The ascent of video game music in the past decade has been gamers’ ultimate wet dream.  From YouTube’s six trillion versions of the Super Mario Bros theme song, to the entire Nerdcore movement, to Video Games Live, which sells out stadiums playing orchestral gamer themes – game soundtracks have become more popular, important and appreciated than movie soundtracks these days. About time.

This being such an important list for a geektastic blog like ours, we were honored to get hip hop producer (and half of face-melting hip hop duo Panacea) K-Murdock to give us the run down. His recent album with Popten-favorite Random, Forever Famicom, has been tearing up the internets with its 8bit beats and 1o-ton rhymes.

Forever Famicom is one of 2010′s killer albums – a masterful mix of nostalgic beats and powerful verses. Half of the time I was nodding my head, the other half I was set adrift on 8bit memory bliss, or else mining my brain to figure out what game soundtracks K-Murdock was sampling. Despite my habit of going through fifteen albums a week, Forever Famicom hasn’t left my iPod/stereo/8track player this month. Check it out here.

So I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to talk to K-Murdock about his all-time favorite video game soundtracks. And without further adieu, here they are, with commentary by K himself:

10. The Legend of Zelda

If I had to pick one and only one 8-bit game to have on my list, it would have to be Zelda. We all know the memorable theme BUT it was the distinct music you heard when battling a boss, entering a dungeon or finding those caves to buy items… it really laid the foundation for RPGs (especially) as far as having a real score.

9. Super Metroid

I just remember how ambient and eerie the tracks were, which fit spot on while youu combed through the planet. I could hum each theme with each change/progression from countless hours searching for those friggin’ power bombs! Plus who can forget the little fanfare you hear whenever Samus finds a power-up? Classic.

8. Shadow of the Colossus

Beautiful, simply beautiful… everything about this game. Its crazy cuz the music only kicks in when you approach the colossi, but when it does it epically captures the prodigious task you have when trying to slay each beast… and the opening and closing theme almost had me misty eyed!

7. Nights

Sega nailed it with this game, so much so that I had to import the soundtrack just to have those tunes. From the character selection screen to the build up you get when the boss enters… perfect! The game had such a crazy nostalgic vibe and the music captured it with the ambient voices and effects mixed in!

6. Sonic CD

Sonic games have always had some cool tracks, but playing through the game with CD quality music really made it dope for me. From the animated intro which was so j-pop and corny but catchy, to each stage having a very cool and unique rock kinda edge, it fit – even if those aren’t my fave genres. Of all the Sonic iterations, this game has my fave music of them all.

5. Chrono Trigger

I had to pick this not only because I sampled it for the Forever Famicom project, but because I can still vividly hear certain tracks till this day… like the morning Chrono wakes up as the game begins or when you reach Zeal or Robo’s theme… the whole soundtrack was stellar and really helped solidify this as one of top 3 RPGS EVER!

4. Fallout 3

I know this is a weird pick since it wasn’t too original and mostly old American classics BUT I loved it and thought the drastic disparity between the frolicky, light-hearted nature of the music with what was happening in the capital wasteland was genius on Bethesda’s part! I found myself singing all the songs verbatim by the end, plus it eased the tension especially when exploring the dark vaults!

3. Panzer Dragoon

One of the first Sega Saturn games I played and the opening level music alone is so epic, its complete chaos on screen and the music is just as crazy yet gorgeous with the tympani drum hits and woodwind instruments building. And then when the boss came it was even more crazy… not all the music was my style but it fit and that’s what counts.

2. Super Adventure Island

Yuzo Koshiro killed it – there are hip-hop beats on here better than stuff on the radio… and I can honestly say I can’t think of a better game where the music carried the game since the play mechanics and premise of SAI was so monotonous… this game is classic just for the soundtrack!

1. Final Fantasy 7

I coulda picked from a few but maybe it was the fact i could hear Uematsu’s arrangements so beautifully in clear stereo with no 16-bit sounds and real orchestration. the most memorable tracks were Aerith’s theme and of course Sephiroth’s complete with the choral voices chanting “SEPHIROTH”… epic. The town’s music was so perfect too from Midgar to Costa de Sol.

Like many, I can’t remember the first time I watched Transformers the Movie. Only that the animated bildungsroman-with-robots was pretty much the best movie I’d ever seen. Sure we’ve all gotten up and cheered during some amazing movie moments over the years – Yoda pulling out a light saber in Episode Two, Schwarzenegger telling Bennett to let off some steam at the end of Commando, Rachel McAdams running into Ryan Gosling’s arms in The Notebook. (No, wait…) But seared into most 80s Babies’ souls is the cataclysmic point in Transformers when Optimus Prime heads to his final showdown with Megatron, proclaiming “One shall stand. One shall fall,” cueing one of the best movie moments of all time, to the tune of Stan Bush’s “The Touch”. And since the release of that anthem onto the world in 1986, countless geeks keep it always at the ready, in case any life-or-death challenge raises its hydra-esque head, and they need to light their darkest hour.

Over the past 25 years Stan Bush has continued to churn out soundtracks to every flavor of epic victory, whether they surface in some of the best Van Damage movies, as themes to the Olympics or as Emmy-award-winning songs for TV. Shortly after Popten awarded Stan Bush’s android paean the coveted #1 Geek Anthem spot a few months ago, the two of us were put in touch. I tried to downplay the fact that I’ve probably listened to a couple of his songs at least once a week since 1986. Or that The Touch was what adrenalized us before the premiere of Second Skin. Or that we named my intramural college soccer team Erotimus Prime. Unperturbed by my rampant nerdery, we’d shoot short emails back and forth from time to time.

