The Best Thing You'll See Today: The Prince of Persia mo-cap tapes
Though it may seem crude these days, Jordan Mechner's original Prince of Persia animation was state-of-the-art in 1989. But the method by which he got it is even more impressive. Mechner shot his kid brother, performing the moves he needed, on a video camera and then, using rotoscoping, plopped them directly into his game.
Now, you can watch the actual home movies and it's positively shocking how closely they resemble the final moves the prince was performing way back in the late '80s. Watch it just below the break and just try not to get a little emotional. Try!
[Via Giant Bomb]
Now, you can watch the actual home movies and it's positively shocking how closely they resemble the final moves the prince was performing way back in the late '80s. Watch it just below the break and just try not to get a little emotional. Try!
[Via Giant Bomb]











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Noshino @ Oct 29th 2008 9:15AM
Sad thing is that if someone today does the same thing, they are labeled a pedophile...
Ihavepants @ Oct 29th 2008 9:20AM
What? So all Game devs are pedophiles now? Is that what you're saying?
Seriously though what are you referring to... it better not be just the fact that the person running around in the video is under 18. Your view on pornography is fail.
Another paragraph of confuzzles at your comment.
The last paragraph.
bm @ Oct 29th 2008 9:48AM
Dude WTF.
Noshino @ Oct 29th 2008 9:53AM
Ihavepants
what? to begin with, you comment doesn't make much sense, this isn't the same as today's mo-cap technology...apparently I was misunderstood as Im not trying to call any game developer or anyone for that matter a pedophile.
I'm just mentioning it because a friend was recording a bunch of kids at the playground as reference for a college project, and you could hear people passing by calling him a pedophile...
j.howlett @ Oct 29th 2008 9:56AM
did he have a pedo look? the guy who shot this was young at the time and his kid brother isn't a little kid.
Noshino @ Oct 29th 2008 10:09AM
lol no, seriously, now there is even a "pedo" look? -_-;
dark_inchworm @ Oct 29th 2008 10:17AM
Yes, pedophilia accusations are borderline ridiculous these days - I fell into that boat once with the cops for seeing someone 3 years younger during my freshman year at college (???) - but I don't understand what on Earth sparked your comment...
ihateemo @ Oct 29th 2008 10:28AM
What a dumb comment. Filming your younger brother do some running and jumping so that you can mo-cap it is hardly the same as hanging around a pre-school with a video camera and then fondling yourself to it later.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Savok @ Oct 29th 2008 1:50PM
You're all completely missing what he said.
Try taking pictures of your own damn kids at the beach and see what happens.
Reading comprehension people, they're supposed to teach you this at school, further proof that system is rotten too.
WindPower @ Oct 29th 2008 3:35PM
You've watched that "Prince of Persia retrospective" video from Zero Punctuation, right? Cause that's exactly what Yahtzee says xP
FSK405K @ Oct 29th 2008 9:19AM
No parallel game footage to compare this to? Kind of a waste without.
Jack of All Trades @ Oct 29th 2008 9:23AM
What, you can't see the game in your mind's eye? I certainly could.
Dante G @ Oct 29th 2008 11:03AM
@Jack
Indeed. Seen those moves so many times you don't need a side by side video. it would have been nice though.
arrrgh @ Oct 29th 2008 11:04AM
seriously.
i dont think i'll ever forget how prince of persia looked and played.
you can totally see the game in his movements. Animators did a bang up job!!
FSK405K @ Oct 30th 2008 9:27AM
You mean for an obscure and crappy PC game? Na, I was playing Populous, Gunship, and SMB3 when it came out.
Madster @ Oct 31st 2008 7:31PM
The original Prince of Persia, obscure?
Right. No one ever heard about it.
Riiight. Crappy. Right. You were playing those remembered by everybody like... gunship.
And you DO realise Populous was made for PC first then PORTED to every single system under the sun (just like Prince of Persia).
sigh.
Erluti @ Oct 29th 2008 9:26AM
I wondered why the prince always stumbled around. It was endearing that he wasn't a super-hero type...
But this explains why he moved like an awkward teenager.
bm @ Oct 29th 2008 9:50AM
Heh, I wonder what that kid is doing now.
Ihavepants @ Oct 29th 2008 10:02AM
He's probably either a crack addict or pornstar, or both.
MuToiD_MaN @ Oct 29th 2008 3:27PM
What about porn addict? Crack star?
dave @ Oct 30th 2008 8:05PM
gollum/ smeagol come to mind?
j.howlett @ Oct 29th 2008 9:53AM
i've seen this footage before on g4tv.
Mike Sylvester @ Oct 29th 2008 10:25AM
I think I remember seeing it on an episode of Icons.
Bucket @ Oct 29th 2008 10:52AM
That is indeed one of the awesomest things I've seen.
Janichsan @ Oct 29th 2008 11:12AM
Heh, I immediately was reminded of some of the PoP animations. ;)
Toasty @ Oct 29th 2008 12:10PM
That's amazingly cool...although I notice that the Prince can pull himself up on ledges a little faster than his animation reference.
MuToiD_MaN @ Oct 29th 2008 3:36PM
Man! I did always think the Prince looked a little kid-like ...
lordwindowlicker @ Oct 29th 2008 3:39PM
Wow, those movements really bring back some memories.
bise @ Oct 29th 2008 5:39PM
that's just awesome
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Oct 29th 2008 8:17PM
Those videos are priceless. So many good memories.
PS: Is it technically motion capture? They used rotoscoping.
Josh (be logical; vote for Obama) @ Oct 29th 2008 9:01PM
Amazing. Just amazing.