I think it's pretty obvious that the movie is stop-motion.

It is not.

then who cares if it's not CGI?

Well best thing about non-CGI animation is that it doesn't look like CGI. So why trying to make it look like that?

made by the same people who made coraline so it's probably 3d stop motion.

made from high quality 3D models, not clay.

Yeah... well at least to me that definitely looked like CGI not clay. Which means that if you want to make real clay-animation, why make it look like CGI.

I just saw the teaser for Laika's new animated film Paranorman. It's not coming out til next August, which feels so damn far away. Looks gorgeous, and I'm glad that the trailer itself was unorthodox for an animated flick.

At first I went, "Wow, this is nice CGI."

Then I realized...

Realized what?

Both Pixar and Dreamworks makes really bad films. They don't have any masculine gay appeal in them, or super sexism either.

Style is never substance. Form is never function.

Never say never.

Worst chiptune music ever!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjPapl41760

Could you explain in more detail why that is bad?

almost all CGI movies (scratch that, all animated movies) are style-over-substance. it comes with the medium.

But there are some styles that require no substance, or where the style itself is the substance. Well I can only think of Transformers and Heavy Metal...

I think this is where modern chiptune fails. Now we're 20 years past the days of the SID and 2A03, and since modern DAWs and trackers can render dozens of channels with no lag, people today are no longer constricted to these artificial limitations. So we get a bunch of people trying to brute-force their way to a full sound, which almost always leads to a stuffy and lopsided mix. But that's just personal opinion.

I fully agree on this. While this applies to chipmusic, it also applies to some "regular" music too. But I am not going there, it is completely another discussion  You pretty much explained the essence behind good chip music, that being constrictions and artificial limitations. You have to make most out of them. In long run it provides some awesome pieces when composers know and learn more about the tech they work with. It might take years. The very first C64 songs weren't so good. I believe the peak in SID-music where somewhere in late 80s, before sound sampling started to be major thing. While many sample based SID-songs sound awesome too, they pretty much start to go in another direction any many times lacks true quality compositions. It is like hiphop-scene of SID's.

I personally don't do chip music at all, but I try to constrict myself still in my own work. Usually limiting my collection / usage of VST's or effects, or limiting number of tracks playing simultaneously. But I derive most of my compositional inspiration from 80s SID-culture.

[Tone Awareness.]

1. Tone Awareness. Just like voices, waveforms also have a power range. To illustrate, listen to Okkusenman and notice how each waveform is used in regards to pitch. In contrast, listen to this excerpt from a true Classics of Game. While it has some neat compositional ideas, the instrumentation is doing its gosh-darned best to shoot the song right in the foot.

While both of those songs are good, I prefer Mega Man one. Not because it has better overall tones and mixing, like you said, but because its a better on composition side. There is sure lot of potential in Deadly Towers, but it falls too short. I think I am more fond into soundscape of DT anyway, because it gives more breathing room for compositions (where it lacks eventually). Yeah well, either one is not bad example by any means

2. Differentiation. Let's face it, there are only so many sounds you can pull out of a chip. So unless you have a super-unique compositional style or are willing to buy your advantage, it's likely that your music will just sound just like all the other bad chiptunes. I think this is super egregious with SID music, which despite having one of the most flexible sound chips ever, has a music library which consists of everyone pretty much using the same freaking sounds and techniques. But I know you know a lot more about that scene than I do, so feel free to provide examples of good SID music (one good one I'm thinking about is "Disno" by Peet; sadly unavailable outside of the HVSC...and also some mortimer t stuff)

I some what disagree since I believe that good chip music doesn't require good sound tech. With most basic chip sounds you can make great pieces. It is about using the given soundwaves interestingly, and more importantly, laying down compositions that have something in them. Try Köleskab from Toben Hansen, it is quite "big" song to be chip tune in the end. Full of emotion which is very important in any music. Applies even more in chip-music because instrumental masturbation is taken out of equation. SID-music has always been about emotion for me. I feel that most chip music lacks it completely. Good songs are universal ideas, non-dependent on the platform. But at least in SID-scene lots of good songs emerged because lack of tech shifted lots of focus on compositions. It is like neo-classical. Classical music has always been made with same instruments and arrangements, making the songs more like ideas of perfection. Genlock Intro from Volker Meitz is also such. I am not listing BEST SID songs because it is impossible feat.

