Birthday Goodies...from 2013

Came across this incomplete entry from last April of some birthday goodies I received from my loved ones:

Neil Gaiman's Sandman collection from my awesome in-laws

Super poseable Mega Man figure and "Avengers versus Thanos" trade paperback from my lovely sister

Documentary on the History of "Final Fantasy"

Check out this detailed 30 minute documentary on the creation of Final Fantasy and how it changed the course of game developer Squaresoft. Also prepare to be overcome with a wave of nostalgia if you ever enjoyed playing a JRPG:

Getting back into video games

Since marriage, I've played way more board games than video games. Since the baby was born, I've played a whole lot of...nothing. With the little guy not needing a feeding every hour, T and I have had more time to watch TV and relax a bit in the evenings, and while we do try and get out of the house on weekends, we rarely plan anything during the actual week.

So it should be no surprise I was bitten by the video game bug after hearing some great recommendations on The Indoor Kids podcast (a recent find) and realized this was something I could definitely fit in on quieter evenings. so the research commenced, I downloaded some new games on my iPad, I located, dusted off, and charged my Nintendo DS, and was ready to dive back into my long dormant hobby.

Here's what stuck:

I installed and enjoying League of Legends, a popular computer game in a genre I had heard a lot about, but had no first hand knowledge of. Although it has a steep learning curve, with the help of some experienced friends, and even some friends to play with, I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. If you play or decide to try it out, feel free to add me as a friend at "IamBluesteel".

Also, I'll be sure to share what other games that really stick out, and it'll probably be a mixed bag of casual games, like Candy Crush, which I have a love/hate relationship with, and more substantial games like the aforementioned League of Legends.

Mega Man 2 Lullabies

Guess what my son will be listening to when its time for bed tonight?!?

MEGA MAN 2 LULLABIES!

These sweet piano renditions from select Mega Man 2 songs are a free download, so fans should definitely grab the free tunes!

Street Fighter X Mega Man

You must go download the FREE retro-loving game Street Fighter X Mega Man now! Here's the game trailer if you need some convincing:

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I dropped the ball on having some content ready while I was on vacation for the holidays. Let me make it up to you by sharing this video, a very Mega Man Xmas:


   

A very Happy 2013 to you!

Trailers galore!

Some great trailers floating around this past week or so:

Star Trek Into Darkness with BBC Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch as the as-yet-unnamed-antagonist? Sign me up:


Man of Steel looks simply stunning:


And a very clever mash-up with the Street Fighter x Mega Man trailer, fan-created to celebrate anniversaries for both franchises:

Old Super Mario

This is the saddest/tenderest video game-based comic I have ever seen:

Old Super Mario (Tiny Cartridge)

Pew pew

I can't believe November is over already. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

He's not a Bad Guy

I was extremely pleased by Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, a wonderfully tender and introspective animated tale. Here are my highlights:

• Top-notch voice casting
• Good balance for an "all-age movie", something Pixar's recent movie "Brave" didn't have
• As an older viewer, a healthy dose of nostalgic video game characters: everything from Pac-Man to Street Fighter 2
• For an animated movie, it hits on the more mature themes of identity and self-image
• *sniff*...What? No, I'm not crying during a cartoon...I just have something in my eyes... *sniff* It's so touching, pass the tissues...

I definitely recommend it if you can catch in the theater, or once it comes out on DVD.

Realistic Pokemon critters

These realistic Pokemon are simultaneously fascinating AND horrifying...

I was always a Squirtle man...but now I can never look at the little guy the same way again. Also, you can check out artist arvalis' deviantART page for more realistic Pokemon.

8-bit Vendetta

8-BIT Vendetta from threadless.com

I did always hate that dog...

Link Round-up: Week of March 26, 2012

 Ron Burgundy announces "Anchorman 2" on Conan

• 'Avengers' Movie Soundtrack to be Best-Selling Album of 2001 (Comics Alliance)[music, comics, movies]
• The Motherf*cking Pterodactyl Sing Along Video *NSFW*(The Oatmeal)[humor, music]
• 'Draw Something' Batman: Matt Digges Illustrates Every Word with the Dark Knight (Comics Alliance)[comics, video games, humor]

Link Round-up: Week of March 5, 2012

Crazy Church Singer - Hold out for 1:07, where it just gets creepy.

• The Food Lab, Ramen Edition: How to Make Chashu Pork Belly (Serious Eats)
• "Chicken & Rice Guys" food truck is coming and they'll be by the Boston Public Library. Follow their twitter or Facebook account for the details. And check out this Boston.com article for a little more background. (Various)
• Umami Dearest - A big shout out to the uses of miso from Mark Bittman(NYT)
• The Food Lab, Ramen Edition: How to Make a Marinated Soft Boiled Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago) (Serious Eats)
• Pica Pic: Retro Handheld Gaming - A great site that emulates handheld games pre-dating the Gameboy (The Retroist) 
• 'Avengers' Movie Trailer Recreated With Marvel's '60s Cartoon Clips (Comics Alliance)

Mega-awesome

Happy Friday! Things have been very busy work wise as I've been gearing up for a week-long event for work next week, but I thought I should at least sneak in a fun post.

I hold Mega Man 2 as one of my top five games for the NES and was thoroughly entertained by some of these re-imaginings of the the title character:

Megaman Solitude, by `Artgerm

 

 

megaman by ~ivanev

 

 

Megaman Tribute by *saiyagina

MegaMan quickpaint by *Freakshow6

Video round up: Zelda, Sesame Street, & Pikachu

Here are some videos I came across recently that I just had to share:

Zelda Medley aka Girl dressed up as Link prancing around in the forest with her violin


Bert and Ernie recording for TomTom GPS (behind the scenes)


Pokemon: Ash teaches Pikachu how to fart

Super MBTA World

Thanks to Universal Hub who shared this bit of video game art from Circle Cat Games:

Comics Alliance: Post-It Note Video Game Art

That's one menacing Bowser

Comics Alliance: Post-It Note Art Destroys Productivity With Awesome 8-Bit Recreations

Absolutely brilliant! The author of the article does make a great point though by asking what one does with a black post-it note...

It's a chicken, in a duck, in a turkey, in a pig...

• Above is my newest pedal: the Xotic RC Booster. I've heard some amazing things about this "real clean" boost pedal, and so far it just fits wonderfully into my current set up.
  
• Now I don't consider myself all that handy, but I felt quite accomplished when I made some custom Lava cables for my pedalboard. It fulfills some of my OCD needs to have my pedalboard nice and neat, and the cables the perfect length.
  
• The game Tiny Wings is a lot of fun for 99 cents. The game has sparked some debate and has divided some members of our Wed. night small group into Team Angry Birds vs. Team Tiny Wings. Yahooooooo...
  
• Finally, I thought I'd share this video I got from a good friend who visited this past weekend. The cooks in this video take the idea of the Turducken to the next level: by including an entire pig, as well as plenty (and I mean plenty) of bacon!  Enjoy the gluttony: