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The Potty-Mouth Origins of a Video Game Mainstay
As an avuncular living-room presence for three generations, it’s easy to forget John Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders back when they were the Raiders, and he had to lead characters like Ted Hendricks, Phil Villapiano, Jack Tatum and Ken Stabler. So Madden’s proficiency with the F-word should not be astonishing. But…
By Owen Good -
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UncategorizedMorrowind Theme Helps Harpist Fund Her Next Album
This is Gillian Grassie, a Philadelphia-area harpist. That’s not the sort of instrument that gets a record deal; harpists typically fund their recordings by playing weddings, dining rooms and the like. To raise money for her next album, Grassie took requests, and found that video game patrons are very willing to support the arts. Here’s…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Fully Posable Star Wars Action Figures, in Pixelated Form
Thirtysomething gamers will recognize plenty in this isometric pixelated depiction of the original run of Kenner Star Wars action figures from the first film to Return of the Jedi. I remember Luke Skywalker: Bespin Fatigues, the first action figure with two weapons. Spent the entire summer of 1980 coveting that one. Isometric Star Wars Toys…
By Owen Good -
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Xbox Live Indie Studios Can Now Pick Their Publishing Dates
The Xbox Live Indie Games channel just put through a key change that should help publishers with marketing efforts for their games. Now, once a title has passed peer review, the developer may pick the date it publishes to the service. What this means for consumers is that collaborative events such as the Indie Games…
By Owen Good -
UncategorizedThis Turkish Rendition of Super Mario Bros. Music is Definitely Dance-Worthy
From the Republic of Turkey comes this wonderful impromptu rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme song, a familiar tune in an unfamiliar place. Unfamiliar that is unless you live in Turkey, where Çağrı Ulusoy on the darbuka and Emre Kaya on clarinet add a distinctively Turkish flair to the song that propelled a million…
By Mike Fahey - Uncategorized
Mario, This is Why You’re Fat
We know why Mario has a mustache. We know why his uniform is blue and red. These were the most distinctive features Nintendo could render on the character sprite due to the limitations of the Z80 processor, the venerable workhorse of the arcade. And it’s the same reason Mario’s proportions are a little on the…
By Owen Good -
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Tugboat Ran Aground as Captain Played Video Games, Says Coast Guard
More than 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into Alaska’s Prince William Sound – the very same spot as the infamous Exxon Valdez disaster – because the captain of a tugboat was playing video games while the ship ran aground, says the Coast Guard. The Pathfinder, a “safety-escort” tug, was returning to port after an…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
By the Time the Army of Darkness Reached the iPhone It Was Too Late
Nineteen years ago Bruce Campbell and his time-displaced chin took on the forces of evil in a movie that generated a good fifteen years’ worth of amusing quotes. Today Backflip Studios releases Army of Darkness Defense for the iPhone. Bruce Campbell is Ash Williams, one asshole of a retail employee teleported via ancient evil book…
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UncategorizedThe 50 Worst Voices in Video Game History Meet One Hilarious Face
Behind every badly-read line of video game dialog there is an equally horrific voice actor. Face actor Dean Lauderdale channels fifty of the worst, possibly redeeming them in the process. From The Legend of Heroes to Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, Lauderdale lends his hyper-elastic face to some of the worst video game performances since they…
By Mike Fahey -
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Oddworld Creator: “EA Sabotaged Stranger’s Wrath“
Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning accused EA of “Sabotaging” his studio’s game, Stranger’s Wrath, in a conversation with Eurogamer. Lanning says that the publisher, by not marketing the game properly, condemned it to failure. “It was sabotaged. When you see a big game coming out, just ask what the marketing budget is. If you decide as…
By Mike Epstein -
UncategorizedA Five Minute Guided Tour of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
If you’ve not seen this walkthrough video of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games’ Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, you might have the impression that this is a generic action RPG. Once you see the video you’ll definitely have that impression. I want to believe that the combination of author R.A. Salvatore’s words, Spawn creator Todd…
By Mike Fahey
