DIGITAL L.A. : HUMORIST RETURNS TO COMPUTER GAMES WITHOUT A HITCH.Byline: David Bloom David Bloom (May 22, 1963 – April 6, 2003) was an NBC journalist (co-anchor of Weekend Today and reporter) until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39. Early life Leave it to Douglas Adams
Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. , the author of ``The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,'' to turn interstellar in·ter·stel·lar adj. Between or among the stars: interstellar gases. interstellar Adjective between or among stars Adj. 1. disaster into a good time, returning to computer gaming after 13 years with the release of the three-CD interactive adventure Starship Titanic This article is about the 1998 computer game. For other uses, see Titanic. Starship Titanic is a computer game designed by Douglas Adams and made by The Digital Village. It was released in 1998 . . The sumptuously produced game is a hoot of the first order, a warped hybrid of Myst and Monty Python Monty Python('s Flying Circus) British comedy troupe. The innovative group, formed in the early 1960s, came to prominence in the 1970s, first on television and later in films. in space, aided and abetted by ex-Pythonite Terry Jones, who provides the goofy voices of many of the starship's daft robotic characters and one hysterically squawky parrot. The premise is that the starship, on its maiden voyage Noun 1. maiden voyage - the first voyage of its kind; "in 1912 the ocean liner Titanic sank on its maiden voyage" ocean trip, voyage - an act of traveling by water as the universe's greatest space liner, crashes into your house. You are begged to come on board and fix things by Fentible, the butlerlike Doorbot. Fentible also mentions that though the starship is supposed to be the galaxy's grandest ride, it is in fact the worst incarnation of Murphy's Law (humour) Murphy's Law - (Or "Sod's Law") The correct, *original* Murphy's Law reads: "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it. currently cruising the stars. You seek free upgrades to first class, and try to save the liner, without going slightly bonkers. The new game marks a return to computer gaming for Adams, who had a hand in one of the best-selling adventure games of all time, the text-only 1985 Infocom title based on his ``Hitchhiker'' book. In the years since that game came out, CD-ROMs have replaced floppy disks as the medium of choice, allowing developers the room to create gorgeous graphics and sound. But the knock-out look of many games has often overwhelmed the stories they contain, Adams said. So when he went to work on a new computer game, as part of a London company London Company, corporation composed of stockholders residing in and about London, which, together with the Plymouth Company (see Virginia Company), was granted (1606) a charter by King James I to found colonies in America. he co-founded called the Digital Village, Adams said he focused on creating a new set of interactive story lines, rather than recycling the linear narrative of one of his many books. ``I was very conscious of recalling into this medium some of the complex interaction between author and player that was characteristic of the early adventure games, but which got lost when the medium progressed technologically and more attention focused on the graphics,'' said Adams. The game's goofy humor will regularly transport fans of Adams and Jones into Extended Guffaw guf·faw n. A hearty, boisterous burst of laughter. intr.v. guf·fawed, guf·faw·ing, guf·faws To laugh heartily and boisterously. [Probably imitative. Mode, while its game play is complex enough to challenge the kinds of exploration-minded folks who have made Myst and its sequel such huge sellers. For a quick taste of the game's humor, check out its Web site on the Internet, which echoes Adams' tone and seems to have virtually nothing to do with marketing the game itself. Located at www.starshiptitanic.com, it purports to be the in-house publication of Starlight Travel, whose Starlight Lines include the Titanic. It's a lot of fun, though you won't directly learn much more about the game itself. You are eventually asked, however, to give your e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address as part of a series of goofy ``personal'' questions mocking the kinds of data other Web sites routinely gather from their readers. Publisher Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. Interactive is counting on a Myst-like market reaction, with its biggest-ever initial release of 200,000 copies to be shipped to 13 countries. Alas, the game has only been released in Windows 95 format, though its sleek graphics and liquid movement would look lovely on a Macintosh. Music to their ears It's that time of year again, when people seem to be graduating from school or celebrating Father's Day all over the place. If you haven't the time for a trip to the card shop, there are plenty of online ways to show you care. One place to look is Blue Mountain Arts' site, which sends off animated, musical e-mail greetings for free. Fill in the blanks, and ship them to the one you love. The site, at www.bluemountain.com, includes 18 different cards for those wired young grads, and 15 more for Father's Day. Look out, Hallmark. `South Park' alert Fans of the foul-mouthed cable cartoon hit ``South Park'' can get their fill of video and audio clips from the show, along with stills, schedules and other goodies related to the thrill-seeking third-grade menaces at www.comedycentral.com/southpark/ Tell 'em Kenny sent ya, before he was killed. Again. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Players can talk with the quirky robotic characters in Starship Titanic. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion