Andrew Archeran illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia merges pop culture and futurism with traditional Japanese woodblock print aesthetic in his ridiculously awesome illustrations.
Andrew Archer has great control over his line work and knows his colour pallets which make the subjects of his illustrations that much more striking. Even though the work is digital the subtle texture effect added to the images give a great call back to the traditional print aesthetic. All this really demonstrating his eye for design and serves as a great example of merging old and new.
The beloved Sound Selection is back for the 36th time.
Swardy ‘Here On My Own’
The first song to enter this edition of Sound Selection is by Swardy named ‘Here On My Own.’ In his latest track which is part of a bigger EP also titled ‘Here On My Own’, Swardy, showcases a progressive-house orientated structure with mellow vocals and stunning vintage-like bass. With this song released, we are sure to hear more great things from the exciting and promising artist known as Swardy.
Tendendo ‘Ghost’ feat. Blasko
The next song to enter our Sound Selection is by Tendendo featuring Blasko. In this song named ‘Ghost’, the two gifted artists combine beautiful vocals and vivid bass elements to form ear-pleasing dynamics that makes this song a must for any playlist. This one is for the playlists.
Gina Brooklyn ‘Normal’
By shifting our frequencies, we have ‘Normal’ by the teenage sensation Gina Brooklyn. In this song, Brooklyn showcases her authentic and genuinely exciting vocals with a layer of authenticity and avidity. While Brooklyn is still a young artist, the heaps of potential and talent she presents in her song gives us no doubt that we will hear more from her shortly.
Feelø ‘Adios’ feat. Harman
Another magnificent song to enter our Sound Selection is by Feelø named ‘Adios’ featuring Harman. In this fresh collaboration, the two artists combine an energetic commercially-driven beat with booming vocals that will make this song a much-loved repeater for your playlists.
Ivey ‘Always’
Previously featured four-piece band Ivey are back, but this time with their fun-driven song ‘Always.’ In this lively anthem, Ivey, bring a wave of catchy and well-memorable lyrics that will keep you dancing for a fortnight to come. ‘Always’ is a perfect party song and one we recommend.
ZOLA ‘Too Fast Too Soon’
The final song to enter our Sound Selection is by ZOLA, who brings us a wave of solid and purely superb vocals in her new unforgettable song ‘Too Fast Too Soon.’ With this song released, we are sure to hear more majestic music from ZOLA who looks to become a household name in the world of music.
Meg Blumberg who is becoming known for her stunning ear-pleasing compositions has once again delivered well, however, this time with her project ‘Marks’ featuring Shawn Williams.
With artists such as Dustin O’Halloran and Max Richter inspiring her work, one might expect a lot. Luckily, for us, Blumberg delivers a lot. Blumberg merges compassionate and kind-hearted notes into an emotional journey driven composition that flows with its core melody flawlessly.
“Majestic music that deserves countless praise”
Having released several compositions this year already, we are certain to hear more heart-filling projects from Blumberg in the months to come.
Conner Youngblood, whose music has been championed by Zane Lowe, has shared his song ‘Los Angeles.’ The song comes before the release of his debut album ‘Cheyenne’, which is due to be released on the 17th of August via Counter Records.
The song is accompanied by a visually stunning video. Youngblood said this about the creation of the video “The idea of the video came about as Johannes and I were discussing the lyrics of the song and sending pictures back and forth to each other. We both gravitated towards pictures of Soviet-style architecture as well as of concept photos of refractions through crystal. There was never any treatment written for it, but once we decided on the tone, we both decided that Armenia was the perfect place to film. The story is Johannes’ interpretation of my lyrics, which deal with a fleeting, yet peaceful relationship I once had”
There is no doubt that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most praised filmmakers in the last 25 years. His films stretch from romantic comedies, crime thrillers to period dramas, and with each of his films gaining critical and audience acclaim, PTA can seem to do no wrong. His short film Cigarettes & Coffee, made on a budget of $20,000, was accepted to the 1993 Sundance Festival Shorts Program and after achieving high praise, it was time to make it into a feature-length film, which takes us into the number eight slot.
8. Hard Eight
The film that kick-started PTA’s career and brought him onto the main circuit, Hard Eight follows the story of Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) a professional gambler who meets John (John C. Reilly) a young man who is trying to pay for his mothers funeral. Sydney decides to teach John the tricks of gambling in Vegas, and in two years John becomes Sydney’s protégé. Everything is good until John meets a security worker called Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) and falls for a waitress called Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow). With gambling, hostage situations and bloody violence the film has the makings of a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, but is more subtle than that. The actors are compelling and their aims understandable. Sydney’s motives are remarkably pure and wise; he is there to help in a time of need, no questions asked as he is trying to correct his wrongdoing from the past.
