Bonus Level

Nothing to see here

Lance — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:56:20 +0000

Martin via Facebook pretty much dared me to prove that I can’t draw, even if I went to an art school. So I accepted his dare and drew Peach with a tramp stamp. All because I needed to assault your eyes today.

[Ed. note - click the image to see the full body shot.]

Wallpapers 9/3/10

Lance — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:52:13 +0000

To celebrate Labor Day I decided to hold an old fashion BLOW-OUT with regards to wallpapers this week. Let me know what your favorite one is!

The Most Advanced version of Laser-Quest

Chris — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:33:31 +0000

Anyone remember Laser-Quest? The indoor laser gun game in the dark that ever kid would want to get for their birthday? You’d strap on a vest that act as your hit detector and try to take out 20 other little hellions, with amped up laser pointers. Good wholesome fun.

Well the military along with laser shot have giant “kill houses” that are the final evolution of Laser-Quest. Where armed soldiers breach rooms and take out Terrorist Silhouettes with quick and calculating strikes for the ultimate simulation. For the last ten years they have been refining and fine tuning this project. Making sure bullets fly right, also making sure all the physics add up. It requires a ton of processing power to crunch the data, but it must be precise for the simulations to have real life validity.

Even the A.I’s are expertly crafted to react with the utmost authenticity. They are programmed to kill and will think creatively to do so. The actual detail of these simulations is not at the forefront since the soldier won’t care for specific textures but more of how it reacts realistically. The walls have high-end projectors showing enemies and the walls are bullets-proofed so the soldiers can fire of live rounds.

The “kill house” is being updated again with vests for the soldiers to wear that will mimic bullet impact when an A.I shoots a soldier. These layers of depth show some really slick technology but also are kind of reminiscent of a metal gear solid feel of simulation and dehumanizing enemy troops. It’s both interesting and terrifying at the time and money being spent on something little kids would play for fun on Sunday afternoons.

In one way it gives videos games better funding to make better games but the counter-point is the obvious negative conation it can take to show video games and murder simulators. Damn Jack Thompson was right.

Full story here on Kotaku.

3 iOS games you should be playing

Jeremy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:30:00 +0000

The Incident
You play as Frank, a mild-mannered guy just trying to get by, when stuff just starts falling from the sky. It’s your job to help Frank dodge all the stuff and climb higher and higher. You move just by tilting your device from side-to-side and jumping by tapping the screen. Simple right? As you move through the levels, the objects get larger and they start falling even faster.

The best part is how much this feels like a classic NES game. The wonderful 8-bit graphics and music just feel like a warm hug from childhood. The variety of objects is great too. From small objects like electric guitars, Mac Pros and vases to taxis and vans, you’re climbing over everything you can think of.

My biggest complaint is the pause button is inconveniently placed. I’ve paused the game many times when all I wanted to do was jump over a mattress. Some argue that the novelty wears off fast. While I haven’t played it as much as Angry Birds, I still really like it and play it pretty regularly. I like the whole feel of it.

Cost: $1.99

Monster Dash

You’re a Monster Hunter running at full speed through monster territory to take out all those mummies, vampires, and demons. Like a lot of iOS games, it’s simple and it’s cheap. From the makers of Fruit Ninja, Monster Dash is also a addictive and fun little game. Basically, you just see how far you can get while blasting zombies and collecting power-ups. You can then comparing your dash against your friends. I’ve only managed 4,000 km. Cost: $0.99

Epic Win

Ok. I know. This isn’t actually a game. It’s a task management app. But never has doing your laundry been more fun. You choose an avatar, setup your tasks, and as you complete the tasks you get XP. Just like any good RPG, you level up and get rewards for doing so. It’s not the best task management app. It needs push notifications or integration with the system calendar to be truly effective. The developers have promised future enhancements so maybe it will be even better.

Cost: $2.99

“Why I Hate Buying Apps”

When I told Lance about the incident, he asked me how much it costs. When I told him that it costs $1.99, he replied “I don’t buy apps that are more than $0.99.” I saw this comic from the Oatmeal this morning and had to end with it.

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 9/01/10

Lance — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:00:05 +0000

Hard to believe it’s September already! I hope everyone had a good summer as it is now over. OVER.

Also, Castle Crashers finally lands on the PSN so your PSN owners out there should go pick it up.

Nintendo
WiiWare

Tales of Elastic Boy – Mission 1
Publisher: Lexis Numerique
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: Tales of Elastic Boy offers a totally innovative and unique style of game play that takes full advantage of the Wii Remote™ controller. To fulfill your quest and save your planet, you’ll have to travel through many lands, defeat various enemies, meet unexpected friends and solve tricky puzzles. Play in single-player mode or with your friends and discover funny games. Use your stretching arms to swing and punch, roll as fast as you can or jump onto your enemies. Based on a powerful physics engine, Tales of Elastic Boy offers a truly original and entertaining gaming experience that’s easy to learn but challenging to master.

Nintendo DSiWare

Cosmos X2
Publisher: Saturnine Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Pilot the Cosmos X2 to defend your planet against an alien invasion. Battle your way through the solar system to the alien home world to defeat their army. Equip your ship with two weapons of your choice and switch between them at any time during battle. Your active weapon takes damage when your ship gets hit. Defeating enemies regenerates energy in your inactive weapon. The key to your survival lies in finding a balance in your weapon usage. Battle your way through six levels of action and test your skills with three difficulty levels. Three bonus modes provide additional challenges.

myNotebook: Pearl
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you go. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 24 different unlockable paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles and then erase the bits you don’t like. With five ink colors, you’ll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.myNotebook also includes 128 pages to write on and the ability to export your pages to your Nintendo DSi Photo Album.

Music on: Learning Piano
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: An entire orchestra follows your performance of 15 great classics. By playing each day, your ability may increase. Earn the bronze, silver and gold medals for each song, completing each different level. A simplified music score is shown on the upper screen and a full piano keyboard appears on the touch screen, guiding beginners note by note on their first steps. Learn works by famous composers including Beethoven, Pachelbel, Bach, Strauss and Verdi.

Microsoft
XBLA

DEAD RISING 2: CASE ZERO
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Germany, Japan and Korea
Dash Text: Get a taste of what Dead Rising 2 has to offer in this full-featured prologue! Chuck Greene and his daughter Katey have barely escaped the Las Vegas zombie outbreak with their lives. They arrive in the lonely desert town of Still Creek looking for some rest, but unfortunately there is no rest to be had as this sleepy town has become overrun with zombies. Chuck must kill zombies, rescue survivors and escape from the zombie nightmare that is Still Creek before time runs out. Any PP, clothing, and Combo Cards gained in CASE ZERO will carry over into your Dead Rising 2 game!

Sony
PSN

Castle Crashers ($14.99)
Hack, slash, and smash your way to victory in this award winning 2D arcade adventure from The Behemoth. Play with up to three friends locally or online and discover mind-boggling magic and mystery like you’ve never seen before.

Save your princess, defend your kingdom, and crash some castles! Play with more than 25 unlockable characters, dozens of weapons to customize your hero, and an arsenal of combos and magical attacks to choose from.
ESRB Rated T
File size: 153 MB

Sam And Max Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep (free with purchase of full season)
This is the biggest Sam & Max game ever. An enormous, scaly, floppy-eared monster is rampaging through the city, and Sam assembles a crack team to stop him! To end the mayhem, they must venture … inside … the creature! With an all star cast of heroes and villains – you’ll be riveted to your seat for each thrilling twist, and the truly shocking conclusion in this series finale episode!
ESRB Rated E10+
File size: 365 MB

PSone Classics

Theme Hospital ($5.99)
Manage floor designs, hire medical staff, and cure some of the wackiest diseases known to man. Act quickly though, it is sure to be a matter of laugh and death! Download this PS one Classic today!
ESRB Rated E
File size: 123 MB

PSP

Valkyria Chronicles 2 ($39.99)
The epic RPG continues as Gallia erupts in civil war against a Rebel army plotting to overthrow the country’s regime. Lead your fellow classmates on a heroic journey through 200+ missions, fight with 30 brand new military units and customize characters, weapons and tanks with over 3 times the options as before! Experience the all new co-op and versus multiplayer modes and the revamped BLiTZ Battle System!
ESRB Rated T
File size: 826 MB

PSP Minis

Coconut Dodge – Minis ($3.99)
ESRB Rated E
File size: 22 MB

Shadows In The Nyte

Lance — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:30:26 +0000

While attending the fantastic Bit Gen Game Fest a few weeks ago Jena and I came across a merch table that was selling just the cutest stuff! Yes I said the cutest stuff. We picked up a sweet Mario magnet when he was wearing the Tanooki suit at one seller only because I didn’t have enough cash money to pick up a couple of this sellers awesome stuff! Winter is quickly coming so it might be a smart idea to stock up on some winter items. And I suspect these would make sweet gifts for the lady gamer in your life as well. Here is a direct link to the sellers ETSY store which is chock full of goodies like this!

Bonus Level Radio 49: Train Bang Some Chicks

Lance — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:30:46 +0000

For the first time in a long time the whole gang is back! Jess is finally back from her most recent assignment and she brought Paul along with her. Just a fair bit of warning to all of our listeners who listen with speakers and not headphones – we got a bit blue. I know we use the explicit tag on iTunes and most of our listeners are adults but we all felt an extra bit of warning couldn’t hurt!

This week we tackle the Pre-Owned Game Debate, the true meaning of SCOTUS, Apples big forthcoming announcement, the need for physical media, nerd orgies and much much more!

Click here to subscribe via iTunes and never miss another show!
Don’t want to use iTunes? Here is a direct link to our feed!
And if you want us on the Zune Marketplace you gotta help us out by submitting our feed to them!

I almost ruined the couch.

Paul — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:07:53 +0000

Yeah, I saw this last night while watching Tosh.0 and I almost made a love stain on the sofa. Jess can attest. Dear people who produce video game commercials, THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT! STOKED!

Wallpapers 8/27/10

Lance — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:41:37 +0000

Hard to believe that it is the end of August already isn’t it? Next weekend is PAX Prime and I’m jealous of everyone who is going. Big time.

Bit Gen Gamer Fest 5 In Review

Lance — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:48:26 +0000

On Saturday August 14th was the fifth annual Bit Gen Gamer Fest in Baltimore Maryland. You may recall the post we did about it two weeks ago. At the end of that post I asked Jena if we could go to this awesome experience. She thought it was clever and cute that I would ask in such a way and relented to my request to attend.

Apparently cute and clever is a good way to counter extraordinary geeky.

The festival was held at Sonar in Baltimore. It’s kind of a seedy club just a few blocks away from the block. For those who don’t or haven’t lived in Baltimore “the block” is where all of the porn stores and strip clubs are. A kind of small red light district. The club itself isn’t all that big. Probably could fit around 500 people in there if everyone was crammed in like sardines. It’s really just an oversized bar with a stage.

The organizers who put the festival on went all out. I’m not sure if sonar always has free to play arcade games but at Bit Gen they did. They even had an old Marble Madness cabinet that would’ve made contributor Jesse proud. They even did cut out drawings of all of your favorite 8-Bit heros, an example of which is at the top of this post. They had a short video montage around 3 minutes long that was on a loop that contained a bunch of old commercials and video shots of gamings early days. When a band would play this would changed to a graphic of the bands name in purple with the background being gameplay footage from various games. To the left of the stage there was a whole area dedicated to console games that you could play – similar to PAX’s try it area. The area was sponsored by MAG Fest. Overall the feel of the event was spot on and the organizers should be proud.

The first band up was a local Baltimore band called Armadillo Tank. They were the opening act for the show and served that role well. They got you excited for what was to come. I got the feeling that they were a newly formed band still trying to find their sound. Interestingly they had two female members which were two more members than any other band we saw that night.

The band Rare Candy came out next and while they weren’t my favorite of the night they were the most surprising. So much so I bought there CD. It’s hard not to like a band where they start out their set rocking out hard with a Keytar. The band was a three member group who really seemed in sync with what they were doing. At the end of their short 20 minute set I didn’t want them to get off the stage. Their sound is more typical of what you would expect from this kind of thing. If you heard this weeks podcast you heard a sample of their sound as they were this weeks opening.

X-Hunters were next on the schedule. Jena did not like this group. They are essentially a heavy metal group who specialize in Mega Man covers. It’s funny because I didn’t like them at all live. They were loud and kind of noisy. But I listened to some of their tracks on their MySpace page and I dug them a lot. But I give them credit they did something I never thought possible – mosh pitting to video game music.

The Ultraballs seemed like they were trying to be the Andy Kaufman act of the night. They didn’t stand on the stage and sing. They attempted to be apart of the crowd by mixing with the people up front. But because the microphones weren’t wireless they just stood in the front of the crowd so those in the back couldn’t see them. I’m not going to pull any punches here – they were awful. They scream sang over pre-recorded tracks and I believe their target audience is the 420 crowd. The only interesting part of their awful set was when they pulled out the Pokémon cartoon theme and the crowd sang it. You don’t know nerd until you’ve heard 100+ nerds scream sing the Pokémon theme.

After the crap that was The Ultraballs we got graced with the awesome Year 200X. They are similar in style to The X-Hunters in that they have a metal sound but they have a more lyrical style with their riffs. I found myself head banging (much to Jena’s chagrin) and rocking out hard to them. They felt like a cohesive band who’ve played plenty of shows together and know exactly who they are. I totally loved what they did and and everyone should expect to hear them as an opener to a future netcast.

The One Ups came out next and just blew the lid off the joint. Brentalfloss (who MCed the event) described them as the only video game music that he would have sex too. After much careful thought, that is indeed the best way to describe them. They had a rock jazzy flavor that was different from the rest of the bands that night that tended to drift towards the heavy side of music. They did an amazing cover of Super Mario Worlds Castle Theme that just blew my skirt up. Also it should be noted that they were the only group to take advantage of the duel screens flanking the stage. They had a DVD that would show a short montage from the game they were covering while displaying the name of the song. After about 30 seconds it would go to a static screen displaying their logo and web information. Classy and useful.

This Place Is Haunted came out after The One Ups which was a hard act to follow. TPIH is a bit more like the rest of the bands where they had a heavier sound but had a singer. We weren’t entirely feeling them as they played a lot of the same songs that other bands played. But then they busted out a melody of Disney songs and blew the place off the map. First, Disney toons are pretty awesome. Second, chicks dig Disney toons so all of the ladies who were dragged there loved it. Third, they fucking kicked ass at doing it. I was unaware that Disney songs and Video Game music had a cross section but at 8-Bit Gen Gamer Fest showed me that there was. If I can find their cover of Aladdin you will hear it on a future podcast.

The last group we stayed for was The Megas. When they took the stage we had been rocking out for a solid six hours and our feet and ears really needed a break. We’ve used their music as opening songs many times before because I’ve found them to be delightful and funny. Musically they do great renditions of Mega Man songs. But their twist is that they write lyrics for every theme crafting an elegant story for the entire album. This transitioned surprisingly well to a live set. It didn’t hurt that when they were singing Crashman a person in a excellent Crashman costume crashed the stage and crashing my low expectations for their entire set to a new high. Yes I just wanted to use the word Crash as much as possible. They ended their set (and our evening) with a mash up of their main Mega Man theme track with Brental Floss doing his Mega Man 3 song. It was awesome.

The whole evening was fantastic and really brought to light a bunch of new bands and styles for Video Game music. It made me even more aware that I am not the only one who fondly remembers these old games. Also I learned about MAG Fest, a Music And Gaming Festival that is planning their ninth annual festival this coming January. And the best part? It’s here in Alexandria, just a few blocks from where I work! It’s four day’s long so I won’t be attending the whole thing but I will definitely check it out and anyone in the area should think about it as well.

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 8/25/10

Lance — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:16:23 +0000

SHANK! A VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME! EXCITMENT! Shank, which is a game that we have been following since it’s first public display at PAX 09, finally releases today for both the PSN and XBLA. The game looks epic and everyone should at least get the demo today.

Nintendo
WiiWare

And Yet It Moves
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: And Yet It Moves is an award-winning, physics-based platform game in which players run and jump through a world made of paper. To aid in completing its twisted, mind-bending levels, you possess the unique ability to rotate the world at will. Walls become floors, slides become platforms – but a harmless pile of rocks becomes a hazardous threat when turned upside-down. Use the Wii Remote™ controller like a magic wand to tilt the world. Explore beautifully crafted environments. Survive 20 challenging levels filled with strange creatures, traps and puzzles. Unlock bonus levels, competitive play modes and surprising modifications that change the entire game. Turn your world upside-down with And Yet It Moves!

Virtual Console™

UFOURIA: THE SAGA
Original platform: NES
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Join Bop Louie as he searches for three friends – Shades, Freeon Leon and Gil – to help him complete his mad scramble. It won’t be easy. Brain-boggling mazes, traps and bizarre pitfalls stand in your way on the journey back to Ufouria. You’ll rely on your friends to survive in this strange, changing world, and you’d better have the right powers for the strange worlds you’ll encounter. As you make your trek through mystical forests, deserts and oceans, you’ll need to seek out and destroy monstrous creatures every step of the way. Will you have the right powers at the right time? Don’t let the mind-zapping colors and stupefying sound effects throw you off.

Nintendo DSiWare

Rytmik
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Rytmik is an application for creating rhythmical and melodic themes and composing whole songs. It contains more than 170 carefully selected sound samples of drums, cymbals, percussion, bass and melodic instruments. With Rytmik you can quickly and easily create the basic building block: an audio clip. It consists of musical notations for up to four instruments that you may transpose, select their location in the stereo field and modify their volume, polyphony and echo. You can arbitrarily combine as many as 128 clips in four tracks to create complex pieces of music. You also have a rhythm library with a varied collection of 16 pre-made compositions that can be used to help quickly compose your own pieces. For the best musical experience, we recommend connecting headphones or a quality speaker system (not included).

G.G Series NINJA KARAKURI DEN
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Jump and slash as a gravity-defying ninja in this acrobatic action game. Control a jumping ninja as he fights his way through a booby-trapped mansion. When your ninja touches a platform, it will automatically disappear and he will jump, making for pretty unstable footing. But where some see obstacles, a ninja sees opportunity. You will be forced to think on your feet, push your reflexes and bend the very rules of physics to conquer your treacherous surroundings. Master the art of the dash, shuriken and sword. Be a ninja.

My Farm
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: My Farm is a livestock farming simulation game. At the beginning, all you own is an empty field, a few pennies and a single hen. If you feed the hen and take care of it, she will lay eggs that can be sold. With this money, you can buy new animals at the Farmers’ Market and purchase equipment from the shopkeeper. Little by little, as your farm builds up, you will unlock bonuses including a wind turbine, rooster, guard dog and tractor. You will be able to exchange your animals with your friends who play My Farm or My Exotic Farm. There are six kinds of animals to customize, many farm improvements to buy and bonuses to collect.

Absolute Reversi
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: This reversi game is for all players at any level. Absolute Reversi takes the classic strategy game and updates it for the 21st century with three modes of play. Free Play mode lets you select one of eight characters with different abilities to play against. In Challenge mode, you are given missions to complete to advance in the game. With the third mode, you can play against a friend using DS Download Play. Additional features include a strategy guide, different ability levels and the “Assistance” function, which highlights all possible moves per turn.

Sony
PSN

Shank ($14.99)
Betrayed and left for dead by the only family he ever knew, Shank is back to get revenge on the underworld’s deadliest assassins for killing his beloved. Armed with his knowledge of gang warfare and weaponry, Shank must battle his way through the criminal underground to destroy those who brought his world crashing down around him.

Press Your Luck ($9.99)
BIG BUCKS, NO WHAMMIES!” Press Your Luck is game show fun for your PlayStation 3 system! Just like on TV, 3 contestants compete to win by correctly answering trivia questions to earn “spins” on the Big Board. Whoever ends the game with the highest earnings wins- but avoid the dreaded Whammy or risk losing it all! With a multiplayer mode played on one PS3 or online through PlayStation Network, it has never been so much fun to PRESS YOUR LUCK!

PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap ($6.99)
PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap is an addictive slot car racing game that supports 1080p and features single player and multiplayer fun (up to 7 players simultaneously offline!). Intuitive controls, 32 different race modes, and online rankings will provide countless hours of racing mayhem. NOTE: PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap is totally FREE for existing owners of PixelJunk Racers.

MotorStorm 3D Rift ($9.99)
MotorStorm 3D Rift offers a taste of the hit game MotorStorm Pacific Rift, now with full 3D functionality. Choose from 10 detailed and exciting tracks on an exotic island to tear through using a variety of off-road vehicles. Supports both 2D and 3D gameplay. Download the game today!

PSP

Zuma PSP ($9.99)
Discover the ancient secrets of Zuma — now available for your PlayStation Portable with new puzzles and dynamic effects! Fire magical balls from your stone frog idol to make matches of three or more and clear the deadly chain before it reaches the golden skull. You’ll need to think fast and aim smart, or you’ll be history in this action-packed puzzle challenge!

PSP Minis

Arcade Air Hockey & Bowling – Minis ($3.99)

Microsoft
Games on Demand

Burnout Revenge™ (North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia): Strap yourself into the fastest, most dangerous racer on the road. Built for unprecedented destruction, Burnout Revenge challenges you to exact your revenge on rush hour traffic, vindictive rival racers and anything else that gets between you and the finish line. Burnout Revenge joins the Games on Demand library on August 25.

LEGO® Star Wars™ : The Complete Saga (Australia and New Zealand): The Complete Saga delivers the thrill of the blockbuster LEGO® Star Wars™ series and gives you the chance to play through legions of Star Wars events from all six of the memorable movies. The game will be available August 25.

Need for Speed™ ProStreet (North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia): Compete at the highest level of street racing with Need for Speed ProStreet. It’s no longer good enough to simply rule your local neighborhood, you need to dominate on a global stage. Build the ultimate battle machine, take it to multidisciplinary showdowns and pit your skills and reputation against the world’s best street racers. This is your chance to prove that you have what it takes to be crowned the next street king. Download Need for Speed ProStreet on August 25.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Price: 800
Dash Text: SCOTT PILGRIM is the ROCK-N-ROLL ACTION LOVE-STORY for the 8-BIT GENERATION. Scott Pilgrim is a lovable loser and the best fighter in the province. He is in love with Ramona Flowers. But she has baggage! To get the girl, Scott must defeat the League of Ramona’s evil exes. Be prepared for some serious action… – Team-up with up to 3 of your friends as SCOTT, RAMONA, STEPHEN and KIM, each with their own signature moves and attacks. – 8-BIT animations by the world-famous Pixel Artist PAUL ROBERTSON. – More than 30 original music tracks by chiptune heroes ANAMANAGUCHI. – Unlock secret modes – Collect up to 12 achievements and 200 gamescore.

Shank
Price: 1200
Dash Text: Shank is a 2D cinematic brawler inspired by classic beat ‘em ups and graphic novels. Embark on a tale of revenge using chainsaws, dual pistols, knives and more. Play in the storymode or cooperatively with a friend in the backstory!

Deal of the week
Bunch of Bioshock 2 stuff is on sale this week including a multiplayer map pack. Click here for it.

Nuts For Nintendo

Lance — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:13:29 +0000

This is a treasure trove of what life was like 22 years ago. It contains subtle hints to the video games are terrible for our kids meme of the time (while Barbie who is the worst roll model ever for girls was an institution) and that it makes them speak a weird unknown language. Also how the Japanese are trying to take over America – a common fear of the late 80s. Greg Fischbach, founder of Acclaim and Peter Main are interviewed. It’s long but kind of amazing to see how adults back then were fearing kids my age would turn out.

