Χ-Play (2003)

Pac Pix, Psychonauts, Metal Slug 5 and more! (3x44)

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On tonight's episode of X-Play, we preview Pac-Pix. Back when the Nintendo DS was unveiled at E3 2004 there were a lot of cool concepts on display, but we wondered if they'd ultimately turn into viable games. One such concept was Pac-Pix, a quirky demo that allowed you to draw Pac-Man and then watch him animate across the screen. Unable to repress our curiosity, we imported the final Japanese version to give the pill-eating, pizza-shaped retro icon a touch or two. While sifting through the mountain of praise heaped on Psychonauts by the gaming media, it's easy to forget that this unique platformer from the twisted mind of Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle) was one of a handful of games unceremoniously dropped from Microsoft's release list last year. Much like the similarly dropped Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath was for Electronic Arts, Microsoft's loss is Majesco's gain, as Psychonauts is one of the most unique, enjoyable, and genuinely funny games being released this year. We haven’t heard a lot from Gas Powered Games over the past few years. The fledgling developer wowed us with the first Dungeon Siege and released the obligatory expansion treatment the next year, but since then all we’ve heard have been a series of delays for the sequel. We’ve finally managed to get our hands on a preview build of Dungeon Siege II, and while it’s improved over the original, it remains to be seen whether it will be worth the wait. We have a healthy respect for classic series here at X-Play, and it’s our solemn duty to tell you what dedicated Slug-heads already know. Metal Slug 5 is getting closer to its PS2 release. Despite having even less story than a typical Metal Slug game, it's a new crisis of sorts with new bad guys waiting to be filled with bullets. And as SNK’s official site so eloquently tells us, new crises require new slugs! Plus, a History of Tim Schafer Games with Shad Grimgravy segment. Tune in tonight!