Top 50 Most Wacky Bootleg Boxarts: PS1 Edition

Posted on May 18, 2013 by

Top 50 Wacky Boxarts

After about three months of waiting for the SyrianGames website come back, I’ve now returned with even more wacky bootleg boxart, this time from their PS1 catalog. Now, an odd thing occurred after that last article was published. After some gaming outlets posted articles about how crazy their boxarts were, SyrianGames went into a sort of Admin mode where only the site runners could access it. Afterwards, the syriangames.com URL redirected visitors to their Facebook page. This probably meant that 1) they wanted to hide their shame, and 2) they took the site offline.

So how do I have more boxarts to show? Well, for some odd reason several weeks back, their old site was back online. I found this out I checked out my old article (for kicks) and wondered if the site came back. I took the opportunity to look at their PS1 catalog and pick out the funniest ones from the bunch. Good thing I did it too since their URL is once again redirecting to their Facebook page.

Anyway, let’s end this little tangent. Hit the jump and check out the PS1 Edition of the Top 50 Wacky Bootleg Boxarts.

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EA Senior Engineer Takes To Twitter, Calls Wii U “Crap”

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Bob Summerwill tweetTwitter, Twitter, Twitter. Once again the micro-blogging platform rears its ugly head, potentially putting someone’s career on the line. EA Senior Engineer Bob Summerwill took to Twitter today to start a little mini rant against the Wii U. Speaking to Scott Hanselman, who simply asked a question, Summerwill took this opportunity to vent about some of the Wii U’s shortcomings, namely the lack of games on the console since the beginning of this year (though that could change). He kicked off his tirade with “The Wii U is crap. Less powerful than an Xbox 360, poor online/store. Weird tablet. Nintendo are walking dead at this point.” The tweets have since been deleted. But IGN has screencaps of them for the public to see.

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Nintendo Direct 5.17.2013 Recap: Info On New Sonic Game, New Pikmin Characters, And “E3 For The People”

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Sonic Lost World

Another Nintendo Direct has gone by this morning. It wasn’t long, but it offered some new info on games we already knew about, namely some release dates on long awaited games. There were a couple of reveals too involving Sonic The Hedgehog. Before we jump, let’s talk about the teaser image up there. It’s from the next game in the Sonic series, titled Sonic: Lost World. So what exactly are we seeing there? Well there’s Sonic on top of the Tornado (most likely piloted by Tails). But then there’s this fractured globe, connected by hexagon-shaped landmasses. There’s some aquatic areas, some plains, a forest, an ice cap, and volcanic areas. There’s also two desert-like areas, probably one resembling a standard desert and the other a more rugged, American-styled desert.

Iwata states that Nintendo is partnering with Sega for this venture. It’s not certain how deep this venture goes, but we do know that Sonic: Lost World will be exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS.

More on Nintendo Direct after the break.

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How Do Videogame Characters Make Whoopie? This Video Has The Answers

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Though it’s pretty obvious how Mario and Peach rock the casbah (I think), how do other characters in other videogame worlds squeak the bed? Luigi, sadly, is just enjoying watching his brother get nookie instead of doing the same thing to his boo. The Sims find a new toy to play with above their heads. And Chell from Portal somehow does not fall through the portal she’s sitting on. I mean sure there’s a guy there holding her on the other side, but her downward inertia should transfer to sideways inertia and make the guy holding her fa — Nevermind. But that Zelda. Link is one lucky, lucky hero.

Be sure to click the closed caption button for English subtitles.

SURICATE – La Vie Sexuelle des Jeux Vidéo / Sex in Video Games [Youtube, via RuinedChildhood]

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[Rumor] Microsoft To Replace Its Monopoly Money With Real Money For Marketplace Purchases

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

giftcards1_640_large_verge_medium_landscape

Please please please let this rumor come true. Ever since the beginning of the Xbox 360′s lifecycle, owners had to deal with Microsoft’s choice of using a points system instead of prepaid cards or a digital wallet with real dollar amounts. At first, it wasn’t too bad, but Microsoft’s method of conversion from U.S. dollars to Microsoft Points became a pain in the ass. With MS Points, full dollars come in multiples of 80 (or if you want to simplify, turn 80 into an 8). So 80 MSP = $1, 160 MSP = $2. By that account, 800 MSP = $10, 1600 MSP = $20. Sadly, not everything in the Marketplace have easily convertible asking prices. This conversion was worse in other places like the UK, Japan, and Canada (though this made some things in the U.K. cheaper).

