Runaway Dreams: The Runaway Five Story
Self-promotion isn’t usually my bag, but this is one of those rare occasions that I think our site’s fandom of Earthbound and love of moustaches made out of paper meet at a nexus point. A couple friends and I, inspired by Starmen.net’s last-ditch Internet call to arms, spent a long all-nighter working on a video exploring just what happened to the fateful Runaway Five.
If you look closely, you can see me playing three different characters because we only had four people there that night!
Take a look! Maybe it’ll make your Tuesday afternoon a little brighter. 
Runaway Dreams: The Runaway Five Story
Sew, Sew, Sew
Hiya guys and gals! We’ve gotten to know each other for awhile now, so… I think it’s about time I come clean with you all. I have a confession to make.
I am a crafter. I like making costumes for Halloween and cons. I like stitching stuff. When I go to Home Depot, I like buying random things with hopes of converting them into props for future endeavors. This comes as a shock, I know, but that’s my dorky revelation.
Just yesterday, I finished some embroidery work on a new pair of sneakers. After sharing the pics, a few of the guys on staff wanted me to post them here. Well, have a look! Hit the jump for close-ups and a rough, I-didn’t-have-a-game-plan-to-begin-with guide to embroidering.
A certain Michael Tucker suggested that I write a li’l how-to on making your own embroidery, but there’s really not much to it! You don’t need a sewing machine. Choose the picture you want to copy, and buy the right colored thread. For this pair, I stitched a Triforce bird and super mushroom because video games, and Nintendo especially, are important to me (…they are also small designs that use only two thread colors! Yes!).
It’s easiest to embroider if you’re working directly on cloth. All you need to do is learn how to sew–embroidery is taking this skill a step further, by sewing a pattern and filling it in with more stitches. My suggestions are: A) pick a needle that’s especially thin, so you can squeeze the threads together more easily and B) make sure you have plenty of thread, so you aren’t left using a different color when you’re out of the one you started with. All it takes is a lot of thread, a lot of time, and a lot of patience!
If you’re doing this for the first time, you might want to practice with thicker thread. Like using a thick marker, it won’t look quite as professional, but you can fill your design much more quickly for a rough and cutesy look. There’s no rush. Try something simple, and work your way up. Here’s an example of a thick-thread Triforce I put on my hat:
Borders are your friends. If you mess up, don’t be afraid to cover it up with an outline. That’ll make it look classy. Black thread for the win!
The best thing to do is begin by stitching an outline of the pattern you want to use. When that’s done, start from one side and work your way to the other, filling in the holes with a series of parallel stitches. If your design uses multiple colors, it’s easiest to finish all the parts using one color, then work on the others one at a time. Unless you’re filling a really narrow space, try to keep your stitches in the same direction. Trust me! Just like shading sketches on paper, it’ll look a lot better if your lines are pointing the same way. You can stitch like \\\ or like |||, or even like ///. It doesn’t matter as long as they’re even.
On this particular project I used iron-on patches, since the material on shoes is rough and difficult to work with. You can get a few of these squares (simply cloth with rubberized backing) from your local crafts or dollar store for cheap, sew on your design, then iron the patch to your final product. Iron-on patches are your friends! Try to leave a decent amount of space around your design so the patch will stick to its new surface. The rubbery stuff of the part you’re working on will probably be covered in thread!
Make sure your iron is dry (no steam), and let it warm to the highest setting. Once it’s heated, brush it over the surface you’re working on (the shoe, for example) just slightly so it’s warm to touch. Now, place the completed patch onto the spot and press your iron down flat on it (don’t move it!) for 30-40 seconds. Try to keep it firm! Your goal here is to melt the backing of the patch so it sticks to its new surface. Make sure the seams are pressed down and… voilà! Your masterpiece is done! It’s time to share your fandom with the world.
That’s it, Rebs! 
This will probably be my last real article for a bit, ’cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane tomorrow. It’s vacation time! Go forth and make stuff, and hope you all have fun this summer. 
Want To Be A Better Parent? Get A DS (in Japan)
The DS market in Japan is truly fully “expanded.” Check out this recently released game that came out called “Sukusuku Parenting DS.” It’s based off a TV show and contains tips on how to play with a young child. I’m not exactly sure what the above activities ARE (besides scaring your child by pretending your head was replaced with a white sheet) - but I’m sure it’s damn good parenting.
The game also includes a database (database?!) of children’s songs and minigames you and junior can play together. It’s like if they made a videogame version of the nanny shows on TV - and they actually put some effort into it. The American DS market certainly has a lot of catching up to do.
Siliconera: The DS Teaches Everything Including Parenting Skills
Will WiiWare Make Nintendo More Open?
What’s most interesting about WiiWare (at least for me) is that it allows for small-time developers to get their creations on a stage they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. These small time developers are generally a lot more vocal and open about their creations than Nintendo is - and I’m pondering whether or not the “openness” these developers bring to the WiiWare table will rub off on the Nintendo brand.
You can see the beginnings of this even now. Pop’s developer asked gamers what he should price his game at - turns out it was $5. Check out the article below and ponder along with me…
Could WiiWare allow Nintendo to be more “open” with games without actually BEING open?
