Hello everyone, and welcome to my new weekly column, As The Steam/GOG Turns, the continuing story of two competing digital distribution services that consistently have some pretty good releases!
But before I get to that, I want to recap a couple of recent releases and give you an idea of hwat I am going to be doing with this column, at least for the game release recaps.
First up is Leisure Suit Larry In The Land of the Lounge Lizards Reloaded, the remake of the first Leisure Suit Larry game that is more like the cel-shaded graphical style of later LSL games. Plus Al Lowe, the original guy behind the game, is helping with the remake in some capacity. The price is $19.99 on both GOG and Steam, and I think you are best off waiting for this one to go on sale. $9.99 would've been perfect, so when it gets below that in a Steam sale, that's when you can snag this one.
Second is Rogue Legacy, from Cellar Door Games. It's an independent game that is a side-scrolling Metroidvania-esque platformer with roguelike elements. The idea is that you have a genealogy element, like the hero you use passes on certain traits to his or her heirs, such as hypergonadism (i.e. you have better knockback of enemies), dwarfism (i.e. you are smaller and thus harder to hit), and gigantism (i.e. you are huge and thusly a LOT easier to hit). It is $14.99 from both GOG and Steam. I would recommend the game as it gives off a lot of replay value and that classic "just one more run" feeling that I got from my 2012 game of the year, FTL: Faster Than Light. This one is one that probably you can afford to pick it up on Steam or GOG, but if you are like me and want to support these amazing indie developers, I would probably recommend paying $15 on their website, giving them an additional tip if you desire, which then gives you a Steam key AND a DRM-free copy of the game, so you get the best of both worlds.
And now, on with As The Steam/GOG Turns...
This week, GOG ceded to Steam because they are still holding their #noDRM Summer Sale, the last day of which is today, July 4th. They brought back all the prior bundle deals, so if you haven't picked anything else up, go ahead and do so.
However, there is one preorder release that has hit both Steam and GOG, and that is the brand-spanking-new Rise of the Triad game that is coming out at the end of this month. Drool. I love me some old-school FPS action (as I played Quake III and Unreal Tournament till the cows came home), and this is pretty much more of the same gaming goodness. It's $14.99 for the preorder on both Steam AND GOG, plus no matter where you buy the preorder you get the original Rise of the Triad, along with Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Blake Stone: Planet Strike, so it is a total win-win situation. I know where I'll be picking up my copy of the new ROTT from, so get going, soldier!
So, Steam this week has got a ton of awesome releases this week!
First and foremost, Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, the ultimate version of the hit 2011 game that rebooted the Mortal Kombat franchise, has finally, finally, finally made it to the PC. This franchise is well-known for its gruesome fatalities, its roster of characters, and some of the most over the top fighting action you will ever see. Mortal Kombat is the main reason we now have ESRB ratings on our game boxes, and this franchise has gotten a breath of fresh air. The Komplete Edition even adds 4 new Kombatants, Rain, Skarlet, Kenshi, and guest Kombatant Freddy Krueger (yes, THAT Freddy Krueger, the Nightmare on Elm Street himself), 15 Klassic Mortal Kombat skins, and 3 Klassic Fatalities. it's $29.99, and while I am in full support of paying full price for this game (and I think I am going to pay full price for the game to support fighting games on PC), I am afraid I may have to recommend waiting till it goes on sale.
Secondly is a game that was (amazingly) released on PC back in 1997 but got a revamping of sorts last year and every single fan said, in essence, "No Steam, no sale", and now they get their wish: Final Fantasy VII is now on Steam!! This new version of FF VII boasts achievements, Cloud Saves (the punnage is amazing, as Cloud Strife is the hero of FFVII), a Character Booster feature so you can get through a difficult section with ease (glad they put that in), and it works on all modern PC operating systems. I'm not sure if the SecuROM that was in place on the Square Enix Store version is still in place, but ya never know with these things. $11.99 gets this game on a modern platform. Great value, because the original PS1 version goes for way more than that on eBay. This is recommended to buy now and not wait till a Steam sale.
Finally in the releases, I will take the opportunity to detail what is on Free Weekend on Steam this holiday weekend. Free Weekends are usually a game that is available to the public for free for the weekend and is pretty much on sale for the same time at a steep discount. Usually this is more than likely going to be a separate post, but because this is the July 4th holiday weekend, the Free Weekend title is already online: Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. Some of us already have this title (such as myself), so this one is a non-issue for me. I can't wait to give this game a whirl, because I like Mario Kart-style racing games, and Sega and Sumo Digital almost always get the game's speed and pacing exactly right.
