Days Gone

The new game Days Gone by SIE Bend Studio looks fantastic from the game play video i have seen.  You play as a guy, Deacon st John living in the world over run by zombies

Tomb Raider movie

Lara croft is back on the big screen with a whole new adventure and new actress: Oscar winner,Alicia Vikander. This time we see a less polished version than the Angelina Jolie movies, we see a lara just starting out

This version of Lara is more human with flaws and failings. She can take care of herself but is not the fake superwoman from the video games of past. Vikander plays her with confidence, intelligence and bravery befitting the video game legend.  The "prize" or "big bad" in the film is handled with logic and fits perfectly in today's age of giving a kind of realism to the fantastic. The twist is not seen coming but when it is revealed you feel it makes sense, although i did wish for a bit more of the fantastic...maybe in the sequel 

Rodney Alan Greenblat

I love Parappa the rapper, the eponymous rhythm game by NanaOn-Sha. The game was first released in Japan in 1996 and was later released in North America and Europe in 1997 for the Playstation. Not only is the game known for its catchy songs,beats and characters its also known for its distinct look and funky art style. I caught up with Artist Rodney Greenblat the man responsible for the look of the game for a few questions:

you have a unique fun style, how long have you been drawing and doing art? who are some of your influences?

I’ve been making artwork since I was 3 years old. Somehow my parents knew that was the right career for me. My early influences were tv shows and art books. I loved Bullwinkle, Speed Racer and Gumby. My parents also had some art books around, and Picasso and Miro were my favorites. Put that all together!

how did you get involved in the parappa game?

I was working with a Japanese agency designing cute characters and doing illustration work, and eventually was hired to design character products for Sony. At the same time Sony was just bringing out Playstation 1. A group was designing a fun new game and they asked me to design the world and characters.

how many looks did parappa go through until his current appearance was settled on?

I made many sketches for Parappa, I don’t remember how many. One of the talented designers at Sony helped choose the final character.

did you suggest characters for the game or did the developers already have what they wanted in mind?

The Parappa the Rapper development team leader was Masaya Matsuura. He and his team would tell me what they thought the characters would do in the game, and what kind of personality the characters might have. Then I made sketches.

are you amazed how popular the parappa franchise is and how iconic your artwork has become?

Yes!


you can check out more about Rodney and see his art and products over at whimsyload

Um Jammer Lammy - at Roxy New York

I'm a big fan of parappa the rapper and um jammer lammy so it was a real treat for me to see the voice performers live. here is a video i found on youtube

Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst raises the action-adventure bar through fluid, first person action and immerses players in Faith’s origin story as she fights for freedom within the city of Glass.

Online gaming just got a lot more expensive

Sony recently increased the price of their PlayStation Plus service from $49.99 a year to $59.99 a year the same as Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold membership.

A big deal since so many love to play online and connect with friends. the good thing is free games are usually included with the playstaion plus service

Grand Theft Female

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto broke the color barrier when one of the games was headlined by Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns home to Los Santos from Liberty City after his mother's murder in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
being one of the first playable black characters headlining in the gta franchise.

Other games have used different ethnic groups like Chinese and Latino but now i think its time to break the gender line. If the gta franchise has taught us anything its that women can be criminals just as much as men can. Several notable female criminals have even played big parts in the games. Now there should be a female protagonist.