Umtausch-Rekord bei der Xbox 36o (12 mal)

 Sage und schreibe unglaubliche zwoelf Mal musste ein Microsoft-Kunde seine NextGen-Konsole gegen eine neue umtauschen. Ich selbst musste hoechstens mal einen Controller fuer den N64 neu kaufen und habe bislang noch nie davon gehoert, dass sich jemand eine Konsole oder ein Peripherie-Geraet mehr als einmal umtauschen laesst, aber zwoelf mal - das ist ja wohl das extreme Hoch der Gefuehle.

Wie spielt der Kerl - stellt er die Konsole auf den Kopf? Sitzt er beim Zocken drauf? Haengt er sie aus dem Fenster? Das ist ja der Wahnsinn. x^D [...]
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Entertainment / 29.06.2007 / 12:32
Rekord: US-Kunde tauscht Xbox 360 zwölf Mal um
Defektreihe ohne klar erkennbaren Grund

In den USA hat ein Käufer der Xbox 360 seine Konsole inzwischen zwölf Mal umgetauscht. Jedes der Geräte wies nach kurzer Zeit einen Defekt auf und Microsoft zeigte sich kulant und schickte dem Kunden erst runderneuerte Geräte als Ersatz, später auch fabrikneue Konsolen.

Eigentlich wollte sich Justin Lowe, ein Benutzer des Forums des Online-Magazins 1Up, wie ein erfahrender Technikkäufer verhalten. So erstand er seine erste Xbox 360 auch nicht gleich aus der ersten Serie, als die Konsole Ende November 2005 in den USA auf den Markt kam, sondern wartete bis zum Januar 2006. Seine Vorsicht wurde jedoch nicht belohnt, denn schon das erste Gerät gab nach kurzer Zeit den Geist auf und wurde seinen Angaben zufolge von Microsoft schnell ausgetauscht.

Damit begann eine Serie von Defekten, in deren Folge der Kunde vom berüchtigten "Ring of Death" (die Konsole hängt mit rot leuchtenden LEDs um den Einschaltknopf), über Lesefehler des DVD-Laufwerks bis zu Bränden im Gerät nahezu alles erlebte, was mit einer Spielekonsole schief gehen kann.

Wie Justin Lowe gegenüber 1Up erklärte, wurden seine Konsolen in den ersten sechs Monaten meist sehr schnell ausgetauscht, danach begannen die Support-Mitarbeiter, immer mehr Fragen zu stellen und tippten sogar auf eine mangelhafte Elektroinstallation in seiner Wohnung, weil man sich die zahlreichen Defekte nicht mehr erklären konnte.

Lowe begann dem 1Up-Bericht zufolge, seinen Fall akribisch zu dokumentieren und stellte unter anderem fest, dass ihm Microsoft als Ersatz öfter runderneuerte Konsolen schickte und bestand schließlich auf der Zusendung von Neugeräten, worauf sich Microsoft auch einließ. Doch auch die neuen Konsolen lebten bei ihm nicht lange, keines der Geräte arbeitete mehr als zwei Monate ordnungsgemäß. Derzeit spielt Lowe auf Konsole Nummer 13.

Als der geplagte Kunde begann, seine Erfahrungen in einigen Foren zu veröffentlichen, wollten ihm auch andere Anwender zunächst kaum Glauben schenken. Erst als er einen Mitschnitt eines Support-Anrufs veröffentlichte, in dem der Microsoft-Mitarbeiter aus insgesamt 18 Störungsmeldungen zitierte, galt seine Sammlung von Montagsgeräten als belegt.

Microsoft beteuert stets, dass die Ausfallraten der Xbox 360 im Rahmen von vergleichbaren Geräten liegen. Merkwürdig ist jedoch, dass das Unternehmen die hohen Reparaturkosten in Kauf nimmt und nach unbestätigten Berichten auch neue Kühlkörper in die überholten Konsolen setzt. Während sich das Design der Konsole in der Serienfertigung nicht geändert zu haben scheint, tauchen wie bei Xbox-Scene immer wieder Bilder von Konsolen auf, die nach einer Reparatur mit zusätzlichen Kühlern beim Kunden ankommen. (nie)
>> # top # | Q: Golem.de

Zocken fuer den Job

 Ragnarök: Online, World Of Warcraft, Star Wars: Galaxies, Guildwars, ... - demnaechst koennte so ein nicht unmassgeblicher Teil eines Lebenslaufs aussehen, wenn man einer weniger repraesentativen neuen Studie Glauben schenken darf, welche einen Zusammenhang erfolgbringender Natur zwischen Online-Rollenspielen (MMORPGs sind hier gemeint) und der Karriere herstellt. Natuerlich bezieht man sich auf die sozialen und administrativen Aufgaben, mit denen man im Spiel konfrontiert wird.

Ach, wenn doch nur Ragnarök nichts kostete ... [...]
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Wirtschaft / 28.06.2007 / 14:29
Ist Spielen gut für die Karriere?
Studie: Erfahrungen in Online-Rollenspielen verbessern geschäftlichen Erfolg

Währende exzessives Computerspielen oft als eine Ursache für schlechte Schulnoten ausgemacht wird, soll Spielen im richtigen Maß gut für die Karriere sein, so eine Studie von IBM und Seriosity. Demnach sind die in Online-Rollenspielen benötigten Fähigkeiten auch bei der Unternehmensführung gefragt.

Der Erfolg als Führungskraft im Unternehmen hänge womöglich von den Fähigkeiten als Spieler ab, fasst Jim Spohrer, Direktor Services Research am IBM Forschungszentrum in Almaden, das Ergebnis der Untersuchung zusammen. Clevere Organisationen würden auf Mitarbeiter setzen, die Online-Rollenspiele spielen und deren Fähigkeiten und Erfahrungen als virtuelle Leitfiguren im realen Arbeitsalltag nutzen.

Der Studie zufolge gibt es signifikante Parallelen zwischen Online-Spielen und späteren beruflichen Tätigkeiten, denn heute würden Spieler Dinge wie Zusammenarbeit, Selbstorganisation, die Übernahme von Risiken, Offenheit, Einflussnahme sowie flexible Kommunikation lernen. Auch leistungsbezogene Anreizstrukturen spielen dabei eine Rolle. Online-Umgebungen würden es so Führungskräften und Leuten mit guten Ideen erlauben, in verteilten, globalen, wettbewerbsintensiven und virtuellen Organisationen zusammenzuarbeiten.

Allerdings basiert die Studie auf einer recht dünnen Datenbasis: Es wurden etwas mehr als 50 Stunden des Spielens analysiert, sechs Interviews mit sehr erfahrenden Spielern sowie zehn Interviews mit Gilden-Leitern geführt, ergänzt um die Antworten von 171 Spielern, die einen Fragebogen ausgefüllt haben. Zudem bietet Seriosity mit Attent selbst eine Plattform an, die Prinzipien aus Online-Rollenspielen für den geschäftlichen Alltag nutzbar machen soll.

Die gesamte Studie steht unter seriosity.com/leadership.html zum Download bereit. (ji)
>> # top # | Q: Golem.de

PotC a MI-Ripoff or merely an influential connection?

