Looks like the Metroid-esque Xeodrifter will be my first Renegade Kid game

I guess it may surprise some of you that I've yet to buy any of Renegade Kid's previous releases--such as Dementium: The Ward, Moon, Mutant Mudds or Planet Crashers--but the fact is that I've never been a fan of first-person shooters (which explains my of interest in Dementium and Moon) and until this game I've never been much of a fan of this Texas-based developer's character designs (see Mutant Mudds and Planet Crashers).



Renegade Kid's latest effort, Xeodrifter, however, is a Metroid-esque side-scroller--see the trailer above for evidence of that fact--that stars an attractive-enough protagonist, so for the moment, at least, I'm planning to pick it up whenever it finally finds its way onto the 3DS eShop--assuming it's priced appropriately, of course.

I'd totally rescind my no-scarf policy if I owned one that looked like a Piranha Plant

Please note: I'm not anti-scarf because I think they're too girly or hipster or twee or anything like that. I'm just an overly warm-blooded guy, so wearing scarves tends to be out of the question unless I'm really, really cold.

Anyway, like I suggested in the header above, I'd gladly throw those sentiments out the proverbial window if I owned a scarf that looked like one of the Piranha Plants from the Super Mario Bros. series.

The scarf, which is five-and-a-half feet in length, was made by Flickr user Mindy Y (aka anenemyairship), by the way.

See more of her creations--including an equally adorable Noby Noby Boy scarf and a crocheted baby Metroid--by checking out flickr.com/photos/enemyairship/.

Yep, another art post: 'Bombs Away,' 'Hyrule Intentions' and 'Tale of Two Brothers'

Like any respectable gay gamer, I've long had a soft spot for female protagonists. In particular, I've had a soft spot for Nintendo's leading ladies--Peach, Samus and Zelda, especially.

All of which should help explain why I went a big gaga after I came across artist Kasey Tararuj's uniquely styled portraits (above and below) of the above-mentioned women this past weekend.

Each piece was produced for the 3NES Show ("a tribute to three of Nintendo's most popular games") held at the Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, a few weeks ago.

If you like any or all of them as much as I do, I'd highly recommend checking out Tararuj's blog, One-Eyed Girl, for closer looks at them.

Specifically, additional shots of her take on Peach (titled "Tale of Two Brothers") can be seen here, while more shots of her Samus and Zelda portraits ("Bombs Away" and "Hyrule Intentions") can be seen here and here, respectively.

And if you're really interested in them? Head on over to the Bottleneck Gallery's online shop and buy one or more of them. ("Bombs Away" can be purchased here, "Hyrule Intentions" here and "Tale of Two Brothers" here.)

See also: 'Cherry on Top' and 'Dreamy Mushroom Munchers'

(Gaming) sisters doin' it for themselves

I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again: I want another Super Princess Peach game, damn it!

I'd want said sequel to fix some of the problems I had with the original, of course, but even if this new title retained the first one's issues--too easy by far, and with a some-call-it-sexist gameplay hook--I'd still probably pick up a copy (especially if it were released for the 3DS).

Anyway, I bring up all of that because the following illustration, produced by artist Glen Brogan, reminds me of that much-maligned platformer--or maybe I should say it makes me ponder some of the improvements I'd like to see in its make-believe follow-up.

Brogan worked up the illustration for the recently opened 3NES Show at Brooklyn's Bottleneck Gallery (in runs through Sept. 22), by the way. Two others were produced along with it: one of which stars Samus Aran and Mother Brain and one of which stars Zelda and Ganon. (Both of them can be seen at albinoraven7.blogspot.com).

"My thoughts going into these pieces were that I wanted to stick closely to the original NES games, as opposed to branching out into subsequent games," Brogan says, "and I wanted to base them around the female characters in each game."

I'd say he did a pretty bang-up job in both regards, wouldn't you?

You had me at 'geeky retro video game pillows'

On the one hand, I'm glad that the gal behind the raindrop23 etsy shop is on vacation right now, as I really don't need any more gaming-related paraphernalia taking up space in one of our home's few closets.

On the other hand, I like her quilted pillow covers so much that I'd be more than happy to hand over my credit card and say, "Give me one of these and one of these and one of these," if that were possible.

