A totally interesting yet completely hilarious podcast. It made me realize how important and revolutionary both the Metroid and Castlevania series are and have a new found appreciation for them.

You know, I kinda like the term "Castleroid".

This makes absolutely no sense. As I mentioned 2 weeks ago (sorry about the delay, stupid crunch time), MetaCritic score is a totally valid, although limited, measure of game quality. We're not talking about a single superfluous score, or some complicated easily-manipulated formula, it's just an average. If averaging subjective scores is somehow "Scientism", many incredibly useful, valuable metrics are. Rejecting the aggregate opinion of reviewers or users just seems like total elitism to me. It's a statement that because we have no absolutely perfect way of integrating that opinion, that opinion is completely worthless and should not be available to anyone. Combining this argument with one of his other ones (that magazines and websites should never express any negative criticism about a preview build), Denis comes accross as a smart guy with an excellent analysis of message board mentality. But, he also comes accross as someone who doesn't think that anyone besides himself has a right to assess and validate his (and his company's) creative work. This kind of attitude becomes very evident, and will do nothing but encourage people to attack him personally.

UPDATE: Shawn Elliot makes the same points I do but better, in a blog post.

Send an e-mail to beta@giantbomb.com and ask to enter the beta, or go to the link at the bottom for more details.

Hopefully I'll see some of you there!

Link:
Let's Have a Beta! [Giant Bomb]

On the other end, Top Secret: The Bionic Commando Podcast is fairly entertaining.  They're coy, sarcastic, and fairly more levelheaded compared to 1up Your's and are actually funny.  Check them out.  I suggest downloading the Ryan Payton, and Sven interviews to start with.

What's the game about? Later this year, Animal Crossing -- the series in which you plant trees, fish, and buy and sell goods in order to gentrify your personal town -- will make its way to Wii. As in the GameCube and DS games before it, the Wii game will feature a familiar host of cute and quirky animal neighbors and the same sort of activities -- gardening, fishing, bug-catching, fossil-digging, fruit-picking -- to add to your daily town maintenance routine. But, as the "City Folk" subtitle suggests, your small country town isn't the only location you can visit. In Animal Crossing: City Folk, you can catch a bus into the city, which is where most of the game's changes come into play.

What's new for E3? Earlier today at its press conference, Nintendo released a few preliminary details regarding City Folk -- details like how you can visit the city to shop at Gracie's fashionable clothing store, invite up to three online players into your town, chat online via the new WiiSpeak mic peripheral, and have a head-accessory mask made up in your Mii's likeness. After the conference, we went hands-on with the game and learned a few more interesting tidbits. For one, many of the special town visitors from the DS game are now available in the city.

More specifically, the shady and paranoid Redd holds his member's-only shop in an off-to-the-side building, while Gracie has a large fancy-looking garment shop in the center of the city's plaza. And keeping with her fashionable taste, her shop will offer special seasonal garment sets (currently four per year), including what looks to be matching furniture. The curly haired Dr. Shrunk, meanwhile, takes his emotion-provoking analysis to the city's theater stage -- pay 800 bells (the game's currency) for a ticket to the show and you'll leave with a new emote to use, which, unlike in the DS game, will never be erased from your emotional repertoire. And, on certain nights, you may even catch a glimpse of a surprisingly calm Mr. Resetti behind two orange cones at the end of the city's road. The city also offers you access to an auction house, where you can buy or sell items to your friends online, a street-side shoe shine (a special sort of shine that will match your shoe color to what you're wearing), and the HQ of the mysterious HRA -- they're the ones who invade your home while you're not around and rate your decor. And bringing in some more online interaction, the HRA's HQ has a display room that will show off high-ranking room designs from other players.

Though the game is set to release at the end of the year, we're sure some of the smaller surprises have yet to be disclosed. One menu option we spotted was titled "DS Suitcase." The Nintendo representatives on hand were tight-lipped on its function but hinted that City Folk may include the ability to transfer items from one's DS town into the Wii game...or maybe not.

