Brewis announced the stream on YouTube on January 14, saying he chose to stream Donkey Kong 64 because he never beat the game as a kid, even after playing a single save file for nearly 60 hours. As to why Brewis picked Mermaids, he said "I chose to support this charity because, as a person living in Britain, I find the media discussion surrounding [trans issues] in my country, especially in its tabloids, to be woefully misinformed."Brewis' impetus for starting the stream came after Irish comedian Graham Linehan (known for co-creating The IT Crowd, Black Books and Father Ted) criticized the British National Lottery for issuing funds to Mermaids. With this grant going under review as a result of Linehan using the website Mumsnet to flood the British National Lottery with concerned emails, Brewis took it upon himself to try to raise his own funds for the organization.
He began the Donkey Kong 64 Charity Nightmare for Mermaids stream on Twitch on January 18. Aiming to get a 101% completion rating in Donkey Kong 64, the stream lasted for over 50 hours. It ultimately gained attention from Mermaids CEO Susie Green, who participated in a group call that included Doom co-creator John Romero, actress Mara Wilson, trans activist Chelsea Manning and, incredibly, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Lemons into lemonade https://t.co/fzi4knRPxV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 20, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez’s involvement with the stream came about after she tweeted out her support for the event. This followed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin appearing on CNN criticizing some of the younger, newly elected US representatives for focusing on issues like transgender bathrooms, saying “It’s not just about transgender bathrooms — that’s a Republican talking point they’re trying to distract you with.”
While on the stream, Ocasio-Cortez discussed her limited experience with video games, saying “Donkey Kong 64 is outside of my wheelhouse. I never owned an N64, though I do think it’s probably the best system out of all of them. I used to go to my cousin’s house all the time, and she had Super Mario 64, Pokemon Snap, and probably a handful of other things, and that’s probably all I know how to play."
Of course, Ocasio-Cortez also discussed the trans issues that beget the stream, saying “Trans rights are civil rights are human rights… when we say ‘equal rights for all’ we mean equal rights for all: no asterisks, exceptions, fine print, nothing."For more video game fundraising stories, check out how Games Done Quick raised over $2.39 million for Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter. ]]>
In Pipe Mania your task is to guide a flow of sewage by placing pipe segments. Minis on the Move is built on the same idea, simply swapping in an auto-walking Mini-Mario robot for the sludge and walking-path pieces for the pipes. It’s a cosmetic cover-up that drains away some of the appeal the little toy characters held in past games in this series, as there’s nothing special about these Mini-Marios at all. Nintendo could have skinned this as a Kirby game, or a Yoshi game, or even invented a new character and achieved the same result.
Or perhaps even a better result, as the use of Mini-Marios introduces some confusion for anyone who’s played earlier installments in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and expects to directly control them with the stylus. Here, that’s control’s removed – they simply stroll constantly forward, and the only influence available to you is quick taps to make them move forward a little bit faster.
The default game mode, Mario’s Main Event, gives you a lone Mini-Mario to guide in such a way that he'll touch three tokens before hitting the goal. Most of the levels are straightforward and not too taxing to complete, but frustration comes from being at the mercy of whichever curves and straights the randomized tile dispenser deigns to give you, creating no-win situations. You can be one tile away from winning a level and be forced to fail just because the right piece doesn’t show up – like waiting for the long block to appear so you can complete a Tetris, but even more aggravating since Tetris at least offers the opportunity to take a second-best fit. In Minis on the Move, you either get the right piece or you get the Game Over screen.
The design improves greatly in its second and third modes, though. The Princess Peach-themed Puzzle Palace similarly has you guide a Mini to the goal, but offers all the pieces you need up front, so success or failure rest solely on your shoulders rather than randomness. The Toad-themed Many Mini Mayhem mode also places all the pieces you need into the playing field by default – the challenge is that you have to drag and swap their positions in order to guide multiple Minis to the goal together. Both of these modes take Minis on the Move further away from Pipe Mania, and they’re the highlight of the package because of it.
Then it goes right back to cloning. The Donkey Kong-themed Giant Jungle mode reprises the gameplay of Mario’s Main Event by bringing back the random tile stack. The difference is that the levels here are just enormous. You’d think that the great wide-open space might make things easier, giving you more room to build less cramped pathways, but the Mini-DK’s journeys end up being the toughest of all. And, worse, it takes so much time to play one of the Giant Jungle levels that failure anywhere near the goal flushes too much time down the drain.
Minis on the Move is rounded out by a small selection of slingshotting and crank-turning mini-games that have nothing in common with the main game beyond having the same characters – just throwaway extras.
The final piece of this package is noteworthy, though – the Create & Share mode. It bundles a slick level editor together with an online community for passing along your creations and downloading custom-made stages from other players, a feature that should extend the replayability significantly. I found myself frustrated once again here, though, as you’re only able to create Mario’s Main Event-type levels, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to share levels offline – no QR Code generator like Pushmo, for example. I would have loved to be able to make, share and download Puzzle Palace or Many Mini Mayhem-type designs.