And then Stan’s music, like a certain battle-hardened robotic warrior thought doomed to the scrap heap, resurfaced. The Touch played in an episode of Chuck. Til All Are One played during the new Transformer video game’s closing credits. Stan’s music was the topic of a slightly-too-snarky io9 article. And I realized I’d neglected to pick up his newest album, In This Life. Seven clicks later, it was mine.

In This Life is the most triumphant album I’ve heard in ages. Checking in on Stan’s oeuvre after all these years, I see that he’s been busy perfecting the soundtrack to an epic life. Listening to the album feels like duking it out in a series of Boss Fights, each more heroic than the last. The guitar soars like Laserbeak. The drums are as seismic as Rumble. And if Soundwave ever played these tunes, he would probably explode.

I have a bit of a mental flow chart I run through when deciding to put Stan’s album on. I ask myself questions like:

Is this trip to Arbys brimming over with enough triumph?

Does my walk to the pharmacy feel enough like Napoleon’s victory lap after Austerlitz?

Is this celebration of my pyrrhic victory in Plants vs Zombies magnanimous enough?

Have I realized that my fate is in the blood, in the will, in the mighty hands of steel?

If the answers to any of those questions is no, Stan’s anthems are soon blaring, transforming (heh) any situation into an epic crusade between the forces of light and darkness – with me eternally cast in the role of Rodimus Prime exploding out of Unicron’s eye. Well, something like that.

I reached out to Stan, to ask him exactly how he never bends, he never breaks, and seems to have just what it takes. With characteristic awesomeness, Stan graciously allowed me to barrage him with questions. And here we are.

You’ve written some of the most triumphant songs about victory this side of Dragonforce. What moment or moments are you channeling when you write these anthems? When have you felt most triumphant?

I’m not sure exactly how I got started writing the ‘go for it’ anthems. It may have been “The Touch” that was the beginning of it all. I’ve always like songs with a positive message. We all need encouragement and to realize our potential.

True that. Speaking of realizing our potential- what’s your favorite part of being a rock musician? Writing the songs, performing them, recording the album, touring…?

I love writing songs because it’s like a puzzle. It’s not always easy, but I know if I keep pushing, something good will eventually come out.

So how do you approach writing lyrics?

I usually come up with title first, then write the rest of the chorus lyrics to reinforce the title. Then, since the verse kind of sets up the chorus, I write the verses last.

Are you cool with being an idol to geeks all over the world? Or do you resent it at times?

I’m honored to have so many fans, and really appreciate the support.

So then what’s it like going to fan conventions like Botcon?

It’s a lot of fun. I meet people from all over the world. I love going to the Botcon conventions. The people are so nice.

So nice and so numerous. What is it about Transformers that makes them so popular that they defined a generation- and how have they endured for over twenty years?

It’s amazing thinking back all those years ago, doing those songs in the original Transformers movie, that it would become such a phenomenon. I’ve had fans tell me that it was the ‘soundtrack for their childhood’. I think the positive message resonated with the fans.

It was doubtlessly the soundtrack to my brother and I’s childhoods. I wonder if it was also the anthem to PT Anderson’s childhood? Possibly the most surreal moment I’ve had watching a movie is seeing Mark Wahlberg sing The Touch on Boogie Nights. What’s the story with that song making it into that movie?

I’m not really sure how the song got into “Boogie Nights”. They probably contacted the publisher. It was really cool seeing Mark Wahlberg singing “The Touch”. It was kind of a spoof on the eighties I think.

Probably. Speaking of decades, the nineties were a tough time for rock musicians. Were you tempted to make a grunge album?

Never! When the whole grunge thing happened, I kept making albums for Europe and Japan. I always tried remain true to who I am and not follow the latest trend.

The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack is still my favorite movie soundtrack of all time, and I know a lot of people who share the sentiment. Why do you think it’s stood the test of time?

Vince Dicola did an awesome job on the score for “Transformers: The Movie”. “The Touch” and “Dare” are both great songs. There was a certain magic there that has remained to this day.

Speaking of great songs- Southern Rain, off your newest album, is gorgeous. What inspired it?

Thanks, Southern Rain is one of my favorite songs too. I grew up in Florida, and in that song, I kind of step back in time. It means a lot to me.

Very cool. I also read that you’ve worked with some rock legends. What was it like working with Paul Stanley and Journey’s Jonathan Caine?

I wrote with a few guys like them including Jim Vallance who wrote all the Bryan Adams hits. While they are very talented songwriters, the main thing I noticed about those guys, is the work ethic. They would work 12 hour days to make the songs come out great.

Sounds taxing. What’s next for you? And can we catch you on tour sometime?

I just finished a brand new album called “Dream the Dream” which will be released August 27th. I’m hoping to do a tour in the fall. Finally I’d like to thank all my fans for their support and they can check out my website Stanbush.com

Thanks very much Stan! Til all are one.

It’s only been a few months since Jay Pavlina dropped the 8-bit bomb on geekdom, but already he’s back with more. Super Mario Bros Crossover is a game near and dear to Popten’s heart. So much so, that we scored an exclusive interview with Jay, wherein he told us he had a lot in store for us down the road. And here’s the first surprise, in the form of our favorite NES ninja, Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden fame- now mowing down Goombas left and right.

