SMASH! Con may be over but the aftermath is not. For the Capsule Computers crew the job would not be done without bringing you all the news, interviews and pictures of the event.
Us crazy folk who make up the Capsule Computers crew made our presence felt in the event and managed to snap a truck-load of pictures of our exploits and of all the awesome cosplayers we met along the way.
Whether you couldn’t make it to the convention or were in attendance, check out the huge Capsule Computers SMASH! 2011 gallery. If you were cosplaying, you may even be in here. View the gallery below.
Little Kuriboh, creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series and of other parody spoofs (like the one with Naruto), was nice enough to give us guys at Capsule Computers an opportunity to interview with him during the SMASH! Convention this past weekend. In this interview we discuss various aspects of Little Kurbohs gaming habits as well as the show that he is famous for.
As anyone in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Fandom can attest, Little Kuriboh is a large driving factor behind the fandom itself nowadays. I mean sure, there are people who liked the show before the abridged series, but said series did open the flood gates to a larger community by making the show accessible by the general viewer, and this of course has helped generate one of the largest and most diverse fandoms to date.
SMASH organized two great tournaments this year, one was the Street Fighter 2 tournament (check here for full details) and yes I’m very sad I wasn’t able to take part in it (I would of totally beat China with Ryu – even if she used Dhalsim or not) as I was a little busy covering and taking a lot of cool pics of the Cosplay Competition, which was also very cool. But this is not why we’re here, today we’re here to discuss the Mario Kart 64 Tournament.
The Mario Kart tournament kicked off first with quite a lot of preliminary races taking places. Some were classic matches with come backs from behind that brought back some good ole memories. I still can’t believe how much video games have changed, looking at Mario Kart 64 for the first time in ages I turned to Linkage who was standing next to me and looking a little confused then we both agreed that the frame rate was a little on the low side. But after watching a few more matches we put that aside and let the fun take over. Unfortunately we can’t give you a full recap on all the early matches as there were a truck load of them, but we managed cover the Mario 64 Final race (video below) and also grabbed a quick interview with Andrew, the winner of the SMASH 2011 Mario Kart 64 Tournament. Watch the final race as the three contestants battle it out on the legendary rainbow road, the longest and also one of the hardest to master! Andrew the tournament winner ran a near perfect race and was never overtaken at all. Something that doesn’t happen in Mario Kart games as everyone normally gets a chance to catch up. But wasn’t the case and the two other competitors using Toad and Princes Peach were totally out-raced by the great Kart racing skills of Andrew and his little friend Yoshi.
We also catch up quickly with Andrew after the tournament and ask him a few Mario Kart questions.
Enjoy the video.
Check out our coverage of the entire SMASH 2011 here
Produced by: Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Productions Distributed by: MadmanEntertainment Media: DVD Genre: Cartoon,Comedy Runtime: 198 minutes, 2 DVD’s Rating: G Available from: Madman
PREMISE
I wonder how many people remember this little number from their cartoon-dominated childhoods? Like many of the other Cartoon Network series that appeared in the prime-time “Cartoon-Cartoon” line-up, ‘I am Weasel’ has also found itself subject for re-release on DVD, courtesy of Madman Entertainment. This particular series was run originally between 1997 and 2000 during a time in which my growing brain was at its most receptive to cartoons, at the ages of 8-11. Originally provided as a spin-off series to the more mainstream show ‘Cow and Chicken’, ‘I am Weasel’ eventually established itself as its own series, but sharing in a similar art style and form of intended humour.
‘Meet I.M. Weasel: a famous, generous, caring being who is extremely gifted, talented and skilled in most professions. Now meet I.R. Baboon: an untalented, ugly, erratic being, who is only noteworthy for his bright red butt, which he refuses to cover at any time much to the discomfort of those around him. Despite I.M. Weasel’s benevolent nature, I.R. Baboon is constantly trying to out-do him and constantly failing to do so’ – DVD Blurb.
So, should we be excited for this? That depends. As with any other re-release, the true test of a great nostalgic show is to see if it has aged well over the time period in which it has been absent. Was the show well written, and well produced enough to stand the test of time, and still hold its appeal to modern audiences? Or will it suffer from its former audiences out-growing the style of humour and appeal?
