Niels Walta

Monty Python Fluxx, coming from Looney Labs this fall! :D Martian Fluxx pushed back because of it. :( But at least there will be pink Icehouse pyramids. :)

It was only when someone on Digg pointed this out that I noticed it: the BBC's video player volume goes up to 11!

As opposed to other people who are very tight-lipped about their projects and who take months to complete only one silly little game ;) we have just released another new game for this week:

Mahjong Burger!

Not only do you get some quality time with an enjoyable fast food themed mahjong solitaire game but you can also play it completely for FREE!

... back in the real world I would like to humbly ask you to just enjoy the game and spread the link wherever you can. :)

With the premiere of the new animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man there were some high expectations. First of all we haven't seen a Spider-Man animated series in a while ever since MTV's ghastly Spider-Man: The New Animated Series when everyone was actually hoping for a reprise of the much better 90's Spider-Man series. Secondly Sean "Cheeks" Galloway had been teasing everyone with designs and sketches from the show. Be sure to check out his site to see some designs of other heroes he has done.

To get back to the web slinger now having seen the first episode I'm fairly impressed. We're treated to another reboot/retelling of the Spidey mythology obviously aimed at a younger age (or perhaps we were just easier impressed in the 90's...). The artwork feels slightly smoother than Sean's designs but the overall palette is quite nice. The character designs of the villains so far are also quite obvious, but let's blame that on the fact that we already know all of Spidey's classic villains. And sure we're not the intended audience either so keeping in mind the young viewer new to Peter Parker's universe I think that the designs are quite pleasing.

For the older Spidey-fans having the Enforcers appear in the first episode was a really nice nod. Sure they suddenly went from being mafia-cowboys to helicopter piloting ninjas, but props for the inclusion anyway.

Let's say I'm pleasantly surprised. Though so far it looks like the series won't get as deep as the 90's one but we're also not stuck with another totally off-the-walls MTV nightmare. And given that there are two seasons planned with actual story-arcs spanning several episodes this might be something to follow. If just for that Saturday-morning feeling again.

Plus I'm sure that when a second season rolls around they'll get the theme-song right. After all it took The Batman three seasons as well to come up with the in my opinion much better current opening.

For those that didn't know yet I'm more updating on Twitter nowadays. I have multiple Twitter accounts, my personal one is located at http://twitter.com/Shagrabbit if you want to check it out. I just like the small format of updates and I know I could mirror the updates on LJ automatically, but I'd rather keep the two separated to avoid clutter.

Anyway the main reason I wanted to update is to let you know about this wonderful DVD from Disney. "Saludos Amigos" is a strange entry into the Disney library of "feature length" movies.It basically consists out of a travelogue of Walt Disney in South America combined with several animated shorts. If memory serves me right the animated shorts were made first but in order to apply for an animation fund it had to be an informational feature length piece. So Disney took footage from their trip and stringed the clips together into one of their shortest films yet.

The four shorts revolve around Donald Duck visiting lake Titicaca, Goofy being a gaucho, Pedro the plane and the introduction of José Carioca. Now "Saludos Amigos" was always a nostalgic piece for me. I have the original Dutch TV broadcast still on tape. So I was really stoked to find out there was a DVD release of it. I was less stoked to learn that the originally planned release of the Dutch version was postponed indefinitely.

Step in the French DVD release, which includes a Dutch audio soundtrack! Awesome! So long story short now I can enjoy this classic piece of Disney animation again. Unfortunately there is some censoring on the DVD release. In particular a scene where Goofy is smoking has been removed completely making for some awkward continuity. Even the soundtrack has been altered thus giving no explanation why suddenly Goofy is flying through the air on his way to South America. But the quality of the DVD is quite nice and the Dutch soundtrack just makes it the perfect nostalgia trip for me.

PS-Games' Fluxx Dutch version of the popular card game.

It's been a while since I have posted about Fluxx coming to The Netherlands. It seems PS-Games has put up a product page now and we should be expecting the localized version somewhere this month!

( Initial impressions )

Hey look, it's a new movie trailer for OMGWTFJUSTHAPPENEDTOMYCHILDHOOD?