What's our take? City Folk certainly looks like the Animal Crossing we all know and love, but perhaps a bit too much so. The game seems to carry over a lot of the DS version's great aspects, but also a few of its shortcomings. Moving around the world is as easy as using the stylus -- just point at the screen with the Wii Remote and press A to move, or hold both A and B to run. The D-pad makes for an easy way to toggle through your various tools on the fly. But sadly, City Folk's online components will rely on the exchange of numerical friend codes; it's a shame features like the auction house won't be open to a wider Nintendo Wi-Fi Connect pool than just the people on your friend codes list. The popup bar with all your options at the bottom of the screen can be a bit annoying, too, since it's easy to move the cursor too low on the TV screen due to relaxing your wrists, but it's admittedly nice to have most of the interface hidden until needed.

We're just nervous that despite the new locale, most of the game seemingly remains unchanged; this will be the third time we're playing essentially the same game, with no real leap forward in terms of connectivity options outside of adding online voice chat. But who are we kidding -- if it manages to be as addicting as Wild World, we'll gladly play City Folk. We're just holding out hope that additional subtle changes will surface after we get a more in-depth hands-on experience.

Fonte » 1Up

I would like to talk to you about the different Cash Gifting Programs that are out there today. Some programs are offering low start ups. Some as low as $50-$100. Now don't get me wrong, I believe you should join at whatever level you can afford and I'm not trying to discredit those programs, but If you can afford to join at a higher level then do it, here's why. If you join at $50, then you are qualified at that level. Which means you can only receive $50 gifts. Now, if someone Joins Your Team at $500, guess where the other $450 goes. To your inviter ( the person who you joined under). Now I don't know about you but $450 is a lot of money, and I don't want that much money to just pass me by. Think about it, someone joined YOUR TEAM and all you got was $50, meanwhile your inviter is counting the Big Bucks.

If $50 is absolutely all you can afford then join at $50. I know you'll be blessed no matter which program you join. But the higher the level you join at, the Bigger The Gifts you can receive.

So, folks you decide which level is best for you and come join us. The longer you wait the more you miss out on. If you would like more information then go to my website http://www.theeasycashgift.com/ . Look at the information and then give me a call 1-706-342-9224.
Talk to you soon, and God Bless.

Horace Guinn

This is Horace again, and I would like to talk a little bit about "What it means to be Rich". Some people say that a man has to have a million dollars in the bank to be Rich, or Financially Free. But I believe a man that makes $200,000 per year can live a very satisfying life even without a million in the bank. As a matter of fact, in the US, only 3% of American family's actually make $200,000 or more. And only 1% make $277,000 and are millionaires. I don't know about you but I would love to be in that top 3%. They can call me whatever they want, RICH, POOR, doesn't matter to me as long as I'm in that 3%.

Well folks, I'm on my way to that 3% of income earners that make $200,000 a year. By the way, I believe that "Money can't buy happiness.... But it can pay for the things that bring happiness". If you've got ENOUGH MONEY, you don't have the stress and worries of not being able to pay your light bill or to pay your car payment or to put food on the table or even to buy your kids Christmas Gifts. Everything in this world revolves around money. So why not make as much as you can.

When do you ever have ENOUGH MONEY?? If your reading this, you are probably like the rest of the 99% of the world that never has ENOUGH MONEY. The other 1% are the millionaires that never have to worry about having ENOUGH MONEY.If you would like to start your journey towards being financially free, then go to my website http://www.theeasycashgift.com/ and join us on our way to financial freedom. We'll show you how and guide you each step of the way.What are you waiting on!! Doing NOTHING, will get you NOTHING!! Doing SOMETHING, will get you EVERYTHING!!! Talk to you soon, and God Bless.

Horace

I'm posting this for all the people who don't quite understand what Cash Gifting is. Read on as I explain,

How Cash Gifting 1up works:

This incredible, revolutionary 1UP to infinity Cash Gifting System focuses on people helping people. If you have been searching for a unique system that really works, you have finally found it. If you are looking for a financial break-through in your life then you came to the right place!

With this ingenious system, you can immediately and dramatically change your financial life! Our system is simple and based upon the power of one!

This activity is Internet based and automated with a customized computer software program. The tracking and placement of all the members within this structure is handled for you automatically. All you need is an ID#. That's it!

