Life Lessons from Video Games: Finding a Good Player 2 in a Beat em Up World!

On January 22, 2014January 22, 2014 By James CastroIn Games, Opinions, Random FunLeave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but a recent conversation with my muse of a RevPub partner provided inspiration. A lot of stock is placed on “multiplayer” in video games nowadays. I admit, I don’t care for the feature for one simple reason: Anonymity. Playing a game online to me is playing a video game in a chat room from the 90s. Everyone is anonymous, which for some reason increases the a-hole quotient by 75% in about 85% of people.

In the arcade days, you had jerks that ran the machine, kids that tried to step up, and challenges face-to-face, but in the skating rink I played arcade games in people would get cocky, talk trash, and laugh about it later. Even losing didn’t seem so bad. With online gaming now, the lack of a person to play face-to-face with just makes a lot of people act 12 even if they’re 30… With the prevalence of online gaming, it seems we’ve started missing out on one of my favorite kinds of gaming: two player games…the kind you play when you’re actually IN the same room as your player two.

When I first started home-gaming this was THE way to play many games — my favorite of which was the side-scrolling beat ‘em up. My best friend Mike and I (friends for over 20 years) became good friends during games of Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter II, and Final Fight. My lovely but vicious RevPub counterpart, Raven, and I played the new Double Dragon Neon and proved how effective we could be as a fighting team, as well as a writing team. You learn a lot about the people you play with during the course of these games. I submit that you can tell whether someone could be a good friend, fair-weather friend, or mortal enemy based on how they behave during a side-scrolling beat ‘em up. It’s the basics of life in a microcosm of 16-bit simulation. Here are some benefits to playing these games with perspective friends, co-workers, mates, whatever. It’s a great relationship barometer. So just some basic thoughts on finding (and being) a good player 2 in a beat ’em up world:

Cardinal Rule of two-player side scrolling beat ’em ups: NO friendly fire! Working as a team is pretty easy. You can even do team moves, but you start punching me on purpose in the game someone’s getting hurt out of game!

Axel is whacking Blaze…with a weapon no less. Breaking the cardinal rule of co-op beat em up gaming!

1.) Does everyone share the Found Food? There’s really an etiquette to this. Found food power ups go to the person with the lowest health, or failing that, the one with the weakest constitution (usually the girl or kid character…sorry PC people) if a player rushes in to take that roast turkey when you’re in the red and they’ve got nearly full yellow they might be the “out for themselves” type.

Streets of Rage 2 Turkey — Roasted fowl found on the street. It’s good for everyone!

2.) Similarly, how are found weapons treated? Did you know weapons can be found EVERYWHERE? Trash cans, mail boxes, phone booths; everything hides a weapon. Two players with weapons are a juggernaut of insurmountable proportions. Beware the second player who drops his or her pipe (thereby maybe making it mysteriously vanish) to grab the recently found sword rather than keeping his pipe so you can have the sword and making a stronger team.

From the SoR remake. Axel with a pipe, Blaze with a knife. Life is good.

3.) A good friend won’t leave you in the midst of a multithug pummeling. Even if it means taking half the damage, the idea behind two player co-op is twice the enemies, twice the damage. Good player twos are there to thrash and get thrashed in turn right there with you.

Streets of Rage 2 bosses…and yep good player 2’s would be right there with you!

4.) If player two ever says “Ok, I’ll let them target me…it’ll give you the chance to take them out…” they’re a keeper. We all need more friends like these. As long as they don’t hog all your shared continues…

Shiva…anyone willing take take hits from this guy for you is a true friend…

5.) Real friends will avenge your untimely demise by viciously beating your assailant into blinking pixels. If you drop dead from a well-placed punch, kick, pipe, sword, barrel, whatever, a good player two should turn into Wolverine in a berserker rage and, in the words of Mack from, Predator cut your name into them!

With Wil Wheaton’s Table Top bringing tabletop gaming back into vogue, I can only hope Felicia/Ryon Day’s show Co-Optitude can do the same for playing video games in person!

