Trash TV Review
Trash TV? When you first hear the title, you might expect a game that sends you off to battle the forces of network evil with the likes of Snooki and Kim Kardashian, but this 2D sidescroller and puzzler takes its title far more literally than that. You are, after all, a TV, and you're in the trash. You follow the tubular guy as he bounds from platform to platform in a grim recycling plant in search of his remote, all while using everything from uzis to shotguns to battle his way to destiny. Like so much trashy TV, the game is not particularly memorable, but neither is it entirely without appeal.
Its heart is certainly in the right place. The artistry that characterizes games from the current 2D revival shows up in the very first seconds, as you guide a single pixel to merge with others in order to bring life to the dead box. Personality oozes from the presentation, particularly in the way that the display defaults to a curved 4:3 aspect ratio that recalls old Magnavoxes and Zeniths, or in the way the IBA-style cue dots march across the upper right of the screen as you near the end of a level. At some points, the screen crackles and fuzzes up and vaguely Pip-Boy-esque cartoons pop up to display hints. When you die, it cuts to the colored rectangular bars familiar from the days when networks actually went offline.
The 2D, slightly pixelated style perfectly fits the subject matter. It's a style that belongs to the era of its antenna-capped protagonist, and not so much to today's world of curved Samsungs and 4K resolutions. It's a style that promises the magic some of us experienced on the NES on similar screens in the 1980s, and the general fluidity of the controls as the TV flits across molten steel and lasers suggests that developer Lawrence Russell has the chops to pull it off. I found it especially fun with an Xbox 360 controller.
Too bad the end experience comes off as merely passable. Part of the reason why Trash TV shares the same running time as late-night network movies is that it rarely presents a challenge, so thoroughly does it cling to the most basic conventions of the current crop of platforms. Our TV bounds from platform to platform, sometimes while lava fills gaps behind him or massive platforms threaten to crush him, but Trash TV never achieves a tenth of the tension of games like Super Meat Boy. Even death is forgivable, essentially resulting in a quick respawn to the point at which you fouled up. Much of the progression centers on placing crates on the right buttons at the right time (and, pleasingly, some of the crates affectionately recall Portal's Companion Cube), but never once did I find myself stumped for more than ten seconds. Get into the rhythm, and the whole thing flies by in a blur, which eventually caused me to slip into same type of slack-jawed hypnotism I might experience while watching My Strange Addiction or Buckwild.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy my time with Trash TV; far from it. It's just that, as with so much trashy TV, getting the most out of it usually involves forgetting that I could be doing something better. And to its credit, Trash TV does a good job of keeping the experience from slipping into a repetitive slog. Indeed, my chief enjoyment from the game sprang not from the actual platforming but rather from each weapon that TV Guy finds inexplicably strewn around the facility, whether it's a simple handgun or shotgun or, later, twin uzis and C4 explosives that he uses to blast crates and vindictive vending machines. The timing is great--new weapons usually appear just as the previous one is wearing out its welcome. (Alas, that's also a problem, as it's almost never necessary to use a particular weapon again once you've moved past its specialized zone.)
And so it goes for two hours, to the tune of a catchy but similarly passable soundtrack. The entire experience would have been better if Russell had managed to work some boss battles into the mix, but all that usually heralds the end of the stage are the cue dots mentioned above. On at least one occasion, I failed to even notice I'd completed a level. At times, the hint of something better presents itself, such as when you have to to fend off a swarm of other appliances while you wait for an elevator to descend, but then the end comes (along with the promise of a new "season") and you realize that was as good as it gets.
It shouldn't have been. The potential for greatness broadcasts from every corner of Trash TV, but it comes off as guilty-pleasure television programming that was rushed out by studio executives intent on meeting a deadline. And perhaps there's some truth to that. Trash TV seems to have started life as a co-op game, and even now, that legacy shows up in the hand-drawn artwork that's used to promote the game, in which two CRT television sets face off against a clothes dryer and a slot machine atop a garbage heap. Russell's blog claims it could still make an appearance as a "post-launch free update," but that was almost a year ago.
Even so, I had fun. Trash TV's puzzles and platforming might bear the heavy stamp of other games that came before it, but its endearing use of the conventions of CRT television paired with weapon-toting boob tubes does much to make up for such misgivings. As with a decent trashy TV show, I probably won't experience it again, but I can't say I didn't enjoy my brief time with it.
Bloodborne Will Punish You with a New Game Plus Mode
Those hoping for multiple levels of challenge in Bloodborne have reason to celebrate.
Speaking with MCV, From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed the upcoming action RPG would have a New Game Plus mode.
