Zen Albatross

Machinarium coming to retail in Europe with extra goodies

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:20:00 -0500

There’s just no stopping Amanita’s point-and-click robot hero. After receiving widespread critical acclaim and being honored with over 20 gaming and design awards, Machinarium and its charming metallic protagonist will be headed to retail stores across the UK and Europe in the first quarter of 2010 for PC. Of course, the game will still be available to download via Amanita’s website, but the retail version will contain a few tasty extras that will definitely pique the interests of fans.

The box will include an art book filled with never-before-seen concept art, a poster, a printed walkthrough and best of all, a CD soundtrack of the game’s music, with 5 bonus tracks included. The game will be published by Mamba Games and is available for pre-order right now at their site. There’s no sign of a North American release yet, but I personally have no qualms about importing this snazzy package if need be. Machinarium hits European store shelves on March 5th.

An interesting look into the mind of an indie game developer,...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:54:00 -0500

An interesting look into the mind of an indie game developer, featuring Alec Holowka of Infinite Ammo (Aquaria, Paper Moon). The piece was featured as part of BlinkWorks’ series on New Media entrepreneurs in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

[via Attract Mode]

Countdown to Blip Festival 2009

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

It’s spreading. Slowly but surely, it’s infecting all of us. Can you feel it? No, not that weird rash on your inner thigh. That’s gross. In fact, you should probably get that checked out. I’m talking about Blip Fever, a highly metaphorical sickness I’ve made up for the purposes of this blog. Symptoms include dancing uncontrollably at random, vivid pixelated dreams and listening to this on repeat while laying in the fetal position in an empty corner of your bedroom. Okay, that last part was totally unrelated, but it doesn’t change the fact that Blip Festival is less than 2 weeks away and needless to say, things are getting pretty gosh-darn exciting.

Psilodump, Patric Catani, glomag and Eat Rabbit have filled the remaining spaces in the lineup, giving us a grand total of 32 performers at this year’s lo-fi festivities. And thanks to nearly 100 devoted supporters, this year’s Blip Festival has been fully funded through a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, exceeding their $5,000 goal within a matter of days.

If you’re new to this sort of thing, here’s a brief history lesson: The chipmusic movement started in the late 90’s when a small handful of programmers began creating and performing music using the sound chips found in obsolete videogame consoles and computer hardware. Catalyzed by the distribution of homebrew software that makes these manipulations possible, chipmusic has catapulted itself out of basements and onto the stage, with hundreds of artists now incorporating 8-bit hardware into live musical performances. Now in its 4th year, Blip Fest is at the forefront of this movement, and continues to impress audiences time and time again.

This is the one event that truly encapsulates what chipmusic is all about. Whether you’re a veteran of the scene or just discovering what chipmusic is by reading this post, it’s definitely worth your while to journey to The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY on December 17th–19th and see what all the fuss is about. Check BlipFestival.org to find more info and buy tickets.

Superbrothers, Capybara & Jim Guthrie join forces for new iPhone project

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:28:00 -0500

I almost missed seeing this the other day, but I’m glad I eventually did, because nothing toots my horn quite like the work of Craig D. Adams (aka Superbrothers). So you can probably imagine my excitement upon learning that the Canadian pixel artist is teaming up with both Critter Crunch developer Capybara and musician Jim Guthrie to create a new iPhone game entitled ‘Sword & Sworcery EP.’

It… is a game, isn’t it? To tell the truth, not much is know about the project yet. Superbrothers’ website describes it rather vaguely as “a brave experiment in I/O cinema. A crude videogame haiku about life, love & death. A choice cut of myth & dreams.” Mysterious, indeed. But given the immense amount of talent involved, I think we have something fairly exciting on our hands from this newly-forged indie trifecta.

Check out the project’s brief teaser trailer after the jump.

First Look from Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery on Vimeo.

Free 'Autumntunes' chip compo now available on Ubiktune

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:33:00 -0500

The holidays are almost upon us, but before you deck the halls and bust out the egg nog, why not spend the last few days of Autumn reflecting on brisk winds and golden brown falling leaves with ‘Autumntunes,’ a seasonal chipmusic compilation available for free on Ubiktune.

