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Day in the Life: Kin-less
If you were near an internet display terminal yesterday, you might've tragically stumbled upon one of Microsoft's Kin promo videos. Sure, the product might be slightly condescending to its supposed target market, but the promotional videos are outright MTV-gone-bad, full of hipster shorthand and fake "reality" bits. The "Day in the Life" videos are particularly egregious, featuring a guy on a road trip to burn a box of mementos from his ex while accompanied by his two new girlfriends, a terrifying parade comprised of facial hair and Williamsburg-esque terror, and a tragically-near-30 couch surfer trying to remember a drunken night of excess through pictures. Strikes a bit close to home, we must say. So, in case you missed the spots you can check a couple out after the break, but to wash the palate we've also provided our very own "Kin-less" spin on the concept, with the help of a Windows Mobile 6.5 handset we just happened to have lying around.
Have ten minutes? Play an RPG from beginning to end with Synopsis Quest
Joystiq publishes a story about every thirty minutes. While you wait for the next post to appear on the site, you can constantly hit F5 and click on every single ad you see ... or, you can play Synopsis Quest. Broken up into 25 micro-games, Synopsis Quest reduces the quintessential elements of every JRPG, from character creation, to finding a princess, to escaping a prison, and more. The solution to many of the puzzles won't be immediately apparent, unless you've been trained to recognize JRPG conventions. In many situations, doing what you're "supposed" to do will lead to disastrous results. Think outside of the box, and you'll be able to beat an RPG -- from beginning to end -- in about ten minutes. Good luck! [Via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
World of WarCrafts: Player-composers create sounds of Azeroth
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by e-mailing lisa (at) wow (dot) com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. The atmospheric listening music for this week's World of WarCrafts comes to us from Rehmaar of <Knights of Valiant Fury> on US Destromath-H. This original, orchestral-style composition, "Knights of the Valiant Fury Overture," is dedicated to the composer's guild. "We are a radical bunch on the Horde side of Destromath, but we have an awesome time playing together and this is my gift to them," writes Rehmaar. "The piece captures what it means to be a member of our guild and depicts the struggles and glory our characters face in Azeroth." How's that for some faction and guild pride? Join us after the break for two entirely -- and we do mean entirely -- different musical takes on Azeroth.
Found Footage: Grandma gets an iPad
After spending years trying, failing and trying again to teach a number of mature Apple users how to use various Apple products, I got a kick out of this video. It's funny because it's true, and it also shows that there are some less than optimum uses for an iPad. This iPad parody was made as a school project for a Comm 340 class. I think you'll get a chuckle out of it on this late Friday afternoon. Thanks Justin for sending it in.
Found Footage: Say hello to ePad
Apple is definitely one of the world's most admired companies, but their lofty ambitions, high visibility, and easy-to-identify style also makes them ripe for parody, as in this very funny video by the UK's E4. They're boasting about a madeup device called the ePad, which will wow you with its revolutionary and magical keyboard, screen, and standard attached computer and television. Like they say, if you want to see one of their shows, you can just literally reach out and touch ... well, we won't ruin the surprise. But it is funny. And it shows that while yes, the iPad is a cool device, anything you talk about in a "revolutionary" and "magical" way can seem like it's exactly that -- even if it is just another heavy piece of junk.
Found Footage: SNL parodies Steve Jobs again
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has done a great job of satirizing Steve Jobs and Apple over the years, and the tradition continued last week. "Undercover Boss" is a TV show in the states that has big business CEOs perform their company's entry-level jobs. SNL expanded the idea to Undercover Celebrity Boss, and featured Steve Jobs as the first target. In the clip after the break, watch "Steve" explain to an employee that the trash can he's filling, which he calls the iTrash, "...holds over 35 gallons of trash, and plays music." There are other "celebrity bosses" in the clip (Martha Stewart is especially funny), but it's Steve that got our attention. Good job, SNL! You can watch the video after the break. [Via iPhone Savior]
Found Footage: Google's ad, Mac style
Happy weekend! Google may have won some hearts with its Super Bowl ad a little while back, but we all know that Apple is the king of advertising when it comes to technology, so YouTuber allenmonroeiii decided to make a little parody of the Google ad and promote the Mac instead. Strangely, it actually works -- while the audio is straight from the Google ad (which tells the story of a guy who finds love in Paris by searching on Google), the music serves just as well to tell the story of someone frustrated by a Windows PC purchase. No, this probably won't sell any computers (it's for us Mac heads to laugh at, considering that it was made in about an hour), but go ahead and enjoy it for what it is, and enjoy your weekend.