PLOT
Just as I remember watching it on Cartoon Network about a decade ago, the show features no sequential or ongoing plot. The best way to describe it would be as a collection of cartoon shorts. The show’s original purpose as a set of filler episodes for ‘Cow and Chicken’ is all too clear. Each individual episode on the DVD is broken into 3 different short stories, spanning an average of about 7 minutes each. These individual stories are separated by short, less-than-a-minute filler bits that I recall being used to advertise the show during commercial breaks when it was still being aired on CN.
The basic ongoing plot tends to revolve around the two main characters: I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon. A majority of the episodes shown in the volume 1 collection, (and as I recall throughout the entire series) involves the latter protagonist consistantly attempting to out-perform his better educated colleague. More often than not, Baboon’s actions or stupidity act as the catalyst for conflict in the story. As each short is divided down into a 7 minute tid-bit, it is understandable why there is a lack of ongoing plot or character development. The show often addresses significant moments in history, or significant cultural phenomenon’s, but puts a unique spin on them, by adding a highly educated rodent, and a just plain stupid monkey to the mix. However, the show’s roots as filler intended for ‘Cow and Chicken’ is painfully obvious.
On that note, it really must be said that watching this entire series just feels like watching nothing but filler. Heck, the filler even has filler. And while the show does have its funny or laughable moments, many of the jokes have just not aged well. The repetitive nature of instigation and conflicts becomes difficult to bear after watching a few episodes. On a positive note however, due to the non-linear nature of the show, every episode does feel significantly different, and viewers will feel like being shown a new experience or adventure with every viewing.
CHARACTERS
In the whole series, there are only really 3 characters worth noting:
-I.M. Weasel.
I am Weasel is supposed to be the relatable protagonist of the series. He’s quick-witted, smart, logical and skilled at every field he applies himself too. Something of a perfectionist. That said, it should be noted that this degree of skill and logic is partially attributed to the generic stupidity of the rest of the cast, including bystander and extra characters. As far as the plot of each short story is concerned, Weasel exists generally as a way to solve the problems that I.R creates for himself, or for the rest of the world. Occasionally however, his relative smarts make him worse off for it. For example, in the first episode “I R Terraformer” Weasel finds himself at a depressed loss when his efforts to create a space colony are rendered moot by termites. As a viewer we know that Weasel will attempt to fix a problem, but occasionally his self-righteousness can get in the way of real progress. Although he is respectable for his selflessness, overall he is not exactly an entertaining or overly appealing character. This is mostly due to the “holier than thou” role he portrays.
-I.R. Baboon.
In all honesty, I.R is probably the single reason why people would choose to watch the show. His stupidity clearly knows no bounds, and his constant drive to out-perform Weasel will often end up coming right back and hitting him in the face. Sometimes literally. However, in terms of entertainment value, Baboon is the most appealing character to watch. We’re never really told why he feels this compulsive need to prove himself, but the show feels richer for it. While we know he is stupid, and his bright red butt gets difficult to look at for extended periods, his idiotic nature combined with his ambitious goals in life make for entertaining, even funny viewing. And I will be honest, I do enjoy the idea of someone actually being able to kick Weasel of his “high and mighty” pedestal. So much so that one almost wants Baboon to succeed sometimes. Referring back to the “I R Terraformer” episode, I.R’s stupidity does not let him see the tragedy for what it is, and thus, he feels better off for it. Proving once and for all that ignorance is bliss. And he will get you quoting “You talking to I.R?” again at some point.
-The Red Guy.
A character that one would also recognise as the main antagonist in the ‘Cow and Chicken’ series, the Red Guy, also referred to as (I.B Red Guy or Ben Pantsed) is a flamboyant red devil like character that exists to either torment, antagonise or act as a catalyst for some of the craziness that this show endures. Like Baboon, the Red Guy rarely covers his rear, and is not the brightest tool in the shed. The Red Guy character is consistantly changing in terms of persona being covered, from male to female roles, and from good, evil, neutral, smart and stupid roles. Every time the Red Guy brings something new to the episode. From watching the show again after an almost 10 year hiatus, some of the Red Guys flamboyant tendencies will make viewers seriously consider questions of sexuality, and appropriateness for the age group. For instance, what do you think he’s talking about when he says “There are some places you should NEVER get a splinter” when referring to wooden pants. While it’s true splinters in some places are nastier than others, this character begins to raise questions again and again as to what the heck he is even doing in a children’s cartoon.
