Kiki Trick on Wii is a Japanese explosion for the
ears

post from Destructoid on 30 December 2011 11:05:46 PM. © Destructoid

Kiki Trick on Wii is a Japanese explosion for the ears screenshot

Sometimes, I have no idea what is going on in the minds of Nintendo execs. One minute, they're playing it safe with games starring Mario and Link; the next minute, they're releasing off-the-wall sh*t like Captain Rainbow and cooperating with Koei Tecmo to make a Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition crossover.

What you see above is a trailer for Kiki Trick, out on January 16 for the Wii. There's a guy in a panda suit head bouncing a basketball under his legs, a group sitting in a circle holding a seance, a dude having stomach cramps, and a woman rubbing her hands and making a strange squeaking sound. Wut.

The video after the break is a little more revealing. The game is about playing close attention to audio cues to make split-second decisions. If the manic style seems familiar, that would be because the game comes courtesy of Nintendo SPD Group No. 1, the same division responsible for Rhythm Heaven and WarioWare. If Kiki Trick is half as fun as those games, we'll be in for a treat.

Kiki Trick - Randomness Trailer [YouTube]

Kiki Trick - Gameplay [YouTube]

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The DTOID Show: Saints Row & Skyrim As Santa-Sims

post from Destructoid on 30 December 2011 10:05:06 PM. © Destructoid

video details and more

Hey guys! Hope your holidays went well. This was The Destructoid Show's Monday episode, but I was too preoccupied with wholesome family-time/being hungover/shooting stuff with a pellet gun to post it when it first went up. It's not your typical news episode, but more of a Let's Play, comparing whether or not Skyrim or Saints Row The Third is a better game to pretend you're Santa Claus in.

Also, a couple things: I know Sinterklaas is the Belgian Santa, not the Santa of all of Europe. This video is pretty dumb, so let's chalk it up to momentary dumbpidity on my part. Also, I know who Sinterklaas is, cut me some slack.

Second: I know everyone's mad at GoDaddy for their support of SOPA, but the sponsorship was lined up weeks before this episode was shot, and that's not our department. Please try to appreciate the video for what it is, instead of hating it because of the politics involved. After all, it's Christmas. Er. It was, recently.

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Most pirated games of 2011 include Crysis, Mario,
Gears

post from Destructoid on 30 December 2011 10:05:06 PM. © Destructoid

Most pirated games of 2011 include Crysis, Mario, Gears screenshot

Torrentfreak has published its list of the most pirated games of 2011, a favorite end-of-year controversy for gamers around the world. The pirated software is broken up by system, with quite different results for each. No PS3 figures were released.

On PC, Crysis 2 walked away the "winner" with an estimate download total of 3,920,000. On the Wii, 2010's Super Mario Galaxy 2 topped the chart with 1,280,000, while Gears of War 3 beat the competition on Xbox 360 to the tune of 890,000.

Those are some big figures, and likely plenty of ammo for the next developer that doesn't want to make PC games. On the bright side, however, all the chart toppers did make plenty of money, so it's not like we'll see Crytek out on the street.

Ah, the intricate web of piracy. Who's right? Who's wrong? Probably nobody and everybody, respectively.

Top PC Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011
Crysis 2 (3,920,000)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (3,650,000)
Battlefield 3 (3,510,000)
FIFA 12 (3,390,000)
Portal 2 (3,240,000)
Top Wii Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (1,280,000)
Mario Sports Mix (1,090,000)
Xenoblade Chronicles (950,000)
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (870,000)
FIFA 12 (860,000)
Top Xbox 360 Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011
Gears of War 3 (890,000)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (830,000)
Battlefield 3 (760,000)
Forza Motorsport 4 (720,000)
Kinect Sports: Season Two (690,000)

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Betty's Room Escape

post from Escape Games 24 on 30 December 2011 09:05:34 PM. © Escape Games 24

Betty's Room Escape is another new point and click room escape game created by Gamershood. Betty's been mad at you for weeks and you have no idea why. So you've decided to sneak into her bedroom and read her diary. Obviously you need to do it secretly and leave before anybody sees you. So if you don't want things to get even worse you need to be clever and do it quickly. Good luck and have fun!

