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• Automated Musical Mario

  Probably something like a year ago I came across an amazing video on Kotaku. It was one of those self playing Super Mario World levels but this one was also musical. Alas, the video seemed to break on the page and there wasn't a YouTube version in existence yet. Ultimately I forgot about it. However, I've rediscovered this amazing little novelty and thought I'd share the love. Read More... Posted Feb 17 2009, 01:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: amber ahlborn, game music, fandom, super mario

• Pre-Internet Fanboys

  A few weeks ago we talked about whether or not fanboyism was worse today than before the Internet. Well, here's an example of some pretty vicious fanboyism from USENET, courtesy of 1UP's Retro Gaming Blog. Some people weren't very impressed when Nintendo Japan unveiled it's Super Famicom: To describe it [and I HOPE it was a mock-up because even though Im really not a nintendo fan, I dont want to see anyone get slaughtered the way nintendo looks like their going to get slaughtered] its looked to me to be about 30-40cm by 25-35cm by 5cm. It was stark white, made of some very cheap looking plastic. [unlike the nice IBM creme brown of the SF] and had these god awful square brilliant blue buttons on the control deck. I havent seen anything that cheesy since the Atari XEGS. I hope it was a mock up. Somebody tell me it was a mock up. Read More... Posted Feb 17 2009, 01:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: cole stryker, retro, super nintendo, fandom, fanboys

• Things I Didn't Know Existed: GoldenEye: Source

  No matter how snobbish we may act about it today, if you had friends and access to video games in the late 90s, then it's likely you spent an inordinate amount of time playing GoldenEye for the N64. It's really nothing to be ashamed of; after all, until Halo came out, GoldenEye was basically the only FPS in town for consoles. Today, however, it's little more than a curious relic. Anyone going back to GoldenEye more than a decade after its release shouldn't be surprised by the slow, swimmy movement and awkward shooting mechanics of Jimmy Bond--remember, the N64 controller had no second analog stick. This means that returning to GoldenEye for an N64 nostalgia trip might not be the greatest of ideas--unless, of course, you seek out alternative methods for playing the game. And this is where GoldenEye: Source comes in. Read More... Posted Feb 10 2009, 12:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: rare, goldeneye, fps, n64, retro, fan projects, fandom, bob mackey

• Fandom Unplugged: The Beginning

  “Fandom,” that which compels us to gravitate to others who enjoy our pursuits (video games), can be a difficult thing to tolerate thanks to a certain percentage of maniacs. You would be amazed at how heated a debate can get if it's about whether or not Miles Edgeworth from Phoenix Wright is circumcised. We witness these baffling arguments, and we swear we'll never get so passionate about such stupidities. But the very next week, we lose ourselves in a message board argument and pound out words like “GAYlo” before we pull back the reins and gape in horror at what we've become. Why do we fall so easily? Is this what comes of the Internet and other technologies that save us enough time to wonder with friends in Brazil about whether or not Dr Light built Roll with certain “hardware?” Or is fandom just part of an ancestral grouping instinct that dates back to a swampy era wherein our ancestors declared everyone to be either “Crug” (“Part of my awesome tribe”) or “Flarth” (“Part of that other, lamer tribe”)? Read More... Posted Feb 04 2009, 11:26 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with no comments Filed under: mega man, phoenix wright, halo, fandom, nadia oxford, game magazines, fandom unplugged

• Roundtable Discussion: The Fandom Phenomenon Part 3

  Continued from Part 2... Read More... Posted Jan 23 2009, 03:30 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, fandom, bob mackey, nadia oxford, John constaninte, roundtable discussion

• Roundtable Discussion: The Fandom Phenomenon Part 2

  Continued from Part 1... Read More... Posted Jan 23 2009, 03:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, fandom, bob mackey, nadia oxford, John constaninte, roundtable discussion

