There are individuals out there like yourself with aspirations of becoming a game developer, taking dreams and making them a reality, but... procrastination is dominating the clock. I'm going to keep it real with you, how in the hell are you going to make a dream come true if you don't start doing the work to make it a reality?
Every morning, ask yourself... "What am I waiting for?". It's an honest question, especially if you have spare time. Spare time is grind time. Spare time gives you the grind time to make your dreams of game development a full-time reality.
I know that some of you might be curious with a side of doubt right now... but don't worry, I'll explain.
I could say it's simple, but I won't say it's extremely difficult. It all boils down to the route you choose to take. There's no-code software out there that gives you the ability to create games utilizing the capabilities of a game engine, and some engines allow you to create original artwork within the software. You'd be surprised of the various things you can do with certain game engines by way of your creativity and effort. You aren't stuck with the same game engine either, but take advantage of any engine you become familiar with because it's another pathway to creating games. Not saying you need all game engines, but if you find one that works great for you, don't utilize it for just one game and then move on. Game engines are a tool, and if you have various ideas that you're able to bring to life with that engine... do your thing.
If it's a simple engine to get the ball rolling, nothing wrong with that. If you're thinking, "I wouldn't even know how to get started with a game engine", no worries... there are so many affordable courses out there for game engines. So... learn it up!
As you continue to grow and gain the ability to do more, you'd be taking another step from spare time to full-time. When you get to the point where you're hiring team members to cover various positions, you're on your way... and I wish you the best. The links you see in this article can help you get started... even if you grab some with a plan to get started at a certain time (when you make better sense of your schedule).
I have to say this in terms of your schedule, be honest. If you find yourself binge-watching TV shows, ask yourself how much of that time is taking away from your dreams or contributing to them? Consider giving yourself at least an hour of learning 4 to 5 days per week. I wouldn't say just go all in if this is your spare time and it's limited, even if it's more on the unlimited side... you need a schedule for structure.
If you have to work, and you have an hour to spare... it's worth it. If you like to watch TV and Film, use it to your advantage. While watching your favorite shows and films, look at how stories are laid out, look at angles, pace, music... and all that good stuff. You can help your endeavors via one of your favorite pastimes. So with all this said, take a look at the links you see here... see what you think (because research is of great importance) and... go ask yourself, "What am I waiting for?".
When you ask yourself this question, please do not think about your race, age, sex, or anything else that has nothing to do with development becoming a possibility. It simply requires your effort to make it happen, don't let nonsensical excuses get in your way. You can use your race, age, sex, and overall experience to develop different stories, but roadblocks... heck no. Hop on your PC and get started.
Shout out to WB for providing a copy of this product for the review. My opinions are my own.
Rick And Morty is a show about... a seldomly sober scientist (Rick) and his awkward grandson, Morty. I think what grabbed my attention about this show initially (which some of you may agree), is the fact that it gave me this... Back To The Future'ish vibe.
If Back To The Future had a cousin packed with dark humor, booze, aliens, simulations... within simulations... of simulations that make you believe they're truly the only real simulation so you don't speculate anything + other insane adventures, you'd get... Rick and Morty. Run-on sentence for the win!
Before I jump in... I just want to give props to the team, because they've released complete seasons in collections. The complete seasons 1 - 3, have now be followed by the complete seasons 1 - 4 (no season left behind!). Anyway... let's dive into a small unboxing!
Story:In Rick and Morty... you follow the dysfunctional duo on their intergalactic misadventures through the multi-verse. Even when they weren't somewhere in space, it felt that way... like when Morty was sent into the body of a guy dressed like Santa, that old grandpa/scientist/drunkard Rick had on life support. Rick didn't have the guy on life support for the sake of helping him, he used the guy's body as an amusement park... which didn't work out that well. It's action-packed, to say the least.
What grounds this show for me is the fact that they have a home to go back to, and... normalizes it (as much as it can be normalized). How did Rick end up in the house with Morty and the family? Well, Rick Sanchez actually popped up on his daughter's doorstep after 20 years or so. Which was welcomed by Beth, but clearly it was a major... WTF for her hubby, Jerry.
