Introducing: the Singing Mountain podcast

I've been a fan of Drew Mackie's Back of the Cereal Box blog ever since I first came across it--which was shortly after it made its debut in early 2003, if memory serves.

If this is the first you're hearing of Back of the Cereal Box, boiled down, it's a pop-culture blog. Or, as Mackie himself puts it, it's a "record of the weird ways pop culture intersects with [his] life."

Often, it's a record of how pop culture intersects with his life as a gay man who has long loved video games.

Considering all of the above, it shouldn't surprise that Mackie piqued my interest when he revealed his plans to launch a podcast about video game music.

Singing Mountain is the result of those plans. In the four podcasts he's published so far, Mackie's discussed Super Mario RPG, the Mega Man series, The Great Giana Sisters and EarthBound.

That's not the full extent of what's covered in Singing Mountain's initial batch of episodes, mind you. The latest ("Ric Ocasek in Moonside"), for instance, focuses on EarthBound while also bringing Mackie's childhood, The Cars, Salvador Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory,” the litigiousness of Beatles and even Janet Jackson into the mix.

Hell, Mackie may even introduce you to a new word or two if you keep your ears peeled. He certainly expanded my vocabulary a bit when he dropped the word diegetic into his commentary on Onett's arcade theme.

See also: posts about The Nichiest Podcast Ever

So, what do you think: is this just-announced Azure Striker Gunvolt physical release worth getting or a waste of money?

A couple of days ago, Japanese game-maker Inti Creates announced it would release--in its homeland only, at least for the time being--a physical compilation of its two Azure Striker Gunvolt 3DS titles on Aug. 25.

I've yet to play the first Azure Striker Gunvolt--barely even thought about doing so, to be perfectly honest--but of course I'm seriously considering pre-ordering this sucker via amiami.com because of my sick and desperate need to own as many boxed Japanese 3DS games as possible.



The thing is, because I haven't shown much interest in Azure Striker Gunvolt until now, I have no idea if it's any good, or if this upcoming Azure Striker Gunvolt Pack is worth picking up.

Have any of you played this Mega Man-esque title? If so, what do you think about it? Is it worth owning, or is it a waste of time and money? Also, would you even consider buying a physical compilation of it and its soon-to-be-released sequel for about $40?

Convince me not to buy this awesome limited edition Rockman Classics Collection for 3DS

OK, so I'm not as on edge about this upcoming Japanese release as I make it seem in the headline above, but I am really interested in it.

Of course, how could I not be interested in a package that includes such wonderful things as a boxed copy of the 3DS iteration of Rockman Classics Collection (that's the Japanese name for what's known elsewhere as Mega Man Legacy Collection), a 2016 planner with a Rockman--er, Mega Man--cover, a set of five bookmarks and more?

Thankfully, I've already missed the boat on this e-Capcom limited edition, which will the streets of Japan in late February, as far as Play-Asia is concerned. It's still available via nin-nin-game.com (for 11,690 yen, which comes to about $95), though, so my bank account and I aren't out of the woods yet.

Even if it remains available for a while, I have a feeling the most likely course of action for me will be to pre-order a boxed copy of Rockman Classics Collection before the year is up. If any of you are interested in doing the same, by the way, you can do so now at both AmiAmi (where it's being offered for 3,780 yen, or $30) and Play-Asia, where it has a slightly higher price tag of $34.99.

The funny thing about all of this: I'm not exactly the biggest Rockman or Mega Man fan out there. In fact, I'm not sure I've played a game in the series since the 16-bit era. I enjoyed a good number of the 8-bit games back in the day, though, so I've got a hunch that I'll at least get my money's worth out of whichever product I wind up buying.

How about all of you? Are any of you interested enough in Mega Man or Rockman to pick up the e-Capcom LE package or even a loose copy of this Classics Collection?

You don't need to be a Mega Man fan to dig this custom-painted PlayStation

I should know, as I haven't been much of a fan of Mega Man, the character or the series, since Mega Man X was released in 1993.

What can I say? The change in aesthetics just didn't appeal it for me, which I realize is an admittance that's akin to blasphemy.



