With “Generation X” closing in on middle age the generational cycle has begun to churn and from its gnarly carnage we see the emergence of the genre.
From video games to the big screen these tales of apocalyptic high-tech and low life existences in the gritty, bloody streets of the futuristic urban Sprawl. Now the technology is greater and the movie effects and game graphics are state of the art, why shouldn’t everyone have a Capt. Kirk tricorder type device to enjoy these new bells and whistles.
Looper appears to be the latest film cyber spectacle starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and Bruce Willis. All year long we have been jacked in to reloads of Resident Evil, Total Recall and Judge Dredd have increased the violence and death tolls pleasing the entire death cultist out in the jetsom.
The Video game market also seems to be on the rise with the recent reload of Shadowrun Massive Multiplayer cyberpunk title. Another long awaited title, 3rd World (Third World), a 1998 unfinished brain child of Warcraft 2 and Starcraft designer Ron Millar, has a Kickstarter project but these talents are going all the way this time! Other cyberpunk titles have been successfully funded which gives 3rd World- A Cyberpunk Tale a fighting chance. However these guys are taking advantage of the new smartphone and pad technology that should make this phoenix project a big hit!
As a member of Generation X we were raised on Bladerunner, the quintessential cyberpunk film and comics such as Judge Dredd. This set the stage and expectation for quality of story as well as visually stunning eye candy. However more of a CyberNoir, it represented the most realistic vision of the near future anyone had ever seen. Following the Renaissance of visionary George Lucas and Star Wars, the sci-fi and cyberpunk genres were set for takeoff.
This began the dreams of many future movie makers and game developers for the next 3 decades! The Matrix is the next great trilogy of the genre actually taking it the edge of limits and jacking us in to the world behind the green screen. Bullets flying and leather squeaking, this dark cyberpunk story notched it up a level. The latest is also upping the ante with the gore and blatant disregard for human life… Dredd is passing sentence on the scum of Mega City 1 with extreme prejudice. Nice Hit and Run scene in the first 10 minutes was classic Toxic Avenger style!
As we hurl toward 12-21-2012, the world may be ending or at least on the precipice of apocalypse, we may yet live in the age of the true cyber integrated rebellious punked-out amoebic corpses crawling out of the decay of the old world whilst the viral technology of the future ensnares our lives.
Movies like Judge Dredd and games like 3rd World – A Cyberpunk Tale paint a very dismal yet adrenaline induces hard-core blood drenched vision of the future. Make sure you lay out the plastic sheets and wear your rain coats for this one!
Check out 3rd World – A Cyberpunk tale and support Indie Game Development on Kickstarter!