 Noch ein (letzter?) Vergleich zwischen der Videospielserie Monkey Island und der Filmreihe Fluch Der Karibik. Ein relativ kurzer und ziemlich gelungener, IMHO, der die Aehnlichkeiten und daraus resultierenden Schluesse so darstellt, wie ich es eigentlich auch bisher sah. [...]
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Is Pirates of the Caribbean A Rip-Off Of Monkey Island?
Marc McEntegart, Eoin Hurrell June 26, 2007 06:54
Pirates of the Caribbean, Monkey Island Take 2

We blame Disney for a lot of things; High School Musical, The Goof Troop and the death of Bambi's mother among them. One of the most recent accusations levelled against the company has been that its Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy bears some remarkable similarities to Lucasart's adventure series, the Monkey Island series.

For anyone not familiar with Monkey Island, players take on the role of Guybrush Threepwood, intrepid pirate to-be. It's an unusually well put together point-and-click adventure game, starring our naïve pirate-in-training, an array of spirits, cannibals, a swordmaster, a strange voodoo priestess and an even stranger used boat salesman.

The Secret of Monkey island, the game that started it all?

The Secret of Monkey Island
At the games' opening would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood who has just arrived on Mêlée Island to seek his fortune, and whose only aptitude is a claimed ability to hold his breath for ten minutes underwater. Action, romance, comedy and adventure on the high seas, The Secret of Monkey Island has it all.

By way of comparison, the Pirates of the Carribbean trilogy features William Turner, also an intrepid young pirate to-be (though he's unaware). It too is an exciting tale, featuring a host of undead, cannibals, a strange voodoo sorceress and an even stranger Johnny Depp. If you've noticed any similarities, you're not the first. In fact, both are said to have been based on Disneyland Florida's famous Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert however, commented in his blog that his initial response to seeing the trailor for Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead Man's Chest was, ""Hey, I've seen this before... no... I've played this before... no... I've designed this before!" I'm thinking "This is the Monkey Island Movie!"". Indeed, it wasn't long before long-time fans of the series started making some unfavourable comparisons.

When you see them lined up like this, it's amazing they got away with it.

Gilbert went on to say that his inspiration for the Monkey Island series instead came from Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides, "Some people believe the inspiration for Monkey Island came from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride - probably because I said it several times during interviews - but that was really just for the ambiance. If you read this book you can really see where Guybrush and LeChuck were plagiarized derived from, plus the heavy influence of voodoo in the game." This of course, raises the question of the healthy amount of voodoo in Pirates of the Caribbean... if indeed any amount of voodoo can be thought healthy.

While the similarity between the two is immediately apparent given the barest overview of the themes, details and even entire characters can be seen to be paying homage to character themes, motifs and ideas laid out over the course of the Monkey Island series. That is, paying homage if we're optimistic, and plagerised it we're not.

The character of LeChuck plays the part of evil antagonist to Guybrush's bumbling heroics. LeChuck changes dramatically over the course of Guybrush's adventures; transitioning between ethereal, demonic and even zombified forms to curse the name Threepwood. His resurrected corpse (some say his most terrible incarnation), as seen in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, bears a striking resemblance to the zombie pirate Hector Barbossa (as he appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl).

We've included a photo, for comparison's sake.

"Yeah, they kind of screwed up his beard, but that's LeChuck, and let's be honest, if I'd thought of the squid tentacles for a beard, I would have done that." - Ron Gilbert on Davy Jones

More than Just a Monkey Island Movie
What's most interesting about the above comparison is that the zombie-pirate LeChuck acts as a kind of missing link between the two key villains of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. What is perhaps more interesting is that while these aspects of Monkey Island seem so thoroughly to have been plundered (sorry, pirate mindset) for Pirates of the Caribbean, those characters with no obvious parallel in Monkey Island seem to be among the most popular of the trilogy.

Again, Elaine acts as a kind of missing link between incarnations of Elizabeth Swann.

This is best seen in the most recent offering, At World's End. Elizabeth Swann's (Keira Knightley) transition from Governess' daughter to brutal, Chinese-slaying corsair in the space of the somewhat clumsily bridged gap between Dead Man's Chest and At World's End represents something of a departure from the character of Elaine, who Elizabeth had aped to closely so far. The character grows in the change, becoming more than the perpetual damsel in disress that was Elaine Marley.

Of course, the one character who bears no resemblance to anything found in Monkey Island is Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) himself. The uncoordinated character of Jack Sparrow manages to fit into the role of a master pirate to William Turner's apprentice brigand. This of course is a role best left unfilled in a game context, where players are expected to learn for themselves the behavior necessitated by life on the high seas. None-the-less, Jack Sparrow has long been a favourite of Pirates of the Caribbean fans.

This handsome devil bears no relation to any of the characters of Monkey Island.

Likewise Davy Jones, while he may take some of his visual cues from the dread pirate LeChuck, represents a kind of emotionally developed villain seldom seen in any games, and certainly not in LeChuck. His characterisation, as well as that of Barbossa, leads the Pirates of the Caribbean series further and further from the Monkey Island series.

Pirates and Monkeys
It'll probably never be clear whether or not Monkey Island acted as a direct influence on the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, though given the similarities, it seems at least fairly likely. Of course, it's worth remembering how much of the original Secret of Monkey Island was taken from Tim Powers' on Stranger Tides.

Given the sheer volume of differences in both plot and character development alongside the (if we're honest) relatively scant comparisons, it's probably fairer to say that Pirates of the Caribbean was, more than likely, influenced by the Monkey Island series, though not in the unseemly fashion that so many avid gamers seem to believe.

Regardless, Pirates of the Caribbean has whetted a seaborne appetite, and we wait in hope for some confirmation of the long-rumoured fifth entry in the Monkey Island series. Hopefully we might even be lucky enough to discover just what the Secret of Monkey Island really is.
>> # top # | Q: Toms Hardware.co.uk

Vibrierendes Kondom erfunden

 In Indien wurde kuerzlich das vibrierende Kondom erfunden. Ein Ring, der das Gummi in erster Linie am Verrutschen hindern soll, verfuegt ueber diese Primaeraufgabe hinaus ueber die Moeglichkeit stimulierende Vibrationen auszuloesen. Nur ist es einigermassen verwunderlich, dass gerade Indien mit dieser Erfindug in die Geschichte eingeht, da in dem konservativen Land sogar ein Verbot gegen Sex-Spielzeug und Pornographie ausgehaengt ist. [...]
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India rattled by vibrating condom
By Jyotsna Singh · BBC News, Delhi
A vibrating condom has sparked a fierce debate in India, over whether it is a sex toy - which are banned - or a means of birth control.

The controversial condom has caused outrage in the state of Madhya Pradesh, because a government-owned company is involved in marketing it.

The pack of three condoms, branded as Crezendo, contains a battery-operated ring-like device.

Critics say it is in fact a vibrator, and should therefore be banned.

Sex toys and pornography are illegal in India.

'Ultimate pleasure'
The condom was given a low-key launch across the country three months ago. At that time many critics failed to notice that it had government backing.

A promotional message from the company, Hindustan Latex Limited, describes Crezendo as a product that "provides ultimate pleasure by producing strong vibrations" .

That has caused an outcry among many in conservative India, including the Madhya Pradesh minister for road and energy, Kailash Vijayvargiya, who argues that it is nothing more than a sex toy.

"Sex toys are banned in India and the vibrating device is nothing but a sex toy being sold as condoms.

"The government's job is to promote family planning and population control measures rather than market products for sexual pleasure," he told BBC News.

The Hindustan Latex company says that the new condom was launched to promote the use of condoms in order to prevent the spread of Aids.

