Jeff Rubin's Articles

5 total in February 2007
  • CollegeHumor Classic

    If I Was In Charge of Banner Ads

    by Jeff Rubin February 28, 2007





















  • CH Video Games Weekly



    My guests for this week's all-sports edition of "A Winner Is You" are Amir Blumenfeld and Ethan Trex, the duo behind CollegeHumor's weekly sports column Straight Cash Homey.

    TALKING POINT: What's the best sports game that isn't based in reality?

    Jeff: Mutant League Football is the obvious choice here. Here's a game that had it all: button-hooks, a deep playbook, bad puns, and explosive farts. It's an unbeatable combination.

    Amir: Wrong, Jeff. An unbeatable combination is 50-50, air japan, revert-manual, one foot smith, air-jesus, revert-manual, and then a series of board tricks that make Rodney Mullen look like a retard on a two-by- four. The Tony Hawk series of games is the best alternative sports game. It's infinitely entertaining, and best of all it was educational. Did you guys know there is something called the Onigri Gap in Japan? Yeah, supposedly skaters do tricks off of it all the time.

    Clinton usually scores from inside the paint.
    Ethan
    : This one's easy. NBA Jam. Full court two-on-two never looked so realistic. Between all of the easter eggs, Rony Seikaly, and the ability to catch fire, who cares that there's less defense than in a typical Globetrotters game? And really, who needs Michael Jordan when you've got Air Dog and not one, but two playable Clintons (Bill and George)?

    Jeff: Jam had plenty of defense. I once saw programmer Ed Boon jump his entire height to block a shot by Sub-Zero. Sure, he still got called on goal tending but at least he prevented the other team from catching fire.

    Ethan: Good point. I guess I want Arch-Rivals style punching in every basketball game.

    Amir: Just watch the Pacers!!!! Also, the black-oil spills on their court is very Arch-Rivals-esque. And flat-out inexcusable.

    Jeff: I've always hated the idea that the best sports games were the most realistic. The best sports games are the ones that distill the best elements of a real life game and extrapolate them into a fantasy world of players exploding on the field and homing buzzsaws. So let's just agree nothing will ever top Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball and move on.


    See More: Bleep Bloop Madden
  • CH Video Games Weekly


    My guest this week is Alex Zalben, one fifth of sketch comedy superpower Elephant Larry.

    TALKING POINT: Besides Barbie's Horse Parade, what's the best game for girls who don't play video games?

    Alex: This is an easy one: The Wii. The Wii is a video game, right?

    Jeff: Most girls aren't going to get into Call of Duty 3 even if you control it with knitting needles- but, yes, almost every other Wii game is a great choice.

    Barbie's Horse Parade 3
    Alex
    : I think it's because Nintendo did everything they said they wanted to do... Create a game system that everybody can play. I'll probably get flamed for this, but I love all games, and I can't get into XBox because of the button scheme. I tried playing Gears of War the other day, and gave up because there were just too many buttons to learn. With the Wii, I've had the same experience every time I've introduced it. I'll set them up with tennis and they'll say, "Okay, what button do I press?" I tell them "none." So they hold the remote awkwardly, or point it in a weird direction. I tell them to just hold it like a tennis racket, and although it still takes them a few tries, they're able to get into it almost immediately. Its almost an unlearning curve.

    Jeff: Why is it that girls are so afraid to spend time learning control schemes? B is for melee attacks. You hold it down when you have the lancer equipped to rev your chainsaw bayonet. What's so hard about that!?

    Alex: It's like not being able to brush your hair.

    Jeff: I guess the sad fact is most girls aren't interested in chainsaw bayonets, regardless of how simple they are to operate.

    Alex: Girls also like that new game, Romantic Flower Cupcake Time.

    Jeff: Wasn't the other side of the Power Pad for girls?

    Alex: It was a tea party blanket, right?

    Jeff: Yes, but it only worked with Mr. Grumbles' Tea Party and Bionic Commando.


  • CH Video Games Weekly


    My guest this week is Sam Reich, creator of Dutch West and director of many CollegeHumor's originals including Rejected Wii Games and Street Fighter: The Later Years.

    TALKING POINT: What’s the best way to play multiplayer Goldeneye?

    Jeff: Being able to see the other players' screen makes GoldenEye a game of speed and accuracy, not stealth. Even the most honest assassin will occasionally glance at what his opponent is up to, especially when there are less than four players. This is a game about keeping your cool in a sudden-death duel, not finding the best weapons. If you don’t want to play License to Kill mode, I think we should just watch TV. I’ll also settle for “slappers only.”

    A desert island game defined
    Sam
    : License to Kill is a great way to give this shoot ‘em up an element of surgical precision, but there’s no more satisfying Goldeneye mastery than over proximity mines. Put one in the bathroom stall in the Facility or the inside door to the bunker and your opponent will be forced to walk right into their certain death. For added obnoxious points, start singing the funeral song right as they generate. For more, sing it all the way through the game.

    Jeff: I always appreciated the elegance of throwing knives. It’s how a gentleman secret agent would do it. Of course a gentleman would never play as OddJob just so he’s short and that much harder to hit, but you get my point. It’s a shame that Goldeneye never saw a proper sequel with online play.

    Sam: Nintendo has announced that they’re trying to overcome licensing issues and get Goldeneye on Wii’s Virtual Console. It’s not going to be easy – the developer Rare is now owned by Microsoft and the Bond license is under Activison's control. Still, wouldn’t it be amazing to see this classic updated for online multiplayer? Come on, Nintendo! Fulfill my adolescent fantasies! While you’re at it, bring me Alicia Silverstone on a bed of Dunkaroos.



  • The World Series of Beer Pong Champions


    Recently, the second annual World Series of Beer Pong was held in Las Vegas. 246 teams competed for a lot more than "winner stays" - the top prize was $20,000. After 1600 games and a new keg every 25 minutes, Team We Own Your Face emerged drunk and victorious. Known to their parents as Neil Guerriero and Tone Vassilatos, these beer pong all-stars are truly the Man of the Centurys!


    How was the tournament organized?

    Neil: They put you into divisions of about 20 teams or so - 12 divisions total. You play about twelve games over two days. For the final bracket, the top 3 or 4 teams in each division compete in a 32-team double elimination tournament.

    Tone: Then it's may the best team win (that would be us LOL).

    (editor's note: this interview was conducted online. Tone did not actually say "LOL")



    See More: Man Of The Century
  • Jeff Rubin Penn State

    About Me

    Jeff's likes - captioning CollegeHumor pictures, Parker Brother's Sorry! (preferably played with teams), pajama pants, Entenmann's Chocolate Chip Original Recipe Cookies, Arrested Development, when it suddenly starts to rain heavily on a Spring day.

    View profile
    Send a message

    Calendar