Wacky...Thursday: INCEPTIONAUTS

What was supposed to be Wacky Wednesday is now Thursday. Shows how a thunderstorm can slow things down.

Anyways.

Wacky Wednesday (on Thursday) #3: INCEPTIONAUTS

Who here has watched Inception, the dream-diving multi-dimensional heist movie directed and written by Christopher Nolan? Considering its high ticket sales and highly-positive reviews I can assume that most of you out there have. If you have not and have, instead, watched Vampires Suck, then I will ask you to vacate the premises. Quickly.

Now, how many of you have played Psychonauts, a 3D adventure title which involves entering the minds of certain characters and ultimately trying to save a bunch of psychic children from being used to take over the world, developed by Double Fine? Sales-wise, the game did poorly on its initial launch, but it has done better over time, what with being an Xbox Original and all. Still, the number is not nearly as great. And we should all feel ashamed for that.

Put them together: how many of you have watched Inception and played Psychonauts? I hope there is more than just a few of you, because this week's Wacky *Thursday* is a video which takes the Inception trailer and throws it into the Psychonauts psyche. Not much else to say about that, except play Psychonauts if you have not. It is a fun, funny game. A little collect-a-thon-y but fun.

Wacky Wednesday: Minitroid

Presenting Wacky Wednesday, a weekly article in which 3RM brings out the weird, the wacky, the whimsical, the wild, the wildebeest...wait. No, not that. We here at Third Rate Minion take the time to help spread the oddities of the Internet, whether they are extremely unique Rom Hacks, independent games, odd gaming-related videos, or any other intriguing media for the 3RM audience.

Wacky Wednesday #2: Minitroid

Since Metroid: Other M came out this week, I figured it would be nice to look at a particularly interesting game developed in the Metroid universe by a fan. Whereas Metroid: Other M is a story-driven title with a longer completion time than most previous games in the series, Minitroid promises to bring a much more condensed and story-free game into the mix.

The game is developed by Tokinsom of Metroid Fan Mission, a website dedicated to Metroid Fan Games. He is also known for developing the title Metroid +H, a super-deformed Metroid title that is currently shelved. In light of that project being shelved, he has been working on a shorter, simpler game experience.

When he originally announced the project, he cited:

So here's a little game I've spent a few days on practicing a new RAD program. There's not much to look at right now..just seeing if anyone thinks it would be interesting to play.. It's essentially a Metroid II minigame. At first I was thinking you do nothing but hunt various Metroid larvae which have infested the planet, but that could get boring after a while so I added a hornoad and plan to add other enemies..but then ya got a real mini Metroid II..hm. anyway..

Now over a month later, the game's small, pixelart title seems to be shaping up quite well. There are a number of enemies to fight and Metroids to kill. It really looks like a Mini Metroid II in a way. Certainly worth a look at the gameplay.

Hopefully this one makes it out of the woodworks!

VIDEO


MINITROID THREAD

Wacky Wednesday: Wario Ware: D.I.Wily

Presenting Wacky Wednesday, a weekly article in which 3RM brings out the weird, the wacky, the whimsical, the wild, the wildebeest...wait. No, not that. We here at Third Rate Minion take the time to help spread the oddities of the Internet, whether they are extremely unique Rom Hacks, independent games, odd gaming-related videos, or any other intriguing media for the 3RM audience.

Wacky Wednesday #1: Wario Ware: D.I.Wily

In March 2010, Nintendo released WarioWare:D.I.Y. in North America. D.I.Y. is a WarioWare title for the Nintendo DS which allows, for the first time in the series' history, to develop their OWN microgames using the game's engine. Every microgame made available in it was made using the same toolset, even the main development team's. There is also a WiiWare title, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase, in which the games can be made playable using the Wii Controller's IR Pointer instead of the DS Stylus.

While the game's only input method for microgames is tapping the screen, the amount of flexibility the game provides, from graphics to music and even gameplay variations, is astounding. What a better way to demonstrate the abilities of microgame creators than with a throwback to one of the most retro-looking franchises of today: Mega Man!

Youtube user and member of the NeoGAF forums, Jarosh Barksdale had a vision: create a collection of microgames which depict the evil Dr. Wily as he prepares for another fight against the Blue Bomber. The result is a collection of nine microgames, all shown off in the video below, followed by a playthrough of the games randomized.

Here is a list of the games, as given in his video page:

Spikes! - Dr. Wily tests the spike shafts
Dumpster Claw - Dr. Wily steals old robot masters from Dr. Light's dumpster
Door Jumping - Dr. Wily tests the boss doors for their... "jumpability"
Blocks! - Dr. Wily and Guts Man collect disappearing blocks
Eyebrows - Dr. Wily gets a much needed eyebrow trim (with some help from Cut Man)
Teleport - Dr. Wily tests the teleport hatches and tries not to turn into THE BEE
Fueling up - Dr. Wily gets gas for his saucer
Wily shops - Dr. Wily gets some shopping done before the big day
Revenge - Dr. Wily finally defeats Mega Man

Note that everything is made from scratch using WarioWare's engine and not uploaded sprites onto the DS itself. It is quite a feat, and Jarosh certainly deserves credit for this extensive project.

VIDEO