Baby steps across the room...baby steps out the door...

Two noteworthy for me things have happened in the past two weeks. The first is that I've made money and shared some of my art. Namely, a simple Chupacabra sculpture that a guy replacing my windows really liked. The second is that I've gotten involved in a real animation production a group of fellow college students are working on, one that will actually qualify for a resume spot and portfolio. Basically, it's an environmental short about littering and contaminating animal habitats that also has Teddy Roosevelt in it for whatever reason. I'm currently doing ink and paint, with a very talented roommate of mine doing some of the sketches. (Hopefully I can find a site with some of his drawings sometime.)

Regarding games, it's a real shame that Donkey Kong Baarrel Blast has turned out so horribly. I was hoping for a decent DK game or Mario Kart substitute for the Wii, but it's total crap. Hopefully something along the lines of the Country trilogy or Jungle Beat will come out in time, just like how I'm still waiting for a Rayman game that's an actual action-adventure with fantasy elements. (NERD RAGE GRR)

And a word of warning: Don't try Dragon Blade for the Wii. I rented it out of curiousity, and it's the worst game I've played for the system so far. The developers set out to make a God of War-type game, but everything is so half-hearted and unpolished that it feels like an indie student project.

Do try Phantom Hourglass, though. I didn't care much for it at first, but a little while in it really takes off. There are nice uses of both the two screens and the stylus, and sidequests like treasure hunting are very addicting. I wish they hadn't incorporated repetitive stealth bits, though.

Also, a solemn farewell to Bobobo. I don't have any reason to watch Toonami for now.

Hey Nintendo, keep doing this

In fact, Sony and Microsoft should take notes as well.

Nintendo's just released the Nintendo 64 game Sin & Punishment on the Virtual Console. The point? This game has never been released out of Japan before, despite having all-English dialogue and no reliance on text for playing it.

This has opened up the long talked about possibility of putting untranslated and unreleased titles on the Virtual Console. Mother 3 and Star Fox 2, perhaps?