Feeling Motivated: FAALLCCOONN PUUUUNNNNCCCCHHHH!!!!

Trent — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:09:14 +0000

OH YEHHH, its that time again, time for this weeks Feeling Motivated! In the FACE!!!!!!

Bonus Level Radio 48: Mac Takes A Dump

Lance — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:44:33 +0000

Another week, another great episode all about our favorite subject – gaming! This week we are joined by contributer Trent and Justin as we discuss all of the biggest news stories in gaming. From the importance of Video Games maintaining a sense of history to whether or not it’s ok to fight as Al Qaeda in the upcoming Medal of Honor game. Plus IMAX porn!

Wallpapers 8/20/10

Lance — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:42:05 +0000

Sorry about the later than usual post for this weeks wallpapers. I got held up this morning and just finally got the chance to do them. Only three this week but they all rule!

Super Mario RPG Easter Egg

Lance — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:50:52 +0000

Not sure if this classifies as an easter egg or not. But it cracked me up and I thought it was worth sharing. Hard to remember when these two Japanese giants were on such good terms.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game

Chris — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:47:16 +0000

With the recent release of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in theaters, a licensed game could sound like a generally bad idea. Fortunately for us this game is anything but a bad idea. It’s a side scrolling beat’em up where you can have up to 4 playable characters, based on the graphic novel series made by Bryan Lee O’Malley. You follow the story of Scott Pilgrim a dopey Canadian slacker with the hoot’s for Ramona Flowers. Unfortunately for Scott in order to date her he must defeat her seven evil exes. You can play as the titular hero Scoot Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers the American ninja, Steven Stills The “talent” of Scotts Band Sex Bob-omb, and Kim pine the apathetic drummer of Sex Bom-omb.

You’re sent through seven unique worlds fighting all types of enemies from dudes dress as fire breathing dinosaurs to some very touch on the nose looking TMNT mouser clones. The variety in enemy types is a welcome change to the same old enemies with different color pallets of next gen games of this era. Each character starts out with the same base moves but as you gain experience from defeating enemies and buying items, you’ll learn various types of attacks each suited for a different enemy type. The game does a great job of making you use various types’ tactics to taking out enemies without attaching the cumbersome tutorials. After you get knocked down once you’ll see the error in your attack and correct it. The combat is deep enough to allow for some cool combos without ever being over difficult.

Don’t get me wrong this game is tough, but tough in the way NES games of old were. With enemies that will continue to knock you down unless you change your tactics. This is the game that gamers of old have been craving. With a score done by the ever talented Anamanaguchi a Chip tunes band from New York. The art is a thing to reveal in, done by Paul Robertson, an artist with a great style from animations like Pirate Baby’s Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 and Kings of Power 4 Billion. There both weird and crazy and I suggest you check them out.

The game has its share of secrets form finding secret doors that let you travel along the sub-space highway, a kind of bonus stage in the game. You’re also able to summon strikers to attack enemies or give assistance to your characters. The only real downfall of the game is there no online play, seems local coop was the intent of the game and though it is insanely fun to get 3 other friends to play the game with you. It would be so much easier to play from your own homes, also that would have probably helped to sell more copies.

Aside from that one miss-step the game is an absolute treat and for 10 dollars on PSN and XBLA (august 25) it is totally worth it. The game has some replay ability as you can collect all the strikers after beating the game and unlockables boss rush mode and zombie mode. Both of which are fun additions offer no real meat to the gaming experience. I’d say get some friends and this may very well be the next best thing to Super Mario Bros Wii mixed with any classic beat’em up.

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 8/18/10

Lance — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:28:08 +0000

A lot of websites have been making a big deal about the Virtual Console this week. Some have charts others are just angry. Most agree that the Virtual Console is dead. That the idea of weekly releases for it are long gone and while a few games probably will come out it’ll be a once in a while kind of thing. I personally don’t think it’s dead. Nintendo has made a lot of money off the thing and a few games have sold a million copies on the service. Selling a million copies of games that are almost all 20 years old and required very little work to get to play on the service is still an attractive idea to developers. Low risk high reward. Personally I think it’s a sign of the times. Thousands of people have been laid off at game companies and even though it would require little work to get games on the Virtual Console, it does take some work. And developers just don’t have the extra man power right now. Perhaps in a year if the economy upticks then we may see a glorious return to the service. Well one can hope I guess.

Nintendo
WiiWare

Space Trek
Price: 700 Wii PointsTM
Description: As Captain Jay, you take control of a space jet deployed on an alien world. The planet you’re on is inhabited by the Knagar, a race of big, green, self-important bullies. You must fight your way through, outsmart them and save the survivors. Fortunately, Jay can always throw a nice punch line when things get ugly. Fight floating drones, destroy Knagar ships, attack turrets and deal with gigantic worms before they swallow your ship or electrocute you. Access your handy map to avoid getting lost on one of six big levels. Pick up keycards, deactivate force fields, save survivors and collect power-ups. Rearm your ship to use one of six weapons, including the Quark Dispeller, Anti-Matter Thrower and Mega Rockets. Recharge your ship’s battery by flying over heat-bursting volcanoes. Then use the surplus to power your weapons or energy shield. Enjoy humorous dialogue that accompanies players throughout the game.

A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The planet Monsteca is no longer the harmonious world it once was. It’s been overrun by a robotic army that’s determined to rule and conquer. Monsteca natives known as the Stompies have no choice but to run. Unable to defend themselves against such heavy machinery, the Stompies must rely on the strength of their herd to work together and defeat the meddling robots. Take control of the Stompies, cute and not-so-bright monsters who need help to avoid being captured by invading robots. It’s your duty to guide them successfully through each level. This fun, full-3D strategy game has a strong sense of flow, offering 20 levels to conquer and many hours of game play.

Nintendo DSiWare

Divergent Shift
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi PointsTM
Description: Divergent Shift is a puzzle platformer. You’ll run, jump and flip over obstacles, but you also may have to put on your thinking cap to figure out how to complete some of the levels. There are two primary mechanics in the game: the Reflection Mechanic and Shadow Mechanic. In both, you control two characters – one on each screen – at the same time. If you jump, both characters will jump; if you run, both characters will run. The only way to beat the game is to use the two screens together.

3D Mahjong
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Relax your mind with the ancient game of tiles. 3D Mahjong features 50 layouts of the traditional tile-matching game in 3D, each with millions of different shuffles to play. The game’s style and interface has been designed for easy and intuitive operation with the stylus or control pad. The graphics can be customized with six fabulous tile sets and backgrounds. Sit back, relax and enjoy the endless challenge with this Mahjong game collection. Additional brain-sharpening challenges come in the form of extra mini-games: “Memory” and “Matching.”

myNotebook: Carbon
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSiTMsystem and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 24 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make notes or doodles, and then erase the bits you don’t like. With five ink colors, you’ll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish. myNotebook also includes 128 pages to write on and the ability to export your pages to your Nintendo DSi Photo Album.

Just SING! National Anthems
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: It is the greatest sporting event of 2010: the World Cup! All eyes are on South Africa, and all ears are on you in the karaoke game of the year. Enter the hallowed turf and display your talent by singing a selection of national anthems. There are five national anthems to choose from: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan and the United States. It’s karaoke fun at its best. All text is displayed, and the game features optimum voice recognition. Just sing into the built-in microphone of your Nintendo DSi system. Don your jersey and step out onto the pitch – to sing!

Sony
PSN

Top Gun ($14.99)
Top Gun is a free-flying air combat shooter based on the film. In Top Gun, players enroll in the Academy as Maverick with their RIO Goose to go up against the best for top honors. Following graduation, players fly into the danger zone with fellow US Navy pilots, where they shoot down enemy jets, attack bases and engage in large-scale dogfights. Top Gun also features 5 multiplayer modes, allowing 16 players to battle it out online.

PSP

Ys Seven ($29.99)
The legendary action RPG series returns, this time exclusively for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. Join Adol and Dogi for their largest adventure ever! Discover the many mysteries sealed away in the vast country of Altago, and awaken the Five Great Dragons to save the world! New Original Story, Same Ys Legacy.

PSP Mini

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter – Minis ($3.99)

Microsoft
Games On Demand

The Outfit
Price: Check pricing in your region
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Asia
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Combining intense squad-based combat with the freedom of total destruction, The Outfit takes players behind enemy lines, battling the Nazi War Machine through a variety of combat missions. Choose from three playable squad leaders – each with their own skills and abilities, as you lead a squad of battle-forged soldiers on missions ranging from reconnaissance and rescue to search and destroy. With interactive and fully destructible environments, you have the freedom to shoot, blow up or demolish anything in your path! Use “Destruction On Demand™” (D.O.D.) to order in everything from tanks, jeeps, halftracks and other combat vehicles to machine gun nests and anti-tank guns, squad reinforcements, even air strikes and artillery!

MotoGP 08
Price: Check pricing in your region
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except India and Japan
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. MotoGP™ 08 brings the premier motorcycling championship into your home! Speed down 18 official tracks all over the world including Indianapolis and Laguna Seca. Pit your riding skills against players from across the globe in a number of online modes. Customize your experience with different tires, bikes, and racers as you take risks and build your reputation. Delivering an unparalleled racing experience and featuring easy-to-learn controls, MotoGP 08 is the most accessible motorcycle racing game to date.

GUILTY GEAR 2
Price: Check pricing in your region
Availability: Unites States
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. The 2D fighting phenomenon is now an intense action strategy game! Build and command your troops while simultaneously fighting alongside them to clear a path to victory in the next evolution of Guilty Gear! There are no refunds for this item.

ァンタシースターユニバース
Price: Check pricing in your region
Availability: Japan
Dash Text: (このゲームの取扱説明書をダウンロードするには、http://marketplace.xbox.com でゲームを探し、[取扱説明書] を選択してください。オンラインプレーをお楽しみ頂くには、無料でダウンロード可能な拡張コンテンツ「イルミナスの野望」とガーディアンズライセンス（月額料金）が必要です。ご了承下さい。はるか遠い宇宙…グラール太陽系では、３惑星の同盟締結100周年を祝う式典の最中、謎の巨大流星群…『ＳＥＥＤ』が突如襲来した！世界が戦乱の闇に包まれていく中、惑星間警護組織『ガーディアンズ』に入隊した「イーサン・ウェーバー」の物語が始まる…！美しい映像と壮大なストーリーのSFファンタジーRPG! イーサンが主人公の「ストーリーモード」と自分だけのキャラクターを作成して、沢山のプレイヤーとともに協力して冒険できる「ネットワークモード」。同じ世界で密接に絡んだ２つのモードで、無限の冒険を楽しもう！このアイテムの払い戻しはありません。詳しくは http://www.xbox.com/live/accounts をご覧ください。

XBLA

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Price: 1200
Dash Text: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the first ever co-op multiplayer action/adventure game featuring Lara Croft. This brand new adventure combines the hallmarks of the Tomb Raider franchise, including exploration and discovery, platforming, and puzzle solving combined with character progression, fun fast-paced combat, and elements of human cooperation and competition.

Also, I just wanted to add that with this weeks release of Lara Croft marks the end of this years Summer of Arcade event. Don’t feel bad XBLAers because next week reportedly will see the release of Shank and Scott Pilgrim (the game based on the recent movie flop).

NESessities of Life – Toobin’

Jesse — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:30:35 +0000

Genre
Racing

Dominant Algorithm
Get Ready/Toob

Gameplay
Put your gnarly butt in that inner-toob, radical dood and toobe a toobular river! Or, something like that. You know you are in for a most non-heinous journey down the Okefenokee when the programmers of the game eschew the proper spelling of Tubing for something like TOOBIN’.

Tack on a half-baked attack system where you chuck cans of pop at off-river obstacles and you’ve got another Tengen classic.

Sweetness
The game induces minimal stress. The easy-going title is the perfect precursor to the adventures coming your way. Even the Game Over screen lets you down easy.

Why the ‘O’ looks like a smiling cyclops is beyond me…

Weakness
The game sucks.

You might think that’s the same screen shot from above. I assure you it’s not. The game is a marvel of shitty, repetitive graphics. Case in point:

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day

Any pieces of entertainment media with extreme slang in the title usually blow, bro. (See Also: Yo! Noid!; Except: Skitchin’)
Races need not be for the quick. Some races are mellow journeys of self discovery in the hot summer sun, bro.
Beware the Tengen carts. They are a risky bunch, bro.

Still Fun?
No. If you’re not bored to death from the first level, don’t worry. You’ll never beat the second one (like there’s a reason to, bro).

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift From my Youth
Tengen was a subsidiary to Atari, who had effectively ruined home gaming with their stupid ET game. When the name became a burden, Atari formed another company called Tengen in hopes of recovering some of their street cred. There are two easy ways to identify a Tengen game (if seeing the word TENGEN on the side of the box and cart isn’t easy enough.

1) The carts were shaped different from official Nintendo carts:

2) There is a conspicuous absence of the official Nintendo Seal of Quality on the box.

Initially, Tengen was reluctant to agree to Nintendo’s strict publishing contracts (which included such stipulations as 2-year exclusivity for all titles and refusal to allow more than 5 titles per year from any developer). These rules were put in place to avoid another market collapse like what was seen on the Atari.

Knowing that the contracts were designed to avoid a repeat of the damage Atari had done, it’s no surprise that Nintendo wasn’t going to be lenient with these rules for an Atari subsidiary.

Nintendo built all games with a lock-out chip. If the carts didn’t have this chip, then the games wouldn’t work. Programmers at Tengen tried unsuccessfully to replicate the chip, but the encryption was too complicated and they never cracked the code. Instead, they requested the original lock-out chip & scripting from the US Copyright office under the auspice that they needed it as evidence for litigation they were planning against Nintendo. They got the specs and were able to replicate the chip, going on to produce a series of games which were not approved by Nintendo.

Needless to say, Nintendo was not happy. Their lawyers came in like tanks.

Ironically, the fictional litigation that Tengen used to get the chip and code resulted in actual litigation in which Nintendo accused them of stealing their protected technologies.

Nintendo won.

It was this methodical control of the games and technologies that allowed Nintendo to save the gaming industry from the wreck that Atari left behind. However, this approach cost them dearly in the 3rd generation with the release of the Nintendo 64.

But, that’s a story for another night, kiddies.

Fan Art
Yeah right. Like anyone is going to do loving oil renditions of the lone beach bum who populated this stinker.

Seeing as the fan art is sparse, I will give you instead who I imagine Tengen imagined their target market to be.

RADICAL!

AWESOME!

GNARLY!

PUMPIN!

BODACIOUS

CHEVY NOVA?

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. You will never crack the 10JES Chip. And if you do, I will drown you under an avalanche of litigation even if Gauntlet and Golden Ax are fun.

Feeling Motivated: Star Wars

Trent — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:15:41 +0000

Welcome to the poster side, young Padawan. Get ready to blow up my death star in this weeks Feeling Motivated!!!

Star Wars Motivational Poster 1 Star Wars Motivational Poster 10 Star Wars Motivational Poster 2 Star Wars Motivational Poster 3 Star Wars Motivational Poster 4 Star Wars Motivational Poster 5 Star Wars Motivational Poster 6 Star Wars Motivational Poster 7 Star Wars Motivational Poster 8 Star Wars Motivational Poster 9

Bonus Level Radio 47: Movie Podcast

Lance — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:29:56 +0000

It is kind of hard to believe that in three episodes we will be recording our 50th show. Most podcast’s fizzle after a few episodes and here we are on the verge of celebrating our 50th! It’s crazy!

This week we had our superfan Peter joined by newcomer Justin on the show. Justin was a bit timid about being on the show but I think he did a great job. That’s not to say Peter didn’t do a good job either. The man brought his “A” game. We also this week named the lightning round the Warp Zone! Seems like the most appropriate name for the newest feature to the show. Also, I like that it reminds me of our very first episode.

Wallpapers!!! 8/13/10

Lance — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:46:23 +0000

Thanks to Paul who found quite a few awesome wallpapers and linked them in his Reader account!

Mega Man: A Mega Man

Lance — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:48:53 +0000

This really brought the Lulz for me. I especially loved that it was in 1080p as well.

Game Sheet Music

Lance — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:21:00 +0000

If you listen to our podcast then you know how much we love game music. In Japan game composers are treated with the same level of respect as film composers. I know I maybe more of a film dork than most but I would bet if I ask everyone to name as many film composers as they could they would come up with at least five just off of their head. But if it was game composers maybe we could remember one and it probably would be Nobuo Uematsu. Even though we probably can hum more themes from video games than we can from movie’s we’ve seen 1000 times.

My Mom was a piano teacher when I was growing up. She had something like 1.3 billion students and she taught out of the home. She love’s playing the piano and loved teaching it. Sadly I can’t play for crap (except for the Top Gun theme). My sister really doesn’t play and my brother probably can play a few songs he heard in movies only because he is OCD. I just didn’t have the patience to learn how to play Für Elise on the piano. But this was back in the early 80’s early 90’s when gaming was still in it’s infancy and my Mom didn’t have access to stuff like this. Some lady named Rachel Bell has taken it upon herself to create sheet music to some of the best games of yesteryear and today. Her website contains over 100 pieces of music that she has transcribed into sheet music. Man if my Mom had access to this stuff when I was a kid I may have been the world’s greatest pianist. But sadly all I am is someone who can’t stop laughing at the word pianist.

Mega Marvel Man

Lance — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:16:50 +0000

It’s no secret that I am a big Marvel comics fan. They are just hands down better then DC comics. Just look at the crap they’ve done with Batman and Superman in the past couple of decades. I also love Mega Man and the 8-Bit style of art. So the combination of the two equals a quantifiable nerdgasm for me. Click the above picture to see a ton of Marvel characters in 8-Bit glory!

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 8/11/10

Lance — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:36:21 +0000

This might be the worse week Nintendo has ever had in regards to downloads. Seriously go take a look and tell me of another week that was worse. This week brings Scott Pilgrim to the PSN and Monday Night Combat to the XBLA so it seems like it’s time to pull out those wallets!

Sony
PSN

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game ($9.99)
Scott Pilgrim is a lovable loser and the best fighter in the province. He is in love with Ramona Flowers. But she has baggage! To get the girl, Scott must defeat the League of Ramona’s evil exes…

Red Faction: Guerrilla ($19.99)
Mason arrives on Mars hungry for a new life. But the promise of a brighter future for Mason quickly fades. The Earth Defense Force have adopted heavy-handed checkpoints and omnipresent armed patrols. As violence escalates, an underground resistance known as the Red Faction swiftly gathers strength to combat the EDF. Mason’s quest for a new life has become a battle for survival, and the fate of the planet now rests with him and the Red Faction.

PSP

Madden NFL 11 PSP ($39.99)
Madden NFL 11 for the PSP grants you unprecedented access to Everything You See On Sunday, including all-new commentary from the most exciting play-by-play voice in sports, Gus Johnson. Build the ultimate dynasty in the robust Franchise mode, change history in the Superstar Challenge mode, or simply take your NFL fandom with you on the road wherever you go.

Nintendo
WiiWare

My Aquarium 2
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: My Aquarium 2, the sequel to the hit WiiWare title My Aquarium, is here. This time, the theme is the mysterious deep sea. With a single Wii Remote controller, you can raise fascinating creatures of all shapes and sizes, including deep-sea fish and glowing jellyfish. As with the original My Aquarium, you can customize your aquarium, by choosing which fish to include and where to place various decorations. You can also choose from a variety of colored lights to illuminate your aquarium. In time, your fish might breed to give you a whole new school. Create your very own aquarium for endless hours of relaxing fun and entertainment. This sequel features a larger selection of fish and objects than the original. You can also link up to the Forecast Channel to have your aquarium’s appearance reflect the actual weather, or send your aquariums to registered friends via WiiConnect24TM. Additional content will be available for purchase at a later date. Dive in and see all the wonderful creatures of the deep blue sea!

Enjoy your massage!
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Congratulations! You have just been hired as an apprentice masseur at Giselle’s beauty farm, one of the most famous in the city. Learn new relaxing massage combinations and use them on your stressed customers. As an apprentice, you’ll have to do your best. If your client gets angry, no one will save you from losing your job, but if you prove capable, you might even become the director of the whole beauty farm. So, what are you waiting for? Six clients are waiting for your help!

Nintendo DSiWare

TURN: The Lost Artifact
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: TURN: The Lost Artifact is an adventure puzzler with fun, intuitive game play. Kurt and Camila are explorers on a mysterious journey to find a lost artifact. You guide them through rooms filled with various dangers, from enemies to rolling boulders. Your main power is the ability to rotate the rooms 90 degrees to the left or to the right. Mastering the law of gravity is essential to your success. Everything and everyone in the room is subjected to gravity and falls when you turn the room. Watch your head! Featuring three worlds with nine levels of about 10 rooms each, the game promises a whole lot of brain-twisting fun on your Nintendo DSi system.

Rhythm Core Alpha
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Make music with your Nintendo DSi system! Rhythm Core Alpha is an advanced music creation system, designed for creating and performing live music in front of an audience. Rhythm Core Alpha makes it easy to build drum and instrument loops, and then allows you to play solos over them using the stylus. It automatically detects the key and scale of the music you have created and allows you to change chords at the press of a button. All notes in the solo match the selected key and scale, so you can never hit a wrong note. Rhythm Core Alpha also includes a powerful pattern mode that allows you to set up chord changes and arrange your sequenced parts, enabling you to build a whole song or make sections that you can play back as you desire. Hundreds of adjustable drum and instrument sounds are included. You can edit while the song is playing, so you really can build the song in front of an audience.

Absolute Chess
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: This easy-to-understand chess game explains everything from basic rules to aggressive strategies. There are two modes of play. In Free Play, you can play against a number of preset characters, ranging from a young kid to a grouchy old man. The Challenge mode gives players multiple levels and missions to complete. Player support features include a function to indicate possible moves for the player and the opponent, as well as the ability to undo your previous move. You can also enjoy matches with friends via DS Download Play.

Did It Myself ABC123
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Did It Myself ABC123 is packed with different activities to stimulate your young child’s brain, including counting, colors, letters, drawing and music. The target age range is roughly 2 to 3, but kids aged 1 through 5 should be able to enjoy Did It Myself ABC123. There are options for parents to adjust the counting range, the amount of games to play in “shuffle” mode, and the overall game speed. “Slow” and “medium” are recommended for younger kids, while older kids may enjoy “fast” and “ridiculous.”

Microsoft
XBLA

Monday Night Combat
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: (ONLINE INTERACTIONS NOT RATED BY THE ESRB) Monday Night Combat for Xbox LIVE Arcade is a class-based, third-person shooter…and the most lethal sport of the future! It blends combat, finishing moves, gameshow-like challenges and rewards. The game features grapple moves, upgradable skills and a deep meta-game. Blitz mode pits 1 to 2 players on a split screen or up to 4 players over Xbox LIVE against waves of robot armies. In Crossfire mode, players play competitively, 6 versus 6, to destroy the enemy’s Money Ball while protecting theirs aided by robots. Enjoy an extensive Career Mode that lets players to use their money to customize classes and show off their accomplishments with hundreds of new ProTags.

Games On Demand

TC’s H.A.W.X
Price: $29.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except India and Japan
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X puts you in command of the most powerful jet fighters on Earth. In 2014, as a former elite USAF pilot, you join a powerful Private Military Company. Your missions will take you all around the world over photo-realistic, well-known locations, using real satellite data. H.A.W.X gives you total control over the plane’s flying assistance mode: turn it on or off and trigger 2 unique gameplay experiences. Assistance ON gives you full technology support. It can display interception trajectories, find a safe path to strike targets between buildings and even provide a missile dodging course. Turn off the Assistance and unleash all the power of your aircraft. Assistance OFF jumps to a stunning 3rd person view where you can perform incredible dogfight maneuvers and reverse any situation. For the first time ever in the air-combat, you can play the full campaign in 4 player JUMP IN co-op. In online PVP, 8 players will enter intense dog-fighting sessions.

