Some of you may remember the Donkey Kong rap we featured approximately 91 days ago, most likely because the song has been stuck in your head ever since. If not, watch it now. Go ahead, it’ll make you more cultured.

Anyway, one of the dudes behind its creation was Todd Michael Rogers. He’s what you would call a ‘writer’. He may also be considered a genius since he is part of Team Genius, and I would assume you have to meet some kind of criteria to get accepted, right?

We got in touch with Todd (not physically) to see what he’s been up to since creating the best videogame-family-of-apes-and-the-inherent-difficulty-surrounding-thorny-vines song ever.  Interview follows (read it or P. Diddy will shoot you).

Dan: So, Todd, can I call you Todd?

Todd: I’ve been called worse.

You were the creative force behind the web series Boy Friends. Is that over or are you making more of those?

Its over. Although, I DID just move in with Matt Elam and the rest of the former Team Genius, so I guess the antics will continue, camera or not…

How hard was it for people to understand that you and Matt in Boy Friends weren’t gay, or do you just consider those people to be immature and move on?

Well, there is that space between the word “Boy” and “Friends”, which I think was mostly Robin and Joey’s doing. So yea, it’s a grammar joke. We’re not really gay. Though, again, I DID just move in with Matt, so we’ll see if any magic happens.

The episode that caught my attention and ended up featured on Ripten was the one with your Donkey Kong song. I’m assuming the inspiration for the song was Donkey Kong Country 2, but I’ll ask anyway: What was the inspiration for the song?

Oddly enough, Wave Race 64. No, one day in Summer of ‘07, I was sitting in the Team Genius living room, trying to find the track from Bramble Scramble, because, like so many other video game compositions, its one you just need to hear sometimes. I played it and begged Matt to write a rap to it. Eventually, like in January, we did it.

As of now, have you still not beaten the game or have you finally overcome that life hurdle?

I did beat it. I threw controllers, made up curse words (murderfocker) and sold parts of my soul to a thing called Jeru’nezob. But I beat it. That being said, a pirate? and he shoots blobs? that reverse your controls? Really? ….Fuck you Rareware.

For reals. Did you actually sing in the song or did you just help write it? Matt did the main rap part, correct?

Matt is what you would call, uh, a horrifically good rapper. He spits out weird lines and catchy phrases, even his jokes are haunting. (I guess what I’m trying to say is he’s evil).

He did all the hard work, all the writing, but I tried to make sure the song felt like a weird feeling between life never getting easier, whether you’re an adult or a child with a ‘game over’ screen. Also, no gangster rap. Thats too easy to ridicule (please don’t kill me gangsters).

At what point did you realize that you had created the best song in music history?

Pretty much as soon as I traveled back in time and said “Hey, Rick Springfield. Jessie’s got a girl….and your jealous. Write that shit.”

You obviously love the classics, so let me ask you this: What is your favorite game of all time?

Final Fantasy 7. Easily. EASILY. A close second is Final Fantasy 8. I want to be Squall so bad it hurts.

And how about the new generation, what are your feelings there? You at least have a Wii since it’s in the video, right?

Alas, I’m too busy writing things for your future. I miss World of WarCraft. Oh, and it’s Joey’s Wii, though it hasn’t seen much play since Robin bought The Force Unleashed. Shout out to Kevin Daily, who couldn’t bring down a Star Destroyer if he was Yoda and someone threw him a toy vehicle from across the room.

Are you planning on creating any other game-inspired songs anytime soon?

Well, we had an idea for a Transformers-inspired rap, sort of a spiritual sequel, Matt is still up for it, so who knows… I will say this: I hope The Duck Hunt sketch I wrote somehow sees the light of day…

So then what are you working on now?

So much. I have a really cool comic book being readied for a pitch, my friend Weshoyot is just finishing inks on the first few pages. Um, I spent the Summer writing three screenplays, which I hope to sell to a few production companies, that way Sarah (my girlfriend) and I can go Paris and etc. Sarah and I are working on our next big comedy thing. It’s a website that’ll hopefully work like a sketch comedy live action web comic, so we’ll see. Oh, and we’re shooting a short film this month with my pal Denver. I wrote it just a few months ago on a whim, so I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Other then that? I have a few short stories I’m messing around with, and a novel (or two)… and uhm, oh! I have a comedy blog I update weekly at: thoughtsthatihavehad.com

Other than that, I’m gonna finish this here apple cider Sarah just made me.

