07/23/2005 Entry: "Back in Toyfare..."

I'm back in ToyFare with issue #97, with two stories in their Monthly Rag section -- one about new toys from NECA based on The Ring, the other about Comedy Central's brilliant action figure based ad campaign for the new season of Reno 911!. I have to say, it's so much fun to hand over these Word documents and see how nuts their design team goes with 'em -- super slick. Both articles include interview quotes with applicable parties, yadda yadda. Get it while it's hot.

Judging from the comments in the last entry, seems like a lot of you are pretty passionate about the ongoing video game violence/sex/whatever debates -- the latest one regarding The Sims 2 is hysterical, with people arguing that by using a mod that removes the blurring around a nude person's privates, we've opened the doors for pedophiles to have a virtual field day. This is made all the funnier after reading that removing the blur only reveals that the characters in the game have no privates. Granted, I'm only half-informed, but it's enough to spark a survey topic...

Survey: Think back, and discuss some of yesteryear's games that either crossed the line or allegedly crossed the line. I know there were plenty of computer games that featured seriously grisly images -- let's see what y'all come up with. Note: It doesn't really count if the game was marketed as an adults only thing.

We've come a long way. I remember getting Ghosts 'N Goblins for Nintendo and thinking that the opening sequence -- with a half-clothed Arthur having a picnic with his lady friend -- seemed a bit risque.

Chestnuts roasted by Warx @ 07/23/2005 04:32 PM EST

Remember Skitchin' for Sega Genesis? People caused a stink about it because it allegedly encouraged kids to grab onto the backs of cars while Rollerblading.

Chestnuts roasted by iseeshapes @ 07/23/2005 04:39 PM EST

I remember being surprised that Samus was a girl, and then somehow dismayed that a girl had saved the universe from Mother Brain. I was only about 10 then, and girls were still pretty wierd. It was a lot for me at the time.

Separately, Matt-- one of your Sponsors (or whatever) that you have links to on your site has some video game reviews of some hentai games that are pretty bad. All kinds of rape and horrible stuff that would make GTA programmers blush. Wierd.

Chestnuts roasted by Dixon Deeper @ 07/23/2005 04:41 PM EST

Track and Field. All those guys' shorts were pretty dang short...but then again it was the 80's. Truthfully Mortal Kombat was the first such game I remember getting big press for blood-n-such.

Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 07/23/2005 04:44 PM EST

I'm so buying that mag. That's just fucking cool.
I must admit to really not being enough into gaming back in them days (or even now) to be able to harken. I've certainly seen some sick GTA antics performed on my PS2 and I do actually recall spending HOURS in front of a PC at a friends trying to earn enough for the vibratey bed in The Sims and then get the damn sims in the mood to get busy. I could also swear that the "naked but no bits" was around then too, so is this only news now because of how it relates to the GTA thing? I'm not into a lot of specific titles but I am a fan of that whole freedom thing and I enjoy the internet being the lawless wasteland that it it so I do have a vested interest in the debates.
Dixon, the site is Something Awful, but you can't blame anyone but Japan for those dating sims.

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 07/23/2005 04:48 PM EST

I don't think it caused a big stink but anyone else remember the nude Smurfette trick in Smurf's Adventure for the Colecovision? When you get to the board where Smurfette is, as soon as the board loads, move back to the previous board and Smurfette closes her eyes and drops her dress. Me and my little buddies had hours (ok, minutes) of fun with that!

Chestnuts roasted by Z-Man @ 07/23/2005 04:50 PM EST

I think Dixon Deeper was pointing to I-Mockery where they have an entire section on video game porn. Some of the Japanese games are just plain sick.

I remember playing Rygar and like Arthur on G&G, he did like to show his bare ass when climbing up and down ladders.

And who can forget Super Macho Man's man boobs? The sheer horror!!!

Semper Fi,
Erik Majorwitz

Chestnuts roasted by EMajorwitz @ 07/23/2005 04:57 PM EST

I remember all the controversy around Mortal Kombat and Doom when they first came out. I remember you had to put in cheat codes to get the blood on MK. But by the time MKII came out the media calmed down enough that they left in all the blood.