Juiced 2: HIN
Price: $19.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except India and Japan
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Get into the drift with Juiced 2: HIN – the only place where superstar DJs, smokin’ hot models and totally tuned cars come into close contact. Juice up your ride with complete customization and boost your NOS power as you draft, drift, slide, spook and fight for your rightful place on the racing line. Fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled, pick-up-and-play action lets you enjoy the pure rush of powersliding your way around the globe. Wow the crowd, keep tabs on your opponents and take the crown as the rightful king of drift!

Disney Sing It HSM3
Price: $29.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, Spanish, and French. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year supports either the Logitech® or Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone. Note that only one type of microphone will work at a time, not simultaneously. Belt it out with Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3 Senior Year, the only karaoke game where you can relive your favorite moments from all three movies. Perform to all 10 songs from the film “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” as well as select songs from the first two “High School Musical” movies. Sing it solo or battle it out with your friends in numerous multiplayer modes. Learn how the pros do it and practice tricky elements of singing with vocal exercises. It’s time to take center stage in the ultimate High School Musical experience!

The Oregon Trail

Chris — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:25:18 +0000

Here’s a video I found on YouTube based on the old PC game where you, as settlers, must travel from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon’s Willamette Valle. The Game was made as edutainment to teach kids about the trials and tribulations of a 19 century pioneer. It was a game loaded with cheap deaths like your settlers getting dysentery or loosing wagons to high waters.

Apparently these guys have taken their fandom to the next level with a movie trailer to Oregon Trail. Man you Americans are fucked up.

Kefka in Final Fantasy 7?

Lance — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:54:22 +0000

It’s slowed down but that is the laugh of the most evil bastard ever in gaming. I know I haven’t played the game since the 90s but I honestly can’t remember that location Cloud is in. Is that from Final Fantasy 7 or one of the spinoffs?

Dear Dragon Quest 9 F@CK YOU!

Chris — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:06:32 +0000

So about three weeks ago I picked up DQ9 for my DS with the intent of beating and reviewing for all you fine people. The reason I chose this game aside from all the praise I heard about it was the fact I was going to be out of the country for a week. That’s right I went to Portugal (specifically the island Terceira) for a cousins wedding. My Thinking was of the thought that instead of embracing my culture and spending time with my family, I instead would play my Japanese game. To be fair it was a mash up of the two but by my trips end I had pumped at least 20 hours into DQ9, with no end in sight.

For all those unfamiliar with the Dragon Quest series, it follows the conventions of JRPG pretty tightly with turn-based combat at the forefront, text based dialogue and recurring monsters. The Dragon Quest games seem to take place in a pretty consistent world unlike the Final Fantasy series and even some characters are grandchildren of other characters from different games.

Now you have to understand that I actually really enjoy DQ9, it being the first RPG I’ve played in a long while is a welcome back to the genre. What I don’t like is that a handheld has now monopolized all my time. To the extent where I am so deeply buried inside quests, treasure map and alchemizing items. I play it when I’m at home instead of playing a console game. I bring it with me even if I only get a couple minutes of play.

The game is a menace with its seemingly innocent interface and then you’re swallowed whole playing it all time. Then you start reading up on forums for item drops, and proper alchemy combinations. You become a junky looking for your next fix. Then you’re collecting equipment not because it’s beneficial but just because it looks really cool (Slime hoodie).

It has come to the point where I know I’m not going to clear this game anytime soon and will probably just continue to plug hours into its apparently limitless content. This is not meant to scare people off the game, but more of a cautionary tale. To let you know what you’re getting into when start this behemoth of a game.

So I say again thanks Dragon Quest 9 for making a game that has really invoked rage and love at the same time.

Feeling Motivated: Bioshock

Trent — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:34:20 +0000

Would you kindly enjoy these Bioshock posters? Thats right, Mr. Bubbles, we tackle Raptures finest in this weeks, Feeling motivated! So grab some Adam and scack cakes and enjoy!

Bonus Level Radio 46 – Not Canon

Lance — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:48:43 +0000

This episode is awesome. I know as one of the hosts on the show I am a little biased towards it but I generally feel like this is one of of top five shows. Well top ten. Jess is still out on assignment so she sadly couldn’t join us which is why the show can’t be top five. Seriously though, we ended the show and I was totally jazzed and I think anyone who listens to us will love this episode. Even those who don’t would enjoy it! Hell, I bet Rick will even enjoy it!

Since it’s been a while since our last traditional podcast we had a lot to cover and we covered it all. Our old friend Jon joined us and did a fantastic job. We covered CNN’s front page article asking what Video Games mean, Canada’s first female owned development studio, Activision thinking Call of Duty is this generations Star Wars, a 42 year old woman who used XBoxs to molest a couple of boys and Guillermo Del Toro not directing Wolfman as well as signing a development deal with THQ. And that’s just half of it if not less. It’s a great show one worth spreading around!

Bit Gen Gamer Fest 5

Lance — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:54:57 +0000

Our resident superfan Peter brought this to my attention and I immediately had to share. There is an epic gamer concert coming to Baltimore’s Sonar club August 14th. Here is a list of the performers -

Powerglove*
Entertainment System
The Megas*
This Place is Haunted
The One Ups
Year 200X
The X Hunters
Ultraball
Rare Candy
Armadillo Tank

And the MC for this event? Brentalfloss*.

Tickets are 18 bucks if you buy in advance and 20 at the door. The even starts at 4PM Saturday the 14th. The only thing left to say is Jena can we go?

*Music has appeared on Bonus Level Radio.

Wallpaper Blowout!!

Lance — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:10:34 +0000

This week I was only going to do six wallpapers. But they would’ve all been Mario based and I didn’t want to do that. So this week we present you with TWELVE new wallpapers for your ever growing collection. Which one do you like the most?

Super Mario World Easter Egg(s)

Lance — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:49:56 +0000

Last week we found a little easter egg in Mario Kart 64. Today we bring you two easter eggs in one. Well one people probably already knew about but I didn’t know. Did you know that if you had Yoshi eat a green berry it gave you 20 more seconds in the level? Yeah I didn’t know that either. Check out the above video to see an interesting use of this little trick.

Clint Hocking Drops Mind-Melting Knowledge

Chris — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:54:04 +0000

Clint Hocking is for all those not in the know are mad smart. Like crazy crack your skull open and eat the good on the inside smart. Ego-stroking aside he was a Lead Designer on Far Cry 2 until he handed in his resignation early this year. Now Far Cry 2 is a game that tried some very interesting things and though mostly didn’t succeed still was a bright unique game in a sea of sameness. (Noble Failure…hmmm)

Now Mr. Hocking is always talking about game design with all his big old smart talk and he has just put up an hour and half talk about game immersion. It’s a great listen and will defiantly go over some people’s heads. Enjoy!

NESessities of Life: Castlevania

Jesse — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:10:40 +0000

Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
Whip It/Whip It Good

Gameplay
You assume the persona of Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter. Simon whips his way through Castlevania, a castle. There are power-ups along the way and the standard dangers known to side-scrolling adventures (moving platforms, pits, a deluge of enemies).

Considering the game’s subsequent legacy, the first incarnation is disconcertingly free from things like ’story’, ‘characters’, and ‘plot’. Belmont simply walks up to the castle and enters. From there, it’s bloody carnage until the credits roll.

Sweetness
Konami games, as we’ve discussed, often lean towards the amazing. In Goonies 2, it was the difficulty ramp and the sense of exploration that made the game fun. Castlevania hit on something entirely different but just as important: atmosphere. As you play, you get the feeling that there are vast and important things just outside the scope of your character’s perspective.

The torn curtains and cracked walls tell a tale of violence past but not forgotten.

Beyond the stone pillars, dusk is falling. What nightmares lay just beyond the setting sun?

The NES hardware allowed for 48 colors and 5 shades of gray. That is considerably less than the millions of colors we now take for granted on all displays, from cell-phone handsets to hi-def TVs. Konami managed to create incredibly evocative images despite the hardware limitations.

I count 7 unique colors in the above image and it still captures the foreboding mystery the series is famous for.

Weakness
The controls. TThe infinitely frustrating controls. Simon is beyond sluggish. He moves at about half the speed of his demonic opponents. To add insult (and often more injury) to injury, he also suffers from Megaman Syndrome (the disease than makes you fly backwards, frequently down a pit, when you are touched by an object that has been defined as an enemy).

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day

Simon Belmont runs around a dream castle collecting hearts and he is still a badass.
Simon Belmont is a self-described “prima-ballerina” and he is still a badass.
Simon Belmont is the most badass homosexual in gaming to date.

Still Fun?
It’s difficult to write this game off as ‘fun’ knowing that Symphony of the Night is out there as well as a host of titles on the DS. As one of those legendary “games that started it all”, it is interesting. Unfortunately, the game shows a bit too much age in terms of controls and limited story.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth
The series holds 7 (count ‘em, 7) Guinness world records including “Most Games in an Action Adventure Series” and “Largest Number of Platformers in One Series” The surprising thing is, most of these entries aren’t just good, they are great.

The franchise has dipped into 3D a couple times, with severely diminished returns. In a series that places such high value on lush art and detailed design, polygons simply don’t offer the visual precision necessary to suck the user in to the world.

This series also joins Mario and Zelda in a trend that was evidence of an industry still trying to define itself in its early, infantile stage:

1st Game – Introduce the staples of the franchise, blow minds
2nd Game – Play with the formula a bit too much and confuse everyone
3rd/Subsequent Games – Back to the basics, expand on them, birth a classic

Fan Art
I hate to say it, but the fans can get stuffed this time around. From here straight through the comments section, you are getting nothing but paintings by Ayami Kojima. Any and all dissenters with be drowned in a pool of Holy Water and decapitated with a razor-edged boomerang. To soften the blow, we will start off with awesome big-boobie babes and then move on to tubular effeminate dudes.

See? Now this is what Castlevania is all about. Her cups runneth over.

This is slightly more modest, but still lush art. While on the small end of the spectrum in the gaming world, that buxom would be considered more than ample in the real world.

This is the miracle of Ayami’s art style. At a glance, this looks to be natural. But, look closer. Each breast is larger than this blond waif’s head. How does that work?

Enough women. Let’s … ahem … get into some of the men of Castlevania. Nothing says battle-ready like a pair of knee-high leather boots with 2-inch heels.

Looks like someone is about to administer a big-old spanking.

This dude is a little thin for my taste.
Hyuk hyuk hyuk~

Even Ayami’s ugly characters are gorgeous.

And, a little bit of booby bondage bat babe to round things off.

All right, internets: When did this series peak? Was it Symphony of the Night? Castlevania 3? Or, was it one of the DS iterations that really made you happy?

Oh, and Castlevania 64 is the wrong answer.

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen atwww.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse supports 5 sound channels. And don’t be surprised if he allocates one of the channels designed for sound-effects for the percussion in the music.

Angry Birds for All

Chris — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:06:48 +0000

Thats right Chillingo’s Joe Wee has announced that amazingly addictive iPhone game is being brought to the DS, PSP and the PS3 in addition to the announced Android port. No date on when it will drop but its all moot since I just got an iPhone. The game costs only a dollar US and comes with over 150 levels. They also update the game all the time with new levels for free!

Surface of Catan

Lance — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:11:16 +0000

Paul and Jess are huge fans of board game gaming. Jess has even admitted to playing the awesome game Settlers of Catan via the actual board game, ignoring the lengthy setup time. I’m not sure where they find the time to play these board games but I am extremely jealous of them.

I saw the video above on Paul’s reader account and it is amazing. I love how the game plays and love how the developers worked around the problem of hiding your cards. I wish the future was today and this kind of tech was affordable to everyone because this would be my coffee table.

R.C. Wipeout

Lance — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:55:31 +0000

This is a short little documentary of the demo setup for something called RACER. It’s essentially an interactive video game that features an Arcade Cabinet, some RC cars and a crap ton of cardboard. It’s a pretty epic setup that’s pretty awesome. Could this be the future of arcades or is it too cumbersome to be anything more then a cool tech demo?

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 8/4/10

Lance — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:46:00 +0000

Sony kind of angered me this week. They hired a new guy to take over how they handle the weekly releases and while he did a fine job it made what I do here harder. Plus the fact that its nearly impossible to find any info on these games from their online store sucks.

Also, just in case they thought they got off easy this week, Nintendo has once again dropped the ball tremendoulsy by not releasing a single game for the VC. I guess having a library of around 2000 games makes it hard to decide on one huh?

Microsoft
XBLA

Castlevania Harmony of Despair
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Dash Text: Dracula returns in Castlevania® Harmony of Despair, the first exclusive Xbox LIVE Arcade Castlevania game. Featuring the classic fast-paced 2-D side-scrolling action the series is known for, vampire hunters from across the series will join forces to return Dracula, the Lord of Darkness, to his eternal slumber.

Designed by the legendary producer of the Castlevania series, Koji Igarashi, Castlevania Harmony of Despair allows up to six friends to play together via online co-op story mode or see who the best vampire hunter is in Survival Mode, which challenges you to fend off your friends while fighting for your very survival. Utilize your co-op skills to explore the levels with your friends in order to find hidden locations with special items and equipment or team up in battle to let loose destructive attacks on the hordes of attacking creatures.

Games on Demand

Too Human
Price: $29.99
Dash Text: As the cybernetic god Baldur, players are thrust into the midst of an ongoing battle that threatens the existence of mankind. An ancient machine presence has forced the hand of the gods, and now Baldur is charged with defending humanity from an onslaught of monstrous war machines bent on the eradication of human life.

Nintendo
WiiWare

Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games
Price: 700 Wii Points™
Description: Players can bring the exciting “Slots” experience home. Choose from six adventure-themed, five-reel bonus slots, or try your luck with classic Cherries or Diamonds slots. Win big jackpots and earn access to VIP suites. Players can use their winnings to purchase vibrant merchandise to customize their suites. As players progress, they can win multiple awards and achievements. Five-reel bonus slots include Gold Rush, Power of Zeus, Pirate Cove, Wild Safari, King Arthur’s Excalibur and the Rising Sun. Classic three-reel slots are Diamonds and Cherries. Additional features include: High Roller Suites, where you can live like a VIP while customizing your own high roller suite with items such as artwork, pool tables, trophies and furniture; Bonus Games, offering six great games that can be played separately to challenge your nerves and increase your winnings; and Unlockables with achievement trophies that are tracked and awarded for exceptional play.

Deer Captor
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Deer Captor is a shooting game that offers an immersive hunting experience. Choosing from a rifle or crossbow, players can put their marksman skills to the test as they try to capture a variety of wildlife such as deer, hares and kites in the comfort of their living rooms. Aim for a high score in Instant Mode, where the objective is to capture as many animals as possible within a set time, or test your mettle in Mission Mode, where you must complete a series of objectives to advance to the pinnacle of the hunting world. Play against your friends and family in friendly competition, or post your single-player score to online leaderboards for nationwide bragging rights. (A broadband Internet connection is required for online play.)

DSiWare

Match Up!
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Flip, match and…kaboom! How fast can you find the right set in Match Up!? No matter how old you may be, Match Up! will have you captivated for hours. Reveal shapes, colors and hidden bonuses with a new take on a childhood favorite. You’ll need quick hands and a sharp mind to beat the clock and disarm the explosive cards riddled throughout the game. Not quite ready for the explosive action? Start with the engaging classic concentration play and see if you can level up.

BlayzBloo: Super Melee Action Battle Royale
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Blayzbloo: Super Melee Action Battle Royale pits Ragna, Rachel, Jin, Noel, Taokak and others against one another in five stages of rumble-and-tumble brawling action to see who’s the best. There’s also a Free Battle mode you can play to your heart’s content. Use items in battle to pummel your opponent into oblivion. Drive attacks and special moves may also come in handy to finish off your opponents. Do you have what it takes to become the best Blayzbloo brawler?

Hints Hunter
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hints Hunter is an easy, casual game that you can play anytime and anywhere. The objective is simply to find hidden keys by working out the meanings of the hints in each level. You can play using only the stylus. Most of the hints are helpful and may require you to think about the time of day, game functions like clicking or dragging, or the principle of opening or closing. Be sure to observe the smallest details very carefully, including the name of a level or even a tiny flower.

Petz Dogz Family
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: There’s a whole family of dogs you can adopt and love! Take care of them, discover their unique personalities and teach them fun tricks. Choose from favorite breeds such as golden retrievers and Labradors. Give your dogs the best care. Feed them, groom them and discover their individual personalities – some will be funny, others will be shy. Engage in fun activities with your pups – including playing with a flying disc and running obstacle courses – to turn them into talented dogs.

Sony
PSN

Earthworm Jim HD
Price: $9.99
Groovy! One of the all-time most iconic video game characters is back and in full HD glory! Join Jim on a wacky quest across galaxy to rescue Princess What’s-Her-Name and defeat the insane Psy-Crow! Master Jim’s far-out powers, use his body as a whip, bungee jump, throw cows, blast through rocket-speed levels and more! Explore a crazy universe offering wild gameplay and hilarious possibilities. Overcome mad baddies, including new enemies in never-before-seen levels. Get help from 1, 2 or 3 friends with the exclusive cooperative gameplay in multiplayer levels.

PSP Minis

Widgets Odyssey 2

Price: $1.99
The Widgets are back! Frima Studio announced today that Widgets Odyssey II will be landing on the PlayStation Store in North America for only $1.99 USD on August 3, 2010. As a PlayStation Mini title, playable on both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Widgets Odyssey II will conclude the intergalactic platforming exploits of Spad, Cosmo, Bruce, Helmet and Monk first embarked upon in Widgets Odyssey, which launched on July 6.

Arctic Adventures
Price: $4.99
Are you smarter than the average bear? Help Polar solve all 50 brain – freezing puzzle levels. Use snow, ice, metal and dynamite blocks to crack these conundrums. Achieve the Move and Time targets for each puzzle and collect all 150 Gold Stars. Over 20 hours of gameplay spanning the Icy Wastes, across The Frozen Sea, through The Twilight Forest to the Edge of the World and on to the oil rig. Number of hours based on a normal human being, actual hours of gameplay may vary depending on the puzzle solving, ninja skills of the player.

Summer Sale!
PSN
Fat Princess – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
PixelJunk Shooter – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Groovin’ Blocks – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Madden NFL Arcade – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
Wakeboarding HD – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.

Minis
Tetris – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Dracula Undead Awakenings – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Monsters Probably Stole My Princess – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Zombie Tycoon – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Bloons – $1.49 sale; $2.99 reg.

This sale goes on until August 9th.

8×8 LED Matrix Super Mario Bros

Lance — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:30:50 +0000

This may not interest everyone here but I found it to be really fascinating. Besides that this is a whole new level of nerd mixed with slick engineering that it should be called enginerding.

Live Action Duck Hunt

Lance — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:30:04 +0000

Even though someone says am way too old for toys (except those that are labeled toys but have no moving parts and are more akin to statues made out of vinyl) this is kind of awesome toy I need. It’ll fill some random hole in my heart that I didn’t know existed until I found out about this toy.

Nerd Wear

Lance — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:31:13 +0000

One of our illustrious correspondents sent me this link saying “Hello good sir. I know you are very awesome and enjoy partaking in the occasional hilarious T-Shirt. Because of my prior knowledge of how awesome you are I felt that you would enjoy the following internet link. I myself would love to propagate it on the internets you’ve provided but I am far too busy recovering from the anal rape that Comcast so graciously provided me with last week.” That’s pretty much verbatim on what he sent me from what I can remember. The link he was talking about was this. It’s a full blown clothing line dedicated to 8-Bit glory. If you are like me and are a huge Project Runway fan SLASH observer of all things fashion chic then you would have undoubtedly noticed that the 80s are making a comeback in style. This sweet ass collection helps prove that to me.

Feeling Motivated: Pokemon

Trent — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:51:53 +0000

I’m taking over the poster game with my own maxi-series, feeling motivated. This is my first entry in the series and it’s Pokémon. Gotta catch’em all!

Castle Crashers Crochet!

Lance — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:38:29 +0000

So admittedly this video isn’t for everyone. It’s mainly for the craft makers among us. What it is is a detailed guide on how to make your very own Castle Crashers Doll! If I was pregnant and had skills at crocheting I would totally make this for my spawn.

Sweet Hard Drive

Lance — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:30:08 +0000

I’ve bought a lot of hard drives in my time. I buy 2-10 hard drives a month for work plus I have so many externals I’ve retired a few of them due to age. None of them are as awesome as the one above. Some industrious ETSY member has taken upon his or herself to hand mod old SNES carts into a self-powered portable USB drive. You’d think this kind of amazing craftsmanship would come at a high premium and you’d be wrong. The seller is only charging 139 dollars plus 5 dollars shipping for this awesome drive. Yes it’s more expensive than similar drives on Amazon but those are not in awesome SNES carts. Also if you don’t like Super Mario World or just rather have a different game the seller claims to have a large inventory of games and is willing to track down your game of choice. So if you are in the market for a new pocket drive why not get the coolest drive around?

Also if you are looking for an awesome thumb drive as well the seller also makes GBA thumb drives!

Wallpapers 7/30/10

Lance — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:30:10 +0000

It’s kind of hard to believe that July is already over. Oh well bring on August. I’m sure there is some game someone would like.

Also Limbo is pretty awesome.

Bonus Level Radio 45: Lancestock

Lance — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:32:29 +0000

Hey kids look a surprise podcast! We all felt bad that due to a force majeure kind of thing we didn’t have a podcast this week. We briefly flirted with the idea of doing a traditional one tonight and then doing another one on Sunday but that idea quickly fell flat. So instead you get another awesome musical podcast! This time with less talking, I swear. We do hope to

30 Mario Motivational Posters Part 3!

Lance — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:50:53 +0000

Here is the final 10 awesome motivational posters featuring everyones favorite plumber! If you missed this awesome mini-series click here for part 1 and part 2!

History of Video Game Development Studios

Lance — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:30:29 +0000

If you come to this site (thank you to those who do) or listen to the podcast you know by now that I love all aspects of video games. Not just the games themselves but the history behind them and the people too. So when I came across this MASSIVE flowchart showing how the Development Studios fit into each other I couldn’t pass it up.

What if? Bioshock

Chris — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:31:56 +0000

If you are like me than you loved the first Bioshock. [Ed. Not - You better mean up until I had to become a Big Daddy and the whole game came to a crashing halt all in the name of adding 2 hours of game play then yes. -- L] Apparently the boys at Irrational had another idea when they first penned the Bioshock story. That’s what this document that talks about the story they wanted to tell. This is an unique find indeed, so check it out.

Part 1

Part 2

NESessities of Life: Rush’N Attack

Jesse — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:03:58 +0000

Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
Rush/Attack

Gameplay
Run right, young soldier! Run right stopping only to stab. And, when you are done stabbing, stab some more. Should your blade dull, steal the enemies shoulder cannon and shoot. Shoot straight, young soldier.

STAB STAB STAB!!!

Sweetness
The sweetness is right there in the title. As a kid, I didn’t once consider that the title was spelled “Rush’N Attack”. It was always and only Russian Attack. Such transparent propaganda is the definition of sweetness. It is sweetness extract.

Weakness
This game basically took the two greatest curses of 8-bit gaming and fused them inextricably. It is hard as hell with mind-numbingly dull backgrounds.

