Looking to the Future...

Another year passes us by and it’s time to start planning ahead for the future once again. What are my goals? What do I hope to achieve and how do I plan to better myself in preparation for the all important 3rd year? My main plan over these coming summer months is to improve my skills in using and understanding 3D Studio Max to the high standard that I should be at this point in time. I have found it a difficult and often frustrating program to use at times and at least in my experience have slowed my learning process of the program by too much for where I should be right now. But after doing the group project my execution of Asset creation and texturing have vastly improved so I look to improve my High-Poly modelling over the summer with particular attention to character modelling and hand modelling, both things I have had major issues within the past but feel now more ready to be able to create a more suitable model. I’m hoping I can practice a lot over the summer so I can also become a lot faster as one issue I have at the moment is that my pace can sometimes be too slow and this has a knock-on effect when I’m trying to do other work, getting faster will defiantly free up more time for me to do more work.

Art wise I want to practice more with colour on traditional media such as paints and pastels as I have spent most of my life drawing this year working with charcoal and graphite sticks. I have no issues with using colours but just wanted improve my charcoal rendering as it’s not something I’ve had a lot of experience with in the past. I will try to draw some location scenes with paint and such over the summer for practice as well as a bit of still life work in preparation for the 3^rd year. The masterpiece project we did in Photoshop really helped in my understanding in the layering of colours and the directions of lines to achieve different effects so I aim to try and emulate this in my work as it as a lot more free and spontaneous than my current stiff and technical style. I have made big improvements in what I used to be like with my drawing but I do feel it needs loosening up further.

Above all I hope I am able to get into the 3^rd year to be able to put all this work into practice. After the issues I’ve had over the past 12 months and the setbacks that have jumped my way being able to come back for the 3^rd and final year with a clean slate will be a great reward. I have some time over the summer to be able to get myself together and come back with a renewed focus and stronger determination to better myself and achieve the best I can so I can get into the position to be able to get a job in the industry I love. It hasn’t and won’t be an easy road but I look forward to every step that gets me there. In closing I just want to thank the Tutors and some of you out there that have helped me and guided me through a very difficult time in my life and given me the motivation to keep myself moving forward, Your help and advice won’t be forgotten. Good Luck to you all.

Something to feed you brain's...

Just wanted to share a couple of links with you on here to some interesting articles I found while online. The first is an article called "Videogames and the Philosophy of Art" by Roger Ebert, He comments about video games and their potential as art. To view the article click here.



The Second article is the age old discussion of "Death and Ethical Violence in Videogames". Rather than just being another article shouting how its harming our children and such, it try's to explain how it is used in some cases to deepen stories and even make you empathise more with a character in a given situation. So give this one a try too, To view the article click here.



Oh and just as an extra, Here's a link to "Half Life 2: Raising the Bar" BUY IT!! Its something that everyone should read regardless if you have played the games of not, its like a bible for game artists and modelers on how the whole design process from start to finish should be carried out, Plus its Mike approved. Its a bit pricey now but I urge everyone to get it. Click Here.

Group Project : Team Shock!Horror! *UPDATE*

Well it's all done and presented but that's not really the end of the tale. What I learned from this project will defiantly have far reaching effects on my future work and understanding of what goes into producing and designing assets for a working game model. It was a great experience and has defiantly opened up my thoughts on doing a group project for my F.M.P next year, I wouldn't say its what I'm going to choose off the bat but it is defiantly a choice now as long as the right people are open to do it. The biggest things I can take out of this aside from the group aspect is my understanding of the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), how to use it, how to import assets and how to build rooms for playable levels. I had never used the program at any point before this project but I managed to get to grips with it surprisingly fast and I do still find some elements of it confusing such as remembering the codes you have to type in to take in-engine screen shots and such, but this can be fixed with practice as experience has taught me with 3D Studio Max but other than that I'm happy with what I can do in the program thus far and look forward to using it again in the future. Anyway, Here's just some updated pictures of some extra in-assets and some UDK renders of my room with most of my imported assets.

3D Studio Max Asset Renders

Unreal In-Game Engine Asset Renders

My favorite gaming memories while growing up...

