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WHAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARYS: WHY I DRIVE EVERYWHERE!

Matt Geary
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0

 

It has been many a year since I ventured into the world of the public transport commuter; so long indeed that I actually forgot why I now drive EVERYWHERE!

Today is one of my works Christmas dos and naively I thought that it might be an idea to have a bit of a Christmas ‘tipple,’ tis the season and all that merriment. Sadly, being a responsible gentlemen and a pillar of the community I thought it best I leave my Hog… VW Passat estate, that my mum gave me.. cough, at my palatial manor and get a local cab to the train station with my beloved.

We exited the taxi and stood at the train station, in the crisp winter morning with all the rest of our middle class working chums and waited for our transportation into town.

Current time:     0759
Train Due:         0801
Train arrived:     0802

“Happy days” I thought, “no wait” Up until this point I had dreaded the idea of standing at a station for hours, so getting there and one turning up within a few minutes was a welcome change from my past experiences; unluckily for me and my other half, this was the only “plus” point about our journey into town. Faces of joy over the efficiency of the British Railway system soon evaporated into ones of pure horror when, what I can only describe as a 50 year old ‘converted’ cattle cart, came lumbering into the station filled to the brim with mooing commuters…. I do not exaggerate, this thing made trains we have back home in N.Ireland look positively futuristic and made me long for the wide open spaces of the people carts you see in old war movies, shipping off prisoners from the front… Take me to stalag luft iv!

Thinking about it, I don’t know why I was so surprised? What was I expecting really? A brand new, Virgin bullet train; with seats for all and a smiling hostess handing out complimentary newspapers, nuts and hot, lemon fresh towels? This is what our trains look like and this is what I remember from the dark days before I had my own transport; I digress.

We entered (or were carried along by the stampede, I couldn’t be sure) the train at one of its ancient, I can only assume operated by steam, doors and looked up and down the isles for a seat. Again why was I surprised? On the 8am train to Piccadilly Manchester; finding the lost treasures of Atlantis, whilst simultaneously inventing teleportation; only using your I-phone and the lint you have in your pocket would have been easier than getting a seat. In fac

t I believe some commuters, who had been standing for some time were on the verge of a break through by the looks on their faces; either that or they had gone quite mad.

We made an attempt to move to the isles, to make space for people behind us but were blocked by some timid creatures who obviously thought moving down the train was paramount to entering the den of a rabid train beast! I honestly got a look of “I cant go down there, they all have seats” the sort of look you see a lower level ape giving the alpha male when he’s trying to sneak into his territory ( or his mate ;o) ). after finally managed to cox these people down the train a bit, I settled in for my stand to Manchester (doing a bit of people watching to make the time pass quicker). All the while: the rest of the commuters, who got on after, huddled round the door; I can only assume for protection and warmth? It was during this stand that I made some observations.

Don’t worry I’m getting to my point now……

THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN (I MAX 3D) – 7 GPPs

Matt Geary
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0
THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN (I MAX 3D) – 7 GPPs

THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN (I MAX 3D) – 7 GPPs

Andy Cole
Twitter: @steelyhands
02/11/11

 

These days franchise re boots could be viewed as a genre of their own and it is obvious to me why film makers love them: They take away the need to spend time creating their own characters, their own folklore; their own original storylines and all they need to do is pay someone to write up a screenplay based on something, someone else has already put effort into creating!

For obvious reasons these types of films tend to suffer from a certain level of myopia that can only come from a paint by numbers approach to writing and directing. Films like: transformers , Spiderman and the recent star trek movie have had similar problems; all of which seem to have extremely predictable story arks / plots and most seem to rely all too heavily on the nostalgia felt by an already immense fan base to fall back on ; With this in mind I hade absolutely no expectations of Tintin.


Recently there has been a spate of 3d gimmickry saturating new releases /re releases and I can only come to the conclusion that this is a bid by the cinema business to try and regain power (and its punters) from illegal download and sharing sites; an epidemic problem that is putting a lot of strain on the movie industry as whole

I myself am not a fan of 3d effects in cinema and feel that its use is a sure sign of a badly scripted, terribly plotted, mess of a movie that has hedged all its bets on tricking gullible morons like us into attend screenings by slapping a number and a letter after the title of their ‘’movie.’’ Therefore, Two hours of things seemingly coming right for me is not my idea of entertainment. In fact I could not think of anything more, nauseous, eye straining and annoying. However, for the greater good and just out of curiosity I decided to watch Tintin in the IMAX- 3D

 

The film itself is extremely fast paced , setting up the entire plot, direction and introducing most of the main characters within the first five minutes of this 107 minute feature. Obviously 107 minutes is not a huge number in the grand scheme of things; especially in the world of Tin Tin, with its wealth of characters and back story so certain shortcuts had to be taken in regards to the setup and execution of the plot; Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish did an extremely good job of doing this and brought this Hergé classic into the 21st century without loosing the charm and sense of adventure that came with the comic books and cartoons.

