So when the collector in me sees game rooms like this (and this) it really makes me question my commitment. I fully understand that I, in fact, do have a life, and other things that I have to spend money on than video games. At least that’s what I tell myself, because, frankly, I’m jealous… very, very, very jealous.
When cart racing just doesn’t do it for you any more, maybe it’s time you turned to spring-coiled mini car racing (although that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as easily). Mad Tracks is the newest addition to the previously nonexistent list of Xbox Live Arcade racing games. Who knows why developers apparently think cars don’t make for good downloadable content? Either way, Mad Tracks is a welcome addition to XBLA, but it might be targeted a bit more to the casual racers out there.
Early this morning The Smash Bros. Dojo blog finally updated with something that got me excited for the game. No, it’s not another new, old character. It wasn’t an item either, or even a board. It was updated with the types of controllers that the game is compatible with. A collective sigh of relief was heard by fanboys across the world (myself included) with the sight of the GameCube controller. Recent interweb rumors have led to the idea that the Wii-mote would be the primary input device for the game. While it is still an option, it looks like gamers will have the choice for a more precise game with either the GameCube Controller or the Classic Controller, and potentially limited functionality with the sideways Wii remote. It'd be a safe bet to start scouring stores for a Wavebird (the greatest controller ever made) for a little wireless Mario butt-kicking.
Working in the game industry, you get lots of Tchotchkes or swag -- essentially, promotional items or gifts given away by game companies. Aside from the usual mugs, pens, backpacks and stickers, once in a while, we get a really unique piece of swag. Case in point: this Brooktown High letterman jacket. We gave it to one of our producers/whipping boy Jason M., who graciously modeled it for all to see. Look how he instantly transforms from geek to jock just by putting it on...
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Our good buddy Pete from Game Head was also at the Pac-Man event yesterday, and he heard a little something about us while he was there...
Microsoft rep #1: "Hey, has anyone seen Pac-Man anywhere?"
Microsoft rep #2: "I think MTV has him in the bathroom...for real."
Wondering just what sort of hijinks we were up to? Well you'll have wait and watch the G-Hole later on to find out. MWAHAHA...
At the Pac-Man World Championships, we ran into the man that Xbox 360 fanboys and girls know and love -- namely, Major Nelson (whose real name is Larry Hyrb), the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. He keeps gamers informed of all things Xbox on his blog, including the new Pac-Man Championship Edition, available at 5 a.m. EST tomorrow. Major -- er, Larry -- was a cool guy, and he had us laughing our asses off with his enthusiastic explanation of the whole event (despite his bad run-ins with Pac-Man at the workplace). If there were achievement points for being entertaining, Major Nelson would get the full thousand.
Pac-Man has lasted for 26 years and with new mazes and modes on the way, it'll reach generations beyond what creator Toru Iwatani ever imagined. In fact, it already has: above is a photo of 13 year-old James Rodgers, who is the U.K. champion and placed sixth overall (ahead of legend Billy Mitchell who placed eighth). We didn't get a chance to talk to him, but I heard through the grapevine that he and his dad saw that the tournament was coming up and decided to use their quality time together just beefing up their Pac-Man skills (I guess they don't play catch in the U.K.). That's a pretty amazing feat for such a young kid. But he better watch out, because Billy Mitchell Jr. plans to live up to his dad's legacy:
So Jaded Cynic had the opportunity to get his Pac-Man marquee signed by two Pac-Man legends -- creator Toru Iwatani and Billy Mitchell, the first person ever to score a perfect score (3,333,360) in Pac-Man in 1999. When we interviewed Iwatani for our upcoming G-Hole segment, he said he had no idea a perfect score could be achieved -- that is, until Billy came along. However today, in this tournament, Billy placed eighth overall (I guess the new version of Pac-Man threw him off a bit). Regardless, Billy was as nice as could be, signing autographs, giving interviews and handing out bottles of his proprietary hot sauce:
Okay, so I have problems. Number one: I’m a nerd. Number two: I collect things. Number three: I try to do my best to be creative when combining the first two things. Case in point: when the opportunity arises for me to have a few minutes with the creator of one of my all-time favorite video games, I seize it and then go the extra mile.
Continue reading "Pac-Man Marquee + Creator = Awesomeness" »
Apparently, I’m the designated Pac-Man enthusiast for MTV.com. So much so, that my co-workers thought it would be a good idea for me to actually play against (read: get destroyed by) the newly crowned Pac-Man World champion, Carlos Romero, in an upcoming episode of our videogame show, The G-Hole. So what happened?
It’s kinda sad; I wasn’t even close. I barely broke 90,000 points in fives minutes of the Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Carlos scored somewhere in the realm of 170,000. I'll admit that he's far superior to me, but he also had a whole day (and an entire tournament’s worth) of practice. It was the first time I even saw the game...
Continue reading "Getting Beat at Pac-Man Championship Edition in Five Minutes" »