Chestnuts roasted by Bright Noah @ 07/23/2005 05:02 PM EST

Nintendo had a fit over the blood in MK at first. They had their own programmers go over the code to insure that there was no "hidden" blood mode like the Genesis had. After the sales figures came in, the Big N saw how far behind Sega they lagged and let the blood fly after that. I did like the sliding punch Sub-Zero did in the GB version, all it needed was the Ice Bolt on the fist and it would have made more sense.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 07/23/2005 06:08 PM EST

Wasn't there a big controversy over one of those horrible Sega CD games? Night Stalker or something? As I remember, it was basically just a bad T&A horror movie that you played through.

Chestnuts roasted by oh who cares @ 07/23/2005 06:13 PM EST

Custer's revenge. An arcade game (It was also for Atari 2600) where you play as the reincarnated General Custer and run around the Natives' land raping Indian women. VH1 called it the first controversial game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custer%27s_Revenge
Though after reading Something Awful reviews, I'd say those hentai games look pretty gross to, as some actually have pedophilia and incest as an option. I'm not sure how Japan reacts to this stuff, though. I think that was what Dixon was talking about. Never been to I-Mockery, like EMajorwitz pointed out.

Chestnuts roasted by Radio @ 07/23/2005 06:24 PM EST

Oh Who Cares,

You Stole My THUNDER!

The Sega CD game you mentioned was the one I was going to bring up!

It wasn't called Night Stalker, it was called Night Trap. It is BY FAR one of my all time favorites.

How can you go wrong with Dana Plato in skimpies getting chased around by aliens in cheap ninja outfits?

(Mind you, it was Dana Plato before she hit the wall, and the pills, and whatever else.)

That game will forever be in my top 5.

Chestnuts roasted by friedburn @ 07/23/2005 06:27 PM EST

I remember when my friend (who always got the newest system before anyone else) got a Sega CD with Nightrap. Holy shit, the gameplay was kinda dumb, but we all felt like we were peering into some world that our parents kept hidden from us.

Chestnuts roasted by Jeff Mack @ 07/23/2005 06:50 PM EST

Duke Nukem 3d was the first game I can remember paying strippers to flash me. But certainly not the last.

Chestnuts roasted by Dohopoki @ 07/23/2005 07:19 PM EST

The first game that made me go "Wow, how did they let THAT go through" was explodin' Hitler in NES Bionic Commando. :p

Chestnuts roasted by Lynx @ 07/23/2005 07:49 PM EST

Night Trap wasn't about Aliens in ninja outfits. Thye were vampires with no fangs who used this biog drill machine to drain the blood out of you.

I never understood why that game was considered so controversal. They said it was because of the "voyuerism" but fi yuo played the game correctly you very rarely saw anything but empty rooms and vampires.

Chestnuts roasted by Steve @ 07/23/2005 07:49 PM EST

Night Trap wasn't about Aliens in ninja outfits. Thye were vampires with no fangs who used this big drill machine to drain the blood out of you.

I never understood why that game was considered so controversal. They said it was because of the "voyuerism" but fi yuo played the game correctly you very rarely saw anything but empty rooms and vampires.

Chestnuts roasted by Steve @ 07/23/2005 07:49 PM EST

I know it doesn't count as these were marketed towards adults, but I believe some people will enjoy the read. Again, this is not for at-work jaunts, and though that's implied by the nature of this topic, its best to make it clear

Top article on Seanbaby's NES Page

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/23/2005 08:10 PM EST

Right, Steve!

My Bad! I forgot they were vampires.

I guess it's time I unearth the old genesis, hookup the Sega CD, and dip back into the past. Now my Saturday night has purpose. I know, it's a sad state of affairs...

Chestnuts roasted by friedburn @ 07/23/2005 08:13 PM EST

I remember the video game DEATH RACE 2000 (Atari) was one. parents flipped when they found out the little dots were people!

oh, and Matt, your RENO 911 article kept us laughing so hard. I was one of those fools who REALLY believed there were figures available.