The compilation features some fantastic new music from Jake ‘virt’ Kaufman, Alex Mauer, Zan-zan-zawa-veia, Syphus, Shnabubula, C-jeff and more. If you like what you hear — and I’m certain you will — be sure to check out the rest of Ubiktune’s catalog for more free music from great chip artists.

Download: MP3
Download: FLAC
Download: Original modules

“Color Remoto” by Carlos Villar This guy sampled...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:04:22 -0500

“Color Remoto” by Carlos Villar

This guy sampled some of my NES circuitbending work to make this neat video. CC Share-Alike, REPRESENT!

Gaijin Games and Robotube to make Blip Festival-inspired game in 24 hours

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:02:00 -0500

I’ve already told you countless times about Blip Festival, the 3-day chiptune music extravaganza that’s coming back to New York City in just 2 short weeks. But I bet you never expected that the festival would be getting its own game. Blip Fest sponsors and creators of the Bit.Trip series Gaijin Games have announced that they will be teaming up with Robotube (Bloktonik, Zyrx) to create a game inspired by the world-famous micromusic meet-up.

The two studios have said that they will attempt to create their Blip tribute game, entitled “Battle of the Brands,” in just one day, and release the result to the public when finished, regardless of how horrible it may turn out. Gaijin has considerable ties to New York’s chiptune scene, having already featured music by Bit Shifter and Nullsleep, two of its most prominent artists, in their Bit.Trip series of games, so I’m pretty confident that 24 hours is all they’ll need to make something neat.

Remember: Blip Festival 2009 is December 17-19th at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. Don’t miss it!

Reverend Anthony on legitimizing games as an artform.

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:10:49 -0500

Reverend Anthony on legitimizing games as an artform.

Yamaoka confirms Konami departure, OSV promises "extensive interview"

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:11:24 -0500

Feathers were flying yesterday when a rumor got out that Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka would be leaving Konami, and in turn the Silent Hill series, permanently. Now OSV has received word from Yamaoka himself, confirming the rumor to be true. There are still no details on the reasons and conditions of his departure, but OSV has promised an “extensive interview” with the composer in the near future.

Without Yamaoka at the helm, it looks like the Silent Hill series will be truly dead in the water. After the travesty that was Silent Hill: Homecoming, I can’t really think of any redeeming qualities the series has shown in recent years aside from Yamaoka-san’s magnificent scores. But of course this doesn’t mean he’s quit music entirely, and at very least, we can expect that his future projects will yield interesting results.

Polytron giving away 3-track Fez soundtrack EP

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0500

If last week’s free Machinarium EP wasn’t enough to sate your craving for awesome game music, you’ll be pleased to know that indie developer Polytron is embracing the spirit of the season and giving us 3 free songs from their upcoming 2.5-D pixel platformer, Fez.

The songs, composed by Polytron’s resident chiptune musician, 6955, combine ambient guitars and singing synth with NES-style chip beats. In addition to downloading the album via Torrent or Polytron’s website, you can also order a physical copy of the EP in limited edition micro-CD from the PolyShop for $10. Thanks, Polytron! You’re definitely on my Christmas list this year.

Download: Torrent
Download: Direct Link
Buy: PolyShop (Limited to 250 copies!)

Paint Over Pixel: Brock Davis' minimalist paintings of classic arcade games

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:43:00 -0500

Do you recognize these classic games? Even if you’re not familiar with the 1980’s arcade scene, chances are that some of these paintings by Brock Davis, which contain no more than a few carefully placed brush strokes, should be almost instantly identifiable. I’ve stated before how fascinating it is that the iconography of videogames is such an integral part of our visual language, and once again, an artist far more talented and clever than I has proven my point. Be sure to check out IAM8BIT For more artsy pop culture interpretations of the games we know and love.

Hit the jump below to see all three paintings in all their non-pixelated glory.

(Thanks, BVG!)

