We all have heard of them, swore to have done them or know someone whose cousin has. That’s right, I’m talking about Video Game Urban Legends (VGUL). No, we’re not going to talk about the munchkin in the back of “Wizard of Oz” who supposedly hangs himself from the tree. We’re not talking about how there is a ghost in the window in “3 Men and a Baby” who died in that house. Not Bigfoot or Loch Ness. We’re talking Video Games…. We’re talking Urban Legends in Video Games.

We searched high and low to bring to you, our latest installment of these Urban Legends, and hope you enjoy what we have come up with.

Tomb Raider

The Urban Legend – Lara Croft appearing Nude in Tomb Raider

The System – PSX

This story goes as far back as the time when the game was first launched. It was almost like every video gamer wished this one to be true. I’ve heard it all from, “if you go in the water, you’ll see her nude”. Sorry to tell you folks, this one is a big fat lie. If you wanted to see Lara nude in a game, your only option was a mod for the PC game. An interesting notes is that “Lara Croft Nude” is the most commonly searched string on our site. To appease our perv surfers, we posted “Lara Croft Nude NSFW Fan Art” a while back.

Street Fighter II

The Urban Legend – Beat every character without losing a round or match lets you play as the four bosses Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison.

The System – SNES

Well, this is an urban Legend that I believe all Street Fighter 2 players have tried. Now, while it isn’t that impossible, is was very hard. The rumor of playing as one of the bosses, went cross country. It always seemed that the more you went unbeaten the tougher the opponent got. I recall playing one whole day trying this one out, and after going unbeaten straight through Balrog, Vega became impossible. He would hang off the fence and “huaaahhh” with his blades onto my head. Of course, I used Ken and the timing of a shyruken was hard.

No doubt, once I completed the game unbeaten I realized it was a hoax. With people then saying “You have to perfect every round” back I went to the SNES and 15 years later…

Playstation 2

The Urban Legend – Iraq had purchased 4,000 PS2s to launch missiles.

The System – PS2

World Net Daily claims that both the FBI and the US Customs Service are investigating the transfer of thousands of consoles to Iraq. According to a secret Defence Intelligence Agency report, 4,000 PS2s had been bought in the US and shipped to Iraq in 2000.

Some US military experts believe that several PS2s could be linked together to form a “supercomputer”, which could control a missile or an unmanned aircraft. They fear that the console, which contains a 128-bit CPU, could provide the power for Iraq to launch chemical weapons at its enemies.

It’s also very unlikely that bundling any number of PS2s together would actually work in this application, as it would be extremely complicated to have a number of processors accessing shared memory and splitting up the computation. The complex software required would take years to develop. Sony refused to say whether it was possible to link PS2s together to form a supercomputer, explaining that it did not comment on speculative stories.

Super Mario Bros.

The Urban Legend – Jumping over the flag pole at the end of the level

The System – NES

In 5th grade, Kevin Diley once told me how he jumped over the flagpole in Super Mario Bros. I’ve called him on the telephone while I tried, he came over to try, I even asked him to video tape it on his VHS camcorder. He was never able to reproduce it. Till this day, I do not know a single person who was able to jump over the flagpole. I’ve heard of mods, and hacks that allow this. But until I see this:

1. Cartridge being blown into the bottom
2. Popped into an original NES
3. Original NES controller used to jump over flagpole

This will not hold true to me and Kevin Diley will continue to be a liar! The last time we posted this urban legend, we received tons of comments from people claiming they pulled this off. I guess the world is full of Kevin Dileys.

Legend of Zelda

The Urban Legend – There is a dungeon level in the Legend of Zelda that is a swastika.

The System – NES

Now although this is not completly an urban legend, it is more of a terrible version of the game telephone. It starts off with one person saying what they say, and it gets turned and twisted into an Urban Legend. So, let me explain. The third dungeon has the shape of what appears to Western audiences as a left-facing swastika. This shape is actually a “manji”, which is a Buddhist symbol of good fortune. In Japan, where this game was initially released, swastikas and similar shapes are relatively benign, which explains why a symbol so offensive to many Western audiences could be included. In the United States, there were surprisingly few complaints about the manji, but years later, when Pokémon became popular in the United States, Nintendo was forced to alter one of the cards due to complaints regarding a manji.