Chestnuts roasted by rich z @ 07/23/2005 08:13 PM EST

No one remembers a little game called NARC for NES? Kinky clown gave me the creeps

Chestnuts roasted by Diarrhea Dave @ 07/23/2005 08:15 PM EST

I just remembered Matt already touched on an interesting character from Mario 2 named Birdo, " Nintendo's very first full-fledged transvestite"

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 07/23/2005 08:47 PM EST

I can't believe nobody has mention "Leisure Suit Larry". I remember how disappointed I was when he does it with the hookers and there is a big "CENSORED" sign over them.

Chestnuts roasted by Joe in OH @ 07/23/2005 08:53 PM EST

Oh yeah, I forgot Seanbaby wrote an article on Custer.

Chestnuts roasted by Radio @ 07/23/2005 09:01 PM EST

I remember Bayou Billy (NES) saying something that made my dad upset so he took it away. I can't remember what he said though. I was perfectly content with going back to Mario.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 07/23/2005 09:04 PM EST

As mentioned, Mortal Kombat was one of the big ones, if not the biggest. I'd heard about the controversy before actually seeing the game (Staten Island isn't exactly full of arcades), but when I finally did see it in action...wow. Brutal, intriguing, awesome, bloody.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 07/23/2005 09:06 PM EST

Knegative, I can't really thank you for what you've done tonight, as snippets of that article will crop up and haunt me at odd moments for the rest of my life. I can, however, give you a trophy for Linking the Article Which Made Me Re-Read the Most Sentences Just To Make Sure I Got That Right. Congratulations. You've earned it.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 07/23/2005 09:57 PM EST

I remember a friend of mine got in trouble for playing Mutant League Hockey at my house and that there parents ( the wacky censor happy christian type) called my mom and said they would pray for her for letting me be exposed to that kind of filth.

Chestnuts roasted by Bart @ 07/23/2005 10:36 PM EST

Probably comes from growing up in a nearly all-female household, but the earliest "no-no" game I remember hearing about was the "Mortal Kombat" series. Heck, we rented them anyway, blood and all, though Mom wasn't crazy about it. I never played "Contra" or "Bionic Commando" or any of the 80s "Rambo"-esque games, as none of us were interested in war (or "Rambo," for that matter).

Thankfully, my brother's not a huge fan of blood-and-guts games now, either. I don't think he ever played "Doom" or any of the controversy-magnets. He has some James Bond shooting games for the Playstation that Mom's not crazy about, but most of what he plays is either role-play fantasy or racing games.

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 07/23/2005 10:49 PM EST

How about Carmageddon? Nothing like running over hoards of innocent civilians.

Chestnuts roasted by Cyanyde @ 07/23/2005 11:06 PM EST

Jedoc , I'm glad you enjoyed it. Make sure to check out the rest of the NES page and Sean's main site. As long as you don't get too wrapped up in political correctness, Seanbaby is website worth exploring in it's entirety.

However, I cannot take credit. I believe it was X-E regular ME who first provided the link that lead me to Sean on this very blog. Thanks ME !!!

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/23/2005 11:26 PM EST

I'll just skip the obvious stuff like Mortal Combat and mention some of the stuff that shocked me as a young gamer.

*Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Genesis/Megadrive): I would describe myself as a hardcore gamer, but I've never been any good at Contra games. This one was no different, but early in the game the wolf guy says, "Damn!" I couldn't believe it at the time

*Exile (Genesis/Megadrive): An awful, poorly-translated RPG (yeah, believe it or not ) with equally poor action stages. It's so bad I never got past the first boss but like Hard Corps, the main character uses the dreaded "D word" near the beginning.

*Rise of the Triad (PC): A pretty cool FPS that totally offended me as a kid. At that point in my life I guess I wasn't desensitized to simulated violence (I couldn't handle R-rated movies either). Later on I picked it back up and realized what a great game I missed out on.

A lot of opponents of violent games like to talk about digital violence desensitizing players to real life violence. I play a lot of games that have violence in them (not because of the violence) and I still can't stand the sight of real life blood and gore.

Hell, every time that chainsaw-wielding guy in Resident Evil 4 catches Leon I turn my head away.

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/24/2005 12:02 AM EST

Well, someone else mentioned it, but Duke Nukem 3D probably took things a bit too far with the strippers and what not. They had nothing to do with the game, and were clearly just there to help get junior high kids to buy it instead of quake.