VISUALS/AUDIO
The art style of the show is pretty typical of what one would expect from a cartoon developed in the late 90’s. The animation is created with colour and a significant degree of unique flair. However, the visual aspects of many jokes begin to seem juvenile or un-entertaining for an adult to watch. While a child may be fascinated by the idea of seeing butts, general toilet humour and numerous grotesque sights, to an adult viewer, the visual style no longer appeals.
It’s worth mentioning that the music of the show stands out. The score is often well appropriated to the situation and achieves its purpose of reinforcing the viewer’s reactions to certain stimuli. The theme song itself is a strange remix of “Pop goes the weasel” which is actually surprisingly catchy. Even to this day, I still remember the show’s opening song about not needing pants for a victory dance. Sound effects however are a different matter. Many of the slapstick comedy elements are the same recycled sounds that we’ve seen in a dozen Looney Tunes cartoons, as well as the numerous other “cartoon cartoon” shows available in the same time period. To add to that, the voice acting and dialogue just seems rushed and no longer provides the same sense of humour to an adult that it would to a child.
CONCLUSION
It must be said that as a cartoon series, ‘I am Weasel’ has not aged particularly well. The jokes that one may or may not have enjoyed as a child are no longer funny, and the raw appeal of the cartoon genre is not perpetuated due to quirky, awkward visuals, unintelligent humour and short overall runtime. This is most certainly a show for children, to be enjoyed by children. Let’s face it, at that age range, butt jokes, toilet humour, and general disgustingness and awkwardness can only really be enjoyed by the young folk. Watching this show again made me remember why I sometimes preferred to watch sports shows and anime. Going back to watch it again may very well ruin some of the nostalgia you carry for it. That said however, it is still a decent enough cartoon to watch in short controlled bursts for a 5-10 minute dose of fun viewing.
I tried to explain Alienware’s Area 52 event the other week, but my description of the show they put on didn’t do it justice. Now a video of it has been uploaded to the Alienware Area 52 YouTube page, capturing most of the experience. It’s not as impressive as being there was, but it’s still quite cool.
As we said earlier, Alienware are taking their tech on a tour of the East Australian coast in the coming months, beginning in Sydney on July 19th, before visiting Melbourne and Brisbane at some point as well. Keep an eye on the Alienware YouTube and Twitter (#AlienwareA52) pages for regular updates.
The tour will consist of the caravan they call the Airstream, inside which are several of their gaming PCs and notebooks to try out. Those hoping to see a repeat of the show in the video will be disappointed – it seems that was a one-off media stunt. If you’re still interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, the Sydney dates and locations are as follows.
Developer: Avalanche Studios Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)/PS3/Wii/PC Genre: Racing/Family Released: June 21 (US), June 23 (Aus), July 22 (Europe)
Overview
Pixar are an unstoppable force in animation, and every film they’ve done combines modern technology with classic animation principles, featuring fleshed-out characters in unique worlds, well-plotted stories, quirky humour, and plenty of heart without being overly sappy. They’ve constantly outdone themselves, reaching the pinnacle last year with Toy Story 3, as they wrapped up their original franchise with the same love for animation and story.
Cars 2 however, seems to be the first stumble for the studio. It appears that Cars is the go-to franchise for merchandising: under 10’s lose their freaking minds over Cars toys. The first film holds the record for Pixar’s merchandise sales, with a ridiculous $8billion in revenue. And with that comes the inevitable video game.
I tried not to let the “licensed games are terrible” assumption cloud my judgement of it as a game as I booted it up, and I was surprised. The film actually lends itself quite well to a video game: being about, well, cars, a racing game is a no-brainer, especially as the sequel focuses on a worldwide grand prix. Add the elements of the spy world introduced in the movie, and you have a competent Mario Kart clone.
Story
As it sticks to the racing genre, the game doesn’t need to follow the film’s story. As with Star Wars Pod Racer, it can function well as a game by just focusing on one part of the film.
