Every once in a while I become involved with a project that’s so exciting and engrossing that it pretty much completely locks up my brain and all I can think about is that one thing to the detriment of everything else. I’ve just kicked off something like that at work — I’d say it’s easily the most exciting thing I’ve ever been involved in, and not just because it’s a years-long personal obsession given form. Though certainly that helps!
I expect to have this particular endeavor ready for the public by the end of the month. For today, however, I can’t muster up enough spare mental capacity to do any work on GameSpite, which, you know, is pretty rare. So, in the meantime, I will direct you to a couple of 1UP articles I have been involved with this week and which, I must say, turned out really well.
- The first is a lengthy bit of musing on the nature of Nintendo’s next console — entirely speculative and derived from existing info, of course. This is, as it should be. My favorite part of any new console reveal is the chance it affords us to predict, extrapolate, and contextualize its nature.
- The second is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure preview of Deus Ex: Human Revolution I co-wrote with Thierry Nguyen. The two of us have very different play styles for games like DX: He’s savage and brutal, I am a stealthy peacenik. For some reason I decided to play this up full CYOA style and wrote my part in-character. Whatever, that’s not important. More essential here is the fact that our disparate play styles really did result in completely different experiences, which is something many games pledge but few realize. I hope Eidos Montreal can pull that trick off for the full game.
- Also, the latest Retronauts (Mega Man X) was pretty great and you should listen to it. I think this week’s show will venture into the murky waters of the pre-NES days, which could be tricky… I’m not sure how many call-ins we’ll get. But we’ll do our best.
I’m guessing we should call in with something relevant that preferably doesn’t betray ourselves as infants or smelly retards from the island Flattus.
Being two weeks old at the time of the NES launch, I’m always excited to hear about the stuff that I can only barely remember. I’ll try to think up a worthwhile question that sends the lot of you on a mad tangent.
Reading some of the comments on your Project Cafe article hurt my head. Yes, I tend to be a Nintendo apologist, but it’s also clear to me that a lot of the commenters would put Nintendo out of business in the space of a couple of years.
Loved the Project Cafe speculation, but mostly the opening segment thrashing forum brats. Okay, so the way I’m phrasing that kind of undermines the clarity and eloquence of your writing in the piece and for that I apologize, but I can’t help but get a kick out of someone reminding people that the creative and savvy people who make the things we enjoy don’t actually owe us anything. A good critic might struggle with or question a product, but first she or he needs to know how to appreciate it and, as you say, contextualize it. If people want something in the style of a Pokemon MMO, they should just go ahead and make it themselves… oh wait, that would take a skill set broader than “can whine with caps lock on.” Okay, now I’m just ranting, but anyways thanks for writing.
A years-long obsession finally given form?
Are you working with an indie developer to make Jetpack Goonies a reality? Because if so, I am completely buying that.
Is this endeavor connected to your merger with IGN?
Oh man I am so down for pre-NES discussion. But I’ll probably miss the show owing to being at work and too conscientious to make blatant fan calls on hours. Such is life.
Remember Dragonfire, Journey Escape, and Ninja Golf for me!
Your brain stinks, and you should be ashamed.
All dumb joking aside, I have memories of the Intellivision, with some 2600 on the side via the system changer.