The default game mode of Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is little more than a Nintendo-themed reskin of the 25-year-old Pipe Mania, and frustrates with its randomness. The much better Puzzle Palace and Many Mini Mayhem modes, thankfully, leave us with a good game overall. Use of more appropriate characters, better handling of the random tile dispenser, and a more robust Create & Share mode might’ve made this one something truly memorable.
]]>Over the next several weeks, we're going to be outlining our favorite characters from different eras of gaming. Not only do these characters need to be in our massive fighting game, but these lists double as a countdown of the best characters the medium has seen.
This week, we start from the beginning. These characters hail from the heyday of arcades and classic PC gaming. Anything that debuted before the NES is fair game.
Be sure to let us know what you think of our choices. Your own picks may provide the fodder for future Readers' Choice features. Also, expect the top picks form each week to have a showdown in the Stars Thunderdome. If these characters can really fight with the best of them, they'll need to prove it.
The Fighter: Pac-Man
First Appearance: Pac-Man (Arcade)
No list of retro characters is complete without an appearance by Pac-Man. This plucky, geometric adventurer was also the world's first real gaming celebrity. Besides having a version of his game hit nearly every console and system in existence, he gave birth to Pac-Man Fever, which burned throughout the early '80s.
While radios stopped playing the song 25 years ago, Pac-Man is still one of the most recognizable videogame icons. He may be forever trapped in that maze, but we'll always have another quarter handy for Pac-Man.
Special Move: The Wakka-Wakka – You can chase Pac-Man all you want, but once he eats an energy pellet he goes on the offensive. For a short time, Pac-Man becomes invincible, and his enemies become lunch.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Pitfall Harry
First Appearance: Pitfall! (Atari 2600)
Long before home consoles had a prayer of replicating the action and adventure of the Indiana Jones movies, there was Pitfall!. This game put players in the digitized shoes of Pitfall Harry. Harry crossed dangerous jungle terrain, avoiding pits, rivers, and the various animals that dwelt in each.
Modern remakes have attempted to flesh out Harry and give him more to do than just run and jump. And, yet, it's never quite the same, even with Bruce Campbell providing Harry's voice. There's just something to be said for the original.
Special Move: Crocodile Hop – Harry isn't so good with the whole combat thing, so he does a lot of running away. Don't fool yourself into thinking he's a coward, or that the fight is already over. Harry will hop across a pond full of floating crocodiles, deftly avoiding their powerful jaws. If you follow him that far, you probably won't be so lucky.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Donkey Kong
First Appearance: Donkey Kong (Arcade)
The establishment will try to tell you that monkeys can't be donkeys. Just throw a barrel at them to teach them otherwise. The oddly named Donkey Kong doesn't care about convention, and he climbs to the top of the charts as easily as he does tall buildings.
This is classic, old school Donkey Kong we're talking about. He's mellowed out in his old age, more likely to help his former enemy Mario than anything. But back in the day, every encounter was a violent battle for the affections of Mario's squeeze Pauline. That's the raucous fighter we want in our lineup.
Special Move: Barrel Toss – Don't give Donkey Kong any room to climb. He'll use his massive girth to crush the surroundings into rubble, and then pelt you with a steady stream of barrels until the cows come home. Be sure to bring a hammer.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Pong Paddle
First Appearance: Pong (Arcade)
The Pong Paddle is a simple character. It's not much to look at, being nothing more than a pixellated rectangle.
It's also lacking a bit in the personality department. Still, one has to admire its perseverance. Day in and day out, the Pong Paddle can be seen moving left and right. Sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly. Always in search of that next point.
Unlike your so-called "professional" tennis players, it never gets tired, and it never throws its racket (i.e. – itself) in frustration. The world could learn a thing or two from the Pong Paddle.
Special Move: High Velocity Smash – Such as they exist at all in its two-dimensional realm, the Pong Paddle knows how to use the laws of physics to its advantage. Just when you've gotten used to volleying back and forth, it'll increase speed and deflect the ball at an extreme angle. Suddenly, the tables have turned.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Q*Bert
First Appearance: Q*Bert (Arcade)
Along with Pac-Man, Q*Bert is definitely one of the most iconic characters of the early years of gaming.
Besides sharing a number of physical characteristics, both characters were the stars of some of the best examples of "easy to play, tough to master" gaming. Q*Bert's goal in life is to navigate a pyramidal arrangement of cubes, until each cube has been changed to the proper color. Naturally, this process is made more difficult by the presence of enemies, such as Coily the snake, Ugg, and Wrong-Way. Later levels grew progressively more challenging and complex.
But perhaps the real reason we remember Q*Bert so well is his penchant for swearing. In most versions of the game, capture by the enemy results in a word balloon filled with edited swears or spirals. In his anger, Q*Bert became the first videogame character to show signs of emotion.
Special Move: Green Ball Freeze – Q*Bert is the best hopper this side of Mario, but he needs an offensive boost every now and then. Cue the green ball power-up, which freezes all enemies in their tracks and allows Q*Bert total freedom to hop to his heart's content.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: William "B.J." Blazkowicz
First Appearance: Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
B.J. Blazkowicz is perhaps best known as the soldier who fired the first shot in the first-person-shooter wars, but his military career went back even farther than Wolfenstein 3-D.
His first adventure took place in Castle Wolfenstein, a game that has more in common with the original Metal Gear than later Wolfenstein sequels.
Blazkowicz's entire mission centered around escaping from the eponymous castle. He had weapons, but stealth was often the better option. He could even disguise himself as a Nazi guard, though the smarter S.S. Agents had ways of rooting him out. In his second mission, Blazkowicz was charged with killing Hitler himself, a mission that would become all too familiar for his fellow shooting heroes.
Special Move: Grenade Toss – Blazkowicz's gun was helpful in certain instances, but usually it would just give away his position. When this soldier absolutely needs to clear a room and leave no survivors, he whips out the grenades.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: The G-6155 Interceptor
First Appearance: Spy Hunter (Arcade)
The original tricked-out, souped-up muscle car in gaming has lost little of its edge over the years. That's not for lack of trying. Aside from a legion of increasingly uninspired sequels, Hollywood has threatened to drag this venerable series through the muck for years. Unfortunately for them, the Interceptor proves as elusive as ever.
Who hasn't dreamed of cruising the roadways, throwing traps at enemies and watching them careen off the road. We've never been able to figure out for certain if the Interceptor is fighting for good or evil. Frankly, we just don't care.
Special Move: Oil Slick – Other cars on the road may have guns, but bullets won't help you one bit when the Interceptor drops an oil slick in your path. Thanks to a handy train of supply trucks, the driver of this fearsome machine will never run out of traps.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Avatar
First Appearance: Ultima (PC)
The Avatar may not be the first RPG adventure hero, but he's certainly the most memorable of the early gaming era. As befitting of his name, Avatar is really just a blank slate. Players reflect their own personalities through their various in-game actions and decisions.
Assuming the player isn't a total jerk, the Avatar will embody the holy guidelines known as Virtues that govern the world of Ultima. Avatar is inherently good, and his aim is to ave the world as many times as it needs saving.
Special Move: Virtuous Strike – Shame on you for trying to attack such a nice, young hero. He's the living embodiment of the virtues after all. While you're busy bowing before his awesome might, Avatar unsheathes his sword and cleaves your head from its shoulders. He may be nice, but he also knows how to get down to business.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Frogger
First Appearance: Frogger (Arcade)
Never have we felt a hero's pain quite like we have with Frogger. This poor amphibian adventurer just wants to make it across the road and back to his precious pond homestead. Unfortunately, a legion of cars, trucks, and alligators would very much like to prevent that.
Only through skillful maneuvering could players guide Frogger and his companions back home safely. Often, there were many casualties along the way. But if freedom comes at the price of a few squished frogs, then so be it.
Special Move: Splat! – Frogger has little hope of defeating his opponent in a direct confrontation. That's why he'll let himself be squished. As his enemy mourns the passing of such an adorable little critter, or at least struggles to wipe frog guts off his shoe, the rest of the Froggers descend upon them.
In great enough numbers, even Froggers can be formidable foes.
Nintendo fans love the idea behind Super Smash Bros. It's a fanboy dream to have all your favorite characters brought together under one roof, just to beat the snot out of each other.
But what if gaming companies took that concept a few giant steps further? What if one game featured characters from all eras of gaming and all publishers/consoles? Picture Sonic and Sam Fisher fighting Crash Bandicoot and Solid Snake. We've pictured this theoretical game in our minds many times, and now we want to do more than just imagine it. Check out our Classic Character line-up, and drop us a line or ten about who you want to see fight.
The Fighter: Space Invaders Ship
First Appearance: Space Invaders (Arcade)
Looking back at the early years of gaming, a huge number of titles followed the familiar "space shooter" formula. One lone ship wages war against endless waves of foes. It's a thankless job, and no one thing did it better than the Space Invaders ship.
Space Invaders wasn't quite the first shooting game in town, but it's the first one the average gamer remembers. This game almost singlehandedly kindled our collective obsession with high scores. That elusive bonus ship speeding by was the most coveted prize of all. It was simplistic gaming bliss at its finest.
Special Move: Sneak Attack – Who would have the audacity to combat the enemy by firing on their own base? The Space Invaders ship would.
This sneaky bugger will fire a narrow channel through its own protective walls, allowing it to pick off alien invaders one by one with little risk to itself. The only recourse is to reverse speed and move faster.
| Who is your top 8-bit gladiator? | ||
Our first tier of classic fighters is complete, and it is a safe bet that a lot of these potential 8-bit gladiators have more than a few fans out there. Agree? Disagree? Where the hell is that thing from Atari 2600's Adventure? That's what the comments are for. Oh, and don't forget to give clickage to the poll…or else. ]]>