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Are There More Secret Levels To Super Mario Brothers?

Game Trailers show Pop Fiction recently produced a really great episode about the secrets of Super Mario Brothers. In this episode they find out if there are more secret levels in Super Mario Brothers than just the minus worlds. It's a very technical episode and goes over mechanisms on how people found these levels and how you can go about playing them now.

If you love Nintendo lore and knowing as much as you can about Super Mario Brothers you need to watch the video linked below, your inner nerd will thank you.

http://www.gametrailers.com/full-episodes/bbcd7o/pop-fiction-episode-35--the-lost-levels

Travis Admin wrote on 03/14/2014 at 01:57pm

No freakin way. I wouldn't really call -1 a secret world, it's more a bug than a secret, but I'm still all over this.

Also, *Travis pushes his glasses up on his nose* he got through the wall in world 1-2 the hard way. Ducking makes it harder to pull off.

I'm going to have to check this out when I can watch it with audio, but even without I'm already intrigued. I can't wait to test these out over the weekend!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/14/2014 at 02:18pm

Well, finding these levels isn't really something you can do with the standard game as it involves using Tennis and a Nintendo without the lockout chip. The minus worlds were a bug as are these too BUT I appreciate how they were found and that people are still hacking on these old games.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/14/2014 at 04:26pm

Ah damn. I have Tennis, but (again without sound) I didn't realize you needed an NES without the lockout chip.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/15/2014 at 02:32pm

OK having watched it finally, with audio, I want a toploader even more. Or perhaps I'll attempt to take the lockout chip out of my spare NES.

But back to my point about what the video calls a secret, there's a lot of disingenuous language in that video. It probably isn't intentional but it gives the wrong idea. The words "secret," "lost," and "hidden" keep being used but they're neither. The video makes it sound like Miyamoto put 255 worlds in there and just never turned them on or something, rather than what actually happened-- there are 8 worlds and bumping the world number past that makes the game bug out in a unique way. 255 is just the maximum value of the byte. If that's a secret, then modifying Firefox's memory as it's running to call it Mozzarella Firebox is also a Firefox secret. This is really not as big a deal as I'm making it but there you go. :)

Don't get me wrong though, I still dig the video. I love the explanation of how using Tennis (probably other games as well) fakes the system into bumping the world number past 8. I had noticed some games save some data through a reset and always wondered how. Now I know!

And this plays on the same kind of thing as the Game Genie. With the right codes, you could access these as well, just by using the same codes you would use to start at world 8, only bumped past the actual max. In fact some of these seem to do just that: http://supermariogamegenies.webs.com/

I used to attempt to write my own game genie codes. Most of them did nothing noticeable, locked up the game, or made things worse, but some were incredibly useful. I had the book of course but I had pages of codes that I wrote myself. I guess I was learning about editing memory and hex long before I realized what those even were! There was one that started me in an almost unplayable world, with the -1 designation like these. I really wish I knew where those codes were now to see if that's what I actually did.

I love that in Mario 2 (the lost levels in the US) there's a world 9 that pulls from some of the effects that showed up in these bugged-out levels. I'd actually like to see a 2d Mario game where the dimensional structure is breaking down or some other crazy plot reason and you can play through overworld levels that have been flooded, etc. With NES Remix on the Wii U, that's actually something I could see crop up, in 20 second segments anyway.

It's kinda sad that this kind of thing is mostly lost now. With these massively designed levels in most games, just changing a single value in memory really can't bug out a level to the point of creating that kind of experience.

So that was kinda long. In conclusion: Awesome, I wanna do it!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/16/2014 at 10:23pm

"The words "secret," "lost," and "hidden" keep being used but they're neither. The video makes it sound like Miyamoto put 255 worlds in there and just never turned them on or something..."

Yep, your right. These are not extra levels just a bugged out way to play the game.

I'd love to try this too but i'd need to get the top loader NES too. Maybe they omitted the lockout chip because at the top loader came out the NES was at the end of life.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/17/2014 at 02:03am

I was thinking about that the other day. Since Tengen and so many others had figured out a way to overload the lockout chip, maybe they just gave up. Since the lockout chip was no longer doing what it was intended to do, it would probably save a little money to just omit it altogether.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2014 at 05:08pm

I bet it saved a bit of money for sure. Plus, like you say, if it's easy to get around what's the point? I guess maybe keeping licensees paying?

