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Great question. If I only had one video I could play it would be this.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Issue : Games : SUPERHOT



SUPERHOT is a game about being the most innovative game I've played in years.

So there is this game jam called 7DFPS. It's a challenge that asks game developers to make the best thing they can (hopefully a video game) in seven days. It's cool.

Game jams are like freestyle rap. When you ask someone to come "off the top" and give them one minute to do so you are going to get the first thing that comes to their head, and usually that is some filler bars, homophobia, and grandstanding in between a bunch of "I said YO!"'s

This one demo from a 2013 7DFPS that the creators decided to call SUPERHOT was different. It was a ballet of violence in increments. Time stood still when you stood still, and moved when you moved. Simple stuff. Red guys shot at you, and it was your job as the player to decide how they were going to stop shooting at you. Three levels if I remember correctly, took nerd-net by storm, a real presidential baby.

Of course a while later it shows up on kickstarter, also known as SharkTank : The Metagame. People paid the developers money to make it into a real game and in a surprising turn of events they took that money and made it into a real game.

And by real game I mean they made a game with one very strong punch and built a story around that punch, and while the systemic enjoyment of the game wanes around hour one of the two hour game, SUPERHOT's narrative and swagger hang around until the very end, and don't overstay their welcome. I've rarely seen a freestyler rap like this. GG Poitr, wow, the Poland game scene is going nuts... well ok.

I hope information is gonna be at GDC. Looking for me I'll be right across the street. Tower, sigil of three intertwined serpents, the faint smell of bitter almonds and sulfur, you know, nother day at the office. Also gonna watch the Oscars just for Chris Rocks opening monologue also that bear scene in the Revenant really is the truth also JERBZ.

The Protoculture Mixtape : Issue : People : Accretion

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