First there was work, and Diogo said “Let there be rest”. Then there was virus, and Diogo said “Let there be format c:”. At last the Pixels came, and there was much rejoicing.

• Via the Huffington Post comes news that a frequent visitor to the CNN website, frustrated with its headlines, has launched WTFCNN.com. Readers can browse the site and compare CNN headlines with other news sites – such as Al Jazeera, the BBC, the CBC, NPR and Fark – in real time. Much has been said of how traditional media has suffered in the last decade with the advent of the internet, in particular how traditional journalism cannot compete with the global reach of online journalism. On one hand the problem with this is that journalism on the internet is still very much the equivalent of the cowboy firing faster than he can draw, with hundreds of news channels being flooded with everything from speculation, misinformation, unofficial news and – in the worst case scenario – lies in a mad dash for being the first to report the news, with information and disinformation becoming dangerously indistinguishable. On the other, this is precisely where the internet is at its best: giving new life to discussion and activism. Were CNN a newspaper, how many could enter the same market and publish a newspaper aimed at criticizing CNN? Even as a cable news network, how financially sound would it be to create a news network that would compare and contrast dozens of other news channels – in real time – with the sole intent of criticizing another?

• While Infinity Ward’s slow dissolution ended up founding Respawn Studios wasn’t entirely unexpected, this is something else. Activision signed a ten year deal with Bungie, granting the publisher worldwide publishing rights to a future multiformat release, while the studio toils away in its new IP. It wasn’t long ago we learned Halo’s creators had left Microsoft and registered the Marathon brand, so… Yes. May we live in interesting times.
• I love demakes, and so do the gents at Pixelation, who often re-imagine recent games as if they were being developed for older systems. This thread in particular showcases the creativity of some artists, who go on to render games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Bioshock, Doom 3, StarCraft, Okami and Burnout Paradise – among others – in the Gameboy’s 8-bit monochrome glory.
• Super Mario Bros. Crossover is basically Super Mario Bros. but with Mario, Samus Aran (Metroid), Bill Rizer (Contra), Simon Belmont (Castlevania), Link (Legend of Zelda) and Mega Man (er, Mega Man) as playable characters. It would seem like a simple sprite cut and paste job but not so: every character retains their weapons and attributes from their own games. So yes, you can drop Samus’ bombs near Goombas, fire Rizer’s machinegun diagonally against flying Koopas and kill Bowser with Mega Man’s charged shot. Which leaves me even thirstier for a concept similar to MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch but applied to videogames, and thoroughly financed by several high profile studios.
• This is a sample from an episode of north-american television drama series “Mad Men”, where Don pitches a campaign to Kodak for their new slide projector, and showcases how in advertising, a good idea still wins over a technological gimmick. Simple but powerful.
• Ever played Fallout 3 and found yourselves wanting a Pip-Boy 3000? Say hello to the Ridgeline W200, a wrist-mounted computer that’s very similar to Bethesda’s reimagination of the Fallout personal assistent. “The Ridgeline W200 clamps over your arm and lets you compute to your heart’s desire, whether your OS of choice is Windows CE or Linux. It sports a 3.5-inch touchscreen and keypad to handle control duties, and you can add modules for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS to expand its functionality”. I wonder if it also tells its users they’re special.
• Technologizer has written an article about the “real” Mario, or rather, the inspiration to Shigeru Miyamoto’s iconic creation. While most of it isn’t news for gamers, it’s still an acessible, interesting and quick read about Mario Segale himself.
• Bored with superheroes? Can’t stand seeing one die only to be brought back to life in the near future? Andy Winter and Declan Shavley might be the medicine for you. The duo thought up a healthy satire of the north-american comics industry, and created Tim Skinner: Total Scumbag, a bastard who jumps between comic book universes taking the piss out of everything sacred in comic bookdom. Download it from the page itself.
• Having played Capcom’s Dark Void Zero for DSiWare recently, one of the things I enjoyed about the game were the 8-bit tunes composed for it. A quick search reveals that the soundtrack was made by Bear McCreary, who also worked on the recent “Battlestar Galactica” TV series soundtrack. Here’s McCreary talking about how he created Dark Void Zero’s music.
• The movie adaptation of Thor – as in, the comic book adaptation of the Norse god – with the always excellent Kenneth Branagh as director, had its first official image released recently. Like most superheroes in the comics world, the character’s visuals have been overhauled over the years, but that image suggests someone knew what they were doing with the costume. Bonus: Anthony Hopkins will play the part of Odin. “Do you hear the valkyries, Clarice?”
• Via Tiny Cartridge, here’s something fantastic. Written and drawn by Peachifruit, “Let’s Destroy the Shagohod” is probably the best parody ever of Metal Gear Solid 3. Here’s part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.
• Fortress Select!

Cinco cinco, nueve dos, nueve dos.