61 Frames Per Second

April 2009 - Posts

• Welcome to the New 61 Frames Per Second

  Posted by John Constantine

  Hello there, old friend. You are looking at what was once 61 Frames Per Second. BEHOLD! Click right here to see new 61 Frames Per Second in all of its furious grandeur. The blog has had some cosmetic surgery in the past twenty-four hours and while it still mostly looks like the same old 61FPS you know and love, it’s a little bit different. Up to today, the site was built on Telligent’s CommunityServer blog software. It was bad. Well, weapon get, yo. 61FPS is now powered by the blast processing of Wordpress. That’s good! It isn’t all peaches and cream. We’re still working on converting the last twelve months of my 61FPS over to the new format and it’s proving to be a tricky process. In the meantime, please follow the month by month links on the right hand of the page for classic 61FPS posts or click and bookmark right here. If you have any suggestions, desires, desperate needs from us, let us know in the brand new comments section. We’ll do our best to meet those demands with gusto. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 23 2009, 05:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, 61fps

• iPod Games, You're Doing It Wrong

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  Like it or not, the iPod/iPhone has become a gaming platform. There are tons of statistics out there and I'm not going to bore you with them, but the fact is a lot of people are making games for the iPod and a lot of people are downloading and playing them. This post is not about educating the blog-reading public so much as a friendly word of advice to the game developers out there. iPod game developers, remember what your platform is. No matter how Apple dresses it up or the media hypes it, the iPod is first and foremost a portable music player. The iPhone is just an iPod that also happens to make phone calls. So please, when you want us to play your games on our personal music players, do take care when shutting off our music. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 23 2009, 10:00 AM with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, de blob, edge, ipod, iphone, adventure, newtonica, aurora feint, radio flare, audiosurf, scramble, sway, rolando

• One Girl's Ancient Struggle Against Bad Games

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  It's pretty cool these days for girls to stand up and say, “I'm a gamer!” Bonus admiration is issued if they do it with only half their clothes on, but male gamers are usually just happy to know we walk amongst their ranks. Game companies are definitely happy about us, because we spend money on everything from puppy sims to big games with big guns. I'll let you in on a little secret. Girls have always liked games. What's different is that developers, game publications and marketing divisions are making an effort to let us know what's going on in the industry. Young females are being encouraged to try a little bit of everything and settle down into something they love, whether it's ponies or blowing someone's brains onto the ceiling. I'm glad, because I remember how awkward it was to be a girl gamer during those crucial years when I cared about what other people thought of me. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 22 2009, 11:35 PM with 4 comment(s) Filed under: nes, mega man, nadia oxford, bart vs the space mutants, licensed games, cobra triangle, home alone

• Whatcha Playing: Earth Day Edition

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  April 22nd, the day we all take off from work and gather at our local mosques and synagogues to solemnly pay respects to our mother Earth on the anniversary of her creation... or something. So do your part and take your game time today away from blasting zombies and chainsawing aliens in half, instead playing games all about helping mother Earth. Here are the four games that I'm playing for Earth Day: Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol for Nintendo DS Rather than cleaning up a house and helping with domestic troubles, this Chibi-Robo has been tasked with turning a barren field of sand into a lush flourishing public park. Like SimCity, you get to design your own world, laying paths and streams, rocks and hills, even benches, fountains, clock towers, statues, and mini-games to your liking. The nicer your park, the more visitors it gets each day. You also have to befriend local toys (including Molly Mapletree, seen above) to help you build up your park and battle smoglings who aim to pollute all the beautiful nature you've brought to the park, but the majority of gameplay is planting flowers. It's actually a lot more fun than it sounds, thanks to the charm and playfulness found in all Skip-developed Nintendo games. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 22 2009, 04:30 PM with no comments Filed under: whatcha playing, playstation 3, nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, wii, wiiware, psn, chibi-robo, skip, eden, pixeljunk, pixeljunk eden, flower, earth, bonsai barber