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Rejoice! Dragon’s Crown Artbook Is A Pre-Order Bonus In The U.S., Guest Starring Three Veteran Capcom Artists

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

Dragon's Crown artbook

Yes! Booyah! Go baby go! Woooooo! USA! USA! USA!

Ahem… pardon my lack of professionalism (and constant fellating of Dragon’s Crown). So then, it’s confirmed that the artbook Japanese gamers get when they pre-order Dragon’s Crown will also be available for U.S. fans as well. Judging from the image above, it looks to be a soft cover if the the sort of “depth” of the spine is anything to go by.

Vanillaware games have been really deserving of an artbook, and and we’re finally getting one. Along with George Kamitani’s art and concepts, other popular artists have contributed to the book too with their interpretations of the Dragon’s Crown cast. They include Code of Princess artist Kinu Nishimura, Darkstalkers artist Akira Yasuda (aka Akiman), and Street Fighter/MvC veteran artist BENGUS.

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Grant Kirkhope Explains Mumbo Jumbo’s “Oominaka” Line (It Involves His Swollen Balls)

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Oominaka!

Yes, you read that right. Balls. Let’s talk about Grant Kirkhope’s balls today. Sorry if this is really late for some, but I just saw this episode some days ago. So then, in a recent episode of Game Grumps — a collab between JonTron and Egoraptor — they had former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope on as a guest as they played a selection of N64 games he worked on. Along with composing music, Kirkhope also did the sound design for some of these games, including some voice work as well.

Many know Mumbo Jumbo from Banjo-Kazooie. With Mumbo Jumbo, much of his spoken lines were generated randomly on a syllable by syllable basis, picking from a pool of samples for him. “Ikambokem” was one such line that was formed from this randomization. Some were also full, used for specific actions performed by Mumbo. “Oominaka” is Continue reading →

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If Easing Myself Into The 3DS Was My Goal, Getting This Game Was A Dumb Move

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

SMT Jack Frost

Let me start of by saying that that the game I chose is not a bad game. It’s actually a damn fine game. No knocks on quality here.

Anyway, around two weeks ago I decided to finally get a 3DS. My late arrival mirrored many who waited it out on getting a 3DS. The price for the system itself was simply too high for my liking, and I waited for a price drop. It happened, but I still wanted to see if something else was going to happen, namely a console redesign of some kind. I’ve been burned before by launch units and I didn’t want to get shafted again.

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Xseed Looking Into Localizing Senran Kagura Games, But Afraid Due To “Cultural Differences” [UPDATE]

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

Senran Kagura localization

Now THIS is something I was afraid of. Once the vocal minority got super vocal after a stonking pair of humdingers graced the internet in early April, other companies would become afraid to localize anything Japan makes due to content (instead of sales like before).

For those who don’t know, Senran Kagura is a brawler with two entries on the 3DS (Senran Kagura and Senran Kagura: Burst) and one on the Vita (Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus). The 3DS and Vita games play a little differently on each platform. The 3DS games play like a regular brawler while Shinovi Versus on the Vita plays more like a mix of Dissidia meets Dynasty Warriors. One of the major defining features of this game is the copious amounts of… action on screen. I guess you call it a brawler with Japanese fighting game sensibilities (huge combos, juggles, and crazy ass attacks).

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Mighty Switch Force 2 “Is A Wrap”, HyperDrive Edition Updating With A New Character

Posted on May 5, 2013 by

Mighty Switch Force 2 (3)

WayForward, via their blog, have reported that they have wrapped up development on Mighty Switch Force 2.

Mighty Switch Force! 2 is a wrap!  It’s pencils down for the dev team. Next stop, testing, testing, and more testing. Poor Patty… not even cybernetic citizens of Planet Land can escape the wrath of final exams.

