ASK A STUPID QUESTION: TAKAHASHI FINALLY ‘EXPLAINS’ NOBY NOBY BOY
So, you’ve seen the now daily feed of inexplicably captivating but unapologetically surreal Noby Noby Boy videos, you’ve read my best attempt to unravel the mysteries behind the game, and now you want the explanation direct from Keita Takahashi’s mouth.
Right, good luck: Sony’s PlayStation blog has hunted him down to ask why he made the game, and his response, an unwavering, “Seriously, I don’t know.”
But know, at least, that your baffled attempts to explain its appeal and its play are right in order with his wishes:
I wanted to make a game that cannot be expressed by words in the first place. By making an undefined and ambitious game, I want the player’s reaction to be something like, “I don’t know why, but it’s somehow interesting. I can’t stop playing.” In that way, I would feel I have succeeded at creating what I wanted, that is, creating something that’s not easily describable.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for a game’s eventual public reaction than the game itself (what’s the sound of a million gamers simultaneously scritching their heads in confusion?), but this is coming dangerously close.
Noby Noby Boy is… [PlayStation.Blog, o–o]
Previously:
It's a stretch: Explaining Katamari creator's new Noby Noby Boy …
Happy Holidays from Offworld (feat. Keita Takahashi) – Offworld
Another new look at Noby Noby Boy – Offworld
Noby Noby Boy stretches further into February – Offworld
It don't mean a thing: another last look at Noby Noby Boy – Offworld
Why can't I stop: Noby in the sky with stripes – Offworld
Today's drip-fed Noby dose: Noby tastes the rainbow – Offworld
See more posts about: Noby Noby Boy, Offworld Originals
HOLLYWOOD HANDSOME: LIVE ACTION HALF LIFE SHORT ‘ESCAPE FROM CITY 17’
Just overlook a few parts, like the floppy-rubber-masked Overwatch, the, uh, not quite so menacing headcrab zombie flash at the end: the Purchase Bros.’ “Escape From City 17” short, for a team that heretofore were basically unheard of, is as strong a debut as you could ask for.
Their Coke Babies short, seen here, is actually quite nice as well.
Purchase Brothers channel [YouTube, via MeFi]
Previously:
A fresh look at Black Mesa's Half-Life remake – Offworld
How evergreen, City 17 – Offworld
Celebrate Half-Life anniversary for less than a dollar – Offworld
Black Mesa in motion – Offworld
Olly Moss brings a touch of class to Black Mesa – Offworld
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
LISTEN: DOUBLE FINE’S PSYCHONAUTS SOUNDTRACKS GO ‘E’
Being a double-strong supporter of basically everything Double Fine related, I was happy to see this morning that the Brütal Legend developer has just released its original Psychonauts soundtracks to essentially every digital music retailer on the face of the earth. But let Double Fine head Tim Schafer do the explaining in his own inimitable fashion:
Sure, you already own the Psychonauts Soundtrack and also the Original Cinematic Score… But you have them on deadly plastic discs that spin at dangerous speeds and must be read with eye-burning lasers. What were you thinking??
For your own safety I insist that you purchase a new, safer, ELECTRONIC copy of the soundtrack, from one of these reputable cyber-vendors. That’s right, Psychonauts is EVERY-EFFING-WHERE! You thought you were done buying it but now you must buy it again! And again! (Or, if you don’t want to buy it again, at least go there and give it a five-star rating!)
Quickly, before your eardrums calcify and your retinas detach and all of the other horrible things that happen to mortals.
Let me take you away from all this Death [Double Fine]
Previously:
Double Fine Open the Psycho-pedia – Offworld
Countdown to Brütality – Offworld
Brütal news is now: EA to publish Brütal Legend – Offworld
See more posts about: Double Fine, Listen, Music, Offworld Originals
TARBALLS: WORLD OF GOO RELEASED FOR LINUX
For you last few stragglers waiting for your chance to enter the World of Goo on your platform of choice, it’s time: 2D Boy have announced that it has officially released the Linux version of the game. Say the boys:
It’s available exclusively from our site, in three different packages depending on what your computer likes. (tar.gz, deb, rpm)
If you already got the game from our site, you can use your same download link to get the linux version in addition to your Windows and Mac versions.
