Forever Geek

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• Need for Speed Goes Cross-Country
• Shifting Paradigms
• Nursery Rhymes in Not-so-ordinary Graphic Depictions
• Steampunk Mashups

Need for Speed Goes Cross-Country Posted: 29 Apr 2011 12:18 PM PDT EA today announced the newest game in the Need for Speed franchise, a title that takes the series into territory it’s never approached before. Need for Speed: The Run will send players on an illegal cross-country race from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to the Empire State Building in New York City. The game’s focus on underground street racing will allow players to race their cars through all sorts of new environments like inclined mountain roads covered in ice, through narrow canyons, and weaving through dense metropolitan traffic — and all at the breakneck speeds that Need for Speed is known for. The Run uses the cutting-edge Frostbite 2 engine — the same game engine that the much-hyped Battlefield 3 runs on. The new physics and more-detailed-than-ever visuals are allowing game developers at Black Box (aka, EA Canada) to give this Need for Speed an exciting, immersive story. These elements are only hinted at in the teaser trailer above, but it’s a well made trailer that will get your blood pumping. The social competition network Autolog will again be included as well. Need for Speed: The Run is coming to North America on November 15, Europe on November 17, and the U.K. on November 18th. Versions are being made for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, and 3DS.

Shifting Paradigms Posted: 29 Apr 2011 07:37 AM PDT Well, now the Royal Wedding has drawn to a close (barring the repeats and the in depth analyses), life can return to something approximating normal again. Today it was stated by historian Simon Schama that the wedding was bringing the Monarchy into a new age, marrying itself to the current generation. The amount of familiarity and common touch made this a very different event, especially in the age of social media where we are so much closer to our ‘celebrities’. It’s not so much that taboos have been broken, but the paradigm has shifted. Not to be outdone, the only person in the world who could compete with the happy couple has made his grab for the headlines. Of course I speak of Superman. Ignoring the fact that he is not real, this week in Action Comics #900, Superman has stated his intention to renounce his U.S. citizenship in a speech to the U.N., after tiring of his actions being interpreted as U.S. Foreign Policy. During this period of great upheaval across the Middle East in the real world, I think this was a timely announcement in his fictional one as DC increases its acknowledgement of real world events. (Makes you wonder just what role Bialya, Kahndaq and the nuked out remains of Qurac can play in future stories.) However, this seems to have caused some controversy, especially over at Fox News (surprise). However, the story justifies it, it gives the lead character a far greater degree of freedom; and seriously; are we ever going to forget “Truth, Justice and the American Way”? Like the ‘American’ ‘Dream’, Superman’s ‘American Way’ is not a reality. It is an ideal to be aspired to, a lofty goal forever out of reach but we are made better in the striving for it. Those who are criticising the writers and DC for their (and I quote) “blatant lack of patriotism’ should maybe read the story, or shut up if they don’t know what they are talking about. As for the DC fans, wasn’t this the thinking of the renaming of the Justice League Of America to the simple Justice League, or even the Justice League International? (Which is on its way back I notice, according to the last issue of Generation Lost. Same characters and a tad less Bwa-ha-ha, so I’m looking forward to it.) Storm in a teacup people, give it a rest. For that matter, grow up. It’s fiction. And if the flag thumpers still worry about the effect such a story would have on younger readers, think on this. It teaches them what the difference is between speaking for a country, and speaking for yourself. Quite an important lesson, wouldn’t you say? Me, I’m old enough to make up my own mind. The finest form of patriotism is to stand in judgement over one’s country; applauding its successes and reining in its excesses (or worse). Patriotism is making your country the best, not just blindly assuming it is. And one last point about Superman and his American influence. You may be able to take the farmboy out of Kansas, but you won’t take Kansas out of the farmboy.

Nursery Rhymes in Not-so-ordinary Graphic Depictions Posted: 29 Apr 2011 06:36 AM PDT Everyone knows their nursery rhymes, although the stories may vary from one culture to another. There may even be different versions of the same nursery rhymes. Even though we’re now all adults – age-wise, at least – I am pretty sure that your favorite nursery rhymes when you were kids hold a special place in your heart. Now what if you can somehow relieve those times when you didn’t have a care in the world and all you were concerned about was the bed time story that your mom was about to tell you? I don’t know if David Clemesha’s art will help you with that, but I am certain that the work will catch your eye – and have you reciting the nursery rhymes as well (or at least the bits and pieces that you remember). Here are several pieces of nursery rhyme artwork that got me taking a short trip down memory lane and also got me marveling at the quirky depictions. Oh, and for typography enthusiasts – you’ll have a lot to look at. Humpty Dumpty Yeah he sat on a wall, and he had a great fall. The scene was never like this in my mind, though. I love how he looks like a polka dotted…uh…egg. This little pig went to market… …this little pig stayed at home…I don’t remember the next lines, but you can see it in the artwork. I have to say this was always one of my go-to nursery rhymes! Yankee Doodle Never mind that Yankee Doodle’s pony looks like a pinata that you can use for Cinco de Mayo. I love just how weird Yankee Doodle is depicted. I remember having to learn this tune on the piano many many years back, and yeah, Yankee Doodle in my head was probably just as weird. Old Mother Hubbard I don’t know about you, but I never imagine Mother Hubbard to look this way! Jonah in the Belly of a Whale Perhaps the story of Jonah is not a nursery rhyme, but he was a regular in my mom’s arsenal of bed time stories. Now I wouldn’t have thought to include a mermaid back then, but I think that’s a brilliant addition in the picture. Buy prints of these from David Clemesha’s site.

