Editor’s Note: Wrath.O.Tron is looking to be a new bot here at Big Shiny Robot! and wants to come at us with a weekly Sunday column called “The Blue Key.” Here’s his first contribution. And I have to say, after I read this column, I went and downloaded the free alpha of Desktop Dungeons and will be purchasing the beta with no hesitation. –Swankmotron

Alright folks, here’s the rundown: Desktop Dungeons is an indie roguelike with an average session length between ten and forty-five minutes depending on your play style and the difficulty level of your current dungeon. Despite being a self-described “coffee break game” with such a short session time, it remains true to its roguelike roots. The alpha prototype build won the “Excellence in Design” award at the 2011 IGF awards, and also made Gamasutra’s top ten indie games of 2010, and for good reason.

That alpha prototype is free to play, and will remain free forever and ever. (Note: The rest of this column concerns the newer, beta version of the game.)

After all this praise rained down upon them, the small South African development team (the awesomely named Quarter-Circle Forward) deconstructed the whole game and started rebuilding it from scratch in Unity. If you like the free alpha version, you can gain access to the latest beta build right away with a pre-order of just 10USD. (There’s also a “Special Edition” for 20USD.) Since you access the beta through Unity’s in-browser player, you unfortunately have to be connected to the internet to play it. On the other hand, your stashed equipment and progress through the persistent upgrade system are cloud-synced.

Be forewarned: there’s a good chance you’re going to die—and a lot—before you figure out how the game ticks. Procedural dungeon generation means that every dungeon run is going to play out a little differently. You have to make careful use of very scarce resources if you’re going to survive the inevitable boss fight. The development team once said they didn’t want to give the player any easy decisions. There are potions, equipment, and spells to make use of, but you also have to ration the actual exploration of each dungeon. Tiles are revealed when the character steps into an adjacent square, and each revealed tile heals your health and mana—the amount depends on your class and level. The catch is, they also heal the monsters that populate the dungeon, so in most cases you have to beat a monster in a single engagement. (Unless you’re getting tricky, which you should be.)

Speaking of monster beatdowns, at present there are over fifteen classes, and every one has an entirely unique playstyle. It’s actually pretty remarkable how differentiated the classes are while still feeling well-balanced. Throw different race bonuses and various god-worship boons into the mix and things get really complex. Spells and stat-boosters are randomly dispersed through each dungeon, which forces you to be resourceful and adaptable—sometimes a wizard’s just gotta beat down a goblin without the help of a trusty BURNDAYRAZ (fireball) spell.

If the name of the above-mentioned fireball spell is any indication—and it is—you can see that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. The writing is full of genuinely entertaining absurdity, and the game’s artistic aesthetic plays into the cartoonish atmosphere. Watch out for the fearsome Goats. If you’re an indie game fan, you should also catch more than a couple references to other great indie games from recent years, the most prominent being the “Meat Man” monster. The art, by the way, is crazy stylistic and downright charming, and every race/class combination rocks a unique character portrait. These portraits and other visual design concepts are mostly the product of a shadowy figure known only as “Lurk.”

Sticking to its roguelike roots, the game is brutal and unforgiving. In harder difficulty dungeons, that means if you don’t play conservatively you’ll probably end up retreating with an empty swag bag. And nobody likes an empty swag bag.

A single dungeon crawl is fun, but what will keep you coming back is the persistent Kingdom system. The Kingdom is basically the game’s menu, it’s a sort of meta-game where you can stash useful items for later dungeons, upgrade buildings to unlock new classes and races, and later on you can even affect the layout of your next dungeon by adding extra shops, or more gold piles for example. A more dramatic example is the “Smuggler’s Den,” it snags a bunch of low level monsters and stat-boosters from around the dungeon and sticks them in a sub-dungeon right near your spawn point. Handy.

If all of this is still not enough for you—you spoiled jerk, you—as you progress through the game’s quests, you also unlock puzzle dungeons. These are non-procedural, preset dungeons where you must solve, you guessed it: puzzles. These are fun, challenging, and act as a palate cleanser besides being a nice, occasional change of pace.

I highly recommend checking out the alpha prototype, all you have to lose is a few minutes of your life—and if we’re being honest here, we all waste plenty of life-minutes on the internet every day, so it’s hardly a sacrifice. If you like it, the measly $10 investment is nothing compared to the hours of entertainment you’ll get out of Desktop Dungeons.

(About the author: Connor Cleary is a video game columnist and critic, a freelance web and graphic designer, and an aspiring fiction writer. He is a reviewer at GameShark and an occasional opinion and analysis columnist at Gamasutra. His writing archive is The Blue Key and his freelance design business is Four Stair Multimedia and Design.)

MTV has the scoop that Sam Witwer will be the new voice of Darth Maul and the first episode of that arc will be airing on March 9th.