UPDATED / Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka leaving Konami

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:00:00 -0500

*UPDATE: Yamaoka confirms

Aeropause is reporting that Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka is leaving Konami, sourcing an unnamed contact from Konami Japan. Yamaoka has worked for Konami as a sound designer for the past 16 years, known best for the haunting melodies and thick industrial ambience that give the Silent Hill series its unique audible character.

Anyone who’s played a Silent Hill game knows that Yamaoka and Silent Hill are like peanut butter and jelly, so even though this is still a rumor, there’s still plenty of reason to be concerned if you’re a fan of the series. At the time of this writing, there has been no confirmation from Konami, and no reason has been given for Yamaoka’s alleged departure as of yet. So whether he’s displeased with the direction the series has been going in or merely moving on to new projects, we’ll have to wait for an official statement from Konami to know for sure.

Animal Style teases new NES cartridge album 'Teletime'

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:01:13 -0500

Animal Style teases new NES cartridge album 'Teletime':

Animal Style gives us a taste of his new album ‘Teletime,’ which will be available soon in limited quantities through his website. Naturally, the album is being released in the finest of all audio formats, the NES cartridge, guaranteeing an optimal listening experience for all. ‘Teletime’ is currently on display at the Klein Art Gallery in Philadelphia, PA and can be pre-ordered online now for $30 + shipping. Or you can just pick up a copy while you’re at Blip Festival. You… are going to Blip Festival… right?

Square Enix arrange album ‘Love SQ’ shows up early on iTunes

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:56:00 -0500

For a long time, Square Enix’s fan-pleasing music label has catered almost exclusively to Japanese and European audiences. This was all fine and good if you lived in those territories, but left North American videogame music aficionados to suffer hefty import taxes and eBay bidding wars in order to acquire Square’s precious catalog of original music soundtracks. But with their newest album, ‘Love SQ,’ Square is finally showing us Yankees some love by not only agreeing to sell the album in North American territories, but also generously (and perhaps accidently) releasing it early via the U.S. iTunes Store.

The album, which features re-arranged music from classic Squaresoft games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and Secret of Mana was originally slated for release on November 25th. But as observed by OSV, the album has appeared more than a day early as a digital download on the U.S. iTunes Music Store. Better yet, Square is giving away the whole shebang for a mere $9.90. Some highlights include an 8-bit Famicom remix of Frog’s theme from Chrono Trigger, a synth-tastic electro rendition of the music from Romancing SaGa and a driving piano medley of ‘final boss’ music from the Final Fantasy series, featuring ‘Dancing Mad,’ ‘Battle at the Big Bridge’ and ‘One-Winged Angel.’

The album is digital-only, and you can download it from iTunes right now. No word yet on a physical release, but knowing Square’s penchant for elegant packaging, I wouldn’t doubt they have something planned for the Square Enix compilation series.

Post your favorite chiptune on Destructoid and win 2 Blip Fest passes

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:38:00 -0500

It looks like my inside sources were correct — My journalistic allies from Destructoid have acquired two 3-day passes to Blip Festival 2009, and they are giving them away to one lucky individual who can eloquently and passionately describe their favorite chipmusic song. Just find a link to your #1 chip jam and post it in the comments here, along with a short explanation. Here’s mine:

‘Choppastyle’ by Virt

MP3: http://www.8bitpeoples.com/mp3/get/448/8bp071-05-virt-choppastyle.mp3

Live Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OOEFFLkpkk

I heard this live at MAGFest two years ago and it’s pretty much what made me decide to start making music. Virt creates some of the most catchy, stylized and compositionally rich chipmusic out there, and I know close to a dozen people that have completely changed their opinions on chipmusic after listening to ‘FX3’, myself included. The things this man does with a NES soundchip are the stuff of legends.

Layered counter-melodies - Dynamic drum solos - Soaring, jazzy leads… Until a few years ago, these were things I would never expect to hear from decades-old videogame hardware. Hearing Virt’s music not only challenged my perception of the hardware’s technical limitations, it introduced me to a whole new world where seemingly soulless pulsewaves could be transmogrified into screaming guitars, singing saxophones or melancholy violins. The raw talent and bold innovation that exudes from the people in this scene will never cease to amaze me.

