Tutorials, Art and Website Design

Braid is an XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) puzzle platform adventure game, official release date 6th August 2008 on Xbox Live Arcade.

At first, and from the screen-shot below, Braid appears to be similar to any other platform game, with no apparent difference other than the look of the graphics.

However, the game revolves around puzzle-solving largely by using the innovative ability of the player to rewind time at any point - even after dying. In fact, for reasons initially unexplained, the first world which the player encounters, is World 2. Read more »

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Fez is an upcoming 2D and 3D PC Platform-Adventure game with a post-modern 8-bit style. The game is developed by independent game developer Kokoromi.

The unbelievably cute and cool character, Gomez, is 2D and the environment which you have to navigate can be twisted between 2D and 3D.

If all this doesn’t make complete sense to you, read on and then watch the Fez gameplay footage video from GDC 2008, and all will become clear. It may seem like any other platform game, but keep watching it to see the surprise innovation. Read more »

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The original Super Mario Bros World 1-1 was used in this free playable game level (below). I’m using a wide variety of graphics to test out a multi-scrolling platform game engine I’m developing in Adobe Director.

This is a work in progress. New and different versions of the game will be posted when they are finished, visually documenting the development progress. All previous versions can be played for free in the Game Project section.

Play this demo game level for free… Read more »

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Here you can play the latest version of an experimental free scrolling platform game I’m developing in Adobe Director.

The simple platforms are just place holders to test out collisions and scrolling.

Read more »

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Here are a few videos of original games that stray from the mundane, with some toppling over into a meaningful world of interactive experimental artworks… something that is gradually picking up pace in the game development field.

This trend is due to the recent mass popularity of ‘casual games’ through both mobile devices and also Read more »

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This is the first playable prototype of a free side-scrolling platform game I am developing using Adobe Director.

Everything is in early stages of development. The graphical environment elements in the initial playable prototypes are just place-holders for testing out controls, collisions, scrolling and other fundamentals.

You will need the (free) Adobe Shockwave Player (similar to Flash and made by the same people) plugin to play it in your web browser.

I’m developing much larger levels with far more elements and animation. I’ll post a playable level soon, but for now you’ll just have to hold on for this update which will include a much larger explorable world, acoustic music and sfx, and puzzle-solving elements.

You can play some of the prototypes for free on the Game Project pages.

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One of the most important games of all time has to be the first Super Mario Bros game on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). The legendary series is credited to globally renown Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (b.1952), who also created Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin and other series of games for Nintendo.

In Mario, the abstracted design and clarity of the platform elements were most definitely a form of art. Even more so now, knowing the ridiculous (compared to present day) restrictions on what was possible graphically. The blue skies and clumpy clouds puffing by; the jolly Italian plumber, Mario; the lumpy green abstract trees and bushes; the cutely designed enemies; the colourful changes of scenery. Read more »

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The infuriatingly addictive Line Rider, which since it was first seen via website deviantART as a free Flash-made interactive ‘toy’ on the PC in 2006 has become an internet phenomenon, is now to be released on Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS in Spring 2008.

It is easy to say that the best thing about this game is its simplicity, after all, all that the player needs to do is draw a series of lines for the “dude” to sled down. However, getting the lines in the right place to ensure the little bob-hatted character does not crash and burn on one of your ambitious vertical creations is itself an exercise in advanced geometry. Read more »

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