Mario or not? Flash game Fun...

Oh my... just imagine that it's the 80's again and you're pounding away at Super Mario Bros. What would be it like it Link from Zelda or even Megaman were to enter into the Mushroom Kingdom? Ponder no more fellows as we have the flash game for you. You can pick one of 6 classic Nintendo characters and whoop the ass of those pesky Gumba's.There's even different upgrades when you get a Supershroom or Fireflower depending on what character you pick. it may be short but it's fun...

Check it out!

MIA's Comeback single BORN FREE, with accompanying sick video

On VIMEO or Youtube -



take a look at it on the tube quick, as it's getting pulled down fast and link won't last

Game News - More Red Dead Multiplayer Videos

Oh how sweet it is. The more I see the more I want, Red Dead is looking like it could be the game of the year... well, until Halo: Reach comes out at least.

Game News - Studio Ghibli & Level-5's DS RPG is nearly here

It won't be very long before Level-5's Ni no Kuni, the DS adventure game they're teaming up with animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli to produce, is out in stores. (This week's issue of Famitsu claims a fall release in Japan, but considering that the official site and every other source online says "spring 2010," this is quite likely a typo.)

To celebrate, Level-5 has released a bevy of new information from their DS mega-game, essentially revealing most of the intro and the first set of quests Oliver the hero undertakes. If you're sensitive to very light spoilers, feel free to skip the rest of this article.

- The game takes place in Hotroit, a white-bread industrial city that looks a bit like Anytown, U.S.A. as envisioned in the 1950s. Oliver and his friend Mark are both pre-teen tinkerers, retiring to the garage in their spare time to work on a secret car project they've been puttering around with for a while.

- One night, Oliver waits until his mother Allie is asleep, then sneaks out in order to test out the racer with Mark at the riverside. Allie, noticing that her son is missing, arrives at the scene just in time to witness Oliver crash the car and get thrown into the river, thrashing about helplessly. Allie dives in to rescue the boy as eyewitnesses look on, successfully bringing him back to shore uninjured. Just then, however, Allie is struck down with a heart attack and very suddenly passes away.

- Distraught, Oliver holes up in his room all day in mourning, clutching the doll that his mother made for him. He's rather surprised to find that the doll comes to life before his eyes. It calls itself Shizuku, a spirit from the world of Ni no Kuni, and claims that Oliver's tears are what freed him from a curse laid upon him by Jabow, an evil wizard. Shizuku wants Oliver to help him defeat Jabow and rescue the great sage Alicia -- who apparently shares souls with Allie over in the "real" world. If Oliver saves Alicia, Shizuku says, he might be able to bring Allie back to life as well.

- The pair proceed through a magical gate to Ni no Kuni, a fantastic world filled with strange characters -- many of whom bear an eerie resemblance to people and things Oliver knew in Hotroit. For example, the kingdom is run by Nyandahl XIV, a despotic ruler who looks quite a lot like a neighborhood cat named Frank that Oliver runs into now and again near his house. Nyandahl is extremely angry about something -- what, nobody knows for sure -- and refuses to help Oliver or even see him.

- Realizing that Ni no Kuni and Earth are more connected than at first glance, Oliver returns to his home world to find that Frank the cat is also acting rather annoyed -- he likes having the neighborhood dairy-shop owner clean his ears, but the lady hasn't done it lately because she's lost her special ear-pick. Oliver tracks down the pick, Frank is happy, and before long, our hero finds that this has changed things for the better in Ni no Kuni as well...

No US release has been announced for Ni no Kuni yet, but a DS game with this sort of game-design and animation talent behind it not getting an English version would seem a terrible shame indeed.

Thanks 1up!

Game News - Star wars: The old republic - video documentary: combat animations and design philosophy

Awe Inspiring Seed Cathedral Wows at Shanghai World Expo 2010

The fierce competition between showstopping pavilions is heating up in Shanghai as the opening of the World Expo 2010 draws nearer (May 1). But one pavilion has already been drawing in the crowds throughout its construction, thanks to an extraordinary bristling form of 60,000 fibre-optic rods, each with a seed implanted in its tip. The UK Pavilion, otherwise known as the Seed Cathedral, created by British design star Thomas Heatherwick and his studio, is quite simply the most extraordinary structure we have ever seen. And that's just the outside, wait till you see the seeds inside...

As Despoke.com reports the Seed Cathedral is "20 metres in height, formed from 60,000 slender transparent rods, each 7.5 metres long and each encasing one or more seeds at its tip. During the day, they act as optic fibres and draw daylight inwards to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources inside each rod allow the whole structure to glow. As the wind moves past, the building and its optic "hairs" gently move to create a dynamic effect."

Source article...

Official UK Expo Page

Game News: Halo: Reach BETA is coming

If you got yourself a copy of the underwhelming ODST you would have noticed an invite to the upcoming Halo: Reach multiplayer BETA testing. This time last year I didn't really give a cow's behind about this new game, being so dissapoinded with ouw muchI paid for a HALO 3 add on but now that we're fast approching one of the largest BETA tests ever undertaken for a game there's a fair bit to be excited about.

Along with the ability to run, new weapons, final kill moves and friggen jet packs there's a couple of new game modes in multiplayer that look quite interesting.
"Headhunter", players drop skulls upon death, which other players can pick up and deposit at special zones for points.
"Stockpile" has teams race to collect neutral flags, holding them at capture points every minute for points.
"Generator Defense" pits three Spartans versus three Elites. The Elites' objective is to destroy three generators, while Spartans defend the installation. After every round the players switch roles.
"Invasion" is a six versus six mode.

