The Sundance Film Festival is often the place to find the next great work of cinema, and since the pandemic, they’ve been allowing people at home to watch as well. This year, the festival selected thirteen animated shorts and one feature, Endless Cookie (which I’ll hopefully review at a later date). I unfortunately wasn’t able to watch all of them, as one short, Caries, was not available virtually. However, I did watch the rest, and I thought I’d share my picks of my favorite ones, along with an additional short that made great use of animation as well.

Paradise Man (ii) is honestly less an animated film than an inventive animated collage movie, but it was one of my favorite things I saw in the animated short film program regardless. It’s made almost entirely with repurposed images and GIFs of those white, big-headed, blank, faceless figures you find in stock media, but in the hands of Jordan Michael Blake, these nondescript cartoons take on new emotional resonance. Subtitled “Episode 1: Golf”, the short is an extended monologue by the titular Paradise Man, who initially starts out discussing his pursuit of getting a hole in one before a family tragedy causes him to reflect on his own existence and purpose. With the stock-based format and Paradise Man’s narration being supplied by a slowed-down automated voice, it initially comes across like something you’d find in the early morning on Adult Swim before hitting you with genuine and relatable poignancy. (Sundance also pointed out that Blake had previously been commissioned by Adult Swim to make a segment of their incredible anthology series Off the Air.) The short ends with the promise of a second episode, and I’m hoping Blake makes good on it. You’ll never look at stock graphics the same way again.

Arguably one of the best shorts, and the one that won the Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short Films, was As If the Earth Had Swallowed Them Up (Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado). It tells of a woman who returns to her home of Mexico City, where she looks back on how, as a young girl, she came to terms with what happens to women in Mexico. The short’s endearing art style gives way to some truly harrowing sequences illustrating its serious subject matter, and I thought it was a great example of how animation can both make dark topics more accessible while at the same time enhancing their impact. It definitely deserved the top prize, which qualifies it for next year’s Oscars.

There were a few other shorts of note that I enjoyed. Hurikán, described as a “deep-fried romance from Prague”, follows the literally pigheaded titular character as he offers to resupply a beer stand where he has a crush on the bartender, only to find himself on the beer run from Hell. Gritty, darkly comic, and with great music, it brings to mind something out of the alternative animation of the 1990s when the film is set. Bunnyhood is a punky short from the UK that feels like a zine comic come to life. In it, Bobby learns that her mother may not always be telling the truth when a promised fast food dinner ends up being a trip to the hospital. The whole short is gleefully surreal and anarchic but not to the extent to where you can’t figure things out. Told in a crude but endearingly handcrafted animation style, this was one of my favorite watches of the selections this year. View from the Floor is a 5 minute piece in which Mindie Lind, a singer without legs, discusses her brief brush with fame, where she discovers that it wasn’t so much about her talent as it was about “inspiration porn.” A thought-provoking and funny take on how disability is perceived in the media, it’s a decent piece in its own. However, the short is actually a proof-of-concept for a feature length animated documentary of the same title, and that’s something I really hope gets off the ground because based on this, I’d love to see more.

Also, while not really an animated short, I nevertheless feel compelled to bring up a title from the documentary short film selections that uses animation in a great way. Three Sundances ago, Joe Hunting’s documentary We Met in Virtual Reality not only introduced me to the world of VRChat, but expanded my idea of what documentaries could be. Now, he’s back with The Reality of Hope, a live-action/machinima documentary short that presents a truly moving story of how fantastical virtual communities can inspire very real impact. Hiyu is a prominent member of VRChat’s Furality community, an organization of furry artists and creators, until his real life unexpectedly intrudes in the worst possible way: his kidneys are failing. Photographotter, another member, agrees to donate his kidney and fly from New York to Stockholm to save Hiyu’s life. Whereas We Met in Virtual Reality was filmed entirely within VRChat, The Reality of Hope alternates between real and virtual environments, reminding us that there are actual people behind the cartoon animals we initially see as our subjects. It’s a touching reminder of the power of community, and a great documentary for the gaming crowd. The use of video game assets in documentaries has been a bit of a trend recently that I have been fascinated with, and I hope it continues, especially if we get more films such as this. I also suspect it’ll be streaming in the near future as Documentary+ was listed as one of the companies involved, so hopefully you’ll get to check it out for yourself.

The other animated selections were Flower Show, Inkwo For When the Starving Return, Luz Diabla, Field Recording, Jesus 2, The Eating of an Orange, and A Round of Applause for Death.

This past week, EA Games rolled into town to show off their upcoming titles, including the latest installments of their EA Sports franchises. Here are my first impressions of what I experienced:

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Developed by BioWare
Coming October 7th, 2014 to PC, XBox One, 360, PS3, and PS4

I’m not terribly big on RPGs (occasionally I’ll pick up Warcraft or Clash of Clans), but this title piqued my interest. You play as a group of four called “The Inquisition” who scour a massive country in search of demon portals to close and dragons to slay.