I’ve got some interviews and pieces planned that I think you guys are going to like coming up before then.

In the meantime, check out MTV’s piece, and check out their video below.

What seems to be something that should have arrived months and months ago is finally here for Nintendo Wii owners – Hulu Plus is now available on the Wii. On February 16th, the service was added to the Wii Shop for download with the standard monthly subscription fee to Hulu for $7.99.

As the press release states, Wii owners will now have the ability to watch Hulu Plus shows like Vampire Diaries, The Office, Modern Family, Community and more through their console. Pete Distad, VP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu said:  “We want to be everywhere, on every screen where people want to watch their favorite shows and discover new ones on their own schedule. Wii is not only one of the most important entertainment devices in the living room, but one of the most heavily anticipated and requested platforms by users and subscribers. Teaming up with Nintendo gives millions of households across the U.S. an immediate way to access some of their favorite current season shows on-demand in their living room through Hulu Plus.”

The above comment is interesting to me, because honestly I wasn’t waiting around for Wii to add the service.  I added all my streaming services to my Playstation 3 a long time ago.  My question is to everyone out there: If you really wanted Hulu Plus, wouldn’t you already have it through another device by now? It makes me wonder how many people out there ONLY own a Wii and therefore depend on it to serve as a device for Netflix, Hulu, etc. to be viewable on their TV. Sorry to say this to you, Hulu, but this is whole deal is really late in the game (especially considering Nintendo has announced that their new console is already on deck). So, Hulu and Nintendo, what the heck took you so long?

Hulu Plus will also be coming to Nintendo 3DS later this year, which makes me think a deal is probably already in the works for the service to be available on Nintendo’s next system. (Well, if they’re smart about it!)

If you love point-and-click adventures, or even enjoy creative gaming ideas. Then you’re no stranger to Double Fine’s newest project. Instead of publisher backing, Tim Schaffer and team set a seemingly lofty goal of raising $400,000 through kickstarter, within 8 hours they hit that goal and are currently sitting at $1,877,815. In an email update to his backers, Mr. Schaffer announced that the game will now have voice over work in English, and that the text will be translated into E.F.I.G.S: English, French, Italian, German and, Spanish. The project will be beta tested by the backers through Steam, and upon release, those who backed the project will be able to receive a DRM free version of the game for their enjoyment. I won’t put my piracy views on the line, but 1.8 million dollars says that they’re not concerned about that issue. The game itself has been expanded to release on some Android phones, Linux, Pc, Mac, and iOS. I’m a touch jealous, 1.8 million in 6 days? This game will have to be good.

Below is the video Double Fine sent to backers, did you donate to the cause? Comment after the video.

Paramount and Michael Bay’s production company, Platinum Dunes, are slowly but seemingly surely moving forward with rebooting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle live-action movie franchise, and they may have found their director.

Variety is reporting that director Jonathan Liebsman (The Wrath of the Titans, Battle Los Angeles) is currently in negotiations to direct the TMNT reboot with a script written by the guys behind Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. No plot points are known at this early stage, but being that it’s a reboot I’m sure we will see a lot of what we already know about the turtles “rehashed” to start off with (assuming this will be more than one movie, which I’d be surprised if it wasn’t). There is also speculation that the turtles won’t be portrayed with the Henson Workshop versions those of us old enough to remember hold so dear, but instead by motion-capture CGI.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a huge part of my child hood, and that first movie was just fantastic (and no, this is not nostalgia clouding my mind, I just watched it for the 100th time a few months ago). Two things I am hoping for with this movie: First is that someone involved with this movie has some respect and passion for the Turtles, wanting to give the fans the Turtles we know and love, while bringing on a new generation of fans. Second, hopefully there is some reconsideration to use the Henson Turtles as opposed to mo-cap CGI. Sure, they could use some updating, and I’d even be okay with CG faces, a la Where the Wild Things Are. Too often today film makers default to CGI rather than the practical effects.

Enough of my fanboy rant and concerns. In either case I’m excited to see what comes of a new live-action TMNT movie – whenever that happens. To tide us all over until Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael are all back on the big screen, here are some promotional images from Toy Ark (follow link for tons more photos) from the new TMNT cartoon that will be hitting Nickelodeon later this year! Speaking of which, have you seen the new toys?!

This first appeared on The Huffington Post.

The usual gang of idiots over at MAD Magazine have come up with what I think is one of their funniest political spreads over.

Hitting newsstands next week will be a “Banana Republican” catalogue and Huffington Post readers get to see it first.

I wonder how the GOP all-stars feel about appearances in MAD Magazine. Do they think it’s an honor to be poked fun at by a magazine that’s been doing it for so long? Do they shrug it off, assuming that only morons and teenagers (and teenage morons) read it?

