E3 2011

This year's E3 is shaping up to be quite an exciting event. The web is buzzing about all the possibilities and it's just getting better as we get closer. Nintendo is set to unveil its newest console, codenamed Project Cafe, via a live broadcast on the web. Hopefully Nintendo has learned from their recent lackluster launch of the 3DS that in order to sell this new piece of gaming hardware it needs a solid list of interesting first and third-party launch titles, not promises of what will happen in the far off future.
The same concept is relevant to the 3DS. If Nintendo wants to have a shot at keeping their grasp of the handheld world they better bring a long list of soon-to-launch 3DS titles to the show. As tantalizing as the upcoming remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is, we as gamers need completely new titles to keep us from dwelling on shelling out $250 for a handheld. I can't speak for anyone else, but I still feel that Nintendo killed off the DS early. Considering their launch list for the 3DS, I would have been more than content to wait for a more diverse selection at launch.
I'm also curious about what Microsoft's strategy will be this year. Obviously Gears of War 3 will be a major title at the show, but there are also rumors of a new Halo title, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 are competing against each other for dominance, and what about the future of the Kinect? I have never been a fan of it, and last year Microsoft pimped the heck out of it. So what will they have on hand for those who did invest in it?
And then there's Sony. They've had a lot to deal with, and I commend every effort and incentive everyone in the industry has put out in the world to soften the blow of the damage caused by the hackers. It's really woken up the industry as a whole and forced game companies to learn how to handle an awful situation. Rumors of Sony's next console are trickling out, so perhaps we'll hear more about it at this year's show. It's coming up fast, and I'm very eager to see how it all plays out.

Short Films and Weddings

Today marked the end of a month long collaboration between a few friends and I. The writer/director and I just put the final adjustments on a short film I had a small role in and edited. It was a lot of fun, and as always I learned a lot from the experience. It should be posted up on Youtube soon.

I don't know what it is with this year, but there's certainly been a lot of talk about weddings lately. The fact that I'm taking notice could very well be attributed to the fact that my own is ever-approaching, but everyone from my sister to several of my childhood friends are engaged and in the midst of planning their own.

Speaking of which, today was Arturo and Jazmin's wedding, so Congratulations!

Concept X Headphones

The second entry in my series, X's headphones would feature LED lights that make the outside of the ear cups and the center gem glow. They come with a helmet attachment that slips on beneath the main headband. The interior of the ear cups feature X's main blue color.

You can view a high-res version on my DeviantArt account.

Onyx Animatic

I just posted my original Onyx animatic from 2008, which you can view here. The original name of the island he lives on was tokidoki, but it has since changed. Actually, nearly everything has changed or evolved in some way. Onyx was originally blue! And his initial arm cannon design has always reminded me of a trash can.

Kira Buckland was Onyx's original voice actor. Tuck's design (and gender) has changed drastically since, and her original voice came from Alynne, my fiancée and co-conspirator. Magus's original voice actor was my good buddy Luke Martinez. Both Alynne and Luke were also involved in our Twilight spoofs, and the Army of Gamers short.

Connecting the Dots

This past month has been incredible! I've been doing a lot of research for my first Onyx book, creating concept sprites and levels for Onyx and Scruffy games, caught up with family and friends, shot a short film (currently editing it), had the great fortune of visiting Treyarch studios, went camping, have been playing way too much Call of the Dead and the Gears of War 3 Beta, and now I'm more determined than ever to bring Onyx's story home.
I've been writing like a mad man these last several weeks and have put nearly every other project on hold as I put pen to paper and let the rest of Onyx's first adventure flow. I've been writing this book for almost a year now, between working full-time and developing everything else, so I'm very eager to see it complete and give it to the world.

CROSSOVER COMBINATION 2: Onyx x tokidoki

 

The second entry in my new series, "Crossover Combination". This is my character Onyx in the tokidoki style created by Simone Legno. I would consider it fan art above anything else.

CROSSOVER COMBINATION 1: Toki x Calvin and Hobbes

Our Shih Tzu Toki as he would appear in Calvin and Hobbes. This was a drawing I made for my fiancee for her birthday last year. Toki was actually one of the inspirations for Scruffy! My nephew was another.

Onyx "O" Pendants: Part 1

Here's a work in progress that has taken me quite some time to get off the ground. This is a pendant based on my design for the Onyx "O" logo that can be seen here.
Several weeks after I came up with it, I decided to try making it into a pendant-type object and began modeling it in Maya. I didn't want the final piece to be too fragile, so I modified it by thickening the edges of the piece as a whole.

