Then of course we have Mega Man 2 for the Virtual Console (500 points), and if you really need me to explain to you what Mega Man 2 is at this point you might be at the wrong website. Do you even own a game console?

Wii-kly Update

Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel

Two is your lucky number at the Wii™ Shop Channel this week. You’ll find a pair of totally different yet equally awesome sequels on offer: the second installment in the outrageous Strong Bad game series on WiiWare™, and a memorable sequel from the classic Mega Man™ series on the Virtual Console™. Two is also the total number of WiiWare titles debuting this week, including an eye-popping new puzzle game that’s suitable for two players. And while it only takes one Wii™ console to access them, you’ll need two hands to applaud this ever-growing selection of great games.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Strong Bad Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free (Telltale Games, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Crude Humor, Mild Cartoon Violence, Use of Alcohol, 1,000 Wii Points): Strong Badia the Free is the second of five monthly episodes starring Strong Bad—the self-proclaimed “coolest person ever”—and the rest of the cast from the popular Homestar Runner Web cartoons. When Strong Bad fails to obey the King of Town’s totally unfair e-mail tax, he’s placed under house arrest. Once freed from his wrongful imprisonment, Strong Bad goes on a mission to unite the local warring factions under the Strong Badian flag. Is Free Country USA ready for such an awesome ruler? Strong Bad Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free also has the Videlectrix arcade classic “Math Kickers Featuring the Algebros,” plus all-new achievements, collectibles, costumes and Teen Girl Squad comics. You can even use Strong Bad’s Lappy to send e-mails and pictures to your Wii Friends™. So what are you waiting for? Fire up Strong Badia the Free and get ready to kick some doughy King of Town butt.

Potpourrii (Abstraction Games, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): In the puzzle game Potpourrii, everything revolves around the seasons. For centuries, the seasons have followed a set pattern. But then things start to go awry in the forest. Suddenly it's snowing while the sun shines and flowers bloom while leaves are falling. Then a strange purple goo appears. The leprechauns are stunned. Even worse, the magic oak of life loses its power. It all turns out to be the fault of an evil wizard. You must help the leprechauns defeat him and restore natural order. To do this, you need to collect seasonal spirits. Pick them up with the spirit cannon, shoot them at the center of the screen, group them and make them disappear. But watch out—they get faster and faster. In short: Potpourrii is a puzzle game that keeps you hooked with its colorful visuals, beautiful effects and easy-to-use controls using the Wii Remote™ controller. Play alone or with a second player, and even use your Mii™ character.

Virtual Console

Mega Man 2 (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Widely regarded by fans as one of the greatest action games of all time, Mega Man 2 is the second title in the seminal NES series. With even more stages and robot masters than the previous installment, its sheer size and scope are enough to get any action gamer’s heart palpitating. The year is 200X. Dr. Light’s super-robot, Mega Man, has succeeded in smashing the evil ambition of the nefarious Dr. Wily, and peace reigns over the planet. However, Dr. Wily proves to be a hard man to keep down and has returned with a new army of robot masters in tow to challenge our hero. Can Mega Man save the world again?

The long-awaited first episode "Homestar Ruiner" is now available, and we checked it out to see if it passes muster or deserves to be DELETED!

Loved:
The Humor: Now I've been following Strong Bad at the Homestarrunner.com website for years now, so the humor is right up my alley. The game almost feels like one long, extended Easter egg from a Strong Bad email.

The Graphics: Strong Bad, Homestar, and crew are rendered lovingly in 3D, staying true to their 2D roots despite the extra added dimension. Just about every character in the main HSR universe is represented, including my favorite, the drive-thru whale (sever your leg please).

Mini-Games: The Videlectrix classic Snake Boxer 5 is even more entertaining when you realize that it is exactly the sort of simplistic game we'd play for hours back in the Atari days, while the Teen Girl Squad mini-game is a delight for anyone who's ever killed stick figures in a spiral notebook.

Game Mechanics: SBCGAP is a relatively simple point and click adventure, with a few little tweaks to keep the game flowing. Might have been tedious if not for the ability to warp anywhere on your map at any given time.

Music: Homestarrunner.com fans expect music, and the opening and closing theme song to the first episode does not disappoint. "You Can't Handle My Style" is sure to become an instant classic. There's also a boom box located in Strong Bad's kitchen that lets you access a selection of typical Strongbadia musical fare.

