The GAME OVERTHINKER

EPISODE 65: "Open The Vault!"

2012-01-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

New show! You go watch now! YOU GO WATCH NOW!

The main thrust of this episode - the need for the license-holders to classic games to get that material back out there for the good of the medium, the fans and themselves - is one I expect to see become a BIG discussion-point as digital-distribution tech becomes as prominent for gaming as it is for music and movies. Golden-age games are going to get out there (much moreso than NOW, I mean) one way or another... so the industry might as well get out in front of it. The all-but innevitable spectacle of Nintendo (and you KNOW it'll be Nintendo) morphing into Metallica to downloadable-classics' Napster would be a pathetic sight I'd rather we avoid.

ALSO! This is the first of the new episodes to "fully" embrace the new presentation-format for the story-segments - i.e. a brief "teaser" before the opening credits followed by a (sometimes) lengthier chunk of it at the conclusion of the main episode. This particular "chunk" involves a MAJOR development for the "RetroThinker" character that I can't wait to hear what people think of. Embedded episode and SPOILERS after the jump:

So! If you're wondering, this is NOT the way RetroThinker's story was originally set to play out; though it has been since at least shortly after I began shooting the live-action footage for these segments.

When I initially sketched out this whole arc, the Yellow Jewel (and now you know why RT wears his silly yellow shirt) was going to be the power source for a time machine RetroThinker would seek out and attempt to use to return to his own era - which would then malfunction and A.) set up an easter-egg for the NEXT arc and B.) "generate" an evil version of himself called NecroThinker (who was concieved, from the beginning, as a Black Lantern parody who commanded video-zombies.) RetroThinker would then battle NecroThinker - ultimately sacrificing his chance to return home to defeat him - and the "malfunction" would be revealed to have been a deliberate act by the Monster Voice Guy.

But while setting up the "final" scripts, it occured to me (and yes, audience feedback was a contributing factor here) that there wasn't really all that much "difference" between OverThinker and RetroThinker as characters - in as much as OverThinker and "real Bob" are both pretty fixated on retro-gaming as it is - so having the new bad guy fought by a guy who was already too much like the hero was going to come out sloppy and could probably be made more interesting. What you now see the beginning of here, a sympathetic good-guy becoming a villain and OverThinker having to combat a retro-centric villain, was the obvious choice is terms of taking the story in a different direction while continuing the goofy/low-rent Tokusatsu send-up vibe I've been aiming for.

The only aspect of this episode I'm not 100% satisfied with is that NecroThinker's costume doesn't look as good here as I wanted to - we had a narrow production window for the matching-shots on the transformation, so we went with temporary version of his cape as I hadn't finished making the "final" one at the time. It looks alright (the final version is made of heavier material but has the same basic color and design) but I'd prefer it "move" a little less like the plastic tablecloth we made it out of. Ah well. The mask, at least, remains suitably creepy IMO.

As for what comes next? Stay tuned ;)

Everybody Do The "Big Nintendo Announcement" Dance!!!

2012-01-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nintendo has announced that The Wii-U and (presumably sooner) 3DS will support "The Nintendo Network" - an online service for digital-distribution, DLC and (presumably) superior online-multiplayer.

Oh, goody! It's dance time!

Places everyone - you know the steps by now!

Predictable Nintendo Fanboys: Get really, really excited and start pretending that you never ever once said that this particular feature - which literally every other console manufacturer in the business has already been doing for at least six years - wasn't important and/or that Nintendo was better off without it!

Predictable Nintendo Haters: That's your cue to start acting like the "late-to-the-party" thing is really, really significant - and make sure to punctuate with an "Oooooh, super! I can't wait to play [insert-unpopular-Wii-title-here] online!"

Round n' round n' round we go! WHEEEEEEE!!!

Capcom Uses PS3 Exclusives to Flip Off Mega Man Fans

2012-01-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

Hat-tip: ScrewAttack

Capcom does NOT have a good relationship with "Mega Man" fans these days. Series creator Keiji Inafune left the company last year, and the lack of (good) new projects in the series coupled with the cancellation of "Mega Man Legends 3" and "Mega Man Universe" has turned fans heavily negative on the company.

Capcom's irritation at the situation, along with irritating at the constant drumbeat for the character to pop up as a guest-star in the company's numerous crossover titles, HAS to have just a tiny bit to do with the content this trailer for PS3-exclusive characters in "Street Fighter vs. Tekken;" in which Mega Man is featured in a somewhat unexpected form...

Episode 65 Update (UPDATED!)

2012-01-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

UPDATE! I am informed that "Episode 65's" technical issues have been resolved, and the episode should be back up for Advantage-member viewing later this evening. As set before, the episode will be viewable by all audiences Tuesday, January 31st.

Okay, so... "Episode 65" was supposed to go up for early-viewing by Advantage members today and briefly did a few hours ag;, but there were some technical issues and the video has been temporarily taken down. I can't offer any more details than that, but the problem being worked on and should be back up soon.

I apologize to any Advantage viewers who may have been inconvenienced by this delay. In addition, at this time the issue is not expected to impact the scheduled all-audiences debut of the episode this coming Tuesday, January 31st.

Seeking Musicians

2012-01-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

Are you or do you know a musician who works in the "chiptune" (aka "old-school video-game style music") medium? Looking for a potential opportunity for work and exposure? Read on!

"The Game OverThinker" needs some new theme and soundtrack music, and I'm looking to work with some independent chiptune-style artists in order to get it made.

Here's what I'd be looking for - and it need not come from only ONE artist (as easy as that would make my opening credits...)

- Music in the vein of NES-era Capcom/Konami games, composed as repeatable loops.
- A short, punchy "intro" theme.
- At least 2 "action" themes.
- A "sitting around the house" theme.
- A "scary/bad stuff happening" theme.
- A "funny hijinks" theme.

This would be the terms of any deal: The ONLY thing I'm going to ask for is permission/rights to use the pieces in the show - the original artists will retain ALL rights to their work and can do whatever else they want with it, and I will put that in writing.

If this is of interest to you, please post some contact information in the talkback below (if posting anonymously, please include something for me to call you.)

EPISODE 64: "Beyond SOPA"

2012-01-22T00:58:00.000-08:00

SOPA and PIPA are dead for now, and even the ESA has dropped it's support. This episode isn't about that... this is about what happens next...

ALSO! The "RetroThinker" story takes a surprising turn, and a bit of "tweaking" to the show-format is announced. Spoiler-ish discussion of all that and more after the jump.

Believe it or not, when I recorded the voiceover audio for this I had no idea that the SOPA/PIPA/ESA thing would tumble as quickly and as soon as it did, though I'm obviously happy for the serendipity. I hope I don't come off like a "downer," but I thought it was important in the midst of all the "fight the power!" mythmaking to acknowledge that the entertainment lobby DOES have a point about digital piracy being out of control and that at some point the same kind of mutual give-and-take sanity that prevailed in the downloadable-music fiasco has to prevail in downloadable-everything-else.

As to the ongoing saga of poor RetroThinker... well, if you think his situation seems unusual now; you won't believe what's in store for him next episode. I was a little nervous about this character/arc (still am, really) because it's a bit less of outright comedy as the AntiThinker or Ninja stuff, but so far I'm happy with how it's come together and very happy that people seem to have taken to him - for now, anyway...

Now, about the format business. Fun fact: Most of the live-action footage that you've seen since "Ninjamageddon" was shot over a few weeks in late October with some pickups in November; which has a lot (but not all) to do with why the change announced here (i.e. the bulk of the story/comedy stuff happening at the END of most episodes with just a setup teaser at the very beginning) is happening now instead of awhile ago - the footage had already been edited and finalized for "bookend"-style breakdowns. Now that I've "caught up" (Episode 65 will feature the absolute last of that "pre-shot" footage) I can start writing/shooting/cutting with an eye to "back-loaded" serious-part/silly-part divides.

ANYWAY! Next episode's topic will be of the educational variety; while the "story" segment will feature the return of a character not "seen" since before "War of The Thinkers" and a plot-turn that I have a feeling will be fairly divisive. So stay tuned for that...

2012-01-20T14:10:00.001-08:00

The ESA has dropped it's support of SOPA. Holy shit.

Okay, kind of beside the point since the bill (and it's cousin PIPA) are both effectively dead, but still a pretty big deal and a HUGE moment for the video-gaming community. If nothing else, it shows that the same fervor that's often mounted in support of silly causes like Diablo III's color-scheme or "nerfing" of this or that feature CAN in fact be mobilized to effect real concrete change in the industry; and that in itself is an incredibly positive development.

In terms of business/politics/history, this whole series of events also represents a pretty massive shift in the entertainment-industry power structure - essentially, the tech/digital side of the amusement biz (video games, Google, Wiki, YouTube etc) were on the winning side of a legislative defeat while the film/TV side came out the (corporate) losers. The Internet is now "officially" more powerful than Hollywood - that's a big change, and the aftershocks will be felt for a long time.

For those who're wondering about the status of the Stand Together boycott... as of right now, I don't know. Speaking only for myself, I think that it's incumbent upon to me to acknowledge that they "listened to us" and rescind the "no E3 coverage whatsoever" blackout for my own blogs; but I don't think I'll be throwing them a party either - they never should've supported the bill in the first place. I'll clarify that further once everyone invovled in the initial boycott gets on the same page.

As to "what's next?" Tomorrow night (Saturday) at 10pm CST, I'll have a NEW episode of The Game OverThinker up for ALL audiences that - rather presciently, if I do say so myslef - has a few things to say about where anti-piracy legislation and the relationship between the entertainment industry and it's audiences in an increasingly-digitized age needs to go. I hope you'll tune in - it also features the announcement of some "tweaking" to the format of the series that I think many will find very pleasing.

Resident Evil 6 is Looking a Little Brown

2012-01-19T23:40:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so... I'm just gonna be the guy who says it: This trailer for "Resident Evil 6" makes it look suspiciously like Capcom's zombie franchise has caught the Call of Duty virus. Maybe that's just a marketing thing, but it doesn't fill me with confidence.

New Episode Announcement

2012-01-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Head's up: EPISODE 64, which deals with SOPA and piracy, will debut this Saturday at 10pm CST... and because of the timely and important nature of the subject, there will be NO Advantage delay - it will be viewable by all audiences right off the bat.

ALSO: Episode 60 has made it's way to YouTube, so if you wanted to see it again now's your chance.

STAND TOGETHER - The Gaming Community vs SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-17T21:02:00.001-08:00

Short version: In solidarity with ScrewAttack.com and other websites, I will not be attending or directly-posting any news coverage of this year's E3 unless the ESA (which runs E3) rescinds it's support for the SOPA bill. Longer version:

Please link, repost, tweet etc. this video/blog as widely as possible; and I stand with the others in asking that you encourage other gaming/web outlets to join the "boycott" of E3.

