Photos - NBA JAM Tournament Edition

Just for the sake of reference, here's a screenshot from the Midway's arcade version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition.  The home versions were all fantastic, but they were notably scaled down from the arcade graphics.  The scaling of the players, in particular, only appears in this version.

Thankfully, NBA Jam TE plays just as well now as when it was new.  The new Jam on the Wii is going to be sensational.

NBA JAM is Coming to Nintendo Wii

I saw this in the current issue of Nintendo Power, and just loved loved LOVED it. Are publishers finally realizing that Nintendo Wii is an arcade games platform? Wii Sports Resort and Super Mario 5 should have driven that fact home.

These screenshots (and the photos in Nintendo Power) look absolutely fantastic. It's the classic NBA Jam we all know and love, brought into the 21st Century. We should take heart that Electronic Arts has put Mark Turmell (NBA Jam's creator) in charge of their sports games.

If the new NBA Jam plays as well as it looks, and there are lots of hidden characters and surprises - President Obama is a must - this game will be a sensational smash.

Just Dance Continues to Dominate Amazon Charts

Just Dance continues it's run on the top of the Amazon charts in the US and UK, according to Gamasutra, leading the Nintendo Wii and All-Platform charts.

I wonder if Ubisoft is considering a release in Japan.  Western videogames usually sell poorly there, but Just Dance has a near-universal appeal and I could see it becoming a hit.  If I were in charge, I'd be pushing this game as hard as I could.  Two million, five million, ten million...the sky's the limit.  C'mon guys, push it!

Third-party publishers need to aggressively study and copy Ubisoft's marketing strategy.  Above all, they need to create fun games that people want to play.  That was the mantra of the Golden Age of Video Games in the 1980s, and it remains vitally important today.

Health Care Costs Threaten to Overwhelm US Economy

This is why the US health care system is unsustainable:

A new report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published in the magazine Health Affairs estimates that spending on health care grew to 17.3% of the U.S. economy – a record and the largest one-year jump since 1960. The report also finds health care expenditures as a share of GDP is projected to grow to 19.3% by 2019, or account for 1 of every 5 dollars spent on health care, nearly twice the world average.

The rest of the world - all of those communist dictatorships like Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Colombia - don't have this problem.  They have universal health care, achieved through a variety of means and strategies.  Their economies aren't being swallowed whole.  Their citizens don't face bankruptcy when they need medical care.

Once again, the WHO health care rankings.  The United States is #37, in between Costa Rica and Slovenia.  Not that I expect things in this country to change.  There's far too much vested interest in the status quo, both political parties are owned by the corporate interests, and the peasants are just too stupid, too selfish, too easily led.  Two words: "death panels."

Rahm Emmanuel is Really Terrible at His Job

Unless his job is to play Waylon Smithers to the GOP's Mr. Burns.  In that case, he's doin' a heckuva job.

Hottest January in UAH Satellite Record

Of course, this must be a hoax, because I'm looking out my window and I see it's snowing. Clearly, that disproves everything "science" says about global warming. La la la laaa, I can't hear you!

Clearly, what's needed is to gut environmental regulations and let polluters do as they please. Also, it's commonly known that glaciers are pro-abortion, and penguins are gay. Screw 'em.

Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominees

Clearly, this means Obama should reach out to Republicans more.  After all, they do have a 41-59 Senate majority.

The sheer narcissism and nihilism on display shouldn't be surprising to anyone paying attention; at this point, I would expect Republicans to shut the entire country down for the sake of political gain.  What's really funny here is that Shelby appears to be holding out for a pile of pricey earmarks - a $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers, an improvised explosive device testing lab for the FBI.

It's good to know the Republicans are fighting for principle.  This year is gonna be sooo much fun.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I'm very happy to have Al Franken as my Senator.  He takes his role as Paul Wellstone's successor very seriously, and it's such a joy to see him stand up and display some righteous anger.  We need more Democrats who are willing to fight.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Genesis Sonic is Back!

At long last, Sonic the Hedgehog is coming home to his Sega Genesis roots.  Sega today officially unveiled Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a side-scrolling 2D action game in the style of the original classics.  The title will be released this summer as a digital download, and in episodic chunks, on WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and Playstation Network.

This series has been in a permanent decline ever since Sonic Team's masterpiece, Sonic 3 & Knuckles.  The character was abandoned for several years, then resurrected as a 3D adventure game in Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast, only to descend into one terrible sequel and spinoff after another.  And yet, the character and the original 16-bit titles remain very popular.