So take a chill pill, it’s just some Manji – Word of the Day. If you want some swastika gaming action, check out the following YouTube video showing what happened when Hitler was banned from Xbox LIVE (this is NOT an Urban Legend… It actually happened…):

Mortal Kombat

The Urban Legend – A code that enabled the “Blood Code” instead of a grey smokey splat. We can probably thank Al Gore for this retarded series of events. Some of you may not be old enough to remember, but Al Gore was kind of the Jack Thompson of the 1980s and 1990s. His anti-gaming stances were very influential on decisions made by Nintendo. At the time, Sega was under fire for some of their more violent games such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap.

The System – SNES

This one is fairly easy to explain because it never existed nor was it an Easter Egg. Nintendo was/is very censored so they never allowed blood in their Mortal Kombat game. It was said that the Genesis version of MK sold better because of the fatalities and blood. Nintendo then tried using Genesis’ decision of incorporating blood as a negative, but that never flew. So now you had those Genesis freaks soaked up to their ankles in Hawaiian Punch and it was cool.

Polybius

The Urban Legend – A government run arcade cabinet was used to collect data. Once played this game would cause seizures, memory loss and people were brainwashed.

The System – Arcade

This game was out for a very short trial run of one month in small arcades in Portland Oregon in 1981. Produced by the company Sinnesloschen ( A German term meaning “sense-deleting,” or “Loss of senses.”), the game gave many players nightmares and many who played it completely swore off all video games afterwards. Others complained of having blackouts and memory loss. Employees of the manufacturer, in black coats came and collected data from the machines as part of a lease agreement. After only one month, all of the machines were removed. ROMs of this game are rumored to be in the hands of some collectors but at this time they are not generally available. Check out more info here at Polybius Theory. We tried for months to find out the origin of this legend, but it seems to have pretty much appeared out of thin air. Did Polybius actually exist? I have a feeling it might have, but there’s really no way to know the full story. To date, there’s no existing proof of the game. Rumors exist that there are some original Polybius ROMs out there, but we have yet to track one down. If you’re a big fan of the Simpsons, the Polybius arcade cabinet makes an appearance in a couple episodes.

Game-play: There are two explainations for game-play.

1: Action/Puzzle game. Rumored to have a rotating 3D Puzzle, along with logic puzzles, and mazes resembling the playing style of Pac-Man.

2: You were flying through a tunnel and had to dodge things in your path. Lights flashing at rapid rates to heighten the effect. Said to resemble a pro-type for Atari’s “Tempest.”(Which was a shooter game. In an article about Tempest, it was said that the prototype caused motion sickness after a period of time.) The basis of the game was to get through a maze without being caught in a trap or a mine. Apparently, the further the levels went, to make the game more difficult, the background would start flashing much like a strobe light, and the spinning of the mazes.

Polybius Wikipedia Page

The following video shows “gameplay” from Polybius, but we’re pretty sure it’s a fake.

More VGULs from the web:

Video Game Myths: Fact or Fiction?

‘Lover Boy’ video game, was it real?

Mario shoots Mike Tyson?

I think it’s cool when video games make such an impact that they’re turned into “Blockbuster Movies”. Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil are great examples. Wikipedia has the full list. So i figured, if any video game could be turned into a movie ‘Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!’ could be it. Without further ado, I present to you the cast of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! starring:

Minor Circuit

Glass Joe … Owen Wilson

We start off with Owen Wilson playing the underrated 1-99 Glass Joe. Sure Glass lost a few, but I’m sure Owen can capture his charismatic timid self as Joe. We’ve never seen Owen as a boxer, but then again he does have a permanent broken nose. An implanted chin clef wouldn’t hurt too.

Von Kaiser… Tom Selleck

Three men and a little lady was pathetic, just as much as Tom’s mustache compared to Kaiser’s. A small applicator of Just for Men, red dye #2, and a little grease to oil up his stache tips might turn his performance into a great German Boxer.

