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Monday, April 27, 2009

Games Gaming Roundup

Posted by on Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 12:01 PM

Will Twin Galaxies Verify The Divorce Announcement?: Congrats are in order for Redmond's Steve Wiebe, who is back in the games record books today thanks to a new high score in Donkey Kong Junior. Turns out he took the virtual crown from a dude in Port Angeles last month; wonder if someone in the Puget Sound is making a killing babysitting for these local dads.

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Wow. Is that an award, or a Book-It patch from Pizza Hut? Worth noting, this isn't the same video game Wiebe got famous for in The King of Kong—and, yes, he'll try to reclaim the original Donkey Kong's high score once more on June 2nd on G4. The broadcast will be painfully boring, yet thousands of times more entertaining than the other shows currently airing on G4. (Speaking of entertaining, if you haven't seen King of Kong yet, you should.)

The Wii Version Will Be The Best: By this Winter, we'll see the following fake-rockin' games hit shelves: Guitar Hero Van Halen, Beatles Rock Band, DJ Hero, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, and—announced last week—Lego Rock Band. Days after that announcement, the hometowners at Penny Arcade shared their insight as to where the fake-rock overload will lead next:

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I loved Guitar Hero when it first came out, but the concept of Lego Rock Band—a "kid-friendly" version of a perfectly kid-friendly game—officially crosses the cash-in line. How long until someone cuts to the chase and produces Fuck Hero, complete with a plastic clit that has five colored buttons to be played in sync with some Barry White jam? (Obvious follow-up jokes: comes with the vibrating "Power Pak," four-player DVDA modes, the Christian rock version will be anal-only, etc.)

Ninja Blade mini-review (Xbox 360): I always appreciate games with ninjas from the Real Ultimate Power school of stupid. Example: To kill a guy early in the game, you hop on a goddamned rocket and surf on it like the airboard in Back to the Future 2.

It's a basic, kill-'em-all slasher game, but NB stands out by being delightfully low-budget, in terms of mindlessness, melodrama, and sensationalism. Rough edges are appealing in a B movie, and the campy, easy-to-play violence here lends itself to the form, but in gaming, that approach fails when you're the cinematographer and director. Ninja Blade farted my virtual dude into oblivion too many times thanks to bugs. Gaming as the next great B-movie medium, then, has to be recalibrated for a user rather than a viewer—like in last year's brilliantly glitchy (and free) ROM CHECK FAIL (video), which is as much a bizarre play experience as it is a convention-challenging mashup of gaming's oldest icons.

 

Comments (20) RSS

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1
Hurray for Steve Wiebe! I never imagined I could give a shit about any of this, but King of Kong is such a remarkable documentary. You really can't help but love this guy.
Posted by I Got Nuthin' on April 27, 2009 at 12:10 PM
2
Really? LEGO Rock Band is worse than Rock Band Van Halen? The LEGO game franchise already exists, so it's not like they're making up something to cash in ... the band-specific versions I've always seen as a giant money grab since you can just as easily download band/album packs to add to your existing library.

Besides, check this out:

"Successfully completing songs will earn the players Lego bricks which they may use to build and customize their Lego-style avatars, staff, vehicles, and their 'rock den.' There will also be Lego-themed challenges such as demolishing buildings by successfully playing songs."

DEMOLITION ROCK! Come on.
Posted by Gloria on April 27, 2009 at 12:26 PM
3
I am so looking forward to Lego Rock Band for the Wii!

Remember, if you unlock the right levels, you can play Sky Cries Mary songs.
Posted by Will in Seattle on April 27, 2009 at 12:36 PM
4
While I don't have a problem with many of the tracks included with the varying incarnations of Rock Band & Guitar Hero - possibly because my kids are too young to play - I do know parents who have struggled with some of the tracks. Yes, I think they're being a little too conservative, but that's their family, not mine. I told one of them about the upcoming Lego Rock Band this morning, and he was genuinely excited for the notion of a version he could play with his 8 & 10 year olds without being concerned about the tracks included.

This doesn't sound like a sell-out release to me - it sounds like it is meeting a need that isn't necessarily yours.
Posted by ducki3x on April 27, 2009 at 12:41 PM
5
How about "Rock Critic"?

The game contains 5 classic rock t-shirts (ELP, Yes, Zep, Allman Bros, Eagles) the kind with the solid rubberish patch on the chest that doesn't allow any sweat to go through.

You basically sit in the basement writing on the electronic "Rock Scroll" (firefox with some JQuery plugins) comparing Zeppelin to Goethe and publish all your "insights" on your RollingStone.com personal page.

