It seems preorders are popping up across the web for Nintendo Monopoly board game. I’ve had my Simpsons version for years and have enjoyed it. I always wondered with the onslaught of different flavored Monopoly’s out, why they didn’t have a Nintendo one. Now we’ve just got to wait…

I wonder what the pieces will be? Any guesses?

Note: Not to be confused with the Nintendo game (cartridge) versions of Monopoly.

Check out some slick watercolor art featuring some of our favorite videogame characters. Kelli Nelson still has works available if you’re interested. She also has some doodles and comics on her site too.

I’m not necessarily following the theme of Poop from Gabe’s post…

(via Wonderland)

I saw this article and thought this was funny.

Photo Caption: “House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Ill., center, gets out of a Hydrogen Alternative Fueled automobile, left, as he prepares to board his SUV, which uses gasoline, after holding a new conference at a local gas station in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2006 to discuss the recent rise in gas prices. Hastert and other members of Congress drove off in the Hydrogen-Fueled cars only to switch to their official cars to drive back the few block back to the U.S. Capitol.”

I’m sure they had a valid reason for auto swapping, but at least they could have been a little less conspicuous and feigned interest a little while longer. The funnier thing is that it looks like both of them could use a walk. Darn fat cats.

It’s called Wii! Oui oui, we now know the “real” name of Nintendo’s next console. Previously codenamed Revolution, the name which is pronounced “we” is meant to invoke the feeling of cooperation that comes when people play games together. All together now… Wii.

Note: Not to be confused with WWI, WWII nor the inevitable WWIII.

Note 2: Isn’t the Wii to be Wi-Fi compatible too? Just add -F.

Play “Thy Dungeonman 3” over at Homestar Runner; a game which is styled after classic, low-resolution games of the 80’s. Visit LOCATIONS, get ITEMS and interact with PEOPLE all in a vivid monochrome screen. It’s the final confrontation between Thy Dungeonman and the elusive flask! This is a funny game with plenty of references to Zork, Myst and Monty Python - among others.

Use common text commands such as north, south, east, west, look, get and talk to venture around this multi-bit graphic, Flash adventure game. There’s even a bit of randomness in some of the gameplay- so you better be paying attention. I had a good time making my way through the game, with only a few retries…

How do you like the game and how many points did you get?

Note: For the younger crowd- the amber only color palette is a reference to the monochromatic screens we were limited to back in the day.

I found Goopymart while checking out our friend Dan Goodsell’s blog. It’s got some odd, but funny stuff with lots of colorful silliness. They’ve got some neat desktop pictures and some cartoons for your entertainment.

More Mario mayhem. In theory, communism works. In theory.

Here is Luke Chueh in action figure form. I met him and Joe Ledbetter at the I Am 8-Bit Book Signing. This is a creation of Michael Leavitt and he marvelously ties the artists’ signature style into each of his custom articulated figures. If you were interested in procuring one, most of his creations are already sold out.

I wish I had an action figure of myself. The only action figures I have, that even closely resemble me, are a Storm Shadow or a Snake-Eyes (without swivel-arm grip).

The recently launched ReFrederator, which puts out a classic cartoon Monday through Friday, is one podcast you should subscribe to. Grouped into weekly themes, each podcast features a classic cartoon. Only in its second week, it has already made it to the top of the charts with its first weekly theme of Mother Goose. This week they’re putting the spotlight on films based on popular comic strips.

This site has a great idea, since there are tons of old cartoons hitting the public domain now. For example: Betty Boop, Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Superman, Little Lulu, Merry Melodies, along with fairy tales and musicals, to name a few. They even take requests! What vintage cartoon would you like to see? I wouldn’t mind seeing a week of Bosko. He had a real talent for being musical with just about anything.

Note: The shows are available through iTunes.

Nintendo DS fanatics will tell you that they can’t live without their DS. Well now you can show off your DS pride at the Touch My DS site. Submit your snapshot of your DS love and check out all the other DS snapshots that other folks have submitted. There’s a whole lot of DS love around.

I’m just waiting for the DS lite…

It was a great time at the show and tons of people showed up to see their favorite 8-bit artists, including me. I took some snapshots and put them up here for you to see. It was a like a big party and we were all invited! Click on the thumbnail to see the big picture. (These aren’t in any particular order.) Enjoy!

