Posts Filed Under: parties

From right, Phil Fish (gentleman who makes the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize award-winning Fez) and Richard Lemarchand (gentleman who makes those wildly popular Uncharted games), perform as PHILLIPPE LEMARCHAND. They’re joined by Baiyon (PixelJunk 4 AM) while repping some Meat Bun at the Venus Patrol party at GDC. It’s easily our favorite photo from the entire week, because we love seeing Meat Bun on people, but the full GDC 2012 photo set from Jeriaska of Nobuwo is spectacular stuff if you love video game music and video game music people.

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.

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.

Giant Robot’s Pixel Pushers exhibition kicked off in Culver City at the Scion installation space last night, showcasing the artistic talents of folks like Jude Buffum, Matt Furie, Shawn Smith, Nullsleep and more. The centerpiece was the Famicom-inspired Scion, designed by Eric Nakamura and fabricated by Len Higa.

Nakamura and crew displayed the “ideation” of the Famicom car, which had a projector built into the driver’s side headlight, a “key” in the form of an NES cart and NES pad-style buttons for door handles. Some junk in the trunk made it possible to play some Wii games in the back. It was awesome.

Look at that upholstery! Each passenger had their own customized NES pad so that anyone could play sidescrollin’ shoot ‘em up Return of the Quack on the big screen.

Mike and Scott did a little drinking and driving at the show. This is not recommended and certainly not how one plays Return of the Quack.

Kids loved Chevy Ray Johnston and Matt Furie’s Return of the Quack, slaying evil fudgesicles and mutant pizza slices all night long. Way past bedtime.

Photos don’t do Shawn Smith’s voxelated creations justice, so go to the Scion installation and see them in person.

Jude Buffum and Attract Mode‘s Adam Robezzoli must be laughing at their shared love of red flannel. Or maybe something else entirely.

Eric from Giant Robot poses thoughtfully with the Famicom car, while Mike Z. (obscured) plays a little Return of the Quack.

Hey! Martin from Giant Robot and Eloise (aka “Charlie Brown”) were there too!

Make sure to make the trip to the Scion Installation L.A. for Pixel Pushers, which runs until December 11. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 11AM – 6PM.

See more photos from the event at the Meat Bun Facebook!

Saturday, October 16 at GR2 in Los Angeles, Meat Bun will be co-hosting Game Night 3, an outdoor party filled with video games, music and delicious pork buns, with Giant Robot and Attract Mode. We’ll be playing Super Street Fighter IV, Super Meat Boy and other games with Super in the title on screens large and small, while freshly prepared snacks from the nearby gr/eats are scarfed down for extra health.

We’ll also be offering one of our newest designs, Osu! Giant Robot, with proceeds from the sales of our shirt going to help support Giant Robot. We’ll also have long out of print designs and new stuff for sale at Giant Robot, Meat Bun’s first retail location. Don’t miss it!

Game Night 3 runs from 7 to 10pm on October 16 at:

Giant Robot Los Angeles (GR2)
2062 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

OSU!!!

Do you know what’s a bad idea? Free, all-you-can-drink Absinthe. Your night becomes a scene out of a Prodigy video. But, hey, we were drinking on Microsoft’s dime! And it’s not our fault they rented out the Edison for like a week. Damn you, Green Fairy and your intoxicating elixirs.

What were we talking about? Oh, E3, where all the new games coming out in the next year are assembled — and you get to play them TODAY. The best way to enjoy E3 is to have zero responsibilities, and to be like a kid in a candy shop. But it’s a lot of work setting that up! Strategically used sick days, and calls to your well connected friends in the business. Only then can you fully enjoy the top-shelf Tanqueray martini in your hand as you watch zombie pole dancers gyrate seductively at the Dead Rising 2 party.

But what about the games? Honestly, I don’t remember playing any. I’m even having trouble remembering the name of the band I saw pictured below, but I do remember liking them. I’m sure some other sites have some excellent quality gaming coverage, but again I have this thing about having zero responsibilities during E3. Welcome back, E3, you big, overblown, crazy spectacle you!

Check out our E3 2010 gallery on our Facebook page.