Rejected ENN – Feb 10, 2010
February 11th, 2010

Posted by Jeremy

Every week, Paul, Graham, Kathleen and I get together to write ENN. Over the week, each of us actually writes stories separately, then we get together on Fridays to choose what to use, what to revise, etc. Sometimes the stories we throw out aren’t very good; other times, they are too obscure for a wider audience. Even so, sometimes very good stories have to be thrown out because there is just not enough space for them in the episode. Here are two of those stories for this week’s episode:

Lost Cameos

Capcom is boosting Lost Planet 2’s questionable cameo quotient by 100%, announcing that Marcus Fenix from Gears of War will be a playable character in the Xbox 360 version of the game. As Gears of War is an Xbox exclusive title, the PS3 version of Lost Planet 2 will be forced to feature the Sackboys from Little Big Planet, as Little Big Planet is the only PS3 exclusive title with any big name recognition.

Only Ichi Yen Profit?!

Nippon Ichi Software’s financial earnings were down a staggering 97.5 percent in 2009. Although the company released several titles in Japan such as Makai Senki Disgaea 2 Portable, Disgaea Infinite and A Witch’s Tale, industry analysts are blaming the company’s controversial move to include a free prinny – a demonic and highly explosive penguin – with every game sold. Personal injury lawsuits against the company could reach into the trillions of Yen before April.

Rejected ENN – Feb 3, 2010
February 4th, 2010

Posted by Jeremy

Every week, Paul, Graham, Kathleen and I get together to write ENN. Over the week, each of us actually writes stories separately, then we get together on Fridays to choose what to use, what to revise, etc. Sometimes the stories we throw out aren’t very good; other times, they are too obscure for a wider audience. Even so, sometimes very good stories have to be thrown out because there is just not enough space for them in the episode. Here are two of those stories for this week’s episode:

Dragons in Dungeons

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the plea of prisoner Kevin T. Singer to be allowed to play Dungeons and Dragons. Officers at the Waupun Correctional Institution where Singer is incarcerated were pleased with the decision, saying “We can’t have prisoners exploring an enchanted fantasy realm while in custody, what if he were to find a Cape of the Mountebank? That would allow him to cast a dimension door spell once per day and he could easily escape.”

Proof: Tomb of Horrors designed by psychopaths

New Pokemon

Nintendo announced last week that the Pokemon Company is hard at work on a new series of entries in its award-winning franchise, to be released later this year. When asked what makes this game so original, Sotori Tajiri noted “We’ve actually managed to enclose an entire Z80 processor into the DS cartridge–what makes the new Pokémon so unique is its ability to look and sound exactly like a Game Boy Color game–a feat we have yet to achieve on the DS.”

Rejected ENN – Jan 27, 2010
January 28th, 2010

Posted by Jeremy

Every week, Paul, Graham, Kathleen and I get together to write ENN. Over the week, each of us actually writes stories separately, then we get together on Fridays to choose what to use, what to revise, etc. Sometimes the stories we throw out aren’t very good; other times, they are too obscure for a wider audience. Even so, sometimes very good stories have to be thrown out because there is just not enough space for them in the episode. Here are some of those stories for this week’s episode:

She Caught them All

Pokemon collectors are being forced to find something meaningful to do with their lives now that the Guiness Book of World Records has declared 21 year old Lisa Coutney the ultimate Pokemon champ for her collection of just over 12,000 specimens. When asked for comment on how he felt about living out the rest of his life in captivity, all Pikachu could muster was a weak, “pika… chu”, as he rattled a small tin cup against the cold iron bars of his cage.

Kindle My Love

Zero Punctuation isn’t the only game headed to the Kindle this spring, as Amazon has opened development up to third parties with the release of the Kindle development kit. Randy Destrier from Amazon told ENN that “with it’s snappy processor, and quick (for an e-reader) screen refresh times, we’re confident Kindle will be able to compete with whatever Apple has to offer. Heck, it already runs Marathon better than a Powerbook 170, one of 1991’s fastest and most capable portables. [cutaway of Marathon running like a slideshow in B&W on a Powerbook 100-series]

Digital … Story that kinda went off the rails

Web-tech-company-that-is-totally-not-a-robot-master Green Man is demonstrating a technology that allows users to trade digitally purchased products for credit towards future purchases. Other users may then purchase these virtual used copies at a discount. “We understand the appeal of pawnshops like GameStop, and are committed to fully capturing that experience in the digital realm,” said a spokesman, cradling an E-tank and carefully eyeing the gate to his boss room, “We’ve already added the sounds of crying children to our client, and are working on a peripheral to spray users with gamer musk as they use the online storefront.” the Green Man spokesman declined to comment further, after exploding in a starburst and surrendering both his power and dog to a nearby blue robot.

Rejected ENN Stories – Jan 20, 2010
January 20th, 2010

Posted by Jeremy

Every week, Paul, Graham, Kathleen and I get together to write ENN. Over the week, each of us actually writes stories separately, then we get together on Fridays to choose what to use, what to revise, etc. Sometimes the stories we throw out aren’t very good; other times, they are too obscure for a wider audience. Even so, sometimes very good stories have to be thrown out because there is just not enough space for them in the episode. Here are some of those stories for this week’s episode:

Mega Man 10

Japanese magazine CoroCoro has revealed the names and abilities of the evil robots in Capcom’s upcoming Mega Man 10. While the roster mostly consists of predictable entries, like Blade Man and Chill Man, a few, like the “Thunder Wool”” wielding Sheep Man have Mega Man enthusiasts scratching their heads. Capcom Character Designer Keiji Inafune defended the choice saying, “What? Sheep are scary! With their big horns and magical lightening powers, who knows what they’re up to?”

Coming this Fall!

While many developers are working on Project Natal games, a feature by developer trade publication Develop, has revealed that many companies are concerned Natal will need a “killer game” to ensure market success. According the feature, only one company has shown extreme enthusiasm for Natal — NBC-Comcast, who are looking to premiere “Naltarded!” a hidden camera show of gamers using the Natal in its 10pm weeknight timeslot this fall as a replacement for the Jay Leno Show.

Halotar

Director James Cameron has rebutted allegations that his hugely successful film ‘Avatar’ references the visual style and technology of Halo, noting that Halo itself draws heavy inspiration from his own properties, most notabily Aliens. Reports as of today place Cameron at a playground near Bungie Studios’ Kirkland, Washington offices, in an attempt to confront founder Jason Jones on so-called neutral ground. “My daddy” noted Cameron “Could totally beat up his daddy”, as he put down his backpack and ET thermos in preparation for the altercation.