• Roundtable Discussion: The Fandom Phenomenon Part 1

  Have you ever been a fan girl/boy? I certainly used to be a Nintendo fangirl during the 16-bit era but steadily grew out of such blind loyalties as I aged and picked up other game consoles. I do remember casting the occasional disparaging remark at Sega and yet I also used to play a friend's Genesis on occasion and he was always wanting to rent RPGs for my SNES. Naturally I felt I had the superior system and recommended he trade in his Genesis for one, but Sega directed insults aside, I don't recall tearing into him personally for his choice. Is fandom viciousness worse today than it ever was in the past? Ben Dutka at PSX Extreme, in an article he posted last month, seems to think hating has steadily been on the rise and fans have been raging with greater than ever intensity. Such tribalistic behavior has been an interest to me for a while now, but rather than dive into this topic alone, I thought I'd invite the rest of the 61 FPS crew to come along for the ride. Welcome to what I hope will be the first in an on running series of roundtable discussions, where I and my fellow bloggers will take turns presenting all manner of game related subjects, from the serious to the silly, and examine their whys and wherefores. Join us today for a look at the phenomenon of fandom and whether or not we think such favoritism is pulling fans down into the dark side of fanaticism. Read More... Posted Jan 23 2009, 01:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, fandom, bob mackey, nadia oxford, joe keiser, John constaninte, roundtable discussion

• Sonic the Hedgehog Fans Really Exist

  Sonic the Hedgehog is a joke. That is his only function. Whenever I'm writing an article/blog post/grocery list, some burn on Sonic the Hedgehog will inevitably appear on the page. I can't help it; the series is such an easy target that jokes about about cross-species love and stretchy-armed werehogs are starting to come into being of their own accord. But even though Sonic may be have the least dignity of any video game character next to Duke Nukem, he still has his fans.  Fans that feel so strongly of their love that they're willing to show you the results of their devotion while wearing a t-shirt made 16 years ago.  I will show you such a fan.  Thank god YouTube allows us into the bedrooms of sick individuals, where previously only social workers were allowed to tread. I still have to wonder just where these people come from. Read More... Posted Dec 22 2008, 02:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: fan project, sonic the hedgehog, fandom, bob mackey

• The Baa-ad Neighbours of Animal Crossing

  Game Boy Advance aside, Nintendo was irrelevant in last generation's console race. Now that they've discovered the secret of turning wary parents into gamers, it's necessary to hate their success. If you can't bring yourself to do that much, make sure to at least get a good laugh at Nintendo's expense once in a while. An incident involving Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: Wild World is a good place to unload a chuckle if you haven't had one in a while. Nintendo's oversight is funny for more than one reason. The incident affirms humanity's tendency to fall towards dickery if the consequences are low. We well know that the sunny and unassuming town of Animal Crossing is ripe for teenage jackasses with the digital equivalent of spraypaint. Its tamed inhabitants live a zoo-like life, oblivious about the hard falls life offers to their cousins in the frozen arctic, the teeming jungle or even the urine-sprayed back alleys of the inner city. You can teach the good creatures of Animal Crossing bad words, which they will eagerly use to salute you, themselves and each other. Even the money-loving Tom Nook is very innocent. Upon hiring you for odd jobs when you first arrive in town, he allows you to write an ad for his store. Playing with marquees is generally a job left to trusted higher-ups since the working world is full of people who just can't help shouting that the store is hosting a "SPECIAL" wherein "TOM NOOK JERKS OFF ANYONE FOR TEN BELLS." I imagine employers might even exercise further caution if their signs and ads were capable of automatically traveling virally through Internet connections. Heck, Old Man Nook doesn't even check your work. He trusts you and he knows a hard-working (wo)man you would never steer him wrong. Read More... Posted Dec 04 2008, 04:30 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo ds, wii, fandom, nadia oxford, animal crossing wild world, animal crossing city folk

• Fandom: Gone to the Movies

  Video game fans are something else. I've been a gamer since forever but despite my long term interest in the industry, I'm simply not at the level of people who create self playing Mario levels or sprite based Flash movies. These are the super fans who have talent (and a lot of time) on their hands and aren't afraid to use their powers for the forces of geekiness. Today I simply must pay homage to the creation of one “Alvin Earthworm” who has brought us Super Mario Bros. Z. Read More... Posted Nov 25 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, super mario bros, sonic the hedgehog, fandom