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Is Dark Souls the Future of Videogame Storytelling?

"Videogames generally suck when it comes to storytelling. Their stories are often ineffective, clumsy, or just plain unnecessary. And so many cutscenes!!! We're disengaged, and it breaks our immersion. WE want to play the game, not have it told to us. Enter Dark Souls: the plot may seem threadbare, but when you dig in, whole new backstories and depth begin to emerge as you interact with the things you find. Is this the future of storytelling? Or should games even be TRYING to tell stories?"

This episode of Game/Show is pretty interesting as it brings up a point that was made in a recent Cheerful Ghost Roundtable, typically games contain pretty bad stories. Jamin talks... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/14/2014 at 09:16pm

It seems that there are two things being discussed here: Games with poor story material (Far Cry 3, per the video), and games that tell their stories poorly (a majority of games). I do love it when games introduce story elements through discovery, but I don't think that Dark Souls is the first to do this (Ico, Portal, Bioshock?). Dark Souls uses diagetic elements to tell it's stories, but there is a balance of the mimetic, as well (cut-scenes, npc dialogue, allowing player notes, etc). Bioshock did this to a great degree, though it was heavier in the dialogue department. Both of these games, and others, lend themselves well to the silent protagonist, which, as we might remember, has also been a topic of critical debate. The point, I think, is to make the game you want to make. Asking whether games should even be trying to tell stories, seems ridiculous. Some people make games that have stories. If your game has a story, you should certainly try to tell it, in whichever way suits the play of the game. There are many ways to tell a story. I don't think that video games should have one specific way.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/15/2014 at 04:40pm

I agree, there can be many ways to how a video game tells a story. One recent example of a really unique game was Little Inferno. I don't want to spoil it, but it had one of the best narratives and total switcheroos in recent memory. In fact I rank the few hour experience I had with the game up there with one of the best movie or book experiences of all time.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/15/2014 at 08:45pm

I really like Little Inferno. It has that same kind of Portal depth to it, where you have this fairly simple, somewhat comfortable, beginning that leads you into a deeper, unsettling mystery. They are both very linear games, but the timing used to give you, or allow you to find, certain pieces of information, grant the illusion of independent discovery.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/15/2014 at 09:01pm

Another story that I really like is Beyond Good & Evil. Most of it's story progression is told through cut-scenes (If I remember correctly. It's been a while), but there were areas that you could walk around and listen to conversations, or radio broadcasts, or observe objects that would give you a greater sense of the whole story. Plus, the musical score went a long way toward doing that, too.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/16/2014 at 10:24pm

I've heard really great things about Beyond Good & Evil but I have only played the Beyond Good & Evil HD demo when it was re-released on the PS3. The game was fun but I never picked up the full version.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/17/2014 at 04:17am

It's good. Really good. I'll totally let you borrow it anytime you like, if you have the ability to play Gamecube games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2014 at 05:09pm

I can play Gamecube games on my Wii. That said, I have a few console games I want to play before it. Like Read Dead Redemption. I've heard great things about that one.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/17/2014 at 06:28pm

I've only made it as far as the path opening up to Mexico in RDR, which, I hear, is where it really gets good. It's a beautiful game, and a lot of fun to play. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/18/2014 at 03:12am

Awesome. I have heard so many great things about the game I doubt I will be. My only gripe is that it isn't available on PC, it would be much more convenient to play it that way.

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Blizzard Drops A New Video Showing the Crusaders Abilities

Not gonna lie, I am excited about Reaper of Souls launching in two weeks. That said, when I see something new drop about the expansion, I want to share it and this latest video showcasing more about the Crusader is pretty awesome

It seems the Crusader is very similar to the Diablo II Paladin except he seems to bring a few Barbarian like things to the table. It seems the Crusader has "auras" but also seems to have an ability that makes him almost giantlike.

Are you getting Reaper of Souls when it launches and if so will you play the new class? I know I will be.

