This week's guest is illustrator and sculptor Derek Walborn. You can see his work at www.derekwalborn.com. Derek wrote the insanely funny Huey Hog article, and was also the star of our very own Dan Gurewitch's short film, A Death Sandwich.

TALKING POINT: Did video games used to be harder, or did we used to be stupider?

Derek: The two most difficult games I've ever played are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Battletoads, both for the NES. I have fond memories of Ninja Turtles but somewhere deep in my psyche I think I can indentify a flame of hatred for the frustration involved in navigating the Turtle Van. It's right there next to my repressed memories pertaining to Grandpa's bedroom closet.

[upload:2279401:small:left:The hardest level in Battletoads. This is apparently right before the Lemmiwinks boss fight.]Jeff: Some NES games are just flat-out unbeatable. They were just as complex as today's games, but much less elegant so you had no idea how to play. A Boy and His Blob is a great example. The only people who know what to do in that game designed it.

Derek: A Boy and His Blob just gave you nothing to work with. The only direction in the manual was something like, "Just be sure not to feed the blob ketchup flavored jellybeans! He hates them!" I wanted to feed that thing ketchup all day after my little soul was crushed knowing I had wasted my 5 day videogame rental in a masochistic manner.

Jeff: Older games often demand practice, while newer games just ask for general competency.

Derek: That's because 2D games often rely on timing and memorization, whereas 3D games are usually about exploration and discovery. That and the fact that Japan was still, at that time, hopping mad over WW2 and thought that making it impossible to drive the Turtle Van up the right street would be a most devestating act of revenge.

Jeff: Most recent titles also have a story to tell, so if they made the game impossible you would never hear the ending. That wasn't always the case. If you don't get past the first stage of Burger Time, you're not really missing anything.

TALKING POINT: What's Mario Galaxy like?

Jeff: After only a few minutes, it was obvious that Mario Galaxy is already a classic game three months before it comes out. Look for this thing to bring world peace, like at the end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. It looks completely new, but it's unmistakably a Mario game.

[upload:2053597:small:right:Mario looks like he wandered into an episode of Jem.]Dan: It's a little like Mario 64, but with planets instead of paintings. And bees.

Jeff: The planets were interesting. The whole game takes place on spheres of various sizes. It's not nearly as nauseating as it sounds, though Toad puked.

Dan: Toad always pukes.

Jeff: The game has an odd control scheme. You control Mario with a joystick, while the remote controls an on-screen cursor you use to throw stars. It's not like Mario is throwing the stars, it's like you are throwing them from your living room. This is the first Mario game to break the fourth wall.

Dan: The pat-your-belly-while-scratching-your-head controls felt surprisingly natural. The game never explains the controls very throughly, because they don't need to. It just works. Another new feature: a friend can play along with the second controller to shoot enemies, or mess with Mario.

Jeff: It's like one-and-a-half players. It's comparable to how you can take the second controller in Duck Hunt and control the ducks. Technically you are controlling something on the screen, but you're not really playing.

Dan: Mario Galaxy is definitely one of those "uh oh, I think I'm going to have to buy this system now" kind of games, which is something Bonk was never able to accomplish.

TALKING POINT: Last week Nintendo announced Wii Fit, a balance board and game combo designed to get you in shape. Is this the next Power Pad, or the next flip side of the Power Pad that you never use?

Jeff: I knew calling Nintendo every week and demanding a new Power Pad would pay off.

[upload:1893446:small:left:This looks sorta fun, right?]Brian: I don't know if anyone at Nintendo is reading this, but I like to sit down when I play video games. How about a new R.C. Pro-Am?

Jeff: Wii Fit is a great idea. I'm almost done with Math Blasters From Planet Remainder, and I'm really looking for a new game to trick me into bettering myself.

Brian: I'm still not sure I see the difference between a Wii Balance Board and the floor.

Jeff: It measures your center of gravity. So, for example, one ski-jump game has you squatting down as low as you can and standing up quickly. There's a bunch of those mini-games

Brian: Do they have a game where you stand still with your arms at your side for as long as possible? I feel like I would be really good at that.

