Tim Schafer is a gaming legend. With such classic hits under his belt as the Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, and even recent hits as Psychonauts, there’s no denying the man is a comic genius, fusing simple gameplay with memorable characters and witty jokes. So, in light of the Game Developers’ Conference, he and his team at Double Fine Productions put together a little game in classic Schafer style, depicting his prep-work for hosting the event. It’s got a great classic sound, old school graphics, and the humor you’d expect. I highly recommend it, if only for a bit of nostalgia, but also for the wisest thing I’ve heard in a game in a long time: “The great thing about urinals is that, no matter how drunk you are, at least you stumbled into the right bathroom.”
Even if you’ve never heard of Tommy Tallarico, you’ve probably heard his music. In the mid to late 90s, his stuff was everywhere, particularly coming out of games by the phenomenal Shiny Entertainment, creators of some of the weirdest and most memorable games of all time. His music for Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 is among some of the catchiest and diverse soundtracks of all time, with action music, soft tones, and even Caribbean tunes. My top Tallarico song comes from Earthworm Jim 2, and a stage titled Lorenzen’s Soil. It’s got a nice soothing sound to it, ironic considering you spend the entirety of the level fighting off giant larvae (or are you just tiny?). Check it out - maybe not overlooked, but certainly not making any top 10 lists either.
Occassionally, games, like the internet, allow people to make choices to customize their experience, and occassionally, in games, like on the internet, people abuse that privilege. Here’s an example of what happens when someone abuses the system, courtesy of the NES and Adventures in the Magic Kingdom.
You know, there are a lot of characters in the gaming world that struggle for top spot but hardly ever get the kind of recognition they deserve. Pit from Kid Icarus certainly has that dubious honor, but we don’t even have to go that far back to find an unsung hero amidst the overpopulated characters universe. Let’s take a look back at a close, personal friend of mine, a man who has worked tirelessly to ensure that his patrons are happy, safe, and secure, the kind of guy you can depend on. I’m talking about, ladies and gentlemen, none other than B.D. Joe.
Here’s another mashup, courtesy of my long wait at the Charlotte, North Carolina airport. I find that when you’re stuck doing nothing for long periods of time, you’re at your most creative, but I could be way off based on the following concoction we’ve mixed together:
Lucasarts really needs to consider turning Ghost into a point-and-click adventure. Use Sam Wheat on Whoopi. Pick Up Penny. Give Cigarettes to Crazy Train Guy. This thing practically puts itself together.
I just hit the local Gamestop to pick up a copy of Resident Evil 5. I’m not going to talk about that game in particular, especially since I haven’t started it and also because I hate mentioning Gamestop because every person I’ve met who’s worked at one is kind of grating, but I found myself doing something with this game (instead of playing the thing) that I hadn’t done with any other game of this generation or last - I flipped through the manual. It’s a weird thing, looking through this little booklet and it took me back to the little horizontal NES manuals that came in the flimsy cardboard box. Remember those and all the weird drawings that were in there? All the weird descriptions that were in there too?
It’s been a while since I’ve sat down to review something, but this time I’ve brought you something really short and sweet. By short, I mean there’s not much to say about this particular game, and by sweet, I mean that it’s bad for your health. If you grew up in the age of blast processing, you know all about Sonic the Hedgehog’s speed, but Sega did what all game companies try to do – branch out. The game most guilty of this branching is Sonic Spinball, released for the Sega Genesis.
