Like video games? Like MST3K? You might like this

Gaming Today recently highlighted a video series from the excellent video gaming site The Escapist called Unskippable. In it, two guys watch video game trailers and cut-scenes and attempt to provide witty commentary over it. It’s essentially Rifftrax Presents for the gamer crowd. And judging from the few episodes I watched, it has the same hit-or-miss ratio as a Mike-, Bill-, or Kevin-less Rifftrax Presents episode.

Of course, that isn’t to say it’s bad. It’s just not amazing. The clip I embedded above has them taking on a trio of trailers. The first and third are actually pretty funny and reasonably smart. Definitely worth checking out, if your hunger for riffs is insatiable.

Something MSTies might like: Retro Game Challenge

This doesn’t really explicitly have anything to do with Mystery Science Theater 3000. However, the premise and nature of this video game may be appealing to a number of MSTies out there, and I felt it was worth mentioning.

Recently released for the Nintendo DS handheld system, Retro Game Challenge is based around the premise of a “Game Master” trapping gamers in the past and making them play old video games. As The A.V. Club pointed out, this just smacks of our favorite show. Kind of. The games they’re playing aren’t bad, per se… but give me a break. I like video games and I wanted to post something. Work with me!

I know that there are a fair number of MSTies out there who are also gamers, as well as currently non-gaming MSTies who grew up playing old NES games. So, if nothing else, this might be an amusing trip down memory lane.

MST3K + Spore = Nightmare Fuel

As you might have heard, a demo for upcoming PC game Spore was recently released. Spore is a long-awaited “evolution sim,” I suppose you’d call it. You create your own species from the ground up, then guide them as they evolve and advance, going from a single cell to a spacefaring race.  At the moment, you can pick up the trial version of the “Creature Creator” for free here.

Why do I mention this? Well, as you can see above, I am one fabulous nerd. Yes, I made Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot in Spore. Or, rather, I tried and ended up producing freakish, ghastly creatures inspired by them. Needless to say, the possibilities are endless and quite disturbing, especially if you shell out $10 for the full version of Creature Creator, which unlocks many more parts to use. I probably could’ve done better with the full selection.

I’m not alone in my madness, either. YouTube user Connigit made his own Trumpy creature. You can also see sad, disturbing footage of my own Crow T. Robot here. Can you do better? Most likely. Download the Spore Creature Creator and give it a shot. My next Spore project? Nummy Muffin Coocol Butter. Or something shaped like genitals. I haven’t decided yet. Either way, you can keep track of them here.

UPDATE: See? I knew I sucked. A reader named Insert Coin(s) to Continue made his own, more accurate Tom and Crow. I love that Tom, particularly.

MST3K In Electronic Gaming Monthly

March’s issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) contains a subtle, comic-style homage to MST3K. In a two-page puzzle illustration full of sci-fi and video game references, one can find Crow, Tom, Dr. F, and TV’s Frank leaning up against the bar, apparently enjoying some nice space jam. It’s easy to miss, but it’s in the bottom-right corner of page 94, if you feel like looking for yourself.

Now, as a devout gamer and a subscriber to EGM, you would think that I would have been one of the first people to notice this. Sadly, I merely skimmed the issue and spent barely a second looking at the large drawing that this it a part of. Satellite News spotted it a while ago. Sigh. Fortunately, the artist posted the full piece on his LiveJournal. It’s quite cool, if you’re a nerd like me.

“Destroy All Humans” Trailer Destroys All Humor

I love video games. Seriously. Love them. Gaming is my hobby of choice, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. So, when Satellite News pointed out the blatant MST homage in recent trailers for the upcoming Wii game Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, well, I shed a tear. Aliens riffing on a tutorial video for their game? Do tell. And then I shed a few more tears when I realized that the riffing consists of little more than endless PG-13 sexual innuendo. Oh well. If you’re still interested, apart from the trailer above, there’s a second, newer trailer here. (The so-called “Comedy” one.)

As for the game itself, I imagine that it might be right up some of your alleys. It’s effectively an old 1950s alien invader story, but from the perspective of the alien. Two more games precede this one, with a fourth coming out later this year. They’re mindless mayhem and destruction, and usually good for a chuckle. The video game equivalent of a good, stupid b-movie. Worth a rental, for you MSTie gamers out there