HOWEVER! please remember that regardless or what this or that person may feel about SOPA; not everyone is in a position to refuse to attend or cover E3 and should NOT be ill-treated if they opt not to join this particular movement of SOPA opposition - the last thing we need at this time is to splinter and fractionalize, so I don't want to see anyone pulling any "this or that site is still going to E3! Traitors!!!" bullshit, okay? Okay.

Lollipop Chainsaw Villain Reveal

2012-01-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

The latest trailer for Suda51 and James Gunn's action/horror spoof "Lollipop Chainsaw" reveals the game's bad guy, "Swan," who has one of the most appropriate "goth kid" voices I've heard in something like this - he's not credited, but people are telling me it's probably Michael Rooker. (And, yes, that's Tara "Twilight Sparkle" Strong as the main character.)

"Indoor Kids" and HULK Plug TGO

2012-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Many, many big thanks to the great Film Crit Hulk for the nice plug for the show on the most-recent "Indoor Kids" podcast during a revisitation of the "Arkham City" kerfluffle. Have a listen HERE.

The whole thing was very interesting, but I'm especially glad to see someone come out strong on the notion (which has been on my mind as well) that the advent of voice-acting as a "must have" thing in modern gaming has been potential harmful to the medium in terms of storytelling - particularly in the case of JRPGs, which were once routinely held up as one of the BEST genres for delivering "big idea" narratives but became the stuff of punchlines once they had to start using voices instead of text.

Three More To The Tubes

2012-01-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

The older-eps-to-YouTube-migration is now as up to date as it can be, with the additons of #57: Supreme Responsibility, #58: Heavens to Metroid Revisited and #59: Bat-Slap.

Sonic the Hedgehog meets Progressive Flo; Squicky Fan-Art to Follow

2012-01-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

via Kotaku

Sega has lent out their maybe-not-"over"-anymore mascot to appear in commercials for Progressive Insurance opposite the company's own memetic spokesperson, Flo...

It's kind of cute until you realize the horrors it's going to spawn over in DeviantArt...

Video Games? THIS Is Why It's Hard To Stick Up For You Sometimes...

2012-01-06T00:58:00.000-08:00

hat-tip: ScrewAttack

Presented without further commentary, an apparently-legitimate Japanese print-ad for "Soul Calibur V."

I'm reasonably certain this is Ivy.

Still More YouTube "New" Episodes, Plus Updates

2012-01-05T00:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's the latest chunk of "new classics" now viewable on The Tubes: #54: Make It Rain, #55: What We Lost In The Fire and #56: Setting Sun.

Also, you may have seen earlier that I'll be busy at Arisia 2012...

Now, to show business: While I can't get into the specifics, I wanted to give people a head's-up that, while the production schedule of a series like this often makes "immediate" changes to format difficult, the concerns of many fans about the manner in which the "framing" skits are integrated into the main body of the show have been heard and a slight-but-significant "shakeup" in that format is coming soon (probably next episode, or at least an explanation thereof) that I think will A.) lead to better episodes overall and B.) be found agreeable by many.

Additionally, I wanted to say how glad I am that the "RetroThinker" storyline is being so well-recieved for the most part. On my end, he's a nice change of pace from the pantomime-slapstick of playing the two ninjas and the one-note douchiness of Anti-Thinker.

I'm aware that some are concerned that his "arc" is turning into a polemic against modern gaming; but to those fans I'd say please stay tuned and see where it actually ends up. I can't promise that everyone will LIKE where this character's "journey" is going... but I also don't think it's a direction many are "predicting" yet.

So, yeah... stay tuned for that :)

Here's Where The Game OverThinker Will Be at ARISIA 2012

2012-01-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

As mentioned before, I'm scheduled to be at the Boston Area scifi convention ARISIA 2012 the weekend of January 13 - 16 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Here's a quick rundown of panels/events (preliminary) where I'm schedule to appear (whole schedule available HERE)

Video-Gaming Panels in Boldface:
Friday 5:30 PM - "E.T. at 30."
Friday 7:00 PM - "The Future of Bioethics as Portrayed in Film"
Friday 8:30 PM - "Batman Through the Ages"
Friday 10:00 PM - "More Terrible SF/F Movies We Love"

Saturday 10:00 AM - "Gender and Video Games"
Saturday 1:00 PM - "Monsters in Motion: Harryhausen at Work"
Saturday 4:00 PM - "If You Liked Part 1..."
Saturday 10:00 PM - "The Death of PC Gaming May Be Greatly Exaggerated"

Sunday 1:00 PM - "Wonder Woman"
Sunday 10:00 PM - "Marvel Movies"

Monday 10:00 AM - "Star Wars at 35"
Monday 11:30 AM - "MST3K: The Panel"
Monday 1:00 PM - "The Alien as Metaphor"

Vox To Launch Gaming Site

2012-01-04T11:08:00.001-08:00

Big news from the world of games journalism today, as Vox Media (the folks behind The Verge) have announced the launch of a gaming news site. To start with, they've hired up a murderer's-row of established industry talent: Chris Grant (formerly of Joystiq), Justin McElroy (Joystiq), Brian Crecente (Kotaku), Russ Pitts (The Escapist), Chris Plante, Russ Frushtick, Arthur Gies and Griffin McElroy.

Russ Pitts I know personally - he's one of the people who helped pluck your's truly out of YouTube obscurity and was a key figure in shaping Escape to The Movies and The Big Picture. Just wanted to toss he and his new compatriots some extra promotion. Good luck, guys!

More To The Tubes

2012-01-03T00:39:00.000-08:00

Four more episodes have made their way to YouTube:

The Episode 50 Commentary
#51: Putting The Cart Before The Cloud
#52: Dark Days
#53: Things Learned In The Dark

EPISODE 63: "The Rose-Colored Reality"

2012-01-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The brand-new episode is now LIVE a full day early! Hear The OverThinker consider whether our affection for the Golden Age has been overblown... and learn what became of The RetroThinker in the modern world!

New Episode Coming January 3rd!

2011-12-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

Head's up! EPISODE 63 will debut for all-audiences this coming Monday, January 3rd, at 11pm EST. ScrewAttack Advantage members can get a special early look tonight (Friday) at the same time.

American Classic Arcade Museum Seeks Your Help!

2011-12-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

hat-tip: Kotaku.
The American Classic Arcade Museum is seeking donations to aquire several rare classic arcade machines - including Discs of Tron! - from a private collector. I've made a donation, and I encourage any readers who are able/willing to do the same. Read on past the jump for details.

The American Classic Arcade Museum (ACAM) is located within a famous New Hampshire family entertainment complex called "The Funspot," which many of you may have seen in the film "King of Kong." While "Funspot" itself is a business, the ACAM is a registered nonprofit operation dedicated to not only collecting vintage arcade machines but also preserving them to be played by "Funspot" visitors. A private collector has offered to sell them five classic game machines that would be "new" to their collection - Space Dungeon, Mad Planets, Discs of Tron and Black Widow - and ACAM is asking for donations to raise the $1,840.00 needed to purchase the lot on their main website page via the "chip-in" widget.

Some of the happiest memories I have are of going to The Funspot during yearly family vacations to the NH area. The "museum" concept is relatively new, a response to the place's newfound prominence at the start of the Retro-Gaming boom - for the longest time they were simply a place that chose to keep their HUGE collection of game machines in working order rather than junking them for new ones. As a result, they have one of the BEST collections of vintage games - many of them extremely rare (they have a standup "Chiller" cabinet!) - that you can visit and play.

They have not asked me to post this information on these blogs - I am doing so to give back to both a good cause and a specific organization that has brought me a lot of good times over the years. I encourage any fans, readers etc. with a few bucks to spare to considering kicking some their way. The amount they're trying to raise is not very high, and you'll not only be supporting the good cause of classic game preservation - you'll be helping these games be placed in a REAL arcade where they can be rediscovered and enjoyed by new generations of gamers who might otherwise never have the chance. This is our gamer-heritage, folks, and it's important that we preserve it.

Here is the link once again. My sincerest thanks to everyone who chips in, and to Funspot/ACAM for doing what they do. I'm planning to visit the place again this Summer, and it sure would be a kick to take a turn at that Discs of Tron machine when I do.

The ENTIRE "AntiThinker Saga" is Now On YouTube!

2011-12-29T00:59:00.000-08:00

Episodes 43 through 50 - which encompasses the entirety of the "AntiThinker" framing-story - are now up on YouTube. Some loved it, some hated it, now everyone can see it (or revisit it) and decide for themselves...
#43: Double Trouble
#44: AntiThinker: History
#45: AntiThinker: MegaMan
#46: AntiThinker: Zelda
#47: Quest of The OverThinker: Farm Team
#48: Quest of The OverThinker: The Zen of Grind
#49: Quest of The OverThinker: Retro-A-Go-Go
#50: WAR OF THE THINKERS (mini-movie)

Have Six More

2011-12-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! SIX more "new classic" episodes are now viewable on YouTube: #38: The SGC Panel Part I and Part II, #39: The Emporer Has No Clothes, #40: Heavens to Metroid, #41: The Revolution and #42: Worst Person. Enjoy!

Seeking PAXEast Peeps

2011-12-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so... I went and submitted a "Game OverThinker" panel pitch to PAXEast (which I'll be at this year, in one capacity or another) and since I know some of my fellow games-industry-affiliated folks check these blogs I figured it'd be as good a place as any to see if anyone would be interested in possibly taking part as well, as it's my experience that an interesting group of potential panelists can help a panel get "picked up" (though either way, no real garauntee it actually happens as TGO is still a growing show and this is a huge convention.)

The proposed panel I've named "THE POLITICS OF GAMING," and it'd be exactly what it sounds like: a forum for panelists and the audience (mostly the audience, one hopes) to talk about gaming issues that have crossed over and/or into broader political discussions - the Red Cross issue, the Supreme Court decision, "Bioshock" as a critique of libertarianism, treatment of LGBT characters, Call of Duty etc as endorsements/condemnations of The War on Terror, all that sort of thing.

Though I'll take who/what I can get in terms of fellow panelists, ideally I'd like to get people with differing views on this or that from myself or from others. So if you're going to be at the show and would be interested in taking part (IF it gets picked up at all, of course) hit me up in the comments below - please identify yourself in posting "Anonymous"- preferably with some kind of contact info so we can talk shop.

Let's see what happens!

Four More For The Tubes

2011-12-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

Four more "new classics" have made the pilgrimage to YouTube: #34: Waggle War, #35: A Response to Roger Ebert, #36: Who's Your Daddy, Mega Man? and #37: In Which I Defend Kinect. Go see!

