diorama
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Holorama reproduces your favorite scenes in a tiny holo-theather
"Holorama" is an art installation that revives the likes of The Big Lebowski, Twin Peaks and, yes, Jason and the Argonauts with some transparent screens, a mirror and lovingly handcrafted dioramas. After delicately video-editing the main actors (or skeletons) from their original format, they're transformed into ethereal ghosts, then projected in black space. Thanks to some clever tiny furniture positioning, the scene comes to life and, well, the results are magical. Watch below.
Hitman Go launches April 17 on iOS, Android 'shortly after'
Square Enix Montreal will launch mobile strategy game Hitman Go on iOS on Thursday, April 17. Based on the publisher's popular Hitman series, the diorama-style, turn-based game will cost $5 (£3 / 4.50 euros). Announced in February, the first game from the developer has players navigating fixed, grid-like spaces while using familiar tools from the series, such as Agent 47's Silverballers. Hitman Go will include eight special "Curtains Down" levels based on Hitman: Blood Money. While Square Enix didn't set a release date for it, the Android version of the game will arrive "shortly after" it launches on the App Store. [Image: Square Enix]
Build a Paper Mario diorama today
Nintendo is accepting entries for its Paper Mario: Sticker Star diorama contest for one more day, and posted this how-to video, produced with iam8bit, to give you some inspiration when you're planning your paperboard tableaux. You could win a 3DS, the game, eShop gift certificates, and "paper trophies."If you want some templates to get started, or if you obsessively collect Mario art, you can find some materials on the contest page, including some really cute printable Marios. We're considering making a diorama ourselves after looking at all this cute stuff ... not to enter the contest, of course, but just for fun.Look for our review of Paper Mario: Sticker Star on the November 11 launch day.
Get crafty for the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest [Updated]
Do you like Guild Wars 2? Do you like Halloween? Do you like chances to win graphics cards and other goodies? That's an incredibly convenient set of likes you've got there because it means that the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest is pretty perfect for you. That is, it's perfect if you like making dioramas. You like dioramas, don't you? We knew you did. Contest dates and other bits of information of that nature haven't been announced yet, but the ArenaNet team wants you thinking of what sort of Guild Wars 2sy, Halloween-y scene you'd like to bring to life. Hit up the contest teaser page, and get those spooky and creative juices flowing! [Update] ArenaNet has now posted the official rules for the contest! Contestants have until 3:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 22nd, to enter. Read the official rules for further information.
Halo 3, PS2 get nods from AdWeek for best commercials of the decade
The average American viewed over 9 million advertising messages over the past decade -- logically, a few would stick out in your mind as being better than the rest. Advertising trade publication Adweek recently voted on the best piece of video marketing to be released this decade. Two video game ads you might remember made the final nominees: "Diorama," for Halo 3, and "Mountain," for the PlayStation 2. Sadly, both of these ads lost to Honda's "Grrr" ad -- if only Sony's "Horrifying, Reverse-Weeping Baby" spot had made it into the list of nominees, the company could have brought home the gold. [Via IndustryGamers]
BlizzCast episode 10 released
Zarhym has announced on the forums that BlizzCast episode 10 is out right now for your listening pleasure. In the official podcast, he talks with Lead Encounter Designer Scott Mercer and Senior Game Designer Dave Maldonado about patch 3.2 and the Argent Tournament instances released with it. Strangely, it sounds like the podcast was actually recorded before the release, but of course now everyone knows that we fight the Black Knight in the 5-man and what the dailies are all about. Especially if you've been paying close attention to the testing on the PTR, lots of the "news" about patch 3.2 won't be all that surprising.They also look forward to BlizzCon: all of the developer panels and meetings that go on there, both from the perspective of fans (hey, we actually can be literate and reasonable instead of QQing all the time!) and from developers (turns out they are "not just blue text" -- who knew?!). It's not a super groundbreaking podcast, but as a wrapup to the release of 3.2 and a short preview to BlizzCon, it works just fine. And there's a bonus: Zarhym is offering up a contest -- answer some questions about the podcast after you listen to it, and you could win a "fabulous prize." The rules give away what the prize is: a Draenei vs. Blood Elf diorama or some action figures.And remember, if you've missed any of the BlizzCast episodes so far, you can find them both in iTunes or over on Blizzard's site, or just read our wrapups here on WoW.com.
Diorama will tilt your mind
See, now this is the kind of game I want from my iPhone -- the accelerometer isn't just a gimmick thrown in with the gameplay, it's the actual premise of the game. Diorama is a weird little Marble Madness-style maze game, but the catch here is that instead of just tilting the accelerometer to move the ball (which you do), the level of the game actually moves with you, so that you get a stereoscopic kind of effect, as if the stage is real inside your iPhone's screen. Tough to explain, but as soon as you see it above, you'll know what it's like. We've seen this kind of effect before in apps like MotionX's Dice roller, but in this case, it's actually part of the game -- you can only find the paths to take around the stages by actually tilting the device. And for extra 3D viewing, there's an actual 3D mode, so if you happen to have red and cyan glasses around, you can switch on the mode for anaglyphic 3D.The app is the first iPhone release from a company called Drömsynt, and though the initial reports on iTunes say the game is pretty tough (it is a pain navigating the quickly-moving ball around those pathways), for just 99 cents, it's definitely worth downloading, if only to see how it works. So many apps just throw in a few iPhone-specific features as afterthoughts, but it's refreshing to see a game like this (or like Zen Bound, which really depends on the multitouch screen) rely on the originality of the hardware itself.
