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Suda51 talks about the films that inspired No More Heroes
It's no secret that we're madly in love with Suda51's No More Heroes and take every opportunity available to talk about it. But, where does such an idea come from? Does it simply leap from the darkest corners of Suda51's brain? During his "The Birth of No More Heroes" presentation at The Nordic Game Conference, the man said several movies played a big part in shaping the themes of the game, and the title's main character, Travis Touchdown, was directly inspired by the antics of Johnny Knoxville in Jackass. That explains the gratuitous amount of shopping carts in the game!Other films played crucial roles in helping Suda51 conceptualize the game, such as Mel Brooks' classic, Spaceballs, which Suda credits for giving him the idea for Travis Touchdown's signature weapon, the beam katana. The list keeps going on, as Suda also gives credit to classics Dirty Harry and El Topo for helping the dream of No More Heroes become a reality.Suda's presentation not only talks No More Heroes, but it also deals with the films that inspired his other games. So, if you're a Suda51 fan (or a Grasshopper Manufacture fan), you'll want to check out 1UP's transcript of the panel.%Gallery-4611%
DS Daily: License to thrill
In yesterday's edition of Bury the Shovelware, Kaes dug a shallow grave for Sensory Sweep's atrocious game adaptation of Jackass. Nobody here was surprised. Throughout pretty much all of gaming's history, licensed spinoffs of anything -- be they movies, TV shows, comics, or any other non-game property -- have turned out to be utter dreck.There are exceptions to the rule however, and it's those we want to ask you about today. Which license-based games really struck a chord with you and defied your expectations of what a movie/TV show/comic tie-in could offer? We know the DS is short on these, so we'll let you choose titles from the GBA library if you so wish -- such as this, for example.
Bury the Shovelware: Jackass the Game
Licenses can be lethal. But as in all facets of life, prejudice shouldn't rule our thoughts. Every title should be given a fair chance. And yes, the same ought to apply to a game based on a television program in which Johnny Knoxville artificially inseminates a cow. To be honest, I was really hoping to be pleasantly surprised by this game. While Jackass was never the Jeopardy! of its time, it has swiped at least a chuckle or two from nearly all who bear witness to its inane displays of consenting human mutilation. This kind of brainless nihilism could easily lend itself to an arcade-style video game: small challenges with cheap thrills. Maybe Sensory Sweep could deliver a unique collage of pain and amusement. Perhaps it could be a truly unique experience, going against the grain of nearly every other game in history and rewarding the player for injury and humiliation, not sustainment or style: the true anti-parkour. But I might be expecting too much from something titled Jackass the Game. Yes folks, you guessed it ... we've got shovelware. %Gallery-11123%
Red Mile restructuring continues, appoints new president
Just weeks after bringing on Maxis vet Jeff Braun, developer Red Mile has announced the appointment of a new company president, elevating industry consultant Simon Price to the company's throne. According to Red Mile, the move is part of a larger restructuring effort to "streamline costs" and "increase focus," corporate jargon that usually means some employees will be given their walking papers. Company CFO Ben Zadik already resigned as part of the effort on March 1, but plans to help in a consulting role for the next couple of months.Price, who has worked as a consultant for the company since it was founded in 2004, replaces former EA Canada president Glenn Wong, who stepped down at the end of February. According to Red Mile, Price has helped the company "in its efforts to identify and secure rights to key franchise titles," which given the company's recently released (and abysmal) Jackass and the upcoming (and hopefully good) Sin City, we figure the new exec is batting about .500.
Classic MTV programming coming to UMD
Though it faced some troubled times over the last few years, the PSP's Universal Media Disc is showing impressive resilience as a portable movie format. Case in point, today's announcement that MTV will become bring some of its classic programming to the PSP-exclusive format.The discs, which will be available for $14.99 at retailers nationwide starting today, are: "Beavis & Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection," Vol. 2 and 3 "Jackass," Vol. 2 and 3 "Wildboyz," Vol. 1 and 2 "Viva La Bam," Vol. 2, 3, and 4 "Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection" (2-disc set) No word yet on whether or not current MTV hits like ... uh ... current hits ... um ... there's no word what other classic MTV hits will be released on UMD, but we'll let you know if and when we hear.