Slimed: Nick’s History – Part 1

On January 19, 2014January 21, 2014 By R. PettyIn BooksLeave a comment

Ah… slime. I’ve been watching people get slimed on TV for most of my life. It’s gross, slippery, and green. It’s a staple of the best kid’s cable network, Nickelodeon.

Last year, I read Slimed: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age by Mathew Klickstein. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very excited to get a behind-the-scenes look at my favorite shows and characters I watched while growing up.

I’ve had a few people ask if they’d like it. My answer is this: If you loved Nickelodeon in the 80s and 90s, yes. I don’t want to spoil TOO much because there are some doozies and surprises – some even shocked me. There was a lot of drama, hurt feelings, good times, and of course, slime.

This week I’m focusing on the random things that stuck out, and next week I’ll get into the drama – and there was a lot of drama. But, let’s keep it light and have some fun!

Scott Webb was one of the early creator’s of the network, and he’s described as “bleeding orange”. He was diagnosed with an eye disease early on and became legally blind. It didn’t stop him though, and with his team, they did some amazing things. If you look at some of the sets and designs, it’s pretty inspiring that a blind man helped create that.

You Can’t Do That on Television was one of the most controversial kids shows ever. I remember my mom banning me from this show, but I watched it at other people’s houses (sorry, mom). But, after reading all about it, I can see why she did. It was dark. It was raw. For example Barth’s Burgers joked about cutting human meat into burgers. There’s no way they would get away with that today!

Many of the kids wore their own clothes. If you go back and watch the shows, you can see the ones that were really low budget (You Can’t Do That) and the ones that weren’t (Clarissa). They recruited a lot of kids from Canada and had them as they were. At one point, they gave a kid $100 bucks for clothes and said buy whatever. If you know Nickelodeon today, you see a big difference because everything is modern and trendy.

The kid actors were schooled on set. There were several tutors and relatives who helped out. One lady was a hearing-impaired foreign language teacher, and many of the actors talk about how crazy it was because she could read their lips and tell whether they were speaking the language correctly.

The crews really cared about the kids. They talk about not using focus groups and talking to the kids instead. They made sure they were safe and educated. And it’s interesting that most of them ended up becoming regular adults with jobs and families; they didn’t get into drugs and partying and blow up the press.

The story of slime. I definitely don’t want to ruin this, but I’ll give you a hint. It was an accident, and the original idea started with rancid food. Alan Goodman, a writer and creator, says that the problem with slime today is that “grown ups got a hold of slime and made it pretty.” It wasn’t pretty back in the day.

Be sure to read next week as I talk about characters, the drama behind Doug and Ren and Stimpy, and the mess that went down when it all changed!

If You Want to Write: People Make a Difference

On January 5, 2014January 4, 2014 By R. PettyIn BooksLeave a comment

Happy New Year, everyone! As 2014 kicks off, we’re full of excitement as we set our resolutions or simply hope that things will not suck. In honor of new beginnings and change, let’s talk about something that motivates us: people.

Ueland’s chapter 15 “a fountain of ideas” touches on something much deeper. Yes, we are full of ideas – good and bad – but we need certain things in order for those ideas to blossom. We need courage, faith, rest, and as much as I hate it sometimes, people.

Friends, family, coworkers, strangers. People surround us all the time, and whether we admit it or not, they influence who we are and how we act. They can make or break us. They can build us up or tear us down. In order to be ourselves and write from our true forms, we must decide who is worth our time and energy. We must weed out those who hold us back and doubt our abilities, because with doubt, there are fewer possibilities.

In order to be a fountain of ideas and let our creativity seep out, we must know how to handle people – “to work and shine eternally.” Enjoy these tips!

Avoid negativity: This is my biggest challenge. I feel the need to fix things, but sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you have to stop trying – if only for a few hours – and get away from what brings you down. Negativity can destroy creativity.

