You may or may not have noticed that things have kind of slowed down here on CONVOKE for the last few months, and if you’ve seen our latest project, you might have guessed why.  Not only was the video a massive undertaking, but it also represents a shift in focus here at CONVOKE.  We’re not going to flat-out stop posting cool tech and design finds, but we’re going to try and start producing our own unique content.

And, as far as first tries go, Get Lich or Die Tryin’ has been an astronomical success, so far.  With over 40,000 (and climbing) views in just two days, it has definitely caught people’s attention.  The video has been popping up all over the internet, so we cataloged the best of the best right here for you.

Here’s the press wrapup:

wow.com – My interview with Lisa Poisso gives you a peek behind the scenes, as well as some hints at what’s next for us.  Don’t forget to post a comment in the t-shirt giveaway thread for your shot at a free shirt.

kotaku.com – Mike Fahey saw it fit to put the video up on Kotaku, as well as share in our hatred for a certain sparkly bloodsucker…

Digg.com – We managed to make it onto the digg frontpage for a brief time today, which is a first for one of our ventures.

YouTube.com -I don’t know exactly how YouTube ranks videos, but we were on the “most viewed” page for a while today.  Here’s proof! Then I, foolishly, edited our video info, which apparently causes YouTube to yank you out of the running for a bit.  Epic fail.

And last, but not least, I received an email today from a Blizzard employee who shall remain nameless.  It’s short, but sweet.

Subject: Nice work

We loved the video over here

I will take this as an unofficial sanction, and go forth bathed in a Blue Blessing.

But we aren’t finished.  We’ve got behind the scenes photos and footage on the way, and potentially even a remix.  Thanks again to the cast and crew, and everyone who’s been watching the video.

none | Games, Originals, Zombies

Two awesome adventure-roleplaying board games from the 90s. One of which has become a critically acclaimed movie, the other a song so bad that I’ve been prohibited from linking it. These were the board games of my youth, and they’re still rad. A couple of miniature monsters and a cheesy fantasy story are more than enough for an imaginative mind. If you’re having trouble add a couple flashlights for spooky facial lighting.

Note: The game master (the kid who plays the role of the bad guys) in HeroQuest is called Zardon, also the name of the player’s character in missile command.

none | Games

Unless you’re an accomplished cuber like Dave or I, you can probably relate to the feeling of futility conjured up by Daniel Stolle’s cube illustrations.  Heck, even the most experienced cuber can appreciate CMYK goodness on water-stained cardboard.  Daniel’s portfolio is full of simple, form-driven illustrations, any of which would make for a pretty snappy print.

[via]

none | Design, Games

I’m not sure how I feel about this hoodie on it’s own, but with the upcoming (Oct 16th) Where the Wild Things Are movie it seems at least it will be culturally relevant for a few weeks until the opening. You could even pair it with some face paint for a quick and easy Halloween costume (*Adam cringing*).

none | Games, Movies, Style

It’s an oldie-goodie, but I won’t go on at length parroting other people’s encapsulations of H.G. Wells’ Little Wars. I’ll just say that if you’re hankering for some whimsical reading, nay, whimsy-laden documentation, about the creation of one of the first table top war games, do check it out.

The late Gary Gygax even put in a foreward in the most recent publication.

Alright?

This shit was formative.

none | Games

I’ve always thought shuffleboard was the most overlooked bar game. Personally, I think it’s one of the best; it’s easy to play, easy to learn, and still provides hours of fun. This shuffleboard was made specifically for home use, at 9ft long you’re still going to need able space to put it, but I think this ones worth it.

none | Games, Gear

Let’s get deep for just a sec:

It’s the rare idea that escapes at least some degree shoehorning during the birthing process. When new avenues for expression arise, people’s imaginations often run wild with possibilities, and they fail to map an internal vision onto the brass-tacks reality of a given medium. What we end up with are comics that should’ve been movies, action figures that should’ve been video games, and shirts that should’ve been tattoos.

Eliss is not one of these creations.

This game is completely in-step with the iphone’s touch interface; no one will be waiting for this to be ported anywhere else. Once you get into it, and get quick, you feel like you’re operating the highly advanced computer interface of some far-off civilization, and I think that’s pretty much the best thing I can say about any piece of software. The best gaming on the iPhone I’ve yet come across also comes with the wickedest, retro-minimalistest presentation and soundtrack I’ve yet come across. Jesus Christ.