Chestnuts roasted by Jeff @ 07/24/2005 12:05 AM EST

Oh, and in case you're one of the ten people who haven't heard or already played it, RE4 is one badass game. Never has an established series so completely reinvented itself.

If you can't get ahold of of the GameCube version (or you're one of those Nintendo haters), at least play the stripped-down version that's coming to the PS2 later this year (and don't worry, there's bound to be lots of extra stuff included that wasn't in the GCN version... this is Capcom we're talking about).

Here's hoping you can play as the merchant

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/24/2005 12:09 AM EST

Sorry, this should have been in my first post.

Yesterday, when I was reading all about the inane GTA debate, I remember thinking to myself, "Why didn't anyone get pissed off about those Sims nude patches?"

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/24/2005 12:17 AM EST

I concur with Night_Trekker, I'm completely desensitized to video game and movie violence. I found Devil's Rejects tame, awesome, but tame. On the other hand, I couldn't even successfully perform behavioral neurosurgery in my college psychophysiology class. Now, is there a reliable difference between the cognitions, emotions, and behaviors associated with these two 'levels' of experience?

Any thoughts Kieren? I could check the relevant literature myself, but that would draw me away from Constantine While we're on the subject, any one else amped about 'A Scanner Darkly'?

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/24/2005 12:25 AM EST

I filmed an interview with the producer and lead animator of "Scanner Darkly" at Comic-Con last week. It'll run on UGO.com shortly.

Chestnuts roasted by Brian Jacks @ 07/24/2005 12:32 AM EST

Knegative: I love the look of the film, and it's hard to beat Philip K. Dick. I'll more than likely see it when it comes out.

I think people are a little too hard on Keanu. I wouldn't say he's a great actor but I wonder if people would be a little less harsh if he'd never done Bill and Ted.

The fact that I love the Bill and Ted films has nothing to do with my feelings about Mr. Reeves as an actor

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/24/2005 12:38 AM EST

Awesome! I love Waking Life and everyone here knows how I feel about Mr. Reeves. Accordingly, I've been bouncing off the walls since I found the teaser trailer on Constantine today. Sometimes it pays not to skip straight to the menu.

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/24/2005 12:41 AM EST

Whoa, we totally called him Mr. Reeves together and used the same smiley. I won't waste any more blog space, but I'm glad to see someone else here appreciates his work. Love Bill & Ted, but they're not in the top 5

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/24/2005 12:47 AM EST

Mortal Kombat is the game for me. I remember being truely shocked in a good way by the violence in the game. I had played games like Karate Champ, Art of fighting and Street Fighter, so just fighting games were not a new concept, but now you could not only win, but rip off your opponents head! Freakin' Awesome!

I shoveled quarters into that machine for a month until I got good. After that I could put my quarter on that ledge on the screen and wait until my turn. When I was up I would own that game for hours. Killing stranger after stranger.

My two best memories are the first time I beat the game (of course). The second was when I played against a guy that was at least 30 years old (and was known to be the one to go to for illegal substances) for over an hour. He played Raiden and I alternated between Sub-zero, Scorpion and Johnny Cage. He wanted one win, but all I gave him was the charity throw-away round to keep his interest in the game. Mid-match into the second hour he punced the monitor and cracked the plastic in front of it. The staff of the arcade just asked him to leave and he did. I guess I'm lucky he didn't punch me.

My other memory was playing Doom. My brother-in-law stayed over night and showed me Doom on his 486! I played that game until the sun came up.

Good Times.

Chestnuts roasted by DigDug @ 07/24/2005 02:25 AM EST

When the NES came out, video games themselves were controversial for a while. No matter what the game was doing, as long as it involved eliminating a moving figure IT WAS VIOLENCE AND KIDS WERE PLAYING IT!! There were also worries about addiction, exercise, etc. Any new invention faces persecution--there was a time when they said the printing press was from the devil, never mind that all that had been printed with it was Bibles.

And my mom swallowed all the anti-game buzz. So, I never got an NES. That, and no one I knew would ever spend over $20 on me, for any occasion. Needless to say, I never had a real game system until I could buy one myself.