Three More Make The Jump

2011-12-17T00:16:00.000-08:00

Three more "New Classic" older-episodes have made the jump to YouTube - #31: "What's The Difference?", #32: "I Heart Bayonetta" and #33: "Building a Better Gamer." Go have a look :)

Episode 62: "Seeing Red"

2011-12-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

The International Red Cross raises concerns about military games and The Geneva Convention. The OverThinker responds.

Even though the opening/closing skits are, as ever, strictly an "extra" thing; I hope people enjoy The RetroThinker as a character - he's a lot of fun to inhabit here and there.

First Three "New To YouTube" TGO Episodes Now Playing

2011-12-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

Previously ScrewAttack-Exclusive "older" episodes of the show are now beginning to be posted to YouTube. The first wave, available for viewing NOW, are #28: COMPLEX ISSUES, #29: CONTINUUM and #30: A Tale of Two Games. Go take a look (#30 may still be processing, keep refreshing)

ANNOUNCEMENT: Full Episodes of "The Game OverThinker" Returning to YouTube!

2011-12-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, for real.

First things first: NO, this doesn't mean that the show is leaving ScrewAttack or that my relationship with them has changed in any way - it hasn't. This is all about promoting the show: Making sure that the widest possible audience can A.) see the episodes and B.) learn where/how they can see them early and show their support if they so choose.

Starting soon (probably this weekend if not sooner) previously ScrewAttack-exclusive episodes will begin showing up on YouTube once they have reached a certain "age."

Now, the whole backlog is NOT going to get dumped there all at once. Instead, once the uploading begins it will at first be about one "older" ScrewAttack episode popping up every day or maybe every other day until we're "caught up." After that, 'newer' episodes will make the same leap once they have reached proper vintage.

2012 is going to be a BIG year for The Game OverThinker, and I can't wait to share it with everybody.

Big Picture: "If The Oscars Were The VGAs"

2011-12-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

What if Hollywood's big award show sucked as much as gaming's?

The Escapist : The Big Picture : If the Oscars Were the VGAs

Only YOU Can Rescue The 1% in "Rainbow Six: Patriots"

2011-12-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

I have my well-documented "issues" with the mega-popularity of the First-Person Shooter genre, but for the most part it's centered around their part in the blanding-up of the medium and the devaluation of the single-player experience. But there's a darker side to the whole phenomenon - namely, that it's helped to make the gaming medium a favorite new roost for the more despicable elements of America's political "right-wing."

While the film and television industry (with some noteworthy exception) doggedly avoided serving up the kind of NRA-empowerment/vengeance-porn some audiences were clammoring for in the wake of 9/11; the games industry pretty-much jumped in and said "let's do this!" - Neither Obama or even Bush could ever blast enough craters in the Middle East to slake the voyeuristic bloodlust of Team Nugent; so "Modern Warfare" and the like have been filling the void... and reaping enthusiastic "attaboys!" from wingnut nation for doing so.

It's an unpleasant development from any angle, but thus far it's at least been one-sided: Sarah Palin's America may love Military-FPS's; but thus far Military-FPS's haven't been (openly) loving them back - even "Modern Warfare" hedges it's ideological bets by dropping a "renegade American general" bad guy into it's assinine Neo-Soviet/Muslim/Illuminati/S.P.E.C.T.R.E. overarching conspiracy storyline. But that may be changing in the newest Tom Clancy-branded shooter, "Rainbow Six: Patriots," which just ran a new trailer on the excerable VGAs and in doing so revealed that the NEW villains you'll be blasting away at this time are...

...Occupy Wall-Street.

Well, okay, not exactly - the baddies are supposedly a homegrown terrorist militia called "The Patriots" who're as miffed at the government as they are at corporate America (so... the Sons of Liberty without all the cool robots and ninjas), but it's telling that this is the flavor they wanted for the big debut. It's an effective spot, to be sure, but it also carries an unmistakable implication that they've looked at the current zeitgeist and determined that their audience is more inclined to see the activists as potential terrorists and Wall Street as a threatened victim in need of protection. Is their calculation correct? Does the "Rainbox Six" audience look at OWS and see the American Al-Qaeda?

I'll admit, it'd be less "creepy" without Clancy's name attached. If you only know his "brand" from the movies you may not be aware of it, but Tom Clancy's stuff took a turn for right-wing fringe wackjobbery awhile ago; so it's not exactly a "reach" that his name would be on a "let's blast the hippies!" game - though I don't think he actual contributes to the content of the series anymore...

Fortune Street

2011-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

From now on, whenever I'm feeling down in the dumps about the future of the gaming medium, I'll just try and remember that there's a game where the Mario and DragonQuest characters can play a version of Monopoly against one another... and that someone at Nintendo decided "what the hell, let's bring it Stateside!"

I feel like this is the sort of franchise (there's been a few of these in Japan already) that would've become kind of a "cult classic" in the West if it had come out in the PS2/GC era. Wonder if it actually sells decently here now, just on the Mario brand factor?

EPISODE 61: "Bells & Whistles"

2011-12-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

UPDATE (AGAIN!) As it turns out, Shigeru Miyamoto is NOT retiring and may not even be changing his "official" title within the Nintendo corporation. They are now calling the Wired article that began this (apparently false) reporting - which is now being blamed for Nintendo's stock price taking a two-point hit today - the result of bad translation.

Think of this as a brief respite between "big stuff," as the very NEXT episode (next Friday!) features both a controversial topic and the introduction of a new character. Technically, this week has the "live" debut of Jack Lieberson: Ninja Senator, though he's been seen and heard before. Enjoy!

Scheduling!

2011-12-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

Reminder: EPISODE 61 will be viewable by ALL AUDIENCES tonight at 11pm EST!

In addition, EPISODE 62 will run MUCH earlier than usual (next Friday, the 16th - time not yet confirmed) owing to the topical nature of it's main discussion subject (to be revealed soon enough.) ADVANTAGE members will be able to get an early look on the 13th.

ALSO: I am schedule to appear at the Boston-Area scifi/fantasy/etc convention "ARISIA" on all three days (January 13th-16th.) While I'm not yet able to divulge which panels and/or events I'll be appearing at, I'll also be up and around the area so any fans attending feel free to say hello.

Project Rainfall Wins One

2011-12-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

After much fan outcry, Nintendo WILL bring "Xenoblade Chronicles" to the U.S... as a GameStop exclusive.

Now, will fans actually BUY IT; or will this be like every other 'hardcore' Wii title where everyone says they DESPERATELY want it and then it sits on the shelves (No More Heroes, Madworld, need I go on?)

"Skyrim" Fans, This is Your New Favorite Thing Today

2011-12-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm inclined to think that Nintendo may have made a substantial mistake in releasing "Skyward Sword" (which I'm loving, don't get me wrong) opposite "Skyrim" - but then, who could've realistically predicted that a new "Elder Scrolls" game would be THIS big of a hit (which is in itself good news) in age of COD?

Anyway, here's a cartoon from Harry Partridge:

I've Been Waiting Fourteen Years For THIS South Park Game

2011-12-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

A little late to this news - found it while reading the "bigger" news about the South Park RPG...

I sometimes feel like 'genre' is an unappreciated thing in game design, particularly when it comes to licensed properties. How many times have you seen a movie/TV/comic tie-in game turn out shit because it's been saddled with some half-baked "innovative" design build when a perfectly serviceable title could've been had by dropping the characters/setting into a "basic" genre setup? The NES "Batman" is still the best Batman game (Arkham 1 comes close, Arkham 2 is NOT as good as Arkham 1); and it doesn't really re-invent the wheel - it's just a VERY well-polished NES-era platformer... BUT WITH BATMAN! The SNES "Star Wars" games were, when you get right down to it, "Contra with Star Wars characters"... and they were AWESOME!

So why, then, has it taken 14 fucking years for someone to put the "South Park" kids exactly where they've always belonged? Namely, a South Park side-scroller!?

So... yeah. It looks like "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" (which, given the number of games borrowing the style, seems to have done for the 'party platformer' what the original did for 'regular' platformers) ...BUT IN SOUTH PARK. Brilliant! Genius! Inspired! Especially the brief glimpse of being able to play(?) as "The Coon" right there at the end.

WTF, though!? - why didn't they just make this instead of the shitty shooter back in the 90s? When haven't there been like TEN of these already? It seems like the easiest call anyone could've made!?

Hulk (Incredibly) Smash Modern Warfare!

2011-11-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

There's something pointedly "now" about the idea that FilmCritHulk - the eccentric movie-blogger who pens lengthy, deeply-academic yet immensely readable articles on film and film criticism in the "voice" of The Incredible Hulk - got probably his biggest "boost" in terms of internet publicity for a piece not on films but on video games.

In the wake of said piece, Hulk has scored a (well-deserved) high-profile gig on Devin Faraci's (must-bookmark) site BadassDigest. Now, Hulk once again turns his eyes toward gaming with an AMAZING piece breaking down the (de)evolution of the "Call of Duty" games and, in doing so, making a dozen or so absolutely vital points about problems (but also high-points) of the modern games industry as a whole. It's a MUST READ - and no, NOT (only) because he gives your's truly an extremely gracious shoutout.

Episode 61 COMING SOON (UPDATED!)

2011-11-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

UPDATE! Episode 61 will debut for all audiences NEXT WEDNESDAY 12/7 at 10pmCST/11pmEST. ScrewAttack ADVANTAGE subscribers can get an early look TOMORROW at the same time. Remember, if you sign up for ADVANTAGE select "The Game OverThinker" as your show of choice so that your subscription supports THIS show :)

I don't have an exact date/time for Episode 61 yet (other than to say YES, this one will be available one week early for Advantage subscribers) but it's coming very soon. Until then, here's a new trailer currently running on YouTube that contains a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery teeny-tiny tease at upcoming episodes:

Is "GameGadget" The OPEN-SOURCE Platform We've Been Waiting For?

2011-11-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

...Probably not, but I like the idea.

"Blaze" is a Europe-based gaming outfit that mostly specializes in making gaming peripherals and those dedicated all-in-one consoles and handhelds pre-loaded with retrogames that you see on mall kiosks around the Holidays. Now, they've thrown their weight behind a still-somewhat-mysterious concept called "GameGadget" that seems like the logical next-step from that particular business model: An open-source, Linux-based handheld (it looks like a plus-sized GameBoy Micro) that aims to be the "iPod of games."

Thus far the press-release from last week and images are the bulk of what's been revealed, but the basic idea is that the device (which DOES appear to have an SD slot) will interface with a proprietary version of the App Store, which Blaze/GameGadget is heavily angling for rights-holders to classic games (pre-PS1, most likely) to fill with their product. The press release makes a BIG deal out of this being a way for publishers to re-monetize their retrogames without much (or any) additional investment. They're also courting small/upstart developers to make new titles for the format, which they claim it's "fully compatible" with SDL and DirectFB.

