The Devastator Issue #4

November 21, 2011

The fourth issue of The Devastator was released earlier this month, offering original work by James Kochalka (American Elf), Danny Hellman (The NY Times), Corey Lewis (REYYY), Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse), and many others. It's definitely worth checking out on a regular basis, because it's funny and features some pretty amazing talent. The Devastator is a quarterly comedy magazine featuring new works by 30+ up-and-coming writers and artists from Conan, The Simpsons, Marvel and DC Comics, Adult Swim, Onion News Network, McSweeney's and more.

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Video: Make Daddy Proud and Don't Get Eaten

November 21, 2011

Andrew Eisen noticed something a little peculiar while playing through Telltale Games' Jurassic Park. Andrew makes an astute observation on the different reactions from a father and a daughter when dinosaurs kill them in Telltale Games' newest title.

We won't spoil it for you - watch the video. The audio and video are pretty awful, but you'll get Andrew's point after watching it.

You can watch all of Andrew's other videos here.

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PETA v. Nintendo, NMA-Style

November 16, 2011

NMA takes a crack at the whole PETA v. Super Mario Bros. campaign with an animated short that features topless PETA members throwing blood on Mario for wearing fur, among other wacky hijinks. Earlier today the animal rights group issued a statement saying that it was all a big joke and that gamers should calm down. The latest NMA video pretty much sums up everyone's feelings on PETA when it comes to their antics related to fictional characters and video game icons. Watch it to your left. Once again thanks to Andrew Eisen for the tip.

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The Many Faces of Saints Row The Third

November 9, 2011

THQ says that the Saints Row: The Third community has created more than one million characters in the Saints Row Initiation Station, an online character creation system. The publishers says that there creations range from unique and hilarious, and to "often disturbing."

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EA Maxis Pokes Fun at Herman Cain's 9.9.9. Tax Plan

October 18, 2011

EA Maxis is having a bit of fun with Herman Cain's 9.9.9. tax plan this week with a new video created using various The Sims products. President Barack Obama, Texas Governor Rick Perry, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney guest-star. You can check out the short video to your left.

If you're not familiar with the former Godfather Pizza CEO and Republican presidential candidate's plan, it promotes a 9 percent personal income tax, 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.

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Andrew Eisen's 1000 Subscriber Celebration Spectacular

October 3, 2011

Andrew Eisen's YouTube Channel has hit a wonderful 1,000 subscribers, so to celebrate he uses all the suggestions his subscribers sent in for a special MadLib. Unfortunately all of the suggestions for this MadLib were "penis." IF you find that word offensive I don't recommend watching the latest video.

If that word is a regular part of your vocabulary, then watch Andrew's latest and revel in it. And by it, I mean penis.

Congratulations to Andrew for his latest milestone!

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The Tommy Wi-Show Ep. 1: Mortal Kombat

September 26, 2011

The man responsible for the worst movie ever made (The Room) sets his sights on web TV with a new Machina.com show called The Tommy Wi-Show. In the first episode Tommy, or TW as his alien friends call him, takes on Mortal Kombat. Is the show bad? Good? So bad it's good? So bad it’s bad? I don't know - he sounds like a drunken German weightlifter... Watch the episode to your left.

Thanks to Kyle Orland for the tip.. I think.

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More Than One-Hundred Hours?!?

September 20, 2011
In Andrew Eisen's latest video he actually may go bonkers as he contemplates another Legend of Zelda game offering "more than one hundred hours of gameplay." He illustrates the point with Wind Waker. On a personal note, a hundred hours is a drop in the bucket when you are playing Disgaea 4..
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A Mother's 'Long-Overdue Reaction' to Brown v. EMA

September 15, 2011

I'm all for letters to the editor, but one written by one Tina L. Bechtel, is particularly over the top and needs to be read to be believed. The Marysville, California mother of at least one son (at least the one she mentions in her letter) delivers what she calls her "long-overdue reaction to the 'supreme sellout' of our children," referring to the Supreme Court's decision earlier this year in the Brown v. EMA case.

GAME Australia's Rewards Program Gets Naughty

September 12, 2011

Video game retailer GAME Australia has revamped its customer reward card with a risqué new feature that lets customers use their fingers to simulate various male naughty bits. The cheeky marketing gimmick has drawn a lot of attention - with a slight bit of it being negative. MCV is reporting that multiple complaints have been filed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). GAME did not acknowledge or comment on those complaints; instead it talked to MCV about how wonderful the rewards program is for its customers.