The story itself is helped along immensely by some fantastic performances, most notably from Andy Circus as Captain Haddock, who at times seems to be the only character with any expressions on his face! 

The use of C.G.I is fantastically ultra realistic; whilst keeping a cartoonish feel to the images on screen. This seems to have led to an attack of the ‘’uncanny valley’’ effect where computer generated images look realistic enough to become creepy. Circuses obvious track record when It comes to motion capture filming seems to have served him well; Where as other characters can look dead on screen, Haddock always seems to push past the uncanny valley effect and always looking warm and animated .

The biggest surprise to me of the entire film was the use of 3D (I know I was shocked too); it has to be the single best use of the effect in a movie so far; shying away from the obvious irritating clichéd use and using it in order to give the film a feel and depth that is simply unprecedented. The Imax in combination with the use of 3D seems to add so much to the movie going experience; attempting to draw you even further in to the film rather than punctuate points when things get close to the screen which always wakes me out of my state of suspended disbelief .


In short Tintin has killed a lot of my preconceptions: a film made for 3D cinemas, a re boot of a franchise even just being a film that was made in the past five years , all of which would point at it being an absolute waste of time and effort, in my opinion; but I have to admit, seeing the movie and seeing how much time the director, screenwriters and producers have put into Tintin has definitely left me infatuated with 3D cinema, or at least the possibilities that lie ahead now it has been used for a more grown up and interesting effect; it may well have re ignited my love for cinema as a whole!

 

Geek pride points : 7/10

 

 

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY (10GPPs)

Ben Fee
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0

by Ben Fee 11/11/11

Straight to the point:

The sequel to the greatest ever superhero game was never going to disappoint, but this is bigger, badder and better than we could have hoped. Make sure the batmobile has a full tank because this is going to one hell of a ride…

The Story:

My first exposure to the Batman was, like many people of my generation, through the repeats of the 1960’s television show starring the finest actors to ever portray they dynamic duo, Adam West and Burt Ward. I was hooked by their Technicolor adventures, stunned by their crime-solving deductions, horrified as every other episode ended in another convoluted death-trap in which the caped crusader and boy wonder would surely perish. Years later, looking back, the show seems comedic and camp, but at the time, as a child, it was high drama, mystery, camaraderie, thriller, a gateway into garden of geek which I would never get tired of revisiting.

As I grew so, naturally, did my tastes. The bright colours of West and Ward’s world matured into the pastel shades of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One graphic novel, the gritty, true realisation of the Dark Knight’s early years which was so successfully transmuted into Christopher Nolan’s big-screen franchise-baiting reimagining. Later on I discovered Jeph Loebs’s beleaguered social sentinel in his Long Halloween, another Frank Miller offering in the shape of The Dark Knight Return’s violent retiree and, most recently, the mind-straining machinations of Grant Morrison’s game-changing epic. Batman and his ever-changing retinue of allies, sidekicks, enemies and faithful butlers have been portrayed in hundreds of different ways over the years, so how is a video game producer supposed to choose which incarnation of the World’s Greatest Detective they bring to gaming? To Arkham City developers Rocksteady, the answer was seemingly simple: take the best bits from all of them.

 

I may have misled you a little bit, so let me make something clear. Batman: Arkham City is not a game. Tetris is a game. Scrabble is a game. Arkham City is a goddamn Batman simulator. For every child who shouted “POW!” while punching a sibling in the arm, for everyone who hurt their throat trying to recreate Christian Bale’s gravely growl, this is it, this is the closest you’re ever going to get to donning the cowl and taking the streets of Gotham.

The premise is perfectly sufficient; a large section of Gotham City has been cordoned off to house the ever-growing population of inmates from Arkham Asylum, the island sanatorium which provided the backdrop for the first game in this series (although don’t worry if you haven’t played that, like most games these days sequels don’t require any knowledge of previous iterations to be entirely enjoyable). Bruce Wayne, international playboy and Batman’s civilian alter ego, is trapped in Arkham City by its mysterious new warden, Hugo Strange. Solving the mystery behind Wayne’s incarceration and Strange’s mysterious “Protocol 10” pits you against hundreds of crazed patients, psychopathic minions, innocent political prisoners and, of course, a veritable “Who’s Who” of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery, each imaginatively drawn so as to be both darkly comic and violently real – the Joker in particular is masterfully unnerving but also, as is fitting for the Clown Prince of Crime, highly entertaining.