Now, what have I been playing of recent? I mentioned in my introductory post yesterday that I've been playing the Poker Night games from Telltale.
First, let me talk about Poker Night at the Inventory. The game is interesting to say the very least, where you play Texas Hold-Em poker at a secretive club founded about the time of Prohibition called The Inventory. Your opponents are Max, the rabbity-thing from the Sam & Max games, the Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, and Tycho Brahe from Penny Arcade. The game is hysterically funny (and please, if you are not sensitive to the profanity, turn it on. The language filter is on by default for whatever reason), but the AI is godawful. Even Tycho's geek humor cannot save this from the "Only-buy-it-on-Steam-sale-for-75%-off" bin. Only good for maybe a couple hours, if that.
Next I will give my impressions of Poker Night 2. This one is really good, the AI is much improved over the prior game (although that wasn't that hard to do...), and there are 2 different games you can select from in this one: You can play Hold-Em, as I am continuing to do, or you can play Omaha, which while it does have an element of luck, it is a game that has a mich higher skill ceiling than Texas Hold-Em. Your opponents in this one are Ash Williams of Evil Dead fame, Brock Samson from the Venture Bros. cartoon on Adult Swim, Claptrap from the Borderlands games, and Sam (the detective dog from the Sam & Max games). Your dealer this time is gLADOS from Portal. How fun! I love this one very much, and I totally lucked out last night as I was playing because I landed a 4 of a kind (the best hand you can possibly have in poker) against Brock Samson, and he was all-in so I summarily knocked him out. That was amazing, let me just say. $4.99 is a "impulse-buy-no-need0-for-it-to-go-on-sale" game and it is amazing.
That's all I'm playing right now, so I'll see you next week on As The Steam/GOG Turns.
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Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
As the Steam/GOG Turns (Intro to a New Column)
I've been playing a lot of PC games of recent. From the first Poker Night (Poker Night at the Inventory), to its sequel, Poker Night 2, and many other fabulous PC games, I am actually finding that PC gaming is becoming my main source of gaming anymore.
So, to that end, I'm debuting a brand-new column that will be exclusive to this blog portfolio: As The Steam/GOG Turns. It's a new idea that is taking the GOG release wrapups I did before and expanding them to include Steam as well. It'll talk about what exactly the releases are about, give a price tag, and maybe talk a little bit about whether a game looks to be worth it or not at the price tag they're asking, or whether it's better to wait till it goes on sale. Plus I'll give a rundown on games I am playing at the moment that are available on Steam or GOG and maybe give a recommendation or whatever depending on what I'm playing.
Tomorrow will be when I do my full write up because there is some major teasing on Twitter about something fairly epic going down tomorrow on GOG.com, so I want to cover it in my first-ever As The Steam/GOG Turns column. See ya then!
So, to that end, I'm debuting a brand-new column that will be exclusive to this blog portfolio: As The Steam/GOG Turns. It's a new idea that is taking the GOG release wrapups I did before and expanding them to include Steam as well. It'll talk about what exactly the releases are about, give a price tag, and maybe talk a little bit about whether a game looks to be worth it or not at the price tag they're asking, or whether it's better to wait till it goes on sale. Plus I'll give a rundown on games I am playing at the moment that are available on Steam or GOG and maybe give a recommendation or whatever depending on what I'm playing.
Tomorrow will be when I do my full write up because there is some major teasing on Twitter about something fairly epic going down tomorrow on GOG.com, so I want to cover it in my first-ever As The Steam/GOG Turns column. See ya then!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
"Goodbye, 1up Galaxy!"
Before I get going on what I am about to say here, I want to say that the title is based on a game in the Commander Keen series, and therefore this title is apropos.
Today marks the end of one of the most productive periods in my young writing career: The first ever legitimate website I have worked for, 1upGalaxy, is no longer, being morphed into my friend the co-founder's website, and many of the posts have evaporated.
It was about this time last year that I heard about a new website for gamers that was starting up called 1up Galaxy. I was one of the very first guys to write for the site, and I gradually became the most prolific writer on the site. Eventually, I became the only writer on the site before it was folded this afternoon.
