also
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
NZZ travel tips
The NZZ is currently running a "summer blog", pointing out nice locations to spend a vacation (or a day-trip) in Switzerland.
I liked these:
- Warum in die Ferne schweifen?
- Zu Besuch an Frankensteins Geburtsort
- Geruhsamkeit am Val Di Campo
- Piratenburg und Gladiatorenrede
- Lost in the deep forest
- Nonchalanter Barock
I liked these:
- Warum in die Ferne schweifen?
- Zu Besuch an Frankensteins Geburtsort
- Geruhsamkeit am Val Di Campo
- Piratenburg und Gladiatorenrede
- Lost in the deep forest
- Nonchalanter Barock
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Adventure / Puzzle games on the Nintendo DS
A couple of days ago I was browsing through video game articles/reviews (specifically for the Nintendo DS) and read something about the "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" game-series. I had often heard and read of them, but they never really caught my attention. But since many people seemed to love them, I looked up the reviews and what I read actually convinced me to give it a try. I opted for the newest one, "Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney" (22 $ shipped from Amazon).
I kept reading and browsing, one thing lead to another and I ended up finding out about a whole bunch of adventure/puzzle games for the DS from the last couple of years I had not paid much attention to. It seems like there are quite a lot of hidden gems on that system.
I checked out the "Professor Layton"-series next and I ended up getting the latest installment, "Professor Layton and the Unwound Future". (15 $ from Best Buy, using 15 $ in rewards-coupons. Best part: the cashier had trouble at check-out and ended up giving me back 10 $ in rewards for the hassle. :)
Now defunct video game developer "Cing" has a bunch of interesting games as well. I bought their second DS game, "Hotel Dusk: Room 215", a loooong time ago (must have been one of the first games I got for the DS).
Their first game was "Another Code" (titled "Trace Memory" in the US, got it for 27 $ shipped from eBay) and they later made a sequel to "Hotel Dusk" called "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West" (16 $ shipped from eBay). This one only came out in Japan and Europe because Cing went bankrupt and closed their doors before they could release it in the US.
Other games I got:
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (28 $ shipped from Amazon)
Secret Files: Tunguska (15 $ shipped from Amazon) This is a port of a PC game, but it looks alright and I thought the price was okay.
These look like I might like them as well:
Ghost Trick
Time Hollow
A lot of these are a bit older and not all stores carry them.
What initially turned me off with these games is the graphics, they seemed to be aimed at a younger audience. But from what I read, this is a false impression for many of them.
I kept reading and browsing, one thing lead to another and I ended up finding out about a whole bunch of adventure/puzzle games for the DS from the last couple of years I had not paid much attention to. It seems like there are quite a lot of hidden gems on that system.
I checked out the "Professor Layton"-series next and I ended up getting the latest installment, "Professor Layton and the Unwound Future". (15 $ from Best Buy, using 15 $ in rewards-coupons. Best part: the cashier had trouble at check-out and ended up giving me back 10 $ in rewards for the hassle. :)
Now defunct video game developer "Cing" has a bunch of interesting games as well. I bought their second DS game, "Hotel Dusk: Room 215", a loooong time ago (must have been one of the first games I got for the DS).
Their first game was "Another Code" (titled "Trace Memory" in the US, got it for 27 $ shipped from eBay) and they later made a sequel to "Hotel Dusk" called "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West" (16 $ shipped from eBay). This one only came out in Japan and Europe because Cing went bankrupt and closed their doors before they could release it in the US.
Other games I got:
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (28 $ shipped from Amazon)
Secret Files: Tunguska (15 $ shipped from Amazon) This is a port of a PC game, but it looks alright and I thought the price was okay.
These look like I might like them as well:
Ghost Trick
Time Hollow
A lot of these are a bit older and not all stores carry them.
What initially turned me off with these games is the graphics, they seemed to be aimed at a younger audience. But from what I read, this is a false impression for many of them.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
8 hours in Brooklyn
Shot with a Phantom Flex camera (with gajillion frames per second)
8 Hours in Brooklyn from Next Level Pictures on Vimeo.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Evo / Street Fighter 4 documentaries
Evo was last weekend and I watched almost all Street Fighter 4 matches. Even though I hadn't played the game in quite a while, I found it very enjoyable to watch the tournament. The fighting game scene is very active, there are more fans than ever before and there are quite a few Evo/SF4/SF4-player-related documentaries that are either available or in the making. Let's have a look at some of them. You'll see that each of the movies listed here focuses on a different aspect of the community.