Growing up before and during the gaming boom of the 1990's and witnessing firsthand the battle between Sega and Nintendo for console supremacy there were moments that I can remember that stood out as I was growing up. Moments in games or just moments in time that were game related and for those who were too young to remember these times I'm just going to give you a quick run through of what stands out when I look into the dark recesses of my brain.

- My first Console -

The first console we ever had in my house hold was the ZX Spectrum +2. For those of you who have no idea what this was it was an all in one keyboard and tap deck unit that ran tape games such as 'SuperGran' or 'Hungry Horace' Needless to say the games were basic as hell and sometimes you would have to wait up to 20-30 minutes for the game to load and during that time you were entertained by a loading sound that sounded like an electric synthesizer mimicking the sound of nails down a blackboard... over and over again... it was hell. But I must admit that some of the games still entertain me today and at the time it blew my world away. I'm pretty sure that I have this console, that was released in 1986, to thank for what has become a lifelong interest in video games.

- "You've got to use your hands???" -

Aside from the nicely placed 'Back to the Future' quote there I am talking about a moment that cemented me as a lover of videogames. On September 28th 1990 me, my brother and my father stood in the queue of our local electronics shop for the launch or the original GameBoy. When I look back at my child hood it is constantly scattered with memories of playing this hand held wonder. From games such as Tetris, WarioWorld and Bart vs. the Juggernaughts my childhood is full of fun memories of playing these wonderful games and we abused the fact we could take it anywhere. Any day trip, holiday or even picnic we were there with our 8 bits of green and black awesome playing away linked up with our link cables and battling each other over and over. They took one hell of a battering but I still own my original GameBoy, I still have the box and it still works and I think that's a great testament to the handheld that showed and still shows to this day just how enduring and fun the handheld can be.

- The Game Changer -

If you grew up in the early 1990's you will know what I'm about to talk about. During this time possibly the greatest battle of the consoles happened between the two iconic companies Nintendo and Sega and if you were a kid then it was either a fan of Mario or a fan of sonic. It divided friends and schoolyards and was a huge part of the war the companies had with advertising for each playing on this divide to create very loyal fan bases for each franchise. I must admit I kind of turned on Nintendo the day the Sega Mega-Drive entered my home and I took the side of the Blue Hedgehog, so much so I never played a SNES till some years later and didn’t even own one until I reached my 20's. The MegaDrive, Mega CD and later the 2nd versions of each of these really shaped me in ways outside gaming. For the first time I was able to see brilliant colours and games (especially by Disney) that used to mimic so well the style and look of cartoons. The humour was usually brilliant, the levels well designed and enemies suited the environments they were in. Games such as 'Mickey Mouse in Castle of Illusion' the 'Sonic' titles, Aladdin and Earthworm Jim were visual feasts for the eyes and made such an impression on me at the time and still do now and I have them to thank for boosting my interest in Art.


If I go any further forward this will just become a list of everything I've ever liked and as fun as that that would be I’ll just stick to my childhood memories for now and go on about the '3D era' another time. But for now that’s just a small insight into some of the games and some of the moments that have shaped who I am as a person and a gamer. I was just very lucky to be able to grow up and experience firsthand what really was a golden age in gaming and the birth of a proper gaming culture, I look back at that time and just remember what fun it was to watch all these new icons emerge and become so engrained into the culture and to be honest I would love to experience that again. Games and console these days are more about units sold and graphics than they are about game play and enjoyment, there are some I admit that still hold onto the old ideals and get a good balance of great visuals with compelling story and fun game play, but during that awesome era there were just so many to choose from, It was a beautiful time and it really was a golden era.

Group Project : Team Shock!Horror!

Time to let the cat out of the bag... or as it is in this case a grimy Resident Evil themed level in UDK. The good thing about this blog is that I can talk about and present my individual contributions to this project, not to take anything away from most of my group who have worked very hard and very efficiently on their given tasks with the work management structure being very effective and without issue. We held together well and there were no big fall outs or shouting matches, we all did our part and we all got on well and were very glad to work with such a nice group of people.


Initially our first idea was to create a 'lab' type area with large experiment test tubes lining the main walkway corridor on the first floor of the Queen's building but were told that might be too big of an undertaking and should find a different location within the building to help scale it down. This was a very wise choice indeed. Our individual skills with 3D work and Unreal meant that we would for the most part be learning new skills and in the case of Unreal a whole new program within a short amount of time and if we had stuck with our initial idea there is no way we would be anywhere near finished by this point.


