Webcomic
Out of all the system in my collection, the one void that I've always wanted to fill was the Atari Lynx. The oversized black brick with a color screen has been on my "do want" list since I saw it guest star on Clarissa Explains it All in that annoying little run Ferguson's hands. I sware to god that was the only thing in his school back pack. I think that's all that would fit.
My obsession with dated, slightly avant garde game hardware aside the system really doesn't have much of a place in modern society. Or does it? Development by Super Fighter Team as produced Zaku, a new "Air Zonk" style Shoot 'um up for the dated little system. Further more, the game is being launched on the system itself and not just an internet downloadable rom.
Don't believe me? Head over to their webpage. Screenshots and pre-orders are accepted.
[via GameSetWatch]
Sarcasm and video game references are the cornerstones of all online gaming discussion. Sarcastic dismissal of someone else's outrage is even more satisfying when paired with a referenced to the shared subculture of the forum, further asserting your right to be there. Which is why a phrase as universal and annoying as "Excuse me, Princess!" is so powerful. In fact, the catchphrase from the Legend of Zelda cartoon is so easy to drop into any conversation that
LinkBizarro Obnoxious 80s Cartoon Link somehow managed to
say it 29 times in the show's brief 13 episode run.
But there's a problem! The Internet, and most gaming discussion, is text-based which makes it difficult to convey a specific tone. Without being sure you're conveying the proper amount of sarcasm you run the risk of sounding super polite and also confused about the monarchical system. You need to make sure that when you say "Excuse me, Princess!" people know you're not serious! That's where adding extra letters u to "excuse" comes in. By adding more letters u you can force the reader's internal reading voice to drag out the pronunciation and ensure they pick up on your sarcastic tone! But how many letters u do you need to add to convey the correct amount of sarcasm? Luckily, computational linguist,
Dinosaur Comics author, and IMHO
total stud Ryan North has found the answer:
This graph shows the correlation between the amount of Google results and the amount of 'u's in "excuse." Points of interest:
- "Excuuse me, princess!" is really unpopular, given its ease in typing: people either write the phrase with The Canonical Number of Letters U (that is, 1), or write it with more. I believe this reflects a tension between dictionary spelling and how the word is said: if you're going to break the rules, people break them in a way that's clear and unambiguously not a typo!
- There is a marked preference for 41 letters u: "excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!" has 3,770 results, while the results around it have tons fewer. That's that bump near the end of the graph! Clearly there is a connection here with the amount of time the average person is willing to hold down their "u" key before losing interest and seeing what the other keys do. [Note: This may be a result of this YTMND which has 41 letters u in the title]
- It took 50 letters u ("excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!") to get 0 results. I was going to stop there, but then I made the mistake of checking 51 letters u, which had a few hits, as did 52. It was at 67 letters u ("excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!") that my Google search box was mostly the letter "u" and I realized that there is no upper limit on how many letters u could appear. It's letters u all the way down, you guys! So I stopped and wished I'd written a script to do this instead, but I really thought we'd peter out before 67.
If you're still reading this post and haven't yet found this topic totally exhausting, you can check out Ryan North's
original post which contains the complete data set, including the exact number of results per number of letters u.
I did not play much of the original Fallout. There, I admitted it. It was a dark time where I didn't do much PC gaming, so sue me. Ignoring this fact, ZOMG FALLOUT 3. This game is some serious nuclear chic. For serious. I will be there on release day in my cerulean blue with yellow trim jumper for this game.
Bethesda has been pretty forthcoming about content about this game. There are more trailers, media shots and general fan fluff than you can shake a stick at. They just keep pumping out more too. Today they launched their commissioned comic titled Penny Arcade Comics. Bet you can't guess who is drawing it. So far it's only one strip and it's all introduction, but it is definitely something you will want to keep your eyes on if you're a fan.
P.S.: Knowing my luck, I would be in vault 69.
Fallout Official Site
If there's one thing I've learned about life, it's that you really need to have a sense of humor if you're going to get through it with any sort of grace. Because there are a whole lot of things that are gonna go wrong (like, I don't know, sites being shut down by hackers with backwards agendas), so you might as well just laugh about 'em.
Which is why I love webcomics like Penny Arcade, which inject humor into the world of video games--a place often taken far too seriously. Sure, that game you bought that you were excited about for months turned out to total dog doo--it's suddenly okay if you know someone else went through the same thing, and laughing about it is a hell of a lot better than being bitter about it.
Not that Persona 3 turned out to be one of those games. Quite the contrary. Having received across the board rave reviews from every major gaming site lucky enough to get their hands on a non-delayed copy, it's now Penny Arcade's turn, with a hilarious look at what it must have been like to be a fly on the wall at Atlus' boardroom.
Potent Yet Troubling Imagery [Penny-Arcade]
If anyone saw the Transformers movie and absolutely loved it, then you're not gonna be happy with me. Because I think it sucked. Not just a little bit. I think it was the worst so-called "blockbuster" to come out of Hollywood this summer. The only thing that saved it from utter Pirate Prince opinion annhiliation was the extremeley dreamy Shia Labeouf who has enough charisma and comic timing to make an empty dumpster seem interesting. But I digress...