Some of these games are just as visually mundane as they want to be.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

Russians are a weak breed. One stab with a little knife, even in the ankle, and they fall quicker than the Iron Curtain.
As per tradition: one lone soldier, equipped with naught but a knife, can fell a continent.
Just imagine how sweet it would be to shoot missiles at mountains. This thought can consume a young man for hours on end.

Still Fun?
Yeah. But only if you don’t have access to Code Name: Viper. It’s basically the same game with crappier graphics and less variety of play.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
This game is an effective introduction to war propaganda. The “Kill Them All” mentality compliments the double-entendre of the title. The enemies are weak but plentiful and the level backgrounds depict endless rows of tanks and missiles ready for launch.

The enemies in Code Name: VIPER were all members of a drug cartel, a plot point used to justify their deaths. In Rush’n Attack, their crime is being a commie. Their sentence, death.

McCarthy would piss himself with joy had he lived to see this game.

Fan Art:
Fan Art is not guaranteed on these old games. Rush’N Attack is among the games that never inspired mountains of ironic portraiture. So, instead of including fan art, I am just going to post the strangest pictures that came up on Google Images when I searched “Rush’N Attack art”.

Ah! The power of sun… AKA SUNPOWER!

This dude is certified handsome.

File under: “Questions guaranteed to never offend anyone anywhere ever.”

Settle down, internet. I know how you feel about Anne Frank jokes.

God only knows how Google’s algorythms linked this to Rush’N Attack.

The lame/awesomeness of community theater.

By the way, any requests for next week’s column?

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse’s disk system is the only way to play DokiDoki Panic, the game that was later re-appropriated for Super Mario Brothers 2.

30 Mario Motivational Posters Part 2!

Lance — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:45:20 +0000

Here is the next 10 of 30 awesome Mario Motivational Posters! If you missed the first 10 click here!

Who Really Stopped The Oil Spill?

Lance — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:26:00 +0000

While the above video may not be viewable in every region it is hilarious none the less.

God I’m Such a Nerd

Chris — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:50:46 +0000

So we all love video games, and when we were kids we all loved toys. But outside of of a few exceptions kids today may have better toys then when we were younger. So is it wrong for me to try and have my cake and eat it too? Or perhaps am I looking for justification for wanting all these? Regardless of all that I bring you a bunch of sweet looking video game toys, or Interactive media display figures!

Bioshock

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Bayonetta

Halo: Reach

And if you got the scratch check this out -

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 7/28/10

Lance — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:56:33 +0000

A pretty decent week for DLC. Some of the WiiWare games look pretty interesting and makes me wish Nintendo had demos. I want to try some of these games but I don’t want to shell out 10 bucks for something I may hate. Oh and we finally see July’s first Virtual Console game!

Nintendo
WiiWare
Dive: The Medes Island Secret
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: During the past five centuries, hundreds of ships flying every ensign have succumbed to the power of the ocean. Merchant boats, pirate ships, navy vessels – all have ended up covered in coral at the bottom of the ocean. All of them guarded secrets that remained hidden… until now. In Dive: The Medes Islands Secret, you are John Sanders, a treasure hunter and experienced diver who spends months planning and documenting a major expedition to locate and recover several ships of different ensigns around the world.

Heavy Fire: Special Operations

Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Join an elite army unit in Heavy Fire: Special Operations, an arcade shooter for the WiiWare service. Play challenging missions in the Middle East from the ground, Humvee or Blackhawk. You will need a quick trigger finger to finish extremely dangerous levels. Rise through the military ranks and accumulate more powerful weapons with different features and controls. Replay the game to improve your best score and submit it to the world rankings. Make combos and smash the environment to get more points. You can take out enemies in a single-player mode or with a friend in multiplayer mode. The Wii Zapper accessory is supported but not required.

Virtual Console
AERO THE ACROBAT
Original platform: Super NES
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description:The madman industrialist Edgar Ektor has seized control of the World of Amusement. He and a deranged cast of fairground freaks threaten the circus. The only hope for survival is the high-flying, death-defying Aero the acrobat! Spine-tingling terror unfolds as Aero tackles Ektor’s wicked henchmen. Bungee-jump into a battle against evil. Skydive toward the danger below. Hang on for the ride of your life as you rise and plunge on a roaring roller coaster. Tiptoe across a terrifying tightrope. Power-drill and twist Aero right through every sinister circus enemy imaginable. All the while, the show must go on. It could become a carnival of carnage in the World of Amusement. Because the evil Ektor isn’t clowning around … and there’s nothing amusing about that.

Nintendo DSiWare
Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera!
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: With the innovative game Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera!, you can soar through the sky in a hang glider from the comfort of your sofa. Not only will you put your face into the game with the Nintendo DSi Camera, but Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera! also tracks your head movements to give you complete control of your glider. Simply tilt your head sideways to steer left or right, lean back to climb and bend forward to dive. Choose from two play styles and fly through three different types of game play: bursting all of the balloons in a variety of courses, throwing balls at targets for a high score and trying for a fast time in the high-speed challenge. Also, look out for hidden medals that help to unlock new courses and even new gliders. If you’re looking for a truly unique and inventive game, schedule a flight to experience Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera! for yourself. The only thing missing is the wind in your hair!

Crystal Monsters
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: There are two kinds of people in this world: those who can see monsters (called Neo-Seeds) and those who can’t. Neo-Seeds wield extraordinary power and battle using tamed monsters in grand tournaments. As a Neo-Seed who has just discovered his ability, you’re about to set off on an amazing journey to collect more than 160 monsters and become the greatest Monster Breeder. Explore a vast world, meet new friends and rivals, and engage in dynamic battles that require skill and strategy. Master the nine elemental types, train your monsters through battle, teach them new moves, use team attacks and fuse them together to unlock their true potential. You can even customize three of your favorite monsters by putting friends’ faces on them using the built-in camera.

Puffins: Let’s Race!
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Get ready to challenge the speediest puffins on the island for the title of Fastest Flyer in Puffins: Let’s Race! Race against the clock or go head-to-head with your opponents in a battle to the finish line. Use cleverly placed power-ups like the squawk shot to get ahead of the pack and claim victory. Race through four different game modes on eight different tracks to prove your skill, or challenge up to three of your friends via local wireless play. Do you have what it takes to become the race champion of Puffin Island, or will you be left behind with the rest of the flock?

Petz Hamsterz Family
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Adopt your very own family of hamsters! Care for them, teach them fun tricks and unlock new toys and accessories to give them lots of love! Care for your hamsters by feeding them, playing with them and keeping them clean and warm. Discover your hamsters’ unique personalities – watch them react with cute and funny facial expressions. Teach your hamsters fun activities like bowling or running on ramps and watch them progress. Earn coins that can be used to unlock new toys and accessories for your lovable hamsters.

Absolute BrickBuster
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description:Classic brick game action is here on the Nintendo DSi system. There are two modes of play: Free Play and Challenge. Pick one of eight characters and set special items to play at your own pace in Free Play Mode. The special items include different balls with special attributes, expandable paddle and paddle tilt. There are 10 stages in all. Each even-numbered stage gives you a mission, the result of which will determine the level of the next two stages. In Challenge Mode, different levels of missions are given – clear them to advance in the game.

Microsoft
Games On Demand
LOTR: Conquest
Price: $19.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Japan
Dash Text: This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Middle-earth stands on the brink of destruction. You will unite to save it or destroy it. Each race is bound to this one fate.

SmackDown vs RAW 2008
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. With 8 Superstar Fighting Styles and a whole new level of control, how will you play?

SmackDown vs. RAW 2009
Price: $29.99
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Have more fun playing with friends. Alone you’re great, but together you’re unstoppable!

Deal Of The Week
Xbox LIVE Gold members can save 50 % on Game Add-ons for Borderlands.

Secret Armory, The Underdome and Zombie Island are each 400 Microsoft Points this week only.

XBLA
Hydro Thunder Hurricane
Price: 1200 Points
Dash Text: Hydro Thunder Hurricane™ is the all new, full-featured sequel to the legendary arcade racer. Featuring rocket-powered speedboats blasting across amazing dynamic water, gorgeous visuals, and interactive environments packed with shortcuts and surprises, this is the adrenaline-drenched sequel fans have been waiting for. Pit your rocket powered speedboat against 15 opponents in single-player races and championships. Hone your speedboat skills in the new Ring Master and Gauntlet modes. Dive into intense multiplayer races with up to eight players over Xbox LIVE, up to four players locally, or even mix local and online games!

Sony
PlayStation Plus
Critter Crunch (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)

Syphon Filter (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)

Kahoots (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PlayStation Plus price $3.00, original price $5.99)

PSone Classics
The Emperor’s New Groove ($5.99)
Emperor Kuzco was turned into a llama by him loyal advisor! Now, he must team up with a simple citizen in order to return to the palace and reclaim the throne! Download this PS one classic today!

Hercules ($5.99)
Play as Hercules and go from zero to hero! Battle through a series of action-packed levels to prove you are a true hero! Download this PS one classic today!

A Bug’s Life ($5.99)
Play the role of Flik, a klutzy but inventive worker ant, as he searches for other insects to help defend his colony against the cruel grasshoppers! Download this PS one classic today!

Toy Story Racer ($5.99)
Join all of the Toy Story crew in this fun racer! Use your power-ups and put the pedal down to cross the finish line first! Download this PS one classic today!

PSP
Piyotama PSP ($4.99)
Piyotama is an excitingly addictive action-puzzle game for your PSP system that tasks players to help her hatch the eggs before they overflow the nest by simply lining up eggs of the same color and chaining them together four at a time to create combos for a hatching frenzy! Download Piyotama today!

This Is How You Make Funny

Lance — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:32:24 +0000

I love how developer diary’s evolved from the very static .plan files to excellent youtube videos that mix in entertainment and show off their creativity. Still wish some publisher would recognize the potential if a full blown behind the scenes documentary similar to the old ones Lucasfilm did for Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Something serious and in-depth. Something the opposite of what G4 would do.

30 Mario Motivational Posters Part 1

Lance — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:49:21 +0000

It’s no secret that my favorite game character is Mario. The first superstar of gaming has never disappointed me with his awesomeness. And now we I feel unmotivated he can now motivate me!

Check back tomorrow for ten more awesome posters!

Not Just Games Anymore

Chris — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:20:03 +0000

I found this fella on youtube, a one Daniel Floyd. a Guy who makes videos in a Zero Punctuation fashion to teach us about video games and the depth and credibility they have. His videos go into moral choices, controversy and women in games. And all highlight points that are interesting and are built into quick edible ten minute videos.

Here is his YouTube page.

And this is his own personal blog.

Also I’ve talked to him recently and he says hes going to be teaming up with the The Escapist to bring more out more great content.

14 Year Old Easter Egg

Lance — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:15:19 +0000

If you are like me then you love all things Nintendo. If you aren’t like me you still probably loved Mario Kart 64. It was the first game in the series to go full 3D and was a must have game for the console. You probably played the living crap out of the game. Probably knew that you could drive around Peach’s castle if you veered off course in Royal Raceway. The shortcuts on Kalimari Desert, Rainbow Road, Yoshi Valley, Koopa Troopa Beach, Royal Raceway and Wario Stadium. Hell you probably knew about the secret 4th place overall hidden ending. But I truly doubt you knew about the easter egg above. At the end race screen where the game tells you how many points you earned and have total if you let the music loop for 50 some odd minutes the music changes into a rendition only heard there. Why 50 minutes you ask? Because it is the 64th loop of the original music. As Robert Muldoon said in Jurassic Park, “Clever Girl.”

Wallpapers 7/23/10

Lance — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:27:23 +0000

I used to name the wallpaper post based on something that was interesting to me that week. But frankly that was just too damn nerdy and dorky for me. Only three this week as I attempt to stock up for future weeks!

Has anyone picked up StarCraft 2 yet?

Duck Hunt: Behind the Scenes

Jeremy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:22:00 +0000

Check out the sordid behind-the-scenes life of that dastardly dog and those crazy ducks in the Nintendo classic. Once you watch this, it’ll all make sense.

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 7/21/10

Lance — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:59:08 +0000

This weeks wrap up only exists because of Martin the Martian. When the word got out that I wouldn’t have time to do this weeks Wrap Up he did it and sent us an E-Mail. I can’t express my appreciation enough for this one!

Microsoft
XBLA

Limbo
Price – 1200 Points
Dash Text – Uncertain of his Sister’s Fate, a Boy enters LIMBO.

Games On Demand

Stuntman: Ignition
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: Plunge into the adrenaline-fueled role of a Hollywood stunt driver in Stuntman®: Ignition™, and master the most breathtaking, death-defying vehicle-based stunts ever filmed. As the newest stuntman in Hollywood, you must rise to stardom by combining reckless maneuvering with perfect execution to unlock big-budget blockbusters and lucrative commercial deals. Create movie magic in six uniquely themed films on 36 different stunt runs with over 25 vehicles, or take the action online to challenge rival stuntmen in the ultimate backlot showdown.

NFL Tour
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: You are the star of the NFL’s traveling summer road show in NFL Tour! This is a hard-hitting, high-flying, pulse-pounding game of 7-on-7 football under the night lights and fireworks of some of America’s most beautiful cities. Take complete control over the game as you lower your shoulder and plow through defenders, drag tacklers and perform special reversal maneuvers. Unleash the full fury of your defensive unit and overwhelm your opponent with the SMASH meter. This is football the way you always wanted to play it — NFL Tour!

FaceBreaker
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: FaceBreaker™ brings you a pretty sweet game that you should totally play.

Deal of the Week
A great deal this week. Gold members can pick up Bordlands Add-Ons for only 400 points each instead of the usual 800 points.

Zombie Island, 400 Points
Secret Armory, 400 Points
The Underdome, 400 Points

Sony
PSN
Sam And Max Episode 4: Beyond The Alley Of The Doll (free with purchase of Episode Bundle)
In this last episode before our epic season finale, the indescribable forces that have been pulling the Freelance Police’s strings begin revealing themselves, in a tale that will change the way you look at Sam & Max … forever!
An onslaught of oversized canine clones akin to a zombie apocalypse has our heroes running for cover in a barricaded ramshackle diner as the episode begins. And it gets even stranger from there.

PSP
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 ($29.99)
Build the adventure from Privet Drive to the Triwizard Tournament and experience the magic of the first four Harry Potter stories – LEGO style! Explore Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learn spells, brew potions, and relive the adventures like never before with tongue-in-cheek humor and creative customization that is unique to LEGO videogames!

Gravity Crash Portable ($9.99)
Gravity Crash combines old school arcade gameplay with next-gen visuals, delivering a simple yet addictive experience. Pilot a spacecraft and tackle a variety of missions, from taking out enemy installations to rescuing stranded astronauts. You’ll need quick wits and a precise, steady hand to survive the action in Gravity Crash Portable. Download this exciting game today!
PSP Minis
Young Thor – Minis ($4.99)
Fly Fu – Minis ($3.49)
Archibald’s Adenture – Minis ($4.99)

Nintendo
WiiWare

AquaSpace
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: Turn your television into a virtual aquarium with AquaSpace. You can simply relax and watch the fish or take the opportunity to read detailed information about them, such as scientific names and habitats, using the illustrated encyclopedia. If you want to get up close and personal with the fish, you can send your Mii™ character on a dive to swim with them, feed them or hunt for trivia icons to discover fish-related facts. Choose from eight aquarium themes and spruce them up with dozens of different fish and a variety of decorations, wallpaper and plant life. You can also change the background music by taking your pick from a selection of songs or using the sound of water. Then, once everything is set up, you can view your aquarium from a variety of camera angles (including a fish-eye view). Visit every day and watch your aquarium change – your fish will grow, and new fish may be born. Life continues in your aquarium even while the Wii console is turned off.

Furry Legends
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: The legend starts here. Furry Legends is a dynamic platform adventure with the most fur ever seen in games. Solve fun, physics-based puzzles in a fantastic 3D world called Furland. It’s a humorous and weird place populated by funny creatures you’ve never seen before, including five-eyed crabs, round cows, crazy rabbits and the lovely Furballs. Players control fluffy characters, each with a different set of special skills, such as the ability to manipulate time. Save the Furballs from their doom and keep Furland safe from Lord Squarie. Are you ready for a crazy adventure? Can you save Furland and its lovely Furballs? Try the furriest game of the century!

HoopWorld
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Long ago, a lost civilization called the Elders, who worshipped the magical power of Nature, built a network of sacred temples around the world. Millennia have since passed, and the temples now lie in ruins. But their energy still resonates from the land, attracting adventurers from distant lands. Drawn by the unknown force, friends have begun to rebuild the ruins into ball courts, knowing only that they must relive the time-honored test of the spirit of the Elders: the game now known as basketball. HoopWorld is a three-on-three basketball game with an arcade twist. Unique characters and beautiful natural locations set the stage, while fighting and random power-ups keep the game fast and rough. Choose your favorite team and basketbrawl across the globe to become the undisputed world champions. Play on your own or with a friend and see if you can beat the leaders of the HoopWorld global ranking.

DSiWare

Petz Kittens
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: The cutest newborn kittens are here, and they need someone to care for them and love them. Adopt your very own kittens, bond with them and help them grow into strong and healthy cats. Choose from a variety of popular cat breeds including Siamese and Persian. Give your adorable baby kittens lots of loving care: Feed them warm milk, keep them clean and warm, and help them grow. Your kittens make cute faces and react in surprising ways when you play fun games with them, such as peek-a-boo or balloon games.

Scrabble Tools
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Scrabble, long one of the world’s most popular board games, is enjoying a tremendous surge in popularity, both online and in the real world. Scrabble Tools for the Nintendo DSi system helps players hone their skills by strengthening their vocabulary, pattern recognition and point strategies through fun interactive training exercises.

Hospital Havoc
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Do you have what it takes to run your very own heart-pumping hospital? Help your doctor navigate through the havoc by admitting, diagnosing and treating some of the wackiest patients ever encountered. A comically fun time-management and strategy game, Hospital Havoc presents a challenging campaign with three levels of difficulty to choose from, plus 20 career levels, 19 possible illnesses, three-to-six bed conditions, 11 challenging scenarios (including zombies!), continuous play and rousing replay ability. Personalize your doctor and nurse, and utilize various power-ups and medical machines to help send those patients home.

Happy Birthday Mart
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Have you ever dreamed of having your own shop where you sell the goods to your friends? You can make that dream come true in Happy Birthday Mart, and it’s no ordinary store. Animals come here to buy gifts for their friends. Manage and serve your customers, clean up and fix broken shelves. Happy Birthday Mart offers tons of fun in six different stores with 12 animals and 24 minigames. You can play the minigames through a separate menu screen.

Crazy Sudoku
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Play sudoku on the go using your Nintendo DSi system. The game features five levels of difficulty, offering a fun challenge for beginners and pros alike. Choose from two different grid sizes: 9×9 or 6×6. Use the handy Note feature to add comments to each and every cell and solve even the hardest puzzles. Try challenging a friend with the brilliant two-player mode.

Virtual Console
The Virtual Console still has nothing to show for the month of July.

Demakes!

Chris — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:26:38 +0000

We have all heard about video game remakes. The time honored tradition of taking some of our most treasured classics and rereleasing them up for modern audiences. Sometimes it’s a complete overhaul like the remake of Resident Evil 1 on the GameCube. While others go for graphical updates a la God of War Collection.

The indie video game site Gamejolt.com has some different ideas towards remakes and held a contest at the beginning of the month to demake various indie titles. The idea behind a demake is to break the game down to its simplest mechanics, so it would appear as a predecessor to the game being demade. There were many entries but I weaned them down to my top 8 in no particular order. (Arbitrary number for the win!)

Blok Asylum: You’re a square escaping an asylum jumping on other squares, no crazy innovation but tight controls and sweet music.

AAAA demake: A demake of AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. A sweet game I actually played at PAX. It’s a fun time killer with all the basics and fun of the original. Jump from high up and hit glass plates to build a score.

Glitchyescpae: Though arguably not a straight demake as it uses the original engine, insanely fun and super unique. A must try with awesome gravity physics and a trippy soundtrack.

Hellarious: Run to the left and jump to avoid obstacles, requires twitch reflexes and will frustrate some. Perhaps in the good way.

Plants Vs Zombies Demake: If you can’t get the real version this will suffice with its strip down enemies and plants, but seems to have no actually end game.

Specter Spelunker Resized: This is one of the more interesting games. The way you progress is changing the size of your character to get through obstacles. Play it simply for its originality.

Crytza: Use enemy attack against them as you are a white speck. Would have been allot better if the music wasn’t horrendous

Hold off Brownish Yellow: feels like you’re playing on a game boy, but that defiantly doesn’t stop it from being great. There’s a small level up system to tackle stronger and faster foes.

NESessities of Life – Pipe Dream

Jesse — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:10:20 +0000

Genre
Puzzle

Dominant Algorithm
Tile placement/Goo

Gameplay
Tapping into the same sense of wonder that all children associate with the field of blue-collar labor, Pipe Dream tasks you with the ever-thrilling enterprise of connecting steel pipes so that fluid can flow through them freely. Knowing that just placing pipes on a grid wouldn’t be enough to pump kids up, the programmers added a challenge – the fluid that will be carried through the pipes is already flowing. You have to work quickly to make sure the slow-moving goo doesn’t spill everywhere.

Basically, your responsibility is to turn mundane this:

Into fabulous that:

You may now return from the edge of your seats. I know that this is really exciting.

Sweetness
Menial, repetitive task allows the user to experience the trance state that a plumber experiences. Unlike actual plumbing, user’s muscles may effectively atrophy by not making them actually pick up a wrench.

Weakness
While taking a few fantastic liberties with the vocation, the game is pretty effective in how well it emulates the thrill of plumbing.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

With a bit of practice, you can do anything. Even plumb!
Plumbers are rewarded for making loop-ditty-loops to confuse the fluid passing through the pipes.
Just sit back and imagine gallons of sticky white goo pumping endlessly through long, hard tubes. That’s it. There you go. So much sticky white goo. Focus on that image. endlessly flowing sticky white goo. And, if you aren’t careful, **SPLASH** sticky white goo will come out of the pipe and slop everywhere! **SPLASH SPLASH** Goo everywhere! That sticky white goo mess is so sticky and gooey that cleaning it up is impossible. Just leave it there to crust over and get started on pumping the next load of sticky white goo through the next tube.

Still Fun?
Not fun, per se, but an excellent menial task to occupy your mind with if you’re riding the train or laid up in a hospital bed.

Actually, scratch that. I played this game for two days straight when I was laid up in a hospital bed. The combination of gaming, heavy medication, and my own biological systems collapsing internally led to a nightmare that I was a tile in the game. The pipes were connecting me to hundreds of corpses and pumping our innards to and fro. I felt so many levels of decay pass through my body in that dream that I haven’t played the game since.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
The title of the game is an idiom in the English language that means an unrealistic dream or overly-fantastic idea. The origin of this phrase is from opium dens where people would smoke opium pipes and then have balls-out nutty ideas and dreams. Between the thoroughly explored issue of sticky white goo pumping out everywhere and the types of ideas you have while cranked out on opium, this game is amazing.

One can assume that this game was made based on the popularity of Mario, who was by trade a plumber. Perhaps the folks at LucasArts thought the concept of laying pipe would really resonate with the children.

Fan Art:
Unfortunately, the concept of hewing pipes together was not incredibly resonant with budding artists in the late 80’s/early 90’s. However, there are a couple pictures floating around the internet that are related. These are those:

See? Now, that’s just cute.

Though not a gaming site, www.thereifixedit.com is pretty fun to look at.