Comes with free simulated press pass to help you get laid outside the backroom door.
Posted by Almost Infamous on April 27, 2009 at 12:41 PM
6
Eh, Lego Rock Band isn't as much of a cash-in as most of the Guitar Hero offerings. Harmonix does things right, for the most part. There are a bunch of songs in Rock Band that maybe kids haven't heard or have questionable lyrics (Queen Bitch, for one). And the LEGO brand games (of which this Rock Band version shares a developer with) aren't kid-centric. They're just kid-friendly. They are awesome games in their own right. Lego Rock Band is also going to allow you to build things with lego bricks earned from playing the song, making Rock Band more game-y than before. Calling it a cash-in is kind of a knee-jerk reaction.
Posted by chrisfurniss on April 27, 2009 at 12:47 PM
7
Call me when Rock Band: Pokemon comes out.
Posted by Joh on April 27, 2009 at 1:06 PM
8
Rock Band got three downloadable Spongebob Tracks a few weeks ago
Posted by the best day ever on April 27, 2009 at 1:10 PM
9
Doing some reading after viewing "King of Kong," I was seriously off put by the lack of truth and creative editing used in the documentary. I think trying to make black and white heroes and villains does all the people in the documentary a disservice.
Posted by mickeymammoth on April 27, 2009 at 1:13 PM
10
@a few: Your argument in favor of Lego Rock Band is that scared-shitless families afraid of words like "damn" and "bitch" take comfort in it? What site is this?

I'd much rather bond with a kid playing classic rock songs with slightly questionable content than locking him/her in the kids' bedroom with a pre-screened copy of the Lego version. It's a great way for parents to get hands-on time with their kids' musical growth without coming off like a tool.

@9: At one of the premiere screenings in '06, the director said enough was left on the cutting room floor that would've made Billy Mitchell look like an even bigger dick. Footage was left out so that the scenes where he takes care of that old lady would at least shine through somewhat.
Posted by Sam M. on April 27, 2009 at 1:18 PM
11
King of Kong is available on Netflix's streaming service, just so you know. Looks like it doesn't expire until February 2011.
Posted by Nat on April 27, 2009 at 1:39 PM
12
One of my favorite lines from King of Kong was when the Wiebe family was in the car driving to the arcade and talking about the Guinness world record book and the little girl says all innocently "some people ruin their lives trying to get into that book."

The look on Steve Wiebe's face after that was priceless.
Posted by Urgutha Forka on April 27, 2009 at 1:47 PM
13
@9 There's not a documentary out there that isn't edited to create drama of some sort...
Posted by I Got Nuthin' on April 27, 2009 at 2:09 PM
14
@10: "Beethoven's Cunt"

I have no problem with the uptight parents getting their own version so that the rest of us can have ours. And regardless of your personal beliefs about parenting, it's not "crossing the cash-in line," it's filling a very real niche.
Posted by Ben on April 27, 2009 at 2:55 PM
15
@14: That's a DLC song and will be avail for LRB, too. Parents can learn to disable DLC/Internet access on Xbox Live, and should.
Posted by Sam M. on April 27, 2009 at 2:58 PM
16
@10, 15: That's great that you have your vision of how you'd best like to bond with a kid (yours? someone elses? not clear to me whether or not you're a parent). I can say, from conversations with other parents I work with, that this is not always their vision.

Also, the fact that I read this site (and couldn't give a fucking rats ass what kind of language is used in the tracks, DLC or not) does not mean that the families for which LRB meets a need are also readers of slog. The one sitting in the cube across from me (the aforementioned parent who is excited for LRB) would probably not take to slog that well. That's OK; slog is written for you and me, LRB is written for him and, as your post & replies make clear, not for you.

Perhaps you should re-read the PA post associated with that strip you ran - Tycho's statement "Eventually, we'll come to understand that the universe is wide enough to contain ideas which do not pertain to us" seems applicable here.
Posted by ducki3x on April 27, 2009 at 4:31 PM
17
@8 That was the 2nd Annual April Fool's day release.
Posted by Renton Mike on April 27, 2009 at 4:43 PM
18
Ive got high hopes for scratch
Posted by gavin on April 28, 2009 at 2:51 PM
19
heard scratch console is 100 bucks. cant hate da price
Posted by kennyKILLER on May 8, 2009 at 12:40 PM
20
im just excited for scratch the ultimate dj looks real fun. touch sensitive tables im gettin anxious
Posted by hello_gamers on June 8, 2009 at 4:18 PM

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