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Handy Boy Augments Nintendo Game Boy To The Max

Today's handheld gaming systems are amazing feats of engineering with their bright color screens, speakers that blast sound with great clarity, and easy to grip controls.  Back at the dawn of portable gaming, however, these qualities were just not technically or financially feasible.  The original Nintendo Game Boy wasn't exactly something you could play in the dark.  Third-party aftermarket accessories sought to fill the performance gap.  You could get a Light Boy add-on to bring a gentle glow to the Game Boy screen for those early morning car trips.  Extra snap-on speakers could amplify the system's sound capabilities.  Buying and storing all of these peripherals could be an expensive undertaking, but leave it to InterAct to try to conquer the accessory market with a single product that brought light, enhanced sound, control grips, and a magnifying lens to the Game Boy experience. Behold, the Handy Boy!

Here's how it works: the Handy Boy assimilates your hapless and trusting Game Boy, consuming and becoming one with it.  The box boasts that it sports a compact design, but a fully tricked-out Game Boy doesn't seem so compact to me.  Thankfully, the Handy Boy comes with a shoulder strap for hauling your handheld Nintendo experience around with you.  From the look of things, you'd need one. Handy Boy requires its own power source; it comes with its own power adapter or can tap into the Game Boy's own batteries.  It doesn't just envelop your Game Boy, but it feeds off it as well.  Yes, this thing is about as far from portable as you can get.  InterAct rebranded the Handy Boy as the Handy Pak later in the Game Boy's life and later redesigned it to fit the slimmer Game Boy Pocket as the Handy Pak 2.  There's even a Game Boy Color variation.  Say what you will about today's handheld gaming systems, but let's all at least agree that we've come a long way from the Handy Boy era and that, if nothing else, is a vast improvement.

Who Are All Of These Mortal Kombat People?

Mortal Kombat started out somewhat managable.  It wasn't too difficult to keep track of characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Sonya Blade and their motivations.  Then Mortal Kombat II upped the cast from ten characters (seven of which are playable) to twenty-one (sixteen of which are playable).  The Mortal Kombat world only grew larger from there are sequels and variations changed the rosters, rules, and even the plot as whims and the market demanded.  It's downright near impossible to easily follow the progression of Mortal Kombat.  Thankfully, Hardcore Gaming 101 has put together an exhaustive and complete record of what the franchise has to offer including spin-offs, crossovers, and appearances in other media.

Somewhere on a far away island, a secretive martial arts tournament has been held for the last 500 years. The mastermind behind this tournament, Shang Tsung, is actually working for the emperor of an alternate dimension known as Outworld. This tournament is the only thing stopping the forces of Outworld from crossing into our dimension and conquering it completely. The good news is that for that to happen, Outworld has to win ten tournaments. The problem is that they've won nine, thanks to the help of their four-armed champion, Goro. And so, as one of seven warriors who've ended up on Shang Tsung's island by either destiny or by accident, it's up to you to make your way through the tournament and defeat the rest of Earth's champions. Do that, and you'll have to go against Goro, before fighting against Shang Tsung himself for the fate of the world. This is, of course, if you don't find yourself having your spine extracted by a pissed-off ice ninja along the way.

While Mortal Kombat was red hot in the 1990s, it started to lose buzz following Mortal Kombat 3 and the already spiraling story became even more convoluted.  A series of lackluster, rushed ports of the arcade games to home platforms didn't help either.  Lapsed fans may have missed that Freddy Kreuger of A Nightmare On Elm Street fame visited Outworld or that the heroes and villains of the DC Universe clashed with Shao Kahn's forces.  I'll let MetaFilter's clockzero sum up the relevant thoughts that occured while reading about how much Mortal Kombat has grown over the years:

Today I learned that they're apparently still making Mortal Kombat sequels.

I just read the first part, the characters section.  It went like this:

Uh-huh, Liu Kang.  Scorpion.  Sub-Zero, ha, Reptile.  I remember these guys.

Oh, that dude's name was Goro? Huh. 

Kitana, eh?  I guess they added female characters.  Ha.  Great name, guys.

Shao Kahn, the boss!  Wow! 

Oh jesus, Nightwolf?  Wow.  Okay.  Native Americans can have bad names I guess.

Rain?  Chameleon?  ERMAC?  WTF?

Kai? Reiko?  MEAT?  How many years has it been?  FUCK do I feel old.

Okay, they...made a character who's a motion capture actor.  That's okay, that's...normal.  There can't possible be much more.

Oh, there's like, five more pages of characters...

Freddy...Krueger.  And Lex Luthor!  Why the fuck not!

It was at that moment that I realized that someone, somewhere, was fucking with me.

That someone is Ed Boon and he does that sort of thing for a living. Thankfully.