'Personal choice'
"The product was launched with the primary objective of addressing a fall in condom usage... A major reason cited by users was the lack of pleasure when using condoms.

"So we added the vibrating ring as a pleasure enhancer. It helps to hold the condom in position besides producing a vibrating effect," company spokesman S Jayaraj told BBC News.

The company says the condom pack, priced at 125 rupees ($3, £1.50) has been "well received".

It has strongly rejected allegations that its product is a sex toy, but has offered to withdraw the product from Madhya Pradesh if the state government asks for it.

Hindu hardliners have held protests asking the government to ban its sale, though most people on the streets of the state refused to be drawn on the matter.

But those who were willing to discuss such a sensitive issue seemed broadly supportive.

"It is wrong to protest against the move. It is a matter of personal choice," Kunal Singh, a resident in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal, said.

Medical store owner Ravi Bhannani said: "Customers want something new and this pack offers something new."
>> # top # | Q: News BBC.co.uk
sent by Gavin77

The Secret Of Monkey Island in a Nutshell

Zwei aeusserst engagierte Monkey Island-Fans namens Majus und Lawry haben sich die Muehe gemacht und den ersten Teil der Serie in einem lustigen Kurzfilm zusammengefasst. Das Flash Movie ist ziemlich gelungen und dauert im Ganzen ca. gefuehlte vier Minuten. Viel Spass damit ;^)

[click]
sent by DeroTheOne

Another Wii Accident

 Heute ist Video-Tag bei mir. Ich weiss auch nicht, woran das liegt ;^)

Da ist aber mal wieder ein bloeder Unfall passiert mit der Wiimote, bloss weil das Baendchen gerissen ist. Aber trotzdem irgendwie gute Werbung fuer das recht frische Konzept des Motion Sensoring ;^) [...]
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Wii Accident

# top # | sent by THE_EYE

How to Moon Walk

Wer kennt ihn nicht, den Moon Walk, den Michael Jackson bei seinen Auftritten verwendet und beruehmt gemacht hat? Auf diesem Video wird dem Zuschauer vorgemacht, wie's richtig geht, und es laedt so zum Nachmachen ein.

Die Dame hat, wie es sich fuer eine Pantomimin gehoert, eine sehr bildhafte und verstaendliche Koerpersprache. Darum spare ich es mir, den japanischen Text ins Deutsche zu uebersetzen. [...]
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パントマイムレッスン　W－4「ムーンウォーク」

Stop Motion: My Animated World

 Heute habe ich ein lustiges kleines Stop Motion Video anzubieten. Slightly videogame related. [...]
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My Animated World

<<
Added: July 03, 2006 · From: JelleVanDun
www.jellevandun.com
This Stop Motion Animation takes you into another world. In this world no physical laws count. The only laws that count are the laws of the Animator.
I animated myself through my house and the city of Breda, the Netherlands. It took me 6 months to complete. That is mainly because of the weather. It wasn't always suitable to shoot my scenes.
The song I used is called Chinois by DJ Aphrodite and can be found on the record Aftershock.
Enjoy! I would like to know what you think about it.
>> # top # | Q: You Tube.com
sent by Mika77

Halo 3 Strip

 Mit dem Erscheinen der Xbox-en und Microsoft's Eintritt in die Welt der Konsolen hat sich der Videospielemarkt in den Vereinigten Staaten besonders stark etabliert und der Release der Wii™ tut sein Uebriges, um auch weltweit immer mehr Menschen in den Bann der Unterhaltungsindustrie zu ziehen. Bloed ist nur, dass nun jeder zweite Depp meint (besonders dieses Promi-Pack), ein Fan von Videospielen zu sein. Doch etwas Gutes scheint die Sache doch zu haben, denn dadurch finden sich auch Pr0nstars in unsere virtuelles Gefilde ein.

In der Sendung Epilectic Gaming, die auf der aehnlich-namigen Website live im iNet gestreamed wird, kann man den Schwestern Ava und Mia Rose beim Spielen von Halo 3 zusehen, die dem einen oder anderen versierten Pr0n-Seher durchaus bekannt sein koennten. Und da sie sogenannte "Professionals" sind, bleibt ihnen das Unvermeidliche nicht erspart: so muessen sie sich, waehrend sie zocken, ausziehen, ein Kleidungsstueck pro Frag. Das ginge in der Tat recht schnell vorbei, wenn sie nicht jeweils fuenf Shirts truegen. Doch selbts das ist kein grosses Hindernis.

Der "Strip" an sich ist nicht gerade besonders. Nur oben ohne, meistens mit Mosaik zensiert und mit zusaetzlichen Nipple Tapes versehen. But still - Boobies. Ein immer wieder gern gesehenes Thema bei jugendlichen und junggebliebenen Vertretern der Gattung Mann. Jedoch frage ich mich bei der ganzen Sache eher, was das ueberhaupt fuer eine Radio- / iNet-Sendung ist? Besoffene Typen, die Videogames zocken - so etwas gibt's vllt. nicht bei mir aber doch wohl in fast jedem anderen Single-Haushalt. Wer will also Anderen dabei zugucken? Naja, irgendeine Daseinsberechtigung haben sie mit Sicherheit, sonst gaebe es sie nicht schon seit mind. 1oo Folgen. Wie dem auch sei - go look the "Halo 3 Strip". [...]
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21 May 2007
Ava And Mia Do "Halo 3"
Among the many reasons (besides the obvious) for our massive crush on porn sisters Ava and Mia Rose are their abiding geekiness. So when we heard that they'd be playing a few rounds of the yet-to-be-officially-released "Halo 3"—and stripping away their clothing with every frag—we couldn't wait to tune into Epileptic Gaming last Friday evening to see how it all went down (and came off) ... though we guess we got so excited that we (1) forgot to remind you to watch and (2) ended up getting the times confused and missed all that live topless fragging action ourselves. Fortunately, the Epileptic Gaming folks have assued us that they're busy putting together a montage clip of all that bodacious public beta testing action and will be posting it on their site later this week; in the meantime, they were gracious enough to share a few screencaps and a video preview to whet our collective appetite for what's in store. We'll never look at a Bubble Shield in quite the same way again.
>> Q: Fleshbot.com

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Epileptic Gaming #119: Strip Halo 3!
2007-06-01
You’ve been begging, we’ve been working, and now it’s finally time! Here comes Our legendary installment of “Strip Halo 3!!!” as only we would be able to get away with. Porn Stars and Sisters Mia Rose XXX and Ava Rose YYY appeared on Epileptic Gaming wearing nothing but a little electrical tape, and we had the first recorded Strip Halo 3 match EVER!

You know what, I’m going to shut up because I want to watch this already…
>> Q: Epileptic Gaming.com

Finally straight to the player. [9.50 min. x6]
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Mini-Bildschirm fuer die Wii

 Century, eine Firma in Japan, hat einen kleines LCDisplay entwickelt, das man an die Wii anschliessen kann, was die ganze Videospiel-Maschine zu einer portablen Zauberbox umwandelt. Und zwar ist das klappbare Display Teil einer Dockingstation, an die man die Wii problemfrei anschliessen kann. Natuerlich ist eine Sensorbar bereits integriert. Anders wuerde es auch keinen Sinn machen. Desweiteren ist dem Bildschirm eine Konverterbox mit reichlich Kabeln beigelegt, mit der man sogar ueber den Zigarettenanzuender am Auto Strom tanken kann. Erscheinen wird die Station Ende diesen Monats in - wie koennte es anders sein? - Japan only.