Happy Easter from TUAW
Today is Easter for those of you celebrating around the world, and what better way to celebrate than with Peeps? Specifically Peeps attending an Apple event -- these guys were made by Sarah Kohari and Erin Mastrangelo of Washington, and are part of the Washington Post's yearly Peeps diorama contest. This one is number 38, and they also made number 39 as well.We like it, obviously, especially the little Steve Jobs peep, as well as the iPeep nanos (in, apparently, all of the different colors Peeps come in). Happy Easter to everyone -- may you have candy and chocolate of all kinds (if that's what you're looking for today), and may all of your egg finding go well.
Reminder: Blood Elf vs. Draenei diorama giveaway!
Are you admiring the above awesomeness, but missed our Blood Elf Paladin vs. Draenai Shaman giveaway last week? Or perhaps just bored during today's downtime? Either way, we have a solution for you! We'll be accepting contest entries until 6PM EST today. Relieve boredom, have a chance to win a prize! (Sure, there are already nearly 2,000 entries, but you know how fickle the random number generator can be... winners will be chosen completely at random, so it's still anyone's game.) So if you want to win the above... don't comment here, but go and leave a comment on our contest post!
Video: The $2,230 Ginza diorama speaker from Bandai
You're not the only ones wondering how a diorama speaker of Tokyo's Ginza district (circa 1955) could possibly cost more than $2,000. But after watching the video, somehow, it almost seems worth it. Almost. Hey, was that Lady Elaine?
Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates a place you've never been, at a price you can't afford
Well, it won't help you gals understand men any better, but if you're in the market for an obscure Japanese toy -- and have a couple thou to spare -- this one should be right up your alley. Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates this happenin' Tokyo district, circa 1955. We don't have any tech specs for this work of art, but we can tell you that it goes on sale in Japan on April 10th for ¥198,000 (that's just over $2,200) and that it's being produced in a limited edition of 200. Personally, we're holding out for "Ginza Street: 2009" featuring the new Vertu store.
Breakfast Topic: BlizzCon contests
BlizzCon is a mere month and a half away, and I can just imagine the excitement building up. With Wrath certain to be released this year, there has got to be some big news about the expansion during the convention. Who among you are going? Better yet, who among you are going and joining a contest? If I actually managed to get tickets to BlizzCon (or at least be in the United States in October...), I would have wanted to join -- alright, maybe just check out -- the costume contest. I know, it sounds silly, but some costumes are actually pretty cool.For sure, when BlizzCon rolls around, WoW Insider will put up a gallery of the costume contest entrants. But there are contests that don't require you to be at BlizzCon. Quite a few of them are online contests like the poster making, songwriting, and movie-making. Will you be joining any of them? Everybody loves swag, after all. Even if you aren't, what entries are you looking forward to seeing this year?
Game Boy makes the perfect home for papercraft
When our handhelds die, we tend to either put them up in the attic (our own little "console heaven"), or throw them across the room in a fit of rage, depending on the circumstances. Never are we as productive as Josh Burker, though, who made an awesome housed diorama with his dead Game Boy.There's no big mystery to this beauty; it's simply a work of papercraft encased by a Game Boy shell (which Josh gutted himself). We know the papercraft is in color, so it's not an accurate artistic portrayal of the DS's portable ancestor, but the creativity and craft work put into this project are astonishing.Hmm, maybe our broken Game Boy is still in the attic somewhere ...[Via Technabob]
Limited Edition WoW Diorama #1 available for pre-orders now
The Limited Edition Diorama that was announced at ComiCon is now available for Pre-Order from Sideshow Collectibles. You can only see it unpainted at this time, the number to be made is not finalized and the estimated ship date isn't until at least April 2008, but at least you won't be charged until it ships.The price is $299.99 and as Amanda reported will include a netherwhelp accessory. The sculpture depicts a battle between a Blood Elf Rogue and a Draenei Paladin based on artwork displayed at the last BlizzCon.From Sideshow's site:Each piece is hand-cast in high quality polystone, individually finished and hand-painted to exacting standards. The World of Warcraft Diorama is complete with a hand-numbered individual edition number on the bottom side of the base. Important note: There is a 1 piece limit per household, billing address, shipping address, credit card and/or person. So buying one to touch and another to keep in the box will be a bit tricky.[via Blizzplanet]
What's a diorama?
Inspired by Sega's amazing Sonic the Hedgehog papercrafts, nerd-craft's reverendtimothy made some very nice Mario level dioramas. He went with a more literal 2D approach for the first two, based on World 1-1of Super Mario Bros., but decided on a more 3D look for this interpretation of World 7-3.This is definitely an attractive item for our cats to knock down and ruin. To the printer! [Via Crafty Crafty]