In the time that I worked on the site, I went through a very difficult period wherein I had to contend with greatly increased stress levels, a large productive period where I found my calling as a writer, found some of the amazing people that I now call my friends, and I even reconnected with two friends I had totally lost touch with for 20 years.
I find, even now, that the short time I got to work on a legit website as a writer was absolutely invaluable to me. I am forever grateful to my friends Van (known on YouTube as FiyahKitteh), Slim (SlimKirby), Scooter (PraisedScooter), and all the people I got to work with. I'm sad that it had to end, but I feel very strongly that we all had to go our separate ways because of my newfound ambition in terms of my writing career.
Also, some of the features I started on 1up Galaxy, including Nintendo Direct recaps and GOG.com release week recaps, will in fact come over to this site. There will no longer be any of my old articles coming over to the site, and in fact I will try to post twice every day, sometimes more if I get inspired to write, really it just depends on the day. I hope you come with me on what is frankly the biggest writing adventure of my life, and I am happy to have you, my readers, along for the ride that I was not expecting to have, especially not this soon.
Today marks the end of one of the most productive periods in my young writing career: The first ever legitimate website I have worked for, 1upGalaxy, is no longer, being morphed into my friend the co-founder's website, and many of the posts have evaporated.
It was about this time last year that I heard about a new website for gamers that was starting up called 1up Galaxy. I was one of the very first guys to write for the site, and I gradually became the most prolific writer on the site. Eventually, I became the only writer on the site before it was folded this afternoon.
In the time that I worked on the site, I went through a very difficult period wherein I had to contend with greatly increased stress levels, a large productive period where I found my calling as a writer, found some of the amazing people that I now call my friends, and I even reconnected with two friends I had totally lost touch with for 20 years.
I find, even now, that the short time I got to work on a legit website as a writer was absolutely invaluable to me. I am forever grateful to my friends Van (known on YouTube as FiyahKitteh), Slim (SlimKirby), Scooter (PraisedScooter), and all the people I got to work with. I'm sad that it had to end, but I feel very strongly that we all had to go our separate ways because of my newfound ambition in terms of my writing career.
Also, some of the features I started on 1up Galaxy, including Nintendo Direct recaps and GOG.com release week recaps, will in fact come over to this site. There will no longer be any of my old articles coming over to the site, and in fact I will try to post twice every day, sometimes more if I get inspired to write, really it just depends on the day. I hope you come with me on what is frankly the biggest writing adventure of my life, and I am happy to have you, my readers, along for the ride that I was not expecting to have, especially not this soon.
EXCLUSIVE ADVANCE REVIEW: Sounds Like You by Kirby Krackle
July 2, 2013. Today is a date that forever shall live in infamy for me, as it was the day I got to listen to an exclusive livestream of the new album from nerd rock pioneers Kirby Krackle.
Nerd rock pioneers Kirby Krackle hail from Seattle, Washington. Other musical acts that have come from Seattle include Pearl Jam and Heart, as well as a myriad of others. The album comes out next week, and I'm one of Kirby Krackle's biggest fans, so this is a huge treat for me. Thank you again Kyle and Jim for the opportunity to review your work before the rest of the world.
The new album Sounds Like You starts off with the song Parachute, which reminds me a lot of Superman and Lois Lane and how he's almost always her parachute. (On that subject, I love that the new Man of Steel movie actually gave Lois Lane something to do for once.)
The second track is "Set Your Phasers to Sexy" which I think is about a nerdy, comic book-reading guy like myself getting attracted to a female nerd. One thing I love about this song is how it has some really cool vocal stuff and one amazing guitar solo that sounds like Neil Giraldo guested on the album.
Third up is Cozy Pants O'Clock, which I think has a Crosby, Stills, & Nash Southern Cross vibe, and this song is about how amazing it is to lounge around in cozy pants. For me, if I had my way, Cozy Pants O'Clock would be all day, every day. I do not think that I am alone in this.
Fourth is 140 Characters, and it is about falling in love with someone over social media. I can identify with this only to a certain point, but it's one of the few songs that have any sort of soft rock on the album. I miss the ukuleles, so this one will have to do until KK releases their next album.
