Superbest DK

Son of a...

A friend of WIT snapped this pic on her travels in Denmark. Evidently, a Danish grocery store has tried to hitch a ride on our comedy coat tails. Those bastards! I suppose that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Thanks to Cara for forwarding the shot...

The Art of the Mario

Frock Band

Love this... shots of grandparents playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band. And probably hurting themselves. Somehow.

Credit The Faster Times with the original idea, but List Of The Day added a few more shots that really took it to the next level...

A Blushing Virgin Groom

So... some guy in Japan married his video game sweetheart. And I don't mean that he married someone he met online playing video games; he married a character from a video game. She doesn't actually exist.

Insert honeymoon joke here. And by the way, check out some of the reaction videos over on the right... also pretty funny.

Holy Crap

Apparently, this is not a joke. Be sure to check out the controller.

Modern Warfare 3

From the Onion. Awesome.

Killer Spots: More Modern Warfare 2

Saw this during the Broncos' loss last night (still stings), and promptly jumped off the fence and on to the side of buying the game. Immediately.

Wow, right? The track, the footage... just a great little launch day promo (you might remember the teaser spot as well). The people who keep track of these things are already anticipating that this will be the biggest media debut of the year. Not just for games; for all media. I was going to wait for Brian to try it out before I committed, but not any more... my copy is waiting for pick up at Best Buy this afternoon.

Thanks, Richmond!

We had a blast this weekend at the Richmond Improv Festival. The shows were great, the weather was awesome and Zach's team did a bang-up job putting it all together as always. We can't wait for next year... thanks, Richmond!

Saturday. Richmond. Be there.

Superbest heads back to River City as part of the second annual Richmond Improv Festival this Saturday night. We'll be playing in the very cool new CenterStage building downtown... if you're in the area (or up for a road trip), check us out.

Price of Persia Trailer

Fans of the game will (possibly?) be happy to know that the first trailer for Disney's Prince of Persia movie has been released.

First impression? Looks like Pirates of the Caribbean Goes to the Desert. Handsome-but-parent-friendly leading man? Check. Dainty-but-capable (and suitably clothed) love interest? Roger. Mysterious treasure with supernatural power? Yup. Jerry Bruckheimer? Got it. I personally prefer the non-speaking, very-hairy Jake Gylennhaal to the oiled-up, muscle-bound version, but maybe the ladies will feel differently.

So what do you think? Another Good Game Ruined? Or The Movie Version You've Been Waiting For?

George Brett Has a Story...

Does it have anything to do with gaming? Nope. Improv? No sir.

I could maybe stretch things and say that the Auto-Tune tie-in somehow relates to technology and gadgets, but the truth of the matter is, this link is posted here because this is probably the funniest thing I've seen on the internet in months.

It isn't for everyone (definitely NSFW audio), but good lord was I laughing hard when I found it. Courtesy of List of The Day.

Oh, Hell Yes...

New "leaked" trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 from the folks at Break.com.

Fan-tastic. File under NSFW.

Donkey Kong vs Mortal Kombat

Sometimes simple is funny.

Killer Spots: FIFA 10

Not super-crazy about the music choice, but I love the writing and the idea for the new FIFA 10 spot from EA. There's a U.S. version airing now that ends with "ten billion Blancos, ten zillion Donovans", but I like the U.K. version better. So you'll just have to deal if you don't know who Xavi is. Cool? (You can see the U.S. cut here.)

I was a fan of earlier FIFA games when I had roommates, but it's been harder for me to get in to the more recent versions on the 360... somehow playing with someone over the headset isn't as much fun as doing it in person. Maybe I'll give this one a shot, though... the gameplay features look amazing.

Make Your Phone Awesome

Some cool cell phone tricks from The 2.0 Life. Not sure how many of these come with charges attached, but the list is worth a look either way...

Offensive Gamertag

Do I hear our friend Zach from The Landlords on this?? Listen at around the 13 second mark...