The game is contextualised as a virtual training program for the spy organisation C.H.R.O.M.E., freeing the developers of the need to shoehorn in a linear story. Just race. That’s all it has, and that’s all it needs.
So just race with a generous selection of quirky characters. And just race across a series of worldwide cities presented as caricatures (Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey are not adjacent, but hey, artistic license is a wonderful thing). And just cheat with a range of spy weaponry.
Gameplay
At first glance it may seem like any another racing game, but Cars 2 mixes the zany weapon-based mayhem of Mario Kart with a weighty, realistic driving system that feels like a more “hardcore” driving game. Drifting around corners is a necessity, and mastering it constitutes much of the challenge. This is tied directly to the clever Energy system, which creates a central risk/reward payoff.
Now, bear with me here. Players have the ability to flip around and drive backwards, or go up on two wheels. Doing either is risky in itself; backwards means your steering is reversed, and driving on two wheels reduces your mobility. And both make it easier for other cars to knock you off-course. But if you successfully pull off these moves, you’re rewarded with an increase in your energy bar, which can be used for speed boosts. Using these turbo boosts is essential, with well-timed boosts often being the difference between first and not first. Further, players are given the choice between using a small portion of their energy for a temporary boost, or saving it up until it maxes out, to get a much longer, race-changing increase in speed, along with invincibility and the power to send other cars spinning. While it may seem like saving it up is the clear choice, sometimes strategic use of mini-boosts can be more effective. This trade-off adds a surprisingly deep, strategic element to the game.
There are other abilities that lift Cars 2 beyond a standard racing game. The ability to jump adds more than you’d expect, allowing a way to avoid obstacles and access hidden shortcuts, of which there are many. The bump mechanic is also a welcome addition, as players are granted the power to sharply bounce left or right, to knock other cars into danger, cause them to spin out (more so if they’re driving backwards or on two wheels), or to dodge obstacles at the last second.
The game modes available add some variety. Some focus on racing, some on attacking, some on precision driving. For example, the fairly unique survival mode requires the player to keep a power bar charged by collecting batteries lined up along the track. The player must complete a set number of laps without the bar dropping to zero. It sounds easy, but passing through all the batteries can become quite challenging, as they’re placed around tight corners or over tricky jumps.
The variance of these different modes throughout the single-player “missions”, as well as being able to complete them in a non-linear order, ensures you won’t have to do the same thing too often.
The battle races are the main attraction, offering a rather limited range of weapons to slow your opponents down, many of which are basically reskinned Mario Kart items – oil slicks act like banana peels, missiles act like koopa shells, etc. But the minimal variety of weapons, and their stock-standard appearance, is disappointing. And because there is no HUD indicator for weapons you pick up, it’s often unclear which one you have. They are represented on the player’s car model, in the form of guns poking out from the sides, or a mine stuck to the back. In theory it’s a good idea, as it potentially clears up a cluttered HUD, but in practice it’s often difficult to differentiate the weapons.
The selection of characters may seem rather generous at first glance, with plenty more to be unlocked as you progress, but as far as they handle, it makes little difference. In the character selection screen a slider shows each character’s speed/power ratio, but the majority of characters lie in the middle ground, and the differences between them are minimal. When a car does feel different, it’s far too pronounced – Mater, being most of the way to the power end of the scale, handles like a heavy shopping cart with its brakes stuck on. There is really no need to choose power over speed, even in more combat-oriented modes.
Multiplayer is a given in a game like this, so many might lament the lack of online multiplayer. To me it had little impact: I prefer same room, split-screen multiplayer in a game like this, and that front is covered well. In Free Play mode, up to four players can play any of the modes unlocked through the main campaign, and it is decently fun. A second player can also join in on the main campaign, providing a second chance to get the gold each time and progress.
Graphics & Audio
The environments are cartoony and attractive, especially if you’re used to the fairly plain look of realistic racers. Based on cities around the world, each track exaggerates the key characteristics of each location and boils them down into a caricature of that city, a cartoony postcard.
The characters are faithful to the film, with the eyes particularly expressive. This may simply be because they take up the entire windscreen, but regardless, it helps personify the cars. The smug look while driving backwards and the panicky look when bumped are particular favourites of mine.