Fifth is One More Episode, which was released earlier last year as a single. As a refresher course, it's about those TV on DVD sets and how you tend to marathon those late into the night. I can identify with the song, but for me, it was the Star Wars prequels that I decided (very stupidly I may add) to marathon one night after they released on Blu-Ray. I tried valiantly to watch all three but the lengthy run times of the movies meant that I skipped large portions of the second and third movies. (That was when my opinion on Episode I changed, knowing what I know now about how awful Episode II was and how Episode III was better than Episode II but went way too far in the wrong direction for me.)
Sixth is Grandma's House, which is about (wait for it) going to Grandma's house. I fondly remember getting to go to both of my grandmothers' houses, but for me, I was a lot closer to my maternal grandmother than I was to my paternal grandmother. Unfortunately, they both are no longer on this Earth, but I still think of them every day.
Seventh is Take You Out Tonight, which is about taking a girl on a date. I'm not certain from whose perspective the song is being sung, but it sure sounds like a song that talks about Spidey and Mary Jane Watson...
Eighth is Cosplay Queen, which talks about the relationships that tend to spring up like weeds in the cosplay world. It's really cool to finally have a song that celebrates cosplay. I like the acoustic sound of the song, because of how few acoustic songs are on the album. (Also, I laughed at the She-Ra reference.)
Ninth is Taco Night. I think it is about... wait for it... Taco Night. Like the night that everyone eats tacos. I think this is a great song. Makes me want Taco Bell too, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Tenth is The Same Thing, and I think it it is about how we are all the same as humans, and that our rights cannot be inequal. I love that, and I believe that nerd culture is a lot more inclusive than general society as a whole. It's a pretty big deal that the general public is less inclusive of gays, etc. than us nerds are.
Eleventh is Web Slinger / Hope Bringer, which KK released as a single last fall. It is about Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man (and I don't care what Marvel does with the Webbed Wonder, they made a HUGE mistake with how they handled the end of the 700-issue run of Amazing Spider Man).
Twelfth is Moisture Farm, about the hero of the real Star Wars movies, Luke Skywalker. I thought that this song was amazing, mainly because I am such an Original Trilogy nerd.
Thirteenth is North of the Wall, and it is the obligatory Game of Thrones song every self-respecting nerd rocker has to have. It is also one of the most plugged-in songs KK has ever made, and because it is so plugged-in, I can barely understand the lyrics. No offense intended but I think the instruments could have been taken down a notch and it would have helped the intelligibility of the lyrics.
As far as a wrap-up and rating goes: I absolutely loved this album! I give the album a 4.9 out of 5, and I took 0.1 off for North of the Wall's lyrics barely being intelligible. It comes highly recommended by yours truly, and Sounds Like You comes out July 9th.
Nerd rock pioneers Kirby Krackle hail from Seattle, Washington. Other musical acts that have come from Seattle include Pearl Jam and Heart, as well as a myriad of others. The album comes out next week, and I'm one of Kirby Krackle's biggest fans, so this is a huge treat for me. Thank you again Kyle and Jim for the opportunity to review your work before the rest of the world.
The new album Sounds Like You starts off with the song Parachute, which reminds me a lot of Superman and Lois Lane and how he's almost always her parachute. (On that subject, I love that the new Man of Steel movie actually gave Lois Lane something to do for once.)
The second track is "Set Your Phasers to Sexy" which I think is about a nerdy, comic book-reading guy like myself getting attracted to a female nerd. One thing I love about this song is how it has some really cool vocal stuff and one amazing guitar solo that sounds like Neil Giraldo guested on the album.
Third up is Cozy Pants O'Clock, which I think has a Crosby, Stills, & Nash Southern Cross vibe, and this song is about how amazing it is to lounge around in cozy pants. For me, if I had my way, Cozy Pants O'Clock would be all day, every day. I do not think that I am alone in this.
Fourth is 140 Characters, and it is about falling in love with someone over social media. I can identify with this only to a certain point, but it's one of the few songs that have any sort of soft rock on the album. I miss the ukuleles, so this one will have to do until KK releases their next album.
Fifth is One More Episode, which was released earlier last year as a single. As a refresher course, it's about those TV on DVD sets and how you tend to marathon those late into the night. I can identify with the song, but for me, it was the Star Wars prequels that I decided (very stupidly I may add) to marathon one night after they released on Blu-Ray. I tried valiantly to watch all three but the lengthy run times of the movies meant that I skipped large portions of the second and third movies. (That was when my opinion on Episode I changed, knowing what I know now about how awful Episode II was and how Episode III was better than Episode II but went way too far in the wrong direction for me.)