Wieder eine dieser verrueckten Erfindungen aus Japan, die kein Mensch braucht? Oder eher ein Produkt von der Sorte, das nur in Japan veroeffentlicht wird, obwohl es aufgrund seiner Endgeilheit auch hierzulande erscheinen koennte? Seht selbst auf diesen leider etwas zu klein geratenen Bildern, ob dieses Geraet seine 12o $ wert ist. [...]
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# top # | Q: Watch Impress.co.jp

Squirrel Casting

 Give me DRAMA! [...]
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Dramatic Look

sent by albaholic

Pro-GRESSIVE!

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Cartoon Balloon

 Tyrannische Ballons und traumatisierte Kinder. Shocking! [...]
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Don Hertzfeldt's Billy's Balloon

sent by alba

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VG Controller fuer Paare

 Eine amerikanische Studentin hat sich Gedanken gemacht, wie sie das Spielen von Videogames fuer Paare attraktiver machen koennte und kreierte im Zuge dessen sensoren-behaftete Unterwaesche, mit der man zu zweit zocken kann. Das exemplarische Praesentationsspiel war, so weit ich das erkennen konnte, ein selbst-erstellter "Dance Dance Revolution"-Abklatsch - nur ohne Tanzen (¬_¬ ).

Das Ganze hat sie sogar als Masterarbeit abgegeben. [...]
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<<
Hardware / 15.06.2007 / 16:18
Spiele-Controller im BH als Masterarbeit
Neues Eingabegerät für Paare

Eine Studentin an der Universität von New York hat für ihre Masterarbeit ein ungewöhnliches Projekt gewählt. Die "Intimate Controllers" sind in Unterwäsche eingearbeitet und sollen dafür sorgen, dass echte Gamer auch in einer Beziehung miteinander Computerspiele genießen können.

Jennifer Chowdhury studiert an der Kunst-Fakultät 'Tisch' der New Yorker Universität (NYU), und zwar in einem eigenen Programm für interaktive Telekommunikation, wo unter anderem neue Medien und die Integration in den Alltag erforscht werden. Ein früherer Verantwortlicher dieses Programms, Michael Mills, ging nach seiner Arbeit für die Universität zu Apple und entwickelte dort QuickTime.

Vor ihren Studien an der NYU erarbeitete sich Jennifer Chowdhury bereits einen Bachelor-Abschluss in Elektrotechnik mit Auszeichnung (magna cum laude) an der Tufts-Universität im US-Bundesstaat Massachusetts. Ihr Wissen als Ingenieurin hat offenbar auch zu den "Intimate Controllers" geführt, die sie für ihre Masterarbeit in New York entwickelt hat.

Intimate Controller Thesis 2 of 2

Vortrag zu den "Intimate Controllers"

Dabei handelt es sich um Sensorflächen, die an der Kleidung einer Person angebracht werden können. Sie scheinen einem derzeit bei YouTube zu sehenden Video zufolge aber wie reine Tastschalter zu arbeiten, reagieren also nicht dynamisch. Im YouTube-Video ist Chowdhury beim Präsentieren ihrer Masterarbeit zu sehen, wo sie unter anderem auch wiederum ein Video zeigt. Darin steuert ein Paar ein Spiel mit den Intimate Controllers.

Die Wissenschaftlerin will das Projekt aber weder als technischen Gag noch als mögliches Sex-Spielzeug verstanden wissen. In ihrer Präsentation betont sie, dass es ihr um die Entwicklung eines Eingabegeräts ging, das Paare gemeinsam benutzen können. Das US-Magazin Wired kommentiert den Ansatz: "Man kann sich nicht in einen Gamer verlieben und erwarten, dass er oder sie das Spielen aufgibt, um mehr Zeit mit einem zu verbringen."

Auf ihrer Flickr-Seite zeigt Chowdhury Details. (nie)
>> # top # | Q: Golem.de

Fan-made 3D Version von The Secret Of Monkey Island in der Mache

 Ein ganz gewiefter Monkey Island-Fan mit dem Namen Patrik Spacek hat sich die Muehe gemacht (bzw. ist noch eifrig dabei), das Adventure-Juwel Monkey Island I aka The Secret Of Monkey Island in die dritte Dimension zu holen. Meines Erachtens klaegliche drei-dimensionale Versuche gab es ja bereits mit dem offiziellen vierten Teil der Serie, Escape From Monkey Island, von daher sehe ich persoenlich dieses Fanprojekt etwas skeptisch an, aber ich lasse mich gerne eines Besseren belehren. Zumindest einige Still Shots von *einigen* Umgebungen sehen ganz nett aus. Jedoch ist die Umgebung alleine so ein kleiner Teil ...

Er selbst sucht noch freiwillige Helferlein, insbesondere Character Artists und Programmierer. [...]
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Weitere Bilder auf dieser Seite.

<<
Friday, June 15, 2007
SMI remake in three amazing dimensions!
Posted by: Haggis | Comments (0)
Check out this post over at the Mixnmojo.com forums, where a certain paprik123456 sends word of a project he's working on: remaking the first Monkey Island game, in 3D! For the ones among you who are of little faith, he has some examples of backgrounds on his site, and they look very tasty. So if you're a programmer or character artist and you want to help this guy out, hop on in.
>> # top # | Q: World Of Monkey Island.com

Cutscene Downloads

Da ich mich schon oft nach einer Sammlung fuer die Zwischensequenzen eines Videospiels umgesehen habe, etwa weil ich mich nur fuer die Story interessiere aber nicht fuer das langweilige Gameplay z.B., oder aber auch weil die Grafik der Filmchen so ueberaus beeindruckend ist, auf dass ich sie kontrolliert vor dem Rechner betrachten moechte, wieder und wieder, und immer wieder, jedoch im ganzen weiten iNet nichts Vernuenftiges dazu gefunden habe (mit Ausnahme der Sammlungen zu den Metal Gear Solid-Spielen), dachte ich mir - mache ich das doch einfach selber. Ich halte einfach die Links fest, die mir cineastische Glueckserlebnis beschert haben. Freude.

So sei es denn, sehet und staunet: die Cutscene Downloads.

Tetsuo - Iron Man

 Ich sah vor Kurzem einen Artikel mit dem Titel "Tetsuo: irgendwas" auf einer Seite namens Cyberpunk Reviews.com und musste dabei unweigerlich an Katsuhiro Ôtomo's Meisterwerk Akira denken, da einer der Charaktere dort ebenfalls Tetsuo heisst, also dachte ich mir, ich schau mir das doch mal genauer an, doch dieses Review geht doch um etwas gaenzlich Anderes.

