Personally, I have no trouble wearing my love for everything Joss Whedon right on my sleeve, and fan remixes and reimaginings of his work are always welcome, too. This past week, an extremely detailed 8-bit videogame mockup version of Whedon’s web series Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog turned up online, and I gotta say, I’m impressed. This is only a video, there is no game version of this, but the translation into the old-school video-game look and feel (not to mention sound) is pretty awesome. So far it’s just the first act of the series, but I hope DoctorOctoroc finishes the rest of it!

If you haven’t seen the original series, it’s now available on DVD and on Netflix Instant Watch, and it’s well worth it. Whedon + Neil Patrick Harris + Felicia Day + Nathan Fillion + music + geeky story = WIN.

EDIT: What do you know, Act Two just went up today (the 15th), in two parts. Embedding those after the jump.

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A cloud of retro video game pixels determine themselves to take over the world… and succeed. The video was shot entirely on location by director Patrick Jean and produced by One More Production. This is awesome.

The rockin’ and rollin’ antics of women’s (and men’s) derby skating is whipping it’s way into the hearts of angsty teens, resulting in the creation of junior leagues popping up in several states. Meanwhile, the feisty 20-30 and even 40 somethings touting bruises, fishnets and funky socks adorned with cross-bones and cutlery, continue to tear up the tracks to sell-out crowds. Yes, I am a wanna-be and despite being told, “you are too little and somebody will break you” I don my gear and grease the track in preparation for try-outs this spring. In frequenting the local roller rink, I have however, been re-introduced to a world of quad skating that I thought had died in the early 80′s when I traded my Barbie skates for some “totally rad” roller-blades.

I’ve since realized that Rhythm, Jam and Artistic quad skating is alive and well across the globe. Artistic skating in particular is something akin to the ice-dancing that mesmerizes my mother during the Winter Olympics and I am finding that it is just as fast, difficult, athletic and bruise inducing as practicing for derby. With artistic skating, I seem to get my ass handed to me on a much more personal basis. I can take my angst out on myself, my skates or the rink, instead of someone who, for all I know could be the nicest person in the world and has really done nothing, other than the fact that she needs to GET OUT MY WAY! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still all for a bit of healthy tactile competition, but, I’m glad to know that there is an alternative to derby that is just as sexy, saucy and (ignoring the music choice in this video) pretty bad-ass!

This was too good not to share. If you are like me and grew up playing all of the Mario games from the beginning, then you will hopefully find this Something Awful article written by Dennis Farrell as laugh-out-loud hilarious as I did.

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The sequel to the massively popular and beautifully designed Bioshock comes out next Tuesday, February 9th, and the hype is continuing to grow. Check out this detailed unboxing of the Bioshock 2 Special Edition – and keep watching for the unveiling of a very special surprise edition.

Well, through the Super Nintendo, anyway. I wasn’t really playing games then, so I’m woefully unable to identify most of these outside of Mario Bros. and some of the arcade ones, but I still enjoyed every minute of this video. Maybe someone will make one for my generation of gaming (i.e., N64-Xbox360, heh), though I don’t think there’s as much nostalgia for current-gen consoles as for the 8- and 16-bit ones. At least not yet. Someday maybe we’ll be all “hey, remember when we played games on a screen? With a box with buttons? How quaint!”

(via Kotaku)

One of the most hotly anticipated gaming titles of the year is Mass Effect 2, the second of a planned trilogy of games in Bioware’s real-time RPG world. I played Mass Effect three or four times through (using different skillsets and squad members, which gives quite different experiences), and I cannot wait to get my hands on this one. From the interviews I’ve seen, they’ve worked hard to fix most of the problems I had with the first game – notably the repetition of the side missions – while still keeping the epic scope and quality character development and voice acting that set the first game apart from its peers. (My capsule review is here.) Mass Effect 2 releases next Tuesday, January 26th, for Xbox360. The final launch trailer is below, but there have been many others highlighting different aspects of the game. Note that if you played the first game, you’ll be able to import your existing character, and the choices you made in the first game will affect the storyline in the second.

If you haven’t played before, the game will give you all the background you need to catch up with the story. Basically, you play Commander Shepherd, a human spaceship captain who, in the first game, ends up leading humanity through military and diplomatic relations with non-human species while also combatting an unknown threat from the far reaches of the universe. The thing that makes it really interesting is that humanity has only come in contact with non-human species within the last 50 years, while the other races have lived for a long while with an intergalactic senate and interrelations. It makes humanity the new kid on the block that has to prove its worth to the rest of the universe. Shepherd is the first human to become a Spectre, an elite member of an intergalactic task force. The threat that looms over the first game is revealed at the end, and the second game takes the fight into their space.

Thanks for all the memories and wasted time my friend!

I hate 3D, but this game I could get on board with.

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I never could beat this damn game. Looks like all I needed was some hip-hop inspiration.

 
Thanks to SwitchbladeComb for the tip of the gloves.

Gotta love U2. Their IMAX 3D concert last year was quite the spectacle. Now Bono has decided to destroy his fans retinas with a laser coat. Hey, at least they seem to be enjoying it. And also, a microphone you can swing around on? These guys are entertainers of the highest order. Good tunes to.

Ultraviolet:

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Word on the street (and Twitter) is this 19 year old is going to be the new drummer for Billy Corgans latest incarnation of my eternally favorite band, The Smashing Pumpkins.

I loved Jimmy Chamberlin, but I think they found their man.

Star Wars material just ripe for posting continues to conveniently fall into my lap. “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” (and it’s sequel) was the last game I really remember being fully immersed in before I inexplicably stopped being a “gamer.” It was also the first time a game tied me into the story well enough that I actually cared. The plot actually mattered and I was interested. usually I just skip all the cut scenes and animation as when I plug in my Xbox or PS2, I want to play the game! Not watch a movie.

So the latest in the “KOTOR” franchise is on the cusp of release and I stumbled across the trailer today. Wow – with a capital W! Cinematically it isn’t really anything we’ve not seen before. But within the Star Wars universe, the use of bullet time and “matrix-esque” style fighting really works. Not to mention George Lucas never did have an epic lightsaber rumble of epic proportions like is shown here. Why, I have no idea. But it’s here now; and though short, it’s damn cool.

You gotta check this out if you like Star Wars. It is a masterful stroke. Masterful enough I may just head out and buy a PS3 or whatever platform I need to play this game. Looks like hours of my time will be lost to yet more Star Wars. Good! Just when I thought I was growing up.

Trailer is tucked under the seat due to annoying “AUTO PLAY”
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