ScottishGames.biz

Future Publishing Jumps Shark - 8/10 For Distance & Style

Future Publishing, the UK's largest games media group has found a new channel through to its dedicated audience of gamers: dating.

Yes, now YOU can find love with that special someone who shares your love of obscure text adventures and who also finished Leisure Suit Larry.

We'd imagine.

A brief search indicates nothing in the way of platform preference or abhorrence of specific genres, which should be a must for any serious dating site aimed at gamers.

Indeed going through the first few pages, we were asked about eye colour (red) and hair (bald), but nothing at all about Horde/Alliance affiliation or whether we were DS or PSP freaks.  In fact, having signed up, we couldn't see *anything* about games at all. 

Not a single pale, emo-type chick with claws from playing Fallout III non-stop since late last year.

We'd be inclined to think it's nothing more than a cheap rip-off, if we didn't know that Future have your best interests at heart... 

[Image from XKCD]

Big Up From Our Peeps @ 4IP

Following an unexpected and delightful recommendation from the lovely fellows at 4IP's online community 38Minutes (join, join now, you won't regret it), we thought we'd provide an instant link to our wee shoppie, for the hordes of online visitors, keen shoppers, fashion victims and key opinion formers from the top 1% of the Internet.

You'll find a link on the left (under 'Fashion'), or you can simply click here.  They're not *all* games related.  Some are focused on an online, mobile, high tech and otherwise knowledgable user base, who are 'au fait' with err, computers and stuff.

Gamerz Getz DVD Releaze

OK, it's not videogames, but GAMERZ, the movie created in Scotland, which looks at a team of D&D/LARP'ers, is out now on DVD.  You can buy it on Amazon and HMV (only £4.99 on HMV right now, beaten narrownly by Amazon's £4.98).  Or you can even rent it from LoveFilm if you're feeling tight. 

You can check out the film's website here.

Why Citizen Journalism is a bad thing...

While we normally applaud advances in technology as 'democratising' the creation of digital content, we can help feel that there should be some limitations on the sorts of activity which are allowed in public.

It borders on surveillance.  Bah!

Still, more Screenings coverage, which is nice.  Just a shame it's not the icy James-Bond like image, which our editor strives for in all he does.

[Image source]

Spend Spend Spend!

The global downturn, spending slowdown and your editor's choice to spend time sorting out some damn festival or other means that your SG team have found themselves contemplating getting a real job over the last week. 

However there may be another solution!  We've decided not to put advertising on the site - yet!

Though we may approach carefully selected partners such as Tunnocks, Grant's, Agent Provocateur and CERN at some point in the near future - and our hand-picked team of Dave has been working behind the scenes, looking into a midnight flit to Word Press, where fleecing you all would be far simpler - and in some cases, automatic.

However we've decided to give something back to you - our loyal community.  Hence our efforts over the last few weeks to create the ultimate line-up of games and Scotland related t-shirts and gifts.  These will allow YOU, our readers to be the most stylish, funkiest and most up-to-date games and Scotland related fashion icons in the world today.

Some are clear.  Some are unashamedly old school and very much aimed at the insider.  All are stunning and without doubt style classics.  Forget your Penny Arcades, your Joystick Junkies and your 'pwned' nonsense.  This is geek McChic x 10 (that's 2 in binary, fact fans)

On your left, you'll see a link to the brand new Scottishgames Shoppie.  Your entry point into a regularly updated wonderland of shopping delight.  There's development-related items, games-related items, Scotland-related items and stuff that probably only makes sense to the editorial team...

Buy one each for your entire team (RTW & Rockstar - we're looking at you) and then think of all of your friends and family, who have yet to understand the deep joy you feel about being not only a gamer, but a developer too.

Then buy some spare ones, just in case.  You simply cannot have too many of these high quality items.

After careful consideration and examining many of the sites and services out there in Internetland, it's all done using Spreadshirt.net.  This means they're printed and shipped from Europe.  This means shipping is much cheaper and faster than it would be from the US.

