Double Time Postmortem

Wondering what this Brothers in Arms: Double Time business is about? Want an insight into how Demiurge Studios makes games? Have a thirst for developer-written wrap-ups about games? Well, you're in luck! Demiurge's postmortem on Double Time is up on Gamasutra.

I've enjoyed the postmortems on Gamasutra -- this one no less than the others.

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Brothers in Arms: Double Time out now

The Demiurge-made Brothers in Arms: Double Time for the Wii is now out in stores!

If you have a Wii and/or like shooters you should play it (the game, not the photo).

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Mr. Twirly Beams

It warms my heart to see some of the world’s top scientists turning to video game culture to find a more snuggly, recognizable name for their otherwise unfamiliar and frightening black hole machine. Despite the Halo rings in the game ironically being able to destroy life in the galaxy, this led me to thinking what other applications this PR tactic could be used in order to quell the masses.

The Internal Revenue Service: Tax Hero
Murphy’s Funeral Home: WWE Undertaker
Blackwater Defense Contracting: Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

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Penny Arcade Expo 2008 Impressions

I know PAX has been over for two weeks now. But I'm just now recovering enough for all my impressions to crystallize into coherent thought. A big part of PAX for me is seeing old college buddies -- which made the wait in any lines much more palatable as we caught up with each other or played games of of BANG! The clearest and best memories of the weekend include:

• The random, fleeting glimpses of dude-Peach
• Exchanging three words with the ephemeral apparition of Jerry Holkins
• The juxtaposition of the Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead booths being right next to each other. Both shooters, both looking barrels-of-monkeys amounts of fun, and each totally different from the other.
• The sea of waving DSes and cellphones during the Freezepop concert. (And I wonder how many other people fly across the country to see a band based where they live.)
• Being Rickrolled by Jonathan Coulton during his concert
• My traditional Seattle breakfast of Daily Dozen doughnuts
• Playing some Boom Blox when we had a spare hour
  
• Flying home at midnight, wishing PAX didn't have to end
  
• Learning that I can look forward to Boston PAX in two years
  

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Teraminx

At one point or another whether you're an artist, an engineer, or the office manager at a game company you decide to design a game of your own. Drew, one of Demiurge's artists took up the hobby of designing some crazy Rubiks-Cube style puzzles. Frankly, we all thought it was a pretty peculiar hobby.

His first work is up on EBay. If you've got a spare TWO THOUSAND AMERICAN DOLLARS burning a hole in your pocket, it could be yours. Go Drew!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&item=320291360820

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Bring Down the Sky Available

The downloadable content "Bring Down the Sky" for the PC version of Mass Effect is now available. You should go download it and play it. Did I mention that it's free? More importantly, it's fun.

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Dr. Horrible

Everyone may have already seen this, but then everyone should just watch it again: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It's like a combination of Jonathan Coulton, the musical epsode of Buffy, and Doogie Howser. Though I guess the last two of those list are rather obvious connections.

It's also just exciting to see this sort of high quality, independently developed entertainment hit the web. Demonstrating that a talented content creator can reach an audience without the need for an expensive media blitz, and that even folks who have met with success in the Hollywood system are open to new way finance their creative output -- well, I don't see how that can be anything but good for consumers and for the video game industry.

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