World of Goo Linux Version is Ready! [2D Boy]
Previously:
The Offworld 20: 2008's Best Indie and Overlooked – Offworld
Listen: 2D Boy's free World of Goo soundtrack – Offworld2D Boy's World of Goo: The community updates – Offworld
At the core of the World of Goo – Offworld
World of Goo's Kyle Gabler gives top 7 Global Game Jam tips – Offworld
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
TODAY’S DRIP-FED NOBY DOSE: NOBY TASTES THE RAINBOW
Somewhere in my ideal alternate universe, I’ve got an alarm clock that rouses me out of sleep with a new 30 second clip just like this every single day.
As for what’s happening in this one: I won’t say it if you won’t say it, but we are all thinking it, aren’t we.
o–o [Namco]
Previously:
It's a stretch: Explaining Katamari creator's new Noby Noby Boy …
Another new look at Noby Noby Boy – Offworld
Noby Noby Boy stretches further into February – Offworld
Happy Holidays from Offworld (feat. Keita Takahashi) – Offworld
It don't mean a thing: another last look at Noby Noby Boy – Offworld
Why can't I stop: Noby in the sky with stripes – Offworld
See more posts about: Noby Noby Boy, Offworld Originals
IDEAS ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN RAY-GUNS: STALIN VS. MARTIANS GETS A PUBLISHER
GamesIndustry.biz carried a short blurb this morning on Paradox Interactive — the Stockholm based publisher of primarily PC strategy titles like Galactic Civilizations, Europa Universalis, and Hearts of Iron — launching a new sub-label, Mezmer Games, specifically for indie games.
In itself that might not have immediately turned my head, but then I spied three words which tickled a long since dormant part of my brain: Stalin vs. Martians. It turns out the game will be one of the first to get the Mezmer treatment, and it’s one I hadn’t thought of since nearly a year ago when Russian developer Dreamlore Games first announced it.
If you think there’s some part of you that’s mis-reading the title, you’re not: the light and accessible PC arcade/real-time-strategy game is precisely what it says on the ration-tin, and gloriously so. Dreamlore spoke to friends of Offworld Rock, Paper, Shotgun last year after the first reveal, and explained (?) how the game came to be:
Obviously we were drunk a little bit and that’s how it all started. No vodka was involved though. Only rakia. We were drinking beer and at the certain point imagined that we are Serbs and continued our conversation after buying a bottle of the magical South Slavic drink. Perhaps it had some impact on the further discussion, so actually right now I’m starting to think of Stalin vs Martians as a Russian-Serbian co-production. Sort of.
The final shape of things and the final version of the concept came later, when we were 100% sober (believe us or not), but at the very beginning alcohol had its part. And was an important tool for the breakthrough of the Serbian game development industry, since Stalin vs Martians is perhaps the most groundbreaking Serbian computer game ever.
Even more wonderfully, at the same time, designer Alexander Shcherbakov also told EVO Gamer that the game would “use Chinese pop music in the soundtrack ‘as our tests showed that combination of mandapop/cantopop and Stalin game makes brains explode instantly. And that’s exactly what we want to achieve with our project.'”
Mezmer doesn’t currently have a projected release date for the game beyond Q2 of this year, but they do have an additional screenshot showing the playable Stalin unit himself, standing some 200 feet tall above his units as he did in real life, and I think that’s all I really needed to sate myself until it arrives.
Stalin vs. Martians home [Dreamlore Games, Mezmer game home]
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS YOU HAVE TO BURN THE ROPE INTERVIEW
For the latest in its series talking to all of the 2009 IGF finalists, Gamasutra caught up with Mazapan’s Kian Bashiri, the man behind 2008’s most widely recognized game-meme, You Have To Burn The Rope.
Up, somewhat controversially, for this year’s Innovation award, what’s interesting is Bashiri admits to a certain amount of second guessing on whether they went too far with the joke and should have played it even more straight:
Both me and Henrik think the best kind of humor is the kind where you’re not really sure if it is supposed to be funny at all. I mean, a joke is often funnier if the one who tells it stays in character and says it with a completely serious tone of voice. That’s what we tried to do with the game and everything that surrounds it.