• Mega Man Fan Movie Trailer

  Okay, well... So... Um, I really do admire the gentlemen who play Thomas Light and Albert Wily in this upcoming(?) Mega Man fan movie. Imagine asking your dad to roleplay as a dude who hangs out with a giggly female robot all day, or as a power-hungry German man (anyone who speaks German can't be power-hungry). Imagine his reaction. "You want me to do what? While wearing a lab coat?" I'm also digging the designs for the original six robots. Looks like someone spent the extra thirty cents on the fancy brand of tinfoil. I've seen a lot of Mega Man fan movie trailers come and go. I kind of hope this project sees its way to fruition just so I can stop feeling I belong to the most shiftless fandom on the Internet. The Mega Man Robot Club Mega Man 9 Goes Back To Your Roots. Way Back. The Delights of Continuity in Mega Man and Abroad Posted Nov 21 2008, 10:25 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: mega man, trailer, video, fandom, nadia oxford, movie

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Stupidity

  The Legend of Zelda cartoon was one of the more competent game-based television series to foul up the '80s. That's not saying much, I suppose, especially when you recall some of the show's more ridiculous traits. Here's ten minutes of The Legend of Zelda, as collected and sewn together by The Switcher. Guaranteed to make you cringe and say, "Oh Christ above why did I love this? No wonder nobody ever came to my birthday parties." I don't think I was ever aware that the Zelda cartoon had a considerable amount of innuendo. Dude, Link tried to ambush Zelda on her bed. If I were the king, I'd turn that impish rogue out on his bum and just set down some fly paper around the Triforce of Wisdom. Read More... Posted Nov 19 2008, 06:47 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: the legend of zelda, zelda, movies, nostalgia, link, video, fandom, nadia oxford, the '80s, game cartoons

• The Protomen: Making Two Old Men Awesome Since 2008

  Over the years, Capcom has attempted to add depth to our robot hero, Mega Man. I mean, they've really attempted it, God bless 'em. Even though the end product reads like a story written by a ten-year-old science fiction fanatic with ADD, we shall give Capcom an A for Aeffort. But even though we have a good idea of Mega Man's inner workings (gears, bolts, some black stuff), what do we know about his creator, Doctor Light? I mean, we know his hair and beard are poofy like some anime Zeus'. We know that he likes a pipe now and then oops wait not in America. We also know that his inventions, however well-meaning, initiated vicious wars between humans and robots that spanned across generations. Oh, but we don't talk about Dr Light's little "oops." Shhh, look. Look over here. Look at this cute little robot dog. Hold still while it eats your skull. I am an unapologetic fangirl of The Protomen, the fine lads who constructed a Mega Man rock opera. The first album is about Protoman defecting to Doctor Wily's band of killer robots and Mega Man trying to convince his brother through song (unsuccessfully) that he is a good boy. The second album, coming...soon, I imagine, is a prequel with special emphasis on Wily and Light and certain events that cause humanity's spin down the toilet. Read More... Posted Nov 13 2008, 10:39 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: mega man, mega man x, fan stuff, fandom, nadia oxford, the protomen, rock opera

• Earthbound in 3D

  With writer Shigesato Itoi calling it quits with the Mother franchise after Mother 3, it won't be long until we start seeing remakes--or maybe that's just wishful thinking. As charming as the original Earthbound (Mother 2) was, those 3D renders of in-games towns Onett and Fourside in Super Smash Bros. Melee were enough to make any EB fan squeal with glee. In my wildest of video game-related daydreams, I've often thought of an Earthbound remake, made completely in 3D, with the characters looking just like their little clay models did in the strategy guide. Some men dream, while others do; like YouTube user cswavely, who has painstakingly rendered a few of Earthbound's town in glorious 3D. Even with that whole new axis, they feel completely authentic to the original game's stubby sprites; but I'll let you judge for yourself: More videos after the cut. Read More... Posted Oct 28 2008, 04:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: earthbound, mother 3, fan projects, mother 2, fan stuff, fandom, remakes, bob mackey, mother, shigesato itoi

