Articles
Pinhead
Games – Mark Darin
Feature By Randy Sluganski
The First in a Series Spotlighting the Just Adventure Independent
Developers
What if I were to tell you that an adventure game developer was
located in the same city as Just Adventure? Big deal, right? Consider
though that Just Adventure is not in a major metropolitan center
like New York, Los Angeles or London, but
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Now what if I were to
tell you that this same developer and Just Adventure could both
be found in the same small Pittsburgh community – now
it becomes even more interesting.
But,
what if I were to tell you that not only does this same developer
and JA share the
same city and the same community, but also the same
small residential street?! Impossible? I would have thought so too,
but once again truth is stranger than fiction as myself and Mark
Darin of Pinhead
Games discovered that we both lived on the same
street only three blocks apart. Who would ever have believed that
two such fanatical – and might I add, good-looking – adventure
gamers would live in such close proximity?
So it was that Mark stopped
by the JA offices on a muggy, Sunday afternoon to hand-deliver
a special pre-release cd-version of his
newest game Nick
Bounty: Goat in the Grey Fedora. Also included on
the cd is Bounty’s first game, A Case of the Crabs, another
game Brain Hotel and a lot of neat extras such as various voice-acting
applicants and sketches and early scripts.
Pinhead Games – a member of the Just
Adventure Independent Developers – creates web-based, point-and-click flash games.
Their products are free to either play online or download, though
donations are more than welcome. Mark is currently a student at a
local art school and programs games in his spare time – Goat
in the Grey Fedora has been in development for eleven months – but
once he finishes school this December, Pinhead Games may be dissolved
as Mark is seeking employment.
But don’t confuse
free with lack of quality as the Pinhead game catalogue has been
blessed with talented volunteers guided by
Mark Darin’s offbeat humor (and programming skills). While
I don’t want to spoil any of the fun, there are some very well
known voice-actors who have volunteered their time to appear in Goat
in the Grey Fedora. I would give you a clue
to solve this mystery that would ring a bell,
but you would then probably runaway with
assumptions.
Mark’s Nick Bounty character pays homage to the black-and-white
noir films of years past – Mark is a huge fan of the old Bogart
films – but with a twisted, yet playful, sense of humor (as
you will discover for yourself when you first encounter Goat
in the Grey Fedora’s stick-puppet theatre).
Pinhead has also steadily
cultivated a fan base and helped create interest in the burgeoning
Independent Developer’s scene by
making public appearances. Mark recently appeared at the Chicago
Wizard World Comicon and also plans on attending – along with yours
truly – the East Coast Gaming Expo this September 18th.
Goat in the Grey
Fedora is scheduled for release the last day of August at which time we’ll
post our review (and you will love this game!). In the meantime,
enjoy the nifty trailer, play or replay
A Case of the Crabs and oh, did I mention, Pinhead also appreciate
any and all donations so they can continue to bring quality free
games to the adventure community.
