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Another month, another episode of Once Upon a Pixel. According to Mr. Burch, this is the “purest” episode so far — that is to say, it is the one that is the cutest and sweetest. It is also the most Mega Man-ish episode to date, and the most educational. If all these things together sound good to you, then you’ll love OUP’s treatment of the Mega Man universe!

Here is the link to the video. You can discuss it in the comments below or in the lovely forum thread that’s been started. As always, keep your eyes peeled for all the high-res art to be posted here on Destructoid soon!

Extra credit: Which of the robots who make an appearance do not actually exist?

Did you know that the list of items in the famous 12 Days of Christmas carol are actually major symbols of Christianity? It’s true! “My true love” really represents the Christian God, and all the strange things like turtle doves and milking maids represent the stuff Christians believe he gave to them.

I wanted to do a cutesy 12 days of gamer Christmas post until the above factoid made me think about the subject with a bit more seriousness. Not to say that liking videogames is equivalent to being part of a religion, but it is kind of a way of life. We give up our time, money and energy to keep up with the hobby. We play, discuss, and even hold gigantic conventions, all for games. The mere fact that videogames exist has given us so many wonderful things.

In the Gamer’s 12 Days of Christmas, “my true love” represents gaming, and all the strange things represent the stuff gamers believe their little hobby has given the world.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Twelve drummers drumming

These represent the 12 different ways we get around inside of a videogame: walking, running, jumping, crawling, sliding, flying/gliding, climbing, shimmying, hanging, swinging, riding/driving and swimming. No matter what type of game you play, it’s almost certain that the actions your in-game persona performs when you press a button will be one or more of these.

Step back and think about it for a moment. You’ve probably done so much of this stuff by now that it’s old hat, but these gifts are almost like being granted superpowers; double jumping and having the strength to hang off a ledge indefinitely are things no mere human can do. Once you enter the body of the hero, you gain complete control of their power. It’s really quite amazing, and only one of the many gifts videogames have given us.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Eleven pipers piping

These represent the wide variety of videogame genres we have to choose from: action, adventure, fighting, simulation, RPG, strategy, racing, puzzle, shooting, rhythm/music and sports. Some of these have combined with others to create all new sub-genres, and there are many other, smaller labels for games (casual, indie, FPS), but these 11 make up the foundation.

One of the most wonderful things about videogames is that there is a game for pretty much every taste. Some prefer certain genres over others, but all of them have their place in the world. There is no one type that doesn’t deserve to be made, nor any that do not deserve to be played.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Ten lords a leaping

These represent ten of the great male characters videogames have given us throughout the years: Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Solid Snake, Mega Man, Gordon Freeman, Pac Man, Kratos, Guybrush Threepwood, and Master Chief.

These guys are more likely than not the first ones to come to mind any time games are mentioned; they are the most prolific, popular and influential. For example, Kratos proved that heroes don’t have to be sympathetic. Link and Gordon both proved that non-characterization can be a really powerful tool in making a character, from both third-person and first-person perspectives.

These ten lords of gaming are familiar faces that we are always happy to see. They are people that we can’t wait to experience the next story of. They are the men all other playable heroes aspire to be.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Nine ladies dancing

Like the ten lords, the nine ladies are the great female game characters we know and love: Samus, Jade, Jill Valentine, Zelda, April Ryan, Ms. Pac Man, Alyx Vance, Peach and Elena Fisher.

Women like these come around a little less often than great male characters, but the ones we have are perhaps even more expertly crafted. They can all hold their own against the boys, given the chance, and prove that even the most delicate looking lady can be deceptively strong-willed. Sadly, some of them are not playable, but it is still a joy to interact with them just because they are so well made. They are definitely a treasure.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Eight maids a-milking

These represent the eight game series that have been with us the longest: Tetris (1984-present), Mario (1983-present), Bomberman (1983-present), Mega Man (1987-present), Zelda (1986-present), Dragon Quest (1986-present), Castlevania (1986-present), and Final Fantasy (1987-present).

All nearly as old as the age of modern gaming, these series have had a new entry every four or five years since their conception. Along the way, some have spun off into other series to sell more games with the popularity of their name. Some have focused on just adding to the numbers of their main series, keeping the players happy with more of what they want. Some have changed drastically over the years, some have mostly stayed the same, and others have even reverted back to their roots.

No matter the direction any of these series have taken, their longevity still speaks volumes about their importance.