Join The Doctor For "Attack Of The Graske"

It's not often that the Tenth Doctor shows up at your door and invites you on the Doctor Who adventure of a lifetime, so the next best thing to waiting around for the TARDIS to materialize is to check out the 2005 interactive video game-type adventure episode "Attack of the Graske".  First available back in December 2005, this short entertainment experience plays out in the style of the video game classic Dragon's Lair in which you watch a short scene featuring The Doctor as he (and you) attempt to locate and defeat the invading Graske alien menace.  Eventually you're called on to make a choice which changes the direction of the story.  Repeat.  There are multiple paths through the adventure and replays are encouraged.  The game was originally confined to the BBC's Red Button service, but has since been released on the Series 2 DVD box set and, more conveniently, at the BBC's website as a free in-browser game.  Buried underneath layers of forgotten material (it is a Tenth Doctor production from nearly eight years ago, after all), I've dug it up just for you to enjoy.  Head on over to the BBC's website and show that Graske what for!

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Special Edition: BioShock 2 Developer Conference

2K Games's BioShock 2 is getting a little extra attention these days thanks to interest in BioShock Infinite, so it seems only appropriate to revisit this episode of the old Kombo Breaker podcast which originally aired February 9, 2010.  Before you step into the shoes of a Big Daddy, why not learn what went into the making of the game?  Just prior to the release of the game a few members of the development team at 2K Marin sat down for a phone conference in which they discussed the development process, and rather than just provide a brief transcript of their remarks, I recorded the whole hour-long conversation that we presented as a special extra edition of Kombo Breaker despite the fact that we're not in it beyond my initial introduction.  Would you kindly listen to it anyway?  You'll find it's a nice bookend to last week's Episode 98.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton.

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Special Edition: BioShock 2 Developer Conference

Don't Expect Another EarthBound Sequel

It's funny how the world works.  European video game players have been clamoring for Mother 2 (known as EarthBound outside of Japan) for nearly two decades, and thankfully that game is coming to the Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console later this year.  North American players have enjoyed Mother 2, but have since demanded an official English version of the sequel, Mother 3, which was released in Japan back in 2006.  Japan has had ongoing access to the entire Mother trilogy, so what could they have left to demand?  Mother 4, of course.  Kotaku reports that Japanese fans have been asking the franchise's mastermind, Shigesato Itoi, to consider another sequel.

Recently on Twitter, a fan tweeted this to 64 year-old icon: "Mr. Itoi, please think about a way to make Mother 4." Itoi's response? "Muri" (無理) or "impossible".

Wanting what you can't have is a global truth, it seems.  I'd love to see a Nintendo-released localization of Mother 3, but I'm content to let it end there.  It's very difficult to capture lightning in a bottle and yet the EarthBound series has managed to do so consistently.  If Itoi feels that he's unable to produce another sequel that lives up to the legacy set down by the other games in the franchise, then it's best to let it go.  Should he ever change his mind, come up with a brilliant idea, and convince Nintendo to make it happen, then I'll gladly show up to play the game when it's available in English, but if EarthBound truly is done, then I say thanks for all the memories and here's hoping for good fortunes to everyone involved with the series.

New Grand Theft Auto V Trailers Showcase Characters

Rockstar has released a trio of new trailers for its upcoming Grand Theft Auto V which showcase the game's three new protagonists: Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.  Each trailer gives us a little background on the men with Michael as the family man who wants more out of life, Franklin as the gang member who wants more out of life, and Trevor as the freaky violent addict who wants more drugs in his body.  Or so it all seems, anyway.  It's never a good idea to assume you know everything about a Rockstar game and the company's trailers should never be taken at face value, but I do love how that company can assemble a trailer.  Rockstar makes excellent use of music to take things up a level, and setting Michael's trailer to Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" is brilliant.  I look forward to playing the game later this year.  It releases on September 17, 2013 for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.

Super Mario Crossover Grows More Awesome

I've mentioned the amazing 8-bit smashup that is Super Mario Crossover before, but now it's worth mentioning again as the free Flash game is about to get an upgrade to version 3.0 which includes new levels, skins, and a few other tricks.  The team at Exploding Rabbit is hard at work adding the contents of the obscure Super Mario Bros. Special into the mix.  Here's the explanation:

We decided to take the levels from an obscure Mario game called Super Mario Bros. Special. It is a pretty weird game that even has some new items and enemies. Playing the game is an absolute nightmare because it’s on an old Japanese computer and it has many technical limitations. Now that it’s playable in SMBC, it can finally be enjoyed like other Mario games.

The other big feature we’re adding is levels that change based on difficulty. This means if you play on easy mode, you’ll play an easier version of each level, and for hard mode, a harder version. I really enjoy the hard mode levels. Since I’ve played the game so many times, I’m used to playing through the levels pretty quickly, but on hard mode, I have to stop and think about what I’m doing. It’s really fun, and it plays with the player’s expectations. Easy mode is also fun. Instead of just making the levels easier, we added tons of coins. It makes you want to collect as many as you can so it changes the gameplay a bit.

And of course, there are new skins. Many of the skins in the trailer were released in version 2.1, but I included them since many people may not be aware of them. The new map skins are Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES and SNES), Super Mario Bros. Special, Atari, and Castlevania. There are also some new character skins that were not shown in the trailer only because there is so much stuff in the game it’s difficult to show it all. As mentioned in the trailer, the new version will be released in May or June.

