Here at MEGATONik we always strive to bring our readers new features that are either helpful or at the very least entertaining. I can guarantee that this new feature will do at least one of those each time I am at the writing helm. With that being said, welcome to The Budget Gamer for the week of July 14, 2008!

Not everyone out in the wonderful world of gaming can afford to buy new games all of the time, and from what I’m noticing it is foolish to do so for every game in your library (unless you are dying to get your hands on it).

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If you’re the type of person that just can’t get enough Street Fighter 4 media (and I know you guys are out there) you should be sure to tune in to CBS’s EliteXC Saturday Night Fights Mixed Martial Arts Event, or CBSEXCSNFMMAE for short, this Saturday at 9 EST, as a commercial for Capcom’s upcoming fighter is scheduled to air during the program. Moreover, Capcom will be updating the appropriately titled StreetFighter.com, giving prospective buyers their first chance to reserve their very own copy online. Hit the jump for Capcom’s official press release.
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The above video (and the two following the jump) make it seem so easy to accomplish anything with the Dragon Ball Z KAMEHAMEHA! attack, from stapling, stamping, and talking on the phone in an office, to seducing women, to kicking people straight in the nuts. The videos made it seems like shouting (or whispering) “KAMEHAMEHA!” was the perfect addition to any task, so I decided to try the technique on my keyboard for writing this post. Unfortunately, this was all I managed to get:

slfd jlykbar0 k]ll fs; kvl,gabpwmt=, ekaslk[pav md,gjpp98576pvn f

Maybe I didn’t say it right or something.
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LEGO Indiana Jones Adventures, a side-scrolling flash game created by Three Melons, can now be played at LEGO.com. It tasks you with collecting coins and secret items while avoiding spikes, spears, spiders, rolling rocks, deep ravines, and other obstacles that are harmful to your hard plastic exterior. By timing your clicks right, you don’t lose any lives hats (since that’s obviously where Indy gets his sustenance) and won’t be flattened by the giant boulder. Pablo Mayer and Augusto Petrone, Producer and Lead Game Designer for the game, explained that they “wanted to keep true to the Indiana Jones story, provide astounding visuals and mouse driven gameplay that allows everybody to play but makes it complex to achieve the maximum score possible.”

That seems like the aim of almost every flash game ever (with the exception of the Indiana Jones part), and Three Melons has succeeded in creating a decent if simple game. The visuals may not be “astounding,” but they get the job done - just look at those incredible hat physics!

It’s a fun little web game and should be a good diversion if you need something to do instead of work or school, so head on over to LEGO.com to play.

Does anybody else remember the game Cool Spot that was released for the SNES and Genesis way back in ‘93? Because I do, and I’ve reminisced about it here. Be warned, though, as this article is NOT SAFE FOR WORK due to the (unfortunately unavoidable) gratuitous use of vulgarity that might just be on par with a Tourette’s-ridden sailor. Just be warned before you hit the jump:

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I enjoyed Rainbow Six Vegas, so I was excited when the sequel was announced. Vegas is just such a bright and vibrant backdrop for a shooter, and the tactical gameplay fit great with the city. Now, thanks to the Spike Video Game Awards, there’s a trailer for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (embedded above). Unfortunately, it doesn’t show a whole lot that actually pertains to the game it is supposed to be showing. It starts out with live-action, talking about what Vegas is, and there’s some scantily clad women thrown in to keep your attention while you wait for something interesting to happen. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with throwing some boobs in game trailers (I actually recommend it), but all the live-action stuff isn’t necessary and I was hoping for more game footage.

Finally at the end they show more than just actors and close up shots of cards and chips, but it is brief and really doesn’t show much. The far too cliche announcer doesn’t help, and it comes off more like a cheesy Hollywood movie preview. It wasn’t too bad, but I was hoping for much more and it doesn’t really help hype the game up. Hopefully they release another trailer soon, but with lots of gameplay and action instead of what this trailer had. Well, except for the boobs. Those can stay.

[UPDATE: Unfortunately for anyone who wanted to see it but fortunately for Ubisoft, it appears GameTrailers took down the video, probably because almost every site that posted it thought it really wasn't that good. I've embedded the same trailer on a different site above, so hopefully this one stays.]

Yesterday, the internet was aflutter with rumors that GameSpot editor and reviewer Jeff Gerstmann had been fired. Multiple sources confirmed the story, and it was believed that it was the result of his negative review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. The entire site was skinned in Kane and Lynch advertising, and supposedly Eidos threatened to pull it if something wasn’t done about the negative review - and so Jeff Gerstmann was fired for being honest and giving his opinion despite the fact it was in opposition to their sponsors (which rightly shouldn’t have any effect on reviews, or they lose all credibility and are essentially ruined since the “best game” would merely be determined by the publisher willing to part with the most money). While the reasons behind his firing were not explicitly confirmed, GameSpot’s credibility was severely harmed and many were angered at the possibility that they would take such an action just for the sake of advertising.

Just recently, CNET issued an official response, although unfortunately they give no further details and only attempt to clear their name without confirming or even denying anything:

GameSpot takes its editorial integrity extremely seriously. For over a decade, GameSpot and the many members of its editorial teal [sic] have produced thousands of unbiased reviews that have been a valuable resource for the gaming community. At CNET Networks, we stand behind the editorial content that our teams produce on a daily basis.

If they do in fact stand behind their content “on a daily basis” he can’t have been fired for his review and must have left of his own accord or been rejected for another reason, unless yesterday just happened to be an exception to their “editorial integrity.” However, that still doesn’t explain the removal of his supposedly even harsher video review, and if they did in fact fire him due to advertising disputes this response would seem like a dishonest attempt at spin control. I wish someone who is directly involved would at least confirm or deny how and why Gerstmann left GameSpot, instead of issuing vague responses that solidify their overall stance (which was being seriously questioned) without addressing the specific event everyone is confused about.

The above ad for Ubisoft’s Jam Sessions is possibly the greatest game advertisement I have ever seen; better than the ads for Gears of War (Mad World), Halo 3 (Believe), and “Wii would like to play”. I’m stilling trying to regain my breath. As far as I know, it’s a real ad and New Zealanders are fantastic.

You read it right. If you purchase Super Mario Galaxy at your local Toys “R” Us, you can receieve a $25 gift card for free. The offer is good from 11/11/07 to 11/17/07, and I’m not completely sure if you can use the gift card right away on Super Mario Galaxy, but this is still a GREAT deal. You can check out this week’s magazine ad to browse the deal and check the details.

In an interesting post over at Kotaku, Marky Mark Wilson explains how Epic Games president Mike “No Good Ideas” Capps almost made a couple of decisions that would have completely ruined Gears of War. When interviewed on the subject, Capps said:

I was going to cut multiplayer from Gears because I thought it wasn’t coming together fast enough…The day before E3 I’m like “no guys, it’s not pulling together”. And they made it, they pulled it together, and then we won every award.

Yikes. It’s a good thing that this guy isn’t the head of any major company or anything. I’m really happy that in being employed in Epic’s mailroom, he has no say as to what happens with the games that Epic creates. But Capps didn’t stop there. While commenting on the commercialization of his future blockbuster, Capps had this to say:

So, you know I thought the Mad World music, for the commercial that’s won so many awards, I thought it was stupid; I was like “what are you thinking? Nobody knows Donnie Darko any more.

Two almost debilitating decisions for the price of one? That’s too good to be true! Who let this guy become president? Looks like Mr. Bad Decisions over here has a lot of thinking to do for the upcoming Gears of War sequel, scheduled to drop sometime around the holiday season next year.