For my personal contribution in terms of in-game assets thus far I won’t bore you by listing them individually. Below are screenshots of what I have produced thus far and must admit after the past issues I have had with 3D I really feel now more than ever I am getting a good understanding of the program and with plenty of practice of the summer I will be in very good shape to produce some great quality work in an efficient amount of time. Anyway, enjoy these pics :

Motivation and such...

Motivation can come in many shapes and forms, from fond memories to a talk with a friend or even a smell in the air. It's something I must admit I have been very short of over these past 12 months due to personal circumstances that I won’t go into here or just a run of bad luck like when my hard drive broke and lost a whole semester worth of work. I've gone from the depths of shear depression and not even having the motivation to talk or be around anybody to trying to get myself back to some sense of normality. I have found few things helped me get back on track such as talking to friends and family and incentives, such as if I get up and do a certain amount by a certain time I can reward myself with a treat like chocolate etc. May seem small and silly but if it gets me up and working then it’s worth it. For more long term goals I tend to use dates as a motivation more than anything, for instance if I have a project due 26th I aim to finish it a week before that date where possible that way it give me more free time to relax etc and if I finish even before the earlier date I end up feeling more pleased with myself which in turn boost my confidence. It may not work for some but I'm just talking from personal experience here.

Confidence is something I’ve noticed that some people on the course seem to lack, some for personal issue that can’t be helped and some that stem from talks with our tutors and are left feeling a bit lost and de-motivated. I know I've experienced this and I have feeling it's something that needs to be addressed at some point soon as a group. Something that helps me get motivated to producing more work is working with other people, not necessarily on group work but just having a bunch of friends around you while you’re working, you can tend to talk a lot but if you keep at it I find you can produce more work in one sitting and feel much happier while doing it. Ultimately in my experience I tend to work more effectively when I feel part of a team, Not to say I can’t work on my own by any means but there’s just something about working with other people, sharing and talking through ideas that just seems to enhance the way I work and will probably carry over into the 3rd year when its F.M.P. time. Doing work in this fashion will also pay off later down the line in other ways. Working and getting on with other people in a work environment will help develop trust and respect between one another and this means they will respond to more favourably when if you need help with anything thus aiding you in becoming even more productive while at the same time if someone else needs help you can aid them and the will be in better shape with their work. Everybody wins and it sure as hell beats being all bitchy to one another and creating an environment where nobody wants to work.

Problems can come about in groups if for instance you have an idea in your head and you go about you thought with the "I think this is what we should do and I don’t care what anyone says this is what we're doing" sort of attitude. This isn’t a constructive way of going about your work and will not benefit anyone and I have seen this before in groups during college and the who group suffered as a result because know one was integrating with the plans, and wasn’t appealing to anyone and as a result the grades were low and a lot of people we left unsatisfied knowing that they could have done better but were pushed into one idea with no input given. This will just leave you feeling so un-motivated it's not even funny. The best advice I can give in these sorts of circumstances is to have an open talk where everyone can share their ideas, extract the good points that everyone agrees on and try and reach a common ground that everyone can agree on and enjoy doing. Allowing everyone in a group to be more creative creates a more optimistic environment and can lead to awesome new ideas which in turn can lead to better grades which makes everyone happy.

Another thing that some people actually try and avoid but can actually be a big motivational tool is 'Constructive Criticism'. I used to hate the idea of people looking at my work, picking away at it and telling what is wrong with it but it’s not horrible, you just need to look and think about it in the right way. All the hard work comes into creating the final piece of whatever you happen to be working on, when someone looks at it and tells you that something needs changing and this needs to go there and that needs to be done this way etc don’t just be like "screw it" and walk off in a childish strop. Take the information given to you on board and use it to make your work better. We are in the business of making things that appeal to a wide audience and if you show something to your audience and they don’t like it then change it to meet there expectations and then only good things can happen. It’s not even like you have to go back to the drawing board, if someone gives you good constructive criticism then they pretty much give you an itemised list of what you need to do, there’s no hard work and late nights thinking of new ideas, it’s right there in front of you and if you follow what they said and present it again you will be set. It’s all about learning from your mistakes and self improvement. I does work and its very affective so just learn to take the shot and then just go at it again with your list of improvements and you can’t go wrong. It’s all about not wanting to settle for second best think of it as someone setting a bar for you and then just go at it with a "I won’t just meet your expectations I’ll surpass them" sort of attitude and you'll find you go about your work with a lot more confidence and drive to produce better and better work which in reality is what you should be doing in the first place.

