Friday, March 09, 2012

Mario doesn't call me a fag ...

New Zealand-based artist and blogger SUIKA recently showcased the piece of art below on his blog, IDC (I Don't Care).

What prompted SUIKA to produce this acrylic-on-canvas painting that combines a saucy bit of text and a blown-up sprite taken from that 16-bit classic, Super Mario World?



According to the man himself, the piece is "half a response to the question, Why do you like video games so much? Well, Mario's not gonna' complain about the state of the economy, or call me an abomination and tell me who I can't marry or criticize the way I dress. So, how could I not prefer video games to real life?"

I can't say I disagree.

To take a better look at this creation--which SUIKA calls "Super Mario Fag"--check out the artist's deviantart gallery here. (A similarly cool and uplifting piece, which includes a sprite pulled from Pokémon Silver, can be seen here.)

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Hot off the presses: PC Engine Gamer #6

OK, so the latest issue of PC Engine Gamer magazine isn't exactly hot of the presses, as it hit the Internet about a month ago. Still, it's well worth checking out if you're any kind of fan of the sexy little console that took Japan by storm in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The highlights of this particular issue, in my humble opinion: An article about loads of in-the-works homebrew titles and a ton of in-depth reviews (of Golden Axe, P-47, Spin Pair and Tatsujin).

Oh, and there are numerous references to Married ... With Children, which were much appreciated by yours truly.

Enjoy all of the above and more by checking out the sixth issue of PC Engine Gamer here.(Earlier issues of this digital publication can be found here, by the way.)

In related news: The folks at The PC Engine Software Bible--who are responsible for putting together each and every issue of PC Engine Gamer--recently created a rather fabulous 2012 calendar that can be downloaded (for free) at www.pcengine.co.uk/calendar.htm.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Who wouldn't want to play a weird Japanese arcade game featuring a former Prime Minister, Michael Jackson and Madonna?

Shortly after I get back to Seattle (this weekend), I'm going to do something I haven't done in a very long time. No, I'm not going to pluck my eyebrows--although I will do that at some point. Rather, I'm going to download an old arcade ROM and play it via MAME.

Which game, you ask? Gonbee no I'm Sorry, which was released (in Japan) by Coreland and Sega in 1985.


I discovered the existence of this odd little Pac-Man clone while perusing the rather humorously and straightforwardly titled VGJunk blog, which I've been following for some time now, yesterday--in case you're curious as to what prompted this recent addition to my "to do as soon as I get home" list.

As for why I just described Gonbee no I'm Sorry as "odd" (and why I'm so interested in giving it a go): This should-have-become-a-classic quarter-muncher stars former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka--who, according to VGJunk's proprietor (sorry, I don't know his name), was "so corrupt he'd make Silvio Berlusconi look above board."


That's not the only reason I want to play Gonbee no I'm Sorry, of course. Another reason I'm itching to spend some quality time with it: Two of the baddies that chase the corrupt former PM around each maze-like stage as he attempts to collect the gold bars that are scattered about are popstars Michael Jackson and Madonna, both of whom can be seen in the screenshot above.

While you wait for me to acquire and experience--and, possibly, review--this sure-to-be-weird title, all of you who are interested should head over to VGJunk and read all that blog has to say about it.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

I don't know about you, but I think the animated, polygonal enemies in Etrian Odyssey IV look pretty darn awesome

I have to admit, I was more than a bit skeptical when I read that Etrian Odyssey IV would include animated, polygonal enemies rather than the static, hand-drawn ones that have appeared in every other Etrian Odyssey release.

After watching the following trailer for this soon-to-be-released--on July 5, in Japan--3DS title, though, I'm feeling much less apprehensive. Actually, I'm feeling pretty darn excited about the game at the moment--in large part because the aforementioned animated and polygonal enemies look pretty awesome to these eyes.



What do all of you think? Did the trailer above serve to pique your interest in Etrian Odyssey IV?

Regardless, here's hoping this Atlus-made RPG makes its way to Australia, Europe and North America sooner rather than later--so all of us Etrian Odyssey fans can once again scratch our dungeon-crawling itches.

(Via andriasang.com)

Monday, March 05, 2012

You've just got to love Mighta's beady little eyes (and hands and feet and everything else)

Mighta isn't the only Bubble Bobble character with beady eyes and other features in the photo below, of course. Bobblun (Bob), Bubblun (Bub), Monsta, PulPul and Zen-Chan are all a bit beady, too--thanks to the Perler Beads that make up their bodies.



The creations above were made by artist and blogger Kasey Tararuj, by the way. Check out her wonderful blog here, and check out a post about one of her previous creations--a three-dimensional Bubble Bobble-themed painting--in "For once, Bobblun gets the spotlight."