Critical Hit: A Tribute to the Macho Man

OHHH YEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

The Macho Man Randy Savage was one of the most influential, charismatic, and talented performers in wrestling history. That's why when tragic news hit of his untimely passing, the wrestling world was halted dead in its tracks.

Randy Savage was, indeed, a performer deserving of the many tributes and celebrations that fans and wrestling publications have bestowed upon him since his death and this humble video game blog will be no different. Despite being a King of the Ring winner, a former WWF Intercontinental Champion, and a two time WWF champion (and his inevitable induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012) he also has a well defined video game career as well. So, as we mourn this legend, let us be reminded of some of his appearances within the virtual realm.

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In the rather unorthodox 1987 title, MicroLeague Wrestling, Randy Savage made his first video game appearance. While the style may have been awkward and forgettable, it certainly held the Macho Man's likeness in pixelated promos.

This 1988 NES title was not only the first Randy Savage appearance in a game that was actually labeled as a WWF game but also one that contained actual animated wrestling instead of moving pictures.

WWF Royal Rumble for the Genesis and SNES, released in 1993

1997's WCW vs. nWo: World Tour for the Nintendo 64 not only brought the Macho Man into the 3D era of video gaming but also gave the fans a look at his time with the WCW.

WCW Mayhem for the Playstation, Nintendo 64, and Gameboy Color, released in 1999.

After a 12 year hiatus from the video game world, Randy Savage is back in 2011's WWE All-Stars. In, perhaps, the most fitting of such a flamboyant performer, Savage was able to pull off his moves with animated ease. OHH YEAHH, the Macho King is back!

Lest we forget his awesome promos for the game.


Randy Savage, with his showstopping performances and charismatic promos, will never be forgotten and will forever live on the hearts of millions. Not only will he be hailed as one of the all time greatest to step into the squared circle but he has been immortalized in an art form which captured his legend and greatness for generations upon generations to witness and enjoy.

And not only should you always SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM but you should keep in mind that . . .

The V Files: L is Real 2401

On the first post of the V Files, which takes video games myths, legends, and lore and analyzes them, I've decided to go with one of the most famous (or infamous) legends of video games. The L is Real 2041 legend.

In Super Mario 64, there is a courtyard which contains a small fountain or pond. In the pond is a statue much like the one you see to the left. It's in the shape of a star with scribbled words below it. Fans everywhere have created such a ruckus over these words that in turn created a mystery and legend almost as big as the game itself (Well, maybe not THAT big.)

Many people who played the game didn't even notice the texture. Others thought it just read "Eternal Star" referring to the final obtainable star in the game. But then, there were the few that took it to a whole new level. They claimed that the awkward spacing of the letters couldn't possibly spell out the word "eternal" and the "star" looked more like a number.

They claimed it to read "L is Real 2401"

But what does this mean? L is universally understood to refer to Luigi, who does not appear in Super Mario 64. Hopefuls everywhere took it that the cryptic message was proof that Luigi could be playable in Super Mario 64 . . . or perhaps in another game altogether.



Could Mario's green clad brother be behind this mystery? All theories point to Luigi being the subject. In fact there was a picture [below] in Nintendo Power that showed Luigi standing right behind Mario just outside of Princess Peach's Castle. Although it turned out to be a badly Photoshopped hoax, it nonetheless fueled the flames of Luigi's existence in the classic 64 title.

Here are a few possible explanations that fans have come up with to explain the odd text:

Luigi will appear in the game after 2,401 coins are collected.
This theory was debunked quickly as many gamers who have collected every single coin in the entire game still come up a couple hundred coins short of 2,401.

The text refers to Luigi's appearance in Paper Mario

Luigi appears in Paper Mario which released on the Nintendo 64 about five years after the release of Super Mario 64. People claim that the 2401 refers to the date that Paper Mario released which they claim is February 4th, 2001. There are a few things wrong with this explanation, however. First is the length of time between SM64 and PM. It is highly unlikely that Nintendo planned a whole generation ahead for a single game let alone boast about the appearance of a secondary character. Second, Luigi appeared in many other games such as Mario Kart 64 and Super Smash Bros. before the release of Paper Mario. And finally, Paper Mario was released on February 5th not the 4th.

Others

Many people have put various Latin lettering, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese characters to fill in the markings of the plaque but the only things that do fit are in fact "Eternal Star" and "L is Real 2401" Not much has been determined about the scribbles below the legendary text as it is much too blurred to make any real claim about it.

Most Logical Conclusion:

The blurry text on the plaque may be nothing at all just referential images to take the

place of words, much like the lettering on every other sign in the game. If anything the

programmers just tried to make the blur spell out "Eternal Star". People just made it into much

more than it was supposed to be allowing Nintendo to run with it and put it again Ocarina of

Time to further increase interest. Oh, Nintendo, you so curazey.

Critical Hit: The Violent Video Game Law

There has been a lot of fuss about the proposed California law that would make it illegal to sell mature or violent games to minors. If this law passes the scrutiny of the U.S. Supreme Court (which I'll bet money that it will not) then that means huge trouble for gamers, the video game industry, and Americans as a whole.

If this law passes then younger gamers will miss out on the great games that just so happen to have a Mature rating from ESRB. Before I was 17, I played my fair share of M rated games and look at me, I'm a non-violent student in college with a whole future planned ahead of me. I never felt the urge to shoot up a car like in Grand Theft Auto, or shoot up anything really or take out my anger on something because I was taught that in a video game. No. And most children who grow up in families that actually teach them the difference between right and wrong would never be influenced by video games, movies, music, or books. People tend to go straight for video games when perhaps the parents should be to blame.

If you purchase an M rated game, the clerk already asks for I.D. to see if you are over the age of 17 and if you're not then they will not sell it to you. If you bring a parent, they will tell them that this game is rated M and if they really wanted to buy this for their son or daughter. The video game industry already keeps itself in check on the whole 'violence in video games' matter.

Now most gamers are in their teens or younger than 17. What would happen to publishers like Rockstar who focus on M-rated material if these teens no longer bought their products? They would tank and the entire video game industry would take a major hit. The industry would lose money, games would be incredibly limited, and eventually the entire industry would deflate.

Now, when considering this subject you must ask yourself; Do we really want the government deciding what we can or cannot purchase or view? It's a dangerous slope that would lead to a bleak future.

The courts have until Summer of 2011 to make a decision but I don't think they will take that long to decide that this law is unconstitutional and has no place in American society. It's just about the fact that this law was created in the first place. It's an issue that is unnecessary and had no place being heard at the Supreme Court.

Full trancript of the hearings.

Background on the matter.