MTV and SCEA team up to bring back UMD
It's not dead! Sort of. Sony Computer Entertainment of America and MTV have announced a collaboration to bring new UMD movies to store shelves. In fact, they should be available now. "Jackass," "Beavis & Butt-head," and "Aeon Flux" are all available for $14.99 (MSRP) beginning this week."This collaboration with MTV is a key first step in meeting the needs of our consumers, who are utilizing PSP as a video player more than ever and are thirsting for more content, particularly short-form videos," said Phil Rosenberg, senior vice president of sales and business development, SCEA in a press release. "MTV's programming is hugely popular, and SCEA can utilize our internal resources to appropriately manage the publishing and distribution of these hit shows on UMD. This demonstrates our commitment to supporting the UMD video format by delivering what consumers want to watch at the right price. SCEA will continue to license movie, TV, and other video content, leveraging our sales and marketing strengths, as a strategic focus moving forward.The price is certainly nice, and this is planned to be the first of a growing library of UMD movies to release in the future. Does the $15 price make you want to bite? We'll see how consumers respond.%Gallery-14592%
Friday Video: Jackassery
We just didn't have high hopes for Jackass: The Game, and it turns out we were right. That's a relief. But just in case you're not convinced, we thought we'd point out not only IGN's review, but also some of their video footage from the title, which is both ugly and ridiculous. The weekly video spotlight can't always be about goodness and light, after all, or you'd never appreciate your time here. So go ahead -- suffer through. We'll be here for you.As for the video? It may or may not be located after the jump. It works about as well as the game itself does, and if it's not showing up, you can go check it out at IGN directly.%Gallery-11123%
WRUP: Don't be that jackass edition
Looking over this week's releases, we're left with nothing new that we want to play. Sure, there's Jackass: The Game, but we ask that you not be that guy or girl. Seriously, don't do it to yourself and don't cause your friends great shame when word gets out that you voluntarily signed up for such an experience. Hey, here's an idea: go through one of your older games again, instead!What will you be playing this weekend?%Gallery-11123%
DS releases for the week of January 7th
At last, games are releasing again, albeit slowly and in a fashion that is somewhat less-than-interesting, by which we mean that unless you're a huge fan of Jackass or you live in Australia, this week is a yawn. But some games are better than no games, we're sure of that ... and there's a lot of good stuff coming up in the next weeks, so we'll consider this an appetizer. Brain Challenge Jackass: The Game Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Chow your way past the break to see what's out in the rest of the major markets.
Jackass: The Game is as painful as the show
At DS Fanboy, we like to advocate the idea that any task can be made into a game. Given the right goals and rules, any real-world (or other) activity can be an enjoyable game -- consider the example of Brain Age, which consists of normally boring tasks with timers and scores applied to make a game-like experience. For that matter, Cooking Mama starts with the idea of simulating the steps involved with cooking, and derives minigames from those steps. Designing a game around activities not normally associated with games is an interesting way of stimulating creativity, and adding some novelty to the medium.It is for this reason that we don't really have an issue with the premise of Jackass: The Game. Our problem lies with the execution. Sure, we haven't played it, but we already know from the screens (and based on the fact that it's a licensed Jackass game) that Jackass: The Game won't be an avant-garde experiment in game design. It's just a game about hurting yourself in a shopping cart or whatever. One with no consistent visual style, for that matter, which is a bad sign. Some games are in 2D, some are in 3D. Maybe that's the experimental part.%Gallery-11123% [Via GoNintendo]
Worldwide PSP release for the week of November 18
The next few weeks are going to be pretty boring for U.S. PSP owners as it's looking like we'll have to wait until early December before we get any meaningful releases. However, the outlook isn't quite as bleak for our friends across the pond as they're getting a few games this week. US Games No new releases EU Games Jackass Crash of the Titans Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command Asia Games Ape Escape Racing (PSP the Best) While it's certainly a bummer not to have any new games, we can always fall back on recent releases like Silent Hill Origins and Warhammer 40K: Squad Command to get us through these dark times.
Watch video of two new stunts from Jackass game
We're going to go ahead and say it: We think the upcoming Jackass game may be the most faithful adaptation from another medium, ever. Why? Well, the two work on the exact same level. Namely: It's impossible to look away when someone is falling flat on their face. Yeah, we'll say it: So far, these Jackass videos are the equivalent of watching a grown man poop his pants.Check out that first video. Don't you just love how digital Wee Man doesn't move a freaking millimeter while he's getting a tattoo from drunken digi-Steve-O? Watch the clip below the break of "Snow Job" (get it?!). Don't you just love ... everything? We want to stop posting these videos but we just can't.
Red Mile talks Jackass and creating original games for PSP
We were surprised when Jackass: The Game for PSP didn't suck. Anyone that's been part of the games industry for any amount of time knows that licensed games are typically void of creativity and polish. Thankfully, it appears that indie game publisher Red Mile is trying something different. Red Mile's Chester Aldridge notes their acquisition of the Jackass license -- something that wasn't done as a simple cash-in: "we are not in the business of making games based on marketing "events" such as movie releases. We're not making a game based on Jackass 1 or Jackass 2, we're making a great game based on the spirit of the brand. We signed Jackass before the second movie was even announced."When questioned as to why Jackass has so many exclusive features on PSP, Aldridge pointed out the potential that the platform has, and how PSP gamers are looking for original content. "We believe that fundamentally Sony has a great platform on its hands and that it will prosper for many years to come. One thing that we keep hearing is that the catalog of genuinely innovative PSP titles is quite small. That's something we've addressed directly in Jackass: The Game with a number of PSP-exclusive features, including the replay editor."Red Mile is certainly proud of their PSP accomplishments, having brought the cult-classic GripShift to the platform during its infancy. While Jackass may seem like "just another licensed game," we're glad to see that it appears they're trying to get the most out of the PSP.