“That’s the mentality here. That’s the reality here. Did I hear somebody say they want to challenge me here?” – Eminem

I don’t know why that picture makes me think of that quote.

Geddit? geddit?

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse’s most infamous problem is a blinking red power light.

Bonus Level Radio 44: RTS ‘Em In The Back

Lance — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:55:13 +0000

In this weeks adventure Lance and Paul are joined by their wit and imagination to discuss this weeks news. Jess was still out on assignment so she couldn’t join us. Lots of great stories this week from name calling to grown men crying. As well as in depth discussion about hair, chickens and life.

Wallpapers 7/16/10

Lance — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:52:22 +0000

Kittens are awesome.

Its like being in the past, except all future-y

Trent — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:14:22 +0000

Do you have hundreds of NES, SNES, and Genesis cartridges just lying around, without any of the systems to play them on? Have you ever been playing Chrono Trigger and had a sudden urge to play Moonwalker, but didn’t want to unplug the SNES and plug in the Genesis? Well, have I got the answer for you!

Introducing, the RetroN 3!!! Coming in the 2 stylish colors of red and black, the RetroN 3 plays all of your favorite games! (Disclaimer: Only if your favorite games are on the NES, SNES, or the Sega Genesis.) It has all of some of the best things about the 3 consoles, without the hassles of actually owning them! It comes with 2 controller spots for ach of the controller types, or you can use the 2 generic wireless controllers included in the package.

So you may be asking yourself, “How much will this cost?” $19.99? Nope! $29.99? Nope! “Okay I give up how much will it cost?” Surprisingly, just one easy payment of $69.99! So you can get it all; 1 game system, 2 wireless controllers, the plug-ins, and a cardboard box. A friggin’ CARDBOARD BOX!!!!!!!!!!! So go out and get yours today, or whenever they come out.

[Ed. Note - The site seems to be down due to excessive bandwidth. Check back in a few days and if anyone gets one of these we want pictures!]

Welcome to the Gnarcade

Jeremy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:04:44 +0000

“A videogame invasion has hit Mt Hood and High Cascade!”

This is a pretty sweet snowboarding and skate video from Knife Show Inc. Great homages to Super Mario, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Portal, and more.

Read This Cause You’re Already Dead

Chris — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:30:04 +0000

Hey does anyone remember Fist of the North Star the anime series from the early eighties? I sure as hell don’t but that is mostly due to the fact I was still floating around in my father’s nut sack. Anyway that is neither here nor there. The series has Kenshiro wandering the wastelands of a post-apocalyptic world dolling out ass-kickings by continental load. To simplify it even more, imagine a world where Goku exists but everyone else is still normal. It’s crazy over the top action where each of Kens blows cause enemy’s torsos to convulse swell up and explodes in a mist of blood. He can survive fire, electricity, tank rounds and even Arnold Schwarzenegger.

So the guys over at Koei, most known for their Dynasty Warriors series, are making Fist of the North Star: Kens Rage (PS3 and 360). A beat ‘em up that looks like it goes hand in hand with what the shows was all about. The game looks pretty fun and will defiantly get me to get some hands on time with come its fall release date. The reason I’ve begun to get some interest in this game is theses clips on YouTube where Ken feet’s of awesome are shown for all those to see. Typing in Kenshirowned will yield some sweet results. They’re pretty great in a bat shit insane kind of way.

Something to warm you up to Ken -

Arnold goes to town on him -

Black Zangeif gets drilled -

Some sweet kills -

A Fucking Tank -

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 7/14/10

Lance — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Another strong week for downloadable games. You got two original games for both the PSN, XBLA and WiiWare this week. Lots of money on bite size games!

Microsoft
XBLA

Deadliest Warrior
Price – 800 Points
Dash Text – Deadliest Warrior The Game™ allows you to choose from history’s greatest warriors, equip them with signature weaponry, and go head to head against the greatest fighters that ever lived. Deadliest Warrior features five play modes, customizable warriors, and true-to-life action with interactive environments. This is a unique fighting game that is easy to play and hard to master. Sever limbs, decapitate heads, and taunt your enemy’s lifeless corpse to build up ranking points and compete on a global scale to become The Deadliest Warrior.

DeathSpank
Price – 1200 Points
Dash Text – For uncounted years the wanderer DeathSpank has been a Dispenser of Justice, a Vanquisher of Evil, and a Hero to the Downtrodden. Throughout his adventures DeathSpank has searched for a powerful artifact called … The Artifact. Forged by unknown hands for unknown purposes some unknown time in the past, The Artifact is now within DeathSpank’s reach, but what is The Artifact and what evil tyrant seeks to steal it?

Games On Demand

NBA STREET Homecourt
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: NBA STREET Homecourt merges legendary playgrounds with the hometown courts of your favorite NBA stars. Set roots in your own homecourt as an anonymous baller with big dreams. Earn a name for yourself and garner respect as you progress along your hometown journey and become a legend.

Conan
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: If it bleeds, you can kill it. Become Conan the Barbarian, the greatest sword-swinging killing machine ever. Use any weapon and anything else you can find in the deepest combat system of the next generation.

Deal of the Week
The deal of the week isn’t all that great. Gold members can pick up South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense for only 400 points instead of the usual 800 points. Joy.

Sony
PSN

Landit Bandit ($9.99)
Landit Bandit is a 3D helicopter adventure game. The game
combines modern game technology with a retro punch for a unique experience.
Single and multiplayer splitscreen campaign with 6 different worlds and 20 levels
Online scoreboards and Trophies
Multiplayer splitscreen, with coop and duel modes

DeathSpank ($14.99)
For uncounted years the wanderer DeathSpank has been a Dispenser of Justice, a Vanquisher of Evil, and a Hero to the Downtrodden. Throughout his adventures DeathSpank has searched for a powerful artifact called….The Artifact. Forged by unknown hands for unknown purposes some unknown time in the past, The Artifact is now within DeathSpank’s reach, but what is The Artifact and what evil tyrant seeks to steal it?

PSP

Groovin’ Blocks PSP ($9.99)
It’s time to get your PSP (PlayStation Portable) system groove on! Groovin’ Blocks is the ultimate combination of challenging puzzle game set to irresistible musical beats. Match three or more gems and watch them disappear; explode gems to the beat of the music to double your multipliers and increase your score! Groovin’ Blocks features three skill levels from casual mode to fiendish hard mode.

PSP Minis
No PSP Minis this week but I just say a story that sales of these minis had reach over 1 million. Interesting.

Nintendo
WiiWare

Toribash
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Toribash is an online fighting game where you make all the moves. Use precision motion controls to create any move you want – the only limit is your imagination. Manipulate your fighter’s joints for maximum impact and take out your opponents with precise hits. Boost your joints for added speed and strength to hit harder, then grab your opponents and slam them to the ground. Fight online and challenge players around the world using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required). Want to make your own fight movies? Just jump into the replay editor. You can enter replays at any point in time and review your fight to catch that mind-blowing move you missed. When you’re done, share with your buddies through WiiConnect24™.

Balloon Pop Festival
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Balloon Pop Festival is a revolutionary puzzle game that’s suitable for all ages. Point the Wii Remote™ controller at the screen to aim and link a series of balloons to create satisfying combos. Watch as the festival is beautifully animated, releasing different graphical elements to represent each month. The goal of the game is to score as much as you can before balloons cross the line on the bottom. Each festival has different graphical elements, animation and character costumes. The more you do through the festival, the more you will unlock graphics for playing other modes.

DSiWare

Primrose
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Take your time, set your own pace, establish your own goals and adapt your play style however you like. Primrose rules are easy: There are no time limits, no levels, no arbitrary objectives and no constraints. Just place pairs of tiles on a game grid and attempt to corral groups of tiles with pieces of a different color. Surrounded tiles disappear and surrounding tiles change colors, allowing chain effects to trigger combos for massive points. You can play long matches and try to keep up with increasing levels of difficulty, or just go all out on a huge single-move combo for millions of points.

Pop Island – Paperfield
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a fresh, fun universe with easy pick-up-and-play control themes. Join your team and race, surf or fly on three new islands. Get a maximum of flags to win in the “Race for flags” or “Capture the flag” modes. With the new “Magic Shooters” team, take control of eight land, sea and air vehicles (including tanks, hovercrafts and planes) or animals (surfing penguins, eagles and black cats). An impressive graphics engine runs fast and smooth at 60 frames per second. In Solo Mode, rack up points and unlock new playable vehicles and maps. Use DS Download Play to share Pop Island – Paperfield and compete joyfully with up to seven friends. If you own Pop Island on your Nintendo DSi system, you can get three new maps and four vehicles, including a helicopter and a submarine.

Music on: Retro Keyboard
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Turn your Nintendo DSi system into a full electronic keyboard with a carefully chosen selection of sounds and rhythms from the mythic computers and consoles of the 1980s. Whether you’re already an expert or taking your first steps, Retro Keyboard will help you capture your inspiration wherever you are. Features include an ’80s-inspired interface and a selection of keyboard, console and computer sounds from the ’80s, plus rhythms inspired by the first generation video games. You can also enjoy an automatic accompaniment function with chord recognition, up to eight user-definable chords, a six-octave keyboard (two octaves visible), pitch bend function, 16 instruments, an integrated sequencer, metronome, recording and replay options.

24/7 Solitaire
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: 24/7 Solitaire features 24 variations of the most widely known and best-loved single-player card games including Klondike, Freecell, Spider, Pyramid, Yukon and seven versions of Peg-Solitaire. Most games have custom game play options so you can enjoy the game with your favorite rules. On-screen instructions can help you learn new Solitaire variations. Statistics are available for players who love to track their wins. Save your game status at any time. The game’s style and interface have been designed for easy, intuitive operation with the stylus or the control pad. Sit back, relax and enjoy the endless challenge and fun of this Solitaire game collection.

4 TRAVELLERS™ – Play French
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Challenge your family and friends in a new digital board game while learning your first words in a new language together. Compete in a foreign hotel where the goal is to acquire objects, money and friends. Strategy and fast learning are essential. The game is suitable for players young and old, and no previous knowledge is necessary. The more you play, the more your French vocabulary increases. The game is perfect to bring on your trip, including more than 240 carefully selected words.

Virtual Console
It seems the Virtual Console is taking July off as we have yet another week with NO RELEASE. Not sure how I feel about this. Does anyone really care about the VC anymore?

The Tetris Massacre

Jeremy — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:38:13 +0000

It’s no secret that I love threadless.com. For those of you not in the know, designs are submitted by artists and the community votes and decides what gets made into a sweet shirt. This little baby is entitled “Let the Game Continue” is designed by Eduardo San Gil aka Graja. I love the concept of our 8-bit friends being massacred into tetris blocks. It’s brilliant. You should go buy it now.

And if you do get the shirt, send us a picture of you wearing it and you’ll get a Bonus Level achievement. Just kidding. There’s no such thing…or is there?

[Ed. Note - There is now.]

Stompin’ Some Goombas

Trent — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:01:49 +0000

All you need now are the overalls, gloves, hat, and the sweet, sweet stache to finish. These custom mario are possibly the only thing to give me a shroom-gasm.

For some more pics, click on this link.

NESessities of Life – Kirby’s Adventure

Jesse — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:05:31 +0000

Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
Run/Jump/Fly

Style (Delivered in Pun Form)
Eat-Cute

Game play
You are the guide as Kirby goes on his titular adventure. Navigate a variety different worlds, eating enemies and absorbing their powers as you go. These worlds are each littered with mini-bosses and punctuated with a maxi-boss.

The world-map unfolds in a unique manner. As you complete levels, portions of the map will become accessible. However, gaining full access to the world-map is dependent on you finding all the secrets in each level. The system is inventive without ever feeling oppressive. It never punishes you for speeding through the game, only rewards you for exploration.

Sweetness
A plethora of powers and mountain of mini-games keep the replay value extremely high. Also, the difficulty level is right in that sweet-spot, a decided rarity considering the console.

Weakness
For how sophisticated the game play is, the backgrounds are surprisingly bland and repetitive. Despite the clever names applied to the various worlds, they all look that same.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

You can absorb the strength of your foes by eating them whole.
Rewards are granted through ambitious exploration and confident adventuring. Never back down from the mysterious or the unknown.
Go for the gold! Even though the small prize might be easier to catch, the big one is worth more. And, with a little bit of careful timing, you will catch it. YOU WILL ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM! KEEP DREAMING, YOU BEAUTIFUL DREAMER!

Still Fun?
Yes. Tight controls, creative game-play, a lead as cute as a button… It all adds up to a perfect storm of 8-bit entertainment. The graphics aren’t anything to write home about. But, even that axiom isn’t universally true. Step out onto the edge of a castle tower and Kirby’s world is rendered in a 3D far beyond what the hardware should be rendering.

Also, languages:

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
Kirby was a late generation NES game. At the time of its release, all the major puzzles regarding the system programming had been solved. This allowed the programmers to focus on making the variety of play as diverse and responsive as possible. Furthermore, this was programmed by HAL Laboratories, no strangers to engaging game play (see also: Earthbound).

The NES allows for up to 64 sprites to be displayed at a single time. In an effort to allow more simultaneous characters on screen, the models are fairly small in this game. Hi-def gaming now standard, the experience playing feels positively quaint. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself squinting from time to time.

Kirby was way ahead of the Mario curve in terms of world naming. It wasn’t until the Super Nintendo that Miyamoto was naming the worlds after foods. As early as 1993, Kirby was exploring such needlessly cute-name arenas like the Vegetable Valley, Grape Garden, and Orange Ocean.

Also, the game starts out with a brief tutorial on how to draw Kirby. You can rest assured: There is fan art for this game. Let’s start out with the gory stuff:

Moving on to cute:

And finally, the monochromatic:

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse’s pitch bend feature supports frequencies from 54Hz to 28kHz.

APM Demonstration

Lance — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:47:19 +0000

I heard Koreans were insane about StarCraft. I knew that it was a national sport. But I never ever thought those who play were Androids. Seriously, who remembers Star Trek The Next Generation? Every once in a while they would point out how much faster Data was at doing stuff by speeding up his hand movements. Effective filmmaking and trickery sure but he is still slower then this AVERAGE pro-StarCraft player. Mind. Blown.

Guest Review: Transformers War On Cybertron

Lance — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:29:04 +0000

Peter is the very definition of a Superfan. After checking out one of our podcasts for fun he then preceded to listen to every one of our shows in a two week marathon. This is his first attempt at a guest review and I think he did a great job. I probably will be picking up this game very soon.

It’s very difficult to review something objectively when you have been waiting for it all your life because you either overlook the flaws out of pure love or pick endlessly at them like scabs of imperfection. With that little disclaimer out of the way lets talk about the little gem that is The Transformers: War for Cybertron. For anyone that is a fan of any of the cartoon series or movies the first thing you will notice from playing the game is the very Transformers feel the game has. I know, I know what the hell is a Transformers feel. Well if you ever wanted to turn from a robot into a car, speed forward, leap into the air, transform back to a robot mid-air and gun down a Decepticon (or Autobot) ala Transformers : The Movie (1986) Optimus-Megatron style, then that is the Transformers feel I am talking about.

Campaign

The best feature of the game is the campaign which can be played solo or with up to 2 other friends online co-op. The story takes place long before Transformers land on Earth on their homeworld of Cybertron where an all out war is raging between the Autobots and Decepticons. The campaign will take you anywhere form 10-12 hours to complete if you are an achievement / trophy collector to grab all the hidden items and beat it on the different difficulty levels. It is broken up into two equal length parts, one where you play as the Decepticons and the other as the Autobots. The story throughout the game is very episodic in nature where each chapter feels like a single part of a larger mini-series. The people at High Moon Studios definitely put a lot of effort and heart into making this new story in the Transformers universe feel as though this was the mini series that leads up to the original G1 TV show. There are too many characters to name that show up and play parts in the story but almost all the ones you will remember make an appearance. It is easily the best $60 spent for a co-op campaign game in a long time (way better than ODST or COD: WaW). Be prepared to have a lot of fun with your friends on this one.

Game Play / Control

Now I am deliberately going to skip the online play and come back to after going over how the game plays. The game play mechanics are smooth enough to pickup very quickly if you have ever played a 3rd person shooter and you’ve got your typical jump, shoot, melee, grenades, reload and change weapons buttons that are a mainstay in shooters these days. What TF : WFC adds into the mix is two buttons for special abilities, boost and the transform button. That’s right every single button on your controller (including the analog stick buttons) are required to fully operate your Transformer. Another thing to note is certain button functions change depending if you are in vehicle or robot mode. The controls definitely take some getting used to especially the fact that instead of your character being centered on the screen it is off to the left hand side. This makes you have an unusual blind spot on the left side of your field of view and makes landing melee attacks harder than it should be. I know Gears of War did the same thing but it never felt like I had a blind side or my ability to maneuver were effected by this placement. The first thing I would recommend is to change your button control to Scheme B. This will change your weapon swap to the directional pad and your transform button to the one of the 4 main buttons. If you don’t do this the Left Analog Stick is your transform button will (if you are anything like me) piss you off to no end when you are in an intense battle and trying to maneuver around objects while firing and then all of a sudden you transform (which makes you vulnerable and unable to fire for a a second or so) and get killed. Once you get past some of the control issues it is still hard to get past all of the glitches that seem to pop up all over the place. Sometimes my character would fall through the floor and die via off the map kill. Frustrating but the game is still a lot of fun.

Online

I consider the control and game play mishaps to be minor in the scheme of things compared to the online play. As is becoming the trend with console games now they are rushed out without proper online testing and boom you get a glitch fest that will easily turn away casual gamers. I played the demo, I had the game day 1 and I have played it at least every other night since its release. These online factors are killing the game. On Day 1 there were 11,000 people playing during my time slot (10PM – 2AM EST). Last night there were 5,500 at 10 and 4,200 by 1AM. I was playing the games CTF variant and I was 1 of 13 people playing that mode. The first weeks sales figures placed the game at around 150K copies sold so where the hell are they? Well if they got the game the first week and tried it online they probably will never try it again. The online modes are fun and they have your typical CTF, Node control and death match style modes. They even have a cool Escalation mode (think Horde) but the online mode uses the same peer to peer server host mechanism that can be exploited (and appears to be rampant) to cause crazy lag and unfair advantages. The first night out of about 10 games I played 2 were not laggy and played to completion. The others either host/rage quit or lagged to death. High Moon has been nice enough to release a patch, but unfortunately it appears to only fix the problem that WHEN the host quits, you will keep your XP earned but does nothing to fix these online game play issues. The maps are very similar in styling and are very hard to tell dramatic differences between them. If you have played MW2 you will notice that the competitive online modes focus on 4 different classes with different abilities, skills and have the same challenge type of experience / level up schema.

The four classes are:

It may sound like I am really hating on the online modes, but I am not, it truly is fun, it is just currently flawed. I think that is my bias and scab picking.

Overall

Overall the game is a lot of fun and if you read the reviews of other sites you will see that it got on average very good marks. I think the problem with this game is that it was rushed to be released in the off season. Its no secret that the new Halo and COD franchises will be coming out in the Fall and will likely keep players occupied for months on end and the studio didn’t want to get lost in the Holiday shuffle, but it really should have been given a little bit more time on the glitch and online fix and maybe positioned as a tie in to the TF3 movie next summer. I know someone else is probably already working away at another shitty TF movie tie-in game but this really should have been advertised and marketed more. This is the Transformers video game you have been waiting for since 1984. I get the feeling that not many people know about this game because it really is worthy of selling more copies. This game is for anyone that loves or loved Transformers in any of its iterations or for anyone who wants a great co-op game for the summer, or for anyone who is sick of MW2. The last catagory of people that this game is for is anyone reading this review.

-Peter

Bonus Level Radio 43: Sausage Party

Lance — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:50:55 +0000

This week two of our co-hosts, Jess and Paul, were away on assignment. Filling in for them we had the battle of the Superfans, Trent and Peter as well as our semi-regular Chris. The three of them plus my sweet monotone voice made for a lively and fun show. We discussed Hulu Plus, Google investing in Zynga, Blizzard going after the trolls, the Playstation 4, the return of the platformer and much much more. We also initiated a new feature on the show that desperately needs a proper name. If you have a suggestion leave a comment below. All suggestions will be taken seriously and are greatly appreciated!

Three More Years

Chris — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:46:59 +0000

PAX Boston was my first PAX and it was a amazing experience for oh so many reasons. The most notable is meeting the goon of Bonus Level which brings me joy beyond imagining.

Well we all knew it was returning but this article says we got it for at least three more years. Lets just hope they moved our ass to a bigger venue in Boston. Is anyone planning on attending PAX East next year?

Wallpaper Friday! 7/9/10

Lance — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:18:06 +0000

Sometimes the worst part of having a long weekend is that that “short” week after ends up being super long. Oh well! Did everyone enjoy the super special Zombie Special Podcast that we did this week? We all had a blast doing it – at least I did if the other people didn’t screw em . Hopefully you did and don’t worry we won’t stray to far from our normal gaming news format. In any case, what is everyone playing this weekend?

Best Use Of Motion Tracking Ever!

Lance — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:04:01 +0000

Whether or not this was just done to be as am After Effects test it is pretty amazing and fun to watch.

Be A Game Designer!

Lance — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:29:04 +0000

Typically we have some sort of preview image for the video giving the reader a quick sense of what it is they are about to watch. I struggled with this because I wanted to put an image up but I didn’t want to spoil the awesome surprise that is this video. I LOLed all around this one.

Wednesday Download Wrap Up 7/7/10

Lance — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:30:53 +0000

Happy Bungie Day everyone! Enjoy this weeks massive download list!

Nintendo
WiiWare

Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising
Price: 700 Wii Points
Description: Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising is the first title in a trilogy of air-combat action games for the WiiWare service. Take off from aircraft carrier decks and historic military bases as you conduct covert strikes, engage in furious dogfights and fly search-and-destroy missions. Pilot the most prolific fighter, bomber and torpedo-bearing aircraft of the World War II Pacific Theatre. Featuring two campaigns spanning the early years of the Pacific War, you can play as the United States Naval Air Force or the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force. You can also choose to practice your combat skills in the Avenging Ace or Survival dogfight modes.

Cruise Party
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Welcome aboard! Here you’ll find four fabulous games to satisfy your appetite for gambling: Slot Machines, Roulette, Black Jack and “Video” Poker. Once on deck, you will be able to choose between Competition mode and Quick Play mode. If you beat a record, you’ll have to enter your name in order to appear in the high scores table. Beware of bankruptcy!

DSiWare

QuickPick Farmer
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: It’s time to shear your sheep, but a wolf named George is prowling around your farm, and he’s hungry. Hurry up and put the wool in the barns for safekeeping. Use the stylus to round up identical sheep, shear them, collect the balls of wool and catapult them into the barns. If George is getting too close to your flock, fire a ball right at his muzzle to chase him away and gain some time. Experience 30 crazy levels, a nonstop mode, striped sheep, spotted sheep and a goofy wolf. Test your powers of observation, your reflexes and your tactics in the wacky world of QuickPick Farmer.

Soul of Darkness
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Enter a fascinating gothic world as the mysterious and powerful Kale. Try to save your beloved’s life and soul by freeing her from an evil vampire’s clutches. Explore dark woods, caves, huge castles and impressive cathedrals under the full moon’s light. Master and upgrade your sword and spear, and learn how to control your powers. Use the Fire and the Ice or transform into your enemies to overcome the numerous obstacles in your way. Face and defeat foes such as werewolves, succubae, gargoyles and zombies. Exclusive camera features let you use your environment to gain power-ups and upgrades. Good or evil – be the sole master of your destiny!

