Papier Macheniacs: The Chubby Atari Episode

Stand back, people! I'm doing a vintage post!

My little boy --whom I'm pretty sure is a reincarnated ancient soul-- has a thing for old stuff. His latest subject of fancy are old gaming consoles. Obviously, hitting the top of that very short list is the Atari. While I'm still looking for a local museum that actually showcases one, a little Papier Macheniacs just has to happen.

TA-DAAAH!

To shake things up a bit, we decided to go with a Chubby Chibi-type Atari. That, and the fact that we only had chubby household boxes to work with. Teehee…

So how did we get from here…

…to here? Sit back down and I'll tell you.

Perpetually running with the recycling theme, we got drinking straws and folder clips to make our console switches.

And another box, a plastic dome, and an empty Push Pop for the joystick,

Oh! And coins for buttons. Shinyyyy...

We slathered those babies up with PVC glue and paper towel strips. Then, we twisted the clips through the holes we made on the switchboard. The console won't be working for real, so the least we could do was make the switches toggle. :) Ah, simple joys.

The same manner of folder clip sorcery was applied to the joystick. We slipped it through a hole we bored through the dome. So when you move the stick, it toggles, too.

Then, we went on to add the killer details to our soap box game cartridges. My boy chose the games himself. Not that he's played any of these games in his young life… but yeah.

Next was just a whole lot of painting and nitpicking. The operative word being 'nitpicking'. And quite possibly 'a whole lot of'. But then, that would already be an operative phrase. Hmm…

And before you can say 'PONG!', we were done!

We even had the time to work the back features. Family Fist Bump!

Now, I wouldn't know if you'd like to make your own paper mache Atari console. I don't think half the population is as nuts as my brood. :P But if you do get the itch, just follow this step-by-step DIY, get messy, and have fun!

Your Throwback Theater Treat: PIXELS

Following after the heels of Wreck It Ralph comes another arcade game-centric film made more poignant, thanks to the appearance of major characters designed to squeeze every bit of hairsprayed nostalgia out of you.

You'd think Pixels was actually geared towards the parents rather than the kids who came into the cinema. What with '80s 8-bit games, Holiday-esque Madonna, and Ronald Reagan coming into the fray. But the generation gap was almost seamlessly bridged. And we owe it all to Pixels' brilliant animation and every 10-year old gamer's capability to scour the internet for oldies-but-goodies games pre-movie viewing. I say 'almost seamless' simply because when Hall and Oastes came on, my kids were like, "Who the heck are these big-haired people?!!"

You know what missed the bridge though? The main premise of the movie.
Seriously? This intergalactic war came about because of a little miscomm? Sounds like a typical day at the office. Listen, sending an '80s time capsule into space is an okay idea with me. But communicating with aliens using video games as delegates, not so much.

Ah, but I guess that is not the point. The entertainment value lies in that all-too-cool possibility of being front and dead centre in a video game. Turning these flat pixels into larger than life 3D computer graphics that can abduct or amputate. Game rules dutifully applying in the real world: 3 lives, power pellets, 10 seconds of ghost vulnerability. I have never geeked out so hard!

Centipede

Space Invaders

Galaga

Pacman

Donkey Kong

Especially when Tetris came in tearing buildings apart level by level! Uh-huh. Tetris is so boss.

Shining moment? I liked it how Pixels brought up the dissonance between ancient games and modern-day games. In the 80's, you relied on patterns to win and earn arcade fame. In today's gaming world, you relied on skills and a peppering of rage so you don't die. How the concept of fun times have changed.

Drabby bit? I didn't like it that Lady Lisa had to assume human form. She should've stayed pixelised like every game element recreated for the alien attack. If she was in pure bit-map glory and still had a love affair with arcader Ludlow Lemonsoft --that would've been cooler! And more fair. *pats Q*bert on his cute head*

Pixels! Get your game on and get over to the cinema nearest you. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James --so how can you possibly lose?

This weekend, 'Wreck-It Ralph' it!

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), Wreck-It Ralph is the Toy Story of video gaming.

As it was in Andy's room, we have an arcade where kids' play things come to life as soon as human's aren't looking.  As it was in the blockbuster enterprise where popular toys did cameo roles, here, we have popular video game characters popping in here and there to tickle kids and adults alike with warm, fuzzy familiarity.
(I gotta admit, seeing gaming pioneers like Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken, Pacman and the Blue Ghost, Super Mario's Bowser, and Sonic in a full-length movie gave me goosebumps.  I'm a geek.) 

As it was in Monsters Inc, Up, and Brother Bear, the movie's lead characters, Ralph and Vanellope, presented that Disney tried-and-tested, most heartwarming visual and emotional dynamics of Big and Small.
As it was in Finding Nemo, Wreck-It Ralph's hour and a half mission from one adventure to another was Finding Medal.

Buuut... despite riding on animated film formulas, Wreck-It Ralph does have something fresh to offer.
Its story is hinged on acceptance --and it was delivered pretty tight.  From Wreck-It Ralph's wanting to be accepted as a hero rather than a villain, to Vanellope von Schweetz wanting to be accepted as a true blue Sugar Rush racer, to madman Turbo wanting to be re-accepted as the gaming world's top game, to the dorky Fix-It Felix wanting to be accepted into the steel cold heart of Sargeant Calhoun.  It's all about wanting to make a huge difference in your life and actually breaking some molds to do so.

It's an empowering movie with a spattering of nostalgia and a huge dose of sweet success.

Plus, Sergeant Calhoun whom Jane Lynch voices looks EXACTLY like her.  How's THAT for the ultimate formula!  Haha!

It's the perfect package that should have you and your kids getting to the theaters this very instant.  Catch Wreck-It Ralph today!

Got Game?

One day, for lack of anything better to do, my boys decided that they've been playing with the wrong toys and games all along (much to my chagrin). And proceeded to 'revise' what they already have to something even better. Or, in Miro's words, "I'm gonna make this right because they got it wrong." :D

First up, Kenji. Kenji loves writing and drawing and he's hogged all the art supplies in this household all summer. "It's more fun when you mix everything together!", he said as he made up his own board games with characters from Up, Toy Story, Super Mario Brothers, and Pacman. He asked me for a little help in drawing the characters but the game artwork and challenges ideas --all his. And he's thought of quite a lot!

Board game 1:  The Maze.  You pick a card to make your move through the spirals while being chased by a flesh-eating Pacman.

Board Game 2:  The Haunted Bakery. You have to go through every process to bake a delicious cake without being caught by the Pacman ghost.

Board Game 3:  Choose your own adventure with a huge floating house strapped with balloons in tow.

Meanwhile, Miro is more technological in his approach to fixing what isn't broken. Instead of making different games, he zeroed in on Super Mario and made levels for his rectified video game --which involved more brain work this time, in contrast to the original's main game trials of jumping on toadstools, and kicking and punching everything in sight to save the princess.

Level 1:  Mission Control.  Mario and Luigi have to be space men, of course.

Level 4:  Diamond Decoder.  You have to figure out the right arrangement of the colored diamonds to stop the laser from going off.

Level 9:  The Evil Penguin.  A new villainous character who challenges you to find the red key hidden in the red laser streaks under time pressure.

Level 12:  Final Stage.  With more new characters (including a Miro robot).  But the Super Mario winner flag is still there.

Speaking as a mother who used to spend her summers playing jacks on the curb or running around naked for a little game of tag (I was MUCH younger then), i am amazed and proud of what my boys had done. And somewhat disturbed. I think my kids need to get out more. Hmmm...