Hated
Standard Adventure-Game Tedium: SBCGAP is a standard point-and click adventure game, so the standard point and click adventure game tedium applies. Click, wait for character to get into position, only to tell you that you can't interact with the object the way you intended. More of a pet peeve, but if an adventure game is going to tell me "No" I'd rather it be up front about it.

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is very much a game for fans of the series. Without knowing these characters and not having experienced their interactions in the past, I can easily see some folks just not getting it. If you're unfamiliar with the whole Homestar Runner universe, I suggest heading over to the website and hitting the R button to pull up a few random toons. If you enjoy the humor there, you'll enjoy the game.

Homestar Ruiner is an excellent start to Telltale's Strong Bad saga, offering fans of the series a chance to break out of the email window and explore Strongbadia and surroundings in an all-new way.

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode One: Homestar Ruiner was developed by and published by Telltale Games. Released on August 11th on WiiWare and PC. WiiWare version costs 1,000 Wii Points. PC version costs $8.95 for single episode, $34.95 for a subscription to all five. Played PC version to completion.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The first episode of SBCGAP, Homestar Ruiner, follows Strong Bad's efforts to crush Homestar's spirit, and subsequent rebuilding of said spirit once the crushing goes awry.

Rounding things off is another TurboGrafx title, the pool title Break In (700 points), ruining what could have been a stellar crop while looking that much better for the company it's keeping.

Wii-kly Update

One WiiWare Game and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

If your idea of a superhero is someone with an invincible ego who can type e-mails while wearing boxing gloves, then the Wii™ Shop Channel has great news for you. The legendary Strong Bad (from the popular Homestar Runner Web series) makes his eagerly anticipated WiiWare™ debut this week. For even more laughs and clever gaming kicks, you’ll also find a satirical space-age shooter on the Virtual Console™, along with a classic billiards game for those who prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner (Telltale Games, 1 player, Rated T for Teen—Crude Humor, Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,000 Wii Points): Charming. Suave. Awesome. These are the words Strong Bad would use to describe himself. In a world gone mad, only one man can be trusted to save the day. A man with an attitude. A man called Strong Bad. As the star of the Homestar Runner Web cartoons, Strong Bad has been answering e-mails (in boxing gloves), pranking his friends, pummeling his enemies, and making people with questionable taste snort milk out of their noses for years now. And he’s branched out to star in Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, a monthly five-episode series. In Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner, Strong Bad’s plans to beat the snot out of Homestar backfire, and he ends up with an unwanted houseguest cramping his style. Now he needs to get life back to normal by any means possible. But wait, there’s more: Teen Girl Squad comics, achievements, funny costumes and arcade games. You can even send pictures and messages to Wii Friends using Strong Bad’s computer. So how about it? Can you handle Strong Bad’s style?

Virtual Console

Break In (TurboGrafx16, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Tobacco Reference, 700 Wii Points): Gather up to four players for an authentic game of pool right in your own home. Choose from six billiards games including 9-Ball, Rotation and Carom (a game played without pockets). Use Simulation mode to calculate the perfect shot, or select Action mode and check out what went wrong with your missed shots. With all that to choose from, Break In gives players—from beginners to experts—all the elements necessary to enjoy a great game of pool. But it doesn’t stop there. Select Technique to practice your angles or even go for a trick shot. Get some help from the CPU and hone your skills. With Break In, you’ll be a pro in no time.

Star Parodier (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): Star Parodier is the hilarious spoof of the classic Hudson shooter Star Soldier. In this parody, there are three playable ships for players to choose from: the ingratiating PAROCEASER, the hot-headed BOMBERMAN, and the ever-so-introverted PC-ENGINE. Players control one of these unique and original ships and set off to blast their way through eight stages on the planet PAROSON. The comical characters take the color and flavor of the Soldier series to the next level and are guaranteed to leave players mesmerized. In addition to the normal game mode, there are also the familiar two-minute and five-minute attack modes, making Star Parodier the complete package that is sure to have players coming back for more.

Meanwhile the Compy version will be on sale via Telltale's website for $8.95, or you can subscribe to the whole shebang for $34.95. We'll have a full review going up on release day just in case you need some help deciding whether to buy the episode or buy five of them.

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Launches August 11
Premiere episode, "Homestar Ruiner," will release simultaneously on WiiWare and PC

SAN RAFAEL, CA, August 5, 2008 – Telltale Inc., the leader in interactive episodic entertainment, is announcing that "Homestar Ruiner", the first of five monthly Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People episodes, will premiere Monday, August 11. "Homestar Ruiner" will release on Nintendo's WiiWare™ download service in North and South America and worldwide on PC simultaneously. WiiWare availability for Europe, Australia and New Zealand will follow shortly.

