Friday, October 29, 2010

Video Game Creepypasta Pt 3: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask


Last in my triple threat creepypasta postfest, we have a story about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (aka "BEN DROWNED").  Prepare to have any fond memories you may have had of Majora's Mask warped into paranoia and dread. 

As with the other video game creepypastas, this story starts with the writer obtaining a suspicious video game cartridge.  The writer buys a copy of Majora's Mask from a creepy old man at a flea market.  When the writer goes to play the game he notices a saved game marked "BEN".  The writer decides to delete the file, and...well, let's just say he shouldn't have done that.  From here on out bizarre and ominous events begin occuring in game.

This story is long, but is extremely well written.  The real icing on the cake is that there are videos that document the supposed game activity documented in the story.  I've attached the first video below, if you want to see the entire story and videos go here.  Also here, if you find that version difficult to read.

If you just want to watch the videos, you can view them on Kotaku.


Video Game Creepypasta Pt 2: Pokemon Black

It's time for your second helping of video game creepypasta; this one is Pokemon flavored!

Before Nintendo ran out of prismatic colors, precious metals, and birth stones to name their various Pokemon adaptions after; there was simply Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.  It was a simpler time where one only needed to catch 151 Pokemon to catch them all.  Pokemon was just a simple, wholesome game about children obsessively trapping one of every known species of wild animal in a baseball-sized cage and forcing said animals into turn-based combat. 

Enter Pokemon Black. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking.  Nintendo did release a Pokemon Black and White recently.  However, this game/creepypasta emerged well before the current (and legitimate) Pokemon Black.

The tale of Pokemon Black starts like most video game creepypastas, with the protagonist obtaining a mysterious game cartridge.  The cartridge is supposedly a hacked version of Pokemon Red entitled, you guessed it, Pokemon Black. 


What makes Pokemon Black different from Pokemon Red?

Death.

Shortly after the player acquires their first pokemon, an additional pokemon called "ghost" is added to your party.  This is where things start to get eery.

Ghost uses an ability called "Curse" on pokemon and pokemon trainers alike; the ability "curse" is fatal.  Here's an excerpt from the story to explain.

“Defending Pokémon were unable to attack Ghost — it would only say they were too scared to move. When the move “Curse” was used in battle, the screen would cut to black. The cry of the defending Pokémon would be heard, but it was distorted, played at a much lower pitch than normal. The battle screen would then reappear, and the defending Pokémon would be gone. If used in a battle against a trainer, when the Pokéballs representing their Pokemon would appear in the corner, they would have one fewer Pokéball.”

The implication was that the Pokémon died."

And it just gets creepier from there.  Read the full original story here.

Video Game Creepypasta for Halloween Pt. 1: Super Mario 64

The intarwebz defines Creepypasta as creepy stories that are often copied and pasted throughout the web.  Creepypasta is the internet generation's take on the classic campfire ghost story.  There's a few creepypasta tales that have received some considerable attention (and hence more copy-pasting) over the years.

Recently, I've stumbled upon a few creepypastas about video games.  Video game creepypasta often involves a mysterious game cartridge that either winds up being haunted/possessed or containing a twisted version of the original game.  These stories are considered old by most internet circles, but since it's Halloween and they're relatively new to me I figured, why not?

It's a me! In a your nightmares!
First up, we have a creepypasta about a possessed Super Mario 64 cartridge.

Without spoiling too much, the story is about a college kid who orders a Super Mario 64 cartridge via a suspicious website pop-up ad.  Upon playing the game, the protagonist has Mario traversing a horrific world that's more Amityville Horror than Mushroom Kingdom.  The whole thing gets a little over-the-top at the end, but it's still interesting and engaging.

Click here to read the story.  Check back later for another serving of video game creepypasta.

Happy Halloween/Happy Friday!


Happy Halloween gang!

I know things have been pretty quiet around here for the past few weeks, and for that we're sorry.  Remember, none of us are professional bloggers--we just play them on the internet--so occasionally we get caught up in other stuff.

Anyways, to make it up to you all here's a picture of one of the greatest Halloween costumes of all time:  Dog Blanka. 

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fable III, Part 2

Continuing from yesterdays post, today I am going to review the good, the bad, and the not so attractive of Fable II, and my wishlist for Fable III.

Four years after the great success of Fable, Microsoft and Lionhead Studies released Fable II. Fable had a lot of promising moments and plenty to build on. With a new console in the Xbox 360 and an updated graphics engine, this was shaping up to be better than the original. But was it...?

*Warning* If you haven't played the game, this post will contain spoilers.

The short answer to that question is no. Now, that isn't to say Fable II didn't have some great moments, but I just feel like it didn't hold up. The main reason for this is the story and story telling. As stated in my previous post, I think Fable had one of the best told stories in gaming, and you felt a connection with everything in the world. In Fable II, I just never got that feeling.

The story still takes place in the world of Albion, but about 500 years after the original game. The Guild and Heroes are all but gone. You start your story in the run down town of Bowerstone, following your sister around, doing small chores to earn some money. With your money, you wind up buying a magic box from a street vendor -- a box that is told to grant its owner a wish. The siblings wish to live in the main castle of Albion (Castle Fairfax), and the box vanishes.That night you find your self going to Castle Fairfax by order of Lord Lucien (magic box is magic for sure!). You travel to the castle and meet Lord Lucien. Soon you find yourself in a weird experiment by Lucien, where he discovers you are not one of the three, but either you or your sister is the fourth, so Lucien shoots both of you. You wake up much later only to learn your sister was killed.

