Archive for April, 2010
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
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Posted on April 22nd, 2010 by
Available on Xbox Live or in Windows. I can’t believe I missed this game when it came out in early Feb. It just arrived for PC and I caught a commercial for it and – wow. Using German expressionalistic/surrealism to create a loopy platformer is a great idea. It’s a black and white world, with grainy film-stock and the protagonist is the villainous PB Winterbottom. A scourge, a rogue and a stealer of yummy pies. I like yummy pies, I like clever puzzle games, I like 2D platforming games and I like silent movies that make me think of a cross between Metropolis, Buster Keaton and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
I’m Working For Wario Now!
Posted on April 21st, 2010 by
Big news folks! I’ve got a new job! I’m making video games now! My boss is a big, fat, greedy man who has a zigzag moustache and his breath smells like garlic. And every time I ask when I’m getting paid, he always laughs like this: “WHA HA HA HA HAAAA!” Anyway, in this blog I thought I’d tell you about the people I work with at my new job, the history of the company, and a little bit about what I do there. (And for you more gullible types, yes this is just a very creative and silly blog about the newest game I’m really into right now: WarioWare D.I.Y. It’s a DS title that lets you create your own micro-games.).
Games Can Never be Art?
Posted on April 21st, 2010 by
Roger Ebert, noted – actually extremely noted – film critic and all around good guy has written a blog post defending his assertion that video games are not art. Actually he writes “CAN NEVER BE ART” which is even wrong-er-er. And then the Internet completely exploded. I have no dog in this fight. I’m a gamer, I love games, I happen to think games ARE art – or at least have that potential – but I really don’t care what a noted film critic who doesn’t play games thinks about it. For one thing, I’m certain that back when film was new, the very idea of films being art was huffed and puffed by all kinds of older-generation Eberts. So he’s old and out of touch – this is a surprise? This is an insult? This deserves thousands of outraged posts against a lovely man whose voice I miss (and can hear in my head) and opinion I still value. When it comes to FILM.
Press Start 4/21/10: Frantic Action Feeling
Posted on April 21st, 2010 by
A daily? Semi-daily? Bi-daily? Bi-curious-Daily? Little blog update to enhance that whole Twitter thing. Remember, that’s #gamerdadtm or @gamerdadtm or whatever it is. I’m old and don’t understand your social networking. I’m just a cave man. I was walking along and I fell into some ice and your scientists unfroze me… here’s the first Press Start update. Pressing Start now!
Dads and Daughters
Posted on April 20th, 2010 by
“The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, ‘Daddy, I need to ask you something,’ he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan.” – Garrison Keillor
A Decade of Maggie
Posted on April 20th, 2010 by
As I mentioned yesterday, 4/20 has a lot of meaning to me – and not just because I went to San Francisco State University. On the one year anniversary of tragedy, my daughter was born. We had no idea her gender and I had the honor of announcing to Linda that we had a daughter. Our lives changed, she’s 10 now and just plain “tweeny” and I’m alarmed at how fast the time has gone. In another decade she’ll be 20. The mind boggles. This is the second reason 4/20 helped set me on this path that led to GamerDad.com. For her birthday? She gets to play Sims 3 with me supervising, she gets an “emergency cell phone”, we planted an annual flower garden she’ll enjoy all Summer, she got an email address and 30 “girl-power” MP3s from iTunes. So. Much. Gaga & Beyonce. Happy birthday my love!
Columbine & 4/20
Posted on April 19th, 2010 by
Today is the anniversary of the day the Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold intended to perform the Columbine massacre. It was supposed to happen on the 19th of April. I never realized that, it had to do with a SNAFU over a friend providing ammunition (an 18-year old friend who could buy ammo at KMart). I’d always bought into the mythology that they were commemorating Hitler’s Birthday, on the 20th. Columbine figures BIGTIME in the history of GamerDad. I was a CNet freelance reporter and my job was to chronicle how the media was blaming video games for something that obviously had nothing to do with video games. I’ve written about it almost yearly since then, and it turns out I never really understood it until now. I just finished a devastating book called Columbine and it’s now out in paperback. I DO NOT recommend it, it will break your heart. The book is Columbine, and the author is Dave Cullin. It is the definitive study.
Game Review: World Party Games (Wii)
Posted on April 17th, 2010 by
Take a tour around the world and play motion-control based multiplayer party games along the way with World Party Games for the Wii. Go international and visit Italy, France, China, and the USA as you challenge arcade-style games. Some even have the option of using the Wii Balance Board as well!
The Bosses of Mega Man 10
Posted on April 17th, 2010 by
As a huge classic Mega Man fan, I wanted to talk a bit about the newest game in the series: Mega Man 10. I know it’s been out for over a month on WiiWare, but I downloaded the Xbox 360 version later on because, well no particular reason except I have MM9 on 360 as well. So here’s a blog with a quick mini-review of MM10, a rundown on the bosses, stages, and weapons, and my favorite classic Mega Man games in general.
Twitter Twit
Posted on April 16th, 2010 by
Okay, so I joined Twitter. Which means someone has already got GamerDad and TheGamerDad despite my owning the Trademark. Grrrr. I have no idea what I’m doing and I won’t start tweeting until I get about 20 followers, but I plan on twittering what my kids, wife and I are playing and assorted thoughts. I think you can add me JUST by looking for #GamerDadTM - if anyone has a better idea on how I reinforce the fact that I’m the real GamerDad – a genuine concern considering I own the media Trademark and because I’m known in the industry. Anyway, thanks for suggestions and spread the word.
