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E307: Namco Museum Remix is still weird
CONFIRMED: Namco Museum Remix continues to be insane. Not that we expected them to, but Namco did not go back and change Galaga back to regular Galaga. We are still living in a world where a description of Galaga can include the phrase "Pac-Man rolls on a tube in outer space." This is the "new" Galaga in which, instead of shooting from a ship at the bottom of the screen, you shoot the alien ships by pointing and shooting at them with the Wiimote, shooting-gallery style, and you can also use the analog stick to make Pac-Man jump.Rally-X was still Rally-X, but with speed boosting, which seems like an okay addition. These were still the only two playable games, so we'll have to wait to see how Namco is ruining updating the rest of their classics.
Wii Warm Up: Composure
Videogame music has come a far cry from the beeps of yesteryear, with amazing works coming from both studios and independent remixers alike. A musical score is now a critical component of game design, and the big names in gaming are some of the most forward-thinking pioneers in the musical world today.Most classic Nintendo themes have been crafted by the well-known Koji Kondo, but Nintendo's consoles have been host to dozens upon dozens of brilliant composers. So, who's your favorite? There's a ridiculous list composing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, found here (which interestingly omits the famed Nobuo Uematsu, who already composed the game's title theme). Which names stand your hair on end?
Namco Museum Remix: Galaga, Rally-X details
Game|Life's Chris Kohler played the wacky reinterpretation of Galaga found on the new Namco Museum Remix, and somehow came out of it cogent enough to describe the surreal experience. Basically, Pac-Man is rolling down a slide in space, for some reason, and players have to protect him by shooting the Galaga ships that come down to attack him for some reason. You aim at the little ships with the Wiimote pointer. If Galaga '88 was Galactic Dancing, this is Galactic-- okay, we don't know what it is. We're still pretty confused about the whole idea. Kohler also played Rally-X, which was basically a 3D remake of the original arcade game (which itself is basically Pac-Man). While Galaga is rife with Wiimote integration, Rally-X is more staid and relies on the analog stick and shoulder buttons.
Namco goes insane after too many Namco Museum releases
The major complaint about Namco's Museum series of retro compilations is that they're just too faithful to their arcade counterparts. People don't want exact arcade translations anymore, they want games remade unrecognizably in 3D! They want Pac-Man randomly inserted into every game!At least, that seems to be Namco Bandai's thinking. Either that or they weren't sure how else to rerelease games they're already selling on the Virtual Console. The result is Namco Museum Remix, a set of Namco classics, now with more waggle, depth, and Pac! The remixed games include Galaga, Pac-Motos, Rally-X, Gator Panic, and Pac 'n Roll, which is apparently a classic now despite not even being two years old. For that matter, Gator Panic seems to be based on a cell phone game which is itself based on the Whack-a-Mole like redemption game, and we have no idea what Pac-Motos was originally. Interesting what passes for "classics" these days!In addition to the remixes, the collection includes Cutie Q, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Gaplus, Mappy, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania, Super Pac-Man, and Xevious. We poke fun at Namco for selling the same games over and over again, but this is an okay selection of somewhat less common stuff! Sorry to everyone who bought NES Xevious on the Virtual Console.Check out our gallery of screens from the remixed games. Some are faithful, like Rally-X, and others are completely incomprehensible, like the image at the top of this post, which is supposed to be Galaga.%Gallery-3280%
Wii Music (Remix) ft. ROBOTOBOTS
We wander the Fanboy office's halls humming the catchy melodies we've picked up from the Wii's different channels, unintentionally mimicking the lives of our own Mii caricatures. There's something delightful about these minute-long loops that stay stuck in our heads like an attractive girl we saw in passing.Electro-experimental group ROBOTOBOTS chopped up the music tracks and added its own flavor to the interface themes. The resulting three songs -- Breaking Points, Revolve Around Planets, and Built to Diistroy -- are just as fetching as the original tunes, albeit more complex and not as light-hearted. We wouldn't mind listening to these reinterpreted tracks in place of Nintendo's pieces, were it possible. [Via Nintendogal]
Pokemon at the Gates of Fire
We don't know when it became in vogue to dub over Pokemon cartoon clips with audio from 300's trailers, but that appears to be what's hot on the streets nowadays. And when we say "the streets," keep in mind that we mean Youtube.Some mashups are better than others, so we've pasted three of these animated adaptations for you to cast your hot-or-not votes on past the jump. If you've ever wanted to see the likenesses of King Leonidas and Mewtwo played out, today is your lucky day.[Thanks, Ali!]
