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• The Protomen: Making Two Old Men Awesome Since 2008

  Over the years, Capcom has attempted to add depth to our robot hero, Mega Man. I mean, they've really attempted it, God bless 'em. Even though the end product reads like a story written by a ten-year-old science fiction fanatic with ADD, we shall give Capcom an A for Aeffort. But even though we have a good idea of Mega Man's inner workings (gears, bolts, some black stuff), what do we know about his creator, Doctor Light? I mean, we know his hair and beard are poofy like some anime Zeus'. We know that he likes a pipe now and then oops wait not in America. We also know that his inventions, however well-meaning, initiated vicious wars between humans and robots that spanned across generations. Oh, but we don't talk about Dr Light's little "oops." Shhh, look. Look over here. Look at this cute little robot dog. Hold still while it eats your skull. I am an unapologetic fangirl of The Protomen, the fine lads who constructed a Mega Man rock opera. The first album is about Protoman defecting to Doctor Wily's band of killer robots and Mega Man trying to convince his brother through song (unsuccessfully) that he is a good boy. The second album, coming...soon, I imagine, is a prequel with special emphasis on Wily and Light and certain events that cause humanity's spin down the toilet. Read More... Posted Nov 13 2008, 10:39 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: mega man, mega man x, fan stuff, fandom, nadia oxford, the protomen, rock opera

• Earthbound in 3D

  With writer Shigesato Itoi calling it quits with the Mother franchise after Mother 3, it won't be long until we start seeing remakes--or maybe that's just wishful thinking. As charming as the original Earthbound (Mother 2) was, those 3D renders of in-games towns Onett and Fourside in Super Smash Bros. Melee were enough to make any EB fan squeal with glee. In my wildest of video game-related daydreams, I've often thought of an Earthbound remake, made completely in 3D, with the characters looking just like their little clay models did in the strategy guide. Some men dream, while others do; like YouTube user cswavely, who has painstakingly rendered a few of Earthbound's town in glorious 3D. Even with that whole new axis, they feel completely authentic to the original game's stubby sprites; but I'll let you judge for yourself: More videos after the cut. Read More... Posted Oct 28 2008, 04:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: earthbound, mother 3, fan projects, mother 2, fan stuff, fandom, remakes, bob mackey, mother, shigesato itoi

• Whatcha (Trying To) Play: Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds

  Blessed are the fan translators. Without them we would never be able to experience the wonder of games like Seiken Densetsu 3, Mother 3 (it's coming!) or Final Fantasy V years before it recieved an awful translation on the Playstation. Less blessed are the ROM hackers. I know we all went through our childhood tormented by questions like, "What if Mario had a gigantic penis to trip him up while he tried to rescue the Princess?" and, "Gee, Sonic the Hedgehog is great, but it would be really great if someone replaced Mobius' clouds with Swastikas!" but ultimately the answers to these questions turn out to be nothing but messy self-indulgence. But even my jaded heart can recognise a great piece of fan work when I see it. The Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds is a great piece of fanwork. It's also near unplayable for pussies who embody the type of girly gamer who should slink back to her copy of Barbie's Horse Adventures (hint: Me). Read More... Posted Sep 10 2008, 06:10 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: mother 3, fan stuff, nadia oxford, seiken densetsu 3, rom hacks, fan translations, final fantasy v, the legend of zelda link to the past, fan hacks, the legend of zelda parallel worlds

• Seth McFarlane Animates Mario Short

  Almost as timeless as Super Mario's "Save the Princess" plotlines are the fans' "Ha Ha, Mario Never Gets Any From the Princess" flash movie counters. Family Guy's Seth McFarlane recently launched his own line of flash cartoons with Super Mario Rescues the Princess at the forefront. It's probably a bit of a shock to learn that McFarlane has indulged in pop culture humour, but I'll hold you if you hold me. Honestly, though Family Guy's cut-away schtick has only recently decided to grate on me after making me laugh like a baboon for however many seasons it's been, I thought this particular bit was pretty amusing. Without Peter, Stewie and Lois bogging things down, there's nothing wrong with a bit of pop culture ha-ha. I mean, there's a serious problem with a show when the number one complaint is, "the main characters bog down the humour," but let us clear our minds and enjoy watching Mario and Peach snipe at each other. ("All you did was jump over some mushrooms." "Well, you got captured by mushrooms.") Education Minute: The "Invincible Star" theme music, at least from the old Mario games, bears a significant resemblance to Jesus Christ Superstar's What's The Buzz? and it's probably not a coincidence. Read More... Posted Sep 10 2008, 01:56 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: fan stuff, humor, nadia oxford, super mario, seth mcfarlane, flash video, pop culture, jesus christ superstar