SteamWorld Tower Defense
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Welcome to Cowbot County, home of the robotic master race of SteamWorld! As the sheriff, you must stop the human invaders in their mad hunt for gold. Build attack robots next to the roads they roam, then watch the invaders go down. Use your robots’ special skills to your advantage in this original tower defense variation where strategy and execution are equally important. There’s an Easy mode for rookies, but everyone will find a unique challenge in the great Western reaches.

101 Shark Pets
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Choose from more than 101 baby sharks or simply adopt them all. Discover their personalities as you feed, clean and care for your new pets. Bring out each pet’s talents by training sharks in a variety of fun and wacky activities. Enter your shark into pet shows and earn money to buy exciting upgrades, including toys, food, clothes and accessories. The more tricks you teach and the more games you play, the more fun you’ll have!

Hello Flowerz
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Welcome to Hello Flowerz, the gardening game where you have fun with flowers. Sow your favorite flowers and look after them every day, helping them grow into healthy, beautiful flowers. Use your flowers to create wonderful bouquets and enter them in regular competitions. Landscape your own gardens, transplant flowers and arrange various items. Put on your gloves, grab your tools and start showing off your flowers!

Flips: The Folk of the Faraway Tree
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Jo, Bessie and Fanny have a visit from their snooty friend Connie. Connie won’t believe in the Faraway Tree and the magical people who live there: Moon-face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man. There’s only one way to prove her wrong. Together the children climb the tree and visit some of the lands at the top of it, such as the Land of Secrets and the Land of Treats. And after a few adventures, Connie learns to be a nicer person altogether!

Virtual Console
And once again we have NOTHING this week!

Microsoft
Games On Demand

Fight Night Round 4
Price: $29.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except those in Asia
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English and French only. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Fight Night Round 4 is the most authentic simulation of the sweet science of boxing.

Ski-Doo Challenge
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English and French. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge is an authentic snow cross experience with officially licensed Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

Deal of the Week

Mega Man 10 – Normally 800 on sale for 400
Afterburner Climax – Normally 800 on sale for 400
Scrap Metal – Normally 1200 on sale for 800
Death by Cube – Normally 800 on sale for 400

XBLA

Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: More Pirates! More Adventure! More Monkeys! Relive the second hilarious swashbuckling misadventure of the wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he searches for the lost treasure of Big Whoop, attempts to win back the beautiful Elaine Marley and takes on the now evil zombie pirate, LeChuck! Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge™ faithfully re-imagines the original classic in signature special edition detail. Plus, interact with the world of Monkey Island™ like never before with new direct-character controls, an interactive object highlight system, behind the scenes art viewer and creator commentary featuring the original developers of Monkey Island™ 2: LeChuck’s Revenge™!

Blacklight: Tango Down
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Asia, Australia or New Zealand
Dash Text: Unlock the full version of Blacklight: Tango Down and experience the bleeding edge of advanced warfare. Fight tomorrow’s conflicts with or against your friends in the gritty Blacklight universe. Make your stand across seven game modes with 12 different maps in intense online battles supporting up to 16 players. Or fight through four intense Black Ops missions co-operatively or alone; all the while gaining experience, collecting stats, and unlocking items. Earn new weapon attachments and items, improve your abilities, and engage your Hyper Reality Visor to locate enemies and take them out. Customize your character and weaponry from among millions of combinations to become the soldier you always wanted to be.

Sony
PlayStation Plus

Field Runners (Free to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)

Super Stardust HD (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, original price $9.99)

Hamsterball (PlayStation Plus price $3.99, original price $9.99)

PSN

Monkey Island Special Edition 2: Lechuck’s Revenge ($9.99)
More Pirates! More Adventure! More Monkeys! Relive the second hilarious swashbuckling misadventure of the wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood in signature special edition detail. Overcome the wrath of the evil zombie pirate LeChuck with all new direct-character controls, an interactive object highlight system, behind the scenes art viewer and creator commentary featuring the original developers of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge!

Family Feud ($9.99)
“SURVEY SAYS!” Family Feud is fun on your PlayStation 3 system! Just like on TV, the game pits 2 families against each other in a contest to name the most popular answers to survey questions posed to 100 people. The first family to get 300 points wins, and moves on to the Fast Money round for a chance to win $20,000! With a multiplayer mode played on one PS3 or online through PlayStation Network, Family Feud has never been so entertaining!

PSP

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable ($39.99)
Terrible creatures lurk in the dark, preying on those who wander into the hidden hour between one day and the next. As a member of a secret school club, you must wield your inner power—Persona—and protect humanity from impending doom. Will you live to see the light of day?
The award-winning RPG is now in the palm of your hand! Greatly enhanced and featuring a new female protagonist with another perspective on the story, no RPG fan should miss this.

Despicable Me ($29.99)
Be Despicable! (It’s fun!) Despicable Me: The Game lets players of all ages experience the thrill of being Gru, one of the world’s greatest supervillains who is planning the biggest heist in history – stealing the moon.
Assemble an army of minions
Use new gadgets and weapons
Master air combat
Build an awesome rocket ship
Play as Gru or as his nemesis, Vector, in multiplayer air combat (PS2)

Chameleon Legacy ($4.99)
Chameleon offers players simple controls that are easy to get into along with competitive play as you attempt to match colors on your playfield. The game features several playable characters along with a bonus character. A variety of different modes and rule sets bring great replay-ability to this addictive game.

PSP Minis

Widget’s Odyssey – Minis ($1.99)

The Mystery Of The Crystal Portal – Minis ($4.99)

5-in-1 Arcade Hits – Minis ($3.99)

4X4 Jam Minis ($6.99)

I Choose You Totoro!!!

Chris — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:12:31 +0000

A new JRPG called Ni no Kuni is being made by game developer Level 5, it was previewed about a year back on the Nintendo DS but now the PS3 is getting its own copy. Level 5 are the guys who brought us greats like the Professor Layton series and serious turds like White Knight Chronicles. The only difference that made this newsworthy is the fact that studio Ghibli is adding their own personal touch to the project.

Studio Ghibli are the creators of My Neighbor Totoro (best use of a Totoro), Princess Mononoke (best use of Billy Bob Thornton voice), and Spirited away (best animated movie ever). The art style is enough to sell me on the game, not to mention the probable stellar story with Studio Ghibli involvement. Unfortunately for my wallet though I may be forced to buy the game twice. Seeing as teams have been broken up to design two different games from scratch, only keeping the skeleton of the story.

The game is set to follow a boy named Oliver story as he tries to bring back his mom from the dead with the help of a magic book to summon monsters. Now I’ve only seen a couple of videos but from what I can gather it looks like a variation of Pokémon. Monster placement is also an essential strategy to combat. The DS combat seems based more around using the stylus to draw out symbols.

This is one JRPG I will defiantly follow, man I never thought I’d say that again. So here’s hoping for Totoro being a playable character, hell I’ll even take Catbus. Click here for the DS trailer.

Mark Ronson – Circuit Breaker

Lance — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:39:02 +0000

I recently came across this awesome music video that really blew my skirt up.

NESessities of Life – Marble Madness

Jesse — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:07:30 +0000

Genre
Uhhhh… hell if I know

Dominant Algorythm
Roll/Swear/Throw Controller

Gameplay
It couldn’t be simpler. You use the d-pad to tell a marble which direction it should go in a series of increasingly complicated Echer-esque maze towers. The physics engine is as dense as one could be considering the hardware. The marble is affected not only by the users influence but also such variables as gravity, friction, wind, angle of incidence and collisions.

Sweetness
Interesting physics and clever level design will keep you fascinated. There are surprises around ever corner. No gag is doubled up in this game.

Weakness
The physics are overly ambitious and occasionally feel inconsistent. While not a deal breaker, it does put a strain on the relationship occasionally.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

The game will randomly give you a 10 second bonus from time to time. However, it will never randomly punish you. This is an appropriate way to behave. Surprise the people you care about with small tokens of generosity. Let the natural flow of the universe deliver the challenges.
Working with a partner can be heaps of fun or pure torture depending on the people involved and the ultimate goals.
Everything you know is wrong.

Still Fun?
Absolutely. This is a masterpiece of creativity that will consistently surprise and challenge you from beginning to end. It’s a shame that this is the only game in the genre.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
Very little, which is strange. Upon its release, the arcade cabinet shot up to the biggest money-maker at the time. It was among the first games to have true stereo sound and an original score. It is recognized in the Guiness Book for its “technical, creative and cultural impact”. The game was subsequently ported to a multitude of home consoles, with RARE (of Battletoad fame) handling the port to the NES, selling well on nearly all of them. A 17-level sequel was developed and tested but never received a wide release.

Since then, the game and the genre it invented have largely remained dormant.

Fan art is scarce, but if you want to see the whole sha-bang-a-bang, here it is:

Also, it’s not fan art, but here is some concept art from when the game was being designed. Note the things that didn’t make it into the final version, a swaying platform and a teeter-totter scale.

All right. You got me. There is one piece of fan art out there. It can be found at BLOWN UP.

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse had a modem in Japan, but it was only used for financial services.

Bonus Level Radio 42: Z

Lance — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:55:55 +0000

This week we attempt a little something different for the podcast. Due to the fact that the Fourth landed on a Sunday this year and we were all insanely busy living our lives we recorded this week’s podcast a few days early. It also has almost nothing to do with games. This, folks, is our attempt at the mythical Zombie Podcast. We discuss various scenarios on how to survive the forthcoming Zombie Apocalypse as well as a little roleplaying as well.

It’s True! So say the French

Chris — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:44:38 +0000

Everyone that knows me knows I got a massive erection for anything Team Ico. So when I first heard the rumors that they were going to bundle Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in an HD bundle I was creaming myself in anticipation. But as the months past I heard less and less about the bundle aside from small time rumors. And since E3 came and went without even a rumble of news on it. I was left dismayed and saddened, but a silver lining has been shown to me – by none other then the French.

That’s right the French Amazon site has put this up for a June 2011 release. Now nothing has been confirmed on Sony end. But this is the first hard evidence that it’s a legit thing. So here’s to the French for finally coming through for us, or so I hope.

[Ed. Note - The listing seems to have been taken down but Sony has come out saying how much they would love to see an HD collection of the games]

viva usted uso de boina, banguet bastardos comestibles.

Wallpapers!! 7/2/10

Lance — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:04:49 +0000

Everyone better have a safe and LONG holiday this weekend!

Gamer Quiz

Lance — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:08:59 +0000

Ever think to yourself “Hey I’m an awesome person and I know more about games then the next guy?” If you have then do I have a little web trivia game for you! I just stumbled upon this little game from ArcadeAid.com where it’s an awesome Where’s Waldo-esqe drawing hiding games of yesteryear and today. At first I found it pretty easy but then there were 20 something games hiding out. It was a pretty awesome distraction and worth checking out!

Gaming Validity

Chris — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:05:38 +0000

In an age where video games are bombarded by bad publicity and constant watch dogging by over protective parents, where do we turn to find intelligent arguments towards detailing gaming’s worth? Well, thanks to a good friend, our prayers have been answered in the form of Well Played 1.0 (free online version) (purchase the hardcover).

The book is a collection of essays wherein the writers explain their love and reasons for love in video games. They bring up many interesting ideas like why super Mario world is perfect game design to character development in games like Bioshock. A pretty significant read that was done with allot of heart and defiantly and necessity for anyone that can appreciate games as more than just time sponges.

Noble Failures: Nier

Chris — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:24:59 +0000

Nier is a game that nearly passed my radar if it weren’t for the horrible things that were spouted about it on the Internet. Most of these things are true, fortunately for me though this worked towards bringing out another Noble Failures. Nier was developer Cavia, a company known for releasing games that are Japanese as tentacle rape and published by Square Enix the creators of the most Japanese games ever. Bring us Nier a tale of a father trying to save his daughter from a deadly disease.

Set 1300 years in the future wherein the world has been turned into a shadow of his former self. Vile monsters called Shades along with a disease called the black scrawl have reduced the human population to a handful of sparsely populated villages. Your player named character and his group of friends set out to discover the secrets of the world and find a cure for the black scrawl that has infected your daughter Yonah. Your group is made up of Grimoire Weiss a talking book, Kaine a foul mouthed young women with a shade inside her and Emil a boy that turns people to stone. Nier possibly has one of the greatest ensembles of video game characters since final fantasy 3 on the SNES (FF6 for Super Famicon). The banter between the characters is some of the most genuinely funny and emotional scenes I ever seen in games. The Voice acting is also stellar. The general plot is odd and bumbling at times, but it’s tolerable because you get to spend so much time with such great characters and seem them develop.

The real shame of the game is the game play that is both tedious and clunky that will have you wondering how this got out the door. Fights with enemies always feel obtuse and annoying. Now don’t confuse bad game play with challenge as the game sees fit that you move like molasses the entire time. The only good thing you get out of the combat is the magical abilities that are mandatory in order to progress. I give the game praise for being one of the first action RPG’s that actually require other abilities aside form stabbing the shit out of the enemies (see God of War).

Done in an open world setting the game makes you travel on foot from location to location with no fast travel till the last bit of the game. The game early on gives you a giant boar to use as a mount but since it can’t turn worth crap travel on it is cumbersome at best. The ability to “drift” your boar was funny for about 2 seconds till you realize the game designers were actually serious. Overall a major flaw in level design.

For a game released this year you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at the graphics. They look like middle era PS2 and the fact that the world feels likes it’s been washed out give a boring light pastel color to it. Only few cut scenes show any type of next gen feel and I can fit them on one hand.

In total Nier is a game with great characters that go through really well laid out character arcs but the downside are you had to play the game to understand them? But this does not constitute the reason why it’s a Noble Failure.

The game does choice with consequence better than any game on the market. Near the end of the game once you have completed a certain amount of side quests and got all the weapons, you are asked to make a choice. (Kind of spoiler) kill a close friend to ease their suffering or sacrifice your entire being to give them a second chance at life. Now in most games where they ask for a player sacrifice (Fallout 3, dragon age or mass effect 2) you can easily reload the save and get both endings. But not this, the game states it will be as though you never existed and all you’re save files will be deleted and the characters will have no relocation of you if you make this choice.

The only mark that is left on your system to say you played this game is the achievements/trophies you earned along with a new one for making the ultimate sacrifice. Now this idea can be seen as cheap as it attack the player but maybe that’s what game designs need to do to get real choices out of characters. Now for a game that fails on so many other counts I would love to see this concept refined and brought back to future titles.

The story between the title character and Yonah is done with such care as you get letters from her because she misses you so much. A true loving bond between parent and child if I ever seen one. Makes Bioshock 2 parent/child story fall flat in comparison and I liked that aspect of Bioshock 2.

Past Noble Failures –
The Thing

Super Mario Crossover!!!!

Trent — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:02:06 +0000

Have you ever been playing the original Super Mario Brothers game and gotten so frustrated that you wanted to shoot a goomba in the face? Well now you can! In this suprisingly awesome flash game (Super Mario Crossover, for those who didnt read the title) you can play the entire original game , warp pipes and all, as Link, Bill, Megaman, Samus, Belmont, and Mario. While many people may remember playing the game when it first debuted on Newgrounds.com you may not realize that the games author has a whole website setup just for the game and has been updating it as well! Samus is now looking more like herself from Other M and you can play as Ryu from Ninja Gaiden!

Try it out by following this link.

Weekly Download Wrap Up 6/30/10

Lance — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:58:26 +0000

This week it’s a good week to be a PlayStation owner. With the start of PlayStation ‘Plive’ (listen to this week Bonus Level Radio to get that one) Sony has brought out the big guns on deals.

Microsoft
Deal of the Week
Defense Grid, 400 Points
PB Winterbottom, 400 Points
Rocket Riot, 400 Points
Darwinia+, 800 Points
Chime, 240 Points
Poker Smash, 400 Points
You have to be a Gold Member to be able to take advantage of these deals.

Games on Demand – Two!
Tomb Raider Underworld
Price: $19.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except India and Japan
Dash Text: Designed specifically to take advantage of the latest technologies Tomb Raider Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.

Command & Conquer 3
Price: $19.99
Availability: North America, Austria, Germany and Switzerland
Dash Text: Control massive armies and wage war as one of as one of three rival factions in Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. Embark on an adrenaline-fueled single-player campaign that features explosive 3D special effects, an unparalleled Hollywood cast, and over 90 minutes of live-action video. Then, head onto Xbox Live for devastating multiplayer battles with five exclusive modes and Xbox Live Vision support. You alone can decide the fate of the planet in the epic war over Tiberium. Welcome back, Commander.

XBLA – Two!
Puzzle Quest 2
Price: 1200 Points
Dash Text: Escape to a puzzle game fantasy world filled with amazing creatures, powerful weapons, and addictive role playing in this sequel to the award-winning Puzzle Quest.

Ancients of Ooga
Price: 800 Points
Dash Text:From the creators of Cloning Clyde comes a new epic adventure Ancients of Ooga! Eat, chant, and even puke your way through the highly comical, primeval land of Ooga. There’s never a dull moment as you meet, befriend, and finally acquire seven zany Oogani tribes.

Uncover their lost ancient powers, and exploit their abilities and lead them in a revolt against the tyrannical Boolis. This is classic platforming and puzzle solving with a novel eat/carry/puke inventory management component. Over fifty amazing levels, excellent multiplayer, plus, narcotic slugs that make you loopy! Ancients of Ooga is sure to take you out of this world.

Sony
PSN – One!
inFAMOUS
Price: $29.99
A massive explosion rips through six square blocks of Empire City, leveling everything and killing everyone in its path… everyone, except you! Feel what it’s like to be granted incredible powers… how you use them is up to you. The consequences of your actions will affect you, the citizens, and the city around you. You’ll develop and grow your powers, and eventually uncover the purpose of it all.

PSP – Three!
Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play
Price: $9.99
Arcade Action Anywhere! Now you can play Midway’s classic arcade games anywhere. anytime.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip
Price: $19.99
“Take the fun and excitement of Tennis anywhere in a whole new Hot Shots Tennis adventure for your PSP system. Ace, volley and smash your way
through a brand new cast of Hot Shots characters. Travel around the globe unlocking exotic venues, courts and crazy Hot Shots equipment! Do you have the skills to take on the challenge?”

Bejeweled 2 PSP
Price: $9.99
For gem-matching fun on the run, play the best-selling Bejeweled 2 now available on your PSP (PlayStation Portable) system! Match sparkling gems three at a time to make them burst in showers of color and points. Match four or more to create flashy power gems that boost your score and your mood with brilliant cascades and combos. Every match is high-carat fun!

PSP Minis – Five!

Mahjonng Solitaire – Minis ($2.99)
Arcade Darts – Minis ($3.99)
Stellar Attack – Minis ($4.49)
Egypt Engineering An Empire – Minis ($3.99)
Hello Flowerz! – Minis ($4.99)

Playstation Plus Deals
WipEout HD (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Rally Cross (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Age of Zombies (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)

Midway PlayStation Plus Sale
Gauntlet II (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Mortal Kombat II (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Rampage (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Rampart (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)

TikGames/Creat Studios PlayStation Plus Sale
Cuboid (PlayStation Plus price $7.99, original price $9.99)
Cuboid Booster Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $2.99)
Cuboid Bundle Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $4.99)
Cuboid Level Editor (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $3.99)
Hamsterball (PlayStation Plus price $7.99, original price $9.99)
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (PlayStation Plus price $7.99, original price $9.99)
Magic Orbz (PlayStation Plus price $7.99, original price $9.99)
Magic Orbz Booster Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $2.99)
Magic Orbz Jungle Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $2.99)
Magic Orbz Winter Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $2.99)
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom (PlayStation Plus price $7.99, original price $9.99)
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom Booster Pack (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $4.99)
Smash Cars (PlayStation Plus price $11.99, original price $14.99)
Smash Cars: Virus Run (PlayStation Plus price FREE, original price $2.99)
Wakeboarding HD (PlayStation Plus price $11.99, original price $14.99)

Nintendo
WiiWare – Three!

Jett Rocket
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Jump and run and fly. Let Jett Rocket explore the beautiful planet of Yoroppa and find out why it has been attacked by the evil Power Plant Posse. Visit tropical islands, poisonous swamps and freezingly cold glaciers. Ride the ocean on your Jet Boat, parachute from giant cliffs, speed through arctic regions on your Jet Snowboard or skyrocket with your Jet Turbine. You will need everything you’ve got to fight back and save Yoroppa. Just be Jett Rocket in this epic futuristic full 3D action adventure.

Pong Toss Pro – Frat Party Games®
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Born on college campuses, Pong Toss is the ultimate party-game favorite. Now Pong Toss Pro takes it to the next level by featuring a completely redesigned throwing system for complete accuracy and improved graphics. Also new to Pong Toss Pro is Tournament Mode. You can have a four-, eight-, or 16-team bracket play in Pong Toss & Speed Pong.Pong Toss Pro features six regulation tables and the ability to modify simple house rules. Rock it with a high-energy rock soundtrack; listen to the announcer commenting on your play. Rule the table with Fireball bonuses for consecutive shots. In Speed Pong, up to three challengers can compete at the same time. Speed and strategy are the keys to this fast-paced game. Jack up your opponents by using a slew of power-ups that will slow them down. The first one who sinks the last cup wins it all.

Robin Hood: The Return of Richard
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: While Richard, the true King of England, is absent from his throne, his country rages in chaos. England has been invaded, and enemies burn and destroy local towns and villages. After the house of expert archer and hunter Robin Hood was burned down, he, together with a group of free archers like himself, hides in Sherwood Forest and begins his fight for justice. The fate of the people now lies in your hands. Help Robin to defeat the villains and restore peace in this shooting game.

Features:
Complete 12 levels, defeating numerous enemies and visiting different locations in medieval England
Search for hidden objects to get bonus points
Fight with super villains, such as the Sheriff of Nottingham
Replay the game to improve your score in the High Score Table

Virtual Console – One!
Mario Tennis
Original platform: Nintendo 64
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: The Mushroom Kingdom welcomes another sport to its lineup in the Nintendo 64 smash Mario Tennis. In addition to the bright graphics and intuitive, but incredibly tight, controls that all Mario™ games are known for, a cast of 16 Nintendo characters (including the first introduction of Waluigi™) is ready to take to the court. Along with the ability to unnerve an opponent by varying shots and precisely target their destination, each character has specific attributes in categories such as speed, power and control, all of which combine to offer multiple play styles to choose from. A variety of game modes ranging from a standard tournament to the crazy, item-filled Bowser Stage will keep you – and up to three of your friends – running around the court for quite some time. Whether trying to unlock all the secrets in single-player mode or challenging friends with some intense fun in multiplayer mode, this is a game that definitely holds its serve.

Nintendo DSiWare – Six!
Maestro! Green Groove
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Hello. Do you like music? Do you like platforms? Do you like pink bird-like things? Do you like the jungle? You’ll love Maestro! Green Groove edition! So jump in and enjoy this wonderful feeling of being a virtuoso using your heart, stylus and voice. Everything you do is music – EVERYTHING! Hit the spiders to play some drums, shoot the fruit to bring out the melody, pinch the strings to play the tune and so on. Challenge the mischievous Staccato the Spider in a melodious battle in which the most talented one will win. For those of you who have no fear, once you have finished the adventure, you can activate the SING/WHISTLE mode to bug everyone around you with your precious talents. And for the talented ones, there is an improvisation mode in which you’ll play the levels with the instruments and at the speed of your choice. Enjoy, Maestros from all around the world!