Still, I'm bowled over by the custom-painted PlayStation that's showcased in the photo above.

It was produced, of course, by the artist who calls himself Oskunk. To see more photos of this creation, check out this post on Oskunk's blog, Custom Art.

No kidding: I'm far more interested in Mighty Gunvolt than I am in either Azure Striker Gunvolt or Mighty No. 9

While most gamers were soiling themselves over the pair of Mega Man clones--Mighty No. 9 and Azure Striker Gunvolt--that were revealed late last year and earlier this year, respectively, my own reaction to these retro-tinged action-platformers was decidedly less dramatic.

In fact, although I think both Azure Striker Gunvolt (or is it just Gunvolt?) and Mighty No. 9 look like perfectly pleasant games, I'm currently not planning to pick up either of them once they're finally released.



Or maybe I should say I wasn't planning to pick up either of them until I read that the rather delicious-looking Mighty Gunvolt--an 8-bit-styled action-platformer that features characters and other elements of Azure Striker Gunvolt, Mighty No. 9 and even Gal*Gun--will be given, free of charge, to all who purchase Azure Striker Gunvolt (which is set to hit the North American 3DS eShop on Aug. 29) before the end of November. 

In the meantime, feel free to salivate while watching the video above, which shows the Japanese version of Mighty Gunvolt in action.

Raise your hand if you picked up a copy of Sweet Fuse: At Your Side (PSP) yesterday

Sadly, my own hand is not in the air at the moment.

I actually pre-ordered it after first becoming aware of it many moons ago, but I canceled that pre-order after surveying all of the games I've already bought yet failed to play this year.

Now, I'm not ruling out buying a copy later this year, or maybe early next, but for the moment I've decided to live my life Sweet Fuse-free.

In the meantime, maybe I should share a brief description of the game with those of you who've never heard of Sweet Fuse.

Basically, it's a visual novel aimed at women, as it stars a girl who, while navigating a bizarre amusement park filled with video game-themed attractions, must also juggle the relationships that are budding with a handful (six, to be exact) hunks.

Sweet Fuse, which was developed by Idea Factory and is being published in North America by Aksys Games, is noteworthy for a few other reasons, too--chief among them being that it features Keiji Inafune (aka the man who created Mega Man), who helped contribute to the game's development. It also features character designs from the hand of Kumiko Suekane, of Ace Attorney fame.

I don't suppose any of you picked up a copy of this intriguing PSP title? If so, why did you do so--and what do you think of it so far?

Buy: Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

We both (still) love Mega Man

Although Mega Man joined the "game series I haven't cared about in years" party currently being hosted by Final Fantasy and Sonic the Hedgehog, I still have a bit of a soft spot for this classic Capcom franchise.

As such, I couldn't help but go a little gaga when I saw the following Mega Man-focused photo pop up on Flickr user Danny Yama's photostream over the weekend.

To see more evidence of Yama's mean Perler Bead skills, check out his Flickr photostream at your earliest convenience.

See also: more Perler Beads posts

Thing that probably doesn't need to be said: this Mega Man-themed GameBoy is stunning

In the opinion of yours truly, the only way the custom-pained GameBoy shown off in the photo below could be any cooler would be if the fireballs that surround Mega Man also had been depicted using pixels.

Still, even in its current state, I'd be hard-pressed to call this OSKUNK-made creation anything less than awesome.

A few additional photos of this unquestionably cool GameBoy--including a shot of its appealingly branded backside--can be seen on OSKUNK's blog, by the way.

See also: 'I'm not usually a fan of the black Wii U, but ...'

Shinobi x Ninja Gaiden x Strider, you say?

I know retro-tinged indie games are a dime a dozen these days, but I can't help but be attracted to some of them.

Take the focus of this post, for instance--which calls to mind such 8-bit standbys as Shinobi, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden and Strider. You'd have to have a heart of stone--or have started playing games after the 16-bit era--to not find JoyMasher's Oniken at least somewhat appealing, in my opinion.



Does this mean I've already picked up--for $4.99, via Desura--and spent some quality time with this colorful side-scroller? Not yet, but that's not due to a lack of interest on my part. Rather, it's because my backlog is already too full of un-played games (check out some of my recent "Acquisition #123" posts for a few examples) for me to start another one.

