Game Revolution - Daily Manifesto

Mario Kart In Real Life

I've seen it dove before in stop motion, but this is awesome. The fact that he is actually throwing bananas at cars is pure genius.

The Exclusively Untrustworthy

Review embargoes (ie. not publishing a review until a certain date) are quite common in both the game and movie biz. They have seldom been problematic, until now.

These are almost never contractually enforced, but they are socially enforced as we, on both sides of the gaming fence, are all professionals who have to work together. And I think it’s fair for gaming companies to want us to not trash-talk their products until they’re actually out. Think of it as a gentlemen’s agreement, and here at GR we always honor them.

However, recently I have noticed a disturbing new trend: The Exclusive Review.

This is where one publisher is given the blessing to ...

The Secret of Mana Energy Potions

Anyone who’s ever played an RPG is familiar with those little bottles filled with blue liquid that recharge magical powers. They’re in everything from Diablo to Baldur’s Gate. Heck I’m even playing a Naruto game right now that has them. It was only a matter of time before someone realized the profitability of marketing a Mana Energy Drink to the real life gaming masses and made one.
Mana Energy Potion is not the first energy drink we’ve covered in the Manifesto, but it is by far the one with the most disgusting taste. Imagine the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten. Now imagine that taking a poop in your mouth. That is ...

Nobody Do Anything Dangeresque!

I am told that the HomeStarRunner guys make a good living off selling their merchandise, I guess they must because the have time to make crazy free games.

No this isn't Strongbad's Cool Game for Attractive People, it's an homage to old point & click adventures and a free look at the latest chapter Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective. Have fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Regardless of what all of you think of U.S. these days, Thanksgiving is a holiday that is noble in spirit. Also the food. Ohhh the food.

We're off until Monday, so try not to wreck the place while we're gone. There's plenty to check out while we're out, including this year's Holiday Gift Guide. Also, if you have a high tolerance for... umm... tolerance, Blake turned up wildly drunk (he's officially on vacation) to do a special, live unedited Thanksgiving Podcast. He was drunk before we went to the brewery.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome our new intern, Nick Swanson. Today is his first day, and ...

Video Game Faces

Ever wonder what you look like when you're playing games? This short film and art project is the answer.

Neat, although I swear that one girl can see through the screen, through my head, and is reading the back of my skull. You'll know who I mean.

Saving The World, One Crowbar At A Time

It was pointed out a while back that there is a fellow working at the CERN Large Hadron Collider that looks suspiciously like Gordon Freeman. Well now he's properly equipped.

The folks over at reddit.com thought it would be a good idea to make sure that our silent friend Gordon had both the famous red-handled crowbar and a copy of the Half-Life strategy guide. You know... just in case.

So they sent him one. Just in time it appears from the pics as the head crabs have already started to appear. Fortunately, we know Gordon is capable of single-handedly saving the world.

I, for one, welcome our new Combine overlords. Thanks to ...

Ozzy Osbourne In World Of Warcraft

Alright, so there's no chance in hell that Ozzy plays WoW, or can even figure out how to turn on a computer, but this new commercial is funny nonetheless.

I actually wish it was a bit longer, I wouldn't mind watching those devil girls dancing for a bit. Perhaps they will release an extended version.

PETA Goes After Cooking Mama

I can't make up headlines like this. Yes, the nutters over at PETA have made their own flash game, Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals. It's hysterical and you can play it right here.

That's quite a lot of effort to show me exactly what my Thanksgiving Day turkey will not look like. Mine won't still have feathers or random sludge oozing from it. It will be golden brown, juicy and delicious.

Majesco even responded (although sadly not with a counter-game).

Food lover and culinary cutie Cooking Mama is a virtual chef who believes that good home cooked food, properly prepared from the best ingredients, can bring people together around the table and make the world ...

Bicycle Hero

Wow. Just wow. These guys spent a lot of time and effort on this video. They're my new heroes.

function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/ga001.swf", "mplayer", "480", "400", "8", "#000000"); so.addParam("wmode","transparent"); so.addParam("swliveconnect", "true"); so.addParam("allowfullscreen", "true"); so.addVariable("pid", "ga001"); so.addVariable("siteId", "79"); so.addVariable("videoId", "10"); so.addVariable("autostart", "false"); so.addVariable("file", ...

The Top **** Lists

If you ever want to know where gaming journalism is in the grand scheme of things, it's a tabloid, a blabbering foam-at-the-mouth donkey that just can't get enough rabies. In other words, just go to the gaming section of Digg. As of this post, here is every list-ridden article on the first five pages of Digg in the order of the most recent; or should I say, "Literally, The Top 19 Top **** Lists on Digg":

1) "The Six Most Soul-Sucking Video Games"
2) "30 Rare & Expensive Gamecube Games"
3) "The Top 7 Outrageously Camp Bad Guys in Video Games"
4) "The Top 7 Game ...