• Yahtzee Wannabe Warns You About the GameStop Devil

  Maybe the word "ripoff" is a little harsh. "Zero Originality" acknowledges its roots through its name alone, but it really does try to be its own thing--and, surprisingly, it succeeds. The Internet has assured me of human beings' ability to parrot whatever's popular. Can we scream about the tragedy of bad retro games without adopting James Rolfe's endearing facial expressions? Check. Can we attempt to put down the fruits of developers' loins with adorable pictures and a smooth British accent that pleases the Queen like a new corgi puppy? Check-a-rooney, though the key word here is "attempt." Zero Originality embraces Yahtzee's fast-talking manner and his special breed of stick-people, but at the heart of the videos is not a game critic but rather a game retail critic who's done his share of monkeywork behind the counter of GameStop. This disgruntled gentleman serves our game-loving species by not only warning us away from the brick-and-mortar behemoth that feeds him (or fed him), but by giving us good reasons why we should stay the eff away. Read More... Posted Sep 08 2008, 06:31 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: yahtzee, retail, youtube, fan stuff, nadia oxford, eb games, zero originality, used games, gamestop

• The Angry Video Game Nerd Says a Bad Word: Deadly Towers

  Sons and Daughters of the 8-bit Gods, it is time. The Angry Video Game Nerd has summoned the power of his inner heart and our contributed swears to bark back at the evil that eclipsed our Nintendos so long ago: Deadly Towers. Note that the audio on this movie is Not Safe For Work in any regard. Things get pretty raunchy at record speed. Personally, I think I would have preferred a complete review instead of a bunch of strung-together swears, however foul (wait, I am talking about the Angry Video Game Nerd, right?). Deadly Towers is a game that doesn't come by often. It's as rare as Dracula's centennial resurrection and fifty times more frightening. Most "bad" games are merely mediocre, or they fail for very obvious reasons like making the controller come to life and bite you on the thumb. You say to yourself, "This game is an unfair piece of crap" and you throw it out the window in good conscience. But when you play Deadly Towers, your brain goes numb. You know you're playing a terrible game, but you're helpless to turn away. It's like those nightmare stories about paralysed patients waking up on the operating table and lying frozen while the scalpel cuts into them. Read More... Posted Aug 20 2008, 07:04 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: angry video game nerd, 8-bit, retro, video, deadly towers, bad games, fan stuff, swearing

• An Earworm to Keep You Warm

  Admit it. When you were a kid, you added lyrics to the tinny songs that accompanied you on your 8-bit journeys. Denial will get you nowhere. I, uh, had something like three full verses for Magnet Man's stage in Mega Man 3. I think this guy's got me beat, though. He has some very catchy lyrics to go with the opening of the Blue Bomber's third adventure. I should warn you that these lyrics will stay with you for ages. It's a joyful ditty, basically Mega Man expressing his love for all things that make him mega. I especially appreciate, "Kill a robot fish, kill a robot frog, and then I ride off on my robot dawg!" Enjoy it. Read More... Posted Aug 14 2008, 12:10 AM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: mega man 3, fan stuff, blue bomber, earworm, collegehumor.com, song

• Star Wars: A New Halo

  Some people might consider this irrelevant, but The Escapist hosts more than Yahtzee and Zero Punctuation. Kung Fu Grip, a foul-mouthed theatre of action figure puppetry (think Robot Chicken) also nests on the site. Videos featuring game characters being violent, vulgar and nailing anything that moves isn't really new, but Kung Fu Grip has a few videos worth watching. Consider the series' latest, Star Wars: A New Halo, which replaces the bumbling Storm Troopers from Star Wars with the git-r-done good ol' Spartan boys from Halo. You won't be taking them down with Jedi mind tricks, nor will they waste time pounding on a locked door when they could be blowing it up. Read More... Posted Aug 01 2008, 04:32 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with no comments Filed under: star wars, yahtzee, the escapist, halo, video, kung fu grip, fan stuff