John Hughes died today. The man responsible for some of the greatest films of a generation is no longer with us. It’s insane if you look at his career because this man did so much. He gave us Clark W. Griswold, Macauly Culkin, Gary & Wyatt, John Bender, pretty much all of The Brat Pack, Mr. Mom, and of course the legenday Ferris Bueller. Is it possible for one person to have a resume that impressive? Maybe Spielberg, I guess, but I don’t know of any others. Sure, Drillbit Taylor was a miss, but who can forget Curly Sue and those damned Pepsi commercials?? Of course, the creme de la creme has to be Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Earlier today I was googling Bueller quotes, for no reason really, and there are a ridiculous amount of gems in there. Bueller is a legend and a hero to adolescent males all over America, even those of us who are 28 and technically not adolescent anymore. As someone who aspires to inspire with words, I am truly sad that Hughes has passed and my thoughts go out to his friends and family. I’ll leave you with two of the greatest movie quotes of all time and the thought that Hughes is having a drink with John Candy right now and sharing a laugh.

Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place. -John Bender

Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris Bueller

Now, I know I said “I’ll leave you…” just up there, right up there, just scroll up a bit and you’ll see it, but there is no way I could leave without talking to you about the Wii. At least I don’t think I could. I’ve never actually tried though…I don’t think I’d like that very much. One of the best things about the films that John Hughes made is that they are absolutely timeless. I’m going to put it out there that there’s not one person on the planet who doesn’t watch Home Alone each Holiday season. I also refuse to believe that people exist who can see that Bueller is on TV and change the channel without watching at least 5 minutes of the classic film. It’s impossible, I have tried that and know that it just can’t be done. You’ll never convince me otherwise. It’s the nostalgia factor, we all love to remember the good times, the simpler times. Videogames can do very much the same thing and WayForward Technologies look to prove that when they bring back A Boy and His Blob. The crazy thing is that WF is attempting to hit the nostalgia button in three different ways. I don’t remember it, but A Boy and His Blob is actually remake of a 1989 NES game. From what I’ve gathered it’s not exactly considered a timeless classic. Still, I’m sure there are some people who remember it fondly. What almost all of us will remember fondly is playing platform games that are pulled off impeccably. There aren’t very many of them, especially when you consider how many of them have been made. WayForward aim to add to the short list with Blob, and from what I can tell they’re well on their way. So, what’s the third way that the developers will get our nostalgic juices flowing? A Boy and His Blob is a 2D game with a style all it’s own, and it’s beautiful. Sure, it’s not Unreal Engine beauty, this is more like real art. The games that we all remember most fondly are just that, art and style.

From what I’ve seen and read about A Boy and His Blob, WayForward are being very ambitious, and most believe that will pay off. I’ll admit that I hadn’t paid too much attention to the title, which is why this is the first you’re hearing about it. Well, I guess it’s possible you’ve heard about it elsewhere, but I like to think that I’m your one true source for all things Wii, that I’m the only one out there for you. I’m not wrong in thinking that am I? After watching the developer diary I’m posting below, I’m ready to hop aboard the Blob Train. I’m sure that when an inspiring screenwriter pitched a story about a family named Griswold going on vacation, people thought it was a bit ambitious and would wind up a flop, we all know how that played out. The future is still out for A Boy and His Blob, but I believe it’s going to be a bright one for the game and its developers. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll find a developer diary from the art director of ABAHB, which is due out October 13. Enjoy and stay thirsty my friends.