For each movie, I'll write a little summary (with links to where to watch or get the full movie) and then post a trailer as a preview.
"I got next" by Ian Cofino came out... uh... let's see... I think sometime in 2008 or 2009. Or, I should rather say that a SHORT CUT of the movie came out at that time. This "short cut" was available to watch and download for free on the website but it's not there any more (I still have it on my hard drive). This 45-minute-short-cut (pretty respectable length for a short-cut if you ask me :) is all I've seen, so I can only base my statements on that. I enjoyed it a lot. It gives an overview of the best and most famous players in the US and introduces the fighting game scene in general.
From the info on the website, it seems like the full-length-cut of the movie is going to come out soon, even though no precise date is mentioned. I'll keep an eye out for it.
"King of Chinatown" by Calvin Theobald / Psycho Crusher Productions came out a couple of weeks ago, I ordered the DVD and watched it today. This movie accompanies player Justin Wong and his manager (at the time) Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson on their road to success through several tournaments. This movie focuses on the manner that the business-side of things went over the years for these two. Justin Wong was being sponsored by Triforce's company, "Empire Arcadia". I don't want to spoil anything here, but let's just say that I found it very interesting to watch. You can kind of see things coming over the course of the movie and then they unfold at the end. :)
Then there's "Focus" by Steve Hwang, in which the filmmaker accompanies SF4-player Mike Ross during the year 2010. (FYI: Steve Hwang, Mike Ross and Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez produce CrossCounter TV together, a popular fighting-game show on YouTube)
I wrote about "Focus" in a previous post, so let me just copy/paste:
The movie follows Mike Ross throughout the year 2010. We learn about his childhood, how he got into videogames, how he developed a passion for Street Fighter and started to compete. At the same time, he also earned a college degree and still plans on using what he learned to do work besides playing SF4 competitively (producing CrossCounter TV, for example). Other than that, the documentary is about his passion for the game and his sense of competition. We see interviews with him, his friends and his family.
I found the movie was well done and interesting to watch.
It's available to watch for free here.
"Arcade - The last night at Chinatown Fair" by Kurt P. Vincent is currently in development. This one is less focused on fighting games specifically than the ones above and rather shows the arcade-scene in general. But still, I find it fits into the same category. From the movie's website: "Arcade is a feature documentary about New York's famed arcade Chinatown Fair. After nearly half a century of being open Chinatown Fair suddenly closed after receiving an unexpected eviction notice, echoing the fate of many small businesses in New York City. The arcade is yet another NYC landmark to be lost."
Scheduled for release in early 2012, the movie was funded through a project on kickstarter.com, which I find a very cool idea. I'll check this movie out when it comes out.
Last but not least, we have "Evo: A documentary" by Joel Ortiz. I stumbled upon this one by pure coincidence in the comments on kotaku.com. I have no other information about it than what's stated in its description on YouTube:
"This is the trailer to my first Documentary. The film will be completed and released in Fall 2012 after next year's EVO. The documentary follows a few players from towns that have non-existent communities as they travel to, and participate in EVO. After being completely overwhelmed by acceptance by the community they return home to train harder than ever before for their return in 2012."
For each movie, I'll write a little summary (with links to where to watch or get the full movie) and then post a trailer as a preview.
"I got next" by Ian Cofino came out... uh... let's see... I think sometime in 2008 or 2009. Or, I should rather say that a SHORT CUT of the movie came out at that time. This "short cut" was available to watch and download for free on the website but it's not there any more (I still have it on my hard drive). This 45-minute-short-cut (pretty respectable length for a short-cut if you ask me :) is all I've seen, so I can only base my statements on that. I enjoyed it a lot. It gives an overview of the best and most famous players in the US and introduces the fighting game scene in general.
From the info on the website, it seems like the full-length-cut of the movie is going to come out soon, even though no precise date is mentioned. I'll keep an eye out for it.