Note: The Metal Gear series (1987-present) nearly made the cut, but went eight years without a new game being made. Still, it’s lasted a long time too, and must be given its props!

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Seven swans a-swimming

These represent the seven console generations we have seen so far. The first two occurred before the huge video game crash and introduced consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey and the Atari 2600. But most gamers only recognize gaming history from the third generation forward, as this was when the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System emerged and revitalized both the industry and peoples’ interest in playing videogames.

Each generation has improved upon the last’s in graphics, sound and game mechanics. As technology advanced, more could be done with videogames than ever before. However, some still enjoy or even prefer the simplicity of past generations. But it’s all just a matter of preference; in reality, pixels and polygons are just two different types of paint with which a game’s canvas could be painted. Arrangements of bleeps and boops are as lovely as fully orchestrated soundtracks. All of the generations should be appreciated, if not loved.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Six geese a-laying

These represent six of the most influential game designers in history: Shigeru Miyamoto, Sid Meier, John Carmack, Will Wright, Hideo Kojima, Peter Molyneux.

These creators are responsible for pushing the medium forward. Their games have changed many different aspects of the industry, subsequently giving us even better things to play. These are people gamers admire and anticipate the projects of. It is safe to say that without them, videogames would not be what they are today, and without videogames, we would not have come to know the works of these great men.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Five golden rings

These represent the various shiny things that we lust after within a game. Objects like coins, rings, gems, stars and doodads (name may change from game to game).

Collecting items such as these have had a place in videogames for decades. After some took the idea a little too far in the fifth generation, most since have made their collection optional. But there are still tons of things to seek out in every single game you will play, if you have the desire to. And every once in a while, it is an integral part of the gameplay.

What is it that makes us want to collect all of these shiny things? Is it just the fact that they’re so alluring? Do we actually find it to be fun? The world may never know.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Four calling birds

These represent the former console makers: Sega, Atari, NEC, SNK and Panasonic.

Some, like Atari, were there at the very beginning; regardless of their established place, they were not able to keep up with the competition and stopped making consoles after the fifth generation. Others, like Sega, were able to keep up with competitors for several generations, even giving the other big names a run for their money. The rest are only responsible for one console each (not including CD add-ons): the PC-Engine/Turbografix-16, the Neo Geo and the 3DO.

Though the consoles these companies made have long been gone, they will always remain in our memories. They are important parts of gaming history. However, some of those memories may not be too fond. After all, there are a lot of good reasons why consoles like the Jaguar and 3DO did their makers in.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Three French hens

These represent the three console makers that are with us today: Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. There have been many others, but these are the ones we are currently stuck with, for better or for worse. Nintendo and Sony have been around for decades, and while Microsoft is a relative newcomer, it has held its own against its elders.

All things considering, they’ve done quite well during this generation, giving us things like accessible online gaming, high quality downloadable titles, and a bunch of great games. Not only that, but these big guys are becoming more comfortable with letting new ideas and new blood in. Indie developers are welcomed with open arms, and games are becoming better and more varied than ever, if you look past all the space marine shooters. Sure, the consoles they have provided us with have their shortcomings, and they all have their share of shovelware, but what product doesn’t? It’s still a great time to be a gamer!

Who knows whether these three will always stay on top; history has shown that it is possible for even the most successful names (Atari, Sega) to fall. But until the seventh generation is over, they are what we’ve got. And you know what? That’s pretty awesome!

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

Two turtle doves

These represent the two different ways to play games: the console and the PC. In many ways, the experiences they provide are the same, as the two are blurring more and more into one another, but they still have many differences. The keyboard and mouse versus the controller. The monitor versus the television. More graphical power versus less graphical power. PC exclusives versus console exclusives.

Because of all these things, many a debate has been sparked as to which platform makes for the better gaming experience. Game makers even have their preferences as to which to develop for. But the true answer should be clear; they are both awesome in their own ways. Anyone who can should embrace both and all the things they each have to offer.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

A partridge in a pear tree

This represents the most important gift that the advent of gaming has given: the games themselves.

Without videogames, none of us would be where we are today. Where might that be? Lands that are not of our world! Places where we can step inside the shoes of heroes or villains. Worlds where we can live out our fantasies, experience an emotionally engaging story through interactivity, or just plain have fun.

Without games, you wouldn’t be right here, gathered with other people like you on Destructoid.