He pops up after 20 years, he's clearly a sociopath... who can't keep a bottle of booze out of his hand + he transformed their garage into a lab, and there are children in the home (Morty and Summer). Clearly, the show is titled Rick and Morty, so he often has his grandson as the plus one on these death-defying adventures. If it were real life, I'd be concerned, but... it's not. It's just a crazy ride from one episode to the next with situational comedy added in here and there (which the comedy can hit differently from one person to the next).
Believe it or not there is substance in there (i.e. Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind), and certain situations actually come with consequences (i.e. Rick's Potion #9). Wubba Lubba Dub Dub!
What I noticed early on and appreciate about the show is that the other family members got their fair share of... shine. They weren't just in the background, and... this continued from season 1 to four. I wasn't hating at all, but I was curious if the show was going to lose steam after season 1 and... it didn't go down. You even had episodes that continued where season 1 progress left off (Ricksy Business to Total Rickall), I like that even if it wasn't a consistent thing for the season... it still gave me confidence that it was moving forward... somewhere.
Outside of Season 2 holding it's own, we also saw some character growth in there... especially Rick. I won't say that Morty didn't grow, because Rick would say that he's begun growing a pair. That's bound to happen tagging along with someone who can cause you to attend your own funeral.
Season 3 didn't slow things up, it starts off with Rick's here, Rick's there, Rick's every flippingwhere... after that hook in Season 2! They also ventured back to something that occurred in season 1, which helped Morty and the ever evolving badass... Summer get access to Rick's portal gun. They didn't start off light in S3S1, I've watched that episode like 4 or 5 times.
I don't want to drop a spoiler on you, but... I'm glad that Jerry ended up getting his own space. Jerry can be annoying sometimes, but he is basically the chopped liver of Rick and Morty (kind of like Meg from Family Guy). It was good to see him get some sort of break from the rag fest, and it goes back to Rick... because he really jacked up any resemblance to a normal relationship. Beth chose daddy because she didn't want him out of her life again, which didn't mean that he had to be... but I was thinking about the same thing occurring with their children. Regardless, I'm glad he has his own space. I won't dish on Season 3 in full, but... The Rickchurian Mortydate was comical and brought things back down to earth (on the home front) as the hook going into season 4.
I give the team props, because they've been going hard... season after season with Tyson style uppercuts in the season openers. Season 4's opener was no different, I like the Akira concept and Rick actually tried to talk some sense into Morty. Yes... that Rick.
You go from sitting back in your seat wondering what the show's about in the first season... but then you sit up a few episodes in. You slide to the edge of your seat in season 2, falling on the floor in season 3, before you end up on a pillow on the floor in season 4... possibly wondering if your family judges you for watching such a crazy show. Rick literally fights a freaking God in a particular episode in season 4... acting as the stepdad of a civilization (which also showcased more of that unspoken tug of war between Rick & Jerry where the family often sides with Rick... just because).
That's not even the final episode of Season 4, but I won't even speak on the finale that gears you up for the latest season. It's just a weird crazy partially sexy good show... where family is still the centerpiece, even if you're unsure if they're clones of the originals, versions from other universes, or even... bots.
Since the creators don't limit themselves to what makes sense, sci fi could keep this show chugging for quite some time. I just hope the team knows how to take their bow whenever that time comes.
Visuals:Visuals are delivered in full 1080p HD video. The characters have sort of a plain look to them that reminds me of a really clean... doodle (that's the first thing that came to mind). This art style works for the show and doesn't put the show in a plain category at all, there is a lot going on here with crap-tons of eye catching visuals. Lazers, beautifully animated explosions, creepy looking aliens, and other visual effects.
The show intro is a perfect mesh of the art you can expect on the show... and once you get your hands on Rick And Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4, you will notice how the intro is tweaked to reflect the new season.
Speaking of visuals... here's some Rick and Morty vs. Genocider love directed by Takashi Sano.
Audio + Extras:The audio is... solid and interesting. You definitely get the sci-fi vibe and these cool sound effects that sound sweet with the Blu-Ray 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Before you check out the extras... check out this Rick & Morty X Run The Jewels love. Hit It!