Dong Nguyen speaks about Flappy Bird

The somewhat reclusive creator of Flappy Bird recently accepted an interview with Rolling Stone. In it, he discusses the ups and downs of creating a hit mobile game.

I have to admit to a slight addiction here, folks. I've criticized the game and Mr. Nguyen on the site before, and I still stick by those criticisms. The game is derivative and unimaginative, and its creator handled criticism very poorly. I still believe that. However, upon the news that it was being removed from the various app stores, I re-snagged it just in case I changed my mind. Well, I have. Kinda. The art is incredibly derivative, going farther than just homage, and the mechanics are identical to a... Read All The somewhat reclusive creator of Flappy Bird recently accepted an interview with Rolling Stone. In it, he discusses the ups and downs of creating a hit mobile game.

I have to admit to a slight addiction here, folks. I've criticized the game and Mr. Nguyen on the site before, and I still stick by those criticisms. The game is derivative and unimaginative, and its creator handled criticism very poorly. I still believe that. However, upon the news that it was being removed from the various app stores, I re-snagged it just in case I changed my mind. Well, I have. Kinda. The art is incredibly derivative, going farther than just homage, and the mechanics are identical to a game that's a decade old, but the game is still damned addictive. It plays very well on the human need to see a number go up, and the difficulty sits right on the same Super Meat Boy edge of what is too frustrating.

All that being said, it's interesting to hear from Dong Nguyen about what's been happening in his life. Some of the messages he received are just mean, and some were concerning to him. At all the criticism over the addictive nature of the game, he said "At first I thought they were just joking, but I realize they really hurt themselves." The feeling of success could easily be negated by thinking you've legitimately hurt someone with your creation. I mean really, if you had 10,000 people singing your praises and a single person who mentions failing responsibilities due to something you created, which are you likely to listen to?

The decision to take the game down makes more sense now, and I'm glad he agreed to a rare interview. If you managed to miss the game and want to play the original (not one of the thousands of clones), there's hope. Mr. Nguyen has said he may put it back up, but if he does there will be a Wii-style reminder that you should take breaks from it.

The full interview can be found at Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-flight-of-the-birdman-flappy-bird-creator-dong-nguyen-speaks-out-20140311

That's my personal high score in the image, by the way. Beat it if you dare!

Valve bringing Direct 3D to Linux

Valve has pulled code straight from the belly of the beast (by which I mean DOTA2) to bring ToGL to the world. ToGL is a translation layer to convert Direct3D code to OpenGL.

The code is being released as-is, and isn't necessarily ready for prime-time, but it can hopefully be used by other game developers to bring their D3D-only code into the OpenGL world, enabling future porting to Linux.

This is great news for the gaming community looking to get a Steam Machine, and obviously a good decision for Valve. It's nice to see a developer contributing back to the community with good code. I hope to see more games building on this to expand the Steam Linux library, as I'm... Read All

CRYENGINE Comes to Linux: Steam Machines Rejoice

"During presentations and hands-on demos at Crytek's GDC booth, attendees can see for the first time ever full native Linux support in the new CRYENGINE. The CRYENGINE all-in-one game engine is also updated with the innovative features used to recreate the stunning Roman Empire seen in Ryse – including the brand new Physically Based Shading render pipeline, which uses real-world physics simulation to create amazingly realistic lighting and materials in CRYENGINE games."

Valve should be letting us know the publishers that will be coming to SteamOS soon and I hope this signal from the Cryengine folks is a recipe of what is to come. The Cryengine powers games such as:... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2014 at 02:09am

Very good news, indeed! What other 3D game engines support Linux now, besides Unity and Source? Any hope that Unreal will make that step? Frostbite?

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2014 at 02:17am

As far as major engines go, those are the biggies, I think. I'm hoping for the Skryim/Fallout engine, but perhaps I'm getting my hopes up.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 07:04pm

@scrypt Many. Recently though Torque and when Ryan Gordon ported Dungeon Defenders to Linux, now Unreal 3. But historically Unreal and Unreal 2 engines were on Linux because of... Ryan Gordon :D

iD tech all the way up to 3 had Linux ports. Since they ported Rage to Mac, the port to Linux shouldn't be much harder.

