Revult

E3: Kinect Doesn’t Suck?!

Felix — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:05:24 +0000

Whoa! What just happened? This year we actually got to see some potentially game-enhancing uses for the Xbox Kinect! Considering last year’s lack-luster reveal of the peripheral, this year’s showing was a veritable bounty for the hardcore gamer (as much as a few decent special uses for the camera amongst a smattering of kiddy games can be, at least.)

Ghost Recon proved there is an interesting use for gun lovers with Kinect (who knew?), allowing us to customise our weapons for combat scenarios according to expected engagement range or jus plain personal preference, while Forza 4 proved yet again there is no place for Kinect in racing games…

I think of all the demos we saw at Microsoft’s press conference however, Mass Effect 3 showed the most intriguing experience I could hope to ever get with Kinect. Yelling out voice commands to my squad? Yes, please! Speaking the lines of Commander Shepard? Sign me up, soldier! Microsoft has positioned this device perfectly – not as a replacement for the controller; but as an immersive enhancement for the games we know and love. Couldn’t have asked for more.

Moving on to Kinect Fun Labs, I think this is where we’ll really begin to see some interesting uses for Kinect that should spawn some innovative games further down the line. This is going to be like an app store filled with £0.59 app store options for Kinect! Awesome.

If there’s one thing Microsoft proved to me this year, it’s that Kinect is not just a one trick pony, that it will continue to be supported, and that we should genuinely watch this space. For once I am genuinely, pleasantly surprised.

E3: Halo 4 Announced

Felix — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:13:07 +0000

A cluster of stars comes into view… a muffled voice cries out in the dark… life pumps into a human heart and the nervous system of a sleeping hero kicks into life. Out we are thrust through the visor of a familiar hero as we hear the familiar cry of the Cortana AI: “Chief! I need you!”

The Master Chief breaks out of his cryo sleep and dashes to Cortana, scooping her into the Chief’s helmet after the shock of an explosion ruptures the broken ships’s hull. In kicks the Chief’s new propulsion system in the icy zero-G atmosphere, propelling him forward through the mangled debris, into the path of a floating magnum, equipped with explosive rounds. Spiralling dramatically through crippled metal, he grips the last strut and cooly plants Mjolnir-powered feet down upon the deck of the torn vessel. The camera gives us a full view of the poised chief, before pulling back to reveal the tractor beam of an unknown structure dragging his transport into its core. The title hits the screen: Halo 4.

The E3 crowd erupts.

It’s safe to say, I am madly excited for this game. It releases in Fall 2012 and promises to be the beginning of a whole new Halo trilogy under the supervision of 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor. Will the covenant return? Or is this the beginning of a whole new fight with a brand new enemy? So many details are yet to be unveiled, but with only a year to wait, this is the best surprise E3 could offer Xbox fans.

Review: The Strokes – Angles

Felix — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:23:16 +0000

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Review: Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Felix — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 05:17:59 +0000

Review: Interpol – Self Titled

Felix — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:23:56 +0000

Brandstack Is Awesome

Felix — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:17:25 +0000

Brandstack sells logos for companies that haven’t been invented yet. Graphic designers submit their ideas for new companies, often revolving around a thematic hook (such as a particular animal) and attempt to forge a brand identity around it. These ideas are then listed for sale on the site, which takes a percentage of the profits. It’s a marketplace filled with considerable talent, where the best designers can make big money for a single logo. The best identities, such as Boostrooster, created by user intrepidguppy, can sell for several hundred dollars.

The magic of the browsing experience on Brandstack is finding a logo you feel attached to. Every person viewing the site will see different potential in any number of blank slate designs. One person’s hair salon will be another’s recruitment agency, and almost every logo is available for considerable customisation with the designer once purchased.

To give some idea of how the process works, I was recently browsing the site when I came across the logo for HoxBox, coupled with the matching .com domain, which inspired me to create a local music venue guide for the local area of Hoxton, similar to Timeout magazine. Sadly for myself, before I could make up my mind, the logo sold to a rival whose future work I’m keen to see. Which direction will they choose to take the brand?

This type of community experience is not to be overlooked; competing against rivals for a logo and tracking a lost design’s progress from idea to reality is an experience unlike any other. The knowledge that the site will continue to provide new designs brimming with potential for your big idea makes you return time after time. Other users will even rate every logo and provide feedback wherever possible to enhance a brand’s chance of success with potential buyers.

To any budding entrepreneurs, I suggest you give it a try.