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Guitar Hero on South Park tonight
Our lascivious masters at Joystiq reminded us, and we now find it our duty to remind you that tonight's episode of South Park centers around Guitar Hero. Specificlaly, Stan and Kyle's friendship is put to the test when it's discovered that Stan is better at the game. The South Park Studios Production Blog has a writeup concerning the episode. Allow us to sum it up: think twice before you assume being good at Guitar Hero makes you cool. There's also a little video preview available in which we see Stan and Kyle facing off on "Carry on Wayward Son."You can bet we'll be watching it tonight. If you'd like a little extra dose of nerdiness and discussion, head over to Joystiq where they will be liveblogging the episode as it happens. Check in at 10pm Eastern if you're interested.[Via Joystiq]
Reminder: Guitar Hero on South Park tonight
If you were too busy playing Guitar Hero in your underwear on Monday, you may have missed the announcement that tonight's episode of South Park will feature the rhythm game prominently in the storyline. For those of you who just can't wait those last few hours, a Comedy Central press release reveals some more details about the impending rift between Stan and Kyle, and a short video preview shows the pair looking like total goobers while trying to look cool playing the game.In fact, the false cockiness brought on by Guitar Hero was a major motivation for the production team. On his South Park Studios Production blog, Production Assistant Mike McMahan asks us to imagine "some jerk trying to impress the ladies with his badass skills banging out Coldplay as hard as he can." By playing Guitar Hero, McMahan says, "We're even worse than that loser, because we're pretending to be him, all the while tapping our feet and clicking our fingers with the same proud idiocy that the real-life jerk performs with." On behalf of all those proud idiots, we have just one thing to say to that ... Ouch!We'll be liveblogging the episode right here on this very site, so come back here around 10 PM EST if you'd like some nerdy game discussion with your animated prime time TV.
Tivo Alert: South Park takes on Guitar Hero Wednesday
We already knew the team behind South Park had proclivity for Guitar Hero, and this Wednesday we'll get to see that interest translated on our TV screens. According to the South Park Studios web site, this Wednesday's episode, aptly titled "Guitar Queer-o" will see Kyle jealous over Stan's superior skills at the game. Wait, someone named Kyle isn't good at Guitar Hero? This will not stand!When South Park delves into gaming topics, the results tend to be good -- as in the Emmy-award-winning "Make Love, Not WarCraft." As for when (a hacked version of) Guitar Hero delves into South Park ... well ... judge for yourself after the break.
Mario and Link cameo in South Park
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are at it again. Having already dedicated entire episodes of their parody-totin' 2D cartoon to World of Warcraft and (more relevantly for us) the Wii, the pair have now included cameos from Nintendo's two biggest names in the show.Admittedly, Mario and Link made a far more fleeting appearance in the October 17 show than the Wii itself did last year, but still, it's a pretty neat touch. In the episode, Stan, Kyle, Butters, Jimmy and Kenny are all whisked off to Imaginationland, where all the things created by human imagination reside. Eric's revised Salt-N-Pepa lyrics are probably there somewhere.There are three things to take note of here. One: the 'E' on Mario's cap, which we presume is a way of staving off Nintendo's ravenous pack of lawyers. Two: we're not entirely sure that's Link, as he has black hair and is wearing a dark red tunic (the Goron Tunic, perhaps?), but then who else could it be? Three: there are other game characters in there as well, including a Ghost from Pac-Man and the Prince from Katamari Damacy.To see if you can spot more, go past the break for a video.
Make Love, Not Warcraft wins Emmy
The South Park WoW episode: "Make Love, Not Warcraft" won the Creative Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). Though the Primetime Emmys will not take place until Sunday, September 16th, the Creative Arts Emmys were awarded yesterday, September 8th at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA.South Park beat out episodes from The Simpsons, Avatar, Robot Chicken and SpongeBob SquarePants for the award.This episode is on the 10th season DVD which recently came out and don't forget you can get a discount just for typing in the code WARCRAFT if you order it from Comedy Central.This isn't the first Emmy that South Park has won, but perhaps this kind of attention will get WoW more positive (or at least humorous) attention in other television shows. Though, when it comes to TV ratings, 9 million people worldwide does not a target audience make. For example, American Idol was considered slipping when it only had 30 million US viewers for an episode.Would you like to see WoW references appear more often on TV? Or are you too busy playing to care?