Or do they get upset that the media is taking yet another potshot at their clear lack of sensibility?

Can you imagine the kind of mind that would be upset by appearing in MAD Magazine? Personally, I’ll know I’ve made it if I make it into MAD.

Bryan Young is the editor of the geek news site Big Shiny Robot! and the author of God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut.

There’s a beautiful place out in the middle of the Northern Californian wine country where dreams come true.

Steve Sansweet has what might be the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia and toys in what is now called Rancho Obi-wan. Set up like a museum, it is the most amazing place you’ll ever have the chance to visit.

Late last year I had a chance to visit (along with Kelly “Scarlet Robotica’ Adams, who took all the pictures) thanks to the wonderful work of Consetta Parker, who works at Rancho Obi-wan.

You see, Rancho Obi-wan has become a non-profit organization, offering tours to the public for memberships. (You can get the full price breakdown here). Though the official mission of the non-profit is to “serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of Star Wars memorabilia and artifacts, using this collection to provide meaningful educational, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural experiences for a wide array of audiences,” talking to Steve, it’s apparent that the goal of the Rancho is to inspire kids and adults of all ages to leverage their love for Star Wars into something positive for themselves and for the world at large. The different aspects of Star Wars inspire so many fascinating things, charity work, science, astronomy, art, creativity, writing, and hundreds of other things.

There’s something infectious about Steve’s spirit on these guided tours that just makes you go, “Wow.”

And it’s not just because he’s willing to try on every hat.

The place is truly amazing. Steve has collected Star Wars memorobilia of all sorts from even before the movies have come out and through all eras. Seeing the museum and the ever changing nature of marketing, toys, styles, and everything else change over the years all in one place is nothing short of a miracle. I can imagine anthropologists could find untold amounts of information about the change of technology and culture just by looking at the items in Steve’s collection on a chronological timeline.

Take for instance the films themselves. Back in 1977, there was no home video market and the only way to relive scenes from the film, short of revisiting the theatre, were small, silent 8mm reels of film. Then there were video discs (basically analog records with the film on them), then BETA and VHS, Laserdiscs, and eventually onto DVD and Blu-ray. Steve has every iteration of the films there, documenting the advancement of the home video market and the marketing of it in less than 40 years.

The types of items and the quality of them changed so drastically over the years, too.

And he even has an entire operating bathroom with a complete display of Star Wars toiletries made over the years. Including Yoda branded toilet paper.

He even has an impressively massive library of Star Wars books and printed oddities in every language. One could spend an entire day in there, crushed by the immensity of that one room alone.

But the museum doesn’t just contain the officially licensed oddities, Sansweet has made a point to collect oddities of any sort. Bootlegs, fan creations, hand made pieces of art, prototypes. You name it and chances are there’s an example of it in his massive collection.

It’s important to note that Steve leads every tour. When you buy a membership, you’re not just helping advance the cause, you’re paying for his time to energize you with his love of Star Wars. And he seems to have a story about every single piece in the collection, always ready to answer any question, and he flexibly tailors the tour to you personally.

It’s nothing short of intoxicating.

The museum itself is massive. Just when you think you’ve reached the end, there’s more. There’s an entire arcade with every sort of stand-up Star Wars game, there’s the briefing set from the Comic-Con Blu-ray presentation, there’s an entire gallery of fine art…

The thing I was struck by was the level of personal connection I found with some of his one of a kind pieces.

Like this for instance:

That was one of my favorite cards in the TOPPS Star Wars Galaxy Card series. I still have it in my collection of bubblegum cards and I used a duplicate of it as a bookmark for years. Looking at it in card form, you’d never really think about what the real thing looked like. And then, turning a corner at Rancho Obi-Wan, I found myself face to face with it. All of a sudden I was 13 years old again, riding my bike to the local comic book store across town with a few bucks in my pocket, waiting for the owner to arrive so I could buy another pack or two of cards.

But then seeing the piece in the flesh turned my entire perception of the piece of art on its ear. You can kind of tell just a little bit in this photograph is that the piece of art isn’t a painting or a drawing. It’s a collage. The frame is more than a couple of inches deep and each piece of Boba Fett is layered front to back.

That’s the best part of Rancho Obi-wan. There is so much to see, and think about, and reflect on. Like any museum, I suppose, you have to take your own notions and memories and experience inside and allow the exhibits to change you in some way.

One of the most popular pieces in the collection (I’m sure) is the full size replica of the Modal Nodes that were once behind the bar at FAO Schwartz. Even just acquiring them and getting them into proper working order at the Rancho is an amazing story to hear told.

Another highlight is the Tantive IV hallway Steve had installed to bridge two buildings together. (The video and script he prepared for the transition was right out of Jurassic Park mixed with Star Wars)

There is simply no shortage of love for Star Wars, both from Steve and from the Rancho itself.