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 07/24/2005 03:43 AM EST

My mother thought Magic: The Gathering was evil and stuff. But strangely, after coming back from a summer school course (where everyone but me and two other people played M:tG... and therefore were indoctrinated) she didn't have much problem with me play. Must have been because the PTA watch groups gave up their witch-hunt a couple years earlier.

I'm still shocked at how much money I spent on those cards. I'm not playing anymore, but I haven't gotten around to selling them... my excuse is that they'll be more if I wait.

Chestnuts roasted by DarkPrimus @ 07/24/2005 05:23 AM EST

The first time I watched my brother play the 1st Resident Evil game, it really scared me! That's when I thought that maybe video games can go beyond what I always expected of them...

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 07/24/2005 08:11 AM EST

Did anybody else play "Phantasmagoria" for the PC?

Chestnuts roasted by Brad @ 07/24/2005 12:08 PM EST

Nah, my computer was never hoss enough to handle something like Phantasmagoria. But I definitely remember hearing about it from my friends. The general impression I got was that it was a dizzying carnival of unimaginable debauchary. With bosoms in it.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 07/24/2005 01:20 PM EST

I don't play new videogames at all, but the GTA uproar doesn't really surprise me. The Tipper types have their new rating on the game now, so they should be happier for a while. It's the same thing every few years...new system, new games...new controversy.

But I would have to say the one that sticks in my mind the most is Mortal Kombat. That was quite the hubbub about the blood. Good thing I only had it for Game Boy, so everything was greenish-gray anyway!!

I wish I could find Toyfare around here!!

"Mr. Reeve's" should only be used when talking about Christopher Reeve. Keanu should have stuck only with the Bill and Ted's movies! Highlight of the career, baby! Highlight of the career!

Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 07/24/2005 02:24 PM EST

Speaking of the NES articles, I have Ring King. fFrst thing Little brother and I said when we saw the between rounds animation was, "Wouldn't that make you weak in the knees?" Maxim wasn't the first to recognize Accidental Porn. It's been around for quite a while.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 07/24/2005 02:55 PM EST

Knegative, thanks for the thanks.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura on Transformers and a G.I. Joe update

Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 07/24/2005 04:23 PM EST

Doom 3 crossed the line by showing DEMON ASS!That's right! Demon ass! i was disgusted, shocked and outraged by that the twisted and perverted creators of doom 3 made it have some demon ass.

Chestnuts roasted by me @ 07/24/2005 04:55 PM EST

One of the Hamtaro games lets you urinate on other hamsters and live electical wires. As I recall, all Seanbaby said about this game in EGM was something along the lines of "This game sucks so bad, I'm going to cut myself! LOL".

Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 07/24/2005 06:15 PM EST

There was a Genesis game called "StormLords," which was more or less a Ghouls N' Ghosts N' Goblins N' etc. knockoff. The difference appeared to be that there were statues of naked nymphs in it, which apparently got it pulled for a while. I have a few old game magazines with ads for the game that declare, "NO LONGER BANNED... AVAILABLE NOW!"

Video games that traumatized me... getting the "Bad End" on Bubble Bobble. That shaming music made me feel like a date rapist.

Chestnuts roasted by G'Tron @ 07/24/2005 07:42 PM EST

Don't know if this counts, but how about that nintendo power cover depicting castlevania's Simon Belmont wielding Dracula's head. Or that contra or super c commercial where this monster in a business suit shows off the mounted heads of gamers who lost the game. I guess they could've shown worse during disney afternoon.

Other than that, we couldn't play dirty harry at my grandma's house because she never liked the game's greeting of "Go ahead,punk! Make my day!".

Chestnuts roasted by cheaptrick @ 07/24/2005 08:12 PM EST

I don't know if "Dragon's Lair" was ever considered to be controversial or over-the-top in any way, but it was the first game that ever gave me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. I never even played the damn game, but it would always make me uneasy to see the machine's demo playing in my local arcade. Frankly, ANYTHING drawn by Don Bluth scares the piss outta me. Something about his style just fills me with dread.

Chestnuts roasted by The Yeti @ 07/25/2005 07:25 AM EST

Definitely, definitely "Leisure Suit Larry". My older bro taught me (the 7 year old innocent) how to get past all the "adult verification" questions.

