Extra Future[Jonathan Blow’s 2008 independent games masterpiece is now available for the Mac][link]. If you haven’t played it yet, you are missing out, and you no longer have an excuse.
[link]: http://playgreenhouse.com/buy/NNONE-000001-01/mac/ “www.playgreenhouse.com”
[Pretty alpha, but also pretty fun][link]. Looking forward to more from this guy.
[link]: http://benhem.com/games/wayfarer/ “Wayfarer (alpha)”
[Hey, Square, having a fan base that LOVES your stuff so much they’re willing to put in their own work and time (hundreds of hours) on what amounts to FREE PROMOTION for it][link]? That’s not a problem. That’s an incredible gift that you just shit on. Again.
They had another opportunity like this a few years ago, on a little project called [Chrono Resurrection][res].
How many creators out there would give a not insignificant portion of their reproductive organs to have fans that care that much?
[link]: http://www.destructoid.com/square-enix-shuts-down-chrono-fan-game-crimson-echoes-131702.phtml “Destructoid – Square Enix shuts down Chrono fan game Crimson Echoes”
[res]: http://www.opcoder.com/projects/chrono/ “Chrono Resurrection”
[↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A][link]
via [John Gruber][via]
[link]: http://konamicodesites.com/ “Konami Code Sites”
[via]: http://daringfireball.net “Daring Fireball”
[Hi-res scans of cover and box art for video games][link]. They carry scans of newer games, which to me is a bit unnecessary, but they have a wealth of covers for NES, SNES, 3DO, Intellivision, etc.
[link]: http://www.thecoverproject.net/ “The Cover Project > Home”
[In short: Context is king][link]. His central theme seems to be that simply looking at the rulesets of old games is missing the point. The platform itself informs the game to a huge degree.
[link]: http://www.archive.org/details/20090417-scott-supermario “Internet Archive: Details: Super Jason Scott Presentation 64”
[Which means you can download it][link]. This Superman is a prototype which was [eventually renamed Sunman][sunman], with the logo changed. [Sunman was never released, but it is fully playable][sunplay]. It is not at all the same [Superman game released by KEMCO for the NES][nes]. Gameplay is very similar to another Sunsoft superhero game [Batman: Return of the Joker][bats].
[link]: http://forums.lostlevels.org/viewtopic.php?t=2015 “Lost Levels :: View topic – 24 new dumps, including 2 unreleased games”
[nes]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_(Atari_game)#Superman_.28Nintendo_Entertainment_System.29 “Superman for the NES”
[sunman]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunman_(video_game) “Sunman”
[sunplay]: http://www.lostlevels.org/200311/200311-sunman.shtml “Sunman on LostLevels”
[bats]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite_Batman “Batman: Return of the Joker”
[Following the Xbox Live Arcade codes, this is no surprise, but nice to see][link]. Also of interest to me: Amazon does not allow their associates to get commissions on these cards. Profit margin must be close to zero, if not into the red.
[link]: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00213JM9O/ “Amazon.com: World of Goo [Online Game Code]: Wii: Video Games”
[A bit late for the initial craze][link], but I’m sure the quality of fan-made stuff will only go up. Includes: Level icons, animated GIFs, and some gorgeous wallpapers.
[link]: http://www.davidhellman.net/braidbrief.htm “David Hellman .net – Braid”
[Flashed-based fighting game where you generate a character that automatically fights][link]. Weird little game.
[link]: http://philnelson.mybrute.com/ “PhilNelson My Brute”
>[The Sonic Bible was an internal document created by SOA][link] to provide a localised history and overall philosophy for Sonic and the Sonic universe. It is apparently not based on the Japanese history.
The [series bible][bible] for Sonic The Hedgehog from Sega’s launch of the first Sonic game in the US.
[link]: http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?s=9faa55e2cd1380a4a6a27ef7e01a4f8a&showtopic=14100&st=0&p=280663&#entry280663 “Sonic The Hedgehog Bible – Sonic Retro Message Board”
[bible]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_(writing) “Series bible”
[The unreleased sequel to Punch Out!!][link], now available for download or purchase in the form of [a reproduction cart][cart].
[link]: http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/04/mike_tysons_intergalactic_powe.php “GameSetWatch – Mike Tyson’s Intergalactic Power Punch ROM Released”
[cart]: http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=71 “Mike Tyson’s Intergalactic Power Punch”
[This is a pretty big deal][link]. Amazon selling download codes for XBLA games is a good step for retailers getting in on the downloadable action, which will get more exposure to download-only games, which will get everybody paid more. I hope.
[link]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FXbox-Live%2Fb%3Fie%3DUTF8%26node%3D979417011%26ref%255F%3Damb%255Flink%255F84085271%255F2&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 “Amazon.com Xbox Live Store”
[Tim Schafer’s advice regarding wether you should care about game sales figures][link]: If you don’t have money on the line, don’t sweat it.
[link]: http://www.doublefine.com/news.php/site/actually_i_think_it_might_have_been_a_furby_not_a_kitten/#When:20:35:23Z “Double Fine Action News: Actually, I think it might have been a Furby, not a Kitten”
*This is a post carried-over from the blog archives on philnelson.name, my previous site.*
Video games have a long and storied history of borrowing heavily from popular music. This post will be updated with samples as I get them suggested to me, which you can do using the information above this post. In each case I have used less than 20 seconds of the songs in question, which I believe to be covered under fair use. If you want to hear the whole song, buy it. I will not provide you with any of them, so don’t ask.
