A few quick links for some retro-style gaming: OpenTyrian, an SDL port of the classic Tyrian game, and ProtoRPG, a web-based RPG using the Prototype and Script.aculo.us.
Super Mario in 14kB Javascript. Very impressive little browser game that recreates some of the first Super Mario game.
Gary Gygax, creator of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, has passed away at the age of 69. I shall have to pull out some of my books tonight for a read in his honour.
Update: I don’t think I could possibly have put it better than how the guys at Penny Arcade have paid tribute.
Update 2: There’s a great obituary for Gygax over at Ars Technica. It’s amazing to think of the impact this man’s work has made on so many people in the world!
Seems like Auran is in a bit of trouble. The developer of the new MMO Fury, as well as classic RTS Dark Reign, is in a bit of financial difficulty and look to be pinning their hopes on changes to Fury (new content and payment model) to get them out of it. Hopefully they do recover - the Australian games industry just keeps running into obstacles and a prominent developer shutting down cannot be a good thing.
This was the first games expo I’ve attended but I must say that it was largely what I would have expected: various game companies pushing their latest games and consoles (Sony and Nintendo doing the lion’s share), various tertiary education institutions pushing their games-related courses (sadly Melbourne Uni hasn’t caught on) and various vendors trying to sell you stuff. Still, overall it was quite enjoyable and great to be able to check out the latest games without having to, say, buy a PS3. Following are some of my highlights from the event and my general review.
The eGames & Entertainment Expo for 2007 is set to start next weekend at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. It sounds like it will be a decent weekend of gaming goodness so I’m quite keen to go. Any readers thinking of attending?