I LOVE everything about this... except for the fact that it's being put out by a company without much of a profile otherwise - something that's going to involve a lot of back-and-forth between a dizzying number of (theoretical) partnerships needs some muscle behind it, or at least would seem to from my perspective.

I've maintained for awhile that something LIKE this - an everything-in-one-place app store for classic games - would be both a game-changer and an industry-saver; and it's INCREDIBLY frustrating that the main thing preventing it has been Apple's ridiculous resistance to having buttons on the various iDevices - which has severely kneecapped the variety of games most smartphones can (properly) run. Imagine carrying around every Atari/Spectrum/C64/NES/SNES/Genesis/TG16/NeoGeo/Arcade classic you ever loved - plus new stuff in the "golden age"/mobile style - to be there whenever and wherever you needed them? BLISS. Absolute bliss... and also a vital way of keeping The Classics alive and readily available to new generations without the cumbersome extra work of buying/maintaining used equipment and/or murkily-legal emulation. No more game design students walking around without a proper background in the origins of the medium on account of having been born after said origins were easy to get? THAT'S how you save the future of video games, my friends.

I would love, love, LOVE to see something like GameGadget swoop in and either A.) be wildly successful and put a giant dent into Apple's goal of iPhone becoming "The AllGadget" because of their silly button-phobia; or B.) be just successful enough to scare Apple/Android/etc into getting over their silly button-phobia and making one to compete. I'm just not sure GameGadget is actually the thing to do it.

BUT! The thing (apparently) comes out early next year, so we'll see. A man can dream, after all...

Desert Bus Has Begun!

2011-11-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

The great folks at LoadingReadyRun have begun their yearly "Child's Play" charity drive, wherein they play Desert Bus - one of the worst games ever made - for your amusement. You can watch the live feed and donate HERE.

I'm scheduled to call in and shoot the breeze with them LIVE at 11am PST (2pm EST) on Monday the 21st, so tune in for that as well.

Happy Birthday to Shigeru Miyamoto

2011-11-16T10:53:00.001-08:00

The greatest video-game designer of all time was born today in 1952. Bow your heads and take notice.

EPISODE 60: "NINJAMAGEDDON" (aka "The Mailbag Show")

2011-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Episode 60 can now be viewed by EVERYONE here! Did you're questions make the cut? Watch it and find out!

NINJAMAGEDDON: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH!

2011-11-13T00:39:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: This is all coming together fairly quickly, so do not be surprised if these details change.

Episode 60: NINJAMAGEDDON (aka "The Mailbag Show") is all about acknowledging OverThinker fans, and as part of that "thanks guys" we've elected to dramatically shorten (for this episode only) the now-customary one-week "split" between when Advantage users and everyone else gets to see it.

Instead, NINJAMAGEDDON will debut for all audiences tomorrow - Monday, November 14th - at 11pm EST (10pm CST) - on ScrewAttack.com; while Advantage users will have the opportunity of seeing it 24 hours ahead of time tonight at the same 11pm EST time-frame.

I'm really happy with how this one came together. Compared to "War of The Thinkers," this (the story/sketch part) has fewer FX and setups - it's basically a single extended 3-way fight scene - but it has a more cohesive running aesthetic i.e. replicating "gonzo" low-budget kung-fu movies and Japanese Tokusatsu series... though the end result ultimately owes more to the notoriously silly 80s ninja movies of Godfrey Ho. Here's some clips of his film "Ninja Fantasy," to give you some idea of what you're in for:

But that, of course, is just the garnishes. The REAL point of this episode - the important part - is the collection of great questions offered by fans and viewers. I got hundreds of questions, and tried to pick a solid mix funny ones, show-related ones, gaming ones, positives and negatives. In total, about 20 questions made the final cut. Is your's one of them? Tune in and find out Monday, November 14th at 11pm EST.

MAILBAG Entries CLOSED

2011-11-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

It's 11/12, which means the Mailbag submissions are now closed. With luck, I'm hoping to have the episode ready for air sometime this coming week, hopefully before the weekend. Stay tuned.

NINJAMAGEDDON

2011-11-09T22:47:00.000-08:00

As you may have inferred from the banner, Episode 60 - aka "The Mailbag Show" - now has a title. More news including airdates and schedules coming soon, and remember to ask you question 3 posts down BEFORE the 12th (this Saturday) if you want it to be considered for the episode.

Has The First Truly Great Video Game Movie Been Made?

2011-11-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Below, the trailer for "Gyakuten Saiban" - known to Western gamers as "Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney" - directed by the legendary Takeshi Miike...

I've said it for years: Adapt the games that have their own wholly unique aesthetic and put it in the hands of filmmakers who "get it." If I'm to be proven right, all the better that it be by Miike.

EPISODE 59: "Bat-Slap" (UPDATED!)

2011-11-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

11/08/11 UPDATE: URL of video has changed, links and embeds updated accordingly. If you've tweeted this page before, please consider doing so again for the newness.

Episode 59, which was inspired by the Film Critic Hulk/Arkham City blowup but heads off into MUCH bigger territory than just that one incident, is now available to be viewed by ALL audiences HERE. (embedded after the jump)

REMINDER! The "special topic" for Episode 60 referred to at the end there is the "Mailbag," so go HERE or HERE and ask your question if you haven't already - asking will close on November 12th!

MAILBAG ANNOUNCEMENT!

2011-10-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

Game OverThinker: Episode 60 is now in production. Fans and viewers already know that this episode will feature the the big battle between OverThinker, CryoThinker and PyroThinker; but the important part - the topic - hasn't been revealed until now:

It's MAILBAG time!

I'll be answering questions from YOU in the episode! Here's how to submit one: Just post it in the comments section of this blog (or the comments section of where you see the accompanying video) and there you go! Not every question will get in, obviously, but I'll try to get as many of the best/funniest/most-interesting/etc. to fit as I can. (I'll be doing the picking because, y'know, my show and all...)

NOVEMBER 12th is the deadline, so get them posted before that. ALSO: No anonymous questions will be accepted, no matter how good. Even if you're posting as "anonymous," put something you'd want to be called by (doesn't have to be your real name) in the question if you want to ensure it gets considered.

While no topic (within reason) is "off the table," here's some suggestions to make your question more likely to be considered:

BE INTERESTING - lets try to avoid "what is your favorite...," "have you played...," etc. After all, we could be cutting away to your question from a wacky ninja fight-scene, so it should probably be worth cutting away for :)

BE SPECIFIC - we want lots of questions to have room, so very general queries requiring very long answers ("could you give thoughts on a whole genre/series/etc?") are probably not making the cut. Also - keep it short and to the point, only the relevant text of the question will be repeated/read on the episode itself and may be summarized.

BE ON-TOPIC - video game questions, questions about the making of the show, etc. are going to get preference over "what do you think of this or that show/book/sport/etc?" Politics and culture questions should relate back to gaming or the show in some form.

DON'T TROLL - if there's something you dislike about me, the show, a prior episode, etc I WANT you to ask about it here and I will NOT reject a question because it is in some way a negative critique. Obvious trolling, however, will not make the cut; nor will questions designed to be read as "attacks" on certain people, persons, companies, developers, other web hosts etc. Oh, and this should go without saying, but this is not the place or time for "tell me what you think of MY show/game/product/blog/etc."

I'm genuinely eager to see what you guys come up with. Good luck!

EPISODE 59 now viewable for ADVANTAGE subscribers (UPDATED!)

2011-10-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Okay, now that I'm no longer posting this in-between reel changes at an all-night film festival...

EPISODE 59, "Bat-Slap," will debute wide NEXT Saturday November 5th at 11pm EST; but ScrewAttack Advantage members can get an early look as of now RIGHT HERE.

Just to clarify, as I'm seeing some misunderstanding circulating about this one: It's NOT a review of the game (I really, really like the game so far - though I wish more of the missions/challenges weren't essentially "follow the Bat-GPS to [blank]"), nor is it a follow-up to the previous episode (re: this has NOTHING to do with "Other M," Japan, etc.)

In fact, it's primarily about the way online gaming culture reacts to criticism and/or negative observations about the medium (re: like a bunch of infants, too much of the time) with the Arkham City mini-blowup as a jumping-off point. In this respect, it's more of a "sequel" to 'Supreme Responsibility' than anything else.

Episode 59 ANNOUNCEMENT

2011-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

Head's up: EPISODE 59 - which deals with the "sexism in Arkham City" controversy - will debut WIDE a week from today EXCLUSIVELY on ScrewAttack.com Saturday, November 5 at 11pm EST.

As with before, ScrewAttack Advantage members have the option of seeing it early beginning TONIGHT at 11pm! Remember: A portion of the Advantage membership fee goes toward the favorite show of your choice.

Let's See More of THIS, Huh?

2011-10-24T19:45:00.001-07:00

Below, the trailer for the downloadable XBLA/PSN title "War of The Worlds" - which adapts H.G. Wells' original version of the story into the format of a 2D sidescoller leaning heavily on the "alien lights in pitch-darkness" visual scheme. Yes, please.

EPISODE 58: "Heavens To Metroid - Revisited"

2011-10-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Head's-up, folks: Episode 58 is now viewable by EVERYONE at ScrewAttack. Go watch HERE!

Will "Arkham City" Be This Year's "Other M?"

2011-10-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

REMINDER: "Game OverThinker's" new episode about "Other M" will be viewable by EVERYONE tomorrow on ScrewAttack.

Short answer: Probably not, as it's a much bigger/more-anticipated game of the "we will riot if insert-reviewer-here gives it below a 9" variety and because I don't think anyone is as protective of Harley Quinn and Catwoman as gamers are of Samus Aran. Still, it's an intriguing prospect to see this play out...

DISCLAIMER: I'm buying the game today, have not played it yet and will refrain from judgement until I have. The great Film Critic Hulk, however, has (you should be reading this site - it's seriously highbrow movie/culture commentary in the "voice" of The Incredible Hulk) and makes some troubling observations about the content which have now been echoed by Kotaku.

The crux of the issue is that theres (apparently) a much heavier emphasis on violence against women in this sequel, and that it's favorite (T-rated) cuss word is "bitch;" mainly from bad guy NPCs engaging in surly "guy talk" about Catwoman etc.

Now, since it's unlikely that Rocksteady is employing a bunch of unreconstructed misogynists on it's design teams; it's fairly easy to imagine how this happens: The premise of the game is an Escape From NY/LA-style "city of prisoners;" and this was how the writers chose to make them sound like "real inmates" since for whatever reason sexist-slurs are deemed more 'teen-friendly' than racist or homophobic ones (which is a related but whole other issue altogether.)