Piston Honda… Jason Scott Lee

After ‘Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story’, Jason Scott Lee can pretty much nail down any Asian Martial Artist. Strap some leather gloves on him and what you see is the ideal Piston Honda. I dare you to find a better match!

Major Circuit

Don Flamenco… Adam Sandler

This one might surprise you, but looks alone seal Adam Sandler as Don Flamenco. He’s got his grace, the hair with the stupid cowlick, and the long head. His fighting performance in Wedding Singer was below par, but putting a rose in Sandler’s mouth IS possible.

King Hippo… Butter Bean

Ok, this was either too easy or there’s really no other possibility. Butter Bean is a Boxer. Butter Bean is over weight. Butter Bean hides an umbilical injury behind his championship belt. All the (Butter) fingers point to King Bean himself.

Great Tiger… Kal Penn

Flame me with nasty comments for this one. I had no other choice but to choose Kumar. Thinking many of you have seen the opening preview to Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, I thought Kal Penn was the best for this role. I have a feeling, I’m forgetting someone else.

Bald Bull… Charles Barkley

Bad attitudes and big tongues. Bald Bull is known for his ‘Bull Charge’. Something Sir Charles knows about, you know, a Mr. Michael Jordan and his ‘Bull Charge’ denied Chuck his run at any NBA Title. Also, Charles Barkley has been known to throw a punch. I mean after he connected with Shaq’s chin, I would run the other way too!

World Circuit

Soda Popinski… Jesse Ventura

Yes, most of my casting selections are based primarily on looks, but Jesse Ventura has the credentials people. Are you forgetting he was once, Jesse “The Body” Ventura? Or that he also starred in one the best Sci-Films of all time “Predator”? Jesse has been known to throw punches at his politician oppositions (9-11 Conspiracy), so doing it with one glove and the other with ‘POP’ in it would be a sight.

Mr. Sandman… Lawrence Taylor

One man breaks jaws with his devastating uppercuts. The other snaps legs like it was 6:45pm on Thanksgiving night. Sorry, I had to bring up the Joe Theisman’s Leg break. I do believe the resemblance is uncanny, if I say so myself.. which I did.

Super Macho Man… David Carradine

Many people forget that Super Macho Man is a grey haired chicken leg freak of nature. I didn’t. David Carradine does lack the chin, metaphorically and physically but his performance in Kill Bill: Volume 1 shows his ruthless side. I say, cast David. If his old chest looks terrible on camera consider Beatrice “Bea” Arthur.

Mike Tyson… Michael Strahan

I already got some flak for this one. I know Mike Tyson should play Mike Tyson. Well take a look at Michael Strahan, he’s got the look and the gap in his teeth. I know, “Did you have to pick two New York Giants?” Who else would make a better Tyson? No one! You guys are lucky, I was going to invite BeetleJuice from the Howard Stern show so shut up!

Hero’s

Trainer… Carl Winslow not Reginald VelJohnson

Need I say more… Al Roker came in a close 2nd.

Little Mac… Matthew Broderick

Although Matthew Broderick has aged, he would still fit into a perfect role as Little Mac. His wife Sarah Jessica Parker would probably kick his ass, but she’ll soon realize that he has a “select” button with her name on it. Damn I hate Sex and the City folk. Got a better choice for the Movie Role, we’d like to hear it. I swear, if I see anyone saying Bea Arthur SHOULD replace David Carradine… [ad#chitika-premium-us-traffic]

Well, when we first reported that Knights of the Old Republic 3 was coming, we were right.  A report on Portfolio.com has confirmed that LucasArts and BioWare are working together to bring KOTOR 3 as an MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online).  In an interview at E3 this week, Electronic Arts chief executive John Riccitiello said that EA is working on the next version of Star Wars game Knights of the Old Republic, and it will most certainly have a massively multiplayer online component to it.

All we can say is “It’s about time!”.

We have the interview below:

“We’ve got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development,” said Riccitiello. The first title, based on the Warhammer property, will launch soon. “And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about — in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it.”

Does Riccitiello mean the oft rumored Knights of the Old Republic Online?  “Yes,” he said.