Jeff: I don't think it was in the preview. Gullible, lonely people will spend several hundred dollars on an electric belt that works out your abs for you. You can't even ski jump with that.

Brian: Playing drums in Rock Band is a work out, right?

Jeff: Only time will tell. That actually brings us to our next point...

Talking Point: At E3 Nintendo showed up off new footage of Mario Galaxy (watch it here). Everyone remain calm, but Mario now has a bee suit.

Jeff: This, along with the discovery of agriculture and the initial reveal of the Wii, is one of the great milestones in human history.

[upload:1862560:small:left:Luigi got stuck with a sunflower suit. It gives him no special powers.]Andrew: The first suit in a long time is a huge deal. Does it have a special attack? How long can you fly? I really want to play this game right now.

Jeff: The game requires you to control Mario with the nunchuck while you point at things with the remote. It's hard to imagine how it's going to work, but I'm excited to look stupid trying.

Andrew: Plus you're upside down half the time and have to contend with gravity that changes and stars shooting at you from all directions. If Paper Mario is for people on acid, what is this?

Jeff: In his presentation, Nintedo president Reggie Fils-Aime commented that , "In many ways, this is the true follow up to Super Mario 64." If you were defending Mario Sunshine, you are now officially alone.

Andrew: They're definitely trying to make up for that one, and I want to play this more than I ever did Mario 64. Also, Mario can turn into a Boo that looks like Slimer from Ghostbusters.

Jeff: Really?

Andrew: Yeah

Jeff: AHHHHHHHHH! In a year with a new Half-Life, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Metroid, Tekken, Metal Gear, Guitar Hero, a full-band Guitar Hero spin-off, Smash Brothers, Contra, and who know what else, Mario Galaxy is still the game I'm most excited about. Though Harmonix announced Rock Band will offer full albums including The Who's Who's Next, so it's close.

Andrew: All we see these days are theatrical trailers for games. Mario Galaxy really stands out as something you know will be good just by looking at it. And as a sequel it is a huge departure from traditional game play.

Jeff: I just want to take a bath in that trailer. Is that strange?

Andrew: Can I join you in a bee suit?

Jeff: Now that's strange.

TALKING POINT: This week, in an announcement they called "video game history," Microsoft announced Pac-Man Championship Edition. Upgrades include gameplay tweaks, HD graphics, and the first new Pac-Man mazes in 26 years. Is this video game history?

Jeff: The game's already available for download over Xbox Live Arcade. The 360 may cost $400, but it's worth it. Finally, a console with the horsepower to run new Pac-Man mazes.

[upload:1479392:small:left:I've got Pac-Man fever, and the only cure is Gears of War.]Justin: This is a smart move. Microsoft finally has an answer for the one universal criticism of the original Pac-Man–it wasn't in HD.

Jeff: The graphics in this new one are so sharp, you can see Pac-Man's tiny legs.

Justin: I bet the ghosts are actually translucent.

Jeff: This version has advanced AI. Instead of wandering around at random, Blinky will now patrol the perimeter.

Justin: And the fruit power-ups are just different flavors of Powerade. Actually, I bet playing Pac-Man with rumble would be pretty awesome.

Jeff: I like the idea of online leader boards. Someone out there is the best in the world at Pac-Man, and we should find out who he is so we can make him king.

Justin: I wonder what the 30-odd unused buttons on the 360 controller will do.

Jeff: One thing they were not able to develop for this version was multiple warp tunnels. The designers tried adding an extra set, but the first tester who went in never came out. He is presumed eaten by ghosts.

Justin: They should let you watch other players over Xbox live, so you can learn their strategies.

Jeff: That's a great idea. If someone has the Xbox 360 camera for some reason, you could watch an inset video of them playing the game. There would be hundred of weird dudes playing Pac-Man naked. Now that's video game history.

My guest this week is Dan Hopper. As one third of A Week of Kindness, Dan has been seen in many hilarious videos including Guitar Hero Hidden Tracks. He's also the proprietor of the music blog Band Madness.