The ‘Action Figure Party’ continues. In case you’ve arrived late, here’s what you’ve been missing:

Super Mario Bros Crossover is a flash game that recreates the original Super Mario Bros for Nintendo and allows you to play it as characters from other classic Nintendo games. It is a tribute to classic NES games and anyone that grew up playing Nintendo should enjoy it. Click on the image above to play it.

The Exploding Rabbit Forums are a great place to talk about the game and submit ideas for new features and characters. Jay Pavlina, the creator, will be checking them regularly. Also, be sure to check out the Developer Commentaries to learn about how the game was made or watch some of the other videos just for entertainment.

Play Super Mario Bros Crossover Here.

Because apparently hackers have a pretty awesome sense of humor.

I met Blaine in that surreal, Zuckerberg-facilitated fashion that so many of us experience these days.

I was doing my usual rounds on Facebook a few years ago, when I noticed a profile pic that perfectly parodied the latest New Pornographers’ album cover (see above, below).  I shot the guy a quick email telling him how spot-on his parody looked only to get a reply that it wasn’t a spoof- the cover was indeed based on the photo.

Glancing at the name, I blushed. I’d just accidentally contacted Blaine Thurier- one of the members of my favorite band. This was a month before Second Skin (the movie I wrote/produced) hit SXSW, and I remember reading that Blaine’s film had won SXSW a few years back. A few festival-related emails back and forth followed, and our Facebook friendship was cemented.

After a recent extended Facebook conversation about The Singularity with Blaine, I thought it might be fun to ask him some other questions, some even pertaining to the just-released New Pornos album Together. Mr.Thurier graciously accepted, and here we are.

A little Wikipedian background for you: Blaine plays synthesizer with The New Pornographers, directs the band’s music videos and has released films of his own, including A Gun to the Head (trailer below).

You recently said, “Making a movie for me is, metaphorically, like doing cocaine and getting in street-fights. It’s adventurous as well as self-destructive.” Care to elaborate on that? What aspects are self-destructive and what’s the most adventurous part?

The most adventurous part is trying to be truthful and honest. Looking into your own heart and soul and then trying to show people what’s inside is a scary thing. It’s self-destructive because it can also be heart-breaking. Shooting nights for three weeks straight isn’t exactly good for the mental health either. Despite all that, it’s the most gratifying thing in the world. I should add that anything beyond the joy that the process brings is just gravy.

If making a movie is about doing blow and re-enacting Beat It, then how would you describe working on a NP album?

It’s like social networking. We’re rarely in the same room together, some recorded parts are sent via file sharing, ideas are shared over chat or email. Very impersonal stuff. I’m always amazed when it comes together. Rehearsing and touring is just the opposite though, it’s very intimate and personal.

What was it like working on Together, versus prior NP albums? Any good anecdotes from the recording process?

Nope, recording is slow and painful. As the lowly keyboardist though, I don’t have to be there all the time. Carl, John and Phil did most of the sitting for hours, days, weeks and months in various studios.

Where’d the idea for the Together music video come from and how’d you go about working with Vancouver dance troupe Hybrid Movement on it?

Carl’s idea. He just thought the riff sounded like a combo move. I put an ad on craigslist and found a choreographer. One of her dancers introduced me to the Hybrid Movement guys. The location was another huge part of that video. It was shot at a Japanese community center in a Vancouver suburb. Inside and out, it looks like 19th century Japan.

What was your favorite NP video to direct? Why?

I liked Your Hands because it had the most surprises. We had a very basic plan and left lots of room for stuff to just happen. The dancers and the Hybrid guys were great at coming up with amazing stuff on the spot. It’s the one video where I just let people bring what they had to bring. I like to gather people together and let them entertain me, then cut it into something that other people might like.

How do you split your time between movie making and NP?

It’s worked itself out so far. The first movie was made before the NP’s first album. I made the second and third movies in the wake of Carl’s solo records. I can only hope to find a window for another one. I try to keep writing though, even on the road.

If you had a $100 million budget, what kind of movie would you make?

See below.

If you could adapt any book, which one would you choose?

I’d like to do a mini-series of the entire Bible, complete with all the sex and violence. No punches pulled. It wouldn’t really be a Christian show as such, since it would portray incest and glorify genocide, just like the bible does. It would just show the raw story, as it is on the page with as little interpretation as possible. I’d like to shoot all four Gospels, as each one has its own tone and slant, but I’d also like to film the reconstructed version, the one scholars have been trying to piece together that tries to reveal the original story, stripping away all the stuff that was added later. I’d probably portray Paul as the guy that ruined everything.

There’s a great book on the subject called The Jesus Sayings by Rex Weyler about the early days of Christianity and how the original message was completely co-opted and bastardized.  Max von Sydow was right in Hannah and her Sisters.  ”If Jesus were to come back today, he’d be throwing up all over the place.”

If you had to remake any movie, which one would you choose?

My friend Lynne Stopkewich suggested that we remake each others’ first films. I’d remake her necrophilia-based feature KISSED as a comedy. Two of my favourites are the original Heartbreak Kid and Bad News Bears. I haven’t seen their remakes because I’d like to continue to imagine that I would’ve done a better job.

I’d also like to find that movie with a great idea and lousy execution that nobody’s heard of and hasn’t been optioned already.

A book that everyone should read before they die?

Wow. That’s a tough question. I think all Christians should read the bible from beginning to end and try to reconcile it with their own lives. Will they give away everything they own and bar women from speaking in church?

I’m also in the middle of reading Saul Friedlander’s two volume work “Nazi Germany and the Jews”. It really makes you want to go out and be nicer to people. It’s heartbreaking but essential knowledge.

