Many of you know Starmen.net is having a youtube videocontest for some pretty cool prizes. This vid is definitely my favorite so far. Give it some views on youtube and help these guys take first place.
This is a fake Japanese commercial for the non-existent game smush of Earthbound and Mega Man, Earth Man. It was a collaborative effort by Nightwing (youtube name) and ZorakStart.
Nightwing programmed the game parts featured in the commercial among other things. One can only hope that if he gets some support and help he could make this ROM. By far the best part of the vid is the box art at the end.
Earth Man box art and concept are all thanks to Kaigetsudo(artist), Ranger(concept), and Steve(logo). I was only able to find Kaigetsudo's deviantart account. Sorry Ranger and Steve. This is my new favorite box art, and its not even real.
God, I hope they get support and make a fan rom of this.
Steve Totilo over at MTV blog has a real awesome interview with the guys at Majesco over their new game Blast Works.
Kevin Ray,Chief Technology Officer, sheds some like at breakthroughs in Wii multiplayer gameing.
Multiplayer: How did you get around the Friend Code issue?
Ray: Every Wii has a guaranteed unique ID (GUID) that identifies the device. If you look in the Address Book on your Wii you can see this number called the Wii Machine ID. We reference this ID when you connect to the site. The combination of a secure network connection and this unique Wii Machine ID allow us to seamlessly integrate the web site with your Wii and bypass any cumbersome login procedures. It also allows us to implement a directory-service that is above the cumbersome method of remembering friend-codes and allow players to find one another based on real name, user name, favorite game, geographic region, etc.
WHA?!?!?! Unique ID AND directory system. Fucking JAWESOME. Why the shit did the makers of this system not decide to do this.?
Nintendo the ball is in your court to use this for every multiplayer game.
Stumbling through Kotaku while at work I saw a pretty interesting header for a class on
Video game histories, notably RPG’s. Its from “The BrainyGamer”, Michael Abbott, who is a teacher at Wabash College. I don’t think he reads Destructoid, but great minds think alike:
I'm planning a one-semester seminar course devoted to the history of role-playing games. The class will have a limited enrollment of 20 undergraduate students, and it will meet for a total of 15 weeks. I've created a syllabus for a similar course I've offered for a few years, but since I have the luxury of time, I've decided to throw it out and rebuild the syllabus from scratch.
Here are my content criteria for the course:
1.Historical scope - I want to expose students to the historical arc of RPGs, reflecting their origins and evolution. I realize I could spend weeks on mimesis, Tolkien, PnP Dungeons and Dragons, etc., but I'm keen to get them playing and studying electronic games as soon as possible.
2.Breadth - It's important that I provide students with a wide range of RPG games encompassing a variety of gameplay and design variations. The syllabus needn't be a "greatest hits" collection. A classic like Chrono Trigger may or may not make the list depending on how many other Square-developed SNES JRPG titles make the list. Having said that, I definitely think Chrono Trigger belongs on the list! :-)
3.Impact - I want to assign games that have made a notable impact or illustrate important transitions in the evolution of the medium.
This was originally posted on the 9th, but Ive fallen off the internet wagon for awhile, so I’m playin catch-up. Seriously though, this class of his has a pretty large pool of games to choose from. How to choose? Ask the community and ye shall receive. He has come up with a list of 66, yup that’s right 66 games to narrow down to 15 from different eras.
1976-88 Colossal Cave Adventure - PC 1976
Rogue - PC 1980
Zork - PC 1980
Wizardry - PC 1981
King's Quest - PC 1984
Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - PC 1984
Ultima IV - PC 1985
A Bard's Tale - PC 1985
A Mind Forevor Voyaging - PC 1985
Space Quest - PC 1986
Shadowgate - Mac/PC 1987
Nethack - PC 1987
Sid Meier's Pirates! - C64/PC 1987
Wasteland - C64/PC 1988
Phantasy Star - Sega Master System
1988 1989-96 Final Fantasy IV - SNES 1991
Dragon Quest III - NES 1991
Actraiser - SNES 1991
Ultima VII - PC 1992
Secret of Mana - SNES 1993
Betrayal at Krondor - PC 1993
Syndicate - PC/SNES 1993
X-Com - PC 1993
Earthbound - SNES 1995
Chrono Trigger - SNES 1995
Ogre Battle - SNES 1995
Secret of Evermore - SNES 1995
Super Mario RPG - SNES 1996
Quest for Glory - PC 1989
Dragon Warrior - NES 1989
1997-2000 Final Fantasy VII - PS1 1997
Ultima Online - PC 1997
Wild Arms - PS1 1997
Fallout - PC 1997
Harvest Moon - SNES 1997
Tactics Ogre - PS1 1998
Final Fantasy Tactics - PS1 1998
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 1998
Baldur's Gate - PC 1998
Legend of Legaia - PS1 1999
Planescape: Torment - PC 1999
Everquest - PC 1999
Fallout 2 - PC 1999
Suikoden II - PS1 1999
Diablo 2 - PC 2000
Deus Ex - PC 2000
Grandia II - Dreamcast 2000
Skies of Arcadia - Dreamcast 2000
Breath of Fire IV - PS1 2000
2001-2008 Dark Cloud - PS2 2001
Neverwinter Nights - PC 2002
Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - PC 2002
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire - GBA 2003
Knights of the Old Republic - Xbox 2003
Disgaea - PS2 2003
Fire Emblem - GBA 2003
World of Warcraft - PC 2004
Dragon Quest VIII - PS2 2005
Final Fantasy XII - PS2 2006
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - PC 2006
Mass Effect - Xbox 360 2007
Persona 3 - PS2 2007
Lord of the Rings Online - PC 2007
Etrian Odyssey - DS 2007
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden PC 2008
Shiren the Wanderer - DS 2008
Grand Theft Auto 4 - PS3 2008
Metal Gear Solid 3 - PS3 2008
He plans to assign various games to small groups of students at different times, and throughout the semester students present their games to the class in an analytical format.