Here's where this get's interesting, to me:

From where I stood, this is exactly what the problem was with "Other M" - an awkward writing decision that left the game, however unintentionally, open to interpretation as sexist. The difference (at least so far) is that while "M" was immediately (and continuingly) savaged for this, up to and including the wide dissemination of baseless accusations of intentional sexism on the part of the designers and a hefty helping of deplorable racism in the form of ascribing said intentional sexism onto some kind of endemic woman-hatred in the Japanese psyche. "Arkham," on the other hand, is so far recieving what looks like the expected wagon-circling defense in the gamer-sphere - "It's just a game," "that's how prisoners would talk," etc. And hey - maybe I'll agree.

But agree or not, I SERIOUSLY doubt that you'll see anywhere near the level of condemnation "Other M" got for a variety of reasons - mainly that it comes in two different forms (i.e. one game where a poor narrative choice led to implications of sexism versus another where intentional "in-character" sexism is suspiciously prevalent) but also because - and I'm speaking VERY generally and ONLY in my opinion here - because the loss/gain ratio is different: "Arkham City" is a game that gamers are invested in even without having played it - a hardcore "gamer's game" that's also the successor to arguably the best superhero game ever.

"Other M," meanwhile, was a Wii game (strike one) doing the retro-throwback thing after the series had spent three prior console installments in a well-regarded FPS series (strike two) and... egh, look... I'm not going to go saying that people who GENUINELY hated it or were GENUINELY offended by it were "wrong" or un-genuine in their opinions, but I get a real sense that at least SOME of that shitstorm was the result of folks in and around the Western gaming scene having finally found a 'weak one among the herd' to single out and vent long pent-up issues against Japanese developers in general and Nintendo/Team Ninja specifically. Just an observation/opinion.

I'll probably have more to say, one way or another, once I've had a work-free minute to play it.

P.S. Regardless of how the game itself "works" for me, the "it's how prisoners would talk!!!" thing doesn't work for me. As said, it's weird that they'd be sexists but not ALSO racists; and also the notion of "realistic criminals/gang-thugs" goes out the window when we're talking about a scenario where the crooks in question are being leg by clowns, mad scientists and ice-blooded guys in spacesuits.

"Velayutham" - the 'Assassin's Creed' Cosplay Superhero from India

2011-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Below, the trailer for "Velayutham," an upcoming Indian action film about a rural guy who adopts a costumed vigilante identity to battle corporate corruption in the big city. His costume, weaponry and fighting style might look a little familiar to fans of "Assassin's Creed;" to the point that Ubisoft is apparently considering a lawsuit.

Fun fact: What you're looking at is NOT a "Bollywood" film - the Bollywood nickname technically only refers to the Hindi-language film industry, which is India's largest; but many of the recent "big" Indian films to hit International theaters ("Endhiran," for example) are actually Tamil-language features produced in a wholly different region.

Can "Infinity Blade" Save Arcades?

2011-10-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

You may recall me suggesting that a "partnership" between standup public machines and the ubiquity of mobile/smartphone gaming would be one thing that might help keep the American arcade scene going. In at least one respect, that "partnership" is now getting a shot at reality: An arcade-sized version of the iPhone hit "Infinity Blade" is coming to Dave & Busters - with plans to expand further if it works.

This has already been tried, with some success, with "Flight Control" and "Fruit Ninja;" but what's notable is that "Blade" is regarded as the "gamer's game" on the iOS scene. I'd like to see this catch on - though one imagines we won't know that it has until "Angry Birds" gets similarly ported...

Episode 58 is Now Viewable for ADVANTAGE Users

2011-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Episode 58, "Heavens to Metroid: Revisited" is now available to be viewed by ScrewAttack Advantage members HERE. It will be viewable by everyone one week from today on 10/20.

Folks who're interested in giving Advantage a shot (a portion of the subscription fee goes directly to support your show of choice) can check it out HERE.

Is "Act of Valor" the Movie the "Call of Duty" Generation Has Been Waiting For?

2011-10-13T11:07:00.001-07:00

Here's a production-backstory that will make some people kinda queasy and others kinda thrilled:

"Act of Valor" supposedly began life as a bigger-budget-than-usual, up-to-date Navy SEAL recruitment film; but was reworked into a "traditional" feature film (one has to assume public-interest in the SEALs following the killing of bin Laden played a part, yes?) and is now being released in February by Relativity Media. The Navy still seems to have "signed off" on the project, though - so all the gear, tech and tactics are as authentic as possible and (most interestingly of all) the main hero-cast are played by actual SEAL members.

Episode 58 DATED

2011-10-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Alright. In related news to the prior announcements that TGO has become part of the ScrewAttack Advantage program, I can now confirm the debut dates for Episode 58: "Heavens to Metroid - Revisited." Yes, dates. Plural.

Here's how it's going to work: ScrewAttack users ("G1's") who have subscribed to the Advantage Program will be able to see the episode EARLY on October 13th; while everyone else will be able to view it starting October 20th.

Once again, if you'd like to give Advantage a shot (it's available in both monthly and yearly flavors) you can do so by going HERE (you'll have to register for ScrewAttack first, which is free.) If you do, make sure you pick "The Game OverThinker" from the drop-down menu asking which show you were "referred" by; which ensures that a cut of your subscription fee goes directly to supporting your show of choice.

TGO ScrewAttack ADVANTAGE How-To-Sign-Up Promo

2011-10-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Regarding our previous news that the show will be part of ScrewAttack ADVANTAGE, here is a new video up on YouTube explaining how that's going to work and what those who wish to sign up need to do to make that happen...

Once again, sincere thanks to all fans who sign up or consider signing up; and to everyone who has and continues to help make "The Game OverThinker" a reality.

GAME OVERTHINKER is now part of SCREWATTACK ADVANTAGE!

2011-10-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

SHORT VERSION: Please consider going here and signing up, if so inclined.

Full disclosure: Yes, this is basically an advertisement. I don't love doing that, but I love being broke even less. Also, I'm no-bullshit very enthusiastic about "special benefit" subscriptions like this as the proper path for professional websites. So, here's the deal:

As of today, "The Game OverThinker" is part of ScrewAttack.com's "Advantage Program;" which allows subscribers ($3.95 monthly, $40.00 yearly) to see a largely ad-free version of the site and to see certain videos earlier than non-subscribers. Here's how this applies to THIS show and how, if you so choose, it can apply to you:

When/if a user signs up for "Advantage," which you can do RIGHT HERE, there is a drop-down menu that allows them to pick which series has primarily motivated them to sign up or visit the site in general. Whichever show you pick (you only get to pick one and ONCE, so be careful) gets a cut of the profits from the subscription fees. So... yes. If you're a fan or supporter of the show, this is a concrete tangible way for you to show it directly and get access to cool stuff from one of the web's better gaming sites. I'm thrilled to be part of this, and I would truly deeply appreciate any and all fans who'd consider signing up and being part of this.

REMEMBER! It's very important that you select "The Game OverThinker" from the "PICK THE SHOW YOU WERE REFERRED BY" drop-down menu, and it cannot be changed afterwards so click carefully!

Don't worry - you will still be able to watch the show if you don't sign up, though eventually it might be a few days after subscribers do. I want to preemptively thank any fans who DO choose to sign up, and all fans in general who've helped get the show to this point. Thank you ALL :)

Is This the Best Game Console Commercial of This Generation?

2011-10-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

I think it may be, and not just because of the irony of how awful the PS3's advertising was in the beginning...

The premise is a bunch of game characters (some exclusive, some not) meeting in a bar and talking about a revered figure to whom they owe their lives and successes... which turns out to be a PS3 player named Michael. Yeah, that's pretty sweet - shades of Tron and "The User" and all.

Part of me wants to point out that the fact that these allegedly-disparate characters all "go together" so well - sure is an aaaaaawful lot of gruff-voiced, stubble-faced angry white dudes in there, eh? - is just more evidence of how bland and staid modern game design has become; or to point out how much more powerful this same premise might've been in an era when it would've been guys like Master Higgins, MegaMan, Rygar, etc. chilling in that bar... (same part that kinda just did point that out, I guess...) but all things considered, that's pretty terrific stuff. Well done.

Episode 60 Production Stills

2011-10-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Episode 58, the "Other M" revisitation, is currently near the end of it's post-production (aka editing); and Episode 59 is about to wrap pre-production (aka "writing the script.") No confirmed airdate for either yet, but I'll definitely let you all known when I have them.

Until then, please enjoy some largely spoiler-free stills taken "on-location" from the first day of live-action shooting for Episode 60 by friend-of-the-show Sarah...

My brother Chris, shooting a closeup of The OverThinker, holding

a Chinese dao broadsword. Where'd he get that? Stay tuned...

CryoThinker (Chris, in this shot) posing with a fighting-axe.

PyroThinker (Chris again, what a trooper) posing with quarterstaff.

It doesn't show well at this angle, but that staff is actually just about

7 feet tall. We made it as a prop for a movie that fell apart awhile

back, feels good and proper to finally put it to use.

Chris and myself, verbally working out some fight choreography. The

prop sword has no "edge" to speak of, but it's made of wood to get

the proper "weight" in motion, same deal with PyroThinker's staff - so

if either of us "miss" and connect it's still gonna hurt like hell. So far,

no injuries (and we really got into it after this shot) so fingers crossed!

Once More Into The Breach

2011-09-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided - probably against my better judgement - that since it's been a year, Episode 58 will involve a look back at "Metroid: Other M." Since it's been awhile, please feel free and encouraged to post anything in particular you believe I need to re-think, or other opinions I should be reading, or thoughts in general in the talkbacks. Yes, that includes all those YouTube "takedowns;" and by all means don't forget to include some tacky cheesecake advertising that "proves" the "Handmaid's Tale"-level anti-woman agenda the Sinister Japanese are responsible for inserting into gaming - gotta cover all the bases ;)

Here is a LINK to the original Episode 40, "Heavens To Metroid!" Have at it, kiddies...

EPISODE 57: "Supreme Responsibility" (3rd UPDATED)

2011-09-14T13:33:00.001-07:00

3RD UPDATE: The link at ScrewAttack seems to be working again, and for obvious reasons I encourage fans to visit THAT LINK. The YouTube link version has been removed, not out of disrespect to YouTube fans, but out of respect to ScrewAttack.com which is the primary host of the series.

Beautiful Mario 30th Anniversary Video

2011-09-13T23:12:00.001-07:00

There are no words...

The TGO Section of ScrewAttack is Back Up!

2011-09-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

GOOD NEWS! The original ScrewAttack episodes of the show are back up on the site after being unavailable for a short while during their upgrade to the new, improved site. SEE THEM HERE.

I'll be going back through the archive and changing the embed codes when I get a free moment, and probably tweeting the new links as well. For right now, I want to just very quickly touch on a way that show fans who are also ScrewAttack fans can, if they so choose, "help out" in support of both entities...