Sixth is Grandma's House, which is about (wait for it) going to Grandma's house. I fondly remember getting to go to both of my grandmothers' houses, but for me, I was a lot closer to my maternal grandmother than I was to my paternal grandmother. Unfortunately, they both are no longer on this Earth, but I still think of them every day.
Seventh is Take You Out Tonight, which is about taking a girl on a date. I'm not certain from whose perspective the song is being sung, but it sure sounds like a song that talks about Spidey and Mary Jane Watson...
Eighth is Cosplay Queen, which talks about the relationships that tend to spring up like weeds in the cosplay world. It's really cool to finally have a song that celebrates cosplay. I like the acoustic sound of the song, because of how few acoustic songs are on the album. (Also, I laughed at the She-Ra reference.)
Ninth is Taco Night. I think it is about... wait for it... Taco Night. Like the night that everyone eats tacos. I think this is a great song. Makes me want Taco Bell too, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Tenth is The Same Thing, and I think it it is about how we are all the same as humans, and that our rights cannot be inequal. I love that, and I believe that nerd culture is a lot more inclusive than general society as a whole. It's a pretty big deal that the general public is less inclusive of gays, etc. than us nerds are.
Eleventh is Web Slinger / Hope Bringer, which KK released as a single last fall. It is about Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man (and I don't care what Marvel does with the Webbed Wonder, they made a HUGE mistake with how they handled the end of the 700-issue run of Amazing Spider Man).
Twelfth is Moisture Farm, about the hero of the real Star Wars movies, Luke Skywalker. I thought that this song was amazing, mainly because I am such an Original Trilogy nerd.
Thirteenth is North of the Wall, and it is the obligatory Game of Thrones song every self-respecting nerd rocker has to have. It is also one of the most plugged-in songs KK has ever made, and because it is so plugged-in, I can barely understand the lyrics. No offense intended but I think the instruments could have been taken down a notch and it would have helped the intelligibility of the lyrics.
As far as a wrap-up and rating goes: I absolutely loved this album! I give the album a 4.9 out of 5, and I took 0.1 off for North of the Wall's lyrics barely being intelligible. It comes highly recommended by yours truly, and Sounds Like You comes out July 9th.
Monday, July 1, 2013
The Pinball Arcade: What It Is And Why You Should Care
For those of you who've been around the block more than a few times, you may well have heard of The Pinball Arcade from Farsight Studios. But what is it, and why should you care?
Before I explain what exactly it is, I need to talk a bit about my love for pinball. I've seen more pinballs than you could ever possibly imagine, moreso the more recent Stern pinballs (like The Simpsons Pinball Party) than anything else. Pinball, for me, is the sort of game I absolutely love: Easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master.
Now, The Pinball Arcade's goal and mission is to recreate some of the most legendary real life pinball tables in a digital form that can be played by anyone, regardless of the skill level or the platform you play it on. The Pinball Arcade pinballs are NOT like the Zen Pinballs of the world in that every single pinball table in The Pinball Arcade is a real life pinball machine. If you've seen that pinball at, say, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada, then you will (eventually) see that pinball in The Pinball Arcade if it isn't there already.
But, you ask me, why on Earth should I care about a digital facsimile of real pinball? What is in it for me? The idea of a digital facsimile of real pinball is really cool for me. If you've ever played games like "Kirby's Pinball Land" (and I know I have), you know that some of the things you can do in that game are NOT things you can do on real pinball tables. Even Zen Pinball (and the Marvel pinball game) on platforms like the 3DS are guilty of this in certain instances. But what's in it for you? If you like pinballs like Star Trek: The Next Generation (yeah, they made a pinball of that) or Twilight Zone, or even Medieval Madness, or Elvira and the Party Monsters, or Scared Stiff, or even Bride of Pinbot, you are going to go absolutely ape for this game.
Currently, it's on the Xbox 360 (in a very deprecated state courtesy of Crave Entertainment going bankrupt, but there should be news on this front soon), Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android, and coming soon to Steam, Wii U, Ouya, and the Playstation 4.
Before I explain what exactly it is, I need to talk a bit about my love for pinball. I've seen more pinballs than you could ever possibly imagine, moreso the more recent Stern pinballs (like The Simpsons Pinball Party) than anything else. Pinball, for me, is the sort of game I absolutely love: Easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master.
