David Hellman

After a couple months of disquieting calm, Action Button .net unleashed yesterday the first three entries of its 25 Best Games of All-Time. One is a Genesis game, another is for PS2 and another for PSP. There is so far no ranking for the Mario Kart series, neither for a particular game nor for the series as an indivisible, canonical entity.

Here’s a choice passage from the Castlevania: Bloodlines (abdmn #25) review:

I like to think of the lead designers of the three Castlevania reboots (Super, Rondo, and Bloodlines) as three young men, let’s say sons of the King of Konami. They worked together on the first Castlevania games for the Famicom, and chose different sides when the console war — MegaDrive versus Super Famicom versus PC-Engine — began. The lead designer of Super Castlevania IV was the loyal son, always blindly looking to impress Father. The designer of Rondo was the scholar, the go-getter, the strategist, seeking to prove himself superior to all humans, not just to his brothers. The designer of Bloodlines was the slacker, the one everyone assumes could get ahead in the world if he’d just stop hanging out at the tavern with the local band of hooligans. (He can otherwise rip out a hell of a guitar solo. I imagine he also looked like Johnny Depp in that one movie where he first had a beard.)

What I like about Tim Rogers’ writing, besides its punk-like reckless momentum, is this kind of knowledgeable and idiosyncratic characterization.

I haven’t been updating the blog so frequently recently, but you should know that there are other places to get your David Hellman fix. (Think of how much I must trust you to tell you this!!)

David Hellman is Director of Operations at the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon that raises money for cancer research and treatment. His influence can be felt from the organization’s web presence to the portable toilets made available to ride-a-thon participants. He lives in Chicago.

David Hellman is an attorney specializing in taxes and estate planning based in San Rafael, CA. He graduated from Berkeley in 1972 and he owns www.davidhellman.com!

David Hellmann is a graphic designer from Germany. His specialties include Digitalen Spiegelreflex Kamera, Webseiten and Grafiken. I have sent him a Facebook friend request.

David B. Hellman is maker of fine furniture living in Massachusetts. His firm creates gorgeous custom-made wood furniture. I could not find a picture of him.

This photo of the 3 monitor Braid wallpaper in action comes from Paul Broadbent of Birmingham, England. He was the first (and only?) person to take seriously my suggestion that the panoramic screenshot collage from the last Art of Braid article would make a great super-wide background.

Paul is obviously a man of taste and sophistication, but the Braid wallpaper pushes him into the realm of Visionary Trendsetter.

Here it is again:

Anyway, nice job, Paul! Thanks for sharing!

At 2:17am, with the first traces of tendonitis teasing my wrists, triumphantly I post. At last my portfolio site is updated. At last it includes Braid, my nearly-complete project of the last 18 months. With Braid winding down, and GDC last month getting me back in touch with certain people, and thoughts generally turning towards the future, it seems like a great time to get my act together with respect to blogging. So that’s it, that’s all I’ve got this time – a businesslike acknowledgement before rushing out the door again. But I’ll be back, most likely with some behind-the-scenes on Braid’s art (as I claw towards blogging Relevance).

In response to yesterday’s sketch of a man wracked with existential turmoil, Dan Scannel of Penn State writes:

Hello David-

You have descended into a good sulk, and gradually you grow covetous of it, and every potential interaction with someone not sulking is viewed with paranoia. I know this feeling well. It is amplified by the irritability that follows a pot of coffee.

I recently sat on a bench on campus here at Penn State and was indulging a good sulk when someone I know happened upon me and wrenched me out of my reverie and confused and annoyed me.

-dan

Great letter, Dan!

In celebration of Donald Rumsfeld’s lunch, please accept this Supercilious Man.

In celebration of the site’s launch, please accept this Inspirational Bee.