As you may or may not know, ScrewAttack is now offering an "Advantage Program" membership whereby users can subscribe to an ad-free version of the site that also offers early access to content. It's similar to premium or "prime" memberships offered by other sites, essentially.

Here's how this affects this show: Advantage members are able to "favorite" the particular shows that they like best on the site; and said shows get a 'cut' of the Advantage revenue. So, yes, this is blatant self-promotion. I encourage fans so-inclined the join Advantage and "like" the show, because it will give a tangible boost to my ability to produce and maintain this site and this series.

As always, I appreciate any and all support that this show recieves from it's fans and viewers - yes, even those of you who are exclusively logging in to demand that it revert to it's unrefined form, return to youtube, etc ;) TGO exists because it was, and continues to be, supported by fans and I truly thank all of them.

EXCLUSIVE Episode 57 Preview

2011-09-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a small taste of Episode 57 - an itty-bitty little parody of "G4" that I'm kinda considering spinning-off into it's own thing. Have a look:

Episode 57 Coming WEDNESDAY SEPT. 14!!!

2011-09-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

I know that, as of this writing, you still cannot see the 25 screwattack-exclusive episodes of "The Game OverThinker" on ScrewAttack's new site. I am sorry about that, it's being worked on and will hopefully be fixed by early next week. For now... GOOD NEWS! Episode 57, the much-demanded "Supreme Court" episode, will (if all goes correctly) premiere on Wednesday, September 14th. So keep an eye out for it.

Here's an announcement trailer...

ALSO! If you haven't yet taken a look at ScrewAttack's new site, you should - it's quite excellent. They're also offering something called an "Advantage" subcription, whereby users can sign up to not only get an ad-free version of the site but ALSO see new episodes of shows they've selected as well-liked faves. So, if there are any Advantage members (or prospective members) who're also OverThinker fans... it's REALLY good for BOTH of us (yes, this is NAKED self-promotion) if you make this show one of your "likes."

About Screwattack

2011-09-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, quick thing:

Yes, I'm aware that you cannot currently access the show on ScrewAttack. No, I am not leaving the site - FAR from it - this is, as far as I am aware, a temporary issue as they transition to their spiffy-looking new site and should be resolved shortly.

On a related note, I am hoping to have a definitve date for Episode 57 soon. Stay tuned.

Is This Racist?

2011-09-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Below, the latest facepalm-inducing example of tone-deafness to ethnic-caricature in the video games industry, courtest "Deus Ex: Human Revolution."

So... is this "racist?" Eh... it's definitely a racial-caricature, so on the narrowest of terms... yeah, it kinda is. My colleague Jim Sterling seems to think so. My other colleague Greg Tito sees it a bit more gray. I think Greg raises good points, though overall I think my reaction more closely aligns with Jim's in this case.

Now, to be fair, one imagines that the developer - Eidos Montreal - is staffed either by full-blown racists or devoted fans of Minstrel Show routines; so one has to imagine THIS voice coming out of THIS character-design is a case of something that was obviously going to be a problem simply not getting "caught" before it went to pressing.

My question on this, just like with "Resident Evil 5," is WHY does this stuff slip by uncaught? This isn't a small-potatoes developer - do they not have a person in Quality Control who's supposed to watch for "issues" like this? Because, I'm sorry... not to take anything away from the game, but "end result of voice/character comes off like a Stephen Fetchit bit" is kind of a problem.

Episode 57 Coming... At Some Point...

2011-08-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

At this time, I can't give a precise answer as to what the airdate will be for the (still in-production) Episode 57 will air. However, I CAN divulge these three tease-ish facts:

1.) It will cover the Supreme Court Games Decision.

2.) It will touch on the Oslo Massacre perpetrator's "Call of Duty"/training-simulation comments.

3.) The real identities (which NO ONE has correctly guessed yet) of PyroThinker and CryoThinker will be revealed.

Also, since people were asking about an Animated GIF of the two Ninjas dancing from the last episode, here it is (click it for motion.)

"NeverDead" Brings Face-Butt Monsters, MegaDeth

2011-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Pre-"Tokyo Games Show" trailer for Konami's "NeverDead;" a Japan/US collaboration featuring crazy monsters, ranting demons, people using medieval weaponry in what looks like the modern world and little creature-guys with human faces where their bumholes should be. Also: MegaDeth, who I'll just assume are still popular in Japan, yes?

These days, that's refreshing - once upon a time, this is what "looks like a video game" meant...

EPISODE 56: "Setting Sun"

2011-08-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: As of 9/13/11 this video can now be seen at THIS LINK

The Japanese games-industry is on the wane... but it's Western fans who're paying the price.

Lot of fun making this one, and as usual big ups to my brother Chris for doing a lot of shooting and playing the Ninjas.

REMINDER! New Episode TONIGHT at 11pm ET

2011-08-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

Quick reminder, folks: The all-new EPISODE 56 debuts TONIGHT at 11pm ET on ScrewAttack. TGO fans and readers in general are, as always, humbly asked to - if they find it to their liking - tweet, plusone, facebook, hashtag and otherwise spread the HELL out of it :)

Is It Time For "Girl Link?"

2011-08-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was checking out these excellent "Mario Gender Swap" fanart pix (hat-tip to BAD) from Beth Rolling of RollingRabbit, and it occurs to me that while an actual "Mario Sisters" game would probably be just a little bit too "twee" (or verging on parody) to be taken seriously... any time I've been to a gaming con I see a TON of women cosplaying as Link (from Zelda) and it always looks, well... "right?"

Serious question: Since all the Links are supposed to be reincarnations or inheritors or whatnot, would it not be both perfectly reasonable and even WELCOME for Nintendo to make one of the "next" ones "Female Link?" I'm talking same basic character, same basic additude (or lack thereof,) same general "look," but female?

Something tells me this would not only work, but work REALLY well - the Zelda games have always had a sizable female fanbase, and I don't think Link has ever been prized as some iconic masculine role-model the way that Master Chief or Snake have. It'd end up raising a lot of related issues - do you make Zelda a prince? Do you pull back on Ganon/Ganondorf's fixation on the hero because now it'd look a little "rapey?" The second one I dunno about, but I think leaving Zelda female AND keeping the "friends, not necessarily romantic" angle of most of the games would make for a different dynamic than is usually seen (it's not like DeviantArt won't just gladly fill everyone's 'yuri-quota' either way.)

Am I nuts, or is this one of those "why didn't anyone think of this before" moments?

GOP Candidate Quotes "Pokemon" Lyrics During Debate

2011-08-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Pizza-chain mogul turned Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain cited the following as an inspirational quote from "a poet" at Friday night's Iowa Straw Poll debate:

"A poet once said, 'life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line.'"

Just one problem, though: that's not from any poem, or even any poet - it's a line of lyrics from "The Power of One," a track recorded by Donna Summer as the theme song to "Pokemon: 2000."

To be fair, Cain is a grandfather; so there are likely a dozen perfectly-reasonable ways that he could've come by this particular song and internalized the lyrics. Still, sort of funny I guess. Do people remember that it was briefly treated as some kind of "big deal" for some reason that President Obama used the score to "The Patriot" as the accompaniment to his victory speech?

Episode 56 COMING SOON!!!

2011-08-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

Head's up: Episode 56 is set to debut on MONDAY, AUGUST 22nd at 11pm EST. Mark your calendars and arranged your lives accordingly.

It's a little early to start getting into specifics, but as a small preview I'll say that the topic at hand has been requested for a LONG time and that in a sense it's a kind of "thematic-sequel" to Episode 54. I'll also say upfront that it is not the Supreme Court episode. Not yet. OH! And there will probably not be many preview images, as any interesting visual elements from this one would qualify as spoilers.

STAY TUNED!

EPISODE 55: "What We Lost In The Fire"

2011-08-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: As of 9/13/11 this video is now at THIS LINK

The OverThinker finally confronts PyroThinker - and, more importantly, confronts the decline of the American Arcade...

I've been wanting to do an Arcade-centric episode for a long time, and this finally gave me a good context through which to approach it. Incidentally, Episode 56 has already been shot and readied, I'll post a date as soon as I have one. For now, enjoy and remember to Tweet, Facebook etc. this if the mood so strikes you!

Episode 55 COMING SOON!

2011-07-28T00:19:00.000-07:00

Head's up, folks: EPISODE 55 will debut Wednesday 8/3/11 at 11pm EST on ScrewAttack.com.

As many smarties already guessed, this episode focuses on the sad loss of the American Arcade. Here's a preview-image, in which The OverThinker surveys the ruins of "The Sharkcade" - the grim fate of which was witnessed at the end of our last episode...

Oslo Terrorist calls 'Modern Warfare' "Part of [his] training-simulation" (UPDATED)

2011-07-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Source: KOTAKU

Okay, first things first: I want to be crystal-clear that, while ancillary issues of gaming, media, censorship etc., along with other things I plan to speak on in a moment are always extremely important - at this time they are a very, VERY small issue next to the immediate bigger picture of the moment: Yesterday, a Norwegian man named Anders Behring Breivik is alleged to have bombed the headquarters of Norway's Prime Minister, then disguised himself as a police officer and embarked on an hourlong shooting rampage at a Youth Camp containing the children of Norway's ruling Labour Party - ultimately taking close to 100 innocent lives before being taken into police custody. It is the worst act of domestic terrorism in Norway's modern history, and is being called the most devastating violence to occur in the nation since the Second World War. I know that there are Norwegian fans and readers of this and the other blog, plus others with friends/family in Norway, and I ask that everyone responding to this post keep their feelings in mind - ANY responses, comments, posts etc. of a hurtful, confrontational and/or insensitive nature directed at the victims of this terrible tragedy or the people of Norway will be summarily DELETED.

Also, if anyone reading this is in or near Oslo, I am told that Ullevaal Hospital - where some victims are being treated - is in need of TYPE O BLOOD DONATIONS. Thank you. The remainder of this post continues after the jump...

At this time, little is known (or has been officially confirmed) about Breivik. He is believed to be a Christian Fundamentalist with sympathies to Norway's right-wing political fringe (two of his online handles were "Conservative" and "Conservativism," allegedly) and gun-culture, who may be the author of a lengthy manifesto which calls for armed action against (among other "enemies") Islam, multiculturalism and "cultural Marxism" in his country.

According to Kotaku, video-gaming has an unfortunately promiment place in his life and his "plans" - specifically, he reccomends that those similarly inclined use a devotion to online gaming like "World of Warcraft" as cover for their activities; and cites "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" as part of his "training simulation." So... yeah, Christmas just came early for the "violent games are murder simulators" contingent.