DVD Extras You Must See

Very cool list of some of the best/most innovative/actually worth watching DVD extras around (including some Easter Eggs I'm guessing you'd never know about otherwise). Courtesy of Empire online.

ODST?

So our friend Colin wants to give the new Halo ODST four-player co-op a shot.

I've only seen the kick-ass trailers... anyone got a recommendation one way or the other? Have you played the game? Should we jump in, or wait for Modern Warfare 2 to hit the shelves?

Kill the Kindle and a Corporate Gig

Technology joke! Technology joke!

I love a good Office Space reference. And yeah; I'd imagine there's an old school that's not too happy about the new school in the literature deparment. 

Speaking of workplace parodies, Superbest has a corporate gig tonight. Which I suppose means we'll need to keep things clean?

Return to Richmond

Has it really been a year already? Superbest has just been confirmed for the 2nd Richmond Improv Festival, and will be playing on Saturday November 7 at 9pm. Tickets will be available on the festival website shortly.

Live News is Awesome

Snicker snicker. Click here to see the clip...

Lenin. Stalin. Mario.

One of the best things I've seen in a long time. If I can find it as a poster, I want it in a frame.

Killer Spots: Beatles Rock Band Outro

The opening cinematic to The Beatles Rock Band was a thing of beauty... here's the bookend to that, which I think is every bit as cool (and moving?). If anyone comes across a downloadable version, please let me know!

Pictures from Richmond. Kinda.

Well, we never got the big kid versions of them, but the Richmond Improv Festival's Facebook page has pics from last year's show in a smaller size (pages 2 and 3). We're planning on going again this year... maybe we'll get a few full-res images of that in time for 2010...

Happy B Day

B being The Beatles, apparently. Today's Rock Band release has everyone waxing nostalgic and singing the praises of the Fab Four. 

I've heard that you're able to download and play full albums all the way through (with some studio banter between the lads filling in the pauses between the songs). Sounds like fun...

Killer Spots: Halo ODST

Nice follow up here to the "Believe" campaign for Halo 3 from a couple of years ago. Story-driven, beautifully shot... I love the decision to go with a foreign language, too. Puts the emphasis on the emotional in a really simple way. Any time you can get kids thinking about why they're running around shooting hundreds of aliens, you've done your job.

If the on-again/off-again Halo movie looks half as good as the spots the marketing team has been coming up with, we'll be in for a treat.

Superhero Starter Kit

Someone's seen Ironman a few too many times, I think. Impressive though it may be, this can only end poorly. Found by Today's Big Thing.com.

Worst British Accents Ever

Funny list from Empire online...

100

This is our 100th post. Something of a milestone, I think.

And to celebrate, here's a link to Truck Spills.com, a website devoted entirely to photos of things spilled from trucks on to highways around the world. Makes sense, right?

It was that or a photo of Willard Scott wishing someone a happy 100th birthday. Consider yourself lucky.

Haven't I Seen This Already?

For all of the hype surrounding James Cameron's supposedly-groundbreaking Avatar universe, this game trailer sure looks like familiar territory for Halo fans.

Sure, there may be bigger creatures and flying dragons and a completely new story line, but the whole Future Army vs Aliens in The Jungle scenario doesn't exactly reek of a brand new idea. Sorry, Jim... I'd been promised a revolution, but the first impressions aren't blowing me away...

There, I Fixed It

I just stumbled across There, I Fixed It, which may be my favorite new website. Cut from the same glorious cloth as FAIL Blog...

Mario Just Blew My Mind

Holy crap. A bunch of wicked smart people are taking part in an Infinite Mario AI competition with some pretty impressive results. Today's Big Thing wrote it up this way:

"Infinite Mario Bros is a flash game that endlessly generates random levels. Right now there is a competition going on to program the best AI to play Infinite Mario. This is one of the entrys. The interesting part is that the AI is only aware of what's on the screen and it doesn't have a lot of time to compute, so having a faster computer will actually make it better at playing Mario."