Watch Jackass: The Game's Friiiiiidge Racer
Did you have high hopes for Jackass: The Game? No? Well, that's good news. Feel free to watch the above video and enjoy its Kaz Hirai dig and the cute bone-breaking combo system without fear of being disappointed by its decidedly sub-par graphics and the general underwhelming-ness of it all.If you did have high hopes, we need to have a little talk about why, exactly, you'd feel that way. Maybe you just love the show and performers that much, in which case, we feel for you. But we're not sure there are any other valid reasons. No, we haven't actually played it yet, but after watching this video, the magical sense that's kept us from ever, ever buying a Batman game is going absolutely haywire.
Jackass producer answers questions about his own game
In a self-made interview, Aaron Rigby, producer of the upcoming Jackass game, talked about some of the features in this licensed PS2/PSP game. Our initial hands-on impressions of the mini-game collection were surprisingly positive, thanks to the game's great sense of humor, and wonderful video editing feature. Read on for more. How came the idea of a Jackass game?The original series was the biggest inspiration. It was just crazy and creative. The way the jackass crew had the show set up gave us the opportunity to draw from a huge amount of stunts.Is the game based in actual sketches or are they completely new?Nearly every stunt is original. The risk-factor of the stunts has been pushed higher for the game so, as tough as the guys are, they probably wouldn't survive things like diving off a sky-scraper or rolling down a street in a trash can. We can get away with a lot more peril in the games that would be suicidal with real people. %Gallery-3864%
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Jackass
This may come as a shock: Jackass: The Game is good.What is Jackass? The game is based off of the popular MTV franchise, and it captures the spirit of the show's crazy antics through a series of minigames. Yes, it sounds like it belongs on the Wii, but for now it's set for release on PSP and PS2. In a rather unusual move, it appears that the PSP version is the "lead" version of the title, as it features a number of improvements over its console brethren.Each game is relatively simple, with controls that rarely use more than the analog stick and a single button. In the first few episodes we played, you control a Jackass in a tumultuous drop down a San Francisco street, dance in your undies, catapult yourself across a suburban town, shoot paintballs, and race in a golf car. While some of the games have some irksome controls, each level is enhanced the solid graphics, detailed motion captured animations, voice acting, and irresistible irresponsible charm. There are various goals to achieve in each level, which certainly adds a lot more replay value.
Jackass in motion
From the above trailer, it's impossible to tell if Jackass: The Game will have good gameplay, or be a worthy investment. You can however tell that it has nailed the feel of Jackass, while showcasing impressive graphics, and animation. If it wasn't obvious that the cast was digital, we'd think we were watching scenes from a third Jackass movie. Licensed games often get the rap of being sloppy wastes of time. At the very least, Jackass: The Game looks like it'll be fun to watch. We should have hand-on impressions soon, and we'll find out for sure in September if you should try this at home.
Today's riskiest video: Jackass trailer
Jackass: The Game interests some of us idealistic gamers. Yes, we're the hopeful ones that think this could be an inventive, Stuntman-esque title, where you have to complete odd feats to progress. The cynical recognize Jackass as an easy cash-in; MTV Games didn't even spring for next-gen development costs and instead decided to sling it to PS2, PSP, and DS players.Will the real joke be on the gamers who buy the title? We'll find out with the game's September 24 release. Until then, watch the trailer after the break.%Gallery-4144%
New details and screens for Jackass: The Game
All Jackass haters may scoff at the notion that the Jackass game could even be mildly fun, but with new details emerging about Jackass: The Game, we're getting a little excited. The entire Jackass crew will represent themselves on the PSP, complete with authentic voicework and motion-captured animations. Of the 30 included stunts, the screenshots here show that a trolley race and Whack-a-Weeman are sure to make the list. Multiplayer appears to be faring quite well, with the inclusion of head-to-head, as well as downloadable episodes and user-created content. That's right, user-created content, as in the ability to record, edit and upload your most vicious snippets of carnage for the world to see. We dare say, this feature list may be enough to bump Jackass: The Game from our "rent" list to "buy." We shall see.%Gallery-3864%
'Jackass' game much less threatening than TV show
You know, we always enjoyed that Jackass program, but thought it would be much improved without the threat of physical injury. Thankfully, Red Mile Entertainment and MTV Games have heard our prayers. Jackass will appear in game form on the DS, PS2 and PSP on Sept. 24. That information alone is probably enough for you to fill in the blanks, but we'll ruin the suspense. It's a series of 35 minigames featuring the likenesses of some of the show's stars. Some are based on actual stunts from the defunct show and some are ideas that Johnny Knoxville and crew had dreamed up but never performed.The Hollywood Reporter quotes Knoxville as saying "We just hope that our video game is as crappy as our movies." Well, John, with your game not appearing on any current-gen consoles, we feel fairly confident that our dream of a safer Jackass won't be the only one to be fulfilled.