Everything is printed to order, not scrabbled from a large box of product 'out the back', next to the disel generator, the rusting bicycles and the shipping container which makes those distressing noises after darkness falls...

Plus we can make new designs and throw them up online using only the Internet and the power of our imagination!  It's true.

Everything is based around the basic comfort-t right now.  This is the cheapest shirt and means that it's available in a huge range of sizes and colours.  Even pink!  Check it out...

However, there's a huge range of fitted t-shirts, female shirts, hooded tops, 'distressed' shirts, polo tops, mugs, belts, mouse mats, button badges and even underwear (both the popular 'hotpant' style AND g-string style female cut, plus a generous boxer-style gentleman's garment - though we remain confused about who the hell needs branded underwear.  Maybe we need to get out more).

We're happy to add any and all of those to the line-up, if anyone fancies a hoodie, mug, badge, or other item with any of the above designs...?

We'll be adding new designs and once we actually get around to buying a wacom tablet and/or installing Inkscape.  New products will be added each and every week.  That's how much we care, readers, about you staying bang up to date.  We will also be trying to mix up the order of the shop, to keep things 'fresh'.  Apparently this is a good thing, at least according to the small number of women we've spoken to

Plus, we've added a tips jar, where you can show your appreciation without having to buy a stitch.  It's like begging, but it's online, so is actually classed as entrepreneurial.

In the interests of full disclosure - and because we'd hate you to think we're raking it in, here - SG makes between £2 - £4 maxmimum, on each t-shirt, depending on the complexity of each design, number of colours, etc.  Of course we *can* put the prices up if you think we're being ridiculously generous.

As an example - here's our first ever LIMITED EDITION design.  It's delightfully geeky, will only be understood by Xbox Live Arcade playing, RPG gamers, with a knowledge of Dundee geography - and will only be available until Gabe & Tycho find out.  Then it's gone! 

Who could resist that?

EIF Film Festival Info

The fine people at Edinburgh's Filmhouse Cinema have now posted details of the short season of gaming films coming up in August.

You can find the details here.

We're working with Hugh Hancock to put together a short season of Machinima before each main presentation, to give people a flavour of what's possible using games technology.

Why Japan Rocks. Part 1 in an occasional series...

When it comes to games-related craziness, Japan rocks.  This is an undisputed fact.  No other country could have come up with Dig Dug or Pac-Man in such a matter-of-fact, ho-hum, day job kind of way.

Now the country's casual design genius has been highlighted in a simple, stark way.  The increasingly annoying Kotaku (nice coverage, but they're more popular than us, so sod them...) has posted pictures of THIS:

It is, dear reader, an arcade grabber machine (aka 'The Claw') where you manipulate a three-pronged gizmo to snaffle cheapo prizes.  However in a stroke of godlike brilliance, this beauty has been crossed with an ice-cream vending machine.

The simple, glorious joy of this is only matched by the delight of imagining small children crying because they've popped all their cash in the thing and still failed to grab a lemon solero.

No, seriously folks, this is interactivity meets consumerism in a GOOD way.  It's FUN.  OK, perhaps irritating for the uncoordinated, but still, tell us you wouldn't drop at least a quid in here - even if you didn't actually want ice cream.

If we were to draw a parallel - and you're powerless to stop us - it would be to integrating a pachinko machine into an industrial deep fat fryer, so you could make your own haggis supper, but with the added excitement of having a one in four chance of having it swallowed by the machine.

Japan - you're strange, but we like you.

VGL - The Roundup

Well that was fun.  Video Games Live - the concert of video games music, both classic and modern, took place in Glasgow last night.

The verdict: astonishing. 

On the surface it does make sense.  Many game scores are orchestral and many others suitable for a complete orchestra.  However, that doesn't really prepare you for the combination of games, live music and audience participation.

Beginning with a selection of classic arcade titles (pong, defender, robotron, tempest, etc...), the concert moved on through a huge variety of videogames from the last twenty years. Highlights were Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Civilisation, Myst - well, pretty much the entire evening really.

