Wronglabel

A few new XBLA games have caught my attention recently. Braid is being played and praised. Geometry Wars 2 is addictive. And Bionic Commando: Rearmed releases today.

This is in contrast to months and months of low-profile releases. Is Microsoft playing at something? Some sort of summer blockbuster concept of downloadable game releases?

A great video of a procedural city generator. Seen at serial consign, via DesignNotes.

The cities in the video above, with a bit more art direction, look like they could be right out of a Spiderman game, or Mirror’s Edge. Procedural content, especially in terms of environment design, is an iffy area, but those topographies could be great launching points for game designers needing a large, urban environment. And with the right constraints, I bet some very playable cities could be generated without much effort.

• Wanted: vacuous characters, farcical plot and ridiculous character abilities (spec.effects wet dream): just what an action movie should be. #

Found this on fig crumbs. By Lenka Clayton and James Price.

• Ate at the airport Chilis. Not good. #
• @jeffdanger Already feeling it. Send pepto bismol. #
• @evanembedded Is that you all the way in the back of the plane? #

• On my way to visit Monica. LA traffic isn’t too heavy but cab is a traffic ninja anyway. #
• @charliekeen Har! It was close, actually. Worse coming back in traffic this morning. But well worth it. I sound like a Mastercard shill. #

• @Harvey1966 Be very glad. #
• If any of you folks are in LA, come by hotel figueroa to check out Mushroom Men. #

• @jonjones Pretty near any bar around with beers on tap. Just ask for “Mac and Jacks” and you’ll get the right one. And sound like a local! #
• @ddifede I want me a drum machine, too. Plz 2 get one that I can play with. #

To my surprise, a trailer for Mushroom Men was put up on GameTrailers today. How exciting!