Year 2, New Digi Paintings

My Favorite bits from Year 1

E3 2009... The Final Countdown...

Here's some of the wonderful things we have to look forward to at this year's action packed E3...

BioWare lays out their E3 plans for Mass Effect 2 in this E3 prelude video, giving us an early look at the expansive changes coming to the next chapter in their sci-fi epic.

I'd simply say that the game seems to be shaping up quite nicely, but I'm afraid I don't possess that level of restraint. This quick glimpse at the next installment of Mass Effect left me with happy chills. They seem to address all of the tiny issues I had with the original game, and the new character models look simply amazing.

Heres a preview Trailer :




Ubisoft has big plans for their E3 2009 press conference, with new game announcements, thrilling special guests, and plenty of game demos.

Ubisoft's invitation-only presser at the Los Angeles Theatre kicks off at 1am U.K. time on Monday, June 2nd. There the company will be detailing their 2009 holiday lineup, complete with exclusive reveals of Red Steel 2, Assassin's Creed 2, and a demonstration of Rabbids Go Home, the raving ones' solo debut. There's also mention of other unannounced titles and some recent rumors pointing towards the reemergence of Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Conviction, so we can probably look forward to a couple new games dropping as well. For those of us who wont be able to attend this Ubisoft will be broadcasting the entire event the following morning at Ubi.com.


Capcom has revealed their game lineup for E3 2009, or perhaps it's better to say mostly revealed, with two mystery titles making their debut at the show.

For the most part, Capcom's E3 2009 lineup is made up of games you have either already heard about or even already played. They'll be showing off the PC versions of Bionic Commando and Street Fighter; upcoming sequels like Lost Planet 2, Dead Rising 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (not technically a sequel, I know), and Mega Man Star Force 3; and new titles such as Spyborgs and Fate Unlimited Codes.


Konami's Metal Gear Solid team has kicked off a storm of pre-E3 announcement hype online. Kojima Productions has launched the teaser web site for the developer's next project.

The only other real information is provided via the site's keywords, which include Hideo Kojima, MGS, METAL GEAR, NEXT, game, konami, kojima game, KJP, Kojima Production. The site refers to the product as only Kojima Production NEXT.

Whatever the Metal Gear team's next project is, already pledged to be announced at E3, it's almost guaranteed to have clouds. Here's a link to the site :

Kojima Production "NEXT"

I shall be back with more build up information soon, until then here is a link to all of the titles announded thus far that will be shown at this years E3 courtesy of NeoWin.net :

E3 OFFICIAL LIST

End of Year Review...

Well it's amazing that its arrived so fast but tentatively our first year is over and what a time its been. For me personally this has been one of my favorite years as a student in any of the courses I've attended and I'm not saying that just to butter people up the right way. The previous experiences I've had with great teachers who try there best to teach you in the way they are essential told to do by higher powers have worked to a degree but to be around 3 teachers (and Jack) who know what they teach to such a high degree has been so informative and inspiring. It's the first time in years I've been pushed to this degree and it has helped create such positive results in such a short time e.g. my understanding of tone, perspective, placement and angles as well as the line making skills which has completely unlocked a door I've been trying to get through for longer than I can remember. It seems a shame (without naming names) that some people just don't seem to appreciate the vast amount of knowledge and expertise they have available to them and somehow even thinking they know better than the tutors. (note: when you have someone who has 10+ years experience making actual game content telling you to do something a certain way don't sit there and think you know better, you don't so grow up). The films we've been allowed to watch annually on Wednesday have been a great learning experience too, as I've seen a lot of what we have seen already I was able to sit there and watch them with my student head on and reconstruct them in the way we are supposed to to obviously get the point of why we are watching them in the first place. My understanding and interest of art direction has been greatly increased and have a much better idea as to just how important the process is and its something that I'm going to continue to study in my own time so thank you mike for opening that door. In all I've really enjoyed my first year and I've really got my passion back for drawing and where I want to get in my life which is ultimately down to the great teachers we have and what they have thought us, the one thing that frustrates me is that some people don't seem to share this passion and considering doing a 3 year university course is a big commitment it boggles what other peoples motivations if any are or what they want to do but it doesn't really matter, I enjoy what I do and I look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you Heather, Mike, Chris and Jack, see you in the summer.

