We're a geek culture podcast and blog covering video games, music, food and more. We are the kinds of people who evangelize whatever we are into - it could be anything - but it's usually pretty geeky. We're casual, conversational, NSFW and hopefully interesting. We hope you enjoy it.
I've seen some interesting guerilla art projects in my time. The LED throwies and Mario Question Blocks most recently come to mind. And just like the Mario blocks, this newest one, a "viral" marketing attempt by Adult Swim to promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force, has caused a bomb scare. Oh, no! Terrarists! The terrars!
Seems they made little LED boards with Err and Ignignokt flipping the proverbial bird and threw 'em up on some lines, causing them to eerily stare down at the Boston public. From the article:
It seems that suspicious devices were spotted on bridges, overpasses, in subway stations and other public places. The devices -- described ominously as being "composed of electronic circuit boards with LED lights attached" -- were shaped like little glowing figures who seemed angry. The bomb squad was called in, and they detonated at least one of the devices and removed the others. Traffic was snarled for hours.
I would kill for footage of scared, timid authority figures blowing up Mooninites. Hilarious.
posted by SecksCab on January 28, 2007 7:51 PM in Rant
Sexualcabinetry considers his own mortality while staring deep into the glassy eyed Innsmouth Horror what is Zombie Redenbacher.
Part of the fundamental basics we as a sentient race must understand is that death is a finality we must each endure. There is no way to get around it: death happens to us all, at a one in, one out ratio. Perhaps, then, it is sheer American hubris to apply the names of real people to corporate personhood. After all, Colonel Sanders is dead (of a heart attack, for sheer Hamartian irony), yet there is his grinning, beady eyed little face on every bucket of Original Recipe, staring at us, leering at us, with the mocking teeth of Death himself.
Of course, when Colonel Sanders passed on to the great PETA rally in the sky, it was only a matter of time until chicken sales began to drop. Everything was tried. KFC began a number of campaigns during the late 70s thru the early 90s, trying to find an approach that would stick like gravy to the side of a Lil' Bucket.
Yes that's right kiddies, the Penny Arcade Expo 2007 has now opened its gates for pre-registration. If you're planning to go (and you should be), if you sign up for all 3 days before March 31, you'll get 10 bucks off the price. That's 1000 Wii points! I know I'll be there. Heck, I'm even considering shelling out the dough for a regular pass instead of just going as Media so I have a chance to be entered into the Omegathon.
Oh, in case you didn't know, the Penny Arcade Expo is the annual game-o-rama conference put on by the crew over at Penny Arcade. This year, they're moving from the Meydenbauer center in Bellevue, WA to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center right smack dab in the middle of downtown Seattle. As was apparent at PAX 06, the ol' MBC just wasn't big enough any more. Way too many nerds packed into that place made it a bit uncomfortable. So now they've got over 200,000 square feet to work with. And I'm pretty damn sure they're gonna fill every last square inch of it with gaming goodness. They'll need the space, as PA business guru Robert Khoo has predicted at least 30,000 of us spazzes showing up this year. (I took that picture of the dapper Mr. Khoo on that Wikipedia link.)
This week I was a guest on the esteemed podcast PODTOID, with the excellent cock-loving and poo-announcing editors of DESTRUCTOID. Poo humor aside, I had a great time. Mosey on over to the house where robots live and give it a good download. It will make your Friday bearable.
How do you fix an old NES cart that just won't play? Ask anyone between the ages of twenty and about thirty-five, and they'll say the same thing: blow in it. Blowing in an NES cartridge is so iconic, that there have been t-shirts manufactured depicting the process, so that in wearing said t-shirt you can identify your geeky bretheren. Another method of identification is asking for "The Code". I speak, of course, of the Konami code. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start. Made famous as the 30 lives code in Contra, it's been featured on a shirt of its own, on The Daily Show, and even as the title of a Deftones song (A and B are transposed, but the spirit is still there). Indeed, the verification of the code is as important as being able to recite it. Get one part wrong and you may get your geek card taken away. As members of this generation grow older, get jobs, disposable income and time, they seem to become more and more obsessed with this brand of video game related nostalgia. What makes us yearn for childhood? Is this need to reflect unique to our generation, or do our parents and grandparents share similar obsessions? A fierce amount of brand loyalty, recently reflected in the console wars, seems to be brought on by this retro-gaming infatuation, and it has caused the industry to take notice and do what they do best: make money.
