INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS SUPERCANCEL?
Supercancel is a forthcoming modern gaming website for a classic gaming era; a professional publication covering video game history and hardcore gaming culture.
With interest in gaming’s past continuing to gain momentum, today’s collector scene is expanding as comic books once did when the generations of the 50s and 60s began to revisit the superheroes of their childhood.
There are now forty years’ worth of gaming to celebrate, explore, and document for the future. Hardcore gaming begins with an appreciation of gaming’s history, and with the internet an abyss of scattered information, Supercancel intends to be a concise and professional online resource featuring in-depth reviews, guides and features chronicling the pathways that led gaming to where it is today. This Coming Soon page will hopefully answer all your queries regarding the project, but if not feel free to hit the Feedback tab below to send a private message.
Click the button below for special preview review of Chomakaimura – or Super Ghouls & Ghosts as it’s known in the west – for an example of Supercancel’s approach to classic gaming.
Please note: The aesthetic and overall layout in this example are not final.
S U P E R C A N C E L
/super cancel/
A term normally associated with, but not restricted to, the fighting game, denoting a technique where a regular or special move is canceled mid-flow into a super attack to devastating effect.
“He pulled off a last-second Supercancel and won the match”.
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FOLLOW SUPERCANCEL AT:
THREE EXAMPLES OF SUPERCANCEL’S STYLE
HOSTED ON EUROGAMER.NET – THESE EXAMPLES WILL OPEN IN A NEW TAB
PREVIOUS WORK
PREVIOUS WORK
WHO AM I?
I’m Tom Massey, a professional game journalist for over a decade looking to create something special in a field I know and love.
I cut my gaming teeth in the 8-bit era, and I’ve written for a host of online publications and print magazines, including The Argus newspaper, Boys Toys magazine, In-Stock, Lovefilm.com (now Amazon Prime), and Eurogamer.net. I’ve also interviewed various people over the years, including Mikito Ichikawa on Slap Fight MD, Falcom’s president on two different occasions, and Vanillaware’s Kentaro Ohnishi.
I love the power of language equally to the subject matter I write about, and I intend to do my very best in making Supercancel the ultimate online resource for classic games journalism.
INDUSTRY COMMENTS
Tom’s writing has a unique ability to match beautiful lyricism with his encyclopaedic knowledge of some of gaming’s far flung and most fascinating corners. He’s really one of the very best!
Martin Robinson - Features Editor, Eurogamer.netTom Massey is a wonderful writer, able to combine wit, keen observation and an astonishing depth of knowledge into the kind of pieces that I truly savour. I would read him on any subject!
Christian Donlan - Multi-Award Winning Journalist, Eurogamer.net, EDGE Magazine, The New Statesman, The GuardianTom’s knowledge of Japanese gaming culture is unmatched, yet he effortlessly manages to combine this enviable expertise with a boundless enthusiasm for the subject matter which makes his content a complete and utter joy to read.
Damien McFerran - Tech & Video Game Journalist, Editorial Director at Nintendo Life, Push Square, Pure Xbox, Nlife.comBelow is some of the very encouraging reader feedback I’ve received over the years. Each has a link to the respective article.
“I’ve been reading Eurogamer for many years; I think this is the most well written piece I’ve ever read. Thank you very much and keep up the good work.“
“Brilliant article. A perfect example of why I come to Eurogamer everyday, thanks.”
“What a brilliant article, easily the best read I’ve had on EG in months.”
“Oh goodness what a fantastic article. As numerous people above have said, much more please.”
“Tom Massey!
Your writing techniques are profound, I am in awe.
Very good article, an enjoyable read”
“A beautifully written paean of praise to what is simply one of the greatest pieces of art ever created. Thank you for this – it was a pleasure to read and reminisce with you.”
“Hey signed up just to say I loved this write up. Really sucks you in. “
“Really nice read.. Actual journalism. More of this please!”
“Fantastic article. Just brilliant.”
“Awesome read, this is the heart of what Eurogamer is!”
“What a fantastic article, feels like we’re standing over your shoulder as the pros work their magic.”