What really intrigued me was the fact that your group of four was not only customizable, but you could essentially pause the game in order to control all four at once. For example, during the preview there was a point where the person playing set all of his team up in various positions in the room (kind of like chess pieces) in order to move the enemies into the center of the room for a quick defeat.

In addition, the game gives you choices depending on who you pick to be in your Inquisition. This also changes both where your characters are sent as well as how they interact with other characters in the game. The preview of the game was on PC and looked amazing, which only makes me wonder how much better it will look on PS4/XBox One.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
Developed by PopCap
Coming August 19th, 2014 to PC, XBox One, 360, PS3, and PS4

A new twist on an old classic. I’ve played a handful of PvZ on PS3 and mobile, and it’s fun and addictive. This new version takes away the tower defense aspect and moves the game into the world of co-op 3rd person shooters. I didn’t get the see much of the game, but what I did see looked pretty cool. If you like teaming up with buddies to take down zombies (as well as plants), then fun will ensue.

FIFA 15
Developed by EA Canada
Coming September 23rd, 2014 to PC, XBox One, 360, PS3, and PS4

The World Cup ended on Sunday, and it won’t be back for another four years. But that shouldn’t mean that the fun is over. Whether you call it soccer or futbol, the game remains the same, and also looks amazing on next-gen. Your entire team is connected through “Emotional Intelligence” this go-around. Why not go back with Argentina and show Germany who’s boss?

Madden NFL 15
Developed by EA Tiburon
Coming August 26th, 2014 to XBox One, 360, PS3, and PS4

After 20+ years, the name stays the same but the game just keeps getting better and better. This time, EA Sports teams with some of the folks who worked for NFL Films, making the game’s visuals even more stunning than what you’d expect from next-gen tech. I had the chance to test drive the first two quarters of the game. It’s really amazing: there are Hollywood-style camera angles, lens flares that would make J.J. Abrams pee himself, and there’s even a Halftime Show with play-by-play analysis showing off your game as it happened.

Each individual player has his own stats and attributes, so some teams will be stronger than others. There are even legends that you can swap out for current roster members. So if you’re feeling nostalgic, you could always swap out Eli Manning for Lawrence Taylor on the Giants. I play the Madden games sporadically (I believe the last for me was 2011 or 2012), but I this year’s looks like a must-have for me.

NHL 15
Developed by EA Canada
Coming September 9th, 2014 to XBox One, 360, PS3, and PS4

They missed the first year of next-gen, but new opportunities arise with this title. Much like Madden and FIFA, NHL brings a lot of focus on the visuals (not only on the ice, but all around the arenas). This year is also the first year EA Sports is teaming with NBC to bring a full-on NHL experience to your system of choice. As soon as the game starts, you’re greeted by live-action sports commentary, as though your game is being broadcast live from the actual arena.

As with Madden, I was able to test out an entire game (OT included) where I played as my favorite team: the 2014 Eastern Conference Champions, the New York Rangers. The controls were rather easy to adjust to, and just as with Madden, each player has their own attributes. While my opponent downplayed “the hype” of Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, he was still blocking most every shot in sight. Between Madden and NHL, if these games could get any more realistic, I honestly think even the players would agree that playing would be better than watching them play live.

It was a blast to be a part of EA’s sneak preview. I’m definitely looking forward to reviewing most (if not all) of the games listed for everyone in the not-too-distant future. Game on.

Lords of the Fallen
Developed by CI Games S.A.
Coming October 28, 2014 to PS4, Xbox One, and PC

This is an RPG if there ever was one. Originally set to be released on PS3/360, it was sent to the big leagues on next gen systems, and rightfully so. You play as a “fallen” god, in search to reclaim what is his. The gameplay is pretty impressive, at least what I’ve seen of it: You fight your way through hordes of creepy demon-type entities (they seriously looked gnarled, to the point where you would think a zombie from Half-Life was a Men’s Warehouse model).

As you progress, you fight even bigger enemies, and have to figure out clever ways to kill them. At one point I engaged a rather robust monster, only to find that running was a legitimate answer, as a trap in the floor is too much for his own weight, and ends up being his undoing. Another aspect of the game is the fact that you can customize your characters with different items. Shields, staffs, even fireballs… I prefer the latter.

MotoGP14
Developed by Milestone
Coming Fall 2014 to PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and PC

If you were around during the birth of Xbox Live on the original Xbox, MotoGP was one of the original games featured as having online compatibility. The premise is rather simple: Motorcycle racing. You’ve more than likely seen what MotoGP looks like on current gen, but on next gen it looks amazingly real – real to the point where if you don’t have a good grip on the game, you will go flying, which is something I’ve experienced firsthand. Ouch.