Now, obviously, this is going to become a "thing" in the ongoing violent-games discussion once the dust settles on the much more important immediate issues of the tragedy itself; and it will be important for gamers to remain (respectfully) steadfast in pointing out the various logical fallacies of the "other-side's" argument: Namely, that even if one was to try and affix blame for Breivik's actions upon external stimuli; it would seem readily apparent that his political-philosophy and religious views were MUCH more influential than his gaming hobbies. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but... madmen are generally NOT the most reliable source of information as to their own motivations.

However...

Gamers should also NOT fall into the trap of declaring ANY implications of correlation (NOT the same thing as causality - a vital distinction) to be off the table - because that would be intellectual dishonesty, and helpful to no one. Just as (thoughtful) fans of horror movies and heavy metal are obliged to concede that, while those mediums do not CAUSE serial-killers, those with such tendencies are more likely to be fans of the material than not; I consider it to be encumbent on the serious-minded gamer to consider and/or ultimately concede that while games like CoD are not the "cause" of Breivik's actions... the fact that he is a fan of military-FPS games - and that he may have used them as fuel for his fantasies of violent insurrection - is completely unsurprising.

Let's not mince words: Here in the U.S., we've all seen and heard the same basic tripe Breivik is alleged to have spewed (anti-immigration, multiculturalism-is-evil, "Marxism"-is-out-to-get-us, coming-holy-war-with-Islam, etc.,) plastered across protest-signs and bellowed from radios; and I'm given to understand that it exists to one extent or another in much of Europe as well. And I don't think it to be a betrayal of either gaming, gamer-culture or free-speech advocacy to admit that it makes complete sense that "Modern Warfare" and it's ilk - with their fetishism of realistic weapons and gear combined with consequence-free use thereof and you-are-the-shooter first-person immersion - would find a lot of fans among the gun-hoarder/paramilitary subculture(s).

This does NOT make the games "responsible" or in need of "control" or "banning;" but I DO think that the THEMATIC appeal of much of the miltiary-FPS genre's material to what we might've previously called the "Timothy McVeigh's" or "Turner Diaries" mindset - and what, if anything, could be done about it - is part of a discussion that's LONG overdue among gamers, game designers and the whole gaming community.

UPDATE: Not thrilled that I need to clarify that last point for some, but I probably do: I don't want anyone's "takeaway" from this to be that I think FPS games or FPS gamers bear ANY kind of automatic kinship-with or responsibility-for Breivik. All I'm asking is for introspection and honesty: It's NOT a secret (nor a surprise) that the military-FPS genre is popular with fringe elements of the gun/paramilitary subcultures with which Breivik was of-a-kind - is it not worth at least considering that it'd be a good thing for gamers and the games industry to A.) make it overwhelmingly clear that guys like this are NOT representative of "us," and that they are in fact not welcome? and/or B.) take a hard, critical look at the genre and ask if MAYBE there are things that could be done/said to ensure that it ISN'T attractive or welcoming to people like this? I'm NOT at all certain that the answer is "yes," for the record...

As I've said in comments already, metal musicians and metal fans worked earnestly to distance the genre from it's onetime popularity among "skinheads," Confederate Civil-War Re-Enacters have worked similarly hard to distance themselves from the "Rise Again!" racists. Hell, I attended a scifi convention last year where one of the panels was about keeping the "Steampunk" genre free of racism or ethnocentrism given it's grounding in an idealized-fetishism for the 19th Century. Other fan-cultures are capable of having these discussions, gaming should be no different.

EPISODE 54 (UPDATED!!!)

2011-07-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: As of 9/13/11 this video is now at THIS LINK

UPDATED WITH NEW DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP!
I'm on my way out to see "Captain America" again, will post some details later; but let me just say that yes, I'm aware that Extra Credits "beat" me to this by several hours. If my rendering/uploading tech didn't decide to crap out, I'd have "beat" them by several days... but eh, a win is a win and you should DEFINITELY watch their show, anyway ;)

UPDATE!

Okay, so, the main thing is that I encourage everyone to support Operation Rainfall by visiting their blog and maybe lending a voice to the campaign. Yes, it's starting out as just a thing for these three Wii titles; but there's a growing backlash against Japanese developers "cutting off" Western gamers... and maybe this is where it needs to start. Yes, fine, it's more the fault of the Western game market largely ignoring anything that's not an XBL-focused multiplayer shooter... but it still somehow "feels wrong" that gamers of niche and/or more-varied tastes are basically being punished for the economic "sins" of their culture...

As for the episode itself...

Yes, I agree - the opening credits were too long; and have now been compressed.

Did you really think it was going to be "go beat up a sprite for BunnyFace" every episode?

I'm glad to see that people enjoyed "Ivan the Intern." I maintain that a "recurring foil" is a benefit to the show's dynamic - if for no other reason than to make it so someone other than The OverThinker can issue a declarative statement (it's awkward when they pile up.)

I really wish I'd thought up "The Sharkcade" before needing something to blow up for this finale. I needed it to be something game-related that would also immediately "read" as a kind of nostalgiac local-landmark that OverThinker and Comissioner BunnyFace would both be aware of and upset about; and an Arcade seemed like the only logical choice because they're the universal symbol of vanishing gaming-history... thusly, burning one down makes PyroThinker that much more of a bastard. I don't remember where I got the name from, but once I had it it just seemed very evocative of a certain "type" of Arcade - maybe it was nautically-themed because it was near a beach or lake, or adjacent to a water-park... maybe there was a big tropical fish tank in the center of it, and guys walked around in big goofy Shark mascot costumes, and the concession stand served fish-sticks and fries in paper trays... eh, I dunno; that was the aim, curious to see if it conjured anything for anyone else - the main thing is, it was something good that the new bad guy burned down just to be a dick.

Yes, the fire-powered ninja-arsonist is called PYROTHINKER. Let me say three things about him right off the bat: 1.) That's me in the suit in these shots, it won't always be - why do no-budget productions love ninjas? Full-face masks make actor-swaps a breeze! 2.) If you're getting the sense that "____Thinker" is going to be a recurring naming-scheme for characters... yeah, probably. 3.) I want to be very, VERY clear on this: No, it will not turn out to be AntiThinker in a ninja costume. I promise.

Episode 54 COMING SOON

2011-07-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have it on good authority that GAME OVERTHINKER: EPISODE 54 is coming this Thursday at 11pm EST exclusively on ScrewAttack.com. In this thrilling episode, you will...

LEARN! The OverThinker's take on the subject YOU voted on!
MEET! A new member of TGO's expanding supporting cast!
WITNESS! Fiery destrcution EXPLODING across your screen!
MARVEL! As The OverThinker does NOT engage in a pulse-pounding adventure!
THRILL! As our hero actively avoids looking down at his cue-cards!
BEHOLD! TGO's brand-new abbreviated opening credits!
DISCOVER! The NAME of the mysterious Game Store Arsonist!

Dragon's Crown

2011-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Dear VanillaWare - please put this onto XBLA.

Weekend Catch-Up

2011-07-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned this around a few times, but just in case: I'll be hobnobbing with game designers and journalists as the IGDA Summit in Seattle on Monday and Tuesday - participating in at least two panels - so if you're going too feel free to say hi.

In any case, here's everything you might have missed this past week...

TINTIN has a full trailer!

I agree with JIMQUISITION!

BIG PICTURE: "Hollywood History 101 -Part I"

DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser poster!

Fede Alvarez to direct EVIL DEAD REMAKE for Sam Raimi!

Scary-ass preacher guys!

The Tea Party versus EVIL MANATEE CONSPIRACY!

Diablo Cody polishes the EVIL DEAD REMAKE script!

95-years-in-the-making JOHN CARTER has a trailer!

Entertainment Weekly gives AMAZING SPIDER-MAN a cover-story!

Some early DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser impressions...

A trailer for the "remakequel" of THE THING!

Scorsese makes a 3D KID'S MOVIE!

ESCAPE TO THE MOVIES: "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - Part II"

Voting Ends Friday

2011-07-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, so... at this point it looks like we have a pretty clear winner as to whether or not Episode 54 will be about Operation Rainfall or the Supreme Court, but just in case let's put THIS FRIDAY as the date at which the voting "closes." So if you haven't made your pick yet, do so in the comments or on The Twitter.

Everybody Watch "Jimquisition." NOW.

2011-07-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jim Sterling is easily one of the most divisive voices in games journalism, but underneath the exaggerated persona is usually a pretty salient point. This week's episode is one of them, and you should totally give it a watch.

DISCLAIMER: Jim Sterling and I are both employed by The Escapist. However, I have not been asked or otherwise compelled to promote his show - this is a free plug, because I like the episode and think it deserves to be heard from.

NEW FEATURE! Weekend Catch-Up

2011-07-08T18:22:00.001-07:00

It's the weekend! Here's some of the stuff you may have missed on the MovieBob Blogs this week!

THE BIG PICTURE: "TURTLE MAKI"
The infamous TMNT Anime is the subject.

AMERICAN BOB: "JOBBED"
Politics, jobs and the U.S. economy.

GAME OVERTHINKER - EPISODE 53: "THINGS LEARNED IN THE DARK"
The Playstation Network hack/blackout is discussed. Also, a bunny.

I was INTERVIEWED by EXAMINER.COM

ESCAPE TO THE MOVIES: "HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN"
Nuff said.

INTERMISSION: "THE MORE YOU KNOW"
How to speak Hollywood movie-press speak.
Naomi Harris is (maybe?) the new Miss Moneypenny.

VOTE on the topic of the NEXT "Game OverThinker" episode!

Here's a FAQ post about the new(er) shape of "The Game OverThinker" series!

REMINDER: MovieBob will be out and about at the IGDA Sumitt in Seattle!

As ever, feel free to follow MovieBob on Twitter @the_moviebob

Show Format FAQ

2011-07-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

...FYI, everything after the jump is going to be the last time I get into production/background stuff of this nature outside of a commentary or major shakeup for a good long time; so folks are humbly asked to read it and file the answers therein away for future reference. TL;DR: I don't plan on continuing to answer the same questions over and over ;)

ALSO: THE VOTE on Episode 54 is till ongoing, so go ahead and cast. Now, then...

Now that three episodes have run covering the rough gamut of the new format of the series, I figured now is the time to answer some of the general questions that longtime fans, newcomers and viewers in general have had about where things are and where things are headed; arranged in the traditional "FAQ" form:

Is this a permanent change?
Yes and no. Yes in the sense that the "meat" of the show will continue to be bookended and occasionally "perked up" by narrative-driven humor, visual gags, etc; but no in the sense that said extra-elements will not all remain permanent and "fixed." The "constant" of the show is The OverThinker himself and commentary about games - everything else can (and will) change and rearrange.

