Joystiq

A waka waka down memory lane: the 1982 Pac-Man cartoon

JC Fletcher — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST

With a new Pac-Man cartoon on the way to television, there's no more opportune time to go back and re-examine the last Pac-Man cartoon, produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1982 and 1983. If you were too young to enjoy this stuff when it was fresh, get a very small bowl of popcorn and take in the five-minute clip above.

That's from the first episode, which I recently watched on the Pac-Man: The Complete First Season DVD. Warner Bros. released this to the Warner Archive at the end of January, and it's now available on Amazon. I took the opportunity to go back through this pilot, taking notes on what was going on.

As a kid, I just took the absolutely nonsensical plotline at face value. Now, after 30 years and, not to brag, a lot of Pac-Man, I can see that Hanna-Barbera was doing some really freaky stuff, both in the name of tying into the near-nonexistent plot of the arcade game and just because.

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A waka waka down memory lane: the 1982 Pac-Man cartoon originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Jaffe talks death of Calling All Cars as servers go offline

Mike Schramm — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

This week heralded the end of the Calling All Cars saga, as David Jaffe finally saw the lights go out on his PSN baby. He's got a set of final thoughts over on his blog -- he says that as his first online game, it was definitely a learning experience, and while there were good times, it wasn't the most fun he'd ever had. He's suprisingly regretful about the whole thing: He says that he seriously thinks he probably should have "made it war themed and ['ditched'] the cartoony stuff," and that it was really a problem of expectation. At $10, he says, they were expecting gamers buying downloadable titles to just be "sampling them like candy," not looking for a full game experience.

But we wouldn't worry too much about Jaffe -- while he jokes that the CAC server shutdown "marks the beginning of the end of my career," we're sure there's still more fun to be had from that mind of his. We're hoping to see what he's got planned next by the time E3 rolls around this year.

David Jaffe talks death of Calling All Cars as servers go offline originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make toon tunes with Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor

Kyle Orland — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Rhythm

Remember back in the early '90s when you couldn't turn your head without running into another knock-off platformer based on some popular cartoon property? Well, it seems the rhythm-action game is the platformer for the new millennium. Case in point: Eidos' just-announced Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor, coming to the Nintendo DS this June.

Players will use the stylus to conduct classic tunes from the, er, 'toons, and then be "rewarded with clips from favorite Looney Tunes cartoon moments." Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety will be on hand for a game designed for "absolutely everybody who enjoys simple but addictive gameplay." And who doesn't enjoy that? No one, that's who! So that means everybody will enjoy this game! It's logic as indestructible as an ACME Indestructo Steel Ball.

Make toon tunes with Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cheap IP of the Jungle

JC Fletcher — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:35:00 EST

Filed under: News, Imports, Screens

Remember George of the Jungle? You know, the cartoon from the '60s, from the same people that made the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show? It got made into a movie in ... oh, man, that was eleven years ago? Well, maybe the character has maintained an enduring appeal in Europe. Apparently he's coming back with a new animated series, and Ignition Entertainment is already showing off the new tie-in game for Europe.

It makes slightly more sense that there's a new cartoon to promote, instead of just being a case of some random old cartoon getting a new video game. According to the press release, this game is among the "first releases from the global George of the Jungle[TM] licensed product programme." So look forward to more! Of this!

Cheap IP of the Jungle originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Building a better video game anime

Kyle Orland — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Fashion

With similar, heavily Japanese influences behind both video games and anime, it's no surprise that there's heavy overlap between fans of both art forms. But what happens when the two worlds actually meet? Anime blogger Azure Flame finds out with a look at what makes a good video-game inspired anime.

The short essay is a little less than comprehensive -- it doesn't even mention the near-ubiquitous Pokemon anime, but the advice for making a good game-based cartoon is still useful. In short: a good game-based anime builds on the world and the story established in the game without being limited by the source material. We agree, and we're still waiting for the Super Mario Bros. anime that explores the plumbers' super-secret outer space battles between giant robots with enormous swords. Don't pretend you haven't pictured it yourself.

Building a better video game anime originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scooby-Doo! Who's Watching Who? gameplay trailer

Chris Powell — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video

I've had a soft spot for Scooby-Doo video games after playing Scooby Doo Mystery on the Sega Genesis. It was a point-and-click mystery game that had all the charm of the cartoon and was an absolute blast to play. And just this week, Scooby-Doo! Who's Watching Who? was released, and I have to admit I feel bad about not giving it the attention any Scooby-Doo title deserves, so here's a nice gameplay video showcasing the game.

While there hasn't been any reviews I've seen thus far, the game features:

The ability to control the Mystery Machine for the first time;
Original voice talent from the Scooby-Doo animated series; and
Various styles of gameplay, including puzzle, driving and platform.

Although most Scooby-Doo games this generation haven't received too many great reviews (Most range anywhere from high 60s to low 50s), this game seems like a lot of fun, and with it's budget-based price of $20, it makes my decision all the more easy.

Scooby-Doo! Who's Watching Who? gameplay trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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