Stuff happens on Saturdays too

Unfortunately, Steve Wiebe failed to reclaim the Donkey Kong World Record this week at Twiistup 4, but you can read a full account of the attempt, as well as the background details on the whole battle with Billy Mitchell for the #1 score.

Also, if you've been hiding under a rock, then I feel it's only fair to inform you that Act 3 of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is live today! GO WATCH IT, it's only available until tomorrow at midnight. Then you'll have to pony up (Bad Horse, that was for you!) for the upcoming DVD. Which, if you're a Joss Whedon fan, you're going to want to do anyway; for it shall be full of extras.



In Spore news, joystiq.com has two, no wait, three interesting tidbits to share. First, the space phase of Spore is to provide 15 to 20 hours of gameplay, and has some sort of twist ending that is under wraps. Second, a producer at Maxis said that there is a strong possibility that Spore creations will be exportable to Maya (a real 3D modeling program). This might be a good time to let you all know that Maya offers a free personal learning edition. So if you've ever wanted to dabble in 3D creation, this is a great opportunity!

Thirdly, this was news to me at least, the same article mentions creating your own music in the game. What? Is there anything Spore doesn't do?

Whedon and Wiebe

There's a lot going on today!

First, Act 2 of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is live, and the site is, at this time, also live. I have now seen both Acts, and while it started out a bit slow, it's quite entertaining, quirky, and funny, and as I await the final Act, I feel it is already way too short!

Second, today's the day that Steve Wiebe's taking another stab at the Donkey Kong world record, at the Twiistup 4 arcade in San Diego. Good luck, Steve! If he can do it, everything's in place for this one to count for both Twin Galaxies AND Guinness. You can read more about it at the Twin Galaxies website.

Then of course there's that E3 thing going on...oh and The Dark Knight, don't know if you've heard of it, but it opens tonight at midnight. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 92%, and it's totally sold out in my neck of the woods. Might be worth checking out.

Steve Wiebe: LFM Quarters

While I was busy being overwhelmed with new video games, there have also been recent developments in the King of Kong arena this week.

Steve Wiebe, the protagonist in The King of Kong, is making an appearance as a guest of honor at Twiistup 4, a classic video game competition this July 17 at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California sponsored by GirlGamer.

hmm, as a girl gamer myself, I'm not sure I support dividing the demographic like that, but guys, I bet it's a great place to pick up chicks! Just kidding, I will support my fellow girl gamers, if for no other reason than recognition of the fact that it USED to be tough being one. However, as former president and founder of the Magic: the Gathering club at Boston University and all-around gaming nerd, I can attest that the environment has changed a lot in 10 years. Girl power!

Anyway, thoughts on the Wiebe appearance (and by that I don't mean how he's Nathan Fillion's twin brother). I wouldn't expect a record-breaking score out of this, as he will doubtless be hounded and distracted by a plethora of groupies. If I were in the area, you can bet I'd be there, too, schooling with the groupies! This will do wild things to the Twiistup attendance, though (ya think? They're sold out already - you'll have to join the waitlist). An interesting thing I've noticed is that news sites and blogs are STILL posting new reviews and mentions of this movie, so people are still discovering it, about 7 months after it's DVD release. That's some pretty good legs.

So if you are one of those people, let me reiterate: don't miss the DVD extras, and do take the plot with a grain of salt. Though it is a fantastically enjoyable film, you will find, if you dig into it, that it is, like all film, edited in a certain manner, to tell a certain story. Some scenes which I found booooo/hisss-worthy on first viewing were really not quite the way things happened, so don't go grabbing torches and pitchforks, just enjoy the story. That being said, good luck, Steve!

And if you're new to this scene, you may be interested to know that New Line's planning a comedy remake of the film. And by that, I do not mean this:

I <3 The King of Kong

It’s my current mission in life to make you see The King of Kong. If a movie ever deserved word of mouth, it’s this one. And so far, nobody I’ve watched it with is disappointed.

In a nutshell, The King of Kong is about a fight for the top score on the classic arcade game, Donkey Kong. I’ve played Donkey Kong, and I SUCK at it, but everyone who’s ever dropped a quarter into an arcade machine should see this movie. Or even if you haven't. It deserves an Oscar. Go throw it in your Netflix queue right now.

I’m not sure my friends are quite as fanatical about the film as I am, but I’m an utter gamer geek. As a kid, I had a book on Pac-man strategies and dreamed of pulling off the “donut dazzler.” As an adult, I swear one day I will have a Ms. Pac-man table-top machine in my basement. I started off with the Magnavox Odyssey II and the Atari 2600, and have fond memories of many a birthday party hosted at Aladdin’s Castle. I would sit on my bed, eating bacon bits and reading the latest Nintendo Power, and get excited about every trip to the grocery store, knowing that Crossbow and Wizard of Wor awaited. The King of Kong is the documentary I was born to see.

I recommend you watch the movie before really delving into what the story is all about, it’s so much more interesting to be drawn into it gradually, to watch it unfold without knowing the ultimate end. That’s how I watched it, and afterwards I declared it the feel-good movie of the year. Then I watched the extra footage, which you will also need to do. Another great thing about this scenario is that it’s not over (do NOT go to http://www.billyvssteve.com/ until you’ve seen the movie, if you can help it).

Another thing, if you get G4 tv, you CAN catch the world tv premier on June 1. Then afterwards you'll go out and buy it.

There’s a narrative remake of this movie being done for New Line by the director, Seth Gordon. I dug up a really excellent interview with him on that at http://thefilmlot.com/interviews/INTsgordon.php. I'm not sure how I feel about a remake. As the interview points out, the real-life characters are stranger than fiction here. Oh for sure, I'll go see it though! I'll have to do some thinking about what Hollywood actors ought to reprise those roles. Again, I advise you to see the film first before reading that full interview. Spoiler alert!

The creators of this documentary did a fantastic job of polarizing the rivalry of these two classic video game players, and making you care, and that's why this film succeeds. They'll tell you how the story was there to begin with, but like Michelangelo chipping away at a block of stone to reveal the work of art within, it took skill to weave the tale for us in such a compelling manner. You can see the results if you visit the official forums. Unlike many of the forum posters there, I appreciate Billy for what he’s done for this film, though I’m wrestling with an extreme inner conflict at the moment. To buy the hot sauce, or not to buy the hot sauce? I’m torn, I don’t know if principles allow me to cross that line and contribute to the evil empire...

But back on the subject of emotion, this story wouldn’t be remotely as entertaining as it is if Billy weren’t the way he is. Would Steve Wiebe be as endearing if he were up against some other equally likeable guy? Hell no. Every hero needs a foil. So really, I consider Billy the villain I love to hate. As was the case with Watership Down’s General Woundwort, I’m guessing it’s a monument that would not displease him.

Oh and by the way! If you pay attention to the end credits, you'll see two shots of Asheron's Call 2. That's one of the games I worked on, and actually implemented a handful of quests for prior to its closure in December of 2005. I was there to the final second, playing music with the community members of Thistledown as the servers winked out. /shout out from Ramen to my AC2 peeps!

Read about other geekumentaries in my Top 10 Geekumentaries article.