With help from internet support around the country, Austin start-up White Whale games has raised the funds needed to see their 2.5D side scrolling fantasy epic through to its fantastic and epic conclusion. And the developers haven't let their all-consuming obsession with designing keep them from being cordial. On Thursday January 12th, they will pack Dive Bar with dancing shoes (boots?), as "God of Blades" composer Justin Kovar plays retro fantasy dance numbers, as well as some of his work from the game. More importantly, White Whale will be holding a public preview of the build (so far) for the patiently waiting. more ›

The little company that could has been blowing up over the past few years with highly rated, small team developed games like 'Maw' and 'Mr. Splosion Man'. But it was the recent dropping of the kinect shooter 'Gunstringer' that must have really caught the eye of Microsoft Studios, who own the developers as of yesterday. Little is expected to change (except the funding). Twisted Pixel will stay in its South Austin Location and doesn't plan to rework it's design tactics much, though they will benefit from the long arm of distribution. Expect more of the same quirky Xbox Live games you have become addicted to, with an emphasis on more. Read more at the Austin-American Statesman here. more ›

Next Tuesday marks a big day for Ignition Studios. Once El Shaddai: The Ascension of the Metatron hits the shelves, there will be no more internally developed games from the beloved studio. This isn't to say that they won't be putting out games, in fact they have two from smaller studios (Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown, and Denki's word game Quarrel), but rather that they will be shifting from development to producing. Ignition was best known for making games like Fractured Soul (currently being ported to the 3DS) and the scary/hilarious and Twin Peaks-inspired, Deadly Premonition. Both very unique games that had the distinct effect of polarizing audiences in a way that most games safely avoid. No matter how you feel about their previous creative outbursts, El Shaddai, certainly looks to be their strongest by far and comes right at their developmental death (going out on a high note, as they say). more ›

Twisted Pixel's sequel to their addictive and hilarious Splosion Man of 2009 will hit the XBox Live Arcade on July 13th. The game promises 50 levels of single player as well as 50 for the multi-splosion of 2-4 players online or off. The game has better mechanics, behind the scenes snippets, improved level design, and it's a safe bet to say, more ridiculousness than even the first (exhibit A: the 'Two Girls One Controller' gameplay mode). more ›

Starting tomorrow, Redbox movie rental stations will also have video games nationally. The pilot testing program began in Austin last year and now includes Sony ’s Playstation (PS3), Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (X360). There will be 13 games available, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, Infamous 2, LA Noire, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and more. Read more here to find out if the Redbox near you have games they didn't before. more ›

Everyone’s favorite space visiting, dungeon lake house living, local gaming legend (Ultima) has been busy of late. After meeting with m8 Capital at this year’s South By Interactive, his new gaming company, Portalarium, secured a cool million for their twelve man team. But this past week, Garriott and partners went on a second fundraising tour and more than doubled their prior funds. more ›

Starhawk the “spiritual successor” (read: space sequel) to the 2007 action game Warhawk has been confirmed in development for a release in the first quarter of 2012. Headed by the Austin developers LightBox in coordination with Sony’s Santa Monica team, the game marks the first good news for Sony since March. more ›

Today (Tuesday, May 3rd) Red Fly’s Wii version of the God of Asgard game hits shelves with a thunderous roar(though still no rain). The Austin developer gained full creative license (not just the job of tweaking the controls of a port) and they built it ground floor-style. The Wii game uses decidedly more comic book influenced visuals and even features Matt Fraction’s steady hand, (Eisner Award-winning Thor comic book writer) as story consultant. more ›

Austinist's prodigal son Adi Anand and Frank owner Daniel Northcutt have teamed up with various hooligans around town to launch a new weekly gathering of vintage gaming and healthy trash-talking. more ›

Qrank, the current-affairs trivia quiz that has become a social media sensation, has increased the head-to-head aspect of competition for version 2.0 of the game, which launched last week. more ›

• Governor Perry issues a legal challenge contesting the idea that greenhouse gasses are bad for people.
• The Texas Supreme Court will be hearing the case about how “exotic dancing” is free speech. If so, then a $5 tax (per strip-club patron) violates the First Amendment. (Maybe they’re thinking that the Constitution includes the right to bare anything you want?)
• Austin's ubergamer Richard Garriott launches a new social-networking game company!