So the story actually starts out pretty good, but it was only down hill from there for me. I never really felt connected to characters in this game. I really felt more like I was just going through the motions. I even felt like I lost the original drive of the story at times, as if what happened to your sister was simply forgot about. Its really all about you and what you want to do with your life now.

Movin Like Bernie

Does anyone really know how to "Dougie"?! Here's a dance that you can do if you're drunk or white. The best part it's based on one of the best movies of all time.... "Weekend At Bernies 2: The Underwater Treasure". Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to move like Bernie!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Fable III

With Fable III coming out tomorrow, I wanted to recap and post my wish list for a franchise I hold pretty close to my gaming heart. So lets start from the beginning.

*Warning* If you haven't played Fable or Fable II yet, this post will contain spoilers...

The original Fable came out in 2004 for the original Xbox, and it is one of my favorite games of all time. The game had its hits and misses, but what truly sold me hook, line, and sinker was the story. In my personal opinion, Fable has one of the most well told stories in all of gaming. You start out as a young boy in Oakvale, a small, peaceful town in the world of Albion. Its your sister's birthday, and its pretty much her worst birthday ever. Soon after the game starts, the town is raided, your father is killed, and your mother and sister are kidnapped. After the dust settles, a mysterious man named Maze shows up to help, and takes you to the Guild. The Guild is where you are introduced to all of the abilities of the Hero, as well as many of the main characters in the game. Once your training is complete, you are off to find out who is responsible for what happened to your family, and finally get your revenge.

Now, I know when written out like this, it doesn't sound all that original, and at its core, the story really isn't. But the story is told and played in such an way that it really draws you in. You feel connected to your character and the people you meet. One of the things that really draws you in deeper is the decisions you are faced with. The first time I played through the game, I thought a lot of the decisions were really tough, heavy decisions. Without giving too much away, some of these decisions were whether or not to kill your childhood training partner, and yes, your sister. They were also tough because you weren't sure how the world or story line would change with each decision. But this was also one of the downfalls of the game.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Spider-Man : Big Time Trailer

I've never been really into Spider-Man. This trailer for the upcoming storyline "Big Time" left eagerly waiting to read Peter Parker's solo adventures! People that know me will know how hard that was for me to say! Expect a review when the new creative team of Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos takes over 11/10/10.

Wait...what?! #73

After much debate, I've finally decided to include remixes in "Wait...what?!". Andrew Maury of RAC remixed "Lights and Shapes" by Moving Mountains. This song has been playing on a non-stop loop on my Ipod. If there is a DJ playing this in a club, congratulations because you are my new favorite DJ! Enjoy!

The Foreign Exchange : Thank You For Listening Short Film

Last week, The Foreign Exchange released their third album "Authenticity". The album is a must have! To celebrate, here is the short film "Thank You For Listening" by Sandrine Orabona & Anke Thommen chronicling the group's history.



Friday, October 15, 2010

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 5

To conclude our Facebook week, I give you Fox McCloud trying to get the gang back together...


Thursday, October 14, 2010

DC Comics Drops Price To 2.99

With the prices of monthly comics steadily increasing over the past couple of years, some readers have taken to waiting for the TPB's to be released. Well fans, DC Comics have listened and decided to roll back the prices throughout their entire line! Jim Lee and Dan DiDio discussed the price drop with Newsarama. This is great news for my inner-fan boy but terrible news for my wallet.

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 4


More video games invading real life after the jump.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Bumblebee Crash

While filming Transformers 3 in Washington DC, a police officer responding to an emergency call, drove on set and collided with Bumblebee. My guess is that the officer is an old school fan that couldn't get over the fact that Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagon. I feel you pain officer, I feel your pain! Unfortunately the collision took place in reality and not Michael Bay's testosterone universe, hence no explosions. Michael Bay, I also feel your pain!



Fun Fact - I'm not stoked for Transformers 3, so this will probably be the only bit of coverage you will see from me.

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 3

Here we find Raiden trying to rally the troops.


The thread concludes after the jump.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

X-Men: Destiny

Activision has recently announced that they are teaming with Silicon Knights for a brand new X-Men game called X-Men: Destiny. Below is the reveal trailer but it doesn't offer us much detail. Is this the next X-Men Legends/Marvel Ultimate Alliance type of games? Is this Marvel's answer to DC Universe Online? Let us know what you think in the comments!


Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 2

Day 2 gives us a little peak in the every day troubles of Link and Zelda.


More hilarity after the jump.

Walking Dead Mini-Documentary

Initially I had mix feeling when "The Walking Dead" television show would air on AMC. This is no way a slight to AMC. "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" are both excellent shows. While Robert Kirkman's series is a great story examining humanity, it's still story set in the zombie apocalypse. I was nervous as to the type of influence/pressure the network would have on the show. My fears have been laid to rest after watching this mini-documentary. The network has been doing a wonderful job promoting the show. I was very excited to see that the program was respectful towards the source material but was not a slave to Kirkman's work. The show premiers 10/9c on Halloween. Get stoked!

Monday, October 11, 2010

DCUO: Character Creation

I watched this video last night and it looks pretty impressive. DC Universe Online seems like it's going to give players lots of options to create unique avatars ready to battle along side their favorite DC Heroes or Villains. Needless to say this game definitely has my attention. Will this be what City Of Heroes wanted to be? Will this console MMO fall short of standards set by the MMO giant, World Of Warcraft? What is your take on the game? Leave your thoughts in the comments!


Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 1

With the recent success of The Social Network, I thought it would be fun to post some fun Facebook entries by video game characters this week. To kick things off, we start with Mr. Super Mario! Enjoy!