Even though blowing into the NES cart really did no good in getting that clunky old gray box to work (in fact, it most likely worsened it by oxidizing the circuit board with filthy spittle), we all did it. It was universal. We all have fond memories of sitting down and attempting to play Zelda, having to work the console a bit, and then spending hours scouring labrinthyne dungeons and stabbing spider things with wooden swords. These fond memories are comforting, and we can recreate them with retro gaming. The big three game companies are capitalizing on the retro gaming craze, Nintendo with their Virtual Console, Microsoft with the Live Arcade and Sony with their... whatever they are calling their online service. Each system allows you to purchase and download old games with the intent to relive those warm fuzzy moments (sans blowing). You can even mimic the good ol' days with classic controllers, even joysticks that you plug directly into your TV to play Pac-Man. Hot Topic capitalized on our obsession by coming out with t-shirts that have old video game characters on them with "witty" phrases such as "Byte Me". HAH! HILARITY! All the while, we eat it up.
posted by Chris on January 25, 2007 10:01 AM in Games
I am actually surprised that more companies haven't tried to copy Guitar Hero. It's such a horrifically successful franchise, it demands clones. Gilligames announced today they are working on a title called Shady O'Grady's Rising Star, which claims to be a sort of band creation RPG for the PC. Curious naming decisions aside, this actually sounds quite interesting. You get to build your band from the ground up, choosing clothes and hairstyle, genre and more. You even get to trash hotel rooms! From the release:
In Rising Star, you start out as an eighteen year old rookie musician in one of ten music types: rock and roll, jazz, ska, rap, pop, blues, metal, punk, folk, or country. Choose your home sweet home from over 120 cities located throughout the U.S., and recruit compatible musicians for your band. You’ll start off as poor, starving artists, as you landscape the local parks and deliver beer to the area pubs for a little cash. The jobs can be grueling as often you’re expected to drive like a bat out of hell to cover 3/5 of a mile in ten seconds in your beaten up ‘band-van’ to complete some insane delivery run for a couple hundred bucks. However, in this game, just as in life, money changes everything. Some spending cash will allow you to get familiar with the local club scene. Make enough connections with the club owners and bands, and soon you’ll score your first gig. You’ll get to enter Battle of the Bands, where initially you may be outshined by more experienced bands. But with some practice, you’ll be getting better and winning prize money in these competitions. Eventually, you’ll deal with larger venues, managers, producers, record contracts, product endorsements and more. You’ll write songs, and practice practice practice, until you’re ready to R.O.C.K in the U.S.A. Initially, the audience will wonder, “who are you?” But if you stay hungry and put on a couple great shows, your fame will rise until everybody wants you. You’re success in Rising Star won’t be some sort of mystery achievement – it’s all hard work and a lot of pressure to get to the top. It’s sad but true, but something as simple as a van breakdown on the way to Baltimore could mess with your career and have you crying bitter tears.
That's a pretty tall order. Sounds a bit like a scripted adventure game mixed with Guitar Hero mixed with SimCity. There's even a map editor. Wait, what exactly is this game?
posted by Mike on January 25, 2007 12:00 AM in Music
Geeky .MP3 Reviews: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Besides Frodo and I making an appearance at a few local shows, my tenure as Music Editor here at the Weekly Geek can hardly be described as "cutting edge" (With the 80's flashbacks and day-old album reviews and all). But here in 2007 some things should change damnit! So I’m making a more concerted effort to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of music. So now, just in from the news wire of the pop scene, I bring you some... (get ready for this...) PRE-release track reviews!!! (Holy crap. I'm so excited!)
Portland has quietly been spitting out some of the best rock talent in the last decade- everyone from the late, great Elliott Smith to the defunct Sleater-Kinney owing Oregon's Metropolis their lineage. The Seattle bands have gotten most of the attention in ages past, but it's high time our southerly neighbors got their due.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah debuted with a new-wavish, punchy self-titled group of tracks in 2005. Since then, they've started an odd, fashionable style of having bouncy melodies, yet delivering the lyrics in the most utterly aloof way imaginable. Nevertheless, the college radio circuit backed the record with heavy rotation and it made almost every music magazine's "next big thing" list, and for good reason. Alec Ounsworth, Clap Your Hands' lead singer, being the focus of most of the praise, despite the strange voicing.
So the band, gearing up for their 2007 set, made two downloads available from the new Some Loud Thunder (which arrives in stores and on iTunes January 30th).
All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen made a statement last week about the band's new veneer on the last NPR Podcast. He said he would've rather heard Some Loud Thunder's songs "the way they were played, instead of the way they were produced." I couldn't disagree more. The more upbeat of the new cuts "Underwater (You and Me)" illustrates why less production isn't more as far as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is concerned. The layers and new gloss on Alec's voice and the rest of the band's instruments create a magnetic, glowing aura, not present in their first CD. Instead of sounding disaffected, they sound fanciful. Instead of blasé, they sound inspiring. With flighty, pinging guitars you follow the poetic line "someday your secret will be revealed" with great intent and longing much like in more recent Built To Spill songs.
The piano work and spacey guitars of the slower "Love Song No. 7", floating vocals and well organized harmony structures, coupled with the loose drums and an accordion passage helps today's audiences revisit some of the ideas in the eeriest moments of 60's physchadelia. When Alec sings "safe and sound" you can sense the sarcasm and you feel the ground Clap Your Hands are treading is anything but safe.
With the help of long time Flaming Lips engineer Dave Fridmann, this is an incredible step forward for a band that could've limited itself to the current "cool sound" and still been successful. I think it's a risk that will pay off for them in the long run if these two songs are any indication of the greatness achieved on Some Great Thunder.
posted by Chris on January 24, 2007 4:37 PM in Games
Dear white boys: you aren't really that good at rapping. Please stop your "phat beats" about things like video games, unless your name is Wheelie Cyberman your beats are no where near phat. If you would like to have blood come out of your ears, or have your head explode like an over-filled pinata, check out this video. It may be a poor attempt at viral marketing by Nintendo, who knows.