Nintendo's GDC Keynote Highlights

Here's a round up of all the stories that sprung forth from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's keynote speech today, which brought us a Wii storage solution and an all new Legend of Zelda DS title.

Having run out of game consoles, Nintendo today launched Virtual Console Arcade, with a variety of classic arcade titles already available for purchase from the Wii Shop Channel.

Gaplus, Star Force, The Tower of Druaga, Mappy and Space Harrier are all available to download and play on your Wii, priced at 500 Wii points a piece with the exception of Gaplus, where the plus apparently translates to 100 more Wii points. Space Harrier and Solvalou named as two additional titles coming soon. Sega, Namco and Taito have all signed on to provide their arcade hits to Wii owners.

Final Fantasy fans will have plenty to download on their Nintendo Wii consoles this year, with two WiiWare titles and the appearance of the original games on the Virtual Console.

Formally announced at Nintendo's keynote, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord is the follow up to last year's My Life as a King, so one would reason it's the same thing, only different. It's joined on WiiWare by Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, a port of the official FFIV sequel released last year for Japanese cell phones.

This year also sees the original Nintendo and Super Nintendo Final Fantasy titles making an appearance on the Wii Virtual Console, beginning with the original and following the natural order of things after that.

Nintendo's keynote ended up bearing Zelda fruit after all, with the announcement of the tentatively titled The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS.

The new game, which looks to play a bit like The Phantom Hourglass, features dungeon maps on the top screen, gameplay on the bottom screen, and a bit of a fascination with trains. In the trailer Link is seen acting as the engineer for a train with a cannon mounted on the locomotive.

The Old Republic Introduces Bounty Hunters

The Old Republic's Web site has put up a bio for the upcoming game's bounty hunter class, giving us all a look at a proto-Fett who activates his jetpack with a wrist-worn laptop or something.

Of course, what would be a Star Wars universe without bounty hunters, whose presence have been felt in all of the movies going back to the original. Pick this class and you'll likely get assignments to take out Jedi. The write-up sheds a little light on the Sith Empire's policy of death markers and the quilted quicker-picker-uppers who collect on them.

Of course, if you want to be the Boba with a heart of gold, SW:TOR should accommodate you. In describing bounty hunter capabilities, they mention their overall efficacy against "force-users," which probably goes for Sith and other baddies.

The site gives you an overview and writeups of "field recon," "outfitting" and "combat tactics" applicable to this class.

Bounty Hunter at Star Wars: The Old Republic - Classes

Being a Video Game Art Director

I found this article on gamecareerguide.com entitled "An Artist Grown: Reflections on Being a Video Game Art Director By Robert Chang". It's a very interesting read and gives some good insight on the art direction process from a game makers perspective.

Here is the link : http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/501/an_artist_grown_reflections_on_.php?page=1

The Top 10 Cancalled games...

Games get cancelled. Some are good, some are bad. Some are great, some are so great that the mere fact that they were cancelled leaves you crying yourself to sleep every night whimpering their name, This is the Top 10 biggest Cancelled Games.

10. Donkey Kong Racing

That’s right, not Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong. The big bad ape himself had his own racing game, and man did it look a treat. Not only were the power-ups and characters great, you got to ride animals. No longer would you be confined to a kart when you could race on Rambi or Zinger. Unfortunately when Rareware left they took their games with them, so there’s little or no chance of anyone ever playing this.

9. Dead Phoenix

Dead Phoenix was originally announced as one of the “Capcom 5″; a set of five Capcom-developed games originally planned as GameCube exclusives. However it failed to appear at E3 2003 and was suddenly removed from Capcoms Website, gone without a trace. Very little is actually known about the game, as it was cancelled in early stages, but you appear to be a winged-man, flying through what appear to be open ended levels and fighting monsters.