I make an annual summer mix of euphoric music. As you can imagine, NP appears on most of them. Any other tracks I should include on it?

I rediscovered my favourite album, Forever Changes by LOVE, when we were rehearsing for the tour in Woodstock. I’d just put the whole thing on there. My dirty, nerdy secret is that I listen to almost nothing but classical music. I love Bach and twentieth century music, Xenakis, Ligeti, Shostakovich, Messiaen etc etc etc. And Schubert. Even some Mozart.

You have a time machine that you can use once. Where do you go?

Just one? Oh man… I’d like to go hang with the historical Jesus, get the real lowdown.

Okay, I can’t do it. Picking one is just not fair. I want to take a stroll in Ancient Rome. I want to visit Vancouver each year since its first settlement and track the changes.

There are a few blown opportunities I’d like to take another shot at, completely sexual in nature. Yeah, if I just got one, it would be one of those, sadly.

You and I have been talking about the Singularity a lot lately. What’s your conception of the end of the world?

We’re either going to destroy ourselves by destroying our environment or undergo a transformation like the one Kurzweil is talking about, where we evolve into cyber-beings. I was raised on The Book of Revelations and some of that apocalyptic thinking is still stuck in my brain. I wonder if the world would be different if the Council of Nicae hadn’t narrowly voted to include that book in the canon.

Though many of our lovely readership are fellow geeks, we at Popten like to recognize those that aren’t always early adopters- and help whenever possible. This public service announcement is brought to you by the fine folks at The Oatmeal.

First impressions are hard to break. And more and more these days, our first impression of someone isn’t their face, breath or unwieldy mole- it’s their email address. Which many of you might think is more or less invisible. And many of us know couldn’t be further from the truth.

Your email address speaks volumes about you. And not just the fact that you chose “2hot4upapi212″ as your address. Rather, it’s the second half that counts. This graphic should help. And it’s all true. It’s exactly how you’re seen on the internet, grandpabilly@aol.com.

It comes down to this: at least get a Gmail address. Please. If nothing else, Gmail users are proven to be younger, richer and better in bed. And that’s a hell of a first impression.

WHAT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SAYS ABOUT YOU (The Oatmeal)

Hooray for the Earl of Sandwich and his delicious amalgamation of all that is good, lovingly placed between two slices of bread (and or pieces of KFC fried chicken). Here’s the list of America’s ten favorite sandwiches, according to TLC Cooking. I’ll go on record as saying that I’m not at all on board with this list, and hope a Popten author with better taste buds redoes this one. But see if you agree. Top Ten Sandwiches

We all wonder what others really think about us. But do we actually want to hear what’s said?

For those who are brave enough to face the music, here comes failin.gs – a service that lets your friends and family anonymously gripe about you to your face. You pose the simple question, “What Can I Work On?” and give them license to go to town on your shortcomings, potentially traumatizing you for life, but potentially helping you work out some kinks you never realized you had.

Despite dealing with the touchiest of subjects, failin.gs seems to do it mostly right. It’s great about privacy, asking would-be commenters to answer a question about you (your choice) to prove that they do indeed know you. It also allows anyone to agree or disagree with comments, so that irate ex-girlfriends can be drowned out by your actual friends. You can even post your two cents by categorizing them as “I know this about me”, “I had no idea” or “I totally disagree”

Ever since I was shown the site a couple of days ago, it’s been my Pandora’s Box- I can’t stop thinking about singing up, but can’t bring myself to actually do it.

Anyone out there got the emotional cojones to get an account? If you take the plunge, let us know how it goes for you in the comments.

It’s in private beta for now, but google “failin.gs promo code” and you should be all set.

In my first-ever blog post for digital agency Big Spaceship, I ask why Facebook decided on the change in semantics. Why was “Become a Fan” changed to “Like”? And why has that move forever soiled the word, adding some heavy baggage to it?  Check it out here.

When the dust settles on 2010 I’m not sure what game critics will consider the best of the year- already the list of candidates is pretty long, and we still have many months to go. And though it seems premature, I’m pretty sure I’ve already found mine.  A blockbuster AAA title it’s not. It’s free, the graphics are from 1986, and it’s a Flash game. And it’s taking the world by storm this week.

Super Mario Crossover is every 80s Baby’s wet dream- finally a chance to replay the most iconic game of all time as any of the major NES characters. Take on Bowser and his minions as Mega Man, Simon Belmont, Link, Samus or Bill R from Contra.

With a premise that winning, I was sure that the delivery would be lacking. But that’s where SMC gets elevated from novelty to classic. The game was tweaked and tweaked so that every character feels perfectly at home in the Mushroom Kingdom, making this 8 Bit wonder as satisfying as the action figure parties we all had as kids, where Optimus Prime would battle He-Man and Storm Shadow for the keys to the kingdom. There are so many well-made decisions that bring gamers moments of elation. The first time Simon Belmont gets a fire flower and begins breaking blocks en masse with his whip. Mowing down entire levels with Bill R’s spread shot. Beating Bowser using only Samus’ bombs.

What makes SMC even more enviable is that it’s creator Jay Pavlina‘s first game- a year-long labor of love that was as treacherously difficult to cobble together as we’d imagine. In Jay’s words, “Only an insane person can complete a project of this magnitude alone. Seriously.”

I reached out to Jay knowing the he’d be drowning in emails. Sure enough, the game’s been played over a million times in 48 hours, hundreds of articles have been written on blogs and in major news outlets, and the guy has been deluged with love and questions. So you can imagine my excitement when he agreed to a Popten interview (one of two he hasn’t turned down) sending us exclusive pics to boot.