Hard Eight (1996)
7. Inherent Vice
PTA’s 2014 neo-noir comedy-drama crime film (it’s a lot) follows stoner hippie PI Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) who investigates three cases (it’s a lot) relating to the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, meeting an incredible amount of crazy characters and becoming entangled in the LA crime world. I’m not too sure Doc has any idea what is happening half the time, he is strung from person to person, drifting in and out of cases, Joaquin Phoenix smashes the role and allows for us to just drift with him, the humour is weird and unique, but the story is exceedingly complex, it is a lot. The film is challenging and needs multiple viewings with an immensely rewarding feeling after the 20th viewing.
Inherent Vice (2014)
6. Magnolia
Running at over 3 hours, Magnolia is PTA’s longest film. A convoluted story filled with an ensemble cast playing broken and fragile characters. The film follows multiple characters ranging from a famous motivational speaker, a police officer, a boy genius and an ex-boy genius, a game show host, a fragmented daughter, a terribly ill father, and his caretaker; their stories all connect under the themes of regret and lost family relationships. Magnolia is indeed a heavy and dragging film that could have been shortened (As PTA said himself) but that doesn’t take away its meanings and feelings, loneliness hangs over every character, and their past never escapes them.
Magnolia (1999)
5. Phantom Thread
PTA latest release sees him take on not only writing and directing but also as a cinematographer, providing us with proof of his filmmaking abilities. Set in 1954 London, we follow Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) a distinguished fashion designer who falls for waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) and takes her on as his muse and lover, but he does not fair well to her sudden want of control and new ways. A slow and elegant film, PTA yet again shows his isolated characters coming to terms with companionship, the set design, costume, and cinematography are outstanding and puts you straight into the 1950s alongside astonishing acting from the cast.
Phantom Thread (2017)
4. The Master
PTA regards ‘The Master’ as the favourite film he has made and for a good reason. The film follows WW2 veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who is unable to adapt to post-war society, with no one back home to help him he finds support from Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leader of the religious movement known as “The Cause”. With acceptance into the movement, Quell begins to spread the teachings but struggles with people denouncing Dodd’s lies and begins to question his ‘family’. ‘The Master’ is ultimately heartbreaking, as someone who has just been through the horror of the war he has come back to isolation only to find some comfort in girls he has picked up from in bars. It’s difficult to listen to someone berate your only family, the only people who have taken you in and tried to contain your chaotic side, bringing purpose. It is another challenging film that again features broken characters proven in the famous Processing scene, now often cited as one of the greatest scenes in cinema history.
The Master (2012)
3. Boogie Nights
An expansion of Anderson’s mockumentary ‘The Dirk Diggler Story’, Boogie Nights follows young Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) who is working in a nightclub washing dishes when he is eventually found by Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who offers him the chance to star in pornographic films during the golden age of the 1970s through to his downfall in the 1980s. A hilarious overlook at the behind the scenes of the pornographic film industry we see an array of eccentric 70’s characters, a great balance of violence and comedy and again a story of finding purpose and control.
Boogie Nights (1997)
2. Punch-Drunk Love
Probably PTA’s most underappreciated film, ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ follows entrepreneur Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) with social anxiety who is set up for a date with Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). While the two fall in love, Barry is obligatory to maintain his love interest while finding confidence in defending himself from thugs threatening to steal his identity all while trying to exploit a loophole in a pudding promotion deal and acquire unlimited air miles. This film is a short (95 minutes) sweet, strange and unique romantic comedy that brings the absolute best out of Adam Sandler’s comedic abilities, as someone who blends in with the world, appearing to hide his ability to find love now brings him to new heights and is now able to face reality. I would pay top money to see Sandler and PTA reunite.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
1. There Will Be Blood
The greatest film of the 21st Century so far. ‘There Will Be Blood’ is simply a masterpiece, everything from Daniel Day-Lewis’s acting to Elswit’s cinematography to Greenwood’s score to PTA’s writing and directing. The story follows Daniel Plainview, a merciless oilman who does whatever he can to find oil and begin drilling; he does not take into account his family, friends, religion or anyone else, just himself. His hatred and anger compel one of the most heartless characters ever put on the screen provided by the greatest performance ever. The film is about greed, betrayal, competition, capitalism, religion, and family, how Plainview only takes for himself, he does not consider anyone around him to be of importance to him unless he is there for his gain only, he sees himself as a God, someone who has control over whoever he wants. It combines all the techniques and themes that PTA has presented in the past and is why I consider it to be his best work yet.