3. On Chiptune Elements. I mention this because I see way too many people trying to "enhance" their mixes with a few pulse waves in order to spruce up the action. I know. I'm guilty of it myself. Now while there's no problem with this innately, the real trouble comes during the mixing phase. You gotta believe, waveforms cut through the mix like microfilament, and trying to get a smooth blend between them and your other instruments is a headache beyond headaches. Honestly I'd just say that unless your name is Anamanaguchi or Ninomojo, you're better off just avoiding chipwaves in your normal music altogether.

I'm not really into this "enhancing" philosophy. It never sounds right, worst possible example must be Desert Planet. I must say that I didn't like Ninomojo or Anamanaguchi. It is like doing boob job for music. I however do like demoscene artists approach trying to push the boundaries of a chip, inside a chip.

OK, so in the end I ended up ranting about good chiptune instead of bad. But honestly, a lot of bad chipmusic suffers from most of the flaws that normally-bad music suffers from (poor mixing, no flow, etc.), so I figured I might as well focus on issues specific to chiptune...

I think, bad chip music suffers from the fact that compositions and arrangements are not interesting. It is because the fundamental lack of understanding truly good music, and from which elements its been made of. The chiptunish paste job doesn't make the actual songs worse or better.

You're over examining it.

I believe that when basic idea is good, it should be done properly and not blindly.

i listen to my own music sometimes.

as in listen for pleasure, not analytically or w/e. 

Me too... it is quite good thing.

One person can't tell everybody.

Contracts would be OTT; Trust is enough. People who break the secrecy would only reveal to the world that they cannot be trusted. That social judgement would be a heavy burden to carry.

Youtube.

You can reveal the secret anonymously, so there is no fear of losing your face. In the other hand, not all care about their reputation or social judgement. But if this game is all about inside joke between indie devs in closed circle, then nobody cares.

But secret should be made in such way that it cannot be revealed, it can be only experienced.

One person can't tell everybody.

Contracts would be OTT; Trust is enough. People who break the secrecy would only reveal to the world that they cannot be trusted. That social judgement would be a heavy burden to carry.

Youtube.

You can reveal the secret anonymously, so there is no fear of losing your face. In the other hand, not all care about their reputation or social judgement. But if this game is all about inside joke between indie devs in closed circle, then nobody cares.

indie devs don't lose their jobs because they don't have real jobs to start with

So indie devs are those who play indie games?

People would be trusted to keep it to themselves. I think the vast majority of people would.

It requires only one person to spoil it  Trust is not enough, unless it is some sort of contract which has 50 000 dollar fine. Many reality-TV shows use such contracts.

I think it would be interesting to see a modern arcade game with micropayments. Maybe it'd cost a quarter, and you'd get 10 cents back for each completed level. Just brainstorming.

Or what about making a game that is exclusive "by invitation only" like google wave was. Each player, upon completing so many levels gets three single-use codes they can give to their friends, so they can download the game and play it too.

There can be a secret that is revealed in the game as well, along with instructions: "You must not describe to anybody what this secret is. You may only mention it by name. Only those who play the game are allowed to know it."

Make it free to play, and it'd be a phenomenon. Everyone will want to join in and know the secret. TIGS should make this.

The secret would be spoiled in a first instance, how you prevent that? Unless the secret is somehow different in every play turn.

Why don't you talk about how to make good games?

When you get kick out from a work, you have time to play. So it is all bells and whistles.

https://8bc.org/music/Ashkin/Blue+Balloon/
I tried composing music once.
I am the textbook example of bad chiptunes. Void your bowels in fear and disgust.

I thought that we would not post our own music here either, but if that is genuinely really bad maybe I'll accept your contribution 
(Just realized how this thread was good idea while I don't have possibility to listen anything right now) - But I'll listen that later.