Here's how this simple system works. First, YOU decide to participate as a member of our "private, invitation only" activity. You log into the website and Register for the Tracking Software. Upon Registering for the Software you will be presented with instructions to pay the $100.00 annual fee for your personal online 1 Up Tracker Tracking Software. (That's less than $10 per month folks).

You are then automatically and instantly notified via email with your ID# and specific information as to whom you should contact and send your gift.

Here is where you start the domino effect to creating your Personal Financial Freedom. YOU invite your first person to join and become a member. This first person is your qualifier and they are assigned to your inviter. This software automatically tracks it for you.

From this point on, YOU are qualified to be in the receiving position FOREVER! YOU are now the person in control of your financial destiny.

This NEW CONCEPT is a 1UP to infinity structure. There are NO BOARDS to fill, NO MATRIXES to split or stall and NO BINARY to balance. The 1UP structure is superior and mathematically out-performs ANY other program out there.

Now the second person you invite begins your 1st "Receiving Line of Wealth to Infinity", and they will send their gift directly to you. That person must qualify just like you did. Their qualifying person will send their financial gift to you AND all of the qualifying people in his or her Receiving Line, down to infinity, will send their financial gifts to YOU as well. In other words, everyone you invite AFTER the first person will send their gift to you.

It may be hard to grasp this structure the first time, so be sure to refer to the Chart. (Click here for chart)

Now remember, this is only your 1st Receiving Line, but it doesn't stop there! Each and every NEW person you personally invite to become a member begins a NEW Receiving Line. YOU can invite as many NEW people as you want, to create 3, 5, 10, 20 even 100 NEW Receiving Lines of Wealth to Infinity.

Here's where you can begin to VISUALIZE the Steady Stream Of Cash that's generated by this powerful system and it's all based upon The Power of One! It's real, it's life changing, and it's simple.

Just figure it out for yourself how the Power of One will dramatically change your life. Write out the strategy of everyone inviting just 1 new person each and every week. Now calculate this out for 50 weeks. Do you think you could do this?

Absolutely YOU can! In fact, SOME people are inviting 1 new person every day or every other day! When you realize that YOU are receiving financial gifts from ALL of the qualifiers to infinity from each new Receiving Line you are creating, You Won't Be Able To Sleep Tonight! This is the power of exponential growth to infinity!

Another very important aspect of our activity is the system and tools that are in place for you to be successful. These are just some of the tools that are available:

• Private, password protected website that explains this powerful system.
• Live Meet-the-Team Workshops.
• Multiple recorded calls available 24/7.
• Scripts to help you to learn how to invite and share this system with others.
• Various in-place lead systems that will bring people to you who are seriouslylooking to generate cash.
• Member's Back Office that tracks all of your Receiving Lines in Real Time.

And new tools are constantly being developed to help you succeed in your quest for personal financial freedom!

This incredible revolutionary 1UP to infinity structure is creating SO much excitement! By practicing the true spirit of People Helping People you WILL create positive changes in your financial future.

Don't wait another day,Seize The Moment! NOW is the time to take action! JOIN US TODAY!

Talk to you soon, and God Bless. Bye
Horace

I was reading that the government did a survey and found that about 40 million American's search the internet every month looking for a home based business and about 9 million of those start a home based business or join an activity like Cash Gifting. Folks, that's 9,000,000 chances for you to Invite Someone else to come join us in this incredible opportunity. If you would like more information just go to http://www.theeasycashgift.com/. I wish you all the success in the world.
Talk to you soon,
God Bless. Bye,
Horace

My name is Horace and I'd like to talk to you about Cash Gifting. In my opinion this is the greatest opportunity there is to recieve lots and lots of Cash Straight To Your Door Step. I've been trying every Home Based Business I could get my hands on and until I found Cash Gifting I didn't make a dime. With the other programs and systems I spent a lot of my hard earned money and a lot of time that i'll never get back, trying to make them work. With the Cash Gifting 1up System you can recieve money without even trying. This is so easy a child could do it. Let me show you how to "Be your own BOSS. Receive $1000's daily working from home. NO BUYING or SELLING!! For more information go to http://www.theeasycashgift.com/. What are you waiting on? Change your life today not tomorrow!! You are in charge of your life!!!"