Stranger Things, a series which is a love letter to ‘80s cinema, has received a nostalgia-driven teaser for its highly anticipated season three.
Nostalgia is an element that drives viewers to their screens, and it looks like Netflix is once again using just that with their series Stranger Things. The series which has become known and criticised for using a vast amount of nostalgic references has not settled down and has once again given their viewers a glimpse of the past with a fun one-minute teaser.
While the teaser does not give away much about the upcoming season, it gives us more of an overview of what is life in Hawkins, Indiana and shows Steve Harrington played by Joe Keery working in an ice cream store alongside Maya Hawke who will be playing the character of Robyn.
People are fallible. As trite as that statement may be, it also happens to be the undeniable truth. We see this in almost every aspect of our daily lives, full of minor frustrations as they are over the trivial mistakes of others. Sometimes, though, these mistakes end up being larger than we anticipate, and in interesting, dangerous, or hilarious ways. Video games are no different, as an industry rife with modern and historical examples of minor and major mistakes, some of which can ultimately undermine large portions of an experience. In this article, we want to take a look at a few examples of disasters or annoyances only brought about by the incompetence of major developers.
We’d consider going into the likes of Steam shovelware, but that would require us to work until the heat death of the universe, and we are sadly mortal.
Aliens Colornial Latrines
Oh what a game, oh what a legacy. There are good reasons why Randy Pitchford is much-maligned when it comes to video game development, and this game is a major part of that. At this point, we all know the game was a disaster. Starting with unrepresentative trailers and outright lies about the game’s development to the underwhelming release of a game which suffered from, shall we say, less than threatening AI.
While we felt fine in placing the game firmly in the bins of history, a recent discovery by modder jamesdickinson963 has uncovered a big part of the reason why the AI is so terrible, and it was a mistake so hilarious that it inspired the creation of this article.
The way that the Alien AI is supposed to work is based off a system of tethering. An enemy can be tethered to certain actors like the player character, and from here the instructions guide the enemy on how to act. The problem, as it turns out, is that one of the coders happened to make what we in the writing industry call a ‘spelling mistake’. This, for those unaware, is the technical term for when a word is not, well, spelled correctly.
By changing an entry of tether in the game’s code to teather, the enemies would only be following partial AI instructions, leading to hilarious clips like the one above. We understand that spell checking is often ignored in game code as unnecessary, but to think that the game made it past quality control in this condition, and that the actual developers never uncovered the problem themselves, well, let’s just say Gearbox has a long way to go before they make up for this mess.
Uninstall with a Capital U
Back before Steam used to take care of everything for us, many games came with dedicated uninstallers. These programs were just what they sounded like, they would take everything the game had put on your computer and remove it. A necessary component, and one which could reliably be programmed by a second-year programming student. Unfortunately for Myth II on pc, they apparently only had a first-year student on hand.
When most uninstallers run they simply delete the directory of where the game was installed, and this is exactly what would happen if Myth II was installed in the default directory. If it was not installed in the default directory, however, things would get a little hairier. If the original uninstaller was run in any directory other than the default it would take not only the game with it but the host directory which contained the game folder would also be taken along for the ride.
See where this is going?
As some users installed the game to their root C:\, an unusual but not unheard of action, the uninstalled would remove the game, and then every single thing on the hard drive it could.
Rootkit Fighter 5
Official name Street Fighter 5, this is another game which was released to significant controversy. The general thought was the Street Fighter 5 was a prime example of major AAA games being released in what was essentially an early access state. Chief of these concerns was an unacceptable amount of input lag for a competitive level fighting game, perhaps the biggest fighting game series in the world, and the actual lack of an arcade mode. Fans of the series were frustrated with many aspects of this game, though hopes were high that the PC version might at least be able to overcome some of the serious limitations.
One of the updates released in September of 2016 seemed to be slowly pushing the game into a more complete state, that was until players managed to get a closer look at the code. What did they find? Well, Street Fighter 5 saw fit to include what is called a rootkit. While the details of this are complicated, the general idea is that this would give the game access to base parts of Windows, which would usually be protected. Normally this would allow the developers an easier way to cut down on issues like input lag, but in this case, it was so poorly designed that it also acted as a backdoor for a variety of harmful programs.