The Order of the Tapeworm, as is implied, is also home to spookster comic artist Roman Dirge; original english language manga writer and colorist Rikki Simons (famed far and wide among boob-proffering fangirls as the voice of GIR from Invader Zim); cartoonist and science fiction author Rick Gauger; artist, podcast superstar and ToM cheerleader Chris Furniss (aka Frodo) from the Weekly Geek; yours truly, and a handful of other bitter intellectual types who crave gnome blood and witty banter in equal measure.
All applicants are subject to a questionnaire, urine sample, timed agility/obedience trial, and credit check. No refunds.
Don't let the happy pink case fool you, Wario is back and smellier than ever. Smelly being, in Wario's case, a good thing.
Overview: With a new Nintendo system comes a new Wario game. It's a relatively new tradition, but with all of Nintendo's innovations in game control (the DS stylus, the Wii remote) it makes sense. Wario Ware is a series that combines a ton of fast-paced "microgames" that keep you guessing as to how to actually control them. The first Wario Ware for the GBA was an instant classic, merging wacky games with a frenetic pace, and unlockables galore. Wario Ware for the DS was lackluster, relying too much on needless parts of DS functionality (too many microgames focused on just blowing into the microphone, leaving me dizzy). Wario Ware Twisted got the series back on track with an incredibly cool motion sensing gimmick. But that's all it was: a gimmick. The Gamecube version was a great party game, but mostly a rehash of the GBA original. With minigames already accomplished on the Wii with Rayman Raving Rabbids, does Wario Ware escape the curse of the Tech Demo, or does it shine on it's own as a must have Wii title? Full review after the jump. Jump it!
posted by Chris on January 22, 2007 9:20 AM in Games
That's right, folks, Nintendo has given us ONE game this week for their weekly (or Wii-kly as Nintendo is cleverly putting it) Virtual Console update - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
This is interesting, as Nintendo released this a couple years back for the Game Boy Advance (along with Four Swords, the tagged on multiplayer game). We speculated that Nintendo wouldn't release games they had released recently as GBA remakes, but apparently they really want you to buy their games at least 5 times until they are finished feasting on your hard earned rupees. Full press release after the jump.
posted by Chris on January 22, 2007 6:02 AM in Podcast
On this week's geeky video game-ish podcast, The Geek and Frodo cover ice cream news, Star Wars nerds in science, World of Warcraft Burning Crusade, Wario Ware for the Wii and the Wii Laptop. Also, Tommy Tallarico is a douchebag.
Remember to check the forum for rules regarding our Geeky Desk setup contest!
posted by Chris on January 19, 2007 4:33 PM in Games
I don't know how he accomplished it, but esteemed console hacker Ben Heckendorn has actually managed to make the Wii ugly. In his latest smushing-a-full-size-console-and-monitor-together project, he took on the Wii for Engadget.
Don't get me wrong, this guy is insanely good with electronics. He has made many a console into a smaller version of itself with great success. The unfortunate part is this guy has NO sense of design. He seems to use a prototyping machine taken from Atari circa 1979. Every one of his projects has this hideous Formica™ look to it.
posted by Mike on January 18, 2007 12:00 AM in Music
Special edition music reviews and our Best Albums of 2006 Podcast sidelined our Back to the 80's series, but here in our first flashback article of the New Year, we take a look at Tears for Fears.
Technically, they only had one big album, but you can't call them One-Hit Wonders. Tears for Fears had five huge singles in their existence as a band: "Shout", "Head Over Heels", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Mad World", and "Sowing the Seeds of Love". They came back briefly in 2004 for a reunion record, their take on a Sgt. Pepper concept album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. Chief songwriter Roland Orzabal also released a fun solo album in the early 2000's, Tomcats Screaming Outside.
They stood out from others like A-Ha and the Thompson Twins because their sound was based around distinctive vocal inflection and solid, timeless instrumentation. Although undeniably a product of the 80's, Tears for Fears were (save maybe U2) the least "dated" sounding. Their fame in the U.S. was confusingly short-lived though. The nature of the decade's music taste was to chew bands up and spit them out, and what could've been the start of the second British Invasion didn't end up coming until Oasis, Radiohead, and Coldplay found pop success later in the 90's.
Nevertheless, Roland Orzabal & Curt Smith are still very critically acclaimed in all the projects they take on, and are very well-respected in the music community. Here's a video to recall the absolute pop genius of Tears for Fears. Enjoy, and try not to look too long at the curly, Euro Mullets- it might distract you from how good the music is. Seriously… what were they thinking with that hair?
Sexualcabinetry pokes at his eyeballs repeatedly with a stick in outrage regarding everyone's favorite doorstop, the PS3. Pokey pokey.
Well, the PS3 has been out for a month or so, and thus far, it seems to have disappeared into a vortex of ignomious defeat not seen since Charles Foster Kane was blackmailed by the governor. It's a shame, sort of, because that means we'll soon see the greatest sequel to Katamari Damacy ever made, complete with singing and dancing chorus girls, a trip to Disneyland and a soundtrack featuring the reunion of Abba.
