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Mojib Ribbon Game Promises Musical Spam
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Gamers.com report discussing the bizarre Japanese PlayStation 2 game, Mojib Ribbon, from the creators of Parappa The Rapper and this title's cult prequel, Vib Ribbon. The article says, "Like its predecessor, [Mojib Ribbon] ..is a simple rhythm game, but ..the game takes any text file and converts it into a Parappa-style rap, which players must then follow through stick inputs." Furthermore, the game uses the network adaptor and "..lets players send game data back and forth between each other. Players could e-mail especially inspiring raps to each other, or simply use their morning spam to generate a new game challenge." There's more info available via a preview at The GIA and pictures from this year's GDC.
Someone rapping would I like to enlarge my penis or get bigger breasts or would I like a new credit card with a 'low' apr...
I put a text file containing the DMCA in it? Would a updated version of "Don't copy that floppy" play?
I wonder what kind of rap it would come up with if I were to pipe in my latest PERL/Python/Java/C++ program. ;)
I'll bet it could do COBOL pretty well, as the creation of COBOL was to make easily readable code...
(Remember the reason why spam is called "spam")...
if i can rap DeCSS code to neo-trance tunes, it will be a form of expression and protected under the first admendment?
My life in the land of the rising sun.
Personally, I think that this simply goes to show that "no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the Japanese public".
This is a fairly cool feature for a video game. The problem is that it requires people to own extra hardware. A tool called the Dex Drive had a similar idea but it never caught on therefor the community never grew. For this game to work there has to be a universal site where people could share raps like rapsharer.com or something and learn from the mistakes of the Dex Drive.
...to use the ASCII-animated Star Wars as an input source? That way you could combine two inexplicable Japanese obsessions into a single tarball of inscrutable geekiness! Now if there was only a way to add tentacle porn to the results...
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
This game looks absolutely awesome.
Now, here's the problem: Will we ever actually see this game in the U.S.? Or, like its brilliant predecessor Vib Ribbon (i still want to find a copy of this, somehow, i've just no idea where to look), will this game never be released to us?
I guess there's really no way of knowing right now.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Would a pr0n spam message make a rap that sounds like most pr0n music?
I would turn on MTV or VIVA.
Use to do the same kind of things in Apple's Simple Text for the mac.
To bad I don't have any of them around anymore. That was a longer time ago than I would care to admit (see my sig).
Inkjets and laser printers just don't present the kinds of opportunities that inkjets and line printers did.
Request your free CD of my piano music.
Been there, done that.
Check out Spamradio.
Great fun, with great music from Mono.
How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life
You've tried the rest;
Now try the best!
Here's a natural way
to enhance your breasts!
This is great:
Low mortgage rates!
With deals like this,
how can you wait?
Credit good or credit bad
We'll give you money, you bankrupt lad!
This offer here is just the neatest;
an all-natural way to enlarge your penis!
It will come with the following and already beloved hits:
The deluxe edition will contain two green/grey dancepads designed by Italian designer Pininfarina, a replica of CowboyNeal's hat, and a T-Shirt with a random quote from memorable collection including "I'm with Taco ->" "I was flamed on /. and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt" and "Would you like to pour hot grits down my pants?".
Preorder your copy now!
"I am slashbot, hear me roar!"
Another "use" for spam.
When spam can mow my lawn, wash my car, and take my wife out shopping, THEN I will be happy =)
The first Vib Ribbon game didn't use a text file. Once you loaded the game you would replace the game disc with a music cd. Then the game levels would be created based on your music. The levels would be different for every song. I don't know where this whole text file thing came from.
I'm hoping the sequel is the same way. Then you have a rhythm game that's only as good as your music collection.
It was demoed at the Experemental Games Workshop, and two of the guys that help run that got to borrow a copy for a couple days.
It was all in japanese, so none of us could read/understand anything, but it was STUNNING. Its simplicity is amazing (literlly it uses ONE AXIS of ONE STICK), but it still remains a completely compelling experience.
First of all, the art is amazing. The calligraphy is beautiful, the backgrounds are softly moving watercolors, and the inky partical effects add to the feeling of frantic, rhythmic writing. This game is as much a work of art as any I've seen.
Second, the music/raps are totally infectious. We'd regularly have seven or eight people in the room, with one playing, and everyone's heads would be unconsciously bobbing up and down to the rhythm. Add to that a love story (including duets and an anger-rap level when their love is on the rocks), and you have a music game with a surprising amount of variety.
Finally, it just FEELS RIGHT. There's something about the rhythmic nature of the game, the spinning of the letters, the bouncy walk of the character, that just come together to making an amazing experience.
If we ever get this game here in the states, I'm buying it in a heartbeat. You should too.
GIA may be gone, but the spirit still burns at Gameforms
Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.