There’s a little prank at the end of the clip, appropriate for April Fools, don’t you think? The game is great, too. 
LVLs. Contributors
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All posts for the month March, 2012
Weekly Whose Line? – Helping Hands
Posted by WildcatJF on March 31, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/weekly-whose-line-helping-hands-2/
Google Maps has become Dragon Quest-ifed for April Fools!
This is freaking awesome. Go to Google Maps and click on the Quest icon in the top right corner, and suddenly the world is rendered a la Dragon Quest for the NES. I don’t know who made this happen, but you are a genius. Best April Fools EVER.
Posted by WildcatJF on March 31, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/google-maps-has-become-dragon-quest-ifed-for-april-fools/
Gaming TV From Yesteryear – Video Power, Episode 1
One of the earliest pioneers of video game-oriented television (aside from early ’80s game show Starcade) was Video Power. First airing in 1990, it contained live-action segments hosted by Stivi “Johnny Arcade” Paskoski that featured reviews, tips, and various other segments. But by far, most of the show was devoted to an animated series called The Power Team. It was comprised of a group of various video game characters that was decidedly random and obscure even for its time.
Video Power only lasted two seasons, with its second season completely changing into a game show format. But the original live-action segments perhaps laid the groundwork for the subsequent GamePro TV with JD Roth.
This is apparently the very first episode of Video Power, and The Power Team takes up most of the airtime, with the live-action segments lasting only a few minutes.
The audio is a little out-of-sync in the first part.
Part 1:
Click the link for the rest!
(more…)
Posted by Nester on March 30, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/gaming-tv-from-yesteryear-video-power-episode-1/
Gamer’s Playlist – Spring Break Game Remixfest 2012 Final Day
The final day of our remixfest is at hand. At this exact moment, I’m getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist. XD Anyway, here’s two “official” remixes for you to round out our remix marathon.
Fumigation Refuge – Michiru Yamane (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, DS, Konami, Michiru Yamane)
Mr. X Stages (Special) – Yuko Takehara (Mega Man 6, NES, Capcom, Yuko Takehara)
Posted by WildcatJF on March 30, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/gamers-playlist-spring-break-game-remixfest-2012-final-day/
Gamer’s Playlist: Spring Break Game Remixfest 2012 Day 4
Let’s rock out a little today, shall we? Snappleman/virt will deliver a Zelda: Wind Waker medley of epic proportions, while The Advantage put their own spin on a Castlevania classic, Bloody Tears.
Full Mast – Snappleman and Virt (Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Gamecube, Nintendo, Koji Kondo, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi)
Woods (aka Bloody Tears) – The Advantage (Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, NES, Konami, Kenichi Matsubara)
Posted by WildcatJF on March 29, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/gamers-playlist-spring-break-game-remixfest-2012-day-4/
Virtual Console No-Shows: The Goonies II (NES)
Hm, America is apparently taking a significant break from the VC…again. XD Onward, with another game that’s worthy of consideration!
98. The Goonies II (NES, Konami)
Brief Synopsis – Loosely based on the movie The Goonies (note – Americans only saw a NES release for the sequel to the original Famicom game, thus the inexplicable “II” in the title. The first did see limited release in Nintendo’s Vs. System or Play Choice-10 arcade cabinets), you play as Mikey, who must rescue the rest of the Goonies and a randomly determined mermaid (wha?) from a small-time criminal family, the Fratellis. You play the game in two perspectives, side-scrolling and first person, and the game has a Metroid-esque feel in how it progresses, with Mikey able to improve his skills to access new areas previously blocked off from him. I haven’t had the good fortune to play it, but it’s supposedly very good.
Why is it Missing? – Two major reasons here: one is that it is a licensed game based on a movie, and two, we haven’t seen anything from Konami come west in a long time. I suspect that Konami isn’t too keen on continuing to support the Wii VC, and especially not too keen on re-licensing this game no matter how good it is. Let’s hope the NA/PAL 3DS Virtual Console will see some of their Game Boy games they’ve released in Japan recently, so I don’t have to write posts on those. XD
Other (Legal) Options – The NES is the lone console for you here.
Posted by WildcatJF on March 29, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/virtual-console-no-shows-the-goonies-ii-nes/
Music Wednesdays – Pee-Wee Herman’s “Surfin’ Bird”
Before Family Guy ran it into the ground, “Surfin’ Bird” was a classic 60′s surf song. Originally performed by The Trashmen, it was actually a combination of two earlier songs by The Rivingtons: “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” and “The Bird’s the Word.”
This version comes from the oft forgotten 80′s comedy film Back to the Beach, featuring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello parodying their own surfing movies from the 60′s. I don’t know whose idea it was to have Pee-Wee Herman cover “Surfin’ Bird,” but that person is quite possibly one of the world’s greatest living geniuses.
Posted by Nester on March 28, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/music-wednesdays-pee-wee-hermans-surfin-bird/
Music Wednesday – The Juliana Theory’s “You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight”
Hard to believe that this album is nearly 12 years old as of this post. I’ve always been a child of the 90s when it comes to music, with alternative / grunge rock rating at the top of my list. Still, I would easily place Emotion is Dead within my top 10 favorite albums of all time. It’s just that solid.
This, the penultimate track from the record, serves as a very fitting denouement to the experience. I’m not very fond of the electronica bit in the very last song, but I still made a point of listening to it whenever I put the CD in my stereo. Most of society has moved on to digital music and abandoned physical media, but Emotion is Dead had a very unique moment that would come up whenever the final song finished. The music cuts out, and the singer repeats the first line of “Goodnight, Goodnight”, asking “Did you really think that it was over?” Just as he says that, the CD stops, and the whirring noise as it dies down just seems to time perfectly with the full stop end of the album.
Perhaps it’s just me, but that always stuck out in my mind.
Posted by Jason X on March 28, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/music-wednesday-the-juliana-theorys-you-always-say-goodnight-goodnight/
Gamer’s Playlist – Spring Break Game Remixfest 2012 – Day 3
Today is a RPG-focused set. Famicom Guitar shreds some Dragon Quest, Darangen rips some Final Fantasy, and we all win!
Love Song 探して*, Famicom Guitar (Dragon Quest II, NES, Square-Enix, Koichi Sugiyama)
Warriors of Light, Darangen (Final Fantasy, NES, Square-Enix, Nobuo Uematsu)
*= Famicom Guitar’s site is in Japanese, but I can tell you it’s Disc 3, Track 9 for this particular song if you’d like to have it for yourself.
Posted by WildcatJF on March 28, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/gamers-playlist-spring-break-game-remixfest-2012-day-3/
Music Wednesdays – Bloc Party’s “Skeleton”
Peppy yet dark, “Skeleton” is a great song from a band I know too little about, Bloc Party. Apparently this is off of a B-side with “Helicopter”. I really do like this, though, so I think I should check out more from them.
Posted by WildcatJF on March 28, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/music-wednesdays-bloc-partys-skeleton/