MTV Multiplayer: WiiWare Developer Unsure How Much His Game Should Cost
On the Shelves this Week 05.12
Wii
May 12 - Major League Eating: The Game
May 12 - Toki Tori
May 13 - Castle of Shikigami III
May 13 - Deca Sports (Gamestats)
May 13 - We Ski (GameStats)
May 15 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianVirtual Console / WiiWare
FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King (Square Enix, 1 player, 1500 Wii Pts)
LostWinds (Frontier Development, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Pts)
Defend your Castle (XGen Studios, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Pts)
Pop (Nnooo, 1-4 players, 700 Wii Pts)
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (High Voltage Software®, Inc., 1-4 players, 700 Wii Pts)
TV Show King (Gameloft, 1-4 players, 1000 Wii Pts)DS
May 13 - Drone Tactics (Gamestats)
May 13 - Myst
May 15 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Look at all those games! Aren’t you glad that the Wiiware channel is finally here? XBLA was draining all my money, now it’s going to have to share my money with WiiWare
Rebel Codes: Smash Bros. Brawl & Mario Kart Wii
It’s nearing the end of the weekend. You’ve made your rounds and stores are closing soon, so what’s left to do? Pick up the remote and soak in your last few hours of freedom before Monday rears its ugly head. Turn on that telly, dig up your favorite games and bring on the party! But if your buddies are elsewhere, don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered.
Rebel Shadic made a comment in our Games Rebels Play for last month on swapping codes, which made me think, “Hey, why don’t we turn this into something bigger?” The idea has been drifting around staff e-mails for awhile now, so in the end, this is what we’ve come up with.
Introducing our first-ever Rebels’ Friends Code Swap-a-thon! Whether you’re looking for pals or competition online, what better way to start than with your friendly neighborhood rebels? This week, we’re kicking off with a backlog of codes celebrating the two biggest Wii titles of the season: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii!
Add your friends code in the comments, and let the good times roll!
Chime In: Favorite Nintendo Commercials
Mitch’s post about the Cowboy Jed leakage (I’m talkin’ ‘bout the footage) got the 4cr staff reminiscing about some of the better Nintendo commercials we’ve seen over the years. While it’s true that there have been a staggering number of truly bad marketing blitzes behind Nintendo products, there have also been a great deal of awesome ones, too.
There’s been some strong opinions both for and against Cowboy Jed so far, but love him or hate him, he’s doing his job quite well.
Until the ubiquitous “Wii Would Like to Play” campaign, however, Nintendo commercials had been a somewhat rare occurrence on television (at least in Canada, and on the stations I watched). Whenever one would appear on my screen, I’d sit attentively, even if it was for a game I already had. In retrospect I’m sad to admit this, but when I first saw the Starfox commercial that asked, “Why go to the next level when you can go light years beyond?” I just about jumped up from my seat shouting, “Take that, Sega!”
So what are your favorite Nintendo commercials? Here’s mine, along with a list of others some of the 4cr staffers mentioned. Chime in!
I also like the Animal Crossing commercial series, despite Tom Nook and the other characters giving me the creeps: check out each clip.
Michael Tucker
Game Boy Micro Commercial
Game Boy Micro Commercial 2
Toys R Us Nintendo Commercial
rbelmont
Jody Anthony
The Legend of Zelda Commercial
Iwata Asks: Link’s Crossbow Training
As I have said before, I love Iwata Asks. Not only are they a fascinating, real life look at various people at Nintendo, but they also give you tons of awesome trivia about games that you’d never know otherwise:
- Miyamoto proposed that Ocarina of Time be an FPS?
- He wanted to give Link a gun in Link’s Crossbow Training and have a Terminator-style story about a time warp from the future?
- He loves FPSes?
All this and more in the newest Iwata Asks!
Iwata Asks: Link’s Crossbow Training
YEE-HAW! Mario Kart’s Cowboy Jed is Moseyin’ To Your Wild Wild Web!
Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, you with the speedy finger tips! Put down your palms for a minute where I can see ‘em. Mario Kart’s Cowboy Jed isn’t done taking over your airwaves – now he’s circled the wagons right around the intaernet (that’s the British way of spelling it).
Up on the plate, we’ve got some pretty silly footage of Cowboy Jed doing his thing up on the Internet. It’s pretty obvious that Nintendo’s trying to make it look like it ‘leaked’, but, whatever. It’s still pretty damn funny. There’s a wacky montage of footage that I guess didn’t make it into the final commercial – and it had me laughing pretty hard.
I know that you Intaernet guys are all about remixing your videos and splicing in some footage of your cat missing the jump from the sofa to the kitchen counter – and interestingly enough, the ad wizards that came up with this one were kind enough to provide a big ol’ zip file full of readily-mixable files.
So, if you make any videos, send the link our way. We at the 4cr news desk love to hear it. Also, if you make any videos of me getting out of the shower, let me know.
You can peep everything at archive.org!
Cool?
Cool.
Clips of Cowboy Jed All Mashed Up!
The Full Cowboy Jed Song! Yee-HAW!
The Big Collection of Cowboy Jed Files (rapidshare)
Cowboy Jed Music Video (archive.org)
Alternative Cowboy Jed Footage (archive.org)
Cowboy Jed Alternative Footage for Remixing (archive.org)
Burger Time With Cloud and Friends
Ahhh, the nostalgia. Who here remembers a little game called Final Fantasy 7? (If not, where have you been? ) In my opinion, this game is one of the classics, ranking right up there with Chrono Trigger and Ocarina of Time. It might not be the Best Game Ever Made, and it’s definitely not for everyone, but as a gamer it’s one of the titles we tend to know about even if it’s not in our library. Strangely enough, I’ve had quite a few FF7-related conversations this week, with friends and strangers alike! You know you’ve done a bang-up job with a game when fans are still talking about it more than 10 years down the road.
I watched an episode of Robot Chicken last night and came across this silly parody of the game. It’s not much, but I thought I’d share. Video after the cut. Enjoy!