PodShot: Summer Soundtrack Sampler No.1 - Super Mario Sunshine

Welcome to episode number one of my Summer Soundtrack Sampler Series, a periodic collection of podcasts presenting an “audio tour” of some of my favorite game soundtracks. These are soundtracks that either embody the characteristics of summer or have personal connections that always remind me of the season. Case in point, Super Mario Sunshine came out in August of 2002 but it wasn’t until the following summer that I finally got around to playing it and recording the music. And since I’ve already reiterated something here that I explain in the podcast I’ll leave it at that and let you get started. Running time: 25 minutes.

Club Nintendo dishing out Special Rewards to Heavy Buyers

Richard Garriott officiates Zero Gravity Wedding

When you decide to get married in zero gravity there’s only one man to turn to, Lord British himself, Richard Garriott. Here’s a news clip of the weightless couple’s vows, officiated by Garriott and his Zero Gravity Corp who made the event possible. If I were there I totally would’ve bugged him about Ultima while floating around.

Your Sunday PodShot is taking a Week Off

Sorry gang, I had to work today and Katy’s hurt her neck and shoulder so we’re gonna take this week off. I really really do plan on finally getting a mid-week show up this week so look for that around Wednesday/Thursday. In the meantime, aren’t there a few old episodes you missed? Or maybe you’d like to listen to me and NfamousGamer Rob talk about Downtime in modern gaming? Again, I’m really sorry to miss another week.

Japanese DS stylus!

Check out these super girly kawaii Hello Kitty stylus from Japan over at Strap Ya!

Hibino plays Sax at Video Games Live

Video Games Live is finally coming around to my hometown in July and I’m looking forward to going although I’m not expecting Norihiko Hibino to show up anywhere near the midwest. Tommy Tallarico (yes, Steven Tyler’s cousin) sent this video of Hibino-san playing the sax on his theme from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater at the Video Games Live show in Singapore to Original Sound Version and I had to share. Follow the link for another video from the show where one girl freaks out over One-Winged Angel after Tommy teases it in a somewhat unsettling manner.

Peripheral Makers Dream of Natal Add-Ons, I Disagree

So I’ve been meaning to throw this thought out there for a while and this Joystiq post (by way of MCV) with a couple peripheral maker execs is the perfect impetus to finally get it online. If you’re not familiar with dreamGEAR, they’re the ones behind those silly clamp-on tennis rackets and golf club heads that almost no one bought on the Wii two years ago. Logic3 makes extravagent speaker docks for handhelds and consoles (yes, consoles) as well as plenty of pointless Wii add-ons of their own. MCV called them up to get their thoughts on the ensuing generation of motion controls.

“One of the biggest challenges for peripherals firms is keeping up with changing technology, particularly the trend toward interactive gaming started by Nintendo and now embraced by Microsoft’s Project Natal,” dreamGEAR COO Richard Weston explains to MCV.

“From all the recent revelations at E3 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, motion sensing devices and add-on accessories for these devices will be the main focus in the future,” Logic3’s sales manager Paul Croucher frighteningly foretells.

My big thought on all this is that Natal doesn’t need any accessories. No, not because it’ll be such an engaging and flawless experience that no one will miss holding something physical in their hands. Natal doesn’t need plastic sports sticks (golf, baseball, or otherwise) because everyone already has them. If it’s really as good as we’re led to believe then it doesn’t matter what we’re holding in our hands and a broken broom handle or an ergonomic TV remote will work exactly the same as any mass produced (and overpriced) peripheral. I love the idea of making your own peripherals if you absolutely have to be holding something and I love thinking about the conversations that could arise when talking to co-workers, relatives, and strangers about what they use as a sword, golf club, or gun. You’re gonna look silly no matter how you play with Natal so why not use a dinner plate as a steering wheel or a hair dryer as a ray gun?

You can even go all meta and use a classic Zapper lightgun or maybe even strap on your Guitar Hero guitar and let Natal pick up on the colored buttons and which ones your fingers are covering in order to play. What stuff around your place could you see using for different types of games?