Moving into MMOs is an essential component for any gaming company, and it’s a big part of the reason Vivendi merged with Activision, for that company’s World of Warcraft MMO.

Riccitiello told Portfolio.com that he was interested in owning World of Warcraft, and that he did discuss it, but it wasn’t in the cards. “Because [Vivendi] couldn’t afford control of EA, and I wasn’t giving it up.”

But EA is firmly on that path now, with a KOTOR MMO, which would sidestep the consoles owned by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. “Increasingly, people are going to be talking about direct-to-customer in our business,” said Riccitiello. “I think we’ll be talking about it louder than most.”

Today, two-thirds of the game industry is console systems and dedicated handhelds. “We expect in 2011 for it to be fifty-percent,” Riccitiello said.

MMOs will also be useful as a way to expand into foreign territories.

“China’s a growth market for us,” he said. “We’re launching some mid-session games on a micro-transaction model.” In May of last year, the company announced an equity investment in a leading Chinese online game operator, The9, Ltd. “And there’s a bunch more coming that we haven’t announced. ”

The company has stated that M&A is part of the strategy, and EA is looking for core game companies “only when they bring great [intellectual property] and great teams,” he said.  The company is also interested in businesses that “help us build our platform in the area of Asia, online, and direct-to-consumer.”

“One is strategic and new, one is core and profitable — and we’re looking at both,” explained Riccitiello.

Future games aside, Riccitiello is most proud of EA’s revenues, its console-business growth, and what’s currently on display to the army of reviewers and game journalists in Los Angeles this week.

“We added almost a billion dollars to the revenue last year,” he notes. “This year, we’ve told the street that we’re going to add a billion to a billion-three.”

And console games are a market that’s doing well. “It’s grown 30 percent year-to-date,” says Riccitiello. “All three of the consoles are way up. The PC business in terms of it’s aggregate of subscriptions/micro-transactions is also way up. ”

But at the end of the day, it’s about the games themselves.

“I think, hands down, there’s not a publisher or a platform that’s got what we’ve got,” he says. In his own life, he sees how EA’s games are making an impact: “I’ve got twenty-two nephews and nieces. A couple years there, I couldn’t buy everything I wanted for them at the holidays. I can do the entire holiday — and capture my mother for the first time — at the EA store. That’s never been the case before.”

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Have to admit, after playing Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 I was a little disappointed to find out there weren’t a lot of Legend Wrestlers, so I returned it.  I may be old school, but I’m glad THQ came up with this version of WWE’s Legends of Wrestlemania.  It’s one to pick up… and keep.  Screens alone bring back memories of Wrestlemania III.

Coming in March 2009 to the PS3 and X360.

• DISTINGUISHED ROSTER AND MANAGERS: More than 40 larger-than-life WWE Legends. Legendary Managers will also have extensive functionality, playing important roles in match outcomes.
• ABSOLUTE REALISM: Embrace a historically accurate representation of WWE telecasts from the Eighties and Nineties, including dynamic visual treatments, signature ring entrances, renowned commentators, notable venues and much more.
• COMBO FIGHTING SYSTEM: Explore a new, grapple-based fighting system that captures the high-energy action and drama seen in historic WWE matches. Players will have each Legend’s arsenal of grapple moves, strike attacks, reversals and taunts at their disposal throughout a variety of current and nostalgic match types.
• WRESTLEMANIA TOUR MODE: Participate in key matches from multiple WrestleMania events. Vintage WWE footage will set up matches, explain feuds and detail the rivalries behind them, situating players in the heart of each contest.
• CREATE-A-LEGEND: Create the Legends of tomorrow, complete with customizable costumes, entrances, move sets and more.
• ONLINE FUNCTIONALITY: Challenge players around the world to matches on the biggest stages in WWE history.

Click on  “Read More” to see the screenshots…

The service will provide PS3 and PSP user’s the flexibility of downloading movies.  After you’ve paid for the PS3 movie or TV show, connect your PSP to your PS3 and you be able to transfer the video.  If you’re not sure on what to buy the PSN also offers you to sample “some’ movie titles.

Go ahead, check out the store.  You might just buy RoboCop or Child’s Play.