As the star of the popular Homestarrunner.com web cartoons, Strong Bad has been answering emails (in boxing gloves), pranking his friends, pummeling his enemies, and making people with questionable taste snort milk out of their noses for years. Now he's branching out to star in the monthly Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People series developed in partnership with Homestarrunner.com creators Mike and Matt Chapman.

In the season premiere, Strong Bad's plans to beat the snot out of his rival Homestar Runner backfire, and he ends up with an unwanted houseguest cramping his style. Now he needs to get life back to normal, by any means possible. Comical point-and-click gameplay progresses the story, with side quests, mini games, achievements, and an "extended play" sandbox mode that unlocks after the story is completed rounding out the game experience.

"Homestar Ruiner is a great series premiere and kick-off for the season. The next five months will be filled with lots of surprises," says Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "This is how we always envisioned episodic gaming—monthly releases, straight into the living room. We’re happy to be working with the Chapmans and Nintendo to make it a reality."

New Strong Bad episodes can be downloaded from the Wii™ Shop Channel each month for 1000 Wii Points™. The series takes advantage of the WiiConnect24™ technology by giving players the ability to send Strong Bad-themed emails to Wii friends directly from the Lappy. Photos taken using the in-game camera feature can be attached to emails, allowing players to show off Easter eggs uncovered or hidden costumes collected during the game.

"We are very excited," said a Videlectrix spokesperson from his pretend high-rise office, "Our last game topped out at 8 bits. We've heard this one might reach 9 or 10!"

Downloadable versions of each Strong Bad episode will also be available for the PC exclusively from Telltale's website, with preorders starting today at www.telltalegames.com/strongbad. Episodes can be purchased individually for $8.95 or as part of a five-episode subscription for $34.95. As with Telltale's popular Sam & Max series, customers who purchase the full series from Telltale will later be eligible to get a disc version for the cost of shipping and handling.

After the "Homestar Ruiner" premiere on August 11, storylines in the monthly episodes will run the gamut from political struggles to rock’n roll to the world of videogames (of course), building to the exciting season finale in December. Many fan favorite characters from Free Country USA will appear in each episode, along with special new super 8-bit style mini-games from Videlectrix. Additional details about the series can be found at www.telltalegames.com/strongbad.

Now some 12 years after the characters' initial video game debut, Strong Bad and friends are set to make their triumpant return to a Nintendo console with Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, collaborating with Sam and Max developers Telltale Games on the episodic adventure title. I recently met with The Brothers Chap at a gourment Atlanta restaurant to discuss the upcoming game, the perils of voice-acting every character on your website, and of course, the finest cuisine available in the United States.

Scattered, Smothered, Covered, And Gobbled

Okay, so we met at a Waffle House, but for three guys who grew up in Dunwoody Georgia, the memories afforded by the greasy diner-style restaurant far outweigh the gastro-intestinal distress we were sure to encounter later that evening. As it turns out, Mike, Matt and I all lived in the same area growing up, and while I never ran in the same circles as they did, my younger sister Nadine was in several of Matt's classes in Peachtree Middle School while Mike and I were attending Dunwoody High School. Apparently there's even a picture of Matt in my mother's house somewhere, though trying to find one specific picture in my mother's house is akin to trying to find a specific grain of sand in the desert.

This particular Waffle House was down the street from Peachtree Middle, and in an affluent Atlanta suburb where parents made damn sure that there wasn't much for their kids to do after midnight, it had long been a haven for area teens.

We order nothing healthy, and Mike inquires as to having his hashbrowns gobbled - topped with turkey - which leads to the waitress attempting to have the cook add this new type of hashbrown decoration to the menu. The cook is confused, the waitress bemused, and the whole thing comes to a head when we're told they've no turkey anyway, but we nearly made Waffle House history right there.

The Videlectrix Connection

It is important to note that while Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People (SBCG4AP) is the first console game based on The Brothers' creations, cutting-edge gaming company Videlectrix has been making games for the series for what seems like decades, with blockbuster titles such as Secret Collect, Pigs on Head, and of course, Trogdor.

The brothers explain that Videlectrix is very much involved in SBCG4AP, to the point where Mike even created a high-res logo for them (they didn't have one of their own) in case Telltale wanted to use it at the beginning of the game. The original press release for the title even lists Videlectrix as Telltale's partner for the game, a fact that confused some of Telltale's investors.