8. Glover 2

In 1998 N64 players were introduced to one of the coolest (by that i mean oddest) videogame characters of all time, Glover. Glover was a four fingered magical glove, who is thrown out of a tower due to an explosion, releasing several crystals that protect the kingdom into the world. Now Glover, being the quick witted glove he is, decided to turn these crystals into into rubber balls so they bounce away. You traverse realms returning the crystals, and the world slowly becomes good again. Glover was received with mixed reviews, and no-one really knew what to think of it. There had been plans to release 'Glover 2' but the idea was scrapped, and there has been no further information on it since then.

7. Shenmue III

Since the release of Shenmue II back in 2001 there has been rumors of a third installment. It’s not like players around the world don’t want one, fans have been clamouring for Shenmue III for years. The game has been announced for development and cancelled at least two times, to much disappointment. Despite all this, a sequel may still be possible because of continued massive fan demand, Suzuki’s insistence that “the story will be finished through games”, and SEGA’s current trend of reviving old franchises, we may get lucky and see Shenmue III in the future.

6. Kirby’s New Adventure

Kirby and the Crystal Shards for the N64 was amazing, seeing Kirby in his own 3D adventure was worthy of any fans dreams and expectations for a true Kirby experience. It played just like a 2D Kirby game, but on a single plane;(2.5D if you want to get technical). The game was announced and screenshots ensued. Everyone expected it to be officially announced for the Gamecube and fan's would get a shiny release date. No such luck. The game was thrown into limbo and is currently rumored to be on its way to the Wii, Kirby fans wait nervously...

5: Winter

Mature games for the Wii are rare, but recently they’ve been emerging quietly, hoping to make a small success. Well the developers at n-space made Winter, and it was one hell of a game. Due to some seriously crap publishers it got canned, they were turning their noses up at the game and thanks to this it never saw the light of day. Originally announced in 2007, it was created in hopes of both reinventing the survival-horror genre and introducing a darker, more mature game to the “family friendly” Wii. One of the game’s biggest focuses early on would be to survive the harsh environments brought on by the mysterious blizzard. Players would have to find buildings in which to take shelter in and warm the main character before succumbing to frostbite or hypothermia. Winter sounds like a fantastic game, and according to n-space they’d love to carry on where they left off.

4. Metroid Dread

Metroid always kept its roots in 2D, even with the release of the Prime series, people would still go back and play the classics. The side scrolling adventure couldn’t be beaten and 2D Metroid reigns supreme. With Super Metroid being the best out of them all. But with such success in 2D why doesn’t Samus backtrack to sidescrolling land? Because it got cancelled that’s why. Metroid Dread, a 2D Metroid adventure for the Nintendo DS. There were cryptic denials that the game never existed, but questions were never fully answered and the general opinion is that it existed, and got canned. Hope emerged in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption where there is a message in the Metroid breeding zone of the Space Pirate Homeworld on a computer panel that if scanned says “Experiment status report update: Metroid project ‘Dread’ is nearing the final stages of completion.” For all we know it could be a joke to the fans but I hope not.

3. Chrono Break

Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are two of the best RPG’s ever made, and on December 5th 2001, Square-Enix registered the name Chrono Break. Amongst talks of continuing the series Chrono break was considered a serious possibility, it was being talked about, and it could still happen. Fan's hold their breath, the project had not been given the go-ahead yet, so there was a chance it wouldn’t happen. And guess what, it didn’t. Square-Enix dropped the trademark in the U.S and nothing was said. With Chrono Trigger being ported to the DS, its clear Square haven’t given up on the series. But whether we’ll see a brand new game, who knows. The demand is there, and demand = sales, but so far we’ve been given nothing.

2. Starfox 2

Everyone who played the original Starfox on the SNES fell in love with it. The sequel, Star Fox 2, was set to be just as great. The Japanese version of the game was fully completed and pretty much ready to ship. However there was a little problem. Star Fox 2 was binned because the release of the N64 was right around the corner, and Nintendo’s desire to use the most advanced system available for a new Star Fox game was irrefutable. The saddest thing is that somewhere out there that game still exists but we'll never get to play it.