• A Long-Scorned Sonic Fanfic Writer Seeks Redemption

  When my husband and I got married, his dowry was a box full of video game fanfiction he'd printed out in the olden days (1994 or so). It's far more valuable than you think. For one thing, it'll start some toasty fires when the oil situation inevitably leaves us freezing in the dark. More importantly, this box is a link to the past (sword stabs logo, screen flashes). It's a link to David Gonterman. See, fanfiction is not a new hobby that was nourished by the rise of Inuyasha. It's at least as ancient as the Bible and tales of King Arthur and Robin Hood. As long as people are pompous enough to say, "Holy crap, watch me do one better on the Word of God," fanfiction will thrive. In the mid-'90s, the Interwebs was little more than a collection of two-meg mud huts bordering a dark forest full of gibbering goblin .gifs, but even then we had our storytellers. In an age when Sonic the Hedgehog was still worth bowing to and not a stumbling franchise living solely on the love of its furry fanbase, we had fanfic writers dedicated to the hedgehog. And the most infamous one was David Gonterman, aka "Daveykins Foxfire." Read More... Posted Oct 01 2008, 08:48 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: sonic the hedgehog, retro, fandom, nadia oxford, community, fanfic, david gonterman

• The End of Time and the Beginning of Fan Drama

  Recent videos of Chrono Trigger DS reveal the same game we aspired to marry thirteen years ago (has it been thirteen years? Holy crap, I could've done something useful like rear a thankless teenager) but the sharp among us have noticed...ch-ch-changes. Specifically, it looks like the in-game text has been altered a bit. This means it's possible Chrono Trigger DS will be receiving the Final Fantasy VI Advance treatment. This treatment, by definition, aspires to keep the charm of Ted Woolsey's original translation, but will still fill out text that had to be cut because of space issues or censorship. Personally, I'm not even sure what can be restored. The blossoming shitstorm has fanned my fascination for The Chrono Trigger Re-Translation Project, a project that's considered about as useless as using an umbrella to deflect a falling piano. Unlike most fan translations, the Chrono Trigger Retranslation Project website doesn't open up with an animated .gif of Woolsey burning at the stake. Regardless, its existence rubs me the wrong way because it's so unnecessary. The Internet is a toilet bowl brimming with Useless, but this little turnpike on the Information Highway really just gets to me. Even though the project managers acknowledge that Woolsey did an okay job translating Chrono Trigger under the circumstances, this little bit of smugness gets under my fingernails: [S]ome essence of the game was lost or altered, given Nintendo of America's censorship standards and the inability of the game to hold all the original text when translated to English. SNES-era RPGs were so gosh darn playable, but I think they also owe some of their longevity to great translation. Final Fantasy VI was dark and brooding and despite Woolsey's best efforts, I sometimes felt like I was out of the loop--and there were instances where the censorship dusted the in-game content as carelessly as kitty litter covers...you know. But Chrono Trigger is a shonen game. A boy versus a great evil. Great story, to be sure, but lacking in depth. And that was okay because the game wasn't trying to be deep. Read More... Posted Sep 12 2008, 07:48 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 10 comment(s) Filed under: final fantasy vi, chrono trigger, fandom, ted woolsey, nadia oxford, fan translations, chrono trigger ds, translators, drama

• Ne, Rokkuman! Yaranaika?: The World of Hayadain

  Yesterday afternoon, our hero John Constantine became frightened and confused when he inadvertently discovered Mario and the Western Show. In this jaunty showtune, which is set to music from Super Mario World, Super Mario and his nemesis Bowser haggle back and forth over which one of them loves Princess Peach more (and Bowser picks his nose hard enough to make it bleed). Both seem oblivious to the fact that Peach wants neither of them. In fact, she sounds like she's on the verge of initiating that sexual harassment lawsuit that should have been filed years ago. Mario and the Western Show is written by a Japanese remixer named Hyadain. Whereas America treats its video game remixes with the awe and dignity you'd expect with a revered hobby, Japan's remixes tend to be a bit more silly. Hyadin has become especially famous for cutting loose and giving us beauties like The World Warrior. The World Warrior features the cast of Street Fighter. Each fighter sings about what motivates them to get their face stepped on by M Bison. True to the series, Honda says, ”Sumo is the greatest fighting style in the world!” When is someone going to conjure up the stones to tell the dude that he's the #1 choice of n00bs? Nobody who doesn't want to be sat on, I guess. Other delights by Hyadin include Appearance of Golbez's Four Lords of the Elements and (oh God) CRASH! Let's Do It!, which is Crashman's love song to Mega Man. Don't act disgusted, you only wish you could make love to your hero while Airman fans you gently. Read More... Posted Aug 28 2008, 03:16 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: street fighter, japan, mega man, final fantasy vi, game music, final fantasy iv, fandom, nadia oxford, hyadain, my first friend, crashman, mario and the western show, rockman, remix