Meet new people: I love meeting new cool people. Yes, I hate people as a whole, but every now and then I meet someone who is worth time and attention. My best friends are these people; they are people I have developed long-term relationships with, some for more than a decade.

Pay attention: If you want people to listen to you, listen to them. You can also test your observation skills by really listening and getting to know them. You never know when a small detail will fuel something bigger.

Laugh A LOT: We should laugh as much as possible. It’s a great stress release, and the world is too serious. Find those people who make you laugh until your abs hurt and your eyes tear up. Those people are special.

Take a break: Socializing can be exhausting, and we don’t always feel like chatting. Don’t force it, and take a break when needed. If someone gets upset about it, they’ll live. If they are good for you, they will be there when you’re ready.

Be yourself: Honesty goes a long way, and not everyone appreciates or can handle it. It’s okay. Part of fueling your creativity is to not fear who you are and letting those ideas pour out. Your audience knows when you’re bullstuffing them, so don’t do it. Use the good and bad to write honest pieces.

Feel free to share your tips below, and happy writing!

RevPub Christmas Special Favorites: Part 2

On December 25, 2013December 24, 2013 By R. PettyIn Opinions, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Merry Christmas from Revenant Publications!

If you’re reading this, you must have needed a break from the chaos and holiday cheer. I’m happy to help! In the spirit of the season, here’s my continuation from yesterday’s Christmas specials list:

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): I’m mean like Lucy and think Snoopy is the most smart-ass dog ever, so of course this is on my list. This is the only Peanuts special I really enjoy, and it’s message is very sweet. In fact, James even found a “tree” that reminded me of the one the kids took home and loved. The music is fun, too, and it’s a heart-warming little special that delivers a great message.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966): My amazing grandmother used to read this book to us all the time. It’s a terrific story and probably my favorite Christmas special. The Grinch and I are a lot alike: our shoes are too tight, our hearts are two sizes too small, and we hate the whole Christmas season. And like the story goes, our hearts grow, we see the meaning of the season, and have the twinkle in our eye. The TV special comes alive with wonderful, catchy songs and colorful images, and who can forget the Grinch’s evil grin?

Wings – A Terminal Christmas (1990), Twas the Heist Before Christmas (1995), All About Christmas Eve (1996): Wings is one of my favorite shows ever, and I don’t get to work it in nearly enough! The Christmas specials are fun and quirky and real. There’s not much fake Christmas cheer – it’s like watching a group of people deal with the holidays with jokes and lots of sarcasm. Families annoy them and people freak out. Of course, shenanigans occur but everything works out in the end, in its own way.

Spongebob – Christmas Who? (2000) and Fairly Odd Parents Christmas Every Day (2001): Being a parent rocks most of the time, and I’ve enjoyed these gems with my son for years. Once Spongebob learns about Christmas, he tries to bring it to Bikini Bottom. Squidward is the Scrooge character, and it is a fun episode with lots of good songs and sweetness. In Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy wishes every day is Christmas and the repercussions of that wish are awesome. His parents become slugs, the other holidays riot against Santa, and the fairies lose their powers because they have to give them to Santa. The people are exhausted as they sing, “On the 15th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” Both shows are great for kids and adults.

Psych – Gus’ Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy (2007), Christmas Joy (2008), The Polarizing Express (2010): It’s hard for me to pick a favorite from these three; they’re all good for their own reasons. If you haven’t seen Psych and enjoy random fun with a little crime fighting, you should check it out. These specials stand alone, and all are SO funny. One of my favorite consistent themes is the competition between Shawn and his dad to guess what they got for Christmas. There’s nothing like a little game to spice up the holidays!

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! Eat lots of food and laugh – it’s almost over!