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'Impossible' Famicom game Takeshi's Challenge
translated

post from Destructoid on 30 December 2011 09:05:28 PM. © Destructoid

'Impossible' Famicom game Takeshi's Challenge translated screenshot

Takeshi Kitano, Japan's most extreme eliminator, hates technology. Naturally, he was the best person to ask to help make a videogame. The result was Takeshi no Chousenjou (Takeshi's Challenge), a Famicom title that was nearly impossible to beat thanks to several ridiculous tasks required of players, such as singing karaoke in the second controller's microphone or not pressing any buttons for an hour.

Some jerks thought it would be a great Christmas gift to translate the original ROM into English and share it online. If you feel as though there isn't enough irritation in your life, give the game shot. Be strong, friends.

MISSION COMPLETED: Takeshi's Challenge [Emuxhaven via Tiny Cartridge]

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[UPDATE] Ocean Marketing Attempts To Extort
Former Client

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 30 December 2011 08:55:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Just when you thought the story about Paul Christoforo couldn't get any more ridiculous, the man turns things up to 11.

View Article

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Strange Cases: The Secrets of Grey Mist Lake
Collector's Edition

post from Escape Games 24 on 30 December 2011 08:05:03 PM. © Escape Games 24

[WEEKEND DOWNLOAD] Strange Cases: The Secrets of Grey Mist Lake Collector's Edition is a great Strange Cases series point and click Collector's Edition downloadable hidden object games. Discover the Secrets of Grey Mist Lake! FBI Agent Claire Ellery has discovered another Strange Case and she needs your help to get to the bottom of a set of strange circumstances. Explore a town only spoken of in

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-of-grey-mist-lake.html

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Rumor: App store coming to Wii U, non-game apps
coming

post from Destructoid on 30 December 2011 08:04:59 PM. © Destructoid

Rumor: App store coming to Wii U, non-game apps coming screenshot

These days you can't just be a game system. I remember when we hated that, but now we need it. Social networking, movie watching and internet browsing are a must, and it sounds like Nintendo realizes that and is planning to get up to speed with Wii U.

The Daily has learned that Nintendo plans to quit messing around with the limited offerings and go full-out with an app store for the Wii U. A "person familiar with the matter" says that Wii U will see apps that operate on the system itself, such as MLB.TV, as well as others that run on the Wii U tablet controller. The site suggests that web browsing, email and social networking would be a good fit for the controller and its big screen.

Even though we're still in rumor territory, this one's not hard to believe. I'm sure Nintendo is busy working on getting some of that app cash right now.

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Cute Link and Zelda figures for the pockets in
your pants

Cute Link and Zelda figures for the pockets in your pants screenshot

The Indian in the Cupboard is a pack of heartbreaking lies. Bringing little toys to life by tossing them in a box and turning a magic key is never going to happen, and that makes me sad. I'm furious because I can't have a little Tetra in my pocket, being all sassy and independent and stuff.

As you can see above, Takara Tomy is releasing six Zelda figurines featuring the Link and Zelda pairings from Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, and The Wind Waker. Hobby Fan is taking pre-orders for the entire set of little people, which are between five and 14 cm tall each. For just $34.99, the set doesn't sound too rough on your wallet, does it? Don't you want a Tetra in your pocket?

Zelda gashapon figures rolling out this summer [Tomopop]

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Why Nathan Drake would make a fantastic
homosexual

Why Nathan Drake would make a fantastic homosexual screenshot

I was reading this very nice article on Gamasutra about the dearth of legitimate homosexual characters in videogames, and was particularly struck by writer Andrew Meade's suggestion at the end -- make Nathan Drake gay. Now, before you laugh that suggestion off as little more than a silly bit of joking, I would like to state that I agree with Meade -- and I am deathly serious about it.

I am fully aware that the Uncharted series is Naughty Dog's property, and that Nathan Drake is its creation. I would never dream of telling a developer what to do with its character, demanding that it should do something simply because it would make me feel personally vindicated. However, I would like to suggest that Nathan Drake would benefit from coming out of the closet, for a number of good reasons.

It makes sense from a story perspective

As Andrew Meade himself pointed out, the story of a man struggling with his sexual identity would suit the established character of Nathan Drake to a tee. Here we have a man who can't forge a lasting, meaningful relationship with a woman and acts like a dick most of the time. These things would be perfectly explained by making Nathan insecure about his sexuality and attempting to come to terms with it.

