February 7, 2010 - 7:21 pm
Are you a bad enough dude to help Bugs get to his birthday party?
Be that as it may, it’s not really an issue because The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout is not a video game. It represents the Warner Brothers’ attempt to cash-in on what was perceived to be the next great video storage medium: the plastic Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge.
Due to limitations of the 8-bit cartridge, each installment could only contain 20-seconds’ worth of drawings and text.
Despite this, Birthday Blowout features some of the most intuitive controls to appear on the NES, as mashing my keypad allowed me to advance through the breathtaking scenes.
I eagerly await the next 70 installments.
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Posted in NES Quick Play
February 7, 2010 - 2:56 pm

Richard Rood started his wrestling career on the railcar circuit in the early 1960s, where he went by his cart-name Johnny “Rimjob” Johnson. He wrestled at switchyards across the continental United States until 1986 when he was discovered at a gas station urinal by Vince MacMahon. MacMahon invited Rood to join MacMahon’s Basement Wrestling Association (MBWA). After a brief conversation with a rag covered in chloroform, Rood accepted and became known as Dick “Sloppy Firsts” Ruüd.
In 1987 MacMahon invited Rood to join the World Wrestling Federation. A combination of Stockholm Syndrome and Rood’s desire to ‘go legit’ allowed for him to become a household name and make his mark on the wrestling zeitgeist as “Ravishing” Rick Rude.
Playing on wrestling fans’ appreciation for alliteration, Rood quickly became a fan favourite. Young boys everywhere loved how slowly Rood would remove his rob upon entering the ring, and they all longed to be the randomly selected woman from the crowd who Rood would kiss after his victory.
Due in part to Rood’s astounding ability to be able to put his hands on his head and suggestively move his hips, Rood became the WWF Intercontinental Champion on April 2nd, 1987. He lost this title six months later to the Ultimate Warrior in a poorly-thought-out game of dice.
Tragically, Rood died in a plane crash on the way to an event in Minnesota. The plane crashed in Iowa. Also on board were Kurt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, Big John Studd, Bam Bam Bigelow, The British Bulldog, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly.
Always ravishing and never rude, Rood will be greatly missed until someone else dies. Despite the misnomer of his ring-name, he will always be #1 in fans’ hearts.
#1 in this fan’s pants.
Posted in WWF Flashback
February 5, 2010 - 11:09 pm
February 5, 2010 - 11:07 pm
Tags: Wiz Posted in NES Quick Play
February 5, 2010 - 11:04 pm
Between the glory days of the record, and the tragic compact disc era, there was another way of listening to music. That way was the compact cassette.
A cassette (sometimes known as a "tape") normally contained 30 to 45 minutes of audio per side – just enough AC/DC to keep you wanting more. Its size was roughly that of a deck of cards, though not as deep.
A key difference between the vinyl record and the tape was that it enabled listeners to record music off of the radio, or to duplicate their friend’s tapes. This meant listeners were no longer bound by the crushing clutches of "not being a music pirate" and were free to ‘stick it to artists.’
The recording industry inevitably tried to take cassettes off the market through a lawsuit, but their case was thrown out when cassette makers presented Bruce Springsteen as evidence that music had no value – a key requirement in considering something theft.
Where tapes failed in comparison to records was resiliency – they had a tendency to be ‘eaten’ by cassette decks. Following their destruction the tapes often resembled an unraveled ball of yarn – albeit a yarn covered in the sweet sweet sounds of ZZ Top. These eaten tapes would often get discarded by the sides of roads as drivers sought environmentally friendly ways to decorate the neighborhood.
Eventually cassettes were replaced in their role as a means to listen to audio. Their replacement came in the form of writing out and then ingesting the lyrics to your favorite songs – which in some instances improved the song after travelling through the digestive system.
Now-a-days, as we listen to our favorite Katy Perry wax cylinder it’s easy to take for granted the devices of the past.
Without cassettes my Walkman would only be good for emptying batteries.
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Tags: Cassettes Posted in Grab Bag
February 5, 2010 - 6:49 pm
Everyone’s favourite cautionary fable used by school teachers across the globe is now available on an 8-bit cartridge!
BreakThru is the high-octane sequel to The Adventures of Bayou Billy, and it picks up where Bayou Billy left off, with players passed out on the floor after blowing in the cartridge for ten unrelenting minutes.
But once players get that new 72-pin connector installed, it becomes clear what BreakThru is: Billy’s Sunday drive away from the dangers of the bayou in his tricked-out jeep. To pilot this machine, players make use of the directional pad in order to move around the screen, the ‘B’ button to shoot’, and ‘A’ button to initiate hydraulics.
This time around players will have to look out for landmines, falling rocks, and an impenetrable rock wall that appears halfway through the first level, making it impossible to continue living and advance in the level.
Not so much a game as it is a metaphor for life.
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Posted in NES Quick Play