Hydraulic Dog

Optimus Prime says that in Transformers 2. Then he flies away.

Venkman’s getting coffee!

There’s a moment early on in Ghostbusters: The Video Game where you learn how to sprint. This particular bit of tutorial happens when you, as a new Ghostbusters recruit, are searching for Slimer, who’s escaped containment and made his way back to his old haunting grounds at the Sedgwick Hotel.

The sprint prompt comes when Peter Venkman - who’s seen this one, knows how it ends and thus is back keeping an eye on the elevators - shouts for help. You press sprint, and the camera drops lower and pulls back as you dash through the hotel halls to find Peter’s been slimed. Again.

It looks remarkably like the shot in the first film when Peter’s about to get slimed for the first time (the game takes place two years after Ghostbusters II, in 1991) and the camera tracks Ray as he runs through the corridors to find Peter.

They even use the very same music.

It’s one of many, many nods to the films to be found in the game, some obvious - like battling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man or listening to the ramblings of a certain painted Carpathian warlord - and some a bit more subtle. Then again, it makes sense, since the script was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.

(more…)

Four days out.

One of the more interesting announcements at this year’s E3 (imho, of course) was the re-release - and episodic sequel - of The Secret of Monkey Island.

Over at Grumpy Gamer, Moneky Island designer Ron Gilbert has posted his thoughts on his game after a recent play-through, and talks about some of the choices made.

For example, Gilbert writes that the “Touching the parrot puzzle was a little lame and linear.  I remember being rushed and we couldn’t think of anything better.  The game was feeling good and long already, so I just punted on this puzzle.”

He calls having a separate command to open a door “obnoxious,” pointing out that it would never fly today. But 20 years ago, that - like pixel-hunting - was accepted.

It’s a great read. Check it out here.

And then there’s Left 4 Dead 2. Did anybody expect that?

There’s certainly been some skepticism. Left 4 Dead has been out less than a year, after all.

Now, though, some light has been shed on the project thanks to the intrepid journalists over at Shacknews and their recent chat with a couple of Valve guys. I haven’t played Left 4 Dead in a while, but I gotta say, Left 4 Dead does sound pretty cool.

Topics covered include the new special infected, why Left 4 Dead 2 is a full sequel (at full price) rather than an add-on, the future of Left 4 Dead, efforts to address ragequitting and corner stacking, and the the incredible powers of the new AI Director.

Read the interview here.

… because I love you.

So sweet, that Dug.

Up is truly fantastic. It wasn’t my favourite Pixar movie when I left the theatre, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot since and it’s definitely working its way up the list (for what that’s worth). And yes, the 3D was glorious.

However, fans of rap music and flash dancing be warned - you’ll get none of either.

Also, I’d like a talking Dug toy, please and I love you.

Drag Me To Hell is also fantastic, full of dark, twisted comedy and genuine, all-out horror. Sam Raimi has got the jump scare down to an art. First, he stretches those pre-jump moments out (and out… and out…) until you’re right on the very edge. And sometimes - sometimes - the jump doesn’t even come at all.

It’s very unsettling, which is a great thing for a horror movie, as we all know (it sure made me uneasy, because despite the “rules” having been set up very early and very well, I still found myself not knowing exactly what to expect - those jump scares got me more than once).

This is what happens when someone loves their work. It’s easy to see how much fun Raimi was having making the flick, and it’s all the better for it.

You can find real reviews of Up here and Drag Me To Hell right here.

Happy, Ryan?

Seeing Up tonight! In (hopefully) glorious three-dee!

So there’s that. You?

Uh… holy shit.

State of Play is a very solid thriller, and Tony Gilroy is quickly becoming my very favourite screenwriter (for what that’s worth).

It’s great to see a good, serious journalism movie again, too. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Reviews here.

A blog post by Christine Thompson over on mmorpg.com is discussing the unique challenges of writing for the upcoming game. And no, it’s not like writing fanfic all day.

An excerpt:

“When you’re writing for an MMORPG, to some extent you’re writing a story without knowing who the main characters are. The most important characters in STO will be the ones the players create. The players are the ones who get to shape the universe, make the big moves, win the battle, save the world. They have to be the heart of the story.”

And further:

“When I’m writing dialogue for a member of the Bridge Crew, I have to be very careful not to do anything that would block the player from creating the crew that he or she wants. If I write a speech from the point of view of a sassy, overconfident young officer from Cestus III, it’s going to sound pretty ridiculous coming out of the mouth of a Vulcan, Tellarite or Klingon. I’ve got to be careful not to break the illusion.”

It’s a single post, so it’s short. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting read. Check it out here.

FINALLY.