It was great to get around and see all these creative folk and get a chance to talk with them a bit. I had my book “i am 8-bit: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the ’80s” by Chuck Klosterman and Jon M. Gibson, and I was ready to get some signatures. I got in line, as it slowly wandered around the packed gallery. As a bonus - someone must have heard me asking about it, because moments later they passed around a few copies of the new Nintendo Power with Gabe Swarr’s art insert! This copy isn’t even out to the public yet and I got mine already! Yeah!

The line was slow and somewhat organized, with people scattered about trying to see all of the artists. Interestingly enough, the line came to a halt right when I was in front of Gabe Swarr and Katie Rice. They were so fun to chat with and are such neat people. Gabe also signed his artwork in my new Nintendo Power! Yippie! It also seems that these two have something special coming up soon with Nickelodeon Studios…

As the night continued, I got around to everyone that was there. The gallery continued to fill as it slowly got warmer in there. But the artists played it cool, as they continued to meet and greet all of their fans.

Each artist had their own unique way of signing. It was great to see all the wild and fun ways they signed my book. Thankfully they had plenty of pens, because there were lots of people wanting signatures. I’m glad I got there early, but not early enough to snag some great original art. As you may see in some of my snapshots, the red dot on the art tag means it’s already sold. There were lots of red dots.

I spent several hours making my way through the line and seeing all of the artists and having a blast doing so. The atmosphere was one of excitement and merriment. As the night continued, it was time for me to leave and wish farewell to our artist friends from the I AM 8-BIT show.

Artists pictured above: Love Ablan, Ryan Bubnis, Luke Chueh, Bob Dob, Sandra Equihua, Jose Emroca Flores, Blaine Fontana, Jon M Gibson, Peter Gronquist, Jorge R Gutierrez, Dennis Larkins, Joe Ledbetter, Tony Mora, Daniel Peacock, Plasticgod, Katie Rice, Greg “Craola” Simpkins, Nathan Stapley, Gabe Swarr, Amanda Visell and Dave Wasson - all at the GALLERY NINETEEN EIGHTY EIGHT in Los Angeles, CA on April 22, 2006.

Pretty cool, huh?

If you’re not in the LA area and still want to catch a glimpse of I AM 8-BIT: version 2.006, fear not! Scot Rubin at All Games Radio hooked them up with a webcam that lets you, the viewer, pan, zoom, and basically control it however you want. Knock yourself out!

Webcam

With the new show having opened and the I AM 8-BIT book in stores, they thought it’d be nice to gather a few dozen of the artists together to sign some books, draw some pictures, and meet everyone. So here it is – a VERY laid back I AM 8-BIT book signing that’ll give you a chance to see and chat with your favorite artists.

I AM 8-BIT book signing SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 7 - 10 p.m.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE!

GALLERY NINETEEN EIGHTY EIGHT
7020 Melrose Ave (corner of La Brea by Pink’s Hot Dog Stand)
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 937-7088
with valet parking in the rear

The author and dozens of artists featured in the book will be in attendance, including (in alphabetical order):

• Sandra Equihua
• Jose Emroca Flores
• Blaine Fontana
• Peter Gronquist
• Jorge R. Gutierrez
• Joe Ledbetter
• Tony Mora
• Isaac Pierro
• Plasticgod
• Greg Simkins
• Nathan Stapley
• Gabe Swarr
• Amanda Visell
• And many more…

See you there!

Mojizu is for the people who create characters and for the people who just love them. Whether you’re an experienced artist or just the casual doodler - it’s a place to showcase your work and expose your talent to a worldwide audience. It’s also a place to improve your skills and get critiqued from a large community of character lovers.

I think this site, which currently in the beta phase, is a neat idea. Be on the lookout for the MojiWar, where characters will battle each other for fame and fortune. The above characters, which I really like, are “Sea Horror” and “Broken Bottle” by Luke (LT2099).

The site has an option to vote for your favorite characters, just like the Creatures in my Head site. There are lots of different types of characters you’ll find on the site and I’m sure you’ll find some that you’ll like. Overall, the Mojizu site is pretty cool.

Solving the puzzles in Tomb of Doom is key to the game as you figure your way around. While looking for the exit you must fight a giant scorpion, unlock a few doors and investigate strange statues. It’s a short, but fun game and you really don’t see this claymation style anymore - except for perhaps Wallace and Gromit.

Note: The website has a few pop-up ads, so watch out.