Without further adieu, Jay Pavlina:

Playing this game makes me want the Crossover treatment on all the classic NES games. If Super Mario Bros wasn’t an option, what game(s) would you have inserted these characters into, and why?

Super Mario Bros was an easy choice because the only thing the other characters need the ability to do is walk and jump. All you need to do to beat the level is move from left to right. A lot of other NES games are more complicated than that, and they involve needing the ability to shoot or to perform complicated attacks. Other games also have more complex upgrade systems, where as Super Mario Bros only has 3 different power-up states.

I have definitely considered other games, and I have a very, very awesome idea about how I’d make it work if I did it. I’m going to keep that idea to myself for now because I’d really like to make a game that goes into multiple game worlds. But really, I can’t think of any other classic NES game that would work as well as Super Mario Bros due to its incredibly simplistic yet addicting game design.

I’m so glad you’re planning on making more stuff like this. Are you forever limiting yourself to the 8-bit realm or have you considered a SNES or Genesis mashup next?

I never limit myself to anything. I even considered having the ability to toggle 16-bit graphics on and off for Super Mario Bros. Crossover, but it just wouldn’t work because I didn’t have all the sprites I needed.

And I’d like to make a comment about limits with the NES games. You may also notice that I made slight modifications to the characters to make them work better. For example, Simon can double jump and Mega Man jumps way higher than he normally does. Some people complain about those things because it’s not “true to the original.” Some people even request that I insert bugs into the game just because the original games had them.

I did not create this game to make an exact copy of each original game I borrowed from. I created the game to be fun. Whenever I make a game design choice, I simply ask, “What is more fun?” I am not a hardcore NES fanatic that needs everything to be exactly right. I try to stay as true to the original with slight modifications to make it more enjoyable, like adding in the feature to continue and scroll the screen left. I tried to balance the level of nostalgia and staying true to the original with minor upgrades. I believe I succeeded because people both complain that I changed too much and too little. Ya gotta love everyone giving their opinion.

I would love to move into the 16-bit realm, but that would be way, way more work. If I did that, I would need a team of people working with me. If I continue with this, I’ll probably stick with 8-bit for a game or two because there’s one more game I’d really, really like to make that involves all of these characters with an original story. And there’s another game I’d like to make that involves NES characters and a very popular independent IP. Don’t worry, I’m never short on ideas. I’m only short on money and awesome people to work with. Sorry for being vague about future games, but I enjoy surprising people.

You spent months and months (and months) designing this game, so you probably understand the mechanics of these characters better than just about anyone. If this were actually an 8-bit Smash Bros (with only these 6 characters) who would win? Why?

Yeah you’d think I understand the characters better than anyone, but I don’t. I just did the best I could to make them play like they do in the original. I get a lot of emails going into detail about specific characters talking about their movement speed and glitches from the original game and also animations that are slightly off. I am definitely a hardcore gamer, but I’m not obsessive. I played all these games growing up and remember their general abilities, and I played the games while working on it to try and match everything, but I certainly didn’t get it perfect. I just did the best I could. But I will gladly give my opinion on your question, because it’s a fun question.

Although most people would probably think someone with a gun would win, I’d have to disagree. I think there is one character here that has a distinctive advantage over all others, and that is of course… Mario.

Although Mario is a fat italian plumber, he’s incredibly fast. I believe with his agility, he could easily dodge bullets from Mega Man, Samus, and Bill Rizer to get in and jump on their heads. I know Mega Man and Samus are wearing helmets, so that could pose a problem for Mario, but I hear that he also has some pretty mean punches and kicks. And if Samus turns into a ball, Mario will eat that shit like a meatball. So Samus, Bill, and Mega Man are all dead. Rest in peace.

And of course Simon is possibly the slowest, clunkiest character ever created in the history of mankind, so he wouldn’t even be able to grab his whip before Mario’s fat, spaghetti-filled body would be on top of his head, crushing his skull. Simon, you suck at jumping and deserve to die, but I still love you. Rest in peace.

Now we have Link remaining, who I believe is Mario’s biggest threat. If Mario takes a hit from Link’s boomerang, he’s done for, so he has to be alert. And he has to remember to look behind him because that boomerang is… well, a boomerang, so it comes back. Mario also has to watch out for Link’s upward thrust because if he jumps on Link’s sword, then Mario’s asshole is going to get a lot bigger. Link is tiny so he’s a small target for Mario’s jump, but I think after a few attempts, Mario’s fat ass would engulf that little Hylian. As long as he watches out for the boomerang and upward thrust, Mario can defeat Link as well and take his place as the 8-bit victor. Congratulations, Mario!

Was there any character or ability you couldn’t include because it was too powerful, and would screw up the game’s balance?

Well… I did include an ability even though it screws up the game’s balance. And that’s Bill Rizer’s spread gun of course. I tried to balance it as best I could by making the bullets weak, but it’s still by far the strongest weapon in the game and makes everything a breeze. But like I said, my goal was to make the game fun, and who wouldn’t want to mow down enemies with spread? I knew I wanted it, and I knew everyone else would want it, so I put it in anyway.

One ability that sort of falls into that category is Samus’s screw attack. I thought about putting it in when she got firepower, but I think the game wouldn’t be as fun if you didn’t have to worry about getting hit while in the air. And I’ll just be honest. I didn’t feel like programming it. But I still think it is better to not have it in the game, at least for now.