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Video: Your Mom Hates Fox News Too

September 8, 2011
Our own Andrew Eisen offers an interesting video that proposes a unique marketing campaign for Fox News involving moms. The source material will be familiar to GP readers - you can find those videos here and here.
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Umatilla, Florida Police Chief Suspended for Playing Games

September 1, 2011

The Umatilla, Florida Chief of Police has found himself in hot water this week over playing video games on the only computer in the office - among a litany of other complaints from his subordinates, who painted him as a bit of a tyrant. Police Chief Doug Foster, who has run the Umatilla Police Department for 19 years, has also been accused of using meetings to treat officers harshly, has made his staff run personal errands, took away officers' shotguns, neglected department vehicles, and required officers to submit a list of medication they were taking.

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Bethesda and the Word 'The'

August 30, 2011

If you think that the cease and desist letter Bethesda sent Minecraft developer Mojang over plans to use the word "Scrolls" in its next game is ridiculous, then Andrew Eisen's latest video will make a lot of sense. After all, if one company can go after another for "Scrolls" then they can go after anyone for any other seemingly innocuous or common word. Take the word "the," for example...

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Minecraft Creator Challenges Bethesda to Quake 3 DM Over Patent Case

August 17, 2011

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has offered a novel way to settle the impending trademark litigation Bethesda might bring against his company Mojang for its upcoming game "Scrolls" - and it involves deathmatch.

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Going Over Santa's Head.. to Blizzard

August 8, 2011

While everyone else is ranting and raving about Diablo III and having to be "always connected" to Battle.net to play it - even in single player - our very own Andrew Eisen takes a different approach with the following heartfelt letter.

If Blizzard listens, this could be the best Christmas ever! Check out his heartwarming plea to Blizzard to your left or visit YouTube.

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Prime Minister's Questions: The Game

August 2, 2011

With the British Parliament on summer holiday, many political junkies in the UK are feeling a void at 12 o'clock on Wednesday when it is supposed to be time for "Prime Minister’s Questions." Luckily, Pixel Politics has you covered with a new Flash game called PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS: THE GAME. You play as the prime minister in this satirical, retro style game as he faces his weekly grilling from Her Majesty’s Opposition.

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Domain Fight: Activision Wants Modernwarfare3.com

July 18, 2011

A new website not owned by Activision and - and at first glance dedicated to modern Warfare 3 - is causing a bit of ruckus. According to an Ars Technica report, the domain www.modernwarfare3.com began directing people to the official Battlefield 3 site, leading some to believe (including Activision) that the site might be owned by electronic Arts. The domain was registered in 2009 by Domains by Proxy - a company owned by Go Daddy, and the owners currently remain unknown. That hasn't stopped Activision from filing a domain name dispute with the National Arbitration Forum claiming that it has full rights to the domain for obvious reasons.

After garnering a bit of attention the web site offers the following commentary:

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The Trials and Tribulations of Getting a Colbert Report Game Started

July 12, 2011

Prithvi Virasinghe, creative director at Comedy Central's internal game studio, would like to see a game based on Tak Jensen, a character created on Comedy Central's Colbert Report. Speaking to Joystiq, Virasinghe said that Tek Jansen, and the Colbert Report are subjects he'd like to make into games. Naturally such games would require the green light from Colbert and the network.

"I've honestly tried to do this many, many times," he said of concepts for a Colbert-themed game. "One of the ideas we had for Colbert was we wanted to do 'Colbert Quest,' which was kinda like an homage to the Police Quest or Space Quest games." Apparently his team at 345 even went as far as to put together a "design treatment" for "Colbert Quest," which he detailed by saying, "You're sort of in this world that's humor-based, that's kind of situational and quest-based, and it would have Colbert as some sort of overlord of this domain."

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Webcomic Pokes Fun at Gamer Reactions to Violent Game Studies

May 31, 2011

If there’s anything we love more than ponies here at GP, it’s studies that examine the effects of violent video games on those who play them.  Yes, we love writing about them and we know you love commenting on them.

Oh look!  This Critical Miss comic over at the Escapist features two violent video game studies and a gamer’s reaction to each.

...but no ponies.

-Reporting from San Diego, GamePolitics Contributing Editor Andrew Eisen

14 comments

The Death of Osama, SMB Style

May 9, 2011

Modders and creative types are having fun mocking the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of an elite U.S. Navy Seals, but one of the best pieces of video game-related comedy on the subject comes from a French television show that uses Super Mario Bros. as the backdrop. Instead of Mario and Bowser, the animation features former U.S. President George W. Bush chasing down Osama in various stages until the 2008 election where Obama takes over. Check out the video to your left to watch the hijinx.