Things We Like:

  • Graphically the game shines. The City is a character in itself; sprawling, dark and seedy filled with secrets and surprises. A breath-taking skyline, a scum-filled gutter, everything is rendered in stunning detail and smooth transitions – a gut-wrenching fast jab to the ribs of a costumed low-life becomes a slow-motion jackbooted jaw-breaker so beautifully it turns combat into a brutal ballet.
  • The gameplay is of the classic “minutes to learn, a lifetime to master” school of thought; you’ll be zipping between buildings and knocking out crazy people’s teeth in moments, but days later you’ll still be cursing yourself as you nose-dive into Gotham harbour for the hundredth time trying to complete one of the Waynetech Artificial Reality training programs
  • It feels in places like the developers worried the game would become too repetitive so they have gone beyond expectations in providing so dense a game world, so varied an experience that boredom doesn’t even begin to enter your head. Mini-games and different ways of viewing the world are embedded seamlessly into the storytelling and, to shake things up even further, you can even play as Catwoman or the Boy Wonder himself, Robin. Each of these extra characters plays in a completely different way to the extent of making the game an entirely different experience depending on which of the heroes you choose.

 

Niggles:

  • The only “niggles” I have relate to the technology developers have at their disposal. It would be great if the game world encompassed the entire of Gotham City, maybe with a few areas outside America – there are a few moments in the story when it feels like quite a large amount of creative licence has been applied to ensure a semi-plausible reason for some of the more exotic super-villains to be in Arkham City.

  • And why doesn’t Batman dance anymore? Remember the Batusi?

Wish List:

  • More variety! I know this is like asking for more soup while drowning in a vat of Baxter’s Cream of Chicken, but I like it, sue me. I want to play as all the characters in the Batman’s entourage. Where’s Nightwing, Spoiler, Damien Wayne, Azrael (Azrael! Just had a bit of geekgasm imagining playing as him), Huntress, Bat-mite etc…
  • Crossovers! I know licencing prevents it but can’t then even reference Superman, The Justice League or Aquaman? Well, maybe not Aquaman…

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with this game except the fact that it will suck all that precious free time from you, at least until The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim turns up. But if you don’t mind, until then I’m heading back to the rooftops of Arkham City for a little monologing. Where was I? Ah yes, “criminals, by nature, are a superstitious and cowardly lot…”

GEARS OF WAR 3 (10GPPs)

Matt Geary
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0
GEARS OF WAR 3 (10GPPs)

Gareth Brown
03/10/2011

 

Straight to the Point:

Visceral, polished, and packed to the gills with features, this is the best shooter on the xbox.10 GPPs (Geek Pride Points)

The final part of the Gears trilogy, Epic’s shooter is one of the 360’s biggest hitters. Charting the story of the Coalition of Organised Government’s (COG – see what they did there?), battle to save the planet of Sera from the rampaging, subterranean Locust, and now a new foe, the Lambent, Gears has made a name for itself with stunning production values, an excellent multiplayer offering and a giant helping of blood and gore.

 

 

Things we like

  • Soooooo pretty! – Gears 3 looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s also drenched in colour – a welcome change for a series that’s often criticised for being brown and grey. Epic must be wizards or something to crank this game out of six year old hardware
     
  • Story – Ok, so it’s not going to win a booker prize, but there are plenty of twists and turns, and most of the trilogy’s questions will be answered by the end
  • Pacing – There is simply no good point to stop playing. It’s epic battle after epic battle with some great story and exploration parts to fill the downtime.
  • Enemies – The Locust are one of gaming’s best villains; brutal, smart and armed to the teeth. They’re now joined by the explosive Lambent, making for some exciting and ultra-violent three-way battles.
  • Weapons – From the classic chainsaw lancer to the new burrowing digger grenade, there’s a way to visit bodily harm on your foes for every occasion.
  • Multiplayer – As well as the brutally competitive versus offering, Gears 3 has a host of co-op options, including four player campaign co-op, Horde (which now has a neat tower defense element), and Beast, where you control the Locust as they attempt to massacre human survivors. You’ll be playing this for months
  • Dedicated servers – It’s also the fairest multiplayer out there – none of that CoD running behind cover only to die then see yourself standing like a twat and getting shot up on the killcam nonsense.
  • Bots – Gears’ versus is ruthless. It can be pretty daunting as a lot of players are HARDCORE. That’s why it’s great that you can play with bots to learn the maps and get the lay of the land. More games should do this.

