Saturday Supplemental - Everything Free in America

Dragon Quest x Google Maps: 8-bit Google Maps for NES!
If you have an Internet connection, and I'm betting you do, there's a good chance you've already seen Google's 2012 April Fool's Day gag. While the "Quest" maps are no longer active, this video is certainly worth your time if you missed it last weekend.

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’: Best Games of 2011
This is the best kind of HAWP episode - fast, funny, and far more insightful than a silly sketch about two people arguing over video games has any right to be. I'm going to be quoting Ash's line from the end of this one for a long time. (Bonus: The first new HAWPcast in months.)


Gridiron Solitaire!
Bill Harris announces his first game, a combination solitaire/football game. As I've said before on this very site, football is man's most boring creation, but after years of reading Bill's writing about both life and games, I can't wait to see the fruits of this passion project. Plus, it was inspired solitaire/golf hybrid Fairway Solitaire, which managed to be great despite its golf roots.


MolyJam Game Archive System
A depository of over 300 games made at last weekend's "What Would Molydeux?" gamejam. I haven't even begun to sort through these, but expect to hear more about this in an upcoming Sunday Free Game.

Electronic Arts named worst company in America, reacts to news
That headline isn't referring to video game companies. That's out of all companies in America. I'm glad to see The Consumerist challenging EA, but America's worst company? Are they kidding?

Grasshopper's Suda on Lollipop Chainsaw and the new media landscape
More questionable statements about the landscape of American business, but this time they're coming from Suda51, and that guy is the best.

Parenting Is Not an Escort Mission
Joel Goodwin lambastes game developers for the lazy way parenting is depicted in games, and offers alternatives.

For a small fee in America.

Sunday Free Game - Let's Play: Ancient Greek Punishment!

In belated celebration of April Fool's Day, we'll take a look at a free game which makes a fool of its player each Sunday this month, except for this week, where we'll pretend that Friday is Sunday and Sunday is Friday. Cool? Okay.

Play Let's Play: Ancient Greek Punishment!

Like each and every one of the Greek gods, this game is a jerk. Pick a figure from Greek mythology, suffer his punishment, curse the gods, repeat. I love it.

The Final Chapter

Pour some out for your bros. We've lost two video game shows in the last week.

Grand Finale - The Final Episode of Nintendo Week and The Tester

I'm assuming that The Tester is over forever, but I make the same assumption every year, and it keeps coming back. That show is more resilient than Jason Voorhees.

Suffer for Fashion

There's my whole attitude toward clothes, but my taste broadens dramatically when I play video games.

Matters of the Cloth - My Perplexing Passion for Virtual Fashion

It's all very confusing, but at least talking about fashion affords me opportunities to reference both The Kinks and Of Montreal.

Also, big thanks to GoNintendo for linking to yesterday's article!

Worthless Piece of Scrap Metal

Fun fact: Back in the nineties, I bought the original DOS Mega Man. This one:

I bought that. With real money. I paid $10 for that at Target. It was probably the only game I got that entire year.

A few years later, I bought the DOS port of Mega Man X. And I loved it!

Mega Man X - The DOS Release's Botched Soundtrack

As today's article illustrates, the music had some flaws. It's easy to complain now, but at the time, the mere fact that there was music qualified this game as a great success in my mind.

Take This Job

I once had a friend who would frequently question the purpose of critics. I think most of us just accept that it's a viable role without giving it any thought, but try defending the need for professional reviews. It's harder than you'd expect.

Newsmakers: Is It Better to Make Games or Write About Them?

That friend thought critics were useless, and I understand and respect the perspective. Ultimately, though, I support the people who write about games. Obviously. A good critic can be as insightful as the work's creator, and I've certainly read reviews that were more entertaining than the game, itself.

In my ongoing job hunt, I've applied for positions making games, writing about games, and doing completely unrelated to the field, and I've found reasons to get excited about all three. There are developer jobs that are way better than video game site editor jobs, and vice versa. I don't see either as the clear winner.

Sunday Free Game - Be Good

Here's a video game you can play for free. It was made by some idiot.

Play Be Good

And while we're on the subject of that Jake Spencer dork, here's an interview/podcast/ramble-thon I did recently:

The Breaking Point Episode #16 - Never Been Better (ft.Jake Spencer)

In other news, I'm 24 now. Please update your records.