2020 Miscellaneous Links: Untitled Moose Game

[SnowFire]

Right.  Who here has played Dishonored?  Remember the "interrogation" of Doctor Sokolov?  Well holy shit, real life imitates art, except replace plague rats with dogs, and on second thought don't ask questions, just release the hounds.

http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/asia-report/china/story/jangs-execution-bodes-ill-china-20131224

EDIT: Or perhaps this is an inauspicious start to 2014x linkbait!  The most horrifying things sometimes aren't true, probably.  Counter-argument:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/03/no-kim-jong-un-probably-didnt-feed-his-uncle-to-120-hungry-dogs/?hpid=z3

So have something funny & old about North Korea instead, Amazon reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/On-Art-Opera-Kim-Jong-/dp/0898752035/ref=sr_1_1?tag=ohmy0c-20

[Captain K.]

The definitive version of Wrecking Ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6DmHGYy_xk

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Did that FFX-2.5 story that Square pushed out seem confusing and poorly-written to you too?  Well you're in luck because it's now explained in pictures!

[NotMiki]

http://www.capcom-unity.com/xantista/blog/2014/01/03/guiles-theme-goes-with-everything-meme-hits-the-big-leagues

This happened in real life.

[Meeplelard]

I saw that on Capcom unity but didn't click the link til now.  That is amazing nonetheless.

[AndrewRogue]

Guy who designed Risk Legacy talking about the design process, game design, etc.

[NotMiki]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/06/satanic-temple-unveils-7-foot-goat-headed-baphomet-statue-for-oklahoma-capitol/

Best trolling of 2013 keeps going strong.

[Lady Door]

George Orwell Explains in a Revealing 1944 Letter Why He’d Write 1984.

Interesting read. I think, for the most part, he's spot on. Depressing thought.

[Luther Lansfeld]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/06/satanic-temple-unveils-7-foot-goat-headed-baphomet-statue-for-oklahoma-capitol/

Best trolling of 2013 keeps going strong.

You will be happy to know that there has been multiple posts of frothy moral panic over this on my Facebook.

[Grefter]

Do recommend collected works of letters and essays by Orwell that can be picked  up pretty cheap, he was a fascinatingly intelligent man with a real passion for making sure ideas could be spread to the general public.  He has a bit of hate for the intelligentsia that shows in that letter there that is a common theme.  A philosopher of the people (If there is any hope for the future it lies with the Proles).

 I will have to keep an eye out for this book of collected letters.



Ciatos.

[Lady Door]

For complete irreverence, and because I am a marketing whore, this post amused the hell out of me:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-834135/aura-kingdom

We are advertising our game with Crunchyroll, and these 3 posts absolutely read like we planted them (we didn't). I would not be surprised to see it in a marketing textbook as an example/summary of customer response.

[Luther Lansfeld]

http://politicalblindspot.com/how-a-wealthy-clean-cut-duck-dynasty-tricked-the-world-for-publicity/

I had heard this from a variety of people and I find it quite interesting(if true). If the Kardashians are a niche then I guess redneck reality TV is a niche too. (I guess the way real rednecks live isn't as compelling, which is in poverty and filled with racism and homophobia that would make Phil Robertson blush.)

I don't really take the view that the article does that this is so horrible; reality TV is all an act anyway, so it shouldn't be a stunning surprise that this one is as well. The "controversy" from the end of the last year makes a lot more sense to me as a calculated way to garner even stronger support from those who already watch your show at the cost of those who would never watch it anyway.

[NotMiki]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/06/satanic-temple-unveils-7-foot-goat-headed-baphomet-statue-for-oklahoma-capitol/

Best trolling of 2013 keeps going strong.

You will be happy to know that there has been multiple posts of frothy moral panic over this on my Facebook.

I am happy to know that there have been multiple posts of frothy moral panic over this on your Facebook.

[Luther Lansfeld]

http://www.worstroom.com/

This makes me wonder why people live in cities as young people...

