These are my 10 favorite songs from 2011. Hopefully you'll find something that you like that you haven't heard before. All songs on the list can be purchased on iTunes. #10 - Right Back to You - Electric Youth One of the most authentic 80's songs I've ever heard that wasn't written in the 80's. It's definitely worth checking out the rest of their songs, too, if you like that sound. #9 - Grown Ocean - Fleet Foxes #8 - Memories - Panic! at the Disco #7 - The Edge of Glory – Lady Gaga #3 US Billboard Hot 100 chart, #6 UK Singles chart Musically my favorite Lady Gaga song overall. Her choruses are catchy, but I'm not generally a fan of her verses. #6 - The Star Song - FreddeGredde Written and performed by Youtuber FreddeGredde. On the surface it's an uplifting light rock song for kids about a fantastical space adventure (which would be perfect as an animated series), but it's a little deeper. #5 - We Are Young - fun. (ft. Janelle Monáe) #1 US, #1 UK #4 - Set Fire to the Rain – Adele #1 US, #11 UK #3 - Someone Like You - Adele #1 US, #1 UK #2 - Hello Hello (from Gnomeo and Juliet) - Elton John This sounded so much like classic Elton John, I thought it was older, but it was written specifically for the movie. The film version is a duet with Lady Gaga, but on the album, it's just him. #1 - Heigen - Yuki Kajiura Yuki Kajiura is known mostly for composing music for anime and video games, but this song was an original piece for her second solo album. Sit back and relax for this one. :) That's it! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts or your own favorite songs from 2011. Next week is "top 10 movies of 2011".
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I enjoy designing video games, but have far more ideas than I have time to make. Many ideas are really only half ideas, things that on their own aren't enough, or things I wasn't able to figure out. They just need a little "more". In the spirit of squidi.net's Three Hundred Mechanics, I've decided to take these ideas and release them to the public for free in the hope that one might spark someone's imagination. If you want to learn how to think like a game designer, the above link is a great resource. This post is all text, but future free game ideas will have illustrated examples.
Free game idea #1 - The Plot Demands It This idea would be an adventure platformer, sort of a light metroidvania, but could be other genres. You would acquire skills only when they are required to progress. If the only way to go requires you to jump, you'll learn "jump", which might then be used elsewhere. At some points, you might have to choose between two skills, losing the ability to learn the other one. If you encounter a pit, for example, you could gain the jump skill and jump over it, or fall down it, reaching a cavern without learning the jump skill. Or you could jump down the pit, reaching the cavern with the jump skill, giving the player an alternate route. Another example would be if you were blocked by a wall or cliff, you could learn "climb" or "dig", continuing the game with only one of them. There might even be hidden skills like a "high jump". The controls would be pretty basic (mostly arrow keys or a d-pad) and the game wouldn't tell you what you can do or where. There would only be some basic instruction at the beginning telling you which buttons can be used, so players would need to try things out in different places. In the previous example, if you pushed "down" while standing next to the wall, you would learn "dig", if you pushed "up" while standing next to the wall, you would learn "climb", or if you pressed "up" a step or two away from the wall, you would learn "high jump". That's it! Let me know what you think of the idea, if you've seen a game with a similar feature before, or if you decide to use it, in the comments. Next week is "Top 10 songs from 2011". This is the first top 10 movie list I'll be posting. As with my music lists, I'll be doing one for every year between 1960 and 2019, beginning in the 2010s and traveling back through the other decades. Be prepared for lots of Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars, but also other blockbusters, animated films, and the occasional Oscar winner or indie. Obviously, this only includes movies I've actually seen, and is based solely on personal enjoyment.