• Talkin' RPGs With Itoi

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  Shigesato Itoi, a true Renaissance Man of Japan's entertainment world, is mostly known to us gamers as the mastermind behind the Mother RPG series. And it's his iconoclastic, "outsider" view of the video game medium that makes his projects so unique and cult-friendly; someone deeply entrenched in the world of RPG development is far more likely to make a derivative Tales of game than anything approaching the level of Itoi's imagination. With how creatively successful the Mother games have been, it's surprising that developers haven't tried bringing in more outside artists to derail the tunnel-vision quite a few franchises and genres currently suffer from. Thanks to Itoi, I was deeply engrossed in Mother 3 over the fall and winter months of 2008, mainly because it took such a different approach than the other Mother games; rather than having a huge, worldwide scope (the usual method of most RPGs), the final entry in the Mother trilogy scaled things down to a much smaller and more detailed world that eventually changed (for the worse) over time. It was a fascinating approach that led me to care more about the game's world and inhabitants, all the way up until the heartbreaking ending. The reason I've been thinking about Itoi lately--aside from the fact that he's so dreamy--relates to a few translated interviews with the jack of all trades posted by the equally-dreamy Tomato over at Earthbound Central. The interviews may be framed by a larger discussion of Animal Crossing, but Itoi still has a few interesting things to say about RPG game design. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 22 2009, 04:05 PM with no comments Filed under: earthbound, mother 3, mother 2, bob mackey, mother, shigesato itoi

• Series That Have Lost All Identity

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  Grandia was one of my favorite JRPGs on the original Playstation; despite the game's wonky translation and status as a crummy Saturn port, it had a certain air of infectious, Dragon Quest-y, aw-shucks adventuring that made it very refreshing. A few years later, though, I was unexpectedly disappointed by Grandia 2, which featured the evil church-iest of "evil church" plotlines along with a distinct attitude that didn't mesh well with the previous game--it wasn't too fun to play, either. So, I dropped the series in the early days of this decade and never looked back; and since then, both Grandia Xtreme (argh) and Grandia 3 have come into being, each with their own confused take on what Grandia is supposed to be (whatever that is). Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 22 2009, 12:05 PM with 6 comment(s) Filed under: jrpg, identity, bob mackey, shining force, jrpgs, series, grandia, franchise

• Indie Dev Moment: The Manipulator

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  The Manipulator is a smart, lo-fi platform puzzler. It also happens to be an honest-to-goodness murder simulator, like the ones you read about in the newspapers. Except it’s real. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 22 2009, 09:00 AM with no comments Filed under: indie dev moment, freeware, joe keiser, the manipulator, murder simulator

• I Appreciate You, Game Boy

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  It's the Game Boy's 20th anniversary, and I feel like I ought to honour the little white brick. Problem is, I have no idea what I can say that hasn't already been said. Writing all my good feelings towards the ancient Nintendo handheld that served as a springboard for the portable consoles I love today feels awkward, like writing a letter to a friend who's bailed you out of jail. Game Boy, I want to say “thanks” to you...but the thought of doing it makes me blush and squirm. There just aren't any suitable words for how much I care about you. I'll take you out for beers. The Game Boy vaulted me into “real” gaming; it was my first console after the Colecovision/Atari 2600 Frankenstein that introduced me to gaming, but didn't necessarily make me fall in love with the pastime. Sure, I had previously been mystified by Super Mario Bros, but I wouldn't own an NES until late in the system's life. It was games like Super Mario Land, Double Dragon and Final Fantasy Legend taught me that video games could have form and structure; they could be more than a score-counter. They could have goals, and tell stories. When I managed to separate my mother from Tetris, of course. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 21 2009, 11:29 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: game boy, double dragon, nostalgia, anniversary, tetris, nadia oxford, super mario land

• Mega64's Movie Adaptation of Shadow of the Colossus Possibly Better than Sony's