The team could have gotten away with lazy animations, as the bodies are quite rigid, being cars and all, yet more personality is injected into each by allowing the chassis to twist and bend in a cartoony fashion, which most driving games wouldn’t bother with.
It’s also good to note that the original voice cast is presented and accounted for.
The major sticking point for me was the HUD and the menus. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what information the HUD was giving me: there was a lot to take in, and what was provided was unclear. In a time when driving and racing games have realised that minimalist HUDs are a player’s best friend, this feels particularly jarring. Usually, the information provided is filtered down to the bare essentials, and this is often presented near or on the car itself, so players don’t have to take their eyes off the road.
The HUD in Cars 2 is like having a backseat full of people screaming every detail of the vehicle’s state at you. There is way too much information, so finding what you need to know quickly is nigh on impossible. And what is presented doesn’t help. I never figured out what the indicators in the bottom-right of the screen meant. There’s too much, it’s unclear and too small to make out at a glance, especially in split-screen.
But the worst offender is the ranking indicators. In the top left of the screen, images of three racers are stacked vertically. I thought for a long time that the car shown at the top was in first place, and kept wondering why it wasn’t changing when I overtook others or was overtaken. Eventually I figured out that the small numbers next to each image indicated their placing in the race. So I could be in first place, with a one next to my image, but still be the second or third image down. My question is – what the hell do those images mean then?! Again, I never figured that out. A picture of the car in first place works well at a glance to tell your place in the race. But this fairly vital information is instead communicated via a tiny number next to that. And whatever is conveyed through those images is obviously unnecessary, as I proceeded fine without ever knowing their purpose.
Final Comments
While most will probably avoid this game based solely on the assumption that licensed games suck, I would recommend it if you’re looking for a Mario Kart-esque experience. There’s some definite fun to be had in this surprisingly strategic racing game, and despite its flaws, the unique character abilities and game modes inject it with enough individuality to make it stand out as a competent, quirky racer.
With the closure of so many AAA rated game developers recently, Epic games European Boss Mike Gamble has spoken out boldly, blaming the current situation on what he calls “stupid acquistions” made by certain publishers. Using Disneys acquisition of Black Rock Studios which has now closed up shop as an example, Gamble states “…what was the point of a well known childrens IP holder buying a hardcore racing studio? It doesnt make sense. Similar situations have been seen throughout a number of other companies such as Activision closing Bizarre studios after it failed to find anyone willing to take it on. Gamble goes on to blame a change within the economics of game development, where publishers have had to cut costs and less productive studios were forced to close.
With the closing of one door though another usually opens and as already noted on capsulecomputers in another article relating to Bizarre games, many experienced staff from these unfortunate developers have started projects of their own. Bizarre studios break up has seen the formation of Totem and Lucid games as well as Hogrocket. Gamble goes on to note that while it is sad to see so many well known companies leaving the market, it is an exciting time for indie an small developers, and he likes what he sees. He refers to many of the new projects he has seen as “really interesting and creative”. Most importantly they are not having to conform to the demands of publishers who are often just trying to appease the masses often without a creative bone in their arsenal.
For gamers this is good and bad news. With the closure of AAA rated studios, we could possibly see the end to a lot of the popular franchises we grew up with and kept our passion for gaming going. On the other hand the emergence of indie studios and small development teams that are more focused on creative ideas and making cool innovative games would be a welcome change. Its like a regression to the roots of gaming with small teams of developers who arent under the pressures of their commercial counterparts. Whatever the outcome, the industry, especially in Europe and the UK looks healthy according to Gamble, but in a different way, without so much of a focus on getting filthy rich and more on what its always about, the games and playing them.
Seemingly had enough with the fools who registered the domain name ModernWarfare3.com, Activision have finally taken action and filed its first domain name dispute with the National Arbitration Forum. Why Activision didnt think ahead and secure every domain name under the sun that even relates to modern warfare is beyond me but anyway thats not the issue. ModernWarfare3.com emerged a while ago and before going offline had massed a large following and had nothing negative to say about the warfare franchise. But things changed and the tone of the site has turned derogatory and offensive with videos titled Modern Warfare sucks for all to see. The rest is just a whole lot of simple tongue in cheek jibes at the game and how Electronic Arts competititor franchise Battlefield 3 is the “new kid on the block”. EA have protected their IP from the get go registering the domain names Battlefield.com and.net as well as Battlefield3.com.
