Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comThe Sims 3 hitting real and virtual shelves on Feb. 20, 2009http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/the-sims-3-hitting-real-and-virtual-shelves-on-feb-20-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/the-sims-3-hitting-real-and-virtual-shelves-on-feb-20-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/the-sims-3-hitting-real-and-virtual-shelves-on-feb-20-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,


EA has announced that February 20, 2009, will mark the rather momentous occasion of stereotypical gamers finally venturing into the brightly lit outside world ... in the game. It's the day The Sims 3, the latest interactive simulation of an annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy race of creatures, will be distributed -- both physically and digitally -- to a bunch of annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy creatures.

If you'd like to append "supercilious" to that list of adjectives, you should consider purchasing The Sims 3 Collector's Edition, which will include an exclusive in-game "Italian-style" sports car for you to maneuver through your envious neighborhood (no wonder those floating diamonds are green). Also included in the package will be a Sims Plumbob USB drive, a tips and hints guide, The Sims 3 Plumbob stickers and, oh yes, the game.
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]]>BreakingNewsCollectors-EditionEALeipzig-08Sims-3The-SimsThe-Sims-3Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:30:00 ESTWatch the Blip Festival documentary free for one weekhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/watch-the-blip-festival-documentary-free-for-one-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/watch-the-blip-festival-documentary-free-for-one-week/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/watch-the-blip-festival-documentary-free-for-one-week/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

One of the most surprising films in the sort of "Holy crap? What the heck?! This is cool!" vein to come out of SXSW film festival earlier this year was Blip Festival: Reformat The Planet. It's all about chiptune music and the performers, and is beautifully shot. It's hard to imagine Nintendo thinking people would be hacking into their Game Boys in order to create full-fledged concerts, concerts that would one day spark a feature documentary and an entire genre of music.

For one week, you can watch the impressive documentary at Pitchfork.tv. It's even broken up into bite-sized chapters for you. Give it a looksee and you'll find yourself toe-tapping along to the addictive 8-bit music throughout the film. It's beaten Wizard Rock as our current favorite geek music of choice.

[Thanks, Eliot]
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]]>Blip-FestivalChiptunesGame-BoyNintendoReformat-The-PlanetWed, 20 Aug 2008 03:00:00 ESTTeam Fortress 2: Meet The Sandvichhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/team-fortress-2-meet-the-sandwich/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/team-fortress-2-meet-the-sandwich/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/20/team-fortress-2-meet-the-sandwich/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Meet Team Fortress 2's "Edible Device" and shotgun replacement, the Sandvich.

Valve really missed a good opportunity for a bad pun here by not calling it "Meat the Sandvich," but hey, it's still pretty damned funny. What's next in the series of loony videos? Meet the Bullet? Seriously though, we'd watch them all. Heck, just throw a TF2 cartoon on the air as part of Adult Swim and we'd be glued to our sets.

[Thanks Giroro, Alistair and Vandell]
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]]>SandwichShotgunSteamTeam-Fortress-2TF2ValveWed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 ESTRumor: Spy Hunter movie hits oil slick, crashes, burnshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/rumor-spy-hunter-movie-hits-oil-slick-crashes-burns/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/rumor-spy-hunter-movie-hits-oil-slick-crashes-burns/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/rumor-spy-hunter-movie-hits-oil-slick-crashes-burns/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Spy Hunter movie based on the Midway arcade hit that we talked about more than a year ago is hitting the skids, crashing through the guardrail, and plummeting off the cliff that is called "development hell" in Hollywood. Looks like director Paul Anderson (W.S., not Thomas) is being taken off the project, which will spin it out into limbo.

You can also read Latino Review's review of the script right here. They seemed to like it, saying it was better than The Fast and the Furious 3 ... which ain't saying much. In fact, the best thing Spy Hunter has spawned as far as filmed entertainment goes is the Pontiac commercial above. If any of the game sequels had looked like that, we might still be playing them.