Also he will choose some that the entire class will participate in with open discussion.
Currently he is sorting through the comments on his site, but I’m sure he is open to more suggestions if there is a game not on the list. Unfortunately, Wabash College, where he teaches, does not offer courses, but Abbott has promised to keep readers in the loop regarding the final product, as well as the bibliography and reading list for the class.
Personally, I would pick:
1976-88 – Zork, King’s Quest, Bard’s Tale, Wasteland
1989-96 – Earthbound, ChronoTrigger, Super Mario RPG, FF3
1997-00 – Fallout 2, Final Fantasy Tactics, Planescape, Ultima Online
2001-08 – Disgaea, World of Warcraft, Barkley, Shut and Jam: Gaiden, Super Paper Mario
Mr. Abbtt poses a refreshing analytical view to issues affecting the game industry, so give his site and podcast some love.
So Nintendo Power is running a poll in their latest issue to find out what classic games people would most like to see appear on the Wii Virtual Console. Once the results are in the magazine will publish the Top 100 most requested titles.
From Nintendo Power: “What classic games do you want to see come to Virtual Console? Send us up to five picks (only for systems currently represented on Virtual Console) at vcpoll@futureus.com. We’ll print results in an upcoming issue. Note: This is for polling purposes only, and will in no way determine future Virtual Console releases.”
I know it says that this will not determine future VC releases, but its Nintendo’s official magazine, the company should be paying attention.
1. Super Mario RPG
2. Super Mario RPG
3. Super Mario RPG
4. Super Mario RPG
5. Super Mario RPG
*list used for joke purpose, taken from Gonintendo.com
Seriously, Ive never found the "Duffster" that hot, more like a block of wood.
Until now. She has definitely moved up a few notches. The clip is from a new movie called War Inc. with John Cusack, Teh Duff, Ben Kingsly, and Marisa Tomei.
Its set in the future, when the desert country of Turagistan is torn by a riot after a private corporation, owned by the former US president, has taken over the whole state. Brand Hauser (John Cusack) is a hit man who suppresses his emotions by gobbling down on hot sauce and is hired by the corporation's head to kill the CEO of their competitors. Everything changes when the ruthless killer finds himself head-over-heels in love with a sexy reporter portrayed by Marisa Tomei. I guess Duffs' role is just that of a hot chick with a scorpion down her pants (screw the "pop star" background)
Here is the official trailer:
The weirdest part is the exact same thing happened to me one time when i was in Mexico… its like they are in my mind.
So I'm cruising around lookin at new movie trailers (it seriously disappoints me that Be Kind Rewind isnt playing at my theater) I saw this new movie from Morgan Spurlock, the guy from Supersize Me and 30 Days (tv show)
He has this new movie called "Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?"
I was pulling for this movie poster:
Here is his own words explaining the movie: "If I have learned anything from over 30 years of movie-watching, it’s that if the world needs saving, it’s best done by one lone man willing to face danger head on to take it down, action hero style."
Morgan sets out to do the impossible and find Osama, a noble effort which I hope will land him in many madcap adventures.
It looks like a decent movie, no Charlie Bartlett mind you.
I'm hoping he comes across some mystic mountain hideout pictured below:
PS I was looking for the Youtube version of the trailer and I found this irresistably funny:
A new Wii Channel will be launched alongside the launch of Mario Kart Wii - the Mario Kart Channel. Players will be able to monitor their ranking against other players, as well as access and share Ghost Data with each other.
The Channel will also allow players to jump into friend's races, even if they're in progress, or simply be a spectator. Even better, Nintendo has hinted that it will run special events through the service.