Steampunk Mashups Posted: 29 Apr 2011 05:44 AM PDT Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for a while, because we’ve got 50 steampunk reinventions of your favorite scifi/fantasy characters from pop culture. 2001: A Space Odyssey [Source] The A-Team [Source] Assassin’s Creed The guy doesn’t do much for me, and I have no idea what those weird dragon wings are about, but the equipment is very cool. [Source] AT-AT (Star Wars) I tried to focus mainly on characters for this list, but this steampunk AT-AT was just too good to pass up. [Source] AT-ST (Star Wars) Yes, it’s a real photo. This thing was constructed in real life — via papercraft. And at a small scale. Still, the quality of what they pulled off here can’t be overstated. Deeply impressive. [Source] Batgirl A really nice design that looks like the cover of a comic book. [Source] Batman #1 In a sea of steampunk Batmen (seriously, there could be an entire subgenre there), this one stands out for those awesome mechanical wings, and for its decidedly light, optimistic feel. For once, the Dark Knight isn’t bathed in darkness, and it actually works. [Source] Batman #2 How could I only pick one steampunk Batman when there are so many great ones available? I would totally read this if it were a comic book. Strikes the perfect note between Batman’s gritty determination and the red/orange glow of steampunk steel. Love it. [Source] Batman #3 Last one, I promise. A much more realistic approach to the world’s greatest detective. If Batman were set in the late 19th Century, he might look a lot like this. [Source] Bender (Futurama) [Source] Boba Fett (Star Wars) Another big favorite among steampunk enthusiasts. I can see the appeal: Fett was all about the gadgets and technology in a universe where people with special abilities held all the power. I picked this one for the realism and level of detail. I’m guessing he stole the lightsabers? [Source] Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story) [Source] Captain America A retro character if there ever was one, Captain America is a perfect fit for steampunk. This representation grabbed my attention because it’s a real, one-of-a-kind, customized action figure. The shield is definitely the best part; it folds out into a pair of wings that (presumably) Cap can use to glide. [Source] Cinderella Note the cog motif used throughout the dress. [Source] Cylon #1 (Battlestar Galactica) [Source] Cylon #2 (Battlestar Galactica) [Source] Daft Punk [Source] Dalek (Doctor Who) [Source] Darth Vader #1 I like this one because it refuses to follow the traditional shapes of Vader, such as his distinctive helmet design, yet it’s instantly recognizable. That lightsaber is wicked cool, too. [Source] Darth Vader #2 Had to include this one if for nothing more than its staggering level of detail. [Source] David & Goliath The age-old Bible story gets a steampunk makeover in this clever update. Dig the photo-realism! [Source] Donald Duck [Source] Dr. Doom (Fantastic Four) [Source] Droids: C-3PO and R2-D2 (Star Wars) Must… resist… urge… to insert “the droids you’re looking for” joke… [Source] Ghostbusters [Source] Green Goblin (Spider-Man) [Source] Hellboy The hand is mechanical, and his horn stubs are goggles. Genius! [Source] Hello Kitty I wouldn’t have thought it possible. Steampunk + Hello Kitty seems like an unholy union. But this is a spectacular image. [Source] Iron Man #1 Another inventer/superhero who makes a natural fit with the steampunk aesthetic. [Source] Iron Man #2 A lot of thought about realism and why certain parts of the suit work the way they do, went into this design. [Source] Jessica Rabbit [Source] Jetfire (Transformers) This one completely custom-made toy charmed me with its inventive airplane mode and stunning functionality. It really transforms! [Source] Mario A handlebar mustache and monocle is almost all it takes to update Super Mario Bros. to steampunk proportions. [Source] Mr. Potato Head Look at that thing. Utterly mind-blowing. [Source] Optimus Prime (Transformers) The leader of the Autobots is reimagined as a steam train toy that actually transforms and includes real lights built in. The look is just perfect, and I can’t decide whether I like the robot or the train mode best. [Source] Pac-Man Created for a t-shirt design. Note the vessel’s name, scrawled on the side. [Source] Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants) [Source] Robocop [Source] Santa Claus [Source] Spider-Man #1 [Source] Spider-Man #2 [Source] Sweeney Todd [Source] TARDIS (Doctor Who) This one has the distinction of having been originally sketched by one artist, and then rendered in full 3D by another artist who admired the work of the first. The idea of a more Victorian-era TARDIS is a provocative one, and here we see the familiar box-shaped footprint of the blue Police Box replaced with a hexagon footprint that’s painted entirely in red. I’m thinking this one wouldn’t blend in as easily as the real thing always seems to. [Source 1 / Source 2] TRON How can you not adore this? Steampunk and Tron are two worlds at nearly opposite ends of the aesthetic spectrum, but they’ve been melded together beautifully in this cheeky illustration. [Source] Voltron I’m crazy about anything associated with Voltron (the lions, of course, not the cars), and this steam-and-hot-metal version scratches that itch oh-so-well. [Source] WALL-E and Eve [Source] The Witch King (Lord of the Rings) Looks less like Lord of the Rings and more like something that just stepped out of Stephen King’s Dark Tower. And I mean that in a good way. [Source] Wonder Woman The proportions on this pin-up-esque Amazonian warrior are patently absurd (each of her boobs are bigger than her face! her waste is thinner than one of her legs!), but you gotta love the surrealistic quality of it, as well as those terrific leather textures. [Source] X-Men I avoided costumes on this list because it wasn’t really the direction I wanted to go with this article, but man alive… Look at the intricacy of that wheelchair! Rogue’s costume is suitably bawdy without being vulgar, while Gambit planned his costume right down to the authentically old-timey playing card in his hand. [Source] Zoidberg (Futurama) I thought Zoidberg was a man…? [Source]

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