Now, we ask you... is this such a bad thing? Sure it had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson attached to it, and John Woo was supposed to direct it at one point. However, it's had a slew of different writers and now with two director replacements, do we really need a Spy Hunter movie? We hope no one hits "Continue" on the Spy Hunter movie, and that it just dies a merciful death. What say you?
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]]>filmHollywoodmoviePaul-AndersonSpy-HunterThe-RockTue, 19 Aug 2008 23:00:00 ESTFIFA trade jinxes another EA Sports coverhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/fifa-trade-jinxes-another-ea-sports-cover/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/fifa-trade-jinxes-another-ea-sports-cover/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/fifa-trade-jinxes-another-ea-sports-cover/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


FIFA 09 cover athlete Maurice Edu has been traded to another team, meaning EA Sports will, yet again, have to change the box art on one of its games. Edu, who would have been featured on the cover wearing his Toronto FC jersey, will now wear the uniform of the US Men's National Team -- not Scotland's Glasgow Rangers, which is the team he'll actually play on. EA Sports tells IGN that the cover of the game will ship with the correct art -- no "print out" version necessary.

This would be the second time in a month that EA Sports had to dump extra resources into changing a cover due to an athlete changing teams. Earlier this month the publisher had to fix the art for perennial high-profile American football title Madden 09 when cheesehead favorite Brett Favre unretired and left for New York New Jersey.
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]]>ea-sportsedufifa-09maurice-eduTue, 19 Aug 2008 16:58:00 ESTWhat would your favorite games look like with box credits?http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/what-would-your-favorite-games-look-like-with-box-credits/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/what-would-your-favorite-games-look-like-with-box-credits/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/what-would-your-favorite-games-look-like-with-box-credits/#commentsFiled under: ,

MTV Multiplayer has been the host for a lively discussion of box art credits recently (as has the delightful David Jaffe), and a new post may add fuel to both sides' fires. The site has created some mock-ups of what your favorite game boxes may look like if the dev team got credit on the cover.

The immediate reaction as we perused boxes like God of War and Halo 3 was one of revulsion, but the more we think about it, it might be kind of cool to see boxes used to portray games as a team effort rather than just touting the IP within. What do you think?
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]]>god-of-warhalo-3mtv-multiplayerTue, 19 Aug 2008 14:30:00 ESTSee Mega64's rejected 'DS guitar game' adhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/see-mega64s-rejected-ds-guitar-game-ad/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/see-mega64s-rejected-ds-guitar-game-ad/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/see-mega64s-rejected-ds-guitar-game-ad/#commentsFiled under: ,

We think the ESRB is, as a rule, pretty OK. They make it so the kids of good parents can't get adult games and the bad parents at least are forced to walk all the way into the store, which is just fine by us. But sometimes they can keep you from seeing perfectly good, perfectly surreal video game ads such as the one above made by our friends at Mega64 for an "unnamed DS guitar game" (spoiler alert, it's Jam Sessions).

The most heartbreaking thing, as revealed at the end of the ad, is why the video was rejected, which we can guarantee you won't guess. But, always obliging, the guys also made a "safe for the ESRB" version, which you can find just after the break.

Continue reading See Mega64's rejected 'DS guitar game' ad

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]]>esrbjam-sessionsmega64ubisoftTue, 19 Aug 2008 10:30:00 ESTReaders pick best webcomic: Gears of Conflict Resolutionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/readers-pick-best-webcomic-gears-of-conflict-resolution/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/readers-pick-best-webcomic-gears-of-conflict-resolution/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/readers-pick-best-webcomic-gears-of-conflict-resolution/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Despite (or perhaps because of) the similarities to an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force from 2004, Penny Arcade's Gears of Conflict Resolution took top honors in this week's webcomic wrapup. We'd also like to take a moment to remind everyone of the 300 "PG" parody, since we still can't stop ourselves from shouting "This is Cake Town" at least once a day at random strangers.

Second and third place go to Ctrl+Alt+Del's Moar Co-Op and Monday Night Crew's Street Dated. A special nod goes to mudron's debut in the wrapup.Thanks to everyone who voted; be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
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]]>cad-comicctrl-alt-delgears-of-wargears-of-war-2mncmonday-night-crewmudronpenny-arcadewebcomicTue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:00 ESTIrate father nails Xbox to treehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/irate-father-nails-xbox-to-tree/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/irate-father-nails-xbox-to-tree/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/19/irate-father-nails-xbox-to-tree/#commentsFiled under: ,

After having "warned [their] 3 boys about their behavior while playing the Xbox," a rather vengeful father had decided to create folk art with the console, according to the mother's CNN iReport. In the comment section, the mother said the kids do not "totally hate dad ... There was a problem, and the problem was addressed properly."

Not to worry for the kids, however, as a replacement Xbox can be found on eBay for well under $40. In fact, the Xbox shown above can be found on the online auction site as well, with 50% of proceeds reportedly going to the local school system and 50% towards the children's college fund. So, now that we know it can be nailed ... will it blend?

[Via X3F]
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]]>dailypicfamilymicrosoftpicturesxboxTue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 ESTGerstmann-gate 'villain' leaves CNET for advertising companyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/gerstmann-gate-villain-leaves-cnet-for-advertising-company/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/gerstmann-gate-villain-leaves-cnet-for-advertising-company/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/gerstmann-gate-villain-leaves-cnet-for-advertising-company/#commentsFiled under: ,


GameDaily reports Joshua Larson, former VP of Games at CNET Networks and the man often blamed for GameSpot's Gerstmann-gate scandal, has been named VP of Business Development at in-game ad agency Double Fusion. Please let the deliciousness of that flow over you for a brief moment.

Double Fusion's President and CEO announced Larson's hiring along with several others, saying that the new folks share a love of games and a "history of strong results and success in their prior roles." Larson's previous role was to manage business strategy and product direction at GameSpot.com. He's been dubbed the point man in the firing of Jeff Gerstmann and the exodus which followed, leaving GameSpot an editorially tarnished brand. If "success" is determined through money and not reputation, then it's probably being used to describe Larson's small roll in CNET's purchase by CBS for $1.8 billion earlier this year.
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]]>gamespotgamespot.comgerstmanngerstmann-gategerstmanngatejeff-gerstmannjoshua-larsonlarsonMon, 18 Aug 2008 21:45:00 ESTAtari's CEO wants you to know how it will stay back in blackhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/atari-ceo-wants-you-to-know-how-theyll-stay-back-in-black/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/atari-ceo-wants-you-to-know-how-theyll-stay-back-in-black/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/atari-ceo-wants-you-to-know-how-theyll-stay-back-in-black/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We've already witnessed the news that made us go, "Wha?" -- Atari actually turned a profit this past financial quarter, even though it was just a measly $3.5 million smackers. GameDaily went a little more in-depth in their interview with brand-spanking new Atari CEO Jim Wilson to find out what the company's plan is for staying profitable and earning bigger margins, and we'll sum it up for you here: "We really, really, really hope Alone In The Dark continues to do well," and "Location, location, location!" Yup, it's trying like mad to establish a strong footing in the North American market.

The trouble with that scenario is that the most exciting Atari title we were shown at E3 was What's Cooking? With Jamie Oliver for the DS. Atari is relying heavily on N+ and Backyard Sports to make a splash... but will it be enough to keep its head out of the water? The publisher needs a huge smash that can potentially turn into a franchise to keep things rolling, or else release dozens of marginally successful titles for the DS and the Wii to make things stick.

Either way, the interview is an interesting read. While we don't want to see Atari fade into obscurity and bankruptcy again, the company has a hard row to hoe.

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]]>AtaribusinessJamie-OliverJim-WilsonprofitWhats-Cooking-With-Jamie-OliverMon, 18 Aug 2008 19:45:00 ESTWrath of Lich King cinematic debuting at Leipzighttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/wrath-of-lich-king-cinematic-debuting-at-leipzig/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/wrath-of-lich-king-cinematic-debuting-at-leipzig/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/wrath-of-lich-king-cinematic-debuting-at-leipzig/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King's opening cinematic will premiere at the Leipzig Games Convention. The clip will be shown this Thursday, August 21, at 1PM German standard time (7AM Joystiq time).

We'd speculate about what Blizzard has in store for a big reveal at Blizzcon, but with Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 and WoW in play, who knows what the company could announce. We'll see what happens on October 11.

