This Portal/M.C. Escher mashup is the work of an anonymous 4Chan poster. So your thanks and praise will have to be directed towards the heavens. But man oh man is that one glorious piece of fan art. The concise version is above, but if you’re after a new desktop, a full-size version’s after the jump.
Saying bad things about EA never goes out of style, but last year they did at least one thing right: Skate. That game is fantastic! So much better than Tony Hawk’s. And it’s got the sales to prove it. Having ruled the land of skate games unopposed for nearly a decade, in 2007 Tony Hawk’s was outsold by EA’s upstart newcomer 2:1 (at least, that’s what EA said in yesterday’s conference call). And that’s with Activision’s series launching on every console, while Skate launched on just the 360 & PS3. Justice prevails!
It’s no secret that film and TV actors are doing voice work in games. Some actors, like Keith David (The Thing), are finding more work in games than in film, while big Hollywood stars are picking up extra cash as well. How much does an A-list star get for an afternoon of voice work? Typically, stars get in the high five figures for single voice session. One major actor got half a million dollars for one session. Says Lev Chapelsky, who manages a company that contracts screen actors for game voicework: Agents are under the misconception that there’s a ton of money to be had for their clients. In a game, the entertainment is about the gameplay. The actor’s contribution isn’t as important as the gameplay.
Voice acting is important, but certainly not more important than good gameplay. Trying to figure out who got half a million… Any idea? Video Games Give Actors Second Chance [Reuters][Pic]
Steven Spielberg’s EA game – of which we still know precious little – was being talked up the other day at the Imagina 2008 summit. Specifically, the emotional impact EA are hoping the game will pack, even going so far as to suggest it may bring a tear to your eye. EA’s Glenn Entis, speaking on the game’s emotional potential: We believe the Spielberg game will set a new bar. It’s a brilliant team and we also think that if any creative collaborator has the instincts for it, Steven Spielberg does because he’s the Steven Spielberg of directors.
Wait, so this Spielberg game will be all emotional? With tears? We were promised the Steven Spielberg of directors, not the Nora Ephron of directors. IMAGINA: When Tech Meets Emotion [Next-Gen]
This is shocking. So so shocking. It’s so shocking and TOTALLY NOT SAFE FOR WORK that we’re putting the gallery after the jump, and the pics in the gallery have been censored by the site that originally posted them. Well, it’s not that shocking, but it’s certainly NSFW! Japanese figure-centric site Moeyo.com has a review of SEGA Prize Dead or Alive Kasumi figure designed by figurine sculptor Shunya Yamashita. Moeyo takes the regular Kasumi figurine and removes her plastic clothes. For those who have never seen a Moeyo review, be warned. They embarrass her. Horribly.
There are no casual Gran Turismo “fans”. There are people who hate the series, avoiding it at all costs, and there are others who adore it, and would set their teeth on fire while kneeing themselves in their own balls if the game’s license tests demanded it of them. They’re that into it. If you’re part of the latter camp, you may be interested in these, a GT5: Prologue soundtrack and an adorable little GT5 toy car.
This totally slipped under my radar, but Osaka rock band L’Arc~en~Ciel is lending its new tune “Drink It Down” as the main theme for multi-platform title Devil May Cry 4. This really seems like a perfect match as both seem to take hairdo inspiration from each other. Wonder if it’ll make the international release. Don’t see why not, the band does have a fanbase outside Japan.
Laruku In DMC4 [Japanator]
Rockstar and controversy? Old, close friends. The kind who are so close they can spend hours in each other’s company and not say a word, they’re that comfortable. So it won’t be too much of a stretch for them to spend some more time together, then, what with GTAIV’s launch on the horizon. Rockstar founder Dan Houser is psyched: I expect [tabloid controversy]because we’ve had so much of it in the past. I wish people would treat video games the same as other media. They seem to not want to do that for reasons that I don’t understand. It’s a convenient enemy for people.
Don’t understand? Not to nit-pick, but other media don’t let you be the one to kill cops and hookers for fun. And if they did, other media would probably do a better job of defending/explaining/justifying the decision to include that than Rockstar do. But hey, what do I know. Rockstar: ‘GTA IV will send tabloids mad’ [MCV]
Ah, Spore. When the hell are you going to come out and play? Will Wright and his team have been working on it for eons. That’s okay, because, hey, we’d rather have it done than half-done. But Electronic Arts says it’s planned for “before the holidays” and that the company is “bullish.” From the investors conference call today, EA says: 2008 is going to be a very strong year for Electronic Arts. Whether we are talking about Spore, which has been talked about for a long time. Personally played the software, it is very impressive.
I’m excited about Spore, but think EA really dropped the ball with how the marketing’s been handled. The game was announced way too early, and one can only keep up the excitement so long, you know? Investor Call [EA]
BATTLEFIELD HEROES – EA Australia told us Battlefield Heroes wasn’t going to be available outside of the US & Europe. At least for a while. EA Australia were wrong! The Heroes dev team promise the game will indeed be available worldwide, saying “Battlefield Heroes is available as a free download from the web, and as such would probably be available even if you connect to the internet via a satellite dish from a small unheated hut on the steppes of Uzbekistan”.
