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Retro demake 'Hammered' recreates brutal Oldboy fight
Korean tragedy epic Oldboy features a scene of protagonist Oh Dae-su assaulting a mob of thugs in a claustrophobic hallway, armed only with a hammer. It's one of cinema's most vicious fights, and that spirit of wanton violence lives on in Hammered, a pixelated homage to director Park Chan-wook. According to Kill Screen, Hammered was created as part of the Leamington Underground Cinema Festival by Oldboy fan "DavidDraws." Despite being described as a demake, Hammered merely borrows a classic aesthetic while utilizing entirely modern technology. Instead of firing up an NES emulator, those wanting to play Hammered need only visit its website where they'll find a convenient Unity Engine embed and a guide to the game's simple control scheme. Let's be clear, though: Hammered pales in comparison to its source material. It's just not possible to capture the stark brutality of the original scene in faux 8-bit graphics, and there's no reason to bother when YouTube offers instant access to Park Chan-wook's far superior interpretation. On the other hand, at least DavidDraws didn't spend $30 million on his unnecessary remake. [Image: DavidDraws]
Oldboy director Chan-wook Park shoots new movie on iPhone 4
Last year, I caught a top 10 list somewhere that listed the top movies ever with twist endings. All but one of them I'd already seen, that one being the critically acclaimed Korean film Oldboy, directed by Chan-wook Park. Seeing as it was available for streaming on Netflix, I pulled it up that night. Suffice to say, it has one hell of a twist ending, and I'll warn you now that it's... uncomfortable. Oldboy isn't the only movie on Park's resume, though it's arguably his most recognized. The director is adding yet another film to his IMDb page, and this one has a different sort of twist involved: it was filmed entirely on an iPhone 4. The film, titled Paranmanjang ("life full of ups and downs" in Korean) clocks in at about 30 minutes and was made on a budget of only US$133,000. Park says he took advantage of the iPhone 4's small size and low price (relative to the project) to easily utilize multiple iPhones for many different camera angles. I wonder what iPhone apps Park made use of in the recording of his film, other than the native Camera app. Would there be any reason he'd want to not shoot natively and do the full post-processing later on larger gear? Paranmanjang is set to hit theaters on January 27 in South Korea.
The Soloist: Why I do it
After this post, I had it in mind to think through why I prefer to solo, and whether the reasons why are valid ones, given that I'm playing in a genre meant to provide a social experience. I'm going to try to list as many reasons as I can think of in favor of grouping and playing with buddies, and provide a counter-argument if I can. Bear in mind, this is not me telling you that you should go solo; this is just me trying to 1) explain why I do it, and 2) understand for myself whether my reasons hold water.Enough said; excelsior!
Mario Strikers producer says Friend Code is tied to Mii, not game-specific
In a revelation that could only be compared to a certain young man finding out an evil Sith lord is his father, producer Justin Dowsedell for Next Level Games has confirmed that Friend Codes will not be game-specific. Rather, your code will be connected to your Mii, allowing you to keep the same code from game to game as you play in Nintendo's online catalog of games."Each Mii created generates a Mii code that never changes. This code will thus be used for all other online games in the future," comments Dowsedell. And with each Wii console holding up to 100 Miis, there are one trillion possible 12-digit friend codes, leaving plenty of possible Friend Code combinations up for grabs.[Via Joystiq]
Oldboy director sought for Metal Gear movie
Park Chanwook, director of 2003's Oldboy, recently revealed to The New York Times that he was approached about a movie adaptation of the Metal Gear Solid series. Anyone familiar with Oldboy will recall the exaggerated fight scene shot entirely from the perspective of a classic side-scrolling brawler. This sequence, as Chanwook claims, earned him idol status in the gaming world. Oddly enough, Chanwook admits, "I've never played [a video game]."When a "Japanese designer" from the Metal Gear staff approached Chanwook about directing the movie, the two found there was little to talk about. Despite Chanwook's uncanny disposition to meld gaming with film — and dream up wildly twisted plots — he was not the right person for the job. Thankfully, neither is Uwe Boll.[Thanks LaughingMan]