Speaking of, there is one more thing that wouldn’t fit into the carol, but it is just as important a thing to mention as any other. One of the greatest gifts of all are the people who play the games.

When I was a young girl, I loved videogames. However, everyone else around me did not. I was outcast at school because my love was considered nerdy and uncool. All I ever wanted was a group of people to share my love with. Now I find that I have that group: all of you.

Sure, gamers have their differences, just like any other group of human beings. And sometimes we let our preferences tear us apart. There is a lot of needless fighting amongst us. I’m not saying that we all think and feel the same, nor that a little friendly debate has no place in the discussion of videogames; I’m saying that we should never forget that despite all the details, we still share one love. It is through this love that we are united.

I hope that this modified Christmas carol reminds you of why we are here and brings you closer together with all other gamers, if for just one day. Happy holidays to you all, and may you receive even more games to play, share, and discuss.

Last week, I was happily playing through Half-Minute Hero when all of a sudden, I did something very bad.

Naturally, a lot of evil can be done when you’re playing videogames. Some “normal” activities like bopping baddies or destroying their habitats can be viewed as bad when looked at from a different perspective. Some are bad simply because you are put into the shoes of a villain. There are some bad things that are completely optional, secret, or part of an achievement.

What I did this time didn’t fall into any of the above categories; I was tricked into doing the wrong thing. I didn’t see it coming, and it made it all the more effective.

WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS HALF MINUTE HERO SPOILERS! If you own this game and have not completed the Hero 30 portion, please do yourself a favor and do it before reading the rest of this article. If you do not have the game, have no intention of playing it or just want to read about a really cool moment, read on.

Hero 30, the main game portion of HMH, does a great job of condensing the stereotypical RPG story into 30 second chunks of gameplay. In dong so, the game kinda works to desensitize you to anything that happens. All of the bad guys are somewhat silly and cut from the same cookie cutter shape. All of the “relationships” you make with friendly NPCs are just as brief as the allotted playtime, either ending with a single line of dialogue, an item exchange or an agreement to fight alongside you. Though there are a few recurring characters, there’s not really much there to make you feel close to any of them.

After the first dozen levels of slight variants of the “oh no an evil lord is going to destroy the world in 30 seconds” plot, I pretty much glossed over any text the game threw at me. I got to Chapter 29, the next-to-last level, and expected more of the same. After all, one shouldn’t expect any meaningfulness to be shoved into a half-minute long game that parodies the shortcomings of the RPG genre, right?

When I entered the world, the Time Goddess, a greedy but well-meaning deity who acts as your guide and mentor throughout HMH, sensed that something was not right. Nothing seemed immediately off to me. Yet another villain had been given the 30 second long spell of world destruction, and as the Hero, I had to walk around, talk to people and find out how to find and beat him.

I ran into a small, green-haired girl while trolling the first town for clues. When I tried to talk to her, she quickly became flustered and ran away. I wasn’t expecting to find the same girl being chased by monsters in the nearby forest not long after. After beating them all, she apologized for her previous behavior and gave me her name: Sasha.

From that point forward, we became good friends in what little time the game gave us. She took me to all her favorite places in the world, bought a meal for me, and even pointed out the way to the Reaper Lord’s castle. But something was amiss. After I beat him, the timer for the spell of destruction continued to count down. The Time Goddess again expressed her uneasiness toward Sasha. She suggested that I stay away from her. I didn’t listen, and met up with her several more times.

It turned out that the Time Goddess was somewhat right. The more I saw Sasha, the more she broke down. She finally admitted that she was not a human, but a monster put in a human body by the real Reaper Lord. She was supposed to waste 30 seconds of my time with relationship crap so that the spell of destruction could be cast. But his plan backfired; after spending all that time as a human interacting with other humans, she realized that she didn’t want him to destroy the world after all.

If I were to go and break the beach monument where she was “born”, the true lair of the Reaper Lord would be revealed. However, doing so would turn her back into a monster. Before she let me go, she had to ask me one last thing.

“Even if I don’t look like this anymore… even if we can’t communicate anymore… will you please… think of me as your friend?”

I had no reason to say no to her. Even if she did kind of lie to me to begin with, I knew she had good intentions now. She was the only person in the game who had more to say to me than “I’ll sell you this weapon!” or “I will fight alongside you!” I genuinely liked her because she was different, kind and slightly less one-dimensional than everyone else. So I promised her that we would always be friends, and I had every intention of keeping that promise.