Date or Ditch
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Think you’re a real Casanova? Let’s see how you act in real-life situations when you face a whole gamut of dates, from romantic to wild. Date or Ditch is an absorbing dating adventure for both guys and girls, testing you through an evolving scenario. Discover unique game play mixing social simulation, hilarious face-to-face conversations and fun quizzes. Randomly meet someone at a party, go to the movies together, invite your date to dinner and more. And a surprise visit from your ex may spice up your love story a bit. Enter even deeper into the game thanks to the exclusive camera feature: Add your photo within the game and change your face according to your feelings. In real life, make sure you are compatible with your date by taking the Love Test: Based on your names and appearance, are you made for each other? Love has always been a game. We just made it more fun.

Animal Color Cross
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Get hooked on colorful puzzles. The goal of the game is to reconstruct a mysterious animal image that lies beneath the grid. You just need to fill in each square of the grid with one of the appropriate colors available. To solve the puzzle, you can simply deduce the right color by using the numbers written around the grid. Don’t worry, a short tutorial shows you the basic rules within a minute. Puzzle-solving champs, sudoku fans or even kids can enjoy the game. You can play 72 individual grids in up to 50 hours of game play. Players can select among eight levels presented as geographical zones including Europe, Oceania, North Pole, Pacific, North America and South America to discover local fauna. Enter a new world filled with fancy colored pixel art.

Ancient Tribe
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In the ancient world of Savage, you play the god of an ancient tribe in this real-time strategy game. Expand your village by guiding its inhabitants on the hunting grounds to find food and resources. Use them to upgrade your village and increase its population. When the primitive tribe develops to a certain level, they will build a temple to pay tribute to your mightiness. You can recruit new troops and research new classes of tribal people by upgrading the existing tribe’s equipment and technology. Besides improving your tribe you can improve your godly powers by sacrificing some of your tribesmen and resources. On the hunting ground your tribe will explore forests, deserts, volcanoes and frozen lands. They will meet various kinds of beasts such as boars, elephants and even dinosaurs. You can help trap and tame them so your tribe can ride on them as part of your army and hunting troop.

Brain Drain™
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Brain Drain is a funny and challenging puzzle game. You have to place the elements of a scrambled puzzle according to a given model. Select four elements at a time with the stylus and spin them to move the elements to the right positions. Some puzzles may feature malicious game effects that will slow you down during your puzzle solving. There are three game modes to choose from:

Challenge: 200 fixed puzzles with preset best times to solve and beat.
Race: A stream of puzzles and best time tables to beat in four difficulty levels.
Random: Relaxed, random puzzling that continues endlessly.

Battle of Giants™: Mutant Insects – Revenge
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: After the defeat of the Mutant King, the Mutant Queen rose up from the core of the Earth and forced the remaining giant insects into submission. Now it is your job to locate and free the Scorpion Champion, the only giant insect with the ability to defeat the Mutant Queen. Complete 10 new missions, defeat your enemies and liberate the Scorpion Champion! Customize your giant insect with tribal stripes, equip it with special powers and enhance your abilities. Challenge your friends to duels of supremacy on the Nintendo DS™ system. Are you strong enough to win this Battle of Giants™?

NESessities of Life – Codename: VIPER

Jesse — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:27:02 +0000

Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
See dudes/Waste dudes

Game-play
You are Mr. Smith, A.K.A. Codename: VIPER. It is your right and responsibility to shoot your way across the entire continent of South America taking out an endless barrage of (literally) faceless thugs.

Walk. Shoot. Jump. Shoot. Walk. Load up on ammo. Shoot. Throw in the occasional environmental hazards and, while not the most original side-scroller ever invented, you certainly have a solid gaming experience.

Sweetness
Lovingly rendered sprites and environments, a gun that vaporizes bad-guys as they crumble in agony, and a third-act twist that will stop your pulse cold in your veins leave this game overflowing with sweetness.

No doubt, that man is deserving of all Smith’s trust.

Weakness
Smith/Viper (same guy) really didn’t prepare well for this mission. He’s taking on the entire drug cartel of South America and he doesn’t even consider bringing a bullet proof vest. Being touched twice or shot once kills him.

Also, the game suffers from Megaman Syndrome, a term increasingly recognized in the medical community. This is the phenomenon that occurs when a character is hit and they instantly lose control of their body as they fly backwards, typically down a pit.

Invaluable Life Lessons Which I Still Apply To This Day:

Hostages are obliged to maintain good manners during their rescue.
If you find yourself on a rescue mission, don’t dilly dally or you will likely rescue not more than bleach-white skeletons. Should have gotten there sooner, Smith.
Regarding the War on Drugs, the following equation is infallible: 1(dude)+1(handgun)/South America=Victory

Still Fun?
Crazy fun! Despite easy death, the controls are tight and the visuals are superb in this game. Also, the manner in which the story unfolds (through the incremental re-assembly of a letter) is quite interesting.

And the twist… oh, the twist!!! If M. Night ever plays this game, he will likely drop dook!

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth:
This game is another entry in the anti-drug wave of 80’s gaming. Kids wanted violence. Parents wanted a wholesome message. Games like NARC and Code Name: Viper were early attempts to occupy the unfathomably ambiguous overlap in the following Venn Diagram:

The ruse doesn’t work so well now as it did then. Even though the Haitians in GTA: Vice City were ostensibly bad guys and clearly identified as all drug dealers, the following lines of dialog seemed to raise the ire of peaceful Haitian communities around the world:

“Kill all the Haitians, they are all drug dealers.”
“I hate these Haitians.”
“Stinking nest of Haitians. We gonna kill them all. Kill all the Haitians.”
“Shoot them (the Haitians) in the head.”

Go figure…

Jesse Koester is a producer working in Tokyo. His work can be seen at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse’s clone resides in Russia and goes by the moniker Dendy.

Bonus Level Radio 41: Shoot The Bunnies

Lance — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:34:39 +0000

[ED. NOTE - While there was something funky with the feed this morning, it is all fixed now.]

With apologies to my awesome sister, this weeks episode had to be called Shoot The Bunnies. It could have also been called Epic Fail. For the first time in the history of the podcast we lost a significant amount of the netcast. A got a weird error from GarageBand and while it looked like we were still recording we were in fact NOT. So we lost 20 minutes of this weeks show and an excellent zinger by guest Peter saying “I am Plugless”. It was too funny not to post here. This week we talk racist controllers, PlayStation Plus, XBox Family Plans, .XXX domains, Hulu on the PS3 and WinMo7.

It’sa Me Mario! I’ma In Your Interwebs!

Jeremy — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:41:23 +0000

I’ve run across a random selection of Mario-related art and cool stuff in my interweb travels and thought it would be a shame not to share it. Here’s 5:

1. Man in a white tuxedo scores Super Mario Bros. with a violin.

I love it. I love how he manages to get most of the sound effects and everything. And he’s in a white tux.

2. “Bit and Run”

“bit and run” — Mario’s Ladder from Cory Godbey on Vimeo.

I’m not entirely sure what’s happening here but I like it. Maybe it’s the animation or maybe it’s the music. I just think it’s beautiful.

3. Historical Reconstitution Threadless Tee

I love threadless and I love this t-shirt. Designed by Vincent Bocognani, this t-shirt shows a medieval ”Mario” and Princess on a pretty fierce looking Yoshi-like dinosaur. It’s beautiful way to say that you’re a gamer, I say. Go get: Historical Reconstitution.

4. Seven Marios Made From Common Household Objects

Behold! Toast Mario! Seven Marios Made From Common Household Objects

5. Super Mario Land Rap

Super Mario Land Rap – Watch more Game Trailers

8-Bit Duane lays down some ridiculous rhymes about that old black and white Gameboy game. What IS a lion doing in that game?
[Ed. Note - 8-Bit Duane used to be a member of the super group The Adventures of Duane and Brand0. Their work appears regularly as one of the many opening songs used on Bonus Level Radio.]

Bonus Level

I thought I post the original picture from which my header graphic came from!

Wallpapers 6/25/10

Lance — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:10:29 +0000

I had some trouble finding some good ones this week so here are three awesome ones instead of six!

Of Mice and Unicorns

Chris — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:08:25 +0000

I recently came across two internet web games that I just had to share with everyone here at Bonus-Level.

One is Transformice a unique game where you and 20 other real people are mice attempting to grab some cheese in tons of different levels with various obstacles in your way. The mouse with the highest score becomes the shaman and can summon objects to help you through the level. It’s a perfect blend of addictiveness and chaos. Also a severe case of lemmings.

Next is more of classic game, Robot Unicorn Attack. Where you’re moving to the right at faster and faster speeds. The difference is you’re a robotic unicorn with some crazy dance beats in the background. Charge or jump the obstacles in your way. I can only promise happiness and an urge to become euro trash from 93 after playing this game.

Weekly Download Wrap Up 6/23/10

Lance — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:04:21 +0000

Sorry about the lateness of this weeks wrap up but I got real busy with work and had to take my car in for some servicing this morning. So instead of waking up early to write up the post like I normally do I had to do wake up early to do my car. So enjoy this weeks wrap up!

Nintendo
WiiWare – Three!
Art Style: Rotozoa – 600 Wii Points
The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Chaotic Conflicts – 1000 Wii Points
The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Puzzling Pages – 1000 Wii Points

DSiWare – Five!
Spin Six – 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Let’s Fix! – 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Mega Words – 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Super Swap – 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Legendary Wars: T-Rex Rumble – 800 DSi Points

Virtual Console - None!
Once again the vast library of games Nintendo could be releasing on the virtual console didn’t happen.

Sony
PSN – One!
Sam & Max Episode 3: They Stole Max’s Brain (free with purchase of Episode 1)
You wouldn’t want to see freelance shamus Sam when he’s steamin’ mad. Someone has snatched his little buddy’s noodle, gunning for control of its inner powers. Now Sam’s going all noir to get it back!

Was it the giant gorilla? The two-bit rat? Or the fishy dame who runs the greasy-spoon? The trail of The Devil’s Playhouse is getting twisty, and Sam’s rolling up his sleeves, smackin’ heads and throwin’ slugs to crack the case.

PSP – One!
TNA Impact: Cross The Line ($29.99)
Wrestling so real you feel pain! Enter the ring and experience the adrenaline-pumping action, the drama, and style of the world’s premier professional wrestling organization! This is total nonstop action. This is wrestling. This is TNA.

PSP Minis – Two!
Burnin’ Rubber – Minis ($3.99)
INFLUENCE – Minis ($4.99)

Microsoft
XBLA – Two!
Duke Nukem Manhattan Project
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except those in Asia
Dash Text: Duke Nukem is back! New York City is being overrun by a mutant menace and it’s time to de-worm the Big Apple. This explosive 3D action game features Duke Nukem defending the city that never sleeps, and its babes, from the evil Mech Morphix across 24 levels from Chinatown to Space. A super-sized collection of weapons, enemies and bosses await. As Duke would say, “Babes, Bullets, Bombs. I love this job!” There are no refunds

RISK: FACTIONS
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: (ONLINE INTERACTIONS NOT RATED BY THE ESRB) Wage war with five factions, each with unique abilities, in the original game of strategy and world domination! Play with the classic rules or reign supreme with objective-based and world conquest scenarios as you command your army and take tactical gambles to win the day. Then challenge your friends in local or online multiplayer and see how you stack up on the leaderboards.

Games On Demand – One!
Mirror’s Edge
Price: $19.99
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Japan
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual”. In a city where information is heavily monitored, where crime is just a memory, where most people have sacrificed freedom for a comfortable life, Some choose to live differently. Some. like you, are Runners, phenomenally agile messengers who deliver sensitive information for a price. You are a Runner called Faith. Murder has come to this city. And now you are being hunted.

NESessities of Life – Wario’s Woods

Jesse — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:45:25 +0000

Genre
Puzzle

Dominant Algorithm
Brick-drop/Brick-lift/Brick-lay/Brick-move/Brick-get/Brick-destroy/Brick-Justkillme

Gameplay
Wario has hollowed out the trees in his forest and filled them with different-colored rodents that can be blown up with like-colored bombs (or, occasionally, diamonds). The core of the game bares a strong resemblance to Dr. Mario (and every other brick-drop puzzler on the NES). The biggest difference is that Toad, controlled by the player, waits at the bottom of the brick-well and is able to move the pieces around in an effort to clear bricks.

Sweetness
This game spit in the face of all other brick-drop puzzles by allowing you to manipulate puzzle pieces after they had dropped. This effectively flips your focus from what’s going on at the top of the well (the next pieces) to what’s going on at the bottom of the well (the fell pieces).

Weakness
That distinction will likely be lost on all but the most dedicated brick-drop aficionados. Also, the controls are as loose as the elastic on the pair of underwear I threw out this morning because the elastic on them was as loose as the controls in Wario’s Woods.

Invaluable Lessons
1) Rodents and viral infections are destroyed in similar ways.

2) The End ain’t the end. After the credits roll, you’re back to work bombing again. As soon as you finish a project, you are on to the next thing and don’t be surprised if it’s a lot like the last thing but more difficult.

3) Beware those with names that are just normal names but with the first letter replaced with a ‘W’. If I ever meet a Wesse, I will punch him forth-right and without remorse.

Still Fun?

Sure. Why not? The difficulty in the final stages is absolutely unforgiving. That being said, you won’t be grinding your thumbs down. The controls are too loose for that (Toad takes his good old time picking up bricks). But, you will get really tired of Wario crashing into the tree causing bombs and bugs rain down on you.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth
This game occupies a morally gray area in the Mario canon. Why on earth is Toad blowing up all these cute little rodents? It is absolutely and needlessly hostile.

I got into this game for a week or two in high school. I did that the exact same week I picked up a copy of Stupid Stupid Stupid by Black Grape. The two now co-exist under a Pavlovian link in my brain. When I see those bombs fall, I can still hear Snakes Eyes and Daddy Was A Baddy echoing in my head.

Here is the first track off that record. Enjoy. I know you will.

Jesse Koester is a film producer working in Tokyo. His work can be found at www.iceblockfilms.com. Jesse is equipped with a a front-loading zero insertion force (ZIF) cartridge socket and this is NOT a design flaw.

Keeping it “Fair”

Chris — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:05:22 +0000

Rubber banding for all those who don’t know is the act of the A.I (mostly in racing or sports games) where the A.I. will go faster, hit harder or just go beyond their original programming to keep the game competitive or “fair”. The general idea is that players will become bored if you’re doing too well in a game, so the A.I will in essence cheat to keep the game competitive. Whether it’s a car getting an unnatural speed boost or a QB with laser-precise precision, Rubber Banding has been in numerous games.

The first Rubber Banding in video games was probably the Bitmap Brother game “Gods” released in 1991 (on Snes, Amiga, Pc and Genesis). The game was a run and jump side-scrolling platformer that at predetermined points would give you health if you were doing poorly or spawn more enemies if you were doing well. Critics at the time praised it for this innovation and it all should have been downhill from here on. So what happened to the Rubber Banding in video games?

Well years later it was brought back in various forms in an attempt to balance out games like Final Fantasy 8. Wherein the enemy’s level was based on your group level averages not just your initial party. This left the game rubber banding featured worked against it, allowing you to walk all over most enemies along as you had the same party members.

The Need for Speed Series was synonymous with constant A.I “cheating”. Toted as an actual feature and referred to as the “Catch Up” mode, this feature would allow the A.I to get speed boosts near the end of the race catching up with the player winning. Cop cars with slower acceleration would gun past your Lamborghini Diablo with ease and shunt you into a wall. The ability to turn off “Catch Up” mode was thankfully given in the later incarnations of Need for Speed.

Even fighting games had it. Street Fighter 4 boss Seth would in the first round attack normally using just a few special moves. But based on how well you did the entire game against other opponents, his difficulty would ramp up or slide down to stay on your level. Earlier, in King of Fighters 94 the end boss Rugal would go down easy in the first round and, just like Seth, go all out on your ass in the second round.

Everyone who has played Left 4 Dead knows that the games A.I “Director” is the epitome of the Rubber Band effect. This “Director” would monitor players and how well they were doing. Based on this monitoring the A.I. would send out more or less zombies and special infected. Valve defined this feature as Procedural Narrative, constantly changing the flow of the game. This idea was transferred over to Left 4 Dead 2 but was given a higher learning curve which split a lot of people on the sequel. To me, this is Rubber Banding at its finest.

Of course no one can forget any version of Mario Kart. Being in first would only land you green shells and bananas while being in dead last the game would hand you blue shells, POW blocks, bullet bills and lightning bolts. Though one of the more obvious games that you could call out the A.I. for cheating, it still remains an amazingly popular game.

Love or hate it Rubber Banding is a mainstay of video games. Us gamers can only hope that it will be used wisely in future releases and not just as a lazy mechanic to keep you from pointing out a games short comings. With recent racing releases like Blur, Modnation Racers and Split/Second we will see if we will get the promise of a balanced and enjoyable game.

P.S Fuck the Blue Shell.

Bonus Level Radio 40: E3

Lance — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:59:22 +0000

I’m not sure if our faithful listeners knew this but last week there was this little game convention out in LA called E3. And during this convention the big three (Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) did some announcing. If that kind of news sounds enticing to you then you really need to give this podcast a whirl as we disseminate all of the news from E3! We were joined this week by our old friend Matt Martin who hosts a podcast about comics called The Fanboy Buzz. No word if fangirls are allowed to listen to it. But if that’s not enough about to get you to listen to this weeks episode we talk briefly about little people. You’ll have to listen to find out what that means.

Baseball Out The Ass

Chris — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:25:09 +0000

Upon my many ventures on the internet I’ve seen many things, both wonderous and horrible. But none could prepare me for an original playstation game that was realesed back in 1998.

The name of the game is 98 Koshien, a 3-D baseball games including stats on 4129 japanese high schools. Made to include a level of strategy and tactics also, you could train players for better teamwork.

But the main selling point of the Magical Company (an actual Publisher and Developer) baseball release was edit and creation features. You could edit your logo, uniforms and Pitch stance

Unfortunatly the game was a japan exclusive, So will have to wait till MLB The Show picks up this hot feature of yesteryear.

Wallpapers 6/18/10

Lance — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:08:55 +0000

I got so much to say about E3 this year but I’m saving it all for the Podcast this Sunday!!

Xbox LIVE One Day Sale!

Lance — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:16:03 +0000

Ok I know some people hate the price of Xbox LIVE. Feeling that it is too expensive at 50 bucks a year for what you get. I disagree thinking its a small price to pay for what the LIVE experience brings to home gaming. So for those of you who are holding out let me ask you something, would you get LIVE if it was say only 30 bucks for a year? Today over at Newegg.com (use this link to get the coupon) there is a sale going on that brings a 12 month subscription of Xbox LIVE down to only 30 bucks. You can in fact get two 12 month cards so you would only be paying 60 dollars for two years of online gaming. The deal ends tonight at 12am PST so you will have to decide quickly.

This isn’t the first time we have seen this deal. Amazon does this from time to time. The only problem is they only let you buy one card at a time. Newegg has no such restriction so stock up!

FATALI… WTF?

Freddie — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:04:26 +0000

So… ‘The Mortal Kombat’ from the newly formed NetherRealm Studios is a return to the hay-days of completely destroying and humiliating your competitor. Thanks to the guys at Screw-attack, we now get a live (but somewhat shaky) video from E3 Showcasing some of the insane ways in which you’ll be able to terror apart your opponent.

Enjoy.

Freddie Carlini is web/graphic designer at The Black Hat Creative, based out of Bethesda, MD. Favorite games range from Punch-Out and Bubble Bobble to God of War and Shadow Complex.

Weekly Download Wrap Up 6/16/10

Lance — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:44:02 +0000

Even though the magic of E3 is going on right now that doesn’t stop the ongoing onslaught of downloadables! I would say Sony wins this week because of the amount of games they are releasing but Microsoft may have stolen their thunder with the epic sale they got going.

Sony
PSN – Four!

Catan ($6.99)
Welcome to Catan, the smash hit board game, now available on your PlayStation 3 system!
Roll the dice and gather resources to build roads and settlements for points. Be the first to collect 10 points to win! With accessible rules, a different map each match, and a multiple ways to earn points, Catan is enjoyable by both beginners and experts alike.
Catan also supports online play for up to 4 players.

GundeadliGne ($5.99)
Reload for more shooting action with GundeadliGne, an anime-style 2-D scrolling game of the intense indie ‘bullet hell’ genre. Take your place as a mercenary and assist in the effort to prevent the annihilation of mankind by the demons of the underworld. Grab a friend and lock and load! Choose from two player characters, and fight to unlock the third! Choose from 6 Matrix Masters with different abilities to help you along your way.

Hitogata Happa ($5.99)
Shoot ‘em up with Hitogata Happa, one of three titles in the Gundemonium Collection — the 2-D anime-style scrolling games in the intense indie ‘bullet hell’ genre. Vertically scrolling upward, the action in this game is a visual mish-mash of bullets, bombs, tanks, laser beams and fireballs that will give your senses a total overload. Collect gems along the way to help you in your mission and defeat the boss at the end of each of the six stages.

Gundemonium Recollection ($5.99)
Blast through Gundemonium Recollection, which is assaulting the PlayStation Network in its global debut! This 2-D anime-style game brings the intense indie ‘bullet hell’ genre to your PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Choose one of three playable characters or an unlockable fourth! Dominate 5 levels of frenetic gameplay while being bombarded with high-impact weaponry. Three game play modes will keep the non-stop action going!

PSone Classics – One!

Final Fantasy IX ($9.99)
On a beautiful blue planet known as Gaia, where the Crystal served as the foundation of all life, the kingdom of Alexandria began invading neighboring nations. Her queen was manipulated by Kuja, a man seen by many as an angel of death.
Zidane, a member of the Tantalus, is joined by unexpected allies as he sets forth on a journey to stop the ensuing war. Thus begins an epic adventure to protect the Crystal and all life on Gaia.

PSP Minis – Ten!

Express Raider – Minis ($3.99)

Mahjongg Artificats – Minis ($4.99)

Beam Em Up – Minis ($4.49)

Pallurikio – Minis ($3.99)

History Ice Road Truckers – Minis ($2.99)

Tehra: Dark Warrior – Minis ($4.99)

Gold Fever – Minis ($4.99)

Rocks N’ Rockets – Minis ($4.99)

Red Bull X-Fighters – Minis ($6.99)

Yetisports – Minis ($4.99)

Nintendo
DSiWare – Five!

A Kappa’s Trail
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Step into the world of a kappa, a mythical river spirit famous in Japanese folklore, as he tries to make his way to the human world. In addition to the challenging main game, you’ll find three different minigames to further improve your kappa-related skills. You’ll start your journey in Kappa Cove, a good place to go exploring, practice getting around and munch on a few fish. The intuitive controls are all handled with the stylus (draw a trail and the kappa will follow it), but the helpful Chumfish is more than willing to teach you the basics. Once you begin your path down the Kappa Trail, you’ll encounter coins to collect, boulders to shatter and various mini-kappas that can help you in specific ways. Just be sure to avoid the Devil Hand. If you need a break, you can collect paintings or cassettes from the Chumfish Shack, count plates at a sushi restaurant or test your mettle in the treacherous Trial of Tiles. With its cute graphics and charming story, your time with the kappa will certainly be memorable. Who knows what you’ll find as you make your way through A Kappa’s Trail?

Telegraph Crosswords
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Play crossword puzzles from the Telegraph like you’ve never played them before. Discover 500 puzzles of multiple types. You’re in for many hours of game play. With its handy interface and intuitive controls, this game transfigures the classic pen-and-paper experience. Notable features include:
• A huge selection of quick puzzles, cryptic puzzles and general-knowledge puzzles.
• Registration of best times in the Hall of Fame.
• Interactive hints to prevent you from getting stuck.
• Auto-save function so you can stop and resume a puzzle at any time.

