The Advocate: Microsoft Tries to Mend Rift With "Gaymers"

Yesterday, The Advocate published (on its website) an article I wrote about Microsoft's policy of suspending the Xbox Live accounts of gamers who include "gay" or "lesbian" in their gamertags or profiles.

Read the article here: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid75481.asp

Money quote: Stephen Toulouse, program manager for policy and enforcement on Xbox Live, told me, “We have heard clearly that customers want the ability to self-identify [and] it's our job to provide this in a way that cannot be misused.”

Unfortunately, Toulouse wouldn't say how or when Microsoft will provide that ability to LGBT gamers, but acknowledging a problem is the first step to solving it, right?

All I want for Christmas is a Famicom cart converted into a handheld

Some crazy (crazy smart!) guy has turned a Mario Bros. Famicom cartridge into an operable handheld gaming system that plays Famicom/NES ROMs.



Here's hoping he finds a way to mass produce them :)

Kirby + Katamari Damacy = kick-ass Wii game

I'll expound upon this comment in a latter post, but I believe Keita Takahashi's Katamari Damacy to be one of the most artistic, enjoyable and interesting games of the past decade.

As such, it shouldn't be a surprise to read that I'm intrigued by the following video:



Takahashi has had nothing to do with The Munchables (due out in May), but it sure seems like someone at Namco Bandai is invoking his spirit (as well as the spirit of Pac-Man creator Tōru Iwatani).

For more on this curious creation, check out the game's official website.

Princess Mario

Sometimes style trumps substance, you know? A perfect example:



I found this image while perusing Flickr this morning. It's from a Super Mario World player's guide sold in Japan.

I'm actually surprised such a costume/outfit hasn't yet appeared in a Super Mario game, given Nintendo's penchant for strangely LGBT-leaning characters. (More on that soon...)

Hudson to (hopefully) make a welcome return to the Wii VC in March with Detana!! TwinBee

It has been too long, Hudson. Too long. The last time you released a TurboGrafx-16 title on the Wii Virtual Console was October 2008 (when you offered up the wonderful Gradius II and the not-so-wonderful Digital Champ Battle Boxing).

All will be forgiven in March, though, if you release Bomberman '94 and Detana!! TwinBee (neither of which were released outside of Japan back in the day). (Hudson's own VC website suggests it will happen, though it has been wrong in the past.)

With those two gems out of the way, hopefully you'll finally turn your attention to Parasol Stars, one of the best games to be released for the TurboGrafx-16 (in my humble opinion). Maybe you could release the Japan-only Rainbow Islands as well?