 

Niggles

  • Unlocks – There’s a lot of content to unlock in Gears 3, but you have to play a LOT to get to the good stuff. Not all of us are 15 year olds who can play six hours a day, Epic! We’re also pretty peeved that a big chunk of weapon skins are paid for only.
     
  • Online community – People dropping out in Horde after two hours is pretty annoying as they’re not replaced. Finding yourself on level 22 looking down the barrels of five boomers with only one other player left feels like wasted effort.
  • Difficulty – Gears 3 is stupidly easy on the default setting. Play on at least hardcore if you want to experience the game at its best.
  • Story – You know we said “most of the trilogy’s questions will be answered by the end”? Well one of the biggest ones isn’t and it’s really bothering us!

 

Wish List

Campaign DLC would be lovely, but we also want a few double XP weekends so we can unlock our executions and character skins without completely giving up on the real world!

Conclusion

With Gears 3 marking the start of 2011’s insane gaming season, it’s set the bar ludicrously high. The best end to the trilogy we coulWish List Campaign DLC would be lovely, but we also want a few double XP weekends so we can unlock our executions and character skins without completely giving up on the real world!

SPACE MARINE (7GPPs)

Matt Geary
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SPACE MARINE (7GPPs)


Straight to the Point:

So close but yet so far!, 7 GPPs (Geek Pride Points)

Story

I’ll not insult the intelligence of any of my fellow geeks by telling you what it’s all about (most of you will know already) for those of you who don’t (for shame) just type Warhammer 40k into Google and you will have hours and hours and hours of reading! (ENJOY!)

Things I like

  • Story Line – is good and has a nice ending that leaves the proverbial appetite wetted to know more about theWH40K world (Gamesworkshop say..CHAAAACHIING!) and what happens to our chivalric hero Titus.
  • Nice Graphics and Epic backgrounds.
  • LOTS of bad guys – there is nothing more satisfying than wading into a horde of marauding orks with nothing but a chainsword and a smile.
  • No health Packs? – Strange I know but counter intuitively the only way to get health back is by “Executing” enemies and to do that you have to be up close and personal! This gives the game a nice dynamic and helps mix things up a bit, especially if you are getting pummelled by enemy fire.
  • Good Multiplayer – A nice Perk system a la COD and you get to paint/design/equip your own Marine / Chaos Marine which is satisfying in itself.

 

Niggles

  • Gameplay is pretty linear, with no real alternative options on where to go or how to complete the level (the jetpack level adds a bit but not much).
  • The endless waves of bad guys is initially great fun: stomping, slashing, decapitating, blood everywhere. But it gets a bit tedious as you go along and I think had there been a bigger variation in the moves / executions you could perform, then it would have been all the more enjoyable
  • No use of cover or being able to climb obstacles.. now I appreciate that you are a lumping 10 ft tall, armour clad, mega soldier and cover isn’t overly needed BUT there are a few times in the game where things get a bit hairy and it would have been nice to have the option (this would also work well in the MP); It’s in the table top game, why not the Computer game? I get the impression there might have been a fear that people would say “oh it’s just ripping of GOW” but everyone knows WH40k has been around for years and if anything GOW has borrowed heavily from WH, why not take it back?
  • Not nearly epic enough… you have 2 Marines in your squad (does a squad not usually consist of 5?) and when you do meet other Space Marines, they are few and far between which takes away from the epic feel. These games are all about big battles and swarms of enemies, we have the enemies why not the marines as well? 3 marines, and a handful of guardsmen doesn’t really fill up all the big, epic scenery we are presented with and leaves the game felling in parts, slightly empty?

Wish List

If they make a sequel, it would be nice to incorporate the above but also I would love to see a bit more customisation, maybe in the vein of an RPG. Maybe even extend this element to your squad? So being able to order them where togo, what cover to take, what to attack, where to defend, even equipping them with armour, weapons and perks.

Conclusion

All said and done, Space Marine is an enjoyable and fun game BUT it could have been sooooo much more. Let’s hope if they make a sequel that a bit more depth is given to the game play and the options we get as players.

