Games are increasingly being used as inspiration for comic books, literature and films, and for some reason this week more than a trio of fantastic cinematic treats have emerged on the internet for our entertainment. So to save you hunting around to see what exactly those special films are we’d thought we’d put them in one place explaining exactly what makes them worth your valuable time and where exactly you can see them for yourself.
We’ve been writing this weekly spotlight feature for regularly for over a year now and we can’t remember a collection as good as what follows. Prepare to be entertained.
Films based on properties created by Valve aren’t uncommon, as a later entry in this feature will prove, but few boast the same calibre of production values as Portal: No Escape. The soundtrack is excellent, most of the IP’s core elements are executed with the utmost precision and the special effects are surprisingly well done. Best of all the action inherent is actually really entertaining and there’s a really nifty ‘Truman Show’ moment which points out just how eerie the test subject premise of Portal really is.
Deus Ex: The Eyeborg Documentary –
We suspect a lot of you are enjoying Deus Ex: Human Revolution this weekend and pondering the ethics associated with human augmentation, so here’s another piece of succulent piece of thought food to send your moral compass twitching. This documentary commissioned by Square Enix and produced by Rob Spence takes a look at where the technology behind cybernetic enhancements is currently at and how it helps those in need to restore some kind of normalcy in their lives. Obviously this is all in aid of promoting the latest Deus Ex game and there are a few too many cutaways to Adam Jensen kicking butt with his various enhancements, but this is still a genuinely enlightening documentary.
Extra Credits: Game Addiction (Part Two) –
The Extra Credits series has been a favourite of ours for a long time. Their objective critical analysis of issues affecting the games industry always proves relevant and genuinely interesting, offering viewpoints that we had never considered before and this week’s episode proved no different. Games addition is an issue which the mainstream media are all to ready to discuss, often with an agenda in mind, but specialist sites it’s considered a subject almost too taboo to be tackled.
Well, unsurprisingly the talented folks behind this series are rising to the challenge with an intensely personal testimony from regular writer James Portnow. At first it’s a little jarring to see the series regular cartoon style be interrupted with one of the writers letting his heart out to the camera, but the twenty-five minute long confession (it’s in two parts) soon becomes impossible to stop watching. Keep with this one, as it might provoke you to ask some probing questions regarding your gaming habits. A video which is as inspiring as it is daring, check it out!
Escape From City 17: Part Two -
The sequel to our former favourite fan-made film based on Valve’s Half Life 2, Escape: From City 17: Part Two boasts the same gritty aesthetic and faithful themes of the original, yet features a new plot and protagonists. Once again the backdrop is the fight between the Combine and the Resistance, but proceedings take on a much more human flavour with examples of loss, panic and bravery present throughout. There’s even a few head-crabs thrown in for good measure. The fact that this small screen effort was made on such a cheap budget is a testament to how talented the creators really are.
If you see anything worthy of a mention in this feature on your internet travels, be sure to send an email to pcgzine@cranberrypublishing.com describing your selection and we’ll give you a shout out to recognise your contribution.
Tags: Deus Ex Human Revolution, Half Life 2, Portal 2
Diablo III feature plus previews for Crysis 3, Dishonored and War of the Roses. As well as reviews for both The Walking Dead and Sniper Elite V2.
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