Now, The Pinball Arcade's goal and mission is to recreate some of the most legendary real life pinball tables in a digital form that can be played by anyone, regardless of the skill level or the platform you play it on. The Pinball Arcade pinballs are NOT like the Zen Pinballs of the world in that every single pinball table in The Pinball Arcade is a real life pinball machine. If you've seen that pinball at, say, the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada, then you will (eventually) see that pinball in The Pinball Arcade if it isn't there already.
But, you ask me, why on Earth should I care about a digital facsimile of real pinball? What is in it for me? The idea of a digital facsimile of real pinball is really cool for me. If you've ever played games like "Kirby's Pinball Land" (and I know I have), you know that some of the things you can do in that game are NOT things you can do on real pinball tables. Even Zen Pinball (and the Marvel pinball game) on platforms like the 3DS are guilty of this in certain instances. But what's in it for you? If you like pinballs like Star Trek: The Next Generation (yeah, they made a pinball of that) or Twilight Zone, or even Medieval Madness, or Elvira and the Party Monsters, or Scared Stiff, or even Bride of Pinbot, you are going to go absolutely ape for this game.
Currently, it's on the Xbox 360 (in a very deprecated state courtesy of Crave Entertainment going bankrupt, but there should be news on this front soon), Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android, and coming soon to Steam, Wii U, Ouya, and the Playstation 4.
Kirby Krackle: Rock & Roll with a Twist
I know what you’re thinking. “Wait, what? A post about a band
called Kirby Krackle?” Bear with me folks, and allow me to explain.
Kirby Krackle is a nerd rock band that hails from Seattle, Washington
(home of such amazing musical acts as Heart, Pearl Jam, and
Soundgarden), and is a duo, Kyle Stevens and Jim Demonakis, the latter
of whom runs Emerald City Comic Con.
Also, you would think the band itself was named after the videogame character Kirby (the pink puffball), but there’s actually a comic book reference in the name. There was a guy who worked with Stan Lee at Marvel Comics back when Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Fantastic Four and the major Marvel properties we all know and love were just beginning to be created by the name of Jack Kirby, and that is where the Kirby in Kirby Krackle came from.
But that’s enough background. Why would you want to listen to Kirby Krackle (or KK for short)? Well, first of all they’ve referenced a bunch of videogames in their songs! That’s why you’re here, right? So, I am detailing (in one post) all the video game references, both general and specific, in all the Kirby Krackle songs released to date, along with a couple of other songs you might want to check out, though they are not technically a video game band per se.
For instance, on their self-titled debut album, KK have two songs that reference videogames specifically: Back to the Beginning references Mario Kart, and Teabagged references Halo (which might be a tad obvious to some of you). Also, there are two songs that reference videogames generally. “Up, Up, Down, Down” references the Konami Code... except that they slip up and instead of the Konami Code ending in “B, A”, they end the Konami Code in “Select, Start”... but that is the only video game reference in that entire song, because it’s... not what you’d consider a happy song, let me just say that. The other one is “Naked Wii”... which is exactly what you think it’s about, you dirty-minded freak.
Then, on their second album, “E For Everyone” (which is itself a video game reference to the ESRB rating system), they have songs based on Fallout 3 (Vault 101) and Mega Man (Take it From Me).
Then they came out with their most recent full-length studio album, “Super Powered Love”, last year. The only video game-referring song on there is “In Another Castle”, which has the rather impressive contrast of Mario fretting over (who else?) Princess Peach in the original Super Mario Bros. and a really cutesy, upbeat-sounding ukulele backing track.
However, if you just got all those songs, you wouldn’t get the flavor of the sheer variety that Kirby Krackle offers in the stuff it references in their various songs. So, here are a few you should check out:
Also, you would think the band itself was named after the videogame character Kirby (the pink puffball), but there’s actually a comic book reference in the name. There was a guy who worked with Stan Lee at Marvel Comics back when Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Fantastic Four and the major Marvel properties we all know and love were just beginning to be created by the name of Jack Kirby, and that is where the Kirby in Kirby Krackle came from.
But that’s enough background. Why would you want to listen to Kirby Krackle (or KK for short)? Well, first of all they’ve referenced a bunch of videogames in their songs! That’s why you’re here, right? So, I am detailing (in one post) all the video game references, both general and specific, in all the Kirby Krackle songs released to date, along with a couple of other songs you might want to check out, though they are not technically a video game band per se.
