Something freaky at Rockband.com...

I'm all for Rock Band, and am completely looking forward to the third installment coming out October 26th. But right now, if you visit rockband.com, the splash image you see for Snoop Dogg Pack 01 before the video plays out is an oddly-disproportionate head on (what I think is) a drummer's body. Here, take a look for yourself:

Maybe it's just me, but don't you think it's just a bit "muppety"?

Open wide and say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

New Scott Pilgrim DLC coming in November

Just when I can't get enough of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, Ubisoft also decides to reveal that new DLC will be available in November, around the same time the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.

For just a mere $1.99 on PSN, or 160 Microsoft Points on XBLM, Ubisoft plans to add one more character into the roster - Knives Chau - as well as 2 new gameplay modes: Dodgeball mode, and Arena mode. Dodgeball mode, I can imagine, would probably match the stylings of Super Dodgeball of yesteryear. Arena mode, on the other hand, will be more just a simple brawler with weapons sprawled all over the place.

In addition to the DLC, a patch will also be released to resolve some difficulty balancing issues in the game, incorporate drop-in/drop-out co-op, and a slew of other issues.

I never expected any patch, let alone new DLC, to come to this already awesome comic and game. And with my November anticipation already dashed by the delay of Little Big Planet 2, I embrace this news with open arms.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World DVD/Blu-Ray is scheduled to release November 9th.

Beyond Good and Evil Re-Release in HD Next Year

It's been almost 7 years since Beyond Good and Evil was silently released and generated its own cult following despite poor marketing practices. If you were one of the few that missed out on a well-told game, you're in luck. Ubisoft has revealed that they will be re-releasing the game to the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network sometime in 2011. Not only will it be looking better in 1080p, but the game will sport new character models and textures, a re-mastered soundtrack, and Achievements/Trophies support.

While this is no sequel news, this most assuredly acknowledges the yearn for this game and its characters. I know I've been buzzing about the game's sequel for quite some time.

Tuesday Randomness: Chip

Drawing was a big hobby of mine when I was young. I drew things from still-life to anime to portraits to....this.

Normally I'm good at writing down the date on my drawings, too. But yeah...I forgot what inspired/compelled me to draw this video-game-console-influenced character. You can even see the erased areas where I made adjustments. And the "Chip" name above was all computer-fied. I'm guessing I was trying to make a friend out of my SNES.

Heck, I just noticed this, but I even included a scribble on it shadowing where the embossed "Nintendo" logo was on the actual system.

I know I wasn't drinking back then, so I'll chalk this up under "childhood boredom." Really, there is no other reason I could think of that would explain this.

Also, the black line on the top was some dust, not some weird antennae sticking from the top.

Enjoy this weird, random image!

WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase: Everything but the D.I.Y.

As you know, I just purchased WarioWare D.I.Y. last week for the DS, and it's a great little app to create some of your own WarioWare mini-game creations. Going through the tutorials alone has opened up my eyes to the games a person can create and share.

But, despite the emphasis of sharing games with friends, the sad reality is that not everyone may be invested to purchase the game AND become active in sharing creative content. Which is why I find WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase to be an ideal solution to show off your creations.

At 800 Wii points (or $8), you get a dedicated channel on your Wii purely to play WarioWare D.I.Y. games. The channel itself comes with its own set of game content that's different from the ones on the DS version. It appears they took a full list of WarioWare games and split it in half - one half going to the DS version, and the other going to the Wii. But while the channel has its own array of games, the heart of it lies in downloading new games to play, whether created by other players or Nintendo.

While new content only surfaces up on a weekly basis, it's still a kick to check out people's creative mini-games. And while there's a limited amount you can download from this mode, the channel really shines when you upload your own content to the channel. This allows you to really show off your creations without forcing your friends to huddle over a small screen to enjoy them.

There are a few setbacks with this WiiWare version of the game. For starters, without the DS game, you're not really getting enough bang for your buck. While there are games there you can play on its own, a large part of content relies on downloads of other people's games and uploads of your own. Another argument is the graphics. Now, knowing that the channel's an accompaniment to the DS game, the games are just blown-up games from the DS version, so there technically IS an inconsistency. However, people just getting the channel by itself will no doubt find the transitions from crisp cartoony graphics to fuzzy, blown-up DS graphics to be annoying. Also, remember that this WiiWare title has NONE of the game-creating elements as its DS version does, so don't purchase it with the intent of creating your own games.

Lastly, paying $8 for a limited amount of content would be considered a waste of cash if you don't have the DS game to pair it with.

Heh, I think I can probably sum up this review with a mini-game!

WarioWare D.I.Y. and creative content

The month of August for me was very slow indeed. For well over a month, I have left this blog barren and empty, devoid of interesting news or articles. Here are a list of things that can either stand alone or be combined to explain my absense:

-Tons of work
-Hot days of summer making me sleep more
-Lack of interesting games that came out (I'll pretend that Metroid: Other M never was released)
-New cat (5 months old)
-Being creative

That last one is of particular interest because I've re-invested my love for games that allow creative content. There's no feeling out there quite like the feeling you get when you see your own ideas come to life in a level you create from the ground up. And while I did get some gaming done during my month-long hiatus, a majority of the time spent was with Little Big Planet.

Remember when I mentioned a long, long time ago that Little Big Planet has lots of replay value, and that it never gets old as long as there are good ideas? Well, firing up the community servers in-game, I still find lots of people creating absolutely incredible levels - levels that just simply blow your mind! I mean, people are not only creating great levels to play, but adding their own community keys in the levels for a player to continue the adventure, because there is still more levels to tell the story! And there's so much talent out there that these levels are more impressive that the original game's levels!

It's because of this creative surge that I went ahead and got myself WarioWare D.I.Y., which gives players the ability to make short 3-second mini-game in the same vein as the popular WarioWare franchise. All you need is a background, some objects, background music, and some simple actions, and you have an instant game! As simple as that sounds, you'd be surprised how creative these "games" can get.

Let's see what I can make!