TALKING POINT - You just bet someone your life you can beat them in Street Fighter 2. Who do you play as?

Dan: Blanka. If my life is at stake, I'm going to be too nervous to do Ryu's fireball correctly.

[upload:1319387:small:right:HOI!]Jeff: Great point. I'm picking E. Honda, because I like to live dangerously.

Dan: It's hard to see that hundred-hand slap coming if you're blind, deaf, and facing away from the machine.

Jeff: Did you know he does more damage per-punch than anyone in the game?

Dan: That's like saying Manute Bol is the tallest, and therefore best, basketball player.

Jeff: Well if I wanted to win, I think I'd go with Guile. It's been fifteen years since Street Fighter II came out, and scientists have yet to develop a successful defense against the slow-sonic-boom/fierce-punch combo.

Dan: Is yelling "That's cheap!" permitted in this life-and-death match?

Jeff: Definitely, though I would rather die than live with the dishonor of being cheap.

Dan: That's Lao Tzu, right? A terrific philosophy that applies to life as well. And GoldenEye. If you had to pick a game to bet your life on against someone, what would it be?

Jeff: Super Puzzle Fighter II.

Dan: Wow, no wonder this other person wants you dead.

Jeff: It's such a fantastic game, but very few people play it. I have never really gotten a chance to see how good I am, and entering a deadly tournament seems like the easiest way to find out.

Dan: I'd take Dr. Mario. If someone is able to beat me at that game, it means they're such an off-the-charts nerd that I could then just beat them up afterwards and not have to lose my life.

This week's guest is illustrator and sculptor Derek Walborn. You can see his work at www.derekwalborn.com. He was also the star of our very own Dan Gurewitch's short film, A Death Sandwich.

TALKING POINT: What games stick with you after you've turned them off?

Derek: The Silent Hill series will pretty much ruin any slumber party you might have planned in the near future.

Jeff: Resident Evil and other horror games use cheap scare tactics, like sudden music stings and creatures leaping into frame. Sure you'll jump, but it doesn't stay with you the way Silent Hill's knife-wielding skinless babies do.

[upload:1296181:small:left:Video game or Megadeth album art?]Derek: I feel like if I fumble for too long with my keys in a hallway, I'll be pummeled to death by a naked mannequin or perhaps puked on by a phallus in platform hooker boots. I mean, I guess there are some people who might really enjoy either of those things happening to them.

Jeff: Getting into the Hellraiser series when I was 11 desensitized me to bizarre imagery, so I'm going to choose a different game. Guitar Hero has completely changed the way I listen to music. I now pay more attention to guitars, and when it's something particularly complex I'll think to myself, "Wow, daring use of the orange button. These guys are good."

Derek: People usually have no idea that Carlos Santana actually invented the red button. Before that, the scale just went from green to yellow.

Jeff: When Vice City first came out, I was playing it for several hours a day. As much as I hate to admit it, every time I got stuck in a traffic jam I was tempted to murder a hooker with a golf club.

Derek: After I played GTA 3, I was really tempted to break out my dad's old jet pack, eat burgers until I threw up, and then stab a nun. Luckily, dad forgot to fuel it up. I mean, the thing just sits there in the garage.

Jeff: It doesn't really work the other way - real life behavior doesn't affect the way you play games. If you get stuck in a traffic jam before playing GTA, you don't hijack a virtual firetruck and sit at a traffic light.

Derek: If real life were more like Grand Theft Auto, parking garages would always be packed full of criminals hiding out for five minute intervals until the police, SWAT team, and Army just say "Well, guess he's gone" and go about their business.

Jeff: Every winter Neversoft unleashes a new Tony Hawk game, and every winter I go through a temporary obsession with it. On the rare occasion I go outside, I'll start seeing potential combos everywhere. "If I got some speed up and hit that railing just right," I'll think to myself, "I could probably jump onto to the top of the bank. No, definitely."

Derek: This is interesting because way back in the day I doubt that anyone who was just playing Mario Brothers 3 would have been like, "Dude, I bet I can fit in this pipe." And then their buddy would be like, "No man... Those things are full of venus flytraps."