Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Meh, The Bad and The Weird: Clayfighter


Last week, I started this column to talk about all the games out there that are either: a) really bad, b) really weird or c) really weird and really bad.

This week, instead of doing a game that is really bad, I'm focusing on one that is actually not that bad, just pretty weird. That game is Clayfighter.

Clayfighter is a game that uses that digitized video technique (like Mortal Kombat), except this uses digitized claymation. So, basically think of it as Sub-Zero meets Wallace and Grommit. One of the weird parts of it is it's plot. It's basically that a meteor hit a circus, gave all the workers clay-based super powers and they all fight to see who will be king of the circus. They've got a Strongman named "Tiny", a Wagneres

Boogerman: A Pick and Flick AdventureImage via Wikipedia

que Opera singer named Helga, an over the top (but pretty funny) Elvis impersonator named "Blue Suade Goo", just to name a few.

The company that made this game, Interplay, made other games too. Some of them include Earthworm Jim and Boogerman (which I will try to do soon), and the company was widely considered the Troma (those people that made Toxic Avenger and Kabukiman) of video game companies.

Back to what I was saying. I remember playing it as a kid, and getting pretty scared from the clowns in it. By today's standards it'd be considered maybe Teen or at least E 10+ but when my mom got me it, it was made before the ESRB was made so it lacked the ratings sticker. I can't honestly blame my mom for getting it, because on the front, it looks like a nice game for kids.

One of the things Clayfighter does differently from other fighting games is the timer. You see, in most fighting games, the timer is a little clock at the top of the screen that's slowly counting down from usually 60. But in Clayfighter, they use a little bomb with a fuse at the bottom. I'm just so used to looking up for the time left, only to be thinking there isn't any time limit.
Something kinda unique it does from other fighting games is that whenever you hit your opponent, a little "POW!" bubble (kinda like the ones in comic books) appears. The whole time I was playing, I kept having flashbacks to the ol' Adam West Batman TV series.



The only major problem with this game is that the final boss character is a massive let down. When you play Street Fighter or DOA, you expect some tough, awesome-looking final boss, right? Not in Clayfighter. You get stuck with "N. Boss" (get it? "N. Boss", "End Boss"? LOLPUN) which is probably a reference also to M. Bison of Street Fighter fame. All N. Boss is, is simply a circle of clay balls with eyes. That's it. No fancy lazer beems, no cutscene long combo attacks, no SNK Boss Syndrome, just a cirlce of clay.

Like it said before, Clayfighter is not a bad game. It's just really weird, and the weirdness is likely intentional.

The next "The Meh, The Bad and The Weird" will be going back to what I did with the first one, and doing bad games this time. I'll give you a hint: it's for the Sega Genesis.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Left 4 Dead Poll Shows Surprising Results

(Above: Click for Better View)

We've all heard how there have been petitions by Left 4 Dead fans who are outraged by Vavle's decision to release Left 4 Dead 2, right?

Well, this shows that a majority of people on L4DMods.com are happy with Left 4 Dead 2 coming out, just being a free update. Fallowed by that is a near-even split people wanting it to pay either full price for it or half price for it being Downloadable Content.

Granted, this isn't an official poll by Valve, so this may not actually mean anything.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Smashball (For Reals this Time!)


So... Smashball is out now. You should get it.

Pic of The Day


Wow, that is one helluva old game. I found this when checking up on America's Army 3 (which I will be talking about soon) downloading on Steam.

Video of Yesterday



Yeah, I kinda forgot to write the other article today. I had to do some stuff... I'll leave it at that.

I'll work on my next "The Meh, The Bad and The Weird" tomorrow. I'll give you all a hint: it's like Mortal Kombat... For kids!

Update: This is weird, I wrote this at like 1 am, and it says I wrote it at 9:44 pm yesterday. What a country!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

1988 Mode




I was reading this article by Wired Magazine and read about an intriguing little something called "1988 Mode"

1988 mode isn't really an actual game mode per say, but is a way of playing games where you play any modern game such as say Halo 3, but play it like games were back in the '80s. No save spots, and if you die, you have to start back from the beginning.

Sounds kinda cool actually. I might try having a contest where people try and get as far as they can in that mode at a LAN I've been planning for almost a year now.