I can't wait to try this new version.  The Crossover series is basically made of nostalgia, and the new trailer looks as if even more memories are packed into the game than ever before.  The Super Mario Bros. 2 skin will make you smile, I promise.  Playable Mega Man Robot Masters are a great bonus, too.  I can't wait to see what the development team comes up with next.  The pantheon of great Nintendo Entertainment System franchises is just about completely represented here as it is.

EvilCast Recap - Episode 174

Down two members of their usual panel, Blake Grundman and Ross Polly of the EvilCast podcast at Games Are Evil invited me to sit in yet again for this week's episode.  With topics like Nintendo's diminished presence at E3 2013 and how the new Star Trek video game missed the mark (including a fun flashback to E3 2011 where Blake and I attended an early pre-alpha preview of the game), how could I say no?  We also talk about layoffs at Electronic Arts, Nintendo's Wii U image problem, and Zynga's latest troubles in the wake of the launch of Draw Something 2.  Mix in some discussion of the Injustice: Gods Among Us mobile game and a few other recently released titles and you have yourselves Episode 173.  Join us for some heated discussion and to hear Ross admit he's never seen Robocop but has somehow seen the non-existant Blade Runner 2.  I'm still not sure how either of those are possible.  Also, I'd like to apologize to the people of Detroit in advance.  You'll understand why when you listen to the show.

Super Monster Brothers Takes In-App Purchases And Copyright Infringement To New Levels Of Insanity

Whenever a gaming platform becomes a smash success, cheaply-developed shovelware inevitably appears.  Fortunately, the major console and handheld gaming platform producers maintain an approval process that requires lots of time and money to pass.  You just can't throw any trash at the wall to see what sticks.  Mobile app stores, on the other hand, are still new enough that there is a minimal approval process in place to publish an app.  Consider the ludicrous case of Super Monster Brothers by the keyword-centric Adventure Time Pocket Free Games, for instance.  This is a little platformer game for iOS that is built of assets ripped from other, better games.  Pokémon are the star characters (although they've been edited slightly to include hats).  When they jump, they make the jump sound from Super Mario World.  Copyright infringement is just the tip of the iceberg here; the real insanity comes from all of the in-app purchases that the game attempts to force on players.  Watch IGN's iPhone Garbage team tear this poor excuse of a game apart as it tries to overcharge them for every playable character, disposable weapon, and power-up.  $100 for an unlockable Charizard?  Sure, why not?

Obviously this game is intended for younger audiences who borrow a parent's iPhone to play.  The pop-ups ask for money, the child doesn't understand what they're doing with the agree button, and by the time the game is over, mom and dad are in the hole for $1000 worth of pointless content.  Apple really should step up their approval process to catch scummy apps such as this one.  Apps using stolen assets are nothing new (and another issue that should keep them off of the store), but these kinds of persistent in-app purchase prompts aren't doing the mobile gaming space image any favors either.

Star Trek Game Misses The Point Of Star Trek

It is not easy to make a Star Trek video game that stays faithful to the core of the Star Trek concept.  Digital Extremes is the latest developer to try to create a Star Trek game that holds true to the spirit of the franchise, but they missed the mark by a wide margin.  Poor Justin McElroy at Polygon had to suffer through the recently released game for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and PC and while his experience was poor, at least an entertaining review came out of the madness.  You really should read the entire piece to find out why Star Trek fails so much (there are many technical issues holding it back), but my favorite part of the review explains why this game was doomed from the start: it does not understand Star Trek at all.

Is there a worse fit for the world of Star Trek, that subversively powerful force of social equality and acceptance, than a brainless, cover-based third-person shooter? I submit that there is not. (You do get to pilot the Enterprise for one stage, but by "pilot" I mean you play a terrible, poorly explained turret mini-game.) Everywhere else, Kirk and his partner Spock are given optional objectives that emphasize phasers set on stun rather than kill, but rewards are paltry and a fourth of the game's achievements are built on accruing kills. So you tell me.

At one point, a crewmember on the radio refers to the Gorn (the disposal phaser blast catchers that keep you from your objectives) as "creatures." A sentient alien race that happens to not speak English. A Starfleet officer. Creatures.

The "creatures" have absconded with a dangerous, magical MacGuffin that the Vulcans need for their "New Vulcan" colony to replace their exploded homeworld. Kirk and Spock set out to shoot every possible Gorn to bring that MacGuffin back.

The Gorn have also "infected" some Starfleet officers and turned them against our heroes, possibly because developer Digital Extremes already had the character models lying around.

Here's the thing about Star Trek that people don't usually remember: it's not about space battles.  Star Trek is not really an action program.  Sure, characters shoot at each other and starships engage in a little space combat sometimes, but most of Star Trek involves Starfleet officers sitting around a table discussing how they should handle the crisis of the week.  Most of Star Trek is meetings.  Deep Space Nine engaged in more combat than any other Star Trek because it was set during the Dominion War (and there's going to be action in wartime), but typically when the fighting breaks out on Star Trek, it's because the characters failed to find a peaceful solution to their current problem.  Dropping Kirk and Spock into a generic third-person cover-based shooter just doesn't work if one hopes to be true to the characters.