Reminder that Ludum Dare rolls in later tonight! Happen to live near Troy, NY? Check us out at Tech Valley Game Space:
http://www.meetup.com/TechValleyGameSpace/events/218600554/
We’ll be streaming the process for all 4 days:
Watch live video from TechValleyGameSpace on www.twitch.tv
Hello, everyone. I’ll be helping out Tech Valley Game Space at organizing the internet’s largest online Game Jam, Ludum Dare 31 at Troy, NY! Join in the fun, crazy mess as we develop a video game within 72 hours.
http://www.meetup.com/TechValleyGameSpace/events/218600554/
Haven’t been to a Ludum Dare yet? Not to worry! We’ll be presenting on how to survive Ludum Dare on Twitch.tv on Thursday, December 4th, 7:00 PM EST. Check it out!
Lastly, as this is a very busy time, there will be no #WeeklyGameMusic this weekend.
#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.
Since it’s Thanksgiving weekend, let’s take a break at one of the greatest Zelda remixes of all time: Theophany’s Dawn of a New Day. This game needs no introduction: in the Nintendo cult-classic Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, you have three days. Three days before the moon falls, and obliterates everything in its path. Three scant, emotionally draining days to save the world. Where Disney have dabbled into the darkness of death in Bambi and Up, this Nintendo game has death starring at you where ever you go. With its cold, unforgiving clock chiming away every second of life you have left.
It’s actually quite natural that the internet’s classic ghost story, Ben Drowned, utilizes this game for its horror. For a company so well-known for its child-friendly games, this game’s level of darkness and maturity is unprecedented for the company. And to this day, it stands tall and proud as one of the most innovative game in gaming history. While like any Legend of Zelda game, this entry has dungeons and explorations, the game shines brightest when you realize all characters in the game follow a consistent, 3-day schedule. Understanding this game’s clockwork — at what hour is each character standing, and what are they doing — is the most critical element in making the most out of this game.
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was originally developed for the Nintendo 64. It’s downloadable on Wii and Wii U for Virtual Console, and a port is available on the Nintendo 3DS. Also: its the blogger’s favorite game.
#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.
“No more heroes, it’s kill or be killed” describes No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle pretty darn well in this red hot chili pepper theme music. Indeed, Yoshioka Taku Squad’s remix of Masafumi Takada’s original composition does an excellent job satirizing the excitement of violent medium…when the same actions replicated in real life is so revolting. Much like the music, Suda51’s sequel to a Wii cult classic makes yet another careful observation of violence in media, criticizing their effects to sick minds.
Remember Viewtiful Joe? In that game, Joe was a loser that gets put in a world that makes him awesome. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle takes a different approach: Travis Touchdown is a loser nerd who assassinates people in an otherwise boring world to make himself feel awesome. So no surprise then, when a completely forgettable character in the first game, Travis’ best friend Bishop Shidux, gets killed and have his head delivered through Travis’ window. Utterly shocked, Travis pounces on the assassination top ranking, starting at position 51, on a revenge mission against the top-ranked assassin and Bishop’s murderer.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is a rare breed of video games called magical realism, where spouts of assassination missions and boss battles are divided by mundane and pixelated day jobs. Day jobs help Travis make money to enter himself to the next ranking mission, while the heart of the game lies in the boss battles. Using his trusty beam katanas, Travis can unleash long combos and occasional special attack in a beat ’em up control style. Every once in a while, the katanas losses its power, requiring Travis to recharge them by shaking its handle. It’s a subtle symbolism when this happens, as Travis looks like he’s beating off to regain his energy to take on the intense, on-going battle.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and its prequel, No More Heroes 2 were originally developed for the Wii. While the prequel has a Playstation 3 port, the sequel does not.
Hey, guys. We’re trying something new here at Omiya Games and Tech Valley Game Space by scheduling events during our live streams. First up with be a Developer Plays (a play on Let’s Plays) Suddenly, Thousand, where we play and comment on our own game. This will be a great opportunity to see what the developer had in mind when creating this game. Streaming will start at Thursday, November 20th, 7:00 PM EST:
http://www.meetup.com/TechValleyGameSpace/events/218785709/
Check it out, and at the end of the stream, let us know what you think!
Want to check out how I’m working? Tech Valley Game Space now has a live stream at Twitch.tv broadcasted between 2:00 pm to 12:00 am daily (except holidays). I’m working with Jamey Stevenson and his team from Spoony Bird to create the best game development office possible. Feel free to follow us, and even chat with the developers in the office!
