Gizmodo has broken the news that the DS is about to get shaken.. and stirred.

Sawheeet.

Saw this on BoingBoing :

Mario Level Editor

A level editor for Super Mario World. Crazy. More fodder for the Mame crowd. Awesome. One of these day’s ill get around to getting emulators on my PSP. But I’m just lazy

Lunar Magic is a level editor I created for Super Mario World (SNES). It’s the first and, as far as I know, the only level editor available for this game. I began looking into making an editor for it shortly after releasing the SoM VWF patch, mostly on a whim to see how hard it would be. It wasn’t intended to be a long term project, but things would turn out otherwise…

P.S. First person to make a whole new super mario world gets a cookie.
P.P.S. Note that I made some new categories. Emulation and Custom Gaming.

Gamespot has 11 new images.

The shots of this game continue to impress me. Take a look at how intricate the terrain and these RTS units are. In Warhammer tradition you’ll be able to outfit your units with different weapons and shields, so your armies will be have a unique appearance when you fight fellow players online. There’s not enough user customization in games, but this title is full of it. See that crest on the shield there? Yeah, that’s user configurable.

The game seems well designed, too. Check out gamespot’s preview articles (which I’ve already written an article on, but perhaps you missed it that time around).

Mark of Chaos is slated for release in 2006.. which is good because only a handful of other RTS titles are coming out next year.

1Up.com gave Stubbs a 9.0/10. They called it “The best game you’ve never heard of.” Well we’ve heard of it, been following for quite some time actually, and I’m ecstatic to say the game isn’t all hype.

First of all this game was created by the same guys that did Halo. If that’s not enough said then I don’t know what is. Second it’s a game that uses the Halo engine, so the developers and artists know how to squeeze every last bit out of it. Third (I love lists) 1UP.com says Stubbs gameplay is similar to the action of Halo; quick and thoughtful gameplay is rewarded by the feeling of “Holy crap, I just pulled off a good move. I’m awesome”. Fourth - this is a freakin’ Zombie game, and a zombie game done right. Or so 1up says.

Stubbs came out today for the Xbox. It’s on my gamefly queue.. I can’t wait to sink my claws into it and take control of zombie hordes, in style.

So I have always been a fan of the RTS genre for as long as I can remember playing games, well at least as long as I played my first one.

Anyway I have a question for my fellow monkeygame gamers. Besides Age of Empires 3 which I will probably get what other RTS’s are out there for me. I know there are some really cool ones coming out next year and the like, but I’m looking for a fix now. If you had to go to the store today and buy one which would it be? Why?

I’ve been in a drought recently, thanks WoW, and i was so desperate that I installed C&C generals last night to get a fix.

What say you.

Thanks

1 Up has another great article. This one is taking a look at the evolution of the revolution and its controller specifically.

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3144666

Of note is a cool fan render of a dreamt up peripheral for the new controller… and you can imagine playing the next resident evil on it:

More from the article:

Ironically, the Revolution puts Nintendo in the odd position of tossing controller design standards largely defined by the company over the past 25 years. People often forget just how much influence Nintendo has had over the industry’s controller standards. “When Nintendo created the gamepad it was adopted as the norm; when they created the analog stick it was adopted as the norm; when they created rumble it was adopted as the norm,” said Alex Neuse of Activision to Gamasutra. “Their track record is strong. I hope that this new controller allows developers to offer gamers new and unique ways to interface with the medium.”

Check it out.

A new site devoted to serving up games on demand. There’s a monthly subscription rate of 15 bucks, which is actually pretty damn nice considering their library. You just download the client and you can start playing some of the classics, as well as some recent games as well. Going down the game list these guys caught my fancy:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Space Colony, Adventure, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic, Beyond Good and Evil, Burger Time, Chopper Command, Circus Atari, Combat, Conquest: Frontier Wars, Defender, Elevator Action, Stronghold Cruisader, Galaga, Golden Axe 1 and 2!!, H.E.R.O., Homeworld 2, Joust, Impossible Mission II, Lock On Modern Combat, Lords of Magic, Missile Command, Panzer General 2, Phantasy Star II, Pitfall, Qix, Railroad Tycoon 3, Rampage, River Raid, Stampede, Virtua Fighter 2, Worms Armageddon, XEVIOUS OMG!, Zaxxon

That’s not even close to the entire list. And they promise to add more as time goes on. You might have noticed there are some modern titles in there - Beyond Good and Evil, Homeworld 2.. they’ve got quite the good collection. I really don’t see how I can resist this **it.

And they’re looking average. To be fair, the sites’ major complaints are the game’s inability to meet the Reviewer’s expectations of the evolution of RTS games. They don’t have any big beef about the game itself, and although they acknowlege that the game makes some changes to the genre, they’re not willing to award points for these new systems. Instead they penalize for the game’s lack of ‘ficticious system X’. Seems pretty unfair if you ask me.

Anyway - the gist of the reviews is this: If you loved Age of Empires 2, then you’ll love Age of Empires 3. If you’re a hermit and wish to stay away from the RTS genre until something completely new comes around, then you’re probably better off waiting a year (!) for Supreme Commander.

Reviews:
Gamespot -8.2
1Up.com - 7.0
IGN - 8.8

John Carpenter has made some of the greatest horror movies of all time and is also into gaming.

I watch The Thing at least 2-3 times a year, and I often have found memories of being scared shitless by the Halloween movies (yes I said movies). John Carpenter is currently working on a movie/game called Psychopath from Titan Productions. I’ve recently seen some of the artwork of the “psychopaths” from the game (secret source) and I have to say - it looks amazing. I truly believe the next generation of XBOX and PS games are going to scare us senseless.

Gamespot has an amazing Q&A with the master of horror himself John Carpenter I think you should read.

Q&A: John Carpenter on his greatest F.E.A.R. - PC News at GameSpot:

John Carpenter made his name as a horror and action film director with modern-day classics like The Thing, Halloween, and Escape from New York. He’s obviously no stranger to horror, but he’s no stranger to gaming, either.

Carpenter’s currently working on the movie and game Psychopath with Titan Productions, and The Thing was adapted into a game in 2002. Most recently, he signed on to be the spokesman for VU Games’ horror-fueled first-person PC shooter F.E.A.R. GameSpot had a chance to steal some time with the director to talk about his latest projects and his take on games as a whole.

Shacknews has the story.

He’s working with EA to create 3 new original franchises. Honestly -I’m not impressed yet. Spielberg hasn’t been the same man who wrote Indiana Jones — his worlds have been somewhat cheezy as of late. Remember the second half of A.I.? The Terminal?! Oy. He’s shotty at best.

Anyway.. when I read these following quotes I couldn’t help but internally narrate with childlike mocking voice:

“I have been playing EA games for years and have watched them master the interactive format.” said Steven Spielberg. “Having watched the game industry grow from a niche into a major creative force in entertainment, I have a great deal of respect for EA’s understanding of the interactive format. I’m looking forward to working closely with the team in Los Angeles.”

Did Steve even write that, or was it some Press Writer from EA?

Okay.. my little rant is over. Two realisitc things now: 1) EA LA is actually a pretty good studio. These are ex Westwood guys who brought us C&C Generals and Battle For Middle Earth, etc. 2) With three new properties and BTFME2 in full development, EA LA is going to have to hire new talent. Will they be any good at writing video games? Will S. Speilberg?