Remixed medley of The Legend of Zelda's soundtrack
One of our favorite touches of the new Phantom Hourglass' trailer shown at this year's GDC event was its use of the reworked Hyrule Castle theme from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. If there's one thing we love, it's retro tracks brought back for another round. That's why we're featuring a medley of songs from the original Zelda game (NES) remixed by electronica musician Ochre, for your Sunday listening pleasure. We imagine that trying to add anything on top of Koji Kondo's classic work without ruining it is a difficult task, but this arrangement doesn't miss a step. Ochre's interpretation blends the 8-bit pieces with his own playful style, taking the listener through a six-minute daydream of Link's adventures. If you're a fan of lush synths and summery rhythms, we definitely suggest downloading this song along with Ochre's other remixes and original offerings at his site. [Via The New Gamer]
Wii + DJ = WiiJ (Duh!)
OK, we'll admit it, we have no idea what is going on in this video (also embedded below after the jump). All we see is some guy waving his arms in the air (like he just doesn't care) while the computer drops some funky beats. Supposedly, the Wii controllers in his hands are actually activating the various looping samples, but we can't make hide nor hair of which motions are supposed to do what, even with the helpful descriptive text on the video. If this is a fake, though, it's an extremely elaborate one. The video's maker, DJ Shift 1 has set up an elaborate web page page that lays out the fundamentals of his patented technique. The WiiJaying master is also promoting his first live performance of his at Bootie San Francisco on May 12. Now that's devotion to a hack.
Countdown to Burning Crusade: grand prize contests and rules
You will be able to participate in most of the Countdown to BC contests each day as they're announced, but you'll have to work a little harder to take home any of the three grand prizes. We're laying out the rules for the final three contests here so you can get your creativity on for a chance to win a Logitech G15 keyboard and a Jinx World of Warcraft hoodie, a Sennheiser PC 160 headset and mic set and a More Dots! t-shirt, or a Belkin N52 gamepad and a Green Linen t-shirt. Read on for the skinny on the three grand prize contests and get details on how to enter.
John Lennon + Halo 3 ad = instant karma
Following hot on the heels of the Gears of War remix phenomenon comes a stellar entry in new Halo 3 "Starry Night" remix/mashup arena. It's surprising how well John Lennon's "Instant Karma" works with this ad, and it just plain trumps the Halo music, sorry Marty. Please don't go all Yoko on our ass.[Thanks, Eric]
H3 ad remix: It's Halo 3, f*ck yeah ... [update 1]
Wow. We asked for Halo 3 ad remixes earlier today, and we already have our first one. Frankly, this one is going to be hard to top. Set to the theme song from Team America: World Police, it's about as good as it gets. Props to the creator for maintaining all of the dialogue and sound effects, too. Check out the video after the break (lyrics NSFW).
GoW: Odyssey Remix
Not to beat a clever idea to death, but here's one more Gears of War trailer remix for the road.
GoW remix an instant classic
Here's another Gears of War trailer remix set to a classical piece that I really should be able to identify. Kind of sets the mood for impending violence.
Mercury Meltown sliding onto PS2
Gamers complain that too many games make the jump from PS2 to PSP. But, fanboys don't get too pleased either when a game makes the transition from PSP to PS2. Not too many games have done it in the past, but it appears that the upcoming Mercury Meltdown will also be getting a PS2 rendition, joining other titles such as Lumines, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and the upcoming Tokobot. The PS2 version will not feature any enhancements, except for the ability to use the second analog stick to control the problematic camera. The PS2 version will come out one month after the PSP version, which comes out in October.[Via Gamespot]
Remix a whale song, win an iPod
If you're a whaler, you won't like this story. The International Fund for Animal Welfare is running a remixing contest as part of its campaign against whaling. The idea is simple: you download some tracks featuring some whale songs (did you know that whales sing to one another? It is true) and remix them with some kickin' jams of your own. Enter it into the contest and you could win a brand new 60 gig iPod, a Nano, or a Shuffle.Since we all know that the whale song is the only thing that will save our planet from being destroyed by an ancient space probe, it seems only right that we stop whaling and give everyone an iPod.[via Scuba Diving News]