"Yes, there will be a New Game Plus mode," he said, then jokingly added "we’re having trouble beating it, though.”
New Game Plus is a mode generally unlocked after a game's first completed playthrough. In these modes, typically the difficulty is heightened and some element from the first play through is carried over and affects the harder mode. Exactly how this mode will work in Bloodborne remains unclear.
Star Wars Trading Card App Comes to iOS
You can now collect digital Star Wars trading cards on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, thanks to a new app from trading card company Topps.
In addition to eight new cards from The Force Awakens, Star Wars Card Trader includes digital versions of every Star Wars trading card produced by Topps since 1977. Cards include characters, vehicles, and locations from all of the movies and animated series. Star Wars fans will also be able to trade cards with other collectors across the globe.
While the app is free to download, you'll have to spend in-game credits to open packs. Credits can be bought using real-world currency, or earned by watching ads and completing surveys, according to Gizmodo. However, users will receive one free pack each day.
New Poster for Digimon Adventure Tri
We've got our first look at the Digimon in Digimon Adventure Tri, and now have official confirmation that the original Japanese voice cast will return.
Posted by the Digimon Adventure 15th Anniversary Twitter account, the first Digimon Adventure Tri poster features the original cast of characters and their fellow Digimon companions, while the second one, which was revealed a few months ago, shows the cast falling from the sky:
China Moon Rover Finds Evidence of Lunar Lava Floods
In the first data gathered from the surface of the moon in decades, China's Yutu probe has returned data in the way of radar images that show evidence of enormous lava floods in the moon's past.
Around 35m to 50m below the moon's surface scientists found what they interpreted as a layer of lunar regolith that had been buried beneath flows of lava. Regolith is the lunar dust found on the surface of the moon, and the evidence suggests that the surface formed very early on in the moon's history, only to later be swallowed up by lava.
NASA Tests Most Powerful Rocket Boosters Ever
NASA successfully conducted a ground test yesterday for its massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket boosters.
The booster system test, which occurred at a facility in Promontory, Utah, took two minutes and generated 3.6 million pounds of thrust.
At 1.6 million pounds, the booster itself took months to heat up to its maximum accepted propellant temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The inside of the booster reaches temperatures of over 5,600 degrees during the actual test.
NASA is also planning a "cold-temperature test" for 2016 to gather data on the booster's full range of performance at varying degrees.
Apple Sheds Competing Fitness Trackers in Lead Up to Watch
With the looming release of Apple Watch, competing fitness products are evaporating from Apple Stores.
According to a report by recode.net, stores in San Francisco, New York, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles are bereft of the competing devices. Fitness trackers like the Jawbone Up and Nike+ FuelBand have been removed to make way for Apple Watch.
Apple Watch, which launches on April 24 at a starting price of $350 USD, was highlighted during Apple's recent live event. One such new Apple feature was HealthKit, an API that allows apps to share data with Apple's new Health app. Apple Watch promises to "measure all the ways you move," according to the company, and selling competing items in its own stores is probably a bit on the cannibalistic side, business-wise.
Cobra Commander Gets Key to Sprigfield, IL
The end is nigh -- Mayor J. Michael Houston of Springfield, Illinois has given Cobra Commander the Key to the City. Yes, the masked G.I. Joe villain who once hosted a telethon for fellow terrorist organizations has invaded the home of Abraham Lincoln.
Photo courtesy of GeneralJoes.com
According to GeneralJoes.com (via ComicsAlliance), the leader of the Cobras was awarded Springfield's highest honor in order to promote the upcoming G.I. JoeCon. The announcement came with the following message from Cobra Commander himself: “Springfielders near and far, I accept your Mayor’s generous gift. And let it be known that I too bring a gift for every man, woman and child of this city that is so near and dear to my heart; an invitation to join with me. Join Cobra!”
Daily Deals: 5TB External Hard Drive for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Xbox One Controller Sale, Razer Keyboard Low Price
$40 Xbox One Controller After Rebate
It's a mail in rebate *grumble* from Tiger Direct but it is the cheapest I've seen an Xbox One controller in a long time, and the shipping is free.
Evo 2015 Will See Largest Melee Turnout Yet
The upcoming Evo 2015 is shaping up to be the largest Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament yet.
According to a tweet from Evolution Championship Series co-founder Joey Cuellar, "Evo 2015 will be the biggest Melee tournament of all time, and Smash WiiU is over 1K!"
Apex 2015 from January saw 1,037 registered competitors total for Super Smash Bros. Melee, while Evo 2015 has already surpassed 1,000 entrants in a single month, according to Shoryuken.