The NfamousGamers Roundup Post

I really enjoy working at NfamousGamers, getting things sent to me with expectations of a timely turnaround, but it’s made it hard to work on GameLuv since a lot of what I write would probably end up here as well. I’ve been linking individual stories but I think I’m going to do a roundup kinda post since a lot of what I’m writing now is press release recaps. I’m still proud of what I write and want to share it here (and across Livejournal, and Twitter, and Facebook… hi guys!!). I’m especially pleased with this write up I did on the whole “new Xbox” talk which is posted here in its entirety with some older headlines after the cut.

It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point, what with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer having just confirmed a new Xbox for 2010 that features a “natural interface,” but I think it’s worth looking back over our shoulders at the bread crumb trail. Out of E3 it was Microsoft conference MC Don Mattrick who cryptically revealed that the motion sensing Project Natal would support the current Xbox and all Xbox hardware going forward. I assumed he was talking about future backward compatibility with any Natal games that were released for the Xbox 360 but it was a carefully worded hint at this newly confirmed console release.

Then came the news that Microsoft would no longer be sending out Xbox Coffins, the all-too-familiar, pre-paid cardboard box that the company had been shipping to Xbox owners with defective hardware. Coupled with this news is the recent discovery of yet another new hardware chipset in the Xbox 360 Arcade unit featuring 512mb of memory, up from 256mb. Microsoft confirmed the new hardware to Eurogamer stating that, “The Xbox 360 system software uses some of the included 512mb memory. We want to offer consumers a bit more memory at the same low price so they can enjoy more experiences on Xbox LIVE.” And then fellow Nfamous Gamer, Robert’s Xbox died.

This new Xbox 2010, for lack of an official name, is going to do more than just bundle in the Natal hardware. It’s a Nintendo style “refresh” to be sure, just like the DS Lite was to the original Nintendo DS, but it may also be a chance for Microsoft to finally put the Red Ring of Death era behind them. Over the years they’ve added heat sinks, changed out microchips, reworked the layout of the components, and added more ventilation but it’s never been enough to keep the Xbox 360 running reliably for long. Now able to completely update the hardware and even redesign the case with Xbox 2010 the biggest technological advance might be one we never even realize; no more red rings.

Now for the bad news. It’s obvious the repair program for all those years of dead systems has taken its toll on Microsoft’s bottom line. They’re drawing back support already by ditching the coffin boxes, which must cost quite a bit on their own for cardboard, packing foam, plastics, and shipping costs. We’ve still got the hyper-extended three year warranty but it’s apparently only a matter of time before everyone’s Xbox 360 dies and we’ll eventually have to pay for shipping and repairs or finally upgrade to an Xbox 2010. For those of us not yet ready to invest in a whole new console let’s hope the Natal hardware doesn’t push our Xbox 360’s any harder… or that Microsoft offers a sweet incentive deal. Hey, we’re on the verge of controller-less gaming of the future, I can dream right?

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Your Sunday PodShot is full of people!

I don’t know about everyone else but Life has seriously been cutting into my game time this past week! I did manage to get a new-ish video card for my PC and played a little Max Payne 2 and Audiosurf while the rest of the gang got in on Magic: The Gathering on Xbox 360, more Sims 3, Raiden Fighters Aces, Ghostbusters, and discussions on Nintendo’s “kind code” and why I don’t like BioWare games. All that AND we’re joined by special guest, NfamousGamers’ Robert!

“Weird Al” would love to be in Rock Band, Guitar Hero

“Weird Al” Yankovic hosted his first ever live, Ustream, Twitter, chat/interrogation thing on Tuesday night and amidst the spontaneous, speaker-crackling yelling and incessant humming he managed to mention something about games.

Specifically, he answered a question about whether or not we’d ever see/hear any of his songs in popular music games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero (it bears mentioning that Like a Surgeon is currently available in SingStar on PlayStation 3, and I rock at it). Al responded by saying that he enjoys the games and would love to see/hear his music featured in them but that someone has to ask him first. Apparently, Al is not almighty enough to simply demand his music be included in these games so please, someone at Activision or Harmonx, hit this guy up already! His polka medlies might require some intricate licensing deals but they would be incredibly fun to play and sing, even if the guitar stands in as the accordion. And we all know it’d make Maxx’s dream game a reality. Can ya deny him that?