Do any of you think it sounds interesting? Feel free to leave a comment on it down below.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Vid of The Day

RELEASE THE BOGUS

New writer, GET!


Hey y'all. It's Elisha aka katamaris4ever. I got invited to write for this blog, and since I do some Freelancing reviews, I guess I'll keep everyone posted. Watch out for my Rhythm Heaven review in the coming days, as well as some surprise picks soon. Thanks for letting me be a part of this blog!

Ghostbusters!



Well people, it's finally here. The long anticipated Ghostbusters game just came out today for all consoles (including PS2!). This game was written by ghostbusting actors Dan Aykroyd (Ray) and Harold Ramis (Egon), which technically makes this game Ghostbusters 3. In this game you play as a new recruit, hired to test weapons too dangerous for the main characters. Throughout the game you use your movie-accurate proton pack to damage ghosts and then bring them into the trap to be captured. While I haven't bought the game (yet), the game has gotten more than favorable reviews, including from the most picky Ghostbusters fans. Even when the game looks bad, or comes to a bad spot, its sheer greatness manages to overshadow it all. Also after the main story is a multiplayer mode, lots of secrets in the single player, and an online co-op mode. You can bet I wont be the only one bustin' some ghosts soon.

Nintendo releases Movie Service

Wii MenuImage via Wikipedia

Yes, that's right: Nintendo has released a Movie On-Demand service kinda like what the PS3 and Xbox 360 have... only in Japan though.

Is it me, or do the Japanese sometimes just do this to torment us? Not only do they get Japan-exclusive games, but now only they get cool stuff like this too. I can just imagine Satoru Iwata rolling around in his big pile of money, laughing at all of us.

Or, they could just be using Japan as a test market for all of this.

If it does come to America, it could mean the beginning of Nintendo trying to catch up to Microsoft and Sony. And if doesn't, it could just be the Japanese keeping all the good stuff for themselves again.

(IGN.com)

Monday, June 15, 2009

Valve Releases TF2 Map Editor Changes

The box art for Team Fortress 2Image via Wikipedia


According to the Official TF2 blog, there are new additions to the Source SDK that will make it easier for beginning map makers to make maps. One of the main additions is the ability to modify pre-existing maps instead of having to start with a blank slate. For example, one could change around where health and ammo packs are placed (along with what kind), or add more spots for Engineers to add sentries. Valve is planning on adding this feature to more maps in the future.

(TF2 Blog)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Atari Wallet

The crafty NileZ of NilesZ.com has made something pretty darn awesome. The thing that I speak of is a wallet made entirely out of an Atari 2600 cartridge (except for one single screw, he says).



What next? A lunchbox made out of a Genesis? A coin purse made out of a Gameboy?

I kinda want one...

Everybody Polkamon!


While this isn't really "news", but moreso a neat little video I found. Y'see, apparently Weird Al made a song for the Pokemon 2000 soundtack called "Polkamon". It's kinda like his usual Polka Medleys he does. I've said enough, on with the Polka!



(Picture Unrelated)

Site News!


That's right, I've got some exciting news for Gentlemen and Hand Grenades. I have a feeling you all might like it.

First up: Videos. You've read the reviews, now we're making videos out of them. Along with video versions of our reviews, we're also doing a few little humorous videos here and there.

Next: We're also trying to get a comic strip. We've been meaning to work on this for a while now, and it looks like we're going to start on it soon. I just need word on it from the guy drawing it, so I won't say too much.

After that: There will also be a column that reviews Indie Games, done by good ol' Vic. It won't be this week, he's down in Arizona right now. He should be back in like a week.

Prizey-Prizey: I'm thinking about running a little contest in a bit, but haven't decided what exactly to do.

New Theme: I've been debating about changing the Theme/Template/Whatever around to a one that fits better, but I need to talk to Parp and Vic about that.

Lastly: I will be covering the San Diego Comic Con next month complete with pictures and videos. And this won't be one of those things where I summarize the whole thing after I get back, no, this will be a day by day coverage of it. I will be gone for a week before, but don't worry, we'll still be going and Gentlemen and Hand Grenades will be in good hands while I'm away.

In the meantime, please enjoy this video of everybody's favorite foul-mouthed Nerd:



Hope this all sounds good,
Phill

(Got any suggestions? Tell me at Phill_GaHG@yahoo.com)