Rockett Science Labs
"Where Yesterday Is Tomorrow"
April 2011
Extra Credits Innovation Awards recognizes awesomeness in video game design
The Escapist magazine and the Extra Credits crew have created the Extra Credits Innovation Awards to acknowledge the ideas of today that will shape the video games of tomorrow. Submissions are open through April 20, and nominees will be announced May 2.
The categories are Innovation in Game Design, Innovation in Narrative Delivery, Most Unbelievably Awesomely Fun, Genre Buster Award, Positive Impact Innovator, and the LOGIN Special Award for Innovation in Multiplayer.
Anyone can participate, from major studios down to the smallest indie or hobbyist developer. Even student projects are welcome. Check it out!
This is a Velociraptor-free workplace
Friday Unicorn: The majestic Tron Unicorn
New blog post: Kobolds Overrun RPG Countdown
When Ed Healy sent us a link to the latest episode of his RPG Countdown podcast with the cryptic note, “Thought you’d like to have a listen…” we were most intrigued. We soon discovered that Kobold Quarterly occupies two spots on the countdown of top-selling game products!
Read the rest at koboldquarterly.com
My new blog post over at Kobold Quarterly. Checkit.
Atari's Greatest Hits app brings classic arcade and 2600 games to iOS devices
via news.cnet.com
Finally, I can once again hear the satisfying crash of a yellow dragon's jaws closing futilely behind me as I race through a maze. CNET's Crave blog reports that the Atari's Greatest Hits app is bringing old-school arcade and 2600 games to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The app is free, and you load it up with games such as Missile Command, Adventure, Yar's Revenge, Warlords and Battlezone. Individual game packs are 99 cents, while the full 100-game bundle is $14.99.
Reviews are mixed: some seem over the moon about it, but I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the controls and display. I'm likely to give it a whirl, though -- who am I kidding, I pretty much HAVE to -- and will let you know what I think.
Beastie Boys Past vs. Beastie Boys Future in a thrilling adventure across time
Back when the Beastie Boys were a relatively new act, word was that they were going to star in a Three Stooges-like horror/comedy called Scared Stupid. I have always wanted to visit the parallel Earth where that actually happened, and see how it turned out.*
This is not that. This is a NSFW promo for a Beastie Boys album and short film entitled Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, which stars Elijah Wood, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, John C. Reilly, Seth Rogen, and Jack Black. We have two groups of Beastie Boys from different eras going up against each other in a stupid-off, and I have to say -- in tone if not content, this is pretty much what I expected Scared Stupid to be like.
Will the collision of past and future send reality to the brink of chaos? Perhaps! There does appear to be a lot of beer getting spilled.
*According to The Big Payback, Dan Charnas' fascinating history of the business side of hip-hop, a TV deal was also in the works. Unfortunately Def Jam gave us the agonizing Tougher Than Leather instead.
(Via The Daily What, thanks to Gamethyme.)