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  I hate to ruin your day, but Sony is making a Shadow of the Colossus movie--the news is a few weeks old, actually. So how, exactly, is Hollywood planning on handling such a beautiful, understated game? About as well as you would think. I'm pretty sure all I need to do is quote Variety's The Cut Scene blog to give you a full understanding of how the final product will most likely turn out: I understand the folks working on the project are planning to have some of the characters who appear only momentarily in the game, such as those who try to track down and stop Wander, play bigger roles in the film. And despite the game's somewhat "artsy" cred, they're hoping "Shadow" will be a "Lord of the Rings"-style fantasy tentpole. The silver lining to this ugly little cloud comes in the form of a video by gaming pranksters Mega64, who were undoubtedly inspired by Sony's unfortunate announcement. While I'm sure Sony will throw millions more dollars into their own adaptation, there's no denying that far more entertainment can be found in the group's 2-minute take on this PS2 classic. Video after the cut. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 21 2009, 09:30 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: mega 64, sony, shadow of the colossus, movies, bob mackey

• Good Old Games Deals: More Fallout Than You Can Handle

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  I may have been late to the party on Fallout 3, but Bethesda's RPG masterpiece (yeah, I went there) is one of the few games I had to force myself to finish, just because otherwise I knew I'd be playing it forever. Mainly, I wanted to clear my plate of Fallout and go back for a second helping this upcoming summer, where I plan on playing through the game again (and purchase all of the expansion packs) as a right wasteland bastard, instead of the goody-two-shoes of my last apocalyptic adventure. But now that the fine folks over at Good Old Games are offering Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics--along with some super-nice goodies--bundled together for the odd price of $14.37, I suddenly feel the urge to visit the early years of a series I inexplicably missed as a mid-to-late-90s PC gamer. As with anything available at Good Old Games (who is in no way paying me for this post), the real incentive for their digital downloads--aside from the ultra-low price--are the extras bundled with every purchase--and this Fallout three-pack has some good ones. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 21 2009, 02:45 PM with no comments Filed under: bob mackey, sales, deals, recession, depression, economy, good old games

• The Curious Appeal of Effing Hail

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  Much like digital distribution on the current generation of consoles and handhelds has brought us charming, unique, and thrilling game experiences that would absolutely not survive in a retail environment, digital distribution of independant computer games allows us to become audience to gaming concepts that would likely never survive in committee. A majority of the most interesting games hitting the 'net these days are little more than proofs of concept, but of really freakin' neat concepts, and that makes all the difference. I would rather play a game in my web browser for five minutes and be left thinking about about it for hours than sink days into yet another epic console slugfest and have no idea what the point of it all is. Case in point, I played Intuition Games' "Effing Hail" about twelve times this weekend. "Effing Hail" is not a complex game. Presented as an isometric cross-section graphic similar to those seen in ecology text books (or the artwork to a certain rock album that helped some of us survive freshman orientation), the player controls wind gusts in order to hold the incoming hail stones in the atmosphere, accumulating greater moisture, mass, and volume, forming larger hail stones which are then flung into the unsuspecting people and constructs of the world in a vengeful God simulation. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 21 2009, 11:00 AM with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, indie dev moment, browser, flash, intuition games, effing hail

• 10 Years Ago This Week: Super Smash Bros

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  A vital addition to the Nintendo 64 catalog, Super Smash Bros (released April 27, 1999) was a phenomenal critical and commercial success. It helped cement the console’s legacy of innovative four-player game design, while at the same time creating a new flagship franchise for Nintendo and starting the game’s creators, Masahiro Sakurai and particularly Satoru Iwata, on a trajectory that would eventually see them leading the industry. As such, it’s one of 1999’s most historically important titles. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 21 2009, 09:00 AM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: super smash bros, super smash bros brawl, satoru iwata, nintendo 64, joe keiser, 10 years ago, super smash bros melee, masahiro sakurai

• What's in my MP3 Player: LetThereBeLight, a Mega Man 4 OC Remix

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  Line up to revoke any good feelings you have about me, because I think that Mega Man 4's soundtrack is better than Mega Man 2's. ”Oh my God Nadia how can you embarrass yourself like this?” Though I thoroughly believe Mega Man 2 deserves its pedestal in the hearts of the people, I actually don't have the same nostalgic attachment to the title as other Mega Man fans. My first game was Mega Man 3, which I followed up with Mega Man 4. Mega Man 4's gameplay isn't exceptionally good, but the graphics and soundtrack are among the NES' best. ”So you say, but you still sound like you were dropped on your head as a baby and dragged away by a dog, poor wee child.” Maybe so, but if you give the soundtrack a good listen, you can hear an attempt to go somewhere different. Dustman's stage is far beyond Mega Man's usual rock n roll du jour; it's a subdued tune, quite melancholy, that brings you back to those rainy days you spent indoors with your NES. It also gave rise to the greatest OC Remix of all time. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 11:54 PM with no comments Filed under: mega man 2, nes, game music, 8-bit, retro, mega man 3, oc remix, mega man 4, nadia oxford, dustman

• Who Here Has Beaten Super Mario Bros “Lost Levels”?