Image Via Playstation Blog

Strong words from our favorite mythology hero, Kratos!  The trailer shows an overhead view of… well, Hell!  As you approach closer to the mountain you’ll see Kratos atop, with his chains and blades bounded to his arms.  This trailer shows a great in-game video, and was a brief teaser of what we can expect in the upcoming weeks.

Wow, in a turn of events, Yoichi Wada from Square Enix has just announced that FINAL FANTASY XIII is no longer an exclusive title. It will now join the ranks of a Cross-platform release on the PS3 and Xbox 360!

Let the fanboy battles begin. With this annoucement exclusivety is a thing of the past. What’s next Grand Theft Auto 4… WTF!

[Update - Release date confirmed at E3, November 7th]

Gears of War 1 had “meh” multiplayer playability.  It looks like they took a page out of Call of Duty 4′s book, because the gameplay resembles a grittier battlefield, with melee attacks that shred your online opponent in half.  I’m liking their hostage attack, but I could have sworn I saw the hostage firing back.  Check it out and let me know.

Juan Perez: “Hola Daniel, after reading your great interview with Bill Tiller we here at Kezins.com would like to know “When can we see Vampyre Story?”
“Bill stated early 2008, and our index fingers can’t wait any longer to point-n-click our way through A Vampyre Story”

Daniel Perez: “You’re telling me it isn’t early 2008 any more?”

JP: “That’s right, we demand answers… if you got em”

DP: “I’m as anxious for this title as anyone else. Having such a creative mind as Bill Tiller behind it, I’m sure it will be an instant classic when it’s finally released. Unfortunately, the updates on A Vampyre Story have been very scarce. It seems after my interview with Bill Tiller, the Autumn Moon Entertainment team have gone MIA from the public eye to continue their work on A Vampyre Story”

JP: “Since we both are obviously very much into adventure games, do you see ‘A Vampyre Story’ reviving the dead adventure game industry?”

DP: “I don’t think point-n-click adventure games are dead right now. Sam & Max’s recent success was a huge part of that. The next point-n-click adventure game I forsee doing really well is the upcoming Strong Bad game for the Wii. When A Vampyre Story is finally released, that will be the game that will be the spark to let developers know it’s ok to make old-school point-n-click adventure games again”

JP: “I’ll have to try our Strong Bad before I bash it.. I mean review it.”

DP: “If you’ve ever watched a Homestar Runner cartoon, then you’ll know that Strongbad is pretty much the most funny character out of the whole crew”

JP: “Well, thanks for chatting with us, and if you have any update on ‘A Vampyre Story’, we’ll be glad to hear it. Release date prediction?”

DP: “I predict A Vampyre Story will be released in early 2008!”

JP: “Man, you PR guys kill me. Have fun at E3 you son of a.. Take Luck!”

DP: “Thanks! I’m sure you’ll see me walking around in the background of G4′s live coverage of E3, a la Jim Carrey back in the “In Living Color” days. If you see me walking around with a kite, then expect some hilarity to ensue”

JP: “Haha, loved that skit. seeya”

Well, I’ll try to keep you guys covered on this great adventure game.  I bet this interview will stir the muck of the pea soup cauldron over at FileFront’s lair!

Images Via Gaming Today… Thanks Stephany!

Well, since Sony pulled firmware 2.40 many user’s wondered why. I know many gamers who downloaded it and never had an issue. I guess 1% does mean something to someone. Anywho, the problem has now been fixed with Firmware 2.41 and the world seems good again. One special update for those who already had 2.40, a new Platinum Trophy. Our Friends over at Kotaku picked up on the new icon, so we’ll promptly show you the pic below:

Straight from Playstations lips..er keyboard keys:

Hi, everyone. As many of you know, we released PS3 firmware update v2.40 last week, but had to take it offline temporarily because, for a limited number of users, the XMB wouldn’t display after the update was installed. We’ve been able to fix the problem, and I’m happy to report that firmware update v2.41 will be released shortly.

We want to extend our apologies to the PlayStation community for any inconvenience. Now we’ll be looking forward to seeing everyone online and racking up those trophies!

Thanks Sony for the Update!

Pics Via Kotaku