GS Indie Game News: 2-9-11 Part 1 & 2

A new weekly show that I am starting for Gamerz Station. It's where I talk about some of the news and happenings in the indie gaming world. It's a two parter.

Browser Games of the Week: PacTime Edition

It's a new week and time for a new video. This week is a little shorter then previously, but just as long.

Browser Games of the Week: BiteJacker and Armor Mayham Edition

After much annoyance with youtube, it's finally up and here. The newest week of Browser Games of the Week... done by me.

Duke Nukem Forever Trailer Finally Revealed to Public

If you are into gaming like me, then you probably know that at PAX last September, Duke Nukem Forever was revealed to be coming out. Yes, all of us thought this was a game that would never be released and the several screens shown over the years didn't look that good. It was even a joke for the longest... like the Phantom.

Though the trailer was shown for the game last September, it wasn't revealed to anyone outside of those that saw it... but no longer. Here is the trailer... with pixelated boobs and ass:




While I wasn't all that excited about the game initially, seeing the trailer does help to boost my belief in the game. It doesn't just seem to be the plain brown screens that I was seeing for awhile. Plus, the team behind it was behind the Half-Life expansions, Brother in Arms, and Borderlands

Let's just hope it can be good... I mean, it's taken 12 freakin' years.

Browser Games of the Week: Over the Border Edition

I should really quit making promises about that animation... especially when I had to do this video during that time.

A Rearranging of Animations & New Video Series?

Alright, I was planning on having my next animation being, what I was calling it, "That Shrinking Feeling", but that animation has been pushed back. "Why?!" you might just be wondering, well, it's simple. Let's say it's because I don't feel like doing the other and this upcoming animation I just started is simpler.

I think I've mentioned this before, but when I came to GoAnimate, I was having writer's block over at StripGenerator and that carried over to GA. I was lucky to get my first three animations out. Just something about getting there, some animation ideas hit me... but then they quickly disappeared.

Perhaps it just isn't writers block either, as I have had a few ideas, but either not being in the mood to work on these animations after I do whatever I do each day or I simply don't like the animation. Those are as big an influence as the writer's block as those have been the reason for animations being pushed back or not even being started.

As an example, prior to my Saw Christmas episode, I had two or three Street Fighter parodies that I though of using. One was going to involve my past experience with sprite animations, but after the Saw Christmas, I kinda decided that GA isn't best for those animations. But the main reason they weren't made is simply because they weren't as funny as I though they would be... they didn't work out for me.

Anyways, back to the rearranging of animations. The shrinking one is pushed back till whenever I get to it and replacing it is a simpler animation, but maybe a little funnier: most of the lines were done improv which goes well with the animation. It's about my failed career as a stand-up comedian... not my real career as I haven't had one yet, but likely will soon if I don't get a job.

I plan on this being an on-and-off series: one I do when I just want to do something funny. This idea of being a failed comedian is often a joke I do tell people and I even did it in my podcast I had for a short amount of time: though I used the name Kayne Lindy in that podcast over my real or SnakeYukin.

If things go well though, I will have it up tomorrow or the day after. It all depends on if this snow outside gets to me and I go crazy anytime soon or I break down from being home alone for a few days.



Switching gears to non-animation, I'm thinking of maybe starting the usual retro-ish video game reviews. I'm only thinking this as I picked up the N64 just the other day, the first time in a few years, and I wanted to see what I now thought of a game I liked when I was, according to the save file, only ten years old.

I want this to be more of a retrospective show of my childhood over, say, just reviewing random old games that may be bad or good. That's also what I don't want to be solely, just about reviewing horrible games. I did that for a bit involving indie games and, while it was fun, it was at the same time something involving me mocking designers who might be a tween. It's hard to just comb and find a professional-ish game that is made by a proper indie game studio... but the game sucks.

Now, I really didn't have issues with this idea of berating these indie games, as these people did put out a game that is meant to be viewed and played by others, so it's fair game. At the same time though, I know it probably wouldn't pull in a lot of views: though those that watched it did find it funny... except the few who were offended by the above reason.

The only issue I'm actually facing is recording the video I want. That's on two different fronts too.

First is actually recording the game. It's on the N64, which I could record if I had the right equipment (your donations help to go towards that), but I don't. Luckily, there are emulators out there that allows me to play these games on my PC, so I can record these games. My first game I'm looking back on is one I do own, so it's not much of a biggie: I'm actually going through and finishing the game on my N64 first before switching over, playing, and recording on my computer.

Second, is that I want to be able to record myself and some little sketch moments I have ideas for. Now, I don't have a camcorder and I'm waiting on a HD webcam that I was able to get from the audio book stuff I'm doing... actually, I was told to get one for something that I have to work on for them after I get it.

Anyways, I want to be able to show myself, which I can easily do with the webcam and, from what I've seen, the quality is good (not the best, but whatever.) So I'm hoping that, after I play around with it, that it records well enough that I can do these little comedy moments with it. If not then, well, the videos will lack most likely.

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to eventually get a camcorder I've been eyeing for a while. Hopefully this will be from a mix of the audio book stuff as well as, hopefully, getting a local part time job... one that I've been trying for since I turned 16 only about 4.5 years ago.

Just now... I gotta figure out an intro for this series and a name for it.

Browser Games of the Week: Monotris and Dead Ninjas Edition

My weekly videos for Gamerz Station that spotlights some of the better browser games for the week has returned. Check it out; like, comment, and fav it too.