“This article was a brilliant start to my morning! For someone who never really had much interest in arcades, I found myself completely enthralled. Hats off, stand up and applause for the writer!”
DETAILED ANALYSES AND IN-DEPTH REPORTING
For many, the magazines of our childhood – the likes of Super Play, Mean Machines and Gamefan – defined our interests. At the time, games journalism was fun and lightweight, and certainly less ethically questionable than it is now – but the commentary lacked detail. Now, with classic video games renowned for their high skill level and occasionally changing hands for thousands of dollars, it’s a good time to rediscover the good, the great, and the occasionally spectacularly awful.
Supercancel is an endeavour to put hardcore gaming on the map alongside other major online publications. Beneath its contemporary aesthetic lie whispers of magazines past and a lump sum of childhood wonder, retrofitted with unflinching opinion and an understanding of what makes gaming exceptional.
Some people may not consider the difference between your Ukiyoteis and Fill-in-Cafes, Makaimuras and Kyukyoku Tigers to be important, but as an information-rich resource fired with undying passion for the subject matter, Supercancel aims to serve newcomers and connoisseurs equally.
SUPERCANCEL TEASER: SPECIAL EXTENDED VERSION
This is a previously unseen longer cut of the second teaser trailer, with around 1 minute of additional content.
All footage used under the fair use clause of the US copyright act 1976 | Editing and original location footage – Tom Massey | All music used with permission | “Everyone Changes” Copyright Duke Westlake/The Orchard Music | “Arrakis” Copyright Black Sun Empire Recordings
NEWS, REVIEWS, OPINION, FEATURES – HIGHLIGHTING THE OBSCURE, WEIRD & WONDERFUL
Gaming’s history still has plenty to be discovered, with lesser-known titles and developers all worth charting. Supercancel’s reviews and features will bring these stories to light, building a detailed and colourful online reference for the future.
AND MANY MORE…
BUDGET, WORKFORCE, STRUCTURE
Several published journalists with both the necessary experience and enthusiasm have been consulted regarding contributing to the site. It would be unfair to declare anyone as staff until the contract is signed and the copy is in, so for now let’s just say the Supercancel team is in a promising but pending state.
SAYING NO TO ADVERTISING
The Kickstarter is forthcoming and hasn’t been launched as yet.
Why Kickstarter? Because Supercancel is for the community and aspires to be driven by it. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to rely on crowdfunding to make this work, rather than advertising. Initially, the Kickstarter campaign will hopefully get the project off the ground. My coding knowledge only goes so far and there are additional web design, polishing and structural elements that I can’t achieve alone.
The Kickstarter goal will cover server costs, paid-for web development additions and all testing and finalisations. Most importantly it will cover a full year of operation, giving the site 365 days to find its way in the world. The Kickstarter financial target hasn’t yet been finalised: I’m weighing up the bare minimum I can achieve after giving Kickstarter their cut, the taxman his, and still being able to pay for bread, water and instant noodles. If the project interests you, please help to spread the word on social media, and remember to follow the site’s development via Twitter and Facebook. With your help Supercancel has a fighting chance, or at the very least, a Super in stock.
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Please follow Supercancel at these accounts for project updates:
*All website previews are work in progress and may not represent the final result
TECHNICAL INFO
One man against the likes of Polygon, IGN and Kotaku isn’t easy, all of whom invested millions in the development of their publishing platforms; but I’m confident Supercancel will give them a run for their money in terms of technical accomplishment, and even more so in quality of content. If you gotta grapple, grapple gorgeously!
Here are some of the features you can look forward to:
- BUILT WITH HTML5 & CSS3
- RETINA READY
- FULLY RESPONSIVE
- CONTENT ADAPTIVE FOR MOBILE RESOLUTIONS
- OPTIMISED FOR PERFORMANCE
- USABILITY OPTIMISED LAYOUT & INTERFACE
- ADVANCED COMMENTS SECTION W/NESTING, SOCIAL SHARING, VOTING
- SOCIAL SHARING
- CROSS COMPATIBLE BROWSERS: CHROME, FIREFOX, SAFARI, OPERA, EDGE, IE9, IE10, IE11, iOS, ANDROID
- FUTURE-PROOFED