And although you didn’t ask this, I also thought about having different selectable weapons for a few of the characters. I thought about giving Samus the option to use missiles, or with Bill you could choose something else if you didn’t want to use spread or machine gun, and of course Mega Man has a huge list of weapons to choose from. But the main character I considered for that was Simon. I thought about giving him the option to use holy water, the dagger, and cross boomerang. The main reason I decided not to put those in was time, but I also think it would have made Simon less fun if he had more long ranged attacks. Simon is fun because you have to get in close and he sucks at jumping. Perhaps these features will be in a future game or updated version.

A lot of what makes this game amazing is pure nostalgia factor. Everyone I talk to has (at least) one great story about playing an NES game as a kid. Do you have any anecdotes worth sharing?

I was born the year NES came out in US so I was pretty young, but I can remember a few things. I remember loving the game “Snake, Rattle, and Roll,” and playing it a gazillion times with one of my friends. I believe there was some sort of cheat that if you go really fast on the first level you could jump into a rocket and warp to a later level. Me and my friend sucked because we were young, so we would just try over and over to make it to that rocket. We had such a hard time and one of us would usually mess it up for the other. I can’t remember if you still get to warp when only one of you makes it, but man, I just remember always trying to make it to that rocket and celebrating like hell whenever we did.

I think probably my favorite memory in playing games is Goldeneye. When that game came out, I played it nonstop forever. My friends would spend the night every weekend and we’d play 4 player multiplayer all night without sleeping. It was the best time ever. And well I’m on the subject of Goldeneye, I remember being obsessed with unlocking the invincibility code that you get by beating the Facility level on hard mode in like 2 minutes or something. I spent a few days trying to unlock that code. My brother kept on telling me it’s impossible and I’d never do it, but I’m one persistent son of a bitch, and I did eventually unlock it. It’s probably my proudest accomplishment in gaming.

You blew my mind when you mentioned almost putting Bionic Commando in this game. Did the arm mechanics make it prohibitively difficult?

Yeah I don’t think there would have been a way to make it work due to the level design in Super Mario Bros since he can’t jump. If I do one of the other games I have planned and everything works out the way I want it too, he will be in it for sure.

What are your top 10 video games of all time?

Here are ten games I like in no particular order. I wouldn’t call them my top ten, but they’re some of my favorites:

Is there any question you’d love to answer, but no one’s asking it to you?

Yes, there is one actually. No one knows this, but the Exploding Rabbit logo is based on a real rabbit. His name is Squid and he is the coolest animal I ever met. He was my roommate’s pet rabbit during the development of the game. When I was having a hard time with the game, I would play with Squid and it would help me feel better. He is a psychotic bunny that doesn’t take shit from anyone and really likes to hump people. I don’t like when he humps me and I always have to kick him away, but other than that, he’s one badass mofo. You all should thank Squid for helping me to make the game and for giving my production company a name. Thank you, Squid!

Thank you so much for the interview and for the awesome questions. This gives me something fun to do during this stressful time of getting hundreds of emails and requests. Thank you everyone for your support, and I cannot stress enough that if you like Super Mario Bros. Crossover, please subscribe to my blog or Twitter, or just keep an eye on me because I promise you one thing: I’m just getting started.

[Ed Note: Jay's other interview, which answers a whole bunch of other questions you might have about SMC - is here.]

Pic says it all.

Images from films that exist in an alternate past. I love this guy’s work- and he’s still in college to boot!  Do your desktop a favor and check out all his work here.

In my most frequently recurring dream I am walking through an abandoned water park. Though I’ve never been to empty amusement parks in waking life, I seem to dream about them all the time- ever since I was a kid.

The Coolist just ran an amazing article giving us a peek into ten of the most gorgeous, creepy deserted spaces from all over the world. From a Ukranian abandoned British sea forts to the City Hall subway station in NYC and even an abandoned Russian water park, these photos enchant.

Check out the full spread here. A few choice photos below.

Just got word that my homeboy Marshall Curry’s new movie Racing Dreams will be in theaters this May. A couple of reasons to check it out:

1. Marshall’s first movie Street Fight is my #1 favorite documentary of all time (a Top Ten list I’ve had on the back burner for over two years). If you haven’t caught Street Fight, toss it on your Netflix. It will blow your mind.

2. The LA Times dubbed Racing Dreams the best movie of the year. Damn that’s high praise. But I’m not surprised.

3. Making documentaries is a near-impossible feat these days- we need to support the good ones.

4. Marshall was insanely helpful with Second Skin, entertaining our phone calls and emails with patience and thoughtful answers. He’s a really good dude.

5. NASCAR baby! This looks like the Friday Night Lights of racing!

Check out Racing Dreams here.

My colleague Jim is a fount of fascinating stories, often having to do with projects he and his friends have undertaken. My latest favorite, The Year of the Blog.

My name is Dru Johnston, and I write unsustainable blogs.

Starting April 12th, 2009 I will be creating a new blog everyday for a year. At the end of that, if I don’t have at least four of them that I want to continue, I’m probably a miserable failure.

Let me make it clear that by “Blog” I mean a brand new website. Not just a new post… what kind of a project would that be? It wouldn’t. That’s the answer.

For project details and rules check out the page links to the right.

For an organized list of all the blogs created so far click here.

Or if this is your first time to The Year of the Blog you can check out a few of my favorite blogs to get a sense of what’s going on here.

