According to Major Nelson on his blog, two new maps have been released for Perfect Dark Zero that’re based on two maps from Goldeneye, which I think also ended up in the original Nintendo 64’s Perfect Dark. The two maps are in question are the superb Facility and Temple, although Temple has been renamed to Ruin. While Temple never really struck a chord with me, Facility was one of my all-time favourite maps alongside Bunker and I really wish I could try the redux version. The maps have apparently been completely revamped too, and aren’t just cheap novelty ports.

The only catch (alongside the necessity of owning an Xbox 360 and Perfect Dark Zero) is that you have to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber; if so, they’re both free to download. Since I hit none of the aforementioned criteria, if anyone could take some screenshots or even capture some video I’d be massively appreciative! Needless to say, the screenshot I included in this post is of the ancient Nintendo 64 version.

There’ve been surprisingly few trick or treaters here this year, although I’m sure the US readers amongst you have been continuously bombarded all night. In fact, I can only count two small groups of kids who came to the door requesting an assortment of sweets to be lavished upon them. And the door was ignored for one of them.

Somebody on a forum I visit clearly takes the day more seriously than I do though, and saw fit to create what is quite possibly the best pumpkin in history. Behold:

I mean, just look at the craftsmanship on that thing. From the intricately cut out eyes to the semi-transparent hat, it truly is a labour of love. It’s kind of tragic that it’s destined to decompose and be nothing but a memory. Kudos to Bic-Ball for taking the time to produce such a finely customised piece of fruit.

Update: Holy crap, check out 4 colour rebellion’s Halloween collection. Grim Fandango mask, Wiimote costume, Triforce pumpkin, and lots more. Almost makes me wish I did much around Halloween.

Only 41 days until the Wii, and more importantly, Twilight Princess! Unless you’re in the US, in which case it’ll be a few days earlier. But wherever you live, it’s getting pretty damned close now. So what do you do? Watch some guy messing around with the Wii’s operating system for ten minutes, of course!

IGN is habitually a bringer of solid information, so it’s no surprise that a lot of things people have speculated about but weren’t really sure on have been cleared up in this video. Basically they’ve gotten themselves a Wii debug kit which works just like a normal Wii, except it lacks all the fancy channels. Instead, only the ‘Play Game’ channel and the system settings are available. Since the video is loading really slowly at the moment, here’s a summary of what it confirms:

• An easy-to-use on-screen keyboard can be toggled between phone and computer style
• You can adjust the Wiimote’s sensitivity — hurrah!
• You can globally toggle between 4:3 and 16:9, as well as between 480i and 480p
• There’s some kind of method for preventing the dreaded screen burn-in
• Games/internet can be restricted based upon their age rating and require a PIN to play
• You can specify whether your sensor bar is above or beneath the TV for maximum accuracy
• Setting up a wireless or wired network connection is as easy as it is on the DS

I enjoy the fact that the operating system offers a reasonable level of configuration without sacrificing ease of use or intuitiveness; hopefully the other channels will follow suit and be as accessible. I’m also very glad that the Wiimote sensitivity can be tweaked as that’s been an ongoing concern with many people and particularly the media, who noticed that Wii games don’t have a Wiimote configuration option. I guess we now know why.

Posted over on the Idle Thumbs forums, a really nice little video is available on Google Video that parodies the most recent major Zelda game, Wind Waker. To summarise what happens in the video, Link’s sister Aryll finds a Wii controller and has a bit of fun with it (and Link).

It’s a really well done video. While it may not be immediately apparent, the video isn’t actually in-engine and was instead created in a 3D modelling application. Whoever produced it has managed to pin down the style perfectly, and come up with an animation that looks almost exactly like a hidden scene in the game or something.

It’s also pretty funny, with the subtle humour completely matching the style of that seen in the game itself; there’re some nice little references to be appreciated, such as Link firmly patting the pig better after accidentally stabbing it — anyone who’s played Wind Waker knows that those things can get pretty volatile when provoked! Almost as bad as the Ocarina of Time chickens.

Here’s an interesting little tidbit that I had absolutely no idea about prior to this morning: in many Nintendo games a certain short piece of music has been hidden by the one man who worked on them all, composer Kazumi Totaka. It isn’t a particularly amazing tune and it appears in its retro format in most games, but it is a rather cool little thing to discover having been under my nose for so long.

What’s even more interesting is that even though it’s been found in loads of games, there’s many more that the composer worked on where it hasn’t been found. Apparently this is almost certainly because not that many people are actually aware of the ongoing secret, and consequently aren’t looking for it.

So, time to change all that! Go ahead and watch the YouTube video. It runs for just over seven minutes and demonstrates how to find the music in a number of games including Mario Paint, Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Super Mario Land 2, Yoshi’s Story, Animal Crossing, and Yoshi Touch and Go. It’s also suspected to be in Luigi’s Mansion amongst others that’re listed in the video.

I love finding little in-jokes like this. Of course, Nintendo’s effort is certainly no comparison to the mighty stump joke!

Those who visited my old blog may recall a post concerning two people who decided to name their first baby after a World of Warcraft character. Needless to say, it was a worrying suggestion; I took a screenshot of the forum thread so you can see for yourself. I don’t think I really need to say any more.

It looks like we have a comparably insane couple though, judging from a thread on some massively multiplayer game forum. In short, a chap named Shinzo has proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Rooh. Complete with paragraphs upon paragraphs of soppy writing, snide comments from the forum’s members, and a blunt “fuck off” from Shinzo in retaliation, it really does make for very amusing reading.

Update: It turns out that the two haven’t ever actually met, and she’s having trouble flying across to meet him for the first time. In addition, the female in the relationship has a MySpace, she’s left an explanatory comment on Digg (do a page search for “Shinzo and I both have real lives”), and a page has gone up documenting the event. Crazy stuff.

Ah yes, this is what I like to see. While I’ve been busy obsessing over Twilight Princess videos, Nintendo 64s and global thermonuclear war, I’ve forgotten what really matters in life. What drives us all. What brings communities together as one happy family, arms wrapped around one another. Dressing up as video game characters.

Now, anyone who’s seen my older posts is probably aware of the fact that I’m not a big fan of cosplay. There’s something about dressing up as video game characters for no particular reason that unsettles me. But this is different! It’s Halloween at the end of the month. Yes people, now’s the time to go crazy on those video game costumes.

Today’s item of choice is a Gordon Freeman costume, based on the namesake main character of the Half-Life games. Click the big thumbnail and you’ll get a nice big comparison of the real Gordon Freeman and the costume that I took the liberty of producing. As you can see it’s rather accurate, although some proportions are a bit off. And of course the fact that he’s even made a headcrab earns double points!

Thanks to Planet Half-Life for bringing this beauty to my attention. Although it’s not a massive deal for many here in the UK, I hear you guys in the US get quite giddy over Halloween. Any of you planning on grabbing some video game gear for the event?