Posts Filed Under: events

Man, where the hell have we been lately? Oh right! E3 2011 and ReveLAtions! That sure took a toll on the Meat Bun collective energy levels, but we’re back, well rested after watching some great fighting game tournaments and ready to roll. Thanks to the wonderful Freddie Wong and his latest video jam, “Arcade Dominator,” we’re more fired up than ever.

What else have we been doing besides attending convention centers, hotel meeting rooms and grand ballrooms? Playing Dark Souls, for one. We might go far enough to call it Meat Bun’s game of E3 2011. We just might.

We also got to play a little Skullgirls, which the LA Weekly and everyone else seems to be gushing over.

A few things we didn’t get to play–but desperately want to, hopefully at Tokyo Game Show–include Dragon’s Crown, the latest fan service fest from Vanillaware.

:3

Err yeah! There are more reasons that anatomically astounding warrior women for wanting to play this gorgeous PlayStation 3 and PS Vita game. Maybe you should watch the trailer to see why!

Also on the list of interesting Japanese curiosities is a Neon Genesis Evangelion game that might actually be a good Neon Genesis Evangelion game. That would be Rhythm Evangelion: 3nd Impact, a PSP game being made by Grasshopper Manufacture and musically touched by the great Akira Yamaoka.

The special edition(s) look fantastic.

Finally, I’ll cop to having a strong desire to play Dancing Eyes, the most unexpected entry in the Namco Generations line of HD recreations of classic (well…) Namco games. Have a look…

Whew! Anyway, please give us a follow on Twitter and/or Facebook so you can stay up to date!

E3 is the battle ground where the big three fall all over themselves vying for the top slot in your lil’ gaming heart. It’s beautifully ridiculous. Last year Microsoft handed out free Xbox 360 Slims like sample teriyaki chicken on a tooth pick to all conference attendees.

Seems Sony knows the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This year they called in a fleet of LA’s best gourmet food trucks, and parked the caravan around a large open bar. I was gorging myself like that scene in Defending Your Life where you could eat whatever you like, as much as you like, and it all tasted great. Dim sum, Cajun gumbo, spicy shrimp tacos… even had a dessert course or two. But somehow Subway got mixed into the picture. Yes, I know not everyone is going to partake of free, delicious tuna sushi hand rolls — but that’s what the corn dog and tater tot stands were for! Watching chumps eat prefabricated lukewarm turkey 6″ subs just because it was handed to them by a professional Nathan Drake cosplayer earned a scornful glance as I finished my gourmet tamarind/chili popsicle.

Now that I was thoroughly wined and dined, I was curious to see where this evening was headed. Kevin Butler was a no-show, and the mood took on an understandably humble and contrite tone in light of the massive network outages. Oh, no! I was hoping for something a little more fun and… titillating… like the Bioshock: Infinite trailer. After more than enough talk about AT&T partnerships *groan* and demos of first person shooters, things became a little more exciting.

Jane’s Addiction fit the bill nicely, though I had to force myself not to calculate how long ago I last saw them at the original Lollapalooza. The juxtaposition of hearing Perry Farrell singing Mountain Song and then chatting about Congressman Wiener tweeting his wiener proved to be a little surreal, but I am in no way complaining. Thank you, Sony. You have my number.

We visited graphic designer extraordinaire and mega-hyper-clever artist Olly Moss’ art show at Gallery 1988 on Melrose, a show dedicated to silhouette portraits ranging from Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters to Team Fortress 2 classes to Judge Dredd to Andre the Giant. It was packed, pieces sold out immediately and we’re fortunate enough to have amazing video from Olly’s show, thanks to Threadless. Next time, we’ll make sure to line up hours in advance. Maybe days.

The annual Game Over art show hit Giant Robot this weekend, an event that drew hundreds of video game art-loving fans to the wee San Francisco store. We were there, offering first dibs on the big, bright and beautiful Fight Night posters (still coming soon to the online store!) and hangin’ with all the GDC stragglers. You still have time to make the show, which runs until March 30 at GRSF.

Jude Buffum’s great 8-bit terrariums where there and being snatched up like nobody’s business. Sadly, one of the pieces I wanted to buy, Kinuko’s “Slimes,” was already spoken for by the time I arrived. T_T

This beautiful piece, a tribute to rhythm games that included Taiko no Tatsujin, Dance Dance Revolution, Parappa the Rapper, Pop’n Music and more, looked dazzling on its lightbox.

People love to look at video game art. The proof!

GRSF couldn’t handle the crowds, so lovers of fine art were forced to spill out onto the streets.

Hey, look! It’s Nathan from Capy, Danny from Babycastles and Cory of being Cory Schmitz fame! They’re brown baggin’ it in indie fashion.

Here’s a photo of Cory’s piece from GO4. R.I.P. Saturn.

Oh, this may look like Skulls of the Shogun developer Jake Kazdal assaulting writer Evan Shamoon while IGF chairman Brandon Boyer watches disapprovingly, but I assure you it’s all in good fun.

Good times! See you next year Game Over show.

You asked for it, so we’re finally doing it! Fan favorite “Fight Night” is now here in old-school tri-color poster form, printed huge on 22″ by 28″ poster board by one of LA’s longest running print shops. It’s perfect for framing for your game room or haphazardly stapling to the nearest telephone pole.

The first batch of Fight Night posters will be available at this week’s Game Over 4 show at Giant Robot San Francisco in limited supply. If you’re unlucky enough not to attend the show (which, incidentally, runs from March 4 to March 30), we’ll have some for sale on the online store soon. Keep an eye out!

Don’t miss Game Over 4, which kicks off with a big reception this Friday.

GRSF
618 Shrader Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
gr-sf.com

Next week, Giant Robot will hold its fourth “Game Over” show at GRSF in San Francisco. Meat Bun will be there with something special, happy to join some of our favorite friendly artists. Like who? Well, pixel master Jude Buffum for one.

Jude is bringing some beautiful 8-bit terrariums to the show, which you can see at his blog.

Also showing will be the talented Cory Schmitz, maker of Controller magazine and other cool things that go to print. You may have seen his excellent Killer 7 inspired tee at Attract Mode or his Wisdom, Courage, Power tee from Fangamer.

Other artists we’re extremely excited to see new video game inspired work from include Derek Yu, Hilary Florido, Nick Gazin, Superbrothers and Little Friends of Printmaking.

Here’s a much longer list along with details on Game Over 4, which opens on March 4.