Matt explains, "Some shareholder called concerned, asking, "Who is this partner? Who is Videlectrix?" and (Telltale CEO) Dan Connors responded, "They use computers to make video games." That was all he said."

We use computers...to make video games is Videlectrix's slogan, and the fact that Telltale's CEO understood Homestar Runner that well was very encouraging to the Chapmans, who had been approached about creating a Homestar Runner video game in the past by folks a bit less understanding.

"Very rough things," explains Matt Chapman. "There was a dude from Sega of America awhile ago that we were kinda just talking to. I was like, "Is there any way that this wouldn't just be put into the factory and stuck out on the other end with something that looks kinda like our characters?" And the guy was like, "Ehhhn, probably not." He was very up front, and we were like, "Well thanks for being honest, we'll pass."

The Secret Origin Of Strong Bad

Nintendo fans from back in the days of the NES might recognize Strong Bad from one of the first console wrestling games, Data East's Tag Team Wrestling, which featured a duo called The Strong Bads.

"Oh yeah, absolutely. The Strong Bads. We were just doing some dumb thing at Kinko's for friends. We weren't planning on all of this happening," says Matt Chapman.

Not to worry though, before they started merchandising they had a lawyer check things out to make sure everything was cool, though they still expect that 50 years from now they'll be sitting around and some Data East guy will show up waving a lawsuit around.

Telltale Fits Like A Glove
The Sega pitch wasn't exactly exciting to the brothers, who never owned a Sega console but claim to have "had friends who owned Sega." The offer from Telltale Games was much more enticing. They were already fans of the Sam and Max episodic adventure series, and knowing their pedigree was a bunch of "old LucasArts dudes" it was much more a case of hearing from exactly the people you wanted to hear from.

The episodic style was also a big pull.

"The episodic thing matches our style better than one big $40 game," says brother Mike.

Brother Matt continues, "We're treating each episode of the game as an episode of the website...trying to fill some game that has 20 hours of gameplay and some stupid plot would have just been lame."

Telltale's understanding of their series has also afforded them the chance to fit all of the fan-favorite characters into the game. Matt explains that the company has been more than accommodating.

"I've actually been surprised at how many of the characters their willing to put into the episodes...the amount of them, and the breadth of them."

I asked if my particular favorite characters would be making an appearance, the old-timey versions of Strong Bad and company, but so far nothing is planned. It would require an entirely new set of 3D models, but the Brothers did hint that if enough fans asked for them a future appearance wasn't out of the question.

Voice And Butt Problems

Since younger brother Matt does every voice for the website aside from the one female character, Homestar's girlfriend Marzipan, the rigors of recording all of the sounds for five installments of a video game have taken their toll.

"In the first two episodes I've recorded maybe double of what we normally record in a year. It's definitely taken it's toll...I've had to be much more conscious of my throat."

Along with cutting out things like caffeine and sugar in his drinks (never mind the sweet tea he drank with his lunch), Matt has turned to various herbal remedies for his vocal woes, including a rather unconventional voice cure that might have done more harm than good.

"I had the hot toots for three days after this one lady gave me a jar of honey and she was like, "Put an inch and a half of it in a glass, and squeeze in as much of a lemon as you can and just shoot it until the jar is gone." If my throat got better it really didn't outweigh what it did to my butt."

Sometimes you just ask a question and get much more than you bargained for.

Just A Couple Of Nintendo Fanboys

Both Mike and Matt admit that they are Nintendo fanboys (they'd been playing Mario Kart earlier that morning), though as you'll often find the most fervent fans are the biggest critics as well. Matt echoes the sentiments of many a Nintendo fan when he calls out the Wii's lack of online community features.

"All Nintendo has to do is start an online service and we'll pay $50 a month just so we can play Mario Kart and chat with our friends."

It's for just that very reason that they both own an Xbox 360 as well as a Wii, but the only Sony system you'll find in their office is a PlayStation 2, and it's only there because of Guitar Hero.

"Harmonix's Alex Rigopoulos called us up and said "Hey, we're thinking of including one of your songs in Guitar Hero 2, so we're going to send you two copies of Guitar Hero!" So we were like, "Wow, we've gotta go buy a used PS2!"

The Final Bite

We talked for a good couple of hours, often about subjects that had nothing at all to do with Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, from Speed Racer to Star Wars to The Matrix, but all of the little side conversations that you'll never know about serve to pinpoint the very reason so many people find Strong Bad and friends so iressistible in the first place. It's the type of humor that comes from a couple of guys sitting around a Waffle House eating bad food and just talking about whatever comes to mind. If the game manages to capture even a small portion of that feeling, it'll be something special indeed.