Und zwar beschreibt es einen japanischen Schwarz-Weiss-Horrorfilm aus dem Jahre 1988 mit dem Namen "Tetsuo (The Iron Man)". Schon nach einem kurzen Ueberfliegen ueber die kurzen Textpassagen und die Screenshots aus dem Film war mir klar, dass dieser Film eklig ist. Aber fuer einen ekligen japanischen Horrorfilm auch wieder lustig. Darum will ich Euch dieses Review nicht vorenthalten ;^)

Dieser Horrorfilm handelt von einem Mann, der sich maschinelle Koerperteile einbauen laesst, und anschliessend spaeter im Film Sex mit seiner Freundin haben will, was allerdings schon eine ziemlich schmerzvolle Vorstellung ist, wenn man an den konus-foermigen Drillbohrer denkt, der aus seiner Hose schaut. Mehr oder weniger blutige Bilder folgen. Seid gewarnt. [...]
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January 14, 2006
Tetsuo (The Iron Man)
Year: 1988
Directed by: Shinya Tsukamoto
Written by: Shinya Tsukamoto
IMDB Reference
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Very High
Rating: 10 out of 10

Overview: For another movie that taps out the weird shitometer scale, and the pinnacle of Japanese cyberpunk flicks, Tetsuo is simply terrific! I must warn you that this movie is NOT for everyone. We get a bevy of disturbing images, including extreme body manipulation, anal rape of a guy by a mechanically "enhanced" female, rape in the reverse by a man with a literal "power tool," and truly the most bizarre set of images one can imagine. But in all this, there are some truly interesting messages that emerge. Unlike other Japanese Cyberpunk films such as Rubber’s Lover, which is more of a one track film (extreme situations to prompt greater than human abilities), Testsuo provides a wonderful commentary on the direction of mankind.

This is one of the best opening symbols for any movie I can remember. It sums up Tsukamoto’s message perfectly!

Tetsuo’s Message: While Tetsuo is a really bizarre, low budget, surrealist underground Japanese cyberpunk movie, it has a number of interesting themes running through it. On a societal level, Tetsuo explores how man’s technological dash to the future has resulted in an acute fear of technology, and that its ever encroaching progress is destroying our humanity. This is symbolically represented by a runner surrounded by scrap metal, and then later, a man in running gear who’s slowly being taken over by machinery when competing with another machine man.

The clear message at the end is that by constantly competing with one another in our strive for perfection in an orderly society, we are destroying humanity at its core. Technology is our tool of choice for this destructive competition. The shot of the augmented foot above really captures this well, as does the race scene below.

I can’t convey how truly disgusting this scene comes across

On a personal level, Tetsuo explores how guilt and repression can turn people into virtual "monsters." In this, we see an instance where an accidental car crash makes someone completely lose all sense of humanity and boundaries. This seems to fit with Asian cultures in that they are usually very reserved, but when they "cross" that line, the level of anger and craziness almost doesn’t have a limiter.

In combining this with the societal thought, Tetsuo posits that we are using technology as a crutch to cover up our own frailties, but that in doing so, we only serve to subvert our humanity. When this subversion is released, it becomes a perversion of immense proportions. In this sense, Tetsuo truly stretches the cyberpunk notion of "no boundaries" to its fullest.

Yes, she’s about to do what you "think" she’s planning to do with that thing!"

The Bottom Line: Tetsuo is a great example of what a low-budget scifi film can accomplish. I thought the cinematography is absolutely brilliant. We get cool stop-motion animation, incredibly interesting shadows and film angles, and wonderful use of different shot textures. The industrial sound track furthers the truly bizarre mood. Truly, I can’t say enough of how impressed I am by this film. Again, Tetsuo is DEFINITELY not for everyone, but it certainly belongs in the top 10 best cyberpunk films ever made!

Screen Captures - ADULTS ONLY: I do have a second page of screen captures, but I MUST warn you - these are VERY graphic. They show one of the most intense sex and violence scenes every put on film. If you want to get a sense of he the extent that Japanese cyberpunk fullfills its “no boundaries” approach, take a look. But this page is intended for adults - and truly, only a few select few of those. Don’t look if you’re not comfortable with watching these things.

NOTE TO THE WISE - Beware! This page is VERY graphic, and is NOT intended for minors!
Again…what you will see below is well past shocking. This isn’t sexy and there is no nudity if that’s what you’re looking for. I show these to give you a sense of the level of no boundaries depicted in Tetsuo. Many, in fact most won’t be able to stomach actually watching this movie, but may still be interested in understanding visually what Japanese cyberpunk as a sub-sub-genre contains, these pictures are for you. But again, don’t look at these if you aren’t comfortable.

But again, don’t look at these if you aren’t comfortable. We all want to look when we see a car accident, but chances are, we really “don’t” want to see a decapitated body.

Anal Penetration: Here’s the follow-on to the anal penetration set-up shot on the previous page. It goes without saying that Tetsuo truly cannot be understood without watching it, but sex and violence, enhanced by technology, while engaging in a competitive mode by all concerned are pretty much staples throughout. BTW, I didn’t take screen caps of the follow-on entry shots…

She seems a little more happy with this turn of events than her boy toy is.

His “Tool”: Here’s a few of the many full body tool pictures. The symbol really doesn’t need much elaboration, does it? Talk about twisted, invasive technology at its ultimate! And yes, these two are as stark raving mad as they appear here.

His “tool” is a drill, spinning around at high speed. In trying to pursue her, his aim isn’t the best.

The “Scene”: Tetsuo has one of the most bizarre and violent sex scenes ever put on film (this is the idea, incidentally). This scene for the most part involves our anti-hero pursuing his “girlfriend” to engage in sex. At first she is pretty opposed for obvious reasons, but after stabbing him a bunch, she gets excited too. It doesn’t end very well for her though (again, for obvious reasons). Just to be clear, again, Japanese Cyberpunk to me really means eliminating all boundaries of humanity in this march towards technology invading all aspects of our daily life. This scene serves to portray this concept very well, and strongly highlights the themes hit over and over again - that technology augmented competition destroys us, our humanity and our social order (and our world, but this part isn’t shown here).

She is less than thrilled with her former boy toy


One of the few understandable responses in this movie…


Unfortunately, this only makes him mad (not to mention, very bloody)


He tries to initiate foreplay again…




Again, one of the many disturbing scenes


She responds by getting a big kitchen knife and stabbing him repeatedly in the crotch while twisting the knife.




One wonders how many takes it took for Tsukamoto to get this shot, as clearly, this was what he was after. The symbolism is just freaky! Say what you want about the scene, but this is great camera work!


Now this scene gets even weirder (yes, this is really possible). For some reason she finds stabbing him continually to be very erotic. This was JUST the foreplay she needed.


They get hot and heavy while she stabs and twists and he enters.


Only after the moment does she remember the issues with his tool (the sheet quickly fills with blood after this) This is followed by the grossest scene - his “tool” spinning while vagina bits fly off in all directions…and um, no screencaps of that either…

>> # top # | Q: Cyberpunk Review.com

LeChuck's Hut

 Skandal! Die Monkey Island-Videospielserie existiert schon seit 1990, also seit 17 Jahren, und mir faellt erst heute ein kleines aber schoenes Detail auf: in LeChuck's Hut hat sich ein Rabe versteckt! Funkay. [...]
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Ein Psoting auf World Of Monkey Island, bei dem einige Artworks von Steve Purcell aufgetaucht sind, hat mich darauf aufmerksam gemacht bzw. ein Kommentar darauf. Steve Purcell ist das Genie hinter Sam'n'Max, das auch gerne Artworks im Namen von LucasArts zeichnet.

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Comment by: Jake @ 16:05, Thursday, June 7, 2007
He loves making the top and plume of LeChuck's hat out of a dead raven. It was that way on the box to Monkey 2 (and in the game if you look closely enough), but that nice touch got left behind in subsequent games.
>> # top # | Q: World Of MI.com

Das Psoting auf World Of MI hat noch zwei weitere weniger spektakulaere Artworks von Steve Purcell zu bieten.