Here are the pillow covers I'd buy if given the chance, by the way:

I also like a number of the Bob-omb, Fire Flower, Mario and Kirby pillow covers she's created.

Regardless, I love the different patterns and textures that raindrop23 puts to use while producing these functional pieces of art.

(Via gameswithboys.tumblr.com)

A GameBoy only a Mother Brain could love

French artist Oskunk strikes again, this time with a Metroid-themed GameBoy that features a stylized Mother Brain on its front and a swarm of the titular creatures on its back.

If I had any say in the matter (and I don't), Oskunk would follow up this creation with a custom-painted GameBoy Advance SP that features some sort of Mother 3 imagery.

To see a few more photos of this playable piece of art (including two of its beautiful backside), though, head on over to Oskunk's blog pronto.

See also: Previous Oskunk-centric posts

Samus Aran spotted in downtown Seattle

I saw the following piece of Metroid-inspired window art while traipsing around downtown Seattle with a pack of out-of-town friends two weekends ago and for some dumb reason I forgot until now to share it here.

Anyway, I'm guessing someone concocted it (out of Post-It notes, I think) in honor of PAX Prime, which was held in our fair city over the very same weekend?

By the way, a number of other windows in the very same building sported similar creations--one of which was inspired by Galaga, I believe, and another that was inspired by The Legend of Zelda--but I was too busy and too lazy to snap a photo of them as well. Sorry about that.

To see a few (OK, a lot) more of game-related photos, check out my Flickr photostream.

Famicommercials

I've rarely met a Japanese gaming commercial I didn't like. Retro ones, especially. I think it's because so many of them are equal parts earnest and, well, bat-shit crazy.

The one below, for the Famicom Disk System version of Metroid, is a good example, although it's definitely more serious than silly.



This ad was nabbed from the recently launched tumblog known as FC.CM ("a collection of commercials relating to the Nintendo Famicom"), by the way.

If you decide to pay it a visit (and I sincerely hope you will), be sure to check out the commercial for the Korean version of the Famicom/NES (called the Hyundai Comboy).

Metroid + Mega Man + Mischief Makers = Mighty Switch Force?

I may not own a 3DS, but that doesn't mean I'm ignoring the system until I obtain one.

For instance, I've had my eye on the downloadable title, Mighty Switch Force, since it was announced a few months ago.

Although the folks at WayForward--makers of, among other games, Contra 4 and the upcoming Aliens: Infestation--promised from the get-go that Mighty Switch Force would feature "Metroid-like gameplay," I was a bit skeptical of that until I saw the following, recently released trailer:



I don't know about you, but I think the gameplay featured in the teaser above was inspired by more than just Metroid. It also seems to have been inspired by Capcom's Mega Man titles and Treasure's Mischief Makers (aka Yuke Yuke!! Trouble Makers).

Here's hoping that Mighty Switch Force proves to be even half as appealing and enjoyable as the above-mentioned classics when it finally makes its way onto the Nintendo eShop.

Happy belated birthday, Samus!

While relaxing with "the fam" this past weekend, I missed a rather momentous holiday: The 25th anniversary of Metroid's release.

Thankfully, one of my favorite artists around, Andrew "Drew" Green, wasn't so absentminded (or careless). In fact, not only did he remember the anniversary of Samus Aran's debut, but he celebrated the occasion by conjuring up the wonderfully charming drawing that follows, too.



On his blog, the Atlantan says of his creation: "Nothing says 'happy birthday' like drawing the thing you love being munched on by an energy-sucking parasite." I can't say I disagree, Drew!

Aliens + Sega + WayForward = What's likely to be my last must-buy DS game

Actually, Aliens: Infestation will be my second-to-last must-buy DS game should Professor Layton and the Last Specter hit the streets after Sept. 30 (the former game's release date).

Regardless, I'll be picking up this WayForward-developed, Sega-published piece of software at some point this year. Why? Well, for starters, it's based on the Alien franchise. (Both Alien and its sequel are on my short list of all-time favorite films.) Second, it looks like a 16-bit game--which, in my mind, is pretty much always a good thing. Third, it plays like a Metroidvania title according to 1up.com's recent preview. (All of the above and more are on full display in this 13-minute video, by the way.)

The only aspect of Aliens: Infestation that I'm not completely sold on at this point is its cover art (above). I wouldn't say it's bad, but I wouldn't say it's menacing, either--and menacing is exactly what I expect from anything and everything related to this classic franchise.