So I'm excited. With this BETA coming out as well as Red Dead Redemption you're listening to one excited little monkey... May should be a good month for gamers. Check out the below videos and tell me that you didn't drool even just a little...

Halo Reach Multiplayer Trailer


Watch a Bungie designer dominate at his own game… and then teach you how he did it

Gaming News - StarCraft Cheating Scandal Rocks South Korea

We all know South Korea takes their StarCraft seriously, but here's a new window into just how seriously: Reports of widespread match-fixing and illegal betting is rocking the pro-gamer StarCraft community in the country, literally shaming some of the most popular professional StarCraft players into retiring.

As Gamepron reports, "various pro gamers" were involved in rigging their matches in coordination with illegal gambling groups, having some players intentionally lose their matches as well as leak replay files of their matches to said gambling groups. But it wasn't just a few current players involved in the deceit -- evidently the widespread match-fixing involved retired players and coaches who helped the gambling rings get in contact with the current players in the first place.

And what's more, reports state that the e-sports organizers in South Korea knew about the match-fixing (although for how long isn't clear), and attempted to resolve the issue themselves before actually discussing "the possibility of co-existing with the illegal betting sites."

As it turns out, South Korea's human rights laws prohibit the names of criminals from being released, so who specifically is implicated in this massive scandal is still unknown for sure. However, reports state the scandal touches "many A-list StarCraft celebrities," including Ja Mae Yoon (AKA "sAviOr"), one of the best-known pro-StarCraft players in the country. In fact, the cheating is so rampant and such a large story in South Korea that it's even been likened to the 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which several Chicago White Sox players were discovered to be throwing matches during the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Yes, this is that serious in South Korea.

Interesting side note: The Black Sox scandal was partly the inspiration for the wildly inaccurate song "Kenesaw Mountain Landis" (note some NSFW lyrics) by Jonathan Coulton, who has of course written quite a few videogame-related songs as well (including "Still Alive" for Portal). We can only hope this means Coulton will some day write a wildly inaccurate song about the Great StarCraft Scandal of Twenty Ten. Thanks 1up...

Ooooh...

wouldn't you feel cozy in one of these? It's a macho-snuggie.




from the image-jamming bog pictureisunrelated.com

The Manket - surely this is an idea that has been waiting to happen, far beyond a mere 'crash out cardigan', this takes nerder slacking to a whole new level - their slogan really should be "because you want to stay in bed, but really should go to work"

The Manket is a moniker that also applies to a snuggly sexual position, but that is something else entirely. We're not sure if the Manket is for real or exists only in blogger's minds... but if the latter is the case then the idea seems to be catching, as there is also the 'Lippieselkbag' which, sensibly, also has arms.

Game News - Crisis 2 trailer!

As you all know the first trailer of Crysis 2 had hit the web. Electronic Arts and Crytek set the trailer up live in New York City’s Time Square on Tuesday. Now as was planned Crytek have spilled the beans by revealing a an extended trailer of the game. Its safe to say that all the footage is in game. So the footage shows a warzone with all the helicopters flying around the absolutely destroyed New York City. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of the nano suit and various aliens attacking New York City. Also EA and Crytek have teamed up with award winning Richard Morgan to write Crysis 2’s story.

“Video games are one of the only things in my life I would qualify as a complete addiction,” said Richard Morgan. “The medium has every bit the potential for exciting and emotionally charged storytelling as literature and film, and I’m excited to explore this format on my first project in partnership with a world class developer like Crytek.”

“At Crytek, we pride ourselves on working with the most elite talent in the industry, and Richard is no exception,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “He has helped us take our ideas for Crysis 2 and transform them into a story that really engages the player in many new and exciting ways. His passion for his craft and for games is a perfect match for our team and we can’t wait for gamers to experience this collaboration.” source article...

Gaming - 20 of the Worst Gaming Box Art

Oh man, this stuff is bad... I'll post a few of my favourites but if you feel like some more, check out the source page.

Gaming Video - Modern Warfare 2 Ad That’s Too Dirty For TV

You won’t be seeing this version of this commercial for Modern Warfare 2 on television as it has been deemed to dirty for TV. An edited version has been seen running on TV but the only place to catch the unedited version of the ad is right here on the internet. The ad is entitled ‘Everybody’s Doing It’ as you will see why below.

Game News - Red Dead Redemption "Multiplayer Free Roam" video released

Cool Video - PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN

Wow, what a cool little flick... well worth having a look, even if you're not a fan of video games.


PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Arts and animation videos.

Zero Punctuation: God of War III

Gaming News - Leaked Duke Nukem Forever Footage

Now let's not get too excited now, the 1st of April was a few days ago and there was a similar hype release this time last year. I don't think that the game will ever come out but it's interesting too see what they were up too. Looks a little last gen to me, but hey you gotta some get some at some stage.

Video - The Story Of Stuff

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration.

Annie Leonard, an activist who has spent the past 10 years traveling the globe fighting environmental threats, narrates the Story of Stuff “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.”

Check it out, most of it can be found online, infact here's an 8 minute clip about "The Story Of Bottled Water". The animation style is cute and actually keeps you engaged while learning about some pretty heavy topics.

Linky to homepage

Zero Punctuation: Final Fantasy XIII