We could all do better to invite more fun into our lives.

If we ask children to use their imaginations, they can transform a lone backyard birch tree into an imposing tower, ready to be besieged by sticks turned to swords or any other instrument from untold arsenals. In fact, they could spring all manner of townships, dark caverns, or space stations from any size space if they tried – if they’d learned to have fun with it. Then, well, everything around them could become interesting, could be novel, and wonderful.

Shigesato Itoi is a “cultural figure in Japan, known for his copywriting, essays, lyrics, Nintendo game creation, and his role as editor-in-chief of his popular webstie “Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun” (‘Almost’ Daily Itoi News)” (From wiki). He is best known in most western circles as the creator of “Earthbound”, a whimsical Super Nintendo game with quite the cult following.

Over at Nintendo.com, Mr. Itoi had some things to say about that little old video game that has won over the hearts of many. Haven’t played the game? That’s okay. Don’t care for video games? That’s okay too. What he has to say about it is such a curious and thoughtful thing, that it’s worth the trespassing into unknown territory.

From: http://earthbound.nintendo.com/message/

Wonderful words. 

The best memories are of times we had fun aren’t they?

Earthbound invites us to have fun. Everything in the game is already interesting because it was born by what feels like unbridled creativity, ever present at the fringes of the adventure, and woven carefully into the story line, colouring even serious themes in a unique way that gives surprising depth. 


Story has the power to connect with others, to heal ourselves, to make an impact. It can be all kinds of serious and solemn. But there is also a wonderful potency when it is mixed with the disarming whimsy that invites us to have fun, and feel the freedom of being back at a playground. 

Some kids can play make-belief better than others… so can adults for that matter. And if they are skilled enough, they can disarm others of what is holding them back. Too, the creation, when done just so, is so alluring that it can do that on its own. It’s never any bigger a plunge if we choose to dive into an adventure that’s unfamiliar and exciting. 

That is exactly what Mr. Itoi and the EarthBound team does in their work on the Super Nintendo title "EarthBound" (and also, how they’ve endeared their audience to the other two parts of the trilogy known as the Mother series in Japan).

The result is an experience that is memorable and even invigorating, as any of those members of the earthbound cult following will attest. 

Maybe it's time you tried 'EarthBound'

The whimsical, the wildly creative, should be no more dismissed than its serious counterparts. It’s those fun adventures that have such potential to leave its mark and at the very least remind us of how recharging it can be to invite fun into our lives. 

- Josh

For the complete thoughts of Mr.Itoi on Earthbound, please click the link HERE
You won't regret it!

What it's like to channel your inner kid:

The above is a Comic by Zac Gorman. His website, Magical Game Time can be found HERE. 

Other than having all sorts of other great comics at his website, you can buy the awesome piece of art above HERE.

Well, what you’d end up with would be something like the PC/Mac game “The Binding of Isaac”.

It’s a dark and unforgiving adventure that has the main character running the abomination infested labyrinths beneath his house to escape his crazed mother. Take a look:

Ok, so that was a little weird. Game footage looks pretty good though. Here's the story set up:

The game takes pages right from Zelda handbook, with a reminiscent top down viewpoint, hidden doors ready to be bombed and more than one boss or monster that reminds me of baddies from “A Link to the past.” Find the Pin boss fight and tell me it doesn’t remind you of the lanmola one in the Zelda SNES classic. 

It’s a great throwback and excellent skeleton off which to pin this grim gaming experience. While it has no continues (meaning you start over each time you run out of life), It’s got enough diversity with it’s random dungeon generation – bosses, items and baddies included – that’ll keep you coming back for more.

That being said, the game’s probably darker than some would like.  I mean, your main weapon is the tears your character’s crying… That’s how frightened and disturbed he is! Watch the videos above again to decide if you could stand the sometimes exceptionally gruesome experience.

Good? Good. Now head over to Steam to purchase it. It’s worth the money.

Steam Link HERE

The Binding of Isaac is a 2011 Steam release by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl (with a great soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky (associated with Super Meat Boy)).


- Josh


FYI - Pin and Lanmola Comparison:
Link for Pin details HERE via Wiki 
Link for Lanmola details HERE via Zelda Dungeon.net

Re-reading this, I think of how geeky this will seem to some of you. And it was geeky. But it was more of an afterthought. Being there, at the FIRST “Harbour con-fusion” felt like so much fun, and with so much incentive to participate, like participation ribbons, trophies and supportive cheers, it was hard to not get in on the excitement. But I had never been to a convention before…

I didn’t want to go. I had long planned to, but by the time July 28th/2012 rolled around, there was more against my going than for: A recent run in with a comic book shop staff member left a sour taste in my mouth about the comic book community, there was a surprise family supper planned over the week end I would not be able to attend, I’d miss helping two friends move, and none of my other friends could come with me to the con… I would have to go solo. I thought, “If at the very least I could do some networking for thedarkopera.com then maybe it would be worth it.” Luckily, it turned out to be much more than that.