#10 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Rated PG; 50% on Rotten Tomatoes; directed by Michael Apted Not as good as the first one, but I'm a fan of the original book and the older version made by the BBC in 1989 (which was also combined with the 2nd book), and the story is still interesting. #9 - Despicable Me PG; 81% RT; #9 highest grossing film 2010; dir. Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud One of two comedic animated supervillain movies from 2010 (along with Megamind), but I feel it's the better of the two. #8 - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole PG; 51% RT; Zack Snyder It has owls wearing armor, how cool is that? #7 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time PG-13; 37% RT; Mike Newell One of the better-reviewed video game adaptations. It differs quite a bit from the original game, and even incorporates elements from the two sequels. The games were strong enough to be adapted more closely, but this is still a solid action movie. #6 - Tangled PG; 89% RT; #8 gross; Nathan Greno and Byron Howard Another solid Disney effort. Don't know what else to say, but most people have already seen it (do see it if you haven't). I ranked the song "I See the Light" #3 on my "Top 10 songs of 2010" list. #5 - The King's Speech R; 94% RT; Best Picture winner at 83rd Academy Awards; Tom Hooper Very well made biopic, but also entertaining, funny, and inspiring. #4 - Toy Story 3 G; 98% RT; Best Picture nominee; #1 highest grossing film 2010; Lee Unkrich This is probably the best Toy Story, though I like the first more (yay nostalgia!). It ends the trilogy very well, leaving absolutely no room for any sequel ever (but honestly 4 was pretty good, too). #3 - Tron Legacy PG; 51% RT; Joseph Kosinski This film deserves better than 51%. Interesting world, interesting story, mostly amazing visuals, and a logical modern update to the original in every way. It also got snubbed at the Oscars like the original, go figure. #2 - How to Train Your Dragon PG; 99% RT; #10 gross; Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois I like this for lots of reasons. A fun cast of characters, great score, lead characters that develop by the end, and a non-tradition antagonist that's an actual force of nature. And it gives you the feels. The best "boy and his dragon" movie ever made. #1 - Inception (link goes to trailer) PG-13; 87% RT; Best Picture nominee; #4 gross; Christopher Nolan I love movies with interesting concepts that make you think, especially ones dealing with time travel or dreams. If you're new to this type of movie, there's lots to take in on the first viewing, but a second viewing makes things easier (and because it's that good, you'd want to anyway). Even if you don't follow along, it still has some great action scenes and visuals, allowing for multiple levels of enjoyment, just like the multiple dream levels in the film. Great cast and directing, and an ending that's open to interpretation, this is the film that made me a Christopher Nolan fan, and I've enjoyed most of his films since (looking forward to Tenet). Most of these can be found on various streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+, or can be rented on Amazon, but don't forget your local library if it's currently open. Feel free to post your thoughts or favorite movies from 2010 in the comments. Next week is something a little different, a free to use game design idea! Welcome to my first "Top 10 songs of..." list. Join me on this musical journey through the years. I'll start with 2010-2019, and then roll back to the 2000s, 90s, 80s, 70s, and 60s. There will be a fairly eclectic mix of genres, hits, indies, movie and video game songs, and more! Maybe you'll find something you've never heard of that you enjoy. All songs are available on iTunes.
#10 - Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) - Avril Lavigne #71 US Billboard Hot 100, #59 UK Singles Chart #9 - I Was Made for Sunny Days - The Weepies When I was first working on this list, this song wasn't even top 20, which surprises me now because it really grew on me. #8 - Lights - Ellie Goulding #2 US, #49 UK Really cool music video. #7 - Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette #46 US, #13 UK #6 - Unstoppable - Foxy Shazam #5 - Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri #17 US, #4 UK #4 - End Love - OK Go My favorite OK Go song, and a pretty cool video. #3 - I See the Light (from Tangled) - Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi Nominated for best original song Oscar. I've always been a big Disney fan, so expect to see a lot more Disney songs on future lists (especially ones by Alan Menken). #2 - Fields of Gold - Celtic Woman (sung by Lisa Kelly) Written and originally recorded by Sting in 1993. I got to see Celtic Woman in concert once. One of my favorite experiences. And now for #1... #1 - The Moon's a Harsh Mistress - Celtic Woman (sung by Lisa Kelly) Written by Jimmy Webb in 1974. My favorite Celtic Woman song. I plan on making an art piece inspired by it in the future. That was the list. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me some of your favorite songs from 2010. Next week it's top 10 movies of 2010. I'm finally going to be using this blog for something. Here's the plan: every week (and starting today) I'll be posting either a top 10 music list, a top 10 movie list, or a free-to-use game design idea. Keep an eye out and enjoy!
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AuthorI'm an artist, game designer, composer, and writer. Always learning and improving. Archives
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