1. Super Mario 128

Super Mario 128 falls into two categories; the first being one of the most wanted games of all time, the second being one of the biggest screw overs in the entire history of gaming. When I think of Mario 128 I hate Nintendo. I want my Mario 64 sequel, I didnt want Mario Sunshine, we all want Mario 128. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto referred to Mario 128 in 1997 as a possible name for a Mario 64 sequel, it was mentioned again at Spaceworld in 2000, along with a video. The game seemed certain. In 2002, Miyamoto confirmed the development of 128. In 2003 fans were told it wouldn’t appear on the Gamecube at all, okay not the end of the world, we’re still getting it though, right? It was once again confirmed at E3 2004. Where the hell was it? Reggie Fils-Aime, stated that Super Mario 128 would be shown at E3 2005. This was the point where most people thought that the game would finally surface. But oh no, it failed to appear. Later that year it was revealed Mario 128 would finally surface on the Wii. However it was in 2006 that Nintendo pulled the biggest switcheroo you’ll ever see, Miyamoto finally confirmed that the project was no more, and that bits and pieces of the concept had evolved into the Wii title Super Mario Galaxy.

After 9 years of being led on, they screwed the fans over. So much for Nintendo being “friendly”. Mario 128 is one of the most hyped cancelled games ever, you can’t hype a game that much then say you scrapped it. That’s just not right... at least Mario Galaxy turned out to be a return to form...

Escape from City 17 : Part 1

This is a fan made short movie based on on the events toward the end of Half Life 2, the art direction is spot on, it fells and looks like the actual game and this was made on a budget of just $500, its incredible. I just these few minutes they have achieved a better Video game film that any big budget Hollywood studio have produced. please watch and comment.

Black Mesa Source... My God, It's Amazing!

This is a 'FAN-MADE' rebuild of the very first Half Life that was so good that they even managed to get the real voice actors to reprise the respective roles for the game, the final product looks fantastic and has been built using the Half Life 2 : Episode 2 Engine and if that wasn't good enough comes with the Half Life 2 game rebuilt using the newer engine, ones things for sure, these guys are getting jobs. Heres the trailer:

GDC… what am I missing… AGAIN!!!

Well it’s that time of year again where my lack of money comes back to bite me in the ass as I miss the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Ever since E3 hit the toilet (although they promised a return to the old E3 this year) it has been the best source of major game news and lectures for the upcoming release quarters or the year as well as a chance to meet face to face game creators, recruiters, studio heads and developers which is a big plus if you want an inside chance to get comments on your work by industry professionals and get to make some inside contacts. But enough of my moaning here’s my picks of the best things happening at this year’s awesome show.


• The legend himself Hideo Kojima is giving a lecture entitled “Solid Game Design: Making the ‘Impossible’ Possible”. First off as a fan of his games its worth every minute of my time and anyone else for that matter, it’s a great chance to hear what the creator of one of the greatest franchises has to say about game design, I can't think of any greater opportunity to hear how “it” should be done.

• Level Design Process of ‘Mass Effect 2’ lecture by Corey Andruko (Project manager) and Dusty Everman (Lead Technical Designer) from BioWare. The session looks at the new level creation process of BioWare’s current project Mass Effect 2 and the improvements they have made from the first game and how they have identified and fixed mistakes that have made in the previous title. As there has only been a short teaser trailer for this game so far and no story links at all this will be the world first in-depth look at this games story and environments so this will be of huge press and fan interest so get there early if you’re going. It must be noted that next to square BioWare have the reputation of making the best story based games in the world and the level design and world construction is second to no one so the wealth of inform you can get from this if you are thinking of going into level or character design it will be worth it so don’t miss it if you have the chance.

• 10 Perspectives on Staying Passionate about Games, The title says it all and it will give people a much better understanding of the structure f the games industry and how things work and helps you identify what truly matters to you about the gaming business and if you are focusing on the right areas to get where you want to go. It will be a good one.

And finally:

• Art Directing Horror and Immersion in DEAD SPACE, this is by far the scariest game of the year and it worked so well because you actually feel isolated and alone in space and everything from lighting, level design to sound made a utterly convincing at terrifying experience and I can’t think anyone better at the event who will tell you more about player emersion and emotion. It’s defiantly worth your time so go along and get scared.