The Download Munkey : A Link A Day ;)

I learnt a lot from James Cunningham aka PivotRJ’s animated short asdfmovie last weekend, things like:

• I must not want a birthday cake this year.
• I must not smell the flowers
• RPG games make you violent

© James Cunningham (PivotRJ)

Don’t smell the flowers!

© James Cunningham (PivotRJ)

Stay away from RPG gamers!

© James Cunningham (PivotRJ)

Don’t kill him (or her or it)!

© James Cunningham (PivotRJ)

Ties are evil!

Sure, most of the animations are rather frivolous but if just a single one cracks you up, I think it has more than fulfilled its purpose. Besides, laughter is the best antidote for those damn blue Mondays .

Did I also mention the excellent mouth-synching of the animation with the voiceovers by Tomska & Bing too?.

Watch asdfmovie on YouTube.

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Tofu The Vegan Zombie : Zombie Dearest
Cheers Beer - Because It’s Friday

CG rendered game videos are getting more photorealistic by the day, and Codemasters’ Operation Flashpoint 2 : Dragon Rising is no exception. Besides, the fictional scenario presented in the trailer reminds me of Jeff Head’s freely downloadable novel Dragon’s Fury on a hypothetical World War III instigated by militaristic regimes in China and the Middle East.

This ‘Sheer Scale’ trailer for Codemasters’ sequel to 2001’s Operation Flashpoint : Cold War Crisis showcases significantly larger battles than the original game. Below is a sypnosis and analysis of the 2 min trailer.

© Codemasters

An American special forces team (identified by their helmet and the silenced MP5s) takes out an enemy outpost. The sentry seems like a PLA soldier since the carbine he’s holding looks like the current PLA service weapon, the QBZ-95.

© Codemasters

But I’m curious about the camouflage worn by the American soldiers, since it doesn’t look like the current US woodland pattern and is probably one of the new digital camouflage patterns like the Army Combat Uniform Pattern (ARPAT).

The identity of the outpost occupants are revealed when they exclaim in Chinese the moment the American troops burst it and secure the building.

© Codemasters

After completing their objective, the squad is surprised and taken out by enemy (artillery?) bombardment while exiting the building. The camera then cuts to show a group of Strykers rumbling into the area.

© Codemasters

Encountering enemy PLA Type 92 armoured personnel carriers and infantry ahead, the Strkyers engage the vehicles while soldiers quickly dismount from the back to provide additional firepower.

© Codemasters

Enemy reinforcements from the flank almost overwhelm the Americans until a flight of AH-64 Apaches arrives to save the day. Finally found the the enemy armour that took out the Stryker at 1:09 after replaying the video several times (see closeup in second pic below - top right corner).

© Codemasters

Later, a flight of UH-60s land troops into the fight with door-mounted chaingunners pouring suppressive fire into the town ruins.

© Codemasters

The camera then zooms out to show a couple of Nanchang Q-5 ‘Fantan’ flying past and finally the island where the skirmish has taken place.

© Codemasters

The Wikipedia article for Operation Flashpoint 2 : Dragon Rising states that the island in question might be Okinawa but I doubt that the architectural style of the buildings in the trailer look more European than Okinawan.

Download the ‘Sheer Scale’ trailer at Gametrailers or visit the official Operation Flashpoint 2 : Dragon Rising website.

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Armed Forces Handbooks (DPRK, PLA)
Soldier of Fortune - Payback Trailer
Act of War : Direct Action Singleplayer Demo Impressions
Alliance of Valiant Arms Wallpapers
Next Generation Infantry Concepts from Tom Clancy’s EndWar

This opening cinematic for Initial D : Extreme Stage, the PS3 edition of the game series inspired by the manga/anime of the same name, is probably one of my favourite racing game trailers for this year, the other video being this trailer for Codemasters’ GRID. Thankfully, the Initial D trailer focuses totally on fast cars and slick driving skills instead of having ladies strutting their stuff at the starting line for half the trailer in one of the “underground/street” style racers (can’t really recall the game now but I think it was probably Juiced 2 : Hot Import Nights)

There’s shiny cars modelled in intricate detail (just keep in mind it’s CG and not the actual gameplay though) and skillful drifting action covered by some great camera angles in this trailer which you can view online or download at Gametrailers.

While I have never read the manga or watched the anime series before, I did watch the 2005 movie starring Jay Chou although all I can remmember from the movie were the dark mountain passes and the three cars - the white Toyota AE86, the yellow Mazda RX-7 and a Nissan Skyline which are all shown in the trailer. BTW, if you’re looking for the Eurobeat track in the video, it’s Dive into Stream by M.O.V.E.

Dowload or watch the trailer at Gametrailers or visit the official site for Initial D : Extreme Stage.

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Something positive and heartwarming to kickstart of a brand new week

The lyrics for Jack Houston’s beautiful ballad Dragon Fellow transcribed directly from the movie (below) made by the July 2005 class at DAVE School (see previous post on Tofu : The Vegan Zombie).

© DAVE School

And if you’re wondering whether that’s Jack Houston in the video, it is Found this photo while Googling for the lyrics.

Below are the lyrics for Dragon Fellow. Any mistakes in the lyrics below are solely my own.

A long long time ago, in a kingdom far away
There lived a gentle dragon in a city by the bay
Dragon Fellow was his name, with scales and breath of fire
A golden heart within his chest and the finest dragon attire

They sang fly Dragon Fellow, high up in the sky,
Play dragon games and float above like a firebreathing butterfly
Oh fly Dragon Fellow and feel the joy it brings
Dragon Fellow’s golden heart has earned him dragon wings
Oh Dragon Fellow’s golden heart has earned him dragon wings

Watch or download Dragon Fellow from DAVE School.

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Tofu : The Vegan Zombie

A wonderful CG short film created by William Vaughan in conjunction with students from the September 2007 class of animation and visual effects school DAVE School. The titular character in this 8:22 min film is a timid little zombie with a tofu (or is that yummy swiss cheese) in place of his brain to curb the typical zombie preoccupation with human braaaaaaiins.

While poking his undead nose around the expansive mansion of Professor Vost whom which Tofu lives with together with the Professor’s daughter Addie as well as his faithful simian sidekick, Lab Monkey #5. The combination of Tofu’s inquisitive nature coupled with Lab Monkey #5’s love for fun and mischief is a potent recipe for disaster and that’s what happens in Zombie Dearest.

© William Vaughan / DAVE School Student Productions

What is Tofu & Lab Monkey #5 hiding from?

As you can see above, animation and visual effects like lighting and shadows are top-notch stuff. You’ll find that the sound effects and pacing are equally well executed when you watch Zombie Dearest

© William Vaughan / DAVE School Student Productions

Lab Monkey #5 does a Michael Jordan

The DAVE School Movie Theater has quite a substantial showcase of short films by their students - I’ll do up a more comprehensive follow-up post once I finish watching all of them. I do recommend Creeper featuring a gang of bumbling animal superheroes for a start.

Watch Tofu The Vegan Zombie : Zombie Dearest in Flash Video format at DAVE School or download the full high resolution video (68.1 MB) to enjoy at your leisure.

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