Not to mention, such sexual frustration would explain the compulsion to travel the world looking for treasure, putting his life at risk for trinkets and baubles. The sheer amount of physical exertion and mortal danger that Drake subjects himself to could very well be the result of a man torn up by internal conflict.

And, not to sound too gauche, but it would kind of explain the relationship with Sully. That man's too old for Nathan to just "hang out" with.

It would blow Dumbledore out of the water

When J.K Rowling said Dumbledore was gay, it was cute, but it felt a little too much like pandering after the fact. The Harry Potter series was done by then, Rowling made out with her fat loot and wasn't too worried about losing popularity, so it was an easy thing to just randomly pick a character to be gay for some brownie points. It took no effort and required no writing. Easy win.

If Naughty Dog were to have Drake come out in-game, that would become legend. Naughty Dog would secure itself a place in history that I guarantee will be looked in with favor by our socially superior descendants, earning applause for becoming the first Triple-A game to feature an openly gay protagonist -- one who was actually fleshed out and affable, rather than a two-dimensional camp stereotype.

We still talk about the iconic swerve of the Metroid series, when it turned out Samus Aran was a woman. It demonstrated that gender needn't be a barrier to the creation of a strong videogame protagonist, and I like to think that a few kids at the time actually opened their minds a little bit, and changed their perception of gender in fiction. That can happen again, and it would be glorious.

I have little doubt that, one day, a game will be brave enough to do it. Naughty Dog could have that game.

It could potentially change attitudes

While I am sure a fair few idiotic gamers would be grossed out by the idea of Nathan being gay, I am also certain that a lot of them would think, "Hey, Nathan Drake is gay, but that has not changed what kind of character he is, or why I like him." As I stated before, Samus Aran opened minds up once before, so surprising us with Nathan's sexuality could make that sweet lightning strike twice. It would make a real statement that gay characters can be heroic, interesting, funny protagonists as well. Being gay doesn't stop Nathan being all the other things you liked about him. I think that would be a superb message to send to fans.

Perhaps I am still just a little too optimistic about people, but I like to think that folk who are scared or hateful about the subject of homosexuality simply don't realize that being gay doesn't change who a person is, or are learning secondhand information about LGBT people from outdated, poorly translated, often misrepresented doctrines. Nathan could be a good conduit through which a little education might flow.

It wouldn't hurt Naughty Dog

Gamers have demonstrated that very little can stop them buying games. EA can screw customers over with online passes, make them jump through hoops with extraneous extra services, and charge obscene amounts of money for DLC, but people still buy its products. Bobby Kotick could strangle a puppy with his bare hands, but Call of Duty would sell gangbusters regardless. The Uncharted series is massively popular among PS3 fans, and the gameplay is something they're hooked on. I do not think having Drake come out would dramatically alter that.

When you remember that videogame boycotts usually fail miserably, and that people who promise not to buy a company's game end up buying it anyway, this is one situation where the spinelessness and slavish devotion of the gamer community can be used for good instead of evil.

Few studios have the power Naughty Dog has. Few games ever become popular enough to inspire guaranteed loyalty and are therefore in a position where they could get away with something like this and have it be a riskless gamble. It is not Naughty Dog's responsibility, nor its obligation, but since it has the power, it would certainly be awesome to utilize it.

It would mess up the minds of genuinely homophobic gamers

Okay, the last point is petty and vindictive, but why not? Those PS3 gamers who genuinely hate gay people but love Uncharted would be mentally torn to shreds by the idea that one of their favorite game heroes was a "fag." Perhaps some would grudgingly start to admit that Nathan's still cool. Others might just have a mental breakdown and post ridiculous, poorly spelled tirades on GameFAQs, but it would be terrific to witness either way.

I bet the most insecure ones would even start to question themselves and wonder why they liked Nathan so much. I mean, they've just spent three games staring directly into the ass of a gay man for hours at a time, cooing over the PS3's impressive graphics as Nathan's shirt gets all wet and clings to his toned, glistening torso.

Why were you looking at Nathan that way? Did you feel it? Just a little pulse ripple along your shaft? Just the once? Did you? You can't be sure, can you? What does it mean if you did? If Nathan Drake just started stroking your face, would you stop him? Would you close your eyes? Oh God, you don't know. Why don't you know what you'd do? Why does it feel like Old Snake's wearing nothing at all? Nothing at all? What are you going to tell Mom and Dad now?

At least, that's what I'd like to think they'd be saying to themselves.