The Joystiq Weekend: June 2 - 3, 2007
Just another ridiculously good user-created paint jobs in Forza 2. With this car, you know you've got the full power of Professor Chaos and General Disarray at your disposal. Check out the highlights for this weekend:JoystiqueryPodcast Rodeo for June 3: Eared ScienceToday's chiefiest video: Master Chief Sucks at HaloToday's line rideriest video: Line Rider Super Mario Bros. 1 - 1Today's most Zordonic video: Sega CD Power RangersWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: pimp my mount editionNews'Spy Hunter' movie to be helmed by Paul W.S. AndersonMeet Codemasters' new, synergistic faceMad Tracks bug causing madneessEuropean Commisioner: MS has a week to explain Xbox 360 scratching disc issueSmash Bros. Brawl update brings out fireworksNew Tekken 6 screenshots, artwork releasedFFXIII interviews extracted from LEVEL magazineTalk, talk, talkTop ten things wrong with Games for WindowsCulture & CommunityBlizzard Warcraft regional finals in San Diego todayTransformers figure turns 'Game Boy' into 'Game Bot'Build your own Tetris shelves, budget versionGameCity returns to Nottingham in October Crazy good Forza 2 custom paint jobs
Kill Kenny with custom South Park Forza 2 car
Forza 2 allows aspiring artists to go crazy on their cars with numerous customization options and photoshop'esque layers. And Zonks took full advantage of the customization features by creating a South Park car featuring our favorite four kids from Denver. It's very well done indeed.We know Forza 2 has only been out for a few days, but we'd like to see how you've customized your racer. Have you gone old school and added some flames? Or did you decorate it based on some sort of theme? We'd like to see your customized car creations, so we'll sit in a circle and have a little show and tell session. Okay, now you go first.[Via Digg]
Dude, Get Your Own campaign expands to television
Sony has unveiled more details on its ambitious "Dude, Get Your Own" advertising campaign for PSP. The promotion will focus on PSP's ability to play games and multimedia and should proudly showcase PSP's new, lower price. According to Sony, a television commercial will be airing now through the end of May on a variety of shows targeted specifically to teens. PSP fans will want to tune in to shows such as King of the Hill (FOX), South Park (Comedy Central), Adult Swim (Cartoon Network), the NBA Playoffs (TNT), Saturday Night Live (NBC), and WWE Smackdown (CW) to catch the new ads.Online ads can also be found on IGN.com, Gamespot.com, ESPN.com and Maxim.com. Additionally, Sony plans to send promotional materials through direct mail. Later this week, Sony will be launching a new "Dude, Get Your Own" website, which will go into further detail about PSP's capabilities. (Hopefully, they'll create a new educational video, unlike the one featured here.)This aggressive stance from Sony is certainly appreciated. There are too many myths about our handheld that must be dispelled: hopefully, this advertising campaign will make others experience the system and join the PSP Fanboy ranks.
South Park: made on Macs
Maybe I shouldn't be admitting this publicly, but I'm a big fan of South Park. So I was pleased to see the latest Apple Pro Profile is about the South Park Studios and their use of Macs. The construction paper feel is produced with Photoshop and Maya on 30 Power Mac G5s, with the final product requiring Motion, Shake, and some other software packages as well. Then the heavy lifting is done by a 120 AMD processor Linux render farm. One neat tidbit: by working nearly around the clock, they manage to push out each episode the day it airs on Comedy Central, with an entire episode being produced in only 6 days. It's an interesting look behind a fun show. Check out the complete profile on Apple's Pro site.[Via Digg]
Video Marketplace top ten TV and Movies (3/12)
In light of the recent announcement of Video Marketplace being hot on the heels of digital distribution of on demand content, Major Nelson posted up the top ten lists for TVs and Movies for the last week rather than announcing the new content. On the TV side, we have South Park, naturally on top, with UFC Fights, Star Trek Enterprise, and Jericho's HD content making the grade, and even the un-aired Mercy Reef/Aquaman pilot got on the list, after being released on the 12th. For films, We have The Departed and Snakes on a Plane in the top two, albeit in 480p. Crank, Saw III and The Illusionist also got proper recognition. For the complete list for both TV and Movies, check after the break.