Project CARS
Developed by Slightly Mad Studios
Coming November 2014 for Xbox One, PS4. Wii U and PC in 2015

Simulator racing is a competitive genre between Forza, Gran Turismo, and its contemporaries. Project CARS is no exception, as it looks to push next gen to its limits. Slightly Mad Studios is using a beefed up version of its Madness Engine (used in the Need for Speed: Shift series) to help propel Project CARS into the top tier of simulator racing games. Much like Lords of the Fallen, this title was also set to make its debut on PS3 and 360, but hit the brakes prior to next gen being released. Looks like it’ll be worth the wait.

PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures 2
Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Studio Inc.
Coming October 14, 2014 to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and 3DS

The big hungry yellow ball that most of the older millennial types threw hundreds of quarters at is back! The game remains the same (and unfortunately didn’t make the jump to next gen…unless you count Wii U), but that doesn’t stop it from being awesome. Pac and his friends Cylindria and Sprial take on the evil Lord Betrayus and his army of ghosties through time and space.

You can switch from regular walking Pac-Man to legless classic Pac-Man in order to bounce around and eat everything in sight. If this game isn’t enough Pac for your cherry-flavored taste, remember…Pac-Man also appears in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game.

Digimon All-Star Rumble
Developed by PROPE
Coming November 11, 2014 to Xbox 360 and PS3

Circa 2000, the big trend in kids’ (and young adult) entertainment was collecting monsters. Pokemon was the big one that made the transition from Japan to the States in no time flat. Digimon came in second place to Pokemon, but still had a following, despite being dwarfed to the Nintendo juggernaut. I remember occasionally tuning in to watch the show and remember the original characters. Eventually (like practically everything else in children’s entertainment) Digimon, Power Rangers, and the rest of the Saban Production properties – including the 1990s animated X-Men and Spider-Man – were purchased by Disney, and sent from broadcast TV to ABC Family (and later Disney XD) where Digimon found a new generation of fans and began to evolve into more shows.

Now that Saban has purchased the rights back from Disney to continue growth of the franchise (with Bandai-Namco’s assistance), they’re releasing a Digimon fighting game that seems to cross Super Smash Bros. with Street Fighter. Every character of every rendition of the show is represented, however the demo I played only featured original Digimon characters like Agumon, Tentomon, Gomamon, and one or two others (which I was fine with). The demo was pretty buggy -I sort of broke it when first playing…oops – but I got the gist of how the game works. You fight with 2 – 4 players on the screen pretty much like Smash Bros. while you try to collect different power-ups in order to dispatch your competitors. When you have enough energy, you are also able to Digivolve into your character’s larger form for a short period of time. Hopefully all the bugs are Digileted before November, because this could really be a fun game.

Power Rangers Super Megaforce
Developed by 7th Chord
Coming October 2014 to 3DS

As mentioned earlier, Saban recently repurchased the rights to Power Rangers from Disney and started running Power Rangers Megaforce on Nickelodeon. Now, 3DS has you covered with a side scrolling SUPER MEGA game, where you can play as both current and past Power Rangers. (I chose classic Green and White…which were both the same character. Time paradox?) Eventually you get to load up a MegaZord and take on giant monsters on the battlefield. Again, the game is on 3DS, so younger fans of of the newer series should enjoy playing for the tie-in to the show, while older fans might enjoy it for nostalgic purposes.

And there you have it. What do you think? Any of these look like something you’d dig? Let us know what video games you’re looking forward to playing this year (these or any others) in the comments below.

In the early 90’s there was the beginning of a big boom in First Person Shooter games (which still sort of goes on today with games like Halo, Half-Life 2, and Call of Duty.) with games such as Wolfenstein and Doom. In 1997, a little company known at the time as Apogee (eventually renamed 3D Realms) threw their hat into the ring by revamping their 2D sidescroller Duke Nukem into its own FPS, thus making it one of the more (if not most) popular FPS’s of all time. I personally remember playing it on the computers at school… after hours, of course. 

Shortly afterwards, 3D Realms announced a sequel to DN3D. I know I was jazzed myself to hear the news… I even remember reading about it in PC Gamer magazine. Since then, the game itself has essentially become the Chinese Democracy of video games. Since its original announcement in 1997, the game has been in limbo and dead more times than Jason from Friday the 13th. In the past couple of years, it was announced that 3D Realms was closing, which lead to a lawsuit from Duke Nukem’s publisher Take-Two (now 2K Games.)

In 2010, at PAX Prime in Seattle, it was announced that DNF was still in development, and that Gearbox Software (the people who developed the game Borderlands, and the Half Life 1 expansion packs Opposing Force and Blue Shift) were taking over development from the now dead 3D Realms.

