In this post:
1. Highlights from last week’s indie arcade opening.
2. And a rundown of all my Tiny Cartridge offerings, plus more!
As stated previously, I’m taking a little break from around here in order to concentrate on my temporary Tiny Cartridge gig, as well as all the other places I write for (plus some other “things”). Still, I had planned on passing along a No More Heroes 2 review, along with my impressions of Bayonetta thus far, which is somewhat related. But alas, it won’t be ready for at least a few more days, and because I don’t like to hold onto pictures I’ve taken myself for too long: highlights from this past Tuesday’s Global Game Jam Arcade opening at Babycastles.
DINOSAUR PARTY
For starters, Silent Barn/Babycastles itself is simply awesome. It’s like some fancy Hollywood set decorator’s idea of what a performance/art space in the ultra hip and trendy part of Brooklyn would look like, but for real…
… Pictures (mine at least) honestly do zero justice, and good news: I’m finally getting a new camera! But back to Tuesday night: first game up was GNILLEY, that game in which you scream at. Here we have Joe Salina’s ass hanging out of the game’s set-up…
… The game itself is mostly a NES Zelda 1 rom hack, but instead of pressing a button to swing a sword, you have to talk (mostly yell) at the game. Given how loud I normally am, I did fairly well; screaming allows you to get rid of enemies, as well as remove obstacles. But I eventually found myself stuck, because I didn’t realize that some parts require you to speak softly. Anyhow, not sure if it was either Joe or Dave Mauro that actually beat the game. Sorry for the spoilers everyone…
Whereas GNILLEY is originally from Australia, all the other Global Game Jam offerings were via local game designers (Jottobots made a return appearance as well, which is from LA if I’m not mistaken, but because of technical difficulties, not sure if was actually playable or not). Here we have I’m On Your Team…
… It’s a four-player game that has two team of two. A basic deathmatch game (2D not 3D/first-person), except you can’t tell who your teammate is visually. Instead you have to pay attention to feint audio cues, which was almost impossible to make out at the place. I somehow got lucky and managed to shoot who I need to, so yay! Afterward was Deceptive Platformer…
… Of all the games, this one was the most visually stimulating (with the exception of Me0wtr0n, of course). It’s a platformer in which you have to navigate across, surprise, platforms! But each has its own unique properties; some will reverse the controls, other throw gravity out of whack. Aside from being the most graphically polished, it was also the most fun to play. Next we have Joe playing Killjet by Tristan Perich…
… I’m just gonna cut and paste the game’s description via the Babycastle’s Facebook page if no one minds: “The entire 1-bit video game runs out of a single digital pin of a programmable microchip, which is soldered directly into the television screen. Anamanaguchi forever holds the high score.” Anyway, Killjet is proof positive that many games would be so much better if you had to hug the monitor to play them.
Last but not least was the true star of the indie arcade, and if you haven’t had a chance to play this most wonderful of animated cat gif games, what’s your problem? Though admittedly, Me0wtr0n is certainly not as accessible as one might expect or hope; here’s Joe struggling to figure out what the hell is going on…
Time for a random pic of the place, just because; in one corner there’s an old, busted Steel Gunner, next to an old, bust player piano…
… God, I remember spending so much time (and quarters) on it as a kid at the local 7-11. The game, not the piano. And here’s Dave and Joe wondering why in the hell would anyone in New York City would waste their lives watching the Jersey Shore…
… They’re basically right; I haven’t seen it myself (since I lack cable), but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing an hour spent at Penn Station on a Friday night, around 10pm, near with the LIRR or NJ Transit ticket areas can’t provide. And here’s Joe making friends with the resident feline…
Hey, it’s a cat playing the cat game!
Seriously! Somehow it managed to activate the secret level…
… Didn’t get a chance to discuss future plans with Kunal and Syed, since both were too busy running the show, but I should be finalizing plans for the big FORT90ZINE #3 launch party/Jizzmoppa symposium in the coming days. Thus far, it looks like it’ll be happening either April 2nd or 3rd, so if you’re in NYC, save the date!
A Very Young Melissa Joan Hart, Not Playing Sonic 2 Very Well
Alright, I should really try to keep this short and sweet, but before signing off, how about a rundown of all the totally amazing and awesome things I’ve been reporting elsewhere? Kicking things off with Tiny Cartridge, naturally…
- The DSi, in the bread form!
- Mentioned it around here before, but I’ve got some additional details behind those mini Dance Dance Revolution arcade cabs!
- Whaddya know, Sonic 4 has actually been around for ages! Plus other rom hacks, including Super Mario/Sonic/Rescue Rangers?
- Does anyone remember “Mr. Backup”?
- A look at some game related highlights from the recent Wonder Festival 2010, winter edition. Not sure what makes me salivate the most; that Monohime statue or these miniature Astro Citys:
- Once again, some recycled material from the blog, this time centering around fan art. Not going to lie; it was mostly an excuse to repost that Peach/Samus costume swap illustration, which I still think is the greatest thing ever.
- My favorite musical tracks from No More Heroes 1 & 2.
- Quite honestly the greatest House of the Dead 4/arcade lightgun player of all time.
- Hey, Fret Nice finally came out!
- If the Winter Olympics has gotten you in a game playing mood, that Mario & Sonic title isn’t your only option.
- Another oldie, but goodie; that NES speedrun in real life. There’s also a link to a pretty boss Family Matters/PaRappa The Rapper mash-up as well.
- LOL my people; how South Koreans are using mini sausages as iPhone styluses when it’s cold out.
- A look at what’s on the desks of various Nintendo employees:
- With this post, there is now a Melissa Joan Hart tag at Tiny Cartridge. I honestly feel very proud about that.
- The same goes for this one; never thought in a million years that Shintaro Kago would ever grace the place!
… I only wish I could be there to see Eric’s face when he comes back from vacation and surveys the damage!
Meanwhile, haven’t been nearly as active over at Mecha Damashii, but I haven’t been slacking either. Be sure to check out these Gundams that are totally made out of paper, I swear to God, as well as me bitching about what the Transformers have become. There’s also this:
As for Heavy dot com, make sure to check out the latest in video game fashion and my Heavy Rain demo impressions.
Real quick: a random game related link from someone other than myself, mostly because it’s such awesome news: EspGaluda II is going to be region free! Provided you get the standard edition, which is no big loss; aside from a bonus soundtrack disc, which I’m sure is hawt, the limited edition includes a 360 faceplate which isn’t anything mind-blowing. Anyhow, and like so many others, I had assumed that when Death Smiles was announced for domestic release, all future Cave shmups would be region locked since Mushihime-sama Futari was for all intents and purposes an experiment to gauge overseas reception. Sweet!
Finally, a few non-game related items from peeps of mine; in addition to her artwork, I’m a big fan of Hilary‘s writing as well, hence why I was pleased as punch to discover that she’s now writing about manga for some fairly fab blog that’s all about comics, graphic novels, and zines!
And not only does Katie’s latest installment of Beegirl contain a fantastic pin-up by our pal Pat, but… Any guesses as to what Katie and I did for Valentine’s Day? Well, because we got the romantic dinner out of the way the night prior (I took her out to this total hole in the wall but super cute, as well as super fantastic Japanese joint, which seriously had the best salmon teriyaki EVER), we spent the actual day grooming our ungrateful cat…
… Then we had that heart shaped pizza from Papa John’s and watched episodes of Law & Order: SVU via Netflix Instant. Alright, that’s it for now; I’ll try to be back soon whither either my No More Heroes 2 review or pics from Toy Fair (provided I get in; I never seem to have luck with registering at shows on-site).