South Park in HD for everyone (including Europe)
As mentioned earlier, the free South Park episode in full HD glory was released to the XBLM today. But we have a little surprise for our European friends overseas. Major Nelson took it upon himself to send the marketing team your complaints about the free episode not being available to all of Europe. And they listened. AceyBongo posted a blog to tell everyone that not only Belgium and the Netherlands will receive it, but ALL of Europe! Yup, your complaining paid off. As it stands, the US, Canada, all of Europe, and a few Asian territories will get the free download. Be sure to note that some countries in Europe may not be able to download the episode right away due to the change in plans, but be assured it is coming. So, enjoy your free episode of South Park ... you European folks earned it.[Via Major Nelson]
South Park's first HD episode hits Xbox Live tomorrow
The Xbox Live Video Marketplace is getting some of the truly compelling content we've been waiting for, as Wired is reporting that the first high definition episode of South Park will be available for download tomorrow. At the incredibly great price of free -- for the first two weeks -- all Xbox Live members can download the "Good times with Weapons" episode. If you for some reason don't have a 360, or don't have the internet and are reading this via teletype, Best Buy will also be making the episode available on HD DVD discs free with the purchase of an Xbox 360 or the HD DVD add-on between March 20th and April 3rd. Animated TV shows have been missing in HD for too long, hopefully we'll see more of those and more HD content on XBLM -- like HD Battlestar Galactica episodes we don't have to wait 6 months to see, as suggested by our friends at Joystiq. [Via Joystiq]
Free HD South Park episode coming this week [update 1]
South Park fans and HD aficionados will be happy to know that the first ever high definition episode of South Park will be coming to the XBLM ... for free! WIRED is reporting that as part of South Park's eleventh season premiere this Wednesday, Comedy Central has teamed up with Microsoft to offer the HD exclusive episode "Good Times With Weapons" this Tuesday for free. Best Buy is also offering this HD episode for free on HD-DVD with the purchase of any Xbox 360 console or HD-DVD player add on. Note to Comedy Central, we love South Park, we love HD content, and we love free content ... so keep this up. We must ask, anyone looking forward to watching South Park in high definition this Tuesday?Update 1: It looks like everyone in Europe will be sharing in the South Park love[Via Joystiq]
First ever HD South Park episode for free on Xbox Live Marketplace
This coming Tuesday is a big day for people that are both fans of South Park and Xbox 360 owners. Comedy Central is releasing the first ever high definition episode of South Park on the Xbox Live Marketplace to all members (we're assuming this means Silver and Gold) for free. That's right, everyone's favorite word -- free. It will be on Marketplace at that low, low, price of free for two weeks, and will also be available as a free HD-DVD to people buying a new Xbox 360 console or the HD-DVD add-on drive at Best Buy from March 20th through April 3rd.The episode is a couple of years old, but it is definitely a fan fave. It's 'Good Times With Weapons' from the 2004 season ... better known as the "South Park Ninjas episode. The style changes from the traditional cutout look into anime style pictured above, and it will look, er ... extra-animated in HD. Couple this with the fact that South Park's new season starts this Wednesday, and new episodes will be on XBLM each following week, the fanboys and fangirls should be fairly happy.Still, for the price, who can complain? Let's hope this trend continues. Give us some free HD Battlestar Galactica episodes already. The timing on this is pretty interesting as well ... right after the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. Does this mean Microsoft might be finally releasing the rumored Xbox 360 v2 with HDMI?