With that, I leave you with the last room temperature bite. Enjoy!

"The game is actually now getting pushed back to July, but the game is going to just be much better for it. It's just development time."

So it'll be just a little bit longer before Strong Bad, Homestar and crew make their console debut, but judging by the enthusiasm the Brothers Chap elicited during our gourmet meal I certainly wouldn't be worried about it. When the creators of the property are this enthused without someone poking them with a cattle prod you can generally expect something awesome. Speaking of which, look for the full interview sometime during next week's power-packed episode of Kotaku!

Unless of course you play it on your PC. Here, screenshots.

The demo began with Strong Bad waking up on his couch, after dreaming of Super Punch Out!!, a quick musical number and a hasty interaction with his portly brother, Strong Sad. After hassling his housemates, Strong Bad heads downstairs to chat with a despondent Homestar.

We're introduced quickly to Strong Bad's motivation. Homestar has been caught for indecency and Strong Bad is either tasked with cheering him up or making reparations for Homestar's pantslessness.

Interaction with characters uses a simple pop up talk bubble, with a minimal HUD that can be interacted with via Wii Remote pointer or the plus, minus and B buttons on the remote. Players will check the game map, use game tools and access other menus this way.

In the house kitchen, Strong Bad picks up a cell phone adding it to his inventory, giving him the ability to make prank phone calls. Strong Bad then heads outside to make a call to Marzipan and dig up a hidden Teen Girl Squad comic.

Heading upstairs, Strong Bad sits down in front of a television and Videlectrix console to play Snake Boxer 5, a simplistic top-down boxing game in the vein of Atari 2600 Boxing, but with snakes.

The demo ended there, but it certainly nailed all the right Strong Bad points. It was funny—genuinely funny, not typical video game writing funny—featured many of the series' beloved characters and looked very polished visually. The Telltale Games point & click adventure pedigree should do right by the IP and looks to please the rabid Strong Bad fanbase.

Hit the jump to check out excerpts from a very cool FAQ about the game featuring Mr. Lucha Libre Head.

What is Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People?
SBCG4AP is a new episodic game series starring Strong Bad and the rest of the crew from the Homestarrunner.com cartoons. The games are being developed by Telltale Games, the same company who has been tirelessly turning out Sam & Max episodes since 2006.

Who is Strong Bad? What is Homestarrunner.com?
Homestarrunner.com is a cartoon created by Mike and Matt Chapman in 1999, and Strong Bad is the series' most popular character. He's an awesome guy who enjoys answering emails from random fans, beating up his younger brother, and messing with people. It's kind of hard to explain. Just visit homestarrunner.com and see for yourself.

(Oh, also Strong Bad was voted Sexiest Man Alive by Salon.com. Which is a little weird, since he's a cartoon character who goes around wearing a lucha libre mask and no shirt, but we try not to be judgmental.)

Who is this game for?
Attractive people.

No, really. What will the gameplay be like?
These are story games, with weird plots and tons of dialogue conceived through a mind-meld between the guys who make the Homestarrunner.com cartoons and the team who brought you Sam & Max Seasons One and Two. In each SBCG4AP episode, you take control of Strong Bad and interact with other characters in beloved locations such as Strong Bad's basement, Bub's Concession Stand, and The Stick. Besides talking to other characters and messing with their minds, you'll also get to dress up in funny costumes, check email on Strong Bad's trusty Lappy 486, and play arcade-style mini games such as the timeless Snake Boxer 5.

Are you doing anything special for WiiWare?
SBCG4AP was designed specifically for WiiWare, and we're cooking up some fun ways to use the controller. We'll also be taking advantage of Wii Connect24 with some special features that will tie the episodes together and let you communicate with friends.

Okay, I want to check it out. Where/when can I play it?
The five-episode season of SBCG4AP will kick off on WiiWare this June. SBCG4AP will also be released for PC from our online store, both as individual episodes and in a full season bundle. (More details on the PC release coming soon!)

How long will I have to wait between Strong Bad episodes?
Episodes will be released one month apart, giving you just enough time to play through the game, dissolve into fits of mad laughter (and potentially freak out any cats or small children in the vicinity), poke around and find all the hidden stuff we crammed into the game for your amusement, and tell all your friends how great it was before it's time to start on the next one.

Strong Bad's Game Blog