Kent sent me, don't flush the toilet, and for the love of gad, buy a condom.

Chestnuts roasted by Missy @ 07/25/2005 11:56 AM EST

Knegative, I am very amped for "A Scanner Darkly." I'm a huge Philip K. Dick fan. As for your other question, that's not exactly my specialty. So I could give you my thoughts, but they wouldn't be backed by anything more than intuition. I am, however, looking into the literature because it's an interesting question. I'll get back to you when I can discuss it properly.

Chestnuts roasted by Kieran Alexis @ 07/25/2005 02:53 PM EST

I can't believe no one mentioned "Toilet Kids," a little-known title for the turbo-grafx 16/pc-engine. I mean, the opening sequence shows a young boys genitals and then shows him taking a shit.

The game unfolds into a shooter where everything is fecal-related. You fly over buildings made of poop, throw poop, and fight poops.

As far as trauma is concerned... I think Alex Kidd hurt me worst of all... I'll never play Paper, Rock, Scissors ever again!!!

Chestnuts roasted by gesis @ 07/25/2005 04:08 PM EST

Night_Trekker, I don't know how to break this to you but...

Only click this if you want your soul to be killed by stupidity

Chestnuts roasted by Jeff @ 07/25/2005 09:49 PM EST

I think Night Trap got conservatives rilled up, because if you didn't play it effectively while the girls were in the bathroom, they would get dragged off in thier panties.

My parents went out and bought it during it's controversy just to piss off my grandmother.

Chestnuts roasted by angrycripple @ 07/26/2005 12:40 AM EST

I told my brother about the "Adults Only" rating on the PS2 "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," and said about the recall, but told him his copy was really good (and probably worth some money) because his copy has the "M" rating on it--I worked in a video store over the holiday season and ordered it for him--hard to get considering that it was new. He also has "Leisure Suit Larry," which I didn't buy. I'm a good sister--I buy him violent video games.

Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 07/26/2005 10:14 AM EST

My brother reset "Temco Bowl" because I intercepted the ball. We were 7 years old, and it absolutely upset me that just because I was winning he had to steal my glory. I always hated playing certain games with him, because he was a poor sport. We only got along when we played Super Mario 3 together. I still know the warps and secrets to SMB3. But then again, who has actually forgotten them?

Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 07/26/2005 10:16 AM EST

We used to leave the blood control off on MK. My brother and I believed that the game was more fun when it involved blood. And fatalities. Anyone remember the cheat book for Sega's MK3??? He practiced for days with that book!

Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 07/26/2005 10:19 AM EST

I sort of skipped down here, so if anyone mentioned this one... sorry. What about the opening of Double Dragon where Billy's(maybe) brother gut-punches his girlfriend and throws her over his shoulder. Then he just walks off. That maybe wasn't sexually charged, but it was pretty screwed up to see violence against women when I was a kid. Man, am I glad my Dad never noticed that part.

Chestnuts roasted by Judd Gregory @ 07/26/2005 04:35 PM EST

I don't read (can you tell?) so I just found out Philip K. Dick is responsible for Minority Report, which I loved despite Tom.

I will not be reading 'Scanner' as I'm afraid the movie might, subsequently, disappoint me. I've never read any Hellblazer and that is probably why I like 'you know what' so much.

I've always had a soft spot for stuff like Minority Report though. Age of Spiritual Machines is one of the few novels I've read and my fav only after Henderson, The Rain King,

Yes, I read books alluded to by musicians in their lyrics

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/27/2005 01:04 AM EST

Jeff:

Oh man, I just thought of a REALLY strange videogame story... years ago, my friend had just gotten his Playstation (the original) but he didn't have the cash for a game yet, so he had to make due with a demo disc for a while. And when you're stuck with a demo disc, you start looking for codes pretty damn quick (I should know, same thing happened to me when I got my Playstation).

Well, one of the game demos on the disc was Elmo's Letter Adventure. My friend borrowed a code book from someone he knew (the cover was ripped off so he has no idea who published it). Apparently the people behind Elmo's Letter Adventure were kind of pissed off that they had to program such limp and lifeless software, so they included some STRANGE codes for the game/demo that I can't find any mention of anywhere online.