Again, it's a real shame.
Surely, they couldn't have expected us to plop down 70,000 Moon Pazuzas for a system where we'll have to wait until 5 years for the next Final Fantasy game, all the while enjoying such thrills as Color a Dinosaur 3-D, John Madden's Muffy Mouse Rodent Detective and Nancy Hochstotter's Pony Princess Adventure. The reality is that it simply wasn't planned, wasn't executed properly, overpriced and utterly devoid of content.
In short, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
We here at The Weekly Geek are a might frustrated at Nintendo's paltry Virtual Console offerings, and even though we know that they will never read this and take our advice, this week's Top Five List is a rundown of the Virtual Console games we want to see, or someone's gonna pay.
Frodo's Top Five:
5. Tricky Kick: This was an excellent Turbografx puzzle game, where you go through levels as different characters such as a fox or a schoolgirl, and you have to kick boxes toward a goal. It's seriously more fun than it sounds.
4. Goldeneye: This one is obvious. Pretty much the best FPS on any console period, Goldeneye defined the genre and revolutionized multiplayer gaming. Unfortunately this will never be released because of Nintendo and Rare's current anti-partnership. I'd love to see this online-enabled. Guess I just have to play Goldeneye Source.
3. Chrono Trigger: One of the best RPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger is a natural for the VC. We got a crappy version on the Playstation a couple of years ago, I'd like a good clean copy of this rare title to play whenever I want to, without having to sit through loading times.
2. Starfox 2: Nintendo has hinted that they may release a VC title that has a niche internet following, and I think this one is it. Starfox 2 was fully complete when Nintendo pulled out for whatever reason, so it's in the realm of possibility they'd try to get some money out of their investment.
1. Super Mario World/Mario All Stars SNES all in one cart: This was the ultimate cart, packed with so much Mario it boggles the mind. Not only did it include Super Mario World, but Super Mario All Stars, all in that teensy gray plastic box. This one most definitely won't be released, since Nintendo likes money, but a geek can dream.
Caspian's List:
5. Mutant League Football - Genesis: There's a normal sports game (i.e. Madden, NFL 2kWhatever, etc.) and then there's a game where you step out of bounds and into a black hole, you avoid being tackled only to fall into a lava pit, or you get penalized for "booger flicking." Greatest football game of all time? I THINK SO!!!
4. Super Empire Strikes Back - SNES: Until KOTOR 1 & 2, this Star Wars series was the most accurate, I think, in making you feel you were a Jedi. I very much liked the back and forth switches between movie characters and between vehicle and walking scenarios.
3. Secret of Evermore - SNES: I'm an admitted huge SNES gamer. That's what got me deep into gaming, and with the exception of Zelda and Final Fantasy, I think this RPG really captured my imagination (and a lot of my time). It'd be nice to relive some of the moments, and have it available for the new gamer generation to experience.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 - NES: Okay- so they've released the original Super Mario Bros. That's awesome! But... the one I really miss and would really appreciate from Nintendo is Mario 3. Frog and Raccoon Mario would really bring me back to a time when my smiles knew no bounds.
1. Golden Eye - N64: It's shameful to say, but this is the only FPS console game I've ever been good at. (I mean, I could tear it up on Area 51 in the arcades, but that doesn't really count) Oh, to have a multiplayer victim walk into a masterfully placed remote mine again. That would take the cake! And please Nintendo... ONLINE multiplayer would be fantastic with this. Would it kill ya to throw that in?
The Geek's List:
5. Renegade - NES: One of those little fighty brawly games on the NES that I always just loved for some reason. Kind of like a precursor to Final Fight and such games. It's a classic I never owned myself, but I would gladly shell out the 5 bucks for it on the VC.
4. Earthbound - SNES: This is one of those games that everybody loves but I just haven't ever gotten to really sit down and play it. Over the many years it's been out, I've tried several times to play it, either at a friend's house or just borrowing their game, but something always keeps distracting me. I think if I actually owned it and it was on my Wii, I could finally play this bad mamma jamma.
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Figher - SNES: I had to toss this one in the list because I remember just really loving this game back in the day, as it were. It was a pretty solid fighter with good 16 bit sprites and lots of characters to choose from.
2. Shining Force I & II - Genesis: I put these two together because I didn't wanna take up two spaces with them and it's my damn list so nyah. I loved, loved, loved the first two Shining force games and I've been half-heartedly trying to score them on eBay ever since I picked up my very own Genesis from there a few years back. They are a wonderful tactical RPG and probably why I loved Final Fantasy Tactics so much. The story is fun, though I can't remember if I ever fully beat either of them.