[Lady Door]

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/15/the_smallest_apartment_for_rent_in_sf_is_280_square_feet.php

Because the allure of the city is so fascinating? Because they're single and have money to burn? Because they're dumb and don't know any better? Because jobs?

I dunno. I like the small cities.

[superaielman]

Nothing like being stuck between a hellish commute and a hellish rent bill.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/15/the_smallest_apartment_for_rent_in_sf_is_280_square_feet.php

Because the allure of the city is so fascinating? Because they're single and have money to burn? Because they're dumb and don't know any better? Because jobs?

I dunno. I like the small cities.

No longer having to pay for a car and being able to walk home from a bar has helped me save money TBH.

[Hunter Sopko]

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/15/the_smallest_apartment_for_rent_in_sf_is_280_square_feet.php

Because the allure of the city is so fascinating? Because they're single and have money to burn? Because they're dumb and don't know any better? Because jobs?

I dunno. I like the small cities.

No longer having to pay for a car and being able to walk home from a bar has helped me save money TBH.

QFT. Best part about living in NYC

[NotMiki]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/482445197/unsung-story-tale-of-the-guardians?ref=live

ALL YO YENS

[Hunter Sopko]

So we pool our resources together to get Laggy on design staff, yes?

[SnowFire]

This sounds fishy, like Matsuno is selling his name to a totally random San Diego games studio known for doing card game -> tablet game conversions.  Also if this is going to be an iOS / Android tablet game, that brings fairly severe interface restrictions along with it, and these are unlikely to be totally rewritten for a Vita / 3DS version if that stretch goal is even met.  A real Matsuno project shouldn't need a kickstarter anyway, ask Squeenix to write a check, done.  Wouldn't be surprised if he's more like "executive consultant" to put a stamp of approval on.

Shame, if this wasn't intended for tablets I'd totally be there, but as is, nope.

[AndrewRogue]

A real Matsuno project shouldn't need a kickstarter anyway, ask Squeenix to write a check, done.

Big name companies working like this. Explains why Squeenix has had so many great releases lately.

Ha ha ha.

Ha.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Ha ha.

Ha.

Seriously though, not that weird to imagine that a designer either couldn't pitch the idea to the company, didn't want to pitch it to the company, etc.

[metroid composite]

We had lots of ideas for new IPs when I worked at Activision.

Now look at the games I made while I worked at Activision.  Shrek, Tony Hawk, Shrek, Spiderman, DJ Hero.  And GUN--so that was one new IP (although we only worked on a small part of it; the creative came from another studio).


Hell, answer the following question honestly: did you guys know that Max Payne 3 came out?  Ok...did you guys know that Grand Theft Auto V came out?  Same company, same engine, and it's not even like Max Payne is something wildly different and adventurous gameplaywise; it's still a well-established franchise in a genre that is known to sell games.



Also, more than likely they approached Matsuno, and not the other way around.  If Matsuno had initiated things, the Japanese way is to leave your current company and start a new company with you as the head.  Not like...recruit a company in California and work on it as a side project.

[SnowFire]

To be clear the "should" was "should in the sense of this is the way reality should work" not "Matsuno is being silly, didn't he know better."  Yeah, I agree it's entirely possible that Matsuno can't get proper funding for his stuff anymore.

Also I entirely agree with metroid's comment, this really really really sounds like Gametek came to Matsuno and said "we are huge fans of you, you provide the name, we'll provide the game, and you can say some wise words and get Alexander O. Smith to write us some dialogue."  In fairness, everyone needs to start somewhere, Blizzard did racing games once before hitting it big...  it's just that Matsuno is the "advertising" part of the project (which will probably work magnificently), and GameTek is the "game" part of the project (jury's out, but doing a strat-RPG on the cheap in a year & a half is probably easier if you're Nippon Ichi and can just rip off an older engine / unused art assets lying around from earlier projects).

Also, no, I didn't know Max Payne 3 came out.

[AndrewRogue]

Playdek.

Close, though. :p