It remains to be seen if Gearbox actually follows through with the May 3rd release date… for someone like myself who’s been made to wait for game releases, it’s definitely a wait and see attitude. There’s been plenty of footage in the past 10 years or so of different versions of the game… obviously one of the few reasons the game has taken so long is the changing technologies such as Epic’s Unreal Engine, Valve’s Source Engine, and iD’s Doom 3 (and eventually Doom 4) Engine. Hopefully Gearbox can succeed where 3D Realms failed, and get this game done and out so we can wait another 12 years or so for the next Duke Nukem. 

Duke Nukem Forever will (allegedly) be available on May 3rd in the States (May 6th Internationally,) on PC, X-Box 360, and Playstation 3.

Originally posted on GeekNation.com, on June 28, 2013

This week marks the 41st anniversary of Atari. I don’t know about you, but I certainly feel old. Growing up as a child of the 80s, Atari was a big flipping deal. I can remember my earliest experiences with Atari, playing on my sister’s classic 2600 with the wood finish, later (after having that one keel over) upgrading to the 2600 Jr, and continuing to play. At the time, it was HIGH QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT with what we thought were near life-like features (although today’s kids would beg to differ.) If you’re lucky enough like I am, there may be a place where you live that allows you to experience Atari today, as it was meant to be. Otherwise, you may find some games on the newer consoles and iThingies.

That being said (because people love reading lists), allow me to share some “classic” Atari games that molded my earliest gaming experiences…

5: Keystone Kapers (Activision, 1983)

These days, you may have heard of a little company called Activision. A company synonymous with developing games like Call of Duty, Rock Band, and the upcoming Destiny. In the 1980s, they made games for Atari, and they were uber-popular for their time. One of their bigger games was Keystone Kapers, in which you (a policeman) have to catch a robber (the computer.) Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! You have to run, duck, and dodge various objects like toy airplanes, shopping carts, and whatever this is (I want to say an elecromagnet?). Also, the game is timed, so it can get rather hard as you progress. Despite that, a 4 or 5-year-old with a vivid imagination and the ability to be easily entertained won’t mind jumping and running around into objects while time runs out. Or, at least I didn’t.

4: The Empire Strikes Back (Parker Bros., 1982)

Before any Battlefront, Rogue Squadron, or Old Republic games, there was Empire. Parker Bros. (those folks who make those board games,) published games for Atari. One of which was a side-scroller, based on the 1981 sequel to Star Wars: Episode IV. Your mission (and you will accept it,) is to fly a snowspeeder around and shoot down AT-ATs. The play time does tend to get boring after the 10th level of constantly shooting them down, but then again, IT’S STAR WARS! Again, I’m easily amused.

3: Pitfall (Activision, 1982)

The most classic (if that’s the right word) Activision game for Atari. You play as Pitfall Harry (a take-off on Indiana Jones,) and brave your way across moats, logs crocodiles, scorpions, snakes, and many other obstacles in search of treasures. The thing I remember the most about this game is…it’s soooo tricky to get past crocodiles, as you have to jump on their heads while they’re in the water. Timing is everything, and if you miss, you go all the way back to the start. Swinging on vines, on the other hand, opposite of tricky. Useless trivia: The TV commercial for this game not only introduced the world to Pitfall, but a young kid who would eventually go on to be one half of the duo known as Tenacious D.

2: Demon Attack (Imagic, 1982)

You may not have heard of Imagic, but like Activision, they produced games for Atari. Unfortunately, after only 24 games, they met their fate caused by the 1983 “video game crash” where most of the older consoles (Atari, Intellivision, etc.) went under, until the advent of Nintendo and Sega. I remember Demon Attack very fondly. It’s essentially a bit like Space Invaders, only with really cool fade-in type graphics. On top of that, as you progressed in the game, the ships got harder to destroy (sometimes even splitting into two smaller ships.)

1: E.T. (Atari, 1982)

You might be thinking “Wait, what?” If you’re familiar with the E.T. game, you know it has gone down in history as quite possibly the worst game in video gaming history. Keep in mind, this is a list of Atari games I remember the most fondest, and E.T. certainly tops that. I can go on forever about the rumors behind development of this game (and the parody on the G4 cartoon, Code Monkeys,) or the rumor that E.T. (along with Atari Pac-Man and a few other Atari stinkbombs,) were steamrolled and buried in the New Mexico desert. Suffice to say, E.T. is the most ridiculous game I’ve ever had the “privilege” of playing. And if my strategically placed quotation marks don’t give you the implication of sarcasm in my writing, then just look up the countless “Let’s Plays” on YouTube for E.T. and see how many of them begin and end with someone cursing the fact that they keep ending up in that effing pit. x_x

P.S.: Just like not reading a book, you’re better off watching the movie for this one.

What are some of your favorite Atari games or memories? Sound off below.