Capcom had served their player’s computers up on a platter, and given how much criticism the game had seen already, another tatsumaki senpukyaku in the ribs didn’t go down especially well.
The Original Xbox One (the third Xbox)
Today the third Xbox is doing quite well, but a lot of this is owing to walk backs Microsoft performed after the less than enthusiastic response many had for their original vision. We see a pattern in major gaming hardware developers, in that success in one generation leads them to overestimate themselves in the next. We saw this with how Sony bungled the initial PlayStation 3 launch after the overwhelming success of the PS2, we saw it with how far Nintendo failed with the Wii U after the dominance of the Wii, and we saw it again with the Microsoft after the success of the Xbox 360.
A major part of this ties into how Microsoft saw the Xbox One as the collective source for modern entertainment. It would not just be a game console, it would be the media center of your home. They knew the direction the future was going in, and they knew what you wanted. The alternative explanation is that they saw a future rife for exploitation, and they wanted to see if they could get away with the endgame they had been planning for years.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, they delved too greedily and too deep.
Gamers didn’t want media centers which stomped out their freedoms with overzealous DRM. Gamers, as it turns out, wanted to be able to share and play games. Despite initial claims that this would be good for gamers, that this was the natural evolution of consoles, and that what they had designed could not be ‘switched off’, Microsoft would eventually succumb to public pressure and humiliation.
At least they had the grace to pat themselves on the back for how much their change of plans would work to benefit gamers, by doing the thing that they should have done in the first place, and after they pulled the ostensibly impossible act of switching their DRM off. At least it gave us one of the best corporate burns of all time.
The Molochs, who are a two-person band, have released a music video for their latest song ‘I Wanna Say to You.’ This release comes after the announcement of their upcoming album ‘Flowers In The Spring,’ which is due to be released on the 7th of September via Innovative Leisure.
Juan P Waters, the director of the music video, said “In I Wanna Say To You I wanted to show The Molochs in their natural environment. Both Lucas and Ryan grew up in the Los Angeles area so I thought it would be good to make a video that showcases them and their city. I was aware of all the clichés related to the aesthetics of L.A., so I looked for an angle that allowed me to show their qualities without falling into redundancy. I thank the band and Innovative Leisure for giving me free rein in my creative process.”
The London-based band, Moon Panda, has released a vibrantly animated video for their debut song ‘Rabbit.’ The band has established a style that is mellow and sweetly-harmonious, it is present throughout their debut single and is one that will likely sky-rocket them to the top of their niche in the months to come.
‘Rabbit’ is a song that drives on sweet harmonies and mellow vocals that make this a perfect listen for the weekend. With this terrific song released, we will be eager to hear new music from this exciting band known as, Moon Panda. They seem to have ticked many boxes and have made themselves the band for the future.
If you spent any amount of timing around the gaming community, especially while young, you would have no doubt experienced some degree of combativeness over which gaming device was the superior choice. This has been the case since choice first became a factor, in fact, I remember disputes as far back as the Sega Master System versus the NES. While this was the first generation in which I was engaged, this was not the first battlefield, with each new generation bringing forth a new wave of world warriors.
Since the advent and proliferation of the internet, this culture of competition between the different consoles/PC has seen an entirely new way to fight. Rather than arguments and name-calling between friends, console and PC warrioring has risen to a much more visible level of sarcastic aggression and memory. How did we get to this point, why are such a large quantity of people so engaged in a fight that many regard as ridiculous, and what can we expect from this war in the future?
The Obvious
Before we look at the more individualist aspects of the console wars, we need to look at the gaming environment as a whole. In the most simple of terms, these consoles are competing against each other in a direct matter, in what can manifest as a zero-sum game. What this means is that, since many families only have the money to purchase one of the major consoles, a purchase of one will mean a lack of purchase of another. In this sense, today’s likes of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are directly competitive within the capitalist marketplace. Given this competition, it is only natural that they would occasionally throw shade at their opponents, and while this has generally decreased in severity over the years, this direct form of competition still exists.
(Genesis is the American name for the Mega Drive)
Yes, this is an actual advertisement that used to run, and yes that is how terrible old-school video quality could be. We might not have efforts as openly ridiculous in the modern years, but clips like this from the most recent generation show this element on the developer’s side is still very much in play:
For those wondering, this clip references the early days of the Xbox One (the third Xbox) announcement, where the console was crippled by overtly terrible DRM practices.
In the most modern of environments, as of mid-2018, this competition still exists, but the general atmosphere is far less life-or-death. The early console wars could often result in the losers lacking the financial support to continue console production, with the most recent mainstream example being the failure of Sega’s hardware following the Dreamcast, however today these risks are not as extreme. Each console has exclusives and fans enough to ensure their continued existence, at least as long as nothing too anti-consumer is attempted, so the competition tends to be a bit less vicious.
Kids will be Adults, also: Kids
Kids can be competitive, and this is especially common when vying for social standing or popularity. The cool and the not cool. Yes, by using the term cool I have solidified myself in the latter. As we touched on above, it tends to be the case where each family could only tend to afford one console. This created a gulf between young people for whom video games had often become the most dominant of hobbies.
The best console? It happens to be the only one which I have access to, and here is why –
No, you are wrong. Your console sucks, the one I own is better, and here is why –
Of course, taste in video games is just like taste in other media – largely subjective. While consoles have often done so much for us in terms of enjoyment and community, the devices themselves are inherently luxury goods, and in this, the aggressive defense of these products often amounts to little more than conspicuous consumption. Console manufacturers aren’t your friend, they have never been your friend, and cloying attempts at public relations aside, they will never be your friend. At least this is the viewpoint of so many of us who do our best to avoid tying our personal worth with a commercial product.
This, on a base level, is why the console wars have continued to play such a visible part in online gaming discourse. This childish mindset always has fresh youth from which to draw, and aging adults whose delicate egos are inextricably tied to their device of choice. Combine these groups in popular places where the quality of conversation is of no concern, the Reddits, and Chans of the world, and you have a self-perpetuating machine of infinite warfare.
So Everyone Sucks?
Well, no, not at all. While gaming today is notorious for occasional huge collective voices which are often an ignorant force of hatred (Gamergate anyone?), we can’t dismiss the entirety of voices due to the loudest few. As we said, taste is subjective, and in this, there are choices which cannot, by their very nature, be considered incorrect.
Preferring PlayStation because of their controller, for example, is not something which we could ever dismiss, because this is not objective. The same comes with a wide range of factors, whether the console-exclusives, online infrastructure, or form of game communities. You prefer your device because of any of these? Cool, great, just don’t pretend the subjective is anything but.
Now we have to go a step further, in a further attempt to dig myself out of this centrist hole I appear to have created. We have a problem with the subjective being called objective, but on the other hand, we can also have a difficult time telling when the objective becomes subjective. The most common example of this can be seen with the console/PC debate, with the 30/60 FPS difference being objectively unacceptable to some, and only a minor annoyance to others. While we would argue that 60 FPS is almost always objectively better feeling, and for most people, this is not a sentiment shared by all.
Otherwise, let’s use a couple of more modern examples, the original Xbox One DRM, and the current Sony lack of cross-platform online play.
While there were ardent defenders for the original Xbox One DRM, the general response was predominantly negative. So negative, in fact, that Microsoft had to abandon the practice, despite prior claims that it was simply not that simple. This was an anti-consumer practice, and thus we respect measured backlash. Similarly, Sony has been making waves in their recent refusal to open multiplayer games up to cross-platform play. Not content to settle in their iron-fisted approach, their other amazing moves include locking Fortnite accounts first created on PS4 out of other systems. Anti-consumer, and just a real bad-dude move in an age where increased console cooperation is finally becoming a thing.
Be Cool, or Not
In short –where you measure the line of objective versus subjective depends entirely on the person, but there are certain aspects more objective than others. Some people will have their view colored by a dedication of free-market economics, whereas others will place the consumer above all else. Some will be dedicated to the consoles and exclusive series they grew up with, whereas others will view each new generation with fresh eyes more free from bias.
To hold a torch for that which has meant so much for us is only natural. These games and consoles have often helped us in certain parts of our lives, and so they mean far more to us than mere ‘games’. Community, joy, cooperation, and competition, these can all be positive aspects of gaming which we would not dream of seeing gone.
The competition, the warrioring which can result from this is, in many ways, an evitable part of human nature, but this doesn’t mean we can’t strive to be better, both for ourselves and our communities. As for whether you label yourself as a gamer or not, we can all agree that gaming can be an intensely positive force in our lives and wellbeing. The key is not base our egos around it, and not to use it as a gateway for attacking others. Despite what some of the alarmists may claim, there is enough room in this industry for everyone.