50 schraege Momente aus der Videospiel-'Szene'

 Wieder einer dieser 'Best Of'-Sammlungen. Vllt. nicht die Beste, aber auch ganz okay. Lustig fuer Jeden, der sich fuer schraege Videospiele, schraege Szenen aus Videospielen oder schraege Hintergrund-Stories zu Videospielen interessiert und Lust hat, solch lange Texte zu lesen. [...]
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Cirque du Strange
A loving tribute to the strangest, weirdest, most interesting, or just plain wrong-est moments in PC gaming history.
Fifty (Or So) Of The Best...

1) Lara Vs. The Law
Lara Croft’s been to every corner of the world, but it was a trip to Tesco, in Brighton, to be exact, that finally pushed her over the thin blue line. Seeing the titular Tomb Raider wielding dual silver revolvers was too much for passers by, who called the cops out of fear that the scary lady might roll the place over like an Aztec burial ground. An armed response unit was promptly dispatched, tracking our digital doyenne of the D-Cup back home to a small house in Hove…

...where model and part-time Lara-like Michelle Powers had just returned from taking some publicity shots, quite oblivious to the chaos in her wake.

2) The Colour of Blood
Carmageddon tore up the moral majority back in 1997 - as you’d expect from a game that focused as much on splattering pedestrians as winning its races. In England, The Powers That Be insisted the squishy humans be replaced with green-blooded zombies, whose pressure groups still haven’t gotten out of the ground. But in the notoriously blood-shy Germany, things went one step further: the developers were forced to replace them with floating metal garbage pails. Took some of the fun out of the carnage, if you ask us.

3) Those You Leave Behind
Sometimes a game genuinely touches your heart, as was the case with Sanitarium, a cult favourite from 1998. Mostly a psychological thriller, one level stood out as a true sucker punch, with the main character temporarily becoming his dead little sister, seeing the pain and suffering her absence has caused to her family. Horrible, heartbreaking, and weird beyond measure, it’s a little moment of humanity in the midst of some genuine horror.

4) Puzzles From Hell #1
The long awaited sequel to terrifying Lovecraft horror adventure Alone in the Dark saw its hero, Edward Carnby, called back into action against evil undead pirates. Bit of a shame that its designers promptly stripped away every last scrap of menace by having him sneaking through their dark, magical mansion disguised as. uh. Santa Claus. Because they were having a party. Yes. Um. It must have made sense to somebody.

5) Terror in the Skies
The 9/11 tragedy created many scapegoats in all forms of media, and gaming was no exception. Microsoft Flight Simulator took the brunt of it, its realistic flight models being held up as a possible terrorist training tool, along with the game introduction’s cheerful cry of “Hey, John, you just about crashed into the Empire State Building! Wouldn’t that be cool?” Needless to say, this line has been excised with extreme prejudice since then.

6) Our Unrighteous Bible
There’s a big market for glitched Bibles, such as the Unrighteous Bible of 1653, which asked ‘Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the Earth?’ Not a million miles from the Caesar III manual, which on page 210 described the Medium Statue you can buy for your city as ‘Administration; Prosperity rating up to 75%.what the hell is this shit”. And you thought it was only you that got confused.

7) The First Hot Coffee
Completing a mission in Maxis’ SimCopter was meant to end with fireworks and a big brass band, and most of the time, did. However, programmer Jacques Servin - insert your own ‘big chopper’ joke here - had his own plans, adding a bit of code that would occasionally replace the final level’s such ceremony with men in swimming trunks kissing each other. Maxis fired Servin instantly, but it was too late - 80,000 copies had been sent out, and unauthorised Easter Eggs became a thing of the past.

8) Crack Gameplay
Liverpool based drug education body Healthwise hit on an odd idea for its edutainment platformer Wrecked: A Psychadelic Adventure. Turning the most common drugs into power-ups, it created a world where amphetamines sped up the main character and LSD revealed the invisible. At the end, your stash was totted up, and you were told how much prison time you were facing for completing the level. Educational!

9) Designing Men
When Dreamworks approached Clive Barker with the original design for would become Clive Barker’s Undying, their main character was a tough, hard-headed baldie called Count Magnus Wolfram. “You’ve got a gay man in charge here,” warned an unimpressed Barker. “Bring me someone fabulously sexy. Bring me somebody I want to sleep with.” Ten days later, Magnus was gone, Undying starred handsome Irish rogue Patrick Galloway, and the games industry had its only major male character to date designed specifically to be sexually attractive to other chaps.

10) Virtual Epidemic
In the beginning, there were computer viruses. Now, there’s the potential for a plague - as happened in World of Warcraft, when the appearance of a new monster, Hakkar, with an infectious attack known as Corrupted Blood began giving the MMORPG lurgy to anyone who took him on. As players returned to town, infecting other players and NPCs alike, entire cities across the many Warcraft servers fell sick, with anyone under Level 50 facing immediate death if exposed.

11) Music Pirates From Outer Space
Played Prey? Of course you have. That opening alien abduction sequence, the green beams spear down from the sky, pulling you into outer space to the sound of Don’t Fear The Reaper on your girlfriend’s bar jukebox. Stunning. But did you notice? That song’s not on there before the invasion! Yes, the vile Sphere’s first act against the Earth is to rip across a Blue Oyster Cult CD, just to have a cool song to snatch people to. Officially the coolest aliens, like, ever.

12) The Horror of Ecstatica
Rated 18. Bloody. Violent. Dark sacrificial murders. Inverted crucifixions. Death. Murder. Vengeance. Satan. Shame it. uh. looked like this, really.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

13) The Movie That Never Was
Broderbund’s globetrotting thief Carmen Sandiego has had many on-screen appearances, including three separate gameshows, a Saturday morning cartoon, and a spokeswomanship for Amtrack. But the one most suitable was the planned movie, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. one that got fans excited, until it was revealed as a hoax by a couple of kids with an image editor. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the Doom movie.

14) Let Me Introduce Myself.
Yes, a quick tribute to some of the more unfortunate names in gaming. Stand up, Space Quest love interest Admiral Beatrice Wankmeister (WEB EDIT: apparently - at least according to an article from back in the day, they didn’t know it was a ruder word outside of America. Ahem...), Everquest’s original tutorial companion Prumpy Irontoe, the waterbourne ‘floaters’ from The Tone Rebellion, the evil invading Khaak from X2: The Threat, Little Big Adventure’s world-conquering Dr. FunFrock, the evil jester Malcolm from the Kyrandia games, and our old friend, Robocop wannabe Bert Higgins: The Man From H.E.L.L (No, seriously).

15) Blood: Anaemic Edition
Over in the US, stores like Wal-Mart have such a giant effect on which games sell and which developers starve that many games have had special ‘friendlier’ editions released just for its shelves. Including Monolith’s horror FPS Blood. What did they take out? You guessed it. No splashy stuff for you…

16) The Mother / Whore Dichotomy
Roberta Williams. Game Designer. Cover Model. And such interesting covers too, as wise old Mother Goose in 1991 (with her two children). and topless in a jacuuzi for Leisure Suit Larry’s text-based predecessor, Softporn Adventure. Who came up with the idea? Sierra On-Line head Ken Williams, supposedly on a sudden whim. Ahem.