However, we do have to single out individual spots from Richard Jacques (RICHARD JACQUES!), who played a new arrangement of music from OUTRUN and Martin Leung (the video games pianist), who proved that a classically trained pianist can match - and indeed better - the sound chip in an Atari ST.

Plus Blizzard's Russell Browne(sp?) - on his first visit to Scotland - introduced his own compositions from StarCraft II, though he refused to be drawn on any sort of information concerning a potential Di--lo III announcement.

Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, the creators of the VGL concept must be congratulated for creating something joyous.  The crowd was bouyant, engaged and noisy - in a good way - thoughout the entire event.  Even the orchestra themselves and the chorus looked like they were enjoying the experience.  Having been to a few 'serious' concerts, this was a revelation, the atmosphere was far more like a particularly good gig, than a 'recital'.

At a time when videogames are being singled out in the media as morally suspect (and quite possibly degenerate), an event like this proves that video games can not only be considered an art, but are creating fantastically good music as part of the actual development process.

Summary: Marvellous.  Highly recommended.  If you don't go and see this show at some point, you're a miserable sod.

As it is, we're going to beg and stalk Tommy until he agrees to bring it back to Scotland for EIF09.

Update: The talented Brian Hackett from Claymore Games actually took some decent pictures.  Show off.

Reminder: VIDEO GAMES LIVE! Tomorrow Night

A quick reminder that the Videogames Live event takes place at the Glasgow Concert Halls tomorrow night.

We've heard from various people involved and it sounds like it will be a BLAST.  Alongside the music, there will be games characters popping up, audience interaction, state-of-the-art effects and quite possibly, pretty girls dressed up as Lara Croft.

Your SG editorial team is heading along en-masse (like The Broons would) and will be hooking up with many and various interesting people from the Scottish gaming 'scene'.

If you're at a loose end, or not heading towards Glastonbury this year, we'd highly recommend it.

You can see a snatch of a previous performance here.

You can buy tickets here.

Come on, let's celebrate this whole culture thing.

UPDATE: The latest news is that brand new games including Space Invaders Extreme and Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - both on PSP may well be making a hands-on type appearance.

Video Games Live Concert Coming To Scotland!

Word has just reached us that the Video Games Live event is coming to Glasgow in June.

In case you've missed it, Video Games Live is an event in which a full orchestra plays and reinterprets classic videogame music, complete with visuals and cutting edge graphics.

The event takes place on Thursday 26th of June, at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and will be performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

VGL covers the whole history of gaming, from the earliest arcade titles through to recent console releases.

The press release we were sent provides a comprehensive list:

Mario™, Zelda®, Halo®, Final Fantasy®, Warcraft®, StarCraft® II, Sonic™, Metal Gear Solid®, Kingdom Hearts, Chrono Cross™, Myst®, Tron, Castlevania®, Medal of Honor™, God of War™, BioShock™, Civilization IV, Tomb Raider®, Beyond Good & Evil™, Advent Rising, EverQuest® II, Monkey Island, Earthworm Jim, Pac-Man, Conan, Guitar Hero™, Headhunter, Splinter Cell®, Ghost Recon™, Rainbow Six®, Jade Empire, Metroid, Contra, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™
And a Classic Arcade Medley featuring over 20+ games from Pong® to Donkey Kong® and including such retro arcade classics as Dragon's Lair, Tetris, Frogger, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gauntlet, Space Invaders and Outrun.

Simon Woods, chief executive of the RSNO, said:

“Video Games Live™ is a breathtaking event both visually and acoustically and the force of the RSNO will really bring it to life. We are delighted to bring this to Scotland for the first time; classical music is pushing traditional boundaries and Video Games Live™ will showcase how the two can be combined for phenomenal results.”

We're hoping to speak to someone from the RSNO in the near future, to get a little more background.  We'll be asking if they have any plans to perform Four Letter Love from the original Grand Theft Auto, or the Dragon's Lair music using only a kazoo.

Check out a few past performances here.

You can book tickets here.

We're doing that right now...