RevPub Christmas Special Favorites: Part 1

On December 24, 2013December 23, 2013 By James CastroIn Opinions, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Back in October, we here at RevPub shared are favorite Halloween specials. In the spirit of that, we decided to share our favorite Christmas/holiday specials as well. Though Halloween still has most of our favorite specials, Christmas isn’t entirely left out and can produce some great, memorable moments as well. Here they are:

Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987): This is one of the most memorable from my childhood, though I only remember seeing it once, maybe twice. It was the height of claymation in the 80s after the California Raisins hit it big in their TV commercials. I loved this special — doo-wop, camels, the self-striking bells, and the “wassailing” lyrics runner. Of course my favorite, being the person I am, were the dinosaur hosts, Rex (the actor sounds like he’s doing a George Plimpton impersonation) and Herb the Styracosaurus. I just rewatched it for the first time in probably over 20 years, it’s still a great show.

A Garfield Christmas Special (1987): I still love all things Garfield. While this one has a more sappy ending than most Garfield stories (even the orange feline himself acknowledges it!) it is still one of my childhood favorites that still holds up. From the “gift that keeps on giving,” to the “doc boy, doc boy, doc boy” runner, and of course Odie’s gift exchange. Even the music’s good! I hope they still show this one every year!

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989): It’s not the strongest episode of the veritable TV family, but it was the first time they broke out from shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show and had their own 30 minutes to fill. It’s still a great episode, and because it’s early in their lifetime, it feels more like an animated sitcom than a zany cartoon. The voices are still works in progress and the animation a little primitive, but it’s still a great show and takes you back to the basics of what made the Simpsons a hit.

MST3k Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1991) and Santa Claus (1993): I have distinct memories of watching these two episodes on Christmas Eve night during that “can’t sleep” phase of Christmas. Martians is completely absurd but perfect for riffing, and contains a number of hilarious runners, my favorite being “head butt” when the martians touch heads. Santa Claus is a goldmine of humor, from the creepiness of Santa’s cloud-spy lair, his horrible laughing reindeer, and the weirdo antagonist, “Pitch” the devil. It also has a quote that sticks in my mind, “Santa has the power to reverse film!”

Futurama Xmas Story (1999), A Tale of Two Santas (2001), Futurama Holiday Spectacular (2010), and the holiday song in Bender’s Big Score (2007): ALL of Futurama’s holiday episodes are brilliant shows about the nature of the holidays. They are also so dark that even the creators comment during the audio commentaries “wow, we shouldn’t have been able to air this!” But they are so wonderful. Where else can you see a robot Santa who judges EVERYONE to be naughty and tries to gun them down? Or Hanukkah Zombie (voiced by Mark Hamill) or Kwanzaa Bot, voiced by effin’ Coolio! (who’s been giving out the same book What the Hell is Kwanza? for 647 years!) Watch them with a sense of humor and they won’t disappoint.

Honorable Mention: AVGN’s Bible Games (2006), Bible Games II (2009), and Bible Games III (2012): I found the first of these episodes RIGHT after I found AVGN. They are some of the best and most entertaining Internet videos out there. They have throwing baby Moses in the water, “Sunday Fun Day,” and the great word search in the Game Boy version of the King James Bible. Definitely give them a watch to lighten the holiday mood!

My Christmas List

On December 19, 2013December 21, 2013 By James CastroIn Music, Opinions, Reviews, TV ShowsLeave a comment

My lovely and talented RevPub colleague posted her favorite and least favorite parts of the holiday season. In the same spirit, I thought I’d do a short and less creative list of my top five favorite holiday films, with a little bonus of holiday music at the bottom.

Christmas movies tend to follow a typical pattern, usually revolving around the “miracle” of Christmas and/or togetherness. That’s all well and good, but like any cliche it can get less entertaining as it’s used repeatedly in both movies and TV specials. Of course any “Christmas” movie will have that theme somewhere in it, but the ones I like tend to be the ones that either give that a twist (without devolving into pure anti-holiday, which seems like an easy way out in films) or use the holiday premise to make what might seem like a NON-holiday movie. Here they are, my top five Christmas movies!

