Nowadays it's hard to find a positive story about videogames in the mainstream press. Often just passed off as crap or evil incarnate itself, it's nigh impossible to see someone with something nice to say (or at least well balanced).
But back before Bill O'reily turned into a lunatic with a god-sized ego, he was forced to jockey a desk at inside edition, and a scant 18 years ago he presented a nice puff piece about Nintendo.
It's a little over the top, what with the whole "he's been transported to another world of intrigue and adventure". The game was good but not take me to another world good.
I like videogames. I like art. So it stands that there's no reason I won't love 8-bit, which is makers bill as "a documentary about art and videogames." Sign me up.
They had their first screening this past Saturday night at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in NYC, and there's another one on the 11th. So if you're in the city that never sleeps, head on down to the Muesum and help these guys out.
I'm kind of hoping they'll have more screenings on the weekend, that way I can get into the city to see it.
It sounds right up my alley. Here's the skinny straight from the site:
8 BIT is a hybrid documentary examining the influence of video games on contemporary culture...
Produced in NYC, LA, Paris and Tokyo, 8 BIT brings a global perspective on the new artistic approaches of the DIY generation which grew up playing Atari and Commodore 64...
8 BIT insists that in the 21st century Game-Boy rock, machinima and game theory belong together and share a common root: the digital heritage of Generation X.
Mark Taylor wants you to know he has all his priorities in order. He intends to fight for all the things that matter, mostly your kids. Stopping pedophiles, Killing child molestors, and stopping violent video games. Well that seems to be.... Wait... what??
WTF??? Is this guy seriosly trying to tell me that video games are on the same level as child molestors and pedophiles?
Somehow this totally passed me by and I don't recall seeing it posted anywhere but Mad Catz is prepping an arcade stick for use with Xbox Live Arcade games. It's been widely recognized that the 360 controller isn't exactly the best thing for games and building your own isn't an option for everyone (although I'm thinking about giving it a try). Hopefully this will be a solid product with a better feel when you're playing Street Fighter II or Pac-Man, but it seems to me like the actual stick would have been better off in the middle of the device.
As of this writing there was no word of this product on Mad Catz's web site though GameSpot did report on it back in August(!!). Gamestop's web site has it listed with a December 1st shipping date.
You know how I know I'm getting old? The stuff I consider retro is older than what other people think of as retro.
Case in point. NES-era retro shirts are all the rage these days, and I'll be honest my closet has quite a few of them. But to me, there's only one TRUE retro. And that's the Atari 2600. The 1st uber-successful home console. The original... in all it's woodgrained glory.
Back then we hooked consoles to the TVs with a switchbox that would connect to the antenna screws on the backs of the TV. The freaking antenna connection! Then when you wanted to play your game, you'd slide the toggle from TV to computer. Of course the box only lasted a few months, and you'd have to go down to the RadioShack or Sears and buy another one.
There I was at 3 years old learning how to hook it up since my parents weren't tech savvy and I just needed to play Kaboom. Those were the days. You kids with your RF switches don't know how easy you had it :)
Sadly, even though I consider myself a videogame collector, I can only lay claim to one of the games in this list, Panzer Dragoon Saga. I actually bought it in the store when it was released right at the end of the Saturn's life cycle. I also have a boxed copy of Custer's Revenge which I'm pretty proud of. Though it's not that rare, just horribly racist.
Racketboy has just finished their list of the top 20 rarest finds in the Videogame collecting world. No suprise in the top slot, and there really can't be. The Nintendo World Championship Gold Cart is by far the holiest of holy grails of gaming. I have dreams about finding one of these games at a farmers' market or thrift store. Of course That'll never happen.
I actually went to the local NWC competition, advancing a few rounds and even having to come back for a second day of competition (looking back I'm sure my parents weren't thrilled to lost their entire weekend to this). I remember being so proud of myself I wore my NWC finalist T-shirt in my school photo that year (god I wish I still had that).
