Cyan Worlds: “We’re not dead yet!”

From Sci-Fi Wire: Reports of the demise of Myst developer Cyan Worlds have been greatly exaggerated, according to the San Jose Mercury News and the GameSpot Web site. Cyan Founder Rand Miller confirmed separately to both sources that the company is rehiring most of its workforce and will continue to develop new games.

In early September, Richard A. Watson, Cyan’s official historian of the D’ni culture featured in the Myst games, told SCI FI Wire that Cyan was shutting its doors and laying off its staff indefinitely, but said the closure might be temporary.

According to Miller, the company’s doors have now reopened. “We’ve had a reprieve,” Miller told the Mercury News.
“[We’ve] managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat (that I can’t give details about yet), so we rehired almost everybody. Crazy industry. It’s giving me whiplash!” Miller gave a similar confirmation to GameSpot, but provided few details to either source.

Cyan previously stated that its recent release, Myst V: End of Ages, which came out Sept. 22, is the final installment in its signature franchise.

Star Wreck released

Anonymous Coward writes, Star Wreck, the feature-length Fan-made Star Trek parody is available. The 100 minute DVD combines professional grade special effects, Star Trek and Babylon 5 into one efficient package. It is also freely available from the authors on Bittorrent.

Invasion Discussion: “Watershed”

Jesse is knocked unconscious by a mysterious, unknown force, and it’s up to Russell to save his son. Meanwhile, Russell becomes concerned about Mariel’s strange behavior, Larkin suspects that Sheriff Underlay is aware of a possible military cover-up, and Dave searches for the meaning of the inscription found on a wedding band.

Novel Review: Pattern Recognition

Cayce’s first footage had been waiting for her as she emerged from the flooded all-genders toilet at a NoLiTa gallery party, that previous November. Wondering what she could do to sterilize the soles of her shoes, and reminding herself never to touch them again, she’d noticed two people huddled on either side of a third, a turtlenecked man with a portable DVD player, held before him in the way that crèche figures of the Three Kings hold their gifts.

And passing these three she’d seen a face there, on the screen of his ciborium. She’d stopped without thinking and done that stupid duck dance, trying to better align retina to pixel.

“What is that?” she’d asked. A sideways look from a girl with hooded eyes, a sharp and avian nose, round steel labret stud gleaming from beneath her lower lip. “Footage,” this one had said, and for Cayce it had started there.

Published in 2003, William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition has been called his best novel since the original cyberpunk trilogy. Does it live up to its reputation?

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Weekly Comics Discussion – October 5, 2005

This
week’s shipping list includes such gems from DC as
the Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition, the
final issues of the Return of Donna Troy and
Rann / Thanagar War miniseries, Elfquest
Archives Vol. 3, the start of the Robotech:
The Shadow Chronicles miniseries, Watchmen:
The Absolute Edition, a new edition of V for
Vendetta, and the Showcase Presents
Metamorpho Vol. 1 collection of low-cost Silver
Age reprints. (I’m happy with the paper and
reproduction quality of the Superman and
Green Lantern volumes I picked up last week,
though I don’t have enough interest in Metamorpho to
grab this set.) Marvel’s offerings include a reprint
of Astonishing X-Men , which has once
again delayed the release of the TPB I’ve been waiting
for, Powers , Supreme Power: Nighthawk
, and Uncanny X-Men #465. You can
also grab a copy of The Complete Calvin and
Hobbes this week at some comic shops, and many
bookstores.