  Posted by Amber Ahlborn

  A speed run video for Super Mario Bros. Lost Levels has been making the rounds and I just wanted to ask, how many of you out there have beaten this game yourselves? I have. It's evil, Nintendo Hard, and not terribly fun. That's okay, games don't have to be fun to offer a good experience (the topic of a forthcoming post actually). I bought Super Mario All Stars for my SNES and battled my way through every Mario title on it. Super Mario Bros. 2 was actually the first Mario game I owned, and it took me half a year to beat it. Years later it didn't take me as long to beat Lost Levels (I'd gotten to be a lot better gamer y'see) and finishing that sucker was incredibly satisfying. Someday, when I'm feeling just slightly masochistic, I'll play it again. Also, don't forget to Vote! Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 10:00 PM with 9 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, amber ahlborn, super mario, speed run, old school

• Shadow of the Colossus: First Blood

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  This weekend, I did a bit of shopping, visited my parents, and destroyed two idols the size of skyscrapers. Yes, I have drawn my first blood (or some kind of black ichor, anyway) from Shadow of the Colossus, and it's been as much fun as a naked pagan dance. My previous assessment of the first Colossi battle was a little off. The first Colossi battle is a tutorial battle—of sorts. It's just not a very easy one. You're expected to learn and perfect the basics of climbing, stabbing, and shimmying. Otherwise you don't stand a chance against the second Colossi, which is three times as large as the first and has twice as many hooves to flatten you with. The sink-or-swim approach of Wander's first real fight is a clever way to bypass modern gaming's overzealous hand-holding, though it took me a while to realise I would get better if I tried. I was just initially scared to keep trying. I'm not even sure why I harboured that fear. Who was going to laugh at me for my failures? The shadowy Gods flitting near the ceiling of the Temple of Worship? Wander, who wouldn't change his facial expression if you dropped a cinder block on his foot? Agro? Wander's dead girlfriend/wife? I eventually realised I was being silly, and took up the controller again. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 08:16 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: super mario bros 3, shadow of the colossus, ps2, mega man x, nadia oxford, secret of mana, Suikoden ii

• Rez: 4/20 Game of the Day

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  It may be a bit of a stereotype, but I'm willing to bet a lot of you gamers out there--people known for laid-back, couch-bound fun--plan on celebrating the High Holiday (of course, no pun intended) of April 20th. People unfamiliar with this special day should probably be aware that--wait, you're not a cop, are you? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 01:00 PM with 3 comment(s) Filed under: rez, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, drugs, gaming habits, 420

• Resident Evil 5 Succeeds Without Building a Better Mousetrap

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  March's release of Resident Evil 5 was met by a hail of criticism; while the game tried to capture the same spirit that made Resident Evil 4 so breathtakingly amazing, many thought certain core design elements used by RE5's older brother (no strafing, no running and gunning) were a bit too archaic to rehash without significant revamping. But rehashing is something Capcom does very well, and they took this familiar approach to their famous survival horror series with fantastic results: Resident Evil 5 was last month's best-selling game (thanks to Game|Life for the stats). As much as we like to gripe about the lack of innovation in gaming blockbusters, there's something to be said about the comfort that familiarity brings--a comfort borrowed entirely from Resident Evil 4's goodwill. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 12:05 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: hardcore, resident evil 4, bob mackey, resident evil 5, innovation, sequels