Mega64: Heavy Rain makes you cry (a lot)
Whether it's through its potent pixel combinations or the fact that the game regularly gives you purple nurples (not really ... we hope), Heavy Rain is bound to make you cry. Don't believe us? Well, would you believe the talented and scholarly chaps at Mega64? Yeah, we thought so! The troupe's latest contribution posits that Heavy Rain is so sad, you won't even crack a smile if you go to Disneyland after playing it. Certainly, one must keep in mind that this is simply one man's experience, but it doesn't necessarily rule out Heavy Rain as a tear-inducing descent into a bottomless well of sadness. Figure out the case of The Crying Amusement Park Attendee for yourself by watching the video past the break.
College Humor writes a complaint to Mario Bros. Plumbing
We've all seen Super Mario Bros. parodies before -- some that even make Mario a pretty sick and deranged dude. Been there, done that. But, what makes this College Humor video so special -- aside from its unusually grody depiction of the brothers Mario -- is its surprise ending. We won't spoil it for you, so you'll have to click on over if you want to check it out.
'I'm on a Mac' parody video makes noise
It's just incredible how fast some things can transmit themselves around the ol' blogosphere -- when I first saw this silly parody song video over on Laughing Squid last night, I chuckled and figured I'd share it for you all on TUAW the next day. But of course since then it's been all over the place. For a silly parody of a song that was already a silly parody, it's really gotten around. Just in case you haven't seen it, it's now posted after the "read more" link below (put there because while there isn't actually any NSFW language in the video, there are a lot of bleeps and edits that come close). It's all done by the Pantsless Knights (who've created another Mac-related parody rap video before), and it's worth a watch. Personally, while I was a big fan of the original Lonely Island/SNL video and its skewering of hip hop posturing, I think the whole meme is more or less played out by this point. But these guys put a good Mac spin on it anyway. "A nano in pink." Ha.
Parody for charity: Retro Matt Hazard stuff on eBay
click to go down Fake Memory Lane in our galleryThe best part of the Matt Hazard series, in our opinion, is the part that doesn't exist -- the fake retro series which the new games pretend to reboot. While the classic Matt Hazard games aren't precisely real, you can now buy the cartridges on eBay. To benefit Child's Play, D3 is selling mockup Hazard memorabilia, including nonfunctional game cartridges and functional Haz-Matt Carts shirts -- and, of course, slap bracelets -- in four simultaneous auctions. It's kind of the opposite of digital distribution: instead of getting a game without physical media, delivered over the internet, you'll get cartridges with no game inside through the mail. %Gallery-80446%
Mega64 makes its own mind-blowing Final Fantasy XIII announcement
When Square Enix unveiled the English-language release date of Final Fantasy XIII, Joystiq commenter Chedder dared to ask the one question on everyone's mind. "Is it me or has the host of this video been drenched by a douche nozzle before they turned the cameras on?" Mega64 has the answer: yes. Mega64's parody announcement one-ups Square Enix's hyperbolic infomercial trailer with hilarious real-world "interviews." Oh, and if you're like Anemos, you'll probably love the ending. Check it out after the break.
Video: Windows 7 launch party parody is bleeping genius
So by now you all know about Microsoft's painful, cringe-inducing Windows 7 party idea, and the accompanying goodie packs. What you might not have known is that Redmond also put together a 'Hosting Your Party' instructional video that blends all the worst parts of infomercials and cooking programs into one giant melange of awkward acting. Well, Cabel Sasser -- founder of Mac software maker Panic Inc -- has remixed said video, and the result is nothing short of a triumph. Journey past the break to see what we mean. [Via Mashable]
'Project Needlemouse' (not really) revealed!
