joe randel's art dump

I live in a nice neighbourbood.  People here are retireed or close to it.  Most have lived here for decades from what I’ve been told.  Which is why it really sucks that since I’ve moved I’ve had my van broken in to about 4 or 5 times!  God damn bastards!!!  Now we have nothing of real value in our van and so they’ve yet to take anything, although this last time they took our CDs.  but what makes this theft moronic is that they stole all the burned CDs and left the actual ones.  Even one with a case.  Plus the ones they stole where all kids songs.  I mean, how stupid are you…  We have two child seats installed and a stroller but I’m sure they’re hard to unload quickly and probably hard to carry down a street.

It makes me so freakn mad!  I mentioned in a previous post that I can’t kill anything but I wouldn’t miss a beat on busting up the faces of the punks that can’t keep out of my van.  I actually, I do have a good feeling that we’re being targeted too.  See, I moved back to Ontario from Montreal last September and we sort of stood out as the new people on the block with Quebec plates until they got changed.  So, if I had to guess, it’s because of that reason.

I wish I knew how to make a good boobie trap to get the punk in the act.  Unfortunately I only know to draw boobies…

Have you seen? There is a Mega Man 9 clip out there. Yes! Actual in game footage! I’ve seen it and I must say that I’m crazy excited. Seriously. I watched it and felt like I was in grade 7 or 8 all over again. It was wonderful. I never thought I would see this happen. A new NES game I mean. Mostly you see fan made or hacks of NES games to make “new” ones but here, in 2008, Capcom is making dreams come true.

Screw Metal Gear Solid 4, GTA4, Street Fighter 4 all together at the same time.

This rocks my socks. ^_^

I can’t kill anything.

Now that might sound strange but I’m very serious.  I can’t bring myself to smash a fly or a spider that I might find in my house.  When I find an unwanted critter I run and find a small cup or something and a piece of paper.  I’m quick and bring down the cup over the guest and then slide the paper under the cup.  I then lift it the whole thing up and take it out side, away from the house and set it free.  If I can’t do that, then I do what I can do try and get the critter out some other way.  If I had a mice in the house, I would get humane no kill traps.  I just couldn’t stand to do it any other way.

I believe that everything living deserves to live as much as me so who am I to squash bugs and such.  It makes no sense for me to kill a bug just because it annoys me or I don’t like it.  I do slap mosquitoes though, as a bite from them can make my kids sick with that West Nile disease.  I’ll do it to protect my family.

My wife says I’m very Buddhist is my thinking ^_^  I even try to teach my daughter this way of thinking.  Leaving bugs and creatures to live their lives and just observe them.

I wasn’t always like this, but since I made the change I feel more at calm when I find a spider in my house… and I hate spiders.  How about you?  Do you help critters find safe exits from your house or do you put your foot down on the subject.

Photo from SushiCam

So I know I’m behind the times on this one.  Bonesaw took up all my time a little while back.

So this game, Yume Nikki (“Dream Diary”)is a game by Kikiyama where you’re a little girl going through your dreams and collecting items called “effects”.  Collect them all and the beat the game.  That’s it.  That’s it?  No no…  it’s so much more.  First the game is pixeled which wins HUGE points for me.  Second, I love dreams and the mystery that surrounds them.  Third, I love the design of the whole game.  The way the different dream areas look, the creatures you’ll meet and the whole surreal nature of the game.  The first room you enter in the game once you fall asleep made me smile so huge, I knew I would love this game.

The worlds in the game are HUGE.  Seriously, they are so big sometimes and wrap around on them selves you can get very lost as you play if you’re not watching your land marks.  Some might find this aggravating but I really loved it.  And the variety of dreams are just wonderful as well.  A black and white desert, a forest, 8-bit lands and a maze of docks are just some of the places you’ll wander around in.

I actually decided to use a FAQ on this one.  I played Bonesaw for far too long for it to be enjoyable, but I didn’t want to walk away from it.  I didn’t want to have the same thing happen to this one.  In the end I’m glad I did use a FAQ because there are some crazy things you have to do to discover some the of the effects and I don’t really have the time to put in to wandering and trying a million different things.  I’m not sorry I played the game like this ether as I got to really sit back and enjoy the design of things and not get frustrated.

I must admit that I don’t play a lot creepy, surreal games, but I really do enjoy the design that goes in to them.  Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Rule of Rose, I just love the look of these titles although I’ve never played any of them.  Yume Nikki totally makes me smile from all angles.  It’s a game that’s very nicely put together and probably is most like a game I would like to make.

If you’d like to try it you can find an English version of the game here via Rapid Share.

What where you doing ten years ago?

Where you you better off then, or are you doing better now?  Have you reached any goals you’ve set for yourself?  I always find it interesting to look back at what you’ve done from time to time and see how things have happened for you.  You’ll be able to see how the decisions you’ve made lead you to the point you are at now, and how if you’d made different choices at key moments you’re life could be totally different.

Me?  Ten years ago this month I would be waiting for the summer to end so I could make it in to Algonquin College’s Classical Animation program.  I had tried for Sheridan College but I didn’t get it.  I was really bummed but looking back, if I did get in to Sheridan my life would be completely different from what it is now.  Not bad different, just different.  I wouldn’t have met the wonderful people I did at Algonquin nor would I have made the contacts that I did that lead me to working in the gaming industry.  Heck, I might not even be working in video games right now.  I might be doing tv animation.  I actually owe a good friend of mine my game career as he was the one that suggested I follow him to the studio he was at right after school.  I never would have met this friend if Sheridan didn’t turn me down and made me go to Algonquin.

I wasn’t drawing any smutty toons or anything 10 years ago.  I wasn’t even married, although I was still dating my then to be wife.  Crazy…

I firmly believe that we are all products of our environments and what situations are put before us, and I always find it amazing how one little decision can turn everything upside down and take you down a different path.  Looking back on 10 years, I can see that I’ve worked had, made goals for myself and became a way more confident person.  I’ve done things I never would have imagined in if you’d told me ten years ago.

So how about you?  Ten years later and how are you doing?

If you happen to play video games in your leisure time what are you currently playing?

Me?  I’m playing Boktai 2 for GBA and Mario Kart Wii.  Boktai 2 is great and I loved the first one as well.  I wish the third one came out over here… but alas…  I’ll just have to live with Lunar Knights for DS, which, if you’re wondering, isn’t as good as Boktai sadly.

As for Mario Kart, I find I’m getting really frustrated with how I can be in 1st but if I get hit by just about anything I’ll find myself in 12th with no hope of getting my lead back.  It also doesn’t help that the computer uses lighting, blue shells, and those stupid pow blocks all the time and even all AT THE SAME TIME!!!! >_<

Other then that I like it and have fun when ever I play.  Anyone willing to trade Mario Kart friend codes?