Finally a multiplayer game WITH stat tracking. Sounds like it will be fun to be able to jump in a friends race too. I'm hoping that this is a success and will spawn more channels *cough* Demo Channel *cough*. I would even hope they could release DLC with new tracks or even themed tracks for special events/holidays. A track editor would effin rock also, but I'm not gonna hold my breath for any of this.
The more I see and hear I am really excited about its release, I skipped Double Dash cause I never bought a GameCube, but I still get a warm feeling from dusting off the N64 iteration. Wario Stadium fucking rocked!
Also Nintendo is catching on to the fact that most Wii owners enjoy their Mii's. It's most of the fun when you first bust out the system.
"If none of the Mario characters take your fancy, you can use your Mii as the driver of your cart. Mii's will also make up the spectator audience, copied directly from your collection on your Wii."
Finally I can have Ghandi and Hitler race in a no holds barred turtle shell flinging kart race. If someone has not made a Speed Racer Mii, now would be the time.
Everyone keeping up with crazy awesome Wii news remembers Johnny Lee with his head tracking VR program. Here's a refresher:
It seems, ol Spielberg or at least the dev team working on Boom Blox has taken notice.
Here is some info from GDC regarding the feature in the game.
There was a special “GDC Easter Egg” presented at the end of the session. It seems as though Head Tracking has been worked into the production of Boom Blox. Some things are unclear as to whether or not you can move around through previously recorded levels that you played through, or if they are custom built levels. The important thing is that it IS worked into the game and is available. Things needed by the player would be either LED glasses, or a wireless sensor bar.
Im glad that people are taking innovation like this seriously. Albeit this feature could just be a small bit in an "instant replay" mode or a full addon to a control scheme, but it would at least open the door and inspire other devs to take this technology in awesome gameplay directions.
Im kinda surprised this hasnt been posted today. Im sure its getting some awesomely funny commentary from the editor staff, but I figured to drop this in anyways. Via Gizmodo
Peter Hirschberg has just finished his stunning retro-gaming heaven, Luna City Arcade, which has 57 fully-restored arcade classics, spanning Asteroids to Zaxxon, plus a whole load of pinballs. The best part, he does all this on his own dime, for the love of it. It's open to the public now, and the best thing: entrance and quarters are completely free. The change machines are set to dispense quarters for free. My rules are "don't use your own money" and "don't take my money home with you."
The arcade is housed in a seperate dedicated building, right next to his house. The arcade building is 60' x 40' with 2 stories, a bathroom, and 12' ceilings.
Looks like a normal three car garage/barn, but once inside... holy balls
It just blows my mind, the lengths people go to preserve their fondest memories of childhood and how far they go to share it with others.
To check out a list of the cabinets he's got go HERE.
Heres a few of my personal favs:
The one thing I can think that would make this collection any better: The Last Starfighter Cabinet.
PS: whats the BBCode to resize images? I wanted to add more and I fiddled with [img= *Size*x*Size*] but that wasnt working for me so I said fuck it. Post still looks off-balance, but I dont have the time right now to become a BBCode ninja.
CVG.com has recently posted some new info about the upcoming LEGO Batman game thats got me, and I would expect other eager fans, about as excited as this old is that he can play video games at home now.
For starters, the devs are no longer shackled to a film narrative. With no film ties, they've opted instead for the light-hearted spirit of the 1960's TV series and comic books.
The plot focuses on the mother of all breakouts from Gotham's premium nut-bin, Arkham Asylum featuring some of the batman universes best baddies Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Harlequin, Killer Croc and Scarecrow - not to mention unlockable fiends. Wow thats a lot of variety in bosses.
As Jonathan Smith of Traveller's Tales puts it, levels are all based on the simple question "What would Batman and Robin do?" The answer? "Fighting henchmen all the way, using special gadgets and technology to penetrate hideouts. "We've worked hard to give each of them lots of cool moves. These abilities include but are not limited to: targetable Batarangs, wall-jumping and wall-walking for Robin, tightrope walking, gliding, powerful punch and kick combos and more."
Traveller's Tales have dreamt up power suits: unique skill-altering outfits - perfect for replaying levels in Free Play mode to hunt down hidden treats. So far they have only released the Magnetic Suit. I guess that will aid in picking up the LEGO studs that scatter.
Finally, they've introduced a new "Villain Mode, where you take control of the villains in their criminal plots. It's a story mode in its own right, with missions following one after the other in three separate chapter groups, to mirror the Hero Mode storyline."
This game is still six months out, but man is it shaping up as an awesomely fun experience into the Batman world that the Wii desperately needs.
I live out in West Texas, San Angelo to be exact.
There is not much to do besides work, game, and drink.
Which is good because I enjoy all those things.
Favorites:
ANY SNES RPGs
NBA Jamz
Half-life series
Sam & Max
Guitar Hero series
Retroforce GO!
Wii FC: 3099-0558-1190-7486
Mario Kart Wii FC : 3780-9720-4667
SSBB FC : 1676-3367-2326
