PPR's Top 5 Super Mario Maker Levels

t’s only been a week since the release of the anticipated DIY-centric adventure about gaming’s star plumber, and we’ve already been treated to some of the niftiest stages, and levels to have ever come out of the minds of intrepid gamers everywhere.

Seriously, some of the stuff to come out of Super Mario Maker so far has generated a sensation that contemporaries like Little Big Planet could only dream of, and it’s only going to get bigger. So while we’re preparing our review of the game, and enjoying some of the shenanigans ourselves, I figure that I would share with you all, my top five favorite levels to have generated out of the fun little Nintendo experiment so far and their respective access codes—in no particular order mind you, they’re all really awesome.

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QCF: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

t’s strange just how infrequent this particular passing trend has fluctuated within the last two decades of modern pop-culture—the fad I’m talking about here is the vulgar, off-color, wildly gross and trashy gore-porn art style that’s swept the new age of cartoons and animation. Whether it was John K’s Ren and Stimpy or MTV’s The Head, the 90’s pioneered an interest into all things crass and disgusting, and even though the direction has been hit or miss as the years have gone by, one particular video game visionary has taken this niche and ran with it.

Off the heels of Super Meat Boy, revered indie darling Edmund McMillen unleased his liberal adaption of one of the most infamous passing’s from ancient biblical scripture, and much to the same vein, it was grueling spin on the rogue-like formula. While it possessed a degree of his trademark charm and style, The Binding of Isaac was ultimately, a rough mess that was held back from too many issues that kept it from going the same kind of distance that its platforming counterpart did.

Three years later though, and it would appear that Headup Games has given its controversial property a second wind, and whether or not this may potentially be your second field trip to the unholy depths of Isaac’s basement—The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth does everything a rerelease should do. In fact, it’s easily the most definitive means of experiencing the strange madness it has to that this top-down dungeon crawler has to offer.

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GDC 12: Indie Game The Movie Impressions

On Monday night, GDC attendees had the opportunity to get a free screening of Indie Game: The Movie. The film sets to encapsulate the experience of three different indie developers and their struggles they face in their craft of game development. The movie hasn’t seen commercial release yet, but it should be on everyone’s radar. Behind the all of the tropes one would associate with a documentary and their exaggerated portrayals, Indie Game: The Movie sets out to show you every gut wrenching moment and it may just even touch your heart.

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