The "Project Needlemouse" reimagining of Sonic the Hedgehog has been exclusively revealed on ProjectNeedlemouse.com, and it's more spectacular than we could ever have imagined. It delivers exactly what Sonic fans have clamored for: a brand new, fully 2D sidescrolling Sonic adventure, with appearances only by Sonic and Tails, and an emphasis on pure speed. The best thing about it: you can play the game right now, in your browser.Okay, so it's a joke created by someone who beat Sega to the domain name, parodying another fan-created "Needlemouse" Sonic game. But that's still less of a disappointment than the real Project Needlemouse will probably be. [Via GoNintendo]
Guitar Hero: The Beatles sends us into a terrifying alternate universe
Have you ever wondered why single-band Guitar Hero games meet with a chorus of groans, but when Rock Band does it, it's assumed to be the best thing ever? This video depicting a fictional Guitar Hero: The Beatles captures it perfectly. We don't even want to explain the joke(s) -- experience the train wreck in real time after the break.The Guitar Hero: Whoever series reached its ridiculous extreme with the recent announcement that the Van Halen game would be given away as a freebie with Guitar Hero 5. While we appreciate it as a deal, it shows just how much even Activision thinks of it.[Thanks, Jeff]
Inglourious Plummers trailer finally combines Mario and Tarantino
We always thought the Leguizamo-infused Super Mario Bros. film had the propensity to be amazing, if only a more visionary director had grasped the reins of the adaptation. The video we've posted after the jump gives a look into a parallel universe of what could have been -- a universe where Quentin Tarantino had control of the plumber's first silver screen excursion.The video was produced by the folks over at GamerVision. You might want to brush up on the trailer for Tarantino's upcoming film Inglourious Basterds before you check it out -- their video is a shot-by-shot remake of said trailer, only it takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom instead of Nazi Germany. We never thought about it before watching the video, but the similarities between these two regions are actually rather striking.[Via DumbDrum]
Giant Bomb makes an app (and, more importantly, a commercial)
Unless you're a fan of their website, you probably don't need the Giant Bomb iPhone app. It's a pretty limited use piece of software. While it does offer easy access to everything on their site, including videos, reviews, previews, and so on, it actually costs $1.99, and we can't really justify a purchase like that. Isn't browsing sites what Safari is for?But we are thankful that they made the app, because, at the very least, it encouraged them to make the commercial above. It features a few spot-on parodies (the first one overstays its welcome, but stick with it), and even has some nice iPhone-related humor. I don't know about you folks, but I winced when Apple's device went in the drink during the ShamWow parody. The app itself might not be worth the price, but the commercial is definitely worth every penny.
The Lonely Island plays 'Doubt: The Video Game'
You might have already seen this at the MTV Movie Awards, but if you're the sort of person that's sworn off the MTV Movie Awards entirely (perfectly understandable) then we'd like to present Doubt: The Video Game as imagined by The Lonely Island. Check out the hot, 16-bit action after the break.Interesting side note: This video was made in conjunction with Fatal Farm, the crew responsible for a bitching TimeShift ad and one of the funniest things on the whole internet.
Video: Stephen Colbert unveils the Microsoft XXbox
Taking aim at Microsoft's recently unveiled Project Natal, Stephen Colbert unveiled a new-new console on The Colbert Report the other night. The XXbox (or Ex-Xbox, one of our readers cleverly pointed out) bests Natal's lack of controller by at least one point, lacking a console and games. For about 500 bucks, it sounds like a steal. But you know, we'll buy any new gadget. Video is after the break. [Via Joystiq]
Microsoft Future: hallucinating icons will be an everyday occurrence
There's nothing like a cheesy tech company promo video to make us all feel all warm and fuzzy with the promise of amazing sci-fi tech to come, and Microsoft's Future vids are a pinnacle of the form, what with their vision of a pervasive natural computing interface. Of course, strident idealism is a ripe target for mockery, and the kids at Sarcastic Gamer are at it again, taking the piss out of the last Future spot with their own dysfunctional narration. Grins after the break![Thanks, Sean]