5.) Die Hard: I used to say this was one of my top Christmas movies in high school and people looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s not a Christmas movie!” Since then, it’s kind of become accepted as indeed being a Christmas movie. The whole movie is set around the holidays (that’s why John McClain went to visit his wife after all) and references are made to Christmas all throughout (“It’s Christmas, Theo, it’s the time for miracles,” Run DMCs “Christmas in Hollis” at the beginning, and the holiday tape John uses at the end). Though the sequels diminished the premise, the original stands as one of the best action movies, and one of the most non-traditional, but still traditional, holiday films.

4.) The Ref: During the height of Dennis Leary’s MTV/standup rant-off, this movie came out as a good vehicle for the fast-talking comedian. Starring Leary, Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and a great ensemble cast of character actors, the film revolves around a cat burglar who bungles a job and has to take the world’s most dysfunctional family hostage. You have bickering spouses, annoyed relatives, and the mother-in-law from hell; all while we sympathize with Gus, Leary’s character, trying to remain in control. It’s far from perfect, but full of SO many great moments (two words: Sink Sprayer), and is so much fun it has always been a Christmas favorite.

3.) Home Alone: I went through a period in high school of Home Alone hate. I remembered it as Macaulay Culkin running around screaming. It wasn’t until last year that I came full circle and realized what a great Christmas movie it is. Probably the “most traditional” (whatever that means) movie on the list, everyone knows the premise and knows it has the “miracle” ending, but in between there is so many hilarious and memorable scenes; Angels with Dirty Faces used on visitors, the “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” automated party, great dialogue exchanges (Marv: “Yeah kids are scared of the dark…” Harry: “You’re afraid of the dark too, Marv…”), and of course the booby trap bonanza at the end. Some consider it schmaltzy, but it is so much fun and emotional without being overly so it holds up better than ever.

2.) Lion in Winter: I came to this film relatively late. Obviously, a kid won’t be interested in a dialogue-heavy period piece from 1968, but college-me found how amazing this film is. Starring Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Dalton, and a bevy of other terrific English actors, it’s set around Christmas time at the court of Henry II. He lets his rebellious wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, out for Christmas and the two of them scheme over who will inherit Henry’s kingdom (the noble but devious Richard or the dimwitted but supposedly-loyal John, middle son Geoffrey is largely overlooked). Though the premise is kinds and queens, it is actually just another messed-up family at Christmas and that’s what makes it great. I’ve never had a kingdom to bequeath, but many of us have seen parents bickering, kids taking sides, and random shocking admissions during family get-togethers. It’s an absolutely brilliant film, and one of my favorite movies, in addition to being a great holiday movie.

1.) TIE Scrooged & Nightmare Before Christmas: Richard Donner’s great retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is still my favorite Christmas movie. Perfectly cast, perfectly acted, wonderful moments of both emotion and humor. My RevPub counterpart did a masterly review on it previously and rather than just say it all again, here are her comments. I’ll just add, “I agree!” Nightmare Before Christmas is great because it’s both a Halloween and Christmas movie. It has all the terrific imagery of a Tim Burton film and explores the nature of one’s true-self and personal happiness. Even though it doesn’t have the typical “Christmas miracle” message, instead substituting a message of finding your place in your own world. It has wonderful music, a great story, and is perfect for TWO holidays!

Christmas Music:

Christmas music tends to have a grating effect on my psyche. There are only a couple notable exceptions and here they are in no particular order:

3.) Anything Heavy Metal: Raven posted a hard rock version of my favorite traditional Christmas song on her Good Things About Christmas post, and I tend to like the heavy rock versions of Christmas songs.

2.) Tales from the Crypt: Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas: My friend Kate at my previous job introduced me to this album. It is ridiculous, goofy, and sometimes so bad it’s good (the Crypt Keeper was like that…his puns…) but it’s so dark and wonderful, and a great change of pace for the holidays!

1.) John Denver and the Muppets A Christmas Together: My family doesn’t have a LOT of holiday traditions, but this is one. Every Christmas during the present opening we played this album. I know Muppet versions better than original versions of almost all of the songs on the album! I still play it at least once every year, and it’s one of those things that truly takes me back to that time when the world was simple, and sparkling lights and decorations made the world that much better of a place.