Wow, that sounds like some… wait, your girlfriend actually made apple cider?

Well, it was instant. But she DID make it. Especially for me.

Well, that’s cool of her. Is there anything on your site thoughtsthatihavehad that are actually thoughts that you personally didn’t have?

Well, there are some thoughts that are never personal. Thoughts we all share, as one society. For example, I’m pretty sure we’ve all had thought of this.

Oh yeah, totally. What the fuck is up with manta rays? And what about this comic book, what is it about?

It’s the best thing I’ve ever written. It’s a six issue fantasy with magic revolvers, a sombrero, devils, a magical library, and a pocket watch of doom. I’m hoping desperately to get it published in the next few months. I’m so tired of no one else knowing the story.

If you were to create a mascot for Ripten, what would it be?

A Buster Sword stuck in stone. Only, the stone is a Goldeneye 64 Game Cartridge.

Does any of the stuff that you are working on feature someone hopping on goombas?

Not yet. But seriously, I wrote like the best Duck Hunt gag ever. EVER. Hopefully someday soon it’ll see the light of day. As of right now, though, I’m so busy with the upcoming secret comedy site… and the short film… and as of today I’m now actively writing two different books… So no, no goombas.

But, fun fact, when I was a child I decided to dress up as a Goomba for Halloween (which was a holiday we didn’t celebrate) and was shot down because (obviously) “Goombas are evil.”

Which, you know… it’s things like that which fuck you up for life.

Wow.  Sorry, Zungre, nobody gets to hop on any goombas.  Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today, and we look forward to seeing your new stuff whenever you release it.

Thanks for doing this Dan, it’s been awesome!

Photos courtesy of Sarah Kachevas & The Olive Library

Shigeru Miyamoto teams up with a trio of video game characters he created in an impressive short illustrated and animated by Newgrounds user, Awkward-Squid.

The concept behind the flash animation, titled “Legend of Miyamoto”, involves Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong helping their video game father make his way through their world. Squid says that the work was rushed a bit due to the fact it was being done as a university assignment, but I think it turned out great.

Check it out after the jump.

Make sure to head on over to Awkward-Squid’s user page and show him some love for this awesome piece of work.

Source: GoNintendo.com

When your wife says that you should make a Donkey Kong game, you know you married the right woman. Dan Kressin’s wife Robyn did just that, and Dan (like any good husband) said yes mam and got right to work.

The following video shows off Dan’s LEGO Mindstorms RCX Donkey Kong creation and definitely drives home the reason why Mario was called Jumpman back in Nintendo’s original 1981 release of the game. I won’t even try to explain how this thing was built, so if you are interested in finding out, read Dan’s explanation here.

Hit the jump for the video.

Source: wrench.vib.org (via brothers-brick.com)

The team of geniuses at Team Genius have created a pretty awesome song and video dedicated to one of the most difficult of life’s challenges — beating Donkey Kong Country 2. As they succinctly put it, it’s a hard-ass game. Check it.

All you intensely hetero guys, please don’t be put off by the name Boy Friends.

Reggie Fils-Aime, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, told GameTrailers TV’s Geoff Keighley that we can expect something big when Nintendo unveils the Wii’s fall line-up at E3 2008.

“There’s gonna be a big game for the holiday that the gamers will want. All I can tell you is what we announce during E3 is gonna be fantastic. The gamer is gonna be excited and the expanded audience is gonna be excited.”

Reggie also stated “We’re going to have great new content maximizing all of our key franchises.”

The buzz around the internet seems to be that we’re going to see the return of a popular Nintendo franchise. Surfing around, I’ve seen Donkey Kong, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, and Star Fox all mentioned.

What franchise would you like to see make it’s Wii debut?

Source: Cinema Blend

One of the flat-out coolest endeavours I’ve seen in awhile comes from “hattoriyaro,” who’s using a specialized program to turn the individual notes of MIDI music into complex animations. Among his creations are several dedicated to classic video games from Megaman 2 to *ahem* “cult classic” Cheetahmen. Hit the jump for videos and more information on how it’s done.

Looking not unlike some crazy Beatmania video, Hattoriyaro’s creations seem to be inspired by the way that we “see” music. Not merely flashy background animations, but the kinds of patterns that emerge as a waterfall of notes cascades from the top to bottom of your screen (as shown above), or when a series of explosions look more like an elaborate bed of flowers in Every Extend Extra.

