How do you fight Sky Pirates?  Send in the Sky Armada.

The artwork speaks for itself.  It looks like it was inspired by the submarines, battleships, and aircraft carriers of World War II.  The attention to detail is superb, especially in regards to the military hardware and hull accessories.  See the full-size image.

Finally, a high-end pure Steampunk game.  Unlike Bioshock 1 & 2 which takes place between 1960 and 1968 making them Deiselpunk, Bioshock Infinite takes place in 1912 in the weaponized sky city of Columbia.  The failed utopia is reminiscent of the 1893 World’s Fair and is built on the idea of American exceptionalism.  Watch the trailer:

A moment’s respite. Elizabeth and Booker walk towards a bridge, when the familiar metallic clomp of a “Daddy” echoes around. This isn’t a mule, although it’s a more human Daddy than the diving suited huggables of rapture: a man’s face, black parted hair and elaborate moustache, peeks out above a suit that exaggerates his body. He has giant, crushing hands, pistons powering his movements. He’s mostly a power boss: bashing, grabbing, tearing. It’s clear that Elizabeth’s role is something of a co-op partner. Her and Booker’s powers combine to be more powerful than on their own, but she also seems to have more specificity about her uses. This fight is resolved when the pair of you bring the bridge crashing down on the Daddy’s body, slicing through the ground as the bridge support hits it. He scrambles at the crumbling structure with his oversized hands before sliding off Columbia.

BioShock and BioShock 2 sported multiple endings (good/evil) depending on the player’s ethical choices.  This made for a good interactive narrative, and a sound story altogether.  These games are also well-respected first-person shooters.  Typically, I’m cautious with game purchases and prefer to rent them first, but based on my past experiences with the BioShock games, I will buy BioShock Infinite blindfolded.

Via: PC Gamer

You’re looking at the Watt Industries Time Machine which sells for a mere $100,000.  The seller is serious about the price and even has the brass to charge an extra $10 for shipping.

Gather round to witness the latest creation from the Watts Industries’ labs. Watch in awe as the power of the hand held device for traversing the chrono scape transports our ‘willing’ volunteer through time itself. Feuled by raw liquid ether held in the containment vessel at the bottom, the user has only to wind the clockwork mechanism at the top the desired number of times to initiate chronoporting.

disclaimer: Watts Industries Accepts no responsibility for chronofreeze, ingestion by theropods, Vexatious encounters with robots and infantication. If raw liquid ether is ingested seek medical attention yesterday.

Seriously, for $100,000 I better get a DeLorean that can hit 1955, and I insist that it have the Mr. Fusion, Plutonium, hover conversion, the works.  In other words, a REAL time machine, not just some groovy lamp.  Granted, the lamp is cool, just not 100-Grand cool…

Via: DVICE

Can SteamPunk Sky Pirates win against the Predator?  I’ve seen enthusiasts invent some impressive weaponry, but would any of it stand a chance against the high-tech alien weaponry of Predators?

This is the first poll in what I hope will be a long series of “SteamPunk Versus”.  In the future, I’ll pit Sky Pirates against all sorts of foe and situations.  But for now, vote in the poll and/or comment, and let everyone know what you think.

UPDATE: This dog won’t hunt. I foolishly built the poll on a Macromedia plugin and sat on it for a dozen years. The results are GONE, but needless to say, we all know what the answer was…

When I look at the flag of the former USSR with its hammer and sickle flowing under the star of the Communist party, I think of gentler times when the kind hands of Lenin and Stalin brought together the farmers and industrial workers to stand as a proud people and against American imperialism.

Unfortunately, the Soviet Union fell, and in the wake of that great civilization came skinheads, rap music, McDonald’s, and now TorrentReactor.  Vicious rumors that TorrentReactor has purchased the village of Gar in Russia and renamed it to Реактор словоизвержения (Torrent Reactor) are apparently true.  There is still a small chance that this is all some kind of elaborate hoax.  What’s more disturbing is that Gar TorrentReactor is not that far from the Seversk nuclear reactor.  Why?  I’ll tell you why.

Airships have made their comeback, and in more than one way.  Lockheed Martin has been developing the High Altitude Airship (HAA) which can reach 60,000 feet and provide advanced tactical information.

And there’s more.  Cargo, Passenger, Satellite, and other airships.

Steampunk motorcycle concept by Solifague.  Too bad it’s not real, but there’s a way around that. It’s a very sexy concept, but there are some obvious design flaws like the drive system and brakes.  But, that’s what concepts are for.  Perhaps you’ve seen the TV show about Orange County Choppers.  OCC is one of the best custom motorcycle shops I’ve seen, and they could easily take this concept and turn it into reality.  However, they already have a custom ride called the “Black Widow”, so the name will have to be changed.