Behind on Animation: That Shrinking Feeling

Yes, that's the title of the animation that's coming next... and I'm behind the schedule I was expecting. I was hoping to start animating on Sunday or Monday, I started actually Saturday, but because of an issue at GoAnimate, I decided to hold off till that's fixed. Now it's fixed, but I've been a little busy with some stuff.

Sunday, I had to send in some lines, twice, for an online ad. In between those, I decided to audition for a flash animation and a game as they both, from what I saw, looked nice and polished, I thought it might help to audition for them: one of which I should, hopefully, be hearing something from tomorrow or the day after.

Monday... well, I don't have much of an excuse I think. I just think I wasn't in the mood to do anything or, perhaps, I was indeed busy with some stuff for Gamerz Station. Also, I ended up being out for about three hours because our cat is getting a little annoying.

Yesterday, I was hanging with one of my friends mostly all day. Since we were doing stuff, I couldn't really work on my animation, obviously. When I got home, I realized I needed to finished working on the new intro for Gamerz Station... which is my top priority.

Today... well, the same thing will be happening. I didn't finish the intro yesterday as there's something I gotta download to make it the way that I planned to have it. So when I get that working, I'll likely have another voice acting gig to do, and I don't know when both of those will be finished. As well as all of that, I still need to get to working on my voice acting demo.

Tomorrow is when I should be able to work on the animation. My friend and I might be hanging out again, but when I get home, I shouldn't have anything else to worry about, so I can get to work on it.

If not... then there's Friday I suppose.

Expect Some Shrinking in My Next Animation

I've just finished up the recording for my next animation, which means I'll start animating the stuff likely next year: you know, as in tomorrow's next year. Though it might not be till either Sunday or Monday as I have some voice over stuff to do today and, likely, tomorrow.

As the title says, there will be some shrinking involved with this animation: not as in some weird fetish that I'm sure is out there. I'm unsure if it'll be as funny as the others, it does have funny moments, but it might involve the most amount of stuff... maybe. Plus, I show off my voice acting even more by adding a new voice to the cast of... three voices.

As well as that, I show a nice little voice altering trick that I can do on Adobe Audition. Okay, it's not really a trick, as I'm sure several users know how to do what I did, but it defiantly helps the animation and is better then just having a normal voice and then a high and squeaky one.


Now, some of you might be wondering about the series thing. I'm thinking about doing it and I was writing to have the trailer up instead of this animation, but one thing stopped me. That is, I didn't have the GoBucks to add on stuff for the character, so I had to reuse some of my old characters.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing either, because I'm sure this animation will be quicker to do then that trailer.

Anyways, expecting the animation within a week if things go well. The only thing that should delay it is laziness, getting busy with some work, or something involving interactions with people causes me to be behind schedule.

No "New" Christmas Animation & An Animation Series?

I had plans for a while to do another Christmas animation... more or less it was just prior to finishing up It's a Saw Christmas. Unfortunately, right before I was thinking of starting to write a script for my next animation (as well as auditioning for some productions) I got that email about the audiobooks: which have kept me busy. Obviously, I'm not complaining about the time and placement, as I needed the upfront payments for some stuff, but it quickly became something that took more time then I thought.

Now, I was beginning to work on a script... in fact, I have the beginning of it written down. It was going to start off as a parody of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then it would turn into a parody of "The Grinch" including that oh so catchy song. The plan was, "Hey, I'll finish this script in one night somehow. Then I'll record everything the following day. Finally, after two to three days, it'll be up for everyone to enjoy."

Welp, that quickly didn't work out. I think the attempts at rhyming did it in for me. "What rhymes with this and makes sense?"



Now about this animation series... it's not a 100% sure thing right now. The more I think about it, the more and more that I do want to do it. The reason I'm not sure as this series came from a trailer that I was just going to throw out there.

This trailer was initially planned to be fake, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I could make it into a series, but there are two problems. First, I have issues with finishing series over on Strip Generator also books/stories I start: an animation takes more time and effort then those two.

Second, I'll have to get a female voice actor and, from my experience, I have issues with keeping people onboard for projects. I've had a few productions that needed voice actors and several people either a.) don't ever turn in their lines or b.) they send in poor quality audio. I could easily replace them, but it soon becomes a hassle and I give up on it.

On the other hand though, relying on just one single voice actor won't be so bad. If she doesn't do her lines, recasting will be less of a hassle. The only issue is that the series might end up requiring other voice actors for side-characters and that'll circle back to my original issue, but that's down the road if I do make it a series.

Anyways, back to the actual animation. The whole idea came from both real-life and a, sorta, persona I have created online. I'm single and have issues with women (well, maybe they have issues with me) and I have always made it a joke that they have a violent tendency towards me: trying to kill me, stabbing me, beating me up, etc.

I began to think about that a little more and how several people over on GoAnimate were wanting anime themes. Now, I'm a fan of anime and some of my favorite ones that I've liked watching over and over were some of the wackier, crazier ones: as well as some of those games with anime influences. Somehow, something clicked with that persona deal and having some anime influences in it.

I can't really explain it... mainly as I'm still working out and fleshing out stuff. So I don't want to say "Well this is what the animation will be about!" and then there's a lot of differences. If there's just a few differences, it's defiantly not a biggie.

All I can say is that there'll be romance (or lack thereof), comedy, action, and maybe some other genres: heck, let's just say them all.


Oh, and before I forget... Happy Christmas, belated Hanuka, and belated/early to those other holidays.