1. Super Mario RPG - SNES: One of the best RPGs of all time, Super Mario RPG is an amazing game. Taking the mythos of the Mario universe and expanding on it enough to create a full RPG storyline with towns and items and abilities and such was nothing short of brilliant. On top of that, the game was pretty and played very solid. This is another one I had to borrow from someone else but I never got through. I think the furthest I got was up to the point of going into that other world, but I could be imagining that. I have a mighty need to own and beat this game, even if it's only on the VC.
posted by Nevery on January 15, 2007 9:32 PM in Games
Well, I can no longer brag about my adventures of being a Blood-Elf Paladin while everyone else plays End-Game or trys to get to 60. That's right, Burning Crusade is here and you can get your grubby little hands on it starting about a half hour ago. I went to my local Gamestop/EB Games to check out the festivities and I have to say I was impressed. Their process to purchase seemed painless... Once you got to the store, before midnight, you could walk in and pay for your copy and just hang around until midnight came. Midnight hit and everyone gathered into their smelly, nerdy, and sexually aroused lines. It wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be, but it was interesting none the less. Click the jump for 2 (yes only 2) pictures of the fun.
posted by Chris on January 15, 2007 6:12 PM in Podcast
In probably the best episode of The Weekly Geek all year, Frodo rants about the Xbox Live Marketplace and how the Wii Connect24 service sucks. The Geek then stabs himself in the face. Ever wondered what would make up the ultimate console? Would you like to hear two geeks talking about Wii colors, the iPhone, spam, killer robots and ramen? You would?! GREAT! Download the show, or subscribe to the podcast, then!
posted by Nevery on January 15, 2007 12:59 PM in Games
Tonight's the night kids! At midnight tonight you'll be able to go get your copy and maybe even get the collectors edition without paying double. Of course, Ebay whores are snagging up the collectors editions and selling their presells to gamers like us for our souls and some ass raping with no lube. Ok... Really they're selling for an average of about $200. Apparently, some retailers in the UK have broken the street date along with some retailers around the US who just made the mistake of not informing their workers. Gamestops around the country are having midnight launches and you can find one for you here. Happy huntings and good luck!
Prepare yourselves. My wife and I have been going through Star Trek: Voyager from Netflix, and at the end of season 2 we stumbled upon this little easter egg. This is Tim Russ (who played Tuvok, the consummate Vulcan) singing his hit single "Kushangaza".
posted by Grant on January 12, 2007 12:30 PM in Rant
The console wars have been waged ever since Sega started going after Nintendo in the 16-bit era. Many people picked sides to varying degrees of loyalty. You had the "I can only afford one" people all the way up to the hardcore fanboy who would never relent in the position that their console was the best and the other one sucked big time. Almost every gamer, at one time or another, has broken down and proclaimed one system to be greater than the rest.
The arguments continue to this day, people heaping praise or hatred on one console or another merely by the brand name attached to each. Most people have wised up and know that all consoles have their merits and if you only stick to one platform as a matter of principle, then you're missing out on some good games.
I'll admit to have been guilty of this a couple times through the history of video games. And it's not just the fanboys. The anti-fanboys are just as bad. The anti-fanboy being, of course, the gamer who will not play any games on a particular system just because they don't like the brand name attached to it.
But what if we could dissect each of the major consoles and bring them together into some sort of psychotic hybrid, a freak of science and nature? Can we take all the good parts of the Wii, the PS3, and the 360 and leave out the bad?
posted by Chris on January 11, 2007 3:00 PM in Games
One of my favorite Dreamcast titles is getting the portable treatment soon with the announcement of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars for the Playstation Portable. From today's press release:
All-new twists have been included in the classic Crazy Taxi experience including for the first time, multiplayer modes that allow two people to play cooperatively or competitively. Now gamers can relive the addictive, action packed gameplay of the original Dreamcast games, Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2, on the go.
I love the arcade-style action of Crazy Taxi and the new multiplayer sounds pretty neat. Too bad no one I know in a 50 mile radius owns a PSP. Hit the jump for the full release.
posted by Mike on January 11, 2007 12:36 PM in Music
Geeky Video Review: "The Greatest" Cat Power
Chan Marshall, Indie Music's current princess, sure has a checkered personal and musical past. With admitted alcohol abuse and rehab, hit or miss live performances, and a diverse but enjoyable range of record releases, it's hard to know what to make of her. Ms. Marshall's latest disc The Greatest and the subsequent tour to support that album has cleared up a lot of the questions though. It seems Chan is making good on her limitless potential.
Backed by the insanely talented and time-tested bunch the Memphis Rhythm Band, Chan's confidence in her abilities has risen tremendously. Not unlike Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (my favorite of last year), The Greatest has a very dusty, southern flair. All the instrumentation is extremely tasteful, and the lyrics alluring, yet distant enough to require repeated listens.
Her latest TV appearance on Jools Holland showcases Marshall's silky vocal charm (reminiscent of a more interesting Norah Jones or a more sincere Fiona Apple) and the clean presentation of her backing band. Truly a stunning performance to watch.
posted by Chris on January 11, 2007 10:42 AM in Games
Back in the "day", Nintendo had a pretty cool marketing department. Being a Nintendo Power subscriber, I was the proud recipient of a number of VHS videos that basically amounted to propaganda about upcoming products. They were cheesy and cool (hey! A free video!) and offered a surprisingly accurate depiction of Sony and Sega. Check out the promo video for Star Fox 64 (which we actually gave away one year at Video Armageddon, the game tournaments we used to hold).