For instance, on their self-titled debut album, KK have two songs that reference videogames specifically: Back to the Beginning references Mario Kart, and Teabagged references Halo (which might be a tad obvious to some of you). Also, there are two songs that reference videogames generally. “Up, Up, Down, Down” references the Konami Code... except that they slip up and instead of the Konami Code ending in “B, A”, they end the Konami Code in “Select, Start”... but that is the only video game reference in that entire song, because it’s... not what you’d consider a happy song, let me just say that. The other one is “Naked Wii”... which is exactly what you think it’s about, you dirty-minded freak.
Then, on their second album, “E For Everyone” (which is itself a video game reference to the ESRB rating system), they have songs based on Fallout 3 (Vault 101) and Mega Man (Take it From Me).
Then they came out with their most recent full-length studio album, “Super Powered Love”, last year. The only video game-referring song on there is “In Another Castle”, which has the rather impressive contrast of Mario fretting over (who else?) Princess Peach in the original Super Mario Bros. and a really cutesy, upbeat-sounding ukulele backing track.
However, if you just got all those songs, you wouldn’t get the flavor of the sheer variety that Kirby Krackle offers in the stuff it references in their various songs. So, here are a few you should check out:
- “Ring Capacity” is a Green Lantern ditty that is amazingly catchy with the Green Lantern Oath as the bridge... AWESOME! (from the album “E for Everyone”)
- “Take On Me” is actually one of the better covers I’ve heard of this 80s classic from one-hit wonder a-ha. (from the album “Live in Seattle”)
- “One More Episode” is a song that talks about all those TV-on-DVD box sets and watching all the episodes contained within till the break of dawn (released as its own single, “One More Episode”)
- “Web-Slinger/Hope-Bringer” is a single that came out this past summer when the movie “Amazing Spider-Man” came out in movie theatres everywhere, and it’s about Spider-Man and the dichotomy he often seems to face about how he can be Spider-Man and still have the time to work, go to school, and/or have a girlfriend. (released as its own single)
- “Roll Over” is a song about general debauchery at the Bar at the End of the World, (which is a reference to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman), and the chorus is to the tune of the nursery song of the same name. (from “E for Everyone”)
- “Dusty Cartridges & Long Boxes” is the closest KK have ever come to writing a full-blown geek love song. (from “E for Everyone”)
- “Baby It’s Cold Outside (Hoth Version)” is a song that KK released for free this last holiday season that takes a Christmas song that has been done to death and give it a nicely fun Star Wars spin, some role reversal, and some much-needed freshness that many versions have lacked. They did that song with The Doubleclicks, a female-fronted nerd rock group.
The Perils of Techies
I guess the title could become a modern day adventure serial along the lines of the old Perils of Pauline serials from the olden days of cinema.
But yeah, I realize that, as a techie, we have our own first world problems (I think the hashtag for that on Twitter is #NerdWorldProblems), so maybe my troubles with tech won't seem so bad in comparison.
For a few years now I have had an Apple MacBook Pro laptop that has, for the most part, served me very well. Very well indeed. But last night, after I set this new portfolio site up, I noticed that my battery levels were going down, and on top of that I wasn't charging at all, even though I was plugged into a power outlet.
So, I did some tests (staying up a wee bit later than I should have to do it), realized my power adapter was probably pretty borked, and went to bed. Got up this morning, same problem. Did a few more tests and got my serial number from my MBP and called AppleCare, only to find out to my great chagrin that I no longer was covered under AppleCare, which had served me quite well up until this point.
So, that is my current situation. The Perils of Techies, indeed.
But yeah, I realize that, as a techie, we have our own first world problems (I think the hashtag for that on Twitter is #NerdWorldProblems), so maybe my troubles with tech won't seem so bad in comparison.
For a few years now I have had an Apple MacBook Pro laptop that has, for the most part, served me very well. Very well indeed. But last night, after I set this new portfolio site up, I noticed that my battery levels were going down, and on top of that I wasn't charging at all, even though I was plugged into a power outlet.
So, I did some tests (staying up a wee bit later than I should have to do it), realized my power adapter was probably pretty borked, and went to bed. Got up this morning, same problem. Did a few more tests and got my serial number from my MBP and called AppleCare, only to find out to my great chagrin that I no longer was covered under AppleCare, which had served me quite well up until this point.
So, that is my current situation. The Perils of Techies, indeed.
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