The next step was to take the model and make it into a real object. Using a CNC machine and with the assistance of one of my friends, the object was cut out of a block of material. When it was free I sanded down the rough edges and gave it to to yet another friend of mine, who blasted it with a layer of primer to smooth it out. From there I passed it on to yet another friend of mine who created a single piece mold of it for me by using the original.

Once the mold was completed we began to experiment with different kinds of material and colors to cast. So far we have made some grey O's, and some light green. The final result may likely be a translucent green, but I'm still experimenting.

When all is said and done and we have a decent stock of them, I intend to start selling them at this shop.

 

This small project has taken me through some interesting paths and enabled me to utilize a variety of resources and very talented people. It's been a lot of fun! I hope you found this an interesting read and enjoyed checking this process out. Please feel free to send me some feedback, suggestions and opinions! They're always appreciated.

Scruffy, Aerial Strike

Here's Scruffy in Aerial Strike mode. This is a special lightweight stealth suit Gramps made for Scruffy that increases his defenses, lets him run faster, and helps him traverse difficult terrain with ease. When he's in danger, Scruffy outfits himself with this suit in order to deal with the threat. He also uses it when he reaches higher altitudes.

Feel free to click the above image to view it at a higher resolution.

Meet Scruffy!

This is my Shih Tzu character Scruffy. He's very goofy, easygoing, and completely reckless. I have several short stories I'm writing for him that all add up to a bigger narrative. I'm also developing a few games for the iPhone that I intend to put him in. He's an awesome character to base content around, and I love placing him into all sorts of shenanigans.

The X-Files Spoof

My collaborator and I were looking for inspiration on our next short film. One night while I was playing Halo: Reach on XBOX Live, my brother told me a story that made me feel very disgusted. I relayed that same story to crunchymonkey777 and she immediately thought we should incorporate it into a spoof of The X-Files. We've since finished and posted it on our Youtube channel, so feel free to check it out here.

8-Bit Onyx and Shirt

Here's an 8-bit version of my dragon, Onyx. I'm getting a test batch of shirts made with this graphic on it, and then intend to print up more if people like them.

Concept Zero Headphones

These are the first in my series of headphones based on the Mega Man universe. Here's my concept based on Zero from Mega Man X. The idea came to me when I was trying to come up with ideas for UDON's Mega Man Tribute book, but I didn't finish it in time. I took a look at Mega's helmet one day and thought, "How obvious! Why hasn't anyone done this yet?!"

If these were produced in reality they would include detachable wings based on his helmet design, the ear cups would look like his, the exterior of the ear cups would have glowing LEDs placed inside the red gem, and the interior of the ear cup would have a slightly darker red color. I will be posting several other designs soon. There's a bigger version of it on my DeviantArt account.

Mega Hamlet

Here is my submission for the Mega Man Tribute book! I call it "Mega Hamlet". I know it's quite simple, but I like it for that very reason. You can see a bigger version of it on my DeviantArt account.

Onyx and Spade Poster

Here's a design I came up with a little while ago. These two are Onyx and Spade. Onyx is the green dragon with purple spikes, and Spade is the dark grey and orange dragon. They're surrounded by the Onyx "O" logo. So who are they? They are two primary characters in a series of novels I'm currently writing called "Onyx The Half Hero Dragon". I'm very far into the first, and I'm already getting some solid ideas for the second. There will be a total of four books.

You can see a larger image of this on my DeviantArt account.

ARMY OF GAMERS

Army Of Gamers

This is the latest short film I've worked on. Army of Gamers is essentially a combination of several skits my brother and I wrote into a narrative. It begs the question; What if the Army began recruiting gamers, who have literally never had any combat training or fired a real firearm, into the military. It blends reality with the gaming world and brings glitches, super jumps and other virtual world aspects into our world. We had a ton of fun writing and shooting it, and if we ever get enough solid ideas for it, we may make a sequel.

The Beginning

Hello. I'm currently in the process of creating numerous projects. I put a great deal of effort into everything I work on, whether it's a solo or group undertaking. This blog is intended to be a central hub to provide updates and feedback on the current projects I'm involved with.

Over the next several weeks I will do my best to introduce everything I'm developing. I may also throw in a game review or two. Please bear with me, and enjoy.