Here's a follow-up to an earlier entry of mine. Seeing as the head honcho has now basically spilled the beans himself I guess it's safe to just announce the ecstatic feelings I'm getting from the following:

PS-Games, Neerlands distributeur van kaart- en bordspellen zoals Pokémon, Magic the Gathering en Munchkin, zal dit najaar een Nederlandse editie van Fluxx uitbrengen! Blijkbaar gebaseerd op versie 3.1 en met de art van de Duitse editie.
Om eerlijk te zijn had ik liever een echt Nederlandse editie gezien (boer, koe, molen, fiets?) net zoals de Spaanse editie van Fluxx, maar wat zeur ik? Fluxx in het Nederlands! Een wel heel leuke gebeurtenis toevallig rond Fluxx' 10 jarig jubileum! Dat wordt feesten/sparen/spelen!

Here's some exciting news which I'm not too sure I'm allowed to post on. This as there has been no official announcement yet and I've only heard about this from a trust-worthy source. Given the nature of the scoop I'll continue in my native tongue:

Nederlandse Fluxx-fans, het wachten duurt niet lang meer!

http://club.nintendo.jp/present/p62/index.html

Voice-controlled Nintendo DS game. Sound like a real Super Sentai team in this multiplayer-only handheld beat 'em up! Looks awesome though I can't see a localized Western release ever coming from this. :)

Eeh! I get all giddy and excited when anything Fluxx is happening. And, as usual, we can look forward to another pack of promo cards being launched at Origins 2007. Because 2007 also marks Fluxx' 10th anniversary the promo card pack is going to be quite a whopper: 7 cards in total, of which you can see a preview at this page. The interesting thing is it also seems to mark the introduction of the first Creeper, as was announced for the forthcoming Zombie Fluxx. The Creeper is so far only described as a Keeper you don't want but have to play anyway. But how will it influence actual game play? Well, at least it seems we'll find out sooner than expected! This will help us prepare for when the day comes where zombies take over our card game with ever-changing rules.

In the meantime if you happen to pass by Origins 2007 (you lucky bastard, you!) don't forget to attend the Big Experiment #8 organized by Looney Labs.

StarCraft II Unveiled!
We're pleased to announce our latest project: StarCraft II! The epic interplanetary battle between the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg will take on new dimensions in this sequel to the classic real-time strategy original. With new units and functionality for each race, upgrades to several familiar units, and a powerful 3D engine that supports explosive fast-paced combat between massive armies, StarCraft II will be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Highlights of StarCraft II include:

* Tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
* New units and gameplay mechanics that further distinguish the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races
* An all-new 3D engine that supports fast-paced play with realistic physics, massive units, and massive army sizes
* A groundbreaking single-player campaign that continues the epic StarCraft story
* A powerful map editor that puts the tools used by the game's designers into the hands of players

We'll be revealing much more information about our plans for StarCraft II in the months ahead, so please stay tuned to www.starcraft2.com for the latest updates. In the meantime, you can check out the announcement press release here for further details.

Surprise! ... kinda... not really. Kind of saw it coming. But yay anyway! :)

In a conference call to discuss today's financial results, EA said that Will Wright's highly anticipated evolution sim, Spore, is no longer in the company's plans for the current fiscal year, which ends in March 2008. Most in the industry had expected the game to be released later this year, perhaps in time for the holiday shopping season.

Release: somewhere, some time...
Source: GameDaily BIZ

Yes, it's Fluxx... with Zombies! The newest Fluxx features a new type of card: The Creeper. It's like a Keeper you don't want but must play anyway, and it usually stops you from winning. The good news is, Zombie Fluxx also includes a bunch of Keepers you can use as weapons against the Zombie-Creepers, including the Shotgun, the Chainsaw, and the Can of Gasoline. Plus you've got Sandwiches and Coffee and a couple of Friends to help you win. The bad news is, if your Friends become Zombies, you'll have to destroy them. Welcome to the dark side of Fluxx!

Release: fall 2007
Preview: Ask Andy for this week

The Independent Gaming Source has a nice post about a series of Flash videos about gaming concering... oh well, just look for yourself in this post. Explaining the basics of games and gameplay by playing some mini-games. Excellent productions, in my honest opinion.

Hey kids, another special offer from Looney Labs:

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we're having a special deal on EcoFluxx. Get $2 off, and a free Earth promo card - and choose 5, 25 or 100 free EcoPledge cards to hand out to friends or at Earth Day events. Spread the word! Help take care of the Earth!

That's a nice Earth-minded Fluxx deal for $10 (excl. shipping). Check it out!

Looney Labs is giving you $2 off of your next order if you fill out their Fluxx-survey. More information at Looney Labs or http://www.wunderland.com/!

2006? Noob!
LOL 2007!

No!

NO!

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!