// Category Archive for: Gaming

Love, Death, And Tragedy: L.A. Noire

By Paul Casey

Click for larger image.

L.A. Noire, released by Rockstar Games on May 17, carries on the grand tradition of the adventure game but does so within an impeccably crafted, open-world vision of 1940s Los Angeles. Its narrative is linear; it does not branch off, resulting in those malformations of character seen in Fable or Fallout. Simplistic questions of morality are not used as a choice between different powers and abilities. Overall, L.A. Noire is an experience unique to its medium and sets a new standard in both writing and performance.

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Free Chiptunes Music Download: Oxvylu PASSWORD

By Less Lee Moore

If you like Chiptunes, you should check out PASSWORD, the latest release from Oxvylu. It’s the perfect addition to your weekend . . . and beyond! Enjoy!

From the press release:

This is your PASSWORD to a lavish trip . . . just imagine endless lounge rooms decorated with plastic trees, poofy couches, cheap perfume and slot machines overlooking a wonderfully fake beach scenario. Fill your world with easy listening chiptune music featuring bossanova drumbeats, foxtrot basslines and shiney hihat taps any 5-star hotel elevator would envy. Please enjoy PASSWORD by Oxvylu. Yes please thank you.

Download the Oxvylu PASSWORD album at no cost http://oxvylu.com/password/

About Oxvylu:
Oxvylu is a chiptunes artist from the gritty streets of Toronto, Ontario. He has been making videogamesounding music since he realized he could hook his Intellivision up to a stereo system. Seldom seen but often heard, Oxvylu produces some of the brightest yet darkest chiptunes you’ll ever hear. His 4th album PASSWORD is dedicated to rock’n’roller ‘Sam I Am’.

The Women Behind The Whedonverse

By Lisa Anderson

Even casual fans of Joss Whedon know that strong female characters are important to him. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Echo from Dollhouse, and Zoe from Firefly are only a few examples. What casual fans may not realize is that women behind the scenes—Whedon’s fellow writers and producers—have also helped make his storylines beloved to so many fans. They include Jane Espenson, Marti Noxon, Maurissa Tancheroen, and Felicia Day.
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Best Of 2010: Megashaun

Here’s a list of stuff I was really into in 2010.

Music

Electric Six, Zodiac: This album arrived in the mail a few months before its actual release. When it arrived, I was so excited that I actually felt sick. So instead of listening to it right away, I read all the press notes that accompanied it. I listened to it the next day. I have listened to this album over 245 times. This is not a lie. Drive somewhere with me and you’ll hear it twice.
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Lee Neutron, Daiquiri: Best Of 2010

Albums

2010 was a great year for releases, particularly for the “oldies;” there were strong albums from such long-running acts as Killing Joke, Devo, Helmet, Scorn, Young Gods, and Melvins. I’ve picked my very favourite albums of the year, as well as a standout track from each (these are definitely not in order of best to worst or whatever, like that matters one way or the other).
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Top Five Nerd References In Hip Hop

By Matt Demers
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San Diego Comic-Con Diary, Day Four

By Christian Lipski

Read:
Day One’s Diary
Day Two’s Diary
Day Three’s Diary

And then there was the last day. We eventually got up and packed our bags for checkout, and made our way to the convention floor for our last visit. Since it’s the last day and exhibitors want to ship as little as possible back home, there are rampant sales and many attendees only buy Sunday tickets.

Mile High Comics put their entire stock on sale for 50% off, for example. Independent publishers were willing to make deals, for the most part.The show closes at 5 p.m. as well, so the action in the convention center was tinged with both sadness and anxiety.
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San Diego Comic-Con Diary, Day Three

By Christian Lipski

Read:
Day One’s Diary
Day Two’s Diary

After going to bed sometime after 1 a.,m. the night before (late dinner), Saturday morning was pretty much a wash. I had a press conference for Futurama at 11:30 a.m., so I took off for the convention center. The room was about two-thirds full, and we all shifted about until the event began.

Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, Maurice LeMarche, and Lauren Tom filed in to have their pictures taken before ascending the dais. They apologized for the absence of the voice of Bender, John Dimaggio, but it was explained that “Dimaggio” was Italian for “running late.” He did show up presently, and the conference began.
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San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Diary, Day Two

By Christian Lipski

Read:
Day One’s Diary

By the second day I feel much less pressure; I’ve already made a day’s worth of forays into the wilds, and though I haven’t seen nearly all of what there is, I have a good sense of the floor’s layout and content. I also know that it’s nearly useless to try to get into large sessions, since the amount of time you need to devote to the line-waiting is better spent wandering the floor below.
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San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Diary, Day One

By Christian Lipski

Wednesday night was a long night of travel, so we didn’t get to sleep until 1 a.m. Upon rising at seven, I cursed the medium of the sequential image as we struggled to get ready.

We go to the parking garage at 10:30, and walked the mile to the Convention Center. You know you’re getting close when you see the TRON banner start to appear on lampposts, and even a replica of Flynn’s arcade from the movie. The amount of people in costume increased, and so did the amount of people handing out flyers and laminated cards and magazines. These last items tended to create a kind of carpet on the sidewalks that led to the doors of San Diego Comic-Con.
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