When the site came back online it was quickly noticed that the site owner was now redirecting traffic to EA’s official Battlefield.com site, and obviously Activision have decided that enough is enough. On July 15th they filed the complaint sparking ModerWarfare3.com to stop the redirection but boldly display the complaint letter on the homepage. The complaint cost Activision $2600 which i hope they get back should they be successful in obtaining the relevant domain names. Activision claim that the owner has no affiliation with the game and as such has no legitimate or legal reason to retain it. The company states ” It appears the respondent supports the game Battlefield……….EA is one of complainants principal competitors in the video game industry.
EA have denied any involvement whatsoever and have no connection with the person(s) who own the domain name or any of those redirecting traffic to their Battlefield site. Personally id say its some fanboys idea of a joke, nonetheless its pretty petty and childish and just goes to show some people really have nothing better to do with their time then put down others for a few minutes of fame. Heres to hoping common sense prevails and Activision are successful in retaining the domain names it should have procured in the games initial stages, otherwise im off to register ps4.com, xbox720.com and WiiU.com just for kicks.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios have released a new vignette trailer for Rain! His story seems to be exactly the same for this title, with no noticeable changes at all. As a fan of the franchise, I slightly am disappointed because I would’ve like to seem him fit more into the story, but his moves still look as devastating as ever so that makes me happy!
Out of the four downloadable warriors being released this holiday season, Rain is the third, with the mysterious 4th’s silhouette shown at the end of the trailer. My money is saying it’s either Reiko or Fujin from Mortal Kombat 4, but thats me, it could be anyone! Rain will be available for download on July 19th, and available on the same date for those with a Microsoft Season Pass. Furthermore, on the same date two free klassic skins will also be released for Jade and Kitana, inspired by Mortal Kombat 2. Judging by Neatherrelm the last few weeks, you should be able to expect a new klassic skins trailer out within the next few days. Check out the video here.
SMASH this year contained many high-energy moments, from the deafening screams of excited Little Kuriboh fans, to the insane dance moves during the cosplay contest, to even Nabeshin inviting audience members to touch his ‘skin’ in his hotel room tonight. However one of the most exciting highlights for me was the Street Fighter II tournament. People would cheer and clap, applauding reversals and praising the combos. I couldn’t believe our Street Fighter-obsessed, Cheif-Director, MasterAbott’s reaction when I told him the outcome.
“What do you mean the winner of Street Fighter is a girl?!” He yelled, at which I couldn’t help but laugh at. “Yeah man,” I said, still trying to recover from giggles, “It was that chick we met before dressed as Chun Li. She played as Guile!” He didn’t understand, and moments before I didn’t either, but you can’t blame us! I mean, of coarse we’ll assume she’d pick the character she cosplayed as! That being said, out of the 64 contenders of the competition, it was clear from the start that the female gamer known as Chyna was a force to be reckoned with. While some matches were close, most of them she won with ease, finishing on a near-perfect (or at least in the fights I watched) with only taking one or two hits. In the final match she played as Guile and took on an opponent that played as Blanka. She won mostly due to punishing air attacks with his Reverse Spin Kick, punching low and only seldom using the Sonic Boom. I caught up with Chyna afterwards where she revealed a few secrets to her success with Street Fighter II, where I asked why she chose the character she did. She revealed that she prefers to let her enemy select first, then makes her choice based upon who can provide the best counter to punish her opponent. Genius!
We have video courtesy of Chyna of the Street Fighter II final check it just below
It seemed fitting to end the day with talking to Chyna about her victory, as almost right after walking through the doors that morning I had met her as she was signing up for the tournament, where I questioned her on her Chun Li costume and together tried to figure out which Street Fighter movie sucked more. Regardless, she concord a tournament of 60+ Street Fighter enthusiasts, who each then had to “Go home and be a family man!” You can check the interview about her victory below, and expect the other interview in a montage of cosplay interviews coming soon!!