• TVTropes' "Woolseyisms"

  It's rare that we give much thought to the good men and women who turn our video game text from "YOU LUCKY ARE WINNER!" to something dignified. But where there are exceptions, there is the potential for small wars. By far one of the most controversial names in game translation and localisation is Mr Ted Woolsey. Ted Woolsey translated many of Square-Enix's best-known 16-bit works, including Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VI and Super Mario RPG. To give you an idea of how divided gamers are over this gentlemen, consider that Woolsey hasn't done any substantial translation work since the death of the Super Nintendo but his name alone makes people jump up and down like testosterone-driven baboons. TV Tropes has a long and rambling Wiki entry about Woolsey, his followers and his haters. For the sake of a quick crash course, Woolsey was (in)famous for adding his own voice to his translations. This "voice" gave us something to smile at in the place of Japanese puns we couldn't understand (except for purists who can't understand why we don't think sound-alike sushi name jokes are funny). His voice also added a good deal of depth to what was, for most of us, an epic story. Final Fantasy II US had an okay thing going with illegitimate moon brothers or whatever, but Final Fantasy III US--or Final Fantasy VI, if you prefer--took on themes that were unheard of and still go largely untouched by RPGs today. Woolsey had to convey Terra's identity crisis, suicide, unwanted pregnancy and the friggin' Apocalypse while keeping the game text family friendly. Oh, and he wasn't allowed to make references to anyone dying, even though Kefka remains the only Square villian who killed people like bugs for the sheer joy of it. Read More... Posted Aug 21 2008, 07:20 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: final fantasy vi, retro, 16-bit, translation, fandom, localization, ted woolsey, controversy

• Worlds of Power: Books That Worried Your Parents and Pissed Off Your Teachers

  My weekend sojourn with Bionic Commando Rearmed's Mr Rad Spencer reminded me of all things good, pure and 8-bit. I even remembered that my husband owns most of the Worlds of Power books, novel "adaptations" of popular Nintendo games from Back in the Day™. He transferred them over to our new basement apartment home after we were married; it's a dowry my parents are proud of, I'm sure. Alas, I cannot find the Bionic Commando adaptation, but if I were to guess, I'd say Rad Spencer wasn't allowed to shoot anyone with his awesome guns. I did find Ninja Gaiden, which is dedicated to "the Ninja in everyone's dad." Holy shit, I thought my dad just sold alarm systems. This is awesome news. I don't know if you kids today have book fairs, but they were a staple of my school days. My generation was not in love with the printed word and teachers did their best to make sure we didn't fall into any affairs. They policed our book fair purchases, declaring comic books to be verboten "trash," especially comic books about the Ninja Turtles or that rude Bart Simpson. The cutting-edge Nintendo Entertainment System was the worst enemy of my grade school marms, so F.X. Nine's Worlds of Power was bookfair contraband, too. Read More... Posted Aug 18 2008, 01:45 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with no comments Filed under: mega man 2, ninja gaiden, 8-bit, nostalgia, bionic commando rearmed, fandom, game literature, worlds of power, f.x. nine, books

• How Deep Are You Into Fandom?

  Being an introvert, mildly clausterphobic and mostly useless, I do not participate in conventions very often. But every year I schlep down to Otakon in Baltimore and enjoy myself with many good friends, only half of which are imaginary. I eat sushi, I indulge in anime and manga and I talk to Peter Beagle, the bestest author in the whole wide world (for the non-book snobs among us, he wrote The Last Unicorn). E3 is more of a press-related event now, but during its heydey it could definitely be considered the king of gamers' conventions. E for All and Penny Arcade's PAX are even more accessible than E3 ever was, bringing nerd culture to the west coast for a couple of intense weekends. Conventions are truly unique experiences: they bring together food, friends and gobs of people who share similar interests. Conventions stir up emotions you'll never experience elsewhere and they usually stir up unique diseases as well. I remember at E3 2006 I caught a horrific case of laryngitis, an affliction I've never dealt with before. It was a lot of fun because I was working a part-time retail job at the time and my voice horrified customers and I got sent home. Read More... Posted Aug 05 2008, 03:29 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: penny arcade, e3, fans, e for all, otakon, pax, conventions, fandom