• Conspiracy Theory: Assassin's Creed II Protagonist's Telling Name

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  Assassin's Creed was the first game I played from beginning to end on a high-definition gaming console. It was kinda pretty, it was kinda fun, it was a whole lot of boring, but it did show a lot of really cool ideas, which is why I'm actually sort of excited about the upcoming sequel. The long-teased and only recently-confirmed Assassin's Creed II doesn't have a whole lot of info out just yet, only that it is set in 15th century Italy (at least, some of it is), based heavily on the work of Renaissance master Leonardo DaVinci, and that the protagonist this time is named Ezio. People are justifying this name by stating that Ezio (that guy on the right) roughly translates to "like an eagle" in latin, much like protagonist Altair in the original game's name in Arabic, likely tying into the "eagle vision" skill used by the assassins in the game. Now, maybe it's just decades of sci-fi and comic books affecting my brain, but the name "Ezio" suggests a whole other meaning to me, one that I'm frankly surprised to see mentioned nowhere else that I've checked. I'm probably reading way too much into this. Then again, maybe I'm right on point. Be aware that beyond this point I am going to be going into spoilers from the first game and a bit of rampant speculation on the second game. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 12:00 PM with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, ubisoft, rumor, assassin’s creed, ezio, speculation

• At Least PopCap Has A Sense Of Humor

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  PopCap Games knows how to make crowd-pleasing casual PC time-wasters. Their back catalog of bonafide hits includes Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle. Their next release is the rather hilariously titled Plants vs. Zombies. Let's let that concept settle for a moment, shall we? PLANTS VERSUS ZOMBIES PopCap are clearly banking on the appeal of the game's humor, and let me tell you... it's going to work. Just look at this teaser/music video they've released: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 11:00 AM with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, casual games, humor, bejeweled, peggle, pop cap games, plants vs zombies, zuma

• One Real Man Runs Along the Mirror’s Edge

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Here’s the first example of what I hope will become an extremely dangerous fad: videos of parkour filmed in the style of Mirror’s Edge. You’ll want to stay for at least the first minute, when filmer AZO is most dedicated to the tribute—he even finds a properly color coordinated factory and makes a beeline for the red pipes. Some of the rest of it is pretty out of place, like the bike tricks and the, um, magic cup thing, and some of his other moves wouldn’t look impressive filmed any other way. They do look impressive this way, which reiterates two things: DICE really found something powerful with the combination of camera angle, camera motion, and animation in Mirror’s Edge, if someone else can use that same combination to make standing on a two-foot fence feel dramatic.  Doing athletic things while holding a camera is unfathomably awesome to the internet. The video, after the jump. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 20 2009, 09:00 AM with no comments Filed under: parkour, mirror’s edge, joe keiser, life imitates games, first-person cameras

• Gaming for Two: Animal Crossing's Turf Wars

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  I've been playing a lot of Animal Crossing: City Folk lately. Now, this doesn't mean I'm not angry with Nintendo for essentially dumping Wild World on the Wii with the halfhearted effort of a child making sand-pail towers at the beach. I, uh, just wanted to do the honest thing and pay off my mortgage. But good intentions pave the road to Hell, and my return to the 'hood wasn't peaceful for long. I'm embroiled in a turf war with my husband, who controls the north side of Onett. I pimp my fruit trees in the south side, near the shore. Tilling foreign fruits will literally grow an orchard of money trees. My husband doesn't see it that way, and he's already warned me that those damn trees had better not start creeping northward. He pretends he doesn't want my precious money trees, but I know otherwise. Now I'm vigilant whenever I hear him play the game. “Are any of my trees in bloom?” I call from the other room. He says, “Yeah, some oranges.” “Don't you touch them.” “I'm not going to touch your goddamn fruit.” “You'd better not. I have connections. Nook hires out more than contracting.” I expect my connections with Nook will dissolve soon. Probably violently. I took out ad space on the town's bulletin board to announce that he'll lick peanut butter off any body part it's applied to. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 11:54 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: wii, nadia oxford, animal crossing city folk, gaming for two