Other engines are available on Linux like Ogre 3D and the like.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2014 at 10:57pm

Ah yeah, for some reason I put a "major" in your question, scrypt. Yeah there are tons. Disregard my comment.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2014 at 11:06pm

My question kind of implies major engines, but it's good to know all the love that's out there :). Mostly thinking of the environments that would cause the biggest waves for change. For Linux to be a viable, lasting platform for games, it has to have majority support, natively, from the big players. I'd love to see that day come, and it feels like it's right around the corner.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/13/2014 at 03:21am

I think we are mostly at that point now. Most major engines support it, some outliers don't but it wouldn't be impossible to make it happen if the company were incentivized to do it. I kind of think "if the engine supports the PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One, Windows and possibly Mac, the road to Linux shouldn't be impossible."

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The Crusader Is Very Pious As He Smashes Demons In The Face

http://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/blog_header/Z21O8HA65X081394474289710.jpg

As the days to the release of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls count down, Blizzard is letting out more information about the expansion. In this latest update they kicked out some really interesting bits of lore about the Crusader. I'll clip out a few things I found interesting:

"While there is some debate among scholars as to the true nature of Akarat’s prophecy—specifically, whether the "being" Akarat saw was the archangel Yaerius or simply an echo of Uldyssian’s sacrifice at the end of the Sin War—its significance is undeniable. It is said that the vision, manifesting as a magnificent flash of light and energy across the sky, ignited the fundamental belief within Akarat... Read All

What Are You Playing Right Now?

Curious to hear what everyone has been playing lately? I haven't really been playing anything specific and hope to hear something interesting that I can dig into.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:48am

I feel like I've gone old school, but I've been playing a lot of Dota 2 and Awesomenauts, with some NBA 2K14 mixed in.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/11/2014 at 03:19pm

Next to nothing, except Portal 2 the other day.

Speaking of which, we need to get back into that.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:15pm

I'm tiptoeing around my wall-of-shame. Just finished Darksiders and started Darksiders II. If you haven't played, the first is a mix of God of War and a 3D Zelda game. The second is the same but a much more spacious landscape, and deeper RPG elements. It's a sequel progression similar to Arkham Asylum vs Arkham City. I love the art style of Joe Mad in the Darksiders series; moving around within it is like playing a comic book. Highly recommended.

Also, a scattering of platformers, including Intrusion 2 and Capsized. Capsized is pretty, but with frustrating controls. Intrusion 2 seems like a ragdoll-physics Contra game, but, again, the controls can fight against you at times.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:19pm

I agree with you on Capsized. I loved the idea and tone but the controls are super odd. Then again, that might be part of the fun.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:40pm

If you want super odd controls, try out Octodad. I have never had so much fun in such a small amount of time and then completely lose interest so quickly.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/12/2014 at 12:47am

Minecraft! I realized recently that every time the game plays it's music (it doesn't always play), I fall deeply in love with the game again. I think the game is extremely relaxing, I love it!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 04:36am

Minecraft is very relaxing. When I play it I really have no agenda and my focus really drops off. I think that's why Terraria is my jam. Not only can you build, but there is progression and boss fights. Sweet, sweet boss fights/

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2014 at 01:20pm

And bees.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/12/2014 at 04:05pm

My copy of The Stick of Truth is arriving today. Also been playing rymdkapsel and Fire Emblem: Awakening.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 07:05pm

I have heard a lot about Stick of Truth. I might pick that up in a sale, it doesn't catch my fancy for $60 though.

How is rymdkapsel? That looks really neat.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 07:05pm

@Travis AND BEES! I hope in a later patch we get more with bees. Like a super Bee hardmode boss.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/12/2014 at 10:27pm

LOL I agree with you Jon. In Minecraft, you make your own agenda. I have more to say about both Minecraft and Terraria, but I'm going to say that on my most recent Minecraft post.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2014 at 10:54pm

I've been looking at Stick of Truth, as well. I think it would be a blast to play, especially since Matt and Trey have been really close to the project.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/17/2014 at 05:34pm

Stick of truth has turned out pretty good. It's a little buggy (Thanks Obsidian), but it's incredibly funny. Definitely worth $40, maybe not $60. Also, rymdkapsel is a blast. Pretty simple TD-esque game. Perfect for the work commute.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/17/2014 at 09:12pm

Adym, what are your thoughts on Dota2? I have it installed, but haven't tried it yet.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/17/2014 at 10:09pm

vdogmr, I'm absolutely shocked that an Obsidian game is buggy.