[Via WoW Insider]
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]]>activision-blizzardarthasblizzardblizzcon-2008cinematicleipzigleipzig-08world-of-warcraftwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingMon, 18 Aug 2008 17:45:00 ESTOn eve of Too Human launch, Epic dispute resurfaceshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/on-eve-of-too-human-launch-epic-dispute-resurfaces/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/on-eve-of-too-human-launch-epic-dispute-resurfaces/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/18/on-eve-of-too-human-launch-epic-dispute-resurfaces/#commentsFiled under: ,

It's been quite awhile since we've heard anything about the Silicon Knights and Epic Games lawsuit -- we last reported on it in January 2008 and were all prepared to make jokes about the lawsuit being on the cusp of vaporware like Duke Nukem Forever is and Too Human was. Thankfully, our curiosity has been rewarded; on the eve of the latter game's launch, Silicon Knights President Denis Dyack managed to put the legal proceedings back into the limelight.

In an interview with Develop, Dyack said that the trial is proceeding and that he was confident in his claims. "We're hopeful that justice will be done. We all feel really strongly that [Epic Games has] defrauded us, and a major portion of the industry," he said.

To recap: In late July 2007, Silicon Knights filed a lawsuit against Epic Games over what it felt was inadequate support for its Unreal Engine 3, thus harming development of Too Human. Epic responded and filed a countersuit. In November, Epic's motion for dismissal was denied. In January 2008, multiple subpoenas were issued to other UE3 licensees. As for Too Human's involvement, we'll be keeping a mental tally of how many reviews mention the lawsuit.
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]]>denis-dyackEpic-Gamessilicon-knightstoo-humanue3unreal-engineunreal-engine-3Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:45:00 ESTWeekly Webcomic Wrapup is unoriginalhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/17/weekly-webcomic-wrapup-is-unoriginal/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/17/weekly-webcomic-wrapup-is-unoriginal/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/17/weekly-webcomic-wrapup-is-unoriginal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

... and we don't mean anything stolen from other Joystiq features. We're just a fan of self-referential webcomics and wanted to highlight Scott Dewitt's Fanboys strip from earlier this week. Also making it appropriate, we saw a preview for Disaster Movie last night and wanted to end ourseles to the pain. Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

Gamers (Urf)
Gears of Conflict Resolution (Penny Arcade)
I'm as much of a fan of Braid as everyone else ... (mudron)
Warning! Challenger Approaching (2P Start)
Block Head (Fanboys Online)
Moar Co-Op (CAD)
Street Dated (MNC)
Besting Thee (Castle Vidcons)
New Heroes (Burn the Internet)

Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is unoriginal

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]]>webcomicSun, 17 Aug 2008 14:00:00 ESTFlute Link performs at Otakon 08 with pestering Navihttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/flute-link-performs-at-otakon-08-with-pestering-navi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/flute-link-performs-at-otakon-08-with-pestering-navi/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/flute-link-performs-at-otakon-08-with-pestering-navi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Tossing aside the standard temporal ocarina for something a little more complex, a "Flute Link" cosplayer performed on stage at this year's Masquerade show at the Otakon 2008 in Baltimore, bringing Navi in tow. It's a great performance, although it's hard to tell when she's playing live and when it's pre-recorded (for demonstrationg of her live performance, we also embedded a video of Flute Link performing Tetris with an Otaku band.

And for anyone who ever wished Navi would get her what for, keep watching until about the 4:25 mark. Video embedded after the break.

[Via VG Cats]

Continue reading Flute Link performs at Otakon 08 with pestering Navi

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]]>legend-of-zeldalinknavinintendoocarina-of-timeotakonotakon-2008Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:00:00 ESTAmazon's 17 separate Rock Band 2 listings ... for Nintendo 64http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/amazons-17-separate-rock-band-2-listings-for-nintendo-64/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/amazons-17-separate-rock-band-2-listings-for-nintendo-64/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/16/amazons-17-separate-rock-band-2-listings-for-nintendo-64/#commentsFiled under: , ,

While not as funny as Circuit City's "$10,000" Madden PSP bundle, Amazon has listed every Rock Band 2 game, bundle, peripheral and the Rock Band Track Pack as coming to Nintendo 64. While we were quick to assume this meant an overindulgent revival of the best Nintendo console ever, we quickly came back to reality after we noticed the box shots were showing the correct consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, etc.). Revival averted.
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[Thanks, Justin!]
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]]>amazonamazon-comamazon.comnintendo-64Rock-BandRock-Band-2Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 ESTRumor: More concept art from 'revived' Halo moviehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/rumor-more-concept-art-from-revived-halo-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/rumor-more-concept-art-from-revived-halo-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/rumor-more-concept-art-from-revived-halo-movie/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You may recall that, a little over than a week ago, some purported concept art for a Halo movie based on Eric Nylund's Halo: Fall of Reach novel surfaced on the web. If you don't, here's a convenient link back through time. Pretty nifty, huh?

