restaurant, which is the case with a lot of the good food in downtown SF. The lunch crowd was very busy and very packed, but the turnover was fairly quick, and not too bad of a wait.

A friend and I sat at the bar, set up like an old diner, but serving up some very good Vietnamese eats. The serving staff were very quick, even though it might appear as chaos, they were pretty organized, Asian style.

I ordered half salad roll/spring roll which wasn't on the menu but they were glad to do it for new customers. I also ordered a #7 Pho noodle. The broth was quite peppery compared to other Pho that I've tried, and the beef pieces were fully cooked (no rare steak option) but still very filling and tasty.

Apparently their #15 (kabob on noodle) is da bomb! Which I will have to make a return trip to try.

Tu Lan Vietnamese, good stuff!

And yes, that is Julia Child on their menus.

http://tulansf.blogspot.com/
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/tu-lan-san-francisco

Sunday, March 11, 2012

PARTY! GDC 2012 IDA Ireland Bourbon and Branch

The IDA Ireland party was held at Bourbon and Branch, a very cool 1920's style speakeasy establishment. Located in downtown San Francisco's Jones st., the location is very easy to miss because of the unmarked exterior. I walked past it once, then realized I had missed it when saw some people who were dressed unlike the surrounding homeless characters, enter this door.

With the password for the event, I entered, and was led through the bar, and to a back room that had to be unlocked, which opened up to this really cool room. I at first felt slightly out of place since I was the only non-Irish in the room. The Irish people were actually quite friendly. After a few drinks, I didn't feel so out of place.

The bartenders made a variety of strong drinks, which I never got the names of. Definitely worth a return trip. Really interesting experience. It felt like I wasn't even at a GDC event.

Bourbon and Branch is reservation only.

Industrial Development Authority Ireland - Big Fish Games
http://www.idaireland.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgr2bjWydro

http://www.bourbonandbranch.com/
501 Jones Street San Francisco, CA 94102

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

Super7 has always been on my list of toy shops to hit up if ever I was in town, I just never had a chance to visit the shop until my recent trip to San Francisco. It seemed like the forces had aligned and I had an opportunity to check it out. Fresh off the plane, I was in a bit of a groggy state, going out into the night and in need of a party.

Super7 is a well known Kaiju figure shop with a side of Japanese Star Wars figures, and limited print graphic tees. I knew the place was cool, I just didn't know how awesome it was until I got there.

With the Game Developers Conference in town, they threw a party for the launch of their new line of gamer tees called 'Insert Coin', so I jumped at the chance to check it out. After a sardine packed BART ride from downtown, and a walk through a dark street towards Haight St., (fearing I would be stabbed), I found Super7. Then I realized, I could have just taken the bus! (Their previous location had been in Japantown, and is now located on Haight.)

The party was packed with art fans spilled on the side walk. Sony's PixelJunk 4am was being demoed at the event. Using the Sony Move controller, users can create and layer sounds and beats using the visualizer on screen. The experience has been described as similar to the music process of a DJ, transitioning through beats, with the ability for people to spectate.

The visualizer is like an instrument, with button inputs creating different sounds, when the controller is waved around, or whether buttons are held then released. I could definitely see the depth in program like this. Though I don't think was a way to save out the audio into a convenient format to create and share. (PixelJunk 4am was also set up on the Expo floor at GDC, Sony booth.)

The Insert Coin tee designs were all pretty creative, taking retro gaming and design and slapping it on a tee is a tall order, but these artists did a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up any of the gamer tees, and instead opted for the In-N-Out secret menu tee by artist Josh Herbolsheimer. Fans of burgers should appreciate this.