posted by Chris on January 11, 2007 9:56 AM in Games
Rockers Mastodon have recently released a very cool piece of self-promotion for their new album Blood Mountain, a Flash game called Quest for Blood Mountain. Dodge rabid dogs! Be a tough-looking viking thing! All set to some heavily rocking Mastodon metal. It's difficult and kinda fun! Apparently there are secret codes for the game hidden in flyers for the band being handed out "all over the country" so if you are a fan of needlessly difficult flash games, get to it.
posted by Chris on January 10, 2007 2:39 PM in Games
Reviews of Wario Ware for the Wii are rolling in, and I stumbled upon this video from Siliconera of some crazy 12 player hotseat action. I imagine this would work only by passing the remote around the room, but the possibilities for excellent parties seem endless. It's always hard to have Wii parties when only 4 people can play at a time. Everyone else is left drooling, waiting patiently for their turn. Or plotting the best way to bludgeon other party-goers. Watch the craziness!
I can't wait for the 16th! Burning Crusade and Wario Ware on the same day! I gunna explode!
Overview: Call of Duty has become a good, solid franchise for Activision. It's a classic FPS, but set in the gritty reality of World War II. I've played through the first two in the series on two different platforms, first on the PC and second on the Xbox. With this third entry, I get to try it out with yet another different control scheme. I've been looking forward to see how an FPS works with the Wiimote, and now I have my chance.
With the Call of Duty series, you're basically plopped down right into the middle of the war as another generic soldier fighting the good fight. You're not some crazy action hero and you're not a lone renegade. You fight with your fellow soldiers and do your best to follow orders and not get shot in the process.
posted by Chris on January 9, 2007 11:11 AM in Games
That's right folks, Siliconera dug up this footage of Final Fantasy 1 on the MSX2 which was ported over in 1989. It had slightly better graphics and sound, but horrible scrolling. Neat little bit of FF history!
posted by Nevery on January 9, 2007 11:00 AM in Games
Last night I decided to get some quality time with my Wii, I haven't played for quite some time. The first thing I did was download Super Mario and play for about 5 minutes, but got the itch for bowling so I jumped into that. My A.D.D. kicked in yet again and I wanted to de-virginize my copy of Elebits so I went back to the Wii menu. When I got to the menu the mysterious message popped up (see above picture) and I couldn't do anything. A simple unplug power, plug it back in, and power it up would hopefully do the trick but I got the same error. I called Nintendo, but they don't have any elite tricks to help me out so I need to send my Wii back to them for repair. Why did Mario have to shit on my Wii? This is the second new console that I've had issues with, which is to be expected, but it's still annoying as hell.
Oh god yes. I haven't had my geek lust sparked this hard since the Wii. Ol Stevie Jobs at Apple is announcing features about the iPhone as I type this, and it looks to be just about the coolest little gadget Apple has ever released. Seriously. From Engadget:
Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's frickin' thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate.
Amazing. I currently narrow my eyes and stare with pure spite at my Sidekick 2 and its two-year contract. Curse you, T-Mobile! I WANT AN IPHONE NOWWWWWWWWWW.
posted by Nevery on January 8, 2007 12:16 PM in Games
A new Gears of War XBL update is hitting today which includes a whole bunch of patches. Then 2 new multiplayer maps at some point on Wed. Here's the patch details:
• Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480
• Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress
• Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM
• Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match
• Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in multiplayer
• Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance
• Enabled "Strict" NAT check on host to prevent possible connection issues
• Optimized server browser queries to return results more quickly and prevent scroll bars from hiding quality of service icons
• Reduced number of possible revives in Execution to match Warzone
• Removed host name from Ranked match server browser
• Disabled security cameras in Ranked matches
• Ranked matches now require balanced teams (3v3 or 4v4)
• Increased penalty for quitting a Ranked match to -50 points
• Added additional cheat detection code
• Additional housekeeping updates
posted by Chris on January 8, 2007 7:58 AM in Podcast
New TV shows, movies starring Tom Sizemore... The Weekly Geek has it all on this week's podcast! The Geek and Frodo talk about crazy sci-fi influenced technology, the appeal of hard sci-fi vs. soft sci-fi (you know, crap), Call of Duty 3 and check writing menutae. Sounds good? Good. Download it and subscribe to the podcast!
Endgadget has posted an interesting picture of what's supposedly Xbox 360 v2.0. This new 360, codenamed Zephyr, shows a shiny new HDMI port. Now, if this is real, what the hell was so hard about doing this to begin with? I can understand the HD-DVD player wasn't in the system because the tech wasn't complete, but HDMI was around and waiting for us to show off our 1080p goodness and was left off. The other addition, 120gb HDD! As long as I can purchase that seperately I'll be ok, but I can't magically install HDMI. So Microsoft, what do you plan on doing for us lovely people who bought the premature release of your system? Especially since I was one of those people who had to deal with a horrid customer service experience due to faulty hardware on release day.
posted by Chris on January 5, 2007 10:42 AM in Games
Red Octane released images of the box art and guitar for Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 today, and it looks hella sweet. I really wish I had a 360 about now. This just may be the ultimate version. Downloadable content? Xbox Live online play? Rocking out against complete strangers, brought together only by the power of pure rock? It's almost enough to make me drop some cash on an Xbox right this second. Almost.