Browse away and uncover some genius. I especially like his My Texts From Last Night (as tedious as they sound), Kanye Ruins Teenagers Treasured Moments (nothing funnier than translating visual jokes into awkward paragraphs), and his recent Plot or Not (answering the age-old question, is this a plot, or not?).

In case you’re afraid of clicking links in quoted text, check it out here.  And post your favorites in the comments.

Maybe it’s my many years as a teacher tugging on my heartstrings here, but it’s jaw-dropping to see what Mr.B’s kids choir has accomplished.  This Staten Island public school choir teacher has had his kids perform with Common, Tori Amos, Crowded House and a slew of other celebrities.  They’ve been on the Today Show, MTV a bunch of times, CNN. Hell, they actually made it into the latest Passion Pit album as a backing choir!

I was dubious of clicking play when I came across this video- wasn’t a huge fan of the Langley School Project all those years ago, and figured this was just more exploitation of cute kids to score a viral video. But this is actually really stirring, and an awesomely soulful take on the song. This guy’s choice of songs is fantastic- my two favorite tracks of 2009 (Lisztomania and Walking On a Dream) are both covered.

As a lapsed documentary film guy, I can’t help but see the potential for an amazing doc here- Glee + Mad Hot Ball Room- done well it’d be so damn successful.

More please, PS22!

To check out all of their stuff, go here.

Some more of my favorites below:

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and twenty inches of stagnant snow still waiting for you outside your front door, you might be making this year’s consumer-condoned love fest a Blockbuster night.  (Block-who?)  The fine people at Complex meant well making this list, and while its mostly digestible, there are a few atrocities going in inside it.  (Harry Met Sally at #5?!? It’s objectively the best romantic comedy of all time- don’t fight it! And the Wedding Singer at #2?!?! Don’t get me started.)   25 Romantic Comedies That Don’t Suck.

It’s a lovely thing to have talented friends.  Case in point, Popten’s own Jamie Antonisse, who just won an Independent Games Festival’s Student Showcase (which, my less nerdy bretheren, is a big deal) for his game Spectre.  (Art by fellow Poptenizen Chris Baily!)

Good news!  The game, which keeps getting praise heaped on it, can be played right this second- go here.

Homework: Jamie and the Vaguely Spectacular crew need feedback to improve the game in time for next month’s festival.  Please play it and either comment on it right here, or else email spectacle@vaguelyspectacular.com

And now onto addressing your WTFs.

Spectre’s sound designer Bill Graner explains it best:

Spectre is a recombinant narrative platformer, a game that tells the story of an individual’s life. The landscape before you is not a physical world, but 73 years’ worth of Joseph’s memory: moments of joy and fear, light and darkness. As you navigate through his specific recollections, similarly themed events will glow bright. If you succeed in these moments of play and follow a glowing path, you will find a theme uniting his experience, and uncover a little more of his fading memory. If not, your nightly story will end in confusion.

With over a hundred memories linked to fifty-two different ending themes, there are many possible narratives to discover in Spectre. Each session of play represents one fifteen-minute summary of Joseph Wheeler’s past, one piece of a life-long puzzle. Different stories will highlight different facets of his experience and personality, leaving the player with a compelling, if never entirely complete, impression of the man, his place in the world, and what he sees when he stares upwards into the endlessly falling snow.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing Spectre in its many forms.  It’s like nothing else you’ve played.  Rather than ruin it for you, simply play it- it’s an enchanting experience.  And available right here, right now.

The geek have officially inherited the Earth, as was prophesied in Psalms 37:7 (more or less) so many bearded men ago.  It’s a fairly recent thing, having happened somewhere between Google’s ascent to ubiquity, the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the eyebrow-raising popularity of Weird Al’s White & Nerdy. And since history is told by the victor, I figured I should try rounding up the soundtrack to geeks’ most epic of victories.  Which is a surprisingly monumental task, mostly because I’m realizing that there are so many subgenres to geek music.

In researching this list, I came up with a few categories for Geek Anthems: Mainstream Geek Jams, Geek Metal, Nerdcore Rap, Video Game Themes and Meme Songs.  (Hip Hop’s geekery-masked-as-hardcore is a whole different post.  At the end of the day, who’s really made geekiness more legit than the Wu Tang Clan?)

Now for the second challenge- how to quantify what makes one geek anthem better than the next.  Popularity?  Geekiness of lyrics?  Hardcoreness of dorkitude?  Sheer bombastic nerdery?  Nostalgia factor?

I did my best.  I’m sure I’ll hear some flack over my choices, what I forgot (let me know) and the order- but the title says Top Ten, and so shall I attempt it.  Because the choice was so hard, I have a whole section at the bottom full of geek anthems that should’ve been Top Ten.

10. Ramble On – Led Zeppelin

You’re listening to one of the greatest songs by the best band of all time, maybe for the first time, maybe for the five hundredth.  You’re vaguely aware that it’s about wandering around, that it involves a girl, and that it’s as mind-blowingly brilliant as everything from the factory of Led.  But this time you decide to actually pay attention to the lyrics.  And you’re about 3/4ths through the songs when it hits.  Mordor?  Gollum?  Evil one?  This whole song takes place in Middle fucking Earth?!?  I’ve seen the resulting grin at least three times, usually while driving around with a buddy.  And it’s always ear to ear.  Geekgasmic.