Combining that principal (and some creativity) with a freeware program called The Music Animation Machine (which represents music in terms of colored bars as opposed to traditional notes on a scale) results in the following:

Dr. Mario
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Mega Man 2 Dr. Wiley Stage
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and my personal favorite…

Chrono Trigger
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You can check out several more of these game-inspired videos on Hattoriyaro’s Youtube page, and there are many from other musical genres located at the MAM site linked above. The actual representations may vary in complexity, but even the most abstract moments carry with them a subtle beauty any nostalgic gamer can appreciate.

Well, you knew it was coming. Nintendo has set the bar for gameplay and innovation since 1985, when it released its groundbreaking platformer Super Mario Brothers for the NES.

The gray, rectangular-shaped cartridge would revolutionize the way games were played and raise the videogame industry out of the ashes of the great crash that occurred earlier in the decade.

Shigeru Miyamoto, a man who needs no introduction, is the maniacal genius that manages Nintendo EAD (Entertainment Analysis and Development). He's possibly the most influential person in this modern video game empire, a kingdom that he helped create. Miyamoto would shine as Nintendo's lead idea man and obtain messianic status over the two decades for his contributions to videogames the world over.

His baby, Super Mario Brothers, was a bona-fide console seller. If you wanted to play it at home, you had to buy an NES, and everyone wanted to play. The game was like an adrenaline shot to the heart of an industry that crashed on poorly crafted software for graphically unimpressive consoles only a few years earlier.

With spot-on controls, challenging and intuitive level design, unforgettable characters and a high replay value, Mario showed us a glimpse of the future that was Nintendo.

But as this list shows, making one good game does not make you the world's greatest developer. While many promising companies are sprouting up in newly rented business parks, with high-budget, genre defying juggernauts in tow, time needs to be spent building a library before judgment can be passed down. For those of you who need things put in perspective, here you are: Super Mario Bros. sold more than 40 million copies!

Miyamoto received inspiration for his next opus by recalling his childhood. A young Shigeru once discovered a cave while trekking through the forests of Kyoto, Japan, an adventure that would linger until the boy became the man.

It was this memory of magic and wonder that would lead to the creation of one of his most vivid worlds-- Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda was a game that would, in many ways, show the possibility of becoming truly immersed in a videogame.

Before Zelda, games were closed track sprint sessions from point A to point B, all about gaining high scores and moving through portals. Zelda was more like a hike up an uncharted mountain. You were simply given a sword and an objective: save the world.

How you were to do this was in many ways up to you. Would you explore the wilds or brave the underground? Puzzle solving, boss battles, item collecting, secrets and exploration put Zelda in the spotlight, where it remains to this day.

Every few years brings a new adventure to the homes of gamers everywhere. The Zelda series has delivered unrivaled quality, time and time again. In 1998 Nintendo released what many consider to be the best game of all time: Ocarina of Time. Receiving perfect 10s from critics everywhere, the game would envelop a whole new crop of fans and keep the series popular almost a decade later.

And let it not be said that Zelda and Mario are the only mascots that would pave the way for the gaming giant that is Nintendo. Titles like Metroid, Star Fox, Donkey Kong, and Pokemon are interwoven into a gamer language, and they would further drive nails into the coffins of the competition. Lesser known carts such as Pilotwings, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and Kid Icarus may not have the worldwide acclaim of their bigger brothers, but they also have quite a big space in a lot of gamers' hearts.

For many, looking upon Nintendo's list of games triggers heartfelt nostalgia. Remembering a particular Nintendo game is to remember that point in time-- where you were, what you were doing, and what kind of person you were.

What makes Nintendo such a remarkable developer is the fact that many people can plot an entire lifetime by the release of one of their games. The first all-nighter you pulled trying to defeat Mother Brain in Metroid. That time you gave your brother a black eye for repeatedly bumping you into the wall in F-Zero. And who could forget the time you gave up a chance to get laid at your buddy's house party that weekend in 1998, because you were determined to beat the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time? We sure haven't forgotten.

Whatever your story, Nintendo has touched millions of people's lives on every continent, and for that they will always be number one.

Must Haves:
Super Mario 64 (N64),
Super Metroid (SNES),
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

Have Nots:
Luigi's Mansion (GC)

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