I think that kind of backfired, though; as a result, it is vague and unfocused, and we went way to deep with the silly joke, with the game manual, walkthrough, etc. We never meant for it to be some kind of in-joke or a meme.
So, yeah, there are numerous ways I think I could have made it more focused without ruining it. For one, I should have added a way to die. If there was a variable outcome, it would be more of a game, and the more interesting theme of interactivity and false choices would have been more obvious.
The full interview’s got more smart talk of interest on storytelling and interaction, and on the ‘Still Alive’ inspiration for Burn The Rope‘s end-credits song.
Road To The IGF: Mazapan’s You Have To Burn The Rope [Gamasutra]
Previously:
The Offworld Guide to the 2009 Independent Games Festival – Offworld
Pixeljunk Eden, Osmos top 2009 IGF nominations – Offworld
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
WHAT’S THAT SOUND: PAC-MAN GHOST IPOD SPEAKERS
While yesterday’s Pac-Man ghost lamps might never see the light of day, now we definitely have something to nip at with our Pac-potholders: John at BBG has dug up these “iBoo” ghost speakers, adding “it’s hard not to feel that a couple are required, not from the perspective of stereophonic completion, but from the casual joy-infusion of whimsical interior design.”
Pac-Man ghosts gobble up iPods in dock form [Boing Boing Gadgets]
Previously:
Blinky & Pinky & Inky & Clyde – Offworld
Get hotted up over Pac-Man oven mitts – Offworld
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
LOSING MY EDGE: ‘BATTLE FUNGALE’ EVADES ALL MY ART-NERD CREDIBILITY
Update: The Woot-ers have sent word that the T-shirt is now back in stock via this link, which is nice! But we’re still left scrambling for the inspirational sculpture, despite Ridl’s best efforts.
Though obviously — because it’s not 15 minutes after the T-shirt was first posted — today’s Woot shirt is long since sold out, Joel Drakxxx Rose’s ‘Battle Fungale’ is still a nicely baroque homage to the Mushroom Kingdom, but something deeper’s been troubling me. Despite the years of art history education for which I’m still paying the piper, I can’t at all place what the image is a tribute to — surely I’m mentally misplacing some lost European statuary?
Previously:
Imperial Junkie & Kiser: pixel fashionistas – Offworld
Polygraph's Kakuna T-shirt casts harden – Offworld
A new Hanes Beefy-T awaits – Offworld
Screaming for Hitekkai: Meat Bun's new T-shirt designs – Offworld
Louis & Bill & Zoey & Francis: the real fab four – Offworld
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
THE NOR-THERN LIGHTS, JUST-A WEATHERBALLOON: HOW DESTROY ALL HUMANS! WAS BORN
Sometimes from the most innocuous of beginnings:
Matt Harding (Lead Designer/Dancing around the world guy)
alright:Fly around in a UFO sucking rednecks and cattle onto your ship.
Anyone? Anyone?
Brad Welch (Lead Artist, future Design Director on DAH)
Is there a reason that a more adult style of humorous game is no good?!?Doing a funny abduction game could actually be a laugh, or even doing a game that’s all sort of spoofing cliches…
I have no idea what the game would be…adult party game perhaps?!?
Dan Teasdale, now senior designer at Rock Band creator Harmonix, shares this email exchange that would launch Pandemic Studios’ cult hit franchise Destroy All Humans, beginning with what must have seemed like the most obvious unexplored idea in gaming. And, curiously, the thread shows how easily the idea almost immediately got derailed into conspiratorial territory before coming back that perfect germ.
And yes, Teasdale means Matt Harding is that ‘hello, I’ve got some 30+ million YouTube views’ dancing around the world guy. Fantastic stuff, and, sadly, comes a month after the studio was “set free” from parent company EA and subsequently shuttered.
The genesis of Destroy All Humans! [DanT’s Design Blog]
See more posts about: Offworld Originals
