New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Posted by Mike | Filed under Games
Well, with the latest installment in the Mario game from Nintendo, its back to the past with some great retroesque gaming. This game feels exactly like a love child of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World. It is great. But, to really enjoy the game you need to have a friend to play it with. Its clear they intended for this game to be able to get you to throw your arms up in agony at your friend’s latest douchebag move. No matter what your taste in games, if you have ever loved Mario, this is a game for you.
Tags: mario, nintendo, super mario, super mario brothers, wii
Law in Videogames
Posted by Mike | Filed under Uncategorized
It seems there is a new concern with video games. Recently a study was conducted regarding law in video games and how gameplay elements violate international humanitarian laws. I don’t know whether or not this is for real, but I found this to be a bit perplexing… why would some waste all this time and money to studying how a fictional universe does or does not apply the international humanitarian laws? I mean, couldn’t their time be better spent trying to fight actual injustices being commited against other people? Well, whatever the case I thought this was an interesting find. Here is the original link (Click here)
Tags: Games, video games
Codeswarm
Posted by Mike | Filed under Random
I have always loved data visualizations, and I’ve come across another. There is a great example of this visualization that can be found on the Subversion website (Click here). This data visualization is simply a commit history of the Subversion repository. For more information, take a look at the project website (Click here).
Tags: data, data visualization, visualization
Website Downloader
Posted by Mike | Filed under Computers
Every once and a while there will be a website that goes offline temporarily, and it can be annoying. There are also the online web clients for source repositories that you can browse, but you would like to have an offline copy of the files. Enter HTTrack. This is a pretty simple tool that does exactly what you want it to, download and make offline copies of websites.
Tags: mirror website, software, website downloader
Another Reason Macs Suck
Posted by Mike | Filed under Computers
I am admittedly a 100% anti-mac guy, but this is another reason why Macs are not a good platform to invest in.
I came across an article on CNET basically stating that Apple will not service your Mac if you, or anyone in your household, smokes. This is ridiculous. According to the recent Mac commercials, they have the highest rated customer satisfaction (even more than PCs). Obviously they forgot to ask the people who had been denied repair service on their Macs for ridiculous reasons.
Tags: apple, mac, service terms
C++ Language
Posted by Mike | Filed under Programming
I have heard many people claim that C++ is not a very good language to work with, mostly because it isn’t easy. As a professional game developer it is the standard language for developing with, and I know that I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are plenty of other languages out there, even some that are very similar to C/C++. However, C++ allows you to do a great multitude of things like operator overloading, type casting (although some think this is not a good idea), pointers, direct memory manipulation, and much more. C++ to me is like a blank slate. Is it hard to work with sometimes? Absolutely, that is why its a professional language.
Lets look at two other languages that are very similar to C/C++ that are supposed to improve upon them. The first is Objective C, Apple’s default language. When it comes to Objective C there are no constructors, and everything is init’d to a default value (booleans to false, number values to 0, etc). To set everything up, it has to be init’d – which is not always easy. Additionally, Objective C has dynamic type checking – THE WORST OPTION IN THE WORLD. If it won’t work at runtime, it shouldn’t compile!!! I mean, it would be great for porting stuff over from one project (or platform) to another, but other than that I don’t understand why you would ever want it.
Microsoft has a language called C#. First, C# is an interpreted language with the .NET framework. Therefore there is a massive problem right off the start. Secondly, the standard is not open, but is controlled by Microsoft. Should you want something that is as easy as C# and cross platform – go with Java and use something that a monopolistic giant doesn’t control. The automatic garbage collection is cool, but that feature is available in lots of other languages.
Although, if it weren’t so inefficient to program in Assembly that would probably be my choice. The reason that C++ is so great is that it is cross platform and is not an interpreted language. Of course there are difference in what you can do and how you must go about doing them.
C is also the standard language for most popular APIs like OpenGL, OpenAL, FMOD, SDL, DirectX (although it has bindings for C#&VB), and more. So… will C++ disappear anytime soon? Probably not.
Tags: apple, c++, microsoft, objc, programming languages
Sixth Sense Device
Posted by Mike | Filed under Random
I recently learned about this amazing new innovation called the Sixth Sense device that has come out of MIT. Basically it is a different way to interact with your digital life. The inventor (not really sure if this is the best way to describe him) became interested in the idea of being able to interact with your digital world in the physical world. I saw the video, and if you can it is really amazing.
Here is the link to the CNET story
Poor Video Game Media
Posted by Mike | Filed under Commentary, Games
Recently I came across a story regarding a school shooting that was recently adverted. Another example of mainstream media playing up a video game link for no good reason. There is a great interview with Guillaume de Fondaumiere (co-CEOÂ of Quantic Dream) in which he discuss the reasons he believes that mass media so poorly represents video games and the industry.
However, there is a greater problem with the attempt to associate video games and unfortunate events. That problem is the video game news sites. First, before anything else, I must say that I truly enjoy most of the video game news outlets out there. But, the problem still is the fact that they report these associations seemingly as much as the mainstream media which isn’t helping anything. Most of the reporting is simply just stating that a mainstream media outlet has made this tie, which doesn’t help the matter any. I only say this to challenge our beloved news outlets (sites that are about video games) to step up and challenge the mainstream media, not simply re-report something that has already been mentioned.
Tags: Games, mainstream media, misreporting, sensationalist media
Braid
Posted by Mike | Filed under Games
Braid. Indie Goodness. If there was ever a game to advance the “cause” for the acceptance as video games as art, this is it. Not to mention the fact that this is an indie game.
I had played the game on the Xbox360, but once I found out it was coming to the PS3 I waited. Well last week it came out on PSN, retailing at $15. The only problem that I have with the game is that it is too short – I really would’ve loved to have more.
The level design and game mechanics meld together and work in harmony. The seeming simplicity of the levels gives the game an even greater awe factor at how intricate some of the puzzles seem.
There are 6 different levels, all with their own quirks. While you get achievements/trophies for simply going through the levels, you also need to obtain the different puzzle pieces and assemble them to full complete the game. The ending of the game adds an additional wow factor, as well as a little bit of frustration.
Check out the game on the web here. If you have ever wanted an amazing indie game, this is it and it deserves a 100/100 score.
Tags: braid, indie, pc, ps3, review, xbox360
Time to Throw out the Keyboard
Posted by Mike | Filed under Random
Taking a look at the Time’s Best 50 Inventions of 2009 list I found the end to carpal tunnel syndrome due to computer keyboard typing. While still in the early stages, this invention seems to have plenty of promise. While this invention is described as being tied into tweeting, I’m sure that it could be adapted for any kind of typing.
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