Matt Geary
12/09/2011

RAGE (8 GPPs)

Matt Geary
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0
RAGE (8 GPPs)

RAGE (8 GPPs)
Alex Dewitt
17/10/2011

Straight to the Point:

A rock solid first person shooter with some loose RPG element’s all wrapped up in a visually stunning post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Rage is the long awaited game from developer id software, the father of the FPS genre. At the start of the game you are awoken in an underground ark 100 years or so after a devastating asteroid has struck the earth. You soon find out the world outside is a not so friendly place…

 

Things we like

  • Visuals – First off, Rage is an awesome looking game. From the vast rocky canyons that greet you as you emerge from your ark to the fantastic looking characters that inhabit the world, the apocalypse has never looked so good. Some dodgy texture pop in takes a little sheen off the overall result but not enough to spoil the experience.
  • Gameplay – Forget any major comparisons to Fallout or Borderlands, Rage is a first person shooter at heart, and this is where it’s greatest strength lies. The world may be vast but the majority of the gun battles take place indoors, as you move from room to room dispensing sweet justice. The game controls wonderfully and the guns are satisfying to shoot. There are some nice little RPG elements also such as crafting sentry bots and turret’s from parts you scavenge and being able to upgrade weapons and create multiple ammo types.
  • Weapons – The weapons of Rage are it’s true stars. From the classic headache inducing shotgun to a crossbow that fires mind control darts that allow you to take control of an enemy’s body and then detonate them in a shower of red mist. Then there’s the wingstick. Who doesn‘t enjoy lobbing off a mutants head with a bladed boomerang? The guns and ammo types are varied and the different enemy clans you encounter will require you to switch often.
  • Enemies – Varied enemies also help keep the action from going stale. There are numerous clans that inhabit the wasteland, all of them having different fighting styles and tactics. The ghost clan for instance are rather acrobatic, often leaping up from a ledge to quickly get close to you. Whereas the Gearheads like to send out their own sentry bots and generally shoot from a distance. The AI is impressive with enemies taking cover, flanking and working together for good effect.
  • Vehicles – The addition of vehicles is somewhat the surprise package of the game but when it’s done as well as this it’s hard to criticize. The driving is surprisingly solid and with the ability to add weapons to your ride (which is a must if you are to navigate the wasteland) it is a welcome addition. You can also participate in races in the main towns for the chance to win racing tickets which can be used to upgrade your buggy with different weapons, armour and boosts etc. The vehicle combat is fun although for some it may feel a little tacked on. It has a quirky arcade style that’s like a cross between mad max and Mario karts.

Niggles

  • The overall story doesn’t really grab you and serves more as a way to get you from point A to B in a series of fetch and carry missions. While the character models look great they generally don’t have anything interesting to say and it’s ultimately hard to really care about any of the people you meet. The campaign also sags towards the final third of the game while the less said about the ending the better.
  • While the main campaign will probably take you a meaty 12 hours or so to complete depending on how much you embrace the vehicular side of things, there’s not a lot in the way of side missions, which consists of a few jobs placed on job boards in the main towns but not much else to distract you from the main story. The wasteland is vast but nowhere near as populated as something like Red Dead Redemption and it would have been nice to have a little more to do out there.

Wish List

Multiplayer comes in the way of “Road Rage” and “Legends of the wasteland“. The former being strictly vehicle combat and the latter being an online co-operative mode. While these are both decent in their own right i was disappointed that they never included a competitive FPS mode as I felt that with all the guns, gadgets and cool environments it would have been great fun. Future DLC maybe?

Conclusion

Rage is a really cool game and one that i enjoyed very much. id software have done what they do best and that’s make a great shooter with stunning visuals. The story and the characters are rather weak however but the addition of vehicle combat and some cool RPG aspects make this game a blast to play through.

MINECRAFT (10 GPPs)

Matt Geary
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0
MINECRAFT (10 GPPs)


Straight to the Point

One of the most addictive games EVER! Seriously you need to have this! (10GPPs)

The story:

You are a man made completely of cubes; trapped in an unknown world (also made of cubes) with nothing but your bare hands and survival skills to keep you alive. With zombies and other nasty creatures stalking the land at night, with no other purpose to their meaningless lives than to kill you (and in some occasions blow up the creations you have made!) survival is the name of the game (well unless you play the creative game then its just about playing around with lego)