• WTFriday: Death Race Mario Kart

  Posted by Nadia Oxford

  We all count on Mackey's WTFridays to ease us into the weekend like, um...sorry, I can't think of any metaphors that are worthy of readers long done with elementary school. I will say that the only thing better than one WTFriday is two WTFridays. I've never seen Death Race 2000, though it strikes me as the ultimate testosterone high: fast cars, women, violent death traps, do-or-die competition. I also know it scared the Jesus out of Roger Ebert back in 1975, and he was convinced the children(!!) sitting in the theatre watching the movie with him were going to overturn America with fire. Turned out we didn't; that would have cut into valuable Nintendo time. Now, nearly 35 years later, the once-shocking Death Race 2000 is considered about as violent as a rainbow compared to what's in theatres today. Should we study this film as a noteable plateau in a medium that's ever-escalating to irrevocable levels of bloodshed and violence? Or should we add Mario Kart sound effects to the footage and laugh? Duh. Mario Kart is always the answer. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 10:58 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: mario kart, fan stuff, nadia oxford, wtfriday, death race 2000

• The Villains of Batman: Arkham Asylum Should Really Visit a Medical Professional

  Posted by John Constantine

  Let’s take a moment, shall we? We spend so much time reflecting on the influence of the 1980s on contemporary game design, we sometimes forget the looming retro reach of the 1990s. Not even 90s games, per se. Just the nerd zeitgeist. For example, at one point in time, people thought Todd McFarlane was a talented comic book artist. He drew things like this: Look at that guy! How does he walk through doors? You’d think we, as a society, would have gladly left this sort of anatomical chicanery in the past. But no. No it lives on in our games. For example: How do they walk through doors?! Batman: Arkham Asylum, despite the fact that it’s shaping up to possibly be the best Batman game ever made, features character art that’s an unsavory confluence of McFarlane and Cliffy B’s legacy. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 08:00 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, gears of war, cliffy b, warner bros, batman, rocksteady games, harley quinn, batman arkham asylum, warner bros interactive, todd mcfarlane, spawn, epic games, bane

• What Michael Jackson’s Game Collection Says About Michael Jackson

  Posted by Joe Keiser

  Remember that ridiculous auction of all of Michael Jackson’s stuff? The one that got pulled a few weeks later when Jackson suddenly remembered he liked all his stuff? I do, because it had me scouring my couch for enough change to purchase his 87 arcade cabinets. Now, a game collection says a lot about a person—for example, my game collection says that I am credit risk, and that my love for engrish alone probably qualifies me as functionally illiterate. But even with all those pre-approved Diner’s Club cards I could still never afford anything remotely approaching Michael Jackson’s ludicrous collection. So what do his games say about him? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 07:30 PM with no comments Filed under: rule of rose, joe keiser, michael jackson, jaleco, collections, auctions, ponies and their many marks

• Viewers Choice: My Next Retrospective

  Posted by Amber Ahlborn

  Many months ago I posted an in depth retrospective of the Metroid Prime Trilogy. It was truly a labor of love and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together. Well, I'd like to do another one, and you get to vote for what I cover. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 07:00 PM with 18 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, retrospecitve

• The Hardcore Gothic Romance of Judith

  Posted by John Constantine

  It was probably rash of me to accuse the new gaming romantics of pulling a beauty-for-beauty’s-sake routine. Jenova Chen, Jon Blow, and their contemporaries are the stars of the indie movement after all. Not everyone can get their game distributed on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. There are creators out there making romantic games that aren’t just pretty flowers and lost love. A perfect example is Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn’s The Path, a game that uses gorgeous color and freeform play to inform its frightening exploration of growing up. Stephen Lavelle, aka increpare, and Terry Cavanagh of distractionware have also made their names on exploring the darker side of romanticism in games. Their latest collaboration, Judith, doesn’t fall within a classically romantic literary mode, but more to the side. Look past the game’s blocky Wolfenstein 3D-ish impressionism, and you’ll find that this ain’t romantic. It’s Gothic! Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 04:00 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, indie dev moment, braid, flower, thatgamecompany, jenova chen, Michaël Samyn, the path, Auriea Harvey, Stephen Lavelle, increpare, Judith, daphne du maurier, Terry Cavanagh, distractionware