See also: 'Curiosity of the day: Square's Aliens game' and '8-bit Ellen Ripley'

Mucha Metroid

What can you get for $10 these days? If we're going to keep our options within the realm of gaming, it can (almost) get you a copy of Elite Beat Agents for the DS, it can get you Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (via PSN or Xbox Live Arcade) ... or it can get you the following Metroid-inspired and Mucha-styled t-shirt:

Get your butt over to teefury.com tout de suite (aka pronto) if you find that last option particularly titillating, as the ninjaink-designed shirt will be pulled from the site in less than 10 hours.

Minitroid demo!

Remember this post from last fall? No? Well, read it again--it won't take but a second or two--and then come back to this one. Don't worry, I'll wait.

You read it, right? And the focus of it--Tokinsom's Minitroid--blew your mind, right? If so, you'll be happy to hear that a demo of said game is now available for download (here).



A new gameplay video (above) is available, too, although that's not nearly as exciting as the news about the demo, is it?

I hate to end this post on a sad note, but I have to do it: The demo mentioned above is playable only on Windows machines at the moment. I don't yet know if Mac users will be able to enjoy the finished product, too, but my fingers are crossed that they will.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Cute metroids

Hmmm, is "metroids" the plural of metroid, or is "metroid" the plural of metroid?

Whatever. That isn't the point of this post; the point of this post is to make as many people as possible aware of the amazingly cute metroid plushies produced by deviantartist and etsy seller misscoffee.



The larger metroids (metroid? ahhh!) are four inches tall and six inches wide, by the way, and can be purchased, for $11 plus shipping, here. The smaller metroids--which are brooches, actually--are two inches tall and about three inches wide and can be purchased here for $7 plus shipping.

To see more of misscoffee's sickeningly sweet creations, check out her deviantart gallery or her etsy shop.

Samus Aran as you've never seen her before

The hubs and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, but if we did celebrate it I'd have wanted him to get me this:

Yeah, that's right: A cute-as-hell Samus Aran plushie. Have you ever seen anything so cute? If your answer is anything other than "no," you're lying.

This particular plushie was made by Canadian textile artist Michele Legendre (aka misscoffee), by the way. For more examples of her talent, check out her deviantart.com gallery.

(Via gonintendo.com)

'A Mini Metroid Adventure'

Did I suggest in my last post that I'm no longer a Metroid fan? Well, I take it back. Apparently I just like my Metroid to be of the old-school variety--you know, with sprites and chiptunes and all that jazz.

Tokinsom's Minitroid (A Mini Metroid Adventure) checks all of those boxes and then some.



Unfortunately, Tokinsom's lips have thus far been tight when it comes to talking about a release date for this title, which is being made with the open-source "game creator," Scirra Construct.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

But will it get people to buy the game?

That's the question I asked myself after watching Nintendo of America's live-action TV ad for Metroid: Other M.



I'm probably not the right person to answer said question, though, as I'm not much of a Metroid fan these days. Actually, I shouldn't say I'm not a fan--I just haven't played a Metroid game since the glorious Super Metroid, and I don't see that changing with this sequel despite the fact that it seems to be taking the series back to its roots.

Who knows, though--maybe the ad above (or this 30-second version) will prompt me to change my mind before the game reaches North American store shelves on Aug. 31. (It'll be released everywhere else in the world the following week.)

Pre-order: Metroid: Other M

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Metroid: Other M edition)

Truth be told, I probably won't buy Metroid: Other M when it's released (in North America) on Aug. 31. Sure, it looks good--much better than the three Metroid Prime titles, in my humble opinion--but it still doesn't appeal to me. Of course, I've played just two Metroid games in my entire life--the NES original and its SNES sequel.

Still, my overall lack of interest in Metroid: Other M shouldn't preclude (you and) me from playing a little game of "which box art is better?" should it?

The North American box art is on the left, while what is presumed to be the Japanese box art (some believe it's just a sleeve) is on the right.



I don't know about you, but I much prefer the possible/probable Japanese cover. It's simple, yet striking--always a good combination. The North American cover, on the other hand, looks like a fan-made creation to my eyes.

See also: 'Let's play: Which box art is better? (Dragon Quest IX edition)'