It truly is a magical place. I can’t wait to go there again.

And I’m so excited that there’s a way for the public to visit now. (Here’s the website again.)

Also: For those curious, I did ask how many pairs of children’s underwear were in the collection, but there was no available answer.

I’ll be back soon with more pictures from the Rancho and an interview with Steve Sansweet about the wheres and whys of how the Rancho Obi-wan came to be in its present state.

The sci-fi series I lovedgrowing up, and the sci-fi series I am currently loving are finally meeting! Could this be awesome, or will it be more akin to that awkward moment when a current girlfriend/boyfriend meets the ex? (Relationship humor? Check. This officially counts as my Valentine’s Day-themed post for the day.)

IDW has announced that this May, The Doctor will be joining forces with the crew of the Enterprise to battle the combined threat of the Borg and the Cybermen in an 8-issue mini-series called Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2, written by Scott and David Tipton and Tony Lee with artwork by JK Woodward.

While cross-overs such as this always come with cautious optimism, I think the creators are off to a good start by selecting a nemesis from each universe that are quite similar. Both the Borg and the Cybermen are all about assimilating beings into their collective, so their goals are pretty aligned. Maybe we will even see some sort of Borg/Cybermen hybrid? Generally I steer clear of cross-overs (I’m looking at you Star Trek/X-Men!), but I can’t resist at least giving this one a shot being that both of these sci-fi properties are easily among my most beloved. However, I’ll definitely be picking this series up with a reasonable level of expectation.

What do you think? Does the idea of Captain Picard and The Doctor teaming up to battle the Cybermen and Borg sound appealing to you? Or will this crash and burn like the Enterprise in Star Trek: Generations? Sound off in the comments below!

Venture Beat, reported today that iMore editor-in-chief Rene Ritchie, received information from “reliable sources”. That March 7 will be the unveiling of Apple’s latest piece of portable wizardry. The date coincides with the previous unveiling of the iPad and iPad 2. The device is rumored to finally have the fan favorite retina display, a much faster processor, and a better resolution. Ritchie is quoted saying:

Along with the 2048×1536 Retina display, the iPad 3 will feature a quad-core Apple 6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking.

Who’s jumping on the iPad 3? Better yet, who’s buying the iPad 2 at clearance pricing?

Ladies and Gents will that special nerdy someone not settle for chocolates on Valentines Day?  We all know the person, something isn’t going quite their way, a friend crosses them, and instead of working it out they fall to their knees and scream, KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN! Have no fear, we here at BigShinyRobot have your back,  even if your loved one gets defensive about who shot first, these ideas will help you out.

1. Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy (+ Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] — If your significant other doesn’t own this, they’ll want to, trust us, I want it. For a mere $44.99 you can be Valentine of the year.

 

2. PSN Network Card — We all know digital distribution is your Nerd’s greatest desire, help them pick up some software on the PSN..erm excuse me, SEN

 

3. Microsoft 1600 point Xbox Live Card — Not all gamers are Sony kids, give them an opportunity to digitally spend on Microsoft, for a scant $19.99.

 

4. Zombies!!! 2nd Edition— This board game based on inner city survival and screwing your opponent is a blast, and you can play with your nerdy counterpart, BONUS!

 

5. Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV – VI) [Blu-ray] — If your nerd is like a large chunk of the community, then the prequels never happened, calm down Swank, we still love ya.

 

6. Dr. Who: The Eleventh Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver — Matt Smith may only have a short time left but that doesn’t mean your nerdy love machine can’t pretend to fix stuff around the house, (god knows we can’t use real tools), or even just battle imaginary aliens, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

 

7. $19.99 Card for the Nintendo eShop — Why make him leave the house with his gift card, he can snag Pushmo, or any other title, and you’ll get all the gratitude.

 

8. Official Valve Portal Weighted Companion Cube Plush — Forget teddy bears, get them a plush that matters, what could you do with a companion cube? Keep papers from blowing away in the wind…. keep those pesky switches down so you can get out of your house….kill turrets blocking the local coffee shop? This is useful, you know it is.

 

9. A Spotify Subscription — Maybe you have an audiophile or music nerd on your hands, this is a double win, you can get all those hard drives of music put away somewhere, and they can simply stream music at their leisure.

 

10. Doctor Who Timelord Spinning TARDIS— It sits on a desk, and floats. What’s better it proves that they have nerdy taste, they may not be a time lord, but they can decorate like one.

There you have it folks, 10 items that won’t destroy your bank, but will still make you girlfriend/boyfriend husband/wife of the year. Valentines doesn’t have to be about buying your loved one an iPad or a PS Vita, but you’re all welcome to send donations my way if that’s your thought, just saying….

Happy Heart Day everybody.