Well said. But it doesn't have the same impact as watching the clip, when suddenly the idea becomes clear. And cool!

Come Back with my Protein Powder!!

Thanks (I think?) to List of the Day for sharing this hilarious little cultural gem that isn't gay at all. "NICE MUSCLE!!!"

Superbest at Source

Catch Superbest in action this Friday and next Friday (8.7 and 8.14) at 9:30 at Source as part of WIT's late-summer run. 

You should probably also come and see DC's Neutrino Video Project as part of the 8:00 lineup on Fridays and Saturdays... Brian is an actor and Mike and I shoot the shows. Click here for tickets and more information. 

When Home Entertainment Goes Too Far

Came across this great list of game-inspired furniture. Enjoy.

Spoiler Alert: It's For Guitar Hero 5

Came across this web spot at work today. Naked girls? No revealing product details or call to action in sight? I love a good teaser campaign.

(As mentioned in a few of the posts, this is a tribute to/knock off of a French music video that also features naked girls with stylish black bars...)

Left 4 What?

Found this image while looking for Comic-Con stuff; someone in an England hat wailing on a (zombie?) Aussie cricketer with what might be a bat. Looks like it a still from Left 4 Dead 2 that was treated for a panel? Maybe for a little international flavor? Made me laugh...

Comic-Con Links

"You had to be there" are the words that come to mind. But I wasn't there, so even that information is second hand!

All I know for sure is that loads of stuff was said and shown and swooned over at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, and the only responsible thing I can do is provide links to some of the people who were there.

There were plenty of gaming panels, from Gears of War (and the GOW movie) to Assassin's Creed 2 and Dante's Inferno. James Cameron was on hand to talk Avatar (the movie and the game) and the cast of Iron Man 2 showed some hot new footage to some very appreciative fans.

It's all here and here and here. Geek out!

Mystery Team Trailer

UCB's Derrick made the list over at Today's Big Thing this past Wednesday with the trailer for their upcoming independent release, Mystery Team.

These guys played the receSs gig with us back in May and they were pretty f-ing phenomenal. If their movie can capture half of the quickness and spontaneity of their live show, they could be set for even bigger things (pun).

Take a look at the trailer (and check out the movie when it hits theaters this fall!) and also keep an eye out for Trust Us, This is All Made Up, a documentary featuring Chicago's TJ & Dave that's currently looking for distribution...

Comic-Con 2009

Those of you who went out and bought the director's cut of Watchmen yesterday already know.

For everyone else, Comic-Con 2009 kicks off tomorrow in San Diego; an annual gathering of comic, gaming and movie fanboys/girls who like take the whole thing really seriously.

Hot girls in costumes mingle with not-so-hot girls in costumes, making this yearly unveiling of New Stuff To Look Forward To an equal-opportunity enticer. If anything big Superbest-related "drops" over the next three days, we'll give you our read on it here.

Superbest at Improvapalooza

Catch us in action as part of WIT's annual improv marathon, Improvapalooza. Superbest will be doing a short show on Friday, July 31st at Source (probably at around 10:30), but you owe it to yourself to check out the rest of the shows in the lineup as well (including the instant-movie phenomenon, DC's Neutrino Video Project, which features all three of us).

Tickets on sale here shortly...

First Person Shooter Disease

Thanks to our friend Dan in NYC for sending this link... our last post reminded him of this video some friends of his put together. Check it out!

First Person Shooter

Cool idea... not sure I want to be caught playing with it, but you have to dig the potential. I can't imagine the free time this dude must have...

Ah, poor-ah Luigi...

It seems as though someone at collegehumor.com (no, I'm not linking to them) was sitting in our audience a couple weeks ago. This video is very similar to our Superbest show from June 6th. Too similar?

The Zombies are Coming!