Things we like
  • Its Graphics…. First thing that will strike you in Minecraft is the graphics; they are most definitely mid 80s retro; pixilated and cube based. Something you might expect to play on your IPhone, HTC or even your old commodore 64, sitting in the cupboard because you can’t bring yourself to chuck it; not on your brand new, top of the range, £3k rig! Understandably this in itself may put a lot of people whose idea of a good game is a graphical masterpiece, an epic storyline and maybe a bit of game play behind it, off. But if you can get yourself past this then you are in for a treat! The graphical simplicity is the reason this game is so good.. it has nothing to prove, it is what it is.
  • Its Playability and replay ability – The sheer size of this game is breath taking, you literally have your own world in which do as you wish: climb huge mountains (and fall off them); dig down to the magma core of your world (and burn to death); fight monsters (get eaten); swim the seas (make a boat and become a pirate, geyaarrr) and created EPIC fortresses worthy of Tolkien himself! (Look at youtube for minecraft videos and google for pictures, there are some mind-blowing creations) There is literally days, months, even years of fun to be had and so much potential for more content… well worth the paltry £13 price tag.
  • Minecrafting! – Its what the game is all about people… dig a huge hole, get the raw materials and make things with it! Everything in the world can be used for something. From wood and iron for tools and armour; to stone and dirt for fortresses and houses. Just make sure you build yourself a crafting table and it might be an idea to do some research on line for initial useful recipes. Here is a good vid to start you off:

 

  • Everything is destructible! – There are not many, if any games out there who can boast of complete destructible scenery. In Minecraft everything can be moved, blown up and rebuilt, and it is this that is the linchpin to its success.

 

Niggles

  • It crashes some times (can be fixed if you look around the net) but in its defense it is still technically in its beta testing stage.
  • The Creepers keep killing me and blowing up my beautiful buildings! – not really a game flaw, just me getting annoyed because i spent so much time on them.. :o(

 

Wish List

MORE MODS.. MORE TEXTURES, MORE CRAFTABLE ITEMS, MORE, MORE, MORE ! These are all easily obtained for free and even easier to use.

 

Conclusion

This game proves what I have been preaching for years; Gameplay first, Graphics second! This game has no smooth edges, no new graphics engine, no fancy bells and whistles..nothing. It is just what it is: an oldskool game on an epic scale.

You won’t get cool graphics or epic storylines in Minecraft but you will get an addiction and not one of those bad crack addictions I’ve heard so much about. No sir , just a feeling of needing to makea bigger and better castle, to dig a bigger and better hole, to explore as far as you can before getting attacked by zombies or just the urge to farm!

 

Geek Art = Good Art: Halloween Special

Ben Fee
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0

Geek Art  is Good Art

by Ben Fee 26/10/2011

Ray Villafane and zombie pumpkin

Halloween is almost upon us and, along with glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth and tiny Mars Bars, nothing says All Hallows Eve like a freshly carved pumpkin grin. But while most of us are content with a few hastily hacked triangles over a wonky crescent, some people have a little more…spirit.

This week: Ray Villafane

Food sculptor (it’s a thing!) Ray Villafane has raised pumpkin carving to an art form with his series of awesomely detailed productions. Villafane, who has worked for DC and Marvel Comics carving sculptures for their collectibles division, started turning fruit into art as a hobby back round the turn of the century and has since knocked out some stunning work.

Take a butchers for yourself: Pisses all over my comedy “pumpkin vomiting its own insides” effort. And these are not even Mr Villafane’s crowning achievement. This year the artist got his hands on the world’s largest pumpkin and, in New York’s Botanical Gardens, did the only sensible thing you can do with a giant gourd. He turned it into an epic zombie monsterpiece.

Check out more of Ray’s pumpkin work at his website here:

 

For more about the giant zombie pumpkin and an awesome time-lapse video of it’s creation, click here: http://laughingsquid

Geek Art is Good Art

Ben Fee
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0
Geek Art is Good Art
Geek Art  is Good Art
by Ben Fee
26/10/2011

If you’ve spent more than twenty seconds on the internet you probably already come across geek art (or alt art as it’s more commonly known). We’re talking pictures of Super Mario riding a unicorn while throwing flaming toadstools at a bikini-clad bowser. Darth Vader swooping down as the bass-wielding front man of a Star Wars supergroup with Han on lead and Chewie on drums. Literally thousands of drawings of Power Girl leaning forward for a good view of her décolletage and tomorrow’s laundry. Like everything else on the ‘net there is plenty of dross clogging up the blogs and sites but, every now and again, you can uncover one or two diamonds of pure crystallised awesome. In the next few weeks I’m going to be waggling my spotlight at a few of the more talented individuals who are creating masterpieces from the weird and wild geek
landscape.

First up is:

Dave Perillo
Check out more of his geeked-out fifties-cartoon style awesomeness at his website here:
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