### Mega Man X2’s Neon Tiger Stage Music .vs. Guns n’ Roses’ “My Michelle”
[Here is the audio file for comparison][gnrfile]. First you will hear a snippet from Neon Tiger’s theme, then a small pause, then a snippet from My Michelle. You can, of course, purchase the Guns n’ Roses album [Appetite for Destruction][appe] from Amazon.com. This, and the following two suggestions, come from [this blog post][post1].
[post1]: http://www.capcom-unity.com/thesnake383/blog/2008/10/13/megaman_and_80s_music “Megaman and 80s music”
[gnrfile]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/neon_tiger_vs_my_michelle.mp3 “GNR .vs. Mega Man”
[appe]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V6583C?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000V6583C “Appetite for Destruction on amazon mp3”
### Mega Man 1’s ElecMan Theme .vs. Journey’s “Faithfully”
[Here is the audio file for comparison][jour]. Again, you will hear ElecMan’s music first, then a pause, then Journey. You can (and I encourage you to) purchase [Journey’s Greatest Hits album][jouralbum] from Amazon.
[jour]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/ElecMan_vs_Faithfully.mp3 “ElecMan .vs. Faithfully”
[jouralbum]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138H45W?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00138H45W “Journey’s Greatest Hits on Amazon mp3”
### Mega Man 2’s Flash Man Theme .vs. Chicago’s “I’m A Man”
[Here is the audio file for comparison.][chicago] You can purchase [Chicago’s Greatest Hits][chihits] on Amazon. It’s a good investment.
[chicago]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/Flashman_vs_Chicago.mp3 “Flash Man .vs. Chicago”
[chihits]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00124BQ6K?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00124BQ6K “Chicago’s Greatest Hits on Amazon mp3”
### Robo’s Theme (Chrono Trigger) .vs. Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”
[Here is the audio file for comparison][roboast]. Yes, it was only a matter of time before this descended into a Rick Roll. This one is a bit more tenuous, but it’s definitely noticeable. I would say it’s more of a case of borrowing than the previous tracks, which are a bit more blatant. I heartily suggest you [purchase Chrono Trigger][ct] if you have never played it. It’s my favorite RPG of all time. The composer of the piece, Yasunori Mitsuda, also did [the soundtrack for Chrono Cross][ccost], which is one of the most lush and beautiful game sound tracks ever.
[roboast]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/wpfiles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/robo_vs_rick_astley.mp3 “Robo’s Theme .vs. Rick Astley”
[ct]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E27DLM?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001E27DLM “Chrono Trigger of Nintendo DS on Amazon.com”
[ccost]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009J8HB6?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0009J8HB6 “Chrono Cross soundtrack”
### Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) Stage 5 Overworld .vs. The Beatles’ “Come Together”
[Here is the audio file for comparison][tmntbeat]. This is another fairly blatant one, though it’s got some nice touches, and is part of one of the great Konami NES soundtracks.
[tmntbeat]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/wpfiles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/ninja_turtles_vs_the_beatles.mp3 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .vs. The Beatles”
### DOOM (1 & 2) .vs. Various Metal Bands
[Here’s a youtube video][doom] comparing various songs from the smash-hit first person shooter DOOM to various songs from the likes of Metallica, Pantera, et. al.
[doom]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H3BB2gKKeY “DOOM .vs. Metal”
### Wild ARMs Overworld Theme .vs. Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold”
[Here is the audio file for comparison][wildarms]. This one is maybe the most blatant thus far, especially considering the desert context. Morricone wrote the scores for many great westerns, most famously [The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly][gbu].
[wildarms]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/wpfiles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/wild_arms_vs_morricone.mp3 “Wild ARMs .vs. Ennio Morricone”
[gbu]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/6301971272?ie=UTF8&tag=philnelson-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=6301971272 “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”
### California Games (NES) Title Theme .vs. Louie, Louie
[Here is the audio file for comparison][louie]. I have a feeling that the basic structure of Louie, Louie is subject of a lot of game homage. [Louie, Louie is a most infamous song][louiewik], with the version done by The Kingsmen making them the subject of an FBI investigation.
[louie]: http://philname.s3.amazonaws.com/wpfiles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/california_games_vs_louie_louie.mp3 “California Games .vs. Louie, Louie”
[louiewik]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Louie “Louie, Louie on Wikipedia”
As if it wasn’t already easy to love Left 4 Dead, they give me this:
My friends [The Urinal Mints][mints] have a song titled “[Chicago Ted][song]”
According to Urinal Mints frontman Garth Plinko, the phrase stems from a message he (and apparently many others) had read scrawled on a bathroom wall, ending with “No bitch is safe from Chicago Ted.” The Internet’s own Seanbaby [reported this phenomenon][sean] many years ago.
The Urinal Mints were also featured on [issue 6 of Warren Ellis’ podcast, the 4am][ellis].
[gf]: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=937406&topic=46651715 “Chicago Ted in L4D”
[song]: http://extrafuture.s3.amazonaws.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/03-Chicago-Ted.m4a “Chicago Ted by The Urinal Mints”
[mints]: http://www.myspace.com/urinalmints “The Urinal Mints”
[ellis]: http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=5279 “Warren Ellis: the 4am 6”
[sean]: http://www.seanbaby.com/cleveland/part5.html “Seanbaby on Chicago Ted”