The red SG guitar does have a ton more street cred, in my opinion. The 360 guitar design (while an actual guitar design) reminds me more of Poison-era hairspray rock than anything else. Maybe that's not a bad thing!
posted by Mike on January 4, 2007 8:27 PM in Music
Arcade Fire
2004’s Funeral might have been the most resonant rock album to come out of Canada since Moving Pictures by Rush. So naturally, when Arcade Fire’s fan base (among which are celebrity collaborators David Byrne and David Bowie and almost every music critic in the US, including me) caught wind that they were back in the studio last year, school girl giddiness ensued. The ecstatic throng was overjoyed further by the radio debut of new single “Intervention”. With its huge humming organ and Win Butler’s lyrical appeal to the devout religious person who has neglected his family and friends, “Intervention” shows promise that the new album, entitled Neon Bible, will be just as evocative and great as its predecessor.
Modest Mouse
A few recent developments have made Epic records’ insurance policy, Isaac Brock & Co. an even hotter commodity than anyone ever imagined. First, they recruited Ex-Smiths Member/Guitar God Johnny Marr. Then yesterday, on their MySpace profile, they released an infectious pop single “Dashboard”. Of course, we can’t jump to any conclusions that “Dashboard” will be indicative of the album’s direction. Last record Good News for People Who Love Bad News had “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty”, neither of which accurately illuminated Good News out of context. The only certainty is that the Issaquah, WA darlings are bound to have a huge year.
The Shins
It has been an awful long wait since clean, cut & dry masterpiece Chutes Too Narrow in the Fall of 2003 and admirers of James Mercer’s pop outfit are getting a little restless. But if the wait between their debut and second album of almost three years was any tip-off, The Shins are deliberate songwriters who provide big payoffs when they finish piecing together the tunes. Luckily for us, a new effort, Wincing the Night Away, is on the way and we shouldn’t have any reason not to expect continued brilliance from a band whose sophomore “slump” was probably its most beautiful collection to date.
Hitoshi Sakimoto
For all you game music lovers, especially followers of the Final Fantasy soundtracks, a state-side release of the Final Fantasy XII Soundtrack would be a welcome addition. Hitoshi Sakimoto, who took over genius Black Mage Nobuo Uematsu’s music production duties for this FF iteration had some awful tough work ahead of him and huge expectations to meet and he bucked the challenge incredibly. The themes for each unique zone were interesting and added a second life to the already great game.
posted by Chris on January 4, 2007 7:50 PM in Music
You guys, I have a problem. I can't stop listening to Joanna Newsom. She is a classically trained harpist with a voice that has been described as similar to Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons Sing the Blues. She is also battling the great Colin Meloy for the title of Grand Champion Vocabulary Master given only to the best of the best (English majors). Her songwriting is beautiful and epic, her music style is so completely different and refreshing, and her voice is unique and finely-honed. Check out one of my favorite songs off her first album. It's mesmerizing.
posted by Chris on January 4, 2007 5:20 PM in Rant
Throughout Nintendo's history as a game hardware and software manufacturer, they have shown an impressive amount of conservatism. Always cautious about their next move, for the most part it has been an effective means of bringing in profits. Or has it? With the release of technology so distruptive as the Wii, the industry is applauding Nintendo for being so daring. So then why is Nintendo still conservative when it comes to anything involving Internet connectivity? The DS had the dreaded friend code system, which has returned on the Wii. The Gamecube had the completely ignored network adaptor, even the SNES had the XBAND which went absolutely nowhere (although, granted it was not released by Nintendo themselves). Why release something if you don't put your energy behind it? What drives Nintendo to be so lackadaisical when it comes to anything online in a world where we have the excellence that is Xbox Live? Welcome to today's rant.
Are you tired of thinking HD-DVD or Blu Ray? Do you not own both a PS3 and a Xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive? If so, I'm sorry because you just plain suck. Ok ok I'm not sorry but I do have some good news for you. Next week at CES Warner Bros. plans on announcing thier newest DVD invention called the Total HD Disc. The Total HD Disc is a DVD format has the bi-polar mix of HD-DVD and Blu Ray DVD. What does this mean for you? Well, if Warner blows enough money and executives, it could mean that movie studios can produce DVDs in both formats allowing you to pick the player of your choice rather than one of each type.
Usually when I have my choice to go out to eat, I'll pick either something crazy and new, or comfort food. My usual choices range between sushi and mexican food. Sometimes, you just feel lazy and don't want to make any sort of effort when you go out to eat, even in digestion. Enter the KFC Famous Bowl. It's pretty much already digested for you with it's sickening stack of mashed potatoes, popcorn chicken, sweet corn, gravy and cheese. What else do you top something so fatty? Oh, of course, cheese.