17) Invisible Children of the Apocalypse
Political correctness. Got to love it. Unless you’re Fallout, the adult RPG forced to get rid of all its killable children at the last minute to appease the European market. The problem is, they’re not all gone. Some are only invisible, getting in your way during the game, and with one pet dog still chasing and panting at its hanging on master. How sad. Sniff. A single sad tear falls.

18) The Second Hot Coffee
Back in 1999, it was EA’s turn in the spotlight, after it was discovered that the Tiger Woods 99 PGA Tour discs had accidentally gone out with a copy of the South Park short ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ on it. Sadly, Playstation users couldn’t access it, and PC owners didn’t have it on their discs. A defence that wouldn’t wash these days of course.

19) Vangers. Just. Vangers.
Part racing game, part adventure, part strategy, part actual crystalised crack on a CD-Rom. Here’s a little snippet from the walkthrough on Gamefaqs, just to give you an idea: “One cycle you might get 540 beebs for a gluek, but if you wait you might get 920 beebs for it in the next cycle.” And that’s just the start of the madness.

20) The Zombie Pirate Aunt Agatha
Ever wondered where the name ‘Guybrush Threepwood’ came from? The first part is pretty well known - it’s from Deluxe Paint, the tool used by the artist, where the initially unnamed main character sprites were simply known as the ‘guy brush’. The surname comes from… of all things… PG Wodehouse. Co-designer Dave Grossman’s cousin had a roleplaying character called Reginald Threepwood, named for Lord Emsworth - aka Clarence Threepwood - of Wodehouse’s Blandings series. The name stuck. And who says games lack culture?

21) The Name’s Hopkins. Hopkins: FBI
So there you are, investigating a bank heist, when suddenly you’re shot dead in your prime. Normally, it’d be Game Over. In fact, just five seconds ago, that was Game Over. But now? Now you’re in Purgatory; seeking to break into Heaven’s teleportation system, to return to Earth and destroy a resurrection machine. And how do you do this? By stealing a woman’s clothes while she’s in the shower, dressing in drag, and turning on the charm with an angelic guard.

Truly, a plot-twist so amazing, it actually gave people whiplash. More here

22) Mental Manipulation
God knows, you needed brainwashing to endure the 1995 ‘rolling cube’ puzzle game Endorfun, but it shot into the headlines anyway for including 100 self-affirming subliminal messages that would leap up during gameplay, such as ‘It’s okay to have everything I want’. The tabloids were particularly furious, and wasted little time getting a roomful of kids to play it to see if they became mentally unbalanced. The answer, for the record, was ‘no’.

23) !arbadacarbA
Bored of fireballs? Of lightning spells? Healing? Invisibility? Try Zork: Grand Inquisitor’s specially reversed spellbook, with such party pieces as GIVANS - make a conscious effort to stay out of other bodies - and DRATSAY - wilfully avoid sending your spirit back in time. Hours of fun, and you don’t even need to be a wizard!

24) Murder and Marketing
Bullfrog’s Syndicate Wars was a pioneer in annoying the shit out of players with in-game advertising, thanks to a deal with Manga Entertainment that saw them sticking animated Ghost in the Shell billboards throughout its futuristic world, and big Manga vans driving around its locations. Still, as annoying as the constant barrage was, at least you could fight back - blowing the goddamn vans into a million pieces via orbital satellite strikes. Will the advertisers of the future be so generous?

25) The Doom Comic
Long before the movie was a glint in anyone’s eye, id released this little masterpiece. What limited plot there was got thrown to the wolves, replaced with dialogue like “Gah! Zombies with guns! Not BIG guns, but they are guns! And I need guns! Aaah! Chainsaw! The Great Communicator! Allow me to communicate to you my desire to have your guns!”

26) Boobies Know All
...at least in 1998’s Jurassic Park FPS spin-off Trespasser, which put you firmly in the head of its female lead, with no HUD, no icons, and no numbers to keep track of. Instead, you had to regularly glance down at your heaving, fully rendered breasts, where a big red heart tattoo quite literally told you when you were about to go tits up.

27) The 3DO Blaster
Remember when the 3DO took over the market? What? You don’t? It appeared with plenty of hype, and all the latest technology - not a million miles from the PS3. However, a lack of software and a $700 price point killed it. What was interesting was that 3DO and Creative actually released a card that could turn a PC into one of these clunkers - playing games like Star Control II, and Street Fighter II, Alone in the Dark, Return Fire and… not much else. Strangely, it flopped. And not a slight flop. Full on Fosbury flop. Right on its face.

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

28) Dopefish Woz ‘Ere
The gaming industry’s graffiti tag, the secret handshake between those that were there. This buck-toothed fish, designed by then id Software man Tom Hall, first appeared in the platform game Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy. Since then, developers have snuck it into (amongst others) Rise of the Triad, Wacky Wheels, all three Quakes, Jazz Jackrabbit, Descent, Battlezone, Daikatana, Anachronox, Max Payne, Hyperspace Delivery Boy, Hitman 2, Red Faction and Sin Episodes: Emergence. Truly, the Bruce Campbell of gratuitous cameos.

29) Doctors on Drugs
ER: The Game. Mostly a Sims rip-off yawner, until one mission when, out of nowhere, a ninja appears. Yes, a ninja. Closely followed by fairies. And disappearing American football players. In a hospital. And you’re on fire. And feeling dizzy. A ninja. An evil ninja. Of course, you’re drugged (of course! -Ed), but for an hour, surrealism reigns. And then you realise you’re playing ER: The Game, and uninstall it. Sanity resumes.

30) Command and Cretaceous
While the original Command and Conquer suffered from really bad expansion packs, the first offered a particular entertaining secret. Adding the -funpark parameter when running the game opened up a top secret set of five missions that pitted the standard armies of GDI and Nod against. dinosaurs. For no reason. There was even a briefing movie and bonus music track. And developers Westwood didn’t even mention it.

31) It’s Torture!
1996’s Spycraft: The Great Game featured the most disturbing mini-game ever, one deemed so unpleasant that it could be deactivated during installation. As CIA agent Thorne (kept deliberately gender neutral, until the developers blew it with a ‘thrown into clearly male prison’ bad ending), you had a choice between a fiddly, tedious puzzle, or torturing the information out of a female prisoner via the electric chair. Painful and horrible to watch, most players went with the puzzle.

32) Puzzles From Hell #2
Back in 1989, Monkey Island designer Ron Gilbert wrote an essay raging against stupid adventure games, and their “arbitrary and unconnected” solutions. “What is the reasoning?” he asked of one particularly idiotic example, only to be told “There is none. It’s an advanced puzzle.”

What was he complaining about? Surely not games like Les Manley in Search for the King. Sure, the final scene of the game is your character being trampled to death for not knowing about and subsequently picking up a ‘resurrection card’ by spontaneously sexually assaulting a fairground gypsy back at the start of the game, making her disappear, and petting her stuffed lizard… which spat the card out of its mouth. Remember, it’s not stupid. It’s an advanced puzzle!

33) Plot, The Magic Dragons
Novellas used to come with games all the time, helping - amongst other things - to explain the tech, and tell a more complicated story than the game itself could handle. Starglider, for instance, covered up its wireframe graphics with talk of a special tactical HUD. Crappy old RPG Drakkhen takes the cake though, setting up an epic, plot of blood and Armageddon courtesy of an island of evil dragons, only to instantly defuse it by making your team waste most of their time sorting out the dragons’ love lives and gossip needs instead of getting medieval on their tails.