"King of Chinatown" by Calvin Theobald / Psycho Crusher Productions came out a couple of weeks ago, I ordered the DVD and watched it today. This movie accompanies player Justin Wong and his manager (at the time) Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson on their road to success through several tournaments. This movie focuses on the manner that the business-side of things went over the years for these two. Justin Wong was being sponsored by Triforce's company, "Empire Arcadia". I don't want to spoil anything here, but let's just say that I found it very interesting to watch. You can kind of see things coming over the course of the movie and then they unfold at the end. :)
Then there's "Focus" by Steve Hwang, in which the filmmaker accompanies SF4-player Mike Ross during the year 2010. (FYI: Steve Hwang, Mike Ross and Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez produce CrossCounter TV together, a popular fighting-game show on YouTube)
I wrote about "Focus" in a previous post, so let me just copy/paste:
The movie follows Mike Ross throughout the year 2010. We learn about his childhood, how he got into videogames, how he developed a passion for Street Fighter and started to compete. At the same time, he also earned a college degree and still plans on using what he learned to do work besides playing SF4 competitively (producing CrossCounter TV, for example). Other than that, the documentary is about his passion for the game and his sense of competition. We see interviews with him, his friends and his family.
I found the movie was well done and interesting to watch.
It's available to watch for free here.
"Arcade - The last night at Chinatown Fair" by Kurt P. Vincent is currently in development. This one is less focused on fighting games specifically than the ones above and rather shows the arcade-scene in general. But still, I find it fits into the same category. From the movie's website: "Arcade is a feature documentary about New York's famed arcade Chinatown Fair. After nearly half a century of being open Chinatown Fair suddenly closed after receiving an unexpected eviction notice, echoing the fate of many small businesses in New York City. The arcade is yet another NYC landmark to be lost."
Scheduled for release in early 2012, the movie was funded through a project on kickstarter.com, which I find a very cool idea. I'll check this movie out when it comes out.
Last but not least, we have "Evo: A documentary" by Joel Ortiz. I stumbled upon this one by pure coincidence in the comments on kotaku.com. I have no other information about it than what's stated in its description on YouTube:
"This is the trailer to my first Documentary. The film will be completed and released in Fall 2012 after next year's EVO. The documentary follows a few players from towns that have non-existent communities as they travel to, and participate in EVO. After being completely overwhelmed by acceptance by the community they return home to train harder than ever before for their return in 2012."
Delivery day!
Got a bunch of packages today!
I had found a copy of "Heart of Darkness" for PS1 on eBay (like I said I would) for 10 bucks.
Then I ordered the documentary "King of Chinatown". I'll write something about it once I'll have watched it (quite a few fighting game documentaries out there, I'll write a separate post about those).
And finally, on Evo-weekend, I ordered a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA stick and a bag for it. Hori had a 20% off sale on their website (thanks again for the coupons, Alex Valle!) and that was too good to pass on.
I had found a copy of "Heart of Darkness" for PS1 on eBay (like I said I would) for 10 bucks.
Then I ordered the documentary "King of Chinatown". I'll write something about it once I'll have watched it (quite a few fighting game documentaries out there, I'll write a separate post about those).
And finally, on Evo-weekend, I ordered a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA stick and a bag for it. Hori had a 20% off sale on their website (thanks again for the coupons, Alex Valle!) and that was too good to pass on.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Dwarf Fortress
I saw a couple of articles lately about this game called Dwarf Fortress.
I'll just leave this here in case anybody (or I) ever feel like getting into it... :)
Dwarf Fortress: “perhaps the most complex video game ever made”
and
Online class to teach Dwarf Fortress
and
A Candid Look Inside the Weird and Wonderful Minds Behind Dwarf Fortress
I'll just leave this here in case anybody (or I) ever feel like getting into it... :)
Dwarf Fortress: “perhaps the most complex video game ever made”
and
Online class to teach Dwarf Fortress
and
A Candid Look Inside the Weird and Wonderful Minds Behind Dwarf Fortress
Friday, July 29, 2011
Focus - Mike Ross / Street Fighter IV documentary
I had seen the trailer for the documentary Focus a while ago (it's about Mike Ross, a professional Street Fighter IV player) and I saw yesterday that it was now completed and available to watch online for free. I just finished watching it and I gotta say it's a great piece.
The movie follows Mike Ross throughout the year 2010. We learn about his childhood, how he got into videogames, how he developed a passion for Street Fighter and started to compete. At the same time, he also earned a college degree and still plans on using what he learned to do work besides playing SF4 competitively (producing CrossCounter TV, for example). Other than that, the documentary is about his passion for the game and his sense of competition. We see interviews with him, his friends and his family.