Even though it looks pretty much the same going in as it does coming out, it is one of the most delicious things ever invented by man. But boy howdy is it unhealthy. Blogger Hungry Girl has come up with her own, healthier version of the Famous Bowl if you feel like constructing this monstrosity in your own kitchen. I know what I am having for dinner tonight!
posted by Nevery on January 4, 2007 7:49 AM in Games
Allright! Burning Crusade is almost here and I've been playing the beta for about a month now. I can't give you all the lovely news you want to hear about it, because my attention span is that of a 14 year old in the girls locker room, I just can't look at one thing at a time. I've spent my time wandering as a handsome Blood-Elf Paladin enjoying the newly established "Maine" of WoW. But, enough of my braggi... Uh, explaining. I want to know something! What are you guys looking forward to more, the new areas for your exisiting characters or starting a-new with the new races?
Friend of the show and perpetual dancer Charles V has created something that no other humans has ever attempted successfully - he has created a song that makes children sing, women weep tears of joy, and men's hearts never again know fear.
He has done an excellent mashup of BTO's "Taking Care of Business" with The Office Theme by the Scrantones. Strangely, it really does work.
posted by Chris on January 3, 2007 4:54 PM in Rant
BradyGames has reached an all new low with their newest complete rip-off, the Guitar Hero II player's guide. I believe the title of one of the reviews on the Amazon page says it best: "Most Pointless Book Ever Written".
Seriously, what use is this book? It says here that there are exclusive stickers and "cheats". What, a listing of what songs you have to play and complete in order to unlock the secret songs? You need a whole BOOK for that?
If I ever meet the guy who wrote this player's guide I am going to shake his hand for being able to make money from this. Then I am going to punch him in the cojones.
posted by Nevery on January 3, 2007 11:55 AM in Games
Have you ever watched one of those old 1970's black and white detective films? Did you want to be a part of the oh so wonderful story? Yeah... Me neither! However, now you have your chance to solve mysteries in a detective type story line for the DS. Hotel Dusk takes place in 1979 LA where you take the role of Kyle Hyde, an ex-cop turned salesman trying to track down a missing friend. Clues lead to an eerie, old hotel rumored to have one very strange room – a room where wishes are granted. You check into the hotel and have to solve the mystery by meeting people and collecting clues. Now, don't get me wrong, it looks cool but my character is a salesman turned detective going to a hotel that grants wishes... Doesn't this sound like a bad porn story?
More pictures after the jump
posted by Chris on January 1, 2007 6:52 AM in Podcast
This week, The Geek and Frodo talk about their picks for the top games of 2006. They also discussed Goldeneye Source and jerks playing Oddjob and hiding in the vents in Facility, a stupid rumor on Nintendo forums. But mainly they talked about the best games of 2006 (in their opinion). Is your favorite on the list? Listen to the podcast and find out! If it isn't, yell at us in the comments! WE LOVE IT.
The Weekly Geek is done on a zero budget, with no funding other than ads and merch. Help support the site with a donation! Consider it like tipping your waiter. We also give gifts for larger donations.
Yes that's right kiddies, the 
I am actually surprised that more companies haven't tried to copy Guitar Hero. It's such a horrifically successful franchise, it demands clones. Gilligames announced today they are working on a title called Shady O'Grady's Rising Star, which claims to be a sort of band creation RPG for the PC. Curious naming decisions aside, this actually sounds quite interesting. You get to build your band from the ground up, choosing clothes and hairstyle, genre and more. You even get to trash hotel rooms! From the release:
Don't let the happy pink case fool you, Wario is back and smellier than ever. Smelly being, in Wario's case, a good thing. 
That's right, folks, Nintendo has given us ONE game this week for their weekly (or Wii-kly as Nintendo is cleverly putting it) Virtual Console update - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
I don't know how he accomplished it, but esteemed console hacker Ben Heckendorn has actually managed to make the Wii ugly. In his latest smushing-a-full-size-console-and-monitor-together project, he took on the Wii for 
The console wars have been waged ever since Sega started going after Nintendo in the 16-bit era. Many people picked sides to varying degrees of loyalty. You had the "I can only afford one" people all the way up to the hardcore fanboy who would never relent in the position that their console was the best and the other one sucked big time. Almost every gamer, at one time or another, has broken down and proclaimed one system to be greater than the rest.
One of my favorite Dreamcast titles is getting the portable treatment soon with the announcement of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars for the Playstation Portable. From today's press release:
Rockers Mastodon have recently released a very cool piece of self-promotion for their new album Blood Mountain, a Flash game called Quest for Blood Mountain. Dodge rabid dogs! Be a tough-looking viking thing! All set to some heavily rocking Mastodon metal. It's difficult and kinda fun! Apparently there are secret codes for the game hidden in flyers for the band being handed out "all over the country" so if you are a fan of needlessly difficult flash games, get to it.
Throughout Nintendo's history as a game hardware and software manufacturer, they have shown an impressive amount of conservatism. Always cautious about their next move, for the most part it has been an effective means of bringing in profits. Or has it? With the release of technology so distruptive as the Wii, the industry is applauding Nintendo for being so daring. So then why is Nintendo still conservative when it comes to anything involving Internet connectivity? The DS had the dreaded friend code system, which has returned on the Wii. The Gamecube had the completely ignored network adaptor, even the SNES had the 
BradyGames has reached an all new low with their newest complete rip-off, the Guitar Hero II player's guide. I believe the title of one of the reviews on the Amazon page says it best: "Most Pointless Book Ever Written".