Flips: Silent But Deadly
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: When Mr. Watts, the science teacher, turns up for class and tries to open his briefcase with his teeth, James, Alexander and Lenny realize he’s not quite himself. The friends investigate and uncover a plot so dangerous that the life of every pupil and teacher is at risk. How will they foil the plot and restore Mr. Watts to normal? The new Flips range brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service. Readers can collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through various stories and challenges.

Music on: Electronic Keyboard
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Get creative and spend relaxing moments transforming your Nintendo DSi system into a complete electronic keyboard with a great variety of instruments and rhythms. This is the perfect way to have fun and impress your friends with your musical creations. Whether you’re already an expert or just taking your first steps, Electronic Keyboard will help you capture your inspiration wherever you are. Features include:
• Automatic accompaniment function with chord recognition
• Up to eight user-definable chords
• Five different styles, each with four variations
• Independent drum, bass and chorus parts
• Six-octave keyboard (two visible)
• Pitch-bend function
• 16 instruments
• Integrated sequencer
• Metronome
• Recording and replay option

16 Shot! SHOOTING WATCH
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Back in the 8-bit glory days, Hudson’s own “Master Higgins” (a.k.a. Takahashi Meijin) made a splash in the gaming world with his astonishing trigger-finger speed of 16 shots per second. Can you break the Master’s record? A graph analysis feature breaks down your stats and indicates your weak spots. Use it effectively to improve your trigger-finger performance. If you get a high score, you can leave a customized signature using the touch screen. Get your family and friends to compete for some serious rapid-fire fun.

WiiWare – Three!

Bejeweled 2
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Get set to play the world’s No. 1 puzzle game, now available for the Wii console. Match sparkling gems three at a time to make them burst in showers of color and points. Match four or more to create flashy power gems that boost your score and your mood with brilliant cascades and combos. Soar to gem-matching heights in Classic mode, or speed through matches against the clock in Action mode. For even more dazzling fun, bump up your brain waves with multi-faceted Puzzles, or enter the Zen state of Endless play. Every match is high-carat fun!

Arcade Sports
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Arcade Sports consists of a selection of four full-featured arcade sports games including Air Hockey, Bowling, Pool and Snooker. The following modes are available:
• PRACTICE: This mode allows you to play a practice game and brush up on your skills.
• VERSUS MATCH: Play a one-on-one “friendly” match versus any of the game opponents in any game type.
• SEASON MODE: Season Mode is a series of linked tournaments with 10 tournaments of mixed game types. The objective is to make it to the top of the rankings. Play through each event in turn. After each one, you’ll be awarded a world ranking position and achievement rewards.
• MULTIPLAYER: Arcade Sports allows up to two players to compete head-to-head in a versus match on one Wii console.

Yard Sale Hidden Treasures: Sunnyville
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the town of Sunnyville! Search local yard sales on your mission to find hidden treasures and objects. Use your fantastic finds to decorate your dream home in a competition to win the illustrious “Superstar Homes Magazine Contest!” Beat the clock or play at your own pace, searching for hundreds of items hidden in fun locales. Enjoy nonstop challenges in this expansive seek-and-find game.

Virtual Console – One!

Shadow of the Ninja
Original platform: NES
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Get ready for furious side-scrolling, platforming ninja action. The mad emperor, Garuda, has the city trapped in his diabolical claws. Only two brave ninja warriors dare to stand against him. They move as silently as shadows in the snow, swift and graceful as the wind, and strike with the explosive fury of razor-clawed tigers. Playing solo or cooperatively with a friend, you’ll slice, bomb and shuriken your way through Garuda’s army of vicious soldiers, agile ninjas and monstrous robots. Use your ninja skills to hang from moving platforms, leap over lethal pitfalls and dodge diabolical traps. Collect deadly power-ups to give yourself an edge against the overwhelming odds. It’ll take all of your platforming prowess to navigate the game’s 13 intense levels and bring some old-fashioned ninja justice to Garuda.

Microsoft
Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week:

Shadow Complex – Normally 1200 now on sale for 560 points.
Trials HD – Normally 1200 now on sale for 560 points.
Marvel vs Capcom 2 – Normally 1200 now on sale for 560 points.
TMNT Turtles in Time HD – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Splosion Man – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.

Got to be a Gold Member to see and get these prices.

And besides the Deal Of The Week Microsoft is also offering a ‘Blowout Sale’ starting TODAY the 16th and running through the 22nd.

A Kingdom for Keflings – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Alien Hominid HD – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Banjo Tooie – Normally 1200 now on sale for 800 points.
Bionic Commando Rearmed – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Bomberman LIVE – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Braid – Normally 1200 now on sale for 800 points.
Castle Crashers – Normally 1200 now on sale for 800 points.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Contra – Normally 400 now on sale for 240 points.
Crystal Defenders – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Magic the Gathering – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
N+ – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Panzer General – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Portal – Normally 1200 now on sale for 800 points.
TMNT: 1989 Arcade – Normally 400 now on sale for 240 points.
Uno Rush – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment – Normally 1200 now on sale for 800 points.
Zombie Apocalypse – Normally 800 now on sale for 400 points.

Games On Demand – Two!

LEGO Batman: The Video Game
Price: $19.99
Dash Text: In LEGO® Batman™ : The Videogame, play as Batman and his sidekick Robin as you build, drive, swing and fight your way through Gotham City. Then, jump into the story from the other side and play as Batman’s foes! There is no rest for the good (or the evil)!

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Price:- Not yet announced
Dash Text:Mercs 2 is a next-gen playground of destruction in South America. Build your Private Military Corporation to hunt down a dangerous terrorist, as an escalating global conflict flares up and threatens the entire region. We’re going for a unique, living world that is a blend of civilian and military. Then we let you explore it from the peak of the highest mountain to the deepest-darkest jungles, using an incredible arsenal of all the coolest military and civilian vehicles and tech. Finally, we add co-op giving players something they’ve been craving for years – multiplayer in the free-roaming genre.

XBLA – None!
No Arcade games this week. Most likely due to E3.

A Journey through a Geological Formation

Chris — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:00:49 +0000

So I’ve been busying myself lately with playing all the latest games to review for all you fine people (also I really love the attention). Games with amazing graphics, impeccable voice work and game worlds the size of most big cities. So through my trolling of the internet’s looking for these hot new games, I have stumbled about a true gem. Cave Story.

Now I know this game isn’t fresh out the gate since it was released in 2004 on PC. And with its rerelease in March on Nintendo Wii Ware, I feel I’ve missed the party. But you don’t come to Bonus Level for the most up to date news; you come for stories with heart and conviction (it’s what I tell myself).

So for a little back story first. Cave Story was created by one man named Daisuke Amaya or known to the internet as Pixel. The game was praised from 1UP to EGM for its retro feel while still feeling fresh. The game has you as an amnesiac that awakes on a floating island, where you’re cast as the protector of Mimigas (the bunny looking people). From this relative simple plot you’re tossed into a “metroidvania”-esque game acquiring items and weapons as you progress. Cave Story’s three-level weapon system allows the player to increase the power of their weapons, decreasing when damage taken. There are even multiple endings for the truly hardcore.

The game is so astoundingly put together with tight controls and great mechanics. Each boss you face in the game offers a unique fight strategy that is always making you think. The music is one of the more memorable parts, offering a variety of tunes that will both excite and chill you. But the best part of this game? It’s free. That’s right all you have to do is download an English translator to get the game in English.

But the only real way to experience it is the touched up version on Wii Ware which is only about $10. Please check this game out and support it in any way you can.

Click here to download the game and it’s english translator.

Star Wars now with more Force Hadouken

Paul — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:53:26 +0000

Yeah, so, this is bad ass. Watch it if you haven’t seen it. All I’m saying is, Bioware should be in charge of everything Star Wars related from here on out. Seriously, kick Lucas off that throne forever. He’s become drunk with power and like a roman emperor his mind has become clouded by sex with young boys.

Ahem.

Too soon?

I mean, I don’t even want to play the game, I’d be content watching these CG trailers for the rest of my life. But couple that with the fact that we all know Bioware makes great games? I think we have a winner on our hands.

7 Reasons for Summer Gaming

Freddie — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:12:25 +0000

Considering cancelling those tickets for your July trip to Louisiana? Weather outside so hot it feels like an Arizona heat wave in your pants? Then summer gaming might just be the right vacation for you as it promises to deliver some hot, anticipated gems to the gaming world.

Here are 7 reasons summer might just be more fun if it is had indoors:

GAME: Earthworm Jim HD
PLATFORMS: XBLA, PSN, DSi-Ware
RELEASE DATE: Available Now

Our favorite 16-bit dirt dwelling hero returns to the video game arena in this HD remake of the original classic, Earthworm Jim.

GAME: Transformers: War for Cybertron
PLATFORMS: X-BOX 360, PS3
RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2010

Transformers – video game – multiplayer – killer visuals – FTW! (The only downside I see with this game currently is that Gamestop is pulling it’s usual bull of controlling additional downloadable content… mainly… my favorite character Star Scream… fuckin’ Gamestop).

GAME: Naughty Bear
PLATFORMS: X-BOX 360, PS3
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2010

So this game still remains a question mark in the minds of many. Some look at it as a rip-off of the idea of Conker’s Bad Fur Day. I like to look at as, Conker’s Bad Fur Day from the view of one of the Teddy Bears. Here’s hoping this game delivers on the craziness it has shown us thus far.

GAME: Dead Rising 2
PLATFORMS: X-BOX 360, PS3
RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2010

Capcom wowed us all when the original Resident Evil came out. Then, when the next generation systems came, they developed a new series that wowed us even more, while also completely ripping off the premise of George E. Romero’s classic, Dawn of the Dead. Well, now it’s back, bigger, and looking better then it ever was.

GAME: Metroid: Other M
PLATFORMS: Nintendo Wii
RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2010

Nintendo’s favorite heroine returns to the realm that made her the superstar she is today: the 2D Realm.

GAME: Shank
PLATFORMS: XBLA
RELEASE DATE: Summer 2010 (Specific Date Will Be Announced at E3)

Looking for some side-scrolling action with a cartoon edge and enough gore to make God of War look like a Barbie game? Then this summer get some revenge in SHANK.

GAME: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
PLATFORMS: XBLA, PSN
RELEASE DATE: Summer 2010 (Specific Date Will Be Announced at E3)

Arcade brawling action returns this summer with the move tie-in of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. With an 8-bit soundtrack, 16-bit visuals, and 4-player multiplayer, this game looks to have ‘win’ written all over it. Finally, a movie tie-in game might succeed where so many have failed before.

SNES On Your iPad

Lance — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:08:43 +0000

I’m sure there are cheaper way’s to play emulators. In fact some phones allow you to play them without jail-breaking or hacking. But this way is pretty and it reminds me why I keep an eye out for the android tablet. Now that really would be a game changer.

NESessities of Life – 3D World Runner

Jesse — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:43:00 +0000

Genre
Action

Dominant Algorithm
Run & Jump Rail Shooter/Have Headache

Game-play
You are tasked with running through 8 worlds, each broken down into 4 parts. As you traverse these fantasy worlds, you must jump over pits, blast baddies with your fireballs, and collect power-ups like stars and mushrooms. At the end of each world is a boss, stronger and scarier than anything you have fought up until that point.

Nope. Not that one. Let’s try again…

Welcome to Visual Hell!!!

Spend all the time you like. There is no technology or intellectual process that can decipher the visual catastrophe that is 3D World Runner in 3D. Generously, the programmers included a 2D mode in the game when it was released which distinguishes itself from the 3D mode by being playable.

Still pretty rough...

Sweetness
Interesting perspective and clever programming give the game a really nice feel. The controls are smooth enough and the sound you hear when you collect a star is cute.

Weakness
Incredibly boring and repetitive. A lot of these early games were as much experiments in programming as they were attempts to make an engaging experience. This one leans heavily on the ‘development’ side of the equation.

Invaluable Lessons:

1) In Mario, mushrooms give you more power. In 3D World Runner, they hurt you. From this I learned that the world is a complicated place and we must study hard to understand the differences between healthy mushrooms and poisonous ones.

2) Don’t be quick to judge. While the 3D mode looks like something a donkey puked at the state fair, you shouldn’t write it off completely. In the upper levels, you will fight invisible enemies. Switching to 3D will betray their position on the screen.

3) Stepping on a frog’s head will launch you into a super jump.

Still Fun?
Not really. With the thrill of 3D having been well worn on every console since the NES, this game is reduced feeling like a tech demo for tech that is utterly useless now. I wonder how Fantavision will fare in 20 years. Probably none-the-better.

Relevance Satellite to the Paradigm Shift from my Youth
It’s important to remember that the Famicom and NES marked an unexpected revival of home-gaming. While the company was seeing its boom, many young programming firms were trying to find their place in the gaming world. Before Square was creating the greatest RPGs our species has ever seen, they were making incredibly mediocre action games and this is among that set.

But, this diversion was to be short lived. In the same year that 3D World Runner was released, the three main programmers on that project also developed and released Final Fantasy. Although 3D World Runner saw one sequel in Japan, I think it’s pretty easy to assess which franchise took off.

Arcade Brawling Awesomeness Returns?!

Freddie — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:11:57 +0000

With the upcoming release of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (based… and looking pretty spot on to the graphic novel series of the same name) also comes word of a movie tie-in video game. For most gamers, “move tie-in” has forever left a bitter taste in our mouths and ears.

But sometimes, a surprise or two can come through the valley of sh!t that can knock us off our feet (I really liked Jurassic Park for the SNES and ROBOCOP for the NES, haha).

Well it turns out the SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD tie-in is taking a cue from CASTLE CRASHERS, and the brawlers before it (The Simpsons Arcade Game and River City Ransom) to give us XBLA and PSN fanatics some love. From the 8-bit music and sound effects, to the 16 bit graphics, this looks like it could be a winner.

Enjoy.

Freddie Carlini is web/graphic designer at The Black Hat Creative, based out of Bethesda, MD. Favorite games range from Punch-Out and Bubble Bobble to God of War and Shadow Complex.

Bonus Level Radio 39: Honker Bonerfarts

Lance — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:39:11 +0000

Here is yet another show for everyone to enjoy! My rig decided to be a jerk this week so my audio doesn’t sound all that great. Luckily I believe I discovered the problem (skype was being a jerk) and everything should be better next week. This week we discuss all manner of things from Piracy, to consolecuties.com, to E3 and the stupid jerk name “Kinectic”.

Five Games That Would Make A Better Movie Than Prince Of Persia

Trent — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:08:56 +0000

Wario-Ware - The Mario clone / nemesis, would take 10 people hostage and make them solve puzzles and minigames. After solving ten puzzles out of one of his “co-workers” themes, they would get told which of the three different colored wires in the bombs attached to their legs to cut to save their lives, Saw style. How many will make it out of this sick game alive?
‘Splosion Man- In an ungerground lab in the middle of area 51, secret tests are going on witch only a select few know about. The government hired a group of scientists to create super soldiers who could control the power of explosions. When the first creation, made with an accidental attention span lower than a goldfish, escapes his holding cell and starts going on a hilarious rampage only his determination and love of using fat people as shield will help him escape.
Shadow Complex - When one mans quest for the almighty poontang take a strange twist, he must save his girly “aquantince”. Or so he thinks. Follow Jason Flemming as he starts to find out the truth about his “special friend’s” past life and the secret base that is found underground. Will he survive? Will he find the ‘Bloody Axe Wound”? Will he find enough gold bars to get golden weapons? We may never know. Unless you beat the game.
Left For Dead - Samuel Jackson, Jessica Biel, Sean Connery, Chuck Norris + zombies + guns. ‘Nuff said.
Portal - Chel was just an average girl with big dreams. She had a husband and two lovely kids. She had a cushy job with a big pay. It was a perfect life, until she got a mysterious package with a strange code and a promise of cake. If only she knew the cake was a lie. After going to the location where the “party’ was being held and putting the code into a computer at the front door, she smell something funny. Next thing she knew she woke up in a room with a strange gun that created portals in walls. Using only the guidance of a seemingly friendly computer program, the companion cube and the gun, Chel hopes to find her way back home and , most of all, the promised cake.

I didn’t include some games like Halo or Gears of War because those are games that waill more than likely be made because they would be easy movies to make because they have rich story lines and amazing cutscenes in the actual games. These were just my idea of a few games that would be awesome but out of the box movies.

Are there any games that you think would be better ideas for a movie? Are you someone who actually enjoyed Prince of Persia?

Wallpapers for 6/11/10

Lance — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:45:20 +0000

I came this close this week to introducing a new feature this week to Wallpaper Friday. What was it you ask? I was thinking of posting a cell phone wallpaper. But since there really isn’t any standard screen size in the mobile market I quickly changed my mind. But I’m still intrigued by the idea and would like some feed back if I should start adding those as well.

Red Dead Redemption Review

Chris — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:02:40 +0000

Rockstar has returned to the playing field to show everyone how it’s done in open world games with Red Dead Redemption. In Red Dead Redemption (RDR), Rockstar brings us the story of John Marston an ex-outlaw trying to look for redemption in the old west.

Unfortunately for John, this isn’t the heyday he grew up in. Civilization is now encroaching on the west making him appear as a relic from a bygone era. John’s quest in RDR is to search out his old gang mates and bring them to justice. If he does this he will have his wife and son returned to him by the government agents holding them. Along the way you must ally yourself with all kids of scum to complete a variety of tasks.

The central plot mechanics follows the Grand theft Auto conventions of going from person to person working off objectives to drive further toward your end goal. This is where I find RDR has a tendency to lose steam with its story progression. Most missions are as follows, shoot these guys rinse and repeat. But more often than I expected I was asked to herd cattle, shoot targets, and participate in piss poor hand to hand combat. I do appreciate the idea of variation but it falls flat when it takes away from my enjoyment of a great game. The travelling to and fro missions is actually enjoyable as you get to listen to the banter between John and the other characters. This leads to my biggest gripe with the story, its characters. I have never enjoyed many of the characters in the GTA games and I guess this now translated over to RDR. Aside from the Macfarlane’s and the Marshall every other character in the game seems to be over the top crazy (like in all GTA games). I ended up actually wondering how they survived before I came along. It takes away from the believability of the sweeping epic to have characters that are more of caricatures of the old west. The voice work as always is spot on but this is to be expected from Rockstar and because of this little change in character types would have been nice.

Your means of transport is your horse. Though the controls take a bit of getting used to, it adds to the great atmosphere of the game. You are able to set up camp and fast travel to any place you have been prior. Buying maps of new areas allows you to travel there immediately. The gunplay in RDR is so easy to pick up that you will find most enemy encounters a breeze. Your auto-lock on is seamless as you jump from enemy to enemy without problem. Once your behind cover you are completely invisible and can bide your time getting the most precise of shots off. And lastly there is “Deadeye”. The feature that lets you slowdown time and mark as many targets as you have bullets. The “Deadeye” can be replenished by killing enemies and through certain items. It lets you clear out a room in record time. Some may find these detracted from the game experience but I believe it’s the first step to Rockstar making workable controls for their games. Also you can turn auto aim off if it becomes that much of a hassle.

If you’re wishing to put the story aside, RDR welcomes it by filling the game with an ass-ton of extras. Heading into towns you can participate in games of poker, blackjack and liars dice – a game of easy money. Five Finger Fillet allows you to pull a Bishop from Aliens for some decent cash. All around the game world are strangers that require assistance weather it be retrieving a lost horse to grabbing some opium. No task is too meaningless for John Marston. These tasks provide a nice change of pace as you get little tales of interest in this expansive world. Wanted posters are around town and can provide great bits of action that allow you to bring the criminal back alive for a higher bounty but come with more risk.

For a world that is set in mostly a desert it’s certainly alive, and bustling with things to keep you busy. Animals are constantly roaming the lands you travel and can range from passive to aggressive. All of them seem to be alive in their own way, whether it’s a couple of coyotes chasing a pair of bunnies or handful of horses eating some grass. Some animal’s like the ever silent cougar can actually kill you with great ease. You can kill every animal and sell its parts for either profit or story purposes. Picking flowers is also part of the many things you can do along with buying property for easy spawn points. John is also able to change up his outfits based on certain tasks that the game asks you to complete. There usually a combination of one of the many extras stated above.

Upon further delving into the world I found great moments of procedural narrative where I would be walking into a set of actions I had no part of. Whether it’s a suicidal nomad in the desert or duel between individuals. There always seems to action to be had in the world of RDR.

The online has two modes, free roam and competitive multiplayer. Free roam matches up to sixteen people in an identical world to you single player campaign that can do anything from wipe out gang hide outs to decimate entire towns in groups called posses. Destroying gang hideouts unlocks mounts, character modules and other unlockables.

Competitive multiplayer has shootout a deathmatch game that can be played solo or in a posse. Gold Rush is a solo mode is where you are to grab gold and drop it at points but be wary as you are slowed when you are carrying the bag. Hold Your Own and Grab the Gold is like capture the flag except with a bag of gold as your flag.

All in all Red Dead Redemption is a beautifully made game. It however still has many of the inherent flaws that are true to the Rockstar experience. But if you’re looking for the best western game look no farther because Red Dead Redemption has what you have been craving.

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!

Freddie — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:59:46 +0000

When you saw the title of this article, did you not just imagine that kid standing in the middle of the street with his flannel shirt and long curly hair screaming? I DID! Now all we need to do is cue the ALL SAINTS REMIX, haha.

So after the new viral video going around of the pitch for the new Mortal Kombat movie (from the guy who directed FAME!, W-T-F?!) we now get an even better video. The new MORTAL KOMBAT video game, which from this video, looks like it’s definitely going back to it’s roots, 2D Action (with a slight 3D twist) blood, gore, and the reason we loved it from day one, ‘Fatality.’

ENJOY!

Zero Point

Lance — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:39:54 +0000

The other day I got a press release in my inbox that actually stood out a bit from the other 50 or so that I got. It’s an XBox Indie game that is being developed by two people who helped bring us Bioshock. Heres a by-line for the game, its 1937 and the game takes place at the Zero Point Lunar Harvesting Facility. So it’s retro future in the vein of Bioshock or Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow. The game is billed as an action/strategy hybrid that includes split screen co-op. The game looks great and very polished to me even if it’s billed as an XBox Indie game. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if this game doesn’t mosey up to a full blown Arcade release.

The trailer for the game isn’t embed-able so you’ll have to point your browser over to the developers website to check it out. As far as developer websites go I actually found their site to be enjoyable and their Dev Journal to be a fun read. Never knew that games have their own version of a “playoff beard” but apparently they do.

Mortal Kombat Gets Some ‘Dark Knight’ Treatment?

Freddie — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:36:58 +0000

Have you been waiting for something ‘new’ to be done with the Mortal Kombat franchise? Have the ‘Teen’ rating and censored fatalities of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe left a bad taste in your mouth (not to mention the horrible story and the fact that Midway went the way of the Dodo)? Yeah, me too (though I did enjoy the fighting in the game and throwing people through walls).

Well it looks like someone wants to give it the make-over treatment. Whether it’s going to be a movie, or someone is pouring some money into a promotion leading up to an announcement concerning the franchise, no one knows for sure. But this trailer sure does leaving me wanting more… a lot more.

From the introduction of characters such as Reptile, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Jax (played by Michael Jai White from Dark Knight, Spawn fame) this ‘movie/video game promo’ looks 10x better than any previous fighting game turned movie, and it even adds some elements of reality to it to explain the ’supernatural’ abilities of some of the characters. What this video leads to, we really don’t know, as of yet. But it sure has left one fan pretty excited. Watch the video above to get a taste of MORTAL KOMBAT REBIRTH.