Halloween video spooktacular

In lieu of writing another op-ed about one of the many games I enjoy, I've decided that for Halloween I will share a few music videos/songs that get me into the Halloween spirit any time of the year. Some of these I've already posted on Re:Generator Magazine, but some are favourites that I would probably post regardless of the day. Please enjoy the picks and feel free to suggest your own!

First, a short film featuring Teller from the comedy-magic duo Penn & Teller about the zombie overtaking of Las Vegas. Very awesome, fun, and intriguing, plus, Teller speaks!




Oingo Boingo, being my number one favourite band, of course gets a little favouritism from me.

Just Another Day by Oingo Boingo



Insanity by Oingo Boingo



Remains of the Day by Danny Elfman, for Corpse Bride

Brutal Legend: An action-adventure game

Okay, I'm going to come out and say this right now: Brutal Legend is not a Real-Time Strategy game. I repeat, Brutal Legend IS NOT AN RTS.

There are a lot of people confused right now about where BL stands genre-wise and it's really easy to explain and it's perfectly easy to see that it's an action-adventure. But because there are RTS-like elements in the game, and because the whole of the gameplay stemmed from the multiplayer, people are automatically tagging it as an RTS. It's really not, and here's why.

Real-Time Strategy games are exactly what they sound like. You're playing a game as a commander of an army or resistance and you have to use- here's the key word- strategy and planning to set up defenses and prepare for your initial attack on your enemy in order to win the battle. You can't just run out into the field and start attacking- okay, you can, but it may not be a good idea, especially since in most RTS games you would be leaving one part of your operation vulnerable as your army runs to wherever you tell them to. You can't afford to do that or the enemy will exploit that vulnerability in order to win. Whether you're playing against AI or another person it's the same.

Many people would have you believe that the majority of the BL gameplay is RTS based. These people are wrong. In fact, they are so wrong that they are the main cause of everyone crinkling their brows at BL and going, "Well if it's an RTS then I'm not playing it," causing them to miss out on a truly fun game for all the wrong reasons. I am not denying that there are parts of the game that involve RTS-like portions, but what I am saying is that it is not the entire game

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

This game is a mindfuck. I don't usually swear but there is no other word for this game than that. It's also a really good game, especially by Gamecube standards, and if you've never played this game then there is one thing you should know before you do: you'll never see the time the same way again when it's 3:33.

Alexandra Roivas is just doing her thing, sleeping like humans do at 3:33 in the morning when she gets a call from the Rhode Island police regarding her grandfather, Edward Roivas. She hurries over only to be greeted with the churned and hardly recognizable remains of her grandfather, save for a ring still on a skeletal finger. She decides to stay at his mansion to try and discover more about him and what happened to him.

Somehow the police are okay with this despite it being a crime scene and it's three in the morning with a glob of human meat in the center of the foyer. Sure, let her stay if she wants, what could possibly go wrong?

RIP Captain Lou Albano

Hey paesanos, some tragic news. Almost as tragic as the loss of Bea Arthur, yesterday we lost another great actor and figurehead from my generation.

Captain Lou Albano, with his energetic personality and famous facial hair, he was known as not only a successful wrestler but more importantly as the official live-action representation of Mario Mario on the Super Mario Bros Super Show back in the late 80s.




I bought the complete season on DVD a few years ago, right after buying a DVD set of Clarissa Explains it All (don't judge me!), and spent countless hours reminiscing and enjoying all the cheap jokes and strange live-action storyarcs that kinda-sorta had something to do with the cartoon's storyarc but not really.

Lou Albano will always have a space in my heart as the manifestation of Mario and the man who taught me how to 'do' The Mario. He died at the young age of 76.

Do the Mario! Swing your arms from side to side. Come on, it's time to go. Do the Mario! Take one step, and then again. Let's do the Mario, all together now! You got it! It's the Mario! Do the Mario! Swing your arms from side to side. Come on, it's time to go. Do the Mario! Take one step, and then again. Let's do the Mario, all together now! Come on now. Just like that!

Source:  Re:Generator Magazine

Doublefine's website revamping

Seems like Doublefine had some self-esteem issues over the weekend because yesterday they debuted, with nary a hint or a song, with their new look.

For many years they had stuck with the specific design of having a flash animated menu at the top, a center panel for the news that stretched down the length of the page, and a sidebar with all their goodies.

But now everything's a little more compact and a little more in-your-face. It's like the website equivalent of rhinoplasty and a boob job- it's looking sleeker, younger, and more able. Things seem more accessible too, no longer do you have to click through menus to get to something,  most of it is linked directly on the main page. I really like the "comics" section with the comic creators popping out of hiding, it's very cute and also shows the playful side of Doublefine.

Go to Doublefine and show them some love, let them know that they were always attractive to you, and don't forget the chocolates!

Pax 09: The Conclusion

I've finally finished up the third and final part of my Pax experience review. Please read it at Re:Generator Magazine.

I cover the new Jak & Daxter game coming out this November, which I had forgotten about until recently, and the two panels I was able to make it to on Sunday. The first being the Penny Arcade panel and the second was why game reviews suck. Both were fun and enlightening and I can't wait to see what's in store for next year.

PAX 09: The Conclusion

Your gaming knick-knack of the day

PixelatedCreations is a gamer-friendly store over at Etsy and I recently saw an ad for this on The Girl Gamer.net, only to realize later that it wasn't an ad and just her showing off her work, but wanted to share this plastic bead design of Maxwell from Scribblenauts anyway.

Pretty cute for a piece of melted plastic, if I do say so myself. They of course have other cool creations in perler bead form, such as Bubble Bobble, Mario, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong (the original), and Zelda, naturally. Go check out the rest of her stuff and support a fellow gamer.

PixelCreations Etsy store