... that was sarcasm, yes.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/17/2014 at 10:46pm

Dota2 takes some effort to get into really, but is worth the initial effort. I normally skip tutorials, but this is one game where they definitely are useful. I'm really enjoying playing it, and try to get a game or two in a day right now. I am completely brand new to the world of ESports, but think that it would be really interesting to get into someday.

If you do get into it, my recommendation is to start with the Death Prophet as your hero. She's pretty easy to play (ranged, so you're not in the middle of the action) and powerful.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/17/2014 at 11:17pm

Adym, by 'completely brand new' do you mean that DOTA 2 is the only MOBA you've played? Just curious if you've given League of Legends a try.

I'm starting to like DOTA 2 more and more as I play, but it took a lot of getting used to, coming over from LoL, and I still trip over some of the basics, like tower aggro and denying. Taking advantage of the courier was another thing that I had to get over, especially without a default base-return option.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/18/2014 at 12:20am

Yeah, I wasn't even aware of MOBA games. I do love RTS, but MOBA was completely foreign to me.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 01:11am

What is MOBA? I don't think I've heard of that one.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/18/2014 at 02:02am

MOBA = Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, sometimes knows as ARTS (Action Real-Time Strategy), used to describe games like DoTA, LoL, HoN (Heroes of Newerth), SMITE, Awesomenauts, etc. The genre started with a mod for Starcraft called Aeon of Strife. It's like Starcraft, but with just hero fights.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/18/2014 at 02:05am

We should totally start a DoTA 2 group!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 05:23am

Thanks for the clarification, Scrypt.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 05:30am

That's a good idea, too, Scrpyt. I saw Ragnarok Online and Ragnarok Online 2 on Steam. I used to play the first one long ago and miss it. It would be cool if we had a guild in there. I'm getting tired of Minecraft.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 11:18pm

I gave DoTA 2 a try and passed the tutorial, which is more than I can say about Star Trek Online (the Borg are still kicking my ass and preventing me from finishing the tutorial). It looks interesting, I might try to play it more. I remember the days of playing Ragnarok Online with friends, that was probably the best MMORPG I've ever played (well, I've only played it and FFXI). I was delighted to see it on Steam. I thought I'd check out RO2, but the reviews for it are horrible. So, I've decided to give RO another try. It's been a long time and I still remember gripes I had with the game (people taking my loot from monsters), but I also remember being a bad ass knight, too. So....this is me, tired of Minecraft, looking for something else to play.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/19/2014 at 01:55am

We'll definitely have to put together a Dota2 group and schedule a game :-)

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Nekro: A Farm Murder Simulator, 10/10 Would Recommend

I recently was let into the beta for Nekro and I am excited to finally be able to write about it. Nekro is a pretty dark game where you take the role of an evil Necromancer hell bent on usurping the sitting king in favor of replacing him with a dark lord of the undead. In the first few missions you learn the ropes of the game and spend in game "sins" to upgrade your Necromancers abilities. I really enjoy playing as the brawler Nekro and sunk most of my points into the bats as my summons. One aspect of Nekro is that your summons automagically target bad guys leaving you free to kite around taking shots at the games antagonists. Whereas you can use your Nekro to attack... Read All

Reaper of Souls Music Preview

"To whet your auditory appetite, we've put together an exclusive preview track featuring just a small sample of new melodies you'll hear as you adventure through this haunting environment."

I really enjoyed the Diablo III score and appreciate the direction they took with this music for Reaper of Souls. The music shown in the clip above seems to have an airy choral quality to it. The songs are also layered such that the individual instruments really stand out in a way I didn't hear in the Diablo III score.

Blizzard also did a Q&A with the Diablo III music director Derek Duke. I cut a snippet from the interview for your viewing pleasure.

""Q. The world of Sanctuary is... Read All