Given the level of excitement Brian and I are feeling for the November release of Left 4 Dead 2, this video seemed entirely appropriate. It's one in a series of great little animated product spots from Wagglemax Technologies. Loads of fun references, and a great sense of humor... I love the restart at the top of the spot.

Also check out what looks to be a nod to Gears of War's Lancer rifle, The Lacerator.

Wow. How About That.

Our buddy (and former Jackie player) Zack in NYC sent us this game-themed link over the weekend. It reminded me of two things:

1) Anyone with a camera and a computer can put a video on youtube. There was a time when that fact seemed like a wonderful leveling of the playing field which would give everyone a creative voice and an opportunity to express themselves. But now? Not so much.

2) This clip from the Onion News Network on the same topic. Enjoy.

Thanks for thinking of us, Zack! Anyone else with a link or a thought to share, feel free to drop us a line on mail@superbestimprov.com.

LEGO Rock Band? Really?

Thanks to our friend Sarah for sending this link after our last LEGO-themed show (LEGO Indiana Jones, to be specific). We were laughing about totally inappropriate movies and shows that the LEGO games could make versions of (LEGO Cannonball Run, for example), and Sarah found it funny that they've already got a version of Rock Band in the works.

Really? LEGO Rock Band? Does that add anything to the existing version of Rock Band that anyone thought was somehow missing? Thanks again, Sarah!

Black Dynamite

'Nuff said. I'm in.

A Guy Thing?

I only get rid of boxer shorts when they are literally in tatters. So long as there's a waistband and two leg holes, I say they still count as underwear.

Super Mario on Conan

Nice. Did we mention, by the way, that we got Super Mario Brothers as the starting point for our show on Saturday?

Gotta Know?

Today at 10AM San Francisco time, Apple kicks off their yearly Developers' Conference with a keynote address. Rumor has it they'll be unveiling the new iPhone, and I'm considering getting on to the Apple site and following along.

But why? I can't buy the new iPhone today, and even if I could, I already own a perfectly good one that doesn't need replacing. No, it isn't about the having of the thing... it's about the hearing about it. I realized over the weekend that something troubling is happening to me...

Last Monday I actually logged on and watched live streaming video of the Microsoft presentation at E3. I spent my mornings for the rest of the week snooping around the GameTrailers website for a first look at the latest videos. I even hit refresh a few times in the hope that something new would post while I was there... just for me.

What the hell? I'm usually not like that. Nine times out of ten, I'm the last to know and the first to admit that I'm okay with it... Brian sends me an email or tells me what I'm missing when we're in the lobby of some multiplayer shoot 'em up on Live. But I've discovered lately that there's something kinda cool about being there (or at least watching) when the word breaks. And I think I'm becoming addicted to it.

So what's next? Will I be one of those guys who logs on to a forum just to post "First!"? Will I actually GO to a gaming expo or tech conference just so that I can say that I witnessed the origin of the Next Big Thing? Will I get strung out on updates? Trade sexual favors for breaking news? God help me, will I subscribe to Twitter??

No, I've got to be strong... I'm relatively plugged in. I'll hear about the what's new or next soon enough, right? I won't... miss anything, will I?!?

Maybe just this one last announcement. You know, to help with the shakes. I'll quit after that, I promise...

Killer Spots: The Beatles Rock Band

Wow. Maybe I'm biased since I grew up on the Beatles, but watching this video felt kinda like something warm washing over me. This is the same guy who created the animation for Gorillaz... absolutely gorgeous stuff. I love it.

Oh yeah, and the game will probably be a lot of fun, too.

E3: Left 4 Dead 2 Walkthrough

Following up on Brian's post below, here's a look at the first part of the Developer's Walkthrough for Left 4 Dead 2 from E3. Seems to be an improvement on the original in just about every way so far... bigger story? New multiplayer modes? Incendiary ammo? Melee weapons? I'm in!