"The Game That Time Forgot" - A Thirteen Year Journey

Indie filmmaker and game developer Adam Butcher was awesome enough to put together a little retrospective on a title called Tobias and the Dark Sceptres, an indie title that consumed his life for 13 years. In The Game That Time Forgot, Adam Butcher does an in depth analysis of all the mistakes that snowballed a little game project into a mind blowing endeavor.

It's a trap that some fledgling developers fall into, consumed by the metaphorical albatross that prevents one from giving up even though there's no end in sight. Butcher created this video to coincide with the release of his game (Which actually is free to play), and to serve as a warning as to what not to do if you're venturing forth into the seemingly limitless realm of indie game development.

The fun thing is, I've even had the chance to see bigger gaming companies fall into this same trap..Unrealistic scope, overblown budgets, infinite reworks, missed deadlines. Wish I could share some stories from some of my latest stints with you guys.

The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagné

I just spent a weekend playing Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, an amazing little title reminiscent of Castlevania/Metroid from the mind of Canadian Illustrator/jack of all trades Michel Gagné. During my time in college I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Gagné, a man who's worked on movies over the last few decades ranging from the Iron Giant to Pixar's latest, Brave.

This little animation test released by Gagné features an animated promo for his followup to the excellent illustrated book from 2002 called 'The Story Of Rex: Quest For Meaning.' The original book illustrated the adventure of a little fox called Rex, and chronicled his descent into darkness and return to light, a tale about maintaining one's innocence and finding beauty in everything around us. Despite it's cute protagonist and somewhat lighthearted illustrations, it carried a message that resonated with readers of all ages. The followup, 'Saga Of Rex' follows his abduction and epic journey into the universe. You can pick up a copy here.