Extras include:
Season 1:
Commentaries for Every Episode
Animatics for Every Spisode
Behind the Scenes
Deleted Scenes
Season 2:
Commentaries for Every Episode
Animatics for Every Episode
Deleted Animatic Sketches
Rick and Morty Season 2 Premier Party Featuring Chaos Chaos
Season 3: Commentaries for Every Episode Animatics for Every Episode "Inside the Episode" for Every Episode Exclusive "Inside the Recording Booth" Origins of Rick and Morty Part 1 & 2
Season 4: A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4 "Inside the Episode" for Every Episode Creating Snake Jazz Directing Rick and Morty Samurai and Shogun Prop Process Character Creation Animation Challenges
As you this is a pure fanfest... and I usually see content stuffed in collections when teams want you to get more than a small dose of the extras they have to offer. I'll continue my thoughts on this in the price category because... (hmmm) let's just get to the price.
Price: Pricewise... Rick And Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4 comes in at an SRP of $79.99 SRP on DVD and $89.99 SRP on Blu-Ray (add $10 on that for Canada). The single season DVD and Blu-Ray + Digital Copy are similar in price... so I can't say that it's overpriced, but if you want to save... grab it here. The total runtime of Rick and Morty action is over 900 minutes plus the poster!
Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4 is a damn good time, and the extras feel like the backstage pass that includes a trip to the studio. So if you're a fan of the show, you have more than enough extras to indulge in.
We normally show the games... but we wanted to show you something kind of behind the game. Wouldn't hurt to start with Guilty Gear... Xrd - SIGN-, grab some popcorn and an ice-cold whatever to enjoy "GDC: The Art Style Of Guilty Gear Xrd" (in full screen). It's about an hour long... enjoy!
Like what you see? Get the game on sale at the links below!
Zelda... Zelda... Zelda, less than one month away...
here's a bit of news to check out before we get to play!
Nintendo is cooking up DLC action for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
"New Adventures Built on the Game's Huge World Coming Later in 2017" - Nintendo
This is okay because I trust that there is going to be a wealth of content, but... if I were Nintendo, I would've waited before dropping the news about this. Let gamer's experience the main game first and then hit us again to keep the fire of Hyrule going.
Anyway... both the Nintendo Switch & Wii U have the exact same versions of the expansion pass for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (so you won't be missing out if you get one or the other), which include:
Expansion pass content pack 1 (Summer 2017):
3 treasure chests (located in the game's "Great Plateau" area) w/ one containing a Nintendo Switch logo'd shirt for Link to wear (only available in the Expansion Pass)... and the other two chests have useful items (whatever those may be).
Cave of Trials challenge
Hard mode
New feature for the in-game map
Expansion pass content pack 2 (Holiday 2017):
New challenges via a new dungeon and a new original story
The content pack 2 is the most interesting for me... because it's not just extending on the main story. That said, I hope they wow every owner of this expansion pass by making it an original story with a hefty amount of content to enjoy. If they do so, it could sway the reputation of Nintendo's expansion passes in a direction that's more of a "Must Have".
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Expansion Pass is priced at... $19.99!
If you thought that was all we had for you... guess again!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild developers are going to host a GDC panel
Who's going to be on this panel you ask? (If you're asking that is... will be) Game Director Hidemaro Fujibaya, Art Director Satoru Takizawa and Tech Director Takuhiro Dohta... for all of you budding and veteteran developers out there. The topic will be... "Change and Constant - Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild".
The panel will be held 11am - 12:30pm on March 1st @ the Moscone Center
located at 747 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103
For those who are not attending GDC, a video of the panel will be available at http://www.gdcvault.com the following week. For those of you planning on attending and don't want to drive... consider using Lyft with code: SDGTENT (to redeem up to $50 in Lyft Credit).
If it's a simple engine to get the ball rolling, nothing wrong with that. If you're thinking, "I wouldn't even know how to get started with a game engine", no worries... there are so many affordable courses out there for game engines. So... learn it up!
