Summer Palace (Taken with instagram)
Last night on Spike TV’s 2011 Video Game Awards, Naughty Dog announced the release of its new survival horror franchise called The Last of Us. The game is set in what remains of the United States after most of the population has been decimated by a modern plague. The story follows two survivors, Joel and Ellie, as they fight to survive in a post apocalyptic world.
“We are excited to finally unveil The Last of Us, a project the team has been working hard on for some time. Naughty Dog’s mission is to change the way people experience video games. We are confident The Last of Us will take a leap forward in cinematic gaming and storytelling, providing gamers with an experience unlike anything else in the industry.” -Evan Wells Co-President, Naughty Dog
For me, gaming is all about the story. Video games have the unique ability to draw you into a different world with the visuals of an exciting movie, provide the intricate story telling of a good novel, but all the while you are in charge of the action. I can’t wait to see what The Last of Us has to offer.
(Source: forbes.com)
“Are you a millionaire? No? Well, then you probably don’t give cars to people as presents”
Seasonal advertisements can sometimes be a bit… well, annoying. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gagged slightly at yet another series of clichéd Lexis commercials this holiday season. This year, Honda decided to take a different approach by poking fun at some of these over the top holiday commercials with an ad campaign created by RPA. These commercials are the perfect blend of comedic whit and product info, a refreshing change of tone from the typical holiday messaging.
(Source: adweek.com)
Coca-Cola Freestyle
While I was home visiting family this weekend, my mom, my sister, and I decided to hit up the sales on Friday afternoon. On our way out to the mall we decided to stop for lunch. I wasn’t hungry at all because I had just eaten a large breakfast of blueberry pancakes, but when my sister told me that Firehouse Subs had a “magic soda fountain” my brain immediately conjured up images of some kind of magical cross between a soda machine and the fountain of youth tucked away in an enchanted forest. I was enticed. Apparently I wasn’t the only one either, because there was a long line to use the machine.
This “magic soda fountain” was in fact a Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountain. If you have not had the pleasure of coming across one of these machines yet, its not quite the “magical soda fountain of youth” my brain had imagined, but it surely won’t disappoint you either. The Coca-Cola Freestyle offers all of the Coke brand drinks in over 120 flavors to chose from. You start by selecting your favorite Coca-Cola soft drink from the touch screen menu, and then you can choose from several different flavors. There was raspberry or strawberry Coke, vanilla or cherry root beer, every flavor of Fanta, as well as flavored Dasani water, just to name a few. I went for the peach Sprite, which turned out to be a good decision.
I thought this was a really creative idea from Coca-Cola to change up the old soda fountain routine. They took an old boring self serve soda fountain and made it fun, with tons of flavors to chose from. After all, variety is the spice of life.
(Source: coca-colafreestyle.com)
Crazy Reebok Ad
The world’s largest 3D anamorphic street painting in London, created by British artist Joe Hill.
New Zelda Game! Skyward Sword
Since this blog is for my creative thinking and problem solving class, I figured I should include a blog post about possibly one of the best ways to implement creative thinking and problem solving ever (in my opinion at least). I am speaking, of course, about The Legend of Zelda. Today a new video game was released in The Legend of Zelda series called Skyward Sword. Once again you get to play as the courageous yet humble hero, Link, and explore yet another fascinating and complex multilayered world.
So why should you be as excited about this new game as I am? Not only does this new game promise to exercise your puzzle solving skills, but Skyward Sword also promises the most realistic sword combat of any game to date. The introduction of full motion controls enabled by Wii MotionPlus technology synchronizes player movements with Link’s actions, offering a satisfying experience that blends puzzle-solving with a new and distinctly unique combat system.
One of the things I have always enjoyed about the games is the intense puzzle-solving that only The Legend of Zelda can deliver. The dungeon levels are designed like labyrinths and there are brainteasers infused throughout the game. Playing Zelda has always been a fun way for me to exercise my problem solving skills since I first played the now critically acclaimed Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 64 back in 1998.
I am excited to get started on a new adventure with Link. Perhaps I should hold off on buying it until I will actually have time to play it over Christmas break.
In this short video, musician Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired. After introducing the first note and the interval to the next, the audience was easily able to predict the next tone without even thinking about it. The most beautiful thing about music is that it really is the universal language, and you don’t have to be a musician to be able to understand it. It is something instinctual and hard-wired in all of us.