• Happy Endings With House of the Dead: Overkill

  Posted by John Constantine

  Happy Endings is a new, semi-regular feature on 61FPS that highlights some of gaming’s most memorable climaxes. Most games end badly. These games sum it all up in style. It goes without saying that Happy Endings is spoiler heavy so beware before you proceed. House of the Dead: Overkill could have been an astounding failure. Headstrong Games had a decent pedigree, and there was little doubt that they could make a solid, entertaining rail shooter that stood next to the very best in Sega’s franchise, but humor is hard to implement in any game. Styling Overkill as a 1970s grindhouse feature was a brilliant move in theory, but making something that looks and sounds cool is a far cry from making something smart and legitimately funny. Headstrong pulled it off though. From the guffaw-worthy banter between Detective Washington and Agent G, to the waving American flag that adorns your health bar after stringing together thirty consecutive kills (yes, that combo is called a “Goregasm”), Overkill pulled off the impossible: it was a good game that was also funny. But none of its cheese, ultra violence, or winking nods to classic exploitation prepared me for this dialog at the end. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 03:00 PM with no comments Filed under: john constantine, nintendo, wii, headstrong games, house of the dead, kuju, happy endings, fouse of the dead overkill, overkill

• Metal Gear Solid 2: The Novel?

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  I have a bit of a soft spot for Metal Gear Solid 2; while it certainly has its share of embarrassing flaws, I'm probably one of a dozen people who were pleasantly surprised--instead of enraged--by the protagonist switch from Solid Snake to Raiden so early in the game. But even I have to admit that MGS2's story was mostly unintelligible by the end, though some of this may be due to the content cut from the game because of the September 11th terrorist attacks--or perhaps that mysterious shipment of mushrooms which arrived on the steps of Konami's HQ in early 2001. Whatever the case, you have to give Kojima some credit for throwing so many baffling, off-the-wall ideas in what was intended to be the Playstation 2's first big blockbuster. And in case the director's unique storytelling style has still has you confused about what the hell happened in Metal Gear Solid 2 a whole eight years later, then you'll be happy to know that publisher Del Ray has a novelization of the game in the works, penned by Raymond Benson, who apparently wrote a novelization of the first Metal Gear Solid in 2008. Not exactly striking while the iron's hot, eh? Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 01:15 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: metal gear solid, books, bob mackey, novelizations, metal gear solid 2

• WTFriday: Pac-Man Vs. France

  Posted by Bob Mackey

  Note to readers: WTFriday is a weekly feature where I find something stupid about video games and get you to laugh until it goes away. Please try to forget this is what I normally do every day of the week. While Pac-Man is usually viewed in a positive light, fans of this old-school gaming celebrity conveniently forget one important fact: he is a remorseless eating machine. Strawberries, pretzels, and even keys disappear into the gaping maw of this urine-colored glutton as he searches for a way to blot out the pain inflicted by his apocalyptic divorce from Ms. Pac-Man (formerly Mrs.). And sometimes, it gets ugly. A recent videos of Pac-Man's latest episode have surfaced (via Kotaku) which features what we can assume to be a PCP-fueled rampage through the streets and golf courses of France. For the following video, parental guidance is strongly advised. More scandal after the cut. Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 12:45 PM with no comments Filed under: pac-man, video, bob mackey, wtfriday

• My Night At DJ School With Rhythm Heaven

  Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

  I've written about Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven and its predecessor Rhythm Tengoku a couple of times before. I love them, they are my ideal games. Nintendo did not need to do anything fancy to get me excited about the game's long-awaited western release, and yet they were kind enough to invite me to their DJ School event hosted at Scratch DJ Academy last week. You guys are so good to me sometimes. A decidedly casual affair outside of the hors d'ouevre, most of the people I talked to there were from local community meet-ups and hip-hop discussion groups, a welcome change from the depressingly stereotypical otaku at most of the Nintendo events I've attended. DS kiosks glowed on the dancefloor, surrounded on all sides by turntables, and everyone seemed to be having a good time playing around with both. Describing the night's activity is kind of futile, though, so here's a video I shot to give you all a better idea of how it went down: Read More... + DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT Posted Apr 17 2009, 10:30 AM with no comments Filed under: nintendo, nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, rhythm tengoku, dsi, rhythm heaven, dj