Source: Go Nintendo by way of Kotaku

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Wyoming Valley Counselor Disturbed by School Shooter Mod

March 31, 2011

The Times Leader reports on a drug and alcohol counselor who is agitated over the Half-Life 2 mod, School Shooter: North American Tour 2012. The CEO of Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services wants parents, teachers, school administrators to be aware of its existence and the possibility that it might be "available soon."

Showing that he doesn't understand the concept of a mod or that it is being developed online and to be given away for free, Ambrosino said he has warned the superintendents of area schools, federal and state legislators, as well as major retailers such as Kmart, Walmart and Target about the game.

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Apple Approves App that ‘Cures Homosexuality’

March 21, 2011

Want to cure those pesky homosexual tendencies? There is apparently an app for that. Apple is taking some heat for allowing an app on iOS that claims to cure homosexuality. The app was created by a ministry group called Exodus International and purports to "teach gay people that they have a choice when it comes to their sexuality," and that they have a choice to choose "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus."

Gay rights group are confused by the inclusion of the app because Apple is considered a progressive company that generally supports the rights of gays and lesbians and even extends benefits to domestic partners.

On the other hand, does Apple have the right to censor an app based on its own policies and public position on issues? We will leave that question to readers. Apple's censorship of apps is seems to be unconventional; it will ban political comedy apps and then approve an app like this.

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How it Feels to Be Harassed on Xbox Live

February 25, 2011

A hilarious video from College Humor called "Girls Can Be Jerks On Xbox Live Too, You Know" turns the tables on a male player as a gaggle of girl players treat him like a piece of meat. It's hilarious and most definitely not safe for work, but worth watching.

9 comments

A Spicy Evening with We Dare

February 25, 2011

Update: Ubisoft has blocked its own video in the United States on YouTube. Watching the video brings up the following copyright notice:

"We Dare - Have a spicy evening !"

This video contains content from Ubisoft, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.

Original Story: A promotional video for Ubisoft's decidedly adult Wii Party game, We Dare, will either make you cringe or laugh. Is the video some clever joke marketing or are these people serious? It's hard to tell..

This party game is supposed to be played with your "very attractive friends" and asks you to engage in some questionable behavior using the Wii Remote.

The mini-games will lead to some promiscuous behavior or a fistfight with a friend. To quote that classic comedy song, "Hands off my wife, the party's over."

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Gold Reseller Touts Fresh Colorful Design

February 14, 2011

I am sure that Blizzard (and other MMO companies) is delighted with today's press release from World of Wacraft gold reseller outfit BYGamer. While the press release isn't particularly thrilling one could imagine that the China-based gold farmers are not well liked on this side of the world.

The company issued a press release to announce changes to its web site - BYGAMER.com - which now offers visitors a plethora of fancy colors, improved navigation and lovely new frames. Are they mocking Blizzard? It sure seems that way.

The company tops off its wonderful announcement with customer testimonials:

"It’s amazing! What a beautiful site and Buy WOW Gold here is absolutely a good choice!, said new customer Monica to one of BYGAMER’s call center operators.

The company says that this new design is already proving to help "increase traffic and sales."

Full release below:

Sex in Games Leads to Real-World Rape and Other Ridiculousness

February 8, 2011

Boy oh boy, do I have a treat for you today.

FoxNews has posted an article examining the violent and sexual content of the upcoming Bulletstorm and I’m happy to report that it’s the most entertainingly sensationalistic tripe I’ve read in quite a while.

Bulletstorm is an M-rated shooter due out later this month from Epic Games.  Aside from copious profanity and over-the-top violence, one of its notable features is its in-game awards system, Skill Shots.  Basically, you get funny-titled awards for dispatching your enemies in unique and gruesome ways.  Here’s how the ESRB describes it:

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2010's Most Prominent Vaporware

January 3, 2011

Wired releases its list of 2010's most prominent Vaporware. Can you guess which game is right at the top of the list? Yeah, it is Duke Nukem Forever, though I imagine that by the time 2012 rolls around Gearbox Software will finally make that game a reality.

Other games, software, and gadgets on the 2010 list included Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, L.A. Noire, the Kno Tablet, Netflix on Android, Notion Ink Adam, Chrome OS Laptops, the fan-developed Half-Life remake Black Mesa, 64-Bit Flash Player, Half Life 2: Episode 3, and iPhone 4 in White. Honorable mentions included Flick Kick Football (PikPok), Shibuya (Nevercenter), Spirits (Spaces Of Play), Tentacles (Press Play), and Trainyard (Matt Rix).

