I don't have cable right now so I'm rewatching old shows and movies. A lot of them are animated. Such is my way. I'd like to have a nobler reason for rewatching them--something like when James 
Let's say you're the newly-sentient internet. How would you decipher
the meaning of all the bits and bytes whizzing past you? And what about
the real world outside your electronic realm?
Former Comics Editor, Guy Leshinski
has very kindly given us permission to reprint a prophetic interview
with Bryan Lee O'Malley in 2005. Will Bryan Lee O'Malley attain the
Holy Grail of cartoonists? As Bryan says, "We'll see..."
Results tagged “Playstation” from The Cultural Gutter
Sketching the LittleBigPlanet
Boing Boing has sketches and art from Little Big Planet as well as a little meditation on its wonder, joy and charm. Very little, mostly art.
Nobody Dies: The Eternal Return of LEGO Batman
I've written before that I was put off
superhero comics by all the dying and resurrected X-Men—the eternal
return and the attempts to escape it. You might have noticed that DC
and Marvel's superhero titles have become a bloodbath. Sure, it
started it with big crossovers and the death of Superman. Captain
America's death at least seemed story-driven. But Blue Beetle, The
Question, Martian Manhunter and maybe Bruce Wayne? In the midst of
all the slaughter, it's a good thing we have a hero who never dies,
LEGO Batman.
Continue reading...
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?
Just how many times do I have to kill this
guy? It’s a question I’ve certainly asked myself
while playing various games, along with Why aren’t you dead yet? and How
many damn heads does it have anyway? Everybody’s version of tedium is different,
but endlessly dodging around waiting for some gargantuan horror to blink so I
can poke it precisely in the left eye 11 times definitely makes my list. But a
game where you have to walk down the hall to the kitchen, get some matches,
walk back up the hall, take out several candles, light them, and close the
curtains before some creepy old woman will tell you what the hell is going on?
Apparently that appeals to me.
Continue reading...
But Will Your Parents Play?
Based on the reaction to the November launch of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii through sales and media attention, it's clear that gaming as a cultural phenomenon has cemented itself into the collective consciousness. Local news media observed in awe as the faithful lined up outside their local electronics retailer at midnight in order to be the first to get their sweaty mitts on the latest and greatest console gaming had to offer. Though like the theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode I or The Lord of the Rings, the attention garnered by this event was more human zoo-like spectacle than genuine interest.
Continue reading...
Black vs White
Incredible. Sony's ad announcing a new white case for the Playstation Portable looks like it's inciting a futuristic race war.
Rolling Pleasure
In a brief flashback to the hip Queen Street West I remember from the '80s, I chanced upon a cult-hit videogame there. I was killing time and wandered into Microplay and asked the counter guy if any interesting games had come down the pike lately. "Yeah," he said, "There's this Japanese game..." He passed me a PlayStation 2 game with a curiously static image on the cover: a cow standing in a field next to a gigantic ball of... stuff. I made a mental note of the name: Katamari Damacy (Namco, 2004).
Continue reading...
I Am Woman, Hear Me Purr
When I got Sudeki for review, I sighed. An anime babe smiled out from the cover, her armoured boobs thrust forward and her arms upstretched as she cast a spell -- presumably on the teenage-boy market. The following two strikes were the five-star recommendation from Maxim and the name of the game company (Climax).
But I decided to invite Daniel Heath Justice to play it with me. I'd read his terrific story in the Girls Who Bite Back anthology, which features a full-figured female sorceress who defeats an evil arch mage with her sheer fabulousness -- and a few fashion tips.
Continue reading...
No Love For the Glove
The line between gimmick and innovation is sometimes hard to draw. Game purists look down on specialized peripherals, and while I like my shotguns and dance-pads in single-purpose arcade games, I rarely think they're justified in a multi-purpose home system. Maybe I know too many people who bought the Power Glove. This Mattel peripheral was introduced in 1989. It worked with the Nintendo Entertainment System, but not as well as it worked for Fred Savage in the movie The Wizard.
Continue reading...
Sketching the LittleBigPlanet
Boing Boing has sketches and art from Little Big Planet as well as a little meditation on its wonder, joy and charm. Very little, mostly art.Nobody Dies: The Eternal Return of LEGO Batman
I've written before that I was put off
superhero comics by all the dying and resurrected X-Men—the eternal
return and the attempts to escape it. You might have noticed that DC
and Marvel's superhero titles have become a bloodbath. Sure, it
started it with big crossovers and the death of Superman. Captain
America's death at least seemed story-driven. But Blue Beetle, The
Question, Martian Manhunter and maybe Bruce Wayne? In the midst of
all the slaughter, it's a good thing we have a hero who never dies,
LEGO Batman.
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?
Just how many times do I have to kill this
guy? It’s a question I’ve certainly asked myself
while playing various games, along with Why aren’t you dead yet? and How
many damn heads does it have anyway? Everybody’s version of tedium is different,
but endlessly dodging around waiting for some gargantuan horror to blink so I
can poke it precisely in the left eye 11 times definitely makes my list. But a
game where you have to walk down the hall to the kitchen, get some matches,
walk back up the hall, take out several candles, light them, and close the
curtains before some creepy old woman will tell you what the hell is going on?
Apparently that appeals to me.
Continue reading...
But Will Your Parents Play?
Based on the reaction to the November launch of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii through sales and media attention, it's clear that gaming as a cultural phenomenon has cemented itself into the collective consciousness. Local news media observed in awe as the faithful lined up outside their local electronics retailer at midnight in order to be the first to get their sweaty mitts on the latest and greatest console gaming had to offer. Though like the theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode I or The Lord of the Rings, the attention garnered by this event was more human zoo-like spectacle than genuine interest.
Black vs White
Incredible. Sony's ad announcing a new white case for the Playstation Portable looks like it's inciting a futuristic race war.
Rolling Pleasure
In a brief flashback to the hip Queen Street West I remember from the '80s, I chanced upon a cult-hit videogame there. I was killing time and wandered into Microplay and asked the counter guy if any interesting games had come down the pike lately. "Yeah," he said, "There's this Japanese game..." He passed me a PlayStation 2 game with a curiously static image on the cover: a cow standing in a field next to a gigantic ball of... stuff. I made a mental note of the name: Katamari Damacy (Namco, 2004).
Continue reading...I Am Woman, Hear Me Purr
When I got Sudeki for review, I sighed. An anime babe smiled out from the cover, her armoured boobs thrust forward and her arms upstretched as she cast a spell -- presumably on the teenage-boy market. The following two strikes were the five-star recommendation from Maxim and the name of the game company (Climax).
But I decided to invite Daniel Heath Justice to play it with me. I'd read his terrific story in the Girls Who Bite Back anthology, which features a full-figured female sorceress who defeats an evil arch mage with her sheer fabulousness -- and a few fashion tips.
Continue reading...No Love For the Glove
The line between gimmick and innovation is sometimes hard to draw. Game purists look down on specialized peripherals, and while I like my shotguns and dance-pads in single-purpose arcade games, I rarely think they're justified in a multi-purpose home system. Maybe I know too many people who bought the Power Glove. This Mattel peripheral was introduced in 1989. It worked with the Nintendo Entertainment System, but not as well as it worked for Fred Savage in the movie The Wizard. Continue reading...