I'm not alone. VG Cats creator obviously was just as disappointed, and dedicated his latest webcomic to the main problems. First off, there just wasn't enough Transformers action. Most of it was focused on the giant cast of humans, which although often funny, just should not have been as important. Why, Michael Bay, show us extra footage of the kid's parents during the credits? Did I pay good money to see "ma and pa's comedy shtick?" No, I paid to see Transformers change and destroy. As many times as humanly possible. It was also too long, and by the time the big battle came around at the end, I was pretty much bored with slow motion shots of the porny love interest girl and ready to leave (and use the urinal).
Check it out: VG Cats #236 Darkest Hour. And be warned--if you haven't seen it, spoilers abound.
Seriously, funniest VG Cats in awhile. Not that it's ever not funny, just sometimes a little... obscure? While obsessing over all the breaking news coming out of E3, take a break to laugh your pants off. I mean, sure, Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy makes me feel like a kid again and super happy that I own a Wii (considering that reported shortage). And Metal Gear Solid 4 makes me feel all gitchy inside and hoping that that 360 rumor turns out to be true. Mostly E3 has just made me feel very sure that I have a mustache fetish.
But I digress... if you need a break from all that gaming stress, take a moment to laugh at this. I swear that this actually happened to me one night while standing in line for some good mall food after spending a weekend up in the mountains and swimming in rivers full of fish poop. Actually, if it had, I'd probably still be in quarantine.
VG Cats #235: Worms
The first time I saw David Hasselhoff stuffing a burger into his face, as drunk as the human body can get before total shutdown (believe me, I've been there--at least that's what people tell me, my youth is a bit hazy) I laughed, thinking smugly to myself: "How far the mighty Baywatchie has fallen!" Then I watched it again and felt kind of disturbed, remembering the time I jumped into a disgusting city lake after one too many vodkas and cut my feet on shards of mystery glass, made a solemn to never get drunk again. Then I discovered his daughter posted it, and I just felt really, really sad.
But VG Cats has made it funny again! Yahoo! Conscience cleared. Seriously a hilarious spoof, and proof yet again that I will get every reference Mr. Ramsoomair throws at me. Check it out, and wash your guilt away with the safety of the very cute 2nd dimension. Besides, it's about procrastination, right?
#234: Humiliation Tube [VG Cats]
I swear Scott Ramsoomair and I were separated at birth--our interests appear to be far too much on the same page. Lucky for everyone I'm just a big nerd while he uses his immense artistic talent and has the willpower to be quite prolific. It seems like every time I become obsessed with something I find it on the pages of his much-loved webcomic VGCats within days.
Having just read the most recent VIZ release of Deathnote (Volume 11) and eagerly anticipating the final volume in a few months, I was tickled pink to find a reference in the latest chapter of VGCats. If you've never heard of Deathnote and don't really get the above-linked comic, do yourself a favor and pick up the first volume of the great manga at your nearest distributor of Japanese comic addiction. You won't be sorry... unless you're not into gods of death amid battles of wit and sexy hair. And really, who isn't?
VGCats #230: Judgmental
I'll have to admit, the first time I read the latest VG Cats, I was completely at a loss. Who were these worms, and what's with the big guys? Regardless, it was just twisted and morbid enough for me to find it hilarious, which I blame entirely on growing up watching Ren & Stimpy cartoons. Over and over and over.
If you're like me and have never seen much more than a screenshot of Viva Pinata, then you're gonna need to read the little backstory Clif Notes on the main page. Regardless, I think we just discovered the next Pixar project. Doesn't every great story start out with the hero's parents brutally murdered and then fed to him/her? Or is that too much Ren & Stimpy talking again?
VGCats #227: Family Matters.
Back in September we brought you the news that Gaygamer would be getting a webcomic. Well, here we are six months later and everything is finally starting to come together. With story and dialogue by Tiny Dancer and yours Brutley and jaw droppingly gorgeous art by the incredible Martegod, look for the first episode to land on your computer screen in the next few weeks, Until then, we will tease you with some of Martegod's fantastic art to get you in the mood...
Excelsior! Here it is, the news you’ve all been waiting for!
We were fortunate enough to find the uber-talented Martegod back when we had our Magnetica haiku contest and Alexander ran a short article on him. I am pleased to announce that we now have him in our clutches to draw an original webcomic exclusively for GayGamer with scripts written by the staff. These are our two main characters, Zev and Deimos and yes, they are boyfriends! That’s all I can reveal to you for now, but more to come as we get closer to the launch date. Until then, enjoy Martegod’s amazing work!
(Launch Date TBA)
And girls who like girls who like rumble packs!
Gay Gamer of the Week
Recent Comments
GGP Mailing List
Are you gay and working in the games industry? If you are interested in networking with other folks like you within the industry, try joining the Gay Game-Industry Professionals mailing list.
Links
The GayGamer Store
- Help support GayGamer by purchasing your items through our store!
All rights reserved © 2006-2008 FAD Media, Inc.
