This week we’re talking about some gaming news, TV and media, flashing back to Marble Madness and looking at the historical development career of one Mark Cerny. Here are this weeks news links:
Not only do we hate Halloween, but we’re asking another question of the week: what game are you looking forward to for the holidays?
The Incredible Machine (TiM) is a game designed and developed by Kevin Ryan and produced by Jeff Tunnel (now co-founder of GarageGames and their successful title Marble Blast Ultra on the 360 and co-founder in Dynamix makers of A-10 Tank Killer and The Red Baron). At the time, The Incredible Machine series came out of the shop known as Jeff Tunnel Productions.
Jeff Tunnel Productions published the first Incredible Machine games from 1993 to 1995 while Sierra Entertainment published all the rest of their titles all the way up to 2001. What is The Incredible Machines all about? It’s a game where you must build a series of Rube Goldberg devices in a “needlessly complex fashion” all to perform some simple tasks. That is the entire point to a Rube Goldberg device, which was originally defined as “accomplishing by extremely complex roundabout means what actually or seemingly could be done simply.”
I think everyone has seen a Rube Goldberg device, their are examples in science museums, and entire Myth Busters Episode about them, they appear in many movies (Goonies used one to open the fence to let in Chunk after he does his dance as did Doc Brown in Back to the Future to cook his breakfast and get his dog food).
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Jonah will be in LA for an E3 that no longer exists, but we’ll all have our opinions on Microsoft’s presentation on June 11, especially the Starfield Direct presentation. In the meantime, Jonah argues with Scott and TJ about the latest Dungeons and Dragons movie.
The news includes:
No podcast next week. We’ll have one after the Microsoft event, though.
This week we’re creating our last gaming podcast before Christmas, no holiday break for us! We’re reading some of our community comments and taking a look back at both Pac-Land and the history of Atari post-2600 release. This weeks news includes:
This week’s question of the week is really simply, have a good holiday. Unless you want to answer the question, “where do you roast your chestnuts for the holidays?”
GameStop did NOT sell “reserved copies”. They were selling it to everyone. The Herald Square GameStop in NYC had a BARKER telling all passerby, “We’re selling Modern Warfare 2 NOW! Come in and buy it!” like one of those peep show barkers.
Also, it wasn’t because of Best Buy. It was because of “mom and pop” sellers (non-chain stores) were breaking the street day days earlier than GameStop.
GameStop did NOT sell “reserved copies”. They were selling it to everyone. The Herald Square GameStop in NYC had a BARKER telling all passerby, “We’re selling Modern Warfare 2 NOW! Come in and buy it!” like one of those peep show barkers.
Also, it wasn’t because of Best Buy. It was because of “mom and pop” sellers (non-chain stores) were breaking the street day days earlier than GameStop.
One more comment: I played the original Marble Madness in the arcade, and it… was…. HARD. I never got past the second level, with those stupid air vents that pushed your marble around.
There was in the first level a shortcut with extremely thin paths and steep curves. Tried it once, couldn’t do it.
You also never mention the acid pools, the way a little broom would come and sweep away your shattered ball when you fell too high, the oscillator your ball rode, and so forth.
Still and all, it’s the best game I don’t like playing.
One more comment: I played the original Marble Madness in the arcade, and it… was…. HARD. I never got past the second level, with those stupid air vents that pushed your marble around.
There was in the first level a shortcut with extremely thin paths and steep curves. Tried it once, couldn’t do it.
You also never mention the acid pools, the way a little broom would come and sweep away your shattered ball when you fell too high, the oscillator your ball rode, and so forth.
Still and all, it’s the best game I don’t like playing.
The New super Mario Brothers Wii, which i have and love!
The New super Mario Brothers Wii, which i have and love!