At best a minor slip-up, at worst a "thank god we bought that company or they'd be pissed" type of feeling. MTV did a little behind the scenes (read: advertisment) on their website looking into GH2. During the video you could see the below list of songs. They realized their mistake and blurred them out but not before someone wrote down the entire list. It's blazing across the net at supersonic speed, and usually I wouldn't feel the need to post it... But I can't help but report every little piece of Guitar Hero news. Click the link for the full setlist so far.
If you want to skip to the best parts, try 7:20 and 13:55 (roughly). Though I thought the whole episode was damn funny. And I've NEVER even played World of Warcraft!
Kenny get ready to turn on "true shot aura", at that moment I will use "intimidating shout".
What's your favorite part of the show??
Thanks to Destructoid for the new (and working) link to the show.
Over at Gaygamer.net they've found this sweet Nintendo shirt that shows how the Ninty controllers have evolved (or been intelligently designed ;) ) over the years.
Even though my closet is already overflowing with geek, game, and nerd shirts, I'll probably buy this one. Somewhere between my Speaker City polo and my original Tempest T-shirt, I have the sneaking feeling this shirt will find a home.
Available over at Splitreason.com as a pre-order (dammit!) thankfully due to ship out soon.
I'm a fan of the gamer shirt with no words, nice and stealth like.
This shirt got me thinking of other similar t-shirt ideas. So after a quick run through with photoshop, I'm ready to unveil my mock-up for the Sony version.
Yes, I agree. It's a pretty easy joke to make. And before someone says something about the Dual Shock as the PS1 controller... I know the system didn't launch with one. It's a joke. Relax
The post right before this one is talking about the Burger King games/advertisments, and how I am dying to check these things out. Usually I'm a bit leery of in-game advertising, unless it's done in a way that actually helps the realism (like in a Nascar game). The worst implementation may be in Fight Night for the 360, when the announcer tells me that "This knockout has been brought to you by the new Dodge Calibur.
But the difference here is that the games don't contain ads, they ARE ads. At least they're not trying to sneak it in on us, they're being honest about it (as honest as ad people will ever be). And truth be told, this isn't the first time that a company has made a game for no other reason than to get some ad time with the kids.
Back in the Atari 2600 days there were two games that were actually available. Tooth Protectors from Johnson & Johnson and Chase the Chuck Wagon from Purina, could be gotten through the mail by sending in proof of purchases.
So think about how embedded games were in the 80's when a dog food company is able to put out a specialized game ONLY available via postal mail.
Needless to say these two games suck, but they're much sought after by 2600 hundred collectors like myself, since they're so hard to come by. They pop up on eBay every once in awhile, but never as often as other "rare" titles. I've heard of stories of people find these games in thrift stores and such, but I've never actually talked to anyone that's found one in the wild.
Adver-games didn't stop there, with games like Cool Spot and Yo! Noid appearing on the NES, SNES, and Genesis. Ugh.
I may actually own cool spot, I think I got in a lot of games I bought awhile back. If I do in fact own it, prepare for a review!
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I like videogames. I like art. So it stands that there's no reason I won't love 8-bit, which is makers bill as "a documentary about art and videogames." Sign me up. 
Somehow this totally passed me by and I don't recall seeing it posted anywhere but Mad Catz is prepping an arcade stick for use with Xbox Live Arcade games. It's been widely recognized that the 360 controller isn't exactly the best thing for games and 
You know how I know I'm getting old? The stuff I consider retro is older than what other people think of as retro. 
Over at 
The post right before this one is talking about the Burger King games/advertisments, and how I am dying to check these things out. Usually I'm a bit leery of in-game advertising, unless it's done in a way that actually helps the realism (like in a Nascar game). The worst implementation may be in Fight Night for the 360, when the announcer tells me that "This knockout has been brought to you by the new Dodge Calibur.
So think about how embedded games were in the 80's when a dog food company is able to put out a specialized game ONLY available via postal mail. 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 