34) The Surrealist Spin-Off Ever
No, not Codename Gordon! Not the Doom board game! No, the gold trophy could only go to those wacky Japanese. From nude skins to dodgy fan-art, many franchises spawn a slightly naughty side - but Japanese anime producer Gainax is one of the few to cash in directly. The Stripping Instrumentality Project, a PC based spin-off of its hyper-depressing giant robot show Neon Genesis Evangelion, brought the whole cast back, dropping their conspiracies, endless neuroses, and ultimately, pants, in favour of a game of Strip Mahjongg.

35) The Madness of Malkavians
One of the many beautiful moments in Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines - picking the insane Malkavian clan for your character completely changes the game’s dialogue into a mix of psychotic dementia and lucid insight far beyond the other possible character choices. It even afflicts your pet ghoul, a college girl called Heather, who takes to your blood like the finest drug, until the two of you are nattering like true psychotics, and the world is that much crazier.

36) Safety Conscious Ninja
3D Realms’ follow-up to Duke Nukem 3D, the martial arts mishmash Shadow Warrior, hit an unusual censorship problem in the UK. Ninja weapons were an instant no-go for the BBFC - you may also remember the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles - ruling out the second weapon, the shuriken. No worries! With a flick of a switch, the shuriken became darts. Much less dangerous to get hit in the face with, and much harder for little kids to find. Apparently.

37) The Girl At The Back
Want to be a game character? Opportunity can come knocking at the oddest times. Just ask Sarah Crook, the voice of French photojournalist Nico Collard in Broken Sword 3. Many actresses auditioned, many native French speakers, but none quite lived up to designer Charles Cecil’s requirements - until the girls who were helping run the audition asked to have a go, and Crook ended up immortalised on the small screen.

38) The Typing Of The Dead!
Hands down, the most brilliant reinvention of a game ever to exist. Take The House of the Dead II, complete with zombies, awful plot, and endless monster splattering… but take away the guns. Instead, give the heroic government agents Dreamcast backpacks and keyboards, with every correct bang of a key acting as a bullet. It shouldn’t work, but it does. It more than does. It’s the kind of thing the word ‘awesome’ was invented for. And there’s a sequel on the way!

39) ION Storm’s Ivory Tower
Why did John Romero’s dream company crash and burn? Many reasons. Here’s just one. Using approximately a jillion dollars of EIDOS’ money, the new company bought penthouse offices in a huge glass-topped tower in Dallas. Spotted it yet? The team melted in the heat and light, unable to even see their screens without making a tent of their cubicles with heavy black, hot cloth. Like so much of the ION Storm story, stylish and showy. Just not very smart.

40) Strumpets of Silicon
You know your industry’s made it when the porn world starts to take notice - from bizarre little clips, such as the endlessly circulating Lara Croft striptease from Playboy model Petra Verkaik, to entire movies, such as Misty Mundae: Erotic Raider. Featuring the dullest lady on lady action in the history of Sapphism, and ironically starring an actress as flat as an ironing board, it’s possibly one of the worst movies ever, excluding anything with the words ‘Power Rangers’ in the title. Oh, the things we research for you, dear reader. Unfortunately, elsewhere things get much darker, with the Japanese market going in for what can only be described as rape fantasies about its many RPG heroines. Extremely unpleasant, and that’s all the details you’re getting.

41) P...P...Pick up a Parody
Direct parodies are pretty rare, but by God, did the straight-laced Myst series deserve it. Parroty Entertainment recreated the main Myst Island, trashed by a million tourist boots, and starring John Goodman as its sloppy new king. They later went on to make Microshaft Winblows 98. which gives you a pretty good idea of the humour.

42) JFK: Reloaded
Sick or brilliant? This one-shot shooter that asked you to recreate the assassination of John F. Kennedy certainly made waves on release with its full rag-doll and ballistic model components. There was even $100,000 prize for the person who came closest to the real shot. And then, for no announced reason, the site went dark. Conspiracy theory? Or just the poor taste police?

[ Woody's Checkpoint: # top # ]

43) Twisty History
Playing Gabriel Knight 2’s story of werewolves, kings and magical operas, you might almost think it true - especially when visiting Neuschwanstein, the fairytale castle of Ludwig II of Bavaria, and its wolf-themed artwork. While much of the basis is true, the castle itself, and its decorations, are firmly reordered and Photoshopped with new artwork to help build the illusion that the world is just that little bit stranger. But you’ll be hard pressed to notice it at the time.

44) Life’s A Drag
You’re just settling into the role of Cloud Strife, supposed hero of Final Fantasy VII, when your quest to save the world from something very horrible indeed is suddenly halted by a lecherous gang lord. That might seem easy enough when you’ve got a seven foot sword in your hand… but not with Love Interest Aeris on hand to offer the alternative method: “Cloud, why don’t you dress up as a girl?” Dignity goes to the wayside in a chorus of Benny Hill music, and that’s just the start. Winning a wig from a strongman in a squats contest? Shudder.

45) Yak. Yak. Yak.
If you know Jeff Minter’s name, you’ll have been wondering why you haven’t seen it yet, if not, pull up a llama. He’s made some proper games, like Defender 2000, and light synths, and all that other stuff. but it’s lawnmower game Hovver Bovver, or the sheep-stuffed Llamatron, and epic battles against raindrops and phonebooths in Attack of the Mutant Camels that mean we can’t finish without a shout out.

46) Naked Raiden
By the time Metal Gear Solid 2 made it to the PC, everyone knew that the Playstation world’s hero, Solid Snake, had been replaced with nancy, long-haired girly man Raiden. but it’s not until the end that you finally see The Horror. Raiden, stark naked, doing cartwheel flips past the enemy, and as anatomically correct as an Action Man. Well, we all suspected…

47) Bad Mojo
An evil curse has turned you into… a cockroach. This absolutely revolting game is still turning stomachs today, thanks to the re-released version - dead rats, chopped up fish, evil spiders, and all manner of other horrors await. But it’s the behind the scenes story that really unsettles. No animals were harmed in the making of…

You Tube Clip [ca. 6.oo]

...oh. “Only animals who were on death row anyway.”

48) The Art of Evil
Are you evil? No, you’re not. Not in RPG land. Not if you’re Mystere, an Everquest player and fan-fiction writer, kicked out of the game for posting a graphic story about his Dark Elf character - the world’s most evil faction, known for heads on spikes, torture gods, and in the game itself (at the time) a quest about murdering a pregnant Halfling woman in cold-blood. Sony apologised, but the deed was done. You’re only allowed to say you’re evil. Beyond that, you gotta play nice.

49) S&M Hits The Road
What could be more wholesome than a farmyard cow and sheep working together to ensure the bestest quality butter in the whole world? Ask the cartoon adventure Toonstruck, turning sweet and innocent Marge and Polly into full on S&M bondage queens before you can say ‘Oh, that’s just wrong.’

50) Saying Goodbye
Death. It comes to us all some time, and we don’t get to respawn. So to finish off, a moment that’s as touching as it is weird - an online funeral for a Dark Age of Camelot character known as Warsinger, lost after his master succumbed to heart trouble. In honour, players from all three warring realms gathered together, surrounding his sister and girlfriends’ avatars with a giant heart, in a collective, but beautifully sombre statement that sometimes, games can extend beyond the screen.
This article originally published in PC Gamer
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