Why change the show?
Multiple reasons. Mainly, because I needed it to change. Partially out of a simple desire to try new things, but also out of - I'll be honest - a desire to have the show itself stand out. The fact is, there are A LOT of game-related vlogs out there, many of them doing the same sort of material TGO did in the same basic "slideshow plus narration" way I had initially used. One can quibble back and forth about who got somewhere "first," but it doesn't change the fact that without some kind of changeup the show was very much becoming "just another" game-opinion slideshow... and, it must be said, a lot of the "newer" others offer a "value added" benefit that I frankly cannot match: Professional Experience.

For example: "Extra Credits" and "RevRants" - two of the shows EVERYONE should be watching - are made by people with years of serious gaming-industry experience; and as such can offer a perspective on various subjects that I, a mere FAN of the medium, really can't. That's not to say that I regard my own input as lacking merit, just that once those folks have had THEIR say on the "big issues" of the day I rarely have much to add save for when there's a substantial disagreement (re: "Other M") I won't cite specific examples, but YES - I've junked whole fully-written scripts because other shows have said everything I would've but better.

So, yeah... when you get down to it it's about being unique and "value-added" content. DOZENS of gaming shows can give you insightful opinions about the medium. SOME can also give you a learned/professional perspective. MINE can also give you funny asides with a bunny and the occasional slapstick as visual-accompaniment to the rant/lecture material.

So every episode will be like Episode 53?
Absolutely not. Some episodes will have a visual-humor bit that carries through the whole run, others will only have broad background references, and so on. I've tried to set the whole thing up to be as "liquid" as possible in terms of structure. At least ONE upcoming episode involves The OverThinker "ranting" while being wholly-immobilized almost the entire time, while another exists as "contemplative" voiceover narration.

Don't narrative and jokes undermine the seriousness of the message?
The potential for that exists, yes, and it weighs on my mind as I select new topics and build future scripts around them. Fortunately, as we are in the end talking about a hobby here, MOST of what's ultimately worth talking about is still "for fun" enough for it to not be out of place. However, instances when the subject IS super-serious stuff (the "Blackwater" episode, for example) you'll see a lot less (up to the point of "none") humor and/or "storyline" material; whereas a lighter topic like "old games in need of a reboot" would probably have a lot more jokes.

That being said, I understand that the reason some folks dislike the inclusion of narrative and gags is because they like to use videos like this in place of making their own points - i.e. "just watch this, this is what I mean" - and they feel this makes that difficult. Honestly, I'm very-much NOT looking to make a show designed to be used in that way. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every retweet and embed and repost I get; but I'm MUCH more interested in making a show that you can watch, be entertained by and hopefully learn/hear a point that you can incorporate into your own outlook, not just repeat.

Will other characters be "taking over" the show again?
NO. We tried that with AntiThinker, and while I think the "arc" as a whole ended up pretty successful the BIG takeaway was that an "alternate-opinion" parody sketch of that nature is not really meant to be stretched over a whole or multiple episodes. There will be other characters "speaking their mind" and such, but not on that scale or in that style.

Will there be other "story only" episodes?
Possibly, but unlike "War of The Thinkers" in Episode 50 it likely won't be taking up the place of a "regular" episode. If/when I opt to do such an episode, it'll probably be in the form of a stand-alone "special."

I hope that clears at least some things up. I'll keep the VOTE on Episode 54 going at least another week, here's hoping folks enjoy however it shakes out.

DEMOCRACY!!!

2011-07-07T15:24:00.001-07:00

Alright, folks - let's get some audience-participation on! Should Episode 54 focus on:

A.) "Operation Rainfall"?

or

B.) The Supreme Court?

Start voting now in the comments or on Twitter (please RETWEET this page if you do.)

NOTICE: Any and all write-in votes for "turn series back into a generic slideshow" will almost-certainly produce the opposite of the desired effect ;)

Have at it!

Examiner Interview

2011-07-07T12:37:00.001-07:00

Awhile back I did an interview with Charles Huang of The Examiner, the text of which is now online for everyone to bask in. ENJOY!

Episode 53: "Things Learned In The Dark"

2011-07-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: as of 9/13/11 this video is now at THIS LINK

The Playstation Network Blackout should teach gamers and the games industry a hard lesson. (Busy night, more written thoughts later, for now... enjoy!)

Episode 53 Mini-Preview (UPDATED!)

2011-07-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

UPDATE! Episode 53 will debut this Wednesday, 7/6, at 11pm EST on ScrewAttack.com! As a little tease, here's a trio of screencaps from the episode itself. Those looking to remain 100% spoiler-free are advised not to click through and/or scroll all the way down, though since the visuals can't "spoil" what the actual topic is it's mostly about visual gags. Just so no one is dissapointed, though, I will say in advance that this is not the innevitable Supreme Court episode, but that said episode is coming in the near future...

This episode offers the best "flying" special-effects you've

seen since "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace."

I'm fairly proud of this one, because it represents (in my opinion, anyway) the most completely-realized "merging" of the MAIN, consistent focus of the series (re: topical editorial/lecture pieces) and the action/spoof "narrative" secondary elements that I've been working to integrate starting with the AntiThinker/Quest/War run earlier this year.

Our ALL NEW recurring character, Police Commissioner John

"BunnyFace" Bonifacio, is my favorite instance yet of my love

of absurd humor and my hatred of having to hire/pay actual

actors combining for the optimal result. My brother's rabbit,

"Dylan," plays the part. He MAY get a nicer desk in the future.

I don't want to spoil any more than that, but speaking just for myself this particular episode (the working title of which is "Things Learned In The Dark", incidentally) is the closest I've yet come to achieving the type of product I envisioned when I began setting up the retooling/upgrading of the show in the first place. I hope that fans old, new and future find a lot to like in it.

This still represents about five hours of sprite-animation and

compositing; but also the fulfillment of a 23 year dream.

The South Rises Again... As XBox Live DLC

2011-07-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear... This will not end well.

As seen on KOTAKU, XBox Live Marketplace is now selling a collection of history-based doll clothes for Avatars. One of which, pictured, is a Confederate Civil War uniform.

It's only listed as a "Civil War Uniform," but it's worth noting that a Union alternative is not offered - by contrast, both British and U.S. outfits are availed for the Revolutionary War. I don't know that I've checked, but are Confederate Flags allowed as Avatar-wear? If not, why this and not that? And while I'm at it, can I also get a Soviet army uniform? North Korean? WWI or WWII Germany? If not... why not, if this is "okay?"

I imagine there's no way to avoid the usual tiresome back and forth that always comes up in regards to the Civil War: "It was about slavery!" "No, it was about States Rights!" "What rights were they angry about?" "Well, the right to have slaves - BUT IT'S THE PRINCIPAL!!" At this point, I've given up wondering just how many generations its going to take for (some of) the American South to accept that "honoring your ancestors" and "pretending that your ancestors' cause wasn't on the wrong side of both basic morality and history" are not the same thing... though I'm REALLY eager to see how enflamed it all gets when Tarantino's "Django Unchained" (which is purportedly about an escaped slave who turns gunslinger to liberate his wife from a white plantation owner in the pre-war South) comes out - that's gonna be a party.

Is it even worth asking why this was supposed to be appropriate/revelant for a 4th of July release thing? The Holiday commemorates the formation of the country the folks in this uniform were trying to get out of. The only thing symbolically important about 7/4 for the Confederacy was the withdrawal from Gettysburg... which was a devastating loss.

"War of the Thinkers" Commentary

2011-06-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

A little treat between shows.

We Won

2011-06-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court of the United States in a 7 to 2 decision - has struck-down California's violent video-games ban, and in doing so has ruled that restricting the sale of violent games to minors by force of law is unconstitutional. This is, without question, the biggest and most important American legal decision in video game history.

The most important part of the decision, in terms of future lawmaking, is in the wording of the Majority Opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia (becoming, for the first time in his entire tenure, "cool") which specifically singles out the two most common arguments for game-censorship - that gaming's interactive nature and the un-planned-for nature technological evolution makes a "special case" for restriction - as being insufficient.

Incidentally, the decision defied the typical "liberal/conservative" split in the Court - a plurality of Justices voted to kill the ban, but Conservative Clarence Thomas and Liberal Steven Breyer were the dissenting votes.

"Anarchy Reigns"

2011-06-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. Far too long since a decent brawler.

Eddie Lebron's "Sonic FanFilm" Has a Trailer

2011-06-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Eddie Lebron, who did that not-bad-at-all "Mega Man FanFilm" a year or so back, is hard at work on a follow-up project based on "Sonic the Hedgehog." The big news thus far has been that he scored a fairly cool piece of casting: Sonic will be voiced by Jaleel White - who famously provided the character's voice on the American cartoons in the 1990s. Now it has a teaser trailer, with your first look at their CGI-Sonic...

FWIW, I liked Lebron's "Mega Man" movie. The guy has some chops, even if - like many DIY filmmakers in the YouTube era - his primary skillset seems to lie more in the realm of FX-integration than staging a scene. "Mega Man's" editing suffered from a lack of 'coverage' (re: insert-shots of atmosphere to establish geography and break-up static shots), so if he's gotten better at that it'd be an improvement right off the bat. Of course, what I'm REALLY interested in is seeing how they realize Dr. Eggman/Robotnik.

Regarding the "Tip Jar"

2011-06-22T18:18:00.003-07:00

Alright, so... as you can probably tell, there is now a PayPal "Tip Jar" button on the sidebar of both blogs. I just wanted to clarify a few things about that after the jump.

Here's the thing of it, folks: While I DO get paid to produce some of the content that is linked/embedded to this site, a good deal of it I do not - i.e. Game OverThinker, American Bob, "pieces" posted directly to the two blogs themselves, etc. So I figured that, on the off chance that folks who enjoy those things ever wished to "express" said enjoyment in the form of a tip here or there, it couldn't hurt to make the option available.

I want to be very clear on this point, though - the "tip jar" is EXACTLY what it says it is, and nothing else. It's not going to effect or be effected-by the content of the site - i.e. you will NOT see things in the vein of "if the tip jar gets X-amount full, this or that will happen on this or that show." Because that would be INCREDIBLY tacky and lame. It's a virtual jar by the virtual till, period; and will have no influence on content - PERIOD.

Conversely, please know and take seriously any comments/emails/whatever along the lines of "if I put X-amount in the jar, will you start/stop doing this/that?" will be ignored. In fact, I'd prefer not to talk about it AT ALL - even in the well-meaning "hey man, I liked that so I tipped etc etc" in the comments/feedback or otherwise because - again - that seems tacky and uncomfortable to me.

The "tip jar," much like the ads, is STRICTLY a way for me to break a little bit more even on this whole "free entertainment and content" thing. If you like the blogs, content, etc and want to "show support" by tossing some change in the jar or clicking the ads; awesome, bless you, thank you very much. If not, that's cool too and thanks for reading/watching all the same.