New Super Mario Bros Wii sealed the deal.  Glorious 2D arcade games are back on center stage, and now it's time for Sega to follow through with 2D Sonic.  Sonic is the game character best suited to give Super Mario 5 a run for the money, perhaps even revive the glory days of the 16-bit rivalry.

Sega has lost most of their creative spark from the days of Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast.  They haven't made anything resembling a great videogame in years; The Pinball of the Dead on Gameboy Advance would be the last highwater mark, in my opinion.  It's been formula and franchise and embarrassment ever since.  Perhaps the Sonic & Mario Olympics (created with Nintendo) games have reignited that old spark?  I hope so.  So many of us are rooting for Sonic's glorious comeback.

I am a bit puzzled about the decision to release Sonic 4 as a digital download.  Perhaps this decision was green-lighted before Super Mario 5 was released and sold like gangbusters?  It shows a lack of confidence in 2D video games, a mindset better suited to the PS360 world of high-budget steroid shoot-em-ups.  But the spectacular success of the Nintendo Wii, and Mario 5 especially, puts this strange notion to rest.  People love 2D video games; it's the game industry that wants to make movies.  That's a key difference.

I don't know if 2D Sonic the Hedgehog 4 would be a hit on the PS360, but there's absolutely no doubt it will be a bigger success on Wii.  I would advise Sega to follow Mario's example.  Release Sonic 4 at retail, with a solid blue package.  Make something that people will want alongside Mario's red cover.  Since the downloaded version will be released in seperate "episodes," place the full game inside the blue box.  Design a smart, iconic cover that evokes the Genesis classics.  Then create a thrilling, fast, and rich 2D game that everyone will want to play.

Ideally, Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima would be involved in the project, just as Shigeru Miyamoto's original inner circle was responsible for Super Mario 5.  If they're not involved, whoever is in charge should know The First Four Sonics like the back of their hand.  Please don't stick us with anything like those terrible 2D Sonics on Gameboy Advance and DS.

I like what I see and hear so far.  Sega appears to know what they're doing...so far.  Now please don't screw it up.  Give us the next 2D videogame masterpiece.

The Military-Industrial Complex

It just grows and grows and grows. Even if and when we finally leave Iraq, baseline spending continues to skyrocket. Any chance of turning this tide? Not a chance. Americans and politicians alike are programmed by fear, fear of a Soviet Empire that died 20 years ago, fear of third-world countries like North Korea, fear of foreign terrorism.

Most of all: the fear of America as a tiny, defenseless island, eternally beseiged at all sides by comic-book supervillains. It's absolutely preposterous, delusional, and dangerous. Fear will keep the locals in line...and it will lead the Republic to ruin.

Journamalism

There's a reason the Washington Post is going broke: they're terrible at their job.  And they won't be missed when they're gone.

Water Vanishes on Western Farms

This is why global warming is a threat to our survival.  It is not about higher temperatures, receeding coastlines, disappearing glaciers or even ferocious storms.  It is about the very basics of life - food and water.  The water is disappearing faster than we can replenish it.

Your grandchildren will despise you as monsters if you allow this to happen.  To hell with your convenience and your short-term profits.

Barrel Pong

Wow! This is now officially the coolest video arcade game ever. This is an actual cabinet for Atari's Pong in 1972, dubbed Barrel Pong. Oh, how I wish I could find this on Ebay. Just marvel at this ancient flier....This young woman is now somebody's grandma. Time flies fast, kids.

Not Very Impressed With the New Metroid

There's been little revealed about the upcoming Ninja Team Metroid: Other M, but I don't much like what I see so far.

I’d much rather play a videogame than watch plastic dolls act out a cheesy movie. I’ll reserve judgment and hope for the best, but I really don’t want a “movie.” And I’ll wager the millions who are lined around the block for Super Mario 5 won’t be interested, either. We want video games.

What I really want is a new 2D game in the style of Super Metroid - dark, moody, silent, no dialog or cut scenes, no holding your hand to make things easy. Just drop you into the caverns of some dark planet and let you fish your way out. Ya know, Super Metroid! And I might also be thinking of Todd’s Adventures in Slime World, which is a close cousin.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Testosterone Cheerleader

I have an idea.  If "testosterone-laden war cheerleaders" like Michael O'Hanlon enjoy these endless wars so much, let's draft them into the Army and make them fight.  It's only fair.  And isn't it interesting that those public figures who pass judgement on gay people are themselves so desperate to prove how tough and macho and many they are?

Stanley Kubrick tied Cold War hysteria to sexual paranoia in Dr. Strangelove, and we all laugh ourselves silly.  Sometimes I think he was more right than we recognize.  What a strange species.