I expected my choice to have some sort of impact on the rest of the level. Like, maybe when I was fighting the Reaper Lord, a monster would swoop in and help me finish him off. In a happy moment of realization, I would see the monster and think, “Aww, it’s Sasha! We’re still friends! Yay!” Then she would say her final goodbye and the world would be saved and everyone would be happy. I mean, if people I only shared two sentences with would follow me into battle, I could only imagine the tremendous amount of help someone I knew intimately could be.

On the way back down to fight the real Reaper Lord, you’re forced to go into Sasha’s hometown. There was nothing left of the shops that once stood there, and all of the people had changed into zombie-like creatures that immediately attacked me. But wait! The Time Goddess and I both sensed that little Sasha was one of these monsters. This was it! Something sweet was about to happen because I agreed to be her friend no matter what.

As I plowed through the other monsters in front of her, I realized that I couldn’t stop. I was equipped with a pair of cursed boots that I had gotten the chapter before, which disabled my ability to flee battle. I was headed straight toward her, but for whatever reason, my first instinct was to keep moving forward. I thought maybe a cut scene would start once I got close enough, I would stop attacking and everything would be alright.

That cut scene never happened. Numbers flew from Sasha’s body. I could only watch my character whack her with his sword until she fell dead.

She choked out one last word to me: “Li… ar.”

It cut me like a knife. And to top it off, the game branded me a “Liar” for it.

Suffice to say, I wasn’t happy at all with how things turned out. I tried over and over and over again to keep my promise to Sasha, but kept on failing. Mind you, I was doing all this while on a bus trip, so I never figured out the right way to do it (by not holding down L and R to run away, but tapping them to hover in front of her for a few seconds) until I reached my destination and rushed to a computer to research it.

When I finally did it, it was a pretty hollow victory. I still had that “Liar” achievement to remind me of the horrible thing I had originally done. I still had the memories of how it felt to unintentionally betray my friend. There was no taking back something like that.

There have been many instances where videogames have touched my heart in meaningful ways, but none have come from doing wrong. I’ve poked innocent Cuccos in Zelda games and kicked defenseless Servbots around in Megaman Legends 2. I’ve sacrificed minions for health, armor and weapons in Overlord. I’ve accidentally run over innocent people in every open world game I’ve touched. But none of it really had any lasting impact on me.

This small moment from this small game caught me entirely by surprise. It left me feeling completely horrible, as a bad deed ought to. But it would have never happened had I been clear on what (and what not) to do in this brand new situation. The game had inadvertently tricked me into breaking my promise by making me too comfortable with the way things work within it and giving me a pair of cursed boots that ended up cursing me.

It’s usually a bad thing to say that a game developer has played a trick on you, but I’m actually quite grateful to Marvelous for setting me up like that. I wasn’t expecting to be moved by any aspect of Half-Minute Hero. I wasn’t expecting to do anything wrong while in the shoes of the Hero. And I wouldn’t have, if not for that promise.

I know you’ll never believe me, Sasha, but I’m sorry.

A videogame adaptation of The Host would have turned out pretty bad, I imagine, but there’s no way it could (theoretically) top the upcoming first-person shooter based upon The Host 2.

Now I know Jonathan recently listed some horror movies he’d like to see as videogames, and as fate would have it, he had some ideas for how The Host could be retold as an interactive experience. Based on the first details for The Host 2 (the game, not the movie), his ideas were too good for such a project.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s going to be an FPS. But wait, it gets better: the game stars “mutant humanoids graced with superhuman skills.” And finally, it’s headed to every platform imaginable — even mobile phones.

So, basically, the game is going to be an awesome licensed title that is in no way an attempt to make easy money. Gotcha.

[Via Bloody-Disgusting]

Last week’s bonus questions brought in even more discussion than the week before, and when you outdo a Zelda and Final Fantasy debate, that’s saying something. And boy did you guys and gamer girls have plenty to say. I’m thrilled the new bonus question format is getting so much love! The Half-Life series also got plenty of love, and set a new game debate record for the most winning votes ever:

• Half-Life series (198 votes) — WOW!
• Halo series (38 votes)

To see one of the best selling game series of all time get put in its place turned into quite the exciting comments section. For those of you who thought Half-Life was miles beyond Halo’s reach, I hope you’re ready for what’s in store this week.