If you missed the original announcement (or forgot), MSF star Patricia Wagon is now a Fire Fighter and must save the now reformed Hooligan Sisters. Check out the previous article for info and screenshots.

In other Mighty Switch Force news, the HyperDrive Edition on Wii U is getting an update. This update will include fixed audio levels, a smaller file size, and a new Pixel Patty character. My guess is that this will be Patty as she appeared in the 3DS version. WayForward states that they’ll announce a release date “soon”.

Mighty Switch Force! 2 News, MSFHD Update Details! [WayForward Blog]

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Censorship In Fire Emblem Awakening: Which Region Got It Worse?

Posted on May 5, 2013 by

Fire Emblem Tharja

Secondary Headline: This Week in Censorship – Tharja Can’t Catch A Break Edition.

Nintendo had released Summer Scramble, a DLC for Fire Emblem Awakening that sees our heroes in a beach episode like an anime. Given that this was a beach, we were bound to see much skin from both the male and female cast of characters. This included the much loved Tharja, who unfortunately got her ass censored by Nintendo of America (and Europe by extension).

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How A Red Balloon Showed Me How Wrong David Cage Is

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

David Cage Red Balloon

During the PS4 Press Conference, David Cage of Quantic Dream stepped on stage to show off his company’s new tech demo for the PS4. In the moments leading up to the infamous head of an Old Man popping up on screen, he referred back to previous games his company worked on, like Omikron and Indigo Prophecy, showing off how many polygons made up each character. He relates the mode of storytelling in videogames to how exaggerated storytelling in movies were back during the silent era. And it’s true, some things had to be exaggerated in movies since cameras back then had no sound capabilities. When sound was introduced, things only got better for the movie industry, bringing out classics like Frankenstein, Trouble in Paradise, and Citizen Kane.

But I can’t really say the same for videogames, at least not to the extent that Cage suggests.

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Killer Is Dead: Mondo Girls English Trailer

Posted on April 30, 2013 by

I’ve been somewhat ignoring this game for a while now. Don’t know why. Probably because I didn’t quite get a good grasp on how this game was going to be played when the first trailers were shown. There’s also the fact that a lot of the KID stuff is in Japanese without English subtitles, so I did quite get a grasp of the story either. However my recent need to gravitate to the free spirits of the game industry has brought me here, and now I’m hyped as hell for the game!

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Dragon’s Crown North American Website Finally Updated

Posted on April 30, 2013 by

Dragon's Crown Website

In the midst of all the tasty hoopla surrounding Dragon’s Crown, I thought why don’t I go check out the website of the game I covered extensively since its UTV Ignition days. I already knew that the Japanese site was updated with new U.I. and enchanting music courtesy of Hitoshi Sakimoto. So I wondered if the North American site was still the same as we saw it when UTV was still publishing it. Lo and behold, they did give it the same facelift that the Japanese site had gotten, though it probably took long for them to change it. Last time I checked was around the release of the Sorceress trailer.

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Rayman Legends Launching on September 3rd, Just Barely Avoiding GTA V

Posted on April 25, 2013 by
Pictured: Rayman and crew barely escaping GTA V

Pictured: Rayman and crew barely escaping GTA V

One of my biggest fears regarding the Rayman Legends delay was that it would be absolutely slaughtered and wasted by Grand Theft Auto V, which still has a release date of September 17th. Well those fears have subsided a bit as now Rayman Legends will be releasing before the Kraken is unleashed, launching on September 3rd in the U.S. It’s still pretty close to GTA V by two weeks, but I think this could spell good things for the game. I’d still prefer it got released some time in August (Europe will get the game on August 29th), that way the psyche of the gaming populace isn’t affixed to the September = GTA V mentality and forget about Rayman Legends. Then again, the fate of a smaller game vs. a bigger game is much more grim when the small game comes out after the bigger game. So for now, we wait for the results.

Rayman Legends launching on 360, PS3 and Wii U Sept. 3 in North America (update) [Polygon]

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