The codes were really long and difficult to input correctly. Each code brought out a Sesame Street character in a weird, uncharacteristic cameo. For example, one code made The Count chase Elmo down and appear to drink his blood. Another made Grover (as his Super Grover persona) grab Elmo, carry him high into the sky and drop him.

I know what you're thinking... "He's pulling your leg you idiot!" I've known this guy for a long time, and I'm sure he isn't making this up.

I would say, assuming this is true, this would fit pretty nicely into the discussion category.

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/27/2005 04:44 AM EST

Knegative: Tom Cruise is a megalomaniac, but as much as he personally irritates me I have to give him his props: he's a damn good actor. I watched Collateral for the first time not too long ago, and... well, I knew it was going to be good but DAMN. I can't believe that flim didn't attract more fanfare. Everything about it is so unbelieveably tight and well done. Tom Cruise was fucking fantastic (and Jamie Foxx is now on my short list of favorites). A definite 10 out of 10 in my book.

Hmm... maybe Tom Cruise is such a great actor because he's slightly unhinged?

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/27/2005 04:59 AM EST

I wasn't trying to attack Tom. I was just stating personal opinion. Feel free to like/love him as you will.

You can read my very out of place conversation with Kidneyboy in the Dracula blog entry for exposition.

Matt, you should exercise your deletion powers to remove my eyesore comments over there. The dracula entry looks like one worth archiving.

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/27/2005 01:04 PM EST

Knegative: No attacking going over here, just letting you know 1) I think Tom Cruise is a crazy bastard who grates on my nerves to no end and 2) I think he's still a great actor.

Yeah, I really should get over to the next blog entry... but first, the article!

Chestnuts roasted by Night_Trekker @ 07/27/2005 04:40 PM EST

All the games that have been mentioned so far are good examples, but I think there's a game that crossed the line way before those. It was an arcade game by the same people who made the arcade classic Crossbow called Chiller. It came out in 1986. It was a pretty gruesome game. It was set in different dungeon levels filled with victims in different torture devices. You used a light gun type device to shoot at the different victims or at the torture devices to activate them and cause pain on the victims. One screen featured a topless woman on a rack. When you shot the handle it would turn, stretching the woman until she was torn in half while she was screaming. Very disturbing and creepy game for 1986, to say the least. I only discovered it a couple of years ago on a ROM for the MAME emulator.

Then, of course, there's that Porky's arcade game that came out in the early 80s', but I have no idea what exactly you had to do in that game as I was only about 6 and only remember seeing it in an arcade once. My dad wouldn't let me go near it.

Chestnuts roasted by Threnodaemis @ 07/28/2005 09:09 AM EST

Concensus says its not a great year to be Tom Cruise. But he brings it on himself by acting erratic on every TV appearance he has. Everytime there's a Tom Cruise story, the network I intern for is all over it.

Then again, he made that assinine comment about postpartem depression and how exercise will "cure" it. Well thank you Dr. Tom. I don't have kids, but I don't think exercise can cure the crippling depression that a lot of women face.

Also, did anyone catch T.O.'s agent's interview on HBO? We (CBS-3 in Philly) played a clip of it on the 4 o'clock news yesterday, and it was CLASSIC! Man this guy is CRAZY!

Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 07/28/2005 10:55 AM EST

Just got back from Must Love Dogs. It was more about Diane Lane's character than Cusack's. But it had a lot of laughs, patented Cusack 'theories' on love, and one-line philosophical waxings:

"a philosopher and an artist, yes it is we who suffer the most"

Plus, a hysterical cross-city dash, which leaves Cusack with his newest moniker "Condom Man". Finally, he was, in long form, called an Emo Man. Yes, we can grow up after all

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 07/29/2005 10:20 PM EST

Oh man, this is not a game but when my parents heard they said the sh-word in the Transformer cartoon movie I almost had to kiss my collection good bye.

Chestnuts roasted by Eminem Poster Girl @ 08/06/2005 07:38 PM EST

As I remember, Spike saying "shit" went over like a f-i-c when I saw TF: TM in the theater. "Open, dammit, open" was equivalently bad, if only because one of the robots said it. I distinctly remember the gasp.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 08/07/2005 08:49 PM EST