Tomb Raider Underworld Video

Well folks, now that we have our own super-special GR media player the exclusives are just pouring in. This week we bring you a peek at the upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Lara Croft is back and she brought her wardrobe along for the ride. Watch as she traverses jungle terrain in her tank top and cargo pants. Or perhaps you'd rather drool over her blowing up sharks in a legless wetsuit?

One thing is for certain: No matter what outfit she picks, she always looks fabulous.

function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/ga001.swf", "mplayer", "480", "325", "8", ...

Vox Pop of the Month (October 2008)

What, were you expecting some witty comment or something? What, you were?

Well, okay, "Jesus rolls natural 20s."

Winner gets a $50 gift certificate. Runner-ups get $25. Got it? Good.

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Winner: Melaisis
Title: "Becoming A Zombie on WoW"

Comment: Merrrrggghhhhhh.... MEEERRRGGGGGGHHHHH.... WWWOOOOOOWWWWWBBRRRRRRAAAAIIINNNNNNNSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

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Runner-Up: LinksOcarina
Title: "The Sequel Effect: Part II, ...

Are Video Games Recession-Proof?
You would think that during a financial crisis, with looming bankruptcies, foreclosures, and rising unemployment, people might cut back on video games. But the numbers are out, and so far, they're up.

NPD Group released the figures through the end of September (or Q3 as we fancy people like to call it) and while the numbers were down 21% in Japan, in the U.S. game sales were up by 8% and up by 15% in the U.K..

Of course, the holiday season may still be down, but these results clearly show that people are skimping on other luxuries before video games.

Add to that the announcement I received from Sony today saying that they sold 190,000 PS3's in October, a jump of 56% over last year, ...

Product of the Day: Starpex Guitar
In what may be as “real” as you can get to a “fake” guitar, the Starpex Guitar by Peak Products supplants all other would-be guitar controllers by sporting a body made of genuine wood. Like any good aftermarket controller compatible with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Rock Revolution (and whatever else), the “Starpex” has everything a budding axe-ripper needs: ten fret buttons - five near the top of the neck and five near the bottom (though of the same size and not small like the Rock Band solo buttons), wireless or wired connection via a 15-foot USB cable, and a tilt sensor for activating ...

Plugging The Podcast
Many of you who come to the site never listen to our weekly podcast. Well you should try it now because it's easier than ever now that it is available for free on iTunes.

To download or subscribe, just get iTunes (also free if you don't already have it) and click right on this link. If you subscribe, you can even have it automatically synched to your iPod every week. That's free new gaming stuff in your iPod every week.

It's a lot of fun, and we have a lot of fun (and beers) making it. Almost every episode we figure out a way to give away some of the gaming swag that we get sent to our listeners. We've had secret undercover GameStop employees join us to talk about ...

Product of the Day: Future Sonics Atrio Headphones
A few weeks ago we got a pair of the new Future Sonics Atrio earphones in the mail. Being the resident audiophile, I took one for the team and put it upon myself to test out these fancy, professional-grade buds. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my job.

As I removed the product from the box, I noticed there was more in there than just the headphones. They come with a set of sleeves in various shapes and sizes to best fit your ear canal. It’s a good thing too, as the set that came on the phones themselves is too large for my ears.

I must say I was more impressed with the sound quality than I thought I would be. Trebles are clear and crisp, and the bass hits deep without distortion. You can feel an ...

It\\\'s Baaaaaaack
Due to a non-paying deadbeat bidder, the PS3 didn't sell for $17,100 after all. So let's do another contest!

I have a Mirror's Edge messenger bag for the person who gets closest to the final selling price. The eBay listing is here, and it currently stands at $2,810. Still to rich for me.

Once again, the rules:

You can go over, this is not The Price Is Right. All guesses must be posted in the comments below at least 2 hours before the auction finishes. One guess per person. You cannot guess the same number someone has previously guessed.

Bidding ends in three days. See you next ...

Video Killed The Internet Star
Alright! I finally got access to our new GR video player. To celebrate we got a totally exclusive video you won't be seeing anywhere else on the internet.

Alright, it's not for Starcraft 3 or anything, but some of the Dragon Ball Z fighting games have been pretty good, and the moves are always way over the top. In this case: Broly vs. Super #17 in Dragon Ball Z Infinite World.

You saw a hint of this player before with our E3 videos. I'm going to tinker with it some more tomorrow and see if I can't up the resolution.

function getVideo() { var so = new ...

Corsair Flash Memory
Product-a-day ruminates on some flash drives today. Remember the first time you actually sat down and considered just how indispensably convenient, say, the cell phone actually is?

How it made you wonder just how the hell people could possibly have functioned on a daily basis before everybody had them? I had a moment sort of like that the other day as I backed up and transported the really important audio content on my laptop—ALL of it, in one shot—with the 32GB Flash Survivor from Corsair; how the hell did I ever manage to shuttle/transport my important files around from computer to computer, dicking around with puny—and in some cases, surprisingly fragile--little 1GB flash drives? What ...