Mamotte Knight: Not your mother's tower defense game

At least, that's blogger PepsimanVsJoe's assessment of the just-released Xbox LIVE Indie Games title.

"It's a unique take on the genre that combines chaotic action with just the right amount of strategy for some of the most fun I've gotten out of the XBL Indie Service," he opines in his rather rambling (in a good way) review.

PepsimanVsJoe's lone point of contention with the Ancient-developed title? The inability to play it on line.

"Oh, sure, the game is more than enough fun by yourself," he writes, "but if you're like me and all your friends would rather play World of Warcraft or Call of Duty, well, that's just too bad."

I can understand the gripe, as I'd certainly be restricted to playing the $3 game alone if I picked it up--which I would if, you know, I had an Xbox 360.

Speaking of which, what do you think are the chances Microsoft will drop the system's price to $99 at the upcoming E3 event?

See also: 'SAVE ME ... MY HERO! DEFEAT F$%KIN' GOBLINS!'

8-bit invasion

What would happen if the creatures from our favorite 8-bit video games came to life and invaded New York City? That's the question artist Patrick Jean (and his colleagues at the French visual effects studio, OneMoreProd) attempted to answer in the following short film, Pixels:



In related news: The word on the street is that Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison Productions, has partnered with Jean to develop a feature film based on Pixels.

'Tetris Tetris Everywhere'

While randomly perusing Flickr earlier this evening, I came across an amusing gallery called "Tetris Tetris Everywhere."

Of the gallery's 18 photos, this one is my favorite:

I especially like its title, "Rest in Tetris."

To see the rest of the gallery's photos, go here.

See also: 'It's show and tell time!'

Ash Ketchum's (and Maré Odomo's) 'Letters to an Absent Father'

I know I'm a bit late to this particular party, but I'm going to write about it anyway.

"It," as you can probably tell from the headline above, is artist Maré Odomo's Pokémon-themed comic series, "Letters to an Absent Father."

Each of the 10 (so far) comics focuses on the Pokémon protagonist, Ash Ketchum, and the letters he writes to his estranged father. Here's the first:

They're all more than a bit melancholy, but they're touching, too. And, as you can see in the image above, they're easy on the eyes.

Check out the rest of Odomo's "Letters to an Absent Father" comics here, and check out the rest of his portfolio here.

Random aside: Although Odomo hails from San Jose, he currently lives in Seattle. Booyah! Maybe I'll send him an e-mail at some point (after I've had a drink or two)...

In my oh-so-gay opinion: The five most iconic system designs of all time

I know this may shock some of the younger visitors to this blog (assuming there are any), but game companies haven't always been as interested as they seem to be today in designing systems that are aesthetically pleasing. Just look at ye olde Nintendo Entertainment System, which, by most accounts, was big, boxy and, well, butt ugly.

I wouldn't use any of those adjectives--well, with the exception of "boxy"--to describe the following systems, which I consider to be the cream of the crop when it comes to eye-pleasing design.

Dreamcast--OK, so Sega's fourth console is a bit boxy. It's not big, though, and it's certainly not butt ugly. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the Dreamcast is slightly sexy--in a sort of utilitarian way. That dainty little swirl on the lid is awfully appealing, too.

GameBoy--You know, now that I'm thinking about it, the GameBoy and the Dreamcast are pretty similar aesthetically--which, I guess, is why both of them made it on to this little list. If I was forced at gunpoint to choose between them, though, I'd probably point to the GameBoy thanks to its softer, rounder features. Still, it's a bit like choosing between a Da Vinci and a Picasso, isn't it?

PC Engine--A ha! Now we're getting somewhere. Goodbye, gray boxes--hello, white boxes! To be fair, aside from the fact that this system is square in shape it's hardly what I would call "boxy." I also wouldn't call it boring, what with its bumps and curves and ridges. Plus, it sports--front and center and in fire engine red--what is, in my opinion, the coolest console logo ever created.

PSone--Honestly, I thought the original PlayStation design was a total dud. It kind of reminds me of the what I see when I look at the NES sans rose-colored glasses. The PSone, though, is a cutie patootie, as Rosie O'Donnell used to say, especially when its accompanied by one of Sony's flip-top LCD monitors.

Super Famicom--I guess it's clear by now that I prefer simple, sleek system designs to those that are more, er, "adventurous"--like the Mega Drive or the SuperGrafx. Still, it's hard to deny that the Super Famicom is one sexy piece of equipment. That said, this is one system that benefits a lot from being seen alongside its controllers, which add a punch of color and, more importantly, a subtle sense of drama.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you have a video game fetish'