Thank you and talk to you soon,
Horace

I hope everyone had a fun time celebrating their independence yesterday. As for gaming news, there isn't too much today. I'm pretty sure everyone still has hangovers or are still too bloated from eating too much. There's a quick summary of some of the more important news after the break.

PS3

Apparently, Kratos will not be in Soul Caliber VI. 1UP's staff has been playing both PS3 and 360 version of the game and while they mention both Yoda and Darth Vader, they say Kratos is nowhere to be seen. *sadface* for all you God of WAHHHHH fans.

PSP

Phantasy Star is coming to PSP. Their demo for the system looks to be pretty awesome too. You can play story-mode and multi-mode. Rumor has it that you can take your progress in the demo and transfer it over to the actual game as well. DLC is also planned for the game's release. Japanese fans get the demo the 14th and the game on the 31st. (Come on US/EU version!!!)

DS

Princess Maker 4, the popular parenting sim, makes its eroticly questionable way to the DS. The game was originally released for the PC in 2006 and then released for the PSP later that year. The DS version will have 3 new endings and touchscreen support. You can use your stylus to "pat your daughter's head, pinch her cheeks, and etc." O.o o.O

Wii

Wario Land keeps looking better and better. The graphics are smooth, gameplay top-notch, and it just feels soooo Wario-like. Expect classic moves like the shoulder rush, butt slam, and those wacky Wario vehicles. Overall looks like a great game. Expect it to be released state-side on September 29th.

360

Bungie keeps its secrets well. They are already at work on their next super-secret project. What most people don't know is that they've been dropping hints as to what it is over the past few months. The "superintendent" image has been showing up everywhere since late April. It shows a small image of a face with a plunger in one hand and thumbs up with the other hand. Could this be Bungie's next project? A janitor game??

When I'm not browsing the internet looking for porn info on the latest games, I like to use StumbleUpon to find cool and interesting stuff. A few months ago I found a site called Instructables. Instructables is basically a DIY repository. The site has tutorials on rigging a NES pad to control an iMac, making a Guitar Hero Controller, modifying an NES cartridge into a speaker system, and various non-gaming related howtos.

In the latest intrustables email I saw what could be the greatest burger of all time. It's the 1UP Mushroom burger! Ingredients include mozzarella cheese, green food coloring and garlic. If you don't dig veggie burgers, you could always substitute the garlic, onions and portabello mushrooms with a big hunk of beef slathered in mayonnaise.

For dessert, why not chow down on some 1UP cakes? They don't look like much at first glance. While the 1UP cake looks like a normal cup cake with green and white frosting on top, the frosting is actually white chocolate! Not only are they nostalgia inducing pastries, they are also a pleasant surprise in the taste department.

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1UP Burger.(by momo!)
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1UP Cup Cakes.(by Nachimir)

Planning on firing up the grill later tonight for burgers and fireworks?  Why not impress your friends with this crafty recipie of turning a plain old hamburger into the infamous 1UP Mushrooms from Super Mario Bros.  Conjured up by 1UP.com's Karen Chu, this burger is a sure fire way of geeking up the long weekend.  As an added bonus, try this recipie for 1UP cakes.

What you'll need:

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PATTY:
half of one white onion
2 large portabello mushroom caps (or 6-8 ounces of whatever mushroom you like)
1 tsp. of kosher salt
1 egg
1 tbs. of pancake mix
1 tsp. of minced garlic
black ground pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FIXIN'S:
4 large slices of mozzarella cheese
1 tomato, sliced at least quarter inch thick at room temperature
4 spoonfuls of pesto
*optional: mayonnaise (I personally hate mayo, but it's like crack to some people

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BUNS
4 *very round* rustic crusty buns. The type I decided to go with are my favorite whole wheat kind.
1/2 tsp. green food coloring
1 tsp. of water
4 large slices of mozzarella cheese for the circle decoration
*optional: I also tried this recipe with basil juice instead of the food coloring in attempt to be more "natural." The green looked good but it made the burger WAY TOO PUNGENT. Whew!

Full step-by-step recipie here (with pics)

Happy 4th of July!