GeekSix

Tron and other great franchises: “Sometimes, dead is better.”

Josh
Thursday
10:48 am

I’m about to commit geek blasphemy. Steady the noggins of your Star Trek bobbleheads and hold your sweaty can of Amp down, because the following statement is going to rattle the very foundations of the Internet:

I saw the “TRON” teaser trailer. And I was completely underwhelmed.

Actually, more than completely underwhelmed. I thought it was cheesy. Perfunctory. Uninspired. Wipe the tears from your eyes, my friends, or let them flow and have them wash away the retro-nostalgic blindness which has clouded your eyes.

I loved the original “TRON.” The art direction was never-before-seen, and the idea was fresh. It was a stunning movie.

But it was made during a particular time ..read more

A true tale of Lazer Tag and law enforcement

Josh
Monday
11:58 pm

“What’s this hooch here?” the deputy said as he yanked back a blanket in the back seat, revealing a 24-pack of Miller Lite.

We all shifted nervously, the kid-sized Lazer Tag vests bungee corded around our grown-up bellies feeling uncomfortably tight.

The hooch’s presumed owner spoke up. “It’s not mine, officer,” he stammered, attempting to sound plausibly innocent. “My older brother had the car last night, and he must have put that back there.”

“‘Zat so?” the deputy loudly mused with textbook authoritarianism as he looked to his partner. The gravel crunched as he walked back to his patrol car, sidestepping the pile of 10-year old ray guns. “You were just out here ..read more

Steal this pitch: Movies based on games that were based on movies

Josh
Thursday
11:30 pm

With the news that the industry-kickstarting game “Space Invaders” has been optioned for movie rights, we’ve decided that Hollywood has, really, REALLY, OFFICIALLY run out of ideas for movies. For reals this time, y’all.

They’ve already given every franchise possible a gritty reboot, and they’ve milked every video game franchise to boot.

So what’s left?

What about making movies out of games that were based on movies? Take all the joy of a reboot and add in pre-packaged brand appeal, and voila! Instant blockbuster.

The only problem is that some of those game-movie tie-ins were pretty tenuous and cryptic. But don’t worry, Hollywood — we’ve done all the work for you! We’ve ..read more

An Interview with 80s gaming icon David Fox

Josh
Thursday
10:22 am

If you were playing adventure games in the 80s, you’ve likely seen some of David Fox’s handiwork. Most programmers back then went uncredited, and household names were still a rarity, but the products he put time into spoke volumes. David worked on many of LucasArts’ early smash hits: “Rescue on Fractalus,” “Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders,” “Maniac Mansion” and others.

Geek6 was able to take up some of David’s time to get his thoughts on the past and future of gaming, as well as the changes that have taken place in the industry over 30 years.

You were in on the computer revolution from the get-go. What was the ..read more

Fixed system specs: The best thing about console gaming

Josh
Sunday
4:57 pm

There’s something fascinating about watching the games on a console evolve from the initial launch titles as developers figure out how to make the most of a console.

And then, during the system’s dying days, you often see some remarkable technical achievements borne out of competition with whatever glitzier progeny has taken its place.

While the effect has paled with each generation of hardware, you can see some great evolution in 20th century stuff. Check out these examples:

The Atari 2600 popularized home video gaming, creating an industry that is now rivaling Hollywood in terms of entertainment dollars. The machine’s heyday was from 1978 to 1984, and later games started to ..read more

You always remember your first

Josh
Tuesday
10:05 pm

Editor’s note: This post is pretty long, and kinda emo, but deeply personal. Maybe you won’t read it, because there’s no subheads in it. Or maybe you can relate, and it’ll help you recall one key thread that was interwoven among your formative years. For me, this is that thread.

In the winter of 1982, my dad and I trekked across the crunchy Michigan snow to our neighbor’s house to see his new toy.

“It’s called a Commodore 64,” he said. “And it’s changed my life.” Over the next few minutes, he demoed a word processor, swapped the discs to show us a database program and, finally, an adventure game.

He waggled the ..read more

Captain EO Returns

Christy
Thursday
12:06 am

Disneyland announced that Honey I Shrunk the Audience will be closing to make way for a limited engagement of Captain EO, opening in February.

Here’s the best Captain EO I’ve met.  Nicely done Bryan.  And yes, those are Tic Tac containers.  I heard a rumor that Bryan smelled like oranges for ..read more

The Pee-wee Herman Show

Christy
Friday
4:31 pm

One of the great parts of my childhood was the hours spent watching Pee-wee’s Playhouse.  So imagine my delight when I heard that Paul Reubens was reprising the stage show through the end of January at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.  I saw the show last night and took a nice little stroll back in time with Pee-wee, Cowboy Curtis (sadly, Lawrence Fishbourne did not reprise his role), Chairy, Magic Screen, Conky and the rest of the playhouse gang.  I even got lessons on how to use Bumpits from Miss Yvonne.

And just because I love Large ..read more

Superhero Kit for Nephews and Nieces

Autumn
Tuesday
11:46 pm

My fabulous sisters have out done themselves again when it comes to Christmas time/Nerdy Present time.  What to give the offspring that has everything?  Why, business cards of course – superhero business cards, and badges, and the bane of every superhero – paperwork.

The best part of the evening was when my youngest nephew – who’s name starts with an “S” protested that his name was spelled wrong on his manila envelope, an envelope that read “Top Secret.”  Ah, to laugh at youth.

My sister Apryl has templates of all the paperwork for the Superhero Kit on her blog.  It’s a good read (my favorite line item -  “communications with sea ..read more

Still Christmas Shopping for that Important Geek in Your Life?

Christy
Thursday
1:33 pm

Well, look no further.  This might be my new favorite thing from ThinkGeek.com.   Magic Wand – Programmable TV Remote.

This magical wand learns directly from your current remote control and “maps them to particular magical motions.”  For example, waving the wand from side to side will change the channel.

I plan to order it now and then when I eventually have children I will only change the TV volume, channel, etc with this.  Just so they know that I really do have magical powers.  Mwuahaha.  As a side note, I was deceived on a regular basis as a child so I feel good about perpetuating the cycle.  For instance, ..read more