9. The Neverending Story Theme

So many of us second-wave geeks can trace our choice to go geek right back to this moment.  Its 1984, we’ve spent the last six years caught up in Star Wars euphoria, the NES is right around the corner, and this movie/song drops.  Reading wouldn’t be this cool to kids again for twenty-odd years, until a certain bespectacled wizard showed up on the scene.  But for this formative moment in so many of our lives, being geeky meant getting to ride huge schnauzer-snouted dragons, chasing douchebags into dumpsters, and skipping school to hang out in creepy attics instead.  What choice was there, really?

8. MC Frontalot’s Entire Ouevre

The man who basically birthed and nurtured Nerdcore Rap, MC Frontalot is as geek god as they get.  I’ve had the distinct pleasure of hanging out with Damian on a couple of occasions, and the guy is as legit as he is resoundingly sweet.  If you’re not familiar with the man or his work, I’d suggest our buddy Negin Farsad’s incredible documentary Nerdcore Rising.  It’ll give you the what, why and how of Frontalot’s position at the front of the geek elite.  Lead those troops to victory, Damian.

7. Grow Up – Random

In a just world where MCs were judged solely by their skills, Random would sit on top of the heap.  I’m blown away by everything Raheem does, because whatever he touches turns sublime.  However, this song captures 21st Century Geekitude better than just about any other.  “I just can’t seem to grow up/ But you know what? / I don’t think I want to.”  The fact that it’s backed by a beat from Mega Man 2 and is an autobiographical geek Bildungsroman is just icing on the nerdtastic cake.

6. Through the Fire and the Flames

The retconned soundtrack to absolutely every epic fantasy battle, whether in book, movie, or in your friendly neighborhood D&D campaign.  Nothing tops this song in terms of heroic bombast- the next time you have to do battle against a horde of orcs, you know exactly what you’re blasting from that boombox on your (plate-mailed) shoulder.  If any single song has become the (fantasy) geek rallying cry, this is the one.  Geeks became aware of it gradually around its release, and then Guitar Hero shot it to geek stardom as it became the ultimate Boss Fight of 2007.  Personally, I won’t be happy until people re-edit every fantasy movie trailer to include it, like this.  I’m also hoping HBO’s ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ adapted series considers it for their theme song.  Make me proud, George RR Martin.

5. The Legend of Zelda Theme

Did Koji Kondo have any idea of what he was unleashing on the world in 1986?  A song that would be imitated, covered and worshipped by geeks until the end of time?  The most epic song that could be cranked out of an 8-bit system?  This is the theme song to so many geeks’ lives (and/or their ring tone of choice)- its place in the history books is more than secure.  And damn it makes for a thousand sweet electric guitar solos on YouTube.

4. White & Nerdy / Dare to Be Stupid – Weird Al

The undisputed king of geek music- I could get away with putting 5-9 of his songs on this list.  Whether you consider White & Nerdy or Dare to Be Stupid the anthem is almost purely a generational thing.  (I refrained from going super hardcore and putting Mellow When I’m Dead instead.)  Either way, they’re huge, they’re catchy as all hell, and they attract tons of weird looks when you belt them in the supermarket aisles.  And to add to its geek pedigree, Dare to Be Stupid was in the original Transformers: the Movie soundtrack.  Ba weep grana weep nini bong!

3. Meganerd – YTCracker

Were I to base this list only on geekiness, and discount popularity, this would be my #1 song- no contest.  The beats, flow and artistry are all top notch, but it’s the lyrics that get top honors.

hacking on computers disassembling stuff
paid off in the end now who got it rough
the beauty of the baud and the world of the switch
make a new generation of us geekstas rich
we owned those that made fun of us tried to make a run at us
beat us up in class said yea theres a ton of us
whos laughing now cuz most of us your bosses
the rest of you are flipping burgers smelling secret sauces

this is the life of a meganerd baby
we doing things and we making it happen right
from the trash 80 to a black mercedes
no one can stop us now cuz we keeping nerdy nice
this is the life of a meganerd baby
we doing things and we making it happen right
from the trash 80 to a black mercedes
no one can stop us now cuz we keeping nerdy nice

[Nab the rest of the lyrics here.]

It is to geeks what Dre’s “Nuthing But a G-Thang” was to West Coast 90s gangstas.  Defining.

2. In the Garage – Weezer

It’s tenth grade and I’m riding around suburban Maryland with my bro and mom.  We’ve just popped Weezer’s first album into the CD walkman that’s wired to our minivan’s tape player.  We’re trading air guitar solos to “Say It Ain’t So”.  And then this song drops, and suddenly I hear “Kitty Pride” and “Nightcrawler” coming out of the speakers-  and Rivers Cuomo pretty much sums up my brother and I’s lives in rhyme.  I knew immediately that this was The Geek Anthem.  It was a coming out song, basically.  And while most argue that Buddy Holly and Pinkerton cemented Weezer’s longevity, I humbly posit that it was In the Garage, and the generation of geeks it represented.

1. The Touch – Stan Bush

I hope to God that some smart Hollywood exec realizes how much money they’d make if they re-released the original Transformers movie to theaters.  Maybe even in 3D.  If this ever happened, I have to imagine that this song would cause the theaters to spontaneously combust out of sheer win factor, or at least cause communal heart attacks and rigor mortis smiles all over the world.  This is one for the ages.

What did I miss?

So many great geek anthems lost to the power of 10.  The ones I wish could’ve made it:

Still Alive (Portal’s theme song)

Nightfall by Blind Guardian

Super Mario Bros Theme Song (a toss-up between this one and Zelda)

Final Fantasy Theme Song

Mr. Roboto – Styx

Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus

And this song you might not be aware of- Level Up by Zealous1

So what did I miss, and what horrible/amazing choices did I make?