Blips: From Field to Screen

Source: Killer Queen: Half Joust, Half Starcraft and One Giant Snail
Author: Eric Blattberg
Site: Polygon

I've reached a point in my life where getting a local multiplayer game together with more than one friend is something that just doesn't happen anymore. The infrastructure of school is no longer there to act as a gathering force; the reason I enjoyed those games of 4-player Smash Bros Melee and split-screen Timesplitters in my freshmen dorm had everything to do with the human dynamics in the room. That's why a game like Killer Queen makes so much sense to me. The duo behind Killer Queen, Josh DeBonis and Nikita Mikros, originally made the RTS Joust game as a physical field game –like where you go outside and swing foam swords around. In fact, they even playtest the video game version in physical form to make sure it works. Starting from the angle of balancing not only mechanical attributes, but also physical group dynamics in a 10-person game is a strategy that seems perfectly apt.

I was introduced to Killer Queen by way of a profile by Eric Blattberg for Polygon, but will definitely be checking out next time I go to an NYU Game Center event, where the currently one-of-a-kind arcade cabinet is being housed. As is mentioned in the article, a college campus is an ideal environment for this kind of game, and I hope Josh and Nikita do end up pitching the cabinets to universities for placement in student unions, which would be ripe for school versus school network play, and, of course, local tournaments. It's something I feel like I would have been way into if there had been a machine on campus at my undergrad. I wish those guys the best of luck.

Oh, and since I've done a poor job of explaining what makes the actual game so special besides the uniqueness of it all, check out the article above or at least this video of competitive, yet fun and party-friendly play. And yes, root for the snail.

Blips: Oldies All Day

Source: Play MoMA's Latest Video Game Acquisitions Online
Author: Mostafa Heddaya
Site: Hyperallergic

The Museum of Modern Art is proceeding further with their video game acquisitions, now picking u a handful of early classics along with Minecraft. I'm a little embarassed to admit that I've never played some of these revered titles, even though I'm well aware of their legacies. Thankfully, Mostafa Heddaya over at Hyperallergic has compiled a list of sites where you can play these games online. Sure, it's no the same as using the true original controllers and arcade cabinets, but at least you can hold onto your quarters.

I love the sound design in these old games. They make such great use of different kinds of noise to intense effect. Vector graphics pioneer Tempest is probably my favorite of the group. When you complete a level, the camera zooms in through the opening in the center of the stage with this great, building whoosh sound. Yars Revenge has amazing noise-y sounds too. They also serve as an audible complement to the scrambled rainbow of pixelated mess that acts as a kind of force-field dividing the screen. Next time I'm given the chance to play these games on original hardware, I'll definitely take advantage of the opportunity. Until then, at least they're freely accessible as Flash games.

Blips: Vintage Konami Flyers

Source: Konami's Arcade Flyers 1986-96
Author: VGJunk
Site VGJunk

There's not too much too say that can really add to this collection of Konami promotional flyers from the late 80s though the early 90s. In fact, these flyers have A LOT happening in them to begin with. I mean, look at the Le Mans poster above and tell me what's happening in one succinct sentence. Every time I try to muster a description, some other element from the image totally disrupts my narrative. The best I can come up with is that the arcade cabinet just blazed through a finish line, but kept going and ran over a woman who happens to be in love with the machine. Also, the arcade cabinet was wearing a helmet, but discarded it before hitting the woman.

The linked post over on VGJunk is full of these wonderful gems that evoke the low-budget cheesy camp on FMV game contemporaries. An era gone too soon...