I found the movie was well done and interesting to watch.
Below is the trailer and here's where you can watch it (for free).
The movie follows Mike Ross throughout the year 2010. We learn about his childhood, how he got into videogames, how he developed a passion for Street Fighter and started to compete. At the same time, he also earned a college degree and still plans on using what he learned to do work besides playing SF4 competitively (producing CrossCounter TV, for example). Other than that, the documentary is about his passion for the game and his sense of competition. We see interviews with him, his friends and his family.
I found the movie was well done and interesting to watch.
Below is the trailer and here's where you can watch it (for free).
FOCUS: A Documentary Full Length Trailer from Steve Hwang on Vimeo.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Eric Chahi
There was an article on Kotaku about the game Another world (also known as Out of this world in the US), programmed by Eric Chahi as a one-man-project. The article was accompanied by the following video, which is a full walkthrough:
All this made me think of another game Eric Chahi worked on: Heart of Darkness. I have it for PC somewhere at home but I can't get to it now. I think I never finished it, I played it for a bit but haven't seen the ending. Now I'm thinking I should find a copy for the PlayStation and play it again (since my PS3 can play PS1 games).
Eric Chahi is currently working on a new game called From Dust. It's coming out now (or soon) for Xbox360 and PC and a PS3 version will follow later, I believe. I saw a video of it and it looks interesting.
All this made me think of another game Eric Chahi worked on: Heart of Darkness. I have it for PC somewhere at home but I can't get to it now. I think I never finished it, I played it for a bit but haven't seen the ending. Now I'm thinking I should find a copy for the PlayStation and play it again (since my PS3 can play PS1 games).
Eric Chahi is currently working on a new game called From Dust. It's coming out now (or soon) for Xbox360 and PC and a PS3 version will follow later, I believe. I saw a video of it and it looks interesting.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
New rig
I decided to build a new PC with enough Ooomph to run current games and do some video-editing with Vegas or Premiere. It's been a while since I had my last desktop PC (only had MacBooks in recent times). So I spent some time in the last weeks reading articles on tomshwardware.com to get some inspiration. Their "system builder marathons" were especially useful. They seem to do them every 3 months and they build out systems for 500, 1000 and 2000 $ each time. My target was 1000 $, I ended up going slightly over that, but that's okay. :)
Here's what I picked, placed the order yesterday:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16722405
I bought the case, the CPU cooler and the motherboard at Fry's since their price was the same as Newegg's after shipping (the CPU cooler was even cheaper at Fry's). And I added two 200mm fans for the case.
A thing I didn't expect to spend much time thinking about but still ended up doing so is a keyboard. I was first gonna go for a Logitech G110 or G510, but then a couple of articles about mechanical keyboards caught my attention. At Fry's, they had a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate on display and I tried it. It felt fantastic. Right then I decided I'd get one of those and I was debating between a Das Keyboard (possibly the Ultimate version, without labels) or the Blackwidow Ultimate. I ended up going for the latter because of the backlighting and the fact that Newegg had a 30$-off coupon for it.
I might still get a Das Keyboard at some point in the future (maybe for work?) and I'm also thinking about getting one for my dad as a surprise.
Here's what I picked, placed the order yesterday:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16722405
I bought the case, the CPU cooler and the motherboard at Fry's since their price was the same as Newegg's after shipping (the CPU cooler was even cheaper at Fry's). And I added two 200mm fans for the case.
A thing I didn't expect to spend much time thinking about but still ended up doing so is a keyboard. I was first gonna go for a Logitech G110 or G510, but then a couple of articles about mechanical keyboards caught my attention. At Fry's, they had a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate on display and I tried it. It felt fantastic. Right then I decided I'd get one of those and I was debating between a Das Keyboard (possibly the Ultimate version, without labels) or the Blackwidow Ultimate. I ended up going for the latter because of the backlighting and the fact that Newegg had a 30$-off coupon for it.
I might still get a Das Keyboard at some point in the future (maybe for work?) and I'm also thinking about getting one for my dad as a surprise.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
GTA4 enhancements
I saw 2 things related to GTA4 today: One is a series of screenshots (enhanced, probably) taken from GTA4 running with various mods that make it look really sleek. The other is pretty much the same thing, but in motion:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