I was so uncertain about the whole event that I didn’t even reserve a room at the hotel in case the con was a bust. That way I could salvage my week end by jetting back to Fredericton depending on the time or maybe head down to Moncton and visit with friends.

To make matters worst, I got a flat tire on my way in to Saint John. The culprit? A screw from Saint John construction no doubt – Yes, I was SCREWED. That could have turned me into quite the 'Debbie Downer', but all was washed away by the incredible energy at opening ceremonies. 

Right from registration, I met fellow con goers (both who do excellent cosplay as Wolverine and Sabretooth) and was later invited to lunch with them and others. Thanks again for the French Vanilla Kevin. After they had gone to get their pictures taken by the Harbour con-fusion photographer, I accidentally dumped the rest of that hot drink all over the front of my white T-shirt in my haste to run a few errands in between panels. Could anything else bad happen to me?

After all was settled and I was changed, I returned to get the most out of the vendor rooms and panels that I could. There, I met up with Chris, one of the many awesome con staff and chatted him up a little. I got to meet up with an old friend a little later on. I also stopped and talked to some very creative guys promoting their first web comic issue of “Liquid” which I hope to be posting more about later on this week. And there was so much other cool stuff going on too, like a massive assortment of origami of every kind, people doing drawings for commission, selling artwork and even retro video games. 

The Vendors, those doing cosplay, and the panel members… If you are looking for creative and passionate individuals, plan to come to Harbour con-fusion next year because it had so many people like that.

The panels! (They are 1 hour or so sessions where people come in to talk about various topics) They were all great, some examples of these were:

StarkTech. There’s this gentleman named, Phillip Vautour who had an excellent panel on his work in creating a professional Iron Man suit. Dressed as Tony Stark, equipped with lit arc reactor and dawning a “Stark” jacket, he talked about resources and ideas for how to execute tech for your cosplay.  For example, he talked a little about hitting a switch that would send a signal for a functional (but not in a deadly way) arm cannon to rise out of an arm piece and light up when fully extended. Great stuff. It was so wonderfully in-depth and inspiring, I wished that I had taped it. 

Also, "The Geek Dating Game".  There, 3 guys sat side by side, backs against a screen behind which the lucky lady - who was also a Harbour-con organizer - was stationed. In classic dating game style, the hostess – in this case: Catwoman – facilitated the game as difficult questions where thrown out to the guys. Let me tell you, answering them didn’t sound easy. As the title implied, there was a strong geek flavor and the three contestants did an excellent job at being witty and injecting hilarious and intentionally awful (Corny) innuendo (and why not? This panel had an older audience). A gentleman by the name of Sean Brown, who earlier that day introduced himself by standing up from his seat with one hand raised high and in a rising tone exclaimed, “ I’m Sssseeeeaaan Brown” had the audience in a stitch at the dating game and grabbed himself celebrity like status that had others echoing his call throughout the con. This was the guy who answered, “What emoticon would you be?” with a pause to build anticipation; then a resolute, “the Sssseeeeaaan Brown emoticon”. Really, there could have been no other. 

The dance also was a great time. Where Con Volunteer and friend, Josh (same name, different guy) did his best to ‘cut a rug’ to keep people on the dance floor. Con staff Dj’d as lights danced across the walls and music pumped from the nearby speakers. The play list had some geek flavor there too, where the last song of the dance was a Dr. Who remix track. I hadn’t danced like that in a while, and got to meet some other con goers with help from Heidi who had such great energy and was such a blast to be around. Who really did her best to make people feel welcomed. 

A game called “Circus Imperium” was also a great time. What really got me here was the inclusion of some of the kids in the game. A man named Joe Hatfield, Who also put on an excellent lightsaber duel (and can take a hard hit or ten like a pro), helped run some of the players through the game as he encouraged audience participation and really made it fun. Everyone was cheering and getting involved. It was then  that I looked around the room at the crowd huddled around the table and felt like this was a really tight community of people making good memories together.

The whole thing sounds kind of like a love affair doesn’t it? To be fair, the con wasn’t without those who are snarky, those who push boundaries in terms of rules, and sometimes what was ‘family appropriate’ got lost in rapid-fire reactions including in being witty, but someone was never too far off to remind people about what the con was really about. I myself might have acted differently if I wasn’t open to having fun. To letting loose a little. I might have left. But the atmosphere there was so relaxing and welcoming that it was hard not to get engaged. 

By the time closing ceremonies came around at 1900 Sunday evening, I was hooked.

Margaret, a con organizer, closed things off with quite the rousing speech about Saint John being ready for a regular convention like Harbour-Con that really rallied the audience. Of the excitement of wrapping up the event and naming who won what at the silent auction they had, the staff announced having met financial goals and was able to make a sizeable donation to their local S.P.C.A (what a good cause!). For all the staff’s work, the crowd gave a much-deserved standing ovation. Everyone lingered a while afterwards saying good-byes and planning on meeting perhaps at the upcoming Hal-con. While some organized some post convention celebration, I, like some others, made my way back home in rainy evening weather feeling pretty damn satisfied with the entire event.