Playwright and filmmaker David Mamet will appear at UT's Hogg Auditorium on Monday, February 4th for a discussion of his work with the Austin Chronicle's Robert Faires. The event is the first of several appearances by Mamet at UT in conjunction with the acquisition of his archives by the Harry Ransom Center. more ›

Image from www.homeslicepizza.com Home Slice-O-RamaSaturday, November 17Home Slice Pizza (1415 South Congress)Noon-6pm, Admission is free; booths, games and drinks cost tickets. All carnival proceeds to benefit Young Texans Against Cancer[info] The delicioso crew at Home Slice Pizza will celebrate their second year of slinging perfecto pizza by hosting a back yard carnival on Saturday, with all proceeds benefiting Young Texans Against Cancer. Here's what's on tap: • An old school pizza eating contest to win... more ›

Photo by Ken Mau on flickr#15 Texas (8-2) vs. Texas Tech (7-3) Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Nov. 10 Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium TV: ABC Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) Critics complained early in the season that the Texas Longhorns had no "identity". Were they a passing team that threw it all over the field? A run-first team that ground you into the dirt? A blitzing, hard-hitting defense? Over the last two games,... more ›

#14 Texas (7-2) vs. Oklahoma State (5-3) Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Nov. 3 Location: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma TV: ABC Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) With three games remaining in the regular season, the Texas Longhorns are as much as a mystery as they were before the season started. Currently ranked No. 14 in the country with games remaining against unranked teams (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M), the Longhorns seem... more ›

The notion that ‘It's not a conspiracy theory if it's actually true,’ is about as spot-on and useful as ‘Golly, she ain’t a witch if she done drown.’ more ›

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist... more ›

#17 Texas (6-2) vs. Nebraska (4-4) Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Oct. 27 Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium TV: ABC Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) The Texas-Nebraska game on Saturday highlights the clash of history and reality. Historically, both are among the premier programs in college football, and the numbers prove it. The schools have combined for more than 1,600 victories, nine national championships, 90 bowl appearances, and five Heisman Trophy winners. But in... more ›

La Luz is having a Halloween fiesta tomorrow. The new-ish South Austin boutique is inviting the public out for live music by The Early Tapes, refreshments, a spooky photo booth, games, prizes and activities. The fun starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. at 2009 S. 1st St. Explore the treasures of India with Marigold's Fall Festival today at 6 p.m. If you've never heart the rhythms of tabla and sitar, check... more ›

Bush wants $45 billion more for Iraq, Afghanistan, and a couple other wars he's not even telling us about. Southern Californian fires drive hundreds of thousands of people out of their domiciles. Police officer in NYC goes off the tracks, shoots man in road rage incident. If that police officer wasn't screwed up enough for you... Republican voters ask: What Would Chuck Norris Do? MySpace soon to feature games (beyond the game you already... more ›

Band of Horses Cease to Begin (Sub Pop) Editors Note: This review reflects the personal opinions and experiences of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of the Ist network as a whole. Enjoy! In your typical southern suburban town of Irmo in Columbia, South Carolina is where Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell and I went to high school. Among the strip malls and neighborhood watch signs, between high school football games... more ›

#23 Texas (4-2) vs. Iowa State (1-5) Time: 11:30 am, Saturday, Oct. 13 Location: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa TV: Fox Sports Southwest Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) Last week's loss to Oklahoma left the Texas Longhorns in a historic hole, looking up from the bottom of the conference standings with an 0-2 league record for the first time in 50 years. Midway through the season, the Longhorns are out of the national... more ›

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LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own such... more ›

Today's New York Times has an interesting article on Austin gaming mogul Richard Garriott, the person behind the Ultima franchise. The eccentric millionaire is a self-described space junkie, but whereas other enthusiasts would be content to collect "normal" space-related objects — "astronaut autographs, mission patches, ... 'flown' goods" and the like — Garriott has the means to think outside the, err, box. To wit: a giant, Soviet-made aluminum replica of Sputnik, which he purchased... more ›

#7 Texas (4-0) vs. Kansas State (2-1) Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Sept. 29 Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium TV: KVUE (ABC) Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) As the Kansas State Wildcats come to town this week, the Texas Longhorns insist they don't have revenge on their minds, but it would be easy to allow them that sentiment. When the two teams met last year in Manhattan, Kansas, Texas was on top of the... more ›

[Ed.Note: Nick Courtright is a local poet and writer-at-large who took some time to share his thoughts on Akron/Family's latest release. We hope to be hearing more from him soon.] Bookended by tunes ripened on that great commune in the sky—a place where it's a good idea to feature the word "love" three times in a song title— Love Is Simple finds its true footing, and its ultimate salvation, in the middle. Powerhouse rock-out "Ed... more ›

#7 Texas (3-0) vs. Rice (0-3) Time: 6 pm, Saturday, Sept. 22 Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium TV: Fox Sports Southwest Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM) There have been more than enough distractions to keep Texas coach Mack Brown occupied this week. Word that a sixth Longhorn had been arrested in the past four months set off allegations that the program is out of control. And even though they've won their first three... more ›

Longhorn football player James Henry has been suspended indefinitely from the team after being charged with felony counts of retaliation and tampering with physical evidence. Police say the charges are in connection with the alleged armed robbery involving former Longhorn football player Robert Joseph. Court records indicate that Henry, 19, confronted witnesses on behalf of Joseph, who was arrested June 27th on aggravated robbery charges. Police say that Joseph called Henry from jail the... more ›