Just yet another quick post letting everybody know that I have some more feature articles on the way; I’ve actually been writing a lot of these lately (because features are my fav thing to write), but due to using them all as submissions to various magazines and websites, I haven’t been able to publish them here at this stage. Nonetheless I have some stuff going which will be available here soon, including a piece on Gaming Villains.
In other news, some of my existing features will be appearing on GameLemon.com, which is an absolutely hilarious site and one which I always recommend to anyone that’s over the stuffy seriousness you get from certain other websites. I’m also working on some new features specifically for GameLemon, and hope to have something new on there every week or so, time permitting.
Anyway, that’s enough from me for now. I’m going to keep trawling various websites in the vain hope that someone will pay me to write stuff…
(Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is an Indie game created by Tales of Games; the download can be found at http://www.talesofgames.com)
Welcome to the single greatest parody game ever, and one of the best Indie releases that I’ve seen in a very long time. Hell, don’t even bother with the rest of this review; watch the Youtube video below, visit the site, and download this as soon as you are able. I pretty much guarantee that anyone with a sense of humour won’t be disappointed.
Ok, for those people who wouldn’t take me at my word (distrustful bastards…kidding, kidding!), Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is the entirely canonical (or not) sequel to the old 16-bit basketball “classic” Barkley, Shut Up and Jam. Now it is 2053, and Charles Barkley is on the run from the law after being accused of killing 15 million people with the dreaded “Chaos Dunk”. While on his journey to find the real perpetrator and clear his name, he will meet old friends, fight old enemies, and B-ball his way to glory, old-school JRPG style.
Yes that’s right, B,SUJ:G (as it shall now be known) is an RPG sequel to an old, rather crappy sports game. Based on the Japanese RPG style of play, with lots of menus, turn-based action, and ridiculous attacks, I was quite ready to be completely turned off the game five minutes after starting it up; thankfully this wasn’t the case, as the mechanics are kept simple, and never get in the way; plus, the timing-based nature of the whole thing adds an element of excitement and skill, and leads to some absolutely hilarious attacks (such as the brilliance of watching Barkley double-team an opponent singlehandedly).
Graphically and aurally the game looks and sounds like just about every other JRPG from the 16-bit era, although with a funky B-ball twist. Many characters and monsters are either real-life basketball players, or creatures related to the orange ball game, and all the various items and special attacks (and pretty much everything else, really) are very much B-Ball inspired (re: steroids as a powerup). The focus is on everything B-Ball, and staying true to the setting has given B,SUJ:G a surprisingly air of authenticity, putting it on par with many of the stories told in other RPGS of the era; this is particularly amusing, considering the parody nature of the game, and a testament to the dedication into making this more than just a simple joke game.
Tales of Games have resisted the idea of creating a game that was just one giant mockery of the original and the genre; instead, B,SUJ:G takes itself entirely seriously, with the subject matter and the sheer ridiculousness of the setting combining to create the satire which makes the game so funny. Everything from the setting (post-cyberpocalyptic Neo New York), to the monsters, to the dialogue and story itself, just screams comedy gold and helps to contribute to what is a surprisingly subtle, but undeniably superb parody of the genre; and indeed, storytelling in games as a whole.
One of the funniest games you will ever play, and well worth the miniscule download.
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