Buy this game. Even just to give Steph Thirion some money. When I stop to think about the drinks I’ve bought that cost twice what this game does, it weirds me out.

none | Design, Games

Scribblenauts is a puzzle game for the DS.  Puzzle games are pretty standard fare, right?  Well, Scribblenauts really kicks it up a notch.  The premise is simple: write down something.  Anything.  That thing will then materialize in game, and interact as you would expect it to.  Policemen chase crooks.  God fights the devil.  Lions eat meat.  Zombies turn people into other zombies.  You then use these elements to solve the puzzles in the game.

But what’s really impressive is just how vast the pool of objects is.  I performed a test of ten random nouns, to see how the game would fare.  Here’s the results:

1. Architect – Out pops a little guy in a hard hat and coveralls.  I suspect this is just a synonym for “construction worker” and try that out.  Much to my surprise, it’s a totally different guy in a hardhat and safety vest.  Impressive.
2. Crayon – A small, grey, vaguely crayon shaped object appears.  My character picks it up.  It doesn’t seem to do anything.  Then, I click on the architect and the construction worker, and it turns them pink!  I try “green crayon”, but it still turns things pink.
3. Dolphin – A dolphin shows up.  Unfortunately, I’m on the land, so it just kind of sits there.  If I click on it, a ride option appears.  My character mounts up, and the dolphin actually starts making clicking noises.  I try “shark”, and the two of them battle to the death.  Dolphin wins.
4. Gauge – A little clock-face or dial appears.  It doesn’t really do anything.  Then again, it’s just a gauge.  it’s not attached to anything.  What were you expecting it to do?  I turn it pink with my green crayon.  The dolphin won’t shut up now.
5. Grain – A single shaft of wheat appears.  I try “rain” to see if I can make it grow.  I drop a rain cloud overtop, but nothing happens.  I finally draw “‘pool” for the dolphin, and drop him in it.  He stops chattering.
6. Moustache – A brown, handlebar moustache materializes, and I drag it onto my character.  It adheres itself to his face.  Instant disguise!
7. Pediatrician – A long haired woman with glasses enters stage right.  I’ve seen her before.  This is the same sprite that’s used for “doctor”.  But that’s not too bad.  How could you really distinguish a pediatrician from a doctor anyways?  On a hunch, I try “engineer”.  Out pops an architect clone.  Engineers everywhere boycott the game.
8. Moat – I’m running out of room in this level.  You can only have so many items at once.  I get rid of the rain cloud and the gauge.  The engineer runs over and eats the grain off the ground.  Have we no class?  I try “moat”.  It’s basically an island, with water on either side.  It’s pretty small, but it is definitely a moat.  I drown the architect in it.  “Island”, on the other hand, gets me a little mound of sand with a palm tree attached.
9. Sled – I’ve seen this one before, when a friend asked me to try “bobsled”.  So, bobsled and sled are the same thing.  Right.  Tell that to the cast of Cool Runnings.
10. Sousaphone – I don’t have much faith in this one.  I type in “sousaphone” and out pops a little tuba.  Is that what a sousaphone is?  I check wikipedia.  Not exactly, but pretty close.  I equip it to the engineer.  He looks confused.  I try “musician”, and a little man in a tuxedo and white bow tie pops up.  Interesting choice of stereotype.  He looks more like a maître d, but I give him the sousaphone.  Nothing happens.  I was really hoping that he’d play it.  I get stuck in the moat, so I try “ufo” to get myself out.  I hop into the flying saucer a zoom off into the sunset.

The breadth of this game is impressive.  The gameplay itself can be a bit confusing at times, but it’s definitely worth picking up if only to get “God” and “Amen Ra” to duke it out in a cage.  Want to try a word out, but don’t have the game?  Leave a comment, and I’ll let you know the results.

none | Games

Ever needed to escape your captors or just want a sweet party trick (sober please!)? Wired has an article on how to get the best of the (albeit superfluous) skill of throwing knives.

The best part of the article? It’s a wiki blog post, meaning you can log on and spread your knowledge to the masses of untrained knife throwers of the world.

none | Games, Science

After a overly long hiatus, for various reasons, we’ll be (make that a royal we, I can’t make promises for others) back posting on a regular basis. I’ve managed to place myself back in school for at least another year so I’ll have the time to keep you up to date on the things we do.

Remember to add our RSS feed or follow us @convoke to keep up to date.

none | Art, Computers, Design, Food, Games, Gear, Movies, Music, Papercraft, Science, Style, Typography, Zombies