I’m not sure how many other Futurama fans we have reading this, but when this came across the wire this morning, I knew I had to share.

So, in the classic Futurama episode ‘Anthology of Interest II‘, there’s a segment titled ‘Raiders of the Lost Arcade’, where Fry is tasked with saving earth from invaders, possibly from space, that bear a remarkable resemblance to a certain arcade title from the 70s developed by Taito. Using his pro techniques (“Watch as I fire upwards through our own shields!”) and his all Rush mix-tape, Fry succeeds in repelling the aliens from the planet Nintendoo 64. One of my favorite episodes ever, for reasons I feel need no explanation.

Fast-forward to now, and we have “Invaders! Possibly from Space” developed by Shinobi of Shinobis-Place. Lovingly recreated, every aspect of the classic episode is there; the all Rush soundtrack, the Invaders, the voices… according to the site, it took 7 months to put it together, and the quality is fantastic.

Considering how many IP laws this thing is breaking, it probably won’t last long, so get it while you can. Windows required, but it runs fine in most 3D acceleration supporting VMs as well. If the link above is dead, or you’re paranoid about the other link, I’m hosting a copy on my server as well. Virus scanned and re-compressed into a zip for maximum portability. Enjoy.

There hasn’t been a good Tron game since Tron 2.0 made it’s debut on the PC back in 2003.   There are several articles and one really great interview with Steven Lisberger talking about the pending video game tie-in to the 2010 film: Tron Legacy. Below is the interview with Steve where he ‘leaks’ the news. (It can’t really have been a leak though since everyone would have expected nothing less.)

Since Steven Lisberger wrote and directed the original film, consulted on the Tron 2.0 game and is a producer and consultant on the new film, we’re all expecting great things from Tron: Legacy. With any luck, the video game will get the same treatment.  I’m hoping that Disney Interactive hires the right people to make the game.  I also hope they’re able to bring Jeff Bridges into the game–hero or otherwise. In the meantime, enjoy this teaser trailer for the new Tron video game:  Tron: Evolution.

I typically don’t like sites that have articles outlining what they claim authoritatively are the “top 10″ of “insert subject matter here.”  When the lists involve games, they are often subjective and limited and/or hyper-focused on one particular platform or time period.  In fact, by the end of such articles I’m usually so agitated that I slam the phone down in disgust and storm out of the room.  No.  I wasn’t on the phone.  I just slam it because it sounds cool as you jar the ringer in one swift, violent motion.

Bell ringing aside, there is an article over here where a couple of blokes tell you what they think the top 10 games of the decade are.  Now, before you go reading it–I have a better idea.  In the comments section of this post, why don’t we find out what our favorite games of the decade were.  They don’t have to be the top games of any given year–just the games that you liked best and can remember playing since < conan obrien >~the yeeeeeaar twoooooo thoooooouuuusaaaand~ < / conan obrien >.

Use your crayons, pencils and your mad internet skills to review the games of the last 10 years and come up with a list.  Or simply look at your massive PC and Console collection and pick them out.  To get the creative juices flowin’–I’ll start.  To make it easier on myself, I’ve chosen one game that stood out for me in a given year followed by a runner up of sorts if applicable.  Below is my list…

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2009 – Super Mario Wii – Taking the best of all the features from every Super Mario game since 1985 (and some features from the spin-off Yoshi series) Nintendo has hit a home run this year with Super Mario Wii. It is LOADs of fun and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a great superb game for their Wii. (Honorable Mention: Ghostbusters: The Video Game (for all platforms)  Buggy on the PS3 and patched too late, it was a fun romp through N.Y.C. with the boys in khaki.)

2008 – Burnout Paradise (PS3) - The best free-roam arcade racer ever IMO. Don’t get me wrong there were a lot of things I missed from the previous Burnouts, but this one has come a long way over the last two years adding motorcycles, custom cars and even a Delorian-like car that can hover and leave tracks of fire in the game. I’ve definitely got a LOT of hours into this one.

2007 – Bioshock (PC/PS3) - Easily my favorite. Even though this game scares the crap out of me I love the textures and aesthetics in the game. I’ve got both the PC version and the PS3 version. Both are phenomenal. (Runner Up: Portal for PC, PS3 Orange Box)

2006 – Need for Speed: Carbon (PC, PS2, Xbox360) – Great story. Fast paced arcade racer. Love it. Better on the consoles though. PC version was buggy. (Runner Ups: Wii Sports and BF:2142 for PC)

2005 – Burnout Revenge – (PS2 Xbox360) The reason I picked this one is because 2005 was when the Burnout series peaked as a Driving/Party Game franchise. The graphics were amazing–even on the PS2 version and the concept of trying to smash into as many objects as possible creating the world’s largest pile-ups for a challenge was brand new to me.

2004 – Far Cry (PC) No FPS at the time could compare with the visuals of FarCry or the expansive jungle environments.  Sniping was an art form in this game as your scope could give you away if reflecting the sun in the direction of your opponent.  Oh, I  loved Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC).  In fact, I almost didn’t buy UT2004 because I was so pissed off about the terribly executed UT2003. The publishers later offered a discount coupon for those who had unwisely invested in the 2003 version of the game and been disappointed. UT2004 goodness aside (Survival!), I have to pick the underdog: Far Cry for the PC.

2003 – Tron 2.0 (PC)- Immersed in the world of Tron for the first time from Flynn’s point of view, this was a complete and satisfying continuation to the 1982 film. And duh. I’m a huge fan of Tron. (Runner Up: I-Ninja for the Game Cube)

2002 – Battlefield 1942 (including all the mods) (PC) – Although I enjoyed RTS games like Star Trek: Starfleet Command III (A bit buggy but loads of fun at a LAN party.) and I was also playing a lot of Microsoft’s Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe and still some Counterstrike–I was an emphatic fan of this WWII FPS.  I didn’t just play BF1942 at every LAN party–I practiced at home.  In the Desert Combat mod I would jump out of my jets and skydive back into them.   This game was literally the best game I’d ever played at a LAN party–at least since the likes of Quake II or UT.

2001 – Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) (Runner Up: Return to Castle Wolfenstein PC) – I don’t have much to say except that Rockstar games really broke the mold with this one.  I was amused, appalled and addicted all at the same time.

2000 – Giants: Citizen Kabuto (Mac/PC) - This is hard to pick as I only had a PlayStation, PS2 and a PC at the time. I was playing Unreal Tournament regularly but that was released in 1999. I was also playing a lot of Star Trek: Elite Force at the time. Additionally, I dabbled in a fair amount of Gran Turismo 2 and Tekken Tag on the PS2–but the best game of 2000 for me has to be Giants. It wasn’t revolutionary with its graphics, but its storyline was damn funny and the game is extremely fun to play–even today.

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Et tu, Brute?

BOSTON, MA – In the mid-morning hours last Saturday, a upset Boston mom called the police to complain that her 14-Year-Old son turned on all of the lights in the house and wouldn’t stop playing “Grand Theft Auto.” I don’t have anything to say except even though the police were likely bored at 2:30 a.m. and appreciated the comical call, this must be considered a waste of tax payers money. Be a mom. Ground your kid to his room and take away his T.V. and internet privileges. Spank the ingrate.

Full Story from AP via Google

There is an interesting article on wired.com today about the doomed 12 year long Duke Nukem Forever project. It’s kind of sad but interesting to read.