So it's going on 10 days later and a new, less "Spartans in Spaaaaace!" piece of art has sprung up, appearing to depict our finest future-soldiers in training. Make with the clicking on the image above or Source link below for a larger version ... and keep hope alive that the fight for a Halo film is eventually finished.

[Thanks, tbone!]
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]]>bungiehalohalo-moviemicrosoftmoviesFri, 15 Aug 2008 21:30:00 ESTCanadian chain renting out movie theaters for gaminghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/canadian-chain-renting-out-movie-theaters-for-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/canadian-chain-renting-out-movie-theaters-for-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/canadian-chain-renting-out-movie-theaters-for-gaming/#commentsFiled under: , ,


CBC News reports that Canadian theater chain Cineplex has begun renting out auditoriums at its locations during "downtime" for the sole purpose of very-big-screen gaming. The company will offer two-hour, up to 12-person rentals for CAN$179 (US$169), which includes use of a supplied Xbox 360 and games from an on-site library (although the gamer or gamers ponying up the cash can bring their own games to play on the 50' screen - how considerate!).

The CBC piece mentions that Cineplex locations generally have between 12 and 24 hours a week open for game-ifying its theaters, and that sessions of four hours or more can be arranged with management (as can extra-late-night events). The chain began testing in-theater gaming three years ago in conjunction with Microsoft, and utilizes LCD projectors capable of HD resolutions. Given the partnership with MS, we're not too sure how accommodating Cineplex would be to bringing a PS3 or Wii of your own to hook up, but we'd love to hear from any Canadian readers willing (and able) to give it a shot.

[Thanks, Kersch!]
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]]>big-screencanadacineplextheatresFri, 15 Aug 2008 21:00:00 ESTBrash planning Prison Break gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/brash-planning-prison-break-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/brash-planning-prison-break-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/brash-planning-prison-break-game/#commentsFiled under: ,

Yes, as in a game based on the tedious television show starring perennially pouting Wentworth Whatshisface. Who better to act as warden to this societal dreg than Brash Entertainment, the house that built Jumper: Griffin's Story, Alvin & The Chipmunks and (and!) Space Chimps?

According to Gamespot, the Prison Break video game turned itself in via an advert tucked inside the show's recent Season 3 DVD box set. Aside from a February 2009 release window, little else is known about the project. We'd normally submit a scenario about siblings busting out of a prison -- a "prison break" if you will -- but the show managed to drag on even after its titular event had unfolded. But hey, people are still watching, so the game may just succeed in finding a captive audience.
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]]>BrashPrison-BreakTVFri, 15 Aug 2008 17:00:00 ESTJoystiq goes to i am 8-bithttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/joystiq-goes-to-i-am-8-bit/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/joystiq-goes-to-i-am-8-bit/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/joystiq-goes-to-i-am-8-bit/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Last night was the opening night shindig for the latest i am 8-bit show, and it was by far their biggest event yet. We arrived early as part of a press event to mill around and quietly take photos, but by 9PM the place was packed with people checking out the art, listening to the whomping sounds of Computer Jay, DJ R-Rated, and Leeni (check her out in the Pac-Man dress, along with her 8-bit tattoo). There was a massive line of people outside waiting to get in, and it had turned into the hottest ticket on Hollywood Blvd. Which, yes, is actually saying something.

They had turned the entire storefront of the World of Wonder (didn't they used to make Teddy Ruxpin?) into a huge display, featuring giant Piranha Plants from Super Mario Bros., and they had an old-school setup where you could play games ranging from an NES to a full-sized arcade cabinet, right there on full display to everyone passing by. It probably didn't hurt that some of the Nerdcore calendar girls took up residence here later and played Game Boys and quarter-eaters in their underwear.

Read more after the break, and be sure to take a spin through the huge gallery which shows off the more than 200 pieces in the show, and how crazy the whole scene became.
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Continue reading Joystiq goes to i am 8-bit

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>8-bitartartworkComputer-JayDJ-R-Ratedgalleryi-am-8-bitLeeniNerdcoreold-schoolFri, 15 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST