The links are going to be a bit thin on the ground this week and next. Also incase you didn’t notice this week’s Link Storm is late! This is all because I’m travelling up and down the UK yet again.
Here’s your reading and entertainment for the past week:
After wonder just who/what the hell Toro Inoue was when he was announced as one of the latest additions to the upcoming PlayStation All-Starts Battle Royale. I did a bit of digging and came across this hypnotic gameplay footage of one of the free downloadable games featuring him on the Japanese PlayStation Network. It left me wondering two things:
- Is Toro in PS All-Stars to push him as a mascot for Sony around the world or to just entice Japanese gamers?
- Why have Sony never released these free Toro games in the US and EU? It feels like a missed opportunity.
Is Paul McCartney Writing Music for Halo’s Original Studio?
Apart from showing Kotaku’s headline naming process for the click baiting that it is (they should have just put: Is Paul McCartney Writing Music for Bungie’s next game? or something like that). It is an interesting prospect. With Paul McCartney involved just what exactly are Bungie working on?
Sony acquires Gaikai for $380m
Perhaps one of the biggest news stories of last week. It had everyone dreaming of cloud next gen PlayStations and Sony paving the way for the future. The move by Sony to buy Gaikai is a smart one as it is a nice way to add to the current and next iteration of the PSN if they use it for that and in theory it future proofs a lot of their output as a media producer. This can be used for more than just games all those Sony movies, tv shows, music, etc. can benefit from Gaikai’s technology.
Interview: Anita Sarkeesian, games, and Tropes vs. Women
Another week and another part of the ongoing Tropes Vs Women in Video Games craziness. This interesting interview with Sarkeesian lays out a lot of the basics on what she will be covering in the upcoming series of videos.
EU court rejects EULAs, says digital games can be resold
While this will have little to no impact in the short term the longterm effects of this ruling will be interesting to see play out. As publishers try and worm their way out of and around the right to resell your digital products. Also how they will try to hide it from the average US gamers once the systems have been implemented over here in the EU.
Tumblr blog Live Long And Proper posted this wonderful link to a database of free university lectures across a very broad range of subjects. I’m always on the lookout for new things to learn so this is a godsend. I’m planning on loosing many hours going through a lot of what is on offer.
Higgs boson-like particle discovery claimed at LHC
I am not going to pretend to fully understand the ramifications of finding the Higgs boson. I understand the basics and that is enough for me. It is a very big deal though and you should be excited for the scientist types in your life. They’re currently partying like it is 1999.
The Extra Credits guys are taking a look at the hero’s journey in this multi-part series on it. It is used extensively in a large number of games to varying degrees of success. It is a powerful tool to use as a starting point for a game, so watch, learn and then look into it on your own. It is one of those rabbit hole type deals that just keeps turning up stuff.
I came across Codecademy as a throwaway link in a LifeHacker post. Hot damn is this a good way to learn the basics of programming! I’m planning on sitting down and working my way through some of it in the next few weeks.
Halo 4 E3 2012 Multiplayer Wrap Up
I’m getting more and more excited for Halo 4 with each new video and tease 343 release. It is shaping up to be a solid game that takes the Halo franchise forwards while still keeping very true to the core idea and principles of the Bungie games.