Wii Warm Up: Anything for a Wii?
We understand the intense desire that people suffer before the release of a console, or in the drought thereafter, when not a single unit can be found in the wasteland that is retail. But have people begun to go too far? When jokes are made about desperate measures on South Park, when a story (whether it's true or not) drifts through the internet about one mother's quest to get a Wii, and now, when someone seems to have died after a radio contest for a Wii ... have we maybe become a little too crazed? We'd love to hear what you think. Is it just a simple lack of consoles, or has demand become heated to the point that it's ridiculous? Are people blowing things out of proportion?
Haven't downloaded TV or movies off of the XBLM
Since the release of downloadable TV and movie content on the XBLM I have yet to download a single episode or movie. I'm not really certain why I haven't taken part in the download service, because it is quite easy. Though, it's probably because I'm not a huge home movie watching kind of guy and I'm not uber obsessed with current TV shows (although South Park does roxorz). The pricing structure isn't bad at all, I can't complain, especially if one only would want a certain episode instead of an entire boxed DVD season. But, I think the main reason I don't purchase content is because it's not as much of an impulse buy as shopping in the mall is. I actually have to purchase Microsoft Points, navigate to the content I want, and wait for it to download. Anyone out there a regular XBLM movie or TV show downloading whore? If so ... we'd like to hear your story.
South Park animation staff talks about "Make Love Not Warcraft"
Did you know the episode was actually shot on the Burning Crusade alpha server? (Blizzard simply made it so that anyone who got in the way of filming mysteriously vanished...) Or that filming didn't stop until 3AM on the day the show was to air? These, and many other interesting tidbits about the making of South Park's very own World of Warcraft machinima can be found in Machinima.com's interview with Frank Agnone (Producer), J. J. Franzen (Technology Supervisor), and Eric Stough (Director of Animation). So if you're a big fan of South Park and wanting a look behind the making of the show or a machinima maker curious as to how television got involved in the art it's worth a read![Thanks, Barb!]
South Park: Waiting for Wii is like "waiting for Christmas times a thousand"
TiVo tells me that "Cartman attempts to manipulate his personal time-line to align with the precise release date of the newest, hottest game." What "game" would that be? Hint: it's the one with motion controlled controllers. Nope, the other one. Yeah, the Wii. The clever chaps behind South Park have once again shown that their ears are attuned to the off-rhythm beat of gaming (and internet) culture: Pokemon, PSP, Xbox 360, World of Warcraft, and now Wii-steria. Tonight's episode featured series favorite Eric Cartman pining for Nintendo's Wii which -- just like in our slightly better animated real world -- won't be available for another three weeks. So, what's a sleepless fanboy to do? Cryogenically freeze oneself of course! Unfortunately, Cartman finds himself five-hundred years in the future, in a world where atheists are at war with each other and video games don't exist anymore. This to-be-continued episode left out the remainder of Cartman's quest, so if anyone is planning on following this course of action, you may want to wait until next week to figure out how to get back to our time.We've provided a brief transcription from the beginning of the episode after the break.[Thanks for the image ElChibo!]
You knew this was coming...
Reader Nelson sends in this screenshot showing that in the Burning Crusade, yes, you will be able to wield the infamous Sword of a Thousand Truths. Just like the South Park kids. Of course, the screenshot could be faked, but if so the image looks awfully clean to me.
WoW fans deconstruct South Park
World of Warcraft fanatics have taken up their swords and a battle is being waged against villanous Wikipedia editors. At the center of this bloodfest is a listing of WOW incongruences found in the wiki entry of the latest South Park episode, "Make Love, Not Warcraft."At this moment, it looks like the uppity Wiki elite have taken all of "useless trivia" out, but we painstakingly copied all of the removed information (via the entry's history) and have it for you below after the break. If there is any missing continuity errors, be sure to let us know. Just don't blame us if someone laughs at you.