That said, don't be too surprised if you see me update the "Now Playing" section of this blog to include Oniken in the coming weeks.

More like Mesmerizing Man

My only beef with the video below is that it lasts just 55 seconds and, thus, feels a bit unfinished.

Other than that, though, I think it's fabulous.



I especially like how the three panels at the beginning of the video match up with the different parts of whichever Mega Man tune is playing in the background. (The one on the left goes with the bass notes, the one in the middle goes with the melody and the one on the right goes with the synth-y notes the float above it all.)

By the way, if you didn't get your fill of mash-ups featuring the Old Spice Man and a random game song by watching the video above, you may want to watch this one, too.

(Via dorkly.com, by way of gonintendo.com)

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.

Dear Capcom: Please make Mega Man look like this in his next two-dimensional platformer

This is, without a doubt, the cutest Mega Man plush I have ever seen. Actually, it may be the cutest gaming-related plush I've ever seen, period--although these Metroid plushes are pretty darn precious, too.



Anyway, back to the adorable Mega Man plush above: It was made by Michele Legendre (aka deadly_sweet on Flickr and misscoffee on deviantART) for an upcoming gaming-themed show at Santa Monica, Calif.-based Gallery 1988.

Somewhat-silly aside to the creative folks at Capcom: Please use Legendre's plush as inspiration for your next side-scrolling Mega Man game. (Think Kirby's Epic Yarn.)

'Mega Man Kicks Butt'

Are you one of the many fans who were left feeling heartbroken after the folks at Capcom announced they were canceling Mega Man Legends 3? I am, and I don't even own a 3DS!

It seems a number of the artists who contribute to the Drawed Goods tumblog were bummed by the cancellation, too, since many of the site's most recent uploads focus on the Blue Bomber and/or his compadres.



The one above, titled "Mega Man Kicks Butt," was was drawn by the fabulous Drew Green, by the way. To see more of his work, check out his blog, his deviantART gallery or his tumblog.

Speaking of Mega Man and 'Over the Rainbow' ...

A cute little chiptune that shares its name with Harold Arlen's most memorable contribution to The Wizard of Oz soundtrack and sounds like something you might hear playing in the background of a Mega Man game can be listened to here.

I'd embed the song here rather than just link to it, but I don't know how to do that using Blogger. Harrumph.

Anyway, the track was created by an artist who calls herself venix. Hear more of her wonderfully cheerful chiptunes on her 8bitcollective or MySpace pages.

Somewhere over the Mega Man

The following illustration isn't just pretty; it's also pretty appropriate--especially if you're aware that before they settled on Mega Man the brass at Capcom contemplated calling their now-iconic character Rainbow Man.

German artist bartotainment is responsible for the image above, by the way. To see more examples of his work--the bulk of which is game-inspired--pay a visit to his Flickr photostream.

See also: Mega Man, Rock Man or ... Rainbow Man?!?

Is that a Mega Buster in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Hey you, don't be silly ... put a condom on your willy! (Or should that last part be "put a condom on your Wily"?)

That's the basic message behind the following Mega Man-inspired video, produced by the folks at the Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership in Leicestershire, England.



I can't be the only person who would proudly play the game above, can I?

(Via kotaku.com)

'Sock It 2 Me'

This recent NeoGAF thread got me thinking about one of my favorite game-inspired music videos: Missy Elliott's "Sock It 2 Me."



Say what you want about Ms. Elliott and/or her track, but the video? At the very least, you have to give the lady props for the Mega Man-esque getup.

Random art of the day: Sheep Man papercraft

I know, most of the art mentioned or included in my posts is a bit random--but this one is especially random.

How so? Well, some crazy fool created a Sheep Man papercraft for a Mega Man 10 art contest set up by the folks at Capcom.

I just love the pixelatedness (yeah, I know that's not a real word) of the papery Sheep Man, don't you?

See also: 'Introducing what is sure to be the best Mega Man boss ever: Sheep Man!' and 'Mega Man, Rock Man or ... Rainbow Man?!?'