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Zelda: Link to the Past in Minecraft

December 27, 2010

Here is something that is pretty incredible: the entire over world from Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past rebuilt from scratch in Minecraft. According to IndieGames.com, it took creator Roman DeNu over 100 hours to rebuild the over world from the popular SNES game.

Check out the video to see it all in real-time.

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The CIA Says WTF to Wikileaks

December 23, 2010

The Central Intelligence Agency has launched a special task force to deal with Wikileaks called "WTF," according to The Washington Post. The acronym doesn't equal the Internet standard - it stands for the "WikiLeaks Task Force," but apparently the CIA offices equate it to the popular catchphrase according to the Washington Post.

While we might get a giggle or two from that factoid, the truth is that the CIA is taking the numerous leaks of U.S. documents very seriously, and just what this task force will do in response to future leaks is unknown.

The CIA has remained relatively unscathed from the monumental amount of leaks at other U.S. agencies, mainly because the CIA's systems are separate from the rest of the government. That and the fact that the secretive agency is not in the habit of sharing information with outside sources.

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16, Pregnant, and Kind of Lame

December 15, 2010

An episode recap of the MTV's 16 and Pregnant reality show entitled "There's Nothing Wrong with Video Games" follows the trials and travails of teen parents Megan and Nathan. Nathan seems to be more preoccupied with lip rings and dungeon dwelling than being a father, while Megan hasn't grown up enough to give up rainbows and ponies.. There is also a lot of talk about a lack of tough love, but who cares? Let's get to the video game references:

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Are you excited for the Xbox One?:

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DorthLousAnybody tried Hiversaire? Thoughts?05/22/2013 - 5:48pm
E. Zachary KnightNew Humble Bundle Weekly Sale. Alan Wake: https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly No Linux or Mac support. :(05/22/2013 - 1:46pm
E. Zachary KnightMicrosoft talks about the lack of backward compatability. You're backwards. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/192801/If_youre_backwards_compatible_youre_really_backwards.php05/22/2013 - 1:39pm
E. Zachary KnightThat is absolutely nuts there. As bad an experience XBox Indie Games was, the problems weren't with the self published side of things. Forcing a publisher onto independent studios is not going to help.05/22/2013 - 10:43am
MaskedPixelantehttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-22-microsoft-wont-let-indies-self-publish-on-xbox-one And the hits just keep on coming.05/22/2013 - 9:20am
E. Zachary KnightAE: You beat me to it. That's what I get for taking the night off.05/22/2013 - 7:40am
E. Zachary KnightTo continue the confused and convoluted messaging system present in EA, They are making Wii U games: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/192753/EA_is_working_on_Wii_U_games_after_all.php05/22/2013 - 7:33am
ImautobotI gotta admit, I seriously believed Microsoft was going to "Bring It" with this new console. But they failed, and I think that failure might be Epic.05/22/2013 - 7:27am
Andrew EisenWell, the Xbox One reveal certainly had an interesting affect on the big 3's stock prices. https://twitter.com/AndrewEisen/status/33705126448977100805/21/2013 - 10:45pm
PHX Corphttp://kotaku.com/so-the-xbox-one-reveal-screwed-up-a-lot-of-peoples-kin-509179256 So The Xbox One Reveal Screwed With Some People's Kinects05/21/2013 - 10:36pm
ZenOn a funny side note...both of my boys have already voted NOT to get the Xbox One as soon as they found out Minecraft won't transfer lol. Some people have priorities damnit! ;)05/21/2013 - 9:27pm
Andrew EisenHere's the full quote on EA making Wii U games according to Neogaf: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56112105/21/2013 - 8:19pm
Andrew EisenXbox One may not be always on but that doesn't mean you can use it without an internet connection. http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-50916410905/21/2013 - 7:39pm
Andrew EisenPolygon says EA's CFO says it is developing games for Wii U but doesn't provide that quote. http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/21/4351844/ea-developing-wii-u-games05/21/2013 - 7:11pm
Andrew EisenWell, I was right. Both Sony and Microsoft's consoles will be out by the year's end and both will be significantly more powerful than the current gen.05/21/2013 - 5:06pm
james_fudgethnx05/21/2013 - 4:47pm
ZenJust to let ya know...you called it the "Xbox 260" in the backwards compatibility article lol.05/21/2013 - 4:26pm
Zen@PHX Awesome, I will hit those up after class tonight. Going back to college finally! :) My kids have had a blast telling ME to do my homework now lol.05/21/2013 - 4:19pm
PHX Corp@Zen I sent you a friend request on both PSN and XBL, just a heads up05/21/2013 - 4:16pm
ZenI noticed it with the football players when EA showed off Madden as well.05/21/2013 - 4:11pm
 

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