I had still to figure out what to do with that flat tire I had got on my way into Saint John. My plan to deal with the tire didn’t go as well as I had hoped, and couldn’t drive with it anymore after a particularly rough stretch of highway road construction about mid way between Saint John and Fredericton. I decided I would hitch hike back home, so I took to the road as night began to set in and the highway became dark. Luckily, a man and his wife saw me on their way back from Fredericton to Saint John. They turned around to get me and were kind enough to help me change my tire (I didn’t have a jack). Big Thanks to Corey Wright and his family for that.

I ended up home a little later than expected. With the energy of the week end still buzzing inside me, it was hard to be without smile. I had a story I needed to share…

I say, If you want to go to a con but have some reservations, set em’ aside and walk into one with an open mind and just go with it. It can be such a great time if you let it.

-Josh 

If you want all the news on the next Harbour Con-Fusion, click HERE for their Facebook page!!

*** Big Thanks to Ralph Jackson for letting me use his photos (The first three) for this post.***

I've recently taken up cutting lino to make block prints and let me tell you, it's a lot harder than it looks. It's pretty rewarding mind you. 

I posted about Woodblock prints and ghost story telling traditions a little while back and thought that I would share some of these awesome Nintendo character Wood block prints. See if you can't name them all.

Pretty nice work. To get a sense of the time and effort involved, check out the youtube video below. If that kind of thing interests you, you can probably pick up the things you need to make your own at your local art supply store. I found everything I needed to get started here at "Endeavours" in Fredericton. 

 - Josh

I posted about Criterion style game covers in the past and have been thinking about them now and gain ever since. Recently I googled it again and discovered that there are a lot more... A LOT MORE!!

That’s a good thing. Bad thing is that I can’t seem to access the entries on neogaf.com where they are supposedly stored. I did see that there’s thegafcollection.com is coming soon so that’s something to look out for. 

Here’s some of the great entries I saw:

Great stuff. What's your favourite? see any good criterion style game covers that aren't on here? post a link to them below.

Why can't there be some company that acquires the rights to old games to create a criterion type edition to em? 

- Josh 

The art style helps determines more than the look of a game, it also impacts on the feel. Gamers need only to watch the art direction video for D3 [HERE] to hear them say plainly what direction they were heading in with D3... and the style IS a departure from the look and feel of the first two. The style was not a "painterly" one in D1 and 2.

Now hold on a sec. I didn't say it was a bad thing, just that it was different. I got to see D3 in action, and it is pretty stunning.  Too, a lot of the elements that were at the heart of D3's predecessors are still there. This, while more of a subtle change in comparison, is like the departure in style seen in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Many skeptics were pleased to find after playing it, that it was still a zelda game, as different as it looked and even garnered a fanbase for toon-link. Still though, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea because style matters. Style is important. Like how say the claymation in "the nightmare before christmas" helped create that atmosphere, that feel that helped make the movie so popular. In a similar but different way, it's how some find the 2D monsters of final fantasy 4 (2 in America/Canada) lose there awesome Amano inspired design in translation to 3D. 

When things are said using an art style or direction, it has a certain look and feel. But when the same  things are said using another art style, the look and feel changes. With that change is an opportunity to explore new dimensions the style provides. New things can be discovered and expanded on.

Taste can be subjective, people will cling to what they know and love, but where there's a visual change in direction, the look and feel of a game changes. Whether we stop to think about it or not.

- Josh 

To all you retro gamers out there, 

If you haven't heard about Fangamer, It's time you go over and take a look at their website: www.fangamer.net. The pictures above and below this post are examples of what you can buy at their site. Having personally bought from them, I can vouch for the quality. The package they sent me came with a hand drawn card and collectable pins. They have a lot invested into your experience with purchasing their product. I was pretty impressed.

I can especially get behind Fangamer's creativity, take a look at their catalogue to find inspired work from earthbound, Zelda, Metroid and Megaman amongst others. They have quite the story of early beginnings as well, starting out as a fan site for earthbound based out of a spare room. Check it out here: http://www.fangamer.net/pages/about

- Josh

More... Brains? Ha!


Did everyone catch the new trailer for Resident Evil 6? The one that reveals some pretty wild story points? Check it out:

So now we're dealing with the C-virus (geez, they're gonna cover the whole alphabet aren't they?) 0:25 gets the creepy started, but 1:06 ruins the mood with a questionable "I need you to fake our deaths"... I mean, What the hell was that all about? Then with the Wesker Junior? I dunno... maybe. To me, Wesker started out as a strong character, but became increasingly one dimensional. Hopefully Junior won't be too much like his father.

And Finally with the Chris versus Leon... Looks decent but could have done without Leon's dramatic bobble head hair settling at 2:29.  

...Please let this at least in part be a return to RE's original Survival Horror roots.

-Josh