Good luck!

My daily gadget loadout, organized into a neat little pile....

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0500

My daily gadget loadout, organized into a neat little pile. It’s pretty weird to see them all stacked up like that. Not to mention realizing that I rarely leave the house without all of these gizmos on my person. I stacked them in size order, which ironically enough also happens to be ‘age order’ too. Go figure.

From top to bottom:

HTC Droid Eris
iPod Touch 8GB, 1st Gen (w/ black case)
Nintendo DS Lite +R4 homebrew cart
Nintendo Game Boy (DMG-01) + homebrew USB cart

What kind of electronic arsenal do you guys carry around every day? What does it look like?

Get to know your Blip Fest '09 performers, hear free samples

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:08:07 -0500

New York’s Blip Festival is bringing us one heck of a lineup this year. But if you’re new to 8-bit music (or even if you aren’t), you might be feeling a bit lost at this point. Just who are these talented weirdos making all this rad music and visual art with Game Boys and Nintendos and Commodores? Well, Blip Festival’s official Blip Blog (brought to you by TCTD) gives you the answers you seek with BlipTalk, a series of artist profiles aimed at giving you a look into the minds of Blip Festival’s performers. So far, we’ve been treated to interviews with musicians Disasterpeace and RainbowDragonEyes, as well as visual artists Jean Y. Kim and Julian from The C-Men.

And since some would argue that reading words is going out of style, you can also hear samples of the artists by visiting Blip Festival’s new page on Band Camp. Or just hit play on the neat-o applet that I’ve conveniently provided for you below.

As always keep checking here for Blip Festival updates, and go buy your gosh-darn tickets if you haven’t already.

Zen Albatross has reached Level 24: Gained 600 G.P., Learned 'Fire3'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Okay, so I still don’t have cool fire magicks, but I did turn 24 years old today. That’s kind of neat, I guess. Level 23 was pretty rough. I had random encounters with Game Boy-stealing street thugs, evil Scottish interior designers, crooked police officers and extreme poverty. But I also did some cool stuff too: I got a new apartment in Brooklyn, started a blog, wrote some music (which I’ll get around to recording & releasing eventually) and even got myself a job that isn’t deplorable.

It’s pretty overwhelming to consider that all of this happened in a year’s time, and thinking about it makes me especially grateful to the people who have shown interest in the stuff I make/do. My friends in the Destructoid community have been especially encouraging. Going to Seattle for PAX this past September opened my eyes to the fact that — *gasp* — people actually care about my work! There was nothing more encouraging to me as a creative person than having all these fine folks (whom I barely know) tell me enthusiastically that they read all of my blog posts, or that they enjoy my humble (and embarrassingly paltry) offering of Game Boy music. You guys are the real reason I continually force myself to stay awake after long days of work: Because I know that you’re out there, listening.

So, in short: Thanks for reading.

In long, THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANKKKKKKSSS!

~ Zen Albatross

tiff: thedailywhat: Nerd Throne of the Day: 7-foot-tall...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:13:18 -0500

tiff:

thedailywhat:

Nerd Throne of the Day: 7-foot-tall armchair built from hundreds of old-school Famicom (Nintendo) cartridges, on display at the legendary Super Potato video game store in Akihabara Electric Town, Tokyo.

[via.]

Not only does this month’s Pulsewave show fall on my...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Not only does this month’s Pulsewave show fall on my birthday, it’s also bringing together two of my favorite chip-related musical acts. New York dreamboats Anamanaguchi and Baltimore electropopper Talk To Animals will be joined by unnanounced mystery guests at The Tank next Friday, November 20th. Live visuals will be graciously provided by Paris, outpt and noteNdo.

11/20/09
Pulsewave at The Tank
354 W 45th St (between 8th & 9th Ave)
New York, NY
9PM
$10
All Ages

(flyer by enso)