A few of you trembled in fear last week at just the thought of this debate. It may not be easy, but do your best to choose which series you like better as a whole, and tell us why! What aspects or individual games of the series made up your mind? Is your choice mainly due to support for that series, or your dislike of other series? Give it some serious thought, share your thought process with all of us, and then get some gaming friends to join in on the fun.

New Bonus Questions! Hit the jump to see not one, but all of the bonus questions. From now on I’m going to try a slightly new format to encourage more discussion! Feel free to suggest bonus questions of your own that you’d like to see used in next week’s debate topic, which is also listed below.

BONUS QUESTIONS:

BQ1. What are you hoping to see in the future from the series you voted for? Feel free to get very detailed and long-winded!

BQ2. Name one thing you like better about the series you didn’t pick.

BQ3. What was your favorite game/episode in each series? Why?

BQ4. What was the moment(s) in each series that emotionally affected you the most?

BQ5. What is your favorite level or environment in each series? Why? 

BQ6. Pretend you were the creator of each series. What are some things you would have done differently?

SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTIONS: 

Each week I will post what next week’s debate will be, and allow you to all post your own “bonus questions” in the comments for next week’s debate. I’ll choose the best of the bunch and then we can get some serious feedback from all different gamer perspectives on not just each game/series, but also a few individual aspects of those games/series. Have something you’re dying to know what other games thought of in the game or series? Post your question in the comments and find out what the response is!

NEXT WEEK’S DEBATE:

What’s your favorite Legend of Zelda game in the whole series?

As usual, there’s always an open door policy on suggesting future game debates in the comments. So don’t be shy!

Who knew Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio was this well socially connected?

In this latest teaser spot, Ubisoft gives us a look at three of the factions you’ll encounter in Assassin’s Creed II, each of which will offer Ezio different services and skills. Mercenaries will teach you how to fight, while the Thieves will teach you how to climb… and also let you hit on them, apparently. The Courtesons, led by Paola and her ample bosom (discretion much?) will teach Ezio how to blend in, walk with the crowds. 

If I get anything from this trailer is that Ubisoft is definitely trying to offer more in terms of gameplay variety and story for Assassin’s Creed II. Of course, if the game just comes down to three types of missions — fighting, climbing, and blending in — we have an issue. 

We’ll know more when Assassin’s Creed II hits shelves on November 17.

FEARnet and Destructoid got together to bring you an awesome Halloween themed contest where we wanted to hear what you think is the best horror game of all time. We got a lot of submissions and it took some time narrowing down just six winners.

Congratulations to snoogans775 as he’s getting the 80GB PlayStation 3, Fallout 3, Resistance 2, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and a signed poster from the cast of Fear Clinic. You can watch his entry to the contest above. Congratulations also go out to the five runner-ups, manasteel88, mooseifer69, Capm Trevo, Scary Hair Studios and Vongore. Click their names to find their winning entries on the original contest post. The five winners will get to pick between Fallout 3 (PS3), Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PS3), Resistance 2 (PS3), Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) or Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) and they’ll all be getting a signed posters as well. Thanks again to FEARnet for the awesome prizes.

We’re always giving back here at Destructoid! Check out our Magnacarta 2 contest where you can win a copy of the game!

This comes from Udon Entertainment, the people that redid the characters and backgrounds in Capcom’s SSFIIHDTR. It turns out that they didn’t get to use the above intro in the final product. It looks pretty good, though. I wonder why it didn’t make the cut.

What they did was recreate the original game’s intro with their art. Maybe it didn’t make the cut because Cammy’s little tongue flip was creepy. I seriously felt violated after I watched it for the first time. Otherwise, it’s good. Ryu could have been a bit more intense (like in the old intro), but it’s good.

[via capcom-unity]

Once Upon a Pixel kicks off its official first season with an episode based on Katamari Damacy! Except this time, it’s not a bright and happy videogame about consumerism. You see, in the world of Once Upon a Pixel, Katamari is called Death Ball. It is a dark story about death and revenge, conveyed through the medium of comics.

Okay, so it might sound a bit silly, but Katamari Damacy makes a lot more sense as a hard-boiled graphic novel than you may think. Head on over to Gametrailers to see for yourself!

If you